Joey Votto was known for many things, including frequently destroying the Cubs at Wrigley Field. But when I think about him as a hitter, there's one collective thought that comes to mind: the guy was just so good at working an at bat toward either a walk or a line drive.
For Encarnación it was going to be tough to make an argument for why he should be a hall of famer. He had a lot of really good seasons, but never had one of those all-time great stretches, although between 2012 and 2019 he hit 297 home runs, had an OPS of .892 and and OPS+ of 138. He was worth 29.1 bWAR while playing with the Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners over that run.
Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Randy Rodriguez were named All-Star reserves for the National League, marking the highest representation of pitchers from any team. Their combined ERA of 3.45 places them second in the league, showcasing a strong pitching performance. Webb ranks fifth among NL starters with an ERA of 2.62, while Ray follows closely at eighth with a 2.68 ERA. Rodriguez impresses with a remarkable .71 ERA, having allowed only 21 hits over 38 innings.
The Rockies are off to franchise record-worst starts in terms of batting average (.255), slugging percentage (.431) and strikeout rate (27.9%). This is particularly concerning given last year's 24.7% strikeout rate.
