Short hops, quick pops and backhand stops:
• Notoriety is coming quickly to those kids who had to wait their chance this season: Washingtons Stephen Strasburg, San Franciscos Buster Posey, the Mets Ike Davis, Floridas Mike Stanton. And it is coming to those who grabbed spring training by the throat and shook (Atlantas Jason Heyward) and to those who stayed under the radar this spring before busting quickly out of the starting gate (Cincinnatis Mike Leake).
Jaime Garcia boasts a 5-2 record with a 1.47 ERA for St. Louis. (US Presswire) But in the Year of the Rookie, the man who leads his National League peers in batting average and ranks second to Heyward in RBI (among qualifiers) pretty much is playing in near-anonymity outside of St. Louis.
“I think its exciting to have a lot of these younger guys coming out and showing the league what they can do,” says Cardinals third baseman David Freese, who hasnt been in the lineup since Saturday because of a sprained ankle but is hitting .311 with 32 RBI. “All these guys are going to be in the league for a long time, and its going to be tough facing them. Its cool to watch them all.
“Its one thing to see how the young guys are playing, but their maturity level and poise … Heyward, Leake, our guy Jaime Garcia (the Cards rookie pitcher who is 5-2 with a 1.47 ERA).”
In their own way, Freese and Garcia are just as instrumental to St. Louis winning in 2010 as Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, and Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Because the St. Louis Big Four needs backing, and as the Cards balance their $93 million payroll (13th in the majors), they opted to take a calculated risk with inexperience elsewhere.
“Our guys are an important part of why were in contention,” manager Tony La Russa says of Freese and Garcia.
Freese, 27, was acquired from the Padres for Jim Edmonds in December, 2007. In a short 17-game look last season in the bigs, he hit .323 with one homer and 17 RBI. La Russa says his smooth development since the spring has happened more rapidly than the Cards expected.
“I figured it might take him awhile to settle in,” La Russa says. “But hes settled in quickly.”
Not much choice. Its a fast crowd of rookies this year, and Freese is fitting right in.
“Youve just got to have maturity, because its such a big part of succeeding at this level,” Freese said. “Mentally, you have to be focused every day, and I think it shows with some of these rookies.
“We want to be a big part of our teams success. Everybody in that core group [of top rookies] has a chance right now to go to the postseason. I like the fact that were getting thrown into the fire. And Im sure some of the other guys do, too.”
• What a week for the kids: All on Tuesday, Strasburg fanned 14 Pirates in his debut, Stanton punched out three hits in his first game, Davis smashed a game-winning homer for the Mets over the Padres and Heyward moved into second place among outfielders in NL All-Star voting.
• Even after whiffing 14 times against Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg, the Pirates only ranked ninth among the NLs 16 clu in something, at least. And alas, Strasburg wont get a crack at the Astros until September, if he isnt shut down by then). As for the Indians rank 12th in the AL with 440 in 57 games. Thats an average of 7.71 Ks a game.
• If youre a Strasburg-phile who is counting down the hours until his next start, heres the forecast for Sunday in Cleveland according to The Weather Channel: high of 83 degrees with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.
• Accelerated pace: No, seven homers in his first 45 games aint bad for Mets rookie Ike Davis. “Hes really made some adjustments,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel says. “Not quite in-game yet, but from one game to the next. Thats probably a surprise to me. Ike is making them. Not necessarily in-game, but hes making them the next day.”
• Armed with a split-finger fastball, new for 2010, Mike Pelfrey has surpassed Johan Santana as the stopper in the Mets rotation. No longer just a fastball/slider/change guy, Pelfrey, 26, developed the splitter last winter while working out at his alma mater, Wichita State, and talk about a Shocker. “You can tell his splitter has given him an extra boost of confidence,” says Tony Gwynn Jr., whose Padres have faced Pelfrey twice (and not beaten him yet) this season. “His body language is so much better than its been in the past.” Pelfrey is 8-1 with a 2.23 ERA and headed for his first All-Star Game.
• Right now, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko is on pace to finish with 48 homers, which would tie the club record set by Albert Belle in 1998. Of course, it isnt a club record if Konerko is playing elsewhere by then, a possibility that is becoming more and more likely as the Sox continue to scuffle. General manager Ken Williams is going public with his belief that hes going to need to make some serious changes soon.
• Yes, if the playoffs started today, it would be just as everybody predicted: Tampa Bay vs. Texas and the Yankees vs. Minnesota in the AL; Dodgers vs. Cincinnati and San Diego vs. Atlanta in the NL.
• Big deal that the Padres were in first place through Tuesday, before the Dodgers went around them? In 42 years of Padres baseball, theyve only resided in first place past June 1 eight other times, and all since 1984: 84, 85, 96, 98, 2004, 05, 06 and 07.
• Ballerina-graceful he aint, but, as anyone who saw him throw out the Dodgers Blake DeWitt at the plate this week can attest, Cardinals right fielder Ryan Ludwick is much more than a productive bat. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa believes Ludwick is “one of the top three defensive outfielders in the National League.”
• The Angels have turned up the heat this month, but at its current plodding pace, the AL West can be won this year with 86 or 87 wins. That would be the lowest total since 1998 when Texas claimed the division title with an 88-74 record.
• So go figure: The Angels were 25-27 with slugger Kendry Morales (he broke his leg while jumping onto home plate in the game-winning homer celebration). In his absence, the Angels, through midweek, were 8-2.
• Along the lines of Washingtons rapidly improving pitching, the Nationals are hoping to get Jordan Zimmermann (Tommy John ligament transfer surgery) back by August.
• So Cooperstown called for Armando Galarragas spikes and the first base bag from Galarragas 28-out perfect game last week.
• Seriously, Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce should be honored as co-Sportsmen of the Year by in December. If two men better exemplify the term “sportsmen” in 2010, I cant wait to meet them.
• So Hall and Oates canceled their July 2 postgame Diamondbacks concert because they oppose Arizonas immigration law. Silly me. I just figured they didnt want to expose themselves to anything toxic coming from the Arizona bullpen.
• Ozzie Guillen Tweet of the Week (June 7): “Paw natural at 932 west monroe st the best store for you pets loved check and enjoy”
