The history of allowing four home runs in an inning.
Last night in Las Vegas, Mets top prospect Zack Wheeler made his final Triple-A tune-up before his big-league debut. It was a good one. Pitching against the Tacoma Rainiers, Wheeler went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one hit—a home run by Carlos Peguero—two walks, and striking out seven. The Rainiers’ starter, Erasmo Ramirez, was even better, going eight scoreless with seven strikeouts and no walks. And this was in Cashman Field, one of the best offensive environments in Minor League Baseball, where 2.22 home runs were hit per game from 2010-12—more than in any other PCL park except Albuquerque. As a team, the 51s have slugged over 50 points higher at home this season.
Quick notes on five loud performances from Day 1 of the 2013 Perfect Game National Showcase.
With the 2013 MLB Draft a week in our rearview, the 2014 draft class is already under industry surveillance, as the 2013 summer circuit kicks off this weekend with the Perfect Game National Showcase. Joe Hamrahi and I are taking in the event along with our partners at Perfect Game, and will be bringing you more detailed write-ups early next week. For now, here are five loud performances from Day 1 you should know about.
A drinking game to play with your friends while you enjoy watching Yasiel Puig.
The Objective: Wholesome adult fun; beverage consumption; baseball viewing; participation in an event that is larger than ourselves; Ernest Hemingway was all about this game back in the day; loneliness; boredom; because it’s awesome.
I was watching Pedro Alvarez yesterday, smasher of 400-foot home runs and manufacturer of golden sombreros. Alvarez is one of a few streaky hitters who have excellent 2-3 game stretches of power, followed by long stretches of bat contact amnesia. I wondered which hitters hit home runs on back-to-back days most often, so I fired up our database and looked for games where any hitter homered. Then, I tabulated their performance the day after and took the leaders (data since 2011):
Everybody loves a good mock draft, and I apologize in advance if I’m tardy to this particular online form of a party. I’ve been making calls and hugging the babies of the baseball establishment in order to stay in the loop and extract the freshest of fresh scoops. Because the loyal subscribers to Baseball Prospectus deserve the world and all its material wealth, I deliver to you the most comprehensive and prophetic mock draft found on the tubes. Unfortunately, that’s not true. I only mocked to 10, but only because prophesy is difficult on the mind and the body. But I think I nailed it. Check my work after the first round of the draft.
In last week’s edition of TLPAotW, commenter dbertelli asked, “Who are the all-time hitter record holders for number of plate appearances of more than 10 pitches?” The answer is these guys, with the caveat that “all-time,” in this context, means “since 1988,” which is as far back as Retrosheet pitch-by-pitch data goes:
Supplemental entry in the 2013 Dissecting the Draft series.
Updated 9:40 pm EST -- The San Francisco Giants pop Christian Arroyo with the 25th overall selection, likely on a pre-draft deal, which further removes a middle-infield target of ours. That adds a greater incentive for us to nab Unroe if he is available in the 2nd at the 45th overall pick. If Unroe is off the board, we will likely punt our middle-infielder selection until later in the draft and look for a better fit-for-value for the early second round.
Player Report supplementing the 2013 Dissecting the Draft series.
Ryne Stanek | RHP | University of Arkansas
Ht/Wt: 6-4/190 | B/T: R/R | Age at Draft: 21y 10m
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Let’s be clear; concise; first views and reviews. Let’s stay another night; watching you play under the lights; spelunking/sparkling; it’s important to be clear and concise; present day wondermenting
BP Unfiltered: Dissecting the Draft: Ryne Stanek (Player Report)
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