Rangers 1B Blaine Crim (28) signed for $5,000 after Texas took him in the 19th round of the 2019 draft, so it’s nice to see him working toward his first big league game check while Jake Burger tries to recapture his flavor in Triple-A. A right-handed hitter at 5’10” 200 lbs, he’s far from the prototypical first baseman and has had to smash his way through any number of questions blocking his path. He’s always had power but has fine tuned his plate skills throughout his journey and was striking out at just 16.7 percent clip through 28 games. His walk rate is down a tick, but the aggression is paying off, leading to seven home runs and a slash line of .313/.365/.565. Has kind of a Christian Walker vibe. Better to add him now and ask questions later, I think.
Fitting that I ate pork for lunch because I’m writing about Athletics RHP Gunnar Hoglund this afternoon. He was living high on the pig during his major league debut Friday night, rolling through six easy innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks. The 19th overall pick a couple ligaments ago, he allowed one run and picked up a win. He might have some tough nights in that ballpark, but the off-speed command that once made him a premium prospect is back in action, giving him a real shot to stay with the A’s for the rest of the season.
Mets RHP Blade Tidwell (23, AAA) was scheduled to debut this weekend before rain wiped Saturday’s game off the slate. He still might do just that on Sunday, but even if they go a different direction, Tidwell will be up soon. The Daywalker features five solid pitches and is much more talented than his Triple-A outcomes (5.00 ERA) suggest.
Depending on how the big league rotation holds up, Texas could be in for a Mitch Bratt Summer. A 21-year-old lefty, Bratt has faced little resistance against Double-A hitters, recording a 2.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 20.2 innings across four starts. He’s got six strikeouts per walk, showcasing the easy plus command that gives him a chance to start even though his stuff isn’t going to scare any bats back into their dugout.
Royals LHP Noah Cameron (25) threw six shutout innings in his debut but allowed five walks against three strikeouts. Still a great debut though. He’s not an ace in waiting, but I like his chances to succeed in a cozy pitchers park in a light-hitting division.
His name autocorrects to “agnostic” on my screen, but I’m kind of a believer in new Rockies RHP Zach Agnos (24). All Colorado caveats apply, but Agnos finishes hitters off with a dynamite splitter, and you might remember Greg Holland having a nice run on his own closing in Colorado on the strength of a wipe-out slider. I did a lot of group work in my high school physics class and am ill equipped to make the assertion I’m about to make, but shouldn’t a splitter work better in Coors than a breaking ball? I mean shouldn’t killing spin work better in thin air than spinning? Maybe it’s a wash with too many variables to measure, but I’m buying fliers on Agnos wherever I can find him. He mixes the splitter in just about evenly with a cutter and a four-seam fastball. Sounds like kind of a nightmare in the ninth.
I have to mention Brewers C Marco Dinges (21, A) this week because his name gave me a smile and also because he is dominating his level, posting a 210 wRC+ through 15 games. A 14th round pick out of Florida State last year, Dinges bats from the right side at 5’11” 190 lbs and has shown impressive plate skills in the early going, drawing ten walks against six strikeouts (9.2%) while slashing .400/.523/.620 with a homer and a steal.
Thanks for reading!
