Oh, the Cubs are .500 just days before July. I almost forgot that one.
So let’s turn our attention to the rest of the league for a moment, to see what everyone else is dealing with. It can always be worse, right?
Well, maybe not worse, but it’s definitely not good for everybody else, either. Take the first place Milwaukee Brewers, for example. They just lost their best starting pitcher in Chase Anderson last night, and it might be for a while. Anderson was taken out of the game after straining his left oblique swinging the bat in the second inning. “We’re probably going to lose him for a pretty good bit of time here,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell.” According to Anderson, he could be out a month to two months, which would probably be quite devastating to a Brewers team that is inarguably already hanging on by a thread (despite the Cubs’ own implosion).
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Through 16 starts and 90.1 IP this season, Anderson has earned a 2.89 ERA (3.44 FIP) and collected 2.3 fWAR (12th best in the Majors) for the Brewers. He had even just gotten a huge write-up at FanGraphs as “another reason the Brewers sit in first place.” But now, he’ll be replaced in the rotation by the Brewers’ 13th best prospect. Somehow, an injury to Chase Anderson is actually a huge needle mover in the 2017 NL Central. Who woulda thought?
Kyle Schwarber’s not alone: The Cardinals have demoted 2016 All-Star Aledmys Diaz to Triple-A Memphis. Diaz had a really great year at the plate last season (132 wRC+), but has gotten off to a slow start in 2017 (79 wRC+). So, not unlike what they did with Randal Grichuk at the beginning of the month, the Cardinals decided to make a move to send Diaz down. For what it’s worth, Grichuk played in 15 Minor League games, hit well (134 wRC+) and rejoined the team on June 25. If Diaz follows a similar path, he could return sometime after the All-Star Break.
Despite what the commissioner and the league say, the data continues to pile up:
A Major League umpire, John Trumpane, saved a woman’s life yesterday, as he prevented a woman from falling off the Roberto Clemente Bridge. And then he went and umped a game. The woman was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and will live to see another day. Way to go, Trumpane, you did a good thing.
Drew Smyly, who was acquired by the Mariners to play a big role in this year’s rotation, will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, after failing to throw a single pitch for the Mariners this season. I know a lot of Cubs fans are dying for the front office to make a big trade for a starting pitcher this deadline, and they probably will do something. But here’s your reminder that pitchers can break after you trade for them. Sometimes immediately after you trade for them. Hopefully, Smyly will return sometime in the middle of the 2018 season.
“Just because it’s not particularly predictive doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant.” That’s a quote from Jeff Sullivan’s recent and excellent read about Albert Pujols over at FanGraphs. In short, Albert Pujols has essentially been the single worst position player in baseball this year, with -1.0 WAR so far. By all usual accounts, the Angels should just call up any other player to replace him and they’d move up to 0.0 WAR (that’s what “replacement level” means). However, while Pujols has been very bad in normal situations, he’s actually been PHENOMENAL in the situations that matter most:
Overall: 76 wRC+
Low Leverage: 41 wRC+
Med. Leverage: 80 wRC+
High Leverage: 210 wRC+
There’s more to it than this, but essentially, Pujols has been one of the most clutch hitters this season, and has, thus far, added a ton of value by hitting his best in the spots that matter most. Now, this brings us back to that first quote. None of this particularly predictive. We KNOW that. But this is why, in my opinion, “advanced” stat fans and “traditional” stat fans are in a constant battle. It’s not that RBIs don’t matter – you literally need them to win – it’s just that they’re not particularly convincing about how a player’s going to do going forward. There is absolutely no question that Pujols has been more valuable than the worst player in baseball this season, the question is will he still be over the next three months? Really interesting stuff.
Discussing Bryant v. Arenado has always been a fun debate (even if I don’t think there’s much of a debate to be had), but one thing’s for sure … Arenado has Bryant beat on defense:
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
A very scary scene in Pittsburgh, where Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jakob Junis, currently on the IL with a shoulder impingement, took a batting practice ball off the neck and went down. Junis was apparently on the ground for a long...
On April 9, I took an early look at Nico Hoerner's apparently evolving approach at the plate, which featured a lot more patience and a lot more big hacks. Effectively, it seemed like he was trying for a little more...
There's been much debate about pitcher arm injuries lately, much of it sparked by Spencer Strider's season-ending Tommy John surgery, and Strider spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Friday. Spencer Strider on pitcher arm...
A new signing popped up on the Chicago Cubs' transaction log: lefty Mitchell Tyranski. Tyranski, 26, put up a 3.83 ERA over 42.1 innings at High-A last year in the Dodgers organization, striking out 47 and walking 21. Were you...
We already dove deep into Shota Imanaga's latest impressive start against the Marlins yesterday. And there's been no shortage of love for Michael Busch this season either. But I do want to take this time to illustrate just how good...
Even though Sunday ended in a loss for the Chicago Cubs, we did get some good news in the form of positive injury updates. Ian Happ (hamstring) was available off the bench and could be good to go tomorrow, when...
I know that sometimes there is a history between an umpire and a manager. I know that sometimes a manager can subtly get under the skin of an umpire without doing much that we can see or hear. And I...
Let's get caught up on all of the action down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | April 22, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs (13-8) The Cubs were swept in a doubleheader by the Louisville Bats...
What started as a small convo for the bullets ballooned into a deeper dive on Kyle Hendricks, what's going wrong, and where the Cubs go from here. So if you're looking for the Hendricks discussion, that was earlier today. Despite...
Baseball America today released its updated (version 2.0) 2024 MLB mock draft. With more of the amateur season taking place, we are starting to see more of the top tier become firmly crystalized with eight names, none of whom are...
The Indiana Pacers are slight 1-point underdogs in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, beginning at 8:30 PM ET on NBA. The Bucks are ahead 1-0 in...
The Minnesota Timberwolves are slight 3-point favorites in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns at Target Center on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. The Timberwolves hold a 1-0 series...
The Los Angeles Clippers bring a 0-1 series record into Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks are favored by 2.5 points in the matchup, which airs on TNT at 10:00 PM ET. The point...
On Tuesday, Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals (10-13) take on Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13), with first pitch scheduled for 7:45 PM ET at Busch Stadium.See how to watch the St. Louis-Arizona matchup below.When is Cardinals...
The Carolina Hurricanes are at the New York Islanders on April 25 at 7:30 PM ET, and are -155 favorites, with the home team at +130.Hurricanes vs. Islanders Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Hurricanes (-155)Underdog: Islanders (+130)Total: 5.5Best Hurricanes vs. Islanders Promo...
The bookmakers are expecting a close contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins on Wednesday in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs given moneyline odds of -115 and the Bruins at -105.Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Maple...
Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (11-13) host Pete Alonso and the New York Mets (12-10) at 9:45 PM ET on Tuesday.The article below will give you everything you need to watch San Francisco take on New York.When is...
On Tuesday at 9:38 PM ET, Jordan Westburg and the Baltimore Orioles (15-7) face Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-14) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.See how to watch the Baltimore-Los Angeles matchup below.When is Orioles vs. Angels and...
The Texas Rangers are hosting the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series, with the action getting underway at 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, April 23.Rangers vs. Mariners Series Info Mariners @ Rangers Time: Tuesday, April 23 at 8:05 PM ET...
The Houston Astros will be on the road, beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:40 PM ET.Cubs vs. Astros Series Info Astros @ Cubs Time: Tuesday, April 23 at 7:40 PM ET Cubs...
NEWSLETTER
