Sunday Notes: Santana’s Feat, Avisail’s Hands, Gordon, Gyorko, more

Earlier this season, Bartolo Colon (now at 228) passed Pedro Martinez (219) on the all-time wins list. Among Dominican-born pitchers, only Juan Marichal has more (243).

Ervin Santana is also climbing the ranks. At 131 wins, the Twins right-hander is just four behind Ramon Martinez, who ranks third among natives of the Dominican Republic. Since the start of the season, Santana has leapfrogged countrymen Joaquin Andujar (127) and Pedro Astacio (129).

“To be in that category is special,” Santana told me recently. “Growing up, I looked up to Pedro, to Bartolo, to Jose Rijo (116 wins). I know many of them now, (although) I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marichal. He was obviously one of the great pitchers.”

Santana has learned from his heroes. He’s discussed sliders with Rijo, and two-seamers that run back over the plate with Colon. Some of the best tutorials have come from Pedro Martinez.

“I’ve known Pedro for a long time,” said Santana. “Last year and the year before, every outing before I pitched, I called him and we talked. He gave me good advice to take into games. He he told me, ‘Don’t throw a two-seam to Prince Fielder.’ Some hitters have a long, low swing, like golf, and if you throw the two-seam, it’s going to go into the sweet spot for them. Pedro knows a lot of baseball, so I listen(ed) to him.”

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Avisail Garcia is focusing on throwing his hands to the ball. He did that on Tuesday night and the result was a two-home-run game against his former team. Two nights later, he went deep again. Over his last 10 games, the White Sox outfielder is 8 for 28 with three doubles and four dingers.

Garcia has never lacked for power. Consistency and contact have been a problem. Since being acquired from the Tigers in 2013, the 25-year-old Venezuelan has hit .257/.311/.387 and fanned 300 times in fewer than 1,200 at bats. A tendency to over-swing has limited his success.

“I’ve been using my body too much,” Garcia told me on Wednesday. “That’s why I’ve missed so many fastballs. I’ve wanted to create more power, and I don’t have to do that. I have enough power to hit the ball out. I’m learning that if I use my hands, like I did yesterday, I’ll get better results.”

Tuesday’s results traveled 426 and 459 feet, and Thursday’s blast went a equally-healthy 446. That’s who he is. Garcia is a power hitter and he has no intention of being anything else. He accepts that strikeouts come with the territory, but he doesn’t want to invite them by needlessly muscling up.

“The best hitters just throw their hands to the ball,” opined Garcia “That’s what Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) does. He knows he has power, so he just throws his hands to the ball. That’s what I need to do. This is just my second full year in the big leagues, so I’m still learning. I’m still getting better.”

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Will Maddox doesn’t have much left to prove in the Midwest League. In 100 games with West Michigan this season, the 24-year-old Tigers prospect leads the circuit with a .347 batting average. Power has been at a premium — he’s only left the yard once — but that’s more indicative of his home ballpark than his stroke. As a team, the Whitecaps have just 19 home runs.

The 2014 18th-round pick is clearly not being fast-tracked. As frustrating as that surely is, Maddox took the high road when I asked him about not having yet been promoted to high-A Lakeland.

“It one of those things you try not to think about,” said the former Tennessee Volunteer. “You never really know what’s going on in the organization — what they’re thinking — so I just try to do my job. Hopefully I can help us win a championship.”

A personal honor would be every bit as meaningful, and it’s well within his reach. Going into yesterday’s game, the left-handed-hitting infielder was hitting .005 higher than Cubs prospect Eloy Jimenez. It’s not his primary focus, but the former Volunteer has his sights set on a batting title.

“As much as I try to downplay it, and I honestly don’t think about it every day, I would like to win it,” admitted Maddox. “As a competitor, something like that is going to be a goal. I’d take great pride in being a batting champion.”

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Dee Gordon is the defending National League batting champion, but given his position, defense is every bit as important as offensive production. With that in mind, I asked the Marlins second baseman — recently back from a PED suspension — about the relationships he has with his double-play partners.

“You have to know him,” said Gordon. “His strengths, his weaknesses — how quick he can get to the bag, how quick he can rid of the ball — and you’re always communicating. It’s kind of like a brother thing when you’re playing together up the middle.”

The brotherhood he shares with his current keystone partner is augmented by admiration. As far as he’s concerned, Adeiny Hechavarria is among the cream of the crop.

“Hechy is one of the best,” gushed Gordon. “Andrelton Simmons is the only guy I’d put up there with him. Maybe Brandon Crawford. To me, those three are 1-A, 1-B and 1-C.”

His 2014 double-play partner apparently occupies a spot well down the numeric-alphabetic chain. When I asked how he’d compare Hanley Ramirez and Hechavarria, the Dodger-turned-Marlin plead the fifth.

“I won’t go there,” answered Gordon. “I can’t go there.”

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Earlier this week, Sandy Alderson used the term “bad optics” when addressing Yoenis Cespedes’ decision to play golf with an injured right quadriceps. Hitting the links didn’t negatively impact the injury, but according to the Mets GM, it wasn’t a good look.

A few days ago, I encountered a different type of bad optics. Cincinnati Reds first-round pick Nick Senzel turned down an in-person interview request, which I was told has become standard fare. Shortly thereafter, a pro scout I spoke to used an unflattering term to describe Senzel’s comportment in a recent game.

Senzel’s talent is plain to see. His optics could use some work.

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Petco Park’s pitcher-friendly reputation has been taking a hit. Long considered a power-hitter’s nightmare, the San Diego venue currently ranks 13th from the bottom in home runs per game. From a runs-scored perspective, it ranks 13th from the top.

According to Dave Flemming, a change in atmospheric conditions is part of the reason. The Giants broadcaster told me the ball is carrying better in night games in Southern California.

Jedd Gyorko played for the Padres from 2013-2015, so I asked for his opinion on the subject.

“Pretty much anywhere you play, the ball is going to carry a little better during the day,” said Gyorko, who is now a St.Louis Cardinal. “On nights when the marine layer settles in, and the temperatures cool off, it becomes a little harder to hit there. I don’t know that I noticed a difference. The Padres, as a team, hit more home runs last year, but the roster wasn’t the same so I’m not sure what was going on.”

Gyrko told me that Dodger Stadium is similar to Petco in that it “plays more fair during the day but gets tougher at night.” As for the rest of the National League West, he called AT&T Park “big,” and Chase Field and Coors Field “good places to hit.”

Regardless of the venue, his approach remains the same.

“I’m not going to be beating out too many infield singles, so I’m always trying to lift the ball,” said Gyro. “Busch Stadium isn’t the most hitter-friendly place either. I have to just keep trying to barrel up the ball and hope good things happen.”

Gyorko has 15 home runs for the Cardinals this season, including seven in a nine-game stretch from July 18-26. Overall, he’s slashing .244/.300/.471 in 243 plate appearances.

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Dick Schofield played for four teams, mostly the Angels, from 1983-1996. Dick “Ducky” Schofield, played for seven teams from 1953-1971. Between them, the father-son combination appeared in big-league 2,689 games.

Each was a slick fielder. Neither could hit. Dad slashed .227/.317/.297 as a utility infielder. Son slashed .230/.308/.316 as a shortstop. The former is now 81 years young, while the latter is managing Cincinnati’s Midwest League affiliate, the Dayton Dragons.

“I think it was something special, all the years we played,” the younger Schofield told me. “To hit the way we did and stick in the big leagues that long, we both caught the ball pretty good, When you say ‘father-son’ you don’t think of us — that’s totally understandable — but I’m still proud of what we did.”

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Chuck Hildebrandt made a thought-provoking presentation at the recently-held SABR convention in Miami. In a talk titled “The Hall of Famous” he compared a handful of Cooperstown inductees with statistically-more-worthy, but less-“famous” non-inductees.

Bill Mazeroski and Frank White was among the comps. Hildebrandt proposed that Mazeroski is in the Hall of Fame largely because he hit what is arguably the most-famous home run in World Series history. White, who isn’t in the Hall of Fame, had no such signature moment.

Putting their statistics side by side — ditto their Gold Glove and All-Star honors — Hildebrandt showed that White was every bit as good, if not better, than Mazeroski.

Also on Hildebrandt’s “Hall of Famous” list — some, but not all, are in the Hall of Fame — are Joe Carter, Catfish Hunter, Roger Maris, Jack Morris, Phil Rizzuto, Lloyd Waner and Maury Wills. According to Hildebrandt, they are “good but not great players for whom the perception of their careers are greatly enhanced by something famous they did or that is famous about them.”

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Reynaldo Cruz and Jorge Ebro spoke at SABR 46 and both had strong words about baseball coverage in Cuba. Based on their experiences — Cruz is based in Cuba, Ebro in Miami — propaganda is rampant. The mainstream media is unwilling to criticize the Cuban national team, which Cruz grew up believing “was better than the major leagues; if we ever played against major leaguers, we would steamroll them.”

MLB coverage is also compromised. Games are broadcast, but “they try not to show the (Cuban-defector) success stories.” According to Cruz, Aroldis Chapman and Jose Abreu have never been seen on Cuban TV, nor was Yasiel Puig when he was performing well. There is “no coverage of the top Cuban players; they do everything in their power not to talk about them.”

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Previous Sunday columns have included Joe Sambito’s memories of former teammates Cesar Cedeno and JR Richard. Today, Sambito touches on another Astro from days passed, Joaquin Andujar.

“The late, great Joaquin,” responded Sambito when I brought up the enigmatic hurler. “He was blessed with a fantastic arm. Joaquin became more consistent after he left Houston and went to St. Louis. It took him a little while to get everything under control — his emotions and maturity — but once he did, he pitched very well for them.

“He was a high-strung guy. I don’t say that in a derogatory way; Joachin was just very emotional. When he had his emotions under control, he could really pitch.”

Andujar had 127 wins and a 3.58 ERA for the Astros, Cardinals and A’s from 1976-1988. He was an All-Star four times.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Brad Miller is understandably unhappy about losing his starting shortstop job.

MLB.com’s Jennifer Langosch wrote about the how the Cardinals set a franchise record on Tuesday.

Over at the Chicago Tribune, Paul Sullivan suggested that Joe Maddon follow Leo Durocher’s lead and take a weekend off.

At CBS Chicago, Matt Spiegel wrote about the White Sox ‘ failure to capitalize on Chris Sale’s dominance.

RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

The Midwest League’s Dayton Dragons have sold out their last 1,173 home games. It is the longest sellout streak in professional sports history.

Per Jason Foster of The Sporting News, Joel Youngblood is the only player to get hits for two MLB teams, in two cities, on the same day. Youngblood did so on August 4, 1982, with the Mets and the Expos.

In 1890, Oyster Burns of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms led the National League with 13 home runs and 128 RBIs.

On this date in 1999, Wade Boggs homered for his 3,000th big-league hit. One day earlier, Tony Gwynn singled for his 3,000th hit.

A reminder that there will be a FanGraphs meet-up at Mead Hall, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday night. The sixth-annual Sabermetrics, Scouting and the Science of Baseball — aka Saber Seminar — will follow on Saturday and Sunday, on the campus of Boston University. Featured speakers include John Baker, Brian Bannister, Kyle Boddy, Dave Cameron and Dave Dombrowski.