On this day in 2011, Craig Kimbrel set a rookie record with his 41st save when he retired the side in order in the Braves' 3-1 victory over Washington at Turner Field. He finished his rookie season with 46 that year. Information from nationalpasttime.com.
Hope you like nicknames and record-breakers, because that's all we got for you here! It's always fun to have fun and that's what rookies are all about, so let's get started: Rhys Hoskins 8/20: 2-for-5, one home run (5), one RBI (9), two runs (8, 9) 8/22: 1-for-4, one home run (6), two RBIs (10, 11), one run (10) 8/22 (double-header): 1-for-3, one walk (9) 8/23: 2-for-3, one home run (7), FIVE RBIs (12-16), one run (11) 8/24: 2-for-5, one home run (8), three RBIs (17, 18, 19), two runs (12, 13) 8/25: 1-for-3, one home run (9), two RBIs (20, 21), one run (14) 8/26: 2-for-4, one home run (10), two RBIs (22, 23), one run (15) 8/27: 1-for-4, one home run (11), one RBI (24), one run (16) Through 8 Games- Hits: 12 Runs: 9 Home Runs: 7 RBIs: 16 Average: .387 On-Base Percentage: .441 Nickname for Players Weekend: He did not get into the Majors in time for this, but he would have had 'Hosk' or 'Big Hosk'. What a shame... Congrats to Hoskins for being the fastest player to hit 10 home runs in Major League history! Also for having the most RBIs for a Phillies rookie in 46 years. This player is truly special for the future of the Phillies. Andrew Benintendi 8/20: 2-for-5 8/21: 2-for-4, one run (64), one home run (18), two RBIs (69, 70) 8/22: 1-for-5, one double (18), one run (65), one RBI (71) 8/23: 1-for-3, one walk (52) 8/24: 1-for-5 8/25: 0-for-4 8/26: O-for-4 8/27: 1-for-3, two walks (53, 54) Through 8 Games- Hits: 8 Runs: 2 Home Runs: 1 RBIs: 3 Average: .242 On-Base Percentage: .306 Nickname for Players Weekend: Benny Why?: Benintendi told mlb.com, "Benny was something my dad's friends called him when he was younger... One of my dad's college teammates was my coach when I played as a kid, and he called me Benny, and it just kind of went from there. My friends at Arkansas called me Benny, so I just kept it simple." Tribute patch: Mom Dad Olivia Lilly, for his parents and two sisters who attend games when they can. Hoping that Benintendi will join the 20+ club for all the other rookies who are waiting for him to help make history and one of the best power-hitting rookie classes in the MLB. Paul DeJong 8/20: 0-for-5 8/22: 0-for-4 8/23: 1-for-4, 8/24: 3-for-4, one run (36), one double (18) 8/25: 1-for-4 8/26: 1-for-4, one run (37), one RBI (49) 8/27: 1-for-5 Through 7 Games- Hits: 7 Runs: 2 RBIs: 1 Average: .233 On-Base Percentage: .258 Nickname for Players Weekend: DeJong. Why?: Pauly D was taken, I guess. Tribute patch: Family, for his best supporters. DeJong's three-hit game is his eighth of the season and ties Cody Bellinger for the most among NL rookies. Other NicknamesRafael Devers, BOS: Carlita, which means baby face in Spanish.
Dansby Swanson, ATL: Dans Trey Mancini, BAL: Trey, because his real name is Anthony. Ian Happ, CHC: Happer Bradley Zimmer, CLE: Machine Antonio Senzatela, COL: Senze Kyle Freeland, COL: Free German Marquez, COL: Marque Yoan Moncada, CWS: Yoyo Yuli Gurriel, HOU: El Yuli Parker Bridwell, LAA: PBrid Aaron Judge, NYY: All Rise Cody Bellinger, LAD: CodyLove Josh Bell, PIT: JB Manuel Margo, SD: Yoandry Ty Blach, SF: The Preacher Danny Barnes, TOR: Barnzy Happy Player's Weekend! I hope you have all enjoyed the past two days of nicknames and brightly-colored jerseys as much as the rest of us do. These jerseys are available to purchase, but since some of us cannot afford to buy multiple jerseys (or even one), it's always good to see them all for free. Now onto the West and all its glory. The Dodgers are still tearing it up so let's move on to the Rockies and Diamond Backs, who are still leading the Wild Card. Both teams have rebounded from rough seasons last year and have MVP-caliber players that will lead them hopefully into the one game playoff to face each other and then the Dodgers. In the American League, the Astros are still holding their lead while the Angels and Mariners are fighting for the last spot that the Twins currently hold for the Wild Card. Both are surprising others right now but they need to continue to scratch their way during September. With that being said, enjoy the fun of the best weekend in baseball! On this day in 1999, Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. joined Babe Ruth, Ralph Kiner, Duke Snider, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, and Mark McGwire as the only players to hit 40 homers in four consecutive seasons. Found on nationalpasttime.com.
There's good drama and bad drama going on this week between the two rookies, with one finally ending a curse and the other making a trip to the cursed DL. If you do not know which one those apply to, find out! If you do, well, just look at the numbers anyway! Aaron Judge 8/16: 2-for-5, two runs (90, 91), one home run (37) at 469 ft, one RBI (80) 8/17: 0-for-4 8/18: 1-for-4, one walk (89) 8/19: 0-for-4, one walk (90) 8/20: 0-for-4 8/21: 1-for-1, two runs (92, 93), RBI (81) Through 6 games: Batting Average: .182 Runs: 4 Hits: 4 Strikeouts: He did it. He broke the record for the longest streak at 37 consecutive games and ended it last night (It's over!!!). Judge finally got the monkey off his back so now we can talk about other topics regarding him, like how he is tenth in most RBIs in a season by Yankees rookie or how he still is the main choice for the AL Rookie of the Year. He had a rough streak but he hit his 37th home run, which is a high number and also crushed Joe DiMaggio's previous 81-year-old record of 29 during his rookie season. Also, if he gets to 38 home runs, he will tie Frank Robinson's record and if he gets one after that, he will be the first rookie to even come close to Mark McGwire's record of 49. That record will most likely be untouchable, but even getting near that will look great on his resume. Cody Bellinger 8/16: 1-for-1 8/18: 0-for-3 8/19: 0-for-2 Through 3 games: Batting Average: .167 Runs: 1 Hits: 1 Bad news for Dodger fans, the reason behind only three games being shown is because Bellinger was placed on the 10-day Disabled List after spraining his ankle last Saturday in Detroit. Even though they can carry on without him, he still is responsible for the most wins in a non-pitcher's first 99 games at 76 wins (STATS LLC). He still has one more home run to hit to tie Mike Piazza's record and he has time to do that, but for now, we just have to wait for him to heal. Both of these rookies are responsible for the new MLB record of seven rookies hitting 20+ home runs this season. Yay for rookies! At least two more can join the club, so you will be updated on how that goes! For now, we just hope that Judge goes back to being Judge and Bellinger's ankle heals. See you all soon!
An almost new crop of breakout stars has arrived and it's time to meet two pitchers and two very hot hitters. One hitter in particular just destroyed their rival this weekend, so look out for that when you are reading about everyone. Other than that, this group is doing alright... German Marquez Another rookie pitcher for the Rockies? I guess it's working because they still are in the Wild Card race and all their rookies have at least 10 wins this year. Marquez earned his 10th win of the season against Milwaukee, after giving up 4 earned runs of 7 hits. The positive was that he had 6 strikeouts and only issued 1 walk. His ERA is at 4.24 right now. Marquez definitely thrives on run support from his team because he is 6-1 when 6+ runs are scored, including this game. Offense also does well with his pitching because 11 of his games had 3-5 runs while only 3 had 0-2 scored. Symbiotic relationships make teams better. Next Start: Paul DeJong DeJong deserved to be the rookie of the month for July and he is keeping it up in August with his 9-game hitting streak, his longest yet. His hits do not go to waste either, because he's managed to bat in runs with them as well and went 5 straight games with an RBI or more (the most was 3!) until it ended but then started up again. Here's more on what went on for the man, myth, and legend... 8/13: 3-for-5, one home run (18), one RBI (42) 8/15: 2-for-4, one RBI (43) 8/16: 1-for-4, one double (17) 8/17: 1-for-4, one run (32), one RBI (44) 8/18: 3-for-5, two runs (33, 34), one home run (19), two RBIs (45, 46) 8/19: 1-for-3, one run (35), one home run (20), two RBIs (47, 48) His stats through 6 games: Avg: .440 Hits: 11 Runs: 5 Home Runs: 3 RBI: 7 Parker Bridwell Bridwell is continuing to look solid as a pitcher for Anaheim (I say Anaheim because THEY PLAY THERE!!!). He gave up only 1 run in 4 hits against a decent Mariner offense in Seattle. He only had 2 strikeouts, but his ERA dipped down to 2.88. Bridwell is enjoying the second half with a 1.000 winning percentage and dropped his ERA by .68 from the first half to now. Everything looks better than when the break began, which means that whatever they are teaching him in Anaheim right now is working. It also could be confidence and that makes all the difference. Next Start: Rafael Devers The next big Dominican talent to play for Boston is here and ready to take over. Devers has only had 80 at-bats, but he's already impressed with a hot start. This week against the Yankees, he became the second to hit three home runs in three straight games vs. New York before turning 21 (Elias Sports Bureau). It's a unique stat but it shows how young and ready he is to become a key player for the Sox. His power has come so quickly after he hit his 8th home run in 20 games, the hottest start for a player his age. Sorry, Bellinger, but if you were a little bit younger, you would be able to have that title.
8/13: 1-for-3, one run (9), one home run (4), one RBI (10) 8/14: 2-for-4, two runs (10, 11), two home runs (5, 6), two RBIs (11, 12) 8/15: 2-for-4, two runs (12, 13), one RBI (13) 8/16: 1-for-3, one double (4) 8/18: 2-for-4, two runs (14, 15), one home run (7), two RBIs (14, 15) 8/19: 2-for-4, two runs (16, 17), one home run (8), one RBI (16) His stats through 6 games: Avg: .455 Hits: 10 Runs: 9 Home Runs: 5 RBIs: 7 Since today is the Central week, it would be appropriate to talk about the Wild Card race going on in one of the best divisions in baseball (only one because there are other great ones... like the one next week... cough... cough...). Milwaukee is 3.5 games back and St. Louis is 4.0 games back from the Wild Card, but both have a better chance at the Central title as of right now. They sit at 2.0 and 2.5 games back respectively and could make a shot at it but Chicago still looks solid. In the AL, Minnesota is tied for the second in the Wild Card and looks better to win that than the division. Kansas City was the hot item for a bit and they were believed to have taken the division from Cleveland when they had their struggles, but they still have a chance with 1.5 games out of the Wild Card. Keep in mind that there is still plenty of time and fight left in all these teams and everything could be swapped come September. Other than all that, the Midwest had a fun week and these photos only scratch the surface. It's not pictured here, but if you are a Cubs fan or just a fan of happiness, Kris Bryant received a cute proposal from a fan when he made a surprise charity visit. It's definitely worth a look because it's Sunday and Sunday is meant to be a positive day!
Also, I cannot help myself to post pictures of hockey and baseball crossovers because I love both! So enjoy the one below! Enjoy the fireworks too! You deserve it! On this date in 2012, Prince Fielder hit his 232rd career home run with the Tigers after his 1,000th career game. His dad, Cecil, also had the same total of big league home runs after playing in the same amount of games. Fact courtesy of nationalpasttime.com.
Another quick and easy update on the two potential picks for the Rookie of the Year in their leagues. Things are going more than swell for one rookie in California, while there's still a little bit of trouble in New York. It's still the middle of August, so things can most certainly change and the script could flip. Untik then, here is this week: Cody Bellinger Tues., 8/8 at AZ: 1-for-4, one double (17), one run (62) 8/9 at AZ: 2-for-4, one double (18), two runs (63, 64), one home run (33), one RBI (76) 8/10 at AZ: 0-for-5, one run (65), reached on base due to an error 8/11 vs. SD: 3-for-5, one run (66), two RBIs (77, 78) 8/12 vs. SD: 3-for-3, one run (67), one home run (34), one RBI (79), one walk (43) 8/13 vs. SD: 1-for-3, one run (68), one double (19), one walk (44) 8/15 vs. CHW: 1-for-2, one run (69), two walks (45, 46) Through 7 games- Batting Average: .423 Runs: 8 Hits: 11 Doubles: 3 Home Runs: 2 RBIs: 4 Strikeouts: 3 In case you have not noticed, Bellinger is tearing it up right now with his current 9-game run streak. He also made headlines recently by being one home run away from tying the franchise rookie record by Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. Yep, things are definitely looking up for Bellinger in August as he continues to gather interest as the front runner for the National League Rookie of the Year. With his consistent hitting (look at his strikeout total for those 7 games!!) and history-making, he can definitely get the most votes. As of right now, he sits at fifth place for most RBIs by a rookie in the franchise with 79. He probably won't catch Piazza there (112), but he can get close. Aaron Judge Wed., 8/8 at Tor: 0-for-3, two walks (80, 81) 8/9 at Tor: 0-for-4, one run (86), one walk (82) 8/10 at Tor: 1-for-4, one double (14), one walk (83) 8/11 vs. Bos: 0-for-2, one run (87), two walks (84, 85) 8/12 vs. Bos: 0-for-4 8/13 vs. Bos: 1-for-4, one walk (86) 8/14 vs. NYM: 1-for-3, one run (88), one walk (87), one RBI (79), one home run (36!!) 8/15 vs. NYM: 1-for-3, one run (89), one double (15), one walk (87) Through 8 games- Hits: 4 Runs: 4 Doubles: 2 Home Runs: 1 RBIs: 1 Walks: 9 Batting Average: .153 Judge is still struggling right now with his pesky strikeout streak but hopefully he can end it before he becomes the player with the most consecutive strikeouts, because we want Adam Dunn to still hold that record. A positive for Judge is that he hit his 40th career home run on Monday and it only took 140 games to get that, the fourth-fastest in MLB history. It was also his first home run at Yankee Stadium since July 31st, so August may be warming up to him. If he manages to get out of this slump, he can once again regain some of the high respect he received in the first half. I've been saying that these past few weeks many times, but I really believe that he should win the Rookie of the Year because he did great things in the first half and has the rest of August and September to impress us even more. *stats found on baseball-reference.com, the best site! When Judge comes back, just know that I believed in him! Also, you should come back... around next week when new things happen!
Welcome back to the weekly update on how select rookies are doing right now in the MLB. From great catches to clutch hits, this group has it all! There even is an appearance from a relief pitcher here as well. See it all for yourself... Ben Gamel Wed., 8/8: 2-for-5, one double, 2 RBIs 8/9: 1-for-4, 1 stolen base (4) 8/10: 0-for-4 8/11: 0-for-4 8/12: 1-for-3, one single, one walk (28) Batting Average for 5 games: .166 Season Batting Average: .298 Gamel still has the highest average among AL rookies who have played enough games, despite his rough week. He seemed to turn it around towards the end and he needed that stolen base because he sits fourth in rookie stolen bases for the AL. He also made his highlight reel even better with a home run robbing catch against the A's that is a must-see. Trey Mancini Wed., 8/8: 0-for-4 8/9: 0-for-3 8/10: 3-for-4, one double, two home runs (19, 20), two RBIs 8/11: 1-for-4, one single 8/12: 2-for-5, one single, one RBI Batting Average for 5 games: .300 Season Batting Average: .297 Mancini had a big night last Thursday and put his name in the books for the Orioles; he is the first rookie since the legendary Cal Ripken Jr. to have a 20-HR season. He also is the team record holder for most multihomer games in his first career 105 games. Now that's good stuff. He probably won't take away what Judge did in the first half, so he won't be ROY, but he can definitely make Orioles fans happy. Ian Happ Wed., 8/8: 2-for-3, one double, two RBIs 8/9: 0-for-4 8/11: 1-for-1, one RBI 8/12: 0-for-3 8/13: 1-for-1, pinch-hit home run (15) Batting Average for 5 games: .300 Season Batting Average: .248 Happ had a good week by coming in clutch and helping the Cubs on their road trip. He also just had his birthday on 8/12, so this has been a good present for him. The second baseman still has limited playing time but he makes the most of what he gets and he is really impressing the historic franchise that he plays for. Danny Barnes Wed., 8/8: two hits, 0.2 inning (ERA: 3.18) 8/9: one strikeout, 0.2 inning (ERA: 3.13) 8/11: two strikeouts, 1.0 inning (ERA: 3.06) 8/13: one strikeout, 1.0 inning (ERA: 3.00) The relief pitcher for the Jays has been a solid relief pitcher for them this year. He is second in ERA for AL pitchers with 3.00 and first for relief pitchers. His recent outing was perfect for the Jays and he really is a positive sign for the future of their bullpen. More next week!
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