Freaks of the Week

 FOTW 6/9-6/15

By: Spent Brockman

Fernando Tatis, San Diego Padres

Who said cheaters never prosper? The now controversial franchise cornerstone for the Padres had his public image turned upside down following a positive PED test resulting in a player that once looked to be in prime position to be the face of baseball for the next decade now drawing the ire of fan bases outside of San Diego. What can Tatis do to right his wrongs? Well to put it simply, hit. If Tatis can put together a strong, healthy season and live up to the ceiling he has flashed for prolonged periods during his career then he will once again captivate the baseball world as his combination of athleticism, raw power, and hand eye coordination put him in rare company. Tatis is starting to show that prolonged success as he has sparked the Padre offense causing a June explosion which has been epitomized over his past week’s hitting, raking with a .440 average with 3 homers and 5 steals. Cheater or no, Tatis is the most electric player in baseball so weeks like this are not outside his norm.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

This endorsement has nothing to do with pitching as he has not been his normal sharp self on the mound but he has more than made up for it with his bat as of late. The dynamic two way player has been on an absolute power binge over the past week tallying 8 XBHs 6 of which left the yard. The highlight of the left handed hitters week came against the division leading Rangers on Monday when he helped complete a comeback win with a game tying home run to push the game to extras and a game winning dinger in the 12th. While his struggles on the mound were on full display in a Friday start against the mariners where he struggled with control walking 5 mariners but his bat is too hot right now for his pitching struggles to matter as even in that Mariner he made up for his struggles with a single double and homer. For an Angels team trying to put together their first successful season in years, the team cannot ask for much more out of the Japanese phenom.

Blake Snell, San Diego Padres

A trip to Coors Field usually spells trouble for opposing pitchers as singles turn to doubles and doubles turn to homers. So what is the best way to avoid the problems associated with a trip to Coors? Just miss some bats. Blake Snell had that strategy working in full force this past Sunday. The lefty took the mound trying to secure the series sweep and he delivered, doing everything in his power to follow through. The former Cy Young winner was near unhittable as aside from a 1st inning home run the Padre starter only allowed two other hits and stymied Rockie hitters with 12 strikeouts while going 7 innings, but the bullpen could not hold the lead resulting in a Padre loss. Following an inefficient start to the season in which he lacked the ability to work deep into games, Snell has gone on a heater over the past couple weeks. The songbird of our generation has now wracked up a mere 2 earned runs over his last 4 starts combined while displaying a devastating strikeout pitch with 33 punch outs to boot. For a Padre team that has been floundering under the weight of their sky high expectations this year, contributions like this Snell to go along with Tatis’s renewed MVP form are exactly what the team needs to put them over the hump.

Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians

Is it time to start beliebing again? The former Cy Young pitcher’s season was off to a rocky start as he gave up at least two runs in all his starts except for an opening day gem against the mariners. But it was not the excessive earned runs that were the righty’s main concern, it was the disappearance of his strikeout pitch. The former league leader in strikeouts only managed 4 Ks in all his starts but two coming into the week. With Bieber’s lone start of the week coming in a rubber match against the always hitting Astros, the Guardian ace would need to bring his A game. Boy did he deliver. Bieber threw 7 scoreless innings of what would be an eventual shutout but more importantly he was whiffing Astros left and right to hit a season high of 9 and clinch a series win. While Bieber’s season has not been utterly terrible it is definitely far below his standards so hopefully he can look back at this start as a turning point in the season where he was able to reestablish his strikeout repertoire. 

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

For a Baltimore fan base that has been enjoying a surprisingly resurgent season, there is no one player they look forward to seeing him play in an Orioles jersey for years to come like this man. This past week should give you a good indication as to why that is. Over a weekend series against the royals, the young lefty crushed anything and everything he was thrown. The youngster tallied 8 hits over the three games series with a double and 2 homers. All five of his tools were on display as he even added two steals over the weekend. His success carried over from the weekend with him hitting another dinger and 3 more hits over his series against the Blue Jays. Gunnar is just one of a couple young hitters who are carrying the Oriole offense to success forming a core that feels very reminiscent of the 2015 Cubs when they had their core of stud prospects make the rise to the majors and put on an offensive show leading to an unexpected playoff run. But like those 2015 Cubs, this Oriole team still has some holes and will need one more offseason to fill out their roster and actually compete for a World Series Ring.