The Weekly Rundown: 3/19/23 - 3/25/23
An epic World Baseball Classic ending, Rhys Hoskins out for the season, and more.
Good morning!
The 2023 World Baseball Classic was a blast. It was the perfect bridge from spring training to Opening Day as only four days separate us from all 30 MLB teams starting the season on March 30. I’m already looking forward to the next tournament in 2026.
We’ll get to the WBC and its storybook ending below, but first…
My 2023 prediction series is just about complete. The only division left to cover is the NL West, which will be published sometime this week. Playoffs and award predictions also will be made before Opening Day.
You can check out the other 2023 MLB standings predictions below.
AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central
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Alright, now for the final rundown before the regular season…
The World Baseball CLASSIC
The ending to the 2023 WBC was something straight out of a movie. Actually, I don’t think a script could have been written any better. Here’s how it unfolded:
Sunday, March 19
United States 14, Cuba 2 (semifinals)
Monday, March 20
Japan 6, Mexico 5 (semifinals)
Tuesday, March 21
Japan 3, United States 2 (championship)
We couldn’t have asked for better games than the Japan-Mexico semifinal matchup and the USA-Japan championship.
Japan trailed Mexico 3-0 in the seventh inning when new Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida stepped to the plate with two runners on base. Yoshida came up clutch with a three-run homer down the right-field line.
Japan went on to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth with Shohei Ohtani scoring the winning run.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the moment we’ve all been dreaming about became a reality at the end of USA vs. Japan.
Ohtani and Mike Trout are two of the greatest players not only of our generation, but in the history of the sport. Obviously, outside of MLB The Show, we’ve never seen them go up against one another since they’re Los Angeles Angels teammates. So when Trout stepped to the plate vs. Ohtani with two outs and the USA down one run in the ninth inning, it made for one of the most memorable baseball moments ever. I don’t think that’s hyperbole.
Ohtani blew a couple of fastballs by Trout, but the three-time MVP worked a full count to add even more drama to the scene. Finally, Ohtani finished him off with one of the filthiest sliders you will ever see.
Watch the entire sequence below:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a hardcore baseball fan, a casual fan, or not a fan of the sport at all. We should all be able to agree that moment was one for the ages. I just hope we get a rematch in 2026… or sooner, since this probably will be Ohtani’s final season with the Angels.
Injuries Suck
We go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. After Edwin Diaz’s devastating knee injury last week, more stars went down just before Opening Day.
Rhys Hoskins is the latest notable player to suffer a season-ender. The Phillies first baseman went down with a non-contact knee injury while fielding a ground ball in Thursday’s spring game against the Tigers. He was carted off the field with what would later be revealed as a torn ACL.
That’s a big blow to the Phillies offense, which will already be without Bryce Harper (Tommy John surgery) for a chunk of the season. Darick Hall, a 27-year-old who debuted in the big leagues last season, will replace Hoskins at first base.
Hall hit .250 with nine homers and an .804 OPS in 41 games for Philly last year. He struggles against left-handed pitching, however, which might eventually force the Phils to move Alec Bohm over to first and have Edmundo Sosa take his spot at third.
Astros star Jose Altuve won’t miss the season, but he’ll miss a significant amount of time after taking a 96-mph Daniel Bard fastball to the thumb at the WBC.
Altuve underwent surgery to repair a fractured right thumb and will not resume baseball activities for at least two months. Barring any surprises, it appears the Astros will replace the eight-time All-Star with a combination of David Hensley and Mauricio Dubon. Hensley is the better hitter of the two while Dubon is a skilled defender capable of being used in a utility role.
Other injuries include veteran Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright (groin) and Yankees righty Luis Severino (lat). Wainwright, who pitched for Team USA at the WBC, will miss “several weeks” with the injury. Severino will begin the season on the injured list, leaving Clarke Schmidt as New York’s No. 2 starter. The injury bug has bitten the Yankees throughout the spring as starters Carlos Rodon (forearm) and Nestor Cortes (hamstring) both have had their issues.
Happy Trails
Three players, coincidentally all former Red Sox, announced their retirement over the last week.
Outfielder Josh Reddick officially called it a career after 13 big-league seasons. The 36-year-old came up as a prospect with the Red Sox and spent three seasons with the big-league club before being traded to Oakland. He also had stints with the Astros — winning a World Series in 2017 — Dodgers, and Diamondbacks. He slashed .262/.321/.426 with 146 homers in 1,305 games.
Infielder Jed Lowrie is done after 15 MLB seasons. Like Reddick, Lowrie was a top prospect in Boston’s system. The former All-Star spent the first four years of his career (2008-11) with the Red Sox before being traded to the Astros. The 38-year-old had two stints with Houston and three with the Oakland A’s along with a brief stay with the New York Mets. He ends his MLB career with a .257/.330/.406 slash line and 121 homers in 1,307 games.
Catcher/first baseman Ryan Lavarnway’s MLB career wasn’t as successful as Reddick's or Lowrie’s but he managed to stay in the game for more than a decade. The 35-year-old was drafted by the Red Sox in 2008 and played in Boston from 2011-14. He also had stints with the Pirates, Braves, Athletics, Marlins, Reds, Indians, and Orioles. He announced his retirement in a really thoughtful piece for The Athletic.
Rapid Fire
It was surprising to see Jurickson Profar on the market for so long. He finally found a new home with the Colorado Rockies for the 2023 season. The one-year deal is worth up to $8.75 million. Profar, a 30-year-old former top MLB prospect, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career with San Diego. He slashed .243/.331/.391 with 15 homers.
The Mets signed right-hander Dylan Bundy to a minor-league deal as a depth piece for their rotation. Bundy, 30, posted a 4.89 ERA in 140 innings with the Twins last year.
The Cardinals signed right-hander Miles Mikolas to a two-year, $40 million contract extension that runs through 2025. The 34-year-old is coming off a strong 2022 season in which he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 202.1 innings (33 games). A two-time All-Star, Mikolas is my dark-horse NL Cy Young pick for 2023. Yeah, I’m aware it’s bold, that’s the entire point. Don’t forget though that he did finish sixth in Cy Young voting in 2018.
The Phillies failed to come to an agreement on an extension with ace Aaron Nola. He’ll be a free agent after the 2023 season.
The Rumor Mill
It feels like we’ve written Bryan Reynolds’ name in this section a thousand times already. He’s back in the rumor mill as the Pirates are still trying to sign the All-Star outfielder to an extension, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Reynolds requested a trade earlier in the offseason after Pittsburgh offered $76 million for six years. If he isn’t signed before the season, he’s a likely trade candidate at the deadline.
That’s it for this week. Next Sunday, we’ll have real Major League Baseball games to talk about. See ya then.