Royals SS Maikel Garcia leads off for us today and could eventually claim the same role in Kansas City. He’ll probably start at the bottom if he starts at all, of course, but he’s an ideal fit at the top given his high-contact, solid-OBP profile. The team’s build lacks anyone else who fits the table-setting profile. He wasn’t clicking in Triple-A like he was this winter or spring, but I’ve long thought he’s the kind of player who answers whenever opportunity knocks.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller went frame for frame with Athletics RHP Mason Miller in a matchup that made a little history for rookies combined strikeout total (18). The Millers were both incredible, and while Mason was more impressive to me because the Mariners are a major league lineup, that’s no knock on Bryce, who should likewise be rostered in just about every format combing off his 11 K gem.
Speaking of youngsters with fun names, Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt and Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone are both scheduled to debut today. Popcorn? Check.
Twins RHP Louis Varland will join the rotation to replace Kenta Maeda. He’s worth a look if you can’t get your rookie pitcher fill elsewhere.
The Marlins recalled SS Xavier Edwards on Tuesday. Weapon X has fully leaned into what makes him special this season, walking almost twice as often as he’s striking out on the way to a .436 OBP and seven steals in 20 games. Who knows if they’ll play him, but they don’t have great reasons to bench him. His brand of baseball is on display this year. Would be fun to see it.
Reds SS Matt McLain could beat Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacio-Strand to the big leagues. Or the team could bring them all up together as a group ushering in a new era. A 2021 first-round pick McLain has seven homers, seven steals and a triple-slash of .304/.439/.598.
Over his last 10 games, Athletics OF JJ Bleday is slashing .368/.500/.789 with four home runs, four strikeouts and 11 walks. Feels like Oakland might have fixed something simple the Marlins missed.
Rockies 3B Elehuris Montero is hitting .429 with four home runs in five Triple-A games, in case you’re wondering about him. I know we make a joke out of it so we can process it, but this is the biggest problem in Colorado. Has been for a while. Baseball is a game of momentum. Milliseconds. Repetition. Confidence. Nobody undercuts their own like Colorado.
I’m not sure how to feel about the White Sox sending OF Oscar Colas down to Triple-A. Probably needs the reset. Always nice to see a guy work his way through some struggles in the majors, but so it goes.
I’m writing this part in the late afternoon before the games, and it feels like a particularly momentous Tuesday. Tanner Bibee, Mason Miller and Bryce Miller are all on the bump. Gavin Stone and Brandon Pfaadt will debut tomorrow. It’s not everyone’s first turn, but Bibee will make his second career start in Yankee stadium, which is its own rite of passage for anyone who wants to be a serious person in the American League. Anyway, we’re kind of spoiled with a ton of fun baseball this week.
Red Sox 2B Enmanuel Valdez is drinking David Hamilton’s milkshake, hitting .333 with a combo meal on Monday night. He’d been on the struggle bus for a while but enjoyed a dynamite 2022 in Houston’s system and would bring explosive potential to the lineup if he became a fixture.
A quick check in with Double-A reveals Pirates C Henry Davis hitting everything out of the park. His 206 wRC+ is punctuated by 15 walks and 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He also has four home runs in his last four games. With Endy Rodriguez taking a break from behind the plate and Pittsburgh in the win column, we should start factoring Davis into our redraft plans.
My brother recently opened a trade negotiation by telling me Rays 3B Junior Caminero was unavailable. I hadn’t asked about him, or anyone for that matter, but I guess that’s where Caminero’s at right now: sort of a trade-at-your-own risk zone reserved for true helium types. He’s only walking five percent of the time, but it’s okay to swing a lot when you’re hitting .392 with seven home runs in 18 games as a 19-year-old in High-A.
Mariners OF Jonatan Clase has played just 20 games in High-A, but that’s probably enough. He’s stolen 17 bases and hit seven home runs, and even if that home run total is aided by six games in Colorado, Clase’s .455 on base percentage stands out in any setting. A short switch-hitter at 5’9”, Clase has spent the last few years adding muscle and looking for loft and seems to have struck a perfect balance for the time being.
Thanks for reading!
