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The baseball world has lost two legends, Ken tells us his favorite quote of the year so far, and Jack Leiter is on his way to the big leagues. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
Jack Leiter to debut Thursday
Yesterday we linked Melissa Lockard’s two-part story on the top prospects on each team in the National League and American League. The title of the AL article began with “Jack Leiter is hot…”
Indeed.
After starting the season with 25 strikeouts and just three walks in 14 1/3 innings, Leiter – who is the son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter – was called up to the big leagues; he will start Thursday’s series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.
Leiter, the Rangers’ 2021 first-round pick, will become the team’s fourth first-round pick to make his MLB debut this season, following Cole Winn (2018), Davis Wendzel (2019, supplemental pick) and Wyatt Langford (2023). .
If you’re curious, their pick for 2022 was Kumar Rocker, whose Tommy John surgery last May allows him to join the party this year. But Evan Carter (2020) debuted last September. Josh Jung (also 2019) is on the IL but made his 2022 debut.
Meanwhile, a few hours south on I-45, the Astros also conjure up a recognizable name: Forrest Whitley, 26, was not included in Lockard’s story and didn’t even appear on the Keith Law’s list of the Astros’ top 30 prospects this spring. This seems strange to write, given its status as a must-see a few years ago. Once a top-five prospect in the game, Whitley’s journey to here has been anything but linear, writes Chandler Rome.
Whitley’s numbers in Triple-A have been mediocre at best, but the Astros’ pitching staff has been in such turmoil that none of the bullpen arms they’ve picked up recently have been down for 10 days required, and so they cannot be down. recalled unless there is an injury.
More orders: The Dodgers called up power-hitting outfielder (and MLB The Show pundit) Andy Pages to bolster their struggling lower order, and he scored a hit at the first pitch he saw.
Ken’s Notebook: How a Veteran Dodgers Player Handled Change
OK, here it is, my favorite quote of the year, so far. It comes from Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas. I recently asked him about his reaction when the Dodgers turned to Mookie Betts at shortstop in spring training. The team, after all, won 100 games with Rojas as their primary shortstop last season after Gavin Lux blew out his knee in the spring.
Here is Rojas’ quote, lightly edited for length and clarity.
“I think the organization has been really honest, transparent and upfront. They explained to me the reason they moved Mookie to the shorts. Remember, when I got here last year, my role was going to be a utility guy, playing all over the field. We had a second baseman (Miguel Vargas) who had (not played much) second base before. Mookie wasn’t ready to move to the infield yet. He was trying to change positions during the year. He wasn’t completely used to playing on land. The organization felt comfortable hooking me up.
“Even though they had me as a utility guy, they felt they needed a shortstop with some experience, to help Miguel Vargas in his transition. Now, in this situation, they want Gavin Lux in the lineup (at second base). I totally understand. I’m at a point in my career where I understand where I’m at. That’s why he was me. easier to digest what was going to happen.
“I feel like this is an opportunity for me to start what I want to do once my career is over.” By helping Mookie, by creating this relationship with him as a teammate, I think about how I am going to teach others, helping them with my experience. This is a great opportunity for me to not only focus on myself, but also focus on helping others.
“I will always be ready to play shortstop, every day. But there are others who will have the opportunity to show they can do the job. Gavin Lux’s bat is important to our lineup. I understand why they wanted to give him an opportunity. He was going to be the shortstop last year. He was brutally injured. And that’s why I intervened.
Does it get any more professional than that? Rojas has started six games at shortstop thus far and two at third. Betts started 14 games at short and six at second, Lux 13 games at second. The situation is fluid – Lux, hitting just .157 with an OPS of .395, hasn’t started the last two games. As Rojas said, he will be ready to take on any role.
Baseball loses legends Erskine and Herzog on the same day
It seems appropriate that Carl Erskine stays an extra day. After all, it was Jackie Robinson Day on Monday, the day all great players wear Robinson’s universally retired uniform number (42) on their backs to honor the man who broke baseball’s color barrier.
Erskine, whom Robinson once described as his “most understanding teammate”, died on Tuesday. He was 97 years old. He was the last surviving member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers team – the only year they won the World Series before moving to Los Angeles.
Tyler Kepner spoke to Erskine last summer, and his tribute is a great place to start if you want to know what made the pitcher special, both on and off the field.
Likewise, Rustin Dodd does a brilliant job chronicling the life and career of Whitey Herzog, who also died on Tuesday. Herzog, aged 92, was a brilliant tactician and one of the most entertaining quotes in the game.
As a manager, Herzog was best known for his “Whiteyball” – speed, defense and small-ball, rather than power. He was successful in Texas, California and Kansas City, but it was in St. Louis – where he led the Cardinals to three World Series appearances and a championship during his 10 years as manager from 1981 to 1990 – that Herzog’s legend was cemented.
In a fortuitous tribute, the Cardinals won a 3-2 game against the A’s last night in “Whiteyball” style, getting just four hits (to go with six walks) and scoring their first run without a single ball leaves the infield.
Instant classic: The rays survive the angels in the extras
We just haven’t had this many 13 inning games since MLB added the “ghost runner” in extra innings. So when we get them, it’s fun to dive in and relive a little bit of the action.
The Angels led this one 3-1 against the Rays with two outs and no one in the bottom of the ninth before Harold Ramírez and Amed Rosario singled in front of a José Caballero triple to tie the game and send the game to extras.
Los Angeles also led after the start of the 10th (4-3), 11th (5-4) and (after a scoreless 12th inning) 13th (6-5) innings. But each time, the Rays fought (or were introduced, by the errors of the Angels) to return.
In the 10th, a throwing error by pitcher José Cisnero allowed the tying run to score. In the 11th, a double play by Ramírez tied up another score. And in the 13th, with two outs left, Rosario hit a short dribbler toward third that Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon charged hard and made a nice bare-handed play, but it was too late. Rosario was safe and it was a walk-off win for the Rays.
It wasn’t exactly a playoff atmosphere — it was the Angels and Rays playing in St. Petersburg, after all — but it was drama in mid-April, and it wasn’t the only extra inning of the evening. .
Likewise, the Cubs were one out away from a win in Arizona, leading 11-10 in a barnburner before Ketel Marte’s solo shot sent it to the extras, ultimately ending in a 12-11 victory for the D-Backs in 10 innings. And in Boston, the Guardians scored five runs in the final three innings of a 10-7 victory over the Red Sox in 11 innings.
By the way, the Red Sox’s injury problems continue unabated. The most recent casualties are starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) and third baseman Rafael Devers (knee soreness, unrelated to his collision with Tyler O’Neill on Monday).
Handshakes and High Fives
While we wait to learn the fate of Ippei Mizuhara, Stephen Nesbitt spoke with a gaming addiction expert and a recovering addict about how gaming shifts from entertainment to compulsion.
What is the plan for the Yankees radio booth after John Sterling retires? Brendan Kuty and Andrew Marchand present some options.
Under the tutelage of Ron Washington, Ryan Goins seems to be finding his place as the Angels’ on-field coach.
The Tigers rank 26th in batting average (.213) and on-base percentage (.288) and 29th in slugging (.321). But they’re 10-7, largely because their points came in bunches and late. Eleven of their 60 runs came in the eighth inning and another 11 came in extra innings. Ugly wins still count.
Ranger Suárez is putting it all together in Philadelphia. He pitched a complete game shutout last night against the Rockies.
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(Top photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)