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The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
Should the Mets have actually shut down Matt Harvey last year? And could that be the reason for his struggles? Matt Jackson of Beyond the Box Score explored that possibility.
So is Matt Harvey injured? Two out of three of the indicators above suggest that, no, he isn't. But it doesn't seem like he's out of the woods yet either. Harvey's velocity has been at an all-time low since he passed the much ballyhooed 180 IP mark last season. Was Scott Boras right? Should the Mets have shut Matt Harvey down? We'll never know for sure, but if Harvey goes down with a serious arm injury in the near future, you can be certain that at least one person will think they should have. Chances are that he'll let us know, too.
Let's check in on some of the early trade candidates for 2016 and how they are doing this year.
Vote in the latest front office confidence ratings poll.
The Orioles, Tigers and Reds are all interested in free agent Kyle Lohse.
Dave Cameron talked about Trevor Story and sample size.
For two weeks, Trevor Story has provided some real evidence that he can hit the ball exceptionally hard in the air. The other guys who are doing this as often as he is are elite sluggers, and the guys who did it regularly last year are mostly All-Star caliber first baseman or corner outfielders. While Story’s contact rate remains a significant problem, we should be getting close to the point where we’re not doubting his power too much anymore. Small sample size is a good refrain to keep in mind when looking at a player’s results, but as we move towards an era where we can measure a player’s raw abilities with greater precision, the time it takes to identify high-level talents will be diminished.
It’s early, and pitchers might yet figure out how to exploit the holes in Trevor Story’s swing, but at this point, it’s probably safe to say that his power is not a fluke. He won’t keep hitting homers at his current rate, but Trevor Story is probably going to hit a lot of dingers this year.
Here is a roundupof the latest news surrounding the National League West.
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