All posts under "Player Commentary" - Page 44

Jeff Samardzija: Samardzija was rocked on Monday and allowed five runs on eight baserunners over just four innings while taking the loss against the Phillies. Even without Monday's dud, Samardzija has had a rough start to the 2018 season. Entering...

Andrew McCutchen (OF) SF - On a day when the Giants could muster little, McCutchen managed a single to extend his hitting streak to 7 and his on-base streak to 18 games. I know the raw numbers haven't been impressive,...

Mike Clevinger, SP, CLE Clevinger struck out 10 in 7 IP against the Yankees on Sunday, allowing 2 ER's on just 1 hit, while walking 4. Clevinger received a lot of hype in the offseason as a potential breakout candidate...

Marcell Ozuna (OF) STL - I'm trying to remain optimistic on Ozuna, who despite massive struggles in the first month-plus is 22nd in MLB in exit velocity right now. The FB rate is down, the BABIP is a bit lower...

IN THE FIELD Zack Cozart was held out of the lineup the last two days with back tightness. Cozart has sputtered lately after getting off to a hot start slashing .273/.319/.470 with two homers over the first two weeks of...

Paul Goldschmidt (1B-ARI) Is this just a slump or a serious reason for concern? After going 0-3 with two walks on Saturday, Goldschmidt still doesn't have a hit since April. His last home run was three weeks ago and he's...

Joey Gallo (1B-TEX) went 2-4 with a pair of solo home runs against the Red Sox on Saturday. He's now hitting .223 on the year with a dozen homers and 24 RBI. One of the biggest changes for Gallo this...

Gio Gonzalez: Gonzalez is coming off of an impressive 2017 season and has maintained his strong play through the first month of 2018, posting a 2.67 ERA over his first six starts. Gonzalez continued his hot start on Friday and...

Willy Adames (SS-TB): Adames has been solid at Triple-A, and is likely to take over at SS by the end of the month. He is sitting at .298-.404-.500 with three homers and two steals through 24 games with a solid...

Alex Bregman-Astros-3B Alex Bregman was 1-3 with a run scored against the Yankees. Bregman is in the middle of a slow start to his 2018 season. His value skyrocketed throughout draft season to the point where he was being taken...

Happy Cinco De Mayo! As you eat your favorite Mexican food and sip on your margaritas, we finally have a little excitement in the closer landscape to talk about! From Ken Giles punching himself in the face to closer changes...

Ronald Acuna has somehow lived up to the hype, going 3-for-5 yesterday with his second HR of the season. The sample here is far too small to draw any conclusions, but one of the amazing things about Acuna in the...

Luis Castillo, SP, CIN Castillo had what was likely his best start of the year on Wednesday, allowing 2 ER's in 6 IP while striking out 7 against the Brewers. After a breakout season in 2017, Castillo had compiled a...

Luis Castillo, SP, CIN Castillo had what was likely his best start of the year on Wednesday, allowing 2 ER's in 6 IP while striking out 7 against the Brewers. After a breakout season in 2017, Castillo had compiled a...

Luis Castillo, SP, CIN Castillo had what was likely his best start of the year on Wednesday, allowing 2 ER's in 6 IP while striking out 7 against the Brewers. After a breakout season in 2017, Castillo had compiled a...

Brian Dozier (2B-MIN) Brian Dozier went hitless with a strikeout in four at-bats on Wednesday, dropping his batting average to .236 and his OPS to .697. Dozier has one hit in his last 22 plate appearances. Things would look even...

Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians - Michael Brantley hit a game tying grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning Tuesday, his third homer of the season. Brantley is off to a terrific start this year slashing .329/.342/.539 with the...

Nationals left fielder Adam Eaton has been shut down from baseball activities for now so the bone bruise in his left ankle can completely heal. Eaton had initially hoped his ankle injury would limit him to the minimum 10 days...

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP-BOS) - A lefty with deception, a solid change, and a 92-94 mph fastball who's still just 25 has some intrigue, but will Rodriguez ever put it all together. He entered Monday's action against the Royals coming off...

Jake Arrieta (PHI) - After starting the season on a roll, Jake Arrieta fell flat on his face in Miami on Monday. Arrieta allowed 6 earned runs and didn't even escape the fourth inning. In fact, heading into the game,...

Daniel Robertson(INF-TB): Robertson went 2-for-4 against the Red Sox. Just three short years ago, Robertson was a consensus top-30 prospect, but after some struggles in the high minors and majors, Robertson had completely fallen off the radar until his hot...

Tyler Chatwood (CHC) - Tyler Chatwood logged another quality start on Sunday after holding the Brewers scoreless over seven innings for the sweep on Milwaukee. Chatwood struck out four while allowing three walks and a pair of hits. Chatwood was...

Lance McCullers Jr. (SP-HOU) McCullers Jr. was lights out Saturday night tossing 7 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and striking out 7 in the Astros 11-0 victory. McCullers Jr. entered the game with an unsightly 4.67 ERA, mostly due...

Jose Quintana (SP - CHC) The Cubs' lefty earned his second quality start and more importantly his third win in the 3-0 win over the Brewers Saturday. Quintana went seven innings, allowing no runs on just two hits while striking...

Yu Darvish (SP - CHC) Darvish put together a quality start, and his best thus far in 2018 as the Cubs held off the Brewers 3-2 Friday. In six innings on the hill, the 31 year old allowed no earned...

Reynaldo Lopez: Lopez entered the 2018 season as a former top prospect who had yet to capitalize on his full potential with a chance at getting bumped to the bullpen. Through his first four starts of the season, Lopez finally...

You can say it's early, but this is easily the least volatile April that I can remember in regards to closing situations around the league. We have yet to have a performance-related closer demotion and if you take a trip...

James Paxton (SP-SEA) Paxton was dealing on Thursday, changing speeds and eye levels. If you have the ability to watch archived games, fast forward to the Yan Gomes at bat in the 2nd inning. He threw two soft curves on...

Ivan Nova (SP-PIT) Nova tossed 8 shutout innings, scattering 6 hits and striking out 5 during the Pirates 1-0 win over the Tigers Thursday. Despite the stellar outing Nova was stuck with a no decision and he has gone winless...

Ronald Acuna-Braves-OF Ronald Acuna made his much anticipated major league debut. Acuna was 1-5 with a run scored against the Reds. In Triple-A this year Acuna was hitting .232 with 1 HR, 9 R, 2 RBI, and 4 SB. This...

Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox - Yoan Moncada has been on fire the last two weeks and continued so Wednesday hitting his 5th homer of the season. Since April 11th he owns a 171 wRC+, four homers, and four stolen...

Matt Davidson, DH, CWS Did you pick up Davidson after his 3-HR Opening Day performance? Let's hope not. Since then, he has gone 10-62 (.161) with 2 HR's and 29 K's (39.1% K%) in 17 games, including an 0-4, 4...

Raisel Iglesias entered with two men on yesterday and promptly allowed both runners and one more to score. Iglesias's stats are a little bit alarming - and certainly not indicative of a sub-1.00 ERA. His SwStr% is elite, but he...

Walker Buehler (SP-LAD) - Buehler's stuff is straight up filthy, as he was pumping 98 mph heat in his first major league start and demonstrating a plus curve against the Marlins. Buehler is getting the start in place of Rich...

Miguel Andujar (3B) NYY - I'm not sure the campfire icon does this kid justice.....he had an XBH for the 7th straight game on Monday, and he's 15-29 with 8 2B, 1 3B, and 3 HR over that stretch. He's...

Javier Baez (2B-CHC) enjoyed another fine day at the plate against the Rockies on Sunday, going 2-6 with a three-run homer. The homer was his 7th on the campaign, and he is hitting .292 (.363 OBP) with 23 RBI and...