MLB Rumors: What happened to the Atlanta Braves offense?
It should be noted that the Braves lineup as a whole it playing relatively well. However, one key position has stopped contributing at the plate, and that would be the catching spot. On most teams, the job of the catcher is to manage the pitching staff. Any contribution they can make at the plate is seen as a bonus as long as the pitching staff is playing well.
For Atlanta, they have one of the highest team ERA's in baseball this September. Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud are also known as two of the better-hitting backstops in the sport, but they have failed in that department of late as well. Sports Illustrated Fan Nation's Lindsay Crosby summed it up relatively well:
"All-Star starter Sean Murphy finished the first half of the season with a .306 batting average and 17 homers. He's hit only three homers in the second half with a .181 batting average. Travis d'Arnaud hasn't been any better: He's batting only .175 with 3 homers himself, despite playing in almost as many games (31) as Sean Murphy (34)."
Crosby considers d'Arnaud's regression to the mean as relatively normal, as he's in line with his career numbers and was performing far better than expected for most the season. As for Murphy, it's a bit more complex. Murphy's BABIP has regressed far more than most expected. Sometimes that can be attributed to luck, but not across this sample size.
Both Murphy and d'Arnaud should play a major role in the Braves postseason run. They'll have to improve over the next few weeks.
MLB Rumors: What's the latest on Brewers manager Craig Counsell?
As it turns out, Craig Counsell may not be leaving the Milwaukee Brewers after all. Counsell is in the final year of his contract and did not want to rework his deal prior to this season. He's unlikely to do so before the end of the Brewers playoff run, either, leading some in the industry to believe he has one foot out the door.
Not so fast, says MLB insider Bob Nightengale. This Milwaukee teams has reinvigorated Counsell's spirit, so much so that he may want to stick around beyond this season:
"Counsell, perhaps the leading candidate to win the NL Manager of the Year, is still trying to decide whether he wants to continue managing or take a break...He could remain in Milwaukee, where he surely would get a substantial raise. Or he could have a half-dozen teams − perhaps the New York Mets where his former boss, David Stearns, was hired to be president of baseball operations − bidding for his services."
As Nightengale notes, Counsell would be one of the top free-agent managers to hit the market in quite some time. He's one of the best skippers in the game, and he'd be instantly be linked to the New York Mets. Stearns is the executive who hired him in Milwaukee, and he'd be hard pressed to find another opening that fits as well as this one.
MLB Rumors: Red Sox star prospect is one to watch, not just Marcelo Mayer
Marcelo Mayer is one of the top prospects in baseball, and the former Chaim Bloom draft pick has a bright future in Boston. However, he is not the prospect Keith Law of The Athletic described as the "biggest breakout prospect in all of the minors".
No, that would be outfielder Roman Anthony, who at just 19 years old will finish his first professional season in Double-A, which is rather surprising given his ceiling wasn't previously considered this high. Boston has a diamond in the rough, which they can thank Bloom's front office for, even if he's not there to reap the reward.
Anthony is rated as the team's No. 2 prospect right behind the more proven Mayer, though MLB Pipeline believes he could have Anthony Rizzo potential:
"His combination of bat speed, strength and the leverage in his still-projectable 6-foot-3 frame give Anthony well above-average raw power. He has tightened his left-handed stroke and toned down what was an aggressive approach without losing his ability to do damage, and he walked more than he struck out in his 20-game pro debut. He has a similar offensive profile to fellow Stoneman Douglas product and 2007 Red Sox sixth-rounder Anthony Rizzo at the same stage of their careers, though Anthony is a far better athlete."
If Anthony can contribute anything close to Rizzo's output with the Red Sox, consider this former second-round selection to be the steal of the draft.
