:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49820285/GettyImages-526248654.0.jpg)
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! Did your team draft what you wanted them to draft?
If you missed the draft, and want all the information in one spot, we have you covered with our MLB Draft tracker.
Despite draft day taking over the baseball world, some actual roster moves were made and games were played. For example, the A’s traded outfielder Chris Coghlan to the Cubs in exchange for Arismendy Alcantara.
The White Sox were active, signing Justin Morneau out of retirement and also designating Matt Latos for assignment.
Utilizing the four-man outfield is a rare task, in the same vein as the five-man infield, but if you were to use this tactic, which players would it be best to use it against?
Now, almost definitely, you’d want a plus shortstop and/or third baseman — the thin line of green dots in left field suggests he’s already hitting grounders through the overshift. And, as Miller pointed out on a recent episode of Effectively Wild on which I appeared to discuss this subject, there’s plenty more to this all than just the batter’s tendencies. The pitcher’s tendencies are equally important — you’re not going to go to a four-man outfield with an extreme ground-baller like Dallas Keuchel on the mound. Handedness matters, too. The ballpark is important, as well — Buster Olney toyed with the idea of implementing a four-man outfield in Coors this offseason due to its spacious outfield dimensions. A commenter suggestedthat the ideal location for the five-man infield might just be Fenway Park, with the Green Monster essentially serving as the third outfielder.
But, in a vacuum, how many extra bases might that fourth outfielder save with Trout at the plate? How many doubles and triples become singles? Does it outweigh the number of singles that squeak through the left side with two defenders in the dirt as opposed to with three? Just looking at the spray chart, it doesn’t seem as crazy as it might sound. In fact, I hereby dare an MLB team to put the four-man outfield on Trout with a fly-ball, right-handed pitcher on the mound in a spacious ballpark this year. Hey, it’s not like the matchup can get much worse than it already is.
Travis Ishikawa is headed back to the Giants on a minor league deal.
Orioles’ Ryan Flaherty is putting up some pretty decent numbers.
Here is a roundup of news from around the National League Central.
Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer is still a work-in-progress.
Bauer is an enigma. One second he's brilliant, the next you wonder where it all went wrong. It's likely that he'll never be truly done toiling in the lab. There will always be testing and adjusting, tinkering and experimenting. There may very well be an Eureka moment. If and when that moment comes, the Indians will have the best rotation in baseball.
Until then, Bauer will be naught more than one of the many ex-top prospect curios that litter the game. He will always be a source of fascination and hope, until he isn't. Baseball is incredibly hard. Sometimes the top prospects don't work out. Bauer isn't an ace right now, but it doesn't mean he won't one day be. It doesn't mean that this isn't as far as his development gets either.
Important Links:
Subscribe to The Rosterbatorical on iTunes. While you are there, drop us a rating and a review!
Today in Baseball History: In 1944, pitcher Joe Nuxhall of the Reds is the youngest player in major-league history, at the age of 15.