Notes N' Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Yesterday may have been the official Day for 'WBC Hangover' to be gone.
Alex Bregman hit his first homer, a grand slam vs. the Yankees (more later)
Yadier Molina hits two homers.
And several players have played like their former selves this week, including Carlos Correa and Eric Hosmer,
Jurickson Profar did not survive.

Bregman, who wears jersey number '2' in honor of Derek Jeter got to see Jeter's number retired, then torment the Yankees with the same number.
Usually, home runs are rally killers.
George Springer led off the game with a homer, followed by a Reddick homer, then Bregman hit a grand slam later in the same inning. The first time in baseball history that has occurred in the first inning of a game.
Congratulations Mr. Tanaka?

Rick Porcello 'garnered' his fifth loss in his last start.
He continues a disturbing trend for A.L. Cy Young award winners.
The past three winners, Corey Kluber, Dallas Keuchel, and Porcello have lost five games by May 12, the year after winning the award.

Porcello, by the way. lost a grand total of four games in 2016.

Ryan Zimmerman went 3-22 with no homers and not even a run scored this week.
Baseball is returning to normalcy.

Remember when everybody and your Mother was saying how deep middle infield positions were in drafts?
How folks marveled at the power 2B/SS positions held?
Uh huh, you know you did.
19 hitters have 10 home runs or more, 19.
NONE are available at the MI position in NFBC leagues, none.

What do Jordy Mercer and Bryce Harper have in common?
No, it's not that they both hate Jonathon Papelbon. That would be everybody.
Mercer and Harper lead baseball with six intentional walks.
(Be ready for sabr reports about how good Mercer's 22/19 k/bb rate looks. Ugh.)

Nate Karns struck out 12 Baltimore hitters, while giving up two homers to Francisco Pena.
Similar to destroying 12 rattle snakes, only to get mauled by a lady bug.
This is the second time this has happened this year. Charlie Morton struck out 12 and gave up two homers to a more powerful hitter in Khris Davis.
Twice in two months a 12-k pitcher gave up a two homer game.
Before this April, it had not happened at all since 2012.

Have you ever drafted Adeiny Hechavarria late in a DC Draft and still not felt good about your choice?
For good reason.
Hechavarria has a bad streak of games going. You'd think he would have gotten lucky once during this streak, but didn't.
Hechavarria, in 611 straight games, has not had a three-run game.
Sometimes, mediocrity overshadows productivity when it comes to a 'wow'.
Don't ever doubt Hechavarria and mediocrity.

Pat Valaika hit two homers in a game yesterday. The third Rockies shortstop to do that in the last three years.
No other team has more than one player hitting two home runs in a game from the shortstop position during that time frame.

Caleb Joseph and Tommy Joseph hit home runs yesterday.
It was the first time that two Joseph's hit homers on the same day.
Unless, we count first names.

The Rays and Angels have played 40 games.
The Twins and Braves, just 34.
Which means if playing between 35 and 39 games by May 15, there is still a chance for the pennant.

The Cardinals have a five game schedule this week.
Five game weeks in fantasy are like pasties in strip clubs.

Folks always say that it is easier pitching in the National League over the American.
Sounds easy to say with the DH.
BUT, the average baseball average is .249
Who is bringing down that batting average?
The American League.
National League- ,252
American League- .246
Also, more runs and home runs have happened in the National League.
This year, DH's are not so good.
And pitchers are hitting pretty well....for pitchers.
David Ortiz is missed.

[Edwards Kings]

"Hunter Renfroe went 2-for-4 with a walkoff two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to propel the Padres over the Brewers 6-5 on Monday.
Renfroe had four RBI in all, making this his best game of the year. He's batting just .217, but he's starting to work some walks now (nine in May after just two in April). Things are looking up."

Good eye....

[DOUGHBOYS]

"Hunter Renfroe went 2-for-4 with a walkoff two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to propel the Padres over the Brewers 6-5 on Monday.
Renfroe had four RBI in all, making this his best game of the year. He's batting just .217, but he's starting to work some walks now (nine in May after just two in April). Things are looking up."

Good eye....

You've succeeded
A rant in my subject line

[headhunters]

mostly agree with you on the walk thingy- except the sf giants. i don't care who bats 1st or second - they need to walk. and walk some more. buster posey has 7 homers and ELEVEN rbi. batting .180 and k-ing the moon? nope- hitting around .360! batting 1st? nope- 3rd or 4th. i mean that is just ridiculous. i know you are a little down on posey- but it should be all about the park. if he played in colorado or even washington- he would have about 40 rbis. ps- i saw the last 4 homers- they were crushed.

[DOUGHBOYS]

mostly agree with you on the walk thingy- except the sf giants. i don't care who bats 1st or second - they need to walk. and walk some more. buster posey has 7 homers and ELEVEN rbi. batting .180 and k-ing the moon? nope- hitting around .360! batting 1st? nope- 3rd or 4th. i mean that is just ridiculous. i know you are a little down on posey- but it should be all about the park. if he played in colorado or even washington- he would have about 40 rbis. ps- i saw the last 4 homers- they were crushed.

Agreed. If Posey or Belt played in another park, they would have completely different numbers. Brandon Crawford too.
That ball park is so beautiful.
But man, it is an absolute shame what is does to a lot of well-struck balls.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Posey has six hits with runners in scoring position. Yet only four rbi.
That is just tough luck. That'll get better.
The 7/11 hr/rbi ratio are not lucky for his owners, that's fer sure.
He is raking right now and the Giants are losing out on the effort.

Spacious center field, a lot of room for singles to drop in AT&T Park, and the need of a leadoff hitter.
The perfect solution from a fantasy perspective would be to trade Brandon Belt to Cincy. The Reds can put him in right field and move Schebler to center. The Reds get a 35-homer batsman.
The Giants receive Billy Hamilton, filling the leadoff spot with more room for his singles to fall, not to mention the inside-the-park homers

[NorCalAtlFan]

belt a 35 hr guy? are you on shrooms dan?

[DOUGHBOYS]

belt a 35 hr guy? are you on shrooms dan?

Heck no!

Belt is a player I never draft. Ever.
And I love the guy as a hitter. I believe he has more power than most hitters in baseball.
That park takes his power like kryptonite takes SuperMan's.
He consistently, hits double digit homers on the road.
At home, a place where an offensive hitter should hit better and dominate, Belt is throttled.
He has to hit the ball just right to hit a homer. Other players do not have this handicap.
The Reds play in a park that invites homers.
It is why we get Scott Schebler out-homering Belt.

I truly believe that Willie Mays was 'jobbed' out of at least 50 home runs by a ball park (Candlestick Park) and may have passed Babe Ruth first had it not been for an unfriendly park.
Belt is being 'jobbed' in the same way.
It works the other way too.
I don't believe that Todd Helton was as good as his statistics.
He played in the perfect park for Todd Helton.
His luck is Belt's unluck.

By the way, the Giants may have an excuse for less homers.
The park has rendered them as a bottom five team in homers in four of the last five years.
Still, there is a team who is tied with them with the least homers in baseball this year...
The Boston Red Sox

[Edwards Kings]

"Charlie Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in the Rockies' 7-3 victory over the Twins on Tuesday.
A big game away from Coors for Blackmon. He had been hitting just .206/.250/.309 with one homer on the road this year, as opposed to .391/.432/.828 with seven homers at home. Regardless of the road struggles, he's on pace to hit 36 homers and top the century mark in both runs and RBI."

I just hope this Homey can keep up the...well..you know the word.

[Yah Mule]

Blackmon's splits were really even last year.

Home: .335/.399/.540/.939

Road: .313/.363/.563/.926

Interestingly, Nolan Arenado has a home OPS of .856 and a 1.040 mark on the road so far in 2017.

[headhunters]

on belt- gotta go completely with dan- belt is always over rated by the "perts" - the park kills him. i also think he is a good enough hitter to change his swing if moved to cincy. also agree on mays- not only the park but the weather. changed his swing while playng there.