Mack's Apples - 10-15-17 - Nimmo, Scout Mock, BA Mock, Kickball, Brain Cancer

Nimmo - 

Brandon Nimmo just posted a .300 tAV over 200-odd plate appearances. Small sample size sure, but it’s better than the .298 mark that Jay Bruce posted during his 2017 Mets tenure. That speaks to the difference between Bruce’s .321 OBP and the elite .390 OBP that Nimmo produced. Is that sustainable? Who knows. Is it worth giving the 24-year-old former first-round pick first crack at an outfield spot over a 30-year-old Bruce? My sources say yes, even without considering what’s likely to be a nine-figure difference in salary.

 Scout came out with their ‘way too early’ mock draft on Oct 2^nd. The first six picks were –

1.     Detroit Tigers - Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee HS (GA)

2.     San Francisco Giants - Brady Singer, RHP, Florida

3.     Philadelphia Phillies - Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn

4.     Chicago White Sox - Nick Madrigal, SS, Oregon State

5.     Cincinnati Reds - Brice Turang, SS, Santiago HS (CA)

6.     New York Mets - Shane McClanahan, LHP, South Florida

The Mets have turned into one of the most conservative teams in all of baseball. When they were at their peak in the draft, they went for upside athletes. The last two years, they have had 21 picks in the top 10 rounds and taken one high school player, Mark Vientos. In addition, they have taken a left-handed college arm in the first round the last two years. 

McClanahan is the top college lefty, though he has had consistency issues, and pitching for a smaller program and not dominating is always a big red flag for me. His ceiling is as high as any of the college pitchers in this class but, among the top arms, he is also the biggest risk by a rather large margin. I often find it funny how teams might view prep players as too risky, but then go ahead and draft college players who are even riskier than many prep players.

Baseball America also rolled out their first official mock draft.

First six picks –

1.     Tigers – RHP Brady Singer, Florida

2.     Giants – RHP Ethan Hankins, Forsyth Central HS (GA)

3.     Phillies – SS Brice Turang, Santiago HS (CA)

4.     White Sox – SS Nander De Sadas, Montverde Academy (FL)

5.     Reds – 3B Nolan Gorman, O’Connor HS (AZ)

6.     Mets – LHP Shane McClanahan, South Florida

The Mets have been curiously cautious in recent years, sticking to college picks, and until ownership changes, there's no reason to believe that direction will change. Injury concerns may dog McClanahan (who already has had Tommy John surgery) and Mize (limited to seven innings this summer by a forearm strain), but the Mets have had their eyes on McClanahan for a while. They drafted him in the 26th round out of Cape Coral (Fla.) High in 2015 and will have reason to take him again.

How To Play Kickball

In order to know how to play kickball, firstly you need to understand the game setup, rules, and regulations. Secondly, you might also want to gear up properly. The game, which is also known as kick baseball can be played indoors and outdoors. It is similar to baseball in terms of setup, field/pitch, rules, and scoring points. The main difference is that you kick the ball instead of hitting it with a bat. Also, the ball, which is made out of rubber, is much larger and is nearly the same size to that used in football or soccer.

The Brain Cancer That Keeps Killing Baseball Players –

Since Darren Daulton succumbed to brain cancer on Aug. 6, heartfelt tributes have honored the way he led a raucous Phillies team to the World Series in 1993.

And unanswered questions have surfaced about the way he died.

Daulton and several prominent contemporaries in baseball — including at least three other Phillies who played at Veterans Stadium, the team’s home from 1971 to 2003 — have died of glioblastoma, according to news media accounts. It is considered the most aggressive and frequently diagnosed form of malignant brain tumor.

Researchers who have examined the baseball cases for years say there is insufficient evidence to determine whether they represent anything more than coincidence. Possible cancer clusters are notoriously hard to prove. Most of the time, upon rigorous examination, no cause can be identified and the cases are considered random.