Can of Corncast with Andy Greenberg – Scherzer deals, Trout’s got wheels, but Harper, Cruz keep homering
May 25, 2015, 9:18 AM | Updated: 9:18 am
While Max Scherzer and Mike Trout have both had fantastic seasons, two of their cohorts in this week’s Starting Five are making a much bigger scene with their bats.
Could we be in the midst of a home run race like that of 1998, when (an allegedly juiced) Mark McGwire and (an allegedly juiced) Sammy Sosa were tearing covers off the ball, gunning for 61?
Maybe.
Bryce Harper and Nelson Cruz are leading the way and making fans wonder if the longball era isn’t quite dead yet. Both players are ahead of the pace of 61 homers if they play all 162 games. Through Saturday, each has played in 42 games; and if you’re going to hit 61 in 162, you should have 15.81 at this point.
Countless math teachers have told me to always show my work so here you go: 61/162=X/42. Solve for X where X equals the amount of homers one should have in 42 games if they were to hit 61 in a season. Sixty-one times 42 is 2,562; divide by 162 and you get 15.8. #IDidTheMath
Yes, I just put a hashtag in my blog post, and yes, both guys are well ahead of the pace.
However, it’s entirely possible that neither of them even hits 50, a feat last accomplished by Chris Davis (53) in 2013 — and before that by Jose Bautista (54) in 2010. They’re the only players to hit that many since the turn of the decade, and you can add just two more, Price Fielder (50) and Alex Rodriguez (53), to the list since 2007.
Will two power hitters capture the hearts of baseball fans everywhere this summer? Will Cruz and Harper continue their power outbursts, or will pitching adjust and slow them down? Only time will tell, and that’s one of the greats things about baseball. Sit back, relax and enjoy the longball.
Bonus Blog Free Agent: Tsuyoshi Wada (SP, Chicago Cubs) 7 percent owned. Wada came into the majors late last season and only started 18 games, but he kept his ERA at 3.25 and struck out 57 batters in 69.1 innings. His first start this year after coming off the disabled list ended after 4.2 innings, but he struck out nine and only walked one. Watch his start on Monday against the Nationals: If he gives up three or fewer runs and strikes out four or more, he’s worth the add for his second start of the week vs. Kansas City.