Snake Bytes: 4/2 - Are We There Yet?

General Baseball News

Umpires to Announce Replay Decisions to Fans
Taking a page out of the NFL’s playbook, umpires will now be mic’d up for replay reviews during MLB games. The umpires will announce who is challenging, and what the challenge is. They will then complete the review and then give the ruling with an explanation (likely the relevant rule) to the fans. While this will no doubt slightly increase the delay caused by replay review, this is probably the way it should have been all along.

MLB Network’s Top-100 Players Right Now
Given how poorly the Diamondbacks performed in 2021, it should be no surprise that they have only one entrant on the list, with Ketel Marte sliding into the rankings at #72.

5 Dark Horse Candidates to Win MVP in 2022
Player health, or lack thereof, will weed out a couple of these names.

Jacob deGrom to Miss Significant Time with Stress Reaction in Shoulder
Speaking of player health, one has to wonder just how much longer before Jacob deGrom’s arm just falls off. The man widely considered to be the best pitcher in baseball at the moment, simply cannot seem to keep his arm healthy through all the stress his 100 mph fastballs place on it. After only making 15 starts in 2021, deGrom may well not begin the 2022 season until mid-June.

Old Friend Alerts

Dodgers, White Sox Trade Pollock, Kimbrel
Arizona’s A.J. Pollock nightmare may finally be over. After developing into a star manning center field for the Diamondbacks, Pollock departed via free agency at the earliest possible moment after his relationship with the organization soured. On his way out, he upset some fans with comments he made after signing a contract with the Evil Empire of the West. Since then, all he has done is abuse his former club, posting a 1.133 OPS against the Snakes over the course of a not insignificant 137 plate appearances. Of course, although Pollock will be leaving the NL West for the AL Central, that doesn’t mean the Diamondbacks are entirely out of the woods. While Pollock might be gone, the Dodgers were more in need of bullpen depth than they were Pollock’s outfield bat. Enter one-time closer extraordinaire, Craig Kimbrel. Arizona fans will be rooting for Kimbrel’s struggles of late-2021 to continue moving forward.

Wade Miley to Begin Season on IL
Wade Miley will begin the season on the 10-day IL due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. While there is no timetable for Miley’s return, his absence from the Chicago rotation is not expected to be a lengthy one.