The Weekly Rundown: 3/5/23 - 3/11/23
World Baseball Classic begins, injury bug bites the Yankees, and more.
Good morning to everyone except this guy.
Listen, I’m all for the horns and the energetic crowd atmosphere that comes with international play. One of the best parts of the World Baseball Classic is the chance to experience how all of these different cultures show their love for the sport. Nothing beats a baseball game that feels like a World Cup match.
But Horn Guy? Nope. Not a fan.
I love the hat. I love the flag. I love the energy. But we can’t have one guy running around with an obnoxious horn that disrupts the entire TV broadcast. If all of the fans had horns? That’s a different story. A stadium filled with horns would at least make it an electrifying environment. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Horn Guy should have been arrested, but I digress.
Anyway, the World Baseball Classic has begun. We now have baseball bright and early in the morning, throughout the day, and late at night. All of it will be covered right here each week, so be sure to enter your e-mail above and subscribe if you haven’t already. Thanks in advance if you do.
Now grab your coffee and let’s jump into the Weekly Rundown.
World Baseball Classic in full swing
The WBC is here! Here were the scores and top highlights from the tournament last week, plus the updated standings/bracket and my takeaways so far.
Tuesday, March 7
Netherlands 4, Cuba 2
Wednesday, March 8
Panama 12, Chinese Taipei 5
Australia 8, Korea 7
Netherlands 3, Panama 1
Thursday, March 9
Japan 8, China 1
Italy 6, Cuba 3 (F/10)
Czech Republic 8, China 5
Cuba 13, Panama 4
Friday, March 10
Japan 13, Korea 4
Chinese Taipei 11, Italy 7
Australia 13, China 2
Panama 2, Italy 0
Saturday, March 11
Japan 10, Czech Republic 2
Chinese Taipei 9, Netherlands 5
Puerto Rico 9, Nicaragua 1
Colombia 5, Mexico 4
Venezuela 5, Dominican Republic 1
USA 6, Great Britain 2
Korea 7, Czech Republic 3
Cuba 7, Chinese Taipei 1
Updated Standings/Bracket
* The top two teams from each pool advance to the quarterfinals, which begin March 15. For more info on the format, go here.
Pool A
Netherlands: 2-1
Chinese Taipei: 2-2
Cuba: 2-2
Panama: 2-2
Italy: 1-2
Pool B
Japan: 3-0
Australia: 2-0
Korea: 1-2
Czech Republic: 1-2
China: 0-3
Pool C
USA: 1-0
Colombia: 1-0
Canada: 0-0
Great Britain: 0-1
Mexico: 0-1
Pool D
Puerto Rico: 1-0
Venezuela: 1-0
Israel: 0-0
Dominican Republic: 0-1
Nicaragua: 0-1
Quick WBC takeaways
The environment at these games is absolutely electric. I need to go to a WBC game one day to experience it in person.
Time to put the Dominican Republic hype to rest, at least for now. Great statement win for Venezuela.
Great Britain’s uniforms are a travesty. Whoever designed them said, “Let’s do the 2011 Red Sox jerseys, but even worse.”
All the USA/DR hype distracted us from Japan being a wagon. Also, I didn’t expect those USA and DR games to be that competitive. It makes me believe an underdog could end up winning this thing.
Speaking of Japan, Shohei Ohtani is a legitimate superhero and Masataka Yoshida has been a great sidekick.
I could watch Czech Republic firemen and electricians pitch to MLB superstars all day.
MLB clears Clevinger
Veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger was accused of some pretty terrible shit earlier in the offseason. The mother of his child accused him of domestic violence and child abuse. More specifically, she claimed Clevinger threw an iPad at her while pregnant, strangled her, and threw used chewing tobacco on their child.
You can read the full story on that here.
Last Sunday, however, Major League Baseball concluded its investigation and announced Clevinger would not face discipline.
"I appreciate everyone that waited until the verdict was out ... waited until the facts came out," Clevinger said, per ESPN. "I appreciate everyone that didn't rush to judgment and kept their cool and understood the ramifications of these accusations.
The problem is, people did rush to judgment. That’s the world we live in now: guilty until proven innocent. And even when you are proven innocent (which I’m not saying is the case with Clevinger), your reputation has already been tarnished. Social media is the judge and jury for seemingly every issue nowadays, and it’s only getting worse. Too many people form an opinion immediately after reading an article headline. Good for MLB not punishing Clevinger just to appease the masses. It’s refreshing to see.
Clevinger signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Chicago White Sox this winter. The 32-year-old went 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with the San Diego Padres last season.
Scary Scene
Veteran slugger Justin Turner was drilled in the face by a pitch during Monday’s Red Sox-Tigers spring game. Blood poured from his face as he lay motionless on the ground. It was a terrifying scene and just about the worst thing that could happen on a baseball field.
Fortunately, Turner somehow avoided serious injury. He and his wife, Kourtney, took to Twitter with encouraging updates on his health:
Sixteen stitches and no fractures is the best news Turner and the Red Sox could have hoped for. I thought for sure Turner would miss time due to facial fractures and more severe injuries. Fortunately, it sounds like he’ll be back in no time, and that’s great news for Boston as it will need Turner’s big bat in the lineup and leadership in the clubhouse this season.
Bronx Bummer
It was a week to forget for the New York Yankees, and not just because they put their Opening Day lineup against the Red Sox’ B squad and lost 11-7 while giving up six homers.
They’re down another piece of their rotation as offseason addition Carlos Rodon will begin the season on the injured list with a left forearm muscle strain. Even though Yankees GM Brian Cashman said the injury is nothing serious, it’s hard not to push the panic button anytime a forearm issue pops up. Especially for a guy who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019.
The good news for Yankees fans is this is something Rodon dealt with last season, and the southpaw went on to have an outstanding year for the San Francisco Giants.
"[Last year] it popped up early in May, the first time I ever felt it in my forearm, the top of my forearm," Rodon said, via ESPN. "Worked with some people, did some treatments, luckily. I woke up, it was my fifth day getting ready to pitch ... and I felt nothing.”
The injuries have been piling up in the Bronx. The Yankees already are down Frankie Montas for the entire season due to shoulder surgery. Nestor Cortes suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain earlier in spring training. Tommy Kahnle (bicep tendinitis) and Lou Trevino (elbow ligament strain) will join Rodon on the IL to begin the season. And on Wednesday, Harrison Bader sustained an oblique injury that will force him to miss at least six weeks.
A nightmare start to 2023 for a Yankees club looking to win its first World Series title since 2009.
D’Backs Get A Steal
The Diamondbacks locked up their future star on an extremely team-friendly contract.
On Saturday, Arizona announced it signed top prospect Corbin Carroll to an eight-year extension worth a guaranteed $111 million. The speedy outfielder has a club option for 2031 that would bring the total to $134 million. That’s the largest contract ever given to a player with fewer than 100 days of MLB service time.
It’s a no-brainer of a deal for the D’Backs. Carroll is the closest a player with his lack of big-league experience can get to being a sure thing. The 22-year-old is a burner on the basepaths who can hit for both average and power. He’s the heavy favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year award this season.
In 32 MLB games last year, Carroll hit .260 with four homers, 14 RBI, and two steals. He slashed a ridiculous .307/.425/.611 with 24 homers, 31 stolen bases, and a 1.036 OPS in the minors.
Rapid Fire
The Marlins added infield depth with the signings of Yuli Gurriel and Jose Iglesias to minor-league contracts. Miami had been a rumored destination for Gurriel since early in the offseason. The 38-year-old brings valuable postseason experience and is two years removed from a batting title. He’ll back up Garrett Cooper at first base while Iglesias backs up Wendle at shortstop.
The Nationals signed young catcher Keibert Ruiz to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension that includes two club options. Ruiz, 24, is a switch-hitting backstop who was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Dodgers. The former top prospect slashed .251/.313/.360 with seven homers last year in his first full MLB season.
Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter has a UCL sprain and has been shut down from throwing for at least four weeks. That’s a real bummer as the 19-year-old showcased his serious potential in his limited time on the mound this spring. Hopefully he’ll be able to avoid Tommy John surgery, because all signs point toward him having a bright MLB future.
More injuries: Mets starter Kodai Senga was scratched from his spring start with a finger injury and Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger is dealing with a Grade 1 oblique strain. Senga is considered day-to-day with tendinitis while Haniger’s status for Opening Day is less certain.
The Rumor Mill
The Astros are discussing long-term contract extensions with outfielder Kyle Tucker and left-hander Framber Valdez, according to GM Dana Brown. No deals are imminent, but this is just another example of Brown trying to emulate the approach of his former team, the Atlanta Braves, by locking up homegrown stars. Cristian Javier signed a five-year, $64 million extension with the club during the offseason that will soon look like an absolute steal.
The Rays are discussing a long-term extension with top prospect Curtis Mead, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Mead could make his MLB debut with Tampa this season after raking last year (.298/.390/.532 slash line) between Double-A and Triple-A. It’s unclear which position the 22-year-old will play in the big leagues, but his big bat should make up for his defense wherever he ends up.
Jurickson Profar somehow remains on the free-agent market, though it appears he won’t be for long. The Colorado Rockies are showing “real interest” in the outfielder, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. For now, Profar is showcasing his talents for the Netherlands at the World Baseball Classic.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you next week. Don’t forget to subscribe or gift a subscription below!