Everybody's favorite ninja Alexi Amarista put his name in the annals of Padres history today by hitting a go-ahead three-run pinch-hit homer on his twenty-fifth birthday, but there was a day when even the people who make baseball cards didn't know his name. Sexi Lexi went down in print as "Alexia" Amarista on his 2010 Topps Pro Debut and Bowman Chrome Prospects cards pictured above, as well as the seemingly-infinite variations of each. In fact, these two reveal another layer in Topps' onion of laziness by using the same photo. At first I thought they 'shopped Angels duds over his Kernels uniform, but a closer look proved the opposite to be true.
Fortunately, somebody set the people at Topps straight before too long. By the time he was with the Salt Lake Bees (Beads?), they got it right.
I love that picture. He's so locked in and the huge helmet makes him look somehow even more presh.
This is where I'd generically wrap it up by saying "Have a happy birthday, Alexi..." but I already know he is. Unless he has crushing depression and the most beautiful smile I've ever seen is just an act, that is.
The Miami Marlins finished the first week of the 2014 regular season at a staggering 5-2 record, and there is one side of the coin that says this latest Fish group is here to stay competitive.
Editor's note: The Miami Marlins finished up the first week of the season versus the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, and they ended up taking two series wins and finishing 5-2. Naturally, fans are excited to see if these new-look Marlins can stay good (if not this good) all year. There are two camps, in the positive and the negative, on this argument, and I think I can do a good job representing either side. Here I am going full optimist!
The Miami Marlins are 5-2, and they are real.
Before this weekend's three-game series versus the San Diego Padres, Michael Baumann of Grantland said that he was ready to jump on the bandwagon, even if the FIsh were not really this good.
Look, I don’t believe in Jeffrey Loria. I don’t believe in overreacting to four-game samples just because they come in the opening week and there’s no preceding data to water them down. I don’t believe that three players can metaphysically lift their teammates to performances ordinarily outside their modest capabilities, as it seems that Stanton, Yelich, and Fernandez are doing.
But whatever. Sports are supposed to be fun, and right now, it’s fun to believe in the Miami Marlins.
I say to you, Mr. Baumann, to get on the bandwagon now before it makes a runaway trail all the way to the playoffs!
The 2014 Marlins are for real. Maybe they are not playoff-real, but they're "closer to 80 than 70 wins" real. No matter how bad the competition, you simply do not stumble into the sort of run differential the Marlins have pulled off in the first seven games.
It all starts on the pitching and (to a far lesser extent) defense side of the ball. Even with yesterday's 4-2 loss to the Padres, the Marlins have allowed just 21 runs in seven games, a measly three runs per game. And while one of those teams faced was the injury-riddled Padres offense, the other was a Rockies squad that featured Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, and Michael Cuddyer among other strong hitters. Last year, in fact, Padres non-pitchers hit a perfectly average mark after correcting for Petco Park, while Rockies hitters were four percent below average as a mostly unchanged team. The Marlins did a passable job against the tenth and 11th-ranked offenses in the National League last year. Not great competition, but not exactly the level of the 2013 Marlins either.
And aside from an aberrant Tom Koehler performance, none of the pitchers the Marlins threw out there surprised anyone with their play. Jose Fernandez went 12 2/3 innings and struck out 17 batters in perhaps one of the most totally expected results in early season baseball: Fernandez is an eater of bats and worlds. Nathan Eovaldi was a popular breakout candidate among those in the know, and he broke out to the tune of 14 strikeouts and two walks in 13 innings pitched. Jacob Turner and Henderson Alvarez were on the opposite end as pitchers who struggled in their 2014 debuts, and none of their struggles were all that surprising. Overall, you might expect those two to pitch better going forward and Fernandez and Eovaldi to pitch a bit worse, but all told, the starters performed as well as advertised and the team still gave up just three runs a game.
The offense is getting contributions from unexpected places, but it is also seeing work from expected names. Giancarlo Stanton has two home runs and is on fire, and given that he is a household name with power as his primary calling card, no one should be shocked to see him starting off so well. Christian Yelich actually has a bad batting line right now, but the signs of his game are all there, from him taking plenty of pitches and going deep into counts to his work on the bases. It is only a matter of time until those numbers start to improve. Marcell Ozuna has already put up a home run to add to the team's total during his hot start. Other than two prominent names on lucky hot streaks, the players Miami would have to depend on are indeed playing to expectations.
The result is the best run differential in baseball. It is difficult for team's to luck into such a staggering early-season mark. The Marlins have scored 42 runs and allowed 21, meaning they are currently doubling up opponents. While their opponents have been weak, a weak Miami team would have barely squeaked past these clubs. The Marlins, in posting their current run differential, have an expected win percentage of 0.786, or a 127-win team. While clearly the Marlins are not that good, the fact that they could put a one-week stretch of being remotely close to that level is extremely impressive and likely says something about the true quality of the team.
The proof is in the overall numbers. Before the regular season, the FanGraphs depth charts had Miami as far and away the second-worst team in baseball, ahead of only the Houston Astros. One week and five wins (not counting yesterday's loss) later, the team has upped its projection to a .460 winning percentage and 72 wins left on the year, good for third to last but closer teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks than clubs like Houston or the Minnesota Twins. If a hot start did not mean anything, how could the Fish enact such a drastic change in expected performance?
The 2014 Marlins have a real strong pitching staff led by two guys who are emerging righty power pitchers. They have a real set of leaders in their lineup in the improving Yelich and the fearsome Stanton. They have real flaws too, but this first week has shown just enough to prove that Miami is closer to .500 than they ever realized. The 2014 Marlins are real.
Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria struggled offensively in 2013, but is off to a hot offensive start this year. Hitting coach Frank Menechino worked on Hechavarria's approach during Spring Training.
After the Miami Marlins acquired shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from the Toronto Blue Jays, former Marlin Hanley Ramirez spoke publicly about the talent the Cuban-born athlete has. Last season with Miami, Hechavarria struggled offensively, but after several spring adjustments with new hitting coach Frank Menechino, Hechavarria is off to a solid start.
Hechavarria batted .227 in 2013, and saw a lot of time in the eight spot in the lineup because of a lack of production. He got on base at a .267 clip, which for a player that can steal 20-30 bases a season, was unimpressive.
Defense has never been a problem for Hechavarria, who made several great plays last season. He has great range and moves to both his right and left sides very well. The poor offense let to a negative 1.9 WAR last year, but with a .427 wOBA heading into Sunday's contest, Hechavarria's approach change appears to be paying off.
Working with hitting coach Frank Menechino, Hechavarria has focused on a middle-of-the-field approach. The shortstop has adjusted his hand placement a little farther away from his body, and he has shortened his swing.
"I was just disappointed in my performance last year," Hechavarria said. "That was a driving force in me improving myself this year. I made a couple of changes. I'm separating my hands from my body a little bit more. That's helped me so far."
Menechino's offensive mentality has been evident in the early starts of Marcell Ozuna, Derek Dietrich, and Christian Yelich. But Hechavarria, who batted .458 through six games, seems to be benefiting the most from the "up the middle" attitude. He has hit the ball to all fields, and is versatile in his ability to hit in several different spots in the lineup.
Manager Mike Redmond has recently placed Hechavarria in the leadoff spot, where he has thrived. Christian Yelich started Opening Day in that spot, but since Yelich is thought to be more of a two spot hitter, Hechavarria may remain leading off if he continues to be successful. Rafael Furcal was originally signed to be atop the Marlins lineup, but with the injury that landed him on the DL to begin the year, he may not be much of a threat, at least stolen base wise.
Protection for Giancarlo Stanton was an offseason priority, but internally, Hechavarria has proven early that he can be a valuable assest and can get on base ahead of Stanton, which has led to runs in the early innings.
Hechavarria had a career-best four hits in Friday night's 8-2 victory over the Padres, and should he continue to hit well, will be an essential part to Miami's offense on a nightly basis.
*all stats through Saturday's games except overall record
We haven't faced the Padres since the 2005 season and have only ever played two series against them. San Diego hasn't made the playoffs since 2006 and the last time they had a contending season was in 2010, when they finished two games back. They aren't expected to contend this season either (according to the pundits). They finished 11-13 this spring.
Even though Hundley is listed as the starter, we could see more of Grandal. All three catchers had fine springs. With two-thirds of their outfield (Maybin and Qunetin) on the DL, both Nady and Medica made the roster. The team is off to a poor offensive start so far this year, albeit in a really mall sample size. Most had slightly above average stats in 2013 though.
Cashner is a very good young pitcher, but luckily we will miss him. Stults did well against us in his final tune-up before the regular season in the game at the University of San Diego. Erlin will make his 2014 starting debut against us. Street has had a good career against us (1.06 ERA in 17 innings, 8 saves). I hope we get to face Benoit. And they only carry one lefty in the pen.
On the Shelf
SP Josh Johnson [15 day DL], possible May return
CF Cameron Maybin [15 day DL] , possible April return
LF Carlos Quentin [15 day DL] , no timetable
SP Cory Luebke [60 day DL], out for season
SP Casey Kelly [15 day DL] , possible April return
SP Joe Wieland [60 day DL] , possible July return
As noted above, losing Maybin and Quentin hurts their lineup significantly. Johnson might return in May.
Thw Miami Marlins have started 5-2 in the first week of the 2014 regular season. There is an argument to say that this week was all a mirage, however.
Editor's note: The Miami Marlins finished up the first week of the season versus the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, and they ended up taking two series wins and finishing 5-2. Naturally, fans are excited to see if these new-look Marlins can stay good (if not this good) all year. There are two camps, in the positive and the negative, on this argument, and I think I can do a good job representing either side. Here I am going full pessimist!
The Miami Marlins are 5-2, and they are not real.
Before this weekend's three-game series versus the San Diego Padres, Michael Baumann of Grantland said that he was ready to jump on the bandwagon, even if the FIsh were not really this good.
Look, I don’t believe in Jeffrey Loria. I don’t believe in overreacting to four-game samples just because they come in the opening week and there’s no preceding data to water them down. I don’t believe that three players can metaphysically lift their teammates to performances ordinarily outside their modest capabilities, as it seems that Stanton, Yelich, and Fernandez are doing.
But whatever. Sports are supposed to be fun, and right now, it’s fun to believe in the Miami Marlins.
I say to you, Mr. Baumann, to abandon the bandwagon before the wheels fall off fast.
This may be a fun team to watch now, but the fun will soon wear off once the only functional parts left are an increasingly disgruntled Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez. One week has not changed the outlook of any of the team's important players. We knew that Fernandez was a star in the making, and he has proven just that in two Marlins wins. We figured Stanton would return to full form shortly, and his power seems to have returned in full force.
But the rest of the lineup that was expected to be anemic? If depending on Adeiny Hechavarria and Casey McGehee to bat .458 and .563 on balls in play respectively, then yes, the Marlins could keep up their torrid pace. But if we headed into this year thinking that could happen, the Fish would have been a juggernaut! It's not a realistic expectation, and what is left after those two players inevitably fall by the wayside is the stuff of concerns.
Christian Yelich has seen plenty of pitches thus far, but that might be the only thing he has done right this early in the season. He actually has just a 4.2 percent walk rate to his name prior to Sunday's game, and his overall line of .222/.250/.333 does not yet inspire any confidence. The big addition of the offseason, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, has failed to hold off the running game behind the plate, though his luck-fueled .318/.348/.455 line (.500 BABIP) has helped Two major pieces for the Marlins, important hitters necessary to improve a crippled offense, have question marks, while a number of stopgaps and unexpected players are carrying the load with good luck on their side. It is a recipe for everything to come crashing down.
This is especially important to note in the face of the Marlins battling against two NL West teams who were on the road. Miami should perform better with the home field advantage and should beat the lesser two teams in the NL West. This is especially true on offense. The Marlins dodged facing top Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin, who was injured to begin the year. They faced four of the Rockies' most questionable starters on a pitching staff that, last year, posted the fifth-worst ERA- in the NL (though they fared better in terms of FIP). Likewise, the Padres had the third-worst staff by ERA- and the worst by FIP-. Miami faced only one "ace" pitcher in Andrew Cashner, and they were lucky to do so with Fernandez on the mound opposite him.
Even the pitching staff had questions. How likely is Nathan Eovaldi to repeat his first two performances when he still showed much of the same skill set as last season? How will Miami handle Turner, who looked awful in his start like he did in the second half of last season, or Alvarez, who is a few lost pieces away from being a non-viable player like in 2012? Tom Koehler impressed no one with his hollow two-run performance as well, as he only struck out one batter and was the beneficiary of timely defense (the only time the Marlins defense was able to provide such a thing). Aside from Fernandez, questions still abound, even with the improved numbers of Eovaldi.
There are still too many questions in Miami to be happy. THe offense has not been answered, and the team was lucky to find subpar offenses with questionable pitching staffs. The team moves away from home and will visit the NL East favorites, the Washington Nationals, starting on Tuesday. Before we jump to crown Miami thanks to performances versus bad teams, let's wait and see how this still-uninspiring offense and question-laden pitching staff handles a better opponent. Luck cannot be on their side with guys like Hechavarria, McGehee, and Koehler forever.
With the Padres in Cleveland to take on the Indians, I thought I'd revisit an old theme and mash together a team out of guys who played for both clubs. I've done this before with the Marlins, Brewers, Cubs, and Reds; it's interesting to see the same names keep popping up in different places.
There are 106 players who have played for both teams, but it wasn't all that difficult to trim it down to a team of 25. As is usually the case, most of the starters were fairly obvious and there were a few good players who didn't quite make the cut for the bench. Here's the starting lineup:
C: Sandy Alomar, Jr. 1B: Broderick Perkins 2B: Joey Cora SS: Tony Fernandez 3B: Graig Nettles LF: Brian Giles CF: Dave Roberts RF: Dave Winfield
Yes, I know I am the only human being on the face of the earth who would start Joey Cora at second base over Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, and I'm fine with that. Logic and statistics have nothing to do with it. As for Perkins and Roberts, they were the only viable candidates who played those positions primarily. I supposed I could have wedged Joe Carter in either spot, but he only played 1B and CF sparingly, and poorly at that. He's not the only player on the bench with the versatility to play several positions badly.
C: Tom Lampkin IF/OF: Kurt Bevacqua 2B: Roberto Alomar LF/3B: Kevin Mitchell OF/1B: Joe Carter
That's a pretty versatile batch of guys, and it's even more versatile if you're a rational person and start Robbie Alomar, bumping Cora to the bench. Joey has a bit of experience at SS as well as a bit less at 3B, and can serve as the emergency catcher as well.
As luck would have it, there were exactly five decent starting pitchers. As luck would continue to have it, those five were better than just decent. Well, at least at some point. As you might suspect, some of them didn't do so hot in San Diego.
SP: Gaylord Perry SP: Mark Langston SP: Ed Whitson SP: Charles Nagy SP: Rick Wise
At each of their primes, they were forces to be reckoned with. And in an exercise like this, you have to cherrypick like that. Rick Wise has added value as a pinch-hitter when needed.
The bullpen is the least-exciting aspect of this team. Whereas the Brewers/Padres combined team was stacked with big-name closers, this one is loaded with a bunch of guys who were just quietly decent.
The anomalies that crop up in these are weird and random. Sometimes two teams will have about nine catchers in common; in this case it's 28,138 left-handed relievers. Aside from Orosco, none of them were anything to write home about so I picked Monge since he was better than average and deserves recognition for something other than surrendering Tony Gwynn's first hit.
I think that team could win quite a few games, but that's not really saying much since I picked the best out of a large pool. Other than the whole Joey Cora/ Roberto Alomar thing, what would you have done differently?
The Indans will play another doubleheader on Wednesday, which throws off the starting rotation and means Tomlin or Bauer will be brought up.
Tonight's game between the Indians and Padres has been postponed due to rain (for San Diego fans unfamiliar with the concept: In many parts of the world it is common for water to sometimes fall from the sky). The game will be made up on Wednesday, as part of a traditional doubleheader (for young fans not familiar with the concept, a traditional doubleheader means there is only a short break between the two games, and one ticket admits you to both of them).
The first game will start at 12:05 ET, when that day's game was already scheduled to take place. The second game will then begin ~45 minutes after the conclusion of the first one. If you had tickets for Wednesday, that ticket is now good for both days. If you had tickets for tonight, you may exchange them for comparable seats at another game (further details on that here).
A second doubleheader so early in the season isn't ideal for the team, but it's especially problematic because the team doesn't have a day off this week, which means they'll be forced to bring up another starting pitcher to work one of those two games. Technically, they could instead have Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister start those two games, but then no one would be on full rest come Sunday, and they'd have to bring someone up then. That's not a good plan though, because baseball rules allow them to bring up an extra player for Wednesday's second game, whereas they'd have to option someone in order to bring them up on Sunday.
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UPDATE:You can ignore the debate below about who should be called up, because (as been pointed out in the comments) Tomlin started Saturday, which means he wouldn't be on full rest Wednesday (I was thinking he'd started Friday). Bauer will almost certainly be the one called up, whether I like him as a spot starter or not.
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Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin seem like the two candidates. Each of them has made one start at Triple-A Columbus so far: Baur was very good, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings, while striking out 9 and walking only 2. Tomlin was not as sharp, giving up 4 runs in 6 innings, and very uncharacteristically walked 3 batters. Based on that small sample, Bauer might seem the better choice, but he struggled in spring training, posting a 10.29 ERA in 7 innings, with 8 strikeouts and 5 walks, while Tomlin posted a 3.54 ERA in 20.1 innings, with 19 strikeouts and 4 walks.
My preference would be Tomlin. That's not because I think he gives the team a substantially better chance to win on Wednesday, but because my preference would be that Bauer is not called up til he really seems ready to stick. That's the same thing I wanted last year, but he was repeatedly moved back and forth between Cleveland and Columbus. Tomlin has more experience, and I'd rather he be called upon for what amounts to a spot start. We should know very soon what the Tribe's plan is.
As the importance of pitch-framing and overall backstop defense become better understood, the Padres' Austin Hedges may be the next catcher to be perceived as having great value regardless of what he does offensively.
Every single general manager dreams of snagging the next Mike Trout. It's the way of the business.
Maybe they don't hope specifically for a five-tool center fielder who starts his career at a Hall of Fame pace, but they all hope to gather young players with superstar ability. They all want, desperately, to produce young players who are not only far, far above replacement level, but who also remain low-cost and under team control.
With Mr. Trout now much, much richer than he used to be -- having signed a six-year, $150 million contract extension -- it's tough to quickly identify the best value in baseball. It may still be Trout, who has been worth between 17 and 20 wins above replacement (WAR), a metric that compiles all of a player's contributions into a single number, over the past two seasons.
In fact, with apologies to Jose Fernandez and Bryce Harper, it's possible that no young player in baseball provides the same kind of return on investment that Trout did over the past two seasons. It's possible that no player will provide that kind of return on investment ever again. But it's fun to project, and I think there's someone waiting in the wings who might get close. Someone who may not be Mike Trout, but might be the best value in baseball -- by a wide margin -- starting in a year or two.
That's hardly high praise. And most talent evaluators agree -- Hedges has good, but not great bat-to-ball ability and some gap power, the type of skills that could develop and translate into solid major-league performance. They also could fail to develop, and leave him with a below-average big league bat. Austin only managed four homers in 2013 -- and that was in the offense-friendly California League. He was about a league-average hitter last season, which isn't exactly thrilling when the league is High-A.
When he reaches the big leagues, he could be a good hitter, a bad hitter, or anything in between. That's not why he's special. He's special because nobody doubts that he will reach the big leagues -- because of everything else that he does.
At the age of 21, Hedges is already one of the best defensive catchers in professional baseball. Here's another quote from Hulet on Hedges:
Arguably the best all-around defensive catcher in the minors, there isn’t really anything Hedges doesn’t do well behind the plate. He’s the type of backstop that brings out the best in his pitchers and he controls the running game with aplomb.
Hedges is the best all-around defensive catcher I’ve had the privilege of scouting at the minor-league level, with a strong, accurate arm, quick and coordinated actions, and the in-game management qualities of a seasoned major-league veteran.
A couple of words seem to crop up in every piece written about Hedges, from scouts and prospect wonks alike. Those words are usually best, defensive and catcher. And more than any other position in baseball, defense matters when you're a catcher.
Austin Hedges is (again) only 21 years old, and he's already drawing praise as one of the best defensive catchers in the minors and -- perhaps -- all of professional baseball. And if he's really as exceptional as advertised, maybe he could reach Trout-ian levels of value. Because now, more than ever, we're finding out that excellent catching ability is an incredibly valuable skill.
Baseball people -- scouts, managers, old-school front office types -- have always valued a catcher's defensive prowess. Elite defensive catchers tend to find a home on major league rosters, sometimes in spite of offensive deficiencies. For example, for years Jeff Mathis held a job for the Angels, despite being one of the worst hitters in the bigs. Over his career -- one that is still going -- Mathis has been about 50 percent worse than league average as a hitter.
For years, actually quantifying a catcher like Mathis's overall defensive ability has been a challenge. Sure, there have always been metrics in place to judge a catcher's ability to throw out or hold baserunners -- though we're learning more about how the pitcher has a great role in this process. But despite the best efforts of analysts and sabermetricians everywhere, there are still sizable gaps in our ability to assign exact value to a catcher's ability to call a game or "handle a pitching staff."
What we are getting better at these days, is figuring out how good a catcher is as a receiver. This includes not only how they block pitches in the dirt, but a technique called "pitch framing." Framing is a hot topic in baseball right now -- at least as hot as new analytics concepts can get -- thanks to research by analysts like Mike Fast (now a Houston Astros baseball operations employee) and Max Marchi of Baseball Prospectus. If you want to learn more about framing in depth, take a look at this seminal article by Ben Lindbergh, but the crux of framing is that catchers have the ability to make balls on the borderline of the strike zone look more like a ball or a strike.
Not only has this been proven as a very real occurrence, but it's also a very valuable occurrence. The best pitch framers (guys like Jose Molina and Russell Martin) can earn their team half a run or so per 100 pitches, or every full ballgame. The worst pitch framers (guys like Ryan Doumit) can cost their teams roughly the same amount.
In practical terms, this means that over the span of a whole year, a great framing catcher has the ability to -- rather secretly -- make his team's starting pitchers look a lot better than they might normally look. And this can be to the tune of up to two-to-four wins in a season. And this is before taking anything else the catcher does into account: hitting, blocking pitches, throwing out runners, calling a game or managing the pitching staff.
Austin Hedges already has a reputation as a good pitch framer, though without minor league PITCHf/x data, it's hard to tell exactly how good he is. He's also young, and framing can be a skill that improves with time. Suffice to say that if Hedges can prove himself to be a good or great pitch framer in the big leagues, then he already has a huge head start over any other player in terms of providing overall value to his team.
Beyond framing, Hedges draws comparisons to the greats in terms of arm strength, accuracy, and ability to block pitches in the dirt. He might not be Yadier Molina, at least not yet, but it's not crazy to think that the day he reaches the majors, he could be one of the few backstops in the bigs who is in Molina's class. And that makes him worth probably another win or two on defense.
In a best-case scenario, Hedges might already be worth five wins on defense before even picking up a bat, and that's also before we take into account any other effect he might have on the pitching staff. And five wins is a LOT. A five-win position player is usually one of the thirty best players in the game at any time.
But even that doesn't put Hedges on Mike Trout's level. To get to that level of raw wins, Hedges also needs to hit. If -- and this is a big if -- he's able to hit at about a league-average level while playing catcher, that's worth about two more wins. Now he's in that seven-win stratosphere, the place where you find MVPs and MVP candidates. Chris Davis had about a 7-win season last year. So did Evan Longoria. That's pretty great company.
No, in order to get to the 10-win plateau, Hedges would have to hit more like Buster Posey, while playing world-class defense. He'd basically have to be a younger, slightly better Yadier Molina in Padres brown. And while that's certainly possible, it's definitely not probable. It's not likely, not with Hedges' current skillset, and it's not reasonable to project. But unlike so many other players in baseball, it is within the realm of imagination.
The point of all this is that Hedges has the skillset to -- maybe, possbly -- be worth something somewhere close to what Mike Trout is worth, even at a young age, while still under team control and before arbitration. Not many players, great as they are, come anywhere close to that kind of ceiling.
Hedges' unique defensive abilities, combined with a better understanding within baseball of how much they're worth on the field, make him one of the only candidates to come anywhere close to providing similar surplus value to Mike Trout's first few years in the bigs. I wouldn't hold that kind of expectation for catcher who hasn't played above Double-A, but the best-case scenario is a tremendous value, and even the likely projection is still something pretty great.
Having just won their first two series at home against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres to start the 2014 season, the Miami Marlins are not planning on letting the outcome of the upcoming road series against the NL East favorite Washington Nationals dictate their outlook on the rest of the season.
San Diego Padres' ace Andrew Cashner was the only starter who was in the top 30 in the National League in ERA in 2013 that the Miami Marlins faced in their first seven games, where they posted a 5-2 record. In fact, due to injury, the Marlins avoided facing the Colorado Rockies' top starting pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin, in their season opening series.
The Marlins' favorable pitching draws are no more as they head into Washington to face the Nationals starting on Tuesday. Greeting them will be Jordan Zimmermann and Hialeah's own Gio Gonzalez -- two pitchers who finished in the top 20 in the NL in ERA in 2013 among starting pitchers -- and Tanner Roark, who in 2013 posted a slim 1.51 ERA in 53 2/3 innings out of the bullpen with 5 spot starts.
CORRECTION: The Nats announced today that Stephen Strasburg (yet another top 20 ERA guy) will pitch the third game of the Marlins series this week and Tanner Roark will pitch on Friday in Atlanta.
The Marlins will face this challenge without the safety net of a Jose Fernandez or Nathan Eovaldi start. Instead, the Marlins three through five starters -- Henderson Alvarez, Jacob Turner and Tom Koehler -- will take the hill in D.C. While Alvarez and Turner scuffled a bit in their first starts of the season against Colorado, Koehler performed admirably against San Diego.
"In this clubhouse, we know where we stand," reliever Mike Dunn said.
Said utility man Jeff Baker: "Obviously, you want to win those [games] in the division."
Conversely, Marlins skipper Mike Redmond says the series could indeed serve as an early barometer.
"It’s a great test for us to kind of see where we’re at," Redmond said. "We’re facing their best three pitchers. I’m excited about the opportunity to go in there and play after having a nice homestand, and hopefully we keep this momentum going."
If the Fish can manage to steal a win or two from the Nationals with the bottom of their rotation pitching, they will be in great shape heading into the following series in Philadelphia with Jose Fernandez slated to lead the charge in the opening game.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/07/4043688/miami-marlins-dont-see-series.html#storylink=cpy
Ross and Kluber kick off the interleague matchup in Cleveland.
After yesterday's rain-out, Robbie Erlin will have to wait until tomorrow morning to make his first start of the season. Today, Tyson Ross will keep his planned start against the Indians and try to get his first win of 2014 while working on six days of rest thanks to the off day on Thursday. Ross went five innings and threw 100 pitches in his season debut against the Dodgers last week, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks, though striking out seven along the way. Ross has pitched against Cleveland twice in his career, going 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA. He hasn't faced them since 2012 as a member of the Athletics, however.
Yesterday's scheduled starter for Cleveland, Corey Kluber, will pitch opposite Ross today. Kluber already had a start postponed due to rain earlier this month when the Indians took on the A's in Oakland. He made his season debut on Wednesday, instead of Tuesday, last week and didn't fare well against A's hitting. He gave up five runs on eight hits and three walks, lasting just 3 1/3 innings'.
Kluber hopes to bounce back against a team who has had their share of struggles to start their 2014 season. Our Friars are coming off a win in their series finale against the Marlins, but prior to that had racked up four straight losses. Over their first six games, they are batting just .189 as a team and combining for only 12 runs. Cleveland has played a little better, going 3-3 over their first six games and batting .257 as a team with 26 runs.
Tune in at 4:05 this afternoon as these two interleague teams face each other for the first time in a regular season contest since 2008.
Miami Marlins starter Jose Fernandez was named the co-NL player of the week on Monday. Fernandez went 2-0 to begin the season and was effective in both starts.
Last year's National League Rookie of The Year award winner, Fernandez refused to discuss his future when asked throughout the offseason if he felt he can repeat the success he had last season. In 2013, Fernandez went 12-6 in 28 starts and posted a 2.19 ERA. After starting the season 2-0 with an ERA on 0.71, Fernandez began the year the way he finished in October.
Since he was productive since being promoted last season, this isn't the first time Fernandez was given the honor. He also was recognized the weeks of Jul. 28 and Aug. 25 in his rookie year.
Fernandez dominated the Rockies' lineup on Opening Day, and was just as efficient in six innings against the Padres on Saturday night. The right-hander tied the Reds' Johnny Cueto for the most strikeouts in the Major Leagues (17) after using his repetoire to his advantage.
Fernandez struck out nine and allowed just one run over six innings in his first career Opening Day start against the Rockies. That was the only run he allowed all week, as he threw 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball on Saturday against the Padres. Fernandez is now 11-0 in 17 starts at Marlins Park, extending his club record for most consecutive home starts without a loss to begin a career.
Fernandez's success at home reveals what most visiting pitchers come to find out-Marlins Park can be a great place to pitch. The spacious gaps make it tempting for players who hit the ball to all fields consistently, but Fernandez rarely needs the help of the park itself-his ability to pile up strike outs using a fastball and several offspeed pitches makes him that much more valuable.
As the Marlins begin a six game road trip Tuesday night in Washington, Fernandez will pitch in Friday night's contest against the Phillies in Philadelphia. While it is a small sample size, Fernandez is expected to have another solid year as Miami's ace.
MLB.com noted that Giancarlo Stanton was also considered for this week's award after beginning the year with 12 RBIs and two home runs to complement a .345 average and .406 on-base percentage. Protection for Stanton in the lineup hasn't been a concern early because of the early success of Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones.
It's increasingly rare that Major League Baseball schedules a doubleheader. In the 70's it was a pretty common occurrence for all teams. In the 1971 season the Padres played 20 doubleheaders, the most in their franchise history for a season.
Now the Padres usually only get one under their belt on the occasion of a rainout on the road. Tomorrow the Padres will play two against the Indians in Cleveland. It'll be their first doubleheader since 2011 and only their third of the decade.
Due to a caveat in the MLB's CBA, the Padres and Indians can roster an extra player for their doubleheader.
Rain on Monday gave the Padres and Indians a surprise off day. Because the rain was supposed to carry over until Tuesday, the makeup game was scheduled for Wednesday making that a rare doubleheader for the Padres. The Collective Bargaining Agreement has a caveat that says that any time a doubleheader is scheduled more than one day in advance the two teams can roster a 26th player.
There are no limitations on who the 26th man can be, other than it must be someone on the 40 man roster. The rule has been in effect since the 2012 and every time the player called up to be the 26th man has been a pitcher. This makes logical sense. The most taxed portion of the roster, when it comes to doubleheaders, is the pitching staff. Some teams may even need a spot starter for one of the games, but that is not the case for the Padres. They will likely look to add a relief pitcher.
If this were a long term need in the bullpen, the Padres might be tempted to make a 40 man roster move and call up a guy like Tony Sipp. However, since ostensibly this pitcher will be called up for only one game they are much more likely to pluck a player straight from the existing 40 man roster. The pitchers on the 40 man roster who are currently not on the 25 man roster or on the 15 day DL are: Burch Smith, Juan Pablo Oramas, Keyvius Sampson, Jesse Hahn and Bobby LaFromboise. At the moment Smith, Oramas and Sampson are all working as starting pitchers in AAA. Calling them up for a little bullpen insurance and messing up their rhythm probably is not the best choice. Especially when you consider that one of them could be the next man called up should another starting pitcher get hurt. Jesse Hahn impressed in Spring Training, but is currently being stretched in order to get into the AA starting rotation. The most logical choice might be Bobby LaFromboise.
LaFromboise was selected off waivers from the Seattle Mariners back on April 2. He is a lefty reliever that pitching in 10 for those Mariners in 2013. It looks like that coming off a good 2012 season, Seattle protected him from the Rule 5 draft by putting him on the 40 man roster and then a couple times during the season were forced to call upon his sinister services. However, come the start of the 2014 season due to injuries the Mariners were in need of starting pitching help for the big league roster and thought he was expendable when they had to add former Padre Chris Young to their 40 man roster. They waived him and the Padres made a claim. He was then optioned to the Chihuahuas so that the Padres could get a look at him in AAA for a bit. However, he has yet to appear in a game for El Paso.
Perhaps there is a reason LaFromboise has yet to pitch in a game. Perhaps it is enough of a reason that the Padres would not want to call him up for this extra roster spot. Perhaps they will not call up anyone. Perhaps they will DFA poor Bobby and give Tony Sipp a call after all. Whoever it is will have a long flight to Cleveland likely followed by a long, lonely flight back to somewhere back in the Southwest.
First, the bad news: Vinnie Pestano doesn't look like he's capable of helping the team right now. He came in for the 9th inning tonight, staked to an 8-3 lead, and things went downhill quickly. He gave up a home run to the first man he faced, and also gave up a triple and a single, and John Axford had to come in to record the final out. Pestano's velocity is down ~3 MPH from where it was in 2012, and he's allowed at least 1 earned run in all 3 of his appearances. I have to think he's the 8th man in the bullpen right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him sent to Columbus in the next few days. It's sad to see someone who did so much to help the team not so long ago now looking overmatched, but that's the way of things sometimes.
Also, Nick Swisher went 0 for 4 and made 2 errors in the field. That's not a big red flag or anything, but since I was getting the bad news out of the way, I thought I'd mention it.
Alright, on to the good news...
Corey Kluber gave up 3 runs in 6 innings Tuesday night, which is the bar to clear for what is officially considered a "quality start." He was better than that elementary look at his night would have you believe though, so let's try that again: Corey Kluber struck 8 batters in 6 innings Tuesday night, without walking a single hitter or allowing a home run. More than a strikeout per inning, no free passes, no long balls, that's a great game. The main reason Kluber gave up 3 runs was probably bad luck, as half the balls into play against him dropped in for hits, which is a very high percentage. If you're not already familiar with batting average on balls in play (BABIP), you should familiarize yourself, so that you can keep up with what the cool kids are talking about.
I did some digging around during the late innings, and found that in the 2000s (entering tonight) there have been 623 games in which a starting pitcher went 6+ innings with 8+ strikeouts, without any walks or home runs. In 76% of those games, the starter allowed 0 or 1 earned run; in 16% he allowed 2 earned runs, and in only 8% did he allow 3+ (poor Matt Cain allowed 7 earned runs in one such game last season). Anyway, that's a lot of digital ink over his pitching line, but it points towards a basic point I want to make, which is that after a rocky first start of the season, Kluber looked much better tonight. He looked like a guy we'll be happy with.
Meanwhile, the offense managed to take advantage of most of its opportunities, and gave the team a comfortable lead fairly early. Yan Gomes and David Murphy led off the 3rd with back-to-back walks, followed by Morgan making it aboard on a throwing error. After another ground ball and a sacrifice fly, all three of them had scored. Three runs without a single hit in the inning, you don't see that very often.
In the 4th innings Murphy hit his first home run as an Indian, putting the Tribe ahead 6-2. Murphy later doubled in a run in the 6th, and then scored his third run of the game on Morgan's third hit of the night. Morgan is playing really well, so there's no need for the Indians to rush Michael Bourn back (he was finally able to play in his second rehab game; he went 0 for 4 in Columbus this evening). Jason Kipnis didn't have any hits tonight, but he drew 2 walks, drove in a run with a long fly ball, and stole his third base of the season.
Tomorrow brings a doubleheader (the second of the season already), with Zach McAllister scheduled to start the first game (12:05 ET) and Trevor Bauer having been called up to start the second (which will begin 20-30 minutes after the completion of the first game. A couple more like the first 8 innings of this one sure would be nice.
Let's start with some good news. The Padres picked up a season high 15 hits and 6 runs tonight. Eight of those hits were for extra bases, with a whopping 6 doubles, a triple, and a home run (off the bat of Xavier Nady, no less). Here's the bad news: Everything else. Of the 8 runs the Indians scored, only 3 were earned. And then there were the pair of errors from Jedd Gyorko and Tyson Ross, not to mention the 5 walks Ross allowed.
It started in the third, when Ross walked Yan Gomes and David Murphy to lead off the inning. Gomes advanced to third on a passed ball. Gyorko's throwing error scored Gomes, put Murphy on third, and let Nyjer Morgan get all the way to second. A ground out and a sacrifice fly scored them both. Three runs, no hits required.
Singles from Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal set the stage for Gyorko's 2 RBI double in the top of the fourth to keep the Padres in it, but those runs didn't go unanswered. In the bottom half of the inning, Asdrubal Cabrera reached first when Ross missed the catch while covering the base. A single off the bat of Lonnie Chisenhall put two on for Murphy to launch a shot to right field.
The offense tried to keep the game close again in the top of the sixth with a pair of doubles from Will Venable and Jedd Gyorko. Once again, the runs did not go unanswered. Gomes hit a ground rule double off of Ross, who was then replaced with Tim Stauffer. Stauffer failed to make some [expletive] pitches, as a double from Murphy and a single from Morgan scored the Indians' 7th and 8th runs of the day.
The Friars tried to mount a comeback in the ninth, and they made a real show of it. Nady hit a leadoff homer, then Chris Denorfia hit a one out triple. With two outs, Deno scored and Yonder Alonso reached first on an error. Alonso moved to second on defensive indifference, before scoring on Grandal's fourth hit of the night. In case you were wondering, the guy who had ACL injury in August is now batting .500 on the season. Unfortunately, the rally died there.
Eric Stults and Robbie Erlin will go back to back in tomorrow's double-header in an effort to win the series. We'll see you here bright and early tomorrow at 9:05 AM.
Miguel Cabrera is amazing ... let me count the ways, a look at the man behind Detroit's instant replay system, and Henry Aaron is NOT the home run king.
What makes Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera so amazing? Players, coaches chime in Detroit Free Press, Jeff Seidel What makes Cabrera so amazing? As if it's possibly to pin that down. I find a new reason to be amazed by him nearly every time he takes the field or picks up a bat. Also, his goofiness. Also, his speed on the basepaths.
Tigers led by cool, calm and collected Brad Ausmus USA Today Cool, calm, collected ... and also an above-average instant replayer (made that word up).
Pressure mounts on Matt Martin, Detroit Tigers' instant replay guy Detroit Free Press, Drew Sharp All eyes are on you, Matt Martin. Don't let us down.
Ask Schmehl: How will Detroit Tigers handle Phil Coke? How long will they stick with Alex Gonzalez? MLive.com, James Schmehl When dealing with any Phil Coke questions, just think: WWND. (What would Nickelback do?)
Tigers' Joba Chamberlain looks to solidify role in new environment T he Detroit News, Rod Beard Well, he can stop "looking to" and actually start doing the solidifying. That would be advantageous of him.
The Cleveland Indians defeated the San Diego Padres 8-3 on a chilly night at Progressive Field, as Corey Kluber did much better than in his previous outing, and David Murphy won over more fans with a big night.
Batkid returns! Tiny superhero saves Giants home opener by throwing out first pitch Big League Stew, Mike Oz I wish this kid could be in the news everyday. Just pure awesomeness.
Henry Aaron is NOT The Home Run King. That sounds like I’m going to follow with some rant about Barry Bonds breaking his record and how terrible that was … but I’m not.
Tigers tweets:
Off day catch in LA. Of all the random places I've thrown, this takes the cake. Thanks to Kunkel for blocking the CB pic.twitter.com/zclWmjicBL
The two closing legends will have the relief award of their respective, career-long leagues named after them.
Major League Baseball already had relief awards annually, but they never caught on in the same way that the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, or even Rookie of the Year honors did. That could change with the simple change of a name in the near future, however, as CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that MLB is going to announce new relief awards named after closing legends Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
They aren't two separate awards, exactly, but the same award with two different names, one for the American League and one for the National League. Rivera, who spent his entire 19-year career with the Yankees in the AL, and Hoffman, who similarly never left the Senior Circuit, rank first and second all-time in saves, at 652 and 601, respectively.
It's intelligent branding, as they're both well-known league-wide, are currently record holders for saves in the league they spent their entire, (likely) Hall of Fame careers in, and are sure to generate more recognition and interest than the "Rolaids Relief" award, which was always more not-so-subtle corporate joke -- get it, closing can cause heartburn because of stress! -- than it was something fans could actually feel some connection to.
In addition, Rivera and Hoffman will have a say in who receives the awards each season, so it won't just be going to whoever leads their league in saves, or anything else as simple-minded and basic. According to Heyman, "there will be an added interesting twist to the award, as a small panel of all-time great relievers, including Rivera and Hoffman themselves, will do the voting for the annual honor." MLB announced that the voting panel will also include Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, John Franco and Billy Wagner.
Over 19 years, Rivera finished in the top-five for the AL Cy Young five times while compiling 1,173 strikeouts and a 205 ERA+, the best ever for a pitcher with at least 1,200 career innings. He led the AL in saves on three separate occasions, and was a driving force behind the five Yankees' World Series championships that occurred during his storied career.
Hoffman might not have the postseason credentials of Rivera, but his career merits attention as well. He twice led the NL in saves, finished in the top-five of the Cy Young three times, made seven All-Star teams, and helped lead the Padres to the 1998 World Series, where, coincidentally, they were defeated by Rivera's Yankees. Of Hoffman's 19 years, 16 of them came with the Padres, but he began his career with the then-Florida Marlins all the way back in 1993, and finished with the Brewers in 2009 and 2010.
The best reliever in the National League will receive a shiny new award named after the Padres legend.
Rolaids Relief Award. Delivery Man of the Year. These are awards you might have heard of. They're also awards you just don't care about. Do you even know what they're for? Yeah, that's what I thought. That's why Bud Selig is poised to announce a new award for the best reliever in the National League named after the legendary Trevor Hoffman. There's also going to be one for the Arena League named after some Mariano Rivera guy. I've never heard of him; was he any good?
In an even more interesting twist, this award won't be voted on by the BBWAA (thank WG), but instead will be voted on by a panel of relievers, including Hoffman and Rivera. Part of that panel? Former Padres Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers. Here's the entire list of voters if you care about people who played for other, lesser teams.
The voters: Rivera, Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, John Franco and Billy Wagner.
All in all, it's a wonderful tribute to the greatest reliever to ever walk out of the Padres bullpen. I hope they play Hell's Bells during the awards ceremony.
Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton was notably effective during the first week of the season, and is confident he can continue to be successful moving forward. Stanton posted 12 RBIs against the Rockies and Padres.
Coming off of a year during which he was plagued by injuries and inconsistencies, Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was confident he would be able to bounce back in 2014. Punctuated by a 484 foot home run against the San Diego Padres on Friday night, Stanton is off to a hot start, batting .345 with a .462 wOBA heading into Tuesday's contest against the Nationals.
While Stanton hasn't been outspoken about his future with Miami, it is no coincidence that with Stanton in the lineup for every game, the Marlins won both of their home series to begin the year. Protection for Stanton was a focal point over the offseason, and not including the lack of offense in a two run loss on Sunday, Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones have protected him well.
Stanton, a notoriously slow starter in the past, is locked in, motivated and producing what so many have expected. The 24-year-old right fielder enters Monday's off-day batting .345 (10-for-29) with three doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs. He's already delivered four game-winning RBIs.
Stanton has also driven in a run in each of the seven games, which ties him with Cliff Floyd (2001) for the second-most consecutive games with an RBI to open a season in club history. A year ago, Stanton had nine RBIs total in April. Already in the month, he has 10. His first two came on Opening Night, played on March 31.
Throughout the offseason, questions of an extension were externally discussed. The belief is that Stanton wants to see progress before he considers being a Marlin long-term, and rightfully so. With the organization's history of massive fire sales, a young and talented player like Stanton shouldn't be obligated to remain a part of a losing team, and it is too soon to tell whether the 2014 Marlins will be exactly that.
Stanton's early success directly coincides with the productivity of the rest of the lineup. Adeiny Hechavarria, upon being placed in the leadoff spot, was consistently getting on base, and when Christian Yelich was leading off, he saw numerous pitches, even in at-bats that resulted in outs.
Marlins hitting coach Frank Menechino has preached utilizing the ball to all fields, and Stanton has done just that. His first home run of the season was to right field, and even when he got jammed like he did on Sunday afternoon, he has the ability to pull the ball just enough to get a hit.
Although Jones and McGehee have helped Stanton, the addition of Jarrod Saltalamacchia gives pitchers something to think about when considering what to throw to a hitter like Stanton.
Last year, Stanton had it in his mind that he wasn't going to see a lot to hit because of the lack of production. Miami's offseason moves make pitching around Stanton that much more difficult.
Whether he can be this successful throughout the course of the season remains to be seen. Many believe that a healthy Stanton could hit 40 home runs and drive in 100 runs. But his early approach and plate discipline have a lot to do with the number of runs the Marlins scored against the Rockies and Padres.
Zach McAllister sure knows how to make a guy feel better about him. After struggling in his first start of the season, Old Rough and Ready dominated the Padres in the front end of Wednesday's doubleheader at Progressive Field, leading the Indians to a 2-0 win. McAllister pitched 7.2 shutout innings, allowing only 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking none. It's not a stretch to call it the best start of his career.
John Axford thought about ruining our fun, putting the tying run on base in the 9th, but he was just messing with us, and picked up his 4th save of the season.
The Tribe offense wasn't especially lively, managing only 5 hits of its own, but one of them was a 2-run bomb from Jason Kipnis to right-center field in the 6th inning, and that was all the help McAllister needed. Carlos Santana also collected a hit and added two more walks to his tally, which will further enrage his detractors who don't believe in walking.
This recap is brief, because the second game will begin only 25 minutes after this one ended. Really though, Zach McAllister's brilliance is all you need to know about this one.
