Cam Schlittler has emerged as the highest pitching prospect within the New York Yankees group. His means to overpower hitters is a giant motive why. In 4 begins since being promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 3, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander has logged a 1.69 ERA and a 40.2% strikeout price over 21-and-a-third innings. Counting his 53 frames at Double-A Somerset, Schlittler has a 2.18 ERA and a 33.0% strikeout price on the season.
The 2022 seventh-rounder out of Northeastern College is averaging 96.5 mph along with his heater, however greater than velocity performs into the providing’s effectiveness. As Eric Longenhagen wrote again in January, Schlittler’s “measurement and arm angle create downhill airplane on his mid-90s fastball akin to a runaway truck ramp, whereas the backspinning nature of the pitch additionally creates using life.”
I requested the 24-year-old Walpole, Massachusetts native concerning the traits our lead prospect analyst described in his report.
“Arm slot-wise it’s nothing loopy,” Schlittler mentioned in our spring coaching dialog. “I’m extra of a high-three-quarters type of man, however what I didn’t understand till video a pair months in the past is that I’ve actually fast arm pace. My mechanics are type of sluggish, after which my arm path is basically quick, so the ball type of shoots out slightly bit. With my peak, launch level— I get good extension — and how briskly my arm is transferring, the ball will get on guys faster than they may anticipate.”
Schlittler feels that mechanical adjustments he started making in 2023, and continued into final season, not solely permit him to get down the mound higher, but in addition give his fastball extra explosiveness. Calling the motion profile “ride-cut” — cut-ride is the extra commonly-used time period — he mentioned that his high-octane heater “can type of keep up, and type of maintain going up.”
The horizontal is to his liking.
“Experience is nice — undoubtedly with my slot — however I feel lots of people undervalue ride-cut,” the towering righty instructed me. “Some folks see reduce and wish to eliminate it, whereas I feel the mixture of the 2 is a part of why my fastball is so efficient. And I’ve been ready so as to add some vert, too. I adjusted my grip barely — I moved it over barely to the appropriate, only a slight offset with the seam-orientation — and that added slightly vert. However I like the cut-ride. They love the cut-ride. That’s all that actually issues.”
Schlittler threw six shutout innings towards the Worcester Purple Sox in his final begin, permitting simply two hits and one stroll, with 9 strikeouts. The Baseball America Prime 100 prospect Okay’d Kristian Campbell 3 times.
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Bobby Higginson went 10 for 22 towards Chris Carpenter.
Andy Dirks went 10 for twenty-four towards Jeremy Guthrie.
Don Kelly went 11 for twenty-four towards Justin Masterson.
Brandon Inge went 11 for 25 towards Darrell Could.
Damion Easley went 11 for 21 towards Scott Karl.
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Travis d’Arnaud has caught a whole lot of pitchers. Now with the Los Angeles Angels, the 36-year-old backstop has behind the dish for 5 groups over 13 big-league seasons. Which among the many hurlers most stand out for the standard of a person providing?
“I’ve been fortunate sufficient to catch a handful of studs,” d’Arnaud mentioned to that query. “Matt Harvey had that explosive heater, in addition to a devastating curveball that, once I first got here up, I haven’t seen earlier than. Noah Syndergaard had a backdoor two-seamer at 102 [mph] that I’ve by no means seen earlier than. Bartolo Colon threw 90 p.c heaters and was nonetheless profitable. I’d by no means seen that earlier than, both. After which there was Jacob deGrom, who commanded every little thing like he was taking part in a online game.”
Requested to elaborate on Colon, d’Araud pointed to “Huge Horny’s” means to persistently spot up each his four- and two-seam fastballs to all quadrants of the zone, As he put it, “It was simply heater, heater, heater; down, up, in, out. He was capable of undergo lineups with principally simply fastballs.”
Colon and d’Arnaud had been along with the New York Mets — ditto deGrom and Harvey — and one thing the veteran catcher mentioned concerning the NL East membership’s dwelling venue raised my eyebrows.
“The wind swirls at Citi Area, and when it was blowing again in Bartolo’s face, he was capable of acknowledge that and know how one can make his ball transfer extra,” d’Arnaud instructed me. “He knew precisely the place to start out a pitch to benefit from [the wind]. He’s the one man I’ve ever seen ready to try this. It blew my thoughts.”
Did d’Arnaud ever ask Colon how he was ready use the wind to his benefit in that method?
“No,” he admitted. “I ought to have.”
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Final Sunday’s column included transient excerpts from Scott Miller’s Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter (and At all times Will), the topic at hand being Minnesota’s Tom Kelly’s determination to permit Jack Morris to throw a 10-inning full recreation in 1991, and Tampa Bay’s Kevin Money’s to tug Blake Snell through the sixth inning in 2020.
The identical chapter consists of the next, which touches on the ultimate recreation of the 2015 World Collection:
Matt Harvey, engaged on a 2-0 shutout in Sport 5 in Queens, talked supervisor Terry Collins into permitting him to start out the highest of the ninth inning towards Kansas Metropolis… Harvey was at 101 pitches; Collins relented, and it backfired spectacularly.
“Someday you let your coronary heart dictate your thoughts,” Collins mentioned afterward. It burned him. In the meantime, Money was decided that his thoughts was going to overrule his coronary heart, and that burned him.
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A quiz:
Which pitcher holds the Cincinnati Reds franchise file for many strikeouts in a single season? (A touch: He completed second to Steve Carlton for many strikeouts within the Nationwide League that 12 months.)
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NEWS NOTES
Dylan Rock tied (however in the end failed to interrupt) the known-professional file by homering in eight consecutive video games for the impartial Atlantic League’s Lexington Legends this previous week. The 26-year-old outfielder logged an 81 wRC+ whereas taking part in within the Toronto Blue Jays system from 2022-2024. He has 13 dwelling runs and a .917 OPS on the season.
Diego Segui, a Cuban-born right-hander who pitched for six groups throughout the 1962-1977 seasons, died earlier this week at age 87. Identified for his forkball, Segui had 12 wins and 12 saves for the Seattle Pilots in 1969 — he later pitched for the Seattle Mariners — and in 1970 he posted an AL-best 2.56 ERA with the Oakland Athletics. His son, David Segui, performed within the majors from 1990-2004.
Matt Murray, who appeared in six video games whereas pitching for each the Atlanta Braves and Boston Purple Sox in 1995, died not too long ago at age 54. The best-hander logged 14 innings and misplaced all three of his choices.
Dave Parker died yesterday at age 74 following a battle with Parkinson’s illness. “The Cobra” was a visitor on FanGraphs Audio again in September 2021. Extra not too long ago, Jay Jaffe wrote about Parker and Dick Allen being voted into the HoF this previous December.
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The reply to the quiz is Mario Soto, who had 274 strikeouts pitching for the Reds in 1982. In case you guessed Tom Seaver, probably the most strikeouts The Corridor of Famer logged in a Cincinnati uniform was 226, in 1978.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
The primary of Shannon Penn’s two cups of espresso started with a bang. Debuting with the Detroit Tigers on April 28, 1995, the switch-hitting second baseman swatted three singles in 4 journeys to the plate. The remainder of his profession was each transient and nothing to write down dwelling about. The Cincinnati native went hitless in his subsequent 5 at-bats, then obtained demoted to Triple-A. Returning to the big-leagues in September 1996, he then went 1-for-14, by no means to return to MLB. Furthermore, he didn’t even return to the minors. Solely 27 years outdated when he referred to as it a profession, Penn logged a .270 batting common and 199 stolen bases as a farmhand, however simply the 4 hits in 23 at-bats as a Tiger.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Lewin Díaz has a KBO-best 27 dwelling runs to go together with a .292/.346/.603 slash line and a 150 wRC+ over 335 plate appearances with the Samsung Lions. The 28-year-old first baseman had 13 dwelling runs and a 51 wRC+ over 343 plate appearances with the Miami Marlins from 2020-2022.
Ro Un Lee has a 1.35 ERA over 41 appearances comprising 40 innings for SSG Landers. The 20-year-old right-hander was the fifth-overall choose within the 2023 KBO draft.
Trevor Bauer is 4-7 with a 4.13 ERA over 100-and-a-third innings for NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 34-year-old right-hander final pitched stateside with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.
Foster Griffin is 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA over 59 innings for the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. The 29-year-old left-hander is in his third NPB season after pitching for the Kansas Metropolis Royals and Toronto Blue Jays from 2020-2022.
Teruaki Sato has an NPB-best 19 dwelling runs to go together with a .279/.343/.576 slash line and a 199 wRC+ over 303 plate appearances for the Hanshin Tigers. The 26-year-old third baseman/outfielder is the circuit’s co-leader in RBIs with 49.
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Two Sundays in the past, this column led with Jake Mangum, whose father and uncle performed within the NFL, whereas his grandfather performed within the outdated AFL. The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder isn’t the one baseballer with spectacular gridiron lineage. Jake Miller, a 24-year-old pitcher within the Cleveland Guardians system, additionally has that distinction. Because the right-hander instructed me previous to a latest recreation, his father, Mike, performed within the NFL, as did his paternal grandfather, Ed.
There’s extra baseball in that household, as nicely. Miller’s uncle Scott performed within the Chicago Cubs system, whereas his youthful brother, 20-year-old righty Cole Miller, is at present No. 18 on our Athletics Prime Prospects listing. (Due to Akron RubberDucks broadcaster Marco LeNave for verifying the primary names of Miller’s grandfather and uncle).
Jake has his sights set on Cleveland, and primarily based on how he’s throwing at Double-A Akron, he stands a great probability of getting there. Over 25 appearances comprising 37 innings, the 2021 draft pick of the College of San Diego boasts a 1.46 ERA, a 2.04 FIP, and a 28.5% strikeout price. Furthermore, his 3.6% stroll price is second-lowest within the Japanese League amongst hurlers with not less than 35 innings.
Miller incorporates a four-seam fastball, a slider/cutter, a sweeper, and a splitter that he considers his finest pitch. The center two of these choices are new to this 12 months, whereas the final is a pitch he’s had since highschool. As for the heater, velocity-wise it’s “shut” to the place it was previous to his having Tommy John surgical procedure in 2022. Whereas it was “93-96, perhaps 97 [mph]” earlier than going beneath the knife, it’s at present 93-95. And whereas that doesn’t qualify as high-octane in in the present day’s recreation, the motion profile is spectacular.
“I run-ride on it,” Miller instructed me. “A few of my fastballs are 14 horizontal and 17 vert, however the good ones are 18 to 21 vert, with 14-15 horizontal. I feel my different pitches assist my fastball play higher, too. Hitters should respect all three.”
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FARM NOTES
Harry Ford is slashing .311/.426/.469 with eight dwelling runs and a 135 wRC+ over 277 plate appearances for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Drafted Twelfth-overall in 2021 out of Kennesaw, Georgia’s North Cobb Excessive College, the 22-year-old catcher is No. 3 on our Seattle Mariners Prime Prospects listing.
D’Angelo Ortiz is slashing .296/.394/.333 with a 105 wRC+ over 127 plate appearances within the Florida Advanced League. Drafted within the nineteenth spherical final 12 months out of Miami Dade Group School by the Boston Purple Sox, the 20-year-old nook infielder is the son of Corridor of Fame slugger David Ortiz.
Juneiker Caceres is slashing .333/.452/.525 with a 158 wRC+ over 124 plate appearances within the Arizona Advanced League. No. 43 on our Cleveland Guardians Prime Prospects listing, the 17-year-old Venezuelan-born outfielder batted .340 with a 144 wRC+ final 12 months within the Dominican Summer season League.
JD Dix is slashing .342/.421/.493 with a 140 wRC+ over 178 plate appearances within the Arizona Advanced League. Drafted thirty fifth general final 12 months out of Whitefish Bay (WI) Excessive College, the 19-year-old second baseman is No. 13 on our Arizona Diamondbacks Prime Prospects listing.
Inmer Lobo has a 1.56 ERA and a 27.0% strikeout price over 34-and-two-thirds innings between Low-A Bradenton and Excessive-A Greensboro. The 21-year-old Venezuelan-born southpaw within the Pittsburgh Pirates system was acquired from the Boston Purple Sox in change for Hoy Park in November 2022.
The Texas League’s Arkansas Vacationers (Mariners) and Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks) performed one of many craziest video games of the minor league season on Friday. Amarillo led 10-1 after 4 innings, Arkansas scored 11 occasions within the seventh to go up 15-12, then Amarillo tallied three within the eighth and two within the ninth to win 17-15. The sport ended on a walk-off dwelling run by 22-year-old D-Backs catching prospect Christian Cerda. Arkansas’s Lazaro Montes — No. 7 on our Mariners listing — went deep earlier within the recreation. The 20-year-old outfielder’s 21 dwelling runs are probably the most within the minors this season.
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How are my preseason predictions trying with the season proper across the midway mark? A lot as one would possibly anticipate — Nostradamus I’m not — they’re a combined bag at finest. Listed here are my division winners and the place the groups rank within the standings: Philadelphia (first), Cincinnati (fourth), Los Angeles (first), Baltimore (final), Detroit (first), Houston (first).
My MVP picks had been Riley Greene (18 dwelling runs, 147 wRC+, 2.8 WAR) and Jackson Chourio (13 dwelling runs, 100 wRC+, 1.5 WAR), whereas my Cy Younger choices had been Logan Webb (2.52 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 3.4 WAR), and Logan Gilbert (3.55 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.0 WAR). Gilbert was on the IL from April 26 to June 16 and has mad simply 9 begins.
My daring prediction was that Ceddanne Rafaela would win a Gold Glove, have a wRC+ of 110 or higher, and be value not less than 4.0 WAR. The Purple Sox centerfielder at present has an AL-best 12 OAA, a 94 wRC+ (149 over the previous month), and a pair of.2 WAR.
Once more, a combined bag at finest.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Oneil Cruz was taken out of a recreation by Don Kelly earlier this week attributable to an absence of effort — not the primary time the Pirates outfielder has been responsible of not hustling — and the supervisor’s motion was overdue. John Perrotto expressed that sentiment at Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Which staff positions its outfielders finest? Mark Simon addressed that query at Baseball Data Options.
A Wausau, Wisconsin native named Rudy Bell performed in 17 video games for the American League’s New York York Highlanders in 1907. His delivery identify was Rudolph Frederick Baerwald, and Jim Drive wrote about him for The Wausau Pilot & Evaluate.
The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner penned a tribute to creator/sportswriter Scott Miller, who not too long ago misplaced his life to most cancers at age 62.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
4 NL West groups have a constructive run differential. The fifth-place Colorado Rockies have a minus-222 run differential.
The Cleveland Guardians are in second place within the AL Central with a minus-40 run differential. The Cincinnati Reds are in fourth place within the NL Central with a plus-39 run differential.
Proper-handed batters are 23-for-111 (.207) towards Detroit’s Brenan Hanifee. Left-handed batters are 23-for-51 (.451).
Opposing batters are 14-for-107 (.131) versus Seattle’s Logan Gilbert at T-Cellular Park. They’re 20-for-64 (.313) towards him in Mariners street video games.
Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller is 2-10 with a 3.90 ERA and a 3.33 FIP.Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt is 8-5 with a 5.38 ERA and a 4.90 FIP.
On in the present day’s date in 2010, Denard Span went 4-for-4 with a stroll and three triples because the Minnesota Twins trounced the Detroit Tigers 11-4. Now a TV analyst with the Twins, Span legged out two of his three-baggers towards lefty reliever Fu-Te Ni.
On in the present day’s date in 1960, Jim Coates tossed a three-hitter to run his file to 9-0 because the New York Yankees blanked the Kansas Metropolis Athletics 10-0. A colourful character often known as “The Mummy,” Coates completed the season with a 13-3 file regardless of a sub-par 84 ERA+. He went 27-7 at Yankee Stadium over the course of his profession.
The Chicago Cubs scored seven occasions within the prime of the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-8 on in the present day’s date in 1952,. The rally, which started after the primary two batters had been retired, was capped by a two-run, pinch-hit single by Johnny Pramesa.
Gamers born on in the present day’s date embrace Bruce Kimm, whose comparatively modest profession included his being Mark Fidrych’s private catcher throughout The Chook’s scintillating 1976 rookie season. Kimm hit his lone big-league dwelling run in August of that 12 months, taking California’s Frank Tanana deep within the eighth inning to offer Detroit a 3-2 win over the Angels in entrance of 51,822 followers at Tiger Stadium. Kimm went on to handle the Chicago Cubs within the second half of the 2002 marketing campaign.
Additionally born on in the present day’s date was Farmer Steelman, a catcher/outfielder who performed for 3 main league groups, primarily the Philadelphia Athletics, throughout components of the 1899-1902 seasons. Steelman’s time within the minors included stints with the York White Roses, Charleston Seagulls, Hartford Wood Nutmegs, and Utica Pent-Ups.
