15-Year MLB Vet Hangs Up His Cleats

Author: Spencer Reyes

Editor: Mark Awadallah

On Monday, December 21st, the versatile, utility fielder Howie Kendrick retired from professional baseball. Fans of the 37-year-old found out from his latest Instagram post, where he thanked his previous successors, the Angels, Dodgers, and Nationals for believing in him and giving him a spot on their rosters. Kendrick has played almost every position on the field in the MLB except for shortstop and catcher, making him the true definition of a utility man. He has had his fair share of postseason experience by participating in 13 different series for 8 years on three different teams. It took the MLB vet quite some time, but after 14 years of playing in the MLB, he finally won a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals, in 2019. Just two seasons ago, he earned the NLCS MVP award and delivered the go-ahead home run for the Nationals in Game 7 to win the World Series. Kendrick had to sit out the later end of this past season when he pulled his left hamstring which ultimately led to the end of his slugging career. In 15 years, he has had a career batting average of .294, .430 slugging %, 127 home runs, 792 runs, and 724 RBI’s.

Kendrick was always known as a threat to pitchers across baseball. His legacy of extra base hits, fielding ability, and coming in clutch will be remembered by fans across the luxurious sport and will really shine when he becomes eligible for the 2026 Cooperstown Hall of Fame class. Don’t be surprised when he is voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. We wish him the best in retirement. Kendrick’s goodbye was also wholesome and heartfelt:

"To the fans, without your support and love for the game, our stage and lights would not shine as brightly as they do. Know you will be missed as well. I will always love the game of baseball and will constantly reflect on the lifelong memories made. For now, it's time to drop the mic and enter a new stage of my life" -Howie Kendrick

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

ALCS MVP in Jail?

Author: Spencer Reyes

Editor: Fran Attie

Back in late October, 25-year old, leftfielder, Randy Arozarena was hitting bombs and taking names for the Tampa Bay Rays as they fought for the World Series. He’d had an amazing comeback story, and it was marketable enough for Wonderfilm Media, the company that made “Invincible” and “Soul Surfer,” to want to make a documentary on his life. But recently, just before Thanksgiving, Arozarena made the news for all the wrong reasons.

For those who don’t know, Randy got married to his new wife, Cenelia Pinedo Blanco after the World Series, and he still has a daughter with his ex-wife, who was born in September of 2018. His daughter, ex-wife, and ex-father-in-law all live together in Mexico, and on November 24th, news broke that Arozarena allegedly tried to abduct his daughter from their home and assault his ex-father-in-law in the process. As he drove away with his daughter in his black Camaro, neighbors stopped him by standing in front of his car at a traffic light. He was arrested by Mexican authorities and charged with domestic violence.

On Thanksgiving, he was released from jail, his ex-wife has agreed to drop charges and neither side will need representation in court; she had custody of their child before the altercation, and I can imagine it will stay that way afterwards. The MLB and the MLBPA will discuss and determine if Randy will be punished or lose playing time. The Tampa Bay Rays will have to have the same meetings. Not one organization has said anything on the matter or subject of Arozarena’s arrest or dropped charges. It also has not been determined if Wonderfilm Media will continue the production of his documentary.

Stay tuned at The Sport Universe to find out if he will face additional punishments with the MLB, MLBPA, or the Tampa Bay Rays.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

The Nerds Have Take Over Baseball

Author: Rushabh Lakhani

Editor: Fran Attié

“The nerds have taken over baseball.” This is a constant grumble amongst older, less analytically-inclined people, who believe sabermetrics have ruined the game they grew up watching, changing it so it will never be the same again. And to be honest, this belief is partially correct. The evolution of analytics has changed the game forever, but I wonder if that’s such a bad thing.

Babe Ruth changed baseball with the homerun, hitting better than entire teams. Steph Curry changed basketball with the three-pointer, crushing previously held records and expanding the three-point range, not only for himself but for generations of shooters to come. Neither of these individuals receives the same hate analytics does. In fact, they are revered as legends, some of the greatest to ever play their respective sports.

With the 2020 World Series recently finished, sabermetrics are currently at the forefront of conversations, with many people doubting them due to Kevin Cash’s decision to pull Blake Snell with one out in the 6th inning. Though this was a questionable move for sure, people seem to have found a scapegoat in analytics, believing the move to be completely backed by the numbers. However, while it is true that, in general terms, statistics dictate that when facing a batter for the third time, a pitcher’s numbers tend to drop, a deeper analysis shows that, over his career, Snell actually has very similar statistics for the second and third time through the order. Not only that, but Mookie Betts, the first hitter Snell’s replacement Nick Anderson faced, has consistently hit worse throughout his career when facing the pitcher for the third time.

Yikes, I may have gone off a tangent there… I guess it just gets me mad that people don’t understand the value of analytics, because, at the end of the day, there really is no argument: sabermetrics have already won. Homeruns are up, strikeouts are up, hits are down, stolen bases are down. The most successful front offices have fully embraced analytics and the results can be seen on the field. In 2020, the two most analytically-inclined teams faced off in the World Series (and one of them had a had 162-game payroll of less than $75 million).

Sabermetrics are equalizing the playing field and improving the quality of play. It is a natural progression in human evolution to get better at repeated activities over time. That is why, if you teleported a prime Babe Ruth to modern-day baseball, he very well may be a below replacement level player. Analytics are simply the next step in this evolution, allowing players to come even closer to reaching peak human performance on a baseball field.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE