Malik Wright talks to legendary coach Ron Washington about his defensive work with Marcus Semien when both were in Oakland and also his great friend and mentor Dusty Baker conquering the World Series hurdle after a half century in the game.
Malik Wright is ‘Live On Tape At the Ball Park’ again with veteran #MLBbro and super web master Jackie Bradley Jr. about his latest MLB stint as a member of the upstart Kansas City Royals
MLBbro webmaster extraordinaire Mookie Betts won the Rawlings National League Gold Glove Award in right field for the sixth time in his illustrious career. This is Betts’ second Gold Glove award in his three seasons with the Dodgers, becoming the fourth outfielder in franchise history to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining Willie Davis (3), Raul Mondesi (2) and Matt Kemp (2).
After an injury-riddled 2021 broke Betts’ streak of consecutive Gold Glove Awards at five, the former MVP returned with an athletic vengeance in 2022. Betts committed just two errors over 1,154 1/3 innings in right field.
Per Baseball Savant, Betts led all NL right fielders with five Outs Above Average. Per FanGraphs, Betts also graded out as the best right fielder, leading the Majors with 15 Defensive Runs Saved.
This accomplishment is par for the course for a player of Mookie’s stature and he’s sure to have a bunch more before he’s done. Betts’ glove is so versatile that he could win a Gold Glove on the infield. He’s already displayed his prowess at second base in 2021, when he was nursing injuries.
Trent Grisham has already won his second Gold Glove in four MLB season. His first came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Gold Glove is determined by combining a vote of coaches and managers and metrics developed by the Society for American Baseball Research called the SABR Defensive Index.
As of Aug. 28, the last time the SDI was made public, Grisham ranked second behind Washington’s Victor Robles. Grisham led NL center fielders in outs above average (17) and was second with eight defensive runs saved. The 25-year-old, who batted below the Mendoza line this season, but showed power with 17 homers, has a bright future ahead of him in San Diego. It’s clear that his web work is still ahead of his bat, but Grisham has all the tools and a bit of time to bring it altogether.
The American League unfortunately didn’t have any MLBbro Gold Glove winners despite having supreme fielders and worthy candidates such as Michael A Taylor, Byron Buxton, Cedric Mullins and 2020 and 2021 Gold Glove winner JP Crawford. It’s got to be rough on Crawford to win back-to-back Gold Gloves, establish yourself as the premier defensive shortstop in the game and then get your title taken from you by a rookie. In fact, MLB didn’t even make the new jack earn his stripes as Peña becomes the first rookie shortstop in history to win a Gold Glove, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. This selection is even more surprising when you see that Pena had the third most errors in all of baseball. The 25-year-old is good, but we have to stop with the prisoner of the moment hype.
An argument can also be made for Marcus Semien at second base. The 2021 AL Gold Glove winner led the AL in assists with 441 this season. Definitely don’t see how anyone in the AL is better than the former shortstop at second base. Winner Brendan Rodgers is definitely a web master and had 10 more double plays turned than Semien, but also had double digit errors (10) good for third-highest among second baseman. Semien had just seven errors in 148 games at second base. He also started 13 games at shortstop, showing his versatility as a fielder.
Myles Straw over 2021 Gold Glove Winner Cedric “CM Storm” Mullins seems like a bit of a stretch as well.
Aaron Judge’s first career MVP highlights the list of MLBbros that could take home awards this fall.
We are all witnesses to Aaron Judge’s 2022 which will go down as one of the greatest single seasons in not only baseball but professional sports history.
Tuesday night Aaron Judge took over the lead for the Triple Crown and now leads the American League in home runs, runs, RBI, on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, extra base hits, WAR, total bases and walks. He also has a career high 16 stolen bases which is the one of slight few offensive categories Judge does not lead in. That spot is owned by Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Aaron Judge Can’t Be Stopped | 59 Homers And Counting For The Black Bronx Bambino@RobParkerFS1 shouts out @TheJudge44 on todays Home Boi Highlights! pic.twitter.com/w3gh6EYozc
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) September 19, 2022
Judge should run away with the American League MVP award and the Silver Slugger for right fielders.
Although what we see from Shohei Ohtani has not been done for 100 years, what Judge is doing all around will only be duplicated in video games.
He entered Wednesday just one off tying the American League record for home runs and once he passes Roger Maris the only people with more than him will forever be affiliated with the steroid era.
Judge is currently on pace for 66 home runs which would be the most since Sammy Sosa in 1998.
“Money” Michael Harris II teammate Spencer Strider may be the only thing in the way of him and the National League Rookie of the Year award.
He did not start the season in the Majors but there is no rookie who had a bigger impact on their team than Harris did for last year’s World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Did MLB Finally Find The Next Ken Griffey Jr. In Atlanta Braves MLBbro Michael Harris II?
This month Harris leads the Braves in average, hits and RBI.
It was not until “Money Mike” was called up that the Braves climbed over .500 and got in striking distance of the New York Mets.
Harris leads all rookies in batting average at .305 and has hit 18 home runs while stealing 18 bases.
Mookie Betts should be taking home his 5th career Silver Slugger award this season as he has been the main catalyst for the best team in baseball. Betts has a career high 34 home runs and counting this season. He leads all National League right fielders in RBI, slugging percentage, OPS, runs, doubles and walks.
(@mookiebetts) Mookie Betts With Message From The 2022 All-Star Game: “We Need More Black People In The Stadium”#MLBbro content reporter @_teammill gets this interview.
Mookie Betts sends a message and talks about his DJ skills and his favorite rapper. pic.twitter.com/nnTdS1Pal7
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) July 23, 2022
Betts is only batting .148 this month and with his Dodgers comfortably ahead in the race for the Major Leagues best record, the health of him going into October is more important than any statistic.
Both Cedric Mullins and Marcus Semien are up for a chance to win American League Gold Gloves in back-to-back seasons. No second baseman in the Majors has more putouts or assists this year than Semien and it really is not close.
🚨 TRIPLE PLAY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/HC4dxeXQyD
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 21, 2022
He added to those numbers Tuesday night when he was in the middle of the second Triple Play by the Rangers this season. With just a few weeks left this year, Semien has a chance to cut his errors down from eight last season to just six, a new career low for him at the second base bag.
Cedric Mullins has been perfect in center field this year as he is one of just a few players who have yet to commit an error. His eight assists are a career high.
Earning Gold again would put Mullin’s name where it should be, amongst the best in the Majors. He will get a chance to prove he can play with the best in the world during next year’s World Baseball Classic where he should get the start in center.
As the All-Star break approaches, two AL teams, the Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles are scorching hot, each with double-digit winning streaks. Wouldn’t you know, there’s an MLBbro at the helm of each of these winning streaks… JP Crawford and Cedric Mullins.
In the O’s winning streak, Mullins is batting .307, with one home run and six RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .386 and a slugging percentage of .487 during that span.
Crawford has a batting average of .292, hitting no home runs and five RBI. His on-base percentage during this stretch is .333, to go with a .366 slugging percentage. He has only struck out twice during the M’s 11-game winning streak.
Baltimore has been in a rebuild for at least the past four years, basically waving the white flag when they traded away their superstar third baseman Manny Machado back in 2018 to the LA Dodgers. Ever since the trade, there have been very limited bright spots for Orioles fans to look forward to. Mullins has been one.
Mullins was drafted in the 13th round of the 2015 draft, and made his big league debut in 2018. In 2021, despite Baltimore tying for the worst record in Baseball, he had a career year, batting .291, with 30 home runs, 59 RBI, to go with an on-base percentage of .360 and a slugging percentage of .568. In addition to winning the Silver Slugger award, he ended up being the only Oriole to make the All-Star team in a year in which he became the first Oriole in franchise history to be a part of the 30-30 club, having stolen 30 bases in 2021 as well.
“I think he’s just getting better and better… how far he has come defensively from my first year in 2019 is unbelievable” said Brandon Hyde, the Orioles manager. Hyde wants fans to realize he is a great defensive player as well, emphasizing that he’s not just good with the bat, but an elite all-around player.
Crawford, who was a first round pick in 2013 by the Philadelphia Phillies, had made serious improvements to his game on the offensive side. In 2017 and 2018, his first two seasons in the pros, he batted .214 in each year. When he was dealt to the Mariners in 2019, the change of scenery changed everything. He has improved his batting average every single year, peaking in 2021, having a batting average of .273. He also has done well on the defensive side, as he ended up winning a Gold Glove in the 2020 campaign.
Crawford signed a 51 million dollar extension earlier this year, as he is seen as Seattle’s shortstop for the foreseeable future. “He’s (Crawford) an incredibly competitive player who has become an integral part of our team, both on the field and in the clubhouse” said general manager and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.
The Mariners are currently in the AL Wildcard, with the Orioles only being one and a half games back of the final slot. The Mariners have not made the playoffs in 20 years, and the Orioles have been arguably the worst team in baseball of the last half decade. This season has huge potential to be stepping stones in the right direction for both franchises, and Crawford and Mullins will play huge roles to possibly write a new page in their respective franchises histories.
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