Good morning.
Here are several links from the past week that will make your Monday at the office a bit more bearable:
- Perhaps the most frightening moment this season occurred on Thursday evening when Giancarlo Stanton was struck in the face by a Mike Fiers fastball. Ted Berg of For the Win at USA Today wonders whether the injury will prompt the commissioner’s office and the Major League Baseball Players Association to find ways to better protect batters from grievous harm.
- On a related note, former big-league pitcher C. J. Nitkowski, writing at Fox Sports’ Just a Bit Outside, urges readers to remember that the struck batter isn’t the only who suffers; the pitcher may find the experience pyschologically traumatic.
- Jasper Scherer of MLB Daily Dish finds the ten players whose contracts are the best bargains for their respective teams. Among them is a southpaw who pitches on the South Side:
Like [Madison] Bumgarner, [Chris] Sale is signed with his team through the end of 2017, with the chance of staying for as late as 2019. Barring injury, it’s hard to imagine the White Sox declining those options.
That’s because they’ll owe Sale just $12.5 million and $13.5 million in 2018 and 2019, respectively, if they pick up the options. Those two seasons fall during Sale’s age-29 and 30 seasons, when he’ll still likely be in his prime, and they come after the Sox lefty makes a combined $18.65 million from 2014–2016.
Sale’s ERA, ERA+ and FIP all lead the American League, which means he’s been the best pitcher in the league by just about every metric that measures run prevention. He has also seen his K/BB ratio rise for the third straight season. Somehow, Sale is only getting better.
Bravo, [general manager] Rick Hahn.
- According to Fangraphs’ Drew Fairservice, Mark Melancon is the “most unheralded reliever in baseball.”
Your browser does not support iframes.
- In contrast, Jonathan Papelbon is hardly under the radar. Case in point: After the closer blew a ninth-inning lead on Sunday, he appeared to give the boo-birds at Citizens Bank Ballpark a rather lewd gesture, which resulted in his ejection at the hands of umpire crew chief Joe West. Sports Illustrated’s Emma Span has additional details.
- Speaking of disillusioned fans, John Paschal of the Hardball Times asks:
Why — and secondarily, how — does a fan root for his team when the rooting is paid back with ineptitude? Why — and again, how — does a fan remain loyal, both emotionally and televisually, when clownball is the return for allegiance? What’s the reward for watching games on TV?
- ESPN’s Jim Caple tells us pretty much everything we want to know about batting practice.
Your browser does not support iframes.
- Watch one of the most impressive home runs of the season, courtesy of Matt Holliday. Not only was the ball hit a country mile, but it left the playing field in a flash.
That’s it. Have a walk-off week!
Comments