Sunday Notes: Tampa Bay’s Jake Mangum Is An Old-School Baseball Player

Jake Mangum is impressing as a 29-year-old rookie. Seven years after being drafted by the New York Mets out of Mississippi State University following four collegiate seasons, the switch-hitting outfielder has slashed .303/.346/.370 with a 109 wRC+ over 128 plate appearances with the Tampa Bay Rays. Moreover, Mangum has swiped 10 bags without being caught.

His path to pro ball included being bypassed in the draft out of high school, then opting not to sign after being a low-round pick following his sophomore and junior seasons. One of the teams that called his name didn’t make an offer so much as wish him well. “Good luck with school next year,” was their message to the high-average, low-power Bulldog.

Mangum went to finish his college career with a .357/.420/.457 slash line, as well as a Southeastern Conference-record 383 hits. He also finished with a degree in business administration — although that’s not something he expects to take advantage of down the road. Paying days have a shelf life, but he plans to “stay around the game forever.”

A lack of balls over fences contributed heavily to the limited interest he received from scouts. When he finally inked a contract, the 2019 fourth-rounder had gone deep just five times in 1,200 plate appearances.

“It was always the power piece,” explained Mangum, whose ledger now includes 24 home runs in the minors and one in the majors. “They just didn’t see it playing in professional baseball, my not having enough power. I’m stronger now, but to be honest with you, I don’t try to hit home runs. I try to hit for a high average and help the team with good defense and base running.”

Kevin Cash sees Mangum’s skillset as old-school.

“I think that’s fair,” Tampa Bay’s manager said of that label. “He’s 100 mph [with] everything he does, whether he’s at the plate, running out a ball, going after balls in the outfield. He’s very aggressive. Generally, his at-bats are first, second, third pitch. He’s getting swings off. He’s very contact-oriented, and he’s going to try to beat you to all fields.”

The numbers reflect that. Mangum has a 5.5% walk rate and a 13.3% strikeout rate, and that contact is a big part of his game is fitting. It’s something his family is all too familiar with. His father, John Mangum, played nine seasons with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, his brother, Kris, played 10 with the Carolina Panthers, and his grandfather, John Mangum Sr., spent two seasons with the AFL’s Boston Patriots (now the New England Patriots). Jake Mangum tackled a different sport, and thanks to dogged determination — ditto a skillset that actually does play in professional baseball — he’s finally made it to the top.

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Aaron Boone went 10 for 20 against Matt Clement.

Bob Boone went 10 for 19 against Bob Moose.

Ken Griffey went 10 for 17 against Rollie Fingers.

Ken Griffey Jr. went 10 for 15 against Wandy Rodriguez.

Moises Alou went 10 for 23 against John Burkett.

Felipe Alou went 10 for 21 against Jim Merritt.

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Colton Gordon is your classic old-school southpaw. The 26-year-old Houston Astros rookie doesn’t cook with gas — his 91.3 mph heater ranks in the 11th percentile for velocity — rather he keeps them off balance them with an array of offerings. Profiling as a back-of-the-rotation starter, Gordon features four- and two-seam fastballs, a sweeper, a curveball, and a changeup. He also has a cutter, although he hasn’t taken it out of his back pocket since making his MLB debut in mid-May.

“I’m a pitcher,” Gordon told me earlier this spring. “I’m not necessarily going to overpower you. But I am going to have a plan, and if that takes throwing the kitchen sink, it’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to attack with my strengths while knowing the batter’s weaknesses. I’m a pitchability guy, basically. Whatever the at-bat calls for is what I roll with.


“I call it my toolbox,” added the 2021 eighth-round pick out of the University of Central Florida. ”I have pitches where I can go up or down on the vertical, and in and out on the horizontal. The Astros have helped me tremendously since I got to pro ball, although I’ve kind of been this way forever. I’ve always been ‘a left-handed pitcher.’”

Six starts into his career, Gordon has logged a 4.70 ERA and a 4.15 FIP over 30-and-two-thirds innings. He’s won two of his three decisions.

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Clarke Schmidt leans heavily on his cutter — he’s featured it 44.2% of the time this season — and he throws five other pitches as well. Among them is a sinker that differs from last year’s version.

“We changed the orientation from a two-seamer,” the New Yankees right-hander explained. “We felt that with a one-seam sinker we could induce a little more vertical depth. Before, I’d throw some two-seams that were more of a runner. They were like 13 horizontal and [positive] eight vertical; they were kind of just staying up and running in. We wanted to keep the horizontal in the same area, and add some depth. We’re really happy with the changes we made. In my last outing, I think I threw a few that were below the negative line. A few were 15 and zero, 16 and zero. I know that my usage hasn’t been crazy high [8.6%] this year, but we’re continuing to find spots for it.”

Schmidt is 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA and a 3.73 FIP over 10 starts. He’s fanned 57 batters over 55 frames.

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A quiz:

Barry and Bobby Bonds combined to hit 1,094 home runs, the most for a father-son due in MLB history. Which father-son pitching duo combined for the most wins?

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NEWS NOTES

Johnny O’Brien, an infielder/pitcher whose career spanned the 1953-1959 seasons, died earlier this week at age 94. Playing primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates, O’Brien swatted 204 hits, including four home runs, and tossed 61 innings with a 5.61 ERA. His twin brother, Eddie O’Brien, also played for the Pirates.

John Shulock, an MLB umpire from 1979-2002, died on June 5 at age 76. Shulock was an infielder in the Minnesota Twins system for three seasons before becoming an arbiter.

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The answer to the quiz is Mel Stottlemyre Sr. and Todd Stottlemyre, who combined for 302 wins. The former, who played for the New York Yankees from 1964-1974, had 164 wins. The latter, who played for five teams — primarily the Toronto Blue Jays — from 1988-2002, had 138 wins.

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The Tampa Bays Rays ranked 23rd among the 30 teams in starter innings last year, while in 2023 they ranked 26th, and in 2022 they were dead last. This season? Going into the weekend, they ranked right at the top.

MLB.com’s Adam Berry asked Kevin Cash about it when the Rays visited Fenway Park earlier this week.

“They’ve been really good,” Tampa Bay’s manager said of the rotation comprising Shane Baz, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot, and Drew Rasmussen. “If there were reason for us to take them out of ballgames we would do that, but they’re making it pretty difficult, because it seems like they’re navigating through their 90 to 100-plus pitches. They do it pretty efficiently. They’re getting deep into ballgames.”

Efficiency and effectiveness aside, has there been a philosophical change from recent seasons? I asked Cash that question, and he answered in the negative. The Rays rotation, which went into the weekend with the fifth-best ERA in the AL, has simply racked up positive results more often than not.

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The Red Sox rank third from the bottom in starter innings over the past month, resulting in an overtaxed bullpen. With one-inning-per-reliever being the club’s most-common usage pattern, that has meant a lot of outings for a lot of arms. That in mind, I asked Alex Cora if any thought has gone into piggybacking — the starter going five innings, followed by a bulk reliever for the next three or four — on certain days.

“Where we’re at right now, that’s hard to do because of the personnel and the usage,” replied Cora. “The roster flexibility. It’s very hard to do that. Have we talked about other ways of getting through a game? Of course. But I think where we are right now roster-wise, it’s tough.”

On a related note, multi-inning relievers are anything but commonplace in today’s game. In one game I attended recently, the two teams combined to use 11 relievers, and 10 of them pitched exactly one inning (with mostly low pitch counts). The lone exception didn’t have an opportunity to finish a frame, as the game ended before he was able to get a third out. Truth be told, I don’t fully understand the one-inning logic, particularly for non-closers.

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It is common knowledge that Jackie Robinson wore the number 42 on the back of his uniform, while Henry Aaron famously wore 44. Among current-day players, Aaron Judge’s number is probably best known, and not only because Judge is a superstar. While others have worn it, 99 is fairly uncommon.

But what about other marquee players? Consider this a bonus quiz: What numbers do Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Bobby Witt Jr. wear?

The answer can be found below.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Hiroshima Carp left-hander Hiroki Tokoda has an NPB-best five complete games (in 11 starts). At total of 26 pitchers have thrown at least one CG this season.

Livan Moinelo tossed another gem this week, fanning 13 batters as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks outscored the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 4-1. In his past two starts, the 29-year-old southpaw has surrendered just six hits and one run, with two walks and 31 strikeouts over 17 overpowering innings. He has a 1.26 ERA on the season.

Andre Jackson is 6-2 with a 1.40 ERA over 70-and-two-thirds innings for the BayStars. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2021-2023.

Ryan Weiss is 8-2 with a 3.09 ERA over 14 starts with the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles.The 28-year-old right-hander out of Wright State University pitched in the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals systems from 2018-2023, topping out in Triple-A. This is his second season in Korea.

Hyoung-woo Choi is slashing .320/.419/.551 with 10 home runs for the Kia Tigers. The 41-year-old outfielder has a .310/.400/.531 slash line and 405 home runs over 20 seasons. His 1,688 RBIs are the most in KBO history.

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The answer to the bonus quiz: Ohtani 17, Soto 22, Witt 7.

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Taking money/contracts out of the equation, which of Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal would you rather have over the next five seasons? I asked that question in a Twitter poll on Friday, and the results weren’t as close as I expected. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace garnered 64.2% of the vote, while the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner received just 35.8%.

The 23-year-old Skenes, who debuted last May, has a 1.89 ERA, a 2.46 FIP, and a 30.4% strikeout rate over 229 career innings. Since the beginning of last season, the 28-year-old Skubal has a 2.26 ERA, a 2.30 FIP, and a 31.0% strikeout rate over 282-and-a-third innings.

Assuming they stay healthy, both should continue to put up boffo numbers for the foreseeable future. By and large, this poll was a choice between great and great.

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FARM NOTES

The West Michigan Whitecaps clinched the High-A Midwest League’s Eastern Division first-half title on Friday with a 20-6 win over the Lansing Lugnuts. Kevin McGonigle — No. 5 on our Detroit Tigers Top Prospects list — went 5-for-6 with a double, while unranked Izaak Pacheco went 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs.

Caleb Bonemer has a 145 wRC+ to go with five home runs and a .269/.412/.451 slash line over 238 plate appearances with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. A second round pick last year out of Okemos [MI] High School, the 19-year-old shortstop/third baseman is No. 13 on our Chicago White Sox Top Prospects list.

Luis Peña has a 144 wRC+ to go with six home runs and a .321/.373/.516 slash line over 177 plate appearances with the Low-A Carolina Mudcats. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in January 2024, the 18-year-old shortstop/third baseman is No. 5 on our Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects list.

Alfredo Duno has a 147 wRC+ to go with six home runs and a .263/.416/.462 slash line over 238 plate appearances with the Low-A Daytona Tortugas. Signed out of Venezuela in January 2023, the 19-year-catcher is No. 2 on our Cincinnati Reds Top Prospects list.

Nigel Belgrave has a 2.25 ERA, a 2.29 FIP, and a 40.5% strikeout rate over 28 relief innings for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The 23-year-old right-hander was taken in the 15th round of the 2023 draft by the Miami Marlins out of the University of Maryland.

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The ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) system seems inevitable, either with or without a challenge system preceding it. I’m in favor, and unless something has changed, so is Larry Andersen. Eight years ago this summer, the Phillies broadcaster was quoted here in Sunday Notes saying the following:

“We’ve got replay, so why not get an electronic thing to put on the plate. Forget the home plate umpire.”

Andersen has some old-school ways about him, but in this case he was ahead of his time. Moreover, his opinion is valid. As good as umpires are, the technology available is better.

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A random obscure former player snapshot:

Jack Doscher appeared in 27 games across the 1903-1908 seasons, taking the mound for the Brooklyn Superbas, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. A southpaw, the Fordham University product fashioned a 2.84 ERA, but just a 2-10 won-lost record. At the plate, he went just 5-for-50. His claim to fame is being MLB’s first second-generation player. His father, Herm Doscher, played for five teams, including the Cleveland Blues and Brooklyn Atlantics, from 1872-1882.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell wrote about the invaluable support that San Diego Padres slugger Gavin Sheets has been receiving from his father, former Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers outfielder Larry Sheets.

The Baltimore Banner’s Danielle Allentuck wrote about the tragic death of Brian Matusz, and how professional athletes often struggle with the end of their careers.

New details have emerged, alleging that Wade Miley was an early drug source for Tyler Skaggs. Sam Blum has the story at The Athletic (subscription required).

Who have been this season’s top defensive rookies? Mark Simon answered that question at Sports Info Solutions.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Jacob Wilson went into yesterday 52-for-130 (.400) in home games.
Aaron Judge went into yesterday 54-for-135 (.400) in road games.

In 2019, Eugenio Suárez hit 49 home runs and struck out 189 times.
In 1954, Ted Kluszewski hit 49 home runs and struck out 35 times.

In 2004, Barry Bonds had 232 walks and 60 singles.
In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki had 203 singles and 49 walks

In 1985, Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dennis Lamp went 11-0 with a 3.32 ERA. In 1978, Lamp went 7-15 with a 3.30 ERA pitching for the Chicago Cubs.

Toby Harrah walked at least once in 16 consecutive games during the 1985 seasons. Per the Rangers radio broadcast, that’s a Texas Rangers franchise record.

From 1906-1908, Chicago Cubs right-handers Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown and Ed Reulbach combined to go 140-36 with a 1.54 ERA during the regular season, and 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA in the World Series.

On today’s date in 1925, the Philadelphia Athletics scored 13 runs in the eighth inning to beat the Cleveland Indians 17-15. Hall of Fame outfielder Al Simmons capped the rally with a two-run, tie-breaking home run.

On today’s date in 1952, the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from an 11-0 deficit to beat the New York Giants 14-12. Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter doubled in a pair of runs in the seventh inning, then broke an 11-11 tie with a two-run single in the eighth.

Players born on today’s date include Dave Liddell, whose big-league career comprised one game, and one plate appearance, for the New York Mets in 1990. Liddell stroked a pinch-hit single, making him one of just 16 players in modern-era MLB history to record a hit in his lone time at the plate.

Also born on today’s date was Dutch Schirick, whose big-league career comprised one game, and one plate appearance, for the St. Louis Browns in 1914. Schirick drew a walk (he also swiped two bases), making him one of just 38 players in modern-era MLB history to receive a free pass his lone time at the plate.