In his first extended stint of big league action, Kevin Kiermaier has shown a talent for hitting right-handed pitchers. To say a left-handed hitter can do damage against opposite-handed pitching is no new development, but Kiermaier has seemingly flown beneath the radar.

The 24-year-old has made it into 99 games thus far and has accrued 336 plate appearances. His overall .262/.314/.452 isn’t too inspiring, although his numbers versus righties is a strong .282/.340/.498, good for a 139 wRC+ in 267 PAs. Of his 10 home runs, nine have happened while facing a righty. The table below displays some relevant splits.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sixteen years ago today MTV debuted Total Request Live. I have strong memories of coming home from middle (and to a lesser extent high) school and watching TRL.

On today’s agenda:
1. More hits from Adam Lind
2. A hot bat for Lorenzo Cain
3. Another strong start from Jose Quintana
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

Today is National chocolate milkshake day! Rather than debate the worthiness of dedicating a day to milkshakes, instead kick back and enjoy a pre-weekend frozen treat.

On today’s agenda:
1. Giancarlo Stanton struck by pitch
2. Four straight quality starts from Clay Buchholz
3. Mookie Betts to second base
4. Jake Peavy likes the National League, probably
5. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

While Alejandro De Aza did move to Baltimore recently, as far as I know, he did not join the New Day Co-Op. Instead he joined the Baltimore Orioles as their a reserve outfielder. In my imagination he sat down with the rest of the O’s players and held a meeting of sorts, where they collectively decided to handle the gang from New York.
Read the rest of this entry »

Nineteen years ago today marked the beginning of the original run of “Pinky and the Brain” standalone episodes. They first debuted as a bit on the “Animaniacs” and gained popularity there. The Pinky and the Brain theme song is something I doubt I’ll ever forget.

On today’s agenda:
1. Curtis Granderson’s (small) hitting streak
2. I believe in Dioner Navarro
3. Welcome back, Michael Cuddyer
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

Just in case you missed it, yesterday we launched the latest addition to the FanGraphs family, TechGraphs. I urge you to take a look around or at least read the intro post.

On today’s agenda:
1. Michael Wacha’s return
2. Chris Owings continues to hit
3. Another quality start for Jake Odorizzi
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Roto Riteup was written while watching the film “Old School.” The part with The Dan Band slays me each time I watch it (warning: language).

On today’s agenda:
1. A strong outing for Jake Peavy
2. Jake Odorizzi cruises
3. Another quality start for Michael Pineda
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Roto Riteup was written while listening — and watching — the 100th episode of the podcast The Partially Examined Life. I am by no means a philosopher and even calling me a dilettante in the field would be generous, but I do find the realm fascinating.

On today’s agenda:
1. Welcome back, Yadier Molina
2. Hyun-Jin Ryu to start tomorrow
3. Justin Turner has been on fire
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Roto Riteup is being written while the new version of “Cosmos: A Space Odyssey” plays in the background. Thus far I’m two episodes in and not terribly impressed. Perhaps it picks up in the later episodes.

On today’s agenda:
1. A (Jorge) Soler eclipse of my heart
2. Thoughts on Yusmeiro Petit
3. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sorry to say you folks are stuck with me on today’s Roto Riteup. By my math, including tomorrow, it will be five straight days of me instead of Zach Sanders. If you were expecting Zach and see me, it would be hard to blame you for immediately closing this window.

On today’s agenda:
1. Welcome back, Hanley Ramirez
2. Xander Bogaerts to the seven-day disabled list
3. Angel Pagan should return today
4. The daily five

Read the rest of this entry »