Jake Adams, Corey Julks Power Astros; Albert Almora Jr. Leads Cubs Past Mariners

Players of the Day for Monday, February 24, 2020

Grapefruit League

Either the Houston Astros have found a new, undetectable way of stealing signs or they've got a couple of heavy-handed rookies on their 2020 roster.

Jake Adams socked a ninth-inning, three-run homer in his only official at-bat after walking with the bases loaded in the seventh inning as the Houston Astros dropped the Detroit Tigers like a sack of flour Monday, in an 11-1 blowout.

Prior to Adams blowing up the scoreboard, Corey Julks ripped a seventh-inning grand slam, scoring Adams and two more of his new teammates. Julks finished 2-for-3. Like Adams, he drove in four runs.

Almora Jr. 3-3, HR, 4RBI

Cactus League

After a sub-par year in 2019, Cubs' shortstop Albert Almora, Jr. is showing signs that it was a one-off and 2020 will be much improved as he fights for the starting center field position with the Cubs in Florida.

Almora singled twice and homered in three at-bats, driving in four runs and scoring twice as the Cubs outlasted the Mariners, 16-12.

Last season, Almora hit just .232, well off his .286 from 2018 and the .298 average he posted in 2017.

The Cubs improved to 2-1 in Grapefruit League standings, while the Mariners dropped their second straight in as many tries.

5,265 fans attended the game in Peoria, Arizona.

Bats and Balls All the Rage as Spring Training Games Get Underway

Spring Training has been underway for a month now, and the first games in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues were played over the weekend.

It's time for baseball to re-emerge from the cold, snow and dreariness of winter, as players twist and turn their bodies into shape for the long, demanding season ahead.

Overhanging the upcoming regular season a little more than a month away are the scandals stemming from creative sign-stealing in the 2017 regular season, playoffs and World Series and 2018 regular season by the Houston Astros. Their victory over National league rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the 2017 World Series has been tainted by what amounts to a combination of high-tech and low-tech method of informing batters of incoming fast balls, the easiest to hit for professional hitters.

The World Series title will not be vacated by MLB, but the damage has been done. Astros' general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A. J. Hinch have been suspended for the entire 2020 season for failing to prevent the rules violations. Boston Red Sox manager Joey Cora was released by the team in January when it was alleged that he was the mastermind behind the scheme. Recently hired by the Mets as their 2020 manager, Carlos Beltran - a player for the Astros in 2017 - was also released in January after his name came up in the MLB report.

Stealing signs is as old as the game itself. It's part of the nomenclature of the sport, as getting an edge in any sporting event, by whatever means, can often result in the difference between winning and losing, and being a superstar as opposed to an ordinary player. While cheating is universally frowned upon from a moral perspective, there's always a few rotten apples in the barrel who will go to extraordinary lengths to secure an advantage.

By the time the regular season rolls out, the sign-stealing scandal will be back page news, overtaken by the timelessness of opening day, pitchers with wild arms, rookies with big smiles, batters with adjustments to their swings, and a fresh slate of 162 games ahead for everybody.

With Spring games now underway, it's time again to pick up the bats and balls and head to the field, where the glory of America's game will add another chapter to its rich, enduring history.

Baseball on Deck will begin its usual coverage of players of the day on Tuesday, February 25 with highlights from the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.

Yankees' Derek Jeter, Rockies' Larry Walker Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Derek Jeter

Former New York Yankee shortstop, Derek Jeter, and outfielder Larry Walker were both elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday night, though their paths to glory could not have been more different.

Jeter, now the CEO of the Miami Marlins, received all but one first place vote in his first time on the ballot. Walker got 76.6% of the votes on his 10th and final try, making the grade by a mere 10 votes. Walker joins former Cubs' pitcher Ferguson Jenkins as the only other Canadian-born member of the Hall.

Jeter played every season of his 20-year career - from 1995 though 2014 - with the New York Yankees, during which the Bronx Bombers won five World Series, reaching the playoffs in all but four seasons. Jeter won various awards including Rookie of the Year (1995), All-Star game MVP, World Series MVP (2009), and five gold gloves.

During his run, Jeter had 3465 hits in 11195 at-bats for a .310 regular season average.Jeter socked 260 home runs, drove in 1311, and scored 1923 times. He swiped 358 bases and finished with an on-base percentage of .377.

For all his accomplishments, Jeter never won a batting title nor a regular season MVP award, finishing second in 2006, and third in the voting in both 1998 and 2009. His base hits total of 3465 is sixth all-time, trailing only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Tris Speaker.

Larry Walker

Walker, a five time All-Star, played 17 seasons starting in 1989, six of them with the Montreal Expos, nine full seasons with the Colorado Rockies, and part of 2004 with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he finished his career in 2005.

A prolific hitter, Walker had 2160 hits in 6907 at-bats for a lifetime .313 regular season batting average. He led the National League in batting three times, hitting .363 in 1998, .379 in 1999, and .350 in 2001. He earned the NL MVP award in a season in which he did not win the batting title. In 1997, he batted .366 and led the league with 49 home runs, 409 total bases, a .452 on-base percentage, .720 slugging, and 1.172 OPS.

Walker's post-season play was limited to just three seasons, two with the Cardinals (2004 and 2005) and one with the Rockies (1995). His best performance was in 2004, when the Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox. Walker batted .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, two homers, and three RBI.

Induction to the Hall will be made official on July 26 at Cooperstown, NY along with catcher Ted Simmons and former players' association head Marvin Miller, who were voted in last month by the Hall's Modern Era Committee.

MLB Pitchers, Catchers, Full Squad Reporting Dates

Baseball season isn't as far away as some people might think.

The Sporting News has information on reporting dates for all MLB teams, broken down by dates for pitchers and catchers, and then, full squad.

All major league teams will have pitchers and catchers report on either February 12 or 13, and full squads have their first scheduled practices on either the 17th or 18th.

The Royals and Rangers will open the exhibition season with the first spring training game, played February 21st at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. That game starts the Cactus League schedule.

Florida's Grapefruit League opens the following day with eight games on the slate.