Friday’s interview with Michael Harris II centered on his profession path, the 21-year-old Atlanta Braves rookie having excelled as a multiple-sport athlete whereas rising up in Stockbridge, Georgia. Furthermore, he’d been a two-way participant whom many scouts most popular as a pitcher. Whereas baseball and outfielder-only are proving to be prudent decisions, he had choices alongside the best way.
Jordan Romano’s path shares some similarities with Harris’s. Not solely was the Toronto Blue Jays nearer a multi-sport athlete in his adolescence, he initially excelled as a place participant. That he grew to become a pitcher was circumstantial. Selecting baseball was a matter of ardour.
“Being Canadian, I performed quite a lot of hockey in highschool,”mentioned Romano, who grew up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in Markham, Ontario. “I additionally performed just a little basketball and was fairly first rate at volleyball. However with baseball, you type of needed to drag me off the sphere, even in follow. My mother and father needed me to play a bunch of various sports activities, and whereas I actually loved hockey — I nonetheless do — I didn’t have the eagerness for it that I did for baseball.”
Romano by no means thought-about himself NHL materials, however he does really feel he had the potential to play collegiately, or in juniors, had he caught with it. The choice to forgo that risk got here at age 17, and whereas it formed his future, it didn’t finish his time on the ice. Romano saved lacing up the skates for one more yr.
“I used to be fascinated with quitting hockey and going baseball solely, however I had a number of buddies taking part in so I simply went right down to a decrease degree,” defined Romano, who skated principally as a middle and infrequently as a defenseman. “I used to be taking part in AA, however I moved right down to Choose the place I may extra play for enjoyable and never take it too severely.”
His baseball fortunes modified across the identical time. Romano had grown up sporting the instruments of ignorance, however a damaged foot incurred in his penultimate yr of highschool made catching uncomfortable when he returned for his Grade 12 season. His coaches recommended that he transfer to the mound.
“I pitched my senior yr, however having been a hitter up till then, I wasn’t excellent,” admitted Romano. “I caught with it, and since I’ve a robust arm I ended up getting a scholarship to a junior school [Connors State College, in Oklahoma]. I pitched unhealthy there, too. Finally I figured it out.”
To say he’s figured it out qualifies as an understatement. Romano, a hockey-loving Canadian who selected baseball, has 50 saves and a 2.19 ERA over 111 innings because the begin of final season.
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Evan Longoria went 32 for 78 towards CC Sabathia.
Carl Crawford went 23 for 48 towards John Lackey.
Carlos Pena went 11 for 23 towards Jamie Moyer.
Ben Zobrist went 10 for 25 towards Andy Pettitte.
BJ Upton went 10 for 22 towards Derek Holland.
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Randy Arozarena selected baseball over soccer, however in contrast to Romano, ardour wasn’t the first cause. Had the 27-year-old Tampa Bay Rays outfielder not grown up the place he did, there’s a very good likelihood that he’d be making his residing on a pitch.
“Again then, in Cuba, you can go an extended manner taking part in baseball than you can soccer,” defined Arozarena, who defected from his homeland in 2016. “I spotted that if I needed to be skilled athlete and make just a little bit more cash, baseball can be it. However who is aware of, had I been born in Brazil, I most likely would have caught with soccer.”
His youthful brother did follow soccer. Raiko Arozarena is a goalkeeper for the United Soccer League’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. That the older of the siblings selected in any other case was, once more, primarily based on monetary concerns. Requested which of the 2 sports activities he was higher at previous to leaving Cuba, he opined that it was soccer.
Arozarena now principally settles for being a fan of “the gorgeous sport.” He primarily follows the Champions League and Spain’s La Liga — Actual Madrid is his favourite staff — and he additionally retains a watch on “Christiano Ronaldo’s league, Manchester United’s league” (The English Premier League).
As for when Arozarena really stopped taking part in soccer, his reply got here with a smile: “I haven’t actually stopped.”
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A quiz:
Don Sutton’s 233 wins are probably the most in Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers historical past. Who ranks second in that class?
The reply may be discovered under.
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NEWS NOTES
Willemstad, Curaçao will face Honolulu Hawaii this afternoon within the finals of the Little League World Collection. Curaçao superior by beating Fu-Lin, Chinese language Taipei 1-0, whereas Hawaii topped Nolensville, Tennessee 5-1.
Tom Hamilton can be inducted into the Better Cleveland Sports activities Corridor of Fame on October 18. The 2022 season marks Hamilton’s thirty third yr calling video games on the Guardians Radio Community.
Chris Mehring known as his 3,000th sport because the radio voice of the Midwest League’s Wisconsin Timber Rattlers earlier this week. Mehring has been with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Excessive-A affiliate since 2000.
John Wockenfuss, who performed for the Detroit Tigers from 1974-1983, and for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1984 and 1985, died earlier this month at age 73. A catcher/outfielder/first baseman recognized for his distinctive batting stance, Wockenfuss had a 117 wRC+ over 795 big-league video games. He slashed .377/.480/.600 in 102 plate appearances versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
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The reply to the quiz is Don Drysdale, with 209 wins. Clayton Kershaw (192), Dazzy Vance (190), and Brickyard Kennedy (177) spherical out the highest 5.
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Tim Hagerty was a visitor on Friday’s episode of FanGraphs Audio, and one of many topics addressed by the El Paso Chihuahuas broadcaster was a former first-round decide whose profession was derailed by arm illnesses. Hagerty was calling video games for Triple-A Portland in 2010 when the star-crossed southpaw went 10-1 with a 2.68 ERA.
“Padres followers will keep in mind his identify,” Hagerty mentioned on the pod. “Cory Luebke. It was actually too unhealthy what occurred with him, with accidents. Luebke is without doubt one of the finest minor league pitchers I’ve seen. Left-handed, terrific management, obtained to Triple-A quick, obtained to the Majors quick. He’s an instance of when Main League groups provide prospects, or younger Main Leaguers, team-friendly offers. I feel his provide was 4 years $12 million. And he signed it.
“Some folks on the time criticized that,” continued Hagerty. “Some agent-types mentioned, ‘If this man develops into the most effective starters in baseball, he’ll make 4 instances that in a free-agent deal.’ Nicely, he had a few arm surgical procedures, and proper now he’s at residence in Ohio, out of baseball. However guess what? He has $12 million. I at all times take into consideration him as someone that [signed] a team-friendly deal.”
Luebke logged 10 wins and a 3.52 ERA over elements of 4 big-league seasons, pitching simply 197 innings.
Hagerty has a e-book popping out subsequent spring that may now be pre-ordered. He shared a number of of the entertaining tales from Tales from the Dugout: 1,001 Humorous, Inspirational & Wild Anecdotes from Minor League Baseball on the podcast.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
On Friday, Munetaka Murakami’s forty seventh lengthy ball of the season made him the youngest participant in NPB historical past to achieve 150 residence runs for his profession. (He’s since hit numbers 48 and 49). The 22-year-old Yakult Swallows slugger supplanted Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who reached that mark with the Seibu Lions in 1990. Kiyohara had 525 profession residence runs.
Roki Sasaki threw seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in Chiba Lotte’s 2-0 win over Rakuten on Friday. The 20-year-old right-hander is 8-3 with a 2.14 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 109-and-a-third innings on the season.
Cody Ponce threw a no-hitter for the Nippon Ham Fighters in yesterday’s 2-0 with over the SoftBank Hawks. The erstwhile Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is 3-4 with a 3.17 ERA in his first NPB season.
Orix Buffaloes right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano and Rakuten Golden Eagles left-hander Yuki Matsui went into the weekend with 27 saves every, tied for tops in NPB’s Pacific League. Each pitchers possessed a 1.35 ERA and had allowed 18 hits in 40 innings. Hirano had 37 strikeouts. Matsui had 65 strikeouts.
Thomas Pannone is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 40-and-a-third innings with the KBO’s Kia Tigers. The 28-year-old former big-league left-hander signed with the Korean membership in late June.
Rainel Rosario is slashing .372/.456/.792 over 401 plate appearances with the Mexican League’s Saraperos de Saltillo. The previous St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Crimson Sox farmhand leads the hitter-friendly circuit with 136 RBIs and is the co-leader in residence runs, together with Toros de Tijuana’s Félix Pérez, with 38.
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The Kansas Metropolis Royals have a variety of gifted gamers, however they’re not precisely family names to followers throughout the nation. That comes with the territory while you play in a smaller market and are within the midst of your sixth-consecutive dropping season. With that in thoughts, I requested Whit Merrifield which of his not-so-well-known former teammates is especially-deserving of extra consideration.
“Many of the roster is guys taking part in their first yr within the massive leagues,” replied Merrifield, who was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays on the commerce deadline. “So perhaps Scott Barlow? He’s their nearer and possibly ought to have been on the All-Star staff the final couple of years. His numbers have been pretty much as good as anyone’s, and he’s at all times pitching within the highest-leverage conditions. Scotty is without doubt one of the elite relievers within the sport.”
Barlow has pitched in 125 video games for the Royals over the previous two seasons and has a 2.42 ERA and a 3.17 FIP, with 150 strikeouts in 134 innings. He has 36 saves and has gained 10 of his 17 selections.
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Tim Burke had the most effective reliever seasons you may not learn about. Showing in 55 video games for the Montreal Expos in 1987, the 28-year-old right-hander allowed simply 64 hits in 91 innings whereas going 7-0 with 18 saves and a 1.19 ERA. Regardless of his numbers, he acquired nary a vote in that yr’s Cy Young balloting. That the award went to a different reliever, Atlanta’s Steve Bedrosian, underscores simply how under-appreciated Burke’s efficiency was.
Bedrosian appeared in 65 video games that yr, permitting 79 hits in 89 innings whereas going 5-3 with 40 saves and a 2.83 ERA. Bedrosian had 0.8 WAR and three.47 WPA, whereas Burke had 2.3 WAR and a reliever-best 4.96 WPA.
Ought to Burke have gained the NL Cy Younger Award in 1987? In all probability not — a handful of starters had been statistically extra deserving — however he clearly had a greater yr than Bedrosian. Not many individuals exterior of Montreal appear to have seen, nor do they keep in mind it 35 years later.
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FARM NOTES
Matt Sauer struck out 17 batters over eight innings in Double-A Somerset’s 4-3 loss to New Hampshire on Thursday evening. A 23-year-old right-hander within the New York Yankees group, Sauer has a 4.15 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 106-and-a-third innings on the yr.
Tink Hence has a 1.52 ERA and 1.45 FIP in 44-and-a-third innings with the Low-A Palm Seashore Cardinals. St. Louis’s second-round decide within the 2020 draft, the 20-year-old right-hander is No. 7 in our up to date Cardinals prospects rankings.
Louie Varland is 8-4 with a 3.02 ERA and a 3.96 FIP in 122 innings between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. Featured right here at FanGraphs final September, the 24-year-old right-hander is No. 25 in our up to date Minnesota Twins prospect rankings.
Corbin Carroll is slashing .307/.425/.611 with 24 residence runs and 31 bases between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno (plus two video games within the Arizona Advanced League). The 22-year-old outfielder is the highest prospect within the Arizona Diamondbacks system, and the No.3 prospect on our up to date Top 100.
Jackson Holliday had 9 hits in 22 at bats with the Baltimore Orioles’ Florida Advanced League entry earlier than being promoted to Low-A Delmarva on Wednesday. The 18-year-old infielder from Stillwater, Oklahoma was the No.1-overall decide on this yr’s draft.
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St. Louis’s Corey Dickerson recording hits in 10 consecutive bats — the final of them approaching Thursday — served as a reminder that the MLB file is 12, co-held by Walt Dropo (1952), Pinky Higgins (1938) and Johnny Kling (1902). What sort of numbers did these gamers put up of their streak seasons? Glad you requested.
Dropo had 163 hits, a .276 batting common, and a 116 wRC+.
Higgins had 159 hits, a .303 batting common, and a 99 wRC+.
Kling had 126 hits, a .285 batting common, and a 110 wRC+.
Dickerson has 49 hits, a .277 batting common, and a 105 wRC+.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
At The Kyodo Information, Jim Allen wrote about Trey Hillman, and the way the Shohei Ohtani story has origins within the Nippon Ham Fighters’ fearlessness.
The Brewers have had considered one of MLB’s steepest drops in attendance this yr. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s JR Radcliffe and Curt Hogg delved into the reasons why.
MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos wrote about how Oakland Athletics rookie left-hander Zach Logue is benefitting from fellow southpaw Cole Irvin’s suggestions.
The Athletic’s Levi Weaver wrote about how getting in control on pitching analytics is Tony Beasley’s first process because the interim supervisor of the Texas Rangers. (Subscription required.)
The New York Submit’s Jared Schwartz wrote about how Zack Hample — “the widely-loathed grownup baseball collector” — whined about having to observe stadium guidelines in Colorado.
Margaret Simon interviewed historian Leslie Heaphy — Ohio’s connection to the Negro Leagues — for Patch.com.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Paul Goldschmidt went into the weekend main the Nationwide League in batting common and RBIs, and was two behind Kyle Schwarber for the house run title. The MVP candidate additionally led the circuit in wOBA, wRC+, and WAR.
Toronto’s Adam Cimber has thrown 54 innings and been credited with 10 wins. Pittsburgh’s JT Brubaker Cleveland’s Zach Plesac have every thrown 127 innings and been credited with three wins.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have 25 sacrifice hits this season, probably the most within the majors. The Atlanta Braves are the one staff with no sacrifice hit.
The triple that Shea Langeliers hit final Sunday was the primary for an Oakland Athletics participant since Might 18. The A’s went 81 consecutive video games with no three-bagger, a modern-era file.
In 1994, Bernie Williams had 118 hits, together with 29 doubles and 12 residence runs. He struck out 54 instances. In 2006, Williams had 118 hits, together with 29 doubles and 12 residence runs. He struck out 53 instances.
Paul O’Neill performed 1,254 video games with the Yankees and hit 185 residence runs whereas logging a 125 OPS+. Bobby Murcer performed 1,256 video games with the Yankees and hit 175 HR whereas logging a 129 OPS+.
Joey Votto homered within the backside of the 14th inning to provide the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals on right this moment’s date in 2011. The sport featured three ejections, with the managers for each groups, in addition to Washington’s bench coach, all getting tossed.
On right this moment’s date in 1971, Tainan, Taiwan scored 9 instances within the high of the ninth inning to beat Gary, Indiana 12-3 within the championship sport of the Little League World Collection. Lloyd McClendon homered 5 instances and was walked deliberately the opposite 5 instances he got here to the plate in Gary’s last three video games of the match.
Gamers born on right this moment’s date embody Goody Rosen, an outfielder who performed for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants in a six-year profession that spanned the 1937-1946 season. The native of Toronto, Ontario was at his finest in 1945 when he logged 197 hits on his method to a .325 batting common with the Dodgers.
Additionally born on right this moment’s date was Buck Hooker, whose big-league profession comprised one sport in every of the 1902 and 1903 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. A left-hander pitcher, Hooker misplaced his solely determination.
