by Dante Miles | Jun 28, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF
The NL East has become a battle of familiar faces as the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves begin to pull away from the pack. Let’s take a look at two MLBbros who have contributed in critical areas to both teams.
More Money, More Cash, More W’s
This offseason, Steve Cohen and the Mets front office were as aggressive as we’ve ever seen the little brothers from Queens. They spent big money on Mad Max Scherzer and expected a major bounce back from oft injured ace Jacob DeGrom. But injuries to both have forced the Mets to lean on the last Black Knight left in the Big Apple, Taijuan Walker.
Walker has a 6-2 record so far this season, but as we all know in today’s game we have to go beyond the win-loss record to discuss a pitcher’s true impact. Over his last seven starts, Walker has given up 39 hits in 42.1 innings pitched, while striking out 37 batters along the way.
When opponents have been able to hit Walker, he has done a great job of minimizing the damage. According to FanGraphs, his left-on-base percentage this season is 74.9. One reason Walker may be confusing hitters this season is the fact that he has tweaked his pitching arsenal considerably.
Last season, Walker primarily threw a four-seamer, a sinker and a slider. These three pitches made up 78.6 percent of the pitches that opponents saw, which became predictable as the season went along. This year, not only has he added another pitch to his arsenal (a cutter), Walker has dropped his sinker from his primary rotation of pitches.
Instead of relying on his sinker as his second out pitch, Walker’s split-finger fastball has hitters handcuffed this season, managing just a .155 batting average against the pitch. Walker has held down the fort as the Mets await the return of their aces. That could be scary for the teams chasing the Mets.
Atlanta Fighting Back
The Braves have battled back from a rough start of the season to remain right in the race. MLBbro Travis Demeritte was called up and eventually sent back down, but Michael Harris II has flashed on the five-tool player he was advertised to be.
When I asked Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington what he saw in the young centerfielder Michael Harris II, he didn’t mince words.
“Ballplayer,” Washington placed a heavy emphasis on this word as he began his statement. “He’s not enamored by the big leagues. We aren’t expecting much out of him, which helps him to relax. He’s certainly shored up our defense in the outfield, he’s running the heck out of the base paths. He’s swinging the bat, the kid is a baseball player.”
We’ve raved about the defense since his arrival in the bigs, but Harris has been a much stronger presence in the ninth spot than many anticipated. Harris is hitting .360 over his last seven games, which included collecting four hits in three games against their newfound rivals from the west, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The rook hasn’t been overpowered by fastballs and is also hitting off-speed pitching surprisingly well out the gate. Harris has hit .377 against fastballs and an impressive .300 against off-speed pitches, although off-speed pitches have only made up 13.7 percent of the total pitches he’s seen so far.
With superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. potentially joining Ozzie Albies on injured reserve soon, the Braves need Harris to continue surprising everyone if they have any hope of catching Walker and the Mets.
by Dante Miles | May 5, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF
After new billionaire owner Steve Cohen spent a crazy bag this offseason, expectations for Dominic Smith and the New York Mets jumped through the roof.
The addition of top talent to your roster is always welcomed by any ballclub, but for players like our MLBbro Dominic Smith, it simply means one thing: grind time.
Smith’s positional versatility combined with career highs in hits, RBI, runs and walks in 2021 made it seem as if he would be a prime candidate for an everyday slot in the Mets lineup. Throw in the universal DH and we’re really cooking with fire, right?
Dominic Smith Is A Work In Progress
Not quite. The Mets’ addition of Starling Marte and Mark Cahna to an outfield that already included Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil meant it would be tough to see consistent time there. Pete Alonso still remains first on the depth chart at first base, which meant that Smith needed to come out hot in order to show new Mets manager Buck Showalter that he could contribute on a daily basis.
The Mets have been one of the hottest teams in baseball out the gate, winning every series they’ve played in until Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Smith, six hits in his first 36 at-bats this season found him in a platoon role – a role he very openly voiced his displeasure with. Trade ideas floated around but never materialized, just like Smith’s playing time.
Over the weekend, Smith put on a performance against the Philadelphia Phillies that potentially saved his roster spot. Dom went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in their 10-6 victory over their division rivals.
“I really try to focus in on the little things,” Smith said after the game. “When you don’t have consistent at-bats, it’s unfair to yourself if you only base your success on getting base hits.” His words seemed prophetic. When Showalter turned in his lineup card the next night, Smith wasn’t on it.
Smith survived the May 2nd deadline to trim rosters to 26 players, and justified his manager’s decision by driving in two runs against the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Over his last seven games, Dom has collected five hits, five RBI and posted a .389 OBP.
The question now: Will Smith be rewarded for his improved play?
“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it,” said Smith. “It’s the business of baseball and it’s out of my control. All I can do is what I did tonight (sunday), which is help the team win and try to put together good at-bats.”
by MLBbro Staff | Sep 3, 2021 | FRONT STREET
Dominic Smith came in to pinch hit and smacked a 104 mph single off first baseman Jesús Aguilar’s glove to lift the Mets to their fourth-straight win, a 4-3 nail-biter over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
by Malik Wright | Jul 9, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT
Tim Anderson had a lot to say this week after being left off of the American League All-Star roster.
But instead of words, the White Sox shortstop used his bat to campaign for why he should be in Denver.
And Anderson’s bat spoke volumes. He batted over .430 this week, including going 4-for-4 in Wednesday’s game against Minnesota.
For that, he claims the top spot for Week 14 on our #HighFive list.
1.Tim Anderson
T.A. is one of the anointed faces of the game of baseball, and the sport will be missing out on something special by not having the R.B.I. Baseball cover boy at this year’s All-Star game.
He has the second-highest batting average for all American League shortstops at .307 and has added 29 RBI, 14 steals and a .768 OPS on a first-place White Sox team that has been riddled with injuries since spring training.
This week, T.A. went off!
Over his last seven games, he has a .433 batting average with seven runs and a .485 OBP. Anderson also has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games and is riding a nine-game hitting streak.
He’s reached base safely in his last eight plate appearances, including three walks, four singles, and a double.
Even legendary Hall of Famer Frank Robinson had a lot to say about Anderson missing out on the 2021 All-Star game. His batting average is currently the ninth highest in all of baseball and hopefully, he will use his snubbing as fuel to the fire during his quest for a second batting championship.
2. Cedric “CM STORM” Mullins
We have pleaded his case this entire season, and last Sunday we finally got what we wanted; Mullins is a Major League All-Star.
The 5-foot-8, multi-faceted phenom started celebrating his achievement mid-game during a matchup against the Los Angeles Angels Sunday by hitting a game-tying, pinch-hit single then following that with a go-ahead home run.
This week, Mullins hit three home runs while batting .321 with six RBI, five runs and a stolen base. He is leading all American League outfielders in hits, total bases, OPS, and his 3.9 WAR is the highest for all outfielders and sixth-highest in the Majors.
Mullins will be participating in next Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Denver and has a chance to enter the starting lineup due to an injury to Mike Trout.
3. Dom Smith
Mets’ outfielder Dominic Smith is making his first appearance on our #HighFive list this season. His year has been up and down, but lately, he has become one of the most consistent players in New York’s lineup.
Smith had the first two-homer game of his career last Thursday against the Braves. Then followed that with a home run off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole a few games later.
He batted .375 with six RBI and eight runs over his last seven games and added a web gem when he jumped into foul grounds to snag a ball out of the air.
This weekend, his Mets welcome MLBBro Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Pittsburgh Pirates to CitiField for a four-game series.
4. Aaron Judge
This season for the Yankees has been disappointing, but the Tower of Power Aaron Judge has responded to the bright lights and been one of the best players in baseball this entire season.
Last Thursday night, he was named an All-Star starter for the American League outfield and also became just the fifth Yankee ever to hit 20 home runs before the All-Star break in three straight seasons.
One of those home runs came during a Bro-on-Bro crime when he launched a ball to the right-field bleachers of Yankee Stadium against Taijuan Walker to break up his no-hit bid in the sixth inning.
Judge is one of baseball’s top sluggers so it is a little disappointing he is not participating in one of the most anticipated Home Run Derby’s in recent memory, but he needs his rest as a big second half by him is a must if the Yankees, who currently sit just two games above .500, want to get back into contention for the American League East pennant.
5. Andrew McCutchen
This season has been a resurgence for Andrew McCutchen and after what he’s done to Chicago Cubs’ staff during this series, he may want to get a permanent residency in their batter’s box and on our #HighFive list.
On Tuesday, he hit his second grand slam of the season in the game’s first inning, and then he added a two-run shot Wednesday night.
He is 5-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles, seven RBI and four runs with a game still to go Thursday night.
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