Gerrit Cole confronted Jordan Walker for the primary time on Wednesday, and he got here away impressed. The New York Yankees ace induced a ground-ball out from the highest prospect within the St. Louis Cardinals system within the first inning, however then surrendered a line-drive single to him on a 95-mph heater a handful of frames later. When Cole met with members of the media mid-game — commonplace fare for starters throughout spring coaching — I requested him about his matchups with the fast-rising phenom.
“I assumed he put a very good swing on it,” Cole mentioned of Walker’s knock. “It was a very good adjustment from the primary at-bat. It was a very good pitch, a borderline ball, and one of many higher swings of the day, for certain.”
Cole wanted clarification as to whom he was opining on earlier than providing the reward. Understandably specializing in getting ready for the common season, he admitted — this with the caveat that he wasn’t being disrespectful — he didn’t know the place Walker was hitting within the St. Louis lineup.
Walker was understandably very conscious of Cole. Requested about what the five-time All-Star had mentioned — the query got here from a St. Louis scribe whom I’d shared the quotes with — he was equal elements happy and humble.
“It means loads, man,” mentioned Walker, who’s No. 12 on our High 100 and at age 20 has a reliable likelihood to interrupt camp with the Cardinals. “He’s a helluva pitcher. His stuff was actually electrical immediately. His stuff was actually leaping. His slider was good. So it means loads to listen to that from him. A beautiful pitcher.”
As Cardinals followers are discovering, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Stone Mountain, Georgia native is greater than only a star within the making. He additionally exudes enjoyable. I requested the bubbling outfielder how he’s balancing that trait alongside being hyper-focused in his quest to earn a big-league job.
“It’s all enjoyable, to be trustworthy,” replied Walker. “I really feel like competing is having a very good time. I’m competing to point out what I can do right here, and if I take a look at it as enjoyable, I can keep relaxed. That’s what I’m attempting to do.”
What he’s attempting to do has been working like a appeal. Walker is 14-for-32 with three doubles and three residence runs on the spring.
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Curtis Mead has definitely succeeded at baseball. Signed out of Adelaide, Australia by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 and subsequently swapped to Tampa Bay two years later in trade for Cristopher Sánchez, the 22-year-old infielder is now the highest prospect within the Rays system. Furthermore, he’s No. 27 on our High 100.
What would possibly Mead be doing had he not chosen baseball as a occupation?
“In all probability residing again residence and taking part in AFL,” Mead mentioned in response to that query. “I used to be taking part in a whole lot of Australian Guidelines Soccer rising up as a child. It was just about my number-one sport till I used to be 16.”
Mead was a midfielder and as a ahead, and he feels that with a whole lot of work he might have performed professionally. Fortuitously for the Rays, he determined to forged his lot on the diamond as an alternative.
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Ken Singleton went 4 for 7 in opposition to Win Remmerswaal.
Brian McCann went 5 for 11 in opposition to Rick Van Den Hurk.
Enos Cabell went 11 for 20 in opposition to Bert Blyleven.
Didi Gregorius is 7 for 11 in opposition to Lance McCullers.
Robert Eenhoorn went 1 for six in opposition to Bobby Witt.
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Staff Netherlands has gained two of its first three video games on this yr’s WBC, and it has completed so with a roster that features quite a few gamers born and raised in Curaçao, in addition to Aruba native Xander Bogaerts. There are additionally quite a lot of gamers from the Netherlands itself, which shouldn’t come as a shock. The Dutch have made a behavior of successful the European Baseball Championship.
Desirous to be taught extra about baseball within the European nation, I checked in with Peter Kwakernaak throughout December’s Winter Conferences in San Diego.
“The standard will get loads larger once we play on the world stage and have all of the gamers from the islands,” mentioned Kwakernaak, who together with Hensley Meulens was representing Staff Netherlands in a WBC media session. “However usually we are able to do with out one of the best of one of the best to win the European Championship. I don’t imply to sound boastful, however that’s the way in which it’s immediately.”
Kwakernaak went on to inform me that roughly 20,000 individuals within the Netherlands play both baseball or softball. There are baseball academies in Amsterdam, Bussum, Haarlem, and Rotterdam, and one of the best of that expertise — usually round 35 gamers — goes to a facility in Amsterdam that’s run by the Dutch Olympic Committee. As Kwakernaak put it, “We’re small, however we’re artistic.”
There are 9 baseball groups within the Dutch Main League (The Honkbal Hoofdklasse), with Lars Huijer, Denzel Richardson, and Roger Bernadina — all of whom have performed professionally in the USA — among the many notables. Requested about Netherlands-born gamers in MLB farm methods, Kwakernaak named Sem Robberse and Jiorgeny Casimiri (Blue Jays), Connor Prins (Mariners), and brothers Darnel and Darryl Collins (Royals).
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Josh Donaldson was on base when José Bautista hit his dramatic three-run homer within the backside of the seventh inning to propel the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers within the deciding recreation of the 2015 ALDS. Earlier this week, I requested Donaldson what that second was like.
“It was electrical,” recalled Donaldson, who’s now with the New York Yankees. “I keep in mind going across the bases and also you couldn’t acknowledge individuals’s faces as a result of there was like a vibration happening, It was an enormous residence run. You return and take a look at the half inning earlier than, how they have been capable of rating a run, after which our half inning with how we obtained guys on base, and it was a reasonably surreal second. It was a reasonably loopy expertise.”
The Blue Jays introduced final Sunday that they are going to be including Bautista to their Degree of Excellence. How good of a participant was he in his former teammate’s eyes?
“He was unbelievable,” mentioned Donaldson. “He’s a man you wished in your group to go to battle with each day. He performed arduous. I feel his resume speaks for itself.”
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A quiz:
Who was the primary participant born in Japan to homer in an MLB recreation?
The reply may be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
Mitch Moreland referred to as it a profession this week, formally retiring at age 37. A veteran of 12 big-league seasons who performed for the Rangers, Pink Sox, and Padres, Moreland gained a World Sequence ring with Boston in 2018. His seventh-inning, two-out, pinch-hit three-run homer off of the Dodgers’ Ryan Madson in Recreation 4 was one of many largest hits of that Sequence.
The Blue Jays promoted former MLB and NPB right-hander Frank Herrmann to Pitching Growth Coordinator earlier this spring. The 37-year-old Harvard graduate was a visitor on FanGraphs Audio in November 2021.
Dan McGinn, a left-hander who pitched for 3 groups from 1968-1972, died on March 1 at age 79. Taking part in primarily with the Montreal Expos — he additionally took the mound for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds — McGinn appeared in 210 video games and went 15-30 with 10 saves and a 5.11 ERA. His solely profession residence run, which got here off of Tom Seaver, was the primary in Expos franchise historical past.
Jesús Alou, who together with brothers Felipe and Matty as soon as roamed the San Francisco Giants outfield collectively, died this week at age 80. The youngest of the three, Jesús performed from 1963-1979 and gained World Sequence rings with the Oakland Athletics in 1973 and 1974.
Fred Marolewski, a primary baseman whose big-league profession comprised one inning with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953, died on February 28 at age 94. He had neither a plate look nor an opportunity within the subject.
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The reply to the quiz is Hideo Nomo, who went deep for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998.
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Cardinals supervisor Oliver Marmol provided an astute take when he met with a quartet of reporters following Wednesday’s affair at Steinbrenner Stadium. The subject at hand was the brand new shift rule, which requires two infielders on the filth on both facet of second base, however doesn’t preclude groups from stationing their outfielders wherever the place they need. A number of days earlier, the Pink Sox had moved their centerfielder to shallow proper behind the second baseman, and their left fielder to heart, with pull-happy Twins slugger Joey Gallo on the plate.
“The shift, with eradicating an infielder for the aim of defending a pull-side floor ball, was low-risk,” defined Marmol. “Worst-case situation, you’re giving up a single. [Shifting in the outfield] is high-risk, as a result of should you’re on the improper facet of chance it’s a double or a triple. So I don’t suppose we’ll see a ton of it. You could have the suitable pitcher and the suitable hitter. However will we see a few of it? Positive.”
Gallo walked in his plate look.
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Baltimore Orioles reliever Tippy Martinez famously picked off three Toronto Blue Jays runners (Barry Bonnell, Dave Collins, and Willie Upshaw) in the identical inning of an August 1983 recreation. There’s extra to the story. The Orioles have been down 4-3 within the tenth inning when Martinez entered the competition, and infielder Lenn Sakata was behind the plate as an emergency catcher. Furthermore, outfielder Gary Roenicke was taking part in third base, and outfielder John Lowenstein was taking part in second base.
Sakata’s lone big-league inning as a catcher wasn’t the one notable a part of his day. Cal Ripken Jr. homered to tie the sport within the backside of the body, and 5 batters later the Honolulu native went deep with two runners aboard to provide the Orioles a 7-4 win.
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Who was the nastiest pitcher you confronted final season? I requested that query to Anthony Volpe earlier this week, and the highest prospect within the Yankees system cited the highest pitching prospect within the Dodgers system.
“I’ll say Bobby Miller,” mentioned Volpe, who was featured in our Talks Hitting sequence on Thursday. “I confronted him within the Futures Recreation and he was actually good. He throws actually arduous and he threw two various kinds of breaking balls, too. Coming in, I used to be anticipating the speed, however not these breaking balls. He undoubtedly has good things. Positively nasty.”
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Six former Phillies who performed at Philadelphia’s previous Veterans Stadium have died from mind most cancers, and chemical substances within the Astroturf could possibly be the explanation why. Justin Heinze explored the likelihood at Patch.com.
At Fox Sports activities, Jake Mintz wrote about Shlomo Lipetz, Staff Israel’s 44-year-old legendary determine.
Lorenzo Cain will formally retire as a Kansas Metropolis Royal this summer season. Andy McCullough has the story at The Athletic (subscription required).
MLB.com’s Paul Casella profiled Sarah Edwards, who’s making historical past as the primary feminine coach in Phillies organizational historical past. The Hofstra College graduate will function the hitting improvement coach for Philadelphia’s Florida Complicated League affiliate.
Longtime Tampa Bay Rays radio voice Dave Wills died tragically final Sunday at age 58. Marc Topkin wrote in regards to the in style broadcaster for The Tampa Bay Instances.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Barry Bonds hit 379 residence runs in residence video games and 383 residence runs in away video games. Henry Aaron hit 385 residence runs in residence video games and 370 residence runs in away video games.
Houston Astros shortstop Roger Metzger had a league-leading 11 triples and a .299 slugging share in 1971. He had had a league-leading 14 triples and a .322 slugging share in 1973.
The New York Giants signed Willie McCovey as an beginner free agent on immediately’s date in 1955. “Stretch” went on to play 22 big-league seasons and bash 521 residence runs whereas placing up a 145 wRC+.
The Cincinnati Reds signed Tony Pérez as an beginner free agent on immediately’s date in 1960. The “Massive Canine” went on to play 23 big-league seasons and membership 379 residence runs whereas placing up a 121 wRC+.
Gamers born on immediately’s date embody Mike Ignasiak, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 79 video games for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1991-1995. The Anchorville, Michigan native went 10-4 with a 4.80 ERA over 137 innings. His older brother (by almost 17 years), Gary Ignasiak, pitched in three video games for the Detroit Tigers in 1973.
Additionally born on immediately’s date was Chuck Oertel, an outfielder who went 2-for-12 with the Baltimore Orioles in 1958. The second of the Coffeyville, Kansas native’s two profession hits was a house run off of Corridor of Fame right-hander Jim Bunning.
Olaf Henriksen is the one participant in big-league historical past who was born in Denmark. An outfielder who subsequently grew up in Massachusetts, Henriksen performed for the Pink Sox from 1911-1917 and was a part of three World Sequence-winning groups. His solely plate look within the 1912 Fall Basic resulted in a game-tying pinch-hit double off of Christy Mathewson within the seventh inning of Recreation 8 (Recreation 2 led to a tie). Boston gained 3-2 in 10 innings.
Ed Porray, who pitched in three video games for the Federal League’s Buffalo Buffeds in 1914, is the one participant in MLB historical past to not have been born on dry land. Porray’s delivery certificates lists “At sea, on the Atlantic Ocean” as his birthplace.
