Award Watch: Checking in on NL MVP candidates
It is high time we start discussing MVP races. Full disclosure: It is not acceptable for me to reveal my voting procedure in advance of the AL contest, in which I am a voter. Judge Aaron? Bobby Witt Jr. Please, everyone, wish me luck. Let us look at the NL for the time being, though, as there are some fascinating discussions there.
These are the four that I think are best. I am aware that some fans may be angry that their favorite is not featured, and with good reason. The good news is that I cannot vote in the NL primary!
Otani Shohei (Dodgers): Voting for Ohtani was justified since his response to another hitter’s argument was as easy as saying, “That is cool.” Which number of innings did he pitch? Ohtani is currently leading the NL in bWAR (6.1) and fWAR (5.8) as a DH. How? He is a generational talent at the plate, to start. However, he has also taken 35 bases, which is nine more than he had in his previous career best and thirteen more than the previous record set by a primary DH. A 40/40 season appears all but certain.
Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks): Marte will be a major factor if the Diamondbacks are able to upset the Dodgers in the NL West. He trails Ohtani by only inches at 6.0 bWAR (5.4 fWAR), and he has the fifth-most defensive runs saved of any player in the NL with 11.
Reds’ Elly De La Cruz: The fact that a hitting player is the second-most valuable player in the National League (at least according to fWAR, at 5.7) may surprise you.263. De La Cruz, however, excels at practically everything. He runs like few others can, plays excellent defense (he ranks third in FanGraphs’ “Def” category), and smashes for power.
Francisco Lindor (Mets): An oddball.263 hitter as well. Lindor is tied with De La Cruz and Ohtani for second place in defense (13.7) and 5.6 fWAR. In fact, if all other things are equal, writers tend to emphasize team record, thus Lindor might have a little advantage over De La Cruz—at least for the time being. The Reds are four games back from a postseason berth, while the Mets are two games out.
Distinguished mention: Braves’ Marcell Ozuna: Alright, I will let you make the decision because Braves manager Brian Snitker stated that he is not a contender. In my opinion, Ozuna (3.8) is less deserved than Chris Sale (4.8 fWAR).
Ken’s Notebook: From pre-med to bullpen weapon
From my latest notes column:
Major league players rarely claim to have passed organic chemistry in college. One exception is rookie right-hander Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians. Smith majored in biology and was pre-med at the University of Hawaii. Smith, who grew up as the son of teachers in Abbotsford, British Columbia, considered going into ophthalmology. But ultimately, he had to make a decision in Hawaii.
“By the end of my junior year, I was exhausted,” Smith said. “Baseball and school combined were basically consuming all of my time and I thought they were at the point where they were going to start to eat into one another. I didn’t want to do a sub-par job at two things at once. It was time for me to focus on one.”
After being selected by the Twins in the 16th round of the 2017 draft, Smith chose to attend the University of Hawaii. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 draft was cut to five rounds, and he was not selected by any team. Smith made use of the chance to speak with several teams, and he decided to go with the Guardians since they have a reputation for developing pitchers.
Smith, 25, has become one of the best relievers in the game four years later, with a 2.02 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 58 innings. His 2.55 projected ERA and 35.4 strikeout rate place him in the top 2% of the league. With a 0.87 ERA over his last 20 2/3 innings, he has left all seven of his inherited runners on base.
“I had this mindset from the start that I’m here to learn everything I can,” Smith said. “Coming into pro ball I was 6-5, probably like 210-215 when I got to spring training (he is listed now at 230). I didn’t move particularly well. I was 88 to 90, topping out at 92. And I didn’t have an off-speed pitch.
“They said there was something I liked about my changeup. But they also said there was something really special about my fastball. I knew I was not a finished product. That first year, it was stripping down my mechanics in spring training and laying down a basic foundation. The year after that, it was teaching me how to throw a slider. Then halfway through the year after that, it was adding the splitter and trying to refine that. Through the entire process, I was not going to walk away. I knew I had not reached my potential.”
More here.
History Lesson: The legend of Pinky Deras
Once in a while, a story comes along that makes you wonder, “How have I never heard about this?”
This is the case with today’s article from Cody Stavenhagen about Art “Pinky” Deras, the all-time great Little League baseball player.
These are impressive statistics, even by Little League standards: “An incredible 298 strikeouts in 108 innings thrown, an 18-0 record with 16 shutouts and 10 no-hitters… He pitched two six-inning perfect games, striking out every batter in the process.
I do not think I could manage those stats against 12-year-olds in the adult league where I play.
Naturally, this occurred in 1959, which is partly why I was unaware of it. Another explanation is that, despite making it to the major leagues, Deras left baseball at the age of twenty-two, having spent five years with the Cardinals organization.
Stavenhagen spoke with Deras’s family and friends prior to the Little League World Series starting earlier this week. Deras was 75 years old when he passed away two years ago. He discovered that Deras hardly ever talked about his successes.
Cody’s journalism is superb; this is one of the most captivating tales I have read all year.
Baseball Card of the Week: 1970 Topps Frank Quilici
Instead of saying Quill-EE-chee, as I had assumed, it is pronounced QUILL-iss-ee. Throughout his career, Quilici held the roles of player, manager, coach, and broadcaster with the Twins, the only team he ever played for.
Don Drysdale was out of the 1965 World Series after being hit by Quilici’s second hit in the third inning when Sandy Koufax did not pitch due to Yom Kippur. Unfortunately, the enchantment did not last long as the Dodgers won the series in seven games despite his meager four hits.
The following year, Quilici was beaten out for the second-base position by Bernie Allen and Rod Carew. After that, it was unavailable for a while, thus Quilici switched to being a defense-first utility player before starting his coaching career.
So why’d I pick this card? Two reasons:
- The batting glove, first of all. That appears to have been made for Studio 54, not Metropolitan Stadium.
- The batting glove, first of all. That appears to have been made for Studio 54, not Metropolitan Stadium.
But judging from this card, you would not know that. That is the most terrifying a middle infielder who prioritizes defense has ever looked.
Handshakes and High Fives
It is possible that you have seen the minor league footage of the person sprinting through a wall. That is Rodney McCray; yesterday saw his son Grant get called up and hit his first major league home run for the Giants.
Weston Wilson hit for the cycle as the Phillies trounced the Nats 13-3.
The Mariners lost against the Tigers 2-1, and now they are three games behind the Astros. The bats must be awakened in order for them to proceed.
While Jackson Chourio’s breakthrough is the main topic of Tyler Kepner’s “Sliders” column, there is an interesting nugget I was unaware of: In 1919, George Halas, the founder of the Chicago Bears, was a Yankees player.
Due to a back problem, Christian Yelich has been on the IL since July 24. He is undergoing season-ending back surgery today.
The father of the claimed victim in the Wander Franco sexual assault case is requesting that the charges be dropped.
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the Mets marketing staff maximizes an excessive amount of viral moments can be found in Tim Britton’s post.
(Top photo: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)
