Reading through the GDT, you’d think it’s September 2023 and we follow the Chicago Cubs…
Diamondbacks Relevant News
[MLB] D-backs on wrong end of unusual K feat: ‘We just didn’t execute’ by Steve Gilbert
For the first time in the 27 years that Chase Field has been open, the Circle K Strikeout Meter in right field was blank when the game ended. Part of the ballpark when it opened in 1998, it charts the number of strikeouts by Arizona pitchers.
For just the third time in franchise history and the first at home, the D-backs failed to record a strikeout, which highlighted the pitching issues they had in falling, 8-4, to the Dodgers on Monday night.
[MLBTR] Dodgers Notes: Brasier, Heyward, Buehler by Anthony Franco
As with Brasier, Heyward went from buy-low free agent pickup to ket contributor. The veteran outfielder hit 15 homers with a .269/.340/.473 slash in 377 plate appearances as a platoon bat last season. Los Angeles brought him back early in the offseason via a one-year, $9MM deal. Heyward hasn’t had much of a chance to make an impact this year, as the back injury sent him to the IL after four games. The bottom of the order was initially a problem, but the immediate success of top prospect Andy Pages has stabilized right field over the last two weeks.
[MLB] Predicting the All-MLB Team after the season’s first full month by Brian Murphy
SECOND BASE
First team: Jose Altuve (HOU)
Second team: Ketel Marte (AZ)
The Astros have had an April to forget despite outstanding production from their team leader. Altuve, who turns 34 next week, is pacing the American League in batting average (.342), OPS (1.010) and total bases (68). He moves up to the First Team after being a Second Team selection in our first set of All-MLB Team predictions at the start of April.
You may remember that Marte made postseason history last year with a record-setting hitting streak that eventually reached 20 games. The 30-year-old has kept right on hitting into 2024, he’s batting .307 with an .880 OPS. He is one of seven players with at least five three-hit games this season.
Others receiving votes: Marcus Semien (TEX), Luis Arraez (MIA), Ozzie Albies (ATL)
[MLB] Redrafting the 2014 Draft class, 10 years later by Jim Callis
16. Diamondbacks: Ramón Laureano, OF, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC
Actual pick: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Coral Springs (Fla.) Christian Academy ($2.7 million). Laureano: 16th round, Astros ($25,000).
23. Tigers: Stone Garrett, OF, George Ranch HS (Richmond, Texas)
Actual pick: Derek Hill, OF, Elk Grove (Calif.) HS ($2 million). Garrett: eighth round, Marlins ($162,400).
Spencer’s Spicy Supplement: While I think most Diamondbacks’ fans can agree Touki was not a wasted draft pick considering he was sent to Atlanta… Seeing Stone Garrett here hurts a little more considering he was lost for nothing. Although personally, I think he’s slightly higher on this list than he should be. Articles like this help me remind myself how much of a shot in the dark the draft always is, no matter how excited we might get about the names taken every year. For every Corbin Carroll or Jordan Lawlar, there’s an Ivan Melendez or Landon Sims ready to fade into obscurity.
[FanNation] D-backs Pitchers Fail to Execute in Loss to Dodgers by Michael McDermott
“I just felt a little out of whack, it was one of those days from that standpoint,” said Henry. “I feel like they happen, you just got to fully commit to not battling yourself. There’s a temptation to try to find it or you make a ton of changes. I just tried to throw that out the window today and compete with the hitter, and do the best we could to stay in this game.”
Zac Gallen’s bullpen went good, with Lovullo announcing he would start Wednesday’s series finale in the postgame media session.
Baseball News
[FanGraphs] The Precarious Position of the Pending Free Agent by Zach Buchanan
This spring, I’ve spoken to a number of players who are set to reach six years of service by the end of the 2024 season. They range from some of the best players at their positions to journeymen just hanging on, and all were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about approaching such a consequential milestone. For many, it will have taken a decade or more – of minor league seasons, of call-ups and send-downs and other detours – to finally have the ability to exert some control over their careers.
And they have mixed feelings about it.
[MLBTR] Latest on A’s Stadium Plan by Anthony Franco
Even with the public money in hand, the A’s are set to pay upwards of $1.1 billion in estimated construction costs. Shaikin notes the public funding law requires the A’s to present a specific financing plan for their balance. The organization is evidently looking for half a billion dollars in outside investment to meet those obligations.
While the financial specifics were previously unclear, dangling ownership shares to investors has long been the organization’s plan. Owner John Fisher told Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent in January that he was considering selling minority stakes to Vegas-area investors. Fisher made clear in that interview that he and his family “would retain majority ownership and (continue to) oversee operations” of the franchise.
The A’s plan to complete construction on their 33,000-seat facility on the Vegas strip in time for the 2028 season. They’re playing their final year in Oakland before a three-year move to Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park between 2025-27.
[FanGraphs] Paul Goldschmidt and the Crowd Below Replacement Level by Jay Jaffe
Just about everywhere you’d normally look for signs that things may not be that bad for Goldschmidt, they turn out to be pretty bad. His swinging strike rate has spiked from 10.8% to 13.3%, his in-zone contact rate has plummeted from 79.8% to 74.2%, his chase rate has risen from 29.1% to 30.5% — and the gaps are even wider when measured relative to 2022. He’s striking out in 29.9% of his plate appearances, up from 23.4% last year and 21.7% in 2022. His batted ball stats? All down, from average exit velocity (from 91.3 mph to 89.3) and barrel rate (from 11.9% to 4.4%) to hard-hit rate (from 50.7% to 36.8%), xSLG (from .491 to .376) and xwOBA (from .367 to .315).
[MLBTR] The Opener: Prospect Promotions, Darvish, MLBTR Chat by Nick Deeds
MLBTR Chat today:
The 2024 season is now in full swing, and some clubs have gotten off to surprisingly strong starts while a handful of others have unexpectedly struggled to open the year. If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, or perhaps questions that look ahead to this summer’s trade deadline and the 2024-25 offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.
[FanGraphs] Sunday Notes: Jared Jones Has Gone From Raw to Remarkable by David Laurila
“I didn’t know how to pitch when I signed,” Jones told me. “I just threw fastballs, and throwing hard in high school is a lot different than throwing hard in pro ball. Guys in pro ball can hit the hard fastball, especially if you don’t have anything else.”
Jones did have secondary pitches prior to getting drafted, originally a curveball “that wasn’t very good,” and then a slider that went from “just okay” as a young prep to “pretty good” by the time he’d graduated. Even so, he was admittedly more thrower than pitcher — someone whose elite arm strength allowed him to “just throw fastballs by guys.”