Random remarks, as usual some pertinent some not so, at MLB’s quarter pole:
I doubt this will come into play, but the timing of the Orioles’ swap of outfielders Heston Kjerstad and Kyle Stowers wasn’t completely coincidental. According to my unofficial but researched bookkeeping, Kjerstad is still a few days shy of the 45 days service time that would disqualify him from rookie status next year, while Stowers, with 77 days in prior to this year, has already surpassed that mark.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias has been protective of rookie status for top prospects in the past (Ryan Mountcastle, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, among others), conscious of the rewards for high placement in Rookie of the Year voting. It’s unlikely that Kjerstad, widely considered the top trading chip the Orioles might be willing to trade, will spend the rest of the year in Triple-A, but just in case he will carry rookie status into 2025.
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If Statcast or Fastcast introduces one more category relating to velocity my head will be Spincast.
We have pitch velocity, exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrels, square-ups (is there any difference in the last four?) and now we have bat speed. I don’t want to overwhelm you with this, but the bat speed numbers are so low in comparison to the others you wonder how it even made the cut.
I saw a list the other of the top 10 in bat speed. At the top was Giancarlo Stanton, noted for swing-and-miss and low-contact tendencies. In 10th place was Juan Soto, generally accepted as one of the top two or three hitters in the game.
And I’m sure all local fans are aware that when he was designated for assignment this week, Ryan McKenna left with the third-highest bat speed among his Orioles teammates. Hello, is anybody paying attention?
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Speaking of speed (aren’t we always?), it is generally accepted that extreme velocity is the cause of most Tommy John surgeries. So what is the most publicized part of pitching? Velocity, of course.
When Paul Skenes made his long-awaited debut (by all accounts he stayed in the minors longer than necessary), there were some really notable things that happened.
Most significant perhaps was the fact the prized prospect couldn’t get past the fifth inning. Another was that he needed 84 pitches to navigate four innings. Also, during the inning Skenes left after giving up a pair of hits, the Cubs managed to draw six walks from his successors — all with the bases loaded.
All of that was overshadowed by the facts: 1) Skenes threw the hardest pitch of the season at 102-plus mph; 2) He threw 17 pitches in excess of 100 mph; and 3) He struck out seven in his four innings. There is no question velocity dominates. From a pitching standpoint, the question seeming answered with every Tommy John surgery — is it worth it?
Skenes is said to be a “generational” talent and very well might be going forward. The Pirates, and baseball, can only hope he fares better than the last pitcher who carried that title. Stephen Strasburg won a World Series ring, but his career was over at the age of 30.
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Nobody asked me, but …
Dean Kremer is as good a No. 4 starter as there is in MLB, but if needed he’d be the Orioles’ best in-house option to fill the role of closer.
The mysterious decline of Alex Bregman is the surest signal that the Astros’ long run is over.
The American League has had a long run of great shortstops throughout the years, but you’d have to go a long way to find two from the same draft as good as Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson.
MLB needs to get rid of the “hold” as an unofficial statistic before some agent lobbies to make it official, which is exactly what happened with quality starts, saves and blown saves. The recent Orioles game that saw Keegan Akin get a blown save on a run charged to Craig Kimbrel, who was credited with a hold, is just one of many examples. Once these statistics show up in box scores, they tend to be accepted as gospel.
I’ve never seen a listing of MLB leaders in the number of “holds” for a season or career, but sooner or later …
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles