MLB Rundown: It’s Time to Place your (Mookie) Betts

……..Matt Wieters is fortunate enough to be a part of perhaps the best offense in baseball and since the beginning of May has really been on a heater at the plate. Wieters has went deep four times this year, while hitting .283 and producing a .785 OPS.

However, there is some concern when it comes to the O’s backstop. He’s currently in his age 30 season a time when most players experience a slowdown in production and his 26.3% strikeout rate represents the worst mark of his career. Wieters has also become impatient at the plate as his 6.6% walk rate would suggest and his swinging strike rate of 12.8% qualifies as the lowest of his career……..

As far as pitchers are concerned, there might not be a tougher starter to gauge than David Price. His 6-1 record stands out, but that 5.53 ERA is hideous and more importantly, his fastball is down a little more than 2 MPH. His BB/9 stands at 2.28, up from the 1.28 mark he carried in 2015. After you process all of that information there’s this: His K/9 this season is an impressive 11.39, which coincidentally would be the highest of his career. Talk about some serious Yin and Yang…….

Joey Gallo was called up by the Rangers Monday night and it looks like he might be utilized at more than one position. Gallo made a start at first in his last game at Triple-A Round Rock and it’s feasible to imagine that he could see some time there with Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland riding the struggle bus this year. Although he hasn’t played at all in the outfield this spring, that’s precisely where the Rangers need the most help, with Shin-Soo Choo and Drew Stubbs both hitting the disabled list. For what it’s worth, Gallo was was 5-for-16 with a home run and 4 RBI since his return from the DL…….

We’ll end the A.L. portion with a tale of two Uptons. If you would have told me that Melvin Jr would be the better player to this point, well, I would have lost that bet. Justin is off to a nightmarish start, but you’d be foolish to think that he can’t turn this around. The first order of business is to lower his unsightly 37% strikeout rate. That will happen, trust me. His minuscule ,575 OPS should rise to it’s standard level as well. He’s a career .817 OPS guy, in case you were curious. J-Up is also a career .271 hitter and he’s never hit below .250 as a major leaguer, so there’s that.  Rest easy Tigers’ fans, barring an injury, the younger Upton will be just fine.

Next: Running through the National League