Rachel Hill goes First To Third, updating us on the progress of MLBbro Kyle Lewis and his return from injury for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lewis will DH and provide outfield depth.
To start the MLBbro season off strong, MLBbro.com featured Kyle Lewis’ new start with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason.
Can MLBbro Kyle Lewis Regain His NL Rookie of the Year Swagger in Arizona?
After headlining “Can MLBbro Kyle Lewis Regain His NL Rookie of the Year Swagger in Arizona?”, It did not take long for Lewis to warn the baseball world about hitting the snooze button on what he can accomplish going forward…
Now that Kyle Lewis is establishing himself well in his new surroundings, his departure ends a potentially historical era in Seattle.
A few seasons back, the Mariners stood out as having a number of upcoming MLBbros in a day and age where MLB is noticeably lacking in Black and brown players. This subject was heightened during last season’s World Series that didn’t feature one MLBbro player on either team.
MLBbro manager Dusty Baker made it clear that this situation is unacceptable to the point of embarrassment.
“What hurts is that I don’t know how much hope that it gives some of the young African-American kids,” Baker told The Associated Press at the time “Because when I was their age, I had a bunch of guys. [Willie] Mays, [Hank] Aaron, Frank Robinson, Tommy Davis – my hero– Maury Wills. We need to do something before we lose them.”
For the first time since Jackie Robinson’s early days as a big leaguer, no U.S.-born Black players are expected to play in the World Series.
"It looks bad," Astros manager Dusty Baker said today. "But there is help on the way."
Full story: https://t.co/lEyz33i6sR pic.twitter.com/GpBLmwN2e5
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) October 27, 2022
“I don’t think that’s something that baseball should be proud of,” said Baker, “It looks bad. It lets people know that it didn’t take a tear or even a decade to get to this point.”
In Seattle, there was a MLBbro movement not seen since the Pittsburgh Pirates put out an all-minority starting lineup in the 1970’s.
In 2020, the Mariners had 10 MLBbros on their 40 man roster. This was such a big deal the four of them (Dee Gordon, J.P. Crawford, Shed Long Jr. and Kyle Lewis) sat down with broadcaster Dave Sims, an MLBbro broadcaster to discuss life in baseball as a Black man.
This time was special, something these guys mentioned in the
“We definitely don’t take this for granted. It’s probably something that’s nerve been done since the Negro Leagues. I’m proud to be a part of this. I’m proud to be playing alongside each and every one of my teammates right now. Coming up we were one of the two brothers on the team. If that, so being a part of this has been something special,” said Crawford.
Now those days are over. After having the honor of having the highest ratio of MLBbros in baseball, only J.P. Crawford is left as the only MLBbro representative. What happened to some of the others other than Kyle Lewis?
After the New York Mets traded the MLBbro pitcher to Seattle, the Mariners brought him to the main roster in September of 2019. After an uneventful 2020, His time on the field was short when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder strain that led to the Mariners decision to shut him down.
The Mariners traded Dunn to the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.
Justus Sheffield:
Justus Sheffield Will Break The Ice For Black Starting Pitchers In 2021
In 2018, the New York Yankees traded Sheffield to Seattle in an offseason trade. In 2019, the melanated mound marauder struck out 37 batters in 36 innings in eight games. In 2020, Sheffield had a record of 4-3 in 10 starts with an era of 3.58.
In 2021, our MLBbro appeared in 21 games (15 starts) with a 7-8 record with an era of 6.58.
In 2022, Sheffield was designated for assignment in 2023.
Shed Long:
After coming to Seattle in a trade from the New York Yankees in 2019, Shed hit .263 with five homers in 2020. After that leg injuries derailed our MLBbro’s tenure. Surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right shin ended his 2020 season and it carried over into the 2021 season before he was released after long bouts on the injured list.
Taylor Trammel:
Soul Patrol: Kyle Lewis & Taylor Trammell Give Mariners Dynamic Offensive Potential
After coming over in a trade from the San Diego Padres, He played 51 games as a rookie with a hitting slash of .160/.256/.359 with eight home runs and 18 RBI. After struggling in 43 games the next season, Trammel broke his right hand in an offseason workout that sidelined him for up to two months.
He is not on the current 2023 Mariners roster.
Taijuan Walker:
This MLBbro pitcher played for the team twice. After being drafted in the 2010 MLB Draft and playing six seasons, he returned on a one-year deal in February of 2020. He was traded in August to the Mets where he went on to become one of two Bros to win more than 10 games in 2022. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies this past offseason.
Tai Walker & Stro Show | Black Baseball History In The Making In Flushing
Carl Edwards Jr.:
In the offseason before the 2020 season, Edwards signed a one-year deal with the team. He pitched in 5 games and collected six strikeouts before opting for free agency at the end of the season.
Declining Black MLB players on rosters bottomed out to 7.2 percent of opening rosters last year which is the lowest percentage since 1991 at 18 percent according to Richard Lapchick, the director for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. Compared to the fact that a quarter of the Seattle Mariners roster were made of MLBbros in 2020, this could be one of the more amazing diversity achievements by an MLB team in decades.
Kyle Lewis hit a 383-foot shot into left field in the 8th inning to lift the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Friday night. The dinger was Lewis’ first career pinch hit Bro bomb.
MLBbro Kyle Lewis seems to have found a stable home with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from the Seattle Mariners. After being part of a virtual MLBbro farm system in Seattle featuring talented fellow MLBbros, Taylor Trammel, Justin Dunn, Justus Sheffield, JP Crawford and Shed Long, Lewis’ showcase of talent was seen far and in between due to knee and leg injuries. Those injuries got Kyle off to a late start in spring training, missing Arizona’s first 10 games.
But when our MLBbro got on the baseball diamond, he cemented his place on the roster by tearing up opposing pitching with a hitting slash of .480/.581/.960 in his first 31 plate appearances. Add on three home runs and three doubles, the Diamondbacks have already made plans to insert him into the designated hitter role against left-handed pitching.
Kyle Lewis – Arizona Diamondbacks (3)* pic.twitter.com/DkGDPCeORH
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 23, 2023
When approached last week about his journey throughout spring training, our MLBbro was very optimistic about his unusual progress combining rehab and live game work.
“It’s going well, I think it’s just about being consistent,” Lewis said on Thursday. “Just be consistent with the preparation and trying to get my body to a place where I wanted to be able to make an impact this year.”
“Hitting all the marks and adding to the workload every day and ability to play more and more, start playing back-to-backs hopefully and then go from there.”
That’s definitely what Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen is hoping for. Lewis was in his sights when he was with the Boston Red Sox front office back in 2016. Boston just missed potentially taking him with the 12th pick before Seattle snatched him up with the 11th pick.
Kyle Lewis was supposed to be one of the centerpieces of the Mariners youth movement a few seasons ago. He wasn’t just one of the most talented up and coming players on the team, but the AL West division. Our MLBbro’s 2020 American League Rookie of the Year performance did little to diminish those narratives.
Soul Patrol: Kyle Lewis & Taylor Trammell Give Mariners Dynamic Offensive Potential
The 2021 season was the start of a tough injury stretch for our MLBbro. Surgery from a torn meniscus held Lewis to just 36 games and limited his baseball activities to the point he started the season late the 2022 season.
The Absence of MLBbro Kyle Lewis Continues To Hover Over The Seattle Mariners To Start The Season
A concussion limited Lewis to 18 games before he was optioned to Triple A Tacoma.
Despite only playing 54 games with a batting average of .215 with only eight homers, Mike Hazen is confident in what Kyle Lewis brings to the table.
“He’s a good fit for us, we’re taking a shot at some upside here. He has the power potential, he’s gotten on base when healthy. We feel like this is a good opportunity for us to acquire some potential impact,” Arizona brass said.
Kyle Lewis – Arizona Diamondbacks (2)* pic.twitter.com/BNKzdfZCkP
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 12, 2023
Look for our MLBbro to contribute primarily at the DH spot to start the season, but the major change will be in the field. Lewis will be moving to left field from center field. Arizona will look for him to bring occasional power from the right side of the plate.
Over the weekend we lost another MLBbro from the major league ranks, as the Milwaukee Brewers decided to part ways with centerfielder Lorenzo Cain. Cain has yet to officially announce his retirement, but there are many around the game who believe this is it for LoCain.
With one less MLBbro manning the outfield and in memory of Willie Mays and Rickey Henderson — two of the greatest players to grace the diamond — let’s take a look at a few players who are still doing big things in centerfield. The position has always been one of supreme excellence and prestige and impact for Black and brown ballers.
The first two MLBbros on our list are the cream of the crop when it comes to Black centerfielders in today’s game. Elite centerfielders are not only the captain of the defense, but they are also elite at the plate. Names like the aforementioned Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and the OG Curt Flood are the standard when we speak on Black centerfielders who did it all, and these two young bros are working to carry that torch within this generation of ballplayers.
Now if you’re a regular here at MLBbro.com, you know exactly where I’m going with this. When healthy, Buxton is the only centerfielder who consistently puts up numbers that mirror Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout. Unfortunately, Buxton has played less than 100 games for three straight seasons. If he can stay on the field, Buxton can compete with any of the MLB’s elite.
Mullins put the league on notice last season. CM Storm stopped switch-hitting, taking all his AB’s exclusively from the left side of the plate and developing a more disciplined approach. His walk rate increased from 5.2 to 8.7 percent while his strikeout rate dropped from 24.2 to 18.5 percent. Mullins recorded the first 30-30 season in the 67-year history of Orioles baseball.
While the bros mentioned above have the ability to affect the game in multiple ways, the next two centerfielders on my list are known specifically for their defense. They won’t blow you away with their offensive numbers, but if you’re a fan of intelligent defenders who make highlight reel catches, then you will love these next two MLBbros. Think Otis Nixon and Devon White.
The 2021 Gold glove winner, Michael A. Taylor used his elite speed to record an Outs Above Average of +15, which was second amongst all outfielders. As elite as he’s been defensively, his lack of impact at the plate will make it difficult for Taylor to move from defensive specialist to elite centerfielder.
Grisham won the Gold Glove in the pandemic shortened 2020 season and has been a leader in advanced defensive metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. The injury to Fernando Tatis Jr. has given Grisham an opportunity in the leadoff spot but he has struggled to find his rhythm at the plate. Grisham flashed 20/20 potential during his 2020 campaign, and a return to that form would make him an elite centerfielder.
Following his 2020 ROTY campaign, Seattle Mariners Kyle Lewis was labeled by many as the next big thing in the Pacific Northwest. But unfortunately for Lewis and the Mariners, lower leg injuries and a recent concussion have turned excitement into indifference. If his fortunes turn, look for Lewis to reenter the conversation for best young centerfielder in the game.
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