San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Both teams feature plenty of young, impressive talent in contention for title of Bay Area’s most exciting player.
Sometimes it seems like the forces of evil are trying to suck all the fun, the joy and the soul out of baseball, but there are guys who refuse to let that happen.
These fellows are infused with the spirit of the game. Look at the photo of a young Willie Mays playing stickball with kids in a Harlem street just before heading off to his job — playing center field for the New York Giants.
“Grind” is a favorite word in sports these days. To athletes, it’s a noble word because it connotes hard work and nonstop dedication. Hey, it takes grinding to earn and keep a bigleague uniform.
But those of us who love the game don’t want to see players grind. We want to see them soar.
Two striking examples that spring to mind: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mike Trout. Tatis looks like he has fun just getting dressed to play, putting on every accessory and piece of jewelry he can find. Trout, in a recent spring training game, got fooled by a Johnny Cueto hesitation pitch, stepped out of the box and doubled over laughing. He’s having fun.
Will we have any eagles in the Bay Area this season? Pure athletic excellence is part of the equation, but as fans we want a little extra mustard, a bit of flair and swag, flashes of emotion and exuberance. Grind is for coffee.
So who is likely to be the Bay Area’s Mr. Excitement in 2021? Here are my finalists:
Johnny Cueto. He doesn’t throw all that funkymotion and hesitation stuff just to fool batters. He does it because he can, and it’s fun.
Baseball did itself a great service when it opened the doors to Latin players. (Thank you, Giants.) They brought a unique style and flair to the big leagues, just as the Black players did a decade earlier, and Asian players would do decades later.
Back in the ’50s, Vic Power, a Cleveland first baseman from Puerto Rico, enraged purists with his onehanded catches, the baseball equivalent of a behind-the-back pass, or Mays’ basket catch. Kids copied him. Coaches fumed. The game survived. (Power would also slide into first to tag the base on putouts.)
Back to Cueto. He’s fun to watch when he’s mixing and matching pitches, painting corners, making hitters lunge and flail. He’s clearly enjoying the game as much as we are enjoying watching him enjoy it.
Other than Cueto, the Giants are a bit thin in the excitement department. That’s why fans are hoping Heliot Ramos tears up the minors and forces a callup.
Sorry, Giants fans, at this point the A’s have cornered the Bay Area market on players with that extra flair. Namely:
Buddy Reed. He’ll spend the season in Oakland’s farm system, but keep an eye out for Buddy — a speedy, 6foot4, 25yearold switchhitting outfielder.
Jesus Luzardo. The goggles, the sizzling 97 mph fastball, and now a loitering, 65 mph curveball he calls “the turkey sub.” Enthusiastic, emotional. Creates a buzz.
Elvis Andrus. Most fans (and this writer) would have preferred to see homegrown Marcus Semien back at short, but these are the SaveaBuck A’s, and the shortstop swap made sense economically.
Now that Elvis is here, enjoy. Manager Bob Melvin says Andrus’ personality is already lighting up the clubhouse, and he’s one of the game’s truly exciting shortstops.
Now, the two leading candidates for Mr. Excitement. Runnerup:
Matt Chapman. This award isn’t all about stats, but you can’t be exciting unless you’re playing damn good ball, and Chapman is the Bay Area’s best baseball player.
At 27, he’s already been voted the game’s best defensive player. Twice. He’s athletic, sure, but he stands above other acrobatic third sackers because of his maniacal zeal. That’s why he’s called The Unwelcome Matt. (OK, I’m the only one who calls him that, but still.) The Coliseum’s comically vast foul territory is his playground.
In a tense game, you want to see the ball hit to Chapman. So does Chapman.
That brings us to this season’s top contender for Mr. Excitement: Ramon Laureano. Laureano isn’t the game’s best center fielder, but he can climb walls with the best of ’em, and he can throw out baserunners better than the best of ’em. His highlights are legendary.
I was debating between Chapman and Laureano, then I remembered last season’s playoffs, when Laureano let himself be miked for TV and carried on a conversation with the broadcasters (including a swear word) as he was chasing down balls hit his way.
Laureano, like Chapman, is far from a goofball. Both are serious players. But they play so hard, with such intensity and flair, that they make it look like fun.
Remember, these are only candidates. Somebody’s going to go out this season and win the first annual Mr. Excitement Award. At the gala presentation ceremony, Rickey Henderson will be the emcee, Willie Mays will present the award, and Eric Byrnes will be the valet parking guy, hustling up 50 cars an hour.