“Rolls Royce” Lewis is off to the greatest start at the plate in the 123-year history of the Minnesota Twins franchise. Since returning from injury two weeks ago, he has been the best hitter in the Majors, posting a .429/.529/1.000 slash line with five home runs and seven RBI over his last seven games to claim the top spot on Week 12 of our #HighFive list.
1. “Rolls” Royce Lewis
It is a tragedy the 2017 first overall pick has only suited up in a Twins uniform for 85 games since debuting in 2022 thanks to a handful of injuries. Similar to their superstar Byron Buxton, who also has had trouble staying on the field, Lewis is a five-tool MVP candidate every time he steps out of the dugout; the only difference is Lewis has a higher ceiling.
Lewis hit the 26th home run of his career Wednesday night, which is the most through the first 85 games in Twins history and eight more than the next closest player. “I do not do that slump thing,” Lewis told reporters postgame Wednesday after collecting an 0-for-5 Tuesday. “That is not a real thing for me. Everyday is a fresh start.”
2. Hunter Greene “Machine”
Hunter Greene was all gas no breaks in his pitching duel versus the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night.
He earned the two spot on the #HighFive list after going 6.1 shutout innings and striking out nine without walking anyone. The start was the 10th time this season Greene has had more than 15 whiffs (swings and misses) in a start, which leads the Majors, while his 98 strikeouts rank seventh in the National League.
He will take on the Pirates again next Tuesday night, this time in front of the Cincinnati faithful.
3. Giancarlo Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest X-Factor in the Yankees lineup and has played well since June began.
This week he slashed .346/.414/.577 with two home runs, seven RBI while compiling a seven-game hitting streak. He has been one of the best hitters in the Majors with runners in scoring position this season and proved so with two big hits Wednesday against the Orioles.
First, with the Yankees down four he launched his 18th homer of the year — a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game. Then, in the ninth with one out and a runner on second, Stanton singled in the tying run.
4. Josh Naylor
Thanks to being in a market as low on the totem pole as Cleveland is, Josh Naylor may not get the start at first base in the All-Star Game he rightfully deserves, but as long as he keeps mashing it at the plate, he will find his way to Arlington come July.
After a great start to the year Naylor struggled in May, hitting just .186 despite launching eight home runs. However Naylor has fought his way out of the slump, hitting .360 with a .448 on base percentage and two home runs over his last seven games. Both those homers came Wednesday night in a win over the Seattle Mariners. “When you see a swing like that, it is one that deserves to be in Texas, it can change games,” said Josh’s brother Bo Naylor when asked to campaign him for the All-Star Game.
5. Cedric “The Entertainer” Mullins
Similar to Giancarlo Stanton, Cedric Mullins is the X-Factor that will decide the ultimate success of the Baltimore Orioles this season.
Mullins, who hit his first home run since April 26th Thursday afternoon, is hitting .292 with three RBI and two steals in his last seven games.
In Wednesday’s extra inning victory over the Yankees, Mullins put his skill set on full display in the 10th inning.
Not only did he drive in what would end up being the game-winning run, he also stole third and caused a wild throw into the outfield to add on another. “That is what he can do when he gets on base,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said postgame when speaking on Mullins.
“He gets a single, a lot of times it is a double. If he gets a double, he gets an opportunity to take third. There is a lot he can do on the bases for us.”
There are many father and son combinations that have reached the Major Leagues over the years. A few that come to mind are the Griffeys, the Bonds, and the Fielders. One family that has made terrific contributions to this game but seemingly go unnoticed are the Bufords. Don Buford played ten seasons in the Major Leagues – five with each the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, the latter of which he won a World Series title with in 1970. His youngest son Damon spent nine seasons in the big leagues, collecting numerous “firsts” for Major League Baseball along the way. “All three of my sons made it, I’m a very proud dad.” Don reflected.
His oldest son, Don Jr. is an orthopedic surgeon and middle son Darryl is a lawyer. The elder Buford was always able to keep an eye on Damon’s development. “He spent a lot of time with me as a teenager when I was on Frank’s staff with the Giants. He connected with big leaguers early” Damon recalled.
Both men played for the University of Southern California where Don was a coach for the Trojans during Damon’s freshman year. “It was at that point where I knew he had a chance, he was playing Pac-10 baseball,” he said. It has always been a very strong father son bond but 1992 was special. Don was the skipper of the Hagerstown Suns which was the Double A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles that year and son Damon was the starting centerfielder. “He was going up, it was just a matter of when,” Don said of his son’s impending promotion to the big leagues.
1993 was a banner year for the Bufords as Don was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame and Damon made his Major League debut. “Being in the Big Leagues was great but seeing my dad inducted into the Hall of Fame that season was really special” Damon shared.
Aside from playing in the first Arizona Fall League in 1992 with Dusty Baker as his manager, Buford was part of another big league first. On his 27th birthday while playing for the Texas Rangers they played host to the San Francisco Giants in the first ever interleague game. In the second inning Buford reached on a fielder’s choice and then swiped second base for the first ever stolen base in interleague play. “I guess it’s kind of cool, but it was more about being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
Moving into the next decade, Buford again found himself in the right place at the right time. On March 29, 2000 now with the Chicago Cubs they faced the New York Mets in the regular season opener in Japan. Buford delivered a first-inning single that scored fellow bro Eric Young. It was the first hit and RBI not only of the new millennium but also the first in the major leagues outside of North America. “I fouled off a bunch of pitches to the left side from Mike Hampton and then I lined one to the right side and it fell for the hit,” Buford recounted about the lengthy at-bat.
Aside from his dad, Buford had a couple of other favorites. “I looked at Eric Davis in centerfield and that’s who I wanted to be like,” Buford mentioned. “Once I got to the show, guys like Mark McLemore, Harold Baines, Harold Reynolds were very good to me,” he added.
July 4, 2021 was a very special day for the Buford family. Don, Damon, and Mrs. Buford took in a game at Anaheim against the Orioles. It was the first time that Don and Damon were ever spectators at a game together. One of them was always on the field in uniform when the other was watching.
The #BaltimoreOrioles announced the launch of their Adopt-A-School campaign, endorsed by Baltimore City Public Schools in support of Harlem Park Elementary Middle School, an educational institution for more than 440 students and staff serving Pre-K through 8th grade in West Baltimore aimed at strengthening community ties and promoting youth development.
On Wednesday the Baltimore Orioles called up their top prospect, Jackson Holliday. While exciting, the move had another effect. MLBbro Tony Kemp, an eight-year MLB veteran signed with the Baltimore Orioles a couple weeks before the season hoping to provide some experience on a young and upcoming team.
Kemp is not an All-Star caliber player, but he is a savvy left-handed hitting second baseman, also capable of handling all outfield positions. This move made perfect sense to add depth and versatility to the Orioles lineup at the time, but things have since gone in a different direction. The MLBbro started only two games, and only saw action in five out of 11 total games.
The MLBbro was designated for assignment by the Orioles to make space for the rookie phenom. Kemp is more than familiar with Jackson from his college days at Vanderbilt the young prospect’s uncle Josh Holiday (the brother of former major league baseball player Matt Holliday (Jackson’s father), was his hitting coach.
Tony Kemp Is The Consummate Pro: Moves Out So Jackson Holiday Can Move In
The MLBbro could have easily expressed disdain or ill will towards Holliday, but he opted for grace and support. A tweet from Kemp showed that he displayed nothing but class even though this will ultimately leave him without a job presently.
Kemp was with the Oakland Athletics for four years prior to this brief stint with Baltimore, and there are sure to be suitors for his veteran presence around the league. It may not happen immediately, but the MLB season is long, and opportunities are certain to arise.
Kemp has always been outstanding off the field and great in the local communities in cities which he has played. This is just the other side of the business that is sports. While this was the first major step in the career of Jackson Holliday, it is just a small detour in the career of the veteran MLBbro. Hopefully he lands with another team that can use a utility left-handed hitter and a great clubhouse influence.
The MLBbro was with the Oakland Athletics for four years prior to this brief stint with Baltimore, and there are sure to be suitors for his veteran presence around the league. It may not happen immediately, but the MLB season is long, and opportunities are certain to arise. Kemp has always been outstanding off the field and great in the local communities in cities which he has played.
This is just the other side of the business that is sports. While this was the first major step in the career of Jackson Holliday, it is just a small detour in the career of the veteran MLBbro. Hopefully he lands with another team that can use a utility left-handed hitter and the move ultimately benefits both parties.
Pitching is the key to success at all levels of baseball, especially in MLB, where elite arms are pivotal to teams with an opportunity to compete for a World Series title against some of the best hitters in the world.
Marcus Stroman is one of those elite pitchers still on the free agent market and waiting to be signed by a team. The former Chicago Cubs pitcher is a 2017 Golden Glove recipient and two-time All-Star who has been dealing with the best of them the past two seasons. With Baseball’s Winter Meetings underway (Dec. 3-6) in Tennessee, teams will be moving and shaking and trying to improve for next season.
Stroman is coming off a 2023 season that in his first 16 starts as a pitcher saw post a record of 9-4 with an ERA of 2.28. Despite his success, the Cubs didn’t step up to get a contract done with Stroman, so he opted out of his deal, leaving $21 million on the table. Injuries have been the only concern with Stroman, who has proved to be an adequate workhorse despite some stints on the DL.
Stroman was willing to bet on himself as this year’s pitching free agency class is considered weaker than in years past. One team that could use a pitcher is the Baltimore Orioles who finished with 101 wins last season, and whose current pitching rotation looks to be made up of a group of unheralded guys: Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, John Means, Dean Kremer, and Cole Irvin.
Some of the pitchers on the market from their team last year are MLBbros “Black” Jack Flaherty andMychal Givens, and Jorge Lopez to name a few. Their best starting pitcher from last season, former All-Star Kyle Gibson, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year deal worth $13 million.
So why does Stroman make sense for the Baltimore Orioles?
There were rumors around the 2023 trade deadline that Stroman would be a great trade piece for the LA Dodgers who lost key arms to injury, age and legal problems.
However, that never materialized and now Stroman is free to sign with any team he wants.
Stroman gives the Orioles needed depth in their pitching department. Outside of Bradish, the Orioles pitching crew leaves a lot to be desired and Stroman can come in immediately and be one of the team’s best pitchers.
Means is a solid starting pitcher but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and who knows how effective he will be. Also, losing Gibson who pitched 192 innings for them last season, leaves a big hole that needs to be filled at the top of the rotation.
Besides the rib cartilage fracture, which Stroman suffered on August 16 that kept him sidelined until September 15, Stroman’s been durable enough to help impact the standings.
Stroman fits the Orioles’ style of pitching as he utilizes the ground ball 46% of the time, which he did last season according to Pitcher List. He’s more than just a ground ball pitcher as he’s also capable of using the four-seamer, slider, curveball, and cutter to show his versatility as a pitcher which is what the Orioles desperately need.
Reports say Stroman is looking for a multi-year deal of two to three years totaling around $50-75 million as he embarks on his 10th MLB season.
The Orioles currently have the lowest total payroll ($30,111,668) out of all the 30 MLB teams according to MLB team payroll tracker. So, they definitely have a bag to throw Stroman’s way.
in all of baseball have a projected payroll of just $60 million which should allow them to sign Stroman for what he’s looking for.
There will be other teams as well Stroman would fit nicely with from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds, but the Orioles make the most sense due to their need at the position, being in contention, and many available pitches for the two-time All-Star.
Wherever Stroman ends up, he will immediately immerse himself in the community and be a great inspiration for kids and the fans.
Recent Comments