Tony Wolters and Chris Iannetta Give The Rockies A Strong Catching Tandem | Forbes
Tony Wolters and Chris Iannetta have represented a very productive catching combination for the Colorado Rockies. In terms of DRC+, Wolters and Iannetta are sitting at 103 and 100, respectively. And in Thursday’s sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, both came up with big-time clutch hits. Wolters has seen a particular spike in offensive ability from a season ago when he had a meager batting line of .170/.292/.286.
Jack Etkin of Forbes reminds us of spring training 2016, when the Rockies claimed Wolters off waivers from the Cleveland Indians with no intentions of putting him on the major league roster. Wolters seized the job and the offensive results are finally coming to fruition. Perhaps a bigger impact has come from Wolters’ handling of the pitching staff. Jon Gray, in particular, has rave reviews for Wolters’ work behind the plate and speaks of the trust pitchers have in him.
‘There’s no accountability for those guys’: Giants’ Buster Posey and Bruce Bochy are steamed over the lack of replay transparency | The Athletic ($)
There was a controversial call in Thursday night’s matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers that swung in the favor of LA. Giants’ catcher Buster Posey and manager Bruce Bochy both spoke after the game about the lack of accountability for umpires in the replay booth. The replay crews in New York are unknown to those of us watching the games and evidently to those playing on the field as well.
Just like analytics has evolved to the point where players are closely scrutinized, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic argues that there should be a similar analysis of umpires. Perhaps those that aren’t performing well should be demoted, just as an underperforming player would be.
Can Baseball Make It Big on Social Media? | The Hardball Times
It’s been a bit of a wild ride for baseball fans who seek to promote the game through their content creation (If you haven’t checked out Jomboy’s videos, they are highly recommended).
For its part, Major League Baseball hasn’t always been supportive of fans sharing videos involving their sport, but the tide may be turning. At the Hardball Times, Elliot Sang has a great write-up on how social media can play a role in getting youths interested in the game.
On the Farm
Rockies’ 2019 first-round pick Michael Toglia went yard in his first game with the Boise Hawks. Meanwhile, Rico Garcia was solid in his first start in Triple-A, logging five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts.
Triple-A: Reno Aces 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 1
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 7, Altoona Curve 6
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks 13, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7
Single-A: Columbia Fireflies 6, Asheville Tourists 3 (11 innings)
Short-Season A: Spokane Indians 9, Boise Hawks 4