Daily Briefing: Join Us For Our A’s at Rangers Watch-Along, 8:00 PM ET

The FanGraphs Newsletter, June 22, 2021 [READ IN BROWSER]( By Jeffrey Bellone - June 22, 2021 🟢 BENCHED Cubs manager David Ross benched star shortstop Javier Báez during Chicago's 4–0 loss to Cleveland on Monday. The decision came after Báez made two mental errors on the basepaths, the most obvious in the fourth inning, when he lost track of the number of outs on a fly ball and was doubled off first base. Earlier in the at-bat leading up to the tag-up blunder, Báez was caught on camera [not taking a normal lead off first base](. “It did not feel good to take Javy out of the game,” [Ross said]( in explaining his decision after the game. “I never feel comfortable doing that at all. That's a pit in my stomach and it was in my stomach the entire game.” Naturally, the ball immediately found Báez' replacement, Sergio Alcántara, in the following frame, when a Harold Ramirez chopper turned into a hit that could have been ruled an error after Alcántara struggled to field the ball cleanly. Chicago has lost six of its last eight games, but remains in a first-place tie with Milwaukee, who has also struggled of late. ⚫️ WHAT ELSE HAPPENED? ▫️ Umpires checked pitchers' gloves, brims, and belts for signs of ball-doctoring materials on Monday, as MLB's crackdown on foreign substances began. Most notably, Jacob deGrom was checked thoroughly after retiring the Braves in order in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had an amused look on his face as he let the umpire search his equipment; nothing was found. ▫️ Yu Darvish became the first pitcher in major league history to record 1,500 strikeouts in under 200 games. He earned the historic K during the sixth inning of the Padres' 6-2 victory over the Dodgers on Monday. The right-hander was dominant over six innings, allowing only two hits, one run, and striking out seven consecutive Dodgers at one point, ending the game with 11 punch-outs. [FanGraphs Live: A's at Rangers Watch-Along, 8:00 PM ET]( Join us to hang out and chat baseball tonight live on Twitch when the A’s take on the Rangers at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. This matchup is MLB’s [Game of the Week Live on YouTube]( so everyone is invited to tune in to that alongside myself and some special guests on our [Twitch channel]( and the FanGraphs homepage. [BECOME A FANGRAPHS MEMBER]( (HOME TEAMS IN CAPS) Astros 10 ORIOLES 2 D-BACKS 5 Brewers 1 TWINS 7 Reds 5 (12) Cleveland 4 CUBS 0 RANGERS 8 Athletics 3 METS 4 Braves 2 (DH/7) BRAVES 1 Mets 0 (DH/7) PADRES 6 Dodgers 2 Track every game using our [LIVE SCOREBOARD](. [Use FanGraphs Tools to Preview the Trade Deadline]( By Ben Clemens The major league season can seem interminable at times, but July marks a pivot from a stately march into a playoff chase. There are several milestones in the month — the halfway point of the season, the All-Star break, and so on — but the rubber doesn’t really hit the road until the trade deadline. By July 31 (or, this year, July 30), teams have to decide what their plans are for the rest of the year, and often future years as well. Buy? Sell? Hedge? The hot stove can determine the course of seasons, and we’re here to help you follow it. FanGraphs has myriad tools that can help you figure out deadline targets, potential team weaknesses, and even who should be buying and selling. Let’s take a tour of those tools, because articles about which team should trade for which reliever might feed you for a day, but generating your own lists will feed you for a lifetime — so long as you derive sustenance from knowing which relievers and players on expiring contracts will most help your squad. - PLAYOFF ODDS - DEPTH CHART PROJECTIONS - SPLITS LEADERBOARDS - THE BOARD - RosterResource [LEARN MORE ]( 📝 RECENTLY PUBLISHED [Daily Prospect Notes: Wander Franco Edition]( by Eric Longenhagen [A Conversation With Chas McCormick, Who Has Exceeded Expectations]( by David Laurila [FanGraphs Power Rankings: June 14-20]( by Jake Mailhot [On Seeing (And Not Seeing) Sean Manaea]( by Kevin Goldstein [The Complicated Mix That's Hurting Juan Soto]( by Devan Fink [Who is Being Dropped & Why (Week 12)]( by Jeff Zimmerman [Roto Riteup: June 22, 2021]( by Justin Mason [Daily Prospect Notes: 6/21/21]( by Tess Taruskin 🎧 FANGRAPHS PODCASTS 🎧 [EFFECTIVELY WILD EPISODE 1710: Sticking Time Bomb]( Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host [Mike Ferrin]( of MLB Network Radio and the Diamondbacks’ broadcast crew discuss the D-Backs’ 17-game losing streak and more extended stretch of futility before bantering about [Shohei Ohtani’]( Player of the Week Award-winning performance and the potential for Ohtani to own All-Star Week, the call-up of (and expectations for) Rays infielder and MLB top prospect [Wander Franco]( and [Manny Machado]( getting distracted by the wave. Then (50:09) Ben talks to biomechanics expert, former Dodgers analyst, and current CEO of [Reboot Motion]( Dr. [Jimmy Buffi]( about how sticky stuff enhances performance, whether [Tyler Glasnow]( was right about the foreign-substance crackdown increasing injury risk, why injury rates are up this season, and whether [Jacob deGrom]( ever-escalating velocity and series of minor injuries are causes for concern. Lastly (1:25:37), Ben talks to Rays pitching prospect [Graeme Stinson]( the lefty’s experience with sticky stuff, the wisdom and effects of the enforced foreign-substance ban, the experimental pickoff rules that have boosted base stealing in A ball, housing and nutrition in the minor leagues, and the founding and future of [StatStak]( the performance-tracking company he helped start during the pandemic. 🔝 TOP PERFORMERS Some additional performances not noted above. 🔺 JAKE ODORIZZI (SP/HOU): 5 IP, 0 ER, 9 SO (10 swinging strikes), 1 BB, 0 H. 🔺 JACOB DEGROM (SP/NYM): 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 SO (18 swinging strikes), 2 BB, 1 H. 🔺 MICHAEL BRANTLEY (LF/HOU): 3-3 (2 RBI, 3 R) 🔺 EUGENIO SUAREZ (3B/CIN): 2-4 (2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) Check out our [Live Daily Leaderboards]( to track each day's top performers in real-time. ⚾️ ROSTER REPORT For the latest roster information, please visit our [RosterResource]( pages. 📚 [Wander Franco Is Unlike Any Other Prospect in Baseball—and He’s Finally Coming to MLB]( by Michael Baumann, The Ringer: You could be forgiven for thinking that Kelenic is as good as upper-minors prospects get; that being no. 4 overall is close enough to being no. 1. You’d be wrong. The top prospect in baseball, Rays shortstop Wander Franco, will make his MLB debut on Tuesday night. And he’s unlike any other prospect in the sport. 📚 [Bat Fitting, The Physics of Choosing a Bat,]( via Driveline Baseball: As hitters, we can often assess and address an area of weakness in our swing. However, we rarely perform a similar assessment on our equipment to see if it is either improving our swing or amplifying our swing flaws. As of right now, many of us choose our bat based on what “feels” the best. If we get a little scientific, we can begin to develop a hypothesis as to what bat might best suit our unique swing characteristics. It’s possible that the right bat could positively influence our batted ball statistics. Given how difficult hitting is, it’s worth investigating anything that can give us a boost in the box. 📚 MORE READS: [MLB Trade Deadline Big Board: Jim Bowden evaluates 75 trade candidates, from Max Scherzer to Trevor Story]( by Jim Bowden, The Athletic ($) [Mets Making Middle More Meaningful]( by Mark Simon, Sports Info Solutions Blog [One player all 30 MLB teams should trade for -- or away -- before the deadline]( by David Schoenfield, ESPN Insider [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2021 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 1200 N Hartford St. Apt 312Arlington, Va 22201 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](