Freaks of the Week 5/12-5/18

 Freaks of the Week 5/12-5/18

By: Spent Brockman

Nolan Arenado, St Louis Cardinals

Arenado's first six weeks of the season was emblematic of the Cardinals' horrendous start to the season. Coming into the week the Cardinals were a woeful 13-25 the polar opposite of what the consensus NL Central favorites had envisioned coming into the season. Arenado played a key role in the team's abysmal start sporting a .233 average to go along with just 3 homers and 19 RBIs; numbers like this for a perennial all star looked like the beginning of the end for the 32 year old third baseman. Arenado put any thought about his career being in decline to rest by being the most dominant player in baseball over the past 7 days. Over the series against the Red Sox and Brewers, the slugger hit an eye popping 6 homers while driving 15 runs accompanied by a .414 average. This weeklong dominance was not the result of a couple superb games instead it was the result of continued and utter supremacy as he was the catalyst for the Cardinal offense in each game as he recorded a hit and an RBI in all seven games while homering in 6 out the 7. Cardinal fans hope this Arenado is closer to the real one rather than the one that plagued the Cardinal lineup for the first six weeks.

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays

When the Blue Jays signed the aging starter to a three year deal with an annual value of 21 million, I thought this was a José Berríos 2.0 situation where the team makes a big financial commitment to an above average pitcher who had flashed dominance only for the player to take a huge step back once they are fully entrenched with the team. My initial skepticism seemed to be validated when Bassitt got abused by the Cardinals in his first start to the tune of 9 earned runs over 3.1 innings pitched. As the season continued Bassitt showed improvement but he still struggled with mechanical issues as he issued a combined 8 walks over his next two starts. With the season now in the full swing of things Bassitt looks to be worth every penny and this past week is all the validation the Blue Jays needed to have faith in the investment. Bassitt's first start came against the explosive Braves offense, a team that averages over five runs per game and features the early NL MVP favorite. What did Bassitt do when faced with such a daunting task? Only a complete game shutout while striking out 8 and allowing a mere 4 Braves to get on base. If that was not impressive enough Bassitt followed up the effort with yet another stellar outing against a strong Yankee lineup striking out another 7 batters over 7 more scoreless frames. Bassitt now has four outings this season where he has worked over six innings without giving up a single run. Impressive stuff. Bassitt will easily be an All Star by the time July comes around and he looks to have the makings of a serious AL Cy Young candidate.

Christopher Morel, Chicago Cubs

Morel bursted onto the season last year by reaching base in 22 straight games to start his major league career. He looked to be the Cubs leadoff man for years to come but then the cracks in the facade began to show as he hit a lowly .194 over the latter half of the year. Morel and the Cubs hoped a full offseason with the big league club would lead them to iron out all the kinks and get Morel rolling in the right direction again. But then came the spring and any hope of Morel showing the ability to be an everyday major leaguer came crashing down as he struck out at a startling 42% leading to a preseason demotion. After honing his tools at the AAA level, Morel looks to have found the secret sauce and is back to crushing on the Major League circuit. Following a May 9th promotion all Morel has done is hit with an XBH in all but one game while riding an eight game hitting streak. While the team has been scuffling a bit as of late, the Cubs hope Morel can act as the spark plug to get the offense firing on all cylinders as we head into the summer.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates

Much like his team, the expectations in the baseball community were low for Keller but we were wrong. Coming off a decent but inconsistent 2022 season, Keller was not seen as anything more than a middling arm as he lacked a true strikeout repertoire. Once a top prospect that carried the hopes of Pirate fans' future, it is now finally looking like the future has arrived as the 27 year old has turned it up a notch posting a 5-1 record supported by a 2.38 ERA. This progress has been on the back of a refined approach leading to a dramatic increase in strikeouts which can be seen by his K9 jumping up to 11.0 after hanging around 7.8 the previous season. All the work towards taking the next step to become the elite arm he was forecasted to be was on display in his start this past week. Facing a surprisingly strong Oriole lineup in his last start, Keller was in complete control as he worked 7 shutout innings while only allowing 4 baserunners and embarrassing the Oriole lineup with 13 strikeouts. For an unexpected contending Pirate club, Keller could not be performing any better creating a level of excitement in Pittsburgh that has not been seen since McCutchen's first stint with the team.

Nolan Gorman, St Louis Cardinals

Another NL Central player. Another Cardinal. Another Nolan. The Cardinals have come roaring back onto the scene with a strong week and it has not only been the previously mentioned Nolan that is responsible. Nolan Gorman has been the ying to Arenado's yang as he helps fill out the finally potent Cardinal lineup as he is the perfect left handed bat to split the hard hitting righties Goldschmidt and Arenado. Following a largely disappointing rookie season for the organization's top prospect, Gorman has come roaring out of the gates showing he might be the top slugging second baseman in the league before even playing 130 career games. Gorman has been white hot over the past week hitting basically anything thrown his way leading to a .500 average. One of the big detractions preventing Gorman from taking the next step to becoming an elite second basemen was his restriction to the platoon. Even while being limited to platoon, Gorman has been nothing but productive and ready to play as in the 6 games when the youngster has come in as a pinch hitter he is hitting .444 while also swatting 3 bombs. Gorman's preparation and dedication to the game looks to be paying off as of late with him shedding that platoon title. Over the past week Gorman has earned starts against tough lefties Wade Miley and Julio Urias, the role change is already paying dividends as Gorman took the tough lefty Urias deep as part of a two homer game on Thursday. With Nolan and Nolan being two of the best players in all of baseball over the past week it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals are riding a sizzling 6-1 record over the past week.