AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
The 2023 MLB season has now been underway for two weeks, and from week one to week two, a lot more action has happened! Players and teams have started to turn things around or have hit a slump. TWSN MLB analysts Marissa Myers and Matt Levine will bring their stock report of all that is on the rise or fall around the league!
Stock Up:
-Jordan Walker
To put it simply, it has been a great rookie start for Jordan Walker. Over 47 at-bats he is currently slashing .319/.360/.489, has two home runs, and 15 hits. It’s the 15 hits that are outstanding. The reason? They have come in consecutive games since Opening Day to match a 111-year record with 12 games of having at least one hit as a rookie.
–Stolen Bases
Due to the increased base size, the amount of bases stolen has drastically increased as well. So far there is an average of two stolen base attempts per game, up from 1.4 this time last season. Not only that, the success rate is up as well to the point that it is an all-time high with over 80%, up from 76%.
-Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh has started off this season with a bang. They are playing well out of the gates and are exceeding expectations. They sit towards the top of the NL Central standings and while it remains to be seed if they can keep up this level of production all year long, it’s fun for the fans right now. After some really grueling years, baseball is fun again in the Steel City and it’s a welcome sight.
-Luis Arráez
-Arizona Diamondbacks
Everyone around the game of baseball or anyone that followed the game knew that the Diamondbacks would improve this season. But they are on the rise and are a real problem going forward. They have a ton of young talent that is ready to show what they can do. They just dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four game series, winning three of four in impressive fashion. If things continue, we may see Arizona on this list more often.
Stock Down:
-Detroit Tigers Pitching
Pitching for Detroit has been atrocious so far. They have the second-worst ERA with 6.73, have allowed 102 hits, 21 home runs, and a 1.48 WHIP. The biggest issue has been the inability to strike batters out, as they only have 68 as a team and no pitcher has over 10. To improve as a unit, they need to improve their strikeout rate.
–Eduardo Escobar
As someone the New York Mets were relying on by choosing him over Brett Baty, Escobar hasn’t lived up to past years so far. Over 39 at-bats he only has three runs and four hits while having a slash line of .103/.143/.205. Fielding isn’t much better with only four putouts over 25 total chances. It may be time for the Mets to make the switch and get Baty in the lineup.
-Los Angeles Dodgers
Simply put, the Dodgers got shellacked by the Diamondbacks the other day. They were outplayed in almost every way and it’s not something that fans have been accustomed too over the years. They lost a ton of talent over the offseason but still have a really strong roster. The Dodgers have plenty of time to overcome their mediocre start but in their strong division, it needs to happen quickly.
-Julio Rodríguez
Rodríguez was the talk of the baseball season last year and he helped the Mariners break their long-time playoff drought. He was supposed to really take off this season but so far at least, that hasn’t been the case. He has gotten off to a very slow start to the season and it has hurt his team. The Mariners struggles aren’t all on Rodríguez but it certainly isn’t helping when the star player is off to a poor start. There is still plenty of time to turn things around luckily for him.
-Oakland As fans and franchise
Before I start, I knew going into the season that the As would be bad. But the product they are putting out onto the field each and every game is terrible. You have to feel for the fans in Oakland and all their fans everywhere else. This was a once proud franchise and now they aren’t even trying to win. It’s sad and something needs to drastically change out in Oakland.
