With the first full month on the 2014 season behind us, it’s time for BBRT’s monthly observations – tidbits from the previous 30 (or 31) days that caught my attention – some long, some short, some (hopefully) interesting. So, here we go – all statistics are through April 30.
What If the Post Season Began May 1
If the post season began May 1, your playoff teams would be:
AL: Division Leaders – Yankees, Tigers, A’s; Wild Cards: Royals, Rangers.
NL: Division Leaders – Braves, Brewers, Giants; Wild Cards: Mets, Nationals.
Jose Abreu’s Fast Start
On April 25, White Sox 27-year-old rookie first baseman Jose Abreu (who defected from Cuba in August 2013) rapped a pair of home runs (including a walk-off grand slam) in a Chicago 9-6 win over Tampa. The blasts were Abreu’s 8th and 9th of April, moving him past Albert Pujols (Cardinals-2001), Carlos Delgado (Blue Jays-1994) and Kent Hrbek (Twins-1982), who had shared the rookie record for April home runs at eight. Abreu ended the month with a new rookie records for April in home runs (10) and RBI (32) – both of which also led all of MLB.
Colabello Bringing Home Runs
If it weren’t for White Sox rookie Jose Abreu’s MLB-leading 32 RBI, the talk of baseball might well be Twins’ outfielder Chris Collabello – second in the AL with 27 RBI. Colabello is one of the “feel good” stories of the 2014 season, signed by the Twins in 2012 after seven seasons in independent league ball.
Albert Pujols’s Called “Shots”
Albert Pujols continued his march toward the Hall of Fame this April. On Tuesday, April 22, Pujols hit a pair of home runs – becoming just the 26th player to reach 500 round trippers and the first to hit numbers 499 and 500 in the same game. Even more impressive, teammates reported that Pujols, disappointed with an 0-for-five the night before, predicted before the game that he would hit a pair of homers. Pujols closed April with a .279-9-23 line.
Royals Lack of Punch
The Kansas City Royals, as a team, out-homered MLB home run leader Jose Abreu by just one (11-10) and Albert Pujols by two through April.
Milwaukee Brewers – Surprising Road Warriors
Most analysts predicted a tight race in the NL Central – involving the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates. If April is any sign, they were wrong on both counts. Clearly the surprise team of the 2014 season (thus far), the Milwaukee Brewers ended April with 20-8 record – the best in baseball – and a 5 ½ game lead over the second-place Cardinals. And, they did it on the road, compiling an 11-2 road record through April 30. Further, it was no easy “away” schedule. The Brewers road start included three-game sweeps of the Red Sox and Phillies; three victories in four games against the Pirates; and two wins in three games at Saint Louis.
The Brew Crew has been led on offense by Ryan Braun (proving himself after his PED-suspension) at .318-6-18; Carlos Gomez (proving 2013 wasn’t a fluke) at .293-7-15; and Aramis Ramirez (.277-3-19). In addition, their top four starters (Yovani Gallardo, Wily Peralta, Kyle Lohse, Marco Estrada) went 11-3, with a 2.41 ERA.
But the MVB (Most Valuable Brewer) has to be closer Francisco Rodriguez, leading all of MLB with 13 saves (in 13 save opportunities), and not touched for a single run (earned or unearned) in 16 April appearances – 16 innings pitched, no runs, seven hits, four walks and 23 strikeouts.
Unexpected Leaders
When the Dodgers and Twins faced off in Minneapolis on April 30, two of MLB’s unexpected offensive leaders were on the field. There was Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier – leading all of MLB with 25 runs scored, despite a .216 batting average. Dozier, however, had also collected 19 walks (for a .347 on-base-percentage). Also of note, Dozier had seven home runs, but only nine RBI. On the other side of the contest was Dodgers’ second baseman Dee Gordon, who (despite all the preseason publicity surrounding the Reds’ Billy Hamilton’s speed) was leading all of baseball with 13 stolen bases (in 14 tries). Hamilton, by the way, had 11 steals in 16 attempts.
Brewers’ Free Swinger
Brewers outfielder Khris Davis may be MLB’s freest swinger. Through April 30, in 105 plate appearances, Davis had drawn just one walk, against 32 strikeouts (hitting .238, with three home runs and eight RBI.)
A Free Swinger Who Makes Contact
Braves’ shortstop Andrelton Simmons is nearly as hard to walk as Khris Davis, drawing only two walks in 94 plate appearances through the end of April. Simmons was nearly as difficult to strike out as walk, however, whiffing only three times in that span (while hitting .289). Clearly, you can expect Simmons to put the ball in play.
Starters Injured – Just Adjust
The lowest ERAs in baseball belong to the Braves (leading the NL at 2.59) and the Athletics (atop the AL at 2.78) – two teams that suffered significant losses to their starting rotations.
The Braves looked to be in trouble as they approached the season with 60 percent of their starting rotations on the shelf – Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachey out for the season after Tommy John surgery and Mike Minor on the DL with a sore shoulder. The Braves, however, didn’t sit back and fret, they signed veterans Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang and plugged in rookie David Hale (6-9, 3.22 at AAA last season). The result – the Braves have ridden the revised rotation to a 17-8 record and first place in the NL East. At the end of April, the Braves had the lowest ERA in the NL (2.59) – and their starters records were: Harang 3-2, 2.97; Santana (3-0, 1.95); Hale (1-0, 2.31) and holdovers Julio Teheran (2-1, 1.47) and Alex Wood (2-4, 2.93).
Like the Braves, Oakland looked to be in pitching trouble at the start of the 2014 season – losing key rotation members Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin. The result? A month into the season, the As have the AL’s lowest ERA at 2.78 – with a starting corps led by Sonny Gray (4-1, 1.76); Jesse Chavez 2-0, 1.89; and Scott Kazmir (4-0. 2.11)
Ike Davis – Grand Slams
Continued evidence of BBRT’s assertion that in baseball we keep track of everything, on April 21 Pittsburgh first baseman Ike Davis became the first player to hit grand slams for two different teams in the same April. Davis also had the distinction of hitting two grand slams against the same opponent for two different teams in the same month. Davis’ April 21 slam helped the Pirates defeat the Reds 6-5 in Pittsburgh. Davis, who had been traded from the Mets to the Pirates just three days before, hit a game-winning, ninth-inning pinch hit grand slam for the Mets as the New Yorkers beat thee Reds 6-3 on April 5. Davis is also just the third player to belt grand slams for different teams against the same opponent in the same season. Oh, and those grand slams were Davis’ only home runs through April.
Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon Leads NL Batting Race
In 2013, the Colorado Rockies Michael Cuddyer – with a previous batting average high of .284 in his 12-year MLB career – surprised the NL by hitting a league-leading .331. Through this April, Cuddyer hit at a .317 pace, but that was 57 points short of league-leader Charlie Blackmon (.374), another surprising Rockie. Still, Blackmon should be less of a surprise than Cuddyer. The 24-year-old Blackmon hit .309 in six minor league seasons and .309 in 82 games for the Rockies last season. Blackmon does appear to like the Rocky Mountain air. Through April 30 he was hitting .478 at home and .283 on the road.
Angels Finding A Way To Lose
The Angels ended April with the second-highest positive run differential in baseball, outscoring their opponents 140 to 109, yet were just one game over .500 (14-13 and trailing Oakland and Texas in the AL West).
Yankees Finding Ways to Win
The Yankees had a negative-eleven run differential (scored 110, gave up 121), yet still stood on top of the AL East at 15-11.
The Over and Under
The AL East ended April with just one team over .500 (Yankees), while the NL East had only one team under .500 (Miami at 13-14). Further, through April 30, all five AL Teams had given up more runs than they have scored.
Worst Records Well-Earned
The Arizona Diamondback, with the NL’s worst record through April (9-22), were outscored by 62 runs (179-117) in their first 31 games. Holding the AL’s worst record (9-19), the Houston Astros were outscored by a 54 runs in 28 games.
Two Five-Game Winners
April closed with two five game winners in MLB, The Dodgers’ Zach Greinke (5-0, 2.04) and the Cardinals Adam Wainwright (5-0, 1.20).
Tanaka and Fernandez for Real
A couple of questions raised before the 2014 season: 1) Was the Yankees’ investment in Masahiro Tanaka (24-0, 1.27 in Japan in 2013) justified? 2) Was Miami’s Jose Fernandez really that good (after winning NL Rookie of the Year with a 12-6, 2.19 record in 2013)? The answers: Yes and Yes. Tanaka ended April 3-0, with a 2.27 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings, while Fernandez was 4-1, 1.59 with 55 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
