
The MLB All-Star Game was last night. The AL won for the eighth consecutive season This also means no baseball today, which leads to a dearth of baseball news.
American League 5, National League 2
At least the Diamondbacks’ Eduardo Escobar got a hit in his only AB.
AL Holds Off NL in Mid-Summer Classic
Shohei Ohtani started the game and hit as the DH for the AL. He was better on the mound than at the plate. Vlad Jr. hit a monster blast. The AL won.
If not for Ohtani, Vlad Guerrero Jr would be a lock for the AL MVP. Since Ohtani is laying claim to the regular season award, Vladdy decided to take the ASG version. He did so by launching a no-doubter monster shot into the left field bleachers for the 200th ASG home run.
More Proof Batting Average Is Obsolete
Last season saw seven qualified batters end the season with a batting average below .200. Some of them are in high demand.
For Diamondbacks fans, this is the relevant part from the article and is certainly something to keep a close eye on between now and August 15th.
No other first-round pick is likely to create more drama between now and the signing deadline than Jordan Lawlar. He told teams he needed elite money or he’d go to Vanderbilt and re-emerge in 2023, and the Diamondbacks’ $5.74 million slot at pick six does not meet that demand. The D-backs took some money-savers from picks five to 10, but that still might not be enough, and industry sources have indicated that Arizona made the pick without have a concrete deal in place. Their most interesting (but not necessarily best) pick on Day Two came in the competitive balance round, when they selected Miami catcher Adrian Castillo, who entered the season as an upper first-round pick but then had a miserable spring campaign for the Hurricanes.
Los Angeles Angels Use 20 Picks to Select 20 Pitchers
Anyone else think the Angels are tired of getting snubbed by top pitching,even when they offer the most money?
First-Half Grades for Every Team, A+ to F- (ESPN+)
From the article:
It’s already hard to remember, but Arizona went 14-12 in April, then followed with two of the worst back-to-back months in modern major league history, going 5-24 in May and 3-24 in June, a stretch that included an all-time-record 24-game road losing streak. That might not have been rock bottom, as the Diamondbacks lost 22-1 to the Dodgers on Saturday.
The season has been so dispiriting that you have to wonder if a complete organizational reboot will be necessary, especially in a division where you have to figure out how to compete long term with the Dodgers, Padres and resurgent Giants.
Also from the article, since it sums things up so well:
30. Arizona Diamondbacks (26-66)
I thought about putting the Mississippi State Bulldogs here to commemorate their first national championship in school history. The Bulldogs won 50 games out of the 68 they played this year. The Diamondbacks are on pace to play 162 and win only 46.