… should have to share his Tortuga, don’t you think?
I was listening to last Saturday’s edition of the Effectively Wild podcast from Fangraphs, entitled “Errors Come in Threes.” The title topic was how the Mariners lost two games because infielders made three errors in one inning. We examined Dylan Moore’s ninth-inning case the other day, which led directly to the Mariners’ first loss, but Tim Beckham did it again in the first inning on Friday, leading to the M’s second loss.
The highlight of the podcast wasn’t that, though. It was the link to this Instagram post:
williansastudillo
All my minor league career I heard I was not going to be a big leaguer because I did not “look” like one. I was too short. I was too stocky. I did not have the physical traits customary associated with a Major League player. Well here I am. So let that be a lesson to anyone reading this who has ever been told that their physical appearance limits their ability. It does not. And if anyone ever tries to come at you with that, just knock’em out of the way and stay focused on your goals and the path to get there.
Now I want my own little piece of La Tortuga. I could if we had a rule where players could be declared Icons and their owners would then rent the Icon out, 5% of his playing time to each owner who wants to pay 5% of his salary for a year. An Icon wouldn’t count against roster limits, I suppose. But an owner could be the main owner of only 1 Icon at a time…. something like that.
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I’m not really serious about this. There are lots of issues… But, still, here’s a fun question: who else (in the EFL or not) might be an Icon, besides La Tortuga?
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EFL Standings for 2019
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 9 | 2 | .823 | — | 82.2 | 38.1 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 9 | 4 | .691 | 1.1 | 101.8 | 68.0 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 7 | 5 | .620 | 2.1 | 78.8 | 61.7 |
| Peshastin Pears | 7 | 6 | .576 | 2.6 | 68.0 | 58.3 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 7 | 6 | .575 | 2.6 | 75.4 | 64.8 |
| Cottage Cheese | 7 | 6 | .545 | 3 | 71.8 | 65.5 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 7 | 6 | .531 | 3.2 | 73.0 | 68.7 |
| Kaline Drive | 7 | 7 | .467 | 4 | 46.3 | 49.5 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 5 | 7 | .441 | 4.3 | 56.8 | 63.9 |
| D.C. Balk | 4 | 7 | .335 | 5.4 | 37.3 | 52.6 |
| Haviland Dragons | 5 | 9 | .330 | 5.9 | 58.7 | 83.6 |
| Brookland Outs | 4 | 9 | .273 | 6.5 | 45.6 | 74.4 |
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Canberra: W, 8 – 1 (45 PA, .300, .378, .525; 1.3 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA). When I told the Captain Kangaroo I was going to do an update about the baseball icons in each team, inspired by Astudillo, he suggested “icon” my not be the right word. He has a point. I am not necessarily looking for the players who serve as symbols for the league. Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Ken Griffey, Albert Pujols in his heyday: they would embody the game. I am looking for the players we delight in, not the ones we are in awe of. Astudillo is unlikely to reach the Hall of Fame. We are not populating a Hall of Fame. This will be a Hall of Delight.
We are not looking here for Lou Gehrig. We are looking for John Kruk. This is supposed to be a comment on the Kangaroos, so let’s try to mention one or two. Corey Kluber is the greatest Kangaroo, so far, the one closest to being a role model, a Hall of Famer, universally admired. I loved having him for 3 years, I’d love to have him again, I root for him even though he’s an Indian and (worse) a Kangaroo… but he’s not THIS kind of an Icon. He doesn’t make us smile in delight.
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The Captain Kangaroo can correct me, but let’s go with Tim Beckham. He has a story — 1st round pick, disappointing career until all of a sudden he blooms in 2017, then regresses, then gets picked up by a shrewd DiPoto, and then blooms again even better! A good story is an asset to a Baseball Delight. Plus there’s the way his story parallels his twin brother Gordon…
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FLint Hill: W, 14 – 6. (38 PA, .355, .474, .645; 12 ip, 7 er, 5.25 ERA). James Paxton picked up delight points aplenty last season with his “Eagle has landed” episode on top of his Maple Grove thing at Safeco Field. Plus he’s Canadian. But now he’s a Yankee. I know it’s not by choice, and he sabotaged their cause yesterday by allowing 5 runs to score in 4 innings, but still: Yankeeness blights delightfulness.
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So let’s call it (tentatively, pending word from on high in Flint Hill) Javier Baez. He plays with flair, clearly enjoys the game, makes fantastic catches and tags — a lot there to delight in.
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Pittsburgh: W 1, L 1; 15 – 10. (21 PA, .263, .333, .842; 6 ip, 3 er, 4.50 ERA). Steven Piscotty has a compelling story, in which he showed class through a period of personal tragedy. That adds texture to one’s appreciation of his baseball success. But I don’t know whether that would out-delight Jose Altuve. Altuve is very very good, he plays with flair and joy, he’s the kind of person who brightens people’s lives… plus he originally came to the Alleghenys in one of the all-time fleecings in EFL trading history, a point which his trading partner feels as keenly today as he has beginning about 15 minutes after the deal was made. So the Top Allegheny gets extra bonus points whenever he hears his office-building neighbor moaning about Jose Altuve. Plus Altuve hit 2 homers yesterday, bringing his season OPS over the 1.000 line to 1.015.
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Peshastin: “L”, 4 – 1. (38 PA, .235, .308, .412; 13.3 ip, 3 er, 2.02 ERA). A year ago I would have assured you that Javier Baez was the King Pear’s delight, his treasure to whom he was absolutely loyal. But I underestimated the Philosopher King’s ruthlessness. He traded his supposed delight for … I don’t even remember. A mess of pottage. Now one has to wonder whether he is even capable of real, un-strategic delight in a baseball player.
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But let’s be charitable. Let’s assume there is a spark of humanity left in the old King’s soul. If there is, then I think Ozzie Albies might be able to stir it to a memory of delight. Every time Albies comes up, the Philosopher King speaks in exclamation points. He also does that for Haniger, and his complete set of Nationals outfielders. I’ve heard it for Jack Flaherty, too, and several others. Even Joey Gallo on occasion elicits the exclamation marks. Of course, all this may be Smaug-like avarice reveling in having so much treasure, and not really pure delight…but we are giving him the benefit of the doubt. So let’s say it’s Albies, or maybe Haniger assisted by his being a Mariner.
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Portland: (38 PA, .313, .421, .656; 0.3 ip, 2 er, 54.00 ERA). I have to admit, Matt Andriese delights me right now, with that wonderful (if small ) sextuple chulk from the Rosebud mound. But no, this is not the kind of delight we are looking for in a Baseball Delight. Ryan might delight in Brad Peacock’s resurgence, since he and Peacock were with the Hagerstown Suns at the same time. But I suspect the Prime Rosebud delights most in Mookie Betts. Not only is Betts very very good, he’s a member of Rosebud’s hearthrob Red Sox, and Portland has had him since Betts was a raw rookie, and I suspect has believed in him well before he blossomed into an MVP. And Betts clearly is having fun on the field, smiles his great smile a lot, etc.
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Cottage: (4 PA, .175, .250, .200; 1.0 ip, 1 er, 9.00 ERA). The Cheese Delight might be Alex Verdugo, as the player the Cheese spotted early and grabbed who is now erupting into a star (1.130 OPS at the moment). Plus he plays for the Dodgers, the Head Cheese’s favorite team. But so does Corey Seager, a guy with the same story line two years earlier, and the brother to Kyle (although I don’t think the Head Cheese cares much about the Mariners). And then there’s Shohei Ohtani, the strange and wonderful and intriguing. But Shohei hasn’t done anything for the Cheese, and Seager’s patina of delight has worn maybe over time, and I tried pretty hard to trade for Verdugo but he traded away two other outfielders to the Kangaroos instead… so I think Alex V is the Cheese Delight.
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Old Detroit: (40 PA, .194, .268, .306; 13 ip, 7 er, 4.85 ERA). This is not a great day to ask the Alpha Wolverine which of his players delights him the most. It’s not Josh James today, whose 0 ip, 4 er infinite chulk put the finishing touches on a disastrous day. But on a better day you could get several nominees from Wolverine management: Walker Buehler, as if he was a find only the W’s appreciated; Eloy Jimenez, for the tactic with which he was acquired; Mallex Smith, just for playing with such flair … there are others. Kyle Schwarber beats all those, for all those reasons plus his irrepressible positive attitude, the way he worked hard to surprise everyone by becoming a good outfielder, and his potential to change a game all by himself.
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But the clear winner is Dan Vogelbach, whom I acquired to be Schwarber junior. He has endured years of neglect at the hands of his manager; soldiered on cheerfully; and revealed himself in interviews to be intelligent, articulate, and gracious. And even though he went 0 for 4 yesterday, he is still OPSing 1.683 on the season — better than Schwarber ever has done. Better even than Mike Trout so far…
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Kaline: “W”, 4 – 5. (45 PA, .225, .311, .450; 2.7 ip. 0 er, 0.00 ERA). It’s not fair to have to come right behind the likes of Dan Vogelbach on the topic of Baseball Delights. Many fine players are on the Drive roster. For example, Steve Pearce is a source of delight for his perennial success despite having never been given a position all his own. He seemed to peak in 2010 at age 27 with the Pirates — and a not-very-impressive peak it was. Since his Pirates career ended in 2011, less than 8 years ago, he has changed teams 9 times, including two stints with Baltimore, Toronto, and Boston. His peak OPS was .929 at age 31 in Baltimore. He also OPSed .908 in 232 plate appearances in his age 33 season in Tampa; 165 PA OPSing .901 at age 35 last year in Boston; and 86 plate appearances last year for Toronto still OPSing .868. He’s injured now… but when he comes back he is a fun guy to root for. Maybe the Drive prefer their Tigers (Fulmer, Greene, Greiner) or Mariners… of which I don’t think they have any at the moment.
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Bellingham: W o, L 2; 5 – 8 (24 PA, .095, .208, .238; 8.3 ip, 1 er, 0.00 ERA). Bryce Harper has his fans. While I respect his game, I’ve never really warmed up to Harper. I know others feel differently… but why fight that battle when Ronald Acuna is on this team? He’s a joy to watch, he does amazing things, he’s very young, and the Cascades have him for 5 years! He’d be the one I’d claim as my delight if I owned the Cascades.
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DC: “W”, 5 – 8. (19 PA., .333, .444. .666; no pitching). Willians Astudillo. We talked about him already. He’s the exemplar for this whole class of players. I am tempted to call them all Tortugas — and in Dan Vogelbach’s case, the term is almost as descriptive as it is for Astudillo. Too bad, Matt Chapman. We’ll catch a standout defensive player for the A’s in the next comment.
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Haviland: W, 3 -2. (26 PA, .150, .346, .250; 13 ip, 6 er, 4.15 ERA). Yasiel Puig is an interesting case. He has the color and hustle and hard story that might endear him to fans. He can be a dominant player, both on offense and defense. But he’s a difficult case. Whether it’s temperament or the challenges he faces in dealing with a foreign culture, Puig both invites and expends other people’s interest. I suspect Puig wears on Haviland management a little too much to be a delight. On the other hand, Dragon Cannon Ramon Laureano has one outstanding and exhilarating skill (throwing out the Bogaerts and Bettses of the world from deep in the outfield) to go along with a solid game at the plate… it sure would be fun to have that on one’s team to root for.
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Brookland: L, 1 – 7. (34 PA, .188 .235, .313; 1 ip, 0 er, 0.00 ERA). I’m stumped. If Gregory Polanco suddenly blossoms into his potential, the Outs could take extra pleasure in having stolen him from the Wolverines. But time is running out for Polanco; this is his last year as an EFL rookie. Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. is supposed to be a fan favorite in Toronto, I guess, but I don’t know why. There are plenty of good players here to root for, including rookie “finds” like Shane Bieber, Kyle Wright, and the rather obvious Cody Bellinger. But just because everyone knew Bellinger would be special, doesn’t mean you can’t extra pleasure in snagging him and watching him develop. So I guess Bellinger seems most likely as Brookland’s Baseball Delight..
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Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2019
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 10 | 3 | .769 | — |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 9 | 4 | .691 | 1 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 7 | 6 | .531 | 3.1 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4.5 |
| New York Yankees | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4.5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 4 | 8 | .333 | 5.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 3 | 9 | .250 | 6.5 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 9 | 2 | .823 | — |
| Atlanta Braves | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.1 |
| New York Mets | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.1 |
| Washington Nationals | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.1 |
| D.C. Balk | 4 | 7 | .335 | 5.4 |
| Miami Marlins | 3 | 9 | .250 | 6.6 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Detroit Tigers | 8 | 4 | .667 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 7 | 4 | .636 | 0.5 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 7 | 5 | .620 | 0.6 |
| Minnesota Twins | 6 | 4 | .600 | 1 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 5 | 7 | .441 | 2.7 |
| Chicago White Sox | 3 | 8 | .273 | 4.5 |
| Kansas City Royals | 2 | 9 | .182 | 5.5 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 8 | 5 | .615 | — |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 6 | 4 | .600 | 0.5 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 5 | .583 | 0.5 |
| Cottage Cheese | 7 | 6 | .545 | 0.9 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 8 | .273 | 4 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 8 | .273 | 4 |
| Brookland Outs | 4 | 9 | .273 | 4.5 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Seattle Mariners | 12 | 2 | .857 | — |
| Houston Astros | 8 | 5 | .615 | 3.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 7 | 6 | .538 | 4.5 |
| Texas Rangers | 6 | 6 | .500 | 5 |
| Oakland A’s | 8 | 8 | .500 | 5 |
| Kaline Drive | 7 | 7 | .467 | 5.5 |
| Haviland Dragons | 5 | 9 | .330 | 7.4 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 8 | 5 | .615 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 8 | 5 | .615 | — |
| Peshastin Pears | 7 | 6 | .576 | 0.5 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 7 | 6 | .575 | 0.5 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 6 | 6 | .500 | 1.5 |
| San Francisco Giants | 4 | 9 | .308 | 4 |
| Colorado Rockies | 3 | 9 | .250 | 4.5 |