Major League Baseball denied Nick Castellanos’ appeal of his two-game suspension, so the Cincinnati outfielder will serve his suspension when the Reds play the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Castellanos was suspended for his part in a bench-clearing incident between the Reds and Cardinals earlier this month, when Castellanos scored a run and then flexed over Cards pitcher Jake Woodford, who was covering the plate. Castellanos was on base in the first place due to a hit-by-pitch that drew a heated response from the slugger, and his reaction to Woodford at home plate led to both benches emptying.
Castellanos was the only player issued a suspension, which was a little surprising given the number of players involved in the fracas. Fines were issued to Castellanos and five other players (Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Jordan Hicks, Yadier Molina, and Nolan Arenado).
More from the National League…
- Ke’Bryan Hayes’ return to the Pirates’ lineup could help address the team’s problem in center field, as Dustin Fowler and Anthony Alford have both gotten off to dreadful starts to the season. As noted by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bryan Reynolds made a mid-game shift to center field yesterday, marking Reynolds’ first appearances in center all season. Reynolds has been solid (+3 Defensive Runs Saved, +3.4 UZR/150) over 322 1/3 career innings as a center fielder, though the Bucs have preferred to use him in left, believing it to be his more optimal defensive position. Moving Reynolds to center field, however, would allow Pittsburgh to give the red-hot Phillip Evans some time as a left fielder once Hayes reclaims third base.
- Thanks to four upcoming off-days in the schedule, the Nationals may not need a fifth starter until May 8, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post writes. That counts as good news for a team that has already dealt with several injuries and COVID-related absences to starting pitchers this season. It isn’t yet clear when Jon Lester will make his season debut, but if he still needs a couple more weeks, the Nats could ride with their current starting four of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Joe Ross, and Erick Fedde, with Austin Voth and Paolo Espino available as depth options if a spot start is required or if Washington does decide to go with a five-man rotation. (It’s also worth noting that the Nationals have been exploring a possible reunion with Anibal Sanchez, but those plans may be on hold since Sanchez cut his finger while pitching at a recent showcase for scouts.) D.C. won’t have its full rotation back until Stephen Strasburg returns from the injured list, and Corbin is another concern, as the southpaw was crushed in his first two outings of the season.
Bad precedence to set in my opinion. He didn’t hurt anyone. Don’t like it, pitch better.
Didn’t realize hurting someone was the only way to get suspended.
Dotnet22, does throwing at a guy count?
Not exactly a valid argument… he wasn’t hit on purpose…. woodford has less then 50 career innings under his belt and you could clearly tell the HBP wasn’t intentional… and he flexed on him anyway… yeah a suspension for this probably doesn’t happen pre COVID… but this ones on nick…
Mostly I agree with you. However, (isn’t there always a however? lol) In this case, a small suspension isn’t really “unwarranted” either. I had to google the incident, seems he hippity hopped when hitting a home run a game earlier? I’m all for celebrating, and I actually think it’s good for the game, I also don’t like hitting batters for retribution, but if Nick C. didn’t think that was coming with 150 odds years of baseball precedence to look at, then he is a fool also. lol His “flexing” I don’t see as an issue, other than his aggressive approach toward the pitcher while doing so, invading his personal space, thus “demanding” a response from the pitcher. So in essence that flex because of the aggressive movement toward the pitcher made the incident happen. It basically demanding the incident to happen. Had he stood up, took one step and flexed, not over the pitcher, toward the pitcher then I would be dead set against any type of discipline regardless of what ensued from there on. Celebrate away I say, show up the other players for all I care, but if you do it in their face, you get the penalty. But if you want to hit a home run and “airplane” your way around the bases, I just think that’s fun. lol
I get what your saying, but put yourself into Castellanos shoes. He believes he was hit on purpose. He wants nothing more than to score, to make that HBP count for his team. Then when he does score, on a wild bang bang play. The guy that hit him intentionally lands on him knees first into the same spot he hit him with a 93 MPH fastball. Castellanos had so much adrenaline running through his system at the time. Flexing on him was a restraint of emotion.
What he did would be a technical foul in basketball. It would be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in football.
If he flexes as he’s going back to the dugout, he doesn’t even get ejected. That’s celebration But he leaned down and flexed right in the pitcher’s face. That’s taunting.
Right, and the penalty in both sports is minor. A 2 game suspension is not.
And the penalty is baseball is ejection. And with ejection comes suspension.
What’s the deal on Molina’s appeal? Oh wait…
Don’t need one. He did nothing wrong.
He clearly made physical contact with the home plate umpire on his way to make physical contact with castellanos. For nick not doing anything other than flexing it sure is disgusting he’s the only one who got a suspension.
Please tell me you’re being a C Trent Rosecrans here?
Molina deserved a suspension more than Castenllanos …. Yadi actually aggressively came after him making first contact … All Nick C did was yell … screwed up system. Yadi the messiah of catching … so overrated.
Molina is a great player but that shouldn’t matter for discipline. If Castellanos deserves a suspension for what he did then so does Yadi.
What exactly makes yadi over rated?? 2000 games caught 2000 hits and could finish with 200 homers and over 1000 RBIs for his career… from 06 to 18 runners hardly even attempted to run on him, and all the gold gloves… that were actually earned as opposed to an older Jeter GG… so again I ask… what exactly makes him overrated??
sure…
Bull Stink.
He pushed and Grabbed a player.
Shows how stupid baseball now is.
Right, Molina lack of restraint is the moral high ground, while Castellanos restraint is the problem. Provoke Castellanos and he flexes on you and says “Let’s effing Go”, provoke Yadi, and he effing goes. Molina is a hothead who can’t control himself. The only one who had an argument to get physical is the guy who was intentionally hit in the ribs with a 93 MPH fastball.
Flexing is worthy of a suspension?
MLB: We want more emotion in baseball!
Also MLB: No Flexing!!!!
Painfully mindless suspension
Corbin will sort his deal out.
Don’t even think of flexing, but it’s totally cool to cheat using trash cans.
I wonder what the penalty for flexing a trash can is…
Nothing evidently
Kayrall: Don’t forget that before cheating w video/trash can there was cheating by pine tar, and beanies, and spit,and sandpaper, and files, and steroids, and corked bats, and…
Playing Reynolds in center and Evans in left is absolutely the right move for the Pirates, even though center is not Reynolds’ best position. It would be foolish to sit Evans down unless he cools off. All he has done as a Pirate when given the chance is hit, and hit well.
I agree.
MLB has started their beat down the small market teams campaign early. If Betts, Tatis, or Trout would have done that they would have received a strongly worded letter. I hope the owners get smart and run Manfred out of office. The guy is terrible for baseball.
Manfred is employed by the owners. Even if the owners run him out, they will just hire another Commish that will be no better than Manfred because the new Commish will be also employed by the owners and the new Commish will be doing what differently? Will still be doing what the owners want.
Gozurs right. The commissioner isn’t going to do anything without the owners pocketbook as the first priority. The Players Union will behave similarly. Anything that benefits the fans and baseball will simply be an accident.
Your complaint is hilarious. Sub Yadi for any of those guys and you have the same issue
It isn’t a market thing. It’s a star thing, if anything
Pirates tried Cole Tucker in CF last season, I’m guessing it didn’t go too well since we haven’t heard his name as a solution. Hard to believe Brian Goodwin is too expensive for the Pirates roster
Thinking putting Tucker in CF last year was a way to get him at bats as opposed to trying to solve the CF problem. No MiLB last year so would have hurt Tucker going a year between real games. Hoping his hitting comes around in the minors this year to put him in the mix for either the Pirates SS job going forward as his glove his very good, or provide them with a nice trade chip as they have other SS prospects coming behind him.
It’s not so much that Goodwin is expensive, rather it’s that they (correctly) have wanted to audition Alford and Fowler in CF. So far both are failing the auditions, badly in Alford’s case. If the Bucs go through with playing Reynolds in CF and Evans in LF, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Goodwin before May… but I also wouldn’t be shocked if they cut Goodwin loose instead.
I thought Angels would make a play for him. I would think he’s the first one up.
Nolan Arenado’s slash line is:
.271/.328/.525
So how about that cores effect?
Well his career slash is .293/.349/.541 so he has regressed some.
Also, it’s been 15 games. Yadi is currently on pace for 40 dingers, but that ain’t happening.
Yes, that is so, but his current slash isn’t a good argument for the over emphasized cores effect either. And, as you pointed out, it’s been 15 games so he very well could still get somewhere around his career line.
I would expect his slash line to be lower in a pitchers’ park like Busch than in Coors Field. OPS+ would be a more valid comparison of these numbers.
Arenado’s career OPS+ is 121. In the small number of games so far this season, it’s 137.
He did nothing wrong! WTF wrong with MLB? Why didn’t they suspend St Louis pitcher Woodford for intentionally throwing at a batter? They should have went after Molina also. MLB ruining the game themselves and then they wonder why fans won’t support the game.
Doing what he did would earn him a technical foul in basketball, or a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct in football.
How many games do you get suspended for a single technical or un-sportsmanlike conduct penalty?
None. But that is THEIR rules. Baseball says that it’s an ejection. Prefer the others rules? Go watch the other sports.
Woodford would’ve earned himself a suspension and fine for “headhunting” in the nfl.
Lol you have no idea what your talking about. Flexing is not a even a common foul/penalty in the NBA or the NFL.
I thought Angels would make a play for him. I would think he’s the first one up.
Yadi should definitely not get a pass… was just as aggressive if not more.
Castellanos deserves an award. Hit by a pitch… ended up scoring, sliding under the pitcher that hit him. He absolutely needed to flex. Molina can stick his unwritten rules up his …
LOL
MLB/Manfred showing how corrupt and hypocritical they can be with almost every decision lately. Does wonders for the game. Not.
Wish Aroldis was still in Red. He’d put a ball in Yadi’s skull and set this right. Old school baseball. Problem solved.
The cards went at him with the unwritten rules and he came out on top and they couldn’t stand the shame of it or bear the weight of a suspension for hitting him again and again in the upcoming games. So somehow nick, who only shows some passion for wearing one in the ribs and making a big play on the base paths comes out the loser. It’s pathetic