NEWSLETTER
Miguel Cabrera’s journey to the 3,000 hit club came to an end this weekend, but we were quickly reminded of how spoiled we’ve been in the last 10-20 years when it comes to watching milestones like these and why Cabrera’s might be the last of the like for some time.
Miggy Reaches 3K Hits, But Who’s Next?
Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera made history this weekend, when he recorded his 3,000th hit and became the 33rd player in MLB history to join the illustrious club. Cabrera is also a part of the 500 home run club, and we can all agree that Miggy is one of the greatest hitters that we’ve ever seen. However, Cabrera might be the last player to join the 3,000 hit club for some time.
Zach Kram put together a great read on why it might be a very long time before we see another:
Saturday afternoon, Miguel Cabrera became the 33rd player to join MLB’s 3,000-hit club. But now that he’s done it, it could be a long time before anyone else reaches that milestone. @zachkram: https://t.co/Noe8sVZElO
— The Ringer (@ringer) April 25, 2022
Yanks Letter to Commissioner Expected to be Released
The Yankees’ latest attempt to keep the contents of a letter between GM Brian Cashman and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred regarding an investigation into sign stealing has failed, and according to Evan Drellich, the letter is expected to be released within the next seven days:
Yankees president Randy Levine on Second Circuit’s denial of his appeal to keep letter private: "We’re disappointed by the Court of Appeals' decision, but we respect it. However, I believe that as described in my petition, this will lead to a lot of bad results down the road."
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) April 21, 2022
The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals denied the Yankees’ request to hear their appeal on Thursday. The letter was initially ordered unsealed on March 21 by Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco after Bianco listened to the case with Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston and Circuit Judge Gerard E. Lynch. The trio of judges affirmed April 2020 ruling by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to dismiss a lawsuit by fantasy sports contestants who claimed they were damaged by sign stealing in Major League Baseball. However, Rakoff ordered Manfred’s letter to be unsealed.
Don’t Expect Steve Cohen and the Mets to Slow Spending
Mets’ owner Steve Cohen signed off on a record-setting $130 million signing of Max Scherzer. The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Freddie Freeman $162 million over six years to add him to an already incredible lineup as the Dodgers hunt for their fourth National League pennant in the last six seasons. Both teams are seeing their investments pay off early in 2022.
Max Scherzer is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in his first three starts of the season for the Mets, who enter play today with the most wins in baseball (12-5). Freddie Freeman is hitting .322 with three home runs and a 170 wRC+ for the Dodgers, who are right behind the Mets in the win column (11-4) but on top of baseball with a .733 winning percentage.
The Dodgers lead the majors in payroll ($289 million), and Cohen and his Mets are No. 2 with a $258 million payroll. Steve Cohen says that he’s not concerned with paying the luxury tax and doesn’t plan on curbing his spending:
“What the hell’s the difference? 285? 291? You’re still paying a tax; you’re just paying a different tax,” Cohen said. “If you can’t build a team spending $290 million, you’ve got a problem.”
More from Jon Heyman:
Dodgers and Steve Cohen’s Mets spent liberally and wisely and are on top today. And don’t be surprised if he keeps going, past $290M threshold. “What the hell’s the difference? 285? 291? You’re still paying a tax, you’re just paying a different tax.” https://t.co/nnkJTtcbbN
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 23, 2022
Royals Unveil City Connect Uniforms
The Nike City Connect uniforms have been pretty hit or miss since they debuted last season, but some are pretty darn sharp, and the Kansas City Royals’ new threads fit into that category.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1518598143285338112?s=20&t=4le0f7ewxTVQZ4bXoRSSvA
The interlocked “KC” logo was modeled after the fountains in the city of Kansas City (which is nicknamed “The City of Fountains”) and in the outfield of Kaufmann Stadium. The newest addition to the Nike City Connect series is a perfect blend of different, meaningful, and attractive that we’ve seldom seen with these unique uniforms across the league. It’s just a clean look that hits the sentiment they’re trying to convey without being too much for the eyes.
Symbolic of our city.
Rooted in our history.https://t.co/bvv5OBfyi4 pic.twitter.com/03s4zclzc9— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 25, 2022
Odds and Ends …
• Interesting thread:
Let's Talk About Big League Money…
A look behind the scenes at the financial reality of @MLB players: pic.twitter.com/sxL8Zpeue8
— Cory Gearrin (@CoryGearrin) April 21, 2022
• JUICE THE BALLS AGAIN!
MLB home runs per at bat in April:
2017: 3.44%
2018: 3.18%
2019: 3.88%
2021: 3.47%
2022: 2.71% (so far)— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 25, 2022
• Angel Hernandez continues to prove that he’s the single-most unqualified umpire in MLB history every opportunity he gets.
Umpire: Angel Hernandez
Final: Brewers 1, Phillies 0#ThisIsMyCrew // #RingTheBell#MILvsPHI // #PHIvsMIL pic.twitter.com/x38zUGrU5E— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) April 25, 2022
• Kyle Schwarber was ejected from Sunday night’s game after Hernandez rang him up on strikes in the bottom of the ninth inning of a one-run game on yet another bad call. Schwarber had some things to say to Hernandez and was quite animated about them. But who can blame him?
Good for Kyle Schwarber standing up to Angel Hernandez for both teams
“All f***ing night! The whole night! On both sides, f***ing horses**t!” pic.twitter.com/6yS40lMaFM
— Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) April 25, 2022
• Lucas Giolito was dealing in his return to the mound after missing time with a rib injury racking up nine strikeouts:
9 strikeouts in his return. Welcome back, Gio! pic.twitter.com/O7YFuvhHsZ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 24, 2022
• Miguel Cabrera and Ty France were named co-AL Players of the Week, and Cody Bellinger took home the honor on the National League side:
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1518676950050607104?s=20&t=QabBOZPvFYJvaN1cvhx_xQ
• The Dodgers stand atop the MLB dot com power rankings, and the top-10 include six teams from the NL West and AL East:
A Power Rankings shakeup! How do you like this top 10?
Full Rankings ➡️ https://t.co/F1kAC2PK5t pic.twitter.com/laCUcT9DWT
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2022
