With the regular season now 75% complete, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Meadows to be promoted:
Tigers outfield prospect Parker Meadows is set to be promoted today, as the Tigers themselves have announced. Meadows is the brother of fellow Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows, and has slashed .256/.337/.474 in 113 games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate this season while stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts. As a left-handed outfielder, Meadows adds to the club’s depth of lefty-hitting outfield options that already includes the elder Meadows (who has been out since April battling anxiety), Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Akil Baddoo, Nick Maton, and Zach McKinstry, though the latter two also play the infield. While a 40-man roster move won’t be necessary after Meadows was selected last November, an active roster move will still be necessary prior to tonight’s game against the Cubs in Detroit. That move has yet to be announced, but Daren Tomhave of The Detroit News suggests that Maton is the most likely player to be sent down given his left-handed bat and lack of playing time in recent weeks.
2. Crawford nearing a return:
After sweeping the Astros in a three-game set over the weekend, the red-hot Mariners are headed to Chicago for a trio of games against the White Sox. There, they’ll be joined (according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times) by shortstop J.P. Crawford, who was in the midst of a career season at the plate prior to sustaining a concussion earlier this month. In 460 trips to the plate this season, Crawford has slashed .266/.379/.411 with a wRC+ of 129 and an elite 14.8% walk rate. With Crawford’s bat returning to a rejuvenated Mariners lineup as soon as this evening, the Mariners will look to continue the hot stretch of play that’s seen them go 14-4 in the month of August and climb within three games of the AL West division lead.
3. Estrada to undergo x-rays:
Giants infielder Thairo Estrada was struck in the hand by a pitch in the ninth inning of yesterday’s game against the Braves. While Estrada stayed in the game, manager Gabe Kapler indicated to reporters, including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, that he’ll undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury. The incident is of particular concern given the fact that Estrada missed a month earlier this summer with a fractured hand after being hit by a pitch at the beginning of July. Estrada also missed time with a wrist sprain earlier this season. If Estrada were to require a trip to the injured list, that could open up additional playing time for infielder Casey Schmitt, though the club could also call up Marco Luciano or Brett Wisely from the minors to fill the void.
Has anyone in talent evaluation looked into getting hit by a pitch as a skill? Getting out of the f***ing way seems to be ignored by some players (Estrada, Trout, Judge was bad at it at the beginning of his career)
Anthony Rizzo basically gets an adrenaline rush from getting hit by a pitch. I think one year with the Cubs he got hit 30 times. Also I don’t know if he still does it, but he’d take batting practice but would let the machine hit him on purpose, going all Happy Gilmore.
I remember growing up, Ron Hunt said it was part of his game. In the early 1970’s he led the league in hit by pitch 7 straight years, getting hit 50 times one year.
It’s rarely enforced but here’s the rule
If the batter does not make an attempt to avoid being hit by the pitch, the ball is called dead and the result of the pitch is called based on its location either in or out of the strike zone.
Yankees need to talk to the Tigers about getting a left handed OF bat. Yankees could use a CF and LFer. Bader is a free agent, but if he resigns, they could still use a lefty bat on the bench. Carpenter and Baddoo… make the deal. Young, controllable, inexpensive outfielders that could hit in Yankeedom.
Not a criticism, just a gentle correction for clarity’s sake: it’s “re-signs” not “resigns.” Otherwise, a sound comment!
I don’t think the Yankees have the prospect currency to acquire Carpenter, but Baddoo could be acquired. I think he would do better in Yankee Stadium than Comerica Park. His career home-away splits are pretty even, but have diverged markedly this year.
@For Love of the Game- In the off-season maybe. What kind of prospect would the Tigers want for Baddoo? I’ve always liked him as a leadoff hitter, with some pop. He can play centerfield and leftfield?
Captain, I don’t think it would take a lot. Austin Wells comes to mind.
Baddoo will be available. Carpenter will require an over pay.
Carpenter isn’t going anywhere. Baddoo won’t make that much difference in NY. What are ya offering?
You can have Badoo, but what makes you think the Tigers, who have been at the bottom of MLB in runs scored for several years, would give up their best run producer, and someone with tons of team control left?
They’re not going to trade Greene, Torkelson or Carpenter to get better. They will only get better with them. The Tigers have several minor leaguers who might interest some trade partners. Meadows has to rake these last 6 weeks to break into this OF. Baddoo is a 4th OF’er. He is not likely to be an every day player on a team that wants to contend.
It’s funny with Rizzo out, not sure why the Yankees can’t call up Austin Wells to play some lst base, catch, and see some action in left? Doesn’t matter the season is over anyway. Nothing to play for except pride. I guess. Smh
Fernando Viña always tried to get hit
Oh right Viña was another one, really solid leadoff hitter for the Cardinals during LaRussa’s tenure.
Nick Maton, YOU are a Toledo Mud Hen.
Hope so but Is that official? I have not seen any word yet
It should be Maton, but that may affect Colt Keith’s playing time. I have no confidence in HARRIS making the correct decision and after he cut Haase, I could see him cutting Baddoo, even though he has been playing better lately.
Thairo really needs to work with the coaching staff to solve this problem ffs
The season has felt more boring and dragged on than ever before. This is probably due to the excessive rule changes. MLB has far too many teams with too many mediocre players on teams. Doesn’t make for an enjoyable season.
Yes, another reason why expansion is a terrible idea. As to new rules, I don’t mind speeding it up, but ghost runner is absurd. Dislike the 3 batter rule–if a pitcher can’t find the plate, or seems to be tossing BP, maybe a two batter rule just to get away from the situational one-batter pitcher?
I agree, Maybe a team should be able to remove a pitcher having faced less than 3 batters one time in a game.
Good idea Jean.
> The season has felt …
Old, that’s what happens when we get, well, old. Things change. Or, things have changed. One day we wake up and notice the changes. Baseball doesn’t need us. We’ll die soon. They don’t care about our loyalty. We spent
our money. New people haven’t so they are more “fiscally desirable”. It’s all about the dollars.
The new generations cannot focus on anything for an extended period of time. So, the changes are only to keep their attentions long enough to relieve them of their money. I mean, introduce them to our sport as exciting new fans!
Of course they will put a “kinder” spin on it than this, so that we feel ok with whatever changes have made us feel excluded. Just don’t try to get in the way and interrupt the circus. The man clown running the show is only trying to get the most and push everything and everyone below him before the circus leaves town.
@Hemlock
Baseball can make whatever changes they want but the clock has oddly make the sport less appealing to watch as the strategy of the game has been removed and now we’re going through the motions, much like we’ve seen with the analytics movement that has turned the game into a three true outcome game and still is. So, you add a few more SBs, so what.
Look at the data from last year compared to this year:
2022:
BB% 8.20%
K% 22.40%
AVG: 0.243
OBP: 0.312
SLG: 0.395
wOBA 0.31
2023:
BB% 8.5
K% 8.5%
AVG 0.249
OBP 0.320
SLG 0.413
Now, go back to the year 2000 and check the stats from then to present day. K% back in 2000 was 16.5%. No rule changes and this was with the pitcher hitting in the NL. Average, OBP, SLG were all much better back then. These rule changes aren’t even in those older stats. The only thing that it’s changed is more stolen bases because they’re essentially telling the runner they can run. But, stolen bases aren’t the main draw of the sport. It was exciting to see key doubles and triples and overall balls in play but that’s not happening with these rules.
>2023:
> BB% 8.5
> K% 8.5%
Note that the 2023 K% is 25.414% not 8.5%
Agreed. They cared about the length of MLB games, which they have reduced.
Year Average Time of a Game
2023 2 hours and 38 min (As of 447 games)
2022 3 hours and 6 min
2021 3 hours and 11 min
2020 3 hours and 6 min
2019 3 hours and 10 min
2018 3 hours and 4 min
2017 3 hours and 8 min
2016 3 hours and 4 min
2015 3 hours
2014 3 hours and 7 min
2013 3 hours and 4 min
2012 3 hours
2011 2 hours and 56 min
2010 2 hours and 54 min
@Hemlock
Sorry, copy/paste error there. So, they’ve saved like 45 minutes over that time period to get the same results or worse. Why not just reduce the innings to 5 innings and they can finish the game quickly?
Isn’t that worse—5 inning games? 7 innings was bad enough during COVID, in my humble opinion. How would you compare stats from different eras? Yuck.
When I go to the baseball stadium, I want it to take a long time. I don’t want to get there and have to leave before I’ve even sat down.
The crowd at the game is who suffers because their experience has been castrated.
Average game time in 2020 was 24 minutes longer than it was in 1978.
1970 – 2:34
1971 – 2:29
1972 – 2:27
1973 – 2:30
1974 – 2:29
1975 – 2:29
1976 – 2:29
1977 – 2:32
1978 – 2:30
1979 – 2:35
And those are all games, including extra innings. Game times from the 50s and 60s were about the same as those of the 70s. Games in the 80s and 90s were only slightly longer, but similar, as were the slightly shorter games from the 40s. From 1900 to 1933 the average game time never exceeded 2 hours.
Suggesting the longer game times of the past decade before the rule changes was the natural state of the game is erroneous.
Expansion is the last thing MLB needs to be thinking about. The true talent is spread way too thin as it is. Then you have a team like SD that’s loaded with talent sitting at 7 games under .500 on 8/21.
Luciano’s been out the past two weeks with a hamstring.
Estrada has been one of the better hitters on a bad offense all season.
Getting tired of all these hit by pitch injuries this year. Last night two in a row got drilled. Umpire then gives an inside strike to the next batter?
Haniger broken arm , Estrada broken hand then they go after Flores with a rib shot. Injuries are already stacked up with this team without the opposition helping out with crappy pitching. Enough please.
Sticky stuff ban along with pitchers being more rushed is probably what’s leading to more hit-by-pitches (although it could just be a perception thing, I haven’t looked at any numbers to see if it’s actually true.)
As pitchers adjust, the HBP’s will go down.
Everyone is required to throw upper-90s heat. Control is a secondary concern.
The M’s will obviously benefit from Crawfords leadoff skills- his OBP is one of the best in the League. He has also been the teams best hitter w RISP, he’s delivered in many high leverage situation. If anyone watched the HOU and KC series it was obvious that the team also missed his defense and on field communication/leadership. He has become the heart and soul of that Mariners Clubhouse.
Over the last 30 days another M’s INF has quietly been “on a heater” – Dylan Moore is finally healthy and is the main reason the M’s could afford to release K Wong. D-Mo has a ridiculous line of .364/.444/.800 for an OPS of 1.244. Hopefully he can remain healthy
Seattle’s next three series are against the White Sox, Royals, and Oakland. Houston won’t even get the wildcard.
I’m expecting the Mariners to sweep the White Sox. As a Sox fan it’s painful but I’m realistic, the team sucks and the Mariners are on fire right now.
Love the season so far. The new rules have bumped attendance big time and generated a lot more interest.
By the way, the NL wild card race is crazy right now. Five teams within 1.5 games of each other for the last two spots. Even the Phillies aren’t safe in the first spot. You guys should run a poll on who’s gonna take the wild cards.
Just saw the announcement..Nick Maton was demoted to Toledo to make room for Meadows! Yea! Let’s hope he does not come back anytime soon as he is not nearly MLB ready at this point.
The League needs to review video of Estrada while batting. The position of his feet in the batter’s box. The position of his hands while batting. If his hands are extending out well beyond the imaginary line extending upwards from the chalk line that defines the batter’s box then Estrada is baiting the pitcher to hit him. If so, Disciplinary league action should be taken against Estrada. If not, Yates should be immediately be suspended by the league for hitting and injuring Estrada with a pitch. Additionally, Yates should be suspended and fined by the league for his “payback” HBP of Flores, due to the HR by Flores earlier in the game.
Enough of this coddling of Pitchers. “It’s just part of the game”, just doesn’t make it anymore.