Michael Harris II bounced back nicely from a recent ten game slump, going 3-3, including an RBI single to center field that drove in Austin Riley, to extend the Braves lead in the 4th inning. He also ran down and snagged a screaming drive to deep center field in the bottom of the seventh inning, preventing a sure extra base hit off the bat of J.D. Martinez to help temporarily hold on to a no-hit bid. The Braves would go on to lose the no-hitter in the ninth inning, but ultimately won the game 4-1.
The Braves center fielder was overdue for a breakthrough game at the plate. Coming into Saturday’s game against The Mets, Harris II was batting a paltry 0.28, with just one hit in his last 36 at-bats. Unsurprisingly, the Braves played mediocre baseball, going (5-5) during this time frame.
Like most quality hitters enduring a prolonged hitting slide, the numbers suggested Mike was pressing a bit, as his chase rate had noticeably increased this season to 44.9%, a career high. Or was it simply just bad luck? Harris has walked just two times during his hitting funk, and has been putting the ball in play, making a lot of solid contact in his plate appearances. His hard hit rate is just slightly down from last season, 48.5% to 46.4%.
Last season, Money Mike, slotted mainly between the middle and lower half of the order, saved his best for the nine hole, where he became the most feared nine hitter in baseball. He hit .293 with 18 bro bombs, and 57 RBIs in 2023.
The ‘24 season started off promising for Harris II, as he was leading the team or near the team lead for hits, triples, home runs, total bases, batting average, slugging percentage and WAR during the first 21 games of the season, in which ATL held a 17-7 record. We at MLBbro believe Money Mike to be the backbone of this Atlanta Braves offense.
The Philadelphia Phillies are the hottest team in baseball right now, leading the league in wins with 28 while sweeping teams left and right courtesy of their solid pitching and impressive, offensive production. When you take a look inside the numbers, it’s not hard to figure out why; they rank top three in almost every major hitting and pitching statistical category.
Yet, in spite of all of that, the Atlanta Braves are sitting just 2.5 games out of first place, continuing to stay dangerous in the NL East, a division they’ve maintained a chokehold on over the past six seasons. If the Braves plan to keep pace with the red hot Phillies, and eventually supplant them atop the division, they’re going to need more performances from Michael Harris II, like the one they got yesterday against the Mets.
In case you’ve missed it this week, St. Louis Cardinals “shortstop of the future” is starting to get comfortable at the plate. Masyn Winn, living up to his middle name, is off to a “blazing” start to the ‘24 season.
During a tight contest on Friday night, vs. the 2023 NL Champion, Arizona Diamondbacks, Winn calmly drove a four-seam fastball down the right field line for a stand up, RBI Triple. This timely, three-base hit extended the Cards lead to 8-6 in the eighth inning. The Cardinals would go on to The Cardinals went on to win the contest 9-6. On Saturday he went 2-4 with an RBI bringing his average up to .349.
Winn has collected 13 hits in 39 At-Bats. His .333 batting average and two triples, lead the team just fourteen games into the season.
Last season, the Cardinals called up their highly touted top prospect in mid-August. Winn had several moments last summer where he shined, showing a little pop in the box and exceptional fielding, but it was an overall struggle for him to hit consistently, as he batted .172, with just 21 hits, in 137 plate appearances over 37 games.
The triple in Friday nights’ game was impressive to behold, as you can see the growth in his game. Winn went with the pitch executed to the upper, outside corner, instead of trying to pull it, which shows Winn has been working on his approach at the plate.
Another example of this was Masyn’s RBI hit this past Monday against the Phillies, to tie the game in the ninth as proof of his adjustment this season at the plate. If you’re still not convinced, how about you get it from the source himself as he told MLB.com:
“Last year, I probably would have tried to hit a bomb to win it,” Winn said candidly following a night in which he was the only Cardinal with two hits. “We’ve got some other guys in the lineup for [home runs], so for me, I was just trying to put it in play and hope that something good would happen.”
Cardinals manager, Oliver Marmol also heaped praise on his young shortstop’s development.
“He’s doing a really nice job of really slowing the game down and not trying to do too much,” Marmol said. “He’s using the whole field and he’s understanding what type of hitter he needs to be. He takes that at-bat there [in the ninth] and it was good for him to come through because that’s something he can build on.”
I know what you’re thinking, “it’s only 14 games, pump your brakes”, and I get it! It’s early, MLB pitchers will make adjustments, yada yada. However, the idea of this kid’s bat catching up to his sensational glove work, is just very exciting for baseball this season.
They say game recognizes game and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez’ historic play over the past two seasons has drawn comparisons to another Mariners great, 2016 Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
“The Kid” took notice of J-Rod’s talent early last season and has placed the August AL Player of the month under his wing.
“He’s always open to talk about everything,” Rodríguez said. “It’s really cool to have him around. I know a lot of people are always trying to compare us and say, ‘Who’s going to be better?’ But I feel like [we both] have [our] own time and I’m really grateful that I have someone in my corner to mentor me and tell me the things that I should expect along the way. It’s really cool having his help. He’s definitely one of the greatest players ever to play the game.”
While the similarities are there: Gold Glove caliber defense, elite power, youthful exuberance and effortless swagger, it seems unfair to both parties to forecast whether Rodriguez will match or surpass his mentor’s career.
However, at this point, it does seem that J-Rod is destined for greatness, and soaking up game from Junior can’t hurt one bit.
The Seattle Mariners were floundering early in the season and fell as far as 10 games out of first place on July 1st. Then the team flipped a switch and recaptured the magic that helped them break a long playoff drought in 2022 leading to optimism for this season.
The M’s (79-61) are now embroiled in a heated three team battle with fellow AL West foes – The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
Since July 1st, The Mariners are a scorching 41-19 (.683) in their last 60 games. They are now currently sitting a ½ game out of first place, and alone in the second AL Wild Card spot. No team has performed better over that span.
Seattle Transformation Led By Julio Rodriguez
Seattle’s remarkable turnaround runs concurrent with the resurgence of 22-year-old phenom Julio Rodriguez, who has shaken off an early sophomore jinx to put together another historical speed/power season.
The two-time All-Star is hitting .337 with 82 hits, 14 home runs, 51 RBIs and 39 runs scored since July 1st. He’s now batting .282, with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs.
His 5.3 War ranks eleventh best in MLB as of September 8. Just two weeks ago, Rodriguez became the fastest Mariner to smash 50 home runs, reaching the total in just 256 games. On September 5th in Cincinnati, he became the first player in MLB history to have 25 home runs and 25 steals in each of his first two seasons.
On a special night, where a very rare Super Blue moon rose in the sky, Mets fans were treated to what will be more remembered in Queens as the “DJ Stewart game”.
The New York Mets avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, prevailing 6-5.
Playing against a Rangers club with multiple All-Stars, it was Stewart who shined brightest on the field, blasting two home runs and driving in four runs. In the 10th inning, facing Aroldis Chapman with the bases loaded, DJ was hit with the first pitch of the at-bat, ending the game on a walk off hit-by-pitch, Stewart’s first career walk-off RBI.
"I love New York. I really enjoy being here. My family enjoys it, so I'm hoping I'm doing enough to stay here."
DJ hadn’t had much success against “The Cuban Missle” in his career, going 0-4, with three strike outs prior to his game winning at-bat. However, it was that kind’ve night.
The two bro bombs on the night were the 4th multi home run game of his career, and the second this year with the Mets. DJ has now hit eight home runs in his last 13 games. He’s batting .378, 8 HRS, with a 1.406 OPS over that span.
DJ also showed he’s more than just a one-dimensional player by robbing fellow MLBbro Marcus Semien, of an extra base hit in the 9th inning, holding onto the ball while crashing into the right centerfield wall, effectively saving the game before walking it off.
Much has been said about the power Stewart has displayed, but his defense has been solid in right field. The energy he provided to the team fueled the Mets win and had the home fans chanting his name.
Looking to earn a spot-on next year’s big-league roster, Stewart has made a great impression so far. Sometimes high draft picks take more time to develop, and franchises run out of patience under the pressure to win. Some of these same players never get an opportunity to prove their worth before being forced out of the league.
The timing seems just seems right in Queens for DJ.
It appears that his hard work in the cage, desire to feed his family through pro baseball, plus manager Buck Showalter’s trust in him, are starting to bear fruit.
We don’t want to overreact, as we know, players often get hot and go cold. But, if Stewart can continue to play this way — the way he was expected to play when he was drafted as a first-round pick in 2015 — he will have a job with the Mets, or perhaps some other MLB team.
The New York Mets finally announced on Thursday (August. 24) that they plan to retire the numbers of two of their most popular players in franchise history. Legendary MLBbros Dwight “Doc” Gooden & Darryl Strawberry, next season.
#16 and #18 will be forever cemented in Citi Field and no one will don those numbers on their backs again in Queens.
The Wilpon family during their 34-year ownership run only retired two numbers, Tom Seaver (1988) and Mike Piazza (2016). They ended Old-Times Day in 1994. They developed a reputation for turning their backs on many of the great players in their history. It was rumored that they held a grudge against Doc & Darryl.
Mets owner, Steve Cohen, upon taking over ownership in 2020, placed great emphasis on not only reconnecting with Mets history, but embracing it. He brought back Old Times Day in 2022, the first since 1994. He retired Jerry Koosman’s #36, Willie Mays’ #24, then Keith Hernandez’ #17 last year. Now Doc & Darryl are finally on deck. “Uncle Steve” as Mets fans affectionately call him, finally came through!
Via MLB.com: “Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden each had an enormous impact on our franchise,” Cohen said, “and it’s my honor to continue our commitment to celebrating our wonderful history.”
“There was no more electric place to be than at Shea Stadium on a Friday night in the ‘80s when Dwight Gooden was on the mound,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement, recalling also “Darryl Strawberry’s sweet left-handed swing” and his “monster moon shots” that “bounced off Shea’s scoreboard.”
Due to their on-the-field success and personal struggles, Both Doc & Darryls stories have been intertwined for so long, its only right that they received the nod on the same day. This dynamic duo inspired future MLBbro’s around the world, brought excitement and a lot of W’s to starving fans, who hadn’t seen playoff birth since losing the World Series in 1973. They lived up to the hype as key contributors of the ’86 series, their first championship win since 1969 and second overall in franchise history.
Dwight Gooden was 157-85 with a 3.10 ERA, 1,7875 strikeouts in 305 appearances for The Metropolitans. His .649 win percentage is best in Mets franchise history, He’s second to the legendary Tom Seaver in wins, strikeouts and WAR.
Meanwhile, Darryl Strawberry, blessed baseball fans with a tremendous combination of bat speed, foot speed, and natural home run hitting power as well as being a dynamic offensive threat. He bro bombed an MLB leading 39 home runs in 1988. His speed on the base paths made him elite, notably during the ’87 season, when he became the 9th player in MLB history to join the 30-30 club.
Strawberry batted .263 with 1,025 hits, 252 home runs, 733 RBIs, 662 runs and 191 stolen bases in his career as a Met. He was one of the most feared sluggers in the 80’s and is currently STILL sitting atop the Mets all-time home run list. Straw still also ranks second in Mets history for RBIs and WAR amongst position players.
“I was completely overwhelmed when I got the call,” Gooden said. “There is no greater honor a player can receive than having his number retired. … This would make my mother and father extremely proud.”
“When I got the call from Steve, I welled up with tears of joy,” Strawberry said in a statement. “I started to reflect on my journey through the organization. I had some ups and downs, but in the end, I am proud of my time in New York.”
During their seven seasons played together between 1984-1990, the Mets went 666-466. This seven-year stretch is the best Mets fans have ever witnessed, as it’s still the most consecutive winning seasons in franchise history. A truly magical time in New York sports history that can’t be properly acknowledged without two of the players who made it possible.
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