An all-time Philly passed the torch. An important member of the Royal family went down. The Mets played with fire, and they got burned. Flash Gordon will get a chance to rest his legs. Cincinnati was jolted by the bat of a beloved Red on Monday, but a guy who shares his name with a fish stole the show on Tuesday and Friday night. Is a 31st MLB team on the horizon? The Reds may have a fire sale of Marlins-like proportions, and the Cole Hamels trade talk has commenced once again.
This is the Weeks That Were.
Chase Utley No Longer “The Man” in Philly
Chase Utley in his heyday was one of the best defenders at his position and provided an even better bat to compliment his fielding prowess in the middle of the infield.
-This GIF can be found on the Phillies’ Tumblr
However, the performance of 25-year-old Cesar Hernandez this year has earned him the starting gig at second base. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro and interim manager Pete Mackanin both feel that Utley should come off the bench when he returns to the team. It makes perfect sense when you look at the 36-year-old’s poor 2015 line of .179/.257/.275 in 65 games. That makes Hernandez’s merely “good, but not great” slash line of .280/.364/.355 in 77 games before the All-Star break look Babe Ruth-esque in comparison.
While Utley will no longer start at second base, he will still see some time at the position. Therefore, it’s possible that he could still play his way back into the starting role.
While I don’t believe Utley has magically fixed everything all of a sudden, I still do believe that Utley has a rather good chance of playing his way back onto the diamond every day. However, it has little to do with Utley and more to do with Hernandez’s luck. Hernandez had a crazy BABIP of .346 before the All-Star break. Therefore, even his adequate .280 batting average is poised to fall. Utley hit .270 last year, .284 the year before and is a .281 career hitter. If Utley did actually heal and correct a flaw in his swing, there’s no reason to think he couldn’t hit at least .270 for the rest of the season.
Gordon’s Grievous Groin
On July 8, Alex Gordon suffered a Grade 2-plus left groin strain trying to run down a Logan Forsythe inside-the-park home run fly ball. An eight-week timetable has been placed on Gordon’s injury, and the Royals doubt that Gordon has any chance of returning before then. “You can’t say definitely he will be playing in eight weeks,” Royals manager Ned Yost commented. “If he heals faster, it will be sooner. But in our timetable in our minds, it will be eight weeks.” Yost later said, “We just have to see how his recovery and his rehab goes. To think it would be under eight weeks is probably unrealistic. But it could happen. But a 2-plus is pretty severe.” Gordon was placed on the 15-day DL on July 9.
There is some talk out there that Gordon could still win the Gold Glove despite missing two months of the season. He has no shortage of highlight-reel worthy defensive highlights, with this one garnering 50 STRAIGHT Web Gem wins:
Despite the crazy catches he manages to pull off, I’d give him no shot at the award after two months away from baseball. Kevin Kiermaier, Kevin Pillar, Mookie Betts and teammate Lorenzo Cain are all statistically having a far better season than Gordon defensively. Since I hate to put a damper on Gordon’s Gold Glove prospects, let me leave Royals’ fans and Gordon’s fantasy owners with some good news.
Matz a Wrap, People
On July 9, the New York Mets announced that rookie phenom Steven Matz suffered a partially torn lat muscle on his left side, and he will be out for at least three weeks. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will refrain from throwing for a few weeks. Once the three weeks have passed, the team will gauge his progress.
Matz quickly made headlines after becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to rack up three hits and four RBI as a hitter in his league debut.
Let’s not forget that his first pitching performance was nothing to sneeze at, either. He allowed two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out six in 7 2/3 innings to record his first win on June 28 against the Cincinnati Reds.
What makes people so irate about Matz’s injury is that the Mets knew his lat was sore before the game, but they let him go onto the mound anyway. Matz even complained of lat stiffness after his first start, but manager Terry Collins thought nothing of it. “After his [debut], he was a little stiffer than we liked,” Collins said Sunday. “He’s fine, as you saw. That’s what that first start does to you — all of that adrenaline and trying to overthrow a little bit.” In Collins’ defense, Matz did feel good on the mound. “It was just a little tight,” Matz said right after his debut. “Once I got out there, it was feeling good. And it still feels good now.”
Even though Matz said he was fine, you can’t merely take his word for it. He’s one of your young studs and the future of your organization partially depends upon his health. You need to have a better sense of urgency and at least do some further investigation into the ailment. Oh wait…this is the Mets we’re talking about. Collins isn’t afraid to run his young arms into the ground and has built an extensive history this year alone of shrugging off severe injuries.
This is why the Mets will never be an elite organization with their current manager and front office personnel. They fail to learn from their mistakes, act lackadaisically and never take a proactive approach on matters. At this rate, they’ll squander the talent their young pitchers’ possess. Down the road, they’ll come away with nothing to show after assembling one of the best young rotations in recent memory.
Flash Gordon’s Been Slowed Down
A dislocated left thumb forced the Miami Marlins to place All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon on the 15-day DL on Friday, July 17. Martin Prado was on the DL since June with a right shoulder ailment but was activated Friday to take Gordon’s roster spot as the Fish geared up for their weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gordon’s placement on the disabled list is retroactive to July 12 and the team only waited this long to pull the trigger because his finger wasn’t healing fast enough.
Gordon was practically unstoppable before his injury. In 84 games, the speedster swiped 33 bags (second in the majors) held a .338 batting average and led the league in hits with 122. After earning his first appearance as an All-Star starter, it was a shame to see him merely spectating what could have been his spectacle on Tuesday night.
The Toddfather and the Resurrection of the Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby’s entertainment value had been dead for some time. Even diehard baseball fans didn’t care much for it. The event was always too long, and the painstakingly slow nature of the first round bored people to tears.
With that being the case, the league found it necessary to create a new, quicker format to put more energy back into the contest and make it as enjoyable as it used to be back in the day. Under the new rules, Derby contestants got five minutes per round to hit as many homers as they can muster, but they also got one timeout for each round. The clock was also supposed to stop after every home run hit with less than a minute left. Plus, the Home Run Derby was switched to an eight-man, single-elimination tournament that required players to hit more dingers than the opposing slugger in order to advance. However, weather concerns in Cincinnati forced the league to change the rules to make the Derby conclude even quicker.
Both sets of revisions proved to be a smashing success! The head-to-head format added a level of competitiveness since players are pitted against other players instead of trying to compete against a number of home runs. Also, the clock created an entertaining sense of urgency. The new revisions helped to setup arguably the most exciting moment in the history of the event: Todd Frazier’s Derby-winning slam in bonus time. The hometown hero edged out Joc Pederson 15-14 in the finals after struggling mightily in the first two minutes of the last round.
Mike Trout is Ridiculous
The All-Star Game wasn’t as electric as the Home Run Derby, but I’ll admit that it’s always exciting every time Mike Trout steps up to the plate. He scored two runs in the contest and became the first guy in 38 years to leadoff the All-Star Game with a home run after he went yard on Zack Greinke, helping the AL win 6-3. As historic as that was, he broke history again by becoming the first player to win two straight All-Star Game MVP awards. So if it already wasn’t official (it was)…Trout is an undisputed, man-beast (meast?)!
He further proved that distinction just three days later against Red Sox closer Koji Uehara in the bottom of the ninth. The 23-year-old slugger went deep off of Uehara and started the second half off with a bang, propelling his Angels to a 1-0 win on Friday night. Mind you, Uehara only allowed two homers in his last 33 2/3 innings before giving up Trout’s bomb. Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Trout is the new face of baseball.
Manfred’s Manifesto
30 teams is typically seen as the perfect number of franchises for any league. However, it looks like MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is ready to follow the NFL and expand beyond the 30-team mark. The league hasn’t expanded since the Rays and Diamondbacks came into the picture in 1998, but Manfred is open to the possibility.
The Rays and Athletics are also teams that could be on the move in short order if they can’t get new ballparks in their current cities. Montreal, Mexico City, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Portland, OR are all major cities the league thinks can be advantageous landing spots for new or relocating clubs.
The league does have a Mexican minor league, so it’s very possible that a major league franchise south of the border can be a reality within the next couple of decades. I love the idea of Mexico, Canada and the United States all being united by baseball. It would no longer solely be America’s pastime, but instead North America’s pastime.
Trade Talks
July 31 marks the MLB trade deadline and the Reds are expected to be the most active team before it passes. Johnny Cueto will be a free agent at the end of the year, but the Reds probably won’t be able to afford to re-sign him and can get huge returns on the trade market for him, so they might as well trade away the ace.
Mike Leake is also a free agent after the season, but teams that lack solid No. 4 or No. 5 starters would likely be interested in taking him on. Aroldis Chapman is the league’s best closer but doesn’t get nearly enough save opportunities with the Reds, so other teams would have much more use for him than the Reds would. Plus, Cincinnati would likely struggle to pay him what he’s worth, so it makes sense to try and pawn him off.
Jay Bruce’s is set to make $25.5 million over the next two years combined, which is actually a decent value considering what he brings to the table. There are a lot of playoff contenders out there that could use his bat. Marlon Byrd’s also got a big bat that a playoff-hopeful would covet, but his age (37) makes him a prime candidate to be jettisoned since from the rebuilding squad.
Brayan Pena and Manny Parra will both be free agents after this year, but the Reds would rather use their player budget on other guys instead of spending on a backup catcher (Pena) and a bullpen guy (Parra). Expect them to try and ship off both of these men, as well.
Phillies ace Cole Hamels is a non-Red whose name has been mentioned in a million and one trade rumors. The 31-year-old could net the club a plethora of promising prospects, but his last eight starts before the All-Star break certainly don’t help his value. Hamels boasted an ugly 4.47 ERA with an 0-4 record in that span. His final game before the All-Star break was arguably the worst of his career, pitching just 3 2/3 innings while surrendering 12 hits and nine earned runs.
The Dodgers are one of the leading contenders for Hamels. Previously, the Phillies demanded at least Julio Urias or Corey Seager, among others, in return for Hamels. However, the Phillies realized that the Dodgers have enough great prospects to properly compensate them for Hamels’ services without involving either of the Dodgers’ top two prospects. Since that realization, the Phillies have softened their stance.
The Red Sox and Cubs both still have a nice shot at acquiring Hamels also. However, we may not see Hamels sent away from Philadelphia at all. These same trade discussions surrounding the Philly ace took place this time last year. What came out of it? Nada. You never know, though.
Jonathan Ebanks is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jonathan, check out his archive and follow him @hogz4lyfe.