By Juan Páez
- In Major League Baseball, Druw Jones, the son of Andruw Jones, is being compared to Luis Robert. Jones will theoretically be one of the first picks in the MLB Draft, which begins Sunday. The youngster would have all five tools and would stand out even more for his speed and defensive skills in center field, a description that matches that of Cuba’s Robert quite well. The sun will rise and we shall see!
- The White Sox are waiting for Yasmani Grandal with open arms. The reason is that the catcher is recovering well from his lower back problems and he is showing with his hitting. In seven rehab games so far, Grandal has nine hits in 20 at bats (.450), with two home runs, five runs batted in, five runs scored and 10 walks.
- This year, contrary to what many may doubt, Aroldis Chapman‘s fastball is 100 percent dominant. In 33 at bats that have ended with the four-seamer, he has been tagged with only six hits (five singles and a home run), with 10 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .182 on his fastball, which is averaging 97.4 mph this year. The problem in 2022 is his slider: opponents are 24-7 (.292), with four doubles and a homer! POP!
- It would seem that the battle for the American League Rookie of the Year award is over even before the All-Star Break. Outfielder Julio Rodríguez (Mariners) is the sensation among this season’s rookies. With a grand slam Friday night, he became the first first-year player in Major League history with 50+ RBIs and 20+ stolen bases before the All-Star Game break. Aside from that, he has 93 hits, 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 52 runs scored, 25 walks and an .814 OPS in 89 games.
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Top Performers July 15, 2022:
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. vs Royals: 1 for 4, R
- José Abreu vs Twins: 1 for 3, BB
- Yoán Moncada vs Twins: 1 for 4, 2 R, BB, K
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On this day
2020: Antonio Nemesio “Tony” Taylor dies.
2016: The Houston Astros sign Yulieski Gurriel to a five-year contract, six months after “defecting” from the Cuban National Team in the Caribbean Series. Yuli made his Major League debut that same year.
2020: The Kansas City Royals obtain Cuban Ronald Bolaños and Dominican outfielder Franchy Cordero from the Padres in exchange for pitcher Tim Hill. This is the first trade since “Summer Camp” opened after the long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Trivia:
Speaking of Tony Taylor and in honor of his memory, he is one of five Cubans with at least two thousand hits in the Major Leagues (2,007). The others are Rafael Palmeiro, Tony Pérez, Dagoberto Campaneris and Orestes Miñoso.
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Quote of the day:
“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.”
Yogi Berra.
