MLB Player News

I'm not sure if I'm ready to buy into the Brandon Crawford hype just yet. Though, his start to the season is certainly intriguing.

Crawford has been on a nice run since spring training. He hit .375 with a .609 slugging percentage in 23 spring games. He's carried that over into the start of the regular season, batting .282 with a .378 on-base percentage and .814 OPS in 12 games. I've read many times where the Giants feel Crawford is just beginning to scratch the surface offensively, but I just can't find any empirical evidence to support those claims.

His slash line in the minors (.266/.331/.403/.734) was hardly impressive and Crawford had a pretty stellar spring in 2012 to only have a poor offensive season in the majors. 

With all that said, however, I don't want to completely write off Crawford because he's just entering the prime of his career and he might finally be hitting his stride in the majors. While I don't think he has a high ceiling, I do feel Crawford can be useful in larger Fantasy formats.

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington has been struggling at the plate to open the season, and he let his frustration get the best of him Saturday against the Dodgers.

Pennington was ejected from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after slamming his bat on home plate following a called third strike. He was 1 for 3 in the game with a run scored and a pair of strikeouts.

Pennington is batting just .238 with one extra-base hit in 42 at bats. He has struck out 10 times. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada has spent the start of the season at the bottom of the team's batting order, and has managed to show solid on-base skills despite little lineup protection.

Playing in an American League park Saturday against the Twins, Tejada batted ninth for the second game in a row. He went 1 for 4 in the game, his eighth game in the first 11 having reached base at least once. Tejada smacked a double for the second game in a row, and came around to score once in a 4-2 win.

Tejada is batting just .256, but he is sporting a solid .356 on-base percentage thanks to five walks. He has struck out just five times as well, while scoring six runs and driving in three in 39 at bats. 

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington has spent every inning of the team's first nine games at shortstop, including all of a 16-inning contest in the first week of the season. The Diamondbacks are short on options at the position with both Willie Bloomquist and Didi Gregorius on the disabled list.

Pennington may be in for a night off in the team's weekend series agianst the Dodgers. He has struggled against left-handers in his career, and the Diamondbacks are slated to face southpaws on Friday and Saturday. If he sits, utlility infielder Josh Wilson would likely draw the start at shortstop.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford hit second Thursday and reached base three times in four plate appearances in the win. Crawford had hit eighth in each of the team's first nine games.

Crawford, who is hitting .273/.368/.455 in 38 plate appearances, has reached base safely in each of the last eight games.

Brandon Crawford slugged a crucial three-run homer in the Giants' 9-6 victory Tuesday over Colorado.

Crawford went the other way off Rockies pitcher Adam Ottavino to knock the home run over the left-field fence. It was Crawford's first home run of the year but already his third extra-base hit in eight games. He's hitting .231/.286/.423.

After going hitless in his first two games, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has hit safely in four of his last five games. Crawford is 5 for 16 (.313) with two doubles in that five-game span.

Crawford is batting .217 (5 for 23) through seven games, but he has no home runs or RBI. He's also struck out six times and walked once.

The Cardinals have optioned infielder Ryan Jackson down to Triple-A Memphis in order to clear a spot on the roster for David Freese, according to MLB.com. He went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in two pinch-hit appearances. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada isn't regarded as an imposing presence at the plate. His defense has earned him the most praise during his brief tenure in the majors. However, that reliability in the field has come under scrutiny. He committed three errors in his first four games before recording another blunder Saturday against Miami.

Tejada, who is also hitting just .176 at the plate, made just 12 errors in 112 games last season.

"I'm not concerned about his focus," manager Terry Collins told MLB.com on Saturday. "We know he's a better player than what's going on defensively right now. If there's one guy on the field who you want the ball hit at, it's usually him."

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington hit a walk-off single to give the Diamondbacks the win in a wild 16-inning game against the Cardinals.

Pennington went 3 for 6 with three singles during the affair. He also walked twice. Pennington has been batting eighth this season, and could see his on-base percentage increase as teams walk him to face Arizona's pitcher. He should play quite a bit, but isn't a threat to hit for power.