The baseball world has been waiting for the arrival of golden-armed MLBbro Hunter Greene. He finally made his MLB debut for the rebuilding Cincinatti Reds this season and didn’t disappoint. In September, he gave the baseball world and opposing batters a taste of the filth he will be delivering from the hill for the next decade. Greene threw an MLB-record 47 pitches over 100 MPH. Double digit K games are normal for this gold slinger.
While his record was just 5-13 in 2021, Greene showed flashes of his potential dominance, striking out 164 batters in just 121 innings. When the team behind him improves, Green’s win total will elevate, and he will establish himself as one of the premier pitchers in the game. Expect to see some really special appearances from this young gunna in 2023.
New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker is getting back to his dominant form after dealing with injuries at the start of the season.
The Mets have been one of the top teams in the league (24-14) and now that Walker is showing signs of improvement on the mound, the Mets are an even more formidable rotation to be reckoned with this season.
In his last start on May 12, Walker was lights out against the Washington Nationals.
He went seven innings, giving up three hits and striking out one without allowing a run. Thatâs the start the Mets have been waiting to see from Walker since he returned from the injured list.
It was a much better performance than his previous outing back on May 6th against the Philadelphia Phillies. Walker gave up six earned runs and nine hits that game.
Talk about a bounce back performance from Walker. That is exactly what he needed.
In an article from the New York Post, Walker talked about how he was effective against the Nationals.
âThe game plan was to go in and throw at least eight curveballs,â Walker said after picking up the win against the Nationals. âI feel like when I throw a lot of curveballs, at least 8-10 per game, it just slows them down, and I was throwing it for strikes and getting swings and ground balls, swings and misses, so we just kept throwing it.â
Reportedly, Walker dealt with some back tightness during the game, but that did not impact him on the mound.
âI was trying to go eight [innings], but seven was good, and I think just getting the up-downs now and my pitch count up ⊠now after this outing I feel I should be good to go deep every game,â he said.
Through four starts this season, Walker has a 1-0 record, throwing 18 innings with a 3.00 ERA and has struck out eight. Those are impressive numbers for Walker, especially since he dealt with injury at the start of the season. Dealing with shoulder bursitis is nothing to play with, especially when you are a pitcher.
The Mets will certainly keep a close eye on Walker as the season progresses and see how he continues to perform on the mound.
After playing in his first All-Star game last season, Walker has established himself as a powerful pitcher.
All eyes will be on Walker this season, to see if he can have another season like he did last year. Having a healthy Walker on that pitching staff will help the Mets contend for a World Series berth.
Our MLBbro is going to continue to go out there and give max effort on that mound. When heâs healthy and in command of his pitches, Walker is a pitcher you do not want to face.
He has the potential to make the All-Star team for the second consecutive season and he could make a case to be in the running for a Cy Young Award.
Kumar Rocker wonât be rocking out in Queens after all.
The Mets and Rocker, the 10th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the recent MLB Draft, couldnât reach an agreement before Sundayâs signing deadline passed.
Reportedly, a deal fell apart after a physical showed issues with his pitching elbow.
That means Rocker wonât be a Met. Meanwhile, the Mets will get a compensation pick instead. It will be the 11th pick in 2022.
Mets fans should be heartbroken. Many thought Kumar could be the next Dwight Gooden.
Entering the 2021 season, Rocker was labeled as the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.Â
He most notably put his name on the map after his performance during Vandyâs 2019 College World Series run. Rocker threw a 19-strikeout, no-hitter against Duke, which was the first ever thrown no-no in a Super Regional.
Vanderbilt would go on to win the College World Series and would have been heavy favorites to repeat in 2020 on the shoulders of Rockerâs 1.80 ERA in three starts before the season was ended due to the Covid pandemic.
Rocker was a workhorse for the Commodores in the 2021 season.
He had a 14-4 record through 20 starts. He pitched 122 innings and struck out 179 batters on his way to posting a 2.73 ERA.
He, along with second overall pick Jack Leiter – who signed with the Texas Rangers – helped lead Vandy to another appearance in the College World Series this year.
And after the final series was tied at a win a piece, Rocker was selected to take the bump in the winner-take-all Game 3.
However, he did not have command and struggled early as he only lasted 4 â innings allowing five runs on six strikeouts and taking the loss to champion Mississippi State.
That was the final start of Rocker’s college career, or so we thought. He entered the 2021 draft and surprisingly to most expert draft boards, fell all the way to 10 to the New York Mets.
It seemed like a match made in heaven.
Rocker, who has been under a microscope of pressure since high school, is made for the bright lights of New York and their media.
He also would have a chance to join Black Knights Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman as African-American starters in the Mets rotation.
Rocker is represented by super agent Scott Boras who along with Rockerâs camp, insist that he is healthy, according to sources.
It was also reported that orthopedists outside of the Metsâ organization disagree with the assessment that Metsâ doctors gave on the health of Rocker.
Before the draft, Rocker was selected to be a part of the MLB pre-draft MRI program which allows all 30 teams to have a player’s medical information, but since he did not participate (which is common for players going high in the draft) the Mets will be awarded the 11th overall pick in the 2022 Draft as compensation in exchange for not offering Rocker a contract.
Rockerâs agent Scott Boras said in a statement, âKumar Rocker is healthy according to independent medical review by multiple prominent baseball orthopedic surgeons. Immediately upon conclusion of his collegiate seasons, he had an MRI on both his shoulder and his elbow. When compared with his 2018 MRIs, the medical experts found no significant change. Kumar requires no medical attention and will continue to pitch in the regular course as he prepares to begin his professional career.â
That adds a whole other dimension to baseball’s rule that doesnât allow a player to sign with any other team if they canât come to terms on a deal.
Once again, we are left to question the decisions made by the Metsâ front office. In addition to losing Rocker, they also sent away their 2020 first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong, who they drafted out of high school to the Chicago Cubs earlier this week.
Since 2016 the Mets have drafted seven players in the first round, including Seattle Mariners MLBbro pitcher Justin Dunn and top prospect outfielder Jared Kelenic.
However, only two of those picks are currently still in the organization.
Joe Ross is the forgotten member of the Washington Nationals starting rotation.Â
Ross hasnât been overwhelmingly dominant this season, but even during bad outings, heâs pitched well enough to keep them in games and that kind of heart and dedication to the team canât be quantified in this new world of analytics.Â
On Sunday, Ross was able to take advantage of an offensive barrage by Nationals standards early to win the matineeâ 5-0 in the District and capture a split of their four-game set against the National League West, division-leading San Francisco Giants.Â
D.C.âs all but forgotten MLbbro put the Bay Area bats on ice by shutting out the Giants on five hits while striking out nine before Davey Martinez pulled him going into the bottom of the ninth inning.
Ross also became the first pitcher to throw more than seven innings against the Giants this season. For his career, Ross is now 13-0 in 14 starts when he pitches at least seven innings.
âI felt pretty good commanding the ball,â Ross said. âIâm just glad I gave the bullpen a little more rest today.â
Ross was just what the doctor ordered for the Nats who split a seven inning doubleheader and put a strain on its bullpen Saturday. His 3-6 mark doesnât adequately describe his season to this point. Ross entered with a 4.12 ERA. However, after Sundayâs performance, he has struck out 70 batters in 70.1 IP and has a WHIP of 1.25.Â
Washington was staked to a 5-0 lead with help from early fireworks which allowed Ross to attack the Giants aggressively throughout the afternoon.
Fellow MLBbro Josh Harrison helped Ross out with a lethal 4-for-4 day. Ross also helped himself at the plate with three sacrifice bunts.Â
Ross grew up in Berkeley, CA and played his high school baseball at Bishop OâDowd in Oakland. His friends, family, and homies had to wake up early to enjoy the locally televised performance that started around 10am PT.Â
Those who woke up early to make the waffles and expresso will remember Sundayâs brunch with morning Joe Ross as a good spot.
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