The last day and a half has been particularly difficult for me, having lost one of my heroes in Harry Kalas, the announcer that brought baseball to life in the city of Philadelphia and who helped introduce me to the wonderful nuances of the game. This week has been one of even more terrible news with the untimely and unfair death of Nick Adenhart and the passing of Mark Fidrych. Even with the sadness, this tremendous game of baseball is still doing its part to entertain and bring joy to its dedicated followers. While this in no way cancels out the losses it certainly helps to heal the wounds.

The regular season is basically just a week old and we have already taken in two monumental feats, been entertained by the soft-tossing of a non-pitcher and have bore witness to some incredible and surprising starts from players and teams alike.

Earlier this season, Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the first teammates to homer from each side of the plate in the same game since 2000, a feat that had never before been accomplished on opening day. There aren’t a ton of switch-hitters in the league, let alone on the same team, and both of these guys managed to jack the ball out of the park as a lefty and a righty in the same nine-inning span. Amazing.

Yesterday, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko entered their game against the Tigers sitting on 299 HRs. Neither are hall of famers or icons but hitting 300 HR is definitely a feat in and of itself. In the top of the second, Dye hit #300 off of Zach Miner. The very next batter was Paul Konerko, who promptly proceeded to hit his own 300th dinger. These two longtime teammates entered the season with the milestones an inevitability and got to celebrate together, becoming the first two teammates to hit century mark home runs in the same game, let alone right after one another.

If that wasn’t enough, we got to witness our first position player pitching outing of the season yesterday, as Nick Swisher of the Yankees tossed an inning against the Rays. As RJ noted this morning he even struck out a batter… swinging no less.

In the incredible performance department, we have the scorching starts of Evan Longoria, Kevin Youkilis, the aforementioned Swisher, and Miguel Cabrera. And don’t leave out the dominance on display from pitchers Johan Santana, Josh Johnson, and Erik Bedard. With regards to teams, sure it is a small sample bound to regress over the next 150+ games but even teams with playoff hopes ranging from slim to none this season like the Padres, Royals, and Mariners have shown the ability to compete.

Baseball has always been a game of hope that gives its fans a reason to cheer. Even when it seems that the pile of terrible gets thicker and thicker, this wonderful game provides anecdotes and moments that make us remember why we love it so much in the first place.

The San Diego Padres have started the season 6-2, surprising almost everyone. They weren’t pegged as a preseason contender by anyone, and opposing teams were already circling the calendars for when Jake Peavy and Brian Giles would be made available in trade talks. The main reason the Padres have started strong has been their pitching – the team’s 3.51 FIP ranks 5th best in MLB.

However, more interesting than the fact that they’ve pitched well for eight games are how the Padres put together this rag tag bunch. They’ve redefined dumpster diving, cornering the market on pitchers that other teams are discarding.

On March 15th, they signed Duaner Sanchez to a minor league contract. He had just been released by the Mets.

On March 23rd, they signed Shawn Hill to a minor league contract. He had just been released by the Nationals.

On March 25th, they acquired Eulogio de la Cruz in exchange for cash. He had just been designated for assignment by the Marlins.

On April 1st, they acquired Edward Mujica for a player to be named. He had just been designated for assignment by the Indians.

On April 10th, they claimed Luis Perdomo on waivers. He had just been let go by the San Francisco Giants.

On April 11th, they signed Chad Gaudin to a minor league contract. He had just been released by the Cubs.

In the span of the month, the Padres have added six pitchers to their organization, with the total acquisition cost being a player to be named later and some cash. And that’s just the recent additions. Kevin Correia was signed to a minor league contract over the winter. Walter Silva was signed out of the Mexican Leagues. Edwin Moreno was signed as a minor league free agent. Cha Seung Baek was acquired for cash after the Mariners designated him for assignment last year.

The Padres have essentially assembled a pitching made up mostly of rejects from other organizations. They’re operating like the baseball version of an outlet store. And so far, it’s working. You can only smoke-and-mirror your way to first place for so long, but at the least, the Padres are proving that you don’t have to invest heavily in the pitching market to find useful arms.

The Top 10 prospect series continues today with the National League East. Previously, we took a look at the NL Central and the NL West systems. Both the Braves and the Marlins have pretty deep systems in the east. If I were a general manager, I’m not sure which Top 10 I would choose, given the choice between the two. I’d definitely be ecstatic to have either of the Top 4 prospects on each list.

After years of minor-league mediocrity, the Nationals system is finally showing signs of life, although the depth is still not there. Despite a rough start to the 2009 season, the Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann is a very talented pitcher. The Mets have a lot of interesting raw players that were originally signed out of Latin America. Be sure to keep an eye on Jefry Marte this season, as well as Jenrry Mejia. Both players are very young and oozing tools, not unlike No. 2 prospect Wilmer Flores. I’m not sure if I like the Phillies system or not… I do, however, know that I really like Kyle Drabek and Travis D’Arnaud.

The Atlanta Braves
1. Jason Heyward, OF, Myrtle Beach (A+)
2. Tommy Hanson, RHP, Gwinnett (AAA)
3. Jordan Schafer, OF, Atlanta
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Myrtle Beach (A+)
5. Julio Teheran, RHP, Extended Spring Training
6. Gorkys Hernandez, OF, Mississippi (AA)
7. Cole Rohrbough, LHP, Myrtle Beach (A+)
8. Jeff Locke, LHP, Myrtle Beach (A+)
9. Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Myrtle Beach (A+)
10. Brandon Hicks, SS, Mississippi (AA)

Other Players of Note: Kris Medlen, Cody Johnson, Randall Delgado, Brett DeVall, Zeke Spruill, Rudy Darrow

The Philadelphia Phillies
1. Dominic Brown, OF, Clearwater (A+)
2. Carlos Carrasco, RHP, Lehigh Valley (AAA)
3. Lou Marson, C, Philadelphia
4. Michael Taylor, OF, Reading (AA)
5. Kyle Drabek, RHP, Clearwater (A+)
6. Jason Donald, SS, Lehigh Valley (AAA)
7. Travis D’Arnaud, C, Lakewood (A)
8. Zach Collier, OF, Lakewood (A)
9. J.A. Happ, LHP, Philadelphia
10. Jason Knapp, RHP, Lakewood (A)

Other Players of Note: Antonio Bastardo, Drew Naylor, Anthony Hewitt, Freddy Galvis, Joe Savery, Edgar Garcia, John Mayberry Jr., Colby Shreve

The New York Mets
1. Fernando Martinez, OF, Buffalo (AAA)
2. Wilmer Flores, SS, Savannah (A)
3. Brad Holt, RHP, St. Lucie (A+)
4. Jonathon Niese, LHP, Buffalo (AAA)
5. Jefry Marte, 3B, Savannah (A)
6. Bobby Parnell, RHP, New York
7. Jenrry Mejia, RHP, St. Lucie (A+)
8. Nick Evans, OF, Buffalo (AAA)
9. Reese Havens, IF, St. Lucie (A+)
10. Ike Davis, 1B/OF, St. Lucie (A+)

Other Players of Note: Eddie Kunz, Scott Shaw, Cesar Puello, Dillon Gee, Scott Moviel, Javier Rodriguez, Zach Lutz, Ruben Tejada

The Florida Marlins
1. Cameron Maybin, OF, Florida
2. Logan Morrison, 1B, Jacksonville (AA)
3. Michael Stanton, OF, Jupiter (A+)
4. Matt Dominguez, 3B, Jupiter (A+)
5. Gaby Sanchez, 1B, New Orleans (AAA)
6. Chris Coghlan, 2B, New Orleans, (AAA)
7. Sean West, LHP, Jacksonville (AA)
8. Kyle Skipworth, C, Greensboro (A)
9. Ryan Tucker, RHP, New Orleans (AAA)
10. Jose Ceda, RHP, Injured

Other Players of Note: Brett Sinkbeil, Aaron Thompson, Isaac Galloway, Brad Hand, Bryan Peterson, Edgar Olmos, Miguel Fermin

The Washington Nationals
1. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, Syracuse (AAA)
2. Michael Burgess, OF, Potomac (A+)
3. Ross Detwiler, LHP, Harrisburg (AA)
4. Derek Norris, C, Hagerstown (A)
5. Jack McGeary, LHP, Hagerstown (A)
6. Chris Marrero, 1B, Potomac (A+)
7. Adrian Nieto, C, Extended Spring Training
8. J.P. Ramirez, OF, Extended Spring Training
9. Shairon Martis, RHP, Washington
10. Danny Espinosa, SS, Potomac (A+)

Other Players of Note: Graham Hicks, Destin Hood, Justin Maxwell, Bill Rhinehart, Ian Desmond, Josh Smoker, Luke Montz

In an article today, Tom Boswell suggested that the Nationals may unclog their outfield by sending Lastings Milledge back to Triple-A. He suggests that the move would send a message to Milledge that his attitude needs to change. I’d suggest that might be where he belongs anyway.

Yes, Milledge is young and toolsy – he just turned 24 years of age, and he’s been a highly regarded prospect for as long as people can remember. However, he’s been a fairly abysmal major league player so far in his career, and he’s not exactly showing improvement.

Last year, Milledge posted a .325 wOBA, which made him just slightly below average as a hitter. For a center fielder, that’s not bad. Of course, we have some evidence that Milledge isn’t actually a center fielder – his UZR last year in CF was -18.5, which goes along with reports of him running circuitous routes in the outfield. That kind of putrid defense canceled out almost all of his offensive value, so Milledge’s total contribution to the team in 2008 was 0.1 wins.

To begin 2009, he’s 4 for 26 with an ugly 10/1 K/BB ratio. He’s not showing any improved selectivity at the plate, and he doesn’t have the contact abilities to make up for a lousy approach. Toss in some more bad routes in the outfield, and Milledge is simply continuing his pattern of replacement level performance as a major leaguer.

His age and physical abilities will buy him a long leash, but the Nationals are 0-7 in a season where rebuilding credibility with the fan base is a priority. With too many outfielders on the roster, a trip back to the minors might be in everyone’s best interest. Milledge has some significant improving to do before he can lay claim to an everyday job, and the Nationals have better options on the roster. How much longer do they put up with replacement level performance from a kid who should be able to produce much more?

Not having a long reliever sometimes comes back to bite you on the behind. Last night, the Yankees found this out, but were not the only ones red in the face.

The starting first baseman, Nick Swisher, took over pitching duties in the bottom of the 8th and did the unthinkable, he struck a major league hitter out…via swinging strike. The unlucky victim was Gabe Kapler. Needless to say, Kapler probably won’t be living this down anytime soon. Take a look at Swisher’s pitches and their movement:

Sure, he topped out in the low-80’s (80.2 MPH exactly), but he’s got better stuff than some pitchers. Daniel Cabrera, for instance.

Of course I’m joking, but only a by a bit.

It’s funny; we analysts wait throughout the off season for regular season games to begin so that we can have meaningful stats to write about and then once the season does begin, we have to hold off further still until decent sample sizes can be established. Still, though everything comes with menacing caveats of sample size warnings, I will forage on. For now, a look at two teams that surprised me from the first week of play:

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals seemed a bit underrated coming into the season. Many people concluded that the Cubs were the class of the National League, much less the NL Central. While that may still portend to be true, there is always the case of the Wild Card and a weak class of divisional foes. The Brewers are suffering from a lack of pitching depth (as are many many teams it seems) and their offense just doesn’t seem as up to the task as the Cardinals’ is.

That offense for St. Louis has certainly shown up early in the season. Albert Pujols is no surprise, but fast starts from Chris Duncan and Ryan Ludwick are good news for Cardinal fans who might have been worried about regression from the duo. Newly acquired Joe Thurston has been a welcome surprise to date, helping to quelsh some fears about the infield production outside of Big Al. All told, they’re team .371 wOBA is fourth best entering play today.

More than the hitting though, it’s been the pitching, especially in the rotation, that has fueled the Gateway city. A 3.23 staff FIP is good for third in all of baseball to date. The unit seemed shaky at the start of the year and though one week should not alleviate those fears, Chris Carpenter looking healthy and dominant is a big weight off the backs of the other members of the rotation. You weren’t going to build a playoff rotation with the likes of Kyle Lohse, Todd Wellemeyer and Joel Pineiro, but having Carpenter front and center gives everyone else a little more margin for error.

Kansas City Royals

Staying in the same state (sort of), but moving leagues, how about those Royals? On one hand, they’re the most impotent offense in the leauge by a wide margin, with just a .269 wOBA with both Arizona and Oakland next worst at .290. It’s just a woeful collection that was never expected to score many runs. Granted, it seems unlikely that they will stay this bad (378 run pace) but it might accelerate the Royals on the subjects of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moutaskas down in the low minors and might even get them to admit that Kila Ka’aihue might be a better idea than Mike Jacobs.

On the other hand, they boast the league’s best pitching staff with a 2.78 FIP, almost a full half run better than the second place Padres who are at 3.23. The bullpen has been boosted with the addition of Juan Cruz to the already dominant Joakim Soria and he’ll hopefully replace the production of Ramon Ramirez. The rotation has seen some solid first performances from Sidney Ponson and Kyle Davies which you will have to excuse my skepticism of sustainability, but Luke Hochevar is hanging around in Triple-A. Given the dearth of offense and the questionable back end of the rotation, it seems unlikely that the Royals will contend for the playoffs, but the AL Central is looking weak this year and the Royals could find themselves pushing .500 and a spot in the middle of the pack.

This morning we revisited yesterday’s action, noting that three different pitchers recorded complete games in the same day, a particularly odd feat given the rarity of pitchers finishing what they start these days. Curious as to just how rare it was for three CGs to take place in the same day, I coded my Retrosheet database for complete games, summed the occurrences together and grouped by the date in order to generate a list of the total number of such outings for each day from 1954 to the end of last season.

Looking for 3+ complete games from 1954 on returned 2,038 different days. As we discussed earlier, however, complete games were much closer to the norm in past generations. Change the initial year to 1964 and 1,561 days are returned. That figure is practically halved when the initial year is adjusted to 1974, with 861 days. From 1984-2008 there have been 245 days with 3+ CGs and just 46 days in the post-strike 1995-2008.

Strictly probing this decade, there have only been 13 dates from 2000-2008 in which three or more complete games were recorded. Twelve of these days included exactly three full outings while one, 9/6/2002, featured four complete games. The last 3+ CG day took place on 8/20/2008, when Mike Pelfrey, Brett Myers, and Kevin Millwood all went the distance.

Here is the complete list for 3+ CG days this decade, including Easter Sunday 2009, with the pitchers in parenthesis:

7/23/2000 (Pedro Martinez, Denny Neagle, Andy Ashby)
8/08/2000 (Russ Ortiz, Albie Lopez, Brian Moehler)
8/20/2000 (Randy Johnson, David Wells, Pedro Astacio)
9/21/2000 (David Wells, Dustin Hermanson, Jeff Suppan)
5/25/2001 (Hideo Nomo, Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux)
7/29/2001 (Steve Sparks, Freddy Garcia, Rick Helling)
9/06/2002 (Brad Radke, David Wells, Andy Benes, Kevin Millwood)
9/26/2002 (Jeff Suppan, Randy Johnson, Esteban Loaiza)
4/18/2003 (Barry Zito, Aaron Cook, Bartolo Colon)
4/15/2005 (Derek Lowe, Bruce Chen, Aaron Heilman)
5/22/2005 (Aaron Sele, Matt Clement, Mark Prior)
4/27/2008 (Vicente Padilla, Paul Maholm, James Shields)
8/20/2008 (Mike Pelfrey, Brett Myers, Kevin Millwood)
4/12/2009 (Aaron Harang, Kyle Lohse, Josh Johnson)

As you can see, before Padilla/Maholm/Shields accomplished this feat in April of last season, nearly three years had gone by since the occurrence of 3+ CGs in the same day. What is even more interesting, and perhaps disappointing in a sense, is that yesterday could have seen even more complete games. Imagine if Erik Bedard and his 8.1 innings were left in, or if Johan Santana and his 98 pitches toed the rubber for just one more frame (the Marlins were at home so there was no 9th inning for the Mets in the field). In that scenario, 5 CGs would have been recorded on the same day, a feat that has not occurred since 6/24/1995.

With the way things are going these days it may very well be another three years before yesterday’s activities are repeated, which is kind of sad. I’m not advocating a return to the pitcher usage patterns of the 1920s, but it is a bit annoying when pitchers like Bedard do not finish their games and a reliever records the final one or two outs, or when a pitcher gets lifted after hitting the supposedly magical benchmark of 100 pitches thrown. Things are unlikely to change very much–save for members of the Texas Rangers–but hopefully this data sheds some light on just how rare the complete game derby on display yesterday happens to be.

Back in 2005, Daniel Cabrera’s fastball averaged 96.2 MPH and his slider was 87.5 MPH – both were the fastest of any starting pitcher in baseball. Even with horrible command, he managed a 4.02 FIP by accumulating ground balls and strikeouts with a power repertoire.

The pitcher masquerading as Cabrera for the Nationals is not that guy. In his first start of the year, his fastball averaged 91.9 MPH and his slider averaged 78.2 MPH.

Today, he started against the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw 94 pitches. According to Pitch F/x data, the fastest of those pitches was 91.4 MPH. 19 of the 94 pitches were faster than 90 MPH. His fastball averaged 89.2 MPH. His slider averaged 75 MPH.

We’re talking about a 7 MPH drop in his fastball velocity and a 13 MPH drop (!) in his slider velocity. He’s gone from an A.J. Burnett type arm to a Dustin Moseley type arm in five years. I find it hard to believe that there’s not some kind of underlying injury here, because this kind of loss of stuff is practically unprecedented.

Yes, stuff declines as a pitcher ages, but not like this. 96 MPH fastballs don’t turn into 89 MPH fastballs without some kind of reason. You don’t go from throwing a power slider into throwing a HS breaking ball just due to normal wear and tear. There has to be an explanation for why Cabrera is suddenly a 6’7 soft-tosser, doesn’t there?

For Nationals fans, whether he’s hurt or not isn’t particularly relevant. He’s only with the team on a one year deal as they tried to squeeze some value out of a reclamation project. If he’s not healthy, that experiment is down the drain. Of course, given his current stuff, that experiment is already down the drain. Cabrera, with an 89 MPH fastball, has no upside.

Unless someone can figure out what went wrong and fix it, he’s going to go down as one of the more spectacular examples of pitcher attrition we’ve ever seen.

After beginning this series last week with the National League West, we start the new week by taking a look at the Top 10 prospects for each of the NL Central teams, as well as their 2009 Opening Day assignments.

The NL Central features a few interesting systems (Milwaukee, Cincinnati, St. Louis) and two disappointing systems (Chicago, Houston), as well as one system that stirs lukewarm feelings (Pittsburgh). In Cincinnati, Juan Carlos Sulbaran is perhaps the biggest up-and-coming name even though he has yet to throw a pitch in a regular-season game. He upped his stock after an intriguing performance in the World Baseball Classic for the Dutch team. In Houston, the organization continues to be aggressive with pitcher-turned-outfielder Brian Bogusevic, who is in Triple-A after playing in just 42 games as a hitter last season in Double-A.

The Chicago Cubs
1. Josh Vitters, 3B, Peoria (A)
2. Jeff Samardzija, RHP, Iowa (AAA)
3. Andrew Cashner, RHP, Injured
4. Jay Jackson, RHP, Tennessee (AA)
5. Starlin Castro, SS, Daytona (A+)
6. Ryan Flaherty, SS, Peoria (A)
7. Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Injured
8. Brandon Guyer, OF, Tennessee (AA)
9. Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP, Injured
10. Welington Castillo, C, Tennessee (AA)

Other Players of Note: Kevin Hart, Micah Hoffpauir, Junior Lake, Tyler Colvin, Tony Thomas, Chris Carpenter

The Cincinnati Reds
1. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Sarasota (A+)
2. Daryl Thompson, RHP, Louisville (AAA)
3. Todd Frazier, OF, Carolina (AA)
4. Drew Stubbs, OF, Louisville (AAA)
5. Yorman Rodriguez, OF, Extended Spring Training
6. Neftali Soto, 3B, Sarasota (A+)
7. Juan Carlos Sulbaran, RHP, Dayton (A)
8. Chris Valaika, SS, Louisville (AAA)
9. Kyle Lotzkar, RHP, Injured
10. Juan Francisco, 3B, Double-A

Other Players of Note: Juan Duran, Devin Mesoraco, Chris Dickerson, Ramon Ramirez, Dallas Buck, Alex Buchholz

The Houston Astros
1. Jason Castro, C, Lancaster (A+)
2. Drew Sutton, 2B, Round Rock (AAA)
3. Brian Bogusevic, OF, Round Rock (AAA)
4. Ross Seaton, RHP, Lexington (A)
5. Bud Norris, RHP, Round Round (AAA)
6. Jordan Lyles, RHP, Lexington (A)
7. Chris Johnson, 3B, Round Rock (AAA)
8. Felipe Paulino, RHP, Round Round (AAA)
9. Jay Austin, OF, Lexington (A)
10. Collin DeLome, OF, Corpus Christi (AA)

Other Players of Note: Chia-Jen Lo, Sergio Perez, Brad James, Josh Flores, Eli Iorg, Leandro Cespedes

The Milwaukee Brewers
1. Alcides Escobar, SS, Nashville (AAA)
2. Mat Gamel, 3B, Nashville (AAA)
3. Brett Lawrie, 2B, Wisconsin (A)
4. Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, Huntsville (AA)
5. Angel Salome, C, Nashville (AAA)
6. Cutter Dykstra, OF, Wisconsin (A)
7. Lorenzo Cain, OF, Huntsville (AA)
8. Jonathan Lucroy, C, Huntsville (AA)
9. Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Extended Spring Training
10. Taylor Green, 3B, Injured

Other Players of Note: Cole Gillespie, Zack Braddock, Caleb Gindl, Cody Scarpetta, Eric Farris, Lee Haydel, Efrain Nieves, Joe Koshansky, Nick Green

The Pittsburgh Pirates
1. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Lynchburg (A+)
2. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Indianapolis (AAA)
3. Jose Tabata, OF, Altoona (AA)
4. Brad Lincoln, RHP, Altoona (AA)
5. Bryan Morris, RHP, Lynchburg (A+)
6. Robbie Grossman, OF, West Virginia (A)
7. Neil Walker, 3B, Indianapolis (AAA)
8. Shelby Ford, 2B, Indianapolis (AAA)
9. Daniel McCutchen, RHP, Indianapolis (AAA)
10. Jarek Cunningham, 3B, Injured

Other Players of Note: Brian Friday, Quinton Miller, Daniel Moskos, Jamie Romak, Wesley Freeman, Jim Negrych, Robinzon Diaz

The St. Louis Cardinals
1. Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis
2. Brett Wallace, 3B, Springfield (AA)
3. Chris Perez, RHP, Memphis (AAA)
4. Jess Todd, RHP, Memphis (AAA)
5. Jason Motte, RHP, St. Louis
6. Bryan Anderson, C, Memphis (AAA)
7. Daryl Jones, OF, Springfield (AA)
8. Adam Reifer, RHP, Palm Beach (A+)
9. Clayton Mortensen, RHP, Memphis (AAA)
10. David Freese, 3B, St. Louis

Other Players of Note: Jon Jay, Peter Kozma, Lance Lynn, Mitchell Boggs, Francisco Samuel, Niko Vasquez, Jaime Garcia

With one week in the books, we can be sure that the standings in September won’t look anything like they do now. Anything can happen in seven games (the first place Padres say hello), and we can’t extrapolate much from early season performances. It’s just one week, after all.

That doesn’t mean that we didn’t learn anything last week, though. There are some things that became obvious during week one that weren’t as clear prior to the start of the season.

The Washington Nationals are terrible.

An 0-6 start to the season isn’t the end of the world for most teams, but for a club trying to resurrect some respectability, they can’t really afford to have their season go down the drain in April. Scott Olsen didn’t put any fears to rest about his diminishing stuff in his first two starts, with a fastball that averaged just 86.9 MPH and a 7.50 FIP. The rotation is a mess, the outfield is still overcrowded, and the offense leads the majors in strikeouts while showing the least amount of power of any NL team. It’s going to be a long year in Washington.

Josh Johnson and Erik Bedard are healthy.

Coming into the season, the Marlins and Mariners were both understandably reserved about what to expect from their talented starters coming off of injuries. Both have put any concerns about their arms to rest – they have identical 15/1 K/BB ratios through their first pair of starts, and both are showing electric stuff. Johnson’s average fastball is 94.4 MPH, way up from previous seasons. Bedard is pounding the zone with his 91 MPH fastball and ridiculously sick curveball. His 1.45 FIP barely beats out Johnson’s 1.53 FIP, but both have been ridiculously excellent to start the season. They’re still health risks going forward, given their track records, but there shouldn’t be any question of whether they are still recovering from previous injuries. They’re fine.

Evan Longoria is kind of talented.

When the Rays drafted Longoria, he was touted as a defensive whiz with potential to be an above average hitter. The latter part has turned out to be a massive understatement. He hit a major league leading five home runs during the opening week of the season, flashing massive power. He even added four doubles, so nine of his 13 hits have gone for extra bases. Oh, and he made contact with 88.4% of the pitches he swung at. That kind of contact + power ability is only found in the best of the best. Longoria isn’t just a good young player – he’s a remarkably talented superstar in the making. He’s Ryan Braun with gold glove defense at third base. This is the kind of player you build dynasties around.

Outfield defense can win games.

The Mariners decided that their outfield defense needed an upgrade over the winter, so they imported Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez to help cover the gaps. Through one week’s worth of games, the pair rank 2nd and 3rd respectively among MLB outfielders in UZR/150, as both have played off the charts defense so far. Gutierrez made a catch in Minnesota that’s an early Catch Of The Year candidate, and the improved outfield defense has helped the Mariners post the third lowest ERA in baseball with a pitching staff that could generously be described as questionable.