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Readers React
ON ROY WHITE
“I enjoyed the article on Roy White’s memories. I was his teammate during my time with the Yankees. First class gentleman. We enjoyed going to the horse races together.”
— Jim Kaat, Hall of Fame Class of 2022
ON TORRID TAMPA
“Nice job, as always [on the great start of the Tampa Bay Rays]. We did a podcast deep dive on the Rays and one of the most interesting things is how much better they have been since they changed from Devil Rays (won 39.9% of their games) to Rays (54.6% of their games). If it were only as easy as changing the team name!”
— Mark Kolier, Norwalk, CT
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
After getting off to a 13-0 start this season, the Tampa Bay Rays suffered a major loss when the elbow of southpaw starter Jeffrey Springs went south, resulting in a recommendation of Tommy John surgery that will idle him for this year and part of next . . .
White Sox closer Liam Hendricks says he is cancer-free following treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma but there’s no timetable for his return . . .
Mets starter Carlos Carrasco, diagnosed with an elbow bone spur, had the same arm problem in 2021 and is one of four Mets starters aged 35 or more who have been hurt this year . . .
Spencer Strider has recorded at least nine strikeouts in eight straight regular-season starts, matching the Atlanta franchise record of John Smoltz in 1997, and can still catch Nolan Ryan, who set the MLB record with at least nine strikeouts in 11 straight starts 20 years earlier . . .
Josh Bell is making a strong bid to be the worst free-agent signing of the winter: the poorly-named Guardians gave him $16.5 million and got a ground-ball machine with no power, hitting .203 with a .316 “slugging” percentage in his first 76 plate appearances after finishing at .192 with the exact same slugging mark in San Diego last season . . .
No surgery for Adam Duvall but the veteran Red Sox outfielder will still miss two months after breaking his left wrist for the second year in a row . . .
Also out at least as long is Tampa Bay lefty Jeffrey Springs, who had been off to a strong start this season . . .
After hitting his 100th career home run last Friday night, Austin Riley returned to the clubhouse and found a congratulatory text from Chipper Jones that ended with “368 more to go.” That was in reference to the Hall of Fame third baseman’s career total of 468 home runs . . .
Are-you-kidding-me dept.: Cody Bellinger, now with the Cubs, was called for a pitch clock violation by umpire Jim Wolf before his first at-bat at Dodger Stadium because he was waving his hat to cheering fans who remembered he was the National League’s 2019 MVP . . .
Atlanta’s new catcher, Sean Murphy, is the first Brave to collect extra bases in 11 straight hits since the club came to Dixie in 1966 . . .
Classic argument against multi-year contracts: since 2020, injury-riddled southpaw starter James Paxton made six starts for the Yankees and Mariners, yielded a 6.65 ERA, then amazingly signed with the Red Sox. But Tommy John surgery and a lat strain kept him off the mound. After activating his $4 million player option before the 2023 campaign, Paxton was hurt again: the spring training hamstring injury delayed his Boston debut well into the first month of the ‘24 campaign.
Leading Off
Detroit Tigers: AL Central Club Looks to the Farm
By Joe Underhill
Rebuilding the rebuild is not exactly an exciting proposition for a fan base of a major-league team. Yet, that is exactly where Detroit Tigers fans find themselves in 2023.
The splashy signings didn’t do enough to save Al Avila’s job (although Eduardo Rodriguez has started to look like the pitcher the Tigers thought they were getting) and with a new boss (Scott Harris) came a reset of the rebuild.
As with all rebuilds, the keys to their success lie in the farm system, and while Detroit’s system is no longer ranking in the top 10 (courtesy of graduating Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson) there are some key players who will have an impact on whether the Tigers continue to be cellar-dwellers or blossom into contenders.
While the Tigers have played better lately, let’s look at some players on the farm that Tigers’ fans should know and keep an eye on.
AAA:
The entire Mud Hens roster should be watched as the Tigers will probably (and already have) use a number of players who started the year with the AAA affiliate.
That will be especially true of the pitching staff.
On the pitching side Reese Olson is a name to keep an eye on despite a rough beginning in AAA. He has a nice combo of pitches and has been able to strike out over one batter per inning.
On the hitting side, there are four players Tiger fans will want to watch: Ryan Kriedler, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Andre Lipcius, and Parker Meadows.
Kriedler began the year with the Tigers and has one of the better gloves in both the Tigers system and on the big-league club, but his bat must progress if he is going to be more than a defensive replacement and utility player.
Malloy and Lipcius are still looking for their first taste of major-league baseball but are off to strong starts for the Mud Hens. Malloy’s key will be improving his defense, while Lipcius is probably waiting for a trade or an injury to get his chance this season. Finally, there is Meadows, who put himself back on the prospect map after a strong 2022. So far, this season has been a slow start in his first taste of AAA, but Meadows arguably has the best speed and outfield defense in the system.
AA:
The Seawolves roster has a trio of infielders to watch along with a starter who has front-line potential. Wilmer Flores, who both MLB and Baseball America rank as the Tigers’ No. 3 prospect, has had a rough beginning to his 2023 season, but with an above-average three-pitch mix and plus command, Flores has a floor of a back-end starter and, if it’s all harnessed, could be a top starter or high-leverage reliever.
Hitters Gage Workman, Wenceel Perez and Colt Keith are the names to know and watch. Workman, a college teammate of Spencer Torkelson, has refined his approach at the plate and drastically cut down his K-rate. The result is Workman slashing .296/.472/.741 for an OPS of 1.213 and a BB/K rate of 8/7.
Perez is another player who has revived their prospect status after a couple of down seasons. He is mostly playing second base now, so he will need his bat to continue on its current trajectory to make it on the active roster.
Keith is getting his first taste of AA and is holding his own offensively. Keith’s defense will be the key to watch as this season unfolds, his bat has the most upside of any Tigers prospect.
High A:
Single A rosters are all about potential and the Whitecaps roster is not short on talent.
Tyler Mattison and Carlos Pena are two pitching prospects who are positioning themselves for callups and on the offensive side, Jace Jung, Izaac Pacheco, Roberto Campos and Ben Malgerli have had strong starts to the year.
Jung has the biggest name recognition and has started the year well with more walks than strikeouts, but the power that is in his college profile hasn’t really shown up yet.
Pacheco, on the other hand, is young at 20 but is showing plenty of power along with good plate discipline even though the batting average is low.
Campus is another young player, only 19, who was a signed to a big bonus coming out of Cuba in 2018. He is one to watch, as his potential tools are quite impressive.
Lastly, Ben Malgerli, an 18th round pick in 2021, is slashing .343/.429/.771 with three home runs on the year. Malgerli plays all three outfield positions and will likely find himself earning a promotion to AA sooner than later.
Low A:
The Flying Tigers are where much of the resent international talent signed by the Tigers and several recent draft picks are getting their first taste of professional baseball. The group is headlined by Jose De La Cruz, Manuel Sequera, Christian Santana, Adinso Reyes, and Payton Graham. It’s early in the season, but the development of these position players is worth keeping an eye on.
A rebuild can only be successful if there is a foundation in the minor leagues, particularly in drafting/signing players and then being able to develop those players. Historically the Tigers have done better with their pitching than their hitters, but when looking at the farm, there are a significant number of offensive players worth monitoring.
The saying “this too shall pass” applies to rebuilds and a look at the farm says the rebuild may be close to ending.
Joe Underhill is a high school administrator and diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for www.tigstown.com. Follow Joe on Twitter@TransplantedDet or email joe.underhill@auburn.org.
Cleaning Up
When Boozed-Up Fans Create Chaos, It’s Time For Radical Change
By Dan Schlossberg
First a fan attacked Dinger, the purple mascot of the Colorado Rockies.
Then a large-scale brawl broke out at a Chicago White Sox game.
And now a half-dozen teams plan to extend beer sales into the eighth inning? Maybe they should extinguish beer sales instead.
Even a player — Phillies starter Matt Strahm — has blasted that development.
If Major League Baseball is serious about wanting to attract young fans, it needs to improve ballpark safety.
That means eliminating the number of drunks both in the ballpark and on the roads afterward.
Yes, teams depend upon concessions revenue but they could compensate for lost beer sales by attracting legions of young families who might be afraid to go to the ballpark.
Years ago, I wrote on numerous occasions that smoking — a known health hazard — should be banned in public. It finally happened in New York because the city, not the teams, passed public smoking prohibitions.
The same logic applies to alcohol, which is also a health hazard if consumed in large quantities.
Perhaps the answer is creating separate “drinking sections” where beer sales are allowed. After all, teams once tried separate “alcohol-free” sections.
Numerous teams have already banned beer vendors, forcing patrons to buy alcoholic beverages at concessions stands only.
That was a step in the right direction for those of us who hated getting beer spilled on us not only from over-filled cups but also from fellow fans who happened to root for the other team.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
I know baseball has long-standing ties with beer companies. I also know it had long-standing ties to tobacco companies, as I remember the giant Marlboro sign that towered over the Shea Stadium scoreboard in left-center field.
The rowdiness on Chicago’s South Side has been a problem for years. But the Denver attack on the mascot, who was merely dancing on top of the home team’s dugout, is a new one — indicating attitudes and conditions are getting worse.
Kids who saw their beloved mascot injured in front of their eyes will not remember anything about the game on the field. But they will talk about the Fall of Dinger for years to come.
That is unacceptable.
And so is extending beer sales in response to the pitch clock shortening game time.
Ballparks should not become giant outdoor saloons. And it’s hard to believe there’s not one club owner out there who will stand up and say exactly that.
P.S. Security was nowhere in sight during the fan riot in Chicago. But the umpires could have — and should have — forfeited the game to the visiting team.
It’s happened before.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ has covered baseball since 1969 and written more than 40 books. He’s at ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
Tampa Bay didn’t break the record for wins at the start of the season but stunned the baseball world even by tying it.
“It's a terrifying lineup. There’s a lot of depth. … You’ve got to get a lot of really good hitters out right now, and it's awesome when they're all clicking.”
— Tampa Bay pitcher Dennis Rasmussen
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@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.
Given the price of beer at MLB games, it astounds me that anybody can afford to get drunk. But I know I would need the one beer I could afford to watch the current edition of the Washington Nationals in person.