IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Reader Reacts
Jeffrey Luria is the most despised man in baseball (except for maybe, Rob Manfred) and certainly the most despised man in Montreal. Nothing Luria says is to be believed. When Luria bought the Expos, he lied to Charles Bronfman, then owner of the team, promising to keep the club in Montreal and promote a downtown ballpark. Had Luria kept his word we would be celebrating a baseball jewel in Montreal like the other throwback ballparks that grace Baltimore and Denver and San Francisco, etc. Luria made himself a fortune by ripping the heart out of Montreal.
— Howie Siegel, Victoria, BC
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Between June 7 and August 19, Atlanta center-fielder Michael Harris II led the major leagues with a .362 batting average — not bad for a guy batting .160 on June 6 . . .
Also not bad for a reigning Rookie of the Year who sparked talk of the sophomore jinx earlier this season . . .
The biggest obstacle facing the Yankees in their quest for respectability is their inability to beat AL East rivals (15-21 against them through Aug. 18) . . .
San Diego must despise the “Manfred Man” after dropping 10 straight extra-inning games this season . . .
At 19, Baltimore shortstop Jackson Holliday seems ready for the majors but blocked by the team’s over-abundance of talented young infielders . . .
Holliday, son of Matt Holliday, is tearing up Double-A pitching after becoming the nation’s No. 1 pick in the 2022 amateur draft . . .
Atlanta’s much-maligned starting rotation produced five shutouts in a span of eight games, with two each against the two New York teams . . .
MLB reports the biggest attendance increase since the expansion year of 1998 and the biggest percentage increase since 1993.
Leading Off
A Second Act for Jon Singleton
By Ray Kuhn
Production is secondary here. What matters is just being here.
Of course, that is only partly true, but for Jon Singleton, it goes beyond his actual 2023 performance. The fact Singleton is even here, on a major-league field in 2023, is a huge victory. The fact that is coming with the Astros in Houston makes it even that much more remarkable.
If we go back to 2014, none of this should be surprising. In fact, Singleton was thought of so highly that the Astros committed $10 million to him as part of a long-term contract before he even hit the major leagues.
That debut did come later in 2014, but the results did not match the potential or the contract. In 95 games, Singleton struggled as he hit just .168. The lack of success should not come as a complete surprise considering Singleton was striking out 37% of the time.
The expectation is that Singleton was going to be a part of the future core of an ascending Astros team. While the latter part was true, Houston found its success without Singleton. Despite his struggles to make contact and get on base, it was easy to get excited based on what Singleton did when he did make contact. In 362 plate appearances, Singleton hit 13 home runs while driving in 44 runs.
In the following season, which was the start of Houston’s dynasty as they reached the playoffs, Singleton got another chance to make good on his contract. In 19 games, he promptly hit just .191 and was buried in the minor leagues ever since. Well at least until 2023.
To be fair to Singleton, even in 2015, he still was a strong minor-league hitter as he went deep 22 times while driving in 83 runs in 102 games at Triple-A with a respectable .254 batting average.
While he continued to show some home run power the next two seasons, Singleton never got out of the minor leagues, and after 2017, was not found in affiliated baseball until 2022. There were multiple factors that led to that, but the largest was Singleton’s failed drug test in January of 2018.
That was the third time Singleton had failed a drug test in his career, and it led to the Astros releasing the first baseman halfway through the last year of his contract.
With COVID-19 then claiming the 2020 season, Singleton didn’t resurface again until the 2021 season in Mexico. After a dominant performance, Singleton spent 2022 in Triple-A with the Brewers. While he again struggled to hit for average, .219, he was a true OBP asset thanks to 117 walks. At the same time, Singleton didn’t lose his power and run production with 24 home runs and 87 RBI.
After a cameo with the Brewers at the major-league level this season, Singleton then found his way back to Houston. In what is the ultimate redemption story, the first baseman had a monster game a few weeks ago against the Angels. That included two home runs, one of which led to a walk-off victory for the Astros.
From a talent and potential upside, Singleton will always be a failed prospect. In 80 plate appearances to this point, those are the only home runs for Singleton this year, and he is hitting just .132.
Regardless of whether or not he hits another home run this year, Singleton is already a winner. The fact that he was able to resurrect both his life and career and find the clarity to make his way back to Houston is certainly enough.
Ray Kuhn can be found writing on Fantrax and Fantasy Alarm after previously covering the Houston Astros as part of the FanSided network at Climbing Tal’s Hill. Reach him at @ray_kuhn_28 or raykuhn57@gmail.com as he is always interested in talking or writing about our great game.
Cleaning Up
Ten Trades That Could Never Happen But Would Capture the Headlines
By Dan Schlossberg
Trades are banned between the Aug. 1 trade deadline and the end of the season but here are a few that would be stunners if that ban were lifted:
Yankees trade RF Aaron Judge to Red Sox for SS Trevor Story, LHP Chris Sale, and OF Adam Duvall — The Green Monster would have to be moved back !!
Mets send 1B Pete Alonso to Giants for OF Michael Conforto, 3B J.D. Davis, and RHP Alex Cobb — The Mets would be so much better with Conforto and Davis back
Cardinals send 3B Nolan Arenado to Dodgers for LHP Clayton Kershaw — both teams would instantly fill enormous holes
Padres trade OF Juan Soto to Braves for LHP Max Fried — both players can be free agents after 2024 and Fried hails from Southern California
Astros trade LHP Framber Valdez and 1B Jose Abreu to Phillies for RHP Zack Wheeler and C J.T. Realmuto — Abreu has been a bust in the NL but Valdez has been a horse, while Realmuto is suffering through a tough year
Tigers trade INF Javy Baez to Marlins for OF Jorge Soler — The versatile Baez can play anywhere and Soler’s light-tower power would help in Detroit
Rockies trade OF Charlie Blackmon to Guardians for RHP Shane Bieber — Cleveland needs clout and the Rockies always need pitching
Cubs trade RHP Marcus Stroman to White Sox for OF Eloy Jimenez — Trades between Chicago teams are rare but this one would be mutually beneficial
Orioles deal OF Cedric Mullins and INF Jorge Mateo to Diamondbacks for RHP Zac Gallen — D’backs would get two position players and O’s would land new ace
Angels trade CF Mike Trout to Reds for RHP Hunter Greene and 3B Elly de la Cruz — Trout finally lands with contender, while Angels add high-quality kids who can restore winning record before Ohtani leaves.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn has been covering baseball through hundreds of changes over a 54-year career. The author of 40 books writes for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, Sports Collectors Digest, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, and other outlets. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
"Luisangel Acuna may not have his older brother's superstar ceiling, but he does have the potential for solid tools across the board. He stood out as one of the best all-around players in the 2022 Arizona Fall League and was in the midst of his best season yet as a 21-year-old in Double-A when the Rangers dealt him to the Mets for Max Scherzer this July.”
— MLB Pipeline
Baseball memorabilia prices are booming, as illustrated by the sale of a Babe Ruth bat for $1.85 million in 2021 and another for $1.323 million earlier this month. The latter was used in an October 2023 exhibition game in which Ruth hit a home run . . .
Ruth used a huge bat: 36 inches long with a weight of 41.9 ounces, as contrasted with modern bats that usually measure 34 inches and 35 ounces . . .
On occasion, legend has it, Ruth swung a wagon tongue that weighed more than 50 ounces . . .
That recent home run by Cleveland’s aptly-named Myles Straw was his first in 1,160 trips to the plate — the longest homer-free stretch by anyone from that team since Felix Fermin went three years (1990-93) and 408 games without connecting . . .
Now that the Atlanta Braves won a 21-3 game, it’s worth noting that the Atlanta Falcons never have . . .
The San Diego Padres aren’t going anywhere but the record books this season; they played an August game in which each of the nine men in the starting lineup delivered one extra-base hit.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.