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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Is Jurrjens NL’s top rookie?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While waiting for the daily injury update for a team that’s had more injuries to key players than any team I’ve covered in 14 seasons of doing this beat thing, let us consider the early race for National League Rookie of the Year and the Braves’ strong candidate: Jair Jurrjens.
The 22-year-old not only leads all major league rookies in wins (5) and ERA (2.64), but among all National League starters Jurrjens ranks fifth in ERA, tied for seventh (with Dan Haren) in opponents’ batting average (.219), and fourth in opponents’ slugging (.298).
Folks, the Curacao Kid has a better ERA than Brandon Webb (2.69), and his 1.48 home ERA is the third-best in the NL, just behind Cincy’s Edinson Volquez (1.44) and San Diego’s Jake Peavy (1.46) and ahead of S.D.’s Greg Maddux (1.88).
(That Volquez has put up that ERA at Cincy is amazing; that park is ridiculously small, as the Braves will be reminded when they go there next week and hit a slew of homers).
Jurrjens has been so good, when he gives up five hits and two runs (one earned) in seven innings like he did last night in a win against the Mets — the 18th win in the Braves’ last 21 home games — it no longer even surprises anyone.
No other major league rookie has an ERA as low as 3.10, and Washington’s John Lannan (3.40) ranks second among NL rookies, three-quarters of a run behind Jurrjens.
Of course, it’s way early and the race could be completely different in another 50 games, but Jurrjens looks like anything but a fluke so far.
However, even if he keeps up something close to this pace and wins 12-15 games with an ERA under 3.00, he still won’t be guaranteed of the NL Rookie award, because this is another strong year for elite rookies in the league.
The Cubs’ Geovany Soto is hitting .314 with a whopping nine homers and 34 RBI, and a lot of voters tend to side with every-day position players over pitchers if one has an overwhelming season.
Blake DeWitt of the Dodgers is hitting .325 with four homers and 23 RBI, and offseason blog favorite Kosuke Fukudome is hitting .305 with 17 RBI. He’ll need to pick it up, or else voters will probably say something akin to his name regarding his candidacy.
Cincy’s Joey Votto also has nine homers and 23 RBI. That Great America Small Park is a nice place to be a rookie slugger, I’m telling you.
Not much time today: So let’s hit a few things quickly before we have to motor over to the ballpark. Gotta swap out bags, move my stuff to the backpack, because I’m riding the bike today.
_ Mac’s May: Looks like we’re getting the 2006 version of Brian McCann, aka the best-hitting young catcher in the National League and, in my opinion, the majors.
McCann is hitting .419 with a stunning 11 doubles, three homers and 19 RBI in 16 May games, with eight walks, six strikeouts, a .486 OBP and a .742 slugging percentage.
He might have gotten last year’s All-Star nod on reputation and a lack of stiff competition, but McCann will be selected to his third consecutive All-Star Game this season because he’s flat-out deserving.
Oh, and in his last nine games, he’s hit .405 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI. Look out, now. Mac might be ready to put up some silly-good numbers this season while hitting in the shadow of Hoss.
— KJ’s better there: Bobby Cox agreed with what many here have been saying for some time - Kelly Johnson looks a lot more comfortable hitting down in the order instead of in the leadoff spot.
Johnson, recently dropped from the leadoff spot to mostly hitting seventh, has gone 12-for-30 (.400) with three doubles, two triples, a homer and five RBI in his past nine games.
For the season he’s hit .263 with a .328 OBP and .412 slugging percentage in the 114 at-bats in the leadoff spot, and .429 (9-for-21) with a .458 OBP and .762 slugging percentage in the No. 7 hole.
For his career, it’s .270/.363/.442 in 434 leadoff at-bats, .241/.332/.407 in 253 at-bats in the No. 2 spot, and .368/./447/.632 in 114 at-bats in the No. 7 position.
(He’s also hit in every other spot in the lineup for at least two at-bats in his career, and is 7-for-17 with three extra-base hits while batting fifth).
By the way, Johnson is 8-for-25 with four extra-base hits (two homers) and 11 RBI in eight games against the Mets this season.
— Speaking of Mets nemeses … Jeff Francoeur, after his three-hit, four-RBI game with a triple and homer last night, has hit .316 with 15 extra-base hits and 24 RBI in 25 games against the Mets since the beginning of last season.
For his career, he’s hit .300 with 21 doubles, eight homers and 41 RBI in 51 games against the Metropolitans.
Ok, a tune: Let’s go with another product of the rich local music scene we have here in Atlanta, Shawn Mullins, and a cut from his 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor CD (his recently released CD, Honeydew, is another fine recording).
”COLD BLACK HEART” by Shawn Mullins
I once had a true love,
Her name was Maggie Brown
Her eyes they were the color
Of the sun burning down
And she had hair that smelled like jasmine
I loved her from the start
How was I to know she’d have a cold black heart
Well Maggie was my true love,
The only kiss I knew
I’d meet her at the oak tree
In the cool evening dew
Where we would walk beside the levee
Our fingers intertwined
While the crimson moon gazed through
The needles of the pines
We’d lay beside each other,
Staring at the sky
Listenin’ to the whistlin’
Of the train blowin’ by
As it was on it’s way to Macon
The town where I was born
We’d make love in the darkness,
‘til the hours of the morn
Waterfalls and rainbows,
Sweet salvation sin
As I lay there sleeping
Against her golden skin,
My friends now gather around
And listen close
The story takes a turn
I wasn’t fair young Maggie’s
Only lover I did learn
I went down by the oak tree
Lookin’ for my lass
And walked east towards the levee
With the sunset in my past
And then I ran through briars and brambles,
Until I finally found
My Maggie and her true love
There lyin’ on the ground
My eyes they filled with fire,
They didn’t see me there
I watched as she made love to him,
Caressed him with her hair
I don’t remember how it happened
I guess I just saw red
I drew my pistol from my belt
And shot them graveyard dead
I once loved a maiden
Her name was Maggie Brown
But now I’m riding on a boxcar
Back to Macon town
The setting sun will never let me forget
What deed I have done
Until the day they hunt me down,
I’m livin’ on the run
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