The view from the MLB cheap seats, this week, takes us all around as tempers flare, rookies debut, juggernauts are flat, and underdogs are rising. As the season starts to heat up, there is a lot of action! So buckle your seatbelts, and get ready, because this is going to be a wild and bumpy ride in 2015.
View from the MLB Cheap Seats April 21st Edition
First-things-first, we head out to Kansas City as a new and very intense rivalry has been born between the Royals and A’s. On Friday Oakland third baseman Brett Lawrie aggressively slid into second on a double play break up, and injured KC’s Alcides Escobar in the process. The next two days saw KC pitchers Yordano Ventura and Kelvin Herrera throwing at Lawrie. Herrera even motioned towards his own head while staring at Lawrie, implying that he’d hit him in the head next time. This is a beautiful thing about baseball: it polices itself. The dangers that come with that can go too far. New MLB commissioner Robert Manfred needs to have a sit down with Herrera, and a suspension should be forthcoming. Guys that throw 100+ mph can end someone’s career, or life.
David Ortiz’s schtick is old! Not getting old, not could become; it is worn thin and through. Most recently, he was tossed after a temper tantrum directed in a threatening manner towards the home plate umpire. Hall-of-fame pitcher Jim Palmer tweeted out “FINALLY Ortiz gets tossed #disrespectful #zipitOrtiz”
Monday Ortiz was quoted as saying, “Is that how he wants to get respect from us?…I guess anybody who wants to get famous or make some noise comes to Papi, right?”
First of all, Jim Palmer is a Hall-of-Famer, a six-time all-star, and a three-time World Series champion, with three Cy Young awards and a no-hitter to his name. Jim Palmer is what Ortiz wishes he was: a legend that never allegedly took PEDs. Secondly, anybody who refers to themselves in the third person in an interview, well, you can fill in the rest.
Down in Atlanta, a great and unpredictable start took a back seat to an 80 game suspension of reliever Andrew McKirahan. He tested positive for Ipamorelin. He used this cream back in the spring and admitted/apologized to his teammates Sunday, after the test results came back. In other relief news, Mitchell Boggs was signed to a minor league contract Monday.
The Detroit Tigers got some bad news this weekend: ace pitcher Justin Verlander continues to have lingering soreness in his arm. He has been diagnosed with a right tricep strain, and his return to action is in question. He won’t be expected to make his debut, now, until at least mid-May.
A few eye-opening players have exploded around the MLB already. The Mets look like NL East favorites, and Matt Harvey is in Cy Young form after 18 months away. Carlos Rodon is coming up and joining the Chicago White Sox this week. He’ll be working out of the bullpen, but not for long. Look for Rodon and his unbelievable slider to hit the starting rotation by the end of May. A former NC State Wolfpack star, Rodon is the next big thing in the Windy City.
Last, but not least, two ex-PED MLB villains are off to torrid starts. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, much to the chagrin of the front office, is hitting over .300 with 4 homers an 11 RBI just two weeks in. Meanwhile, after a multi-year deal with Seattle, Nelson Cruz has stroked 8 hrs with 14 RBI and a .354 clip. One thing is for sure, the MLB urine sample experts better get ready for some extra overtime this season.
