Elvis Andrus: Winner; Leury Garcia: Mascot

Elvis Andrus

Winner

Doesn't matter who Elvis plays for:

that team is going to win.

Elvis knows it.

The other team knows it.

We all know it.

Elvis is a baseball Magic Johnson.

Dynasty.

Book it.

Don't trade it away.

Just let it happen,

naturally,

in it's own time.

Patience.

Construction Zone.

photo by Walter Barnard

via Newberg Report

I propose that Elvis 

marry Freida Pinto.

Elvis is a good dancer.

Freida will like that.

Leury Garcia: Cuddly Mascot

Class A SS Leury Garcia, 18 years and 5'6"(at most), is possessed of a large arm and a small strike zone.  Natural leadoff hitter? Frustrating for opposing pitchers to face? Freddie Patek with a bigger arm? Utility man extraordinaire?












photo and info courtesy of Mike Hindman.




The extreme horizontal flatness of Garcia's bat prep indicates he is trying to stay on top of the ball and minimize lift. If he lifts the ball much at all, he is out. He likely swings flat, maintaining the barrel of the bat on a plane through the strike zone for long periods of time. He seeks line drives, not fly balls.

Notice the high positioning of Garcia's hands. Garcia appears prepared to keep his hands on top of high fastballs, and to hit those high fastballs into line drives - as he must, since he lacks power. I'm confident he can hit balls at the letters for line drives instead of fly balls. 

Pitches at the letters are out of his strike zone, yet he likely has them incorrectly called against him as strikes, and consequently has likely learned to hit those pitches effectively. As he advances through the minor leagues, umpiring will get better and better, and less high strikes will be called against him. Partially for this reason:  Leury Garcia might hit better at each new and higher minor league level.

If he makes it to Arlington, and starts at 2B, with Elvis Andrus at SS:  Garcia and Andrus will form the cuddliest keystone combo in history.  Children will sleep with stuffed and cuddly representations of the SS and 2B man.  Freida too.  Don't overlook the marketing prescience of their parents in naming them Leury and Elvis and Freida, as in:

Honey, do you have your Leury and Elvis and Freida cuddlies with you under the covers? Okay, night night.  Sleep tight.  Don't worry about any ground ball singles.