NEWSLETTER
MLB Notes —
“Once-in-a-decade” pitching prospect Paul Skenes will make his major league debut this weekend against the Cubs.
After Electrifying the Minors with Triple-Digit Heat, Paul Skenes to Make His Debut on Saturday
All it took was seven starts at Triple-A this season for the Pirates to deem Skenes ready for his major league debut this weekend. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft has a 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. His first earned run didn’t come until his fifth start with Triple-A Indianapolis.
I’ve been saying this since Spring Training, but Skenes already has the stuff to compete in the big league. His fastball is averaging 99.9 miles per hour this season. In his seven starts with Indianapolis this season, Skenes has racked up 19 strikeouts on pitches of 100 miles per hour or more. That would lead Major League Baseball. Oakland’s Mason Miller has 16.
Skense was pitching for LSU this time last year when Jim Callis called him the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg.
“He’s the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg in 2009, and Strasburg was the best ever,” Callis said.
Orioles Beat the Nats in a Wild Affair in D.C.
The Nationals forced extras after the Orioles blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning. The Orioles were again ahead by two in the 11th, but the Nationals managed to force a 12th. The Orioles almost blew another two-run lead in the 12th, but they managed to win 7-6. Wednesday night’s game in Washington was quite exciting.
The Orioles were close to winning the game with a 3-1 score with only one out remaining in the ninth inning when closer Craig Kimbrel allowed a home run to Eddie Rosario. Baltimore then replaced Kimbrel with Keegan Akin, but CJ Abrams hit a game-tying RBI single off him. Kimbrel has been struggling to convert save opportunities, allowing six earned runs in 2.1 innings over four of his last five appearances.
The game went into extra innings, and Baltimore managed to score two runs in the top of the 12th. Washington cut the lead to 7-6 with an RBI double by Luis García Jr. in the bottom of the frame, but Baltimore’s Tyler Webb managed to strike out Nick Senzel and get Jesse Winker and Joey Meneses to fly out to end the game. Baltimore has won 24 of its 36 games this season and has 10 comeback wins and four one-run victories, similar to last year when they won 48 of their 101 games in comeback fashion and 30 by a one-run margin.
Why are Top Hitting Prospects Having a Harder Transition to the Majors than in the Past?
Baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday, is back in Triple-A after a failed first call-up with the Baltimore Orioles. Holliday went 2-for-34 during his brief call-up. Henry Davis, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, is also back at Triple-A after hitting .162 with a .486 OPS with the Pirates.
The list goes on. Detroit’s Colt Keith has a major-league low .414 OPS. Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio has a .609 OPS, and Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford had a .588 OPS before hitting the IL with a hamstring strain.
So, what gives?
According to players that The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal spoke to, there’s a significant void in quality pitching at the Triple-A level right now – for a variety of explored reasons – making it hard for hitters to see an accurate depiction of the pitching that they encounter once they’re called up to the big league. Even Holliday’s teammate Gunnar Henderson went through a similar struggle last season before getting adjusted and eventually winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Henderson had a .651 OPS through May before things began to click.
“It’s hard to replicate the stuff up here. That’s why you see so many of these kids get called up and struggle,” Mets DH J.D. Martinez said. “This is where the dawgs come. This is the big boy league.”
Check out Ken’s full story here:
Ippei Mizuhara to Plead Guilty to Fraud
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter and manager of Los Angeles Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud charges for allegedly stealing close to $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts to cover his gambling debts. This was announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
Mizuhara’s guilty plea includes one count of bank fraud, punishable by a maximum of 30 years, and one count of submitting a false tax return, punishable by a maximum of three years. The DOJ mentioned in the plea agreement that it would suggest a reduced sentence if Mizuhara admitted his guilt.
Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers on March 21 following the news reports that at least $4.5 million was wired from Ohtani’s accounts to an alleged illegal bookmaker. Ohtani accused Mizuhara of “massive theft,” claiming that Mizuhara had taken the money without his knowledge.
Federal authorities charged Mizuhara with bank fraud on April 11 and released a 37-page affidavit outlining how the former interpreter gained access to Ohtani’s accounts and used the money to “feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports betting,” according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
