Free Friday: Baseball is back!
Baseball is back! Finally, the expected day arrived. And what day! It was a Thursday full of emotions on the Opening Day of the Major Leagues, especially for the Cuban players.
I'm excited to know that we have another season ahead of us. So, there will be plenty of time to debate and talk baseball here. For now, these were some of the signs to follow from Opening Day. Happy Friday!
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at home
Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s 2023 season was simply what the D-Backs expected: he was healthy all year, with a consistent level of play, provided enough offensive heat, arm strength in the outfield and a solid performance under the pressure of the postseason. “Yunito” met all of those expectations during his first season with Arizona, after signing a three-year, $42 million contract. Gurriel Jr. stood out among the D-Backs' talented core of players, and her leadership undoubtedly raised the level of expectations for this season.
That was one of the stories to follow heading into the D-Backs' Opening Day on Thursday night at Chase Field, hosting the Colorado Rockies. And, after hearing the voice of play ball, this is how it all began:
Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland threw a slider that was trying to rotate down the middle of the plate on a 1-0 count and... Wait! Let's take a little break! Before you get to the decision, you should know: Lourdes hit just .239 in 98 plate appearances that ended with sliders last year, the worst performance of her career. In 2022, Lourdes' swing yielded the lowest Hard Hit rate (32.8%) against sliders in his career. And, yes, there were more tribulations in challenging sliders: A year earlier, in 2021, she finished with the worst swing-and-miss rate (33.7%) of her career against any pitch.
So, it was obvious, at least when it comes to trends, to see Colorado pitchers trying to draw their best sliders against Lourdes Gurriel Jr. However, there was a notable difference this time: Freeland's slider tried to penetrate the lower zone internal, but Lourdes' swing made her sad:
The two-run homer opened the scoring for the D-Backs, foreshadowing the offensive deluge they would unleash against the Rockies pitchers. Two innings later, at the bottom of the third inning, Arizona began the offensive party. Gurriel Jr. again opened the attack, this time with the first of two singles during a 14-run rally. Yes, you hear it, 14 D-Backs runs in the third inning! Lourdes added three RBIs, to register five — half of the RBI he had in 16 games against the Rockies —, starring in an Opening Day for the ages.
Yandy's Díaz explosive welcome
The batting champion The American League's leading hitter is back. And how! Yandy hit a home run leading off the game against Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos. At a 2-2 count, Berríos threw a changeup in the low inside corner, and Yandy unleashed a furiously pulling swing at the pitch just 86 mph. After that beastly line drive that Yandy hit at 107.2 mph, he singled and doubled, coming within a triple of getting the cycle after going 3-for-4 in the Rays' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays.
Yandy's home run was the first off a Cuban lead off in MLB history, and the sixth extra-base hit (three doubles and three home runs) in his last 10 games against Toronto pitchers. On the way to the batting title last year, Yandy crushed the Blue Jays' pitching, averaging a 1.084 OPS, and on Opening Day his swing once again looked unstoppable. Of course, the season has just begun, but Yandy Díaz once again stands out among the strong candidates to repeat last year's brilliant season.
Yordan Álvarez as the second hitter for the Astros?
I don't know what you thought, but the idea of putting Yordan Álvarez as second hitter was a move that I loved by the new Astros manager, Joe Espada. Espada is making his managerial debut, but he brings a wealth of experience from his years as a coach and bench coach. Of course, the move sounded interesting to me because Yordan will log more plate appearances.*
*Yordan had batted second as a starter in only one game during his career with the Astros, and it was on a tour of Chicago in July 2021. By the way, that afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field he went 0 for 3 and struck out two times against left-hander Carlos Rodón, who allowed just one Astros hit in seven innings.
As a strategy, it stands to reason that it has advantages and risks. Last year, the eighth and ninth hitters the Astros used ended up averaging .301 OBP, the lowest on-base percentage of the entire team. However, Espada's philosophy could also bring interesting results if Jeremy Peña (eighth hitter) and Jake Meyers (ninth hitter) manage to perform to the best of their talent. At least on Opening Day, Peña went 2-for-4 and Meyers hit a solo home run against the Yankees' starter, Cuban left-hander Néstor Cortés. As usual, Yordan made himself felt on offense, connecting 5-2. The Astros will also need the contribution of another Cuban, 37-year-old first baseman José Abreu, who went 0-for-3 on Opening Day against the Yankees.
Preview on the return of Néstor Cortés
Before joining Orlando “El Duke” Hernández (2000) as the second Cuban-born pitcher to start an Opening Day game for the Yankees, Cortés' last start had been on August 5 of last year, when he allowed one run in four innings against the Astros (it was a home run by José Altuve, the first of just two hits for Houston in the entire game). After two months of absence, Nasty was injured again, with a strain in his left rotator cuff. Without the presence of Gerrit Cole for Opening Day, the Yankees designated Cortés against the Astros. And, then, the nightmare occurred again. The Astros scored three runs off Cortes during the first inning at Minute Maid Park, and Jake Meyers added a solo home run in the second inning.
Astros 4, Yankees 0.
After the home run, Cortés dominated 12 of his next 13 opponents, completing five innings, as the Yankees attempted to overcome a deficit. The attack began with a solo home run by Oswaldo Cabrera at the beginning of the sixth, and one inning later, Alex Verdugo's sacrifice fly provided a decisive 5-4 lead. Regardless of the comeback, Cortes' start caught attention, especially since the Yankees expect him to be healthy. Unlike his last few starts last year, Cortés brought his usual velocity, touching 92 mph with the four-seam fastball and cutter. Of course, command problems and complications in the first inning are not usually trends outside of Cortés' control. During his career, he has allowed a mere .584 OPS after facing his opponents for the first time.
So, if we are guided by his usual dominant starts in the game, then Cortés will have to work to shine in one of the keys that led him to success in 2022: reestablishing his command of the cutter, which limited his opponents to an average of .191. Hitters were chasing their pitches less, an adjustment that influenced the increase in the hard-hit rate. For Cortés, who depends more on his art on the mound—seeking the effect between command and speed of his pitches—the path to success will once again be a great challenge. Let's hope he's healthy, but either way, it's refreshing to see Nasty challenging hitters at the highest level of baseball again.
You just can't stop it
For a moment, I thought the postseason was back at Globe Life Field. What a welcoming atmosphere to enjoy the return of baseball! The fans of the 2023 World Series champions were excited and, really, no wonder: Cuban Adolis García, one of the home idols, came up to the plate at the end of the sixth inning with one out and clean bases. Well, I don't know if it happens to you too, but since I've seen Adolis in the batter's box, can we think of something else other than a home run? Obviously, there will always be many more times a batter is put out compared to the success of his swing. And since the emotion that Adolis generates when he is hitting exceeds any statistical probability for Rangers fans, this moment did not surprise me: Adolis hit his first home run of this season, crunching the fourth consecutive sweeper offered by right-hander Yency Almonente. Let's look at a small detail:
Nobody wants to make these mistakes even on Opening Day, and for that reason, I still wonder who promoted the strategy of throwing four consecutive sweepers in the same area against the MVP of the last World Series. Then, you know what happened: Adolis hit a solo home run to left field, and the Rangers tied the score, 2-2.
Yes, since Opening Day, you just can't stop it.
Welcome back baseball!