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Here's Barrels or Bust, up from the depths.
Maybe spin rate isn't everything?
Dodgers SP Walker Buehler had one of the most dramatic
drops in spin rate that we've seen this season. His four-seam fastball
was down 277 rpm, his cutter was down 327 rpm, his knuckle curve was
down 339 rpm and his slider was down 289 rpm. When we've talked about
spin rate changes before this, they've been in the range of down 125-150
rpm. This is more than a 10% drop in spin rate for all of Buehler's
pitches besides the slider. And he wasn't throwing any harder to make up
for the drop in spin rate.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-today-akil-baddoo-continues-roll-walker-buehlers-big-spin-rate-dip-prospect-and-more/
Looking for Mason Martin ... who this month is producing the remarkable feat of posting a 1.184 OPS ... while striking out in 38% of his ABs (25K in 65 AB).
And that's not just small sample size - on the season it's a .938 OPS with 37% K rate in 231 ABs.
Should be nicknamed "barrels or bust" ...
From Baseball HQ today:
Los Angeles Angels OF Justin Upton (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, July 22. The team also optioned OF Taylor Ward to Class AAA Salt Lake. Source: MLB.com
BHQ take: We'd been expecting Upton's return, but Ward's demotion to create roster room is a bit of a surprise. Ward was the only OF on the 25-man roster with minor league options remaining. And the club wants to see what it has in newly promoted Brandon Marsh, as well as whether it has anything in newly acquired Adam Eaton. These names project to be in the starting OF almost every night until Mike Trout returns. Ward (.748 OPS over 204 AB) should return at some point in August, perhaps sooner—but he's difficult to roster now even in the deepest of fantasy leagues. —Jock Thompson
Impact: High
In Baseball HQ's Friday newsletter:
Minnesota Twins OF Nelson Cruz was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday, July 22, in exchange for RHP Joe Ryan and RHP Drew Strotman. The Rays will also receive RHP Calvin Faucher in the trade. Source: MLB.com
BHQ take: Cruz will obviously hit in the heart of the lineup for the Rays, just as he had been doing for the Twins. At age 41, Cruz has kept on cranking for the most part, though there is perhaps a little bit of age-related decline (finally!) evident in his power metrics. While Cruz will eat up a a lot of playing time, his arrival won't necessarily fall on any one player.
However, potentially most affected is Yandy Diaz, who has logged plenty of time at third base this season but now may be limited to the weak side of a first-base platoon with Ji-Man Choi, as Tampa does a three-man weave with Wander Franco and Joey Wendle at SS and 3B, respectively, against righties, and Taylor Walls and Franco at SS and 3B against lefties.
Meanwhile, Meadows' playing time should not take a huge hit, but he will have to keep his outfielder's glove handy to a greater degree over the balance of the season. —Kris Olson
Impact: High
The veteran right-hander has been on the shelf since mid-May with a back injury, and he was shifted to the 60-day injured list in June. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Hunter apparently hasn't made much progress in his recovery and will have a tough time rejoining the Mets during the second half.
It's unusual for a contender like the Rays to trade a member of their starting rotation, though they've been mixing and matching starters all season, with 12 different pitchers making at least one start thus far. Hill fills a need for the injury-plagued Mets and could see a small boost to his value from the move to the National League. The 41-year-old has fallen off a bit from his late-thirties peak, as his 3.87 ERA comes with a modest set of peripherals including a 23.4 percent strikeout rate and a 4.55 FIP, but he's still a useful starter for a team that desperately needs innings.
How can there be no comments for a pitcher who has earned 27/23 before the end of July (and before today's stat feed)?
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Yesterday's Top Performers
Pitchers:
Sean Manaea* (OAK): 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 13 K, 77 GmSc
Walker Buehler* (LAD): 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K, 72 GmSc
Jordan Montgomery (NYY): 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 68 GmSc
Blake Snell (SDP): 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K, 67 GmSc
Andrew Heaney (LAA): 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K, 66 GmSc
View All of Yesterday's Pitchers at Baseball-Reference.com
* - pictured above
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Yesterday's Top Performers
Batters:
Yandy Díaz* (TBR): 4-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R
Dylan Carlson* (STL): 3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R
Victor Reyes* (DET): 1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB
Andy Ibáñez (TEX): 3-4, 1 RBI, 2 R
Dansby Swanson (ATL): 1-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R
Jack Mayfield (LAA): 1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R
Tom Murphy (SEA): 1-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
Ozzie Albies (ATL): 3-5, 2 R
Eric Haase (DET): 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R
Didi Gregorius (PHI): 2-4, 1 R
View All of Yesterday's Batters at Baseball-Reference.com
* - pictured above
This matched Quantrill's longest appearance of the season, and it was also one of his most effective. Unfortunately for the right-hander, James Karinchak's recent struggles continued and denied the starter a win. Through 72.2 innings this year, Quantrill has a 3.84 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 50:25 K:BB.
G/L/F before the stat feed: 38/25/37. Surprising he was only slugging .394.
The outfielder opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. Carlson was also on base for Nolan Arenado's third-inning blast. The three-hit effort lifted Carlson's batting average to .259, and he's added nine homers, 38 RBI and 49 runs scored through 402 plate appearances this year. He's remained a fixture at or near the top of the order, often serving as the leadoff hitter versus right-handed pitchers.
Houck mowed through the Yankees' lineup with little problem, racking up 19 called strikes and 10 swinging strikes across 87 total pitches. His outing was interrupted by a rain delay, though it's not clear how much deeper into the game he would have been allowed to work given his substantial pitch count. The outing was also Houck's longest of the season, and he could ultimately take the place of either Garrett Richards or Martin Perez in the rotation before season's end.
Arcia led off the fourth inning with a home run, his second of the season. He entered the game on a moderate cold stretch, failing to collect any hits in each of his last three starts. Through 12 contests since being recalled by Atlanta on July 4, Arcia is hitting .232 with two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored.
Rotowire:
Diaz was held out of the lineup for two days with neck spasms, but he made his presence felt in his return. The 29-year-old played a key role in Tampa Bay's comeback, getting them within a run with his ninth-inning solo shot. The infielder is now slashing .261/.378/.366 with six homers, 33 RBI and 39 runs scored through 339 plate appearances. His triple was his first since the 2019 season.
The relay shows that Vosler was safe -- game not over.
The overhead camera shows that Ruf's bat went too far -- game should have been over.
July 23, 2021
Los Angeles Dodgers – Yikes. After another blown save Thursday, Kenley Jansen has now allowed seven earned runs since Wednesday (!) and eight overall this week after giving up just five all season. Thursday’s loss wasn’t all his fault, though. The Giants’ Jason Vosler was originally ruled out at second for the game’s final out but that was overturned on replay. Then, Darin Ruf appeared to go around on a checked swing on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, but the third-base umpire ruled that Ruf held the swing and sent him to first, enraging manager Dave Roberts, who after the game said, “I don’t think all the blame should be on Kenley.” While he’s kind of right, we’re talking three straight blown saves for Jansen since the break. So, will there be a new closer in LA? Not quite yet, as Roberts steadfastly supported Jansen after the game. Still, we’ll keep a close eye on the situation. Stay tuned.
Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Treinen | Kelly.
Time to get ready for the trade sprint. The "word on the street" is that there will be a lot of deals but close to the deadline especially for a couple of teams on the fence over being buyers or sellers.
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Closer Monkey:
Chicago Cubs — If Craig Kimbrel is traded, the returning Rowan Wick is a name to watch. He’s rehabbing with High-A and looking sharp while doing so. He’s worth a stash, especially in deep leagues.
Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Chafin | Tepera.