10 Biggest Takeaways from Week 2's MLB Action
We saw a lot of old and new during Week 2 of this baseball season, but little in between.
MLB’s youngest grabbed this week’s headlines, whether it was Bryce Harper reaffirming his status as the face of baseball or rookies Trevor Story, Jeremy Hazelbaker and Kenta Maeda continuing stellar freshman campaigns.
The old came in the form of discussion over Pablo Sandoval’s weight—a storyline that has followed the third baseman at every stop in his MLB career. Fan safety again was in the spotlight, a question that is getting old and one that desperately needs an answer.
Then, there was also a storyline that fused the two: The old, rundown Cubs clubhouse morphed into a futuristic, new locale for its players that looks like an athlete's version of Disneyland.
Nomar Mazara Is Already Making His Case to Stay with the Big Club
1 of 10
Maybe the Texas Rangers hadn’t planned to call up Nomar Mazara, baseball’s No. 16 prospect, according to MLB.com, this early in the season. After all, it was a calf injury to Shin-Soo Choo that prompted the Rangers to promote the promising 20-year-old right fielder.
Mazara, though, has taken advantage of the opportunity.
In his debut Sunday, he hit a 443-foot home run and singled twice. In the ensuing four games, Mazara had two more multi-hit games. He hit .400/.409/.600 through his first five major league games.
That kind of continued play will force the Rangers to keep Mazara with the big club, even when Choo comes back. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers’ injured right fielder is expected back in four to six weeks.
It wouldn’t be beneficial for a top prospect like Mazara to platoon, because developing such a young player calls for him to get as many plate appearances as possible. So with Choo out, Mazara will need to prove he is ready to be an everyday starter.
But by accounts from Texas manager Jeff Banister, it seems as if the team expected Mazara to excel right away. Though it’s a small sample size, he has shown a maturity at the plate—namely his ability to hit when behind in the count—that would warrant a permanent spot in the lineup.
Banister told Grant:
"He has the ability to use the other field and the ability to stay back and hit the off-speed pitch. We saw it in spring training and we saw it [Sunday]. The reality is in the first at-bat, he was out front a little, but had the control to keep the barrel in the hitting zone. He's a guy who can fall down in the count and you can still feel comfortable that he's going to give you a professional at-bat.
"
Now the Real Story Begins
2 of 10
Excuse the cheesy use of his last name, done probably for the 10,678th time since Trevor Story mania began on Opening Day.
But now it may be more apropos. When the Colorado Rockies shortstop hit seven home runs in his first six games, an MLB record, it was more like a fairy tale. It was an insane streak that baseball’s best couldn’t sustain.
As the craze over his otherworldly start subsides, the arc of Story’s career will begin in earnest. Now, it actually becomes more of a common story.
This week he came to a fork in the road: Would Story mania go the way of Linsanity? The sports world was similarly captivated by the short-term stardom of then-New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who only became an average NBA player shortly thereafter. Or will Story continue on the path to stardom, becoming a mainstay at the game’s marquee position?
In the euphoria of Story’s remarkable start, it was easy to forget that he wasn’t supposed to be the team’s shortstop at all. He is fighting to keep his position (it should be noted that Story has the ability to play second and third base as well).
Story got his opportunity to start at shortstop when Jose Reyes was suspended for an alleged incidence of domestic violence.
Not only does Story need to prove he deserves to keep his spot in the lineup when Reyes returns, but he is also competing long-term with Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers—ranked No. 10 overall by MLB.com.
Though his power could prompt a move to third base, Rodgers is still listed at shortstop. So, Story has to prove himself more worthy than two highly regarded players. None of this is meant to suggest that he may fall off. Through nine games he's hitting .333/.357/.974.
But the “Story” is only now beginning.
Drop the “House” in the Cubs’ Clubhouse
3 of 10
Clearly, there was an over-the-top theme when it came to the design of the Chicago Cubs’ new home clubhouse, unveiled before the team’s home opener this past Monday.
Before a complete renovation, the clubhouse looked little more than a glorified high school locker room. Now, it resembles many things, namely a nightclub, but anything other than a typical MLB clubhouse. Inside the main locker area, there are various settings for the lighting in the room, multiple flat-screen televisions and a circular bar that makes the place rival some of Chicago’s most popular night spots.
Beyond that are a lounge, strength and conditioning area and training room that’s utopia for any sports scientist. Among the interesting accouterments is a saltwater hyperbaric deprivation chamber.
The Chicago Tribune has blueprints for the completed and yet-to-be-completed parts of the new clubhouse.
But the coolest thing about the clubhouse would be if it is used well into October. At least, that’s the hope on Chicago’s North Side.
.png?w=256)
Bryce Harper’s Milestone Cements His Standing as the Face of MLB
4 of 10
Sure, most probably already thought the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper was the face of the sport, especially given his otherworldly 2015 season (.330/.460/.649) in which he earned NL MVP honors.
But as he continues to pile up career milestones—the latest coming Thursday when he became the eighth-youngest player in history to hit 100 homers—it becomes clearer that he is the face of the game.
There are other young, talented players in baseball such as Mike Trout and Carlos Correa. But Harper’s status is as much about his play on the field as it is his persona off it.
Correa might challenge Harper for such a designation. But last year was his rookie season, and he’ll need more seniority before given the moniker. Trout, like Harper, is a transcendent talent.
But the less interesting Trout doesn’t have the kind of off-field persona that makes Harper a daily headline-grabber. Harper is transparent and willing to say what’s on his mind, as evident in his criticism of baseball’s unwritten rules, which discourage celebration.
It’s not just what Harper does on the field, but the way in which he does it. He is as much an athlete as a showman.
"In every sport, guys [who] are considered the great ones—Michael Jordan, [Wayne] Gretzky, Jim Brown, Joe Montana—they have a flair for the dramatic," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said, per ESPN.com. "And I told [Harper] when he hit that home run, 'Man, you've got a flair for the dramatic.'"
Continue to Be Impressed with the Way MLB Commemorates Jackie Robinson
5 of 10
Jackie Robinson is more than a baseball idol. More than a legendary sports figure. Robinson is a civil rights icon, having broken baseball's color barrier.
As the players around MLB wore his No. 42 on Friday to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day, it reaffirmed that baseball, maybe more than any sport, honors its history with dignity and class.
Players like the Miami Marlins’ Dee Gordon acknowledged the opportunity that Robinson provided him.
"Jackie went through so much, and coming from the Dodgers, I got a better understanding of the history of it," Gordon said, per MLB.com. "I was blessed to wear a Dodger uniform with 42 on it, and I'll take the same pride in it today in a Marlins uniform. It's a great day, I'm happy I can be a part of it."
Many dignitaries were on hand for the annual Civil Rights Game, this year played between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners at Dodgers Stadium.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was on hand and offered this to MLB.com: "It's a real pleasure to be here in Los Angeles, and it's especially a pleasure to be here on April 15. For some people, they think about April 15 as tax day. In baseball, we know it's Jackie Robinson Day."
Pablo Sandoval Is Damaged Goods
6 of 10
No player has provided more tabloid fodder since the start of spring training than Pablo Sandoval.
First, the Red Sox third baseman reported to camp looking unhealthily overweight and then lost his starting job to Travis Shaw. More recently, a former personal trainer of Sandoval’s said he thinks the player has an eating issue.
"He needs to be smart enough to say there's a problem," said Ethan Banning, owner of Triple Threat Performance in Phoenix, according to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. "It's like the alcoholic that won't admit he's an alcoholic: well, you can't address that you're an alcoholic if you don't ever admit there's a problem."
On Friday, Boston announced that Sandoval would be seeking a consultation from famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews for a shoulder issue.
Give the litany of issues surrounding Sandoval this season and the three years remaining on his five-year, $95 million contract, it’s difficult to understand why any team would want to trade for Sandoval. The only feasible way in which Boston could trade him would be if the terms called for the Sox to pay most of his remaining contract.
The Red Sox have little use for him. He had only seven plate appearances when news of his shoulder injury was released.
Jeremy Hazelbaker Deserves as Much Fanfare as Trevor Story
7 of 10
You already heard about the accomplishments of the Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story, who hit seven home runs in his first six MLB games.
And in no way should that accomplishment be diminished. But Story has unfairly overshadowed the MLB debut of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, who deserves as much fanfare for being a catalyst on a team desperately in need of one.
Losing Jason Heyward to the Chicago Cubs in free agency and shortstop Jhonny Peralta to injury this spring left St. Louis searching for a spark.
Through nine games this season, Hazelbaker, who made his MLB debut on Opening Day at 28 years old, has been the chief reason St. Louis has scored 59 runs through the first nine games of the season. A career minor leaguer who came with little expectation heading into the season, Hazelbaker rode an eight-game hitting streak into Friday, a late game that hadn’t been completed as of this writing.
In nine games this season, he hit .481/.484/1.000.
This all comes less than a year after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, which caused doubt about Hazelbaker’s future in the game.
"It was a stressful time, without a doubt," Hazelbaker told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. "This is what I had been doing for years and years. I wasn't sure what to do next. I didn't have a backup plan.
"I didn't treat every game like it was my last game. I took it for granted. That was a terrible thing for me to do for all those years. I regret that.”
A Slow Fastball Hasn’t Prevented a Fast Start for Kenta Maeda
8 of 10
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda to an incentive-laden, eight-year contract, with a guaranteed $25 million, there were concerns about his fastball.
Maeda throws in the low 90s but gained the Dodgers’ interest because of his breaking pitches. And it’s the latter that has given reason to believe Los Angeles can count Maeda as a mainstay in the rotation.
We’re still waiting for Maeda to give up a major league run. He has gone six innings in each of his two starts—one win and one no-decision—while striking out eight, walking only one and hitting a batter.
Oh, and he has only given up two extra-base hits.
Sure, Maeda has only made two starts, a small sample size, but his low walk total suggests that his command has been solid—a clear indicator he has no early anxiety about facing MLB hitters.
"He never loses his poise," Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "I think you almost see the best of him when he's in trouble. That shows how competitive he is and how he's able to execute when he has to."
Current MLB Safety Mandates Aren’t Enough
9 of 10
It seems that MLB likes to deal with issues of safety at an arm’s length.
Baseball doesn’t want to alienate dedicated season ticket holders who purposely buy seats with sight lines that aren’t obscured by protective netting. But conversely, that safety netting prevents fans in those seats from serious injury.
On Friday in the seventh inning of a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field, a fan was struck by a foul ball that made its way through the netting already in place, according to an ESPN.com report. The fan left the game on a stretcher.
There just shouldn’t be a debate between fan sensitivity and safety.
If adding protective netting or tightening the holes of the netting upsets a few fans, that’s a small price to pay for the safety of the collective.
Sure, there’s the argument that fans assume the risk by sitting in those seats and should pay attention. But aside from smartphones, there is a litany of in-park occurrences—particularly on the stadium big screens—that distract fans from the field of play.
A Hot Start Is Exactly What the Chicago White Sox Needed
10 of 10
Given the turmoil the Chicago White Sox underwent in spring training, the team was desperate for a hot start.
Chicago, which has playoff aspirations, watched Adam LaRoche retire because he was asked to limit the amount of time his son spent in the clubhouse. His son had previously been allowed to be in the team’s clubhouse at all times.
That led to White Sox ace Chris Sale publicly lashing out at executive vice president Kenny Williams.
It all looked as if it would affect the team, at least early in the season. But an 8-2 start has made many in Chicago forget about the LaRoche saga.
Winning certainly is a cure-all.
.png?w=480)
