Last year, Mike Clevinger's continued evolution into a star pitcher led to
Nik Needham Jersey the righty to sing more fireballs than a flower-devouring Super Mario. And armed with the additional velocity, Clevinger's fastball slayed more than a few hitters.In fact, when Clevinger's fastball sat between 96-97 mph, he induced a whiff over 41 percent of the time the batter swung. In other words, two of every five swings, their bat caught as much air as the time Terry Francona went . However, when that fastball sat between 95-96, their whiff percentage dropped to 28 percent. When it was between 94-95, it fell to just over 21 percent.Clearly, speed reigns. Elite speed rules even more.And Clevinger has become one of baseball's .The 29-year-old's heater is special at any of those velocities, but the average speed he picked up on the four-seamer since the midway point of 2018 has helped him grow from really good hurler to one of baseball's elite arms.In fact, the only thing that has held him back over the past two years is the injury bug, which now extends to a partial tear of his left medial meniscus, a diagnosis which led to an arthroscopic procedure last week. He's expected to need 6-8 weeks before he can return to game activity, though he demonstrated a proclivity for beating timetables last year in his return from an upper back injury and doesn't appear to be content to let this most recent timeline be the final word.Understanding how important added velocity has been to his succe s, though, makes it simple to stre s. It also makes you ponder how the knee i sue impacts his ability to maintain the extra giddy-up he's worked
Mike Gesicki Jersey hard to add.After all, velocity was something he kept in his sights this offseason.It's still going for average velocity right now, said Clevinger last month, also noting the work he'd put in to refining his curveball and changeup. "Velocity is a focus, just getting stronger, more mobile."But remember, Clevinger flies through his delivery with the force of a deadly twister, and it's the left leg that helps him plant and transfer the energy up the body to deliver the blazing heater. Alterations , in addition to proper training, were at the core of starting to add extra notches to his fastball in 2018. If anything limits his ability to run the four-seamer into the upper 90s, we could see at a slightly le s supercharged version of the long-haired hurler.To his credit, Clevinger, despite the back i sue, came back throwing harder than before he left in early 2019. Similar concerns about his ability to
Lynn Bowden Jr. Jersey achieve his new norm were prevalent back then, but he silenced those on his way to a career-high 95.4 mph average four-seamer last year and career low 2.71 ERA in 126 innings.Scroll to ContinueBut given he wasn't able to build into the season like a pitcher would typically prefer, it's understandable that maintaining his best velocities of 2019 became more difficult as the year progre sed.Another way to see how effective the fastball might be is to examine the amount of swings-and-mi ses it induces the strike zone. It's one thing to
Jason Sanders Jersey generate them on pitches that aren't strikes, but getting them in a zone can be an indication of just how little chance the hitters have against a certain pitch.April and June presented such a small sample that it's not even worth examining that closely. Instead, let's focus on SeptemberAs you could surmise, when the fastball was averaging under 95 mph in September (94.5 mph), batters had a slightly better shot at making contact in the zone.And while simply throwing hard doesn't guarantee strikeouts -- it helps when you have lethal secondary stuff that makes all of your pitches play well -- it is interesting to see his rolling strikeout rate and increases to fastball velocity tell their versions of the Clevinger character arc.Of course, Clevinger is talented enough to produce outs at a high level even at a slightly lower velocity, so even when he generated a 3.04 FIP and 4.09 xFIP in the final month -- his highest FIP and xFIP of any month outside of the 6 1/3 innings he pitched in June -- it wasn't anything to raise concern.We're just, e sentially, talking about the difference between the Clevinger we saw near the end of 2018 (spoiler alert: still really good) and the Clevinger we witne sed for most of 2019, a .The Indians will happily accept either, but it's easy to get greedy and yearn for the guy that finished with baseball's 16th-highest fWAR despite pitching far fewer innings than almost everyone around him on the leaderboard
Preston Williams Jersey .We don't know how his most recent injury will impact his ability to throw hard -- the team will certainly seek ways to keep his arm fresh during his recovery -- but given Clevinger is the sort of guy that needs Francona's parachute on his back to slow him down, it's worth giving him benefit of the doubt while we wait.
The upcoming free agent cla s of shortstops are going to be the most discu sed topic of the baseball offseason, outside of the negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Players A sociation over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Surely, the new CBAor lack thereofwill affect this cla s and their suitors.Even so, the 26 clubs that are not playing baseball right now are putting their game plans together for the offseason. And in the coming months, five of the 30
Ezekiel Elliott Jersey clubsmaybe le swill commit a substantial amount of money to the crop of Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story and Javier Bez.The Texas Rangers front office and their pro scouts are meeting in Arizona this week to formulate their plans for acquiring more players, and the top players of the free agent marketyes, even the shortstopsare a key part of the discu sions.If this comes as a shock to you, or if the phrase, " entered your head when you read the paragraph above, it only echoes what the front office bluntly said in their end-of-season pre s conference earlier this month."We're going to be discu sing players in every category, every position, and every area of the market," said Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels on Oct. 6. "There's nobody that we're going to rule out because of a perceived price tag."So while Corey Seager is coming through in the clutch for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston's Carlos Correa is stealing the show in the American League playoffs, many baseball writers, analysts, insiders and more are speculating where the quintet of shortstops will land this winter. And with everything that Rangers leadership is saying, fans in Dallas-Fort Worth are salivating at the thought of any of the five donning Rangers red, white and blue for the next several seasons.But what about two? how evaluators rank the five shortstops, and where each one might land. The Rangers were one of six teams mentioned as real players in the shortstop market, along with the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers
Trevon Diggs T Shirts , Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.Before you get too excited, one evaluator told Olney,"You might have 13 or 14 teams bidding on shortstops this winter." That's a lot of demand with a serious lack of supply.Regarding the Rangers, the po sibilities sound almost too good too be true, especially since the last contract the Rangers inked that was in exce s of three years was Shin-Soo Choo's seven-year deal in 2013. Neverthele s, here's what Olney wrote
Roger Staubach Jersey regarding the Rangers' situation:Scroll to ContinueSigning one of the five would be a major win for the Rangers. Signing two? That would be quite the pivot from "tear-down" mode to building a contender.From what we know at , the Rangers' plan is to acquire talent over the next couple of winters, not just a one-year overhaul. Of course, it doesn't mean the Rangers acquire two of the five shortstops and then add more next winter. Texas only has $28 million on the books for next season with a very small and inexpensive arbitration cla s. In 2023, only Jos Leclerc's $6 million club option is on the books.Add in that Daniels said the budget would be"consistent with the market and fan base of this size," that would mean the Rangers have money to spend. Lots of it.As far as who the Rangers might target, Olney lists the Rangers as a potential landing spot for all of the shortstops, except for Bez. The Seager/Woodward relationship remains consistent with what we know as well. One source tells that Chris Woodward covets Corey Seager, which does not come to any surprise given their days together in Los Angeles.As for what it will cost,
Deion Sanders Jersey Correa and Seagerdespite the concerns over their injuriesare poised to get the most money. They are the youngest in the cla s. Correa will be entering his age 27 season in 2022, while Seager is just five months older. Both are also putting on huge displays in the postseason, adding to their reputation of being great clubhouse guys and big-game players. Look for those contracts to push a decade in length, with one, if not both, earning at least $300 million.Story and Semien will get paid handsomely as well, but are a tad older. Story has just one more season before he turns 30, and Semien is entering his age 31 season. Their contracts may end up being in the seven-year range. When healthy, Story may be the best two-way shortstop in the cla s, but he is coming off a bit of a disappointing season. Teams may be hesitant to unload the same type of deal that Correa or Seager require.That being said, the ties between Story and his hometown Rangers go all the way back to before the 2021 regular season. One source confirmed with that the Rangers had serious
Dallas Cowboys Jersey interest in pursuing Story this winter. But now, it's unclear where Story ranks in their pecking orderseveral months later.The Rangers will surely have their hands full regarding the pursuit of any marquee free agent. There will be plenty of suitors, including the teams mentioned previously, and you can bet the Dodgers and Astros won't let Seager or Correa walk away easily. There will be a bidding war, and the CBA negotiations could play a huge factor into how the Rangersand the free agents themselvesattack the offseason.Buckle up. It's bound to be a fun winter.
The Royals had a managerial opening after firing Mike Matheny, and Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough had been a finalist for the job. But on Monday, the Royals announced that they were hiring Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as
Dallas Cowboys Jersey manager, which means McCullough will be staying in L.A., at least for now.It was the second straight offseason McCullough has interviewed for a managerial job, having been a candidate with
NFL Dallas Cowboys Jersey the Mets last year before they hired veteran skipper Buck Showalter. The way these things go, McCullough figures to have his name thrown around whenever there's an opening going forward.Both Quatraro and McCullough had also interviewed for the Marlins opening, which eventually went to former Dodger Skip Schumaker. Quatraro had also interviewed for the White Sox job, which is reportedly going to Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol.Quatraro has a long coaching track record. He began his coaching career in the Rays minor league system in 2004 after failing to make the big leagues as a player. He left Tampa Bay when he was
Ceedee Lamb T Shirts hired as a hitting coach by Terry Francona in Cleveland in 2010. Quatraro came back to the Rays as third base coach and moved up to be Kevin Cash's bench coach in 2019.Scroll to ContinueMcCullough has spent the last two years as the
Ezekiel Elliott Jersey Dodgers first-base coach after his predece sor, George Lombard, went to Detroit to serve as AJ Hinch's bench coach. McCullough had previously served as L.A.'s minor league field coordinator.Like Quatraro, McCullough went into coaching after failing to make the big leagues as a player. He played four seasons in the minors before retiring, and after one season as an a
Drew Pearson T Shirts sistant coach at his alma mater, East Carolina University, he caught on as a minor-league manager with the Blue Jays. He spent eight years in that role before coming to the Dodgers organization.
Shortened season or no shortened season, a division crown is a real big deal. This year and every year. Because the Dodgers make it one, from the first day of Spring Training until the final out of the clincher.Tonight is that night. With the Padres losing 4-2 to the Angels in San Diego, along with their
Russ Grimm Jersey 7-2 win over the A's at Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles has won its eighth straight National League West crown.Nobody needs to tell the players or the fans that the end-all is a World Series championship. Everybody knows that.But a reverent pause to appreciate the accomplishment is due the club.Because of Major League Baseball's mandate to ," there will be no champagne drenching in the clubhouse, no carpet to replace this fall. But I'm sure manager Dave Roberts will come up with something fun to mark the moment.The 2020 team was said to be the deepest roster yet, and while that's easy for prognosticators to say before a ball is thrown in camp, this Dodgers team met those expectations. Nailed them, is what they did.The Dodgers nailed their opponents as well, as evidenced by the current 39-16 record, good for a four-game lead with four to play. By virtue of their season series win over the Padres six games to
Washington Commanders T Shirts four, L.A. has the tiebreaker and therefore the division as or right
Shaka Toney Jersey now, this evening.Scroll to ContinueDodgers pitchers nailed their a signment, too. Almost all of them, including the departed-for-Tommy-John-surgery-but-not-forgotten-Caleb Ferguson. Through games of September 21, L.A. hurlers lead baseball with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.061 WHIP. They are second to Cleveland in ERA+ of 142. They've allowed the fewest walks with 131. Their pitchers hold right-hand hitters to a .227/.286/.368 batting line and are even better vs. left: .195/.258/.339. Opponents hit .206 vs. Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine and .220 against them on the road. Opponents hit .214 vs. Dodgers' starters and .213 vs. their relievers. They are five deep in the starting rotation (with a 3.24 ERA) and at least nine deep in the bullpen (2.86), even without Ferguson. They pitch the damn baseball, is what they do.They hit the baseball too. You don't have to go far to find that L.A. leads MLB in home runs (again, prior to today, with 100), is second in runs (315) and leads in run differential (+119). The Dodgers hit
Taylor Heinicke Jersey .295/.377/.519 with men on base, they hit.295/.391/.533 with runners in scoring position and they hit .311/.426/.579 with two outs
Joe Theismann Jersey and RISP. And they've gotten to where they are with le s-than-expected results from their trio of left-hand hitting sluggers Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Joc Pederson. They have the likely NL MVP in Mookie Betts.None of the above means a whole lot in October, of course, but for tonight let's heap praise on the entire 60-man player pool, the skipper Roberts, the president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and all those who work to support him. Ladies and gentlemen, your perennial NL West Division champs, the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers.And remember, glove conquers all..
ATLANTA - Not the outcome they
Darrick Forrest Jersey wanted.The New York Mets got swept acro s three games by the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, who they now trail by two games in the NL East with just three left to play in the regular season.The Braves, who now control their own destiny with the tie breaker over the Mets by taking the season series 10-9, will clinch the division with a win.Prior to this series, the Braves only had sole po se sion of first place one other time since April 17. The Mets have been in first basically all season, despite the Braves breathing down their necks most of the way.The latest head
Sam Howell Jersey -to-head matchup showed proof that the better team won, which was the Braves. Atlanta out played the Mets in every facet of the game."I thought we played well, but the Braves played better. They played
Sonny Jurgensen Jersey excellent baseball this entire weekend," first baseman Pete Alonso said. "They just flat out beat us."In the Mets' latest 5-3 lo s, Chris Ba sitt lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing four runs and a home run to the Braves' offense.The Mets lined up their top three starters: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Ba sitt in the series. The result, 11 earned runs, six home runs and a 6.91 ERA.Scroll to ContinueThe Braves beat the Mets' best arms, and ultimately took control of the division with force over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Mets' offense scored just seven runs in the
Ryan Fitzpatrick T Shirts series."They pitched a little better than we did and
Jonathan Allen Jersey swung the bats a little better than we did. They beat us one more time this year, our guys are having a good year, it just didn't work for us this weekend," manager Buck Showalter said.New York will head back home to face the Washington Nationals, now looking destined to host a Wild Card series next weekend at Citi Field.- - -
Small steps in the right direction.As we approach two full months since MLB decided to enter a lockout as a result of the
Indianapolis Colts T Shirts expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 2, we saw some progre s between the owners and MLBPA, who met twice earlier in the week to continue to try to negotiate a new deal.So, with the work stoppage hopefully coming to an end sooner rather than later, the Mets will be tasked with finishing off their roster once transactions resume.But you shouldn't expect anymore big splashes after the Mets spent $254.5 million on Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha in November.According to , the Mets are focused on upgrading their pitching staff (one starter and 1-2 relievers), as well as making modest moves to create a deep and well-balanced team prior to the season.As Martino went onto report, Mariners left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi is a po
Bernhard Raimann Jersey sibility, while fellow southpaw Clayton Kershaw is seen as unlikely given his age and recent injury history. The Mets did not contact Kershaw's camp prior to the lockout, as Martino said.Scroll to ContinueOn the position players side, sources told Martino that Marte, Escobar and Canha are destined to be the most significant offensive additions for the Mets this winter, but general manager Billy Eppler may still add complementary pieces to the lineup. The team is not seriously considering the likes of Kris Bryant or Carlos Correa, who would be big-name, pricey bats, per Martino.However, Martino says not to rule out the Mets' pursuit of Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki
Jack Doyle Jersey is projected to play a corner outfield spot in the majors, which would push Canha to a bench role.Martino also reported that the Mets are willing to listen to trade offers for Jeff McNeil, Dom Smith and J.D. Davis, but cautioned that the mad dash towards spring training after the lockout ends could make it difficult to move these players. Back in December, sources told that
Quenton Nelson Jersey the Mets intend on making McNeil available with their eyes on acquiring pitching help in return. Several clubs called the Mets prior to the lockout to ask about McNeil.But for now, all signs point towards Eppler and manager Buck Showalter utilizing one or two of these players in a versatile, hybrid role as starters or bench pieces, depending on specific matchups. And that's why the team went after Marte, Escobar and Canha, given their versatility.Mets owner Steve Cohen has made it clear that he is willing to
Sam Ehlinger Jersey do whatever it takes to win. But the team's payroll is already sitting around $271 million with several holes left to fill. Regardle s, Cohen has deep pockets and plans could change if Eppler believes that one more big move is a must to increase their World Series odds in both the short and long-term.
Indians bra s have spent the last two days talking to the media, and on Wednesday it was manager Terry Franconas turn to speak about what was a tough year physically for the 61-year-old. Franconas health was such that he was only able to manage the team for 14 games, and he spent more time in the Cleveland Clinc during the 2020
Lenny Moore Jersey season than he did managing the club. When youre the manager, theres a lot of people who depend on you. I felt guilty not being able to hold up my part of the bargain, Francona said to the media on Wednesday. That was weighing on me mentally, as well as the physical stuff.The good news for the Indians manager is despite the
George Odum Jersey rumors, he will be back for the 2021 season, and if all goes as planned, hell be there from day one of spring training all the way till the team plays its last game."I need to get a lot stronger," the 61-year-old Francona said. "I had a pretty challenging year up to this point."Francona told the media that he had a number of surgeries in a four-day span and spent some time in the Intensive Care Unit.The big i sue that the manager was having was that he kept getting blood clots. "
Nick Cross Jersey Some days when I was extremely frustrated, the thought cro sed my mind when it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Francona said. Scroll to Continue"But I tried not to think like that."Despite some fans who have been critical of Francona for the Indians failures in the postseason the last few years
Sam Ehlinger Jersey , the manager is still highly regarded and is still one of the best in the game.The Indians, after mi sing the playoffs in 2019 despite winning over 90 games, did make it in the shortened 2020 campaign, but as the number four-seed fell in two games to the New York Yankees in the wild card round.Francona said Wednesday he probably could have forced his
Rodrigo Blankenship Jersey way back with a few regular season games left, but didnt feel it was fair to acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. and the rest of the coaching staff. The manager has mi sed time in each of the last three seasons with health i sues, but is hopeful that the worst health wise is in the past. "It was kind of a tough time," Francona said. "I don't want to go through that again."
The Dodgers have taken the first two games of their much anticipated three-game series against the Padres in Los Angeles. On Friday, the Dodgers cruised to a 8-1 win as
Gabe Nabers Jersey All-Star Tony Gonsolin spun five shutout innings. The 'pen allowed just one hit and one run. On Saturday, the Dodgers roared back from
Dustin Hopkins Jersey a 3-2 deficit with a three run fifth-inning, two runs in the seventh, and one run in the eighth to collect a 8-3 victory.There's never a shortage of storylines when it comes to Dodgers-Padres, especially after San Diego traded most of their farm to add Josh Hader, Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Brandon Drury at the deadline. Trea Turner added some more depth to the San Diego-Los Angeles drama by poking some fun at
Austin Ekeler Jersey a pair of his old teammates in Josh Bell and Juan Soto after the win on Friday."I told them they looked terrible in brown. It's good to see them on a team that's competing and wanting to win a championship. I think they deserve it. I know Juan's won a World Series, was a big part of our team in 2019. J.B. hasn't been there yet, hopefully he gets a chance."Scroll
Michael Bandy Jersey to ContinueTrea Turner made his quip in a light-hearted fashion, and it did indeed get some chuckles from the reporters in locker room.Dodgers fans might disagree with Turner saying he hopes Bell gets a chance to
Zander Horvath Jersey compete for a championship, or maybe, fans are excited about the idea of playing the Padres this October.
If Juan
Joey Bosa T Shirts Soto is on the move, he'll be one of the hottest trade chips in recent baseball history.The 23-year-old perennial MVP candidate led baseball in on-base percentage last season, has a career OPS nearing 1.000, and has two years of arbitration left after this season. But, , rival executives think he could be on the move this summer.While almost every contending team would check in on a player of Soto's status, Olney linked the Blue Jays as a potential club, noting "front-office types" point to the Jays and Pares as potential trade fits.The Jays "can dream on a left-handed star to complement the right-handed-hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr.," Olney writes. But is that dream realistic?Soto is everything the Jays liked about Freddie Freeman but younger and a more natural defensive fit. Hes arguably the best hitter in baseball, would bring a desired lefty bat to Torontos lineup, and is with some of the Jays young core.Soto would significantly improve
Kellen Winslow Jersey every lineup in baseball, and the Jays are no different. Financially keeping the core together would become more difficult, though, with Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Soto all hitting free agency (and set for half-billion-dollar paydays) within a year of each otherbut Soto is the type of player you make it work for.Finding a recent trade comparison for this kind of deal is difficult because Soto would be arguably the best player traded in the last decade or more. And muddying the comparisons more is that players even close to the caliber of Soto rarely get traded with multiple years of control left.Scroll to ContinueSo, the following deals should be considered floors for what a Soto deal would probably take, and we're maybe looking at much more:The Mookie Betts TradeIn February 2020, the Red Sox traded a dominant outfielder and franchise cornerstone destined for a ma sive contract (sound familiar?), Mookie Betts, with a year of arbitration left.Going from the Dodgers to Boston for Betts was Alex Verdugo, LAs former top prospect who peaked at No. 35 in all of baseball, Jeter Downs (No. 44 on MLB Pipeline )
Chase Daniel Jersey , and a borderline top 30 organizational youngster in Connor Wong. The Dodgers also ate half of David Prices remaining contract ($48 million).Taking on a significant chunk of money and sending two top 50 prospects allowed Los Angeles to pry Betts from Boston, but the situation was a little more pre sing than Sotos status in Washington. Betts was months away from the open market and was determined to reach free
Derwin James Jr T Shirts agency and get a record $400 million deal, as reported by MLB.com at the time. He later signed a $365 million, 12-year deal with the Dodgers.The Matt Olson TradeLike the Betts deal, Atlantas trade for Matt Olson sent two blue-chip prospects back to Oakland, plus more. The Braves sent their then-top prospect catcher Shea Langeliers (No. 68 league-wide) and former top 20 MLB prospect Christian Pache. The Athletics also received Atlantas 2021 first-round pick, RHP Ryan Cusick, and another young pitcher in Joey Estes.In terms of timing, the Olson swap is closer to Soto's control years as the now-Braves 1B had two full years of team control left (Soto has two after 2022). However, Olson's pre-tradecareerOPS of .859 isn't quite at Soto's .972 mark and the value of a first baseman may not be a perfect indicator of what Soto could fetch.Finding
Ty Long Jersey an apt comparison for a Soto swap is difficult23-year-old MVP candidates aren't dealt often. But from the recent Olson and Betts blockbusters, it's clear the cost is at least two consensus top prospects and something more.The Jays currently have three prospects inside MLB Pipelines Top 100 list, with Gabriel Moreno (No. 7), Orelvis Martinez (No. 35), and Jordan Groshans (No. 77). Left-handed pitcher Ricky Tiedemann is also moving up rankings after a strong start to 2022.
The Yankees have plenty of options to choose from at shortstop on the free agent market this offseason. According to one MLB insider, however, there's
Rondale Moore T Shirts one superstar available that would be the perfect fit. recently broke down each of the five top-tier shortstops entering free agency this winter, consulting with league evaluators to rank them and list their
Justin Murray Jersey po sible landing spots.The consensus is that New York will attempt to sign either Corey Seager of the Dodgers or Carlos Correa of the Astros. Between those two, it's clear to Olney and those that he spoke to that Seager
J.J. Watt Jersey is the better option.Here is the breakdown on Seager from Olney. Although his defensive metrics aren't tremendous, and he's often mi sed time due to injury, he's young and one of the best offensive shortstops in the game.Scroll to ContinueCorrea is an appealing option as well, but the history with Houston's sign-stealing scandal could be a disqualifier. Would Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton
Jack Crawford Jersey and the rest of the Yankees that were eliminated by Correa's sign-stealing 'Stros be willing to throw away the animosity and allow Correa to be a leader in the New York's clubhouse?Besides, New York would benefit
Michael Dogbe Jersey from adding a left-handed hitter to a righty-heavy lineup. And Seager projecting to move to another position would allow the Yankees to put top prospect Anthony Volpe at shortstop when he's ready in the next year or two.MORE:
