Latest news with #TimBritton
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay Rays Improve Stock After Climbing Back to .500
The Tampa Bay Rays came out of the game hot with a 4-2 record through their first two series of the year. That all came crashing down soon after, however, with two separate four-game losing streaks. Those struggles may be a thing of the past for the Rays, who enter Tuesday on a five-game winning streak, riding high after sweeping the San Diego Padres over the weekend. The recent run of success has seen the team's stock steadily rise. Now back at .500 with a 14-14 record, the Athletic ranked Tampa Bay as the 16th best team in MLB, after placing only 20th last week. Advertisement "The one player in baseball putting his barrel on the ball at a higher rate than Judge?" writes Tim Britton. "That would be Morel, whose ability to square the ball up has kept him a viable big-league hitter despite a strikeout rate above 40 percent. While Morel needs to keep hitting the ball this hard when he does make contact, the rewards for doing so should increase. Just three of his 11 barrels have left the yard; over the past two seasons, more than half of his barrels went for homers." The Rays' third baseman does not lack for power, it has just not shown up as expected to this point in the season. Christopher Morel has 66 career home runs across 1,552 plate appearances and has hit them at a 4.3 percent clip throughout his career. This year, that home run rate sits at "only" 3.4 percent. For what it is worth, this is the same home run rate he finished the 2024 campaign with across his time with the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays. But with his ability to put the barrel on the ball with ease, you still expect many more home runs to come from Morel. Once the balls Morel barrels begin to leave the yard at a higher rate than they have to this point, the Rays could be off to the races. The American League East is more open for the taking than people think, and the climb back to .500 could be just the beginning for this young squad.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets mailbag: Roster role for Luisangel Acuña, the next core of pitching prospects
We asked (for questions), and you answered (with questions, that we will now answer). In the first week of May, the Mets sit atop the standings in the National League East. However, the past week and a half brought some tumult with a 5-6 record over the last 11 games, and significant injuries to A.J. Minter, Danny Young and Jesse Winker. So Tim Britton and Will Sammon are here to address the most pressing issues. (Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.) Do you think Acuña will be the second baseman for the rest of the season? — Jbeningo1 Tim Britton: No, I don't. That's the short answer. The longer answer is that Carlos Mendoza and the Mets already have a blueprint for how this could work as a time-share from last season, when Jeff McNeil and José Iglesias split time at the keystone. McNeil and Iglesias shared second over a 69-game stretch last season. It started in mid-June, by which point Iglesias had shown he was off to an excellent start offensively. And it continued until McNeil's regular-season-ending injury in early September. In that stretch, McNeil made 36 starts to Iglesias' 33 at second base. Their versatility, though, permitted them to be in the lineup elsewhere: McNeil made 17 outfield starts and Iglesias 10 at third base. We're already seeing this play out now with McNeil and Acuña. In 11 games since McNeil's return, Acuña has made seven starts and McNeil four at second base. Acuña has also played third once, and McNeil the outfield four times. The injury to Jesse Winker does suggest more outfield time for McNeil is coming, but I don't think Acuña will be the everyday second baseman that entire time. Are the Mets eligible to receive a draft pick through the Prospect Promotion Initiative if Acuña wins NL Rookie of the Year? — Bryan G. TB: No, to be eligible for the PPI, a player must be a top-100 prospect at two of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. Acuña did not land on any of those lists. Why hasn't Brandon Sproat gotten any of the depth starter spot starts? — Sam G. Will Sammon: There are a few reasons. The pitchers chosen ahead of him outperformed him. The opening in the rotation didn't correspond well with his next start date. And he's been inconsistent. While Sproat has dominated previous levels, he has struggled in Triple A at times. He has a 5.48 ERA (23 innings). Unlike Blade Tidwell, who also had a high ERA but strong walk and strikeout rates, Sproat has 12 walks and 17 strikeouts. The stuff remains exciting. But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Sproat switch up his usage and lean more on his secondary pitches. From 2020 to 2023, Brandon Nimmo was a center fielder. By 2023, he was considered an above-average defensive CF. After the 2022 season, we signed him to a huge contract partly because 'you have to pay CFs.' And then, after that contract, he is seemingly not allowed to play CF. What happened? Why can't he play CF anymore? — John F. TB: Major credit goes to the Mets and Nimmo for making him a serviceable and, yes, above-average center fielder in 2021 and 2022. But two important things happened since then, John. First, Nimmo was back to average or below in 2023, based on which metrics you prefer. And the decline in his sprint speed (smaller from 2023 to 2024, larger from 2024 to this season) suggests he would only regress more in center into the future. And second, the Mets changed heads of baseball operations, going from Billy Eppler (who signed Nimmo to that eight-year deal) to David Stearns (who didn't). This isn't to say Stearns doesn't like Nimmo as a player; however, Stearns has a track record of valuing defense in center field more than his peers (and more than Eppler). In Milwaukee, two of his biggest free-agent contracts were for Lorenzo Cain and Jackie Bradley Jr. So it was not a surprise when he surveyed the outfield landscape in the offseason after 2023 and thought the most prudent upgrade would not be a mashing corner outfielder — I was pushing Teoscar Hernández, which you have to admit would have been pretty wise — but an outstanding defensive center fielder. He landed on Harrison Bader with Tyrone Taylor as a backup plan, and he ran that plan back this year with Jose Siri replacing Bader. Nimmo can play center if needed, but it's pretty noteworthy that the Mets have opted for the inexperienced (and slower) McNeil there over him in the last couple of weeks. What are the chances that Ronny Mauricio gets some reps at center field as he works his way back up through the minors? — D.R. WS: Mauricio will stay on the infield until he's up to full speed. Mauricio's rehab assignment with St. Lucie started last week. He has played five innings each at second base, shortstop and third base. The Mets view him as an infielder. But a necessity in the outfield could cause Mauricio to spend some time there. Thirty-eight strikeouts in 21 innings? How long until Jonah Tong gets promoted to Triple A? — Chris T. WS: The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Tong as the Mets' eighth-best prospect. In Double A, he has a 3.38 ERA with — yes — 38 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. But he also has 14 walks. He needs to throw strikes more consistently. Sometimes, he gets on a good stretch and piles up strikes only to quickly lose that flow. Also, he's 21 and lacks pitching experience compared to someone like Sproat or Nolan McLean, who recently earned a promotion to Triple A. Mark Vientos has been struggling, both in the field and at the plate. If this level of performance continues, when might the Mets make a move to platoon him or possibly even get him back in the minors? — Emilie F. WS: We received several questions regarding Vientos. Over the long term, I'm interested in learning how long the Mets stick with him at third base because his defensive numbers remain dim. But I don't anticipate any drastic changes this early. I also don't agree with the sentiment of many questions regarding his offense. Yes, he is off to a slow start. But the notion that his numbers are worsening is wrong. Over his past 19 games heading into the Mets' series in Arizona, Vientos owns a .288/.346/.521 slash line with four home runs and a 23.5 percent strikeout rate (high, but still better than his 29.7 percent figure from last year). It's early May. He's 25. He hit 27 home runs last season. I understand the concern, especially on defense, but I wouldn't be panicking yet. Who do you see as the Mets' next potential pitching development breakout? — Ithti U. WS: Felipe De La Cruz, a 23-year-old lefty in Triple-A Syracuse. There's a real possibility he cracks the Mets' bullpen this season. In his Triple-A debut last week, De La Cruz tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed one hit. He is a great athlete who throws a four-seamer, two-seamer and slider. His fastball usually averages about 95 mph. Some evaluators suggested he may be capable of sitting at 97 mph in shorter stints. The Mets signed him in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic. At the time, he had minimal pitching experience. He has steadily improved over the last couple of years. Before his promotion, he had a 1.98 ERA in Double A with 20 strikeouts and just three walks in 13 2/3 innings. (Top photo of Luisangel Acuña: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Power Rankings: For the first time this season, we have a new No. 1
By Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr. and Andy McCullough Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results. Congratulations! We have made it through a solid month of baseball, which means we're getting ever closer to extrapolating real meaning from what's transpired so far in 2025. This season has so far preserved a strong balance of the expected and unexpected. The Yankees are in first place, which is not a surprise. But the Orioles are in last place, which is. Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are among the best pitchers in baseball. Sounds right. Chris Sale, Aaron Nola, Dylan Cease and Zac Gallen have ERAs over five. Hmm. Advertisement Today we're gambling by looking at statistics — 'invisible but ineluctable' in the game, according to Roger Angell. Specifically, we're finding the statistical superlative for each team — the number that jumps out in bold on Baseball-Reference or deep red on Baseball Savant. What do they say about the now, and what do they suggest about the future? Record: 20-9 Last Power Ranking: T-2 Statistical superlative: Pete Alonso's red-hot start Look, when he broke Aaron Judge's rookie home-run record one year later and across town in 2019, Pete Alonso's intention was probably not to set up a career-long juxtaposition with the greatest hitter of his era. Right here in this moment, though, Alonso is the closest thing the National League has to Judge — a big right-handed power hitter who is doing everything right at the plate. Off a couple of down seasons, Alonso is as locked in as ever. He's swinging more at strikes and less at pitches out of the zone, he's hitting the ball harder and more often, and he's coming through whenever the opposition decides it prefers him at the plate over Juan Soto. He's basically carried a surprisingly suspect Mets offense to this point. — Tim Britton Record: 19-10 Last Power Ranking: 1 Statistical superlative: Yoshinobu Yamamoto's ERA+ Yamamoto clocked in with a 360 ERA+, even after taking the loss against Pirates phenom Paul Skenes over the weekend. Yamamoto gave up three runs, but two were unearned, so his B-Ref page continues to include bold ink. For a pitching staff that has already experienced some hiccups, in the form of injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, Yamamoto has been a stabilizing force. — Andy McCullough Record: 19-10 Last Power Ranking: 5 Statistical superlative: Logan Webb's strikeout rate In this era, 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings is impressive but hardly otherworldly. But for Webb, a venerable bulldog who has led the National League in innings each of the past two seasons, relying mostly on soft contact, it's a big deal. He averaged 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings during the previous three seasons. For 2025, he has incorporated a kick changeup into his repertoire, which has helped him subdue left-handed batters. His fastball and slider already elevated him to the top of the modern pitching heap. The extra weapon has put him in an early race with Paul Skenes for the National League Cy Young Award. — McCullough Advertisement Record: 17-12 Last Power Ranking: 4 Statistical superlative: Insert Aaron Judge stat How do you like to evaluate hitters? You like batting average? Judge was hitting .406 entering Monday. OBP? An even .500. Care more about power? He slugs better than .700. (A .300/.400/.500 slash line holds some aesthetic sway in this game; a .400/.500/.700 doesn't quite compute.) You prefer more advanced stats? His barrel rate, exit velocities and expected stats are all in the top 1 percent of the league. — Britton Record: 17-11 Last Power Ranking: T-2 Statistical superlative: Luis Arraez's strikeout rate Arraez has struck out twice this season. Twice! His ability to make contact is still mesmerizing, even if the entire industry knows it is his one elite skill. Since he debuted in 2019, Arraez has struck out 196 times – or one fewer time than Kyle Schwaber did in 2024 alone (Elly De La Cruz led the sport with 211 punchouts). Arraez's approach has diversified the Padres' lineup, which also benefits from Fernando Tatis Jr. looking more and more like the superstar that was promised before his injuries and PED suspension. — McCullough Record: 17-12 Last Power Ranking: 8 Statistical Superlative: Chicago's 44 stolen bases Statistically speaking, the Cubs might have enough to claim to be baseball's best offense. The club's .784 OPS is second best in the sport behind the Yankees, and its run total (172) is well ahead of the Mets' 155. Point being, the Cubs have been very good in the batter's box this season. But it's the Cubs' ability to steal bases at a high clip that is most worthy of this week's statistical superlative. With 44 stolen bases in 29 games, Chicago is as dangerous with a bat as it is on the basepaths. It's not just one player, either. Yes, Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the majors with 12 stolen bags, but Kyle Tucker has chipped in eight of his own, as has Nico Hoerner with six. First baseman Michael Busch has contributed two steals, and even 40-year-old Justin Turner has one. For reference, Turner stole zero bases across 139 games in 2024. — Johnny Flores Jr. Advertisement Record: 18-11 Last Power Ranking: 10 Statistical Superlative: The Tigers' 13-3 home record Listen, there's a lot to like about the 2025 Detroit Tigers. As of Monday, their 18-10 record was the best in the American League and third best in all of baseball. Both Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson have made good on their 1-1 draft positions, and Tarik Skubal has been absolute nails to begin the season. But to truly understand how good these Tigers have been, you'd have to go back to 1911. That team won its first 12 home games en route to a 21-2 start. With a win on Sunday, the Tigers have a 13-3 home record, their best such start in over a century. On its own, it's pretty noteworthy considering the teams the Tigers have fielded over the years (early-2010s Tigers, anyone?). That this year's team has been able to not only stay afloat but also dominate with so many key pieces on the injured list is a testament to the depth and skill in Detroit. — Flores Record: 15-13 Last Power Ranking: 7 Statistical superlative: Eugenio Suarez's isolated power The statistic known as ISO is used to measure a player's raw power. The simple formula subtracts a player's batting average from his slugging percentage. After Suarez slugged four homers on Saturday night, his ISO jumped to .362, 26 points ahead of the next-best hitter, his teammate Corbin Carroll. But Carroll's numbers are reflective of an overall renaissance; he was hitting .302 heading into Sunday. Suarez has only been hitting homers: 10 of his 19 hits this season were dingers (and four were doubles). When Suarez makes contact this year, the ball goes far. He just hasn't made a ton of contact. — McCullough Record: 15-13 Last Power Ranking: 6 Statistical superlative: Zack Wheeler's splitter Wheeler developed his splitter in 2018, when he couldn't put away hitters and his career felt on a sort of precipice. Although he's used it inconsistently in the years since, basically shelving it in 2022 and 2023, it's been a critical pitch for him early this season. Hitters are 1-for-21 in at-bats ending with the splitter, and it's become his go-to putaway pitch. One of the best pitchers in baseball for a long time now, Wheeler knows his willingness to play around with his mix and his facility with learning new pitches are big reasons for his success. — Britton Advertisement Record: 16-14 Last Power Ranking: 11 Statistical superlative: Garrett Crochet's fastball value Some of our statistical superlatives are surprises that may not necessarily last; others are mere continuations of what we've seen before, projecting well the rest of this year and, perhaps if a player has signed a long-term extension recently, well into the future. Basically nobody in baseball derives more value from their fastballs than Crochet, and yes, the plural is important. Crochet throws three of them: four-seamer, sinker and cutter, the last of which has become his bread and butter so far this season. (Say 'That cutter is his bread and butter' in your best Boston accent.) His four-seamer was a top-five pitch in baseball last season. Guess there's a reason he got that deal. — Britton Record: 16-12 Last Power Ranking: 12 Statistical superlative: Logan Gilbert's innings total … in 2024 Gilbert logged 208 2/3 innings last year, more than any other starter in the American League. He was a trendy pick for the Cy Young Award this year. His 6-6, 215-pound frame looked like it offered him the best chance of any homegrown Mariners starter to avoid injury. Alas. Gilbert was placed on the injured list with a flexor strain in his elbow after leaving a start early on Friday. His injury occurred just as George Kirby, the other young Mariners All-Star pitcher, was making progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury. Pitching, man. Pitching. — McCullough Record: 13-15 Last Power Ranking: 14 Statistical superlative: Marcell Ozuna's walk rate In his very bad 2022 season, Ozuna walked 31 times in 507 plate appearances. He might pass that total this week, given the 26 free passes he's worked already this season (in 105 plate appearances) entering Monday. That 2022 low was an aberration, but Ozuna typically walked a bit more than 8 percent of the time; he's tripling that rate this season. And only once in a full season, back in 2019 with the Cardinals, did he walk even half as much as he struck out. This year, he has more BBs than Ks. Not bad for an, ahem, walk year. — Britton Advertisement Record: 15-14 Last Power Ranking: 9 Statistical superlative: Tyler Mahle's ERA While the Rangers wait for the offense to wake up, the starting pitching is keeping them afloat in the American League West. Nathan Eovaldi is filling up the zone with strikes. Jacob deGrom looks more human than superhero, but a human logging innings is more valuable than a superhero on the shelf. And Mahle, who was signed last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, has been nails. When he gave up two runs in five innings against San Francisco on Saturday, his ERA actually rose to 1.14. He has permitted four earned runs in six starts. — McCullough Record: 15-13 Last Power Ranking: 13 Statistical Superlative: Steven Kwan's .346 average In the early part of the 2024 season, Kwan flirted with a .400 average, a feat that hadn't been accomplished since Ted Williams was still swinging the lumber in 1941. A year later, his start to the 2025 campaign might be even better. Through 27 games, Kwan is slashing .346/.397/.505 for a .902 OPS that is in the top 10 in the American League. His 37 hits are the third most in the majors, and his .346 average ranks fifth. He has 11 multi-hit games and, as of Monday, a 10-game hitting streak. Kwan makes it all look easy, and as he enters his 'prime' years, it begs the question of whether the best version of Kwan is yet to come. — Flores Record: 15-13 Last Power Ranking: 17 Statistical superlative: Steven Okert's swinging strike percentage You can be excused for assuming that Josh Hader led the Astros in this category. And Hader is, in fact, up to his usual bat-missing ways, generating whiffs with 17.7 percent of his pitches heading into Sunday. But it is Okert, a 30-year-old lefty signed to a $1.2 million deal, who is missing bats with 20 percent of his pitches. The back end of the Houston bullpen looks like a strength for a club still trying to find its footing. Hader, Okert, Bryan Abreu and Bryan King offer manager Joe Espada some options for protecting a lead. — McCullough Record: 16-13 Last Power Ranking: 19 Statistical Superlative: The 2025 version of Austin Hays Advertisement Signed to a one-year, $5 million deal in late January, Hays represented the kind of low-risk, high-reward signing that could help uplift a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs in a full 162-game season since 2013. So far, he's rewarded that belief with a .386/,449/.773 line in 11 games. His 1.0 bWAR is enough to lead all of Cincinnati's hitters and he became the first player in Reds history to amass at least 15 hits, five homers and 10 RBIs in his first 11 games. Various injuries, including a kidney infection, kept Hays from feeling like his regular self last year, and after a late debut, it appears the Reds are in line to get the best version of the 29-year-old. — Flores Record: 14-14 Last Power Ranking: 20 Statistical superlative: Christopher Morel's barrel rate The one player in baseball putting his barrel on the ball at a higher rate than Judge? That would be Morel, whose ability to square the ball up has kept him a viable big-league hitter despite a strikeout rate above 40 percent. While Morel needs to keep hitting the ball this hard when he does make contact, the rewards for doing so should increase. Just three of his 11 barrels have left the yard; over the past two seasons, more than half of his barrels went for homers. — Britton Record: 14-15 Last Power Ranking: 16 Statistical Superlative: Jose Quintana's 4-0 start Fourteen years into his big-league career, Jose Quintana might be off to his best start yet. He's 4-0 over four starts with a 1.14 ERA over 23 2/3 innings. If Quintana were to qualify (1.0 innings pitched per scheduled league), he'd be tied with Tyler Mahle for the second-best ERA in the league. Oh, and that 4-0 record, it's the first time since CC Sabathia in 2008 that a Brewers starter won each of his first four starts with a team. That Quintana has been able to etch his name alongside one of the greatest trade deadline acquisitions of all time is rather remarkable. That he's doing it at 36 years old, coming off an abbreviated spring training, is all the more reason to celebrate. — Flores Record: 13-15 Last Power Ranking: 15 Statistical superlative: Chris Bassitt's chase rate Advertisement Before PitchCom, Bassitt used to lead the league in shake rate, tormenting his catchers by making them work through his entire eight-pitch arsenal. But Bassitt this year is in the top 10 in the sport in chase rate, well above where the veteran right-hander usually ranks. Bassitt is generating chase on roughly one-third of his pitches out of the strike zone, up from annual averages around a quarter of the time. The unpredictability of his mix works, sure, but the big difference this year has been Bassitt's command around the strike zone. He's throwing more pitches than ever in the so-called 'shadow' zone, the area that straddles the edges of the strike zone. — Britton Record: 13-16 Last Power Ranking: 23 Statistical Superlative: Joe Ryan's 2.8 percent walk rate Only two qualified pitchers in the majors have fewer strikeouts than Minnesota's Joe Ryan — the Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore and the Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi. With 11 strikeouts and just one walk across seven innings on Sunday, Ryan bumped his season total to 39 Ks against four walks. His 2.8 percent walk rate is the third-lowest in MLB with a very sizzling 95th Statcast percentile. What's more, Ryan is doing this with a fastball that averages … 92.7 mph, well below the league average of 94.6 mph for right-handers. In his Sunday outing, Angels hitters swung and missed at his 'heater' 18 times. Of his 10 swinging strikeouts, only two came against non-fastballs. The numbers are strong enough to make even Greg Maddux blush. — Flores Record: 11-17 Last Power Ranking: 18 Statistical superlative: Cedric Mullins' slugging percentage Yes, of all the position players you thought might make a leap forward for the Orioles this season, the 30-year-old free-agent-to-be was tops on the list, right? Mullins is partying like it's 2021, when he broke out with a 30/30 season; unfortunately, so are the Orioles, who lost 110 that year. Mullins' slugging percentage — .574 entering Monday — would be the best by an everyday center fielder since Mike Trout in 2019. And since 2010, only Trout, Charlie Blackmon in Colorado and Matt Kemp in his best season have slugged more from center than Mullins has so far. — Britton Advertisement Record: 15-14 Last Power Ranking: 25 Statistical superlative: Tyler Soderstrom's slugging percentage Soderstrom, a first-round pick out of high school in 2020, cooled off a tad after a torrid start, but this month still demonstrated his big-league potential. He bashed nine homers in the first few weeks of the season. The Athletics' position-player core has some promise. Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers have been solid. Brent Rooker is there to stay. Jacob Wilson even took a walk. If Soderstrom keeps hitting for power, the group is that much more likely to hang around in the wide-open American League West. — McCullough Record: 13-16 Last Power Ranking: 26 Statistical superlative: MacKenzie Gore's strikeout rate Through six starts, Gore is punching out 37.3 percent of hitters, second in baseball behind only Seattle's Logan Gilbert. Maybe the more intriguing comparison is with a different one-time Mariner: Gore's strikeout rate is just off the career-best number for Randy Johnson. (Imagine how many hitters Johnson would strike out these days.) That jump in Ks — Gore struck out about a quarter of hitters last season — has aligned with a drop in walks, which is about as promising a combination as a pitcher could have. — Britton Record: 14-15 Last Power Ranking: 21 Statistical Superlative: Maikel Garcia's hard hit rate No, Kansas City's leader in hard-hit rate and exit velocity isn't Bobby Witt Jr. Both Garcia's hard-hit rate and average exit velocity numbers are in the 93rd percentile of the league, and his squared up percentage is in the 99th. To put things into perspective, Garcia's 55.8 percent hard-hit rate is better than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Austin Riley and Cal Raleigh. His average exit velocity of 93.6 mph is better than Kyle Schwarber, Matt Chapman and … Juan Soto. For a Kansas City team with the fewest homers in the majors and the second-lowest slugging percentage, Garcia's ability to square up the ball could be a godsend if it can translate into the box score. — Flores Record: 12-17 Last Power Ranking: 24 Statistical Superlative: Lars Nootbaar's eyes Advertisement As far as leadoff hitters go, some teams opt for power (Yankees) and others for star power (Dodgers), but Cardinals manager Oli Marmol went with an old-school approach in putting Nootbaar at leadoff. He gets on base. Nootbaar has posted 10 game-opening walks between March and April to go along with 23 bases on balls overall, the third-most in the majors and ahead of Juan Soto. His 98th percentile walk percentage at 18 percent overall is fifth in the league. He attributes it to an 'old-school mentality of seeing some pitches,' and clearly that has worked out. — Flores Record: 12-15 Last Power Ranking: 22 Statistical superlative: Tyler Anderson's changeup value According to Statcast, Anderson's cambio has been the eighth-best version of the pitch in 2025. He ranked fourth in 2024 and third in 2022, his two All-Star seasons. He looks on track for his third appearance at the Midsummer Classic, in part because he's pretty good and in part because the Angels may not have many other viable candidates. Mike Trout's batting average is below the Mendoza Line, Kyren Paris has gone cold and Nolan Schanuel still isn't a slugger. At least Zach Neto is back! — McCullough Record: 11-18 Last Power Ranking: 27 Statistical superlative: Everything about Paul Skenes As largely expected, the Pirates have not been very good this season. Paul Skenes, however, has been very good. He leads the majors with six starts and a whopping 37 2/3 innings pitched. His 1.71 FIP is tops in the league, and his 2.39 ERA is top 10 in the National League. If those weren't enough statistical superlatives, then might we suggest a quick peek at Skenes' Baseball Savant page? Red means good on Baseball Savant, and Skenes has it in spades. He has a 99th percentile pitching run value, a 95th percentile fastball velo and a 96th percentile xERA at 1.92, meaning his stats should look even better than they already do. In his sophomore season, Skenes has been everything the Pirates could have hoped for and then some. — Flores Record: 12-16 Last Power Ranking: 28 Statistical superlative: Max Meyer's slider rate Meyer throws his gyro slider nearly 40 percent of the time; only four starters throw a breaking ball more. Only two throw their sliders harder than Meyer's 89.2 mph, and nobody has generated more swings-and-misses on a breaking ball this year than Meyer on his slider. Thanks to the effectiveness of that pitch, nearly two-thirds of batters facing Meyer this season have struck out or hit the ball on the ground. The rest of the Miami rotation, long the team's strength, has been pretty brutal to this point. The 26-year-old Meyer provides a reprieve every fifth day from that tumult. — Britton Advertisement Record: 7-21 Last Power Ranking: 29 Statistical Superlative: Edgar Quero's early slash line A season after losing a record 121 games, the 2025 White Sox have been less bad but also still not very good. The Rockies are doing their best impression and taking some of the heat off the Southsiders. That said, Edgar Quero's start has been one of the few bright spots in what is shaping up to be another lost season. Since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte on April 17, the White Sox's No. 5-ranked prospect, according to The Athletic's Keith Law, has done nothing but hit. He has a .344/.462/.406 slash line, with 11 hits (two doubles) in 11 games against just three strikeouts. Yes, it's a small sample size, but his track record in the minors suggests that he will be able to maintain a high OBP. A switch-hitter, he also gives Chicago another wrinkle to what is otherwise a below-average lineup. — Flores Record: 4-24 Last Power Ranking: 30 Statistical superlative: Jake Bird's ERA? As an adjective, superlative means 'of the highest quality or degree.' Outside of the altitude, there won't be many of those in Colorado this summer. It is a bad time. But Bird (1.08 ERA) had a nice April, and that is nice. — McCullough (Top photo of Cedric Mullins: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
New York Times
19-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
In the best shape of our lives, ranking the best MLB spring training cliches
We've reported to camp in the best shape of our lives, following a normal offseason, with the goal of just showing what we can do. We just never felt right last year, and we know we're going to get to the back of our baseball card this season. Spring training is warmer weather, sunnier dispositions and a cavalcade of cliches — from managers, from executives, from players and yes, even from us writers. What they say in Surprise seldom does. Advertisement So, we've solicited candidates from across our MLB staff for the best cliches deployed each spring. Tim Britton has evaluated each, narrowed down the list and ranked them. Unlike most competitions in spring, the outcome of this one wasn't predetermined. When a manager tries to soft-shoe a question about competition for a roster spot. The truth might be that there are two or three players in camp vying for the last place in the bullpen or on the bench. But managing egos and personalities is part of the job along with writing lineups and making pitching changes. So get ready for this stock response to be followed by a lengthy recitation of names, including several of whom have no chance short of a meteor strike of making the team. And two questions later, the manager is likely to circle back and name a couple more guys, too. — Andrew Baggarly RANKING: There are so many players in spring training, that even the managers who make sure they don't want to leave anybody out always leave somebody out. Typically a response to a question about pressure — in a new city, with a new contract, off a down season — players talk, justifiably, about the high standards they set for themselves. They wouldn't be in a major-league camp otherwise, of course. But on the other hand, have you encountered social media? Have you been to a sporting event and sat in the stands with a frustrated fan? Players might think baseball is a game of failure, but not every fan, fantasy player or prop bettor agrees. You can win the World Series and there's always going to be a George Costanza out there scoffing, 'Yeah, in six games.' — Tim Britton RANKING: In my experience, is this cliche usually wielded by a player who bristles at criticism earlier than his peers? I'll never say. But this ranks this low because, for the most part, it's true: Players do have remarkable standards for themselves, and spring training is one of the easiest times of the year to see that work in action. Advertisement You hear variations of this from front-office executives across the game, especially those with teams expected to be mediocre, maybe teams that are one big move away from being contenders. Execs don't worry about outside noise. They trust the guys in that clubhouse. They certainly don't care about projections … never mind the fact modern front offices have legions of staffers devoted to finely tuned models and internal projections. Most are well aware of what FanGraphs and PECOTA think. Most of their internal models probably aren't far off. — Cody Stavenhagen RANKING: The only team that actually gets to say this with a straight face is the Rockies. This line could come from an out-of-shape ballplayer who arrives looking trimmer. It could come from a young player maturing and taking their career more seriously. Back at the tail end of the steroid era, when the league began to crack down on drug testing, you might hear it from anyone who arrived suddenly looking a little leaner. Players will talk about the guilty pleasures they eliminated from their diets. This usually means ice cream, candy or their favorite fast-food restaurant. The humanizing comments are always met with a chuckle from a gaggle of reporters and a goofy smile from the player. Sometimes major leaguers eat just like you! — Stavenhagen RANKING: I love the range of sacrifice you see in what I like to call 'crazy diet stories.' Some players give up all carbohydrates and other guys go into detail about how they finally eliminated the pack of Sour Patch Kids from their nightly routine. A popular phrase used by coaches, players and executives alike in attempts to talk up their roster. Never mind the fact that this sentiment is basically a self-admission that said roster does not project to be very good. We hear some form of this phrase every year from multiple organizations. You know who we don't hear it from? Teams that are going to be good. — Katie Woo Advertisement RANKING: Just once, I want an executive from a team projected to win 100 games to say, 'I think we're going to surprise some people,' and shake their head nervously. Did your favorite veteran pitcher fail to meet his career standards last season? Did your team invite its best pitching prospect to his first major-league camp? Is there a journeyman non-roster invitee still trying to salvage his career and win a spot in the bullpen? Chances are, they might've sought help from Driveline, the renowned pitching development factory in Washington that's worked wonders for many of the game's most recognizable names. Visiting Driveline produces hope that either a turnaround is coming or a next level can be reached — two eternal storylines in any spring training. — Chandler Rome RANKING: There was a brief stretch earlier this decade where this probably was the No. 1 spring cliche. Before teams became better acquainted with the technology and techniques of Driveline, basically every pitcher off a down season talked about wintering in Washington. Now, players can get similar assistance from their own staff, and using that data to adjust their repertoire — another popular cliche — is more meaningful than ever. Spoiler alert: This won't happen. Spring training is a ripe time for injuries, from the freak accidents to the nagging elbow discomfort that didn't quite go away with a restful offseason. But, spring is the time for optimism. If you want to look at your roster on paper, squint and predict perfect health, there's no better time to do it. This most often applies to the pitching, acknowledging one of the game's best truths: There's no such thing as too much pitching depth. — Fabian Ardaya RANKING: This goes hand in hand with another cliche that just missed the rankings: 'We like our depth.' Teams often like their depth more in theory than in practice, and that's why they're hoping everyone can stay healthy — a hope typically punctured well before the first pitch of any exhibition games. The stock response from a starting pitcher — usually a veteran who has a guaranteed contract and isn't fighting for a spot on the team — after they get hammered for five runs in an exhibition game, get pulled early and have to throw the rest of their prescribed pitch count in the bullpen during the game. Variations from standoffish or less media-friendly starting pitchers tend to be something like, 'You don't know what I'm working on.' — Baggarly RANKING: I'm going to hit 'Send' on this story and, when my editor politely asks, 'This is what we're doing today?' I'll nod and say, 'Yeah, just getting my work in.' Given a respite this spring by the likes of Marcus Stroman and Rafael Devers, 'I'll do anything they need me to do,' comes from the prospect learning a new position, the veteran coming off the bench or the pitcher stuck somewhere between the rotation and the bullpen. Maybe a little too often, it's said by someone who won't be needed to do a whole lot during the season. — Britton Advertisement RANKING: The main variation on this is, 'I'll catch if they wanted me to,' and I wonder whether catchers like others viewing their position as the least fun to play. This is the go-to line about any new teammate. Could be a Red Sox player talking about Garrett Crochet, a Dodger about Tanner Scott, a Yankee about Paul Goldschmidt, a Blue Jay about Max Scherzer. When reporters crowd close early in camp and ask about the new arrival, are you going to be blunt? 'Just hope we don't get second-half Crochet.' 'Scott's command is a problem.' 'Goldy isn't the same hitter these days.' 'When's the last time Scherzer threw 180 innings in a season?' No! You'll say that the guy is nasty, you're glad he's on your side now, and you're just glad you don't have to face him anymore. (Even though you're pretty confident you would take him deep.) — Stephen Nesbitt RANKING: If only there were a corollary here where the player's former teammates say, 'I'm just glad I get to face him again.' Like, Luke Weaver should be crowing about holding Juan Soto to a .606 OPS in 11 career meetings and saying he can't wait for the Subway Series. There's a new star in the clubhouse. He's wearing your uniform, playing on your team, sharing your clubhouse. You must have lots of cool observations about him, right? Actually, it's all about 'the way he goes about his business.' And needless to say, now that the new star is here, his way of business-going will permeate the entire roster. Just what 'way' is that? And what kind of 'business' is going down? Hey, who knows? But baseball is a business. And everyone's just trying to make their way. — Tyler Kepner RANKING: If you ask a prospect who was just sent back to the minors what he learned about being in big-league camp, there is a 100 percent chance he will use this phrase. Furthermore, when you ask a follow-up on the lessons to be learned from said business-going, he'll say, 'So much,' and provide virtually no detail. (The prospects who do provide details are the ones you know are going places.) The only thing holding it back: It's not just a spring cliche. You hear it from the prospect just called up in May, too. Talking about how others go about their business is just how young prospects go about their business. Is your team's fifth starter spot unsettled? Do you know who is filling out your bullpen? What about the last spot on your bench? Spring training buzz can be a real and powerful thing and has gotten many a player onto a big-league roster, but for every one of those cases, there are likely 30 position battles that are largely set before camps open. Jobs can be lost more than they can be won, be it through injury or otherwise. A manager throwing this out there is technically true. There are cases where circumstances can shift. But it should usually come with a grain of salt. — Ardaya RANKING: What's great about this cliche is it's really a family of them. It's not just that every competition is wide open. It's that every manager actually likes competition, that competition is good, that it's going to bring the best out of each player when everything is earned. And then it's Opening Day, and the veteran who hit .110 in the Cactus League is leading off (because his job was never really in doubt) and lacing a line-drive double to right-center off last year's Cy Young Award winner. Because of that opposite cliche: Spring evaluations are really hard. Advertisement It's the universal get-out-of-trouble expression, sure to elicit … well, not a laugh, but maybe a nod and a knowing shrug. The players are getting into game shape, so mistakes are understandable — and the same, naturally, must hold for the rest of us. Drop your pen while taking notes for an interview? Point the bus for Surprise instead of Scottsdale? Write two left fielders on the lineup card? Hey, no worries. It's spring training for everybody! — Kepner RANKING: What gave pause in deciding the top spot was this: Players don't really say, 'It's spring training for everybody.' Coaches do, executives do, PR staffers do — and more than anyone, writers do. And so it's the one we hear the most — far more than anything else on this page — and it's our own fault. Isn't that the ultimate cliche? (Top photo of Mets' Francisco Lindor smiling at Juan Soto: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
