Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By Roto Professor - Baseball
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

10 Important Stories From 05/14/17 Box Scores: Valuing Arrieta/Gausman, Conforto’s Emergence & More

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Yadier Molina paced the Cardinals, going 2-4 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R.  Paul Goldschmidt showed why he’s considered one of the best players in the game, going 2-5 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R.  Speaking of the best players in the game, Mike Trout homered for the third straight game (1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R).  What else happened on the field that we need to know about?  Let’s take a look:

1) Jason Kipnis enjoys a breakout day…
He entered the day hitting .155 with 0 HR over 74 PA, but he changed all that in one fell swoop.  Moved into the leadoff spot Kipnis responded by going 4-5 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 2 R, and while he still has a long way to go it’s definitely a good sign.  He entered the day with a 10.9% SwStr% and 31.6% O-Swing%, neither of which can be attributed to the shoulder injury that delayed his start the season (his career marks are 7.3% and 25.0%, respectively).  He also had been struggling with a 17.3% line drive rate, but considering his career 23.9% mark that too should rise.  In other words, while there aren’t quite going to be days like this there should be continued better days ahead.

2) A poor showing from Luis Severino…
Taking on the Astros he struggled to get 7 outs (he needed 77 pitches to do so), allowing 3 ER on 6 H and 3 BB, striking out 2, over 2.1 IP.  Considering he entered the day with a 1.59 BB/9 the struggles were a big surprise, though he had been at 3.18 and 3.17 over his first two seasons and hadn’t been generating a lot of swings outside of the strike zone either (27.4%).  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that his control wavered, and it also wouldn’t be surprising if there are continued struggles (.232 BABIP entering the day).  While the poor starts won’t be quite this poor, there are potential struggles on the horizon (especially given his propensity to allow home runs).  Selling him now, while there’s value, may make sense.

3) Michael Conforto falls short of the cycle in an interesting way…
In what turned out to be an extremely eventful game, with the Mets season continuing its dramatic downturn, they did have a bright spot.  Hitting third Conforto finished 3-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 4 R, falling a single short of the cycle.  He’s now hitting .343 with 9 HR and 24 RBI, as he continues his renaissance and proves he belongs in the middle of the lineup for the foreseeable future.  You could easily argue that there will be a regression, considering his .358 BABIP and 28.6% HR/FB entering the day, and his 11.1% SwStr% and 21.6% strikeout rate add an additional level of concern.  That’s not to say that he’s not going to continue to produce, just don’t expect this type of production to last forever.

4) The rebound of Kevin Gausman didn’t last very long…
Taking on the Royals he was beaten up for 5 ER on 9 H and 2 BB, striking out 3, over 3.1 IP in what ultimately was a no decision.  That said there were high hopes, especially after allowing 2 ER on 5 H and 1 BB over 7.0 IP in his previous outing against the Nationals.  He continues to struggle with home runs (he allowed another one yesterday, and now has allowed 7 HR on the season) as well as with his control (4.50 BB/9 entering the day), both of which help explain his struggles.  While part of the issue is due to bad luck (.331 BABIP, 67.1% strand rate), it’s not enough at this point.  While his upside his worth stashing, until he shows consistency he’s not going to be worth trusting.

5) Jake Arrieta stumbles once again…
Taking on the Cardinals he allowed 4 ER on 7 H and 1 BB, striking out 5, over 6.0 IP.  He’s now allowed 3+ ER in seven straight starts, and 4+ in four of his past five outings.  Home runs have been one of his biggest issues (he entered the day with a 1.40 HR/9 and allowed another 2 HR yesterday), though even more important is some significantly poor luck (.364 BABIP, 58.5% strand rate).  While a 23.9% line drive rate doesn’t help, it’s not enough to justify just how bad he’s been.  While it’s fair to wonder if the heavy workload and deep playoff run is impacting him (his velocity is down significantly, from 93.7 mph to 92.0), there should be at least somewhat better days ahead.

6) Another productive day for Delino Deshields…
While he’s been bumping from the leadoff spot to the ninth spot in the order, it hasn’t stopped his production.  He went 2-4 with 1 RBI, 2 R and 1 SB yesterday, giving him a modest three game hitting streak (5-9, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB).  The numbers aren’t going to blow you away, as he’s hitting .256, but in 78 AB he’s added 7 SB and 15 R.  He has been striking out too much, especially for a table setter (he entered with a 27.6% strikeout rate, though he’s now gone three straight games without a strikeout), and that’s going to limit his appeal.  That said, if you are searching for R/SB there are far worse players to grab.

7) Julio Urias can’t tame Coors Field…
He got beat up to the tune of 6 ER on 7 H and 1 BB, striking out 1, over 4.0 IP as he took the loss.  Obviously we have to take it with at least a little bit of a grain of salt, considering the locale and his performance over his first three starts of the year (2 ER on 9 H and 10 BB over 17.0 IP).  At least he was throwing strikes in this one, though he continues to struggle generating strikeouts (11 K over 21.0 IP) as he entered the day with a pedestrian 8.7% SwStr%.  He also has been hit incredibly hard (27.3% line drive rate), so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he stumbled.  In fact, if he continues to struggle in these two areas this won’t be his first poor showing regardless of where he’s toeing the rubber.

8) Is Alex Meyer finally figuring it out…
Once a highly-touted prospect, it’s easy to have forgotten about Meyer.  However he’s starting to show signs of putting it together.  Taking on the Tigers yesterday he allowed 1 ER on 3 H and 2 BB, striking out 7, over 6.1 IP.  He has now struck out 14 batters over his past two starts (11.2 IP), though control has been a significant issue (14 BB over 19.1 IP overall) and you have to wonder if home runs will start to plague him (yesterday he posted 4 groundballs vs. 6 fly balls).  While he’s got to the upside to continue monitoring, we wouldn’t be buying quite yet.

9) Will Robbie Ray ever live up to the hype…
Taking on the Pirates he allowed 4 ER on 6 H and 3 BB, striking out 2, over 4.0 IP.  He’s now allowed 9 ER on 11 H and 8 BB over his past 9.0 IP, with two significant issues hanging over him:

  • Walks – 26 BB
  • Home Runs – 7 HR

It’s obvious that he brings significant strikeout stuff with him, but you can’t walk this many batters and struggle with the long ball (he entered with a 15.6% HR/FB, right along the lines of last year’s 15.5%) and produce consistently strong numbers.  With the luck metrics in check (.308 BABIP, 73.5% strand rate), until he corrects these issues owners need to pick and choose their spots.

10) Masahiro Tanaka completely implodes…
Taking on the Astros it was a miserable performance, as he allowed 8 ER on 7 H and 1 BB, striking out 3, over 1.2 IP.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the Astros pummeled him for four home runs.  After it appeared that he’d righted the ship after a disastrous opening start, he’s now allowed 15 ER over his past 15.0 IP (three starts) giving up 7 HR in the process (among the 25 H he’s allowed).  It’s obviously a disturbing stretch, but he entered the day with a 6.65 K/9, despite a 12.5% SwStr% and 33.0% O-Swing%, and the home runs are coming despite a 53.6% groundball rate.  In other words, as long as he’s healthy there’s every reason to believe that a big rebound is coming.

Sources – ESPN, Fangraphs

Make sure to check out all of our updated rankings:

Position
Posted
Catcher April 25
First Base April 26
Second Base May 1
Third Base May 4
Shortstop May 8
Outfield
Starting Pitcher
Relief Pitcher


Source: http://rotoprofessor.com/baseball/?p=33013


Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!


Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST


Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser!  Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover -  Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.