Last year’s top rookie Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners has dominated since the All-Star Game. The Mariners roster was 45-44 before the All-Star Classic break.
Since the break, however, Rodriguez is batting a .347 batting average, with eight homers, 12 doubles, 30 RBIs and a .986 OPS. Last week, Julio achieved a historic moment in baseball. At 17, he broke the major league record for most goals in four games.
Julio’s performances put Seattle ahead of the Jays in the battle for a postseason playoff spot.
Vladimir Jr. was crowned home run contest champion at the Seattle All-Star Game. However, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s last thirty days have been very difficult for him. He hit a low .234 batting average with just two home runs, 10 RBIs and three doubles. The good news is that the Canadian team didn’t have a long winning streak compared to other teams. To have such a winning streak, however, the Jays must endure the awakening of Vladimir Son at the bat.
Yankees Sweep?
Apparently the apple never falls far from the tree. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is the son of the legendary George Steinbrenner, nicknamed “Boss,” who found success at the helm of the Bronx team.
But what “tree” are we talking about? Beginning in the 1980s, the only decade the Yankees didn’t win a World Series, or the years the Yankees won the World Series during George’s reign.
Under the boss’s leadership from 1973 to 1990, 19 managers succeeded one another, including Billy Martin, who was fired and hired five times. Five team presidents, 15 pitching coaches and 11 general managers also passed.
Should son Hal Steinbrenner follow his father’s impatience and fire current Yankees CEO Brian Cashman, who was also hired by the “boss”? Not immediately.
However, he should have fired general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone after the Yankees were defeated by the Astros in the postseason last year.
Appoint an assistant general manager or an assistant to Boone to run the Yankees? With five weeks of playing time, it’s not worth it. The Yankees are not a renovation organization, they want to win at all costs, and to start, Hal Steinbrenner has to hold a press conference the day after the last game to announce their layoffs.
Are other teams following the storm within the Yankees organization and the changes they would like to make? Curiously, the Washington Nationals have renewed the contracts of general manager Mike Rizzo and manager, former Expos outfielder Dave Martinez, though the Nationals aren’t having much success.
Could the man who led the Red Sox and Cubs to the World Series title be hired?
The return of Theo Epstein is the subject of a future column.
Canadian U15 Championships in Laval
Baseball Québec and the 2023 Ray-Carter Cup Organizing Committee, presented by Laval 440 Chevrolet and Maerix, are hosting the Ray-Carter Cup event in Laval from tomorrow through Sunday. Among the 11 U15 teams from Canada taking part in the competition are two from Quebec, the provincial team, and the host team, the 3L of the North Shore 15U AAA.
