This week in baseball blogs…
- Bronx To Bushville and The Sports Tank each write about Shohei Ohtani’s impressive start to the season.
- theScore and District On Deck each focus on Bryce Harper’s early season excellence.
- Bronx Bomber Ball argues that the Yankees must offer an extension to Didi Gregorius.
- Chin Music Baseball delves into Xander Bogaerts’ hot start.
- Twins Daily sees Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon’s extension as a potential comp for Brian Dozier’s next deal.
- Foul Territory is concerned about Kenley Jansen’s rocky start to the season.
- STL Hat Trick calls out some Cardinals fans for their opinions on Carlos Martinez.
- Talking Chop explains why the Braves’ Mike Foltynewicz is better off as a starter than a reliever.
- FSH Baseball advises Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy to adjust his batting mechanics.
- Mets Daddy regards Seth Lugo as the Mets’ version of Andrew Miller.
- The Point of Pittsburgh hopes the Pirates don’t make the same mistakes with Chad Kuhl that they did Gerrit Cole.
- Know Hitter views J.D. Martinez as a perfect addition for the Red Sox.
- Always The Jake takes a reasonable approach with respect to Indians star Jose Ramirez’s early slump.
- Think Blue Planning Committee highlights five Dodgers minor leaguers who could contribute to the big club this season.
- The Giants Cove wants no part of banning defensive shifts.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed contends that pitcher distinctions need to end.
- Minor League Ball scouts Braves outfield prospect Drew Waters, while Notes from the Sally scouts Phillies outfield prospect Jhailyn Ortiz.
- Nyrdcast ranks the Cardinals’ top 50 prospects.
- Rox Pile lists the top 25 Rockies who are under the age of 25, while Real McCoy Minor News profiles one of their prospects, outfielder Yonathan Daza.
- The 3rd Man In projects the top 10 picks in this year’s draft.
- Jays Journal previews Toronto’s minor league system for 2018.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) is optimistic about the Twins; doesn’t see a World Series hangover for the Astros; and covers the early struggles of the Yankees’ bullpen.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2) details where baseball’s top 25 prospects are playing in the early going, and looks at the Phillies’ lineup options.
- Now On Deck notes that the Orioles’ experiment with leading off Chris Davis already seems to be over.
- Motor City Bengals approves of Jeimer Candelario as the Tigers’ No. 2 hitter.
- Everything Bluebirds sees Kevin Pillar as one of the keys to a balanced offense for the Blue Jays.
- Locked On Pirates wonders if Pittsburgh has a looser clubhouse this year.
- Clubhouse Corner’s Bernie Pleskoff offers some early season observations.
- Camden Depot opines that the Orioles’ Rule 5 strategy has already backfired.
- Jays From the Couch explains what last year’s J.P. Howell signing taught Toronto’s bullpen.
- Pinstriped Prospects shares scouting reports on the Yankees’ Single-A starters from their pitching coach, Justin Pope.
- Rotisserie Duck (podcast) interviews with Harry Swartout of Sports Illustrated regarding fantasy baseball and the use of advanced statistics in finding a winning edge.
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Where all the ohtani haters?
At your mom’s house?
At least his moms house has aloe Vera for that burn
st. looks what trick. where are your eyes? I don’t hate Martinez as you say. I’m a long time cards fan and want him to do good. But in the end, he’s just a .500 pitcher. You look at the numbers those are the real numbers, wins and loses.
Yea I like how the blog describes and ace…an ace is the best pitcher on the team…sorry but no….an ace excels at pitching…Martinez can excel at pitching but rarely does. He usually gives the other team at least a 3 run lead before he decides to pitch…he has never had an ERA under .3 or a whip that is above average…He is not an ace but a solid #3
Wins and losses are the only number when judging a pitcher? you lose all credibility with that argument
Just looking back at all the previous Otani posts, so many people said he wasn’t even close to being ready, he was a gimmick player, and that he wouldn’t be able to excel at hitting and pitching.
Funny how no one admits they were wrong anymore
No one ever wants to admit they were wrong. I thought he should’ve started the season in the Minors. Since I don’t watch the Halos that much I don’t know the whole difference Ohtani has made. But I have seen that he’s taken notice on pitches inside and only focused on his strength – out and over the plate. We’ll see how long it takes for the league to adjust and him to adjust back.
We all know how long the season is and it would have been impossible for him to make up production with a slow start. Luckily for him he’s gotten off to a hot start, so it’s just a matter of staying healthy and making those adjustments when it comes time.
It will be interesting to see how Anaheim handles the mental pressure for their newly prized player over the coming months. The phantom DL should be used at least twice to keep him fresh – I would think.
I’m an Angels fan and I said the same thing about starting in the minors. But the coaches, especially after he pitched against the Mexican team said, he was adjusting quickly as that game went on.
I guess that’s why I’m not a major league coach.
Small sample size.
That being said he looks good and will be fun to follow this year and hopefully many more.
Gimmick player was good one. That was WestCoast Ryan/ Red Rooster