Quick Hits and Misses

Isn't Sister Rosetta Tharpe the girl who invented rock 'n' roll?

Mar 25, 2025

∙ Paid

George Corrects

George, a close reader, had two corrections yesterday.

Mamie Van Doren is alive and kicking at 93. She married five times, the last in 1979. Here’s a fun clip with Clark Gable and Doris Day, not contemporary.

The other correction involved my statement that Kody Clemens, who for the first time has made the Phillies out of camp and might have a little value in AL Only leagues. Well, no. The Phillies, George kindly noted, play in the NL.

Yup.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I misunderstood, I guess. Yesterday I said that Hayden Birdsong was the Giants fifth starter, and Landon Roupp made the team and would start the season in the bullpen. Then, last night, I found a few reports that it was really the other way around. Roupp make the rotation, Birdsong makes the team. Let’s go that way for a while. It doesn’t change their outlooks on the season. They’re both good cheap pitching plays in NL Only leagues.

QUICK HITS

DJ Herz, a Rotoman (and many others) fave this year was sent down last week because of a dead arm, which now turns out to be a UCL sprain. Uh oh. Surgery is more likely than seeing him this year.

Luke Jackson earned the save in yesterday’s Rangers game and manager Bruce Bochy said that Jackson was in the mix for saves in Arlington. He did not say that Chris Martin and Robert Garcia were not in the mix.

Cavan Biggio makes the Royals, but maybe only as long as Vinnie Pasquantino is hurt. Biggio can be useful because of his walks, at least he was in the past, but his bat to ball skills have eroded and his best quality now is defensive flexibility.

Cam Smith has made the Astros as their starting right fielder. He’s got, as you’re sure to hear many times this year, the third fewest minor league games played by a position player before promotion since the draft was instituted. John Olerud and Pete Incaviglia are both inspirations, for sure, as well as warnings before you pop the champagne on a Smith-led Astros championship. Smith’s had a great camp, but his gaudy Spring Training numbers come with an inflated BABIP, and they come in Spring Training. Meaning, they don’t really mean much, it’s a small sample, and for all the talk about Smith’s makeup, we’ll get to see how far that carries him once the games are for real and the pitchers are major leaguers. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be rostered and I’m not saying he won’t succeed, he might, but to say he’s the aircraft carrier that will carry the Astros for years to come is irrational exuberance. The Houston ballclub is boosting his confidence. Don’t believe the hype. $6 (I’m risk averse here, and this bid could be double that and still not be in the ballpark to get him this year. I’ll take him at $6 or not at all.)

Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are in the Rangers rotation, at least until April 11th, when the club could turn to Patrick Corbin. Leiter was the No. 2 overall in 2021 and was supposed to advance quickly, but he’s struggled throwing strikes every step of the way. He’s walked 10 in 20 innings this spring, which is not a great sign of immediate success. Rocker’s path up was much more problematic because injuries have limited his experience and because last year and this spring he’s struggled with his control. Both of these guys could find the moment, turn on the feeling, and dominate hitters, but that outcome is far from guaranteed. I think both are going to make it, eventually, but maybe not this year, so I have them cheap: $3 for Leiter, $7 for Rocker.

The Mariners promoted Rowdy Tellez after he had a do-right spring, with an .894 OPS in 50 plate appearances. He’ll split time at DH with Mitch Garver and we’ll see if he’s able to handle the Mariners' ballpark better than most. T-Mobile Park is much better for lefty power than righty power. My $6 bid is modest, he comes with risk, but he could be very helpful in an AL Only league.

The Tigers are saying Manuel Margot has made the team and he will not be playing centerfield, where they need help. Weird. He’s been a negative the last two years in Defensive Runs Saved playing out there, so maybe the Tigers know something.

Hunter Goodman hit his third homer of the spring today. I was disappointed not to get him in Tout, but someone else wanted him more. He could be this year’s David Fry!

The Spring Training homer race is a mess:

It’s nice to see Rhys Hoskins off to a good start. Can it carry over? Last year I cared for my own selfish reasons. This year I hope he climbs all the way back to prove that I was right last year, just a little early.

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE

To jinx Opening Day rainouts…

HOUSEKEEPING

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