Hello Nasty

 

Ten years it's been since the 'Nasty Nate' season in New York, where, in a rotation featuring C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and eventually Luis Severino, arguably the most consistent, dominant guy there was Nathan Eovaldi, who led the team in wins despite a 4.20 ERA and a 1.450 WHIP. 2015 had a lot of guys rack up plenty of wins without having the dominance behind them, that's what happened with Drew Hutchison in Toronto as well. But Eovaldi put everything on the line in 2015, which led to an injury-shortened 2016 and a completely missed 2017. 

What I'm saying is that given that novelty, and that response, it's very impressive that Eo's 30s have been so dominant, and so consistent. His Red Sox and Rangers numbers have been excellent, resulting in 2 World Series rings and 2 ASG nods. The issue has ultimately been sustained health, but the idea is he maybe misses a month or so and still manages to make an impact. Last season he missed maybe 4 starts and still was one of the best starters in Texas, with a 3.80 ERA and 168 Ks, his second highest career total. In 2023 he missed even more time but made it back for the postseason, and...went 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 41 Ks in 6 starts. Eovaldi's strong performance helps them get the ring, and ensures they can keep building 2 years later. 

So given that Eo is 35, and one of many Rangers starters that have struggled with injuries recently, it was definitely promising that Eovaldi's second start was a complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds. In an era where the CGSO is less and less prevalent [due to people burning out their arms by inning 5], Eovaldi feels like he comes from the grand tradition of the long-game hurler who can still be reliable by pitch 100. The Rangers have seen a few of those. Kevin Brown, Nolan Ryan, Charlie Hough. But Eo, even surrounded by Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, may be the most reliable one they have.

Something really interesting, by the way, is the fact that both yesterday's win over the Reds and today's, led by a terrific Jack Leiter start, were 1-0 victories. Today you can at least acknowledge that they had to face Hunter Greene, on pace for another career year, and that's hard to get runs off of. But yesterday that had Carson Spiers, a career depth option for the Reds. Only Wyatt Langford was able to score a run off him, and none could do any off the bullpen. 

Not sure if you remember this, but way back in 2023, the Rangers were the '10 runs or more' team for the first half of the season. This team isn't that different power-wise than that one. If anything, it's better refined. Now Joc Pederson, Kyle Higashioka, Jake Burger and Kevin Pillar are a part of this offense, and...they're winning games by one run. That is the flaw so far, that as well stocked as this team is, there are still a few people who are taking longer to truly wake up. Seager's not there yet, Pederson's not there yet, Semien's not there but to be fair it regularly takes him a month or two to heat him up anyway. Adolis Garcia and Wyatt Langford have been doing well, and Josh Smith had the RBI today, but it's not going much deeper than that. All the while deGrom, Eo and Leiter have all been fantastic.

If the Rangers want to finally dethrone the Astros and shift the balance of the AL West, they need everybody to sync up and stay hot. Having the pitching lead the way is a nice start, but 1-0 victories don't win World Series's, at least not in August. 

Coming Tomorrow- He missed the playoffs but got the ring. Knowing him, the work's far from over. 

Pinpointing the Mirage

 

After three games against the Twins, the St. Louis Cardinals were undefeated. After two games against the Angels they're closer to .500. I'm trying to figure out how this makes sense.

So. Alright, we've established the Twins aren't very good this year. They're not hitting, they're not doing anything. They just won a game last night by attacking the White Sox's bullpen but Carlos Correa hasn't gotten a hit yet. So the Cardinals, in that three game sweep, matched up well against them. Both catchers had great series's, Gray and Fedde had great starts, Arenado's going off on a tear purely out of revenge. So from that, you can make the argument, oh, okay, the Cardinals are back. They'll be a factor this year.

...and so the 'dropping two to the Angels' thing is where I'm having trouble following.

The Angels, regardless of what their current record might tell you, aren't very good this year either. The offensive production they're getting this year is in spite of droughts from Mike Trout and Jorge Soler. All of their starters have given up some runs [save for the impenetrable Jose Soriano]. Their bullpen, however, might be the real deal. Jansen's been excellent in the ninth, Detmers and Anderson have no trouble in relief jobs, and there's guys like Brock Burke, Ben Joyce and Ryan 'never played a day in the minors' Johnson, who's snagged a save and a win already despite some run leakage. 

But all their wins have been close, and led by clutch hitting and contact work. Kyren Paris is the team's best hitter. The wins, as close as they are, are deserved, because the right people are coming through at the right time.

So...where does that leave the Cardinals? They're better than a bad team, but worse than an okay team with good parts? Are they...still in the bottom half of the standings?

If anything, the Cardinals should be proud that the things they were struggling to activate last year are working now. Jordan Walker, Victor Scott and Lars Nootbaar are all hitting. For Walker it's a welcome development after years of just not hitting at MLB levels. He's hitting .429 with 6 hits, 2 RBIs and a homer. Scott, meanwhile, is hitting .350 with 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. And even if Winn and Contreras haven't done anything yet, there's enough in this lineup that has me convinced they're gonna be better this year. I still think Matthew Liberatore getting a rotation spot over Steven Matz isn't a great idea, but perhaps this is finally the year Liberatore clicks as well. 

Like a lot of records in the first week, the Cardinals' decent record will be tested by their next series against a proven, good team. And ultimately that might be coming very soon, with the Sox coming to town. It'll be interesting to see how they do there, and if the trends continue.

Coming Tonight: The first complete game shutout of the season was thanks to this guy. 

A Cycle?? In March???

 

So many wild circumstances came together for the first Cubs cycle in over 30 years. The background of the rise of torpedo bats, which now more and more hitters are beginning to use for their own baseball-mashing purposes. The beginning of the A's hopefully-not-permanent residence in Sacramento, already scorned by longtime A's fans. The emerging power from everyone on the Cubs roster except for the one guy I have on my fantasy team. And the theme of 'is anyone going to be able to stop the A's starting pitching'.

Well...it appears so. Joey Estes gave up 6 runs against the Cubs, and the bullpen didn't do much better. And the star of the game was the Cubs' backup catcher, former Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Tigers favorite Carson Kelly. Keep in mind, this team has Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, an overwhelmingly great Kyle Tucker start, and Pete Crow Armstrong on it. And Carson Kelly, the guy who fell under the category of 'it'll be nice to have him around', is the one who hits for the cycle.

The coolest moment was when Kelly was down to needing a triple, hit one that got him to second, and you could hear the very excited announcers yelling 'GO! GO FOR IT!' as he made it, safely, into third. Guy's played three games with the Cubs and already the announcers are cheering 'im on. I also love how pumped he was when he got the triple. Soaking it all in. 

I think it's genuinely awesome that nobody has ever hit a cycle in march before, and that means Carson Kelly's got a place in the records books now. You hit for the cycle, there you go. But hitting one in March, in the first week of the season, that's extra special. Not everyone can do that. And even if Kelly hasn't had THE most memorable career, he was still able to do this, in Sacramento, against a team with pretty strong pitching. 

The Cubs have already tracked a ton of highlights. Who knows what'll come next?

Brush It Off, Kid

 

It takes a certain kind of person to get a ball thrown at upwards of 90 mph to the face, then get back up the next day and go right back into the line of fire. You have to be tough, resilient, determined and, ultimately, you have to have a sense of humor about yourself. Jonathan India was on the 2020 Reds, so we certainly can tell he can have a laugh at himself, but he's also extremely tough. So him going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs against the Brewers a day after getting decked by an Emmanuel Clase pitch shouldn't shock you. This might be only the beginning. 

I initially questioned the Royals' motive in trading for Jonathan India, especially giving up Brady Singer for him. The Royals had a perfectly fine infield, Massey and Witt at the center, Garcia and Pasquantino at the corners. Complicating things with India seemed excessive. But India can also play left field, which he's been doing more and more this season, and to be honest defensively it may be the better place for him. I stand firm in my belief that they shouldn't have given up Singer, and seeing how well he did yesterday I think that goes without saying. But considering that the Royals still had several OF spots up in the air, and filled by passable defenders like M.J. Melendez and Hunter Renfroe, getting a surefire guy like India definitely works, and his offensive production has only vindicated this decision. 

So that already defines the Royals. One of their best hitters right now is a guy who literally refuses to back down, even from injury. They're 2-2, losing two against a tough division rival but absolutely crushing the Brewers, themselves still reeling from being embarrassed by the Yankees. This is a team where Pasquantino, Perez, Witt and even Michael Massey can be responsible for crucial RBIs. Yes, Pasquantino is DHing predominantly at the moment after the injury, and the starts at 1st have been going to Mark Canha and Cavan Biggio, but this is why you have depth guys like that. 

But again...so far the starting pitching is the worrying detail. Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, two of their horses from last year, gave up 3 runs each, Michael Wacha allowed less runs but still got the loss, and Kris Bubic, the guy who came back from an injury and conserved his innings as a bullpen piece last year, looked incredible, and seems to be the only starter doing so thus far. Which goes to show you, if you want to be a great starter, try to avoid doing really well for 33 games the previous year. It'll even out, especially with starters this talented, but it, again, points towards the idea that maybe trading Singer was a bad call. At least the 'pen looks better.

The Royals have a lot of pros so far, but against some truly great teams they've been mostly passable. I have a feeling this team will eventually break even, and considering the presence of peak Bobby Witt it's really a matter of when, but without Jonathan 'unsinkable' India I don't know if they'd have as many highlights. 

Coming Tonight: Probably a member of the [sigh] first place St. Louis Cardinals. 

Kyle of Plenty

 

Well. Less than a week into the season and Kyle Schwarber already has 3 home runs. Business as usual in Philly.

I've gone on record that the second the Phillies signed Schwarber, I took a good, long look at him and went 'this man is going to hit a billion home runs in a Phillies uniform'. Cause this was the same offseason we signed Nick Castellanos, who I thought was a shaky pick even then, but Schwarber I just saw the upsides. Yes, hurt a lot, yes, occasionally one-dimensional, but look at those homers. And I was right. Thus far, Kyle Schwarber has hit 134 home runs as a member of the Phillies, eclipsing what he did as a Cub in more games. Schwarber had his lowest HR total as a Phillie last year, with 38. That's low for him. It's high for most other people, and before he had his 40+ seasons in 22-23, it was his own career high. 

What has changed, thankfully, since Schwarber's all-homer back-to-back years, has been his well-roundedness. Last year he finally started hitting singles again, and finished the year with 142 hits, a career high. Hitting .248 may not be wholly impressive, but considering that it followed a .219 year and a .197 year, it was welcome. If Schwarber can be relied upon for contact in addition to power, that raises his value, and last season he finished with a 3.5 WAR, tied for a career high with his blistering 2021. Schwarber has also hit 104 RBIs in 2 straight seasons, equally impressive considering he'd never reached 100 RBIs before then.

So what I'm saying is...the extension chatter makes sense. Four years ago if you told me Schwarber would be chasing an extension with this team I'd be surprised. But he's become a more complex, and more versatile, hitter, and even as the Phillies age, Schwarber in the lineup is still a very good thing. Obviously Harper and Wheeler are the true crowdpleasers, but Schwarber seems like the one guy on these Phils teams that it seems impossible to truly hate. Even in his .197 season he was still hitting 47 homers, and 5 more in the playoffs. You can't hate that. 

So far, the Phils are looking extremely good, despite having games against fairly unspectacular teams. The big exclamation point was being dominated by MacKenzie Gore for the majority of the opener and still striking back against the bullpen for the win. Wheeler, Sanchez and Luzardo look good, Nola...homers notwithstanding can strike people out, and hopefully the Taijuan Walker experiment will be short-lived before anybody gets hurt. I worry about Trea Turner's health, and JT's long term health, but enough things about this team, like Max Kepler, Jordan Romano, the degree Edmundo Sosa's murdering the ball so far, and the fact that the bullpen can hold down a lead again...really excite me.

It's early. Of course it's early. But Schwarber's off to a good start, and so are the Phils. Who knows who we'll end up.

Coming Tomorrow- Not everybody can get hit in the face with a pitch and come back from it like it's just a scratch. This guy ain't everybody.

An Even Start

 

The way the schedule works now, with every team playing each other and less weight put on divisional matchups, there's far less that feels deliberate about matchups at certain points, but I found it fascinating that the Rockies and Rays got to play each other in the first series of the year. Two teams that did the least of anybody in their division, with huge battles towards the top of each. The way things are being projected, both of these guys are predicted to finish in last place. And here they are, playing each other to begin the season. Get a firm grip early on, cause you may lose it soon after.

Have we learned much about either team? Nothing foundational. I mean, personally, I learned that Rays home games do look a little more majestic without the ugly dome lighting of the Trop. Getting them in an open air stadium with stands that fans can reasonably fill does wonders for them, it actually feels like a normal MLB experience. I do think some of the jabs at this clearly being a Yankee park are funny, like the retired numbers outside the stadium being for clearly not Rays [wow, they retired B.J. Upton's #2??], but the Rays do feel at home there. It's still Tampa. It's still nice a lot of the time. 

The Rays themselves came off well during the opening season. Junior Caminero finally feels MLB-ready, with 5 hits in 10 at-ats. Kameron Misner looks to factor in well, hitting a walk-off home run in Game 1. Pepiot, Littell and Bradley can all hold down opposing teams and stay sharp, which is a nice feeling in a Rays year without McClanahan, Springs or Glasnow. Three guys that can go 6 and not worry people. Last couple years the rotation's been an issue, seems fine so far. Even with Lowe ailing and Kim and Lowe out, you're seeing definite answers in multiple positions. Danny Jansen works as an everyday catcher. Jonathan Aranda could be an answer at a corner spot. Jonny DeLuca's certainly stealing enough bases to qualify for an everyday job. 

Logically, a team that is simply 'efficient' and 'good' isn't going to do much when compared to the top 3 teams in the division, but the Rays could still surprise people and be ahead of where they were last year.

As for the Rockies...there are answers, but they may not be the ones the Rockies are looking for. Their sole win thus far, they started Antonio Senzatela, who's been out for a year or so. Senza went four and a third, gave up 9 hits, but no runs. Struck out no one. Senza, if his first start is to be believed, is now a conservative, keep-it-in-the-infield type pitcher, who's aided by the team's defense [Tovar, McMahon, Farmer and Doyle help this] but can't really show off as much. Kyle Freeland, meanwhile, can still strike people out and keep runs down but gets let down by the bullpen, even away from home. 

Zac Veen, Adael Amador and Drew Romo, the three biggest foundational position players, did not make the team out of camp. In a surprise move, the Rockies went with Hunter Goodman as starting catcher, a position I literally had no idea he even played. I was thinking Stallings would start, but they apparently have faith in Goodman, and so far he has 4 hits and an RBI. Amador's position is currently being filled by Kyle Farmer, who's actually been responsible for 2 RBIs thus far. And Veen's RF is being filled by Nick Martini, who miraculously has 4 hits and an RBI. So this ploy to control service time worked out for the Rockies after all, just...not really in the wins column. 

The Rox do have Ezequiel Tovar, Ryan McMahon and Brenton Doyle to anchor the lineup, but Doyle is the one who 2025 could make or break. McMahon is a veteran standout, Tovar's for real, and Doyle's coming off a great season. So was Nolan Jones, and now he's back in Cleveland. Doyle so far only has a couple hits and hasn't been responsible for much, but it's early. Something could happen. 

Also, the team's only home run so far has come from Mickey Moniak, who was a late roster addition. Yes, they're on the road, but they have Michael Toglia and Kris Bryant. Oh, by the way, Bryant's yet to get a hit. Thrilling.

Both of these teams have a lot to prove, and at the moment one seems more determined to prove it than the other. But it's a long season, and a lot could happen. 

Coming Tonight: He's big, strong, and hits home runs. And that seems to be enough for some fans around here.

Living Like Larry

 

I know people are acting like this isn't strange, but this is strange to me. After years of letting numerous building block players leave in trades and free agency, John Fisher signed Lawrence Butler to a deal that will last until 2031, solely after a breakthrough season of Butler's where he hit 22 home runs and 57 RBIs, most towards the second half of the season. Butler will be a marquee star for the A's over the next several years, which include multiple seasons playing without a stated location in a minor league park in Sacramento, and eventually in a massive dome in Las Vegas, assuming it actually gets made. 

And I'm not disparaging Butler. I'm not. Dude's a great player, could be terrific in a full career. But if you have the opportunity to extend Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Sean Murphy, Sonny Gray, Sean Manaea, Liam Hendriks and Mark Canha...and you don't take it, and then you give an extension to the first guy that does more than 'mediocre' for your club...that's not gonna look great for you. That just means you're trying to learn but you're not actually learning. That's George Steinbrenner seeing Hideo Nomo succeeding in LA and getting Hideki Irabu. That's Aaron Boone hearing the calls for Dominguez and calling up Duke Ellis. That's Ross Atkins losing out on Sasaki and Soto and getting Anthony Santander. Now you're just trying to catch up, but are you really making the best decisions?

What I will not fault Fisher for is his tenacity in signing free agents and trading for big pieces. This offseason, the A's had holes in their rotation, so they signed Luis Severino and traded for Jeffrey Springs. Both starters have been excellent in their opening starts, going 6 innings, giving up 0 runs, 3 hits each and striking out 6 [Sevvy] and 9 [Springs] batters. Even if the A's are starting people like Osvaldo Bido and Joey Estes while their opponents sport better rotations, they have more efficiency than they have in a while. If Springs stays healthy, which is a tall order, that's an All-Star right there. Granted, I suppose he's a little relieved to be out of the bay area given his well-reported stance against frivolity, but he's still a very good guy to have around. We're coming off several seasons where their big standout was J.P. Sears, and now the pressure's off of him a bit.

You're also seeing, in addition to Butler, young guys coming into their own and dominating. Max Muncy was an Opening Day callup, he's already got a home run. Tyler Soderstrom already has 2 homers and 3 RBIs, determined to finally achieve a full MLB campaign. Jacob Wilson's already hitting well. JJ Bleday had a great outfield catch the other day. And there in the corner is Brent Rooker, also the recipient of a very nice extension, still hitting enough to earn it. This team is closer to good than it's been in a while, and they're very close to 'underdog competitor' difference. It won't be clear for 4 months how they match up against Detroit and Cleveland, but they might have something this year, which would be a relief for the fans if Fisher hadn't alienated them all last year. 

Somebody online posted something to the effect of 'imagine if the A's make the playoffs and to accommodate fans they're forced to play home playoff games at the Oakland Coliseum'. I want that to happen. Make Fisher sweat. 

Coming Tonight: 2024 proved he had staying power, but can 2025 prove he's a trusted Rockies battery member going forward?