Since it’s the All Star break, I figured now was as good a time as any to check in on my Uncle Bruce, a lifelong Cubs fans, to hear what he has to say about the season to date and converse a little bit about the past and future of the Northside.
Who Ya Got: Manny Machado or Will Middlebrooks?
Three weeks into the 2013 MLB season and it has already become apparent that the AL East is up for grabs with both the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles having a legitimate chance to win the most competitive division in baseball. These races, as they often do, can come down to position by position matchups and one of the more intriguing battles taking shape is the showdown between two precocious 3Bs Baltimore’s Manny Machado and Boston’s Will Middlebrooks. So which player has the advantage in this head to head hot corner showdown?
Background
Middlebrooks was drafted out of high school by the Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2007 amateur draft while the Orioles took Machado was the 3rd overall pick in 2010. Both made their celebrated MLB debuts in 2012 with Middlebrooks replacing an increasingly disgruntled Kevin Youkilis and Machado filling in for an average amalgam of Mark Reynolds/Wilson Betemit. Both players have already overcome adversity with Machado making the switch from SS to 3B and Middlebrooks recovering from a wrist injury which derailed his 2012 season.
Plate Presence
Machado (career): 70 G, 288 ABs, 70 hits, 9 HRs, 37 RBI, .259 BA, .295 OBP, .430, SLG
Middlebrooks: 93 G, 339 ABs, 90 hits, 20 HRs, 64 RBI, .265 BA, .301 OPB, .490 SLG
It may be a small sample size but it is still very eerie how their offensive statistics align with Middlebrooks holding a slight power advantage thanks in part to the young 20 year old Machado’s sinewy physique. Give the kid a few years, and some extra portions, and he’s projected to pack on a much more powerful punch at the plate. Both players strike out too much (but hey, it’s 2013, what’s new?) which probably explains their subpar OPB. Machado currently resides in the 2-hole and needs to get on base more for players like Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Matt Wieters to be able to drive him home while Middlebrooks hits further down in the lineup meaning the Sox can live with his swing/miss so long as there are an equal number of swing/over the Green Monster.
Web Gems
Machado is a converted shortstop who never played third until reaching the major leagues. It’s unclear whether or not the O’s intend to keep him at 3B beyond when current shortstop J.J. Hardy’s contract is set to expire in 2014. However, in his short time at the hot corner Machado has already developed a penchant for the off balanced barehand grab and throw across the diamond as evidenced this effortless play against the Blue Jays Monday night. Like Machado, Middlebrooks was a SS by trade but switched over to 3B once he began to bulk up in the minor leagues. Their fielding percentages are nearly identical (MM: .975, WM: .959) and both possess the type of above average arm strength necessary to gun down AL East speed burners like the Yankees Brett Gardner and the Blue Jays Jose Reyes (when healthy).
Intangibles
Middlebrooks has recently emerged as an emotional leader in the Boston clubhouse in part for launching the rallying cry “Boston Strong”. Machado does not have as strong a social media presence as Middlebrooks and carries himself as a bit of an introvert which is as much a byproduct of his young age as anything else.
What It All Means
It’s a strong testament to both players that neither team would straight up swap their current 3B for the other. Both are All Star caliber 3B in the making and could have been on their way to Citi Field this July if it weren’t for division rival Evan Longoria. Because of his age (20 to 24) and power potential (and also b/c I’m Orioles fan) I’ll give the slight edge to Machado but would also honestly concede to this face off coming down to nothing more than a coin toss.
Round Tripping: Life On the Road
First off, I’d like to offer the fine folks of Boston and all those directly affected by the tragic events of yesterday’s horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon my sincerest thoughts and prayers. It’s times like yesterday that human beings must bond together and overcome these now all too common, senseless acts of violence and destruction. Always remember that the good more than outweighs the bad and for visual evidence look no further than those first responders yesterday on Boylston Street who tore down fencing and ran into the fire to offer whatever assistance they could to those seriously injured by the blast. Out of heartbreak comes great strength so while we weep for those families and friends coping with a tragic loss this morning our spirits are buoyed by overwhelming acts of kindness and bravery that surround us everyday. Humans are a resilient species and just as the Boston Marathon remains the ultimate test of endurance we will persevere with kindness, tolerance and love.
Round Tripping
1B: The Atlanta Braves are off to the fastest start in MLB thanks in part to the exploits of rookie catcher, and modern day Dean Moriarty, Evan Gattis. Do yourself a favor and read David O’Brien’s piece from the AJC on the Kerouacian journey of the Braves slugger who experienced several years alone on the road before making it to the bigs. Gattis is only part of the reason for Atlanta’s early season success with offseason acquisition Justin Upton providing some much needed firepower during their recent streak which includes a three game sweep of preseason NL East darlings the Washington Nationals.
2B: Weather, or should I say scheduling, has been a factor during during this very young baseball season. The New York Mets in particular have been affected by two snow storms, one in Minnesota and one in Denver, and will be forced to make up these games at the end of the next ice age. Why MLB schedules an April interleague series in the snowy Twin Cities defies logic especially when the Mets weren’t scheduled to return to the frozen tundra this season. The only good news for the team is that perhaps all these postponements will lead to more Matt Harvey, who dare I say has become the most exciting pitcher in baseball.
3B: What’s up with the Anaheim Los Angeles Angels? Is this simply a case of cast of stars learning how to coexists or a distressing lack of pitching depth exacerbated by the loss of staff ace Jered Weaver? Ken Rosenthal does a nice job exploring the depths of owner Arte Moreno’s patience while his ball club wallows in the AL West basement, percentage points behind the light hitting Houston Astros.
HR: MLB is honoring Jackie Robinson’s legacy this week and it is an important time once again to remember the impact he had on not just baseball but race relations in this country. When I was a young baseball I looked up to Robinson not just for his courage and grace but for the way he played the game. I use to love watching those old highlights of him stealing home during the Brooklyn Dodgers World Series triumph over the New York Yankees in 1955. (just look at how pissed Yogi gets!!!) I’m hoping to catch 42 this weekend as Robinson remains an inspiration and source of great national pride to us all.
Round Tripping: A Monday Jaunt Around the Bases
With all these aces like Stephen Strausburg and Matt Cain getting knocked around Sunday afternoon the question is who has the April advantage: pitchers or hitters? Yesterday aside, I would still take the hitters because most starting pitchers have yet to build up enough arm strength to either max out on the radar gun or throw their entire repertoire pitches. Plus, pitch counts are kept intentionally low so as to maximize productivity over the course of a 162 game season. Hitters can get their timing back during the lengthy spring training and the only real adversity they’ll need to deal with up north is the colder weather, which, if you’ve ever closed a window on you’re finger than you know exactly how it feels to get jammed with a wooden bat in 45 degree temps. It’s the kinda dull, numbing pain that comes back again and again like when you’re trying to take the top off a tub of vanilla ice cream. Regardless, by May the playing field should be even and David Price will go back to being David Prive and R.A. Dickey..well, we will see.
Round Tripping
1B) R.A. Dickey won the NL Cy Young last season and was really the only reason to visit Citi Field during the dog days. The Mets traded him to Toronto for prospects and he was supposed to anchor a Blue Jays rotation that was amongst the leagues best. But after getting knocked around in his first two starts is Canada starting to get a little worried about how many knuckleballs the 38 year old has left in that Star Wars loving right arm of his? Will Middlebrooks isn’t complaining after belting 3 home runs off the Blue Jays ace(?) on Sunday.
2B) Don’t expect Josh Hamilton and his family to be vacationing in central Texas any time soon after Rangers fans were supposedly serenading his wife with a few poorly conceived profanities. (Stay classy Arlington.) Although, the more I think about it, why was Hamilton’s family there in the first place? Didn’t they have to know they were going to face a certain amount of verbal abuse from Rangers fans still stinging after Hamilton took the money and ran to Orange County? I’m actually surprised to hear that so many Texas fans know what Josh Hamilton’s wife looks like. Was she wearing a “Hamilton 32” replica Angels jersey?
3B) The Marlins, yes the Marlins, may have found a future ace in 20 year old Jose Fernandez who took the no decision yesterday after tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 8. The Mets came back to win on a Marlon Byrd single and Marlins rookie manager has egg on his face after bringing his infield in up one with runners on 2nd and 3rd. (Ron Gardenhire does not approve.) Look for Miami owner Jeffrey Loria to get as much out of Fernandez this year before packaging he and Giancarlo Stanton together in a package to the New York Yankees in return for 10 AA prospects.
HR) Chris Davis has now gone two games without a home run which shouldn’t minimize his historic start to the season but if the Orioles pitching continues to struggle like it did Opening Week then the Hulk will need to keep up his torrid pace.
Round Tripping: A Quick Loop Around The MLB Diamond
A few Opening Week observations from around Major League Baseball
1) Three games into the 2013 season and it’s pretty clear that there are 3, maybe 4, teams in serious jeopardy of losing 100 games.
Locks: Marlins and Astros
With the lineup that surrounds him Giancarlo Stanton should lead the league in intentional walks while Houston hitters may strike out more in one season than Don Draper has in his entire fictional lifetime.
Outside Shot: Twins and Padres
I watched some of San Diego’s series against the Mets and granted they were without leading RBI man Chase Headley but even still there are a whole slew of outs up and down that lineup. And the Twinkies, I better be careful what I say before they help my Orioles open Camden Yards this weekend.
2) The current Red Sox and Yankees lineups reminds me of the lean SNL season of 1985-86. Ask Simmons or Seth Meyers but Travis Hafner may as well be Randy Quaid and Will Middlebrooks is a dead ringer for Anthony Michael Hall.
3) Interleague play feels like a total drag now that they are scheduling a constant stream of interleague series throughout the season. At least when it was a few weeks blocked off you could mentally prepare but now it has made scheduling incredibly hard to follow. Take the Reds/Angels during Opening Week. Great series, potential World Series preview, but the Reds should open with a division rival like the Cubs or Pirates. This is one tradition that didn’t need to change.
4) I agree with Jose Bautista. Some MLB umpires are ‘mediocre’. Still, if I were him I’d keep my mouth shut. You never know how many Ed F Rush’s there are lurking around those umpire locker rooms.
5) Hard not to feel terrible for Baltimore 2B Brian Roberts who had to be carried off the field Thursday in Tampa after an awkward slide into second. A scheduled MRI will likely lead to a stint on the 15 day DL. Fans tend to forget that it wasn’t too along ago that many were calling Roberts the best 2B in the game. A few concussions later and the 35 year old is now just trying to stay healthy and contribute to a lineup that would really benefit from his production.
6) Don’t sleep on the Athletics who may once again have the moxie and pitching to unseat one of the AL West’s big budget behemoths the Angels or Rangers. And Josh Reddick, that beard of yours belongs in the Smithsonian right beside Abraham Lincoln’s top hat and Dorothy’s red slippers.
7) Matt Harvey looks like he could be the real deal but Mets fans ought to start pumping the breaks a bit on all those Tom Seaver comparisons. It wasn’t too long ago that Bill Pulsipher was going to be the next Jerry Koosman and we all know how that went.
8) Vladimir Guerrero has signed on to play with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League which makes me sad especially because it wasn’t that long ago that he was golfing home runs out of Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
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