HOW THE GAME HAS CHANGED …
On this date (May 1) in 1920, Brooklyn and Boston played to a 26-inning 1-1 tie. Both starting pitchers – Brooklyn’s Leon Cadore and Boston’s Joe Oeschger – went the distance. For the full story, click here.
APRIL PLATE APPEARANCES, BRING MAY RANTS
May is upon us, and that means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable to look back at the previous month’s highlights and lowlights. Before I get into the specificS, however, a brief comment (rant?) on the game as it’s played today. In that May 1, 1920 contest noted above, not only did we see no pitching changes, there were only 22 plate appearances that ended in a trot (back to the dugout, to first base or around the bases) – nine walks, 14 strikeouts, no home runs and no hit batsmen. That’s 11.8 percent of the total plate appearances. Through April of this season, 35.6 percent of all plate appearances have ended in a trot – 22.7 percent by strikeout, 10.1 percent with a walk or hit by pitch and 2.8 percent via the home run.
Of course, it’s not fair to compare to a single-game more than 95 years ago to today’s contests. So, here are a few more recent figures: In 1980, 26.1 percent of all MLB regular-season plate appearances ended in a trot (home run, strikeout, walk, HBP). In 2000, it was 29.9 percent and, last season, it was 34.4 percent. Not sure how most of you feel, but I would prefer a trend toward more – rather than less – action in the field and on the basepaths. (BBRT invites your comments.)
———A LOOK BACK AT 2018 MARCH/APRIL———
Now, on to a look at March/April. The 2018 MLB season started off with a BANG! In 2017, MLB saw a record 6,105 home runs. On Opening Day, March 29, the Cubs’ 23-year-old center fielder Ian Happ hit the very first pitch of the 2018 season (thrown by the Marlins’ José Urena) for a home run. Later that day, White Sox’ DH Matt Davidson became just the fourth player in MLB history with a three-homer Opening Day game. He joined George Bell (1988), Tuffy Rhodes (1994) and Dmitri Young (2005) in that limited membership club.
Over the course of March/April, MLB treated us to such sights as the A’s Sean Manaea throwing 2018’s first no-hitter; Twins’ Joe Mauer collecting his 2,000 MLB base hit; Adrian Beltre passing Rod Carew as the all-time hits leader among Latin-American players; and much, much more.
There were plenty of notable acheivements and performances – but before we dive deep, let’s look at BBRT’s players and pitchers of the month.
________________________________________________
AL PLAYER OF THE MONTH … Didi Gregorius, SS, Yankees
Photo by apardavila 
Maybe it should be Didi Degre-Glorious! When you are a middle infielder, batting in the heart of a lineup that includes Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez – and pretty much outpowering them all – you;’ve got a good thing going. In March/April, Gregorius put up a .327-10-30 line – leading MLB in RBI and home runs (10, tied with the Angels’ Mike Trout and Mariners’ Mitch Haniger). His 24 runs scored tied for MLB’s third-best and he drew 18 walks to just 16 strikeouts.
Other Contenders: Manny Machado , SS, Orioles … Machado slid over from 3B to SS and didn’t miss a beat. His .361 average going in to May leads all of MLB and he also has nine home runs, 22 RBI, 14 runs scored and is two-for-two in stolen bases. His 39 base hits are second only to the Astros’ hit machine Jose Altuve (41). Machado is giving beleaguered Orioles’ fans a reason to come to Camden Yards. Jed Lowrie, 2B, A’s … Lawrie, who came into this season with a career (10-season) batting average of .261, has been Gregorius-lite. Another middle infielder hitting in the heart of the lineup, L0wrie went into May with a .339-6-27 line. Like Machado, he has 39 base hits.
AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH … Sean Manaea, A’s
Sean Manaea, a 6’5″, 245-pound southpaw, was big on the mound in March/April – tossing 2018’s first no-hitter (against the then red hot Red Sox) and putting up the AL’s lowest earned run average (among qualifiers) at 1.03. In six starts, Manaea went 4-2, 1.03, with 37 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings (just 20 hits and seven walks). He went at least seven innings in five of his six starts and never gave up more than two runs in an outing (one shutout, four games of one run, one game of two runs).
Other Contenders: Edwin Diaz, Mariners … With an MLB-leading 11 saves (in 11 opportunities) a 0.63 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings, the 24-year-old closer (who saved 34 games a year ago) earns a spot here. Justin Verlander, Astros … Verlander ended April 4-0, with a 1.36 ERA (second in the AL) and 48 strikeouts (third in the AL) in 39 2/3 innings. Since coming to the Astros last August, Verlander’s regular-season record with Houston is 9-0, 1.22, with 91 whiffs in 73 2/3 innings (post-season; 4-1, 2.21).
NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH … (Tie) Javier Baez, 2B/SS, Cubs & Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
Middle infielders seem to be all the rage this season – and a couple of second baseman tied (at least in BBRT’s estimation) for BBRT NL Player of the Month. Javier Baez, the NL leader in RBI with 26 – who, this season, has already batted in every spot in the order except leadoff and cleanup – put up a .280-7-26 line in March/April, with 20 runs scored (ninth in the NL) and three steals. Note: Javier has recorded the most games in the number-two and number eight spots in the lineup – ten and eight appearances, respectively. Baez, just 25-years-old, is in his fifth season with the Cubs and is coming off a .273-23-75, 10 stolen bases campaign in 2017.
Then there is Braves’ rookie Ozzie Albies … This 21-year-old MLB freshman is tied for the MLB lead in runs scored (29) and tied for the NL lead in home runs (9). He also has 20 RBI and three steals. Really, you could hardly squeeze a piece of paper between the performances of Baez and Albies.
Other Contenders: Asdrubel Cabrera, SS, Mets … Another middle infielder off to a great start, the veteran Cabrera goes into May hitting .340, with five home runs, 17 RBI and 20 runs scored. His 34 base hits ties him for the NL lead. A.J. Pollock, OF, D-backs … The Diamondbacks’ center fielder has been doing it all. In March/April, he hit .291, with a NL-leading (tied) nine home runs; 24 RBI (third in the NL) and 20 runs scored. He also swiped six bags in eight attempts.
NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH … Max Scherzer, Nationals
Photo by apardavila
Max Scherzer came into May as the only MLB pitcher with five victories (5-1) and an NL-topping 57 strikeouts (39 innings). In addition, his 1.62 ERA was the NL’s third-best. That was enough to make the three-time Cy Young Award winner the BBRT pitcher of the month.
Other Contenders: Patrick Corbin, D-backs … Corbin was hot on Scherzer’s trail with a 4-0, 2.25 line and 55 whiffs in 40 innings; Johnny Cueto, Giants … I couldn’t leave off Johnny Cueto. Yes, he has only 26 strikeouts (in 32 innings), but he finished March/April at 3-0 (in five starts) and his earned run average was an MLB-lowest 0.84 – just three earned run in 32 innings. Cueto can’t help it if the Giants failed to score for him in two starts in which he pitched seven shutout before giving way to the pen.
______________________________________________
IF THE SEASON ENDED APRIL 30 … YOUR PLAYOFF TEAMS WOULD BE
Note: Full standings (as of April 30) can be found at the end of this post.
THE BOOKENDS
Only two teams played .700 or better ball through April – the Red Sox at .750 (21-7) and the Diamondbacks at .714 (20-8). The Astros were the only other team with 20 wins.
On the opposite side of the coin, three teams played under-.300 ball – the Reds at .241 (7-22); Royals at .250 (7-21); and Orioles at .286 (8-20).
Again, if the season ended April 30, your post-season participants …
American League: Boston, Cleveland, Houston. Wild Cards: New York, Seattle.
The most interesting race may be the Red Sox/Yankees – what a surprise. The Red Sox got off to a blazing 17-2 start before a no-hitter by the A’s Sean Manaea seem to take a bit of the wind out of their sails (they went 4-5 from the no-no on.) The Red Sox have excelled on both sides of the game – scoring the second-most runs through April (164) and and giving up the third-fewest (96). The Yankees, on the other hand, while fourth in the AL in earned run average (3.62), in true Bronx-Bomber form, led the junior circuit in home runs (41), runs scored (164). Houston clearly ran the best pitching out there – with a 2.54 ERA through April. The Astros have three of the four lowest American League earned run averages (among qualifying pitchers) through April – Justin Verlander (1.36); Charlie Morton (1.72); Gerrit Cole (1.73).
The worst division appears to be the AL Central – with only the Indians above .500. Overall, the senior circuit’s Central Division’s record is 50-83.
APRIL SHOWERS BRING …
MLB set a new record for weather-related postponements before May 1, with 28. The Twins were hardest hit and played a total of just 24 games between March 29 and April 30. By comparison, the Astros, Rangers, Brewers, Rockies and Padres each played 30 contests.
National League: New York, Chicago, Arizona. Wild Cards: Atlanta Pittsburgh.
In the NL, the most interesting race seems to be in the Central – where the Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates and Cubs are all over .500 and separated by just 1 1/2 games. Meanwhile, Arizona has built up the biggest lead in the NL – 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place West Division Giants. The Diamondbacks, in fact, won all nine series they completed in March/April. (Note: The Diamondbacks were the only NL team with a March/April ERA under 3.00.)
WHAT A DIFFERENCE …
No team outscored their opponents in March/April by more runs than the Astros (+64). the only other team above +50 was the Red Sox (+63). The NL leader in this category was the D-backs (+39.) On the reverse side of the coin: The Royals ended April at -65. The only other team with a negative run differntial worse than -50 was the Orioles (-54). The largest negative run differential in the NL went to the Marlins at -47.
—–LEAGUE LEADERS – TEAMS—–
RUNS SCORED … MLB Team Average – 125
AL: Yankees (164); Red Sox (159); Astros (149)
NL: Braves (151); Pirates (142); Cubs and Dodgers (133)
The Royals scored an MLB-low 95 runs in March/April. The Marlins were at the bottom of the NL with 96. Other teams scoring fewer than 100 runs through April were the Twins and Orioles (both at 98).
BATTING AVERAGE … MLB Team Average – .244
AL: Red Sox (.273); Rays (.266); A’s (.267); Yankees
NL: Braves (.268); Pirates (.258); Cubs (.252)
The Rockies and Orioles each hit an MLB-low .224 for March/April, The Marlins were at the bottom of the NL at .228. Surprisingly, the AL Central-leading Indians had the AL’s second worst average at .227 and scored the fourth-fewest runs at 102. (They did have the AL’s third-best earned run average.)
HOME RUNS … MLB Team Average – 30
AL: Yankees (41); Blue Jays (40); Angels (38)
NL: Rockies (34) and Diamondbacks (34); Cardinals (33)
The Marlins and Reds were the most power-starved clubs in March/April (20 homers each). The Royals hit just 22 in the AL.
STOLEN BASES … MLB Team Average – 14
AL: White Sox (25); Indians, Red Sox and Mariners (17)
NL: Nationals (31); Braves and Brewers (24)
The Cubs stole and A’s each stole only six bags in March/April (lowest MLB total); the Cubs in 11 attempts, the A’s in eight. The Cubs had the worst stolen base percentage – 54.5 percent.
STRIKEOUTS … MLB Team Average -245
AL: Rangers (281); Orioles (274); Yankees (266)
NL: Padres (309); Phillies (279); Rockies (277)
WALKS DRAWN … MLB Average – 97
AL: Yankees (126); Astros (121); Blue Jays (107)
NL: Nationals (127); Phillies (125); Mets (111)
No team grounded into more double plays in March/April than the White Sox (29). The Blue Jays hit into an MLB-low 12 twin-killings.
EARNED RUN AVERAGE … MLB Average – 4.12
AL: Astros (2.54); Red Sox (3.34); Indians (3.59)
NL: D-backs (2.96); Brewers (3.20); Cubs (3.33)
Four teams finished March/April with ERA’s over 5.00: Royals (5.33); Reds (5.32); Twins (5.29); White Sox (5.06). No surprise, these same four teams were among the five squads with fewer than ten wins in that span.
STRIKEOUTS … MLB Average – 245
AL: Astros (316); Yankees (285); Red Sox (268)
NL: Dodgers (285); Nationals (284); ; D-backs (280)
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Cubs pitchers have combined to toss five shutouts through April – all five against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubbies record against the Brewers is 7-1, with a 1.01 earned run average.
SAVES … MLB Average – 7
AL: Mariners (11); Red Sox (9); Angels (8)
NL: Diamondbacks (11); Mets and Rockies (10)
Arizona (11 saves) is the only team without a blown save this season. The Dodgers have the worst save percentage (saves versus save opportunities) at 36.6 percent (four saves in 11 opportunities).
FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED … MLB Average – 97
AL: Indians (63); A’s (67); Astros (75)
NL: D-backs (79); Mets (85); Dodgers (88)
The Astros went into May leading MLB with 10.55 strikeouts per nine innings. Two additional teams finished March/April averaging 10+ strikeouts per nine: The Mets (10.06); and the Yankees (10.02).
FEWEST ERRORS IN THE FIELD … MLB average – 17
AL: Astros and Red Sox (8); Angels (10)
NL: Diamondbacks (10); Rockies and Nationals (11)
The Yankees and Rangers led MLB in March/April errors with 25 each, with the Yankees having the lowest fielding percentage at .975.
__________________________________________
—–LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME MARCH/APRIL HIGHLIGHTS—–
Back-to-Back, Jack!
On April 3, The Cardinals opened the game against the Brewers with back-to-back jacks (Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham) on the game’s first three pitches. Then, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Brewers (trailing 4-3) closed out the game with back-to-back home runs from Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun. MLB.com reported it was the first time in MLB history a game opened and closed with back-to-back long balls.
This One’s Gone Platinum
On April 3 and April 8, the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton earned the Platinum Sombrero – recognition for fanning five times in a game. Quite a feat, when you consider that only one other player has notched two five-strikeout games in his career. (That unfortunate was the Blue Jays’ Alex Rios – June 4, 2004 and July 29, 2006.)
Another One Bites the Dust … April 3
Leading off the top of the second inning of the April 3 Rangers/A’s game, Texas 3B Adrian Beltre rapped a single to center off the A’s Kendall Graveman. It was hit number 3,053 for Beltre, tying him with seven-time batting champion Rod Carew for the most hits ever by a player from Latin America. Beltre would pick up the tie-breaking hit on April 5 – a second inning double off the A’s Daniel Mengden.
Youth Not Wasted on the Young
On April 10, Blue Jays’ closer Roberto Osuna picked up his fifth save of the season as the Jays topped the Orioles 2-1 at Camden Yards. The save made Osuna – who became the Blue Jays’ closer at age 20 – the youngest player to reach the 100-save mark (23 years – 62 days), well ahead of the previous holder of that distinction (Francisco Rodriguez at 24-years – 246 days).
One is the Loneliest Number- Especially for the Padres
On April 12, the Giants toppled the Padres 7-0 on a combined one-hitter (Chris Stratton, seven innings/Derek Law, two innings). The one hit came early – in the bottom of the third. The clean single to right field took any potential suspense out of the game, but it was still historic in its own way. The hit came off the bat of Padres’ left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard, who was pinch-hitting for the Padres’ starting pitcher Bryan Mitchell (who, in his three innings on the mound, had already given up four hits, five walks and three runs). What was historic? Elias Sports reports that it marked the first time that a pinch-hitting pitcher got his team’s only hit. (Note: Richard did not take the mound in the contest.) Just one more reason #WhyIHateTheDH.”
On April 20 – a day before the A’s Sean Manaea threw the first no-hitter of the 2018 season, the Padres’ Tyson Ross was working on a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings. Then with two-out in the eighth inning of a 1-1 ball game, Walker gave up his first hit of the day – a game-tying double to Diamondbacks’ pinch hitter Christian Walker. The hit ended his no-no and his day on the mound. Brad Hand got the last four outs in the one-hitter, and picked up the win after the Padres plated three runs in the top of the ninth.
Why report that as an April highlight? Walker’s lone hit ensured the Padres remained the only team in MLB that has never recorded a no-hitter.
The Family Business
On April 9, during a Double A game between the Trenton Thunder and New Hampshire Fisher Cats – Vlad Guerrero, Jr. hit a home run off Jose Mesa Jr. Now, I really feel old.
Home Town Glory … Say it is so, Joe.
Photo by Keith Allison
Twins’ first baseman (former catcher) Joe Mauer – a native of the Twin Cities – captured a little home town glory on April 12. The three-time batting champion (and 2009 AL MVP) collected his 2,000th MLB hit in front of the home town fans in the seventh inning of a 4-0 Twins win over the White Sox – making him just one of three players with 2,000 hits for the Twins (joining Rod Carew and Kirby Puckett). The hit was a productive one – a two-run single up the middle. While I chose Adele’s “Home Town Glory” to celebrate this April highlight, the Twins went with Prince’s “Party Like It’s 1999.
In Baseball We Count EVERYTHING
On April 9, as the Nationals topped the Braves 2-0 in Washington, Max Scherzer became only the second pitcher in MLB history to pitch a shutout, fan ten batters AND STEAL A BASE in the same game. The other? Nolan Ryan.
Photo by Keith Allison
I’m Too Sexy – For this Game
Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon gave Rangers’ fans a thrill on April 15, when the 44-year-old took a perfect game into the eighth inning – against the vaunted Astros’ offense. Unfortunately, a walk to Carlos Correa leading off the eighth ended the perfecto and a Josh Reddick double ended he no-hitter and Colon’s time on the mound – and his opportunity to become the oldest pitcher to complete an MLB no-hitter. True to form, Big Sexy relied on locating his fast(?)ball – with 83 fastballs out of 96 total pitches. By the way, the Rangers won 3-1 in ten innings and, “I’m Too Sexy” was recorded by Right Said Fred in back in 1991 – when Colon was 18-years-old.
Knock Three Times – And Join a Pretty Elite Crowd
Remember the old Tony Orlando and Dawn classic “Knock Three Times” (on the ceiling if you want me)? Well on April 17, the Angels should have wanted no part of Red Sox’ RF Mookie Betts – who knocked three home runs against Halo’s pitching. Batting in the lead-off position, Betts opened the game (in Anaheim) with a solo shot to left-center off early-season sensation Shohei Ohtani. He added another solo dinger – to left – off reliever Luke Bard in the third. Then – after a walk in the fifth – Betts led off the eighth with another round tripper, this one off Cam Bedrosian. Betts joined a pretty good Red Sox hitter – Ted Williams – as the only Sox’ players with three, three-HR games. For those who track such things, Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa share the MLB career record for three homer games at six – and Betts is just 25-years-old (in his MLB fifth season). Note: BoSox topped the Angels 10-1.
Happy Birthday to You Two
On April 18, the Twins topped the Indians in Puerto Rico (for the story on Hiram Bithorn stadium, click here) in a game that went 16 innings and five hours and 13 minutes. How long was the game? Twins’ 1B Joe Mauer and Twins’ reliever Zach Duke both started the game at age 34 and ended the contest at age 35.
An Inside Job
Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals is (apparently) not afraid to “go inside.” Martinez leads MLB pitchers (through April) in hit batsmen with 8 (next is Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez with six). Still, Martinez is 2-1, with a 1.43 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. Martinez, by the way, is well down the leader board in wild pitchers, with just one – putting him at no higher than 86th.
A Seven-Player Double Play
On April 19, the Pirates turned – and the Phillies ran (not hit) into – a double play in which no hitter put the ball in play, seven of the Pirates’ nine defenders handled the horsehide and the final out was a tag of a baserunner by the left fielder. The play started with a pick-off attempt and, on the scorecards, looked like this 1-3-4-2-5-8-7. For those who don’t keep score, that pitcher-to first baseman-to second baseman-to catcher-to third baseman-to center fielder-to left fielder. Too hard to explain, so just watch the video below.
2018’s First No Hitter
On April 21, the A’s Sean Manaea threw the first no-hitter of the 2018 season – and he did it in style. Manaea no-hit the Boston Red Sox, who were 17-2 at the time and were leading MLB in runs scored (123) and batting average (.293). In the 3-0 win, Manaea walked just two and fanned ten.
Put Me In Coach …
Photo by Rob Shenk
Giants’ 3B Pablo Sandoval – in his eleventh season, took the mound for the first time on April 28 (against the rival Dodgers). The Giants were down 15-6 (the regular pitching staff had taken quite a “hit”). Sandoval threw a 1-2-3 ninth (three ground outs) and tossed eight strikes in his 11 pitches.
Three weeks earlier, Mariners’ catcher Bryan Holaday and Rays’ 2B Daniel Robertson also drew late-game assignments – and responded equally well. Holaday’s mound appearance came in the top of the ninth inning with Seattle down 20-1 to the Phillies. Like Sandoval, Holaday “shut’em down,” getting three straight outs (including a strikeout of Rhys Hoskins). He needed just 8 pitches (six strikes). Robertson came on in the bottom of the eighth inhis outing, with the home town Red Sox up 10-3. Robertson also tossed a 1-2-3 inning (three pop/fly outs), tossing seven strikes in eleven pitches.
Other position players to pitch in April (less successfully) included: the Phillies’ Pedro Florimon; Twins’ Ryan LaMarre; Mariners’ Taylor Motter; Reds’ Cliff Pennington; and Brewers’ Herman Perez. Overall, these “hurlers” tossed six innings and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks (three strikeouts) – and saved a few bullpen arms.
Youth Will Be Served
When the Braves called up 20-year-old Uber-Prospect Ronald Acuna in late April, 21-year-old Atlanta 2B Ozzie Albies moved from the youngest player in the majors to the second-youngest. How excited are they in Atlanta about these two? Albies got in 27 March/April games – hit .293 and led the league hits (34), runs (29), doubles (12) and home runs (9). Oh, and Acuna? In his first five games, the young outfielder hit .421 (8-for-22), with four doubles, a home run and four RBI.
—INDIVIDUAL LEADERS FOR MARCH/APRIL—
BATTING AVERAGE (qualifying hitters)
AL: Manny Machado, Orioles (.361); Jose Altuve, Astros (.347); Mookie Betts (.344)
NL: Odubel Herrera, Phillies (.343); Tommy Pham, Cardinals (.341); Asdrubel Cabrera, Mets (.340)
The lowest average among players with at least 75 plate appearances belongs to the Blue Jays’ Randal Grichuk (.106 … 7-for-66). Note: Grichuk went on the DL in late April with a sprained knee. In the NL, surprisingly, the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo has the lowest March/April average among players with 75 plate appearances at .149.
HOME RUNS
AL: Mike Trout, Angels (10); Didi Gregorius, Yankees (10); Mitch Haniger, Mariners (10)
NL: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies (9); Ozzie Albies, Braves (9); A.J. Pollock, D-backs (9)
Padres’ outfielder Jose Pirela had the most March/April at bats without a home run (123).
RUNS BATTED IN
AL: Didi Gregorius, Yankees (30); Jed L0wrie, A’s (27); Mitch Haniger, Mariners (27)
NL: Javier Baez, Cubs (26); Yeonis Cespedes, Mets (25); A.J. Pollock (24)
RUNS SCORED
AL: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (29); five with 24
NL: Ozzie Albies, Braves (29); Bryce Harper, Nationals (23); Charlie Blackmon, Rockies (22); Tommy Pham, Cardinals (22)
STOLEN BASES
AL: Dee Gordon, Mariners (10); Tim Anderson, White Sox (8); eight with five
NL: Ender Inciarte, Braves (13); Trea Turner, Nationals (12); Michael Taylor, Nationals (9)
Trea Turner and Michael Taylor of the Nationals are 2-3 in NL stolen bases (combined total of 21) – and neither has been caught stealing this season.
BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS
AL: Yoan Moncada, White Sox (47); Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (43); Carlos Gomez, Rays (40)
NL: Yeonis Cespedes, Mets (43); Trevor Story, Rockies (38); Lewis Brinson, Marlins (37); Paul DeJong, Cardinals (37)
Joe Mauer of the (my) Twins had MLB’s best ratio of walks-to-strikeouts at 2.09 (23 walks and 11 whiffs) among qualifying hitters. The NL leader was Bruce Harper at 1.81 (38 walks and 21 strikeouts).
WALKS DRAWN
AL: Aaron Judge, Yankees (25); Joe Mauer, Twins (23); Mike Trout, Angels (20); Alex Bregman, Astros (20)
NL: Bryce Harper, Nationals (38); Rhys Hoskins, Phillies (24); Cesar Hernandez, Phillies (24)
In March/April, no one saw more pitches per plate appearance (among qualifying hitters) than the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter (4.61). The AL leader was the White Sox’ Matt Davidson (4.50).
PITCHING VICTORIES
AL: Twelve with four – Those at 4-0 are: Justin Verlander, Astros; Charlie Morton, Astros; Rick Porcello, Red Sox; Hector Valazquez, Red Sox
NL: Max Scherzer, Nationals (5-1); five with four
Kendall Graveman of the A’s (optioned to Triple A April 26) had the most losses in March/April with an 0-5 record.
EARNED RUN AVERAGE (qualifying)
AL: Sean Manaea, A’s (1.03); Justin Verlander, Astros (1.36); Charlie Morton, Astros (1.72)
NL: Johnny Cueto, Giants (0.84); Carlos Martinez, Cardinals (1.43); Max Scherzer, Nationals (1.62)
The highest ERA among pitchers with at least 20 March/April innings or four March/April start belongs to the Rangers’ Martin Perez at 9.67. Others that meet those criteria and logged ERA’s over 8.00 were: Kendall Graveman, A’s (8.89); Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays (8.88); Lance Lynn, Twins (8.37).
STRIKEOUTS
AL: Gerrit Cole, Astros (61 – 41 2/3 innings pitched); J.A. Happ, Blue Jays (50 – 36 IP); Justin Verlander, Astros (48 – 39 2/3 IP)
NL: Max Scheerzer, Nationals (57 – 39 IP); Patrick Corbin, D-backs (55 – 40 IP); Jacob deGrom, Mets (48 – 39 1/3 IP)
Among pitchers with at least 20 inning pitched in March/April, D-backs’ starter Robbie Ray had the highest rate of strikeouts per nine innings at 14.64 (45 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings). Note: Ray went on the Disabled List in late April – strained obliique. If you drop the qualifying down to 15 innings, Brewers’ reliever Josh Hader comes in at 19.50 – 39 whiffs in 18 frames.
SAVES
AL: Edwin Diaz, Mariners (11); Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox (7); Robert Osuna (7)
NL: Wade Davis, Rockies (10); Jeurys Familia, Mets (9); Brad Boxberger, D-backs (9)
INNINGS PITCHED
AL: Corey Kluber, Indians (45 1/3); Sean Manaea, A’s (43 2/3); Gerrit Cole, Astros (41 2/3)
NL: Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks (40); Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (39 2/3); Jacob deGrom, Mets (39 1/3)
GAMES PITCHED
AL: Jose Alvarez, Angels (16); Alex Claudio, Rangers (16); Chris Martin (16)
NL: Bryan Shaw, Rockies (17); Sam Freeman, Braves (16); Dan Jennings, Brewers (16)
________________________________________
Primary Resources: Baseball-reference.com; MLB.com; ESPN.com
I tweet baseball @ DavidBBRT
Follow/Like the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here.
Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
