Thursday, October 24

Five Things I Favored (Or Didn’t Like) This Week, August 18

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Hello and welcome to a different version of Five Things, a group of performs I had a blast watching. There was quite a bit to like in baseball this week: baserunning derring-do, nice protection, and tons of thrilling younger gamers. There was a lot to love, in actual fact, that I don’t have a single unfavourable factor to say about what I watched on the sector. The motion was continuous, and funky performs had been in all places, on a regular basis. I disregarded an inside-the-park dwelling run, for goodness sake. It could be the canine days of summer season, nevertheless it was a spectacular week of baseball. So let’s get proper to it.

1. Fernando Steals Home
I’ve talked about a couple of instances in these roundups that I really like watching Juan Soto hit, however the most effective factor I noticed him do all week was step out of the batter’s field:

See, Soto knew one thing the digicam didn’t. He knew one thing the Orioles didn’t. He knew that Fernando Tatis Jr. was rampaging immediately in direction of him:

What an audacious play by Tatis. This wasn’t some pre-determined ploy. There was no runner at first base to execute the primary a part of a decoy. He simply noticed that he may make it, after which he went for it. Honestly, it wasn’t even shut.

I like this play as a result of it was an adrenaline rush, however I additionally prefer it as a result of Tatis’ baserunning acumen was on such magnificent show. It’s not like stealing house is solely about pace, and even largely about pace; the pitcher is proper there. If he a lot as glances your manner, the sport is up. If the catcher yells one thing, the sport is up. If you didn’t get far sufficient down the road as a result of the third baseman was holding you on, the sport is up.

Tatis internalized all of that on this immediate, as he went from ambling to jogging to a full dash:

And as an alternative of taking out a calculator and tapping some numbers right into a spreadsheet (that’s how I’d deal with this — my mind doesn’t work like his), he simply went. He was secure by a lot that Cionel Pérez didn’t even trouble with a throw. This was a baseball masterclass, the sort of baserunning bolt of lightning that provides followers a purpose to tune into the Padres evening in and evening out. Even Manny Machado was impressed:

2. Joc Pederson’s Mad Dash
And now for one thing decidedly much less fashionable. It would possibly shock you to study that Joc Pederson was fairly fleet of foot when he was youthful. He was famously his highschool’s greatest broad receiver, forward of future Hall of Famer Davante Adams. He was a middle fielder as a prospect, however that was all a very long time in the past; nowadays, he’s a DH who generally moonlights within the outfield. So when Randy Arozarena took a household circus path to Michael Conforto’s double within the eighth inning of Tuesday’s Rays/Giants conflict, I anticipated Joc to go from first to 3rd:

Of course, he didn’t try this, which is why he’s on this section. As I discussed, he’s not an elite runner anymore. He’s not a median runner. Despite that ball carrying all the way in which to the wall, regardless of the bounce he obtained due to there being two outs, the throw beat him dwelling:

But clearly, he’s nonetheless obtained a few of that prime college shiftiness in him. You’re not out till they tag you, and Pederson refused to get tagged:

Oh man, I beloved watching this. I used to be able to giggle on the absurdity of attempting to go for it in that scenario. Even dwell, I discovered myself laughing at everybody’s post-play poses:

But that transfer was beautiful. It may not have regarded prefer it, nevertheless it required a spectacular quantity of fantastic motor coordination. Imagine operating as quick as you’ll be able to – no matter pace that could be – after which sliding. Okay, now elevate your lead leg a foot or so above the place you’d usually have it, in order that when a catcher wheels round to hit you, there’s nothing there. But you continue to have to the touch dwelling plate, so sneak your hand in, being cautious to sneak underneath the glove that you already know is coming. Not really easy if you put it that manner. As an added bonus, Joc offered his personal real-time umpiring assessment system:

Great athletic performs from this-dude-is-an-alien gamers like Tatis are enjoyable, however give me nice athletic performs from guys who seem like they by accident spill mustard on their shirts at dwelling. A quicker participant would have scored standing up. A much less coordinated participant would have been thrown out. The precise circumstances required to finish up with this specific consequence occur extraordinarily not often, and I’m invariably entertained once they do.

3. Cedric Mullins Goes Both Ways
I’m fairly positive you’ve already seen this one, however let’s face it: This sequence was the most effective of the week, and it’d be outrageous to not characteristic it right here. Cedric Mullins is a superlative heart fielder, perennially top-of-the-line within the recreation, and he confirmed it in a one-run recreation on Sunday. Ty France launched one to heart. Mullins intercepted it:

I feel that dwelling run robberies are overrated as a spotlight sort. A whole lot of them contain somebody standing close to a wall and placing their glove up. Sometimes the ball wouldn’t even be a house run no matter defensive intervention. But this one was completely not that. Mullins, who stands all of 5-foot-8, high-pointed the ball and introduced it again from over the wall:

Then, he celebrated:

But his work wasn’t finished, as a result of Dominic Canzone launched a game-tying homer the very subsequent at-bat. Are you kidding me?! All that effort to protect the lead, undone by these pesky Mariners. Fine, I assume Cedric must do it himself:

There are different Orioles, I promise. A whole lot of them are actually enjoyable! But on this present day, Mullins just about did all of it himself. He was the distinction, the complete distinction, and even when his superhuman effort wasn’t sufficient, he simply went out and located a brand new approach to win.

Mercifully, Mullins didn’t must carry out any extra heroic feats within the backside of the tenth to safe the win. His over-the-top (actually) theft and jaw-dropping (figuratively) homer had been sufficient. Pretty strong day on the workplace.

4. Paul Skenes, Live on Television
We produce other writers at FanGraphs who know the draft inside and outside. I have a tendency to listen to about it because it comes up, and subsequently because the gamers filter into their respective farm techniques. But it’s extra of a conceptual consciousness than the rest; I do know these guys exist, however that’s not the identical as having the ability to image them in my head, and even understanding tips on how to pronounce their names generally.

For quite a lot of prime draft picks, that is still the case even after they’re drafted. You may present me each at-bat that Max Clark, the third decide within the draft, has taken all yr, and I’m undecided I’d know what to do with it. He’s a excessive schooler. He’s largely performed towards different excessive schoolers, and now he’s in a Complex League the place he’s enjoying towards different youngsters. Even Dylan Crews, who I do know is nice, doesn’t actually seem like a significant league hitter as a result of the pitchers he faces aren’t prepared for primetime.

That’s not the case with Paul Skenes. He got here into the draft because the closest factor to a significant leaguer in all of school baseball. He throws 100 with motion. He backs it up with a hellacious slider. You can image that sort of stuff, since you’re used to present massive leaguers dominating with roughly those self same pitches. And due to the magic of contemporary streaming expertise, his first skilled begin was out there to observe from the consolation of your personal dwelling.

How did he look? Well, mainly like I anticipated he would. He regarded like a superb main league pitcher proper this minute. He even obtained the Pitching Ninja therapy, one thing you don’t see day-after-day in A-ball. His fastball, form questions and all, regarded explosive:

He positioned it nicely, although I’m undecided how a lot sign you’ll be able to take from him punishing these poor minor leaguers:

His slider regarded nearly as good as marketed. He missed bats with ease en route to 2 strikeouts. It regarded like a significant league pitcher’s rehab project, which is loopy for a participant pitching his second inning {of professional} baseball. If you puzzled whether or not Skenes was some sort of school creation, marvel no extra: He’s the true deal.

Given his workload at LSU, Skenes possible received’t pitch rather more this season. His two skilled outings – he made one within the Florida Complex League earlier than this one – have every been one inning. I don’t assume he’ll make many extra appearances earlier than the Pirates get away the bubble wrap for the yr. But I discover it extremely cool that I can watch no matter innings he does throw, and see with my very own eyes how good he appears towards skilled hitters (no, I don’t watch a lot school baseball, why do you ask?).

5. Another Defensive Gem in Cincy
Zach Lowe, the patron saint of this column, coined the thought of “League Pass teams.” NBA League Pass is like MLB.TV, just for basketball. His thought is that there are some groups which might be simply enjoyable to observe evening in and evening out, impartial of whether or not they’re your hometown staff and even in a playoff race. Now that they’re beginning to fade from the NL Central image, I feel it’s time to maneuver the Reds from the highest of the playoff pleasure record to the highest of the “tune in and watch these guys” record.

An instance is so as. I tuned in to observe these guys on Tuesday in a recreation they finally misplaced 3-0. They had been already down 2-0 once I turned the sport on, and the Guardians had been threatening so as to add on. Graham Ashcraft dedicated a cardinal sin, strolling Myles Straw. Then one thing lovely occurred:

There’s quite a bit to love right here. Christian Encarnacion-Strand made a formidable play to show and get the ball out of his palms rapidly. This is a troublesome play for any first baseman, however particularly for a right-handed one, as a result of the throwing lane has a runner in it. Look at how far ahead he moved whereas fielding and turning to safe a simple look:

That was good, and it was a ok feed to offer the Reds an opportunity, however that’s Steven Kwan operating. As we discovered final week, it takes one thing particular to show a double play towards him. He bats lefty, he will get out of the field rapidly, and he’s quick; mainly the worst-case situation for the protection. But oh, proper, Elly De La Cruz was enjoying shortstop:

My goodness, that ball had zip. It wanted each final little bit of it, as a result of Kwan was flying down the road. Encarnacion-Strand additionally wanted each final little bit of attain, as a result of throws that onerous aren’t all the time correct. The Guardians announcers couldn’t do something however chuckle. That play was a collection of unlikely outcomes that stacked up on one another; an abnormal grounder was a spectacular defensive effort. I additionally loved Straw freezing after which getting on the bottom; you don’t need to be wherever close to the flight path of a De La Cruz missile. Relatable!

You get to see issues like that quite a bit if you watch the Reds. De La Cruz is phenomenal, and the remainder of the children aren’t any slouches both. Joey Votto is a ton of enjoyable. There’s by no means a uninteresting second once they’re on offense. Unfortunately, there’s additionally by no means a uninteresting second once they’re pitching, which is a part of why they’ve been spinning their wheels because the All-Star break. They’re 13-18 over that stretch, they usually’re in peril of falling out of the race within the NL Central if they will’t get issues again in gear quickly. But even when they don’t make the playoffs, I can assure you one factor: You’ll have quite a lot of enjoyable if you’re watching them, whether or not they’re on the plate or within the subject.

Content Source: blogs.fangraphs.com