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Moving the Needle

We're only a week into the season, and while sample-size caveats apply generally, a few developments strike me as significant:

  • Alex Gordon is hitting .379/.419/.655 with a homer and five doubles. Gordon was a former elite hitting prospect who showed promise in 2007 and 2008 before being derailed by injuries, a position change and getting shuttled back and forth from the minors. That he had a 1.019 OPS in 260 Triple-A at-bats last year, a strong spring and is off to a great start bodes well as does manager Ned Yost's apparent commitment to the running game.
  • Matt Harrison dominated the Red Sox in Arlington on Sunday, striking out eight and walking two in seven innings. While the Red Sox continuing team-wide slump tempers my enthusiasm slightly, Harrison is a rare left-handed starter capable of pitching in the low-to-mid 90s, and he showed good command of his secondary pitches, particularly his slider. Harrison was a good prospect for the Braves a few years ago until injuries derailed him and is in an organization with a first-rate pitching coach in Mike Maddux who helped successfully convert C.J. Wilson to a starter and transition Colby Lewis back to the majors.
  • Brandon Belt is hitting just .182/.308/.318 during his first week in the majors, but I'm not overly concerned. He's drawn four walks against five strikeouts and does not look overmatched at the plate. One at-bat that stands out for me is a bases-loaded walk Belt drew against Dodgers reliever Matt Guerrier in the eighth inning Sunday with the Giants down four. With a chance to be the hero, Belt could not have appeared calmer and patiently accepted the free base and RBI rather than pressing. The Giants will have a choice to make when Cody Ross comes off the DL, but there's a good chance Belt convinces them to sit Pat Burrell and keep him around. The only threat as far as I'm concerned is Aubrey Huff's terrible defense in the outfield which could force the Giants to consider moving Belt there - a move that could make it harder on the rookie and one the Giants might decide against. But even if Belt were to see time at Triple-A, I'd expect him back up soon.
  • After winning 18 games and posting a 2.97 ERA despite modest peripherals (118:63 K:BB ratio in 196.2 IP) last year, Trevor Cahill has opened the season with 15 strikeouts in 12.2 IP, including an eight-inning gem in Toronto Thursday. While any pitcher can miss bats over a small sample, Cahill had excellent strikeout numbers in the low minors in 2007 and 2008, before barely pitching at Double-A and seeing the majors as a 21-year old in 2009. In other words, Cahill's low K-rates in 2009 and 2010 probably weren't a good indication of his true baseline, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if his peripherals begin to support last year's strong win and ERA numbers.