MLBits: Carrasco to the DL, Buxton to AAA, Aledmys Diaz Goes Off, and Offense Is Up

Apr 26, 2016

News and bits from around the league …

Carlos Carrasco injured his leg in the third inning of the Indians win over the Tigers on Sunday while covering first base on a grounder off the bat of Andrew Romine. Receiving the throw, Carrasco pulled up in pain and was ultimately removed from the game. Later that day, Carrasco traveled back to Cleveland to undergo an MRI and the results revealed a moderate strain of the hamstring (not terrible news, all things considered). Still, Carrasco (a commonly-rumored Chicago Cubs trade target), will head to the 15-day disabled list, and is expected to miss somewhere between 4-6 weeks. (You do quick mental calculations in your head and conclude, yes, that would bring him back in plenty of time to show he’s healthy before the Trade Deadline.)

Uber-prospect Byron Buxton continues to struggle to find his footing in the Major Leagues. After a weak debut in 2015 (.209/.250/.326 over 138 plate appearances), Buxton and the Twins were hoping for a fast start in 2016. However, after just 49 plate appearances (.156/.208/.289) and a 49% strike out rate, Buxton will head back to the minor leagues (AAA) to get straightened out. Replacing him on the roster is rightly Alex Meyer. I still wouldn’t bet against Buxton – whose adored by scouts – but it does serve to remind us all that even the very best prospects don’t always work out, AND that development isn’t always linear.[adinserter block=”1″]

At FanGraphs, Craig Edwards performed an exercise to estimate the TV Revenues for all 30 MLB teams and it is a fascinating read. There is just so much in there to unpack and save to memory, so I suggest you check it out. And perhaps you wouldn’t have guessed it because of how old the total deal is, but, based on Edwards’ research, the Cubs still have one of the most lucrative TV deals in baseball ($65 million in 2016 – 6th) of any team in baseball.

Francisco Lindor’s defense at shortstop is right up there with anyone. He made three ridiculous plays in the span of three innings.

Craig Kimbrel is an absolutely dominating, hard-throwing closer and has been for some time now. At Baseball Prospectus, though, Dustin Palmateer writes about how Kimbrel has actually been throwing harder as he ages, increasing the percentage of fastballs thrown above 97 MPH in every season from 2010 to 2015. Interesting stuff.

On Monday night, after losing a ball in the lights, Tigers center fielder Tyler Collins flipped off Detroit fans for booing him after the play. You can see a gif of the video at that link, and although Collins was wrong and has since apologized … I have to admit, it’s kind of funny.[adinserter block=”2″]

Was there ever a doubt in your mind that Cardinals shortstop replacement Aledmys Diaz was going to go off on an absolute tear after a series of injuries thrust Diaz into the spotlight? Of course there wasn’t, because the Cardinals never miss. Close your eyes if you’re already having a bad day: In his rookie season, Diaz has hit .481/.509/.833 with just a 5.3% strikeout rate(!!!) and has already accumulated 1.2 WAR. Whatever.

Offense is slightly up in 2016 (4.27 runs per game) compared to last season (4.25) and each of three seasons prior (4.17, 4.32, 4.28). Encouragingly (if you like offense), the offense is up early in the season when hitters are typically still behind pitchers and the weather is colder. So, the expectation is that 2016 will be an even better offensive year than it has been already (not if Jake Arrieta has anything to say about it, of course).[adinserter block=”7″]

Lastly, Giancarlo Stanton can chuck his bat with the best of them, and also, he is a freak:

Whoa. Giancarlo Stanton hit a BP ball OUT of AT&T Park to LEFT field. https://t.co/WfVoDRleiN pic.twitter.com/tLqEtJiwfE

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) April 26, 2016

written by

Michael Cerami

Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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