MLB – THE TOP 10 MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF SPRING 2018
Every year several stories catch my eye during spring training and 2018 was no exception. So, let’s look back a little before we go forward this week with the regular season.
In no particular order:
1. KERSHAW WAS PERFECT.
Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw did not give up any earned runs in 21+ innings during spring training. Yes, that’s a 0.00 ERA. And, his strikeout to walk ratio was 23-4. Whatever happens during the season, only the baseball Gods know right now. But, Kershaw was unhittable during a timeframe that was supposed to be used for him to warm up and prepare for the long year ahead.
If I was one of the Giants batters readying myself to face the lefty ace this weekend, I’d probably first cross my fingers and say a couple prayers that the CY Young runner-up from last year isn’t as dominant as he was during the spring.
2. SEVERAL STARS GOT HURT IN THE NL WEST.
Was there a black cloud hanging over the NL West this spring? Some of the worst injuries in all of MLB happened to multiple teams in this division.
For one, the Dodgers lost their powerful third baseman Justin Turner until mid-season after he broke his left wrist when he was struck by a wild pitch during an at-bat. LA will definitely feel the impact of him out of the line-up. The question is, how much?
Meanwhile, Diamondbacks ace starting pitcher Zack Greinke “tweaked his groin muscle” earlier in the month, setting back his progress to be 100% ready for the season. The 34-year old veteran has admitted that he is typically slow to start each season and did look good in a recent spring training game, but this injury is concerning and worries about his longevity are legitimate.
But, the team affected by the most injuries (and the worst) this spring was the Giants. They lost two of their starting pitchers within the last week (Jeff Samardzija – strained pectoral muscle and ace Madison Bumgarner – fractured left hand). Both are big blows for San Fran, particularly after they made major acquisitions in the off-season to shore up their roster (Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen). How are they going to piece together a starting staff in such little time? On top of this, their all-star closer Mark Melancon teeters on the edge of the DL himself as he is not yet fully healed and fit after off-season forearm surgery.
3. SHOHEI OHTANI DID NOT IMPRESS.
I’ve long been fascinated with the Japanese dual-threat sensation Shohei Ohtani.
Playing 5 seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters (2013-17), the 23-year old pitched as a left-handed starter with numbers like Kershaw (10-4, 1.86 ERA, 174 SO in 140 innings) and batted righty with the skillset of a Bryce Harper (.322 BA, 22 HRs in 323 at-bats). It’s exceedingly rare that a player can both pitch and bat so well. We Americans haven’t seen a player like this since… Babe Ruth?
So, we are very fortunate that Ohtani wanted to come to America and see how he fared against the best players in the world. In the off-season, he made the giant leap and signed with the Los Angeles Angels.
But, during the spring, he struggled mightily on both sides of the plate in the Cactus League. In only two starts as a pitcher, he had a 27.00 ERA, allowed 9 hits, and 9 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. At the plate, he went 4-32, had 3 BBs and 10 SOs.
Of course, all of us will be watching to see if Ohtani can settle down and be the great player he was in Japan. I have a feeling it will eventually come. And, I think the best place for him to start is the minors where he can make a gradual transition by getting a real feel for American audiences and letting the talent surface.
The Angels apparently don’t see it that way. They seem to have enough confidence in Ohtani to let him make his season debut on Sunday night as a starting pitcher against the Athletics and hit as a designated hitter in the lineup before then. We’ll see how that goes.
4. HOUSTON TO USE A FOUR-MAN OUTFIELD?
According to Ken Rosenthal with his new venture The Athletic, the Astros experimented with a kind of “shift” in the spring against left-handed hitters which essentially created a four-man outfield configuration. It was successful enough that they are likely to employ it during the regular season.
How it works: Houston backs the third baseman up to left field, pushing the left fielder to left center. Then, the short stop moves to the right of second base, pushing the second baseman into shallow right field. This “alignment” leaves the infield virtually open, but with four men in the outfield, Astros manager, A.J. Hinch has said this strange setup has proven to mess with the psychology of a left-handed hitter (in addition to negating his power if he goes that way.) Hinch said some batters seem to feel forced into “[changing] their swing”, and thus make mistakes, an added bonus.
As a longtime baseball fan and someone who considers themselves open to new ideas, I’m not a fan of the shift. It’s a part of baseball that has changed, but not in a positive way. While the whole idea is old school, modern baseball people use saber metrics to dictate how the shift works. It ultimately then governs how teams defend. I’m not anti-saber metrics, but is this how we want the pure game of baseball to be played? By a computer telling people where to stand?
This argument is a complicated one and there are definite pros and cons to using the shift. But, my gut is telling me this is one part of the game that feels unnatural and I cringe when teams use it.
5. ICHIRO KEEPS GOING.
I was happy to see the 44-year old Ichiro Suzuki sign a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners on March 7. I’ve been a fan of this former Japanese superstar for a long time and I marvel at how productive he’s been in MLB.
Only twice in his 17-year career in America has he played less than 136 games. His career numbers are: .312 BA; .355 OBP; .759 OPS; averaged only 66 SOs a year (incredible) and 31 SB a year. He was also MVP (2001), Rookie of the Year (2001), has 10 Gold Gloves, and has the 3rd most Plate Appearances, most Singles, and most Hits in the history of baseball among active players…
Let’s hope Ichiro keeps going beyond 2018. Well, at least he says he wants to until he’s at least 50 years old. That would be fun to see.
6. SO MANY FREE AGENTS, SO LITTLE JOBS.
This spring training season started with an alarming number of free agents left unsigned. While most of the elite free agents found places to play, it turned out to be one of the slowest seasons for signings in recent memory. Things were so bad at one point that the MLBPA opened a Spring Training camp just for its remaining unsigned free agents. And, many are still not employed on the brink of a new season.
As we speak, the six time All Star and former Blue Jay Jose Bautista still does not have a job. Neither does former White Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera or Matt Holliday, the 7 time All Star veteran. Then there’s 43-year old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, among others.
Next off-season could be even slower when several major names could go up on the auction block including Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Clayton Kershaw, Josh Donaldson, Andrew Miller and many other elite players. Where will this leave the older, middle of the road free agents?
7. EXPANDED NETTING IN ALL BALLPARKS.
It was good to see all 30 MLB owners do the right thing in the off-season and decide to expand the protective netting in their ball parks at least until the far ends of each dugout by opening day. Many are even going beyond those parameters as well. It is not something that was previously required by baseball, but a slew of scary injuries last season, public pressure, and heavy influence from the MLBPA likely pushed the new policy.
This is all well and good, but remember – owners still have little liability when fans get hurt by errant balls due to a law of antiquity called the “Baseball Rule Law” (see my 2015 article outlining same). That means if fans sustain injuries due to foul balls outside of the netting and/or shattered bats, the burden is still on them.
Additionally, new research indicates injuries have become more and more common in baseball since the 100-year old law was ratified (1,750 fans are hurt each year by foul balls; or 2 in every 3 games). Reasons include construction of new stadiums that put us 20% closer to the action, improved equipment technology, and stronger players.
This new research has brought to light the question of why courts still rely on the old law to protect MLB owners. If they were in fact, held responsible fully for injuries sustained during games, we would see more protections put into place for spectators.
What’s it going to take? An actual death of an innocent bystander?
8. NO MORE CAPTAINS IN BASEBALL?
This may be the official end of an era. There is currently only one “captain” of a MLB team left and he’s on the permanent DL (David Wright, NY Mets). And, since Wright was named captain in 2013, he has refused to wear the C on his jersey and has played down the role’s significance. Meaning: there are no more formal active leaders named for any baseball team anymore.
To me, this is sacrilege.
When I was growing up a Yankees fan, captains were a common thing. I remember the days when Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter were all captains of their team. They wore the C proudly and took their role seriously. But, since Jeter has retired, NY has not named a new captain. What’s up with this? Isn’t it healthy to have a player carry the burden of rallying the troops? Shouldn’t teams have a player in the trenches look after the comradery of the dugout and keep the energy alive, positive and pushing forward?
True, there’s the manager and coaches whose roles include doing those very things. It’s just not the same as a compatriot player helping to guide players to excellence.
Some players have argued that captains in baseball traditionally carried no real “formal meaning”. They didn’t have an actual assigned duty outside of figuratively carrying the team flag when they are called upon to do it. But, that’s missing the point, isn’t it? Why does it have to have a specific “honor” involved?
Real leadership happens during the quiet times, not just in times of distress. Each team needs players to step up and mentor, and make sure there’s a positivity in everything from training to preparation and playing the game. Having someone assigned to doing that makes sure those needs are tended to. That person (the captain) is also looked at like a lighthouse for leadership.
Is this another change to baseball that is going to fall by the wayside? I think it’s tradition and a very useful tool. Oh, but hey – it has nothing to do with saber metrics. There’s no official stats that say captains improve a team’s bottom-line. That may be the real reason baseball doesn’t care much about captains in the dugout anymore.
9. MINOR LEAGUERS ARE ABOUT TO GET EVEN POORER.
It was always understood that minor league baseball players were underpaid, but a new legislation illuminates just how poorly they are treated by MLB.
Outlined in an excellent article by SBNation, MLB owners have lobbied lawmakers (basically in secret) to pass legislation that would preclude minor league players from the “benefits of normal hourly workers” via the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ironically referred to as “Save America’s Pastime Act”, MLB seeks to no longer give minor leaguers wages during spring training and not pay them for overtime.
Where this leaves minor leaguers is even farther below the poverty line where many of them sit. They are not represented by the MLBPA and are paid typically very little, with wages not increasing according to inflation standards. They also generally struggle to pay their bills, are responsible for their own living costs and receive such little per diem pay as $14 for seven days.
It’s sad to see this happening when we know most minor leaguers play baseball at this level for the love of the game. Most won’t make it into the big show, but they keep going anyway. Why should these people be taken advantage of any further?
Not good, MLB. This one’s a black eye.
10. THE TWINS MIGHT BE REALLY GOOD.
There’s been a lot of buzz about the Minnesota Twins this off-season. They have one of the youngest core teams in MLB, splurged on the acquisition of several free agents in the off-season and upgraded their pitching staff. Albeit, many of the contracts of those newly acquired are short one-year deals. But, that’s the whole point. This team is built to win now.
By bringing in older, experienced players, it could help the younger players learn and grow. The team is also building on the success of last season. The Twins made the post season in 2017 for the first time in 7 years and improved by a whopping 26 wins over the previous year. Inside the dugout there is a feeling of excitement, too. Players have said there is a “confidence and mind-set” that is different than previous Minnesota Teams.
Looking at the AL Central, the Twins should make the most of their budding team. While the Indians are not the same World Series team they were, they will still be good. But, the Tigers, Royals and White Sox are in rebuilding mode leaving another good chance for Minnesota to at least get a Wild Card.
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