Bernie on the Scene: Social Distancing and Baseball

I am writing from the confines of my home and not from a press box. I know it is best that I adhere to everything I am hearing and reading about the pandemic we face. But I refuse to be obsessed with it. I respect the damage it can do, but like you, I am respectful of the power of the virus and I am taking precaution and great care.

Bored yet? I certainly am. I don't have to get up and go to a traditional office every day. My office is usually a press box somewhere in this country.  At this time of year I would be in Maryvale or Scottsdale. Glendale or one of some other Dale in the greater Phoenix area. That is not to be.

Less than 24 hours after I stated on twitter I would take a safe route to good health and stop attending spring training games, MLB shut them all down — and delayed the regular season.

So here I am. I'm thrilled I can communicate with you via this article and on Twitter. You, along with the great company of my wife Lynn will keep me going. The two of us are "social distancing."

GROUND BALLS

I was fortunate to see games every day in both Arizona and Florida before the world stopped.

I saw plenty of starting pitchers and enough relievers to keep me humming. I try to take notes on every player I see. 

In spring training there are two games in one. The first five innings feature more regular players. The final four innings showcase younger, prospect talent. I enjoy both parts of every game. Often the rookies aren't on the 40-man roster. They just get a chance to play and show their skills to their organization and to scouts.

A couple pitchers I saw had me sit up in my seat. They intrigued me as a scout due to the movement they had on the ball and the command and control they flashed so early in the baseball season. Each of these pitchers had a quality I look for in evaluating pitchers — that would be mound presence. They didn't get rattled. They were in charge. They took control of the game. One of the early lessons of Scout School was this: The pitcher must be in control. Not the hitter.

Kwang-Hyun Kim, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals

Kim spent 12 seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, a very credible league that produced the Blue Jays Hyun-Jin Ryu.

At age 31, the 6-foot-2, 185, Kim is a very crafty, experienced lefty. He knows how to pitch. He goes about his work using outstanding deception as the centerpiece of his efforts. Kim throws pitches from the 60s to the mid-90s. Every pitch has a purpose and sets up the next one. A hitter has no idea what to expect. He changes eye levels and keeps hitters off balance.

A master at using the entire plate, Kim easily dispatched every hitter with a very low pitch count. He throws strikes.

In Korea, Kim finished his career with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. His record was 136-77 in 298 games, 276 of them starts. His walk rate was high at 3.5 per nine innings. He struck out 7.8 per nine. But those stats include the beginning of his career at age 18. In his final year in Korea, Kim went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. That's the pitcher I saw. 

I think Kim has a chance to pitch in the Cardinals rotation.

Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates

The Twins drafted Burdi twice. After selecting him in 2011 (24th round) out of Downers Grove High School in Illinois, Burdi chose to attend Louisville instead of signing. He was again drafted by Minnesota in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft. He was exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in 2014 and picked up by the Phillies. They traded him to Pittsburgh in 2017 for international bonus money. 

Burdi's path to where he is today is really a bit remarkable. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018. In April last season, Burdi was pitching against the Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. He doubled over in pain and grabbed his right elbow. It turns out he had neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, requiring removal of a rib and very complex work on nerves in the area. He was in the hospital a week and spent six weeks in bed.

You may recall that Matt Harvey had the same thoratic outlet syndrome surgery and has never been the same.

Now, Burdi is once again up and pitching for the Pirates. What I saw was a very, very good right-hander capable of closing a game in the future. 

Burdi threw his fastball at 98 miles an hour in the game I saw. I knew his history and was amazed at what I was seeing. He was calm and collected. He was in charge. He owned the batters. 

When the ball comes out of the hand as easily as it did for Burdi, the net result is a solid delivery with command. Burdi was throwing strikes while mowing down hitters.

He'll be pitching in his age 27 season, his prime. He is 6-3, 225, with a very live arm. To watch him pitch, one would never expect he had arm miseries twice in his career.

I see him getting work in the Pirates bullpen this season, but perhaps not right away. He still needs more innings on the mound, and  future spring training innings have been taken away. I do think we see him in Pittsburgh by midseason.

Kenta Maeda, RHP, Twins 

At age 31, right-hander Kenta Maeda looks like he can pitch for quite a few more years. 

Having spent four seasons with the Dodgers, Maeda asked them for a trade. He got his wish when the club sent him to the Twins with catcher/third baseman Jair Camargo and cash for outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley and pitcher Brusdar Graterol.

Maeda may be just the perfect pitcher to bolster the Twins rotation. 

Maeda fashioned a 47-35 record for the Dodgers, working both as a starter and reliever. He has always wanted to start, and that's what he'll do for Minnesota. He projects to pitch as their No. 3 starter behind Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi.

Every pitch I saw Maeda throw had movement. Every pitch had the purpose of setting up what was to follow. His pitch sequencing was outstanding. Contact was weak. He looked to be in midseason form in March.

Maeda has very good command and control with a career 2.7 walk rate per nine innings. Because his pitches move so much, he has to get umpire calls on borderline pitches. That's always tough. He strikes out 9.8 hitters per nine. There will be plenty of hitters off balance and fooled from Maeda's offerings.

Pitchers who impressed me in Florida:

Sergio Romo, Twins

Ryan Yarbrough, Rays

Yonny Chirinos, Rays

Diego Castillo, Rays

Jalen Beeks, Rays

Pitchers who did not impress me in Florida:

Derek Holland, Pirates

Heath Hembree, Red Sox

Martin Perez, Red Sox

Jeffrey Springs, Red Sox

Keone Kela, Pirates

Ivan Nova, Tigers

My jury is still out on:

Brendan McKay, LHP, Rays

Explanation please, Bernie. Sure. Here's why. I didn't see much life on a mediocre fastball. Granted, he hadn't worked much and was just beginning to loosen up and stretch out his arm. I expected a better, more consistent delivery. He may be very good. I'm reserving judgement. I guess part of me says the two-way pitcher/hitter deal gets attention. But, I have seen a ton of lefties who look and pitch like McKay. I have to wait to see more of him before my jury renders a verdict. Maybe the buzz is due to the two-way profile. I'm just sayin.

POPOUTS

• Byron Buxton had not played an inning of spring training before the remainder of the schedule was canceled. How can we draft Buxton without knowing how he looks on the field? Frankly, I still think he'll be an injury risk.

• Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi hasn't played yet either.

• Drafting the Tigers Niko Goodrum makes sense to me. He'll start the season as the Tigers starting shortstop. But if you look at his eligibility profile in your league, you may find him eligible at 2B, 1B, OF and maybe even more. His versatility can really help you covering injuries. He can hit a bit and will get at-bats.

• The Twins Marwin Gonzalez and the Athletics Chad Pinder have the same Swiss Army Knife profiles. They play all over. Gonzalez is slipping a bit. Pinder is intriguing to me.

• The Athletics Mark Canha doesn't get a lot of buzz, but he'll get his at-bats, and I find him to be a quality hitter.

BUZZ

• In Florida I heard a lot about scuffed and doctored baseballs being used last season. Some writers seemed to want to make it an issue as big as cheating. Frankly, it never got legs. The writers I spoke with claimed the Astros and Dodgers were the biggest offenders of scuffing balls.

Of course, scuffed balls move more on their way to the plate. That's why umpires remove them quickly. Pitchers ask for a different ball when they think the ball is too slick or they don't like the feel of the seams. They don't return scuffed baseballs.

• Press boxes in both Arizona and Florida had fewer writers than I have ever seen in my career. At one Athletics game, I was one of three writers in the press box. Live coverage of games is changing. Many writers come for pre-game interviews with players and the manager and then go about their business without staying for the game. Not me.

• Since I will be home every day, feel free to engage me in conversation on Twitter. I will check often and will answer questions. We can still enjoy baseball and get ready for the season.

Please stay safe and don't do anything foolish. I have the cleanest hands in America. I think I wash them every half hour. Want a good stock tip? Dial Soap.

Next Week: Hitters I saw that impressed me. Thoughts from Arizona.

Follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff