Make no mistake, Luis Severino’s talent is legit
The Yankees might’ve found the key to “severing” themselves from the rest of the AL East, but the Blue Jays might have something to say about that. Two more deals went down, and Hisashi Iwakuma’s no-hitter was memorable for many different reasons. The Chase Utley sweepstakes picks up some steam. Lastly, can Kyle Schwarber be the NL Rookie of the Year?
This is The Weeks That Were.
Stellar Severino
If there’s anything that comes to mind when people talk about Luis Severino, it’s his attitude and the Major League confidence he exudes on and off the diamond. The poise this 21-year-old exhibits just three starts into his career is uncanny, to say the least, and prevents him from getting discouraged when he’s faced with difficult situations. Of course, it also helps to boast a plus slider and changeup that accompany a swift, 98 mph fastball. He even handled the league’s highest scoring team, the Toronto Blue Jays, well on Sunday in a 3-1 loss, allowing five hits, three earned runs and three walks in six innings, while striking out nine.
That electric arm and limber build are very reminiscent of the great Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, according to MLB.com’s Bernie Pleskoff. Martinez is a fellow Dominican, who also displayed great confidence throughout his career and retired batters with a plus changeup and fastball that sat in the 95-97 mph range. Now, I’m not saying that Severino is going to be a Hall of Famer someday. However, a 2.30 ERA, .212 opposing batting, 1.02 WHIP and 323 strikeouts in 321 minor league innings does forecast some great success at baseball’s highest level to say the least. Exciting, young prospects often struggle to meet the hype surrounding them. I’m usually one of the guys who is cautiously optimistic when it comes to top prospects, but I don’t see any reason he can’t keep justifying the hype and continue to meet expectations. This guy is for real!
-This GIF was found on the Yankees’ Tumblr
Bourn to be a Brave
The Atlanta Braves reacquired their old friend Michael Bourn in a deal with Cleveland that also granted them Nick Swisher’s services in exchange for Chris Johnson. The Indians also sent over some money, which will undoubtedly help the Braves cover the overly priced contracts Bourn and Swisher possess.
Indians OF Michael Bourn discusses his trade to the Atlanta Braves. #Indians #Braves pic.twitter.com/Lnpgn4QH8L
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) August 7, 2015
Bourn first became a Brave at the 2011 trade deadline. He later became in All-Star in 2012 before going to Cleveland in 2013, signing a four-year, $48 million deal with a $12 million vesting option in 2017. His 13 steals this year aren’t bad, but the .235 average and 19 RBI are hugely disappointing for the 32-year old.
Swisher is in the third year of a four-year, $56 million contract with a $14 million 2017 vesting option. The 34-year-old is sporting an eye-poppingly awful .185 average to go with three dingers and 12 RBI in 36 games this season. To be fair, Swisher’s main purpose on the Braves is only to help with first base while Freddie Freeman spends time on the disabled list.
The Braves’ acquisition of Cuban prospect Hector Olivera meant that Johnson’s days with the club were numbered. Although, I’ll admit the huge dropoff in his numbers that led him to the bench had already determined his fate with the team. Johnson, who sports a .259 average with two homers and 11 RBI in 62 games this season, was targeted by the Indians because they wanted to unload some of Bourn’s and Swisher’s salaries in 2016. However, they could only accomplish that if they took Johnson’s 2017 $9 million salary, which the Braves wanted to get rid of. Both teams essentially swapped disappointing players to become more financial flexibility in the future. My problem for your problem, I guess.
An Ex-Ranger Returns
In mid-July, it seemed apparent that Rangers would be better off shifting their focus toward 2016, but situations in baseball can change at the drop of a hat (drop of a bat, perhaps?). The Rangers now have a realistic shot at the postseason and decided to gun for the playoffs by trading for Mike Napoli from the Red Sox.
Napoli didn’t want the leave Boston, but he’s familiar with the Rangers’ organization, having played there from 2011-12 before going to Boston as a free agent in 2013. The Rangers have struggled to hit well against lefties, so Napoli’s powerful right-handed bat fits right in. Napoli’s .827 OPS against lefties this year is .207 higher than his OPS against RHPs. The 33-year-old’s departure now leaves room in Boston for the 25-year-old Travis Shaw to take over and be an everyday player at first base.
Blue Jays be Ballin’
After Sunday’s 3-1 win against Luis Severino and the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays only sit 0.5 games back behind New York for the AL East crown. The Yankees are certainly playing better than we thought they would before the season started, but they’re certainly not unbeatable. Plus, an 11-game win streak that finished Friday propelled the Blue Jays to the top of the AL Wild Card.
There are now 43 games left to wrestle the division away from the Yankees. However, this Yankees series painted a troubling picture for the Blue Jays as key guys in their lineup like Russell Martin, Ben Revere and Troy Tulowitzki struggled quite a bit on offense. If that trend continues, it’ll be tough to win the division, especially since their bottom of the rotation starters are lackluster, particularly Drew Hutchison. The team is even entertaining the idea of bringing back Marcus Stroman as a starter and/or skipping Hutchison’s starts during their upcoming eight-game road trip and going with a four-man rotation. Why? Because Hutchison has a horrendous 9.00 ERA in his 11 road starts this season compared to a fantastic 2.57 ERA in his 13 home starts.
The Blue Jays’ victory against the Yankees on Sunday can be a seen as a prologue for things to come down the stretch between these two. It was the only win the team could muster against the Bronx Bombers in this three-game series and these clubs have seven more matchups on tap in mid-September. The Blue Jays now have a shot to end their league-leading 21 season playoff drought, but this series was a testament to just how difficult that’s going to be.
Hisashi’s No-Hitter
In his eighth start since returning from the DL and his 11th start on the season, Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit the Baltimore Orioles on August 12. Ever since his stellar All-Star season in 2013 when he recorded a superb 2.66 ERA, Iwakuma has seemed to be regressing since. The three walks he allowed in this start were a bit much. But anytime you strikeout seven guys and no-hit your opponent, then it certainly makes sense to think that maybe this is the outing that may help him regain that elite 2013 form. Hopefully, it can turn things around for him to throw another complete game in the MLB, at least.
This no-hitter was his first complete game, which is actually fairly shocking considering that he had racked up 48 of those during 11 seasons in Japan. That makes this no-hitter extra special for Iwakuma, but you what makes it stand out even more? It was the fourth no-no thrown at Safeco Field, which opened in 1999, giving Safeco Field more no-hitters than any other ballpark since then. Plus, Iwakuma is the oldest pitcher (34) to throw a no-hitter since Hall of Fame hurler Randy Johnson did so as a 40-year-old. Let’s also not forget that Iwakuma’s no-hitter was the first from an AL pitcher in the last three years, with teammate Felix Hernandez pulling out a perfect game on August 15, 2012. During that span, NL pitchers have no-hit opponents 12 times.
Super Slugger Schwarber
Ever since being called up and making his MLB debut on June 16, Kyle Schwarber has come up with huge plays on almost a nightly basis and has virtually become the driving force behind their nine-game winning streak. In 33 games, Schwarber already has piled up eight dingers and 27 RBI to accompany his .315/.403/.586 line.
So does he have a good shot at becoming the Rookie of the Year? If he could keep up what he’s done the first five weeks for the next seven weeks, then I don’t envision a scenario where he couldn’t win. That’s saying something considering that this may be one of the deepest rookie classes in league history when we look back 20 years down the road. He’d have to beat out guys like Maikel Franco, Matt Duffy, Noah Syndergaard, Randal Grichuk, Jung Ho Kang, Joc Pederson, Taylor Jungmann, Chris Heston and, toughest of all, his own teammate Kris Bryant.
Schwarber would finish the season with 80 games under his belt if he played out the rest of the season. Four players have won the award with fewer than 90 games in a season. Ryan Howard (88 games, 2005) and Wil Myers (88 games, 2013) are the only two guys to do so in the last 10 years. Hall of Famer Willie McCovey won the award in just 52 games in 1959 after putting up a .354 average with 13 homers and a 1.085 OPS. The difference between McCovey and Schwarber is that McCovey was in a weak rookie class and helped propel his team to contend for the NL pennant. Schwarber is in arguably the best rookie class ever and plays on a Cubs squad that has little shot at NL’s best record. At this rate, it’s going to come down to Pederson, Bryant and Schwarber, whose chances remain good since he’s the hottest rookie in the game right now.
The Chase for Utley
Star second baseman Chase Utley is now being heavily sought after by the Giants and Angels, who have both emerged as the frontrunners for Utley’s bat. The Cubs joined the Dodgers and Yankees in the hunt, but these three clubs have significantly lower odds, especially the Cubs. Chicago doesn’t need a second baseman with a platoon of Starlin Castro and Chris Coghlan holding down the position. One thing helping the Giants and Angels is that both clubs are in California, making a trade to these teams a geographical win for the California-native. Plus, Utley would get to compete with a contender, and both of those squads are looking for a bat that could help them make a final push. There’s always the chance Utley might just want to stay in Philadelphia. However, he knows that going 13-for-26 since coming off the DL and his ability to contribute at first, second and third base or even as a designated hitter, would be of great benefit to both of these California contenders.
Young stud second baseman, Joe Panik, has no timetable regarding when he’ll recover from his injury and come back to the Giants, so Utley would be very useful there. The Angels need a powerful left-handed bat and some help at first base, third base and DH. The need is certainly there for Utley, but acquiring him is far more complicated than it may seem.
Teams are hesitant to pay the $6 million Utley is still owed on the season, which would make him a largely expensive seven-week rental. A $2 million buyout is also another fairly pricey stipulation on his contract. Plus, the Phillies would likely not get much in return for Utley, who is one of the club’s most respected and loved players of all time. As such, they may not decide to give him up if the return isn’t up to snuff. On the flip side, Utley could be pressured by the Phillies into taking any deal with the threat of reducing his playing time. I think the last one scenario is unlikely, but it wouldn’t be surprising.
Jonathan Ebanks is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jonathan, check out his archive and follow him @hogz4lyfe.
