We’re just past Memorial Day, and the baseball season is starting to take shape. MLB executives are taking notice of breakout stars, contenders are getting unexpected production and the National League Cy Young race is truly becoming one of the deepest in recent memory. Here’s what I’m hearing and talking about around baseball.
What the Brewers changed to unlock Kyle Harrison
The Milwaukee Brewers were ecstatic to acquire Kyle Harrison in the winter, sending promising young infielder Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. And Harrison has rewarded the Brewers with a breakout start, with the left-hander posting a 1.57 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 51.2 innings.
“He wants to smother hitters,” Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook told me. “There’s a tempo part of it. There’s an ‘I’m better than you’ part of it. It’s the stuff you dream of as a pitching coach. You’re starving for guys like this. He has all the attributes, from what I’ve seen, to be one of the elite starters. And that should be exciting for Milwaukee Brewers fans.”
This offseason, the Brewers changed some foundational things with Harrison, including altering the way he practiced. Late in spring training, he moved to the other side of the rubber on the mound, and utilized it in the scrimmage in late March against the Cincinnati Reds and carried it into the regular season.
“To make that change first and feel the difference in swings and approach was just much better for him," Hook said. "There’s some adjustment period there, and we’re now starting to see him come out of it and have an understanding of how his stuff works from that side of the rubber.”
Hook, however, said that Harrison deserves all the credit for his breakout. He praised the left-hander for being adaptable and taking any suggestions and feedback and being open to trying it. If Harrison didn’t like something, Hook said, then he’ll say, “I think this is better for me.” But the "thoughtfulness and how introspective he is” is something that has stood out to Hook immediately since he started working with him.
Ryan O’Hearn is already making a major impact in Pittsburgh
In the winter, the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins were among the teams to consider Ryan O’Hearn. He ultimately signed with the Pirates on a two-year, $29 million contract that included $500,000 in performance bonuses in each season. O'Hearn went to the Pirates, and early on, has already made a strong impression there.
O’Hearn, 32, is hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs and 29 RBI with his .827 OPS ranking as the second-best of his career. But team officials have praised O’Hearn for his leadership and raved about how he has implemented himself into the Pirates’ clubhouse, with the team 29-26 and five games out of first place in the National League Central.
The Pirates spent more than they have in years this winter. They tried for Josh Naylor. They made a multi-year offer to Kyle Schwarber. But they signed O’Hearn and traded for Brandon Lowe and added them to an offense that needed drastic improvement. And after 55 games, the Pirates rank fifth in baseball in runs scored (270) and sixth in OPS (.724).
The National League Cy Young race is must-watch television
There’s a lot of season to go, but the NL Cy Young race is already must-watch. And when I asked Tom Verducci about it on The Baseball Insiders, he responded: “The fact that there are so many candidates at a very high level, I can’t remember a year like this.”
The list includes the Pirates’ Paul Skenes, Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez, Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Reds’ Chase Burns and the Braves’ Chris Sale and Bryce Elder.
“It does seem to me that in year one of ABS, really in more influences than just ABS, that pitching is really the story of this season,” Verducci said. “It’s so hard to hit in today’s game. Whether all these guys are still candidates at the end of the season, we’ll see. But I think most of them will be. I think we’re looking at a great Cy Young race that could be six, seven, eight pitchers deep.”
The Nationals are becoming one of baseball’s most exciting teams
On The Baseball Insiders, Tom Verducci and I both agreed that one of the most fun teams to watch has been the Washington Nationals.
They lead the league in runs (304). They are fourth in OPS (.748) and tied for fifth in home runs (72). They are “an extrabase hitting machine,” leading the league in doubles (108), and are aggressive on the basepaths (54 steals, tied for third). “They play with this college enthusiasm,” Verducci said.
There are still questions about the Nationals’ pitching, however. But Cade Cavalli, 27, is emerging and has one of the best curveballs in baseball. Foster Griffin has a 3.63 ERA in 62 innings. And Zack Littell, after a slow start to the season, posted a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 innings (five starts) in May.
Rafael Devers, Luis Severino follow agent to Ballengee Group
Agent Nelson Montes de Oca recently joined the Ballengee Group, and among clients following him include San Francisco Giants star Rafael Devers and Athletics pitcher Luis Severino.
Devers, 29, is signed to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract through 2033. He’s hitting .246/.291/.417 with a .799 OPS, seven home runs and has been much better in May where he’s hit .300/.347/.589 with five home runs, 17 RBI and a .936 OPS in 24 games. Severino, meanwhile, has a 4.23 ERA in 11 starts with the Athletics and is signed to a two-year, $45 million contract that includes a $22 million player option for 2027.
Add us as a preferred source on Google