#17 April in review and preview
Hey it’s Hannah and I’m writing this from the air during my flight to Zach’s bachelor party! Yes, that Zach! The one who writes this newsletter with me. When you read this we will be off doing bourbon things (maybe not if you read it right when it hits the inbox, at that point we will be preparing to do bourbon things) but since he is the kind of person who plans ahead for both bachelor parties and baseball newsletters, Zach has an overview of some of the new Main Characters in MLB after a little more than a month of the 2025 season. We’re not saying any of these guys are brand new to baseball or even to greatness, but they’ve taken on a bigger role narratively this season and it’s worth knowing their names before they blow up further.
Today’s newsletter is short on account of us both being occupied by traveling to the bachelor party, and I suspect Monday’s will be a little lighter as well on account of us not watching as much baseball this weekend. Perhaps we will write a little about the sporting event we’re attending together instead.
While I have you, though, I want to let you know that we’ll be implementing a paywall starting next week. Free subscribers will still be able to read some portion of every issue we send, but the plan has always been to turn this into a hub for interesting, ambitious work that we take seriously (but like, not too seriously) and paywalling is part of that. To help make the case for why you should support that work, please indulge me in re-sharing what we’ve written in the first month.
For the first issue we both went long and high-minded with essays on the descriptive value of statistics and what a front office owes a fanbase that disagrees with their approach.
We pointed out that there’s only one non white man in charge of baseball operations this season while pairing analysis and reporting to highlight the single pitch that epitomized Paul Skenes’ dominance in 2024
For Opening Day, we asked a bunch of friends around baseball to tell us what they’re rooting for — other than their favorite teams.
Zach gave baseball knowers a blueprint for explaining torpedo bats to their non fan friends and I talked to one of my favorite people in baseball media — Ron Blum — about revolutionizing the reporting of baseball economics and where the industry might be headed.
Zach put the slightly protracted Extension Season into historical context and we teamed up to take an early look at what’s making Eugenio Suárez — he of the recent four-homer night — so good this year.
I got obsessed with Francisco Lindor’s pants that might be shorts and together we tried to have a nuanced debate about a topic that typically engenders reactionary yelling: Are the Dodgers bad for baseball?
If you clicked on the above about Lindor’s pants, make sure you check out this important update. (Or learn about the buzzy new pitch everyone is throwing now.)
I blogged about how the hyper-masculine, zero-sum, competition-minded sports commentator ethos has become a powerful pillar of the culture writ large.
We highlighted a couple of standout performances from from Hunter Greene, James Wood, and Joe Boyle.
I wrote about the Dodgers’ visit to the White House and whether symbolic victories (and losses) even matter when so much is actually at stake.
I interviewed a player about a home run robbery so cool that “it felt like we had won the World Series.”
Zach lays out in no uncertain terms how “Aaron Judge, right now, is the most dominant hitter you’ve seen since Barry Bonds.”
I asked relievers how it feels to be the so-called “anonymous parade” that is robbing starters of their rightful glory and ruining baseball.
Zach debuted a sort of Myers-Briggs test for fanbases by talking to Orioles fans about what they think, and how they feel.
I talked to a PhD researcher who conducted a study on Latino player equity in the minor leagues.
And we did one nearly-40 minute video version of Fan/Not A Fan full of riffs on stunt food, even bigger bases, managerial style choices and acting abilities, and karaoke, among other things.
Phew! That’s so much. And thus far, it’s all been free. I say this to Zach all the time, but personally I don’t think I’ve hit my stride. Our best is yet to come.
Describing April’s main characters
By Zach Crizer
One month in, baseball has some unexpected leading players. So, let’s do the thing where we extend that analogy to introduce you to some names you might be hearing a lot more as the summer approaches.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs center fielder
Role: Crow-Armstrong is your little brother’s create-a-player in MVP Baseball. He runs super fast — using his speed to play center field like The Flash and steal unabashedly even when the battery knows he’s going. He swings hard and pretty much all the time, gunning for extra bases and sulking when an opposing infielder manages to throw him out. He does all the exciting things you can do to be good and glides by the boring things.
Storyline: PCA, for those who favor fewer syllables, came over from the Mets in a trade for half a season of Javy Baez. His route to the starting lineup wasn’t always smooth. His April star turn has been an assertion that he can hit the ball often enough (and hard enough) to overcome the downsides of his all-aggression-all-the-time approach.
His .275 average, six homers and 12 steals, even with a subpar .315 on-base percentage, are enough to make him a top five position player in the game by FanGraphs WAR. Because he’s also teleporting around the grass in Wrigley Field. If the Cubs are taking the leap forward, Crow-Armstrong is going to be the Robin to Kyle Tucker’s Batman.
Jesus Luzardo, Phillies starting pitcher
Role: Luzardo is a diminutive but electric left-hander in rec specs, healthy and repeating his 2023 form for a much bigger audience.
Storyline: Now thrice traded, Luzardo was actually thriving for his childhood favorite club. Unfortunately, that club was the Marlins, so he got shipped out for prospects. Under the brighter lights in Philadelphia, he’s off to a blazing start, making his presence felt even in a star-studded rotation. Through six starts, he’s rocking a 1.73 ERA and a 28% strikeout rate while averaging six innings per outing.
The Phillies’ sharp pitching coaches have him throwing his zippy eastbound and down slider more often than he ever has, and it’s working, keeping hitters off his fastballs more and limiting homers. If he keeps up anything like this rate of performance, there’s a 99% chance the Phillies’ raucous faithful come up with some truly profane ways to celebrate the success of The Jesus Lizard.
Cal Raleigh, Mariners catcher
Role: Meet the surprise savior. In a twist, a man called the Big Dumper who looks every bit of the nickname has usurped the leading man slot from the trim athletic marvel with the enchanting eyes. And his preparedness for the task just might save the season.
Storyline: The Mariners are so close to fielding a real contender. Flush with starting pitching (though currently worrying about injuries to some of their precious arms), Seattle just needs someone, anyone to hit. Since the front office declined to pursue external help, the burden falls on the core already in place. Julio Rodriguez has not found a groove in a couple years now, but Raleigh — extended this spring — has thundered into the season running ahead of his usual 30-homer pace, with improved plate discipline to boot.
Raleigh was already beloved for his crunch time heroics and stellar defense. His 2024 and early 2025 results aren’t just clearing expectations or a fun story. He’s a terrifying, jovial bear of an MVP candidate.
Jung Hoo Lee, Giants outfielder
Role: A splash landing, delayed. Lee’s 2024 arrival in MLB was rudely interrupted by injury, but he has returned with a vengeance in 2025.
Storyline: The former KBO star with an 80-grade nickname — Grandson of the Wind — has refreshed the Giants with his dynamic brand of baseball. Lots of line drives! A spring-loaded swing that propels him onto the basepaths! Almost no strikeouts!
Lee is a major factor in the Giants’ fast start, and thus in what’s shaping up to be a diabolical NL West race.
Nick Pivetta, Padres starting pitcher
Role: Speaking of the NL West … meet the longtime character actor who finally found his moment in the sun. Or, more specifically, his pitcher-friendly palace in San Diego.
Storyline: Six-foot-five and durable with a strong four-seam fastball and two breaking pitches, Pivetta has always lookedlike an ace, but his persistent, conventional appeal created a bugaboo playing in bandboxes in Philadelphia and Boston. Mainly: He gave up so many home runs. This winter, he inked a weird deal with San Diego that reflected the financial gymnastics GM AJ Preller had to pull off to improve the team amid ownership squabbles.
But talk about paying off for both sides. Pivetta’s early performance in San Diego is one of the most logic-reaffirming occurrences in recent memory. Steady, proven pitcher with homer problem goes to play in the expanse of Petco Park, loses homer problem, succeeds. Pivetta has never given up fewer than 1.32 homers per nine in any major-league season (even short ones), and now he’s running a rate of 0.51 per nine. So now his usual 4.00-ish ERA starts with a 1. And the Padres are going to be a pain in the Dodgers’ side thanks to an arm that actually, you know, takes the ball.
That’s all for today because instead of chatting by sending links back and forth, we’re actually just…chatting, IRL.
I hope there will be photos of whatever Hannah chooses as a hat for Saturday.