Sunday Notes: Tasty Tidbits From the Cutting-Room Floor

Three interviews — two with pitchers, another with a hitter — were published here at FanGraphs over the past week. All were the result of lengthy conversations, and in each case, worthwhile snippets landed on the cutting-room floor. This week’s column will lead with those leftovers, which come courtesy of Drew Rasmussen, Cole Sulser, and Pete Alonso.

We’ll start with Rasmussen, who addressed his ability to command his offerings, particularly his four-seam/two-seam/cutter combination.

“Command is kind of a sliding scale,” said the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander, whose 4.3% walked rate ranks lowest among qualified hurlers. “Some days it’s really good and some days it’s not so good. The job is to figure out what you have as quickly as possible. On days when my command is really good… I would say that is situation-driven. If I need a ball on the ground, I can throw it with a little more tail and a little less carry. If I’m just trying to steal strike one, maybe I don’t want the [movement] profile to be as big; that way it has a better chance of staying in the zone.

“Conversely, on days that I’m not overly confident with my command, I simplify to the absolute max,” he continued. “We’re going to try to just throw the same one over and over again. Then, hopefully at some point over the course of the outing, something clicks and I start to get more and more confident, and comfortable, with the command I have that day.”

Along with his Lilliputian walk rate, Rasmussen boast a 3.28 ERA, a 3.29 FIP, and a 24.5% strikeout rate. He has won eight of his 13 decisions.

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Left over from Sulser was his addressing of the same general subject. I asked the Rays righty which characteristics most suggest that a pitching prospect will, or won’t, continue to succeed as he climbs the proverbial ladder.

“The biggest one would be command,” opined Sulser, who much like Rasmussen profiles as a future coach or coordinator. “First-pitch percentage and how often they’re getting ahead in counts. At the lower levels, guys with really good stuff can sometimes fall behind and still end up being good enough to get back in counts and beat the hitters. So, one of the best directories would be an ability to maintain count control. If a pitcher isn’t doing that, it is hard to predict that he is going to be successful at a higher level.

“When it comes to other things, I would say that swing-and-miss rates are always a big correlation,” he added. “If you’re producing swing-and-miss, that’s more likely to carry over. Weak contact at the lower levels can translate, but sometimes that weak contact at the lower levels turns into hard contact at the upper levels.”

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Last but not least is Alonso, who sat down for the 125th installment of my Talks Hitting series. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman said the following when I asked if he had any final thoughts on his craft:

“Everyone wants slug. Everyone wants fixed outcomes, like the homers and the walks. But there is also an art, a lost art, of getting a pitcher out of a game by just fouling off pitches. I think there is a power in an offense, and in an individual player, that can spoil the nasty pitches. You can get the starter out by the fifth inning or earlier by doing that, collectively. That’s not focused on enough.”

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Sherry Magee went 7 for 10 against Deacon Phillippe.

Maurice Archdeacon went 8 for 15 against Eddie Rommel.

George Archie went 5 for 11 against Bobo Newsom.

Snuffy Stirnweiss went 1 for 5 against Jug Thesenga.

Maurice Van Robays went 8 for 15 against Clyde Shoun.

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Jordan Walker holds a big-league record that he will inevitably soon relinquish. The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder has 49 career home runs, and they have come off of 49 different pitchers. According to Stathead’s Katie Sharp, MLB annals include no other hitter to have gone deep more times without victimizing a hurler more than once.

The next highest totals belong to Keith Lockhart, whose 44 career home runs came against 44 different pitchers, and Dave Magadan, whose 42 dingers came against 42 different pitchers. As of Friday there are 48 players who have homered 30 or more times without doing so against the same pitcher more than once. Several are still active, so that number — or at least the names — will change over the final months of the season.

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A quiz:

Six pitchers have won 20 or more games in a single season for the Toronto Blue Jays. Which of them was the first to do so?

The answer can be found below.

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NEWS NOTES

A reminder that this year’s national SABR convention gets underway in downtown Cleveland this coming Wednesday evening and runs through Saturday. As noted here previously, the featured speakers include an array of former Cleveland players, as well as executives, analysts, historians, and more. Information can be found here.

Eric Young Sr. has been named manager of the Women’s Pro Baseball League’s Los Angeles Queens. The 59-year-old, longtime MLB infielder/outfielder, who was featured here at FanGraphs last October, had been coaching for the Los Angeles Angels.

Scott Brown, a right-hander whose MLB career comprised 10 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1981, died on July 21 at age 69. The DeQuincy, Louisiana native allowed four runs over 13 innings, with his lone decision — a win — coming in his big-league debut. He was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Clint Hurdle later that same year.

Duane Ward, a right-handed reliever who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (and briefly the Atlanta Braves) from 1986-1995, died last weekend at age 62. A key contributor to back-to-back World Series titles, Ward finished his career with 121 regular season saves — 45 of them in 1993 — and five in the postseason. He was the winning pitcher in the “Touch ’em all, Joe” game that will forever resonate in Blue Jays lore.

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The answer to the quiz is Jack Morris, who went 21-6 for the Blue Jays in 1992. Pat Hentgen, who went 20-10 in 1996, was the second to do so.

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The Red Sox won their 14th consecutive game on Monday by edging the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in a back-and-forth thriller. The O’s had been hot as well; they came into Boston on the heels of seven straight wins. Each of the AL East rivals was showing signs that October baseball might not be as far-fetched as it had seemed mere weeks before.

Prior to Monday’s series-opening contest, Craig Albernaz was asked about the respective clubs’ recent reversal of fortune.

“The baseball season is always trying to trick us to overreact,” the Orioles manager astutely replied. “It’s a long season. It’s July 20th right now. This is a big series for a July 20 matchup, but there are also still a couple months left in the season. The Red Sox are playing great baseball right now — they’ve won 13 straight — but we’re playing some good ball as well. Ultimately, for us, it’s the same thing we’ve been saying since spring training: it’s a day-one mentality of showing up… and trying to win the game.”

Overreact? Baseball fans? You don’t say.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Yugo Maeda has made 10 starts for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and is 7-0 with a 1.55 ERA and a 3.23 FIP over 58 innings. The 20-year-old southpaw was selected in the first round of the 2023 NPB draft out of an Osaka high school.

Andre Jackson is 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA and a 3.48 FIP over 97 innings with the Chiba Lotte Marines. The 30-year-old right-hander is in his third NPB season after making 26 appearances while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates across the 2021-2023 campaigns.

Been Gwak has fanned 120 batters and allowed just 93 hits and 29 walks over 103 innings for the KBO’s Doosan Bears. A member of Team Korea in the WBC, the 27-year-old right-hander is 8-4 with a 2.80 ERA and a 3.14 FIP on the season.

Noah Skirrow is 9-3 with a 3.67 ERA over 68-and-two thirds innings for the Mexican League’s Toros de Tijuana. A member of team Canada in this year’s WBC, the 27-year-old right-hander from Cambridge, Ontario played in the Philadelphia Phillies system from 2021-2024.

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A random obscure former player snapshot:

MLB history includes nearly five dozen Canadian-born players who debuted prior to the modern era (1901). Notable among them is Tip O’Neill, an outfielder from Springfield, Ontario who suited up for four teams, primarily the American Association’s St. Louis Browns, from 1883-1892. Known as “The Woodstock Wonder,” O’Neill was at his best in 1887 when he slashed .435/.490/.691 with 52 doubles, 19 triples, and 14 home runs. He also toed the rubber. In 1884, he went 11-4 with a 2.68 ERA over 141 innings. The Tip O’Neill Award is given annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to a Canada native “judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to the highest ideals of the game of baseball.”

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The Boston Red Sox selected Jace Mataczynski in the third round of this year’s draft, and while the 18-year-old shortstop’s upside is real, so too is the degree of raw he’s bringing to pro ball. A native of Hudson, Wisconsin, Mataczynski was described in Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski’s post-draft recap as “tooled up” yet with a likely need of swing changes. I’ve since had an opportunity to ask the youngster about the latter.

“It’s definitely on the cruder side of things,” Mataczynski said of his swing. “I didn’t have a hitting coach growing up, so I’m kind of raw. I’ve not really been taught how to hit; I kind of taught myself. A lot of people say my swing is kind of unorthodox, but I think it works. But yeah, I’m pretty raw in that aspect of my game.”

I asked the 6-foot-4 infielder if he could elaborate on unorthodox.

“I’ve had a couple of different stances for my swing,” replied Mataczynski, whom the Red Sox enticed to forgo a commitment to Auburn University with an over-slot bonus. “So, one thing is just finding consistency, taking one swing and honing in on it, trying to perfect it.”

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FARM NOTES

On Wednesday, the Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A, Braves) recorded a dozen hits while defeating the Iowa Cubs 7-5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Andrew McCutchen, and Carlos Santana — a trio that combined for 5,124 big-league hits, including 861 home runs — all contributed knocks.

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A, Blue Jays) were swept in a double-header on Thursday, losing 9-3 and 8-3 to the Somerset Patriots (Yankees). Patrick Winkel, a 26-year-old backup catcher, pitched a one-two-three inning for the Fisher Cats in both ends of the twin bill.

Cristian Arguelles slashed .402/.478/.671 with nine home runs and a 174 wRC+ over 255 plate appearances in the just-completed Arizona Complex League. A native of Coro, Venezuela, the 19-year-old outfielder is No. 29 in our Colorado Rockies prospect rankings with a 35 FV.

Luke Pelzer is slashing .348/.410/.505 with four home runs and a 137 wRC+ in 313 plate appearances between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas (just four PAs). The 23-year-old unranked outfielder from Menominee Falls, Wisconsin was selected in the 17th round of last year’s draft by the Kansas City Royals out of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Peyton Graham has 53 steals in 56 attempts, and is slashing .303/.428/.438 with five home runs and a 140 wRC+ over 342 plate appearances for Double-A Erie. The 25-year-old middle infielder, and occasional outfielder, is an honorable mention on our Detroit Tigers Top Prospects list.

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Ryan Wideman is having a solid first full professional season. Drafted 99th overall last year by the San Diego Padres out of Western Kentucky University, the 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .311/.377/.456 with six home runs and a 112 wRC+ in 404 plate appearances between Low-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne. Fleet of foot, he also has 54 stolen bases in 71 attempts.

Currently ranked 14th in the Padres system was a 40 FV, Wideman was described by Brendan Gawlowski as “short to the ball” and “more of a line drive hitter than a power threat.” I asked the right-handed swinger if he agrees with that general assessment.

“Yeah. I didn’t really grow up hitting home runs as a young baseball player,” said Wideman, who was born in Spain and raised in Marietta, Georgia. “I kind of grew up being more of a singles-and-doubles hitter, and I’m kind of just trying to keep doing that while adding a little bit more power. I have the ability to hit doubles and triples. Really, I’m just working on all aspects of my game.”

Gawlowski having cited both his lack of present plus power and “good wheels,” I told Wideman that sounds like his game is mostly built around speed. He didn’t agree.

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” the confident youngster replied. “I’ve hit for average my whole life, and I’m a guy who can hit for some power as well. I would say that I have all five tools, for sure.”

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A last-minute addition to the column, which I’m writing over my first cup of coffee:

Waking up to the news that the Red Sox have traded 24-year-old left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals in exchange for 25-year-old corner infielder Curtis Mead (presumably a DH with his new club, as Boston has an All-Star stationed at first base and a likely Gold Glove-winner at the hot corner) definitely raised my eyebrows. Time doesn’t allow for an actual analysis of the trade — the column needs to go up — but I will share part of what I wrote in late March when we published Our Bold Predictions for the 2026 Season.

“According my crystal ball, Early will do more than simply establish himself this season; he will outperform all the other members of the Red Sox rotation with the exception of Crochet. Featuring an expansive repertoire that he augments with a combination of guile and steely-eyed calm, Early is a pitcher’s pitcher.”

My bold prediction obviously didn’t come to fruition. Crochet has spend most of the season on the injured list, and a handful of other Red Sox hurlers have been better. Even so, the young southpaw has been solid. Currently poised to return from a stint on the IL due to elbow inflammation, Early has made 17 starts and gone 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA over 91-and-two-thirds innings (only Sonny Gray has tossed more frames).

Assuming that Early’s elbow is healthy, the Nationals pitching staff just got a lot better.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

At The Guardian, Frederic J. Frommer wrote about Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, and the 60-years-ago fight to induct Negro Leaguers into the Hall of Fame.

At Forbes, Barry Bloom wrote about how Carlos Beltrán overcame a sign-stealing stigma to make the Hall of Fame.

The Washington Nationals are calling (some) pitches from the dugout. Spencer Nusbaum has the story at The Athletic.

Also at The Athletic, C. Trent Rosecrans wrote about how Joey Votto is nervously prepping for his primetime debut behind the mic, which is slated for this evening’s Sunday Night Baseball pregame show.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Yordan Alvarez leads the American League in all three Triple Crown categories. The Houston Astros slugger also leads MLB hitters with 17 intentional walks.

Austin Hedges came into the season with a .191 batting average and a 54 wRC+ for his career. The defensive-minded backstop currently boasts a .287 batting average and 119 wRC+ over 156 plate appearances.

Tarik Skubal has 999 career strikeouts, all of them with the Detroit Tigers. A total of 16 pitchers have logged 1,000 or more strikeouts while wearing a Tiger uniform. Mickey Lolich (2,679) and Justin Verlander (2,374) top the list.

Through Thursday, Nolan Arenado had played in 1,884 games and recorded 2,004 hits, including 367 home runs. Johnny Mize played in 1,884 games and recorded 2011 hits, including 359 home runs.

Lou Whitaker had 2,369 hits, a 118 wRC+, and 68.1 WAR. A five-time All-Star, he was awarded four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. Jeff Kent had 2,461 hits, a 123 wRC+, and 56.0 WAR. A five-time All-Star, he was awarded four Silver Sluggers (and no Gold Gloves).

Hall of Fame right-hander Catfish Hunter pitched in 500 games and went 224-186 with a 104 ERA+ and 37.2 WAR. Tim Hudson pitched in 482 games and went 222-133 with a 120 ERA+ and 49.0 WAR.

Johnny Bench took Steve Carlton deep in three consecutive at-bats on today’s date in 1970. The Hall of Fame catcher went 4-for-5 with seven RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds outscored the St. Louis Cardinals 12-5.

On today’s date in 1942, Chicago Cubs catcher Clyde McCullough hit three solo home runs off of Tommy Hughes in a 4-3 road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Pinky May plated Danny Litwhiler with a walk-off single.

The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees split a double-header on today’s date in 1928. The pinstripers won the opener 12-1 courtesy of an 11-run 12th inning, and the tabbies captured the nightcap by a count of 13-10. New York’s Bob Meusel hit for the cycle in the first game. Detroit’s Harry Heilmann had a triple, a grand slam, and eight RBIs in the second.

Players born on today’s date include John Knox, an infielder who batted .274 in an MLB career that comprised 124 games for the Detroit Tigers from 1972-1975. An eighth-round pick in the 1970 draft out of Bowling Green University, Knox was the highest of that year’s Tigers selections to reach the majors.

Also born on today’s date was Ellis Kinder, a right-hander who had stellar seasons as both a starter and as a reliever while playing for three teams — primarily the Boston Red Sox — from 1946-1957. In 1949, Kinder went 23-6 with a 3.36 ERA over 252 innings. In 1951, he went 11-2 with a 2.55 ERA while leading the junior circuits in appearances (63) and saves (16). In 1953, he went 10-6 with a 1.85 ERA while again leading in appearances (69) and saves (27).