MLB Weekly Wrap-up (Week of 4/27/15)
It’s hard to believe that the calendar has already turned over into May. It seems like just yesterday that the 2015 baseball season got under way. The big headline last week was New York Yankees designated hitter, Alex Rodriguez, hitting the 660th home run of his career on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. That home run means that A-Rod is now tied with Willie Mays for 4th on the all-time list. Starting the season just six homers shy of Mays, it was a foregone conclusion that Rodriguez would eventually reach the mark. The question was when, not if. Now that he has reached the milestone, the Yankees are due to pay him a $6 million contract bonus. There are also other bonuses in the contract for each successive milestone he reaches on the all-time home run list. A few weeks ago, it was apparent that the Yankees wanted nothing to do with that bonus. General manager Brian Cashman made that viewpoint public over the weekend, citing Rodriguez’s past performance-enhancing drug use as grounds to get out of the obligation to pay. It appears that the MLB players’ association will now file a grievance on A-Rod’s behalf, meaning it is unlikely we’ve heard the last of this story.
Last Monday, there was a big trade finalized between a couple of American League East rivals. The Los Angeles Angels agreed to send troubled outfielder Josh Hamilton back to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Hamilton played his best baseball as a Ranger, where he was a perennial all-star and the 2010 AL most valuable player. In December 2012, he bolted the Rangers and signed a 5-year, $125 million deal with the Angels. He never lived up to that contract, and after another drug relapse back in February, the Angels were desperate to get rid of him. Hamilton still has three years left on his contract, and the Angels agreed to pay most of the $80 million he is still owed. He will not be punished under MLB’s drug agreement, as it was determined that his actions did not violate his treatment program. Hamilton is currently rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to return in the next week or two. It’s a low-risk move for the Rangers. If he comes back and produces, it will be a steal. If not, the Rangers can cut him without much financial obligation. For Hamilton’s sake, hopefully the move back to a familiar place will help him get his life together both on and off the field.
Elsewhere in baseball, the Tommy John epidemic continues, as it claimed another victim this past week. The Cincinnati Reds announced on Friday that starting pitcher Homer Bailey is done for the season, and will require surgery on his right elbow. Bailey had previously dealt with elbow troubles, undergoing surgery on a torn tendon last September and beginning this season on the disabled list. He was only able to make two starts this year before shutting it down for good. Bailey, who was signed to a 6-year, $105 million extension prior to the 2014 season, will now be sidelined well into 2016. This means that the Reds now have big money tied up into a starter who will not be helping them anytime soon, while their ace, Johnny Cueto, faces free agency following the season. It is unlikely that the Reds have the financial capacity to afford another big contract on their books, so perhaps it is time to hit the reset button and start rebuilding in the Queen City.
Hottest Team: Houston Astros (7-0 last week)
Image courtesy of sportslogos.net
The Astros have been the laughingstock of baseball the past couple of seasons, completely tearing their team apart and rebuilding from the bottom up. While the organization is well on their way to returning to relevance, it appeared as if the team was still a year or two away from reaping the benefits. Perhaps, that is not the case. The Astros are white-hot right now, winners of 10 straight, and opening up an early seven-game lead in the American League West. Their 18-7 record is the best in the AL, and 2nd best in all of baseball. They are also an incredible 18-0 when having a lead at any point in a game. 2nd baseman Jose Altuve is putting up his usual numbers, but the other youngsters are producing as well, including starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Colin McHugh. This team appears to be ahead of schedule in terms of rebuilding, and they could potentially return to the playoffs this year.
Coldest Team: Chicago White Sox (0-5 last week)
Image courtesy of sportslogos.net
The White Sox made some interesting acquisitions this past offseason. They acquired starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija from the Athletics, and signed free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera, a career .286 hitter. The team also brought in relief pitchers David Robertson and Zach Duke to clean up some of their bullpen issues. All of that was supposed to lead to the team fighting for a spot in the postseason. Right now, the White Sox look far from a playoff team. Their games last Monday and Tuesday in Baltimore were postponed due to the riots, but the team lost every other game they played last week. The Orioles defeated the White Sox on Wednesday, and a mediocre Minnesota Twins team destroyed them in a four-game sweep. Already seven games out of their division, the White Sox are failing miserably to live up to the hype they created last winter.
Best Hitter: Josh Reddick – Athletics (.478 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI last week)
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports
The Oakland Athletics have started slow out of the gate (11-15 record), but Josh Reddick is doing his best to propel this team forward. After beginning the season on the disabled list with an oblique injury, Reddick has returned to the lineup and hit the ball as well as anyone in the league. He is currently working on a 10-game hitting streak and reaching base at a .444 clip. This kind of success at the plate is a rarity for Reddick, who is a career .250 batter. Eventually, his numbers will likely return to his career norm, but the Athletics will enjoy his hot streak for as long as it continues. They need all the help they can get right now.
Best Pitcher: Sonny Gray – Athletics (2-0, 1.23 ERA, 16 SO last week)
Image courtesy of Associated Press
Along with the top hitter, the Athletics also had the top pitcher last week. Still, the performances of these two players haven’t been enough to get the team to win games on a consistent basis. This is already Sonny Gray’s second time being named the top pitcher of the week this season, as his strong start to the 2015 campaign continues. Gray delivered 8 strong innings on Tuesday against the Angels, then followed that up with 6.2 shutout innings on Sunday against the Rangers. Walks were an issue in his most recent start (he issued 7 of them), but Gray found a way to clean up his own messes and get the outs when he needed them. The Athletics can continue to count on Gray to deliver quality performances every fifth day.
This has been the MLB Weekly Wrap-up (week of 4/27/15), be sure to check out last week’s weekly wrap-up here!
