Catching Up: Leake and Strauss

Been a while, due to holidays and such, so I thought I’d do a catch up post.

First let’s start with the most recent news, which is the death of Joe Strauss.

I have to admit, I didn’t read as much of Joe Strauss’s stuff as everybody else, as my rebirth as a fan came when I moved *away* from St. Louis, and became a Texan. I started blogging as a way to get myself writing more. To help myself with that, I joined ESPN, and got all of my news from there. Occasionally they would link to Strauss’s stuff, and I would read it and enjoy it. Mostly though, I was lazy and got my content from one source. I’m paying for it now as I had to cancel my ESPN account due to finances.

Anyways, as I said, I enjoyed Strauss’s work, and will miss it. He was a good writer and from what I read, had a passion for the game of baseball that few could match.

Next, let’s talk about the acquisition of Mike Leake.

Much has already been said about this signing, so I won’t say too much. Was it an overpay? Yes. Is it a good fit? Yes and no. Yes, for the fact that he’s a workhorse. He’s made 30 or more starts since 2012, and has had over 190 innings the past three seasons. So he’s a steady, durable pitcher. However, he’s also a guy who relies on his defense. His K rate last year was 5.6, and he’s only been over 6 once since 2012. And since we lost Jason Heyward, our defense isn’t quite what it used to be. So that aspect has me concerned. However, Leake survived in Great American Ballpark, a place known for being a hitters park. Our park is more of a pitchers park, so hopefully that’ll help him out. (Leake did struggle some when he was traded to San Fransisco though, which has a pitchers park as well, so we’ll see.) Overall, I think he’ll be a plus, but one we paid way too much for.

Thanks for reading

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