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Matt Mervis didn’t get a ton of alternatives to hit at Duke College. He hit a ton this summer time in his second full season of professional ball. Signed by the Chicago Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2020, the 24-year-old first baseman went deep 36 instances throughout three ranges — 15 of his dingers got here in Triple-A — whereas slashing a strong .309/.379/.606. At present competing within the Arizona Fall League, he has 4 dwelling runs to go together with an 1.103 OPS in 36 plate appearances with the Mesa Photo voltaic Sox.
Mervis’s capacity to clear fences is his calling card, however that’s not how he views himself as a hitter.
“I’ve energy, however I wouldn’t name myself an influence hitter,” mentioned Mervis, who went into yesterday because the AFL’s co-leader in dwelling runs together with Heston Kjerstad. “I wish to be a hitter. I hit for common and hate hanging out. I attempt to transfer the ball, and if it turns right into a double or a house run that’s nice. I’m an enormous man and hit the ball laborious naturally, so it was actually simply simplifying my swing that led me to driving the ball extra this 12 months.”
Mervis does acknowledge that extra-base energy is an enormous half of what’s going to get him to the large leagues. At 6-foot-4, 230 kilos, slashing singles can be a path to nowhere.
“I’m a left-handed-hitting first baseman and it’s what we’re purported to do in a lineup,” acknowledged Mervis. “That was the case lengthy earlier than the sport turned to dwelling runs and strikeouts. I grew up watching guys like David Ortiz, Prince Fielder, and Anthony Rizzo, a bunch of left handed hitters with a bunch of energy. I don’t put strain on myself to try this, however I clearly need to hit dwelling runs and assist us win.”
As lately as 4 years in the past, he was serving to win video games together with his arm. Mervis was primarily a pitcher for his first two collegiate seasons, making 41 appearances — all however one in reduction — whereas logging simply 10 at-bats. Add in a senior 12 months that was minimize brief by the pandemic and he entered professional ball with a relative dearth of hitting expertise. Unaccustomed to ups and downs, Mervis tinkered repeatedly throughout a lackluster 2021 marketing campaign by which he logged a .677 OPS. Eliminating extra ideas of swing mechanics performed an enormous function in his 2022 breakout.
“I attempt to be easy,” Mervis mentioned when requested about his mechanics. “I’ve a fairly balanced stance with my arms in entrance of my shoulder. I form of mannequin my stance off of Rizzo and [Kyle] Schwarber once they have been with the Cubs. With my swing, I simply assume ‘flat’ and attempt to be within the zone for a very long time. Clearly, whereas I believe flat, it’s not really straight throughout the zone — it’s acquired a bit tilt — however once more, I don’t give it some thought an excessive amount of. I simply take my pure swing and attempt to drive the baseball.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Jorge Orta went 25 for 50 towards Dennis Eckersley.
Kirk Gibson went 9 for 14 towards Mark Clear.
Bill Mazeroski went 22 for 55 towards Stu Miller.
Hal Smith went 10 for 23 towards Bob Lemon.
Bucky Dent went 15 for 36 towards Luis Tiant.
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Brady Singer had a breakout season for the Kansas Metropolis Royals, and an improved sinker is an enormous purpose why he did. As my colleague Jake Mailhot defined final month, the 26-year-old right-hander added three inches of drop whereas additionally enhancing the pitch’s general form.
With Jake’s article in thoughts, I requested Singer how he made the providing higher.
“I form of went again to what I used to be throwing in faculty,” mentioned Singer, whom the Royals drafted 18th general in 2018 out of the College of Florida. “We modified the lean on the place my hand place was, and from there, it simply form of got here naturally. We acquired proper round that 1:15-1:30, and I’m getting much more motion than I had the final two years.”
Singer made the adjustment in early April, previous to a three-week demotion to Triple-A, and as soon as he regained full really feel of his previous grip, he thrived. Establishing himself as Kansas Metropolis’s most dependable starter, he completed the a 3.23 ERA and a 3.58 FIP in 153-and-a-third innings. As for why he’d gotten away from one thing that had helped make him a first-round choose, that was principally a matter of inattentiveness, not by design.
“Truthfully, I don’t actually know,” the previous Florida Gator admitted. “I simply form of misplaced it. The lean slowly crept up on me, however any person noticed that and we talked about it. It made sense, so we modified the lean. From there, my sinker got here again.”
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A quiz:
The final Cleveland workforce to win the World Collection, the 1948 Indians, had three pitchers who are actually within the Corridor of Fame. Bob Feller and Bob Lemon are two. Who’s the third?
The reply may be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
Moe Savransky, a left-handed pitcher who appeared in 16 video games for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1954, died earlier this month at age 93. Savransky allowed 13 runs in 24 innings and was on the shedding finish of each of his selections.
Jim Bailey, a left-handed pitcher whose big-league profession comprised three video games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1959, died earlier this month at age 87. The Strawberry Plains, Tennessee native was the youthful brother of Ed Bailey, who caught for 14 big-league seasons.
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The reply to the quiz is Satchel Paige. Taking part in in his first MLB season at age 42, the Negro Leagues legend appeared in 21 common season video games and went 6-1 with a 2.48 ERA. He confronted two batters within the World Collection and retired each.
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Joe Mack hopes to catch for the Miami Marlins for a very long time. Reaching the large leagues would be the first step. Drafted thirty first general final 12 months out of an upstate New York highschool, the left-handed-hitting backstop received’t rejoice his twentieth birthday till December.
His perspective belies his youth and inexperience.
“I see myself as a frontrunner on the sector,” Mack mentioned previous to a latest Arizona Fall League recreation with the Mesa Photo voltaic Sox. “As a catcher, I’m the one taking a look at all people, and all people is taking a look at me. I’m concerned in each play. I’ve additionally been instructed by coaches and some of my previous [high school] lecturers that I’m form of a pure chief. I believe that form of shows itself on the sector a bit bit. I’m at all times making an attempt to maintain all people within the recreation, as centered as attainable.”
Mack started sporting the instruments of ignorance simply in need of 10 years in the past. The teen volunteered to go behind the plate when his Little League workforce’s catcher was struggling, and the remaining is historical past. He’s been strapping on the gear ever since.
His hitting stays a piece in progress. Using a contact-oriented strategy with two strikes, and seeking to drive the ball into a spot with fewer than two strikes, Mack has a modest .718 OPS in 258 skilled plate appearances. He spent the majority of the 2022 season with the Low-A Jupiter Hammerheads.
From a bodily standpoint, the athletic 6-foot-1, 218-pound Mack is much like a Corridor-of-Fame-bound San Francisco Giants catcher who retired following the 2021 season. Not surprisingly, Buster Posey has served as a task mannequin for the up-and-coming backstop.
“Lots of it was his presence behind the plate,” Mack mentioned of the seven-time All-Star and three-time World Collection champion. ”He was additionally sensible again there. He was within the bigs for a very long time, and it takes so much to remain there for a very long time. The blokes with the smarts and the perspicacity are sometimes those who’re in a position to try this. Hopefully I may be that man for the Marlins.”
No participant I’d interviewed beforehand had ever used the phrase “perspicacity.” Would Mack have been an English main had he gone the faculty route slightly than signing with Miami out of Amherst, New York’s Williamsville East Excessive Faculty?
“No likelihood,” Mack replied with fun. “No method.”
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The NPB draft occurred earlier this week, with the Nippon-Ham Fighters making two notable choices. Within the first spherical, the Fighters — the workforce that developed Shohei Ohtani — took Kota Yazawa, a two-way participant at Nippon Sport Science College. Within the third spherical, they chose Gosuke Katoh, who made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays this summer time earlier than happening to complete the season in Triple-A with the New York Mets.
The Yakult Swallows beat the Orix Buffaloes 5-3 in Recreation 1 of the Japan Collection. Triple Crown-winner Munetaka Murakami hit one of many three Yakult dwelling runs, whereas former Miami Marlins right-hander Scott McGough earned the save.
The Kiwoom Heroes beat the KT Wiz 4-3 in a deciding Recreation 5 and can go on to face the LG Twins within the subsequent spherical of the KBO playoffs. The Twins obtained a bye after posting the second-best document within the common season. SSG Landers, who had the most effective common season document, will play the winner of that collection within the best-of-seven Korean Collection.
The Australian Baseball League’s Auckland Tuatara have signed Tzu-Wei Lin for the upcoming season. The 28-year-old erstwhile Boston Crimson Sox infielder was launched by the New York Mets in August.
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Which matchup would you like seeing within the World Collection? I requested that query earlier this week, with Houston — a workforce many followers like to hate — faring higher than anticipated. Astros-Padres obtained 35.4% of the vote’s solid, whereas Astros-Phillies garnered 25.1%. Much less-preferable of the 4 prospects have been Yankees-Padres at 21.1%, and Yankees-Phillies at 18.3%.
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FARM NOTES
Zac Veen leads the Arizona Fall League in stolen bases with 13. The 20-year-old Colorado Rockies outfield prospect swiped 55 baggage in 64 makes an attempt this season between Excessive-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. He’s been nabbed as soon as within the AFL.
Austin Martin is slashing .474/.563/.605 in 48 plate appearances with the AFL’s Glendale Desert Canine. The 23-year-old shortstop within the Minnesota Twins system has one dwelling run and 7 steals in eight makes an attempt.
Nick Yorke is slashing .340/.439/.472 in 66 plate appearances with the Scottsdale Scorpions. The 20-year-old second baseman within the Boston Crimson Sox system has an AFL-high seven doubles.
Grant Lavigne is slashing .389/.476/.611 in 42 plate appearances with the Salt River Rafters. The 23-year-old first baseman within the Colorado Rockies system counts six doubles and one triple amongst his 14 hits.
Phoenix Municipal Stadium was the location of an Arizona Fall League triple-header yesterday. The previous spring coaching website for the San Francisco Giants (1964-1981) and the Oakland Athletics (1982-2014) boasts an historic attribute: the foul poles are the identical ones that stood at New York Metropolis’s Polo Grounds within the Forties and Fifties.
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I often ask minor-league hitters which of the pitchers they confronted within the present season most stood out — mainly, who had them strolling away from the dish considering, “This dude is nasty.” On Thursday, I posed that query to Jordan Walker, the top-rated prospect within the St.Louis Cardinals system.
“There are just a few of them, man,” responded the 20-year-old outfielder. “Off the highest of my head, I’d say Prelander Berroa and Taylor Dollard from the Arkansas Vacationers, and Bobby Miller from the Tulsa Drillers. Actually, I believe it was extra team-based, as a result of these groups had back-to-back-to-back arms. Wichita, too. So I’d say it was the Vacationers, which is the Mariners, Tulsa, which is the Dodgers, and the Wichita Wind Surge, which is the Twins.”
Following up, I requested the promising younger hitter if any of Berroa, Dollard, and Miller stood out greater than the others.
“All of them have nasty stuff,” replied Walker. “If it’s nasty, it’s nasty. They have been all actually robust at-bats for me. I’d group these three collectively on the high.”
Dollard and Berroa are No. 3 and No. 17 respectively on on our Mariners Top Prospects list. Miller is No. 2 on our Dodgers list, and No. 40 in our Top 100.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
On the Yonhap Information Company, Jeeho Yoo wrote about how San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 may grow to be the primary South Korean participant to be awarded an MLB Gold Glove.
Purple Row’s Joelle Miholm wrote about Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon being named a Gold Glove finalist regardless of having a excessive error complete.
Jim Thorpe virtually grew to become a Pittsburgh Pirate in 1912. Pete Peterson has the story at Pittsburgh Quarterly.
Dan Budreika, a former FanGraphs contributor who has labored for the Miami Marlins and the Cleveland Guardians, published an R study on WAR buckets.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Jorge Mateo had 417 assists this season, essentially the most of any participant. The Baltimore Orioles shortstop had 14 DRS, the eighth highest amongst infielders.
Ozzie Smith has the single-season document for assists by a shortstop. The Wizard had 621 assists with the San Diego Padres in 1980.
The one-season document for assists by a second baseman is 641, by Frankie Frisch in 1927. The Fordham Flash was enjoying for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Dodgers stole 198 bases in 1962, with Maury Wills accounting for 104 of them. The 1962 Minnesota Twins, who received 91 video games, stole 33 bases.
Andre Dawson had a .279 BA, 438 HR, 1,591 RBI, 314 SB, and a 119 OPS+.
Carlos Beltrán had a .279 BA, 435 HR, 1,587 RBI, 312 SB, and a 119 OPS+.
In 1928, Boston Braves second baseman Rogers Hornsby had a 196 wRC+ and 9.0 WAR. His double-play companion, Doc Farrell, had a 42 wRC+ and minus -2.6 WAR.
On in the present day’s date in 2004, Mark Bellhorn hit a two-run homer within the backside of the eighth inning to offer the Boston Crimson Sox an 11-9 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Recreation 1 of the World Collection. 4 days earlier, Bellhorn’s three-run homer helped elevate the Crimson Sox to a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees in ALCS Recreation 6.
On in the present day’s date in 1993, Corridor of Fame broadcaster Tom Cheek’s name of Joe Carter’s World Collection-winning three-run homer was punctuated with, “Contact ’em all, Joe!” You’ll by no means hit an even bigger dwelling run in your life!” The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-6.
Gamers born on in the present day’s date embrace Rube Bressler, who went 10-4 with a 1.77 ERA for the Philadelphia Athletics in his 1914 rookie season, and 4-17 with a 5.20 ERA the next season. Transformed to a place participant just a few years later, Bressler batted .350 with a 142 wRC+ with the Cincinnati Reds from 1924-1926.
Additionally born on in the present day’s date was Birdie Cree, an outfielder who logged a 123 wRC+ enjoying for the New York Highlanders/Yankees from 1908-1915. The Khedive, Pennsylvania native slashed .348/.415/.513 in 1911.
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