Baseball is truly a great game. On a nightly basis, we see many things of interest. To say that there are surprises would be an understatement. There’s never a shortage of excitement and things to note, so let’s take a look at some items that caught my attention.
The Angels Are Getting Moore
The Los Angeles Angels have a track record of being quick to promote their first-round picks to the big leagues. Next in line, is Christian Moore.
Following a dominate college career, Moore ripped through the minor leagues last year. The Angels were aggressive with their first round pick as he finished the year off with 23 games in Double-A after two games in A-ball. While Moore did struggle with strikeouts, he hit .347 in 25 games with six home runs, 20 RBI, and 23 runs scored.
After a rough start in Double-A this year, Moore spent 20 games in Triple-A. After hitting .350 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and 16 runs scored, the Angels saw enough from Moore. He did benefit from a .462 BABIP, but he also brings power to the table with a .225 ISO. While we wait to see where his BABIP will normalize at the major league level, we can’t expect him to be a .300 hitter; at least initially.
The good news is that the Angels will plug him right into the lineup. With eight stolen bases, he also showed off some of his speed this year.
Senga Goes Down
You can never have too much starting pitching. With Paul Blackburn already in the bullpen and the returns of Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea imminent, the New York Mets appeared to have an insane surplus. While there’s always room for improvement, New York had the best rotation ERA, so it’s not like there was an obvious choice.
David Peterson is coming off a complete game shutout, Clay Holmes doesn’t look like a pitcher transitioning to the rotation, and Griffin Canning has been a nice surprise. Tylor Megill also has an ERA under four, but his youth and minor league options could work against him.
Atop the list though was Senga. The right-hander appeared destined to being an All-Star, but a high throw to first base sent him to the Injured List with a hamstring injury. Senga’s arm will be fresh for the postseason, but his loss will be felt even with the reinforcements coming. This just proves that you can never have enough pitching.
The Debut Couldn’t Have Been Better
Who knows where things would have ended on Thursday. Considering it was his first major league start, Jacob Misiorowski likely didn’t have many more pitches left him. Ultimately it was just a cramp, but the right-hander was forced out of action after facing one batter in the sixth inning.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see Misiorowski struggle with his control and walk four batters, but that was the extent of the damage against him. The Cardinals were hitless against the rookie as he struck out five. Misiorowski’s premium velocity was on display as 14 pitches were greater than 100 miles per hour. Moving forward, it’s clear that he’ll be an exciting young arm to watch.
Exhale on Luzardo
Any time you see a pitcher allow 12 runs in a start, it’s not a good deal. There’s no good way to spin struggles of that magnitude. When Jesus Luzardo followed that up by allowing eight runs in his next start, things were not good.
Not to trivialize those struggles, but it became clear that Luzardo was tipping his pitches. Prior to those two starts, the left-hander’s career in Philadelphia was off to a great start. After some adjustments, Luzardo bounced back in a big way in his next start. It’s clear that his mechanical adjustment that corrected the tipping didn’t impact his performance.
Luzardo gave up just one run against the Cubs in six innings of work while scattering five hits, not walking a batter, and striking out 10.
Altuve is Not Done
Now that the dust has clearly settled on Jose Altuve’s move to the outfield, things are back to normal for the second baseman. Earlier this week, Altuve broke the 2,300 hit mark as he cruises towards Cooperstown and the 3,000 hit milestone.
It’s not like Altuve’s .274 overall average in April was bad, but he certainly looks more comfortable at the plate as of late. It’s easy to forget about how good he truly is, but after two doubles and two RBI on Thursday and reaching another round number earlier this week, Altuve continues to remind us.
For all of the talk about the Astros’ downfall, they once again sit atop the AL West. While he might not be a slam dunk All-Star, Altuve is still hitting .275 with nine home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBI, and 32 runs scored.
Nimmo is Finding his Groove
Anytime you finish a month with six home runs and 21 RBI, it’s hard to really knock a player. The problem for Brandon Nimmo though, is that it came with a .216 batting average. After a solid May, Nimmo is on the way towards an even better June.
So far this month, it’s clear that things are clicking for Nimmo at the plate. Through 11 games, he’s hitting .279 with four home runs, eight RBI, and nine runs scored. Once again, the outfielder is having a strong season as a solid and dependable part of the Mets’ lineup.
The Rookie Has Arrived
While the Boston Red Sox are dealing with injuries, we have seen multiple top prospects make their way to the big leagues this season.
After going deep twice in the same game earlier this week, Marcelo Mayer is looking comfortable at the plate. He’s up to three home runs and nine runs scored through 15 games with a .250 average. The rookie has a .273 ISO and 51.6% hard hit rate and appears to be just getting started making an impact at the big league level.
Another Pitching Injury
The state of injuries to young pitchers is an alarming, and unavoidable trend. There are multiple factors in play that are continuously litigated, but it doesn’t make it easier to handle.
After 10 starts this season for the Detroit Tigers, former first round pick Jackson Jobe is the next pitcher to need Tommy John surgery. It’s an unfortunate reminder of how perilous the state of pitching, especially young pitching, is.