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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls – End of regular season update

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The 2020 MLB season is winding down and Rice baseball alums are heating up. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls at the end of the regular season.

The 60-ish game regular season has come to an end with one former Rice baseball alum still aiming for a World Series ring. Tyler Duffey’s Minnesota Twins are the last team standing with an Owl on the roster. Anthony Rendon’s Angels, Brock Holt’s Nationals, and Jon Duplantier’s Diamondbacks missed the cut this time around.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Anthony Rendon’s first season on the west coast didn’t end as planned, but the former World Series champ turned in a banner year nonetheless. Rendon finished second in the American League in WAR (wins above replacement), trailing only Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. Rendon even topped his teammate and former MVP Mike Trout, edging him by two spots (Trout finished fifth).

Rendon was far and away one of the most impactful additions the Angels made during the offseason. Unfortunately, the pitching staff didn’t match the production at the plate. The Angels were 13th in the AL with a 5.09 team ERA.

Rendon finished the season with a .286 average and a career-best .418 on-base percentage. His .915 OPS marks the fourth consecutive season with an OPS better than .900. He hit nine home runs, 11 doubles and walked 38 times to his 31 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey celebrated with his teammates on Sunday after clinching the division. “I think having the banner, having that pennant up, matters,” he said. “Second place means you got in, third place whatever, but having that banner with that year on it, that’s forever. And that’s something we all think is very special.”

The ace reliever was an integral part of the Twins winning achieving that feat. Only he and fellow reliever matt Wisler posted season-long ERAs below 2.00 and Duffey did it with a stunning .792 WHIP.

Duffey finished the regular season with 31 strikeouts in 22 appearances. He struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings and allowed just two home runs all season. He didn’t throw a single wild pitch.

The Twins host the Astros for a best three series this week. The schedule is as follows:

  • Tues. 2:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
  • Wed. 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Thr. (if necessary)

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt’s 2020 season was a tale of two halves. It started in Milwaukee with the Brewers where, for whatever reason, Holt never quite acclimated at the plate. He was released and signed with the Washington Nationals where he looked much more like his old self.

With a brief stint on the paternity list and away from the game, Holt saw his batting average double as he began to heat up at the plate. Holt finished the season hitting .209 (.262 with the Nats). He hit five extra base hits (all in DC) and played all around the diamond.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – September 17

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of September 17.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The shortened season hasn’t put a damper on Anthony Rendon’s effectiveness. He and Mike Trout have been the bright spots in an otherwise erratic Angels lineup that ranks a tad south of the midpoint among MLB offenses. At the plate, Rendon is pushing the former MVP with a strong season of his own. As of this week, Rendon was on pace for several career-bests:

Holding up these numbers over the course of a 162 game season would be more arduous than this shortened campaign, but the eye-popping nature of some of these rates is impressive nonetheless. Rendon has proven to be everything the Angels could have hoped for when they signed him this offseason.

Through September 16, Rendon is hitting .277 with 17 extra-base hits, 33 walks and 24 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey was off for five days following his first blown save of the year last week. He entered a Sep. 12 game against the Indians in the eighth inning with one out and finished the frame, walking one and striking out another. Duffey, who always wears the No. 21 jersey, was joined that day by teammates Nelson Cruz, José Berríos and Eddie Rosario who also wore the number in honor of Roberto Clemente. He tossed three more scoreless innings over the next five days, allowing one hit and striking out four.

Through September 16, Duffey has a 1.77 ERA with a .836 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt appeared in 12 games with the Nationals following his release from the Brewers. His next appearance in DC will have to wait, but for good reason. Holt was placed on the Paternity list this week. During the offseason, he announced he and his wife were expecting a baby in late September.

Through September 16, Holt is hitting .221 overall and .316 with the Nationals. Since signing with Washington, Holt is 12-for-38 with four extra-base hits.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – September 10

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of September 10.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

At this point, it might be enough to leave this portion simple. Something like this: Anthony Rendon is good at baseball.

Rendon continues to produce and gives the Angels a chance. His bat helped lead the team to a series sweep over the Houston Astros over Labor Day weekend. He had a pair of home runs in the series and drove in five.

Through September 9, Rendon is hitting .291 with 15 extra-base hits, 30 walks and 24 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey continues to be a workhorse for the Twins. He’s appeared in more than a third of their games and has only allowed any earned runs on three occasions. One of those off nights came this week against the Tigers. Duffey surrendered three hits and two runs (one earned) while fanning three in 1.1 innings. He was handed his first blown save of the season.

Through September 9, Duffey has a 2.16 ERA with a .840 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt joined the Nationals at the end of August after he was released by the Brewers. His first start came on Sept. 2 at third base. A few days later his bat woke up from its slumber. Holt went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 5. He raised his average more than 70 points in that outing alone.

Holt showed off his speed in the Nats next game, sliding under the tag to score from first on a single to right field.

Through September 9, Holt is hitting .250 overall and .400 with the Nationals. Since signing with Washington, Holt is 12-for-30 with four extra-base hits.

Other Owls

Jon Duplantier is unlikely to rejoin the Arizona Diamondbacks this fall. General Manager Mike Hazen indicated Duplantier’s season is most likely finished as he works to rehab from injury.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – September 3

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of September 3.

Brock Holt was released by the Brewers last week but wasn’t unemployed for very long. The utility man landed in Washington with the defending World Series Champs. Manager Dave Martinez was very complimentary about the new addition. “We think he can help,” Martinez said of Holt, “He can play multiple positions, he can swing the bat. He’s going to get a chance to play everywhere here.”

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon cooled down a bit this week after his torrid mid-August pace. He’s still on pace for a terrific season and currently sports what would be the highest on-base percentage of his career (.435). The former National has settled in quite nicely in Anaheim and the impact he’s had on the entire lineup has been noticeable, perhaps no more so than how pitchers have to game plan for his spot in the order.

There’s no more pitching around Mike Trout when you have to deal with Rendon at the plate after him. So far, Rendon’s been doing just fine with the arrangement.

Through September 2, Rendon is hitting .292 with 11 extra-base hits, 25 walks and 20 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey took his first loss of the year this week, allowing a two-run home run in the fifth inning to Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera. Minnesota was unable to climb out of the two-run hole. He bounced back with his first multi-inning outing in his next appearance.

Through September 2, Duffey has a 1.88 ERA with a .4767 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Other Owls

Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen downplayed the chances of pitcher Jon Duplantier rejoining the rotation later in the season. Saying “I don’t think it’s likely” in response to a question about his availability in the coming weeks. If that is the case, we’ll have to wait until 2021 to see Duplantier on the mound again.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 27

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of August 27.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a stretch earlier this year where he went 0-for-21. Whether it was some rust from a longer than expected offseason or some bad luck, his slump has been emphatically ended.

From August 10 to August 24, Rendon hit .482 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 56 at bats. His OPS was 1.336. As David Adler points out in the tweet and story below, Rendon has been as consistent as ever.

According to Adler, “Rendon has been doing everything right when it comes to his hallmark, plate discipline. He was always swinging at all the right pitches; he just needed to hit them. Now the hits are coming. No one should be surprised.” Rice baseball fans certainly aren’t.

Through August 27, Rendon is hitting .316 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 19 strikeouts. His OPS is .982.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey is the only player in baseball who has appeared in at least 12 games with an ERA below 1.00 and a WHIP below .500. He’s just been dominant, allowing one hit or less in 11 of his 12 outings. He had two single-inning outings this week, striking out two batters apiece in each frame.

Through August 27, Duffey has a 0.75 ERA with a .417 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Other Owls

Brock Holt was released on Thursday after the Brewers designated him for assignment last week. He hit .100 in 30 at bats this season before being released. His versatility and reliable glove should get him another shot with a big league team in the future.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool as he rehabs from an offseason injury. There haven’t been any updates regarding his status or when he might rejoin the team since the season began. Arizona could certainly use him.

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