Sunday Notes: 5 Years Later, Will Benson Continues To Develop

Will Benson was 19 years previous and enjoying within the Midwest League when he led Sunday Notes on May 13, 2018. Two years faraway from being drafted 14th total by Cleveland out of Atlanta’s Westminster High School, he was each promising and uncooked. His batting common was hovering across the Mendoza line, however his OBP was a wholesome .376, and his seven house runs have been tied for tops within the circuit.

In some ways, he’s a lot the identical participant now. Acquired by the Cincinnati Reds from the Guardians this previous February, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound outfielder had a powerful 2022 marketing campaign with Triple-A Columbus — 17 bombs and a .948 OPS — however he’s in any other case been a work-in-progress since coming into professional ball. His profession slash line within the minors is .221/.353/.441, and over 122 big-league plate appearances — he debuted final August — that line is a paltry .187/.256/.243. Contact has been a difficulty. In back-to-back seasons on the farm, Benson fanned 152 and 151 instances. His Okay-rate within the majors is 32.2%.

But the potential continues to be there, as evidenced by a pair of performances over the previous two weeks. On May 30, Benson had three hits, together with a triple, in Cincinnati’s 9-8 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Just 4 days in the past, he walked off the Los Angeles Dodgers together with his first big-league house run. Moreover, his athleticism stays elite.

I requested Benson in regards to the highway he’s traveled since our 2018 dialog following his three-hit sport in Boston.

“It’s been rocky, but with a lot of growth,” Benson advised me. “There have been good times, there have been bad times, and through it all there has been so much growth and change for me as a young man. I was 19 then, and now I’m 24 with a family; I have a baby boy that was born in March. There has been growth within the game, as well.”

Like all prospects, Benson had his improvement path hindered by the pandemic. With the minor-league season cancelled, he needed to accept a brief stint within the impartial Constellation Energy League, an expertise that turned out to be something however rosy. He had simply eight hits in 56 at-bats, and fanned 27 instances.

“In terms of playing and continuing with that flow, the whole rhythm of things, it was definitely tough,” Benson stated of the 2020 summer season. “But I did get to play in Sugar Land, and that was dope. It kind of opened my eyes to ‘I’ve got work to do.’ I felt kind of sad to go into that league and not do very well. But I worked, and I continued to learn.”

A mixed-bag season adopted — 17 homers and 146 strikeouts — however then got here a career-best 2022. In 401 Triple-A plate appearances, the teen matched his 2021 house run whole whereas fanning simply 91 instances. Moreover, his slash line was a stand-up-and-take-notice .279/.426/.522, and he stole 16 bases in 20 makes an attempt. Among these taking discover have been the Cincinnati Reds.

“They had been following me ever since I got drafted, and I guess they liked the progress I’ve been making,” Benson stated of the commerce. “When I played against them in Triple-A last year, I tore them up pretty good. I think it was a combination of that, and them liking my ability on the diamond. I understand that maybe I won’t be a guy who hits .300, but I can be a guy who gets on base close to 40% of the time, steal bases, and hit the ball hard. I can impact the game.”

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Curtis Pride went 7 for 11 towards Kevin Tapani.

Mookie Betts went 7 for 11 aa towards Danny Duffy.

Steve Bowling went 3 for 7 towards Glenn Abbott.

Mark Carreon went 10 for 18 towards John Burkett.

Glenn Burke went 4 for six towards Steve Carlton.

Johnny Giavotella went 5 for 7 towards Anthony Bass.

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Corey Rosier wish to play in Boston this season. Whether that occurs stays to be seen, however one factor is definite: He’ll add athleticism and a discerning eye to the Red Sox roster if and when he arrives. Acquired from San Diego final summer season as a part of the Eric Hosmer deal, the 23-year-old, left-handed-hitting outfielder has been described by our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen as “a 70 runner with a good idea of the strike zone.” His numbers this season have been promising. In 155 plate appearances with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, Rosier has a .305/.364/.433 slash line, a 122 wRC+, and he’s swiped 24 bases in 27 makes an attempt.

He credit offseason velocity coaching at Tampa’s House of Athlete for enhancing what have been already spectacular wheels.

“The program I go through has helped make my first step even better, and to get to my top speed quicker,” defined Rosier, who ran a 6.4 60 on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “Yo Murphy is who put it together. His primary sport is football — he played in the NFL for a little bit — but they’ve branched out to other sports and do a really good baseball program.”

Rosier wasn’t large into soccer rising up. Rather, he was “a baseball/basketball guy” who was primarily a capturing guard on the hardwood. Defense was one among his sturdy fits. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Waldorf, Maryland native would usually guard the opposite group’s finest participant.

His skill to deal with high-level pitching will go a good distance towards figuring out his future on the diamond, and he took a giant step in that path this previous winter. Rosier was launched to a hitting coach named Oswaldo “Ovy” Rodriguez Diaz, who helped him clear up his bat path and strengthen his high hand. The latter a part of that equation was paramount.

“Being a right-handed thrower and a left-handed hitter, my bottom hand is naturally more dominant,” Rosier defined. “What was happening is that my swing was getting in and out of the zone — not having a strong top hand was kind of making me get snap-hooky — versus keeping the path through to centerfield. I really focused on strengthening that, and it’s definitely helped.”

The risk that he may doubtlessly assist the Red Sox as quickly as this season got here up after I requested the assured teen if he had any remaining ideas earlier than getting ready that night time’s sport.

“You haven’t asked me when I’ll be a big-leaguer,’ responded Rosier, who next to Triple-A infielder David Hamilton ranks as the fastest player in the Red Sox system. “I think that could be by the end of this year. With the way I run the bases and play defense, if the Sox make a playoff push, I could be a guy who comes up and helps them win by doing the same things I’m doing here. It’s coming a lot sooner than people know.”

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A quiz:

Ty Cobb has essentially the most singles, doubles, and triples in Detroit Tigers historical past. Who is the franchise chief for house runs?

The reply could be discovered beneath.

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NEWS NOTES

Bobby Bolin, who pitched for 3 groups — the San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, and Boston Red Sox — from 1961-1973, died earlier this month at age 84. The right-hander from Hickory Grove, South Carolina appeared in 495 video games and went 88-75 with 51 saves and a 3.40 ERA.

Jack Baldschun, who pitched for the three groups — the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres — from 1961-1970, died earlier this week at age 83. The Greenville, Ohio and Miami University product had a three-year-stretch with the Phillies the place he logged 29 reduction wins, 50 saves, and a 2.79 ERA.

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The reply to the quiz is Al Kaline, with 399 house runs. Norm Cash is second, with 373. Miguel Cabrera is third, with 369.

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The Milwaukee Brewers made a shrewd transfer once they acquired Owen Miller from the Cleveland Guardians final December in alternate for money (due to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel for confirming that it was a money transaction with no PTBNL concerned). In 174 plate appearances together with his new group, the 26-year-old infielder is slashing .313/.351/.448 with 4 house runs and a 120 wRC+. Moreover, he’s added versatility to the lineup by enjoying 5 defensive positions. Featured right here at FanGraphs as a part of my “Talks Hitting” collection final December, the Mequon native is the twelfth Wisconsin-born participant in Brewers historical past.

On a associated observe, the present iteration of the Milwaukee Brewers was established in April 1970 when the Seattle Pilots relocated to Wisconsin’s largest metropolis on brief discover, this after the Pilots went into into chapter 11 per week earlier than Opening Day. The moniker preceded the transfer on the major-league degree. In 1884, the Milwaukee Brewers performed within the Union Association, an American Association group glided by that title in 1891, and when the American League was established in 1901, the Brewers have been an inaugural member. The final of these franchises is now in Maryland, the Brewers having change into the St. Louis Browns in 1902, and subsequently the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Gosuke Katoh hit safely in his first 10 video games with NPB’s Nippon-Ham Fighters and is 19-for-51 with 4 house runs by his first 13. The 28-year-old Mountain View, California native performed in eight video games for the Toronto Blue Jays final season.

Liván Moinelo is 2-0 with three saves and a 0.87 ERA with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The 27-year-old Cuban-born southpaw has 28 strikeouts and 9 hits allowed in 20-and-two-thirds innings. One 12 months in the past, he had a 1.03 ERA, 24 saves, and 87 strikeouts in 52-and-two-thirds innings.

Seunghwan Oh recorded his five hundredth skilled save when the KBO’s Samsung Lions beat the NC Dinos 9-6 earlier this week. The 40-year-old right-hander has since added another and now has 379 saves within the KBO, 80 in NPB, and 42 in MLB. All however three of his stateside saves got here with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016-2017.

Hye Seong Kim is slashing .313/.379/.427 with 13 doubles and three house runs for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. The 24-year-old second baseman has 14 steals in as many makes an attempt.

Peter O’Brien is slashing .393/.454/.793 with a circuit-best 13 house runs for the Mexican League’s Pericos de Puebla. The 32-year-old outfielder performed for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015-2016 and the Miami Marlins in 2018-2019.

Fernando Rodney is 2-1 with 5 saves and a 7.56 ERA over 17 Mexican League reduction appearances. The 46-year-old veteran of 17 MLB seasons has seen motion with each Leones de Yucatan and Diablos Rojos del Mexico.

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Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have been minor-league teammates within the Minnesota Twins system earlier than being traded to the Cincinnati Reds final August in alternate for Tyler Mahle. Steer — featured in my “Talks Hitting” collection earlier this month — is having fun with a stellar rookie season, whereas Encarnacion-Strand, a 2021 fourth-round draft select of Oklahoma State University, is knocking loudly on the big-league door. According to Steer, the erstwhile Cowboy doesn’t lack for confidence.

“It was Strand’s first spring training,” recalled Steer. “Some of us were talking in the dugout before an inter-squad game, and he said that he wanted to hit .300 with 30 home runs that year. We were like, ‘What?” Like, nobody does that. One of us stated, “That’s your expectation?” He stated, “Yeah.” Sure sufficient, he goes forward and hits 30, and hits over .300.”

Encarnacion-Strand’s precise totals in 2022 — this throughout 330 plate appearances in High-A and 208 in Double-A — have been 32 house runs and a .304 batting common. Based on what he’s doing this 12 months, these numbers weren’t a fluke. Over 194 plate appearances with Triple-A Louisville, he’s slashing a lusty .356/.418/.718 with 16 house runs and a 176 wRC+.

“He’s pretty confident,” stated Steer. “He’s also pretty good.”

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FARM NOTES

DJ Peters is getting a possibility on the mound. The 27-year-old former Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers outfielder pitched two scoreless innings for the Detroit Tigers Florida Complex League entry earlier this week.

Noah Mendlinger is slashing .306/.427/.471 with 4 house runs in 151 plate appearances between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. The 22-year-old infielder was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Georgia College & State University in 2021.

Aaron Schunk is slashing .341/.385/.625 with 10 house runs in 192 plate appearances for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of the University of Georgia in 2019, the 25-year-old infielder was first featured right here at FanGraphs in June 2020.

Emmet Sheehan is 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 53-and-a-third innings for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Currently No. 17 our Los Angeles Dodgers Top Prospect checklist, the 23-year-old right-hander was featured right here at FanGraphs final August.

Al Alburquerque is 1-0 with three saves and a 1.29 ERA over 19 reduction outings for the impartial Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks. The 38-year-old right-hander — a veteran of 264 big-league video games over seven seasons, together with 5 with the Detroit Tigers — final pitched affiliated ball in 2018.

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Which is healthier, baseball on TV or baseball on the radio? I requested that query in a Twitter ballot a couple of days in the past, and the outcomes favored eyeballs over ears. TV obtained 56.7 of the votes, whereas radio garnered 43.3%.

Regardless of the medium, the standard of the folks behind the microphones issues. In my opinion, it issues so much. I do my finest to tune in to all kinds of video games, even for simply an inning or two — retaining abreast of what’s taking place throughout the 2 leagues is a part of my job — and it’s secure to say that not all play-by-play announcers and analysts are created equal. Whether I go for TV or radio, or for house or away, the respective voices of the sport strongly affect my alternative.

As one commenter on the ballot put it, “It depends upon the broadcasters.”

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

KCUR Kansas City’s Greg Echlin reported on how the Royals-owned Urban Youth Academy, within the opinion of some members of town’s African-American group, has strayed from its authentic targets.

At Forbes, John Perrotto wrote about how Oakland Athletics supervisor Mark Kotsay is staying constructive throughout a horrid season.

Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein wrote about how MLB has the ability to maintain the A’s within the Bay Area.

Jonathan Mayo did a mock draft at MLB.com.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

The Cleveland Guardians have misplaced 17 video games by one run, essentially the most within the majors.

Andrew McCutchen has 1,999 hits, 399 doubles, 295 house runs, a 129 wRC+, and 51.9 WAR. Hall of Famer Tony Oliva had 1,917 hits, 329 doubles, 220 house runs, a 129 wRC+, and 40.7 WAR.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Jordan Lyles is 0-10 with a 6.84 ERA and a .239 BABIP-against. His 18 house runs allowed are essentially the most within the majors.

Patrick Wisdom has struck out 77 instances in 202 plate appearances. Luis Arraez has struck out 12 instances in 248 plate appearances.

Juan Gonzalez had 157 RBIs and 46 walks in 1998. Ted Williams had 159 RBIs and 162 walks in 1949.

Henry Aaron and Willie Mays every had 648 house runs on June 9, 1972. “Hammerin’ Hank” moved forward of the “Say Hey Kid” on the all-time homer checklist — solely Babe Ruth had extra — the next day.

On at this time’s date in 1985, Von Hayes hit a solo house run and a grand slam as a part of a nine-run first inning because the Philadelphia Phillies routed the New York Mets 26-7 at Veteran’s Stadium. The rating was 16-0 after two innings.

On at this time’s date in 1979, Bob Stanley threw a complete-game four-hitter because the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 in 10 innings. The dropping pitcher was Steve Busby, who allowed two hits in nine-and-a-third innings.

Players born on at this time’s date embody Wheezer Dell, who went a mixed 19-23 with a 2.55 ERA whereas pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1912, and the Brooklyn Robbins from 1915-1917. The Tuscarora native was the primary major-league participant born within the state of Nevada.

Also born on at this time’s date was Pop Joy, a primary baseman who performed for the Union Association’s Washington Nationals in 1884. The Washington DC native had 28 hits — all singles — in 130 at-bats.