Random Thoughts On A Rainy Morning…

Been raining a ton in Galveston these last few days, trapping me inside in the mornings just when I was starting to get back into my early morning walking to the beach and back routine.

Anyway, as I sit here, I am thinking about a few things happening in baseball of late…

Last night, two pitchers tossed one-hitters, Alfredo Simon and Chris Archer.

Now, both pitchers did a great job obviously, but is it me, or are low hit games becoming much more common? I remember an article somewhere (ESPN I think) recently talking about how no-hitters seem to be more common. Same thing could be said for low hit games like one or two-hitters I’m sure.

So here’s my question: does the increasing number of these games make them less special?

Unless you’re attending the game when they actually happen, I think it does.

They are still great games and great performances by the pitcher, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t quite have that “special” feel to them anymore because they’re not quite as rare. That’s just my opinion though.

Other thoughts…

The series against the Padres which starts tonight is an interesting one, particularly on the team assembly level.

The Padres threw a whole bunch of talent against the wall in the offseason and hoped that it would stick together. So far it hasn’t. I applaud the intent of AJ Preller, the Padres GM, but I question how he acted on that intent especially on offense. He acquired talented hitters, regardless of how good they can field. Matt Kemp is a good example. Kemp can still hit (he hit for the cycle recently, always a cool achievement) but shouldn’t be in the outfield as he’s not a good fielder anymore. He’s a 1B/DH, with emphasis on the DH part, in my mind.

Contrast that to the Cards, who in the offseason needed a new outfielder after what happened to Oscar Taveras. To fill that hole, they considered their options carefully, then went out and acquired Jason Heyward, a solid hitter who had won Gold Gloves for his fielding but hadn’t quite lived up to expectations (read: homers) in Atlanta. They did give up Shelby Miller, but they obviously thought the cost was worth it.

Flash forward to today: Kemp in struggling in the field, and having his worst season offensively in a while to boot, even with the cycle. Meanwhile Heyward is excelling on D, and having a solid season on offense as well. Resulting in (currently) a 4 WAR player.

I think the Cards showed that all factors must be considered, not just hitting potential. I hope this is a lesson learned for Mr. Preller.

 

I’m off to have morning cup of coffee and sit and watch the raindrops fall while snuggling next to a pair of lazy dogs.

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

 

 

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