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Toronto Blue Jays prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kevin Smith made up the left side of the infield in this week’s MLB Pipeline team of the week, the third such installment this season.
Smith, at shortstop, hit .433 in eight games with the Lansing Lugnuts, Toronto’s single-A affiliate. He hit seven doubles, one triple and two home runs to total 13 hits, the most out of all top 30 prospects (by MLB Pipeline’s standards). In all of the eight games he played, he collected a hit, and he’s currently riding an 11-game hit streak.
I interviewed Smith in October about his time in minor league baseball and what he hopes to do going forward.
Guerrero, at third base, performed exactly how everyone expected him to; frankly, it’s a surprise that the team of the week doesn’t feature Guerrero every week. He hit .550 in six games, three of which were multi-hit games. He leads the Eastern League in most defensive categories: doubles, RBI, hits (second), average (third) and OBP (third).
Annual Blue Jays’ nemesis Trevor Bauer is taking a lot of heat for his comments on the Houston Astros’ rotation, writing on Twitter, “If only there was just a really quick way to increase spin rate. Like what if you could trade for a player knowing that you could bump his spin rate a couple hundred rpm overnight . . . imagine the steals you could get on the trade market!”
If only there was just a really quick way to increase spin rate. Like what if you could trade for a player knowing that you could bump his spin rate a couple hundred rpm overnight...imagine the steals you could get on the trade market! If only that existed...
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) May 1, 2018
It was in response to a tweet espousing theories that the Astros’ rotation was cheating in some way to increase their spin rate.
As can be imagined, Houston had a problem. (Sorry, I had to do it.)
Jealousy isn’t a good look on you my man. You have great stuff and have worked hard for it, like the rest of us, no need for this. I will ask though because my spin rate and spin axis on my 4 seem is a$$. https://t.co/jvbLuWWqgN
— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) May 1, 2018
Bauer also wrote on Twitter, “Data coming soon.” I’d be interested in what data, and how it can show that a player is cheating and not just receiving some extra coaching or help from an environment change (different ballpark; different altitude; different air composition).
Some other stuff:
- I found this entertaining.
Asked if he's upset about a Page Six report that had Matt Harvey out partying in Los Angeles the night before pitching in San Diego, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said:
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 1, 2018
"Usually I get upset if a report is unexpected. So I guess the short answer is no."
- The Blue Jays won a wild game last night. Here’s Tom with the recap.
- Steve Pearce was taken out of last night’s lineup at the last minute because of, as we learned later, a tight ribcage. He felt it during batting practice, but it worked out for the Blue Jays — Kendrys Morales, who replaced him in the lineup, did pretty darn well.