March 4th 2024 Newsletter
In This Week’s Mail
Chasing A Dream
The Next Great Hitter
News In the Pros
Chasing A Dream
Iddy Norman is a 26 year man with a dream of becoming a baseball player. Starting from scratch as a complete beginner, he has a daunting task ahead of him, but I’m here for the ride. A man with a dream and a baseball in his hand… I’m in.
The Next Great Hitter
Discover how Tyler Black, a dynamic force with power to all fields and great speed on the bases, is making waves in the Brewers' organization and beyond.
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In the Pros
Yoshinobu Yamamoto looks filthy. He put together two scoreless innings with 3 K’s in his spring debut. Yamamoto’s unique windup combined with his electric stuff make him look like a Cy Young Candidate already.
Alek Manoah hits 3 batters: Following a challenging 2023 season that saw him demoted to the minors, despite being a Cy Young contender the previous year, the Blue Jays are eagerly awaiting Alek Manoah's comeback.
His control problems played a significant role in his previous struggles. With Manoah hitting three batters in his spring debut things already look concerning.
Matt Chapman goes to the Giants for a 3 year deal. This is a similar deal to Bellinger with multiple opt outs. The question is will his right center field hitting approach work in San Fran’s massive right center? Or will he get back to pulling the ball like he did in Oakland?
Last year he was 100th percentile in hard hit percentage but only had an expected batting average of .230. He started red hot before dealing with injury. If he stays healthy this could be another all star year.
Giants Pitching injuries and Blake Snell: Do they look to free agency and Blake Snell to fix the pitching staff? Could Blake Snell land a short term deal like Bellinger and Chapman?
It would seem insane that a two-time Cy Young winner who just won the highest honor would have to settle for anything short term. But the market seems to have completely turned on all of Scott Boras’ clients.
Kris Bryant regrets signing with the Rockies. Duh.
Something We Loved ❤
Here’s some content we enjoyed.
The other day I was talking to Coach Ben on the phone and he said to me “have you ever seen the old video of Aaron Rowand crashing face first into the wall?”. I hadn’t so I pulled it up on youtube and as I watched it I started saying “Is this the old Atlanta park?” and Ben said “No, that’s Philly”.
But it definitely wasn’t. That’s when we realized there's multiple videos of Aaron Rowand running face first into the outfield wall. Enjoy.
Rowand collides with wall, holds on for catch
Aaron Rowand insane catch but broke his nose
As baseball educators we advise you not to try this at…anywhere.
Question of the Week
Will the Giants land Blake Snell after landing Matt Chapman?
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Coming Soon
The Javy Báez Guide to Avoiding Walks
Unrequited Love: Javy Báez and the Wayward Slider
Love at First Whiff: Báez's Attraction to Balls in the Dirt
Swing First, Ask Questions Later: The Javier Báez Method to Plate Discipline
References
- OpenAI’s DALL-E “Baseball Concepts AZ graphic” Generated [February 27th, 2024]
- OpenAI's DALL-E. "Learning baseball Graphic." Generated [February 27th, 2024].
- OpenAI’s DALL-E “The Next Great Hitter” Generated [February 27th, 2024]
- OpenAI’s DALL-E “In the Pro’s graphic” Generated [February 27th, 2024]
- OpenAI's DALL-E. "Something We loved Graphic." Generated [February 28th, 2024].
- OpenAI’s DALL-E “Question of the week Graphic” Generated [February 28th, 2024]