Adam's Sports Blog

Despite the MLB draft being limited to five rounds instead of my beloved 40 rounds, this still has opening day vibes. The 2020 draft is the first ‘normal thing’ since March for the sport of baseball. I’m going to tell you about some of my thoughts and give you my own analysis on a few of these first round draft picks. 

Pick #1 Detroit Tigers – Spencer Torkelson, 3B / ASU – This guy has some major power and was selected as a third baseman which was kind of weird. He was originally listed as a first baseman but nobody cares about where he can play on the field. He can hit BOMBS. All I have to say is that he broke records that had Barry Bonds name on it.

Pick #2 Baltimore Orioles – Heston Kjerstad, OF / ARK – I originally had Kjerstad going 8th overall to the Padres just because it would be a nice addition to their young outfield and eventually replacing the aging Tommy Pham, BUT Orioles need anything, so it will be fun to see him and Adley Rutschman (last year’s 1st overall) develop together. Kjerstad rakes and has the goodest doggo in the league.

Pick #4 Kansas City Royals – Asa Lacy, LHP / Texas A&M – First off, Asa Lacy has a Major League name with a Major League style of play to match. He stands at 6’4” but has a 6’9” stride making it hard for batters to pick up on his pitches. He’s developed a nasty slider in college ball and already pumps gas. 

Pick #5 Toronto Blue Jays – Austin Martin, SS / Vandy – Martin dropped to pick number five after being projected to go second overall. I do not like this pick for the Blue Jays, not that he’s a bad player, he’s arguably the best player in the draft, but because the Blue Jays infield is already stacked with some TALENTED young guys that have an abundance of experience with the MLB. Maybe you can mold him into a full time outfielder. I like this guy, kid from Vandy with some swagger, but we’ll see what the Jays do with him. He was also a former teammate with Bo Bichette who is currently a shortstop for the Jays. 

Pick #7 Pittsburgh Pirates – Nick Gonzales, SS / NM State – Ben Cherington’s first draft pick with his new team was a good one. Gonzales blew up in college. He wasn’t scouted very highly in high school and walked onto New Mexico State’s baseball program. He hits everything he swings at — not that much of an exaggeration — and had an OBP of .502 in his 128-game college career. Mitch Keller might be knocked down to the number 2 prospect in the pirates organization. 

Pick #9 Colorado Rockies – Zac Veen, OF / Spruce Cedar HS – The second high school player to be taken in the draft behind Robert Hassell III (#8 Padres). Veen has the potential to be a 5-tool player. I know it’s very early to say that for an 18-year old kid, but this kid is a tree with a power bat…. IN COLORADO. He struck gold. 

Pick #11 Chicago White Sox – Garrett Crochet, LHP / Tenn – The second coming of Chris Sale, or at least that’s what the White Sox are hoping for. He has very similar mechanics and banks on the two-pitch fastball & slider combo. I can see him being promoted to the bigs fairly soon. A young rotation with him and Koepch could be  will be dangerous.Also Crochet is the epitome of a tough guy whilst pitching with a broken jaw.

Pick #13 San Francisco Giants – Patrick Bailey, C / NC State – Joey Bart is punching the air right now. This pick makes ZERO sense. The Giants picked Bart second overall in the 2018 MLB draft. Patrick Bailey is a solid switch-hitting that is a prowess behind the plate, but this pick is a doozy. BAT FLIP KING THOUGH.

Pick #17 Boston Red Sox – Nick Yorke, 2B / Archbishop Mitty HS – The Red Sox don’t have a second round pick due to their punishment handed down from the MLB, so they compromised and picked a 3rd rounder in the first round. 

Pick #20 Milwaukee Brewers – Garrett Mitchell, OF / UCLA – Mitchell has some wheels. MLB pipeline had him #6 on Baseball America. He has a 70 grade run and a 60 grade hit. This kid reminds me of a Whit Merrifield playing style. 

Pick #23 Cleveland Indians – Carson Tucker, SS / Mountain Pointe HS – This was one of the more fun picks. Carson’s brother is Cole Tucker, shortstop for the Pirates. With Carson’s connection to the MLB, he has been able to work with Cole and other Major Leaguers during this pandemic. Indians still have that Lindor superstar, but one day Carson will be there. 

Still no Blaze Jordan, soon though. Soon.

I was fully invested into following college baseball this year. This was the year where college baseball would really stand out. In recent years, college baseball has gained traction and the personalities of baseball have flourished. Teams like Ole Miss, Florida Gators, Louisville, and the face of college baseball (in my opinion) Vanderbilt, off the start were very fun to watch. 

My first experience with college baseball was the 2010 College World Series. Watching the South Carolina Gamecocks was very exciting that year. Players like Jackie Bradley Jr., Whit Merrifield, and Sam Dyson who are all successful in the majors now, were a force in college. I remember specifically JBJ’s role in that College World Series. When he got drafted by the Red Sox 40th overall in the 2011 MLB draft, that’s what sparked my interest because that was my first time following a player through college, through the minors, and then his MLB career. It’s a rewarding feeling as a baseball enthusiast to be that invested into someone’s career and to know about a star player before the stardom begins. 

With baseball being accepting of players showing emotion recently, you get to witness the raw emotion and overall individualism to this sport of uniformity. Athletes are people too and I LIVE for that. Working for a collegiate showcase team in the past, I’ve been able to witness this first hand. A lot of these guys are like you and me. Some have professionalism to them and some are flat out goofballs. 

There are different social media accounts that exploit the inner workings of what college baseball is really about. Foulpolesports on instagram or twitter has some solid content on this matter.

The biggest reason why I watch is because of the simplicity for the ‘love of the game.’ I’m sure that you’ve heard about the reasons why people enjoy watching college football over professional football because college players care about the sport more and they have a reason to prove themselves. Same goes for college baseball. The exciting moments that fans are used to watching in professional baseball are glorified by a tremendous amount in the college scene.

https://www.ncaa.com/video/baseball/2019-06-06/high-five-baseball-cws-memorable-moments

https://images.app.goo.gl/QMVgPjp7nHmHtatWA

Watch college baseball.

As a professional ballplayer, or a celebrity by any sense, your decisions will dictate your career for better or worse. No matter the size or what type of decision you make, it will be glorified and that’s how the general public will see you.

In 2009, “The freak” Tim Lincecum was cited on a misdemeanor for the possession of marijuana months after Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was photographed smoking a bong at a party and was ridiculed by the general public. The beloved swimmer faced a three month suspension, loss of endorsements, an abundance of public apologies, and harassment from everyone. Headlines read, “What a dope.” The most decorated Olympian, a dope. 

Lincecum was drafted into the MLB in the first round of the 2006 draft by the San Francisco Giants after denying offers from the Chicago Cubs in 2003 and the Cleveland Indians in 2005. After a quick trip through the Giants minor league system, Lincecum made his debut for the Giants on May 6, 2007 and his first strikeout was against Chase Utley who was notably one of the best major league players at the time. 

By the end of his rookie year, Lincecum was one of, if not, the most popular MLB player. Throughout the next two seasons, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, won multiple Cy Young awards and was selected to an All-Star game. Lincecum was the new hope for Giants fans after losing Barry Bonds in 2007, which that’s a whole nother saga involving drugs. I remembered Lincecum on SportsCenter almost daily and he appeared on every ESPN commercial including one that hits close to home for me.

After the 2009 season, Lincecum gained attention from the world outside of baseball.

In 2020, this is audibly laughable. In my research, I’ve caught myself in awe with how big of a deal this was in 2009.  In Massachusetts, where I currently live, recreational marijuana has been legal for a little bit now and there hasn’t been any visible backlash from my perspective and it’s now culturally accepting.

Throughout Lincecum’s new “identity” he still was very, and I mean VERY, successful. The following year after his incident in 2010, he won his first World Series. In 2012 he won his second World Series. In 2013, he threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on 148 pitches. In 2014 he threw his SECOND no-hitter against the San Diego Padres again and in that same year he won his third World Series title.

Sadly, that’s where his accolades ends. Although it seemed like he powered through the adversity, I believe that’s where it began to play a big part in the fast decline of his short career. In 2011, his velocity dramatically decreased by 2 mph, and continued to decrease until he was throwing his fastball at 87.2 mph in 2015. In the matter of a few years he went from roughly 97 mph to 10 mph less. He joined the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2016 and posted a 2-6 record with a 9.16 ERA. He ultimately left baseball in 2016 after 10 years in the majors. Someone nicknamed, “The franchise” ends their career after 10 years. 

Lincecum took a year off in 2017 because of a loss of identity and a sense of purpose. Potentially because of the verbal abuse he dealt with early in his career. He attempted a comeback with the Texas Rangers and was well built and chiseled, but was released by them in 2018 with no pitches thrown in the majors. 

 Lincecum keeps his life private (rightfully so), so there’s no updates on him, he’s off the grid with social media. He’s naturally an introvert, but he’s totally off the grid. The former loveable Giant kind of just vanished.

I miss the freak.

To the people who follow me know how my life revolves around the sport of baseball. With the lack of opening day, I’ve been trying to get my fix in various ways. Granted, I am fortunate enough to see the last Red Sox home game down in Fort Myers right before the outbreak started in the United States. While I was down there, I met an employee of the Red Sox on the beach and we were talking about the Red Sox. She was an English teacher / translator for the spanish speaking players and told me all about the players in the minor league organization. The news broke that the remainder of spring training would be cancelled mid conversation with her and she texted Darwinzon Hernandez to try to confirm, but at the time he had no idea what was going on either. So, I flew home after the outbreak became a ‘real’ thing. 

Anyway, how I’ve been getting my fix for my MLB / MiLB addiction is through various things.

Watching old random games either on the MLB app, through YouTube (you can search full random games), and on MLB Network or NESN if you live in New England. I had to reminisce about how good / bad the knuckleball was so I’ve spent a lot of time watching Tim Wakefield, but when you do that, you will stumble across the Aaron Boone homer in 2003 by accident.

Playing A LOT of MLB The Show 20 on my PS4. YouTube and Twitch were streaming random players representing their teams on The Show and they were playing against each other with MLB Network journalist Robert Flores commenting. While I was streaming that on my laptop, I was playing The Show at the same time and it felt like I was part of the conversation. Kind of like that ‘podcast feel’ where it feels like you’re part of the conversation but can’t talk or anything. Watching Texas Rangers Joey Gallo absolutely destroy everyone including professional streamers who are athletes in the MLB, was insane. Gallo kept saying, “Oh I barely play this,” and had this laid back attitude about it that had the other players in shock and disbelief.  

Finally, just thinking of various topics and doing my research on random facts within baseball and its statistics to keep entertained. For instance, Adam Dunn’s career. SB Nation has this infographics video on YouTube about his career. It explains how Adam Dunn went more than half of his career (51%) without running to first base. In the video they describe him as the “four true outcome king.” The four true outcomes in baseball are, a walk, strikeout, hit, and hit-by-pitch. The video breaks down how you didn’t need fielders for 55 games worth of his at bats. It also explains how in 2011, Dunn had 94 at-bats against lefties and in those at-bats he only had 7 hits. That is a batting average of .074. He had the most success as a leftie against Clayton Kershaw though, who is the best pitcher against left handed batters. Left-handed hitters against Kershaw have less than a .200 batting average, but Dunn had a 1.692 slugging percentage against him. Baseball makes no sense.