Blowout games are now-must see affairs
This has been the season of the Cardinals and Royals, the rags to riches Astros and Mets, A-Rod’s return, the rise of the Cubs and a star-studded class of rookies. But 2015 is also the year of the position player pitching, with managers increasingly going to the dugout late in games they’re trailing by large margins. This past weekend alone we saw two more position players toe the rubber: Mariners catcher Jesus Sucre in a 22-10 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday and Oakland first baseman Ike Davis in an 18-2 loss to the Orioles on Sunday. Hitters pitching was once a rarity, but we are now living in the golden age of men on the mound who have no business being on the mound in a Major League game. (To be clear, I’m referring to position players pitching, not the the staffs of the Red Sox, Rockies and Phillies.)
There are currently 38 active major league position players who have pitched at least once in a MLB game. But just as Zack Greinke is better than Kyle Lohse, some position players are better at pitching than others. Here are the greatest pitching hitters in baseball today. It’s time they get recognition. Baseball should consider them all for the Random Guy Young Award, given to the position player who pitches most like Cy Young.
Drew Butera, C, Royals - In six major league seasons, Butera has 9 home runs and a .184 career batting average. There’s actually a case to be made that he’s a better pitcher than position player. The backup catcher has pitched in three games over his career, racking up three strikeouts in 2.2 innings and a 1.12 WHIP. His 10.1 K/9 ratio is better than Clayton Kershaw’s career average. Drew Butera the hitter wouldn’t stand a chance against Drew Butera the pitcher.
Skip Schumaker, 2B, Reds - Schumaker is such an accomplished pitcher that he has been called to the mound four times in his 11-year career. The infielder has a respectable 4.50 ERA and three strikeouts in four career innings. It’s surprising the Reds didn’t deal Aroldis Chapman at the trade deadline considering they have Schumaker waiting in the wings.
Ryan Raburn, OF, Indians - Raburn has pitched twice for Cleveland in the past three seasons and has a 0.00 ERA and one strikeout in 1.2 career innings. He did, however, give up two unearned runs in his appearance back on June 17 against the Cubs. Now he probably has a better understanding of how his pitchers feel when Ryan Raburn makes an error.
David Murphy, OF, Angels/Indians - The Indians have one of the worst offenses in baseball, but their hitters sure can pitch. Like Raburn, Murphy has two career pitching performances and a 0.00 ERA. Also like Raburn, he gave up unearned runs this year pitching for Cleveland. Maybe in addition to the Indians having their position players pitch, they should consider letting their pitchers handle the fielding. Can’t hurt.
Steven Tolleson, IF, Blue Jays - Tolleson has two career relief appearances with a 0.00 ERA and one strikeout. The Blue Jays have so much talent now, even their utility infielders can pitch. It’s not fair.
David Ross, C, Cubs - At 38 years of age, David Ross is near the end of his career ... unless he’s about to start a new one as a lights-out reliever. Ross has made two appearances on the mound for the Cubs this season, the first pitching performances of his 14-year career, and hasn’t allowed a single baserunner in two innings. It wasn’t long ago that the Cubs would have given anything to get one pitcher as good as their present-day backup catcher.
Ike Davis, 1B, A’s - Davis was once projected to be a superstar first baseman for the Mets. Now he’s two teams removed and has three home runs and a .655 OPS as the starting first baseman of the team with the worst record in the American League. But maybe there’s hope he can reach his star potential on the mound as a left-handed reliever. Davis has been the A’s go-to position player pitcher this year in blowouts, putting up a 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and one strikeout in two innings. Maybe Billy Beane has finally found the player who can get him that elusive World Series ring.
Chris Davis, 1B, Orioles - Unlike the other players on this list, Davis has only taken the mound once in his career. But it was a position-player-pitching performance for the ages. On May 6, 2012, Davis came into pitch in the 16th inning of tie game against the Red Sox. He then threw two scoreless innings, struck out two Boston batters – including $21 million man Adrian Gonzalez – and picked up the win. (In true pitcher fashion, Davis also went 0-for-8 in the game with five strikeouts of his own.)
Considering Davis’ prodigious power, his pitching prowess and his ties to Baltimore, he’s the closest thing we have to a modern Babe Ruth.
Quote of the Week
I was in jail over there. It’s like a jail.
– Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna, on his experience playing for Triple-A New Orleans.
It’s interesting that Ozuna compares New Orleans to jail because many baseball players would likely consider the Marlins to be MLB’s version of prison: you serve your time and hope for a better life when you get out. That said, the analogy kind of falls apart when you factor in America’s serious prison overcrowding problem. A Marlins game has never felt overcrowded.
Stat of the Week
4,192
With a single on Saturday against the Cardinals, Ichiro Suzuki passed Ty Cobb on the all-time professional baseball career hits list. It’s fun to think about the reaction by Cobb, who was an all-around terrible person, to his mark being bested by a Japanese player. No doubt if the Detroit Tigers great was around today, he’d say Ichiro’s total is meaningless because 1,278 of those hits came in the Japanese leagues. Then he’d say something racist. And then he’d start getting some buzz as the potential Republican nominee for president.
This Week’s Horrible Fantasy Team That Crushed Your Team
Carl Crawford, OF, Dodgers - 9-for-15, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB
Jackie Bradley, Jr., OF, Red Sox - 13-for-22, 3 HR, 13 RBI
Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies - 10-for-17, HR, 5 RBI
Juan Lagares, OF, Mets - 7-for-17, HR, 5 RBI
Justin Verlander, P, Tigers - 13 innings, 14 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA
Jerome Williams, P, Phillies - 13 innings, 7 strikeouts, 1 win, 1.38 ERA
Reader Twitter Question of the Week
@DJGalloEtc Is one at greater risk of injury if they don't participate in the 7th inning stretch?
— Kevin C (@kc24thekid) August 16, 2015
There is conflicting research about whether stretching prevents injury. However, I believe it’s smart to participate in the seventh inning stretch. After two hours of consuming beer, hot dogs and nachos, standing up forces your heart to pump blood to your extremities, thereby telling your heart that you are not trying to commit suicide and that it should continue trying to keep you alive.
Phillies-ness of the Week
It’s called regression to the mean. After playing great baseball out of the All-Star break and pulling out of baseball’s basement, the Phillies have lost five of six, including getting swept by the lowly Brewers, to regain the worst record in baseball and get back on track for 100-plus losses. And in Philadelphia, “regression to the mean” unfortunately has another meaning, as the locals are probably back to being really mean to the Phillies again.
Cubs World Series Odds: On the Rise!
The Cubs finally lost on Sunday, ending their nine-game win streak. It was for the best, though. The Cardinals also lost Sunday, meaning the Cubs didn’t fall farther back in the NL Central and, best of all, the defeat means Joe Maddon can finally change his socks. The manager said before Sunday’s game that he wasn’t changing socks until the streak ended.
Being superstitious about clothing seems like a bad fit for a Cubs manager. If you think clothes are related to streaks, you can’t find a worse omen than a Cubs logo.
A-Rod-ness of the Week
Alex Rodriguez is in his first prolonged slump of the season with just seven hits in 46 at-bats in the month of August. There’s been some talk of getting the 40-year old some more rest, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been hesitant to do so. And, really, how much more rest can Rodriguez get? He’s a designated hitter. A designated hitter who isn’t getting hits. In fact, Rodriguez has only had to run past first base three times all month. You can’t get much more rest than that. The problem might actually be that A-Rod’s body is atrophying due to the lack of use.
Ten Things I Think You Think They Think We Think
1) This column led off with hitters who can pitch, but Madison Bumgarner is putting together one of the best hitting seasons ever by a pitcher. While shutting out the Nationals on Sunday behind 14 strikeouts, he also went 2-for-3, raised his average to .245, his OPS to .763 and hit his fourth home run of the season – all in just 56 plate appearances. Here is a list of MLB players with 200 or more plate appearances this year who have worst hitting numbers across the board than Bumgarner: Omar Infante, Chris Owings, Alexi Amarista, Sam Fuld, Jose Ramirez, Casey McGehee, Carlos Ruiz, Danny Santana, Kevin Plawecki, Carlos Sanchez, Michael Bourn, Alberto Collaspo, Travis Snider, Alex Rios, Jordy Mercer and ... drumroll, please ... pitching star Ike Davis! Congratulations to all.
2) In case you are ever in a baseball debate about which pitcher throws the hardest. Is it Ike Davis? Shockingly, no! Here’s your answer: it’s Aroldis Chapman by a narrow margin.
3)
The Royals win, 9-4. They are 70-46. Two victories away from matching their PECOTA projection. It is the middle of August.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 16, 2015
PECOTA also had the Nationals for 92 wins, the Cardinals for just 89, the Pirates for 80, the Astros for 77, the Twins for only 70, the A’s for 84, the Red Sox for 87 and the Brewers for 80. That’s pathetic. And I know pathetic. I predicted the Mariners would win 88 games. What an honor to be just as dumb as the greatest minds in baseball!
4) As with most seasons in recent history, the Nationals were predicted to be world beaters and then came out and disappointed. They are now under .500 thanks to a six-game losing streak. But the only team in front of them in their division is the Mets, who just got swept at home by the Pirates, and are the Mets. Meaning: it will surprise no one if the Mets collapse down the stretch. If that happens, we could have our division champion with a losing record. Meanwhile, the Pirates and Cubs are on pace for 97 and 93 wins, respectively, and will likely be forced into the single elimination play-in game. Some say the Pirates should be in the NL East because Pittsburgh is farther east than Atlanta, but why not move St. Louis to the East? They played in that division from 1969 to 1993, it would balance out the N.L., and I’m sure their fans would agree that the godless cities of New York and Washington, D.C., could benefit from regular doses of wholesome, Midwestern values. Win, win, win - just like most every Cardinals series.
5) The Kansas City Royals’ run to the World Series last October seems to have led to a Kansas City-area baby boom. One local hospital is reporting a record number of births in July. Some babies were even named in honor of the team, including an Everly Royal, a Holland and a Finnegan, both names of 2014 Royals relievers. And if people are even naming kids after relievers, let’s hope they’re doing it after coaches, too. The world could use a little Rusty Kuntz.
6) It’s highly negligent for baseball to test players with big power numbers for PEDs but at the same time not even examine Yoenis Cespedes to see if he is really wearing a compression sleeve and hasn’t had his arm replaced by a bionic prosthetic.
Jaws = DROPPED. http://t.co/bySoN1lwUx #Mets pic.twitter.com/rU5k50c5gr
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 16, 2015
All the evidence points to the latter.
7) You should always wear a helmet on your head for safety because you could get hit in the head with a helmet. Thanks to Justin Upton and Yonder Alonso for this important reminder.
Grenade in the dugout? Dude takes a tumble. Chaos. pic.twitter.com/oxnVoFXINn
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) August 16, 2015
8) Brewers minor leaguer David Denson became the first openly gay active professional baseball player this week when he came out to his teammates. Brewers major league players said Denson would be welcome in their locker room, too. “I think it’s a great thing when people can clear their mind and just be honest with people around them,” said infielder Scooter Gennett. Stated manager Craig Counsell: “Hopefully this kind of gets something out of the way that allows all of his talents to shine through.” Other Brewers probably also shared similar sentiments that just as easily could have been quotes about Ryan Braun’s PED history.
9) The Denson news was huge for the lowest form of sports Internet commenter. With Michael Sam stepping away from football, they can now click on every Denson article to type “NO ONE CARES” at the bottom.
10) The Little League World Series is set to begin this week. But don’t assume every player you see crying on TV is cracking under the pressure of having to perform on national TV at age 12. Some may just be dealing with rumors that they’re going to Milwaukee.
