Tagged: Bryce Harper
Adam Wainwright, An Ace Once More
St. Louis Cardinals’ ace Adam Wainwright has always been one of the best big game pitchers in baseball. Even dating back to his days as a rookie out of the bullpen, Wainwright has never let a big moment get to him. Facing Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded, 2 outs, and a trip to the World Series on the line? That’s no big deal for Wainwright, just unleash the nastiest curveball you can possible throw. How about taking on a red-hot Giants lineup with your team staring down the possibility of a 3-1 hole? No big deal, just throw 7 dominant innings.
Wainwright’s always been a big game pitcher, which made his struggles in the NLDS against the Washington Nationals a season ago all the more puzzling. In 2 separate starts the Nationals were able to chase Wainwright from the game in the early going as they piled up 13 hits, 3 homers, and 7 total runs in just 8 innings against the Cards’ ace.
Well, on Tuesday evening Adam Wainwright went out and got his revenge. The right-hander thoroughly dominated the Nationals’ lineup, throwing 8.1 breezy innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 walk to go along with 9 strikeouts. He blew through the Nationals lineup with ease, using his fastball to get ahead of hitters before finishing them off with his trademark biting curveball.
Opening Day Done Right
Wow! Is there any better way to kick off a season than with 12 exciting, competitive games? I don’t think so. From Bryce Harper’s pair of homers, to Kershaw putting the Dodgers on his back, Opening Day was full of big performances as well. These are my starting nine from Opening Day 2013:
1) Josh Reddick’s beard
It’s majestic. I mean just look at the thing. Can his eyes even make their way through that hairy forest to see the pitches opposing hurlers throw? Is he going for the Johnny Damon circa-2004 look? I’m not really sure but I know I like it.
2) Clayton Kershaw as a dual threat
In the best game of the day the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw dualed the Giants’ Matt Cain to a draw through 8 innings. Neither offense could muster much more than a bloop single or two as the starters combined to strikeout 15 batters. By the start of the 8th inning the game was handed over to the Giants’ bullpen and George Kontos with Clayton Kershaw scheduled to lead-off. In a bold move Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly decided to leave Kershaw in the game, eschewing a pinch hitter, and boy did it pay off. Kershaw hit an absolute blast to centerfield some 400-odd feet away for his 1st career homer, sending Dodgers’ fans into a frenzy. Los Angeles added 3 more insurance runs in the inning but Clayton Kershaw didn’t need them as he pitched a perfect 9th to grab the 4-0 victory.
Bryce Harper Still Needs Work
When the Washington Nationals selected Bryce Harper 1st overall in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, the only questions anybody seemed to have were how quickly will this kid develop into a superstar and what position will he play. The D.C. brass answered question #2 fairly quickly, deciding to move Harper from catcher to the outfield in hopes that his power, speed, and bazooka arm would hold up better without the rigors of working behind the plate daily. After 130 largely successful minor league games (only 21 at Triple-A) and with the need for another outfielder at the big league level, Washington called the 19-year-old prodigy up to the show.
Rookie Report: Mid-July Edition
Sorry for the delay this month on the Rookie Report. We’re attempting to move to Springfield and it’s a little difficult to find time to do the research and catch up on games while I’m busy packing, interviewing (I got the job!!), and still going to work at my current job. But anyway, enough about me, let’s take a look at the league’s best rookies:
The Final Vote and Other All-Star Roster Observations
I have somewhat of a problem with the final vote for the “last” roster spot available in both leagues. First of all the American League is no contest. Yu Darvish will win in a runaway, because Ranger fans have stuffed the ballot box thus far and will continue to do so. And unless the large contingent of fans in Japan suddenly decide Jason Hammel or Jonathan Broxton is their guy, Darvish will win in a landslide. No, the more interesting (and maybe odd) case is over in the National League, where we more than likely have a two horse race between Chipper Jones and Bryce Harper.
Rookie Report: Mid-June Edition
Every team has at least 62 games under their belts this season, and we’ve seen quite a few impressive performances out of rookies from nearly every position on the diamond thus far. One quick note, in last month’s rankings we had Lance Lynn of the St. Louis Cardinals included, but this month he has been taken out because he does not qualify as a rookie. He was on the Cardinal roster for a few too many days last season to qualify for this season’s award, so his removal has nothing to do with performance. In fact Lynn has been one of the National League’s elite pitchers this season, and would rank 1st or 2nd if he qualified as a rookie. Now on to the list, which has some fresh faces and a more offensive outlook this month:
A Small Rant on Scorekeeping and Errors
Edwin Encarnacion, affectionately known as “E5”
One disturbing trend I’ve been noticing more and more this season is the inability of scorekeepers to give anybody an error. The official Major League Rulebook, listed on-line on MLB.com, is pretty cut and dry when it comes to determining errors, saying they should be prescribed when a player:
whose misplay (fumble, muff or wild throw) prolongs the time at bat of a batter, prolongs the presence on the bases of a runner or permits a runner to advance one or more bases, unless, in the judgment of the official scorer, such fielder deliberately permits a foul fly to fall safe with a runner on third base before two are out in order that the runner on third shall not score after the catch.
Can the Beat up Nationals Survive?
The National League East has been a bloodbath so far this season, with surprises left and right from the still-competative Mets to the currently-in-last Phillies, but no one has caught the attention of Major League Baseball like the Washington Nationals. We’ve previously discussed how the Nationals are having success, by relying on a hard-throwing, talented, strikeout-oriented pitching staff, which has propelled them to a 22-14 record. The Nationals have allowed the fewest runs in baseball, a testament to the talent of guys like Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Gio Gonzalez. But their are some rather large underlying issues in play here, particularly the startling lack of offense because of a rash of injuries that has wiped out nearly every productive bat. 
The Nationals’ offense, which had been ranking around the middle of the league for a good part of the young season, has fallen of the wagon, ranking 27th in scoring. Injuries have robbed Washington of some of its best and most powerful hitters. The issues at catcher are among the most pressing of any team in the league. Wilson Ramos, the Nationals talented young catcher, is out for the season after he tore his ACL. His backup, Sandy Leone, also was hurt a couple of nights ago and had to be put on the DL. The Nats are now stuck with Carlos Maldonado, a 33-year-old career minor leaguer, who has hit .185 in 60 plate appearances spanning the 2010, 2007, and 2006 season, or Jesus Flores. Flores is a 27-year-old career .251 hitter who has received some backup innings for the Nationals over the past few seasons, and he will now get the lions share of the playing time. This platoon of the two could probably suffice as a stopgap, but as a long-term solution they would probably be combine to be the worst catcher in the league, and a complete black hole on offense. No team is without a blemish, but this is a rather unsightly one.
In the outfield the problems are nearly as catastrophic. Michael Morse, a powerful 30-homerun hitter a year ago, has yet to play a game, and probably won’t be back until mid-June. Jayson Werth broke his wrist in brutal fashion and won’t see action for a couple of months. That leaves the Nationals with a starting outfield of Rick Ankiel, Roger Bernadina, and Bryce Harper, with Xavier Nady as the 4th outfielder. All three of the starters are about league average as players, with each having an OPS+ between 90-101. The bigger issue is that none of the outfielders are hitting above .260, and none are getting on-base at an acceptable rate either because they all have OBPs below the league average of .318. Harper has shown some good pop and excellent base running skills, but he is very unrefined, has little command of the strike zone, and struggles to get on-base. All of this is expected from a 19-year-old. Defensively they are mediocre at chasing fly balls down, but Ankiel and Harper each have plus arms, which helps prevent base runners from taking bases at will. The sooner Morse gets back, the better, because the Nationals outfield will be making a lot of outs over the next month.
In the infield, star 3rd base man Ryan Zimmerman has also dealt with some injury problems, costing him 12 games already, and hurting his performance. The normally potent Zimmerman is only hitting .230/.346/.332 with only 1 homer in 100 plate appearances. If he can get back to his normal .287 with 20+ homers, while playing Gold Glove defense it would go along way to curing some of the Nationals’ ills. If they can get 2nd baseman Danny Espinosa (only hitting .211) going as well, the Nationals could probably scratch out enough runs with their pitching staff to remain in the playoff chase. If Zimmerman can’t turn it on and the hot hitting combo of Ian Desmond and Adam LaRoche cool off, the Nationals are in trouble. Their depth has been tested over the past week and it will continue to be tested over the next month. How the Nationals’ backups respond will go a long way to determining the fate of season for this franchise.
3 Up, 3 Down
3 Up
- Mother’s Day Walk-Off Grand Slams. Both Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Votto made their mother’s happy yesterday, hitting game-winning grand slams. Stanton leveled the baseball he hit, blasting a no-doubt homer to left-center field, off the catwalk, over 430 feet away. Very few players have the power to hit a ball where Stanton hit his blast, and it caps off an impressive week for the young slugger. Stanton has 2 homers, 4 doubles, 10 RBI and is batting .381 over the last 10 games. The Marlins are going as Stanton goes, and it’s no coincidence that his hot streak has led to a 10 win-2 loss stretch for the team. Votto’s grand slam was a bit more dramatic, coming with 2 outs and 2 strikes, the Reds trailing by a lone run. He got a good pitch to handle from Henry Rodriguez and stayed on the ball to drive it to deep centerfield for a homer. Votto single-handedly won the game for Cincinnati, going 4-5 with 3 homers, a double, 4 runs scored, and 6 RBI. He bumped his batting average up to .319, and already leads the NL in walks and doubles. If Votto can keep it up he stands a good chance of winning his 2nd MVP award.
- Atlanta’s balanced attack. The most impressive series victory of the entire season in the National League occurred over the weekend when the Braves completed their sweep of the previously red-hot St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-4 victory on Sunday. Atlanta also passed St. Louis as the top-scoring team in the National League, with a total of 189 runs scored, good for 2nd in baseball. The Braves have been getting good contributions throughout the lineup, with 6 of their 9 hitters checking in with an OPS+ above the league average of 97. Freddy Freeman is really beginning to blossom into an All-Star caliber 1st baseman, showing a great ability to get on base and hit for power His OPS+ of 130 ranks 2nd on the Braves and he leads the team in homeruns, 6, and RBIs, 28. Michael Bourne has been terrific since coming over from Houston at last year’s trade deadline, and is hitting .336 with 11 steals. Jason Heyward’s back problems look like a thing of the past and he is showing a new aggressiveness on the base paths, with 9 steals already, 2 shy of his career high. With Dan Uggla and Brian McCann starting to heat up, Chipper Jones bombing the ball like he did a decade earlier as well as a deep pitching staff, the Braves have all the pieces to win the NL East title this year, even with all the depth in the division.
- Shine on you crazy Diamond. Scott Diamond posted his 2nd consecutive start of 7 innings without allowing a run for the Twins on Sunday, providing the Twins some sorely needed quality innings. Minnesota has allowed the 2nd most runs in baseball this season, and despite only making 2 starts, an argument can be made that Diamond has been the team’s most effective pitcher. It’s not terribly difficult to be the best when your competition is between Carl Pavano of the 5.02 ERA in 43 innings, or Jeff Gray, the middle reliever. In Diamond’s 14 innings he has yet to allow a run, while walking just 1 batter, allowing 9 hits, and striking out 10. Diamond primarily throws a high-80s to low-90s fastball, mixing in a solid curve and change-up. Minnesota’s offense has also been terrible as well, ranking last in the American League, but at least they have found a little magic out of the former Rule-5 draft pick from the Atlanta Braves.
3 Down
- Los Angeles Dodgers Schedule. Wanna know the biggest reason for the Dodgers hot start this season? Yes Matt Kemp is amazing but the Dodger’s creampuff schedule also might have something to do with it. Jonah Keri discussed their schedule earlier in the season, and things haven’t really gotten any more difficult. The Dodgers have played 25 games against teams below .500, most in the entire league. They are 17-8 in those games, feasting on the likes of San Diego 7 times, Colorado 6 times, and NL Central weaklings Houston, Chicago, and Pittsburgh 3 times apiece. The Dodgers are a solid 6-3 in games against teams above .500, but with Matt Kemp sustaining a potential hamstring injury, and the Cardinals coming to town this week, expect the Dodgers to drop off.
- 2nd base in Detroit. This position has been comically bad for the Tigers so far this season. Detroit has tried 4 different players at the position so far, a group made up of Ryan Rayburn, Ramon Santiago, Danny Worth, and current Oakland A’s 3rd baseman Brandon Inge. The group’s combined numbers: a .155 batting average with 1 homer, 3 doubles, and 5 RBI. Rayburn has received the most playing time at the position, and has been the worst of the entire group, hitting .135 on the season with only 6 walks, 5 doubles, and no homers in 99 at-bats. Rayburn could find himself cut from the team if he continues to remain this ineffective at the plate. No team that expects to be competitive can have a black hole on their roster the size of the one currently in Detroit at 2nd. The Tigers plan of Verlander, Fielder, Cabrera, and not much else was a risky one, and they seem to be paying the price in the early going, particularly at 2nd base.
- Bryce Harper’s Hype. Yes he’s 19 and a very, very explosive ball player. But Harper is only hitting .231 right now in his first 60 plate appearances and looks to be overwhelmed at the plate. He also has a bit of temper problem, and gave himself 10 stitches after a temper tantrum in the dugout where Harper tried to hit his bat on the clubhouse wall, only to have it rebound back in his face. The kid is only 19 and doesn’t have a single homerun at the Major League level yet so maybe the hype about him being the next Mickey Mantle (MLB Network) or Ken Griffey Jr. (ESPN) needs to stop. Let’s have some perspective please people. Both of those players had long, very successful careers and put in the hard work to become Hall of Famers. Harper may get there some day, but for now he’s a .231 hitter, with great speed, who is a little unsure in the outfield, which is why he is late getting to the ball and needs to dive so much. Let’s actually make him do the work, and become even an average Major League hitter before anointing him as the greatest player in history.
Taking the Extra Base
Base runners are always taught, on every level from Little League to the Majors, to take the extra base whenever the opportunity presents itself. An intelligent base runner can increase his team’s chances in scoring with smart base running, and in some cases an intelligent ballplayer can steal a run for his team. There has been plenty of good base running over the past week, and I want to take a look at a few examples.
Andrew McCutchen
Andrew McCutchen is a 5-tool outfielder, with speed to burn. The Pirate centerfielder has been a solid base runner throughout his career, stealing 20+ bases 3 times with a career high of 33. In a game on 5/9/2011 against the Houston Astros, McCutchen put his blazing speed to good use, taking an important run from the Nationals in one of the most difficult ways possible.
With two outs in the 3rd inning and 2 runs already in for the Pirates, McCutchen was standing on 2nd base with 2 outs. Pedro Alvarez was at 1st with Casey McGehee at the plate facing Ross Detwiler. McGehee hit a weak groundball into the hole on the left side of the infield and the runners were moving with the pitch. Because he was going with the pitch, McCutchen was easily able to cruise into 3rd, where he noticed something interesting.
As you can see in the clip, shortstop Ian Desmond, does not look McCutchen’s way, allowing him to take off for the plate. By the time Desmond realizes what’s going on, he double clutches the ball, runs in a few steps, and throws home late. Pirates 3- Nationals 0. McCutchen also went 4-4 with a homer and 2 RBI in the game, but it was his speed and instinct on this play that most impressed me.
Bryce Harper
Since making his Major League 2 weeks ago, Bryce Harper has used his base running to make an impact and affect the game. Harper has already proven the National’s decision to move him to the outfield was an intelligent one, because of his great speed and base running prowess. He has shown a hunger to take the extra base any time an opportunity presents itself. Against the Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball this past weekend, Harper was really able to show what he can do.
In the bottom of the 1st Bryce Harper was hit in the back with a pitch from Cole Hamels. He was able to go to 3rd on a single by Jason Werth, and that’s where Harper made his move, stealing home in his first Sunday Night Baseball appearance.
Harper never hesitates, taking advantage of the fact that Hamels is a lefty and is paying very little attention to the 19-year-old, to steal home. He uses his great speed and probably would have been save even if the throw had been on target, rather than thrown high. This is great base running and isn’t the only time Harper showed off his wheels in the game.
In the 8th inning Harper came up to the plate with his team trailing 3-1 and Hamels still on the mound. Harper was able to fight off an inside pitch and bloop it just past the shortstop for a hit. Instead of watching the ball, Harper hustled down the line, thinking that Pierre may slow down in fielding the ball.
As you can see in the clip, Pierre slows down to stop the baseball, and Harper takes full advantage. His team was unable to bring him in from 2nd, but this kind of instinctive base running is difficult to teach, and Harper has the speed to make it work.
Yunel Escobar
The Blue Jays shortstop had quite the game in Minnesota last night, going 4-4, scoring 2 runs. He did a great job at the plate, rapping out singles, and once he got on base, Escobar became a menace. Two of the first three runs in the game were created by his base running, and the Blue Jay was particularly instinctive scoring the game’s 3rd run.
In this clip you can see Escobar immediately begin rounding 3rd in anticipation of scoring once he realized that 3rd baseman Trevor Plouffe was going to throw the ball to 2nd. He hustles home as fast as he can, and is able to give the Blue Jays an early 3 run cushion. Escobar does not hesitate and believes that he can score the entire time. This is really great base running and should be applauded.
This kind of base running is contagious on a ball club and can lead to extra runs throughout the season. These types of plays have the ability to turn games, provide insurance runs, and can lead to big innings. With so many competitive ball clubs this season, every base and every run could be the difference between playing in October or watching.
TheCutoffMan 