Sunday Notes: Mason Fluharty Is an Ascending Blue Jay Flying Under The Radar

Mason Fluharty is flying under the radar as one of baseball’s most effective lefty relievers. Since making his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on April Fools Day, the 23-year-old southpaw has a 1.96 ERA and a 2.94 FIP over 18 appearances. Moreover, he’s allowed just seven hits in his 18-and-third innings, and prior to surrendering a solo home run to former Jay Danny Jansen this past Tuesday he’d retired 21 consecutive batters. All three of his decisions are in the win column.

His initial two outings were especially challenging. The first batter Fluharty faced in the bigs was Washington Nationals 2024 All-Star CJ Abrams, who lined a run-scoring double. Three days later, the first batter in his second outing was Juan Soto; the New York Mets superstar also stroked a run-scoring double.

I asked the 2022 fifth-round pick out of Liberty University about those welcome-to-the-big-leagues ABs prior to his third appearance.

“Get put into the fire and see what happens,” said Fluharty, who later that same day faced Rafael Devers [E-6], Alex Bregman [K], and Rob Refsnyder [DP]. “I’m glad they have faith in me. While I obviously would have preferred better outcomes in those first outings, it’s all about adjusting. This game is hard.”

The pitches that were turned around for two-baggers?

“[Abrams] hit a slider,” said Fluharty, referring to what Baseball Savant categorizes as a sweeper. “I threw him all sliders. That’s my put-away. I got two strikes on him, but then didn’t execute. I left it a little more middle. Had I gotten it more down and away, it’s probably a strikeout.

“Soto, same thing; I left a slider a little bit middle. After falling behind 1-0, I wanted to throw a strike and didn’t get it down far enough. He’s one of the best hitters in the game, and I just didn’t execute the pitch.”

Soto was the fifth-overall batter the southpaw faced. In between, he retired James Wood and Keibert Ruiz on ground balls, and fanned Nathaniel Lowe.

“I got him on a slider,” Fluharty said of the Wood at-bat. “I went cutter first pitch and missed my spot, but got away with it. Then I threw the slider and got a checked-swing ground ball. I faced him in the minor leagues a number of times, and while he got a couple of singles, I struck him out a few times too. He’s a guy that likes to go out over the plate, so I mostly wanted to stay out of the middle.

“That was really cool,” Fluharty said of his first big-league K. “It was a really good at-bat. I got him on a slider down. I executed that one. For me, it’s all about execution.”

With just a few exceptions, that’s exactly what he’s done. Opposing hitters have gone 4-for-36 versus his cutter, which he’s thrown 61.4% of the time, and 3-for-22 versus his sweeper/slider, which he’s thrown 38.6% of the time. As evidenced by his .119 BAA, Fluharty has been executing just fine.

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Cito Gaston went 13 for 20 against Bill Stoneman.

Jim Rice went 21 for 37 against Steve Stone.

Jim Mason went 9 for 19 against Catfish Hunter.

Juan Beniquez went 9 for 16 against Mike Mason.

Willie McGee went 5 for 8 against Roger Mason.

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Brooks Lee can breathe easier now. Literally. Not only is the 24-year-old infielder establishing himself in Minnesota’s starting lineup following last summer’s uninspiring rookie season — a 62 wRC+ over 185 plate appearances — he underwent a septoplasty over the winter.

“I think you could say that,” the eighth-overall pick in the 2022 draft replied when asked if the game has slowed down for him this year. “I had surgery in the offseason. Before, I couldn’t breathe out of my left nostril, and getting more oxygen in my brain is a huge difference. I’m more calm in the box because I don’t have to breathe as hard.

“My whole life, I’d had to breathe out of my mouth, because I couldn’t fully breathe out of my nose,” Lee added. “It had never been a big deal until last year. In spring training, I thought I was going to pass out all the time. My mind was racing, but my body felt like it was falling asleep. It was a weird feeling. Not getting enough oxygen caused a lot of anxiety.”

The young switch-hitter has four home runs and a 95 wRC+ over 116 plate appearances on the season. He has recently been batting in either the three- or four-hole.

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A quiz:

Who has the most stolen bases in Atlanta Braves modern-era franchise history? (A hint: the most steals he had in a single season was 31.)

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NEWS NOTES

SABR is hosting a webinar addressing Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Hall of Fame this coming Wednesday at 7pm EST. Jay Jaffe will be among the panelists offering their perspectives. More information can be found here.

Rich Rollins, a third baseman who played primarily for the Minnesota Twins in a career that spanned the 1961-1970 seasons, died on May 13 at age 87. The Kent State University product was at his best early on, batting .302 with a 118 wRC+ and 8.1 WAR across 1962-1963. He later played for the Seattle Pilots/ Milwaukee Brewers, and the Cleveland Indians.

Jack Curtis, a left-hander pitcher who played for three teams across the 1961-1963 seasons, died on May 12 at age 88. The Rhodhiss, North Carolina native saw the bulk of his action in his rookie season when he went 10-13 with a 4.89 ERA for the Chicago Cubs.

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The answer to the quiz is Henry Aaron, who swiped 240 bases while playing for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves from 1954-1974. He had 31 steals (as well as 44 home runs) in 1963.

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Pierce Johnson was a 22-year-old prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization when I first interviewed him for FanGraphs back in January 2014. One of things we talked about at the time was his having faced Byron Buxton in A-ball the previous season. As chance would have it, that was the last time the two squared off until last month. I asked the now-34-year-old Atlanta Braves hurler about that on Friday.

“I vividly remember facing him in Low-A,” said Johnson, who has gone on to make 284 MLB appearances and log a 3.88 ERA over 273-and-two-thirds innings. “He kind of flew though the [Minnesota Twins] system and beat me to the big leagues, and with him playing in the AL Central, I wouldn’t have seen him very often. So yes, it had been awhile. He’s a helluva player. I just hope he stays healthy, because what he does on the field is fun to watch. He hits for power. He can run. He tracks everything down in his area code.”

Their pair of dozen-years-later matchups came on back-to-back days in mid-April. Unlike the at-bat we’d discussed during their time down on the farm, Johnson didn’t punch Buxton out.

“He hit a rocket to center, but big Mike saved me,” Johnson said of the 378-foot, .500 xBA liner that Michael Harris II ran down. “The next one, I got him to lean out over the plate and hit a ground ball back to me. I was trying to get him off the barrel, and was able to do that.”

Having addressed the Buxton at-bats, I moved on to something completely different. Putting on my quiz show-host hat, I asked the right-hander if he knew how many different batters he’s faced since breaking into the big leagues.

“I don’t know if I even have a guess,” the veteran of eight seasons replied after mulling over my question for several seconds. “I don’t even know how many appearances I have, to be honest. I’m trying to do that kind of math. Maybe 400?”

I informed him that the answer is 506 different batters, adding that he has struck out 243 of them at least once. Which has he K’d the most? Johnson guessed Brandon Marsh or Ryan McMahon, and while neither is the correct answer, both are close. Each has fanned four times against Johnson, one fewer than Trevor Story and Eugenio Suárez.

Six players share the honor of having the most hits against him (four), and he was able to guess Mookie Betts, Luis Arraez, Will Smith and Chris Taylor correctly. The others are Brandon Crawford and Paul Goldschmidt.

“Goldschmidt has my number,” Johnson replied upon hearing the slugger’s name. “That guy sees beach ball off of me. But those guys are all great. They’re pretty good names to be giving up hits to.”

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Andrelton Simmons is slashing .240/.305/.347 over 82 plate appearances with the Mexican League’s Dorados de Chihuahua. The 35-year-old four-time Gold Glove shortstop last MLB action came with the Chicago Cubs in 2022.

Billy Hamilton has seven stolen bases to go with a .243/.383/.270 slashing line over 49 plate appearances with the Mexican League’s Charros de Jalisco. The 34-year-old outfielder’s last MLB action came with the Chicago White Sox in 2023.

Tucker Davidson is 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA over 53-and-two-thirds innings for the KBO’s Lotte Giants. The 29-year-old left-hander signed with the Busan, South Korea-based team in December after pitching for four MLB teams from 2020-2024.

Drew Gagnon is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA over 43-and-two-thirds innings for the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s Wei Chuan Dragons. The 34-year-old former New York Mets (2018-2019) right-hander is in his fifth season with the Taipei, Taiwan-based club.

Taylor Hearn was credited with his first win of the season on Friday as the Hiroshima Carp outscored the Hanshin Tigers 4-2. The erstwhile Texas Rangers reliever has a 5.14 ERA over 14 innings in his second season with the NPB club.

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A random obscure former player snapshot:

Tom Thobe followed an atypical path to what turned out to be a brief big-league career. Selected in the 38th round of the 1987 draft by the Chicago Cubs out of a Huntington Beach high school, the southpaw proceeded to make 18 appearances for the rookie-level Wytheville Cubs, only to return to California where he spent the next three-plus years surfing, skateboarding, and working — per his SABR BioProject profile — “monotonous jobs.” Deciding to give professional baseball another go, he returned to the mound in 1993, this time in the Atlanta Braves organization. Beating long odds, he proceeded to get two cups of coffee. Thobe pitched in seven games for the Braves across the 1995-1996 seasons, allowing six runs over nine-and-a-third innings.

His lone plate appearance came in the bottom of the 15th inning of a 2-1 Atlanta loss to the San Diego Padres on April 21,1996. With no one left on the bench to pinch-hit for him, Thobe grounded out with two runners on board to end the game. The previous September, he was in the home dugout when his younger brother, J.J. Thobe, made the second of his four big-league pitching appearances with the Montreal Expos.

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Eric MacKenzie’s lone big-league appearance was both brief and noteworthy. Playing for the Kansas City Athletics, the Glendon, Alberta native grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning, then caught Kingsville, Ontario native Ozzie Van Brabant in the top of the ninth, making them the first all-Canadian battery in MLB history. The April 23, 1955 contest was likewise notable for the result. Swatting seven home runs along the way, the Chicago White Sox pulverized the A’s 29-6. Per Stathead’s Jessica Brand, no player has been on the losing end of a more lopsided score in his only game.

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FARM NOTES

Jason Savacool has a 1.09 ERA and a 25.2% strikeout rate over 33 innings for the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals. The 22-year-old right-hander was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Maryland.

Kyle Amendt has a 1.89 ERA and a 32.5% strikeout rate over 19 relief innings for the Triple-A Reno Aces. The 25-year-old right-hander was selected in the ninth round of the 2023 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Dallas Baptist University. Amendt was featured here at FanGraphs in February.

Dylan Beavers has 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts to go with a .301/.396/.412 slash line and a 125 wRC+ over 165 plate appearances for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. The 23-year-old outfielder was drafted 33rd-overall by the Baltimore Orioles out of the University of California Berkeley in 2022.

Daylen Lile is slashing .345/.382/.534 with three home runs and a 157 wRC+ over 158 plate appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. The 22-year-old outfielder was drafted 47th overall in 2021 out of Louisville, Kentucky’s Trinity High School by the Washington Nationals.

Nick Senzel is 9-for-45 with a pair of home runs in 12 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 30-year-old infielder/outfielder was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month after beginning the season with the Mexican League’s Tecos de los Dos Laredos, with whom he went 13-for-22 with three home runs.

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The San Francisco Giants scored nine runs in the 11th inning at Wrigley Field a week ago Tuesday. The record for most runs in a single extra inning is 12, by the Texas Rangers on July 3, 1983. The Rangers racked up that total in the 15th inning of a 16-4 win over the Athletics, in Oakland.

Also notable in the Giants-Cubs game was Ryan Pressley having been charged with all nine of the 11th-inning runs. He faced just eight batters, but was responsible for the Zombie runner.

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Reading John W. Miller’s The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball, I learned that the famously tempestuous skipper once paid a price for his temper in injurious fashion. As a player/manager for the minor-league Fitzgerald Orioles in 1957, Weaver “charged into the opponents’ dugout with his fists flying,” resulting in his being set upon by 10 players who “beat him senseless.” Weaver was taken to the hospital, having suffered a concussion. According to the book, which is a must-read for fans interested in baseball history, the Hall of Fame skipper “couldn’t remember his own name, where he was from, or what his job was.”

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

Washington Senators outfielder Sam Rice made a spectacular catch (or did he?) in the 1925 World Series — a play the Hall of Famer later chronicled in a letter that wasn’t to be opened until after his death. John Thorn has the story at Our Game.

Is Shohei Ohtani too valuable a hitter to risk pitching again? Barry Bloom believes he is, and opined on why at Sportico.

Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein wrote about how Rob Manfred’s Pete Rose flip-flop has further stained his legacy.

At Arizona State University’s Cronkite News, Ari Wohl wrote about ways in which analytics are redefining baseball.

Do lower arm slots lower injury risks for pitcher? Kenny Hayden delved into that question for Baseball America (subscription required).

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Over the last two-plus seasons, the Colorado Rockies went 127-237 under Bud Black, the Pittsburgh Pirates went 164-198 under Derek Shelton, and the Baltimore Orioles went 207-160 under Brandon Hyde.

MacKenzie Gore became the first pitcher in MLB history to allow 10 hits and strike out nine batters in fewer than four innings. The Washington Nationals left-hander did so on Friday while surrendering two runs over three-and-two-thirds innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

New York’s Max Fried is 6-0 and has allowed seven earned runs over 56-and-two-thirds innings. Washington’s Jorge López is 6-0 and has allowed 16 earned runs over 20 innings.

Toronto’s Bowden Francis has thrown 46-and-a-third innings and allowed a most-in-the-majors 14 home runs. Washington’s Michael Parker has thrown 50 innings and allowed just one home run.

Detroit Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry is slashing .415/.487/.615 over 77 plate appearances at Comerica Park. He is slashing .167/.267/.256 over 90 plate appearances on the road.

Pete Rose batted .303 with 160 home runs and a 121 wRC+. He led his league in batting average three times. Bill Madlock batted .304 with 163 home runs and a 121 wRC+. He led his league in batting average four times.

Evan Longoria had 342 home runs, 1,159 RBIs, a 117 wRC+, and 55.2 WAR.
Nolan Arenado has 345 home runs, 1,150 RBIs, a 117 wRC+, and 51.7 WAR.

Justin Verlander has made 535 starts and has a record of 262-150.
Mike Mussina made 536 starts and had a record of 270-153.

On today’s date in 1925, the Chicago White Sox walked off the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in 14 innings courtesy of a Ray Schalk single that plated “Whispering Bill” Barrett. Sloppy Thurston went the distance for the win, while Lefty Grove took the loss in relief.

On today’s date in 1968, Washington Senators slugger Frank Howard became the second batter to clear the left-field roof at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium — Harmon Killebrew was the first, on August 3, 1962 — when he took Mickey Lolich deep in the fifth inning of an 8-4 Senators win. The homer was Howard’s second of the game and his 10th in his last 20 at-bats.

Players born on today’s date include Carroll Hardy, who holds the distinction of being the only player to pinch-hit for Ted Williams, which he did on September 20, 1960. Two years earlier, the South Dakota native — Hardy is one of just 39 in MLB history — hammered the first of his 17 career homers while pinch-hitting for Roger Maris. On April 11, 1962, Hardy broke a scoreless tie with a 12th-inning grand slam versus Cleveland; no other walk-off granny has broken a 0-0 deadlock in as late a frame.

Also born on today’s date was Cy Barger, a pitcher/outfielder who played for three teams across the 1906-1915 seasons. The Transylvania University product saw most of his two-way action with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911 when he made 30 starts — he finished 11-15 with a 3.52 ERA — and also appeared in a dozen games as a position player. His given name was Eros Boliva.