What a week for this Baseball-holic!

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

When the calendar flipped to 2021 leaving 2020 behind, I had a feeling things would get better. After COVID-19 ravaged our lives, everyone looks ahead to the normalcy that COVID took from us. That better life includes a full season of baseball after Major League Baseball played only sixty games in 2020. Consequently, Minor League Baseball didn’t play a game, as the season was cancelled completely.

On Tuesday, May 18, Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull pitched MLB’s fifth no-hitter of the young 2021 season. The 28 year old righty held the Mariners hitless in a 117 pitch masterpiece. Two years ago, Turnbull suffered through a 3-17 season, but owns a 2.88 ERA this year. Meanwhile, Seattle has been no hit twice this year after Orioles lefty John Means mastered them exactly one week before.

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In addition to Turnbull’s effort, the next evening Corey Kluber locked in from the beginning. The Klubot had every weapon in his arsenal working. Coupled with his marksman control, he carved his way through the Texas Rangers, for a no-no in a tidy 101 pitch effort in a 2-0 New York Yankees win.

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With that, MLB has six no-hitters less than two months into the season. If you include Madison Bumgarner‘s seven inning performance in Atlanta, there’s seven (yes, it should count).

Friday night, the Yankees turned a triple-play in the top of the 9th inning, snuffing out a White Sox rally. The game was tied at one apiece, and swung the momentum in the Yankees’ favor. They won on a walk-off hit by Gleyber Torres, giving the Yankees 21 wins in their last 30 games.

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On a personal level, I took in a few minor league games in Rochester, where I live. In light of the cancelled minor league season, the Rochester Red Wings played in their home ballpark, Frontier Field, for the first time in 624 days. They hosted the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees Triple-A affiliate.

Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders CF Estevan Florial steps in as Rochester’s Ben Braymer checks his fielders before first pitch. It had been 624 days since the last Red Wings game was played at Frontier Field. (Author’s photo)

 

It’s an incredible feeling to have Minor League Baseball back. Please support your local minor league team. So much fun at an affordable price. See ya next time! 😎

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Finesse Pitchers: A Lost Art

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

A couple weeks ago, I bought tickets to watch my local minor league team, the Rochester Red Wings play the Norfolk Tides in a doubleheader. Norfolk won both games, each by a score of 1-0. Obviously both games were well-pitched affairs, with runs at a premium.

In the first game, Norfolk had a tall lefty on the mound by the name of John Means. As I watched him in the 1st inning, I noticed he didn’t throw all that hard, sitting about 87-88 mph with his fastball. He mixed in a curve and a change, and seemed to command all three pitches. Means went on to breeze through the Red Wings lineup and never got into trouble, effectively shutting them down. He pitched a three-hit shutout, struck out six and walked no one. His fastest pitch of the day reached 89 mph. He painted like Picasso against a Rochester lineup that had six players who played in the major leagues at one time or another. It really was enjoyable to watch.

 

Before that day, July 19, I never heard of John Means. He’s 25 years old, 6’3″, 230 lbs. and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 2014 draft from West Virginia. As of this writing, Means has started 15 games in Triple-A, with a record of 5-3, an ERA of 3.25 and a WHIP of 1.2. Decent numbers, but not eye-popping. After watching him pitch in person and reading his overall career stats, he can throw strikes and he can strike people out. These minor league stats show that he’s always been able to do both regularly. So why are the pitching starved Orioles not taking a look at this guy in the big leagues? He’s not in their Top 30 minor league prospects, probably more suspect than prospect. Means is not even on their 40 man roster.

With everyone from fans to front office executives to MLB league executives in love with the velocity craze, I worry guys like Means may never get a fair shot to prove their worth in the major leagues. Guys who throw (not necessarily pitch) at 95 or better seem to get fast-tracked to the big leagues, while the finesse pitchers seem to get left out in the cold, ending up minor league filler. Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer, both drafted by the Cubs in 1984, recorded 624 big league wins between them, logging over 9,000 combined innings. Neither one of these men would probably get a second look in today’s MLB. Each of them made incredibly good livings for many years with fastballs that rarely, if ever touched 90 miles per hour. They learned to pitch because they had no choice, and they won a lot of games as a result. Same with Trevor Hoffman, who survived and thrived on an 86 mph fastball and a deadly change-up. He went into the Hall of Fame mere days ago, having saved more than 600 games over his long career. With relievers throwing near 100 mph, it would to envision him even getting a shot if he were a young pitcher in today’s game.

Maddux, Moyer and Hoffman are just a few examples, but there are many more who pitched with lower velocities and won many games. Tom Glavine comes to mind. Flame throwing pitchers and strikeouts seem to draw fans in, and more fans equals more attention, which can bring more revenue. Everyone loves the oohs and ahhs. But there should be room for pitchers like John Means. Finesse pitching doesn’t have to be a lost art.