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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.
The Atlanta Braves had a bad 2016, but in some ways it was a good bad season.
Minnesota has solved half of their front office problem, hiring Indians assistant general manager Dereck Falvey to be their president of baseball operations. The team is still going to look for a general manager.
Evan Gattis had a ground ball problem. He has made an adjustment, and fixed that problem.
Whoa. That’s quite a bit more than the assumed DH wOBA penalty of 14 points. Across the board there is a jarring difference in Gattis’ production when he is behind the plate. When you add to this that Gattis has earned a positive DRS of +1 and has been a positive pitch framer according to StatCorner, it appears that the Astros made the correct decision to put him back at catcher.
Early in the season it looked like Evan Gattis might have been finished as a productive hitter. A player who is limited to DH and doesn’t hit the ball in the air enough to maximize his power is simply not an appealing roster option for most teams. Thankfully for both Gattis and the Astros the early season struggles seem to be merely a blip on the radar. As it turns out, a move back behind the plate and an increase in launch angle was all that was needed to re-energize his career.
During a year when they took a step forward, the San Diego Padres took some strides backwards thanks to their general manager.
Here is a roundup of news from around the American League East.
I think we all share the sentiment of Dave Cameron from FanGraphs, about sharing who Jose Fernandez was with our children.
And we’re going to laugh together, as Fernandez laughed then. And I’m going to teach my son that it’s much better to be the guy who enjoys life too much than to be the guy trying to enforce the perceived proper enjoyment level upon others.
I won’t have Jose Fernandez around to help teach those lessons in real time, but Fernandez’s passion for life and baseball did not end yesterday. I’m crushed that we’ll never get to see him play again, and heartbroken for his family, but I’m excited to tell my son about the guy who reminded me that baseball is worth loving. I’m excited for Jose Fernandez to still show my son that life is enjoyable.
Thank you for your gift, Jose. I only wish we got more of it.
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Today in Baseball History: In 1998, the New York Yankees won their seventh game in a row, and ended the regular season with 114 wins.