Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
Welcome to The Moonshot.
This week on The Moonshot, our deep roster of baseball writers is working together to build a lineup of the most interesting players in MLB this season, the ones we haven’t been able to take our eyes off of, for whatever reason.
MLB All-Interesting Team, SP: Nestor Cortes Jr.
Nestor Cortes will always be a Yankee. After all, nobody who earns an All-Star appearance while wearing pinstripes ever truly gets forgotten, no matter what the future holds.
Nestor Cortes has also always been a Yankee, and quite literally. He was drafted by the Bombers in the 36th round back in 2013, before being scooped up by the Orioles in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. He was returned to the Yanks and beat the odds to make the roster in 2019 when he posted a 5-1 record and 5.67 ERA as a bulk man behind Chad Green The Opener/occasional innings-eating reliever. He acquitted himself about as well as any man with those numbers can and was traded to the 2020 Mariners for nothing following the season. Some kind of “future considerations,” which must not have considered things far enough into the future.
After posting a 15.76 ERA across five outings with the pandemic-shortened Ms, he somehow found his way back to New York for a third stint — where he managed to become the team’s most consistent starter during the second half of 2021, even as he fought valiantly against ever establishing a consistent windup.
This “one-year fluke” has been even better in Year 2 of Tenure 3 with the Yankees, earning an All-Star appearance not as a curiosity but as one of the league’s most dominant arms — from 10 different arm angles. It doesn’t get more “interesting” than that, though if the 27-year-old Cortes has taught us anything so far, a story can always get more interesting.
MLB All-Interesting Team, RP: John Schreiber
Did you remember that John Schreiber appeared in one game for the 2021 Boston Red Sox? I didn’t.
One of Chaim Bloom’s classic under-the-radar pitching additions, the Sox claimed Schreiber off waivers from the Detroit Tigers in February 2021, DFA’ed him in March, and put him on the Triple-A squad when he cleared waivers. He made exactly one appearance on Sep. 1, and then faded back into the minor-league background.
It’s an entirely different situation this season, as Schreiber’s become one of the few calming influences in a turbulent Sox bullpen. Over 49 innings across 47 appearances, he’s struck out 58 batters and posted a career-best 2.39 ERA and 0.918 WHIP.
Look deeper at his numbers and you’ll see that he’s manager Alex Cora’s go-to mop-up guy, often being called upon to clean up one of his teammates’ messes. With two outs and runners in scoring position, he’s held opposing lineups to a measly .143/.200/.214. In late-and-close situations, batters are only hitting .200/.279/.282 against him.
Schreiber has been scuffling in August, allowing more earned runs than any previous month of the season, but on the whole, he’s the rare bullpen arm who actually brings a sense of relief with him when he takes the mound. In a very unpleasant Red Sox season, he’s been a pleasant surprise.
MLB All-Interesting Team, C: Adley Rutschman
Go by the numbers and Adley Rutschman has been easily one of the most impactful additions to the surprising Orioles. Baltimore is 43-30 with a plus-37 run differential in the 73 games Rutschman has played. He’s just 24 years old and already one of the best pitch framers in the league. His offensive numbers have improved, dramatically, each month and in August he’s already tallied six doubles and three homers, scoring 17 runs in 19 games with a .313/.446/.547 slash line.
But Rutschman has meant so much more.
How do you quantify the value of an easy smile? The calming presence of a brand new face who carries himself with the confidence of a veteran who has already seen everything there is to see?
These Orioles aren’t supposed to be here yet, fighting for a playoff spot as a parade of minor league prospects arrive in the majors well ahead of schedule. But Rutschman has already established himself as a leader, a foundation for this young roster to keep building from, on and off the field and in the clubhouse as well.
— Ian Levy
MLB All-Interesting Team, 1B: Rowdy Tellez
In high school, Rowdy Tellez played on the same team as five other major leaguers: Nick Madrigal, Dylan Carlson, Derek Hill, Dom Nunez and David Smith.
While Madrigal thrived early in his career and Carlson looks to be the St. Louis Cardinals’ center fielder of the future, Tellez is arguably the best player of the group. Tellez, 27, sought everyday at-bats when he was with the Blue Jays in 2021 but was blocked by Vlad Guerrero Jr., so Toronto sent him to Milwaukee in a deal for right-handers Trevor Richard and Bowden Francis.
Tellez has since emerged as the Brewers’ long-term first baseman and their most consistent power hitter. He’s hit 26 home runs in 114 games. He’s emerged as a favorite of the coaching staff, especially of manager Craig Counsell, and could be a candidate for a long-term extension — and the big, loveable, 6-foot-4 and 255-pound first baseman is believed to be open to it.
MLB All-Interesting Team, 2B: Gavin Lux
How about Gavin Lux? He went from No. 1 prospect in all of MLB to potential bust, to possible trade bait, to … integral piece for the 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers. What a turnaround. You don’t hear much about Lux because of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner, but the 24-year-old has a .295 batting average (ninth in the NL), a .371 on-base percentage (seventh in the NL) and has been good for a 2.9 WAR so far this season, which is more than he accumulated from 2019-2021.
Across his first 144 big league games, Lux had just 110 total hits. In his last 109 games, he has 103 hits. His .810 OPS and 123 OPS+ blow his previous production out of the water and he’s now looking like a stable force in the middle of the Dodgers’ infield for years to come (and he’s also made himself more of an asset logging 28 games in left field this year!). A league-leading seven triples is another cool stat to add to the list. He could very well be a postseason X-factor for LA this year.
MLB All-Interesting Team, SS: Carlos Correa
If Carlos Correa expected to earn a nice paycheck in Minnesota while increasing the value of a future deal, half his plan worked at least. Correa signed a three-year deal in March with $105 million guaranteed. It also included the option to opt-out after either the 2022 season or 2023 season if Correa wished. In short, he guaranteed himself a nice annual salary while also being able to keep his options open. No one really expected he’d spend three years in Minnesota, and no one does to this day.
Correa has had a pretty typical season, batting .266/.338/.424 with his advanced numbers just below career average. But from a Twins perspective, it’s hard to argue this has been a great deal. He missed a large chunk of games with yet another injury, and his contribution ranks right about the middle of AL shortstops. The franchise might just be happy to see him go if he does opt out. It will be interesting to see who the real winner of this deal was, come the offseason.
MLB All-Interesting Team, 3B: Austin Riley
Austin Riley is a well-compensated new father hailing from Thicc Country.
Hashtag blessed with newfound dad strength, this coulda, woulda, shoulda-been Mississippi State punter is the new and improved version of “El Oso Blanco” Evan Gattis at the plate for the Atlanta Braves. Although he hasn’t broken a bat on his back with a backswing (yet), Riley can flash the leather Better Than Ezra.
Riley is desperately wanting to throw you out while running through the wet grass, as you fall a step behind trying to get out of that batter’s box, son! While Freddie Freeman was too busy crying crocodile tears only a fool would believe, guess who stole the honor of being every little boy in Braves Country’s Halloween outfit inspiration for the next decade-plus?
Riley carries his club to the plate like Bam-Bam, sporting an aggressive big stick diplomacy only Teddy Roosevelt would truly understand. When crushing the ball into Smyrna on the reg, we sit in disbelief over the third base debate we once had between Johan Camargo and The King of Thighs.
Sky’s out, thighs out. The Dude is launching bombs, y’all!
After being denied entry into the pretentious Hollywood nightclub known as the Midsummer Classic, Riley went on a run only Forrest Gump could ever appreciate. With one spite moonshot after another, Riley forced his way onto the NL roster once we began to learn just how bad of a teammate Nolan Arenado truly is…
Tremendous foreshadowing aside, Riley has been raking more at the plate than dads trying to keep them leaves, and them kids, off their lawns. Do the youths even play outside anymore?
Riley has been so awesome for the Braves, indoor children who have never held a baseball in their tweenage lives know what’s up. Okay, maybe not, but they can watch YouTube videos before Dad writes them out of the will. Thicc Country is a home-run buffet in Braves Country, one where the Big Dawg always eats!
Kids eat free after 3:16, so long as Austin goes long.
MLB All-Interesting Team, LF: Joey Gallo
Joey Gallo’s progression this season has been extremely interesting. He played with the New York Yankees until the trade deadline and completely tanked. His performance was far below his potential and the Yankees replaced him before he was even traded away. In New York, he hit .159/.282/.339 for an OPS of .621.
Then, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the best teams in MLB, and his performance turned around. In 26 at-bats with Los Angeles, he’s hit .231/.333/.615 for an OPS of .948. To compare, in his first 24 at-bats with New York, he hit significantly worse (.167/.310/.167). He still has a lot of work to do before he can be considered “good” this season, but the shift in performance has certainly been eye-catching and his new journey with the Dodgers is intriguing.
It was as if a switch flipped when he went to Los Angeles.
MLB All-Interesting Team, CF: Julio Rodriguez
Before there was Mariners’ excitement that Seattle was going to be postseason-bound, the early-season hype surrounded Julio Rodriguez, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, hitting the major league roster to start the season. But while many top prospects that have seen MLB this season have been up and down, it’s been almost all ups (minor injury aside) for J-Rod.
Yes, he’s a dynamo on the field, hitting for average and power while already having stolen 23 bases and being blessed with a flashy glove and arm as well. But more importantly, as his Home Run Derby runner-up finish showcased, he makes the game fun. He’s energized from the first pitch to the final out, he freely expresses his love for the game in his reactions to his own triumphs in addition to his teammates, and who doesn’t love a player who takes every challenge of the game head-on at just 21 years old.
J-Rod is baseball’s injection of life that many have tried to make Fernando Tatis Jr. out to be. And the fact that he’s accomplished that right away with so much more to come only makes him more fascinating to watch.
MLB All-Interesting Team, RF: Aaron Judge
Perhaps the most interesting story entering the 2022 season was Aaron Judge turning down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract from the New York Yankees. It was a heavily debated topic heading into Opening Day, with some wondering if that was a mistake on Judge’s part.
That decision turned out to be the right one for Judge, as he is having a career year after a red-hot first half, where he entered the All-Star break with 33 home runs and 70 RBI to his credit. Judge is even on pace to break Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61 set back in 1961.
Imagine turning down a nine-figure contract and it being the right decision. That is exactly what Judge did, who is going to get paid this winter, whether that is with the Yankees or another team. Get prepared for what is going to be the most anticipated story of the Hot Stove season.
Baseball, but for your ears
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