Kenley Jansen was a 19-year-old catching prospect within the Los Angeles Dodgers group when he performed for the 2007 Great Lakes Loons. Sixteen years and 417 saves later, he appears again at his time in Midland, Michigan fondly. The All-Star nearer didn’t hit a lot — his conversion to the mound in 2009 got here for a motive — however the general expertise formed who he’s right this moment.
“I loved everything about that city, man,” stated Jansen, a local of Curaçao who additionally referred to as Midland dwelling in 2008. “It was cold, but probably also my favorite city from my time in the minor leagues. We played at Dow Diamond and that place was packed every night. The fans were great. I lived with Rob Wright and Lori Wright — Danny Wright, too — and I don’t even consider them my host family anymore; they’re part of my family now. I didn’t play very well, but a lot of good things came out of that whole experience. Great Lakes helped transition me from being a kid to being a man.”
The 2007 season was additionally notable due to his supervisor and a pair of teammates. Longtime Detroit Tigers backstop Lance Parrish was on the helm of the Midwest League affiliate, the membership’s main catcher was Carlos Santana, and a teenage left-hander was the most-prominent member of the pitching employees.
“We knew he was going to be in the big leagues,” Jansen stated of three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who toed the rubber 20 instances as a Loon. “A year later, he was in the big leagues. He was way ahead of all of us. His stuff was really good. He was a fastball/curveball guy and then Rick Honeycutt helped him develop that slider. He’s going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Santana made his MLB debut in 2010 after being traded to Cleveland, and some years later made a place change of his personal. Never a stalwart behind the dish, he’s gone on to see the majority of his big-league motion as a slugging first baseman. In phrases of prospect profile, he was the polar reverse of Jansen.
“When I see guys like [Carlos] Delgado and Santana with their offense… all you’ve got to do is play catcher decent and you’re going to be in the big leagues,” stated Jansen. “That’s because your offense is going to take off. For me, it was trying to figure out my offense. I knew my catching would probably put me in the big leagues — my defense was good — but my offense wasn’t good. It didn’t happen, and thank god, man. I probably would have been a backup catcher, and wouldn’t be having this unbelievable career. It was a great decision.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Bobby Del Greco went 4 for five towards Bubba Church.
Thurman Tucker went 5 for six towards Bubba Harris.
Bubba Phillips went 5 for five towards Steve Gromek.
Bubba Morton went 6 for 9 towards Sparky Lyle.
Bubba Trammell went 4 for six towards Joe Kennedy.
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Triston Casas’s full-count numbers caught my eye just lately. In 69 plate appearances that ended on a 3-2 pitch (as of Thursday), the Red Sox rookie both walked or fanned 56 instances. Moreover, his slash line was an OBP-heavy .135/.536/.265.
How excessive is a 401-point hole between batting common and OBP? My colleague Ben Clemens is a wizard in the case of unearthing information of this ilk, so I reached out to him for a solution. It seems that Casas is certainly an excessive case.
With 50 plate appearances because the low-end cutoff, solely Ryan Noda has a wider hole. In 85 full rely PAs (once more as of Thursday), the Oakland A’s rookie has an .044 BA and a .482 OBP, a distinction of .438. The third-highest hole belongs to yet one more rookie, Minnesota Twins infielder Edouard Julien, at .118/.508 for a 390 level distinction.
Even extra excessive, however wanting the aforementioned cutoff, are Miguel Cabrera and Anthony Rendon, neither of whom has recorded a full-count hit. Thanks to free passes, the previous has a .441 OBP in 34 PAs, the latter a .472 OBP in 36 PAs..
And then there’s the alternative excessive. The gamers with the smallest gaps and a minimum of 50 full-count PAs are Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.163/.280 for a 117-point distinction) and Cody Bellinger (268/.400 for a 132-point distinction). Jon Berti, who has 37 PAs, is .313/.405 for a 92-point distinction.
As for the league averages on full counts, the BA is .190 and the OBP is .454. a 264-point distinction.
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A quiz:
Who was the opening-day second baseman for the 1967 “Impossible Dream” Red Sox? A touch: He went on play the overwhelming majority of his profession as an outfielder, making seven All-Star groups and ending with a 137 wRC+ and 64.6 WAR.
The reply might be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
The South Atlantic League’s Rome Braves introduced this week that they’ll dropping their mum or dad membership’s nickname on the finish of this season. The Low-A affiliate will stay with Atlanta.
Fargo Little League grew to become the primary workforce from North Dakota to advance to Williamsport within the 76-year historical past of the Little World Series once they captured the Midwest area championship on Friday. Fargo defeated South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Little League 9-7
Mel Roach, an infielder/outfielder whose profession spanned the 1953-1962 seasons, died on July 31 at age 90, 70 years to the day after making his big-league debut. Primarily a utility participant with the Milwaukee Braves, he had his finest yr in 1960 when he batted .300 with three dwelling runs.
Jim Price, who caught for the Detroit Tigers from 1967-1971 and went on to function one of many workforce’s broadcast analysts for 3 many years, died earlier this week at age 81. Folksy behind a microphone, and the co-founder of Tigers fantasy camp, Price received a World Series ring with Detroit in 1968 and hit a career-best 9 dwelling runs in 1969.
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The reply to the quiz is Reggie Smith, who began the primary six video games of the 1967 season at second base earlier than shifting to the outfield when common second-sacker Mike Andrews returned from an damage. They have been the one appearances at that place for Smith, who performed in 1,875 video games over his 15-season MLB profession.
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Left on the cutting-room flooring from Friday’s interview with Justin Turner have been his ideas on two of baseball’s hardest throwers. With high-velocity heaters the topic at hand, I requested the veteran infielder how Hunter Greene and Spencer Strider evaluate on the mound.
“I think Strider’s slider might be a little bit better than than Hunter’s,” opined Turner, who has confronted each pitchers. “Both have really good fastballs. Both have really great stuff. I think they’re the future of the game as far as pitching goes, as long as they can, knock on wood, hold up and stay healthy.”
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For the previous few years I’ve routinely closed interviews with the next query: “What haven’t I asked you that I should have?” Doing so just lately with Kansas City’s Nick Wittgren elicited a response that ranks proper up there with probably the most distinctive. The Royals reliever advised that I ask what occurred to his lacking tooth.
“It’s kind of the one trademark that a lot of umpires and players know me by,” added Wittgren, who has pitched for 4 groups over eight big-league seasons. “A few people have asked me about it, but I don’t think anyone has ever put it out there.”
The story will now be informed.
“Eighth grade football and I wasn’t wearing a mouthguard under my face mask,” defined Wittgren. “I got my tooth pushed up. It actually fused into my jawbone. The full tooth is still there, but all you see is the little nub.”
Ever considered getting it mounted?
“Nah,” Wittgren stated of that risk. “I’m married with two kids. I don’t need to please anyone else. They like me as I am.”
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Hanshin Tigers have received 9 of their final 10 and at 61-38 have the perfect file in NPB. The Chunichi Dragons are 40-61 and have the worst file in NPB.
Trevor Bauer is 8-3 with a 2.75 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 104-and-two-thirds innings for the NPB’s Yokohama BayStars. The erstwhile MLB hurler has surrendered 93 hits and points 24 free passes.
Shunpeita Yamashita is 9-3 with a 1.73 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 83 innings for the NPB’s Orix Buffaloes. The 21-year-old right-hander has allowed 64 hits and issued 26 free passes.
Si Hwan Roh leads all KBO batters with 27 dwelling runs. The 22-year-old Hanwha Eagles third baseman is slashing .308/.394/.576 in 434 plate appearances.
Hye Seong Kim leads all KBO batters with 134 hits. The 24-year-old Kiwoom Heroes second baseman is slashing .321/.381/.431 with 5 dwelling runs in 467 plate appearances.
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Mark Gubicza made two begins towards the Detroit Tigers throughout his 1984 rookie season and allowed 10 hits and 9 runs in 10-and-a-third innings. He’s not the one pitcher who struggled towards the Sparky Anderson-managed membership that yr. Detroit led all MLB groups in runs scored (829) and residential runs (187) on their approach to successful the World Series.
“When I go back and reflect, I think the ’84 Tigers were the best team ever,” Gubicza stated of that season’s champs. “It seemed like they had a 40-man roster when everyone else had a 25-man roster. They platooned guys. They had great starting pitching led by Jack Morris. Willie Hernandez was the MVP as a closer. Alan Trammell. Lou Whitaker. Chet Lemon was in center. Parrish was behind the plate. They had some great players. That team was good as any I’ve ever seen.”
The ’84 Tigers had 10 gamers with a minimum of 200 plate appearances and a wRC+ of 100 or higher (5 have been 130 or higher), whereas two others have been at 99 and one was at 97. Another had 168 plate appearances and a 129 wRC+. Detroit completed the common season 104-58, then received seven of eight video games within the postseason.
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FARM NOTES
Walker Jenkins is 10-for-26 with one dwelling run in 27 plate appearances within the Florida Complex League. The 18-year-old outfielder was drafted fifth general this yr by the Minnesota Twins out of South Brunswick High School in Southport, North Carolina.
Wyatt Langford is 15-for-38 with two dwelling runs in 47 plate appearances between the Arizona Complex League and High-A Hickory. The 21-year-old outfielder was drafted fourth general this yr by the Texas Rangers out of the University of Florida.
Max Clark is 6-for-20 with two dwelling runs in 23 plate appearances within the Florida Complex League. The 18-year-old outfielder was drafted third general this yr by the Detroit Tigers out of Franklin, Indiana’a Franklin Community High School.
Dylan Crews is 11-for-33 with two dwelling runs in 34 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Fredericksburg. The 21-year-old outfielder was drafted second general this yr by the Washington Nationals out of LSU.
Paul Skenes made his skilled debut within the Florida Complex League on Thursday and retired all three batters he confronted, one through strikeout. The 21-year-old right-hander was drafted first general this yr by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of LSU.
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Johnny Doscow is without doubt one of the finest tales of the 2023 season. A minor league broadcaster for 3 many years, the 56-year-old veteran of 4,000-plus video games is now behind a microphone on a full-time foundation for the Oakland Athletics. I had the pleasure of assembly him this summer season, and took the chance to ask for a couple of snapshot reminiscences of his time on the farm.
Doscow informed me Johnny Damon, then with the Low-A Rockford Royals, was the primary participant he thought can be “really special.” That was in Doscow’s first yr in professional ball, with the Midwest League’s Cedar Rapids Kernels in 1993.
His first sport within the sales space included a mistake he shortly discovered to not make.
“I butchered a home run call,” Doscow recalled. “It was a fly ball to left, I said playable, and it went 40 feet over the fence. The left fielder had deked everybody, including me. I didn’t know they did that, so I botched the call.”
His three years with the Kernels included a choice that claims rather a lot about life within the low minors again within the Nineties. There have been solely 4 folks on the employees, and so they had to decide on between a fax machine or a mascot. They voted to get the mascot, Mr. Shucks.
A handful of years later, calling video games for the California League’s High Desert Mavericks, he noticed the workforce’s mascot given the heave-ho by an umpire. “Wooly Bully was taunting him,” defined Doscow. “I guess the umpire had had enough.”
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
MLB.com’s Sarah Langs offered us with 10 mind-blowing notes from the final week in baseball.
At Sportsnaut, Dan Connolly checked out how Orioles managing associate “John Angelos and his people just keep opening up the circus tents.”
At Project Muse, Anne R. Keene informed the story of Tom Carroll, the one MLB participant to earn a World Series ring and in addition the CIA’s Medal of Merit.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Houston’s Dusty Baker bought his 2,159th managerial win on Wednesday, shifting him forward of Bucky Harris and into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time checklist. All six managers with extra wins are within the Hall of Fame.
JP Sears’s 14 HBPs are an Oakland Athletic’s single-season file. The franchise file is held by Chick Fraser, who plunked 32 batters with the Philadelphia A’s in 1932. Frasier tossed 331 innings that yr. Sears is at 125-and-two-thirds innings.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is mixed 15-for-40 with 10 dwelling runs towards the Blue Jays and Red Sox this season. He is a mixed 4-for-38 with no dwelling runs towards the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers.
Freddie Freeman has 23 dwelling runs in 528 plate appearances. Jose Siri has 23 dwelling runs in 284 plate appearances.
The Arizona Diamondbacks recorded eight stolen bases and one dwelling run of their 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins final Sunday.
The Kansas City Royals recorded three dwelling runs and 6 stolen bases towards the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday evening. It was the primary time a workforce, dwelling or away, had completed that feat within the 112-year historical past of Fenway Park.
Rudy Pemberton went 21-for-41 for the Red Sox in 1996. All informed, the outfielder from San Pedro de Macoris slashed .336/.395/.515 in 147 plate appearances over components of three big-league seasons.
On right this moment’s date in 2006, Russell Martin took Vinnie Chulk deep within the tenth inning to offer the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0, walk-off win over the San Francisco Giants. Greg Maddux and Jason Schmidt labored eight scoreless frames for his or her respective golf equipment, the latter throwing 115 pitches, the previous simply 68 pitches.
Mule Watson was a veritable workhorse on right this moment’s date in 1921, recording complete-game wins in each ends of a doubleheader towards the Philadelphia Phillies. The Boston Braves right-hander scattered 10 hits in a 4-3 win within the opener, then tossed a two-hit shutout within the 8-0 finale.
Players born on right this moment’s date embrace Odie Davis, an infielder who went 1-for-8 whereas getting a cup of espresso with the Texas Ranger in 1980. One of two gamers in MLB historical past together with his given first title — Odie Porter performed for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902 — Davis had a pinch-hit single off of Milwaukee’s Mike Caldwell in his first big-league plate look.
Also born on right this moment’s date was Vinegar Bend Mizell, a southpaw whose big-league profession spanned the 1952-1962 seasons and included stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and first-year New York Mets. Mizell went on to serve in Congress, representing North Carolina, and later maintain positions within the Gerald R. Ford and George H.W. Bush administrations.
Content Source: blogs.fangraphs.com