This week in baseball blogs…
- theScore delves into Bryce Harper’s recent struggles.
- Sports Info Solutions (links: 1, 2) examines the effectiveness of the four-man outfield and the “infield in” defense.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed argues that serious regression is in store for Cody Bellinger.
- Chin Music Baseball (links: 1, 2) names the 10 best and worst players of the season thus far.
- statsswipe focuses on the state of the Brewers.
- The Dugout checks in on some of the offseason’s biggest free-agent signings.
- Bronx to Bushville believes Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are on their way to Cooperstown.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2) looks at CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame case and profiles the Astros’ Mexican talent.
- Mets Daddy writes about Noah Syndergaard’s historic previous start.
- East Village Times sees the Padres and Blue Jays as potential trade partners.
- KC Kingdom lists four positives from the Royals’ April.
- Call to the Pen addresses the concerns within the Phillies’ pitching staff.
- Chipalatta takes a look at Jose Altuve’s recent slump.
- Pinstriped Prospects reports on demoted Yankees reliever Chad Green’s progress.
- Everything Bluebirds opines that Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s future is in the outfield, not the infield.
- Notes from the Sally scouts Phillies prospects Francisco Morales and Dominic Pipkin.
- Baseball Prospect Journal shares feature stories on 50 prospects from the upcoming draft.
- Pinstripe Alley praises Yankees GM Brian Cashman for his 2018 acquisition of Gio Urshela.
- NatsGM.com talks with Alfred Ford, who co-owns JJ’s Bread and Butter Food Truck with Jeremy Jeffress.
Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com
What, Bellinger WON’T hit .420 this season? Ya don’t say! Flimsy limb to climb out on, haha…
You’d be surprised how many people on fantasy forums think that he’s legit and as good as Trout.
if i could legally bet id put a significant quantity of money on his AVG droping by at least .150 by year’s end.
Are you legitimately worried about the legality of betting?
So would I.
He is legit. As good as Trout? I’m not making that jump. The article is some what cherry picked a little and written as though they haven’t necessarily seen the development. It’s 100% just straight numbers which is the problem. They fail to mention that his BABIP may be .397, and that is generally going to come down, but he’s also hitting the ball harder than ever while drastically cutting his soft contact rate. Although that will somewhat decline also, because he’s changed his 2 strike approach in which its contact oriented. His HR’s have not been lucky. The pitches he’s attacking out of the zone are generally pitches he can handle. The numbers can explain a lot, but the can’t tell the whole story. Bellinger is elite especially on an OF corner/CF.
Guy also plays a Gold Glove First Base. He’s the willing marketable player MLB wanted Trout to be. So I’d say he’s more valuable than Trout.
With that said, of course he’s in for a regression .415/.489/.847, that’s pretty silly. Those are video game number in a PEDless generation. I guess the question is what do we consider elite, 1.000 Ops with a 150wrc+, because that’s legitimately the area Bellinger can clear.
What people gloss over is he was a pure hitter before his swing change which rocketed him up the system. It allowed him to tap into the power when there was zero output in that department. Some of this is basically his talent, and him growing up and figuring his swing out.
Idk about that to be honest. I think he’s marketable, because he’s pretty good and in LA. It just doesn’t seem like he is that much different than Trout in that sense. He’s not the Puig/Verdugo outgoing personalities.
He’s also hitting LESS fly balls. Stats are stats and what one sees is relative and can easily be biased, especially if one chooses a particular narrative. I don’t think he’s elite based on 5 weeks of unsustainable production.
Um he’s not nearly as good as Trout or Betts, or Judge, or Harper or Yelich or Lindor…. he also isn’t even the face of his own team, Kershaw is.
Imagine thinking Harper is better than Bellinger. Not only that but “not nearly as good”.
First off, I never said he was as good or better than Trout, just more valuable. The guy is more versatile than Trout, is willing to market himself, is younger so he could reach the peak of Trout. Kershaw is not the face of the Dodgers, and hasn’t been for a few seasons.
I’m pretty sure Trout could figure out how to play first base and corner OF if needed. Unless Bellinger starts playing shortstop, his versatility isn’t making him more valuable that Trout.
From a chat in late April with Tim………
Jim L.
2:16 At what point to fans start to talk semi-seriously about Bellinger hitting .400?
Tim Dierkes
2:16 Maybe if he’s at .390 entering September? There’s a reason no one’s done it for so long.
Just like some people put stock in ST stats others get all gag-ga over the first 30-some games and expect a guy whose best slash was .267/.352/.581 to suddenly maintain a .415/.489/.847 for a year.
Exactly, but you’d be surprised how many people are convinced he’s as good as Trout.
You must be an Angels fan.
that article on the 10 worst players is all wrong. just of the first 3 there’s Keller and Sanchez, and id have to say neither has been at all bad this year.
Will Bryce Harper’s contract be a bust?
Will North Korea denuclearize?
Are the priests innocent for raping boys?
I feel like the first answer is yes and the follow up rhetorical questions are no.
It already is a bust in my eyes. Foolish and absurd. 13 years with this guy—imagine that!!!—and even in his first year there’s no guarantee he’ll perform at an elite level. Scary.
Some of these articles just state the obvious; it’s not really going out on a limb to suggest that Scherzer and Kershaw can be Hall of Famers
Not at all. Both are or will be.
Special thanks to Mike Ursery of East Village Times for validating the San Diego/Toronto trade partnership possibility.
“Cody Bellinger is a good baseball player. He is not an elite one”. What a pathetic hit piece on Bellinger. No one on planet earth is convinced he will hit .400 all season. But to act like he isnt elite is just comical. He came into the show and hit 39 HRs. Last year people acted like he was complete garbage even though he was still a 4 win player. He is not Trout but he is the next best thing
Well said Kenley.
The article sums it up perfectly. “Cody Bellinger is a good player, but he’s not an elite one.” Plenty of stats to back this up. Like you stated, burst onto the scene in 2017 but 2018 saw him regress in nearly every statistical category (including the counting ones despite playing in 30 more games). According to Baseball-Reference, he was 37th and 35th in WAR the last 2 seasons, respectively.
The article poses the question of regression with the obvious (and correct) answer….definitely due for quite a bit. The harder question to answer, “Is Bellinger elite?” Dodgers fans answer is obvious, definitely. Giants fans think the question is laughable. Most other fans fall on the upper end of the curve. Is Bellinger elite and on the same level as the Trouts and Betts of the world? Not quite but those 2 are in their own category. Is he an outstanding/above average ball player you would love to have on your team? Absolutely! “Cody Bellinger is a good player, but he’s not an elite one.”
Betts has had one super season. So if Bellingers 2019 season is at or better than Betts 2018, he definitely joins the conversation as a top 5 player.
Betts’ broke into the league in 2014. His first full season being 2015. He has been 17th, 2nd, 9th, and 1st in WAR over his career. Definitely elite and barely a step behind Trout. Bellinger has been 37th and 35th in WAR in his 2 full seasons. Really no comparison to Trout and Betts yet. He won’t be able to maintain his current production level but I could definitely see him finishing top 20 in WAR and cementing himself as borderline elite. I just personally feel the title “elite” gets thrown around too often. I’m not a fan of the Dodgers but must admit Bellinger’s growth as a player, his current production, and overall marketability is great for the sport!
Harper’s right on track to match his clown WAR from last year.