Bucs/Cubs
There isn’t much more miserable than having to play baseball in the cold rain.
Unless it’s playing baseball in a cold rain in front of about 5,000 Italian beef-stuffed Swerski-style Super Fans hopped up on a rain delay and a belly full of Old Style.
The Pirates had to do that last night, and despite a not terrible – by his standards – start from Luis Ortiz, the bullpen that’s been more dependable than not this season fell apart, as Dauri Moreta, Yohan Ramirez, and Rob Zastryzny gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and two walks to turn a close ball game into a (redacted) show.
Numbers to keep an eye on in relation to that bullpen: In the two weeks preceding last night’s game, the Bucco bullpen was 3rd worst in the Majors in K/9 at 7.53, had the 5th highest BB/9 rate in the National League at 3.98, and the worst Groundball Rate in the Majors at just 33.8%.
Putting guys on base, not missing bats, and not inducing soft contact is no way to go through life.
We’ve become accustomed to the sloppiness of a young team being limited to poor decisions on the base paths, but it extended in to the work of the pitching staff Tuesday night in Chicago as all four Cubs who drew walks scored. The two who legged out infield singles also scored. Another infield single drove in a run. So, in the final analysis, seven of 11 Chicago runs came on walks or infield singles.
At least there was Jack Suwinski dropping monsters.
Suwinski is currently third among National League outfielders with 15 home runs, behind just… are you ready for this? … Kyle Schwarber and Mookie Betts.
Najee on RB longevity
With quality running backs becoming increasingly devalued. Steelers running back Najee Harris spoke yesterday about the importance of increasing his longevity at what’s rapidly becoming the game’s most disposable position.
“People going around and telling (young players) if you want to get paid, don’t be a running back,” said Harris. “The position is an art to me. It’s almost as if you’re like a queen in chess. You can do so much. For them to say it’s a position that’s not as valued, it’s kind of crazy.”
The release of four-time Pro Bowler and four-time 1,000-yard rusher Dalvin Cook by the Minnesota Vikings was eye opening to Harris.
“They say that when you turn a certain age, you’re out of your years. I think it’s a matter of how you take care of your body,” said Harris. “I spend a lot of money on my body, because I know the best ability is availability. Especially my position, takes a lot of hits. For me to take care of my body is really important, and I think I do a good job of that.”
If Harris can remain healthy, this will be his best opportunity yet to show what he’s truly capable of at the NFL level.
His rookie year was spent behind an atrociously outmatched offensive line while adjusting from Saturdays down south to the speed of Sundays. His second year was split into two, distinct halves: The first eight games while recovering from a serious foot injury, that was exacerbated by being forced to play on it in the preseason, behind a somewhat improved offensive line. The final nine games of the 2022-23 season were as close to healthy as he’d been in months, with a quality RB2 spelling him, and an improving offensive line that had found some chemistry in the run game.
The numbers spell it out pretty clearly:
2022 307 carries 1200 yards 3.9 ypc average
2023(Weeks 1-8) 108 carries 361 yards 3.3 ypc average
2023(Weeks10-18) 164 carries 673 yards 4.1 ypc average
With an offensive line improved again over last season’s, is it unrealistic to expect a healthy Harris to make another 25% leap, as he did from the first half to the second half last year?
Maybe.
So let’s be conservative and say we only get a 10% improvement per carry, from 4.1 ypc to 4.5 ypc.
That would be good for the fourth-best rushing average in the league last season for anyone with 250 or more carries, behind only Nick Chubb’s 5.0 ypc and Josh Jacobs’ & Miles Sanders’ 4.9 ypc. And just ahead of Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and the aforementioned Cook, who all averaged 4.4 ypc.
In my opinion, that doesn’t just lock in a fifth year option, that pushes the Steelers in the direction of offering the kind of extension Chubb & Joe Mixon have received: Chubb received a three year, $36.6 million extension with $17.1 million in guaranteed money. Mixon received a four year, $40 million extension with $10 million guaranteed.
Woodland Hills’ Miles Sanders had to leave the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles to sign a four year, $25.4 million contract with $13 million guaranteed in Carolina.
Meanwhile, Jacobs labors under a fifth year option with little hope of an extension in sight, and Barkley is considering holding out to avoid having to play on a franchise tag.
However, maybe that’s the right way to handle this; ride Harris out at a reasonable number under a fifth year option and a tag or two. Whether it’s the right way or not, it’s obviously the way of the world in an NFL where running backs – even good ones who may finally pay off on their first round promise – are increasingly replaceable.
Hot Dogs For Everyone!
The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t just close out the Matthew Tkachuk-less Florida Panthers in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final last night, they eviscerated them, 9-3.
It marked the most goals scored in a Stanley Cup Final clinching game since the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins dropped an ocho on the Minnesota North Stars in Game Six at Northland Coliseum.
Yes, you’re right: Any opportunity to gratuitously mention Jim Paek will be taken advantage of in this space, thank you very much.
Baby Gronk
People often times joke that if we require people to take a test to secure a driver’s license, we should probably consider doing the same for anyone who wants to procreate and bring a child in to this world.
Jake San Miguel, the father of 10-year old Madden San Miguel, is the personification of that belief.
San Miguel has been using his son to chase clout on social media, touting him as “Baby Gronk,” extolling the virtues of having him on a strict diet that includes egg whites, chicken, and brown rice, as he chases fame via unofficial visits to Division One college football programs and posts snaps with LSU gymnast, model, and social media influencer Olivia Dunne.
The final straw in breaking the camel’s back of some semblance of parenting came in the form of a disturbing video showing San Miguel coaching his son into giving specific answers to the “Bring the Juice” podcast.
Reason number 453,904 social media is an insidious force being used to destroy the human race: Clout chasers using their children to boost their social media presence.