Catalytic Conversions

George Fox University is developing a new feature they are calling Catalyst College.  This is interesting on several fronts.

First, “Catalyst” is the name of Newberg High School’s alternative school for students who don’t thrive in the regular high school.  At least locally, there’s a brand confusion problem if not a trade name infringement.

Second, Catalyst (the GF version) is intended to be a platform from which the University can deliver non-traditional education in non-traditional packages.  I suppose people will be able to complete traditional degrees, but mostly they will be studying for certificates, badges, or other smaller, more targeted credentials. They might range in age from high school to retirement.  This concept is a little fuzzy to me, but I expect to finish this update today while I sit through my third consecutive day of marathon meetings, so maybe I can update this before I’m done.

(Maybe the first Catalyst badges should go to those hardy few of us who, by about 1:30 Monday, will have completed the  4-consecutive workday Grueling Glutethon. )

“So what?” some of you might say. “I don’t work in higher education.  What do I care about your pathetic, anachronistic ‘industry’?”  But the same cultural cyclones that are about to transform higher ed are blowing on baseball, too.  How do you plan to adapt?  Let’s see if I can mine this meeting for the latest insight applicable to YOUR team.

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DC:  W, 8 – 7. (29 PA, .500, .566, 1.250;  1.3 ip, 0 er, 0 ERA)

Today is a good day to start from the other end of the standings.  After all, if you are in last place it might be either because a) you’re still partying like it’s 1999, or b) you have freed yourself so completely from the shackles of conventional views of success that you are primed to take advantage of new opportunities. Like, maybe, having Matt Chapman (4 AB, 3 h, 2 hr) play more?  Considering his defense, and Scooter Gennett’s lack of shortstop eligibility, maybe you could play without a shortstop. That would get Chapman to the plate 12.5% more often.

Brookland: W, 8 – 7.  (31 PA, .462, .563. .846;  4 ip, 3 er, 6.75 ERA)

Here’s another team with an excellent third baseman — in this case, Brian Anderson ( 4 ab, 3 h, 32b, plus a HBP). He’s not the defensive whiz Chapman is, but then again, the future will not require every team to be the same adjustments. Yesterday every Out reached base safely.  The team made outs less than half the time!  The future may require Brookland to change their brand if outs are not going to be the centerpiece of their game.

Bellingham: L, 4 – 10. (22 PA, .158, .273, .632;  6.7 ip, 7 er, 9.45 ERA)

Andre has let his team slip back behind the Cheese, in an inspiring show of compassion (and Caleb Ferguson’s sextuple chulk). I insist on believing compassion will never go out of style. Also not going out of style: dramatic walk-off grand slam homers, like the one Bryce Harper blasted last night. Except, for the Cascades, they walked off somehow still behind 4 – 10.  I know my colleague Rob Manfred has been experimenting with ways to adapt baseball to the future, but I do not like this notion of calling the game mid-inning just because someone hit a grand slam.  Or maybe this is an artifact of Bellingham’s ongoing experiment with six-man batting orders?

Cottage: “L”, 9 – 8. (31 PA, .414, .452, .621;  5 ip, 5 er, 9 ERA)

All six Cheese batters got at least one hit, a super-positive thing reflected in batting average and OBP.  If this is the Cheesey future,  everything else probably doesn’t matter. Although, even in the future,  it would be better if the pitching staff could stay below 9 ERA.

Kaline: W, 4 – 0. (45 PA, .282, .378, .385; 9 ip, 5 er, 5 ERA). 

It’s nice to see Mallex Smith thriving on his new team (3 for 4 with 2 SB).  I really mean this. He would still be a Wolverine had he done this more often for the Wolverines.  I know it’s tempting to try to build a team’s future on people the Wolverines have irrationally expelled, but I don’t know if even Old Detroit can guarantee enough volume to achieve championship-level success on our rejects.

Peshastin: “L”, 4 – 3.  (21 PA, .300, .333, .450;  2 ip, 0 er, 0 ERA)

It’s been a good month for Peshastin — less so Thursday, but for a bad day, 4 – 3 is pretty good.  The only Pear batter OPSing under .790 in August is 32-year-old Logan Forsythe. On the other hand, 20-year old Juan Soto is only 20 and OPSing 1.181 on the month (although I think he might be injured right now, and his OPS is not the highest among August Pears). The future looks kindly on the Pears.

Haviland: W 2, L (-1); 21 – 7. (36 PA, .455, .500, 1.182;  7.3 ip, 5 er, 6.14 ERA)

The two leading Dragon hitters yesterday were the elderly Carlos Santana (age 33, 3 for 5 with a double, two HR and a walk, 2.667 OPS) and the youthful Ahmed Rosario (age 23, .5 for 6 with two doubles and a triple, 2.333 OPS). That’s a nice mix. But “Dragons”?  Now that Game of Thrones is over, what’s to distinguish “Dragons” from “Dinosaurs”? Branding is critical in the future, according to all the presentations we had today.  Something more up-to-date?  More “Be Known”-like, a little warmer and cuddlier? Well, not warmer than Dragons, but definitely cuddlier? Maybe “Puffs”? After the magic dragon?

Pittsburgh: W, 6 – 3. (28 PA, .280, .357, .480; 12 ip, 6 er, 4.50 ERA)

Pete Alonso is only 24. Not the youngest young star, but if he keeps going 5 for 5 with a homer and a walk (2.600 OPS), we aren’t going to begrudge him his ever-so-slightly late flowering. The other five A’s to appear at the plate are all either 28 or 29.  I hope the future isn’t No Country for Old Men, but if it turns out to be, 28 or 29 year olds will be Old Men (for baseball) pretty quick.

Old Detroit:  W, 7 – 5.  (37 PA, .258, .351, .484; 17.7 ip, 11 er, 5.60 ERA).

“The future is getting away from me, I can see it’s tail-lights glowing.”

I quote from U2 because my future ace, Walker Buehler, got beat up for 5 runs in 4 innings.  Others stepped up to stem the bleeding, but to see our brightest pitching hope fallen has shaken our confidence.  On the other hand, Isan Diaz went  2 for 4 for the Toledo Mud Weasels, but he’s not active this year, as I am committed to making next year be his debut so he can play for the W’s through 2024. Saving up for the future is pretty much always a good strategy.  And anyway, Nick Ahmed (1.094) has rendered Trey Turner (.929) a back-up shortstop, so I don’t need Isan yet.

Flint Hill : W, 11 – 7.  (24 PA, .409, .458, 1.000;  2.7 ip, 3 er, 10.12)

The Tornados were lucky, really, to get a win — lucky their lackluster pitching was outweighed by their lustrous, but limited, hitting. Luck as a strategy for the future? Well, I suppose it’s as good as luck as a strategy for the present, if that’s what’s elevated the Tornados to their high second-place position.  But I have my suspicions that luck ISN’T Flint Hill’s core strategy.  They trade a LOT, for example.  And they have Mike Trout going 4 for 4 with a homer and a walk.  And I think he’s a pretty good bet for the future.  And his $25,000,000 is going to get gradually cheaper between now and 2021.

Portland: L, 2 – 5. (25 ip, .125, .160, .167;  no pitching) 

It feels like the Rosebuds are the big box retailers of the EFL:  dominating us for months, now, a repeat of last year, and a continuation of their narrow miss the year before.  This is good news, according to what I heard today.  The big boxes — the Sears, the Blockbusters, etc — find it hard not to get complacent.  Why should they change? They MAKE the markets.  No one can touch them.  And it’s all TRUE!  No, really, Mark, it’s true. None of us can touch you.  We all want to BE you.  Just go back to your sunny beach and your lemonade.

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