Pirates righty Ivan Nova seems reasonably close to a return, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He received good reports after throwing a pair of simulated innings, suggesting that his sprained ring finger won’t keep him out very long. Obviously the club will wait to see how he responds before moving things forward, but it seems reasonable to think that Nova could make it back in relatively short order given that he last pitched on May 24th. The Bucs would certainly like not only for Nova to return, but also for him to turn things around on the bump. He carries a 4.96 ERA through 61 2/3 frames, though his peripherals have been in his typical range and suggest he has been a bit unfortunate.
Here are some more recent notes from the National League:
- The Nationals placed righty Jeremy Hellickson on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain, but indications are that it’s minor, as Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. It’s not even clear that the Nats will need to find a fill-in starter, as they won’t need an extra rotation piece for a decent stretch. The DL placement, then, will actually leave the team with some added roster flexibility for the time being. Of course, it’d be preferable if there wasn’t an injury issue at all. Hellickson has been a gem of a minor-league signing thus far for D.C., turning in 43 1/3 innings of 2.28 ERA ball over nine starts.
- In a health matter of equal or greater significance for the Nationals, MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman covers the latest on second baseman Daniel Murphy. Though it seems he’s in solid form with the bat, Murphy is still not looking to be at full speed on his legs. For the Nats — and, particularly, their medical staff — there are some tough questions as to how to bring Murphy along. It seems uncertain at this point whether the club can really expect him to function as a full-fledged, regular second baseman this year, which could pose some rather complicated roster questions. The situation is also concerning for the 33-year-old Murphy, of course, who had seemed primed to hit the open market this winter as a high-end hitter.
- What’s most amazing about Matt Kemp’s remarkable two-month run with the Dodgers, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs writes, is not the fact that he’s off to a .344/.374/.568 slash. (Indeed, it seems there’s reason to anticipate those numbers coming back to earth, given his .400 BABIP.) Rather, it’s the fact that Kemp is suddenly grading as a solid defender in the corners, allowing him to rack up an impressive 1.8 fWAR in just under two hundred plate appearances. Sullivan examines the defensive component in an interesting piece that’s well worth a full read.
They were talking to Tori Hunter on am570 la about wokring with kemp in the offseason it seems to have paid off
It also helps when you lose 30+ pounds in his situation.
I like what Pedro said on MLB Network, he needs to keep on this path and not get lazy again.
Pedro never used the words “not get lazy again”
Y’all haven’t been watching him the past few season like I have in Atlanta. He came to camp each year looking great. He was hitting well north of .300 through May here too, albeit on a low profile, loosing team. His struggles with his weight always come on the heels of an injury. He is on the downside of his prime, and he very well may have a metabolism miss you. I very seriously doubt that he’s getting hurt and just deciding to eat cheeseburgers, but when he’s on a DL with a hammy issue, cardio is gone.
Not sure if you’ve been watching Kemp much….He was in ATL’s camp for 1 year….and had been overweight since late in his SD days. But good point on his production through May. His numbers through May with ATL are remarkably similar to this year with LA. He didn’t hit the DL until August but this BAbip fell off a cliff in June/July.
Had to laugh several times while reading this Fangraphs article. They say they “normally discount” information about players being in better condition. What? How does that make even a tiny bit of sense?
As for Kemp’s defensive abilities, yes, he was at least arguably elite at one time. Won two Gold Gloves in his prime, before the injuries and the weight gain. Speed was for many years his main defensive (and offensive) weapon. In fact in his early years he played a notoriously shallow CF because he could make it up with his legs. He’s probably never getting that back entirely, or even close, but that’s no reason to be totally shocked to find that he isn’t lumbering around the outfield now.
Good for Kemp proving people wrong hope he keeps it up
How many times have you heard guys come into spring training, boasting about how they’re “in the best shape of their life”? Weight changes matter, but they’re commonplace.
What a player boasts about isn’t the point at all. What matters is what shape the player is actually in. To suggest that weight mangement makes no difference because it’s a common issue is total nonsense. It’s a common issue because it’s important.
The article did not say it makes no difference.
I wasn’t responding to the article, I was responding to the comment.
Marlon Byrd comes to mind. Lol
Yea exactly as all I heard was Polanco is in the best shape in years, and I said he has to prove to me first,and it looks like i was right as he is batting a whopping.210 and shakey with his defense
Ben Lindbergh wrote something about “best shape of life” guys a few years ago and found that their performance in aggregate isn’t much different than it is in prior years. Obviously, for every individual, there’s a chance that getting into better shape helps them, but it’s tough to tell when it’s kind of a wishy-washy thing people say versus when it’s indicative of real change
Matt Kemp has never even been a ‘good’ defensive player, let alone an ‘elite’ one. Unfortunately, traditionalist voters award Gold Gloves based on offense almost as much as they do defense.
And your proof that comes from….?
The proof is everywhere. Just look at actual statistics instead of arbitrary awards like Gold Gloves.
If the proof was anywhere at all you’d be able to provide it. Really all you need to do to see the error in your statement is look at the list of Gold Glove winners. You would then have to know that it isn’t at all arbitrary, that everybody on that list fielded their position well.
Are you literally asking me to provide you with a Fangraphs/B-Ref link? The evidence is abundant. Like I said, Gold Gloves are largely meaningless.
Sure. And please also explain how the managers and coaches who vote on these awards know nothing about baseball. I will be interested in your answer.
“Though it seems he’s in solid form with the bat”
Daniel Murphy AA Harrisburg
.751 OPS
yeah but how young is he, and who is he younger than
The article I linked to suggested he looks comfortable at the plate. The numbers don’t suggest anything terrible is going on (3 BB, 4 K, 3XBH in 31 PA) for a guy who has been out of action for quite some time, didn’t participate in camp, and is getting up to speed. It’s silly to read much into rehab numbers unless they are wildly out of line.
So … “solid” seems fine to me. I’m not really saying much with it, just that he evidently is not limited in hitting but is having trouble moving around otherwise.
How much do you guys scrutinize over adjectives when evaluating a player’s triple slash? I feel like I’ve seen it all over the place, such as a “robust” .270/.292/.373 and a “meager” .240/.307/.448 (made up numbers).
Well, I wouldn’t likely attach those terms to those slash lines. Nothing about the former is robust. The latter isn’t particularly meager, unless perhaps it’s a Rockies player.
Generally, though, it’s just a matter of feel. Context matters. Perhaps that second slash would be meager for Miguel Cabrera, in relation to his typical numbers.
In this case, I really wasn’t describing Murphy’s slash line as “solid” at all. I didn’t cite it. I said he is reputedly showing solid form, that’s all. Not describing his output on a rehab assignment, which really doesn’t matter particularly and necessarily reflects quite a bit of batted-ball rolls of the dice.
That makes sense. I hope that didn’t come off as critical, I was just curious about the editing process. Thanks, Jeff!
No worries, I didn’t take it that way.
Kemp had been dogging it before he came back to LA
Yeah because he wanted to play for a “real baseball town”, or at least that’s what he said to the media when he was traded from SD to ATL. So needless to say he turned a lot of people off in San Diego upon his exit, I think the guy is classless. I want him to start dogging it again so LA can feel what it’s like to have his .246 average/ horrible defense and him lunging for that 0-2 slider in the dirt time and time again.
We had Kemp for 9 years. We know how much of a sucker he is for the 0-2 junk
Salt
What he wants is to be viewed as a viable big league OF, one that will still be awarded a contract in the 2020 season
Kemp has earned some of the criticism above, but if he was really, truly, completely lazy he could have just sleepwalked his way through ST, accepted his release, and enjoyed the remaining $43MM he was owed.
It’s funny seeing a lot of Dodgers fans backtracking now, acting like they even really wanted Kemp back in the first place..When the trade was first pulled off, several Dodgers fans couldn’t wait to respond, just to verbally bash Kemp, and clarify they wanted no part of him again…
They made fun of anyone that remotely gave Kemp a compliment during his time in Atlanta..When, I said Dodgers fans are nuts not to want to take a flier on Kemp, they repeatedly said he had nothing left, and wanted to simply designate Kemp for assignment…
That was even despite him, clearly showing he still had some life in his bat, when he was healthy and in shape..
I will give it to Padres fans though, they’ve just been salty as all heck the whole time!! lol
Obviously, it is one thing to be wrong about a player still being able to play, but to be so outspoken about how garbage Kemp is, to then going out of their way to sing his praises at any given chance….Just reminds me how fickle and humurous fans are these days…
Anyways, good for Kemp, he embraced his time here in Atlanta, and he was a solid veteran to have around the clubhouse…From his earlier years, he’s obviously had some more time to humble himself, mature, and be more greatful for what all this game has given him..
Wish nothing but the best for Kemp, and definitely happy for him. For all he’s done, since his time in Atlanta, to revitalize his career, he deserves this big homecoming, and I hope he keeps it up!!
These are all completely worthless straw men arguments. Nameless fans have made the perfect argument for you to criticize. How convenient is that?
it’s unhealthy, being that salty.
Nope, a couple good fans letting it rip when a players deserves it. Nothing salty about that.
Lol you are really out of touch. If anything there were more casual fans excited to have Kemp back (ignorant to his atlanta struggles) than fans that wanted him DFA on the spot
KEMvP
Can anyone tell me exactly what Ivan Nova’s sprained ringer is from the article?
Isn’t that the slang these days for ring finger?
Skinny Kemp.