Do They Know? Do They Care?

MLB.com takes a “throw it on the wall and see if it sticks” approach to things. They’ve been in love with Shohei Ohtani from day one and will provide the glue necessary to keep him sticking. The next Babe Ruth will be taking the mound again on Friday. For the season, Ohtani sports a 2-1 record with a 2.76 ERA while batting .255 with 16 homeruns and 42 RBIs. Somewhere, both Willie Smith and the Bambino are spinning. If I were Angels’ manager Joe Maddon (and perish the thought), I’d keep Ohtani off the mound and in the batter’s box. That’s a subject not likely to be broached on MLB.com. Or owning up to overpromoting prospects, for that matter. The Mariners have just sent rookie outfielder Jarred Kelenic back to the minors. The 21-year old was mired in a 0-for-39 slump; on the season, Kelenic was batting .096 with 26 strikeouts in 83 at-bats. The sixth player taken in the 2018 draft, the lefthanded-hitting Kelenic will be working on his confidence at Triple-A Tacoma as much as anything. I did a search for Kelenic on the MLB.com website and got 138 hits, among them a video clip from MLB Tonight where Harold Reynolds compares him to Mike Trout and Sean Casey to George Brett. Talk is both cheap and dangerous; it only adds to the pressure Kelenic must be feeling right now. Too bad baseball doesn’t care. It's got a product to sell, which means throwing stuff against the wall. If Jarred Kelenic doesn’t stick, why should MLB.com care? There’s always another guy to take his place.