.

TABLE SETTERS

It was what, about February 2010 when Chone Figgins grabbed his big contract from the Mariners and did a TV spot.  "Ichiro and I will be one of the best 1-2's in MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY :: laughs :: .... Hopefully."

So then ... 700 or 800 painful M's losses later?, we just saw Dee Gordon and Jean Segura rack up 3 hits a-piece in the Giants game Tuesday.  The Denizens have run out of players, as far as asking "So what do you think this guy's upside is?"  :- )  Well, except for with Dee Gordon it's no upside to hit .300 and steal 60 bases.  It's what he does for a living.  

But!  Chone's .400 OBP was what he did, too, eh?  Before the free agent tour and then Safeco.  Four weeks ago we were watching between our fingers to see how the transition went; NL to AL is sketchy enough, forget a position switch.

It has taken Dee Gordon exactly 4 games to blow away those fears.  It's partly because he's the anti-Chone in terms of positive energy and selflessness.

Back to the "what is this guy's upside do ya think?" water cooler.  We haven't chatted Jean Segura.  What is Dr. D's take?  He thought that last year we never saw Jean Segura looking comfortable.  We almost forgot that in 2016 he hit .319/.368/.499 and this year he looks far more in rhythm.  His line drive rate is over 30% and if we checked it, we're guessing you'd see a better launch angle and more balls to RF.  Anyway, you can figure out your ownself the many reasons he might be adjusted and happy this year.  Don't forget the earlier career bumps because of tragedies in his family; this is a player you want to help stay in a happy state of mind.

He's had a few balls drop in, to fuel his .375/.412/.500 start.  Perhaps a hot April will push him back towards a 125 OPS+ rather than his 110 last year.  Bearing in mind that in Safeco you don't need to slug .500 to post a 120 OPS+.

....

Best 1-2 in MLB history, what would that take?  :- )  No idea; maybe you've got a pair in mind you like.  Rose and Griffey Sr you think Daddy-O?  heh  They won't make history, but Gordon and Segura are going to put a diamond lane onto Dipoto's "traffic" agenda.  

Intriguing that this glorrrrrious 1-2 is there because of Dipoto's two best concepts (not counting Diaz).  I guess Dipoto, consciously or subconsiously, REALLY wanted that "traffic;" he did not stop until he got it.  The M's are #2 in the AL in team OBP ... and consider all the reasons they shouldn't be.  Unless something changes from where we are here, the M's base carousel is going to out-do their Cheney carousel.  

You do what you want, amigo.  Dr. D is going to luxuriate in this 1-2 all year.

.

8th INNING OUTLOOK SOARS

Judging by the Mainframe's review of the Slack chat, several Denizens noticed that Juan Nicasio's velocity started at 91, 91, 92 ... and then BAM he's back to 95 like magic. Better yet, check out Nicasio's inside/outside strike zone!  (The fastballs are the huge cluster on the outside corner, the "black" since home plates used to have rubber perimeters; the cluster at the knees-thighs are his sliders.)  

That, kiddies, is what Krueger means by Strike One on the black at high velo.  The at-bat is already over, now the batter's thinking "How many pitches is this going to take before I'm back in the dugout?"  Nicasio in 2015-16 threw hard and wild, a 10.0 K / 4.0 BB type guy like Altavilla.  Then in 2017 developed the skill of command, going to a 9.0 K / 2.5 BB / 0.6 homer guy who is the guy you want in front of your closer.

In other words, here you go to HQ's axiom:  once a player shows a skill he owns it.  There's no reason for Nicasio's 2.5 BB rate to regress.  But that 91-92 mph had us fretting.

Joyfully, on April 3, the Denizen's view of the 8th inning --- > took the same route that Nicaso's velocity graph (pictured above) did.  One more game at 95+ and we can all heave a sigh of, um, relief?

.

MARC-O PER THE MAINFRAME

His changeup is still the 84 mph it has been, rather than the 79 we keep searching for.  Oddly, it had its intended effect Tuesday; Marco had 5 swings-and-misses off the changeup alone and 9 overall, which is at least as good as Jamie Moyer was going to do.  Marco went 20-for-26 throwing at a target 20 yards away, using his ring finger and pinky.  Ever tried it?  The change drew 17 lousy swings and ...

... he jammed people HIGH, above the hands, not down where they can angle the barrel to it.  (Here's his inside/outside zone chart should you foolishly doubt the Mainframe.)  So he's throwing the cutter up and in, he's floating the change down and away, he's throwing the fastball into a teacup.  He didn't have 93 mph, but he was doing everything a pitching coach tells guys to do.  

There it was on your screen Tuesday, a PITCHER.  I think Ray Miller somewhere is about to cry.

...

As you know, we talk to the newbies also at SSI.  A "cut fastball" is released like a football, and it swerves gloveside instead of armside.  For a lefty pitcher, this means a hard pitch inside to "scare" a hitter who is ---- > inching to the plate, leaning out, hoping to turn an outside-edge pitch into a center-cut pitch.

If a pitcher isn't "establishing both sides," it can be the picture of simplicity for an ML hitter to just step in 8" and whack every pitch like playing tennis.  This is the death that Jack Zduriencik thought Hisashi Iwakuma was facing in WBC-san's first spring training here, which is why Iwakuma didn't see any action for months.

As TJM and others have noted, 92 MPH and a cut fastball were what turned Cliff Lee into a guy who "murdered souls" as ESPN put it.  Lee was always able to PITCH and the moment he had the tools, it was Game Over.

The cutter is also very tough on the elbow ligament.  Servais said, direct quote, he wanted 7-8 cutters per game and he didn't like the 16-17 that Marc-O was throwing.  :: pink floyd get on with it :: said all that to say this:  Brooks counted 22 (!) cutters Tuesday.  Interpret that as (1) our new star #4 pitcher will blow his arm out by the All-Star Break or (2) the Tommy John surgery went great, and Marc-O's feeling it.

In either case, Servais said that Marco Gonzales is the key to the M's 2018 season.  That'll do for us too.  This offense is going to take advantage of Quality Starts.

.

FOR FURTHER READING ...

As usual, Ryan Divish has the most on-point M's recap ... outside the Think Tank, naturally.  ;- )  There are intriguing quotes from Marc-O and other stuff.  I had forgotten to note that the M's got 12 hits, and somebody said that 4 runs in the first inning had never been done to the Giants in San Francisco?!  Could that be true?

Seager gets a smile from you:

“I don’t know if I can ever hope to ever get Mitch hot,” said Seager, who had two hits on the day. “He looks really good in there. He’s swinging the bat really well. He’s been really doing a good job. Nelson is a hard void to fill and he’s jumped in there really well.”

Mitch Hot.  Somebody make some stadium signs?

.

Enjoy,

Dr D