Best of Yardbarker: The Dodgers are on a mission
Major League Baseball has officially reached its midway point, and as the All-Star Game approaches, no team in the National League has more victories or, perhaps, more talent the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of course, we've seen this before from the Boys in Blue.
The Dodgers have owned the NL West four years running, winning more than 90 games in each of those seasons and entering almost every year as a World Series favorite. Then every postseason, the team falters despite all its talent and deep pockets.
Although you have seen this start before, this season is no sequel for the Dodgers: "Perhaps this is finally the year for the Dodgers. I mean, what else could one possibly ask for out of a contender than what the Dodgers have produced over the first half of the season? They have the world’s greatest pitcher, a rookie sensation that regularly drops jaws and one of the most sterling records in all of baseball to show for it."
Leading the charge for L.A., as he has since he entered the big leagues, is star pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The southpaw ace is up to his usual tricks, leading baseball in wins and innings pitched while holding a 12-2 record, 2.32 ERA and 135 strikeouts to just 20 walks in 17 games. Given his continued dominance, the three-time Cy Young winner and one-time MVP looks like a surefire Hall of Famer already at just 29 years old.
However, given the historic benchmarks for pitchers in the Hall of Fame, it appears there aren’t that many out there who can check the 300-win and 3,000-strikeout boxes, among other traditional metrics. So with pitchers throwing less innings and bullpens playing larger roles across the game, it’s time to rewrite the Hall of Fame rubric for today’s pitchers: "The goal of Hall of Fame voting should be to offer a correct snapshot of the best players of their era as judged in fair balance with established performance standards — and also what was great in the time period in which they performed. Brilliance in pitching should never be in danger of being overwhelmed by a barometer in the past that can’t possibly be met."
While the Dodgers are riding Kershaw's remarkable left arm and Cody Bellinger's power to the top of the NL, the Houston Astros are using a similar template. The only team with more victories than the Dodgers, the Astros got off to hot start off the arm of their own Cy Young-winning lefty, as Dallas Keuchel went 9-0 in his first 11 starts with a 1.67 ERA. Even with Keuchel on the disabled list, Lance McCullers has picked it up on the mound to the tune of a 7-1 mark and 2.53 ERA.
At the dish, it’s been George Springer’s pop atop the lineup leading the way. In fact, Springer is on pace to break the single-season record for leadoff home runs, leading to the ‘power hitters are coming for that number one spot' quiz:
Speaking of power, it was a theme this week for the Oakland Athletics and our Three Up, Three Down, as A's rookies turned back the clock: "Franklin Barreto, Jaycob Brugman and Matt Olson are all rookies, and they all managed to hit their first career home runs in the same game. Olson hit two dingers in that game, but that's inconsequential when it comes to the record. The fact that these three managed to do something that hasn't been done since the Federal League was a thing is amazing."
It wasn’t all that long ago that the likes of Olson and Brugman were taken in the MLB Draft. Hoping to get to the big leagues sooner rather than later, check out some of the 2017 MLB Draft names to know:
There are plenty of MLBers who weren't drafted, including one player in particular who was in the news quite a bit this week. We're talking about catcher Miguel Montero, who was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs after criticizing teammate Jake Arrieta. Montero, after allowing seven stolen bases against the Washington Nationals, made it clear it was less his fault than the pitcher's:
“It really sucked because the stolen bases go to me, and when you really look at it, the pitcher doesn’t give me any time,” Montero said. “So it’s just like, ‘Yeah ok Miggy can’t throw nobody out,’ but my pitcher doesn’t hold anybody on. That’s the reason why they were running left and right today because they know he was slow to the plate. Simple as that. It’s a shame that it’s my fault because I didn’t throw anybody out.”
Montero was subsequently blasted by teammate Anthony Rizzo and then DFA'd, even if what he said was true. Still, it's not like Montero is known for throwing out base-runners, and given his struggles Tuesday, it inspired the 'You get a steal! You get a steal! Everybody gets a steal!' quiz:
Have a wonderful weekend, and if you have off Monday in addition to Tuesday, make sure you get some time in to appreciate the national pastime as we celebrate the anniversary of America's independence.
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