David Ross would be the first one to remind you that he was mostly a backup during his Major League Baseball career, posting just two seasons in his 15 years in which he played half of his team's games. But he had a reputation for staying engaged in the game and in his teammates even on the days when he didn't play, sharing whatever energy and positivity he could muster.
That intangible of maintaining emotional engagement through this strange season without fans in the stands feels like a tangible advantage, maybe not quite as important as a dominant bullpen or power or defensive efficiency, but somewhere close. And Ross' Chicago Cubs have distinguished themselves among their peers for this sort of thing in 2020, with Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jason Kipnis and Steven Souza Jr. keeping active day after day -- like a high school team or college softball team, reacting loudly when a Cubs hitter has a good take of a close pitch, or fouls off an extremely tough pitch, or gets on base.
"The one that has stood out is the Cubs," an American League staffer said. "They have cheers for each individual hitter, beat on the walls or top of dugout in Wrigley and chant. Cool if not in empty stadium. I'm probably the wrong guy to ask being 'old' and 'old school.' If they think it makes 'em better or gives 'em an advantage, have at it."
Others from around baseball chimed in on what they've been seeing from teams and players.
Cole Tucker of the Pirates: "The Cubs definitely have the softball thing going. Two other teams that have stood out have been the White Sox and the Indians. The White Sox have had the best sound system that I've heard. They are bumping rap and Latin music loudly pretty much all game. And the Indians have a little percussion section in their dugout. They beat on coolers and padded railing. And they've even made some noisemakers. Everyone is making this year their own in some way."
A National League manager: "The Twins and the Indians have been the best I've seen. They are generating a ton of energy from their bench players. It's really hard to do with social distancing and very few people in the dugout. It has to be player-led for it to work."
An NL evaluator: "The Padres, they've got great energy. Greg Garcia is just non-stop in how he's into each game. And what's great about [Fernando] Tatis Jr. is that he generally gets as excited watching his teammates do great things as when he does it. That's infectious, when you've got your best player being that invested."
Dontrelle Willis, former pitcher and current MLB Network analyst: "I totally see the teams playing sandlot-type ball. The White Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Atlanta -- even the Marlins have done a great job feeding off each other and using their emotional energy to set the tone. I grew up playing this type of baseball."
Twins pitcher Trevor May: "I'd say there are two groups [on the Twins] that have found different ways to get some energy going. In the pen, I think we're all challenging each other to go out and attack, then pass the baton. We're focusing on the collective mindset that we're ALL going to get our jobs done each day, and that has helped avoid being lax, especially in lower-leverage situations.
"As for the dugout, Nelson Cruz is our loudest cheering section for sure. (As if he needed to do more.) You can always hear him on the TV when there is action, and I think the guys feed off him from both his play and his vocal support of his teammates."
• At the moment Phillies owner John Middleton called Dick Allen to tell him that the team intended to retire Allen's No. 15, the former slugger happened to be looking at a picture taken 60 years ago -- an image of Allen with his mother, Era, and scout John Ogden. After signing for a $70,000 bonus, Allen bought a house for his mom. Overwhelmed by the memory and by Middleton's gesture, Allen "broke down a little bit," as he acknowledged in a phone conversation Saturday.
Allen's number will be retired in a Citizens Bank Park ceremony Sept. 3. "I never would have thought they would do this," Allen said. "It was the furthest thing from my mind. I never gave it a thought that it would happen."
"They put me in there with the great ones; I guess I'm included. ... Yes, it has a real big meaning to it."
Middleton grew up in the Philadelphia area and went to Phillies games as a kid, and distinctly remembers seeing Dick Allen in his first month in the big leagues, in September of 1963. Allen would go on to play six more seasons with the Phillies, during which he hit .300, posted an on-base percentage of .380 and an Adjusted OPS+ of 164. In the 11-year period from 1964 to 1974, Allen compiled an Adjusted OPS+ of 165, the best in the big leagues, surpassing Hall of Famers Willie McCovey (161), Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson (159) and Willie Stargell (153). (Data dug up by Paul Hembekides.)
Middleton remembers that more than 20 years ago, he and the late David Montgomery began to talk about honoring people from the team's history, and as Middleton studied the most notable figures from the franchise, Allen stood out -- not only among his Philadelphia peers, but from other stars in baseball.
"Dick kind of jumps off the page, when you start looking at him in relationship to Hall of Fame players," Middleton said the other day. "It was apparent to me, even, this was a guy who I thought deserved to be honored."
Allen won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1964 and the American League MVP in 1972, and twice led his leagues in home runs and four times in OPS. In his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, Allen was named on just 3.7% of the writers' ballots, and never polled higher than 18.9% in 14 years of eligibility. It's very possible that with recent developments in the voting, his résumé will gain more traction in future voting.
• Because Trevor Bauer is a free agent at season's end, because he's been so effective in this short season, and because the Reds have struggled so far, there has been a lot of speculation about whether he might be dealt. But Bauer might be the embodiment of why some trades will be so difficult to pull off in this very strange year.
With teams absorbing huge financial losses this year and facing a lot of doubt about when fans will return to the stands -- there's no guarantee that will happen in 2021 -- executives have had to lock down spending, to the degree that teams such as the Yankees have laid off dozens of employees. Bauer is making $17.5 million prorated this year, meaning he'll make about $2.9 million for the final 27 days of the season -- and in the current baseball operations context, that is an enormous expenditure for a player who might start five or six games in the remainder of the regular season.
Additionally, the Reds have the option of keeping Bauer and giving him a qualifying offer as he goes into free agency, ensuring they will get draft-pick compensation. So any acquiring team would have to give Cincinnati more in trade return than the Reds would get through the qualifying-offer process -- and also take on those extra millions of salary. In a moment in history when teams are especially risk-averse, the potential cost of Bauer is enormous.
• As of Friday morning, 12 of the other 14 American League teams had scored more runs that the Indians. But one rival official views Cleveland as the team that no one wants to face in the postseason, because of the dominance of its rotation -- particularly Cy Young front-runner Shane Bieber in the No. 1 spot -- and the emergence of setup man James Karinchak, who is pitching like an AL version of Josh Hader. Karinchak has faced 60 batters this year and struck out 31, while allowing five hits and six walks in 16⅔ innings. His percentage of first-pitch strikes is 75%, tied for seventh highest among all relievers, and he is devastating in finishing off hitters, with a contact rate of pitches in the strike zone at only 66.1%, the fourth best among relievers.
"You want to play those guys in a best-of-three?" the official asked rhetorically, while adding that he believes that Cleveland might well hang on to Mike Clevinger because the Indians' front office knows it has the capability of owning the postseason with its pitching.
• Alec Bohm will presumably be part of the Phillies' lineup when they play host to the Braves on Sunday Night Baseball. Two weeks into his big league career, he is creating distinct first impressions.
Impression No. 1: He looks like he's going to be an impact offensive player, with physicality and a swing that makes him a dead ringer for former Phillie Jayson Werth. "He's got a clue," said one evaluator, juxtaposing Bohm's plate appearances from other young hitters. "He'll wait you out, good at-bats, uses the whole field."
Impression No. 2, for some rival evaluators: He has a long way to go on defense at third base, to the degree that other teams wonder if the Phillies will have to move him to another spot sooner rather than later.
• Oakland's addition of Tommy La Stella is savvy, and perhaps difference-making against right-handed pitching. La Stella against righties this year: 84 plate appearances, a .306 average, 11 walks, five strikeouts, six doubles, four homers, a .398 OBP and a .556 slugging percentage.
• Paul Hembekides sent this along: As a member of the Phillies, Bryce Harper has been the best hitter in baseball with men on and in scoring position, with a 1.119 OPS. But with the bases empty, his batting line is about league average (.735 OPS, ranking 199th among qualified hitters).
• Right-hander Jake Arrieta will start for the Phillies on Sunday, and one thing is worth noting: Arrieta has failed to command both sides of the plate the way he did in Chicago. Specifically, his control and effectiveness arm side have regressed considerably with the Phillies, with a .360 batting average allowed on the arm side this year (his worst in any season starting from 2015), against .175 on the glove side, his best mark since 2016 (.170).
• There is an expectation among other teams that the Rangers will move Lance Lynn this year -- which would make sense, given that the window of opportunity to capitalize on his value might rapidly close. Texas hung onto Mike Minor through that lefty's excellent 2019 and into 2020, and this year, Minor has struggled, undercutting his trade value. "There's not going to be a better time to trade [Lynn]," a rival evaluator said.
• With Kirby Yates out, the Padres added a reliever with closer experience in Trevor Rosenthal on Saturday, in the midst of a comeback season for Rosenthal. Lefty hitters have struck out in 16 of 32 plate appearances against Rosenthal, with a .148 slugging percentage.
• Only Rob Manfred and Jeff Wilpon know what was actually said in their conversation that led to Brodie Van Wagenen's hot mic moment on Thursday, but the most important aspect of the Van Wagenen video was not whether he was right about Manfred's intentions; rather, it was about Van Wagenen's dismissive tone and assessment about the commissioner's leadership -- a feeling that exists in other front offices. Manfred has a perception problem at the team level, where there is a belief that the commissioner hasn't communicated enough during the shutdown. The feeling in some corners of baseball's central office is that Manfred is always available to hear from teams -- and if club executives have concerns, they always have the option of reaching out to him.