Sandler: Yu Returns, Mazara Goes Big As Rangers Train Rolls
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The Leadoff
It was great watching Yu Darvish pitch in a Major League game. He is so. Damn. Good.
By the way, here is @NomarMzra26's 491-foot HR, which is the longest HR hit this year as measured by statcast.
Stats of the Week
*Yu Darvish threw two pitches at least 98 MPH in his debut. They were the two hardest thrown pitches of his career. He had reached 98 MPH just once prior to Saturday.
*Two left-handed hitting Rangers (Fielder, Moreland) hit home runs vs. LHP Francisco Liriano Sunday--and they did it in the same inning. Liriano hadn't allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter all year and had allowed just 11 in his 11-year career.
*Wednesday's 15-9 win marked just the fifth instance since 2000 in which all nine of a team's starters scored a run, drove in a run, and reached base multiple times.
*Most people know about Cole Hamels's changeup, but his curveball has been the toughest for opposing batters to hit this year. When a plate appearance ends on one of Cole's hooks, opposing batters are just 3-for-28 (.107).
*While Prince Fielder has certainly struggled this season, he's maintained consistent success when he comes up with a runner at third base and less than 2 outs. In those situations, the runner has scored 62.5% (15/24) of the time. Major League average is 50%.
*Ian Desmond is on pace to end the year with: 22 HR, 95 RBI, 41 2B, 32 SB, 118 R. Only 7 players in MLB history have ended a year with at least those numbers.
Quote of the Week
"It pisses me off just a little bit more that he does it to me to be honest with you." -Bobby Wilson on Mike Scioscia intentionally walking Elvis Andrus to pitch to him instead during Wednesday's game. Scioscia used to manage Wilson and paid for his decision as Wilson singled home a run that very at-bat.
Minor League Spotlight
Jose Leclerc is a talented 22-year old right handed pitcher currently with Triple-A Round Rock.He started the year with Frisco as a starting pitcher, but when things didn't work out, the Rangers brass decided to transition him back to the bullpen and he got the promotion to Round Rock recently. In 18.0 combined relief IP--15 at AA and 3 at AAA--Leclerc has posted a 1.50 ERA with 22 K and 4 BB, surrendering just 10 hits out of the bullpen. Many within the Rangers believe Leclerc might be able to contribute at the big league level as early as this year. He throws a fastball, curveball, and two versions of a changeup. His fastball sits in the mid-90s fastball and can threaten 100 mph out of the pen. One concern is repeatability with his mechanics and how that impacts his control so that's something for the youngster to work on.
Covering the Bases
*I'm not going to try and analyze how Yu's debut forecasts his future this season because with TJ guys in their first year back, you just don't know. My gut tells me Yu is outstanding this year but not without a hiccup or two along the way. With all that aside, it is incredibly fun to watch one of baseball history's best strikeout artists paint his picture once again.
*I think it is safe to say that Martin Perez has been very good so far this year. He delivered his 8th quality start out of 11 chances--and his ninth time going at least 6.0 IP--on Sunday and did so in impressive fashion by stymying the Pirates, a team that crushes lefties. The big knock on Perez has been his tendency to just lose it at times when a call, a play, or something doesn't go his way. Basically, when he gets punched, his ability to punch back hasn't been as strong as his skillset suggests it should be. That wasn't the case Sunday when he faced three challenging innings, but held Pittsburgh to just 1-for-8 w/ RISP. I said he'd win 16 games this year and we all know that wins can sometimes be a fools gold statistic, but he's definitely pitching of the caliber of a 16+ win pitcher.
*Last year the Rangers' bullpen sucked to begin the year. That's the most flattering word I could come up with while being honest. Then, some changes were made, Shawn Tolleson became the closer, and bang, everything fit into place and the bullpen was finally competitive. This year, despite the expectations, the bullpen was very poor. A change has been made--Dyson for Tolleson as the closer--and my expectation is that the bullpen, as it has thus far, will begin to gravitate more towards pre-season expectations.
*I'm not sure what to make of the Rangers as a baserunning team. I think they're very capable of being among the best in the league with their combination of athleticism and aggression. That aggression so far, however, has worked against them more than they'd like, having made 27 outs on the bases, most in baseball. With that said, Fangraphs' all-encompassing baserunning metric, BsR, rates the Rangers as baseball's 8th-best baserunning team. How? Well, the Rangers have done a great job taking the extra base and their efficiency stealing bases (78.6%, 5th in MLB) has also contributed.
*Ryan Rua's bounceback year has been very important for a Rangers team that last year struggled vs. LHP but this year is among the best in the league. Rua's contributed against lefties and righties to the point where considering him for an everyday role, which is what the Rangers envisioned last year when he was named the Opening Day left fielder, is more and more a possibility if certain players continue to struggle or an injury pops up. He's also a big Cavs fan. Check it out.
*Jurickson Profar's return to Major League Baseball is a very impressive accomplishment in itself. We celebrate the returns of pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery and while this isn't an apples-to-apples conversation, Profar's laundry list of injuries and setbacks had kept him out of the Major Leagues from September 2013 until May 27, 2016. I'm still not sure he is in the organization after the trade deadline with his value as a trade chip, but one thing is clear, even if it is only three games back for Profar: he looks like he belongs in the Major Leagues.
The Walkoff
One of the most fascinating things to me is how the Rangers choose to monitor Matt Bush. He's such a unique case. How many Major League pitchers were in jail the year before? Bush hadn't thrown in a professional game of any kind since 2011 and has never really had a full season's worth of innings to build up arm strength or stamina.
Beyond that, he converted to pitcher after getting drafted and spending time as a shortstop, so it isn't like Bush's arm has had any true post-high school preparation for a full professional season, no less one at this level in high leverage situations.
Most people need a year or two in the minors before they get their MLB chance. And, sure, Bush did pitch in the minors prior to his incarceration but in his post-jail career, he was so good on the mound that he didn't even last two months in the minors before getting the big league bump.
There is simply no precedent for this and that is why it fascinates me so freaking much. How do you handle this guy? Who knows!? There's simply little way of knowing what sort of limits and restrictions--if any--need to be put on Bush in order to keep him fresh not only for the regular season but, hopefully, a deep postseason run, too.
Until tomorrow, Peace Be the Journey
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