‘Electric’ Elly De La Cruz heads for history; are the A’s … good? No. But they are interesting

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I hereby petition we begin calling him by his full identify: Electric De La Cruz. Also: lefties returning in Houston and Baltimore elevate roster questions, Steve Sax honors his son and the A’s are … higher than the Astros? I’m Levi Weaver, right here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!

De La Cruz is on tempo for historical past

It is just a whole lot of enjoyable to observe Elly De La Cruz play baseball. The mixture of energy, pace and a cannon arm is simply too electrical to disregard — even in a droop, as he was for the final couple months of 2023.

That’s a factor of the previous, by the manner. De La Cruz is hitting .306 (1.051 OPS) with seven house runs and a league-leading 15 stolen bases after 25 video games. I did the math: He’s on tempo for 45 house runs and 97 stolen bases.

It’s nonetheless April, too early for “X player is on pace for Y statistical line” tales to be written in good religion. (Surely the White Sox received’t go 19-143, proper?) So let me begin by saying I don’t consider that Elly De La Cruz goes to be the sport’s first 40/100 man.

But a yr after we noticed Ronald Acuña Jr. develop into the first participant in MLB historical past to hit 40+ house runs and steal 70+ bases, wouldn’t it be a shock to see De La Cruz create a membership of his personal? There’s by no means been a 30/100 season. Nor 30/90, 30/80 …

In reality, now we have to depend all the manner right down to 30/50 to discover a precedent, and it’s solely been completed twice: Barry Bonds hit 33 house runs and stole 52 bases in 1990 for the Pirates, and Eric Davis went 37/50 in 1987 (Mike Trout got here up one steal wanting the membership in 2012, as did Bobby Witt Jr. final yr).

Could we see 30/60 and even 30/70 from De La Cruz this yr? I don’t suppose that’s unrealistic in any respect. If he manages to get to 40 house runs, there’s an enormous hole between Acuña’s 73 steals and A-Rods 46 in 1998. No 40/50 or 40/60 seasons exist.

If De La Cruz “only” finally ends up being the third member of the 30/50 membership, it will nonetheless be cool for one more reason: he wears No. 44 on his Reds uniform. That’s the same number Davis wore when he established the 30/50 membership with Cincinnati almost 40 years in the past.

Ken’s Notebook: A’s are forward of Astros, as all of us predicted 

In a notes column a week ago, I wrote, “Only in this crazy sport could the game’s ultimate poverty franchise, the Oakland A’s, win a series from the defending World Series champions, the Texas Rangers.” Well, the A’s have been at it once more this week, splitting a four-game sequence towards Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees — at Yankee Stadium, no much less.

Raise your hand if, at any level this season, you anticipated the A’s would maintain a three-game lead over the Houston Astros. Granted, the A’s are solely 10-16, whereas the Astros are a ghastly 7-19. But the mighty Yankees outscored the A’s by just one run in the 4 video games. A’s nearer Mason Miller, he of the 100-plus mph fastball, struck out six of the eight hitters he confronted in the sequence, together with Soto twice.

Mason Miller going Medieval on Juan Soto. 🥴

3 Pitch Okay: 87mph Slider, 101mph and 102mph ⛽️

Overlay of Slider & 102mph FB at the finish. pic.twitter.com/wT37jeVxSL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2024

Are the A’s good? Of course not. But they have some interesting younger pitchers, led by Miller and lefty starter J.P. Sears. They even have some veteran starters who in the end might be commerce candidates — most notably right-hander Paul Blackburn, but in addition righty Ross Stripling and lefty Alex Wood. Neither Stripling nor Wood has pitched all that properly up to now, although the latter held the Yankees to at least one run on 5 2/3 innings on Thursday night time.

The A’s can’t hit — they’re averaging solely 2.96 runs per sport, forward of solely the Chicago White Sox, who are at an virtually unfathomable 2.24. As I noted last week, maybe when proprietor John Fisher, ahem, fulfills his promise to spend, the A’s will purchase some hitters.

A’s followers know higher than anybody — it’s not value getting overly excited a few crew that, whereas showing to be making progress, nonetheless is on a 100-loss tempo. Astros followers, in the meantime, can begin panicking any time now. Those followers chided me in the feedback part when I wrote on April 15 that the crew’s path to an eighth straight ALCS appeared more and more problematic. The Astros have been 6-11 then. They’re 1-8 since. At this fee, they will end 44-118.

Help is on the manner, or needs to be — the Astros’ subsequent two video games are in Mexico City towards the wretched Colorado Rockies, who are additionally 7-19. But after that, Houston’s schedule once more will get harder — house towards Cleveland and Seattle, on the highway towards the Yankees and Detroit. And then — look out! — a four-game set at Minute Maid Park towards the crew the Astros at present are chasing for fourth place. The going, going, virtually gone Oakland-Sacramento-Las Vegas A’s.

More Astros: Alex Bregman dismisses the idea that walk-year strain is contributing to his gradual begin.

Tough decisions forward in Houston, Baltimore

The last-place Astros and first-place Orioles have little or no in widespread this yr, however right here’s one similarity: They each have left-handed beginning pitchers coming off the IL quickly, which is able to power some interesting choices.

In Houston, it’s Framber Valdez getting back from a brief IL stint (elbow soreness) to start Sunday towards the Rockies. The shock right here is that J.P. France — not Spencer Arrighetti — shall be despatched right down to make room for Valdez. France hasn’t precisely set the sport alight (0-3, 7.46 ERA, .290 batting common towards), however in his second yr, he’s a bit extra established than Arrighetti (0-3, 10.97, .367 BAA), who has made three big-league begins. Perhaps the reply is in the strikeout fee (Arrighetti is at 25.9 p.c, whereas France is at 18.2), or the house runs — France has allowed 5 in 25 1/3 innings, whereas Arrighetti has solely allowed one in 10 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, John Means is getting back from some residual soreness that accompanied his return from Tommy John surgical procedure final yr, when he made 4 begins. Baltimore has slow-played him up to now this season, however he may doubtlessly additionally begin Sunday. His return — and that of Kyle Bradish, who can also be expected back soon — results in an interesting query: What occurs to surprise-of-the-year Albert Suárez? He has not allowed a run in two begins and is amongst eight Orioles pitchers who are out of minor-league options. The 5 with choices: beginning pitchers Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez, and relievers Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin and Dillon Tate. None are having unhealthy seasons.

Steve Sax on his son’s legacy

Maybe you understand Steve Sax from his position as one among 9 big-league “ringers” who assist the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team obliterate the competitors on “The Simpsons.” Or perhaps you have been round when the second baseman was a five-time All-Star who overcame the yips in 1983 to guide the league in fielding proportion by 1989. Or maybe you understand that Sax was in the on-deck circle when Kirk Gibson hit that legendary walk-off house run to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

The a part of Sax’s story that you simply may not know occurred extra not too long ago. In 2022, his son John — that’s Captain John Sax, of the Marines — was killed, together with 4 different service members, when his MV-22B Osprey malfunctioned. Dan Brown spoke with Sax about his profession, his son and the grief that is still.

It’s not a straightforward learn, and Brown did an ideal job of precisely portray the image. Grief just isn’t simple; it’s untidy and discomfiting, particularly in a society conditioned to look for the glad ending, the redemption, the closing knot tied in the bow.

Grief persistently unravels the bow.

But grief can be stunning, in the event you’re prepared to simply accept its phrases, sit with it, let it have its say. Sax quotes a line I’ve heard many instances earlier than, although repetition has not dulled the affect: “Grief is the price you pay for loving someone.” Seen by that lens, there may be magnificence in accepting the unsolvable, and braveness in a refusal to cover it.

As such, I feel it’s a sworn statement to Sax’s love for his son that he was in a position to be so unguarded with Brown. Sax acknowledges that he nonetheless hasn’t reached the “acceptance” stage.

Kudos to Sax for his willingness to share his profound love with us, and to Brown for telling the story so eloquently.

Baseball Card of the Week

As a lot as I take pleasure in baseball playing cards, I’ve discovered myself more and more having fun with studying by the SABR BioProject entries for every participant. How else would I’ve realized that Joe Dobson, star of this 1949 Bowman card, misplaced his left thumb and a part of his forefinger as a toddler enjoying with — and I’m not making this up — dynamite, then went on to set a report for defensive prowess?

Also, one among as of late, I’m going to aim to money in on one among these decades-old mail-in presents, simply to see what occurs.

Handshakes and High Fives

Tyler Kepner asks if it could be time to rethink the standards for the pitcher win in his weekly “Sliders” column.

Not to pack too many Simpsons references into one e-newsletter, however there’s a brand new face of the Mets’ dollar dog night — simply don’t name Moe’s Tavern and ask for him by identify.

We love quizzing veterans about their careers. Zack Meisel puts Carlos Carrasco to the test.

Brendan Kuty tells us how Carlos Rodón has mended things with Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake after a public diss on the mound final season.

Holy cow, take a look at this Kyle Isbel catch!

You should purchase tickets to each MLB sport here.

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(Top photograph: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)