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You have to give the White Sox credit for signing Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first place. They snagged the 16-year-old as an international signing out of the Dominican Republic back in 2015 for a bonus of $700K, years after Marco Paddy had restored credibility to the team’s efforts in Latin America following the David Wilder scandal.
At the time, MLB.com ranked Tatis Jr. 30th in his class, which also included Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, and Cristian Pache. The biggest available international player was Cuban star Yoan Moncada, at a time when a team could elect to exceed its bonus pool and pay a 100% tax, as the Red Sox did.
Tatis’ father had played 11 years in the Majors, cracking 113 home runs, so the bloodlines were strong. In their scouting report, MLB.com said, “Scouts like Tatis Jr.’s swing, his strong arm and his fluid actions on defense. He’s shown decent arm strength and raw power to his pull side. Tatis Jr.’s knack for barreling up balls and his repeatable swing have also impressed evaluators.” Jeff Buchanan of FutureSox wrote, “Tatis clearly doesn’t have the same upside as [White Sox top 2015 international signing] Franklin Reyes, but his well-rounded skillset, high baseball IQ and professional mentality mean he likely comes with less risk than Reyes and is a better bet to maximize his potential as a possible everyday player.”
Tatis Jr. was certainly an interesting July 2 international signing, but according to Dennis Lin’s excellent oral history in The Athletic, the Blue Jays, Indians, and Rays were the only other teams to attempt to sign him, which is why he didn’t land the multi-million bonuses others in his class did. If teams had an inkling of what Tatis Jr. would become, he would have signed for ten times as much money. Most of these players were six years away from the Majors, and projecting that far out is very difficult. Many of these guys could have been traded for a veteran starting pitcher the year after signing and we would have never spoken of it again.Comment -
On this date April 23, exactly 20 years ago in 2000 Jorge Posada and Bernie William both switch hitters each smacked homers cfrom both sides of the plate.
This was the first time a pair of teamates each hit a home run batting left and batting right in the same game.
You would think it has been done before, but it wasn't.Comment -
Henderson
Coleman
Otis Nixon(dude always looked like he was on crack)Comment -
Major League... awesome movies.Comment -
On this date, April 24 in 2009 KC Royals pitcher Zack Greinke threw his second consecutive complete game.
He won 6-1 and struck out ten Tigers, the lone run broke his consecutive scoreless innings streak at 36.
Too bad that run was unearned.
Greinke went on to win the Cy Young that year in 2009.
He was virtually unhittable in April 2009, not allowing an unearned run in his first four starts.
Game log for his first four games.
Rk Date Tm Opp Rslt Dec IP H R ER BB SO ERA 1 Apr 8 KCR @ CHW W,2-0 W(1-0) 6 3 0 0 3 7 0 2 Apr 13 KCR CLE W,4-2 W(2-0) 5 6 0 0 2 9 0 3 Apr 18 KCR @ TEX W,2-0 W(3-0) 9 7 0 0 0 10 0 4 Apr 24 KCR DET W,6-1 W(4-0) 9 3 1 0 1 10 0 29 19 1 0 6 36 0 Date G GS GF CG IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP ERA BA OBP SLG OPS Apr 8 to Apr 24, 2009 4 4 0 2 29 19 1 0 6 36 0 1 0 0.186 0.239 0.245 0.484 Comment -
Run like Mays, hit like Hays!Comment -
- So, that whole Red Sox sign-stealing saga is over with now … right? Not entirely, as Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic write (subscription link). The determinations of commissioner Rob Manfred create quite a few questions — not least of which involving his decision to focus the brunt of his punitive power on one Red Sox employee (replay operator J.T. Watkins). Manfred’s actions haven’t sated MLBTR readers, at least, according to the early results of our poll on the punishments. Perhaps the most interesting issue, from a broader perspective, involves the league’s responsibility for managing all this. As Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom puts it: “I also think structurally we ought to do everything we can to make sure that confusion can’t occur and that these aspects of our game are beyond reproach.” Another way to frame the matter: the rules and enforcement regime needs to be set up to ensure results rather than dealing with fallout on an ad hoc basis.
- It seemed the Yankees were going to spend the early part of the 2020 season dealing with another odd slate of injuries before the season went on pause. Now that star outfielder Aaron Judge has had plenty of time to figure out what was bothering him (rib stress fracture) and to recuperate … might that be avoided? MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch writes that Judge is working out at the Yankees’ spring complex and taking his time to avoid any unnecessary complications. Judge says he expects to be ready for “doing a little more here in about a week or two,” at which point he can hopefully begin building towards baseball readiness. There’s still nothing close to a clear starting point for the 2020 season, so there’s obviously no rush.
- Alex Cobb’s signing is one of several big-contract misfires that have hamstrung the Orioles over the years. But he had seemingly fully recovered from the hip problem that plagued him last year, MLB.com’s Joe Trezza writes. Cobb had a rough 2018 season and made only three starts last year, but there’s still time for the 32-year-old to provide at least some value. The best-case scenario probably would’ve been a bounce back during the first half of the 2020 season, potentially setting the stage for a mid-summer deal. Perhaps now the O’s will end up attempting to move Cobb — who’s owed $14MM in 2020 and $15MM in 2021 — over the ensuing offseason, depending upon what (if anything) he’s able to show this year.
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Let's do this again, who had the best swing in baseball? Retired or not playing anymore.
John Olerud
Robin Ventura
Rafael PalmeiroComment -
nobody has Terrence Gore in their top 3? are you insane!!!Comment -
1. Griffey Jr
2. Griffey Jr
3. Griffey JrComment -
Next Year's Free Agents:
- Trevor Bauer (30): An front-of-the-rotation performer in 2018, Bauer managed only a 4.48 ERA in his 213 frames last year while allowing home runs at about three times the rate he did in the season prior. If you value Bauer somewhere in between, he’s still a high-quality performer. The fact that he’s steadfastly claiming interest only in one-year agreements should enhance his appeal to some organizations.
- Mike Minor (33): The past health issues haven’t been a concern of late for the southpaw, who last year topped two hundred frames and posted a 3.59 ERA. His fielding-independent pitching numbers weren’t quite as impressive, but at worst Minor figures to be a quality mid-rotation target.
- Jake Odorizzi (31): He somewhat surprisingly took the qualifying offer after a very strong 2019 showing, but that could still work to Odorizzi’s benefit. He won’t be dragged down by draft compensation and could be the top-available arm. Odorizzi put up a 3.51 ERA last year, though he was only asked to work 159 frames over thirty starts.
- Jose Quintana (32): The results weren’t there in 2019, as Quintana limped to a 4.68 ERA. But he did manage a 3.80 FIP, so if you believe in his ability to keep the ball in the yard even while others around the game can’t, then perhaps there’s still a good bit left in the tank. Quintana has a long track record of success, so the market could buy into a rebound if he’s able to show it.
- Robbie Ray (29): The upside here is tremendous with Ray’s propensity for generating whiffs. But he was also more prone to dole out free passes and surrender long balls than the other members of this group. Ray has been pretty durable and has a strong history of strikeouts. Given his age, he probably has the greatest earning upside of any starter in an underwhelming overall market.
- Marcus Stroman (30): While his strikeout numbers don’t jump off the page, Stroman generates a lot of grounders and has consistently turned in palatable home run tallies. He seems like a good bet for a strong, four-year deal, even if he’s unlikely to take down a monster contract.
- Masahiro Tanaka (32): Tanaka’s swinging-strike rate dropped to 10.7% in 2019 after a two-season surge. But he has had success at that level previously and continues to avoid walks and generate strong groundball numbers. It’s tough to imagine Tanaka again producing the kind of sparkling numbers he did early in his tenure with the Yankees, but he could be a major factor on the market.
Upside Aplenty
- James Paxton (32): The big lefty is healing while everyone else waits for baseball to get started. He’s arguably the most talented pitcher on this year’s market and could still command a big payday if he hits the ground running when he returns.
- Garrett Richards (33): It’s much the same story for Richards as for Paxton. He made it back to the majors briefly in 2019 so should be a full go for the 2020 season. It has been a long time since he has managed a complete season, but there’s a tremendous established ceiling.
- Kevin Gausman (30): Could there still be some breakout potential here? Gausman didn’t have a successful 2019 by most measures, but he did jump up to a 14.8% swinging-strike rate and 10.0 K/9 — both career-high levels. He posted an ugly 5.72 ERA, but ERA estimators were rather more optimistic as to the value of his contributions (3.98 FIP, 4.05 xFIP, 4.10 SIERA).
- Michael Wacha (29): We’ve already seen Wacha turn in quality MLB campaigns from a rotation and he’s still fairly young, so he could be an interesting name to watch if he’s able to author a bounceback campaign.
- Taijuan Walker (28): It’s not promising that the Diamondbacks elected to cut bait after watching Walker return from Tommy John surgery. But he has had plenty of time to rest and is reputedly motivated in his return to the Mariners.
- Alex Wood (30): He has throw 839 innings of 3.40 ERA ball in the majors with metrics to match (3.49 FIP/3.53 xFIP/3.70 SIERA), so there’s no denying Wood’s track record.
Established Veterans
- Brett Anderson (33): When he takes the mound in 2020, it’ll be a dozen straight seasons of some MLB action. Despite the many injuries and ups and downs, Anderson is still a useful, groundball-oriented starter.
- Chase Anderson (33): If he’s good enough to be interesting, the Blue Jays will pick up their $9.5MM club option ($500K buyout).
- Chris Archer (32): Likewise, Archer will probably either be a reclamation project or an easy choice to retain on a $11MM club option ($250K buyout).
- Jake Arrieta (35): We’re now three full seasons into obvious decline for Arrieta, but he’s still a factor regardless and could yet have a late-career renaissance of sorts.
- Homer Bailey (35): His deal with the Reds didn’t work out at all, but Bailey settled in last year as a sturdy presence.
- Tyler Chatwood (31): He has found more success of late in the bullpen than as a starter, with his velo trending up in shorter stints, but who knows what the future holds?
- Anthony DeSclafani (31): He quietly turned in a strong rebound campaign in 2019, spinning 166 2/3 innings of 3.89 ERA pitching with 9.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
- Mike Fiers (36): Though ERA estimators think it’s a mirage, Fiers carries a 3.73 ERA in 356 2/3 frames over the past two seasons.
- Gio Gonzalez (35): Gio had a bit of a quiet resurgence last year. If he can carry that forward, the White Sox can keep him for $7MM (or pay a $500K buyout).
- Cole Hamels (37): Hamels is taking things one year at a time. We’ll see how he bounces back from an injury that was going to take away a big chunk of the 2020 season before it was paused.
- J.A. Happ (38): We may end up debating Hamels and Happ until one or both finally decide to hang ’em up.
- Rich Hill (41): Another venerable southpaw, Hill is dead set on returning to glory with the Twins and remains a highly talented hurler when he’s able to take the bump.
- Merrill Kelly (32): If he’s not good enough for the D-Backs to pick up with a $4.25MM club option ($500K buyout), we likely won’t be featuring him much in free agency.
- Corey Kluber (35): The Rangers are hoping he’s a slam dunk on a $17.5MM club option; if not, we’ll be talking about a bounceback candidate.
- Mike Leake (33): He’ll take a $5MM buyout on his way out the door. When last he hit the open market, Leake’s appeal was in his youth. Now, he has a lot to show in his platform season.
- Jon Lester (37): Could this be the final run or will Lester keep going?
- Charlie Morton (37): As with Kluber … if he’s what his team expects, his option (in this case, a floating-value vesting/club option) will be exercised.
- Jimmy Nelson (32): The Dodgers hold a cheap club option, but if he throws enough innings it’ll convert to a mutual option that could allow Nelson to revisit the market.
- Ivan Nova (34): Steady innings, we all need ’em.
- Martin Perez (30): The Red Sox went after the southpaw and made sure they’d keep the upside ($6.25MM club option) if he works out.
- Rick Porcello (32): If he can turn things back around with the Mets, Porcello could be a candidate for a multi-year deal.
- Tyson Ross (34): We’re well past wondering whether Ross can regain his earlier-career form, but perhaps he could still settle in as a useful veteran swingman.
- Jeff Samardzija (36): Samardzija rather quietly turned in 181 1/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball last year for the Giants. The peripherals didn’t exactly suggest he’s in the middle of a Verlander-like late-career run, but Shark could again be a factor.
- Anibal Sanchez (37): Speaking of resurgent hurler, Sanchez will either get a $2MM buyout or pitch again in D.C. on a $12MM club option.
- Drew Smyly (32): Still capable of getting strikeouts and somehow rather youthful, Smyly may yet have another run in his left arm.
- Jordan Zimmermann (35): Unfortunately, there’s really no sugar-coating Zimmermann’s miserable tenure in Detroit.
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On this date, April 25 2017, exactly three years ago to the day Trea Turner put his name on the baseball map by hitting for the cycle driving in seven.
It was freezing cold that night in Coors and there were still 27 runs scored in that band box as the Nats won 15-12.Comment -
ok, Terrence Gore has had a short career so far...but have u ever seen him get "CS"? ive seen him get picked off once, but never actually caught stealing. i dont claim to watch every game, but i watch many Royals/Cubs games late in season...when he gets the call up. i will just say, i cant think of any other player i would want on 1st base if i need him to steal 2nd...& then 3rd. his speed on the bases is only reason he has a job in MLBComment -
Baseball in full swing in Taiwan, even in empty stadiums
NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan -- When Wang Wei-chen had a base hit for the Chinatrust Brothers, no one booed or cheered from the stands at the suburban Taipei ballpark. No one hurled insults at the umpires. And no one yelled the Chinese-language line of encouragement "add oil" to either team.
The 12,150 blue plastic seats were devoid of fans Friday night for the game between Chinatrust Brothers and Fubon Guardians, down from the average crowd of 6,000 at professional baseball games in Taiwan. No fans have come to any games here since play started on April 11.
Taiwan's five-team Chinese Professional Baseball League is barring spectators over concerns of spreading the coronavirus in a crowded space. But Taiwan has relatively few cases of COVID-19, so the league decided it was safe to let in players, coaches, cheerleaders, costumed mascots, face mask-wearing batboys and the media.
"We'd like to have fans coming into the stadium to cheer us on, yet due to the outbreak they can't," said Wang, an infielder for Brothers. "We are still lucky, since we have not stopped our season and people can still see us in this way."
Other baseball leagues around the world have been postponed to May or later. Beyond baseball, organized sports worldwide have canceled or delayed competition. The Tokyo Olympics have been pushed back a year.
At the Taiwan ballpark, about 150 placards were placed upright on the seats. They wished luck to particular players from the Guardians' home team, some with cut-out effigies, and thanked Taiwan's medical personnel for keeping coronavirus caseloads low on the Western Pacific island.
Rock 'n' roll blasted out of the bleachers as if in a normal game, and players did some cheering for their teammates to replace the din of fans.
"I think it feels like a real game," said Mac Huang, a longtime baseball fan and middle school teacher in Taipei who is following the league now online. Fan-less games, he said, are "a good way to stop coronavirus, but no one knows when coronavirus will stop, and it's good to have the games on anyway."
League officials delayed the season twice from its originally scheduled opening day on March 14 and only started competition after close consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. They're ready to allow all 240 regular games in empty parks through the season's end in mid-November, if needed.
Taiwan has had just 428 coronavirus cases among a population of 23 million. Bars, restaurants, shops and schools still run normally. Taiwan has limited the spread by imposing flight restrictions and through contact tracing of anyone who comes near a confirmed patient.
"We have to be grateful to Taiwan's citizens for keeping the outbreak under control and let us do this," league commissioner ** Chih-yang said.
To keep fans watching on their phones, PCs and TVs, the league is encouraging teams to give their stadiums a realistic, lively feel. That's where the placards and cheerleaders come in. Online game commentary is being broadcast in English as well as Chinese this year in case fans overseas want to watch a live season.
"Because there is so much room up there in the stands, it leaves space for creativity and each team can be as creative as it wishes," the commissioner said.
Teams are still making some money from broadcast games, he added. The league charges a subscription fee for online viewers.
In Taiwan's Taoyuan city, the unbeaten Rakuten Monkeys are charming fans by placing 40 mannequins in the stands -- to be sent to local clothing stores once their duties are done. Stadium seats support four long LED-lit display boards that twinkle with slogans to inspire base hits and home runs.
The Monkeys, last season's champions, deploy six robots to bang drums along with the cheerleaders. Fans are excited enough that about 50 of them have sponsored the LED boards, cheer squad leader Eric Chiu said.
A Monkeys game on April 15 attracted about 650,000 viewers in different countries, according to the Taiwan government-backed Central News Agency.
"They think what we're doing now is OK, but we still hope this outbreak passes soon," Chiu said. "It's better to have the fans back."
Guardians manager Hong I-chung is less sure.
"If you ask the players, they won't find it so different actually," Hong told reporters before Friday's game. "They need to focus on the field, and often noise from fans can throw off their state of mind."
He particularly noted the impact of players being "scolded" by comments from fans in the stands.
Other people on the field Friday said they were ready to play as usual. Pregame chatter with reporters focused more on hitting, pitching and lineups than on the lack of fans or Taiwan baseball's world outlier status. The Brothers won 11-0.
"The fact that we're playing in front of empty seats, that's fine, we're still playing the game, getting the opportunity to come out here and play," said Rob Ducey, a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is now a hitting coach for the Guardians.Comment
