Sports
Varsho a brand new form of super utility player
When Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly landed on the injured list with a strained oblique last week, it made news for the top prospect summoned to take his place — outfielder Alek Thomas. But beyond the hype of an exciting young player, there was also something noteworthy in Arizona’s decision to call up an outfielder to replace a catcher.
That left the Diamondbacks with just one backstop on the roster, or so it seemed. But in reality, Kelly’s replacement was already on the team — playing center field.
Daulton Varsho started 22 of the D-backs’ first 27 games in center field, but originally rose to the majors as a catcher. With Kelly on the IL, he has pivoted back behind the plate.
Batting leadoff most days, the stocky but speedy Varsho is powering Arizona’s surprising start. With six homers and a healthy walk rate, his wRC+ (a park-adjusted measurement of offensive output) shows that he’s been 34% better than the league average hitter so far. Add in elite defensive metrics in center field, and he’s been one of the 10 best position players in baseball, by FanGraphs WAR.
(If you play fantasy baseball, Varsho might be an even more notable unicorn since he’s a catcher-eligible hitter who actually steals bases.)
By expanding the possibilities of the roster and allowing Arizona to call up Thomas instead of a backup catcher, Varsho is mining the benefits of multi-positional talent in a fairly unprecedented way. If not for Shohei Ohtani’s brain-bending ascension to baseball god status, he may be MLB’s new icon of versatility.
A brand new form of super utility player
Perhaps the game’s wildest recent example of nominative determinism, Varsho is the son of former journeyman outfielder Gary Varsho, and named for famed Phillies catcher Darren Daulton.
The younger Varsho’s career has been one big interrobang over his bizarre dual citizenship in two of the game’s most difficult defensive positions. Even before he was drafted, Arizona’s scouts knew they liked him, but they weren’t sure where his future lied.
“I remember talking to one of our scouts who was in there and he was telling me he’s a slam-dunk center fielder,” assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye told The Athletic. “Then another would tell me he’s a catcher.”
Across stints in the majors in 2020 and 2021, and now full-time starter work in 2022, Varsho has started 47 games at catcher and 76 in the outfield, with 56 of those starts in center.
“He’s doing both,” Sawdaye said. “They’re both right.”
It’s hard to overstate how rare it is to find a player who can handle the physical and mental challenges of the catcher position … and also center field. Since integration in 1947, only nine players have ever played even five games at both positions in the same season. Varsho has now done it in all three of his seasons, a feat matched only by Ed Kirkpatrick of the late ’60s and early ’70s Royals.
The most recent examples of this particular form of multitasking are future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, who was looking to complete a transition away from catcher, and Eli Marrero, a Cardinals bench player who also pulled it off while shifting from catcher to a utility role in 2002.
In sustaining his dynamic dual duties even this long, Varsho is carving out a distinct niche for himself. By the end of the week, Varsho could become the first player in MLB history to play 10 games at each in three different seasons.
Of course, franchises aren’t making decisions for the novelty of it all. Varsho’s versatility is just plain useful.
The D-backs are an eyebrow-raising 17-14 thus far in a daunting NL West entering Wednesday’s games. Bolstered by excellent pitching, their offense doesn’t have a lot of margin for error as they take aim at the wild-card race. Varsho is both one of the team’s best hitters and … pretty much a magic trick that allows them to roster more players at positions where offensive ability can be a bigger part of the equation.
That could make his novel skill set immensely valuable.
Can Varsho keep this up?
Under the watchful eye of big-league statistics and tracking technology, Varsho’s strengths and weaknesses have become increasingly clear. Despite relatively little experience in the outfield, the early returns say he is a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center field.
Statcast’s Outs Above Average stat put him in the 92nd percentile for outfielders in 2022, and its outfield jump metric says he’s getting better initial breaks than 98 percent of major leaguers. Similarly, he scores extremely highly in older defensive metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved. It’s always a little tricky to know when and how much to buy into defensive stats, but it makes it easier when they all agree on the general direction. It also helps when coaches agree on his ability and sky-high potential, and when he provides some highlights to prove it.
His catching stats are … not as pretty. The biggest part of a catcher’s defensive job (or at least the biggest part that can be quantified) is framing pitches to make sure pitchers get strikes they deserve and sometimes even steal strikes they may not have earned. Varsho is toward the back of the pack in that skill. Among the 78 catchers who received at least 2,500 pitches in 2021, his framing measured out as seventh-worst on a rate basis, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Put those assessments of his defensive capabilities together and the takeaway is obvious: He should mostly be playing center field. Still, those catcher numbers aren’t as bleak as they might seem, and it is almost certainly worth keeping him in the practice of catching for moments just like the one the D-backs face now with Kelly on the IL.
Varsho’s framing isn’t good, but it still rates out ahead of a few regular starters like the Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez and has been comparable to the Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras.
That stands in stark contrast to another recent super-utility player who could have had provided advantageous flexibility. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, now the New York Yankees’ starting shortstop, came up as a catcher with the Texas Rangers. His special extra skill was playing the infield, originally third base. But his catching duty was untenable, with framing rates were the worst in the sport in 2019, more than twice as bad as Varsho’s — which is a huge, multiple-wins-per-season level of bad. It’s hard to say if he would have progressed to something more functional since the Rangers quickly moved him to third base and then shortstop, where he is an excellent defender, but the point remains that Varsho is just good enough to keep the experiment going.
And the experiment could make a huge difference if the D-backs find themselves in the playoff hunt in 2022 or in some not-too-distant season.
Presumably, when Kelly comes back, Varsho will return to mostly playing center field with occasional catching duties to stay fresh. Over the course of the season, that stands to essentially buy the D-backs 150 or more plate appearances of production from an outfielder instead of a catcher, an edge that figures to outweigh whatever disadvantage Varsho might be while catching.
Since the start of 2021, MLB catchers are batting .226/.302/.382 as a group, where outfielders are slashing .245/.320/.415. That’s 11% worse than league average vs. 1% better than league average, per wRC+.
It’s not quite the two-way Ohtani show, but Varsho’s multi-dimensional game is a box score talking point that could also pay serious dividends for Arizona.
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“Getting invited into the Green Room, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is a dream come true,” Kevon Looney told FOX Sports. “But then to not get called until the 30th pick, you watch everyone get drafted, not knowing when you’re going to get picked or not. I actually left and came back. It was great, but sad at the same time. That put a chip on my shoulder.”
Source: FOX Sports @ FoxSports.com
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Dave McMenamin @mcten
New video: My @sportscenter report from Game 2 of the Western Conference finals where Kevon Looney busted out to turn the game around for the Dubs. pic.twitter.com/a4vh5hZgM8 – 1:48 PM
Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Your Game 2 episode of All-82, which probably should be renamed The Kevon Looney podcast at this point.
@Anthony Slater @Tim Kawakami
Apple: https://t.co/hOs7nQAGgM
Spotify: https://t.co/1r6Z8VdRH0
TA: https://t.co/qv4BVG5XYJ pic.twitter.com/H1ouFLVUg2 – 12:52 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Enjoyed this column from @annkillion on Kevon Looney, who received M-V-P chants last night: sfchronicle.com/sports/annkill… – 11:50 AM
Trey Kerby @treykerby
It looked like the torch may have been passed, but Connor McDavid and Kevon Looney are still the best players left in the playoffs. – 9:25 AM
Tania Ganguli @taniaganguli
Kevon Looney was once a wide-eyed rookie intimidated by joining the Warriors mid-dynasty. “They used to joke that I didn’t talk for the first 6 months,” he said. He’s now a critical part of the team’s next championship attempt, as he showed Friday night. nytimes.com/2022/05/21/spo… – 4:55 AM
Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews
“MVP” chants rained down for Kevon Looney Friday night – an experience he called “nerve wracking.”
He became the first Warrior center with a 20 & 10 playoff game since the 70s as he led the charge in the Warriors’ comeback over the Mavs: espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 2:37 AM
Matt Steinmetz @SteinmetzNBA
Two questions: Is Maxi Kleber’s box score line among most pathetic ever … and is Kevon Looney poised to win first-ever Magic Johnson award? – 1:56 AM
Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
Kevon Looney had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors rallied past the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 on Friday for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
“I feel honored just to be a part of the ride,” Looney said. https://t.co/qco2mEtHWy pic.twitter.com/sdB5D40dC0 – 12:55 AM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Jordan Poole isn’t surprised by how Kevon Looney played tonight.
“Loon is a dog. He’s always been a dog.” – 12:37 AM
Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Jordan Poole just got emotional talking about seeing Kevon Looney have the game he had tonight. GSW chemistry is truly something special. – 12:34 AM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Jordan Poole on him and Kevon Looney, coming from the same city, and watching Looney play well:
“The little kid in me is so excited…I’m so happy for him, and I’m happy to be a part of it. Shoutout to big bro Loon.” – 12:32 AM
CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Kevon Looney’s sister, Summer, graduated today. He made sure to shout her out while leaving the podium tonight. – 12:25 AM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Just a couple of years ago, Kevon Looney’s NBA career was on life support. Now, he’s a key difference-maker for a title contender. Feels like a good time to revisit this story I wrote in January: sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… – 12:24 AM
CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Kevon Looney on the Warriors’ dominance in the paint tonight: pic.twitter.com/yg9ary6T9q – 12:20 AM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Kevon Looney on the crowd chanting MVP while he was shooting free throws:
“It was nerve-racking. I haven’t shot a free throw in like three weeks.” – 12:16 AM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
More of Steve Kerr on Kevon Looney: “I don’t know where we’d be without him, frankly. He’s just been a huge part of our team.” – 12:01 AM
Trey Kerby @treykerby
Connor McDavid looking like Kevon Looney out there. – 12:00 AM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Steve Kerr on Kevon Looney:
“Loon is everybody’s favorite guy…He gives us a lot of stability that we need.” – 11:59 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Steve Kerr says Kevon Looney is “incredibly underrated by everybody” and was “brilliant” tonight. In the 2nd half, Looney held the Mavericks to 0-7 FG as a primary defender, including holding Luka Doncic to 0-3 FG as his primary defender. Looney had 21 points and 12 rebounds. – 11:57 PM
CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Steve Kerr: “I thought Kevon Looney was brilliant tonight… He’s had a fantastic playoff run… He’s underrated by everybody.” – 11:56 PM
Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
Kevon Looney over last 2 games vs Mavericks
15.5 points
8.5 rebounds
3 assists
78% FG
+12
#GoldBlooded – 11:53 PM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Radio Roulette is LIVE @UnderdogFantasy
– Game 2(s)
– Scoring variance
– Jordan Poole roller coaster
– Mavs bench, how rule should apply
– Kevon Looney MVP
– Draymond rules
– Targeting Steph
– I fulfilled my promise, an update
– $100 giveaway
Join us!⬇️
youtube.com/watch?v=h3_MHo… – 11:38 PM
Michael Gallagher @MikeSGallagher
Kevon Looney post game interview.
He’s about to get that cheese like the Antonellis. – 11:37 PM
Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
The Warriors stormed back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Mavs in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, 126-117. The night belonged to Kevon Looney, who scored the most points ever in his career, regular season or postseason (21) on 10-for-14 shooting and grabbed 12 boards – 11:37 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors go up 2-0 on the Mavericks.
-Kevon Looney: 21 points, 12 rebounds, 32 more gigantic minutes
-Jordan Poole: 23 bench points
-Otto Porter: 11-7-4-1-1 stat line off the bench
-Steph Curry: 32 points, closed it out late – 11:37 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Kevon Looney in Game 2:
21 PTS (career high)
12 REB
10-14 FG
MVP of the series. pic.twitter.com/wqbTX38B2a – 11:36 PM
Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
Kevon Looney is younger than Karl-Anthony Towns, Christian Wood and Patrick McCaw – 11:25 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
I honestly thought Kevon Looney wouldn’t play big minutes in this series, just because it seemed to have the makings of a small-ball-centric matchup. The fact that Looney has even had the chance to have a night like this speaks to how much Kerr trusts and values him. – 11:17 PM
Kerith Burke @KerithBurke
Kevon Looney currently has more made FGs than Luka Doncic – 11:13 PM
Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Have yourself a game, Kevon Looney (21 & 10 and counting)… – 11:13 PM
The Ringer @ringernba
Kevon Looney tonight pic.twitter.com/NVfqkyTE7s – 11:13 PM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Kevon Looney has a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with those points. – 11:09 PM
Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews
This is the first 20-point game in Kevon Looney’s career, including regular season and playoffs. H/t @ESPNStatsInfo
He has 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 10 rebonds in 29 minutes. 7:48 left in the game. – 11:09 PM
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
Who is paying Kevon Looney this summer?! – 11:09 PM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney have the Chase Center going crazy in the fourth quarter. Yes, you read that right, Poole and Looney. Warriors lead 97-92 with 7:48 left. – 11:08 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Warriors center Kevon Looney has a career-high 21 points (playoffs and regular season) on 10-of-14 from the field to go with 10 rebounds, his second career postseason double-double (first in 2022 Playoffs). Via @Golden State Warriors PR – 11:08 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Kevon Looney is the first Warriors center with a 20/10 playoff game since Robert Parish in 1977. pic.twitter.com/LOBecakSy0 – 11:07 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
That’s 21 points and 10 rebounds for Kevon Looney. First time he’s scored 20 points in his career, regular season or playoffs. – 11:07 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Kevon Looney with 21 points and 10 rebounds midway through the fourth quarter. Wow. – 11:07 PM
Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
Kevon Looney has been terrific to start this series. Dominating his role by doing the little things on both ends, and the Mavs are struggling to attack him defensively – 11:05 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Fully prepared for the Warriors to win the NBA title and Steph to lose out on Finals MVP to Kevon Looney. – 11:05 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Mavericks scored 13 3rd quarter points
Kevon Looney *created* 14 3rd quarter points (11 scored, assist to Wiggins 3) – 11:04 PM
Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCS
Every time I see Kevon Looney’s mother at a game, she has a standard line: ‘Hi! . . . Now write and say something good about my son. Not just that he’s a good guy.’ – 11:00 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Only player in this game for either team with more FGs than Kevon Looney (17 points, 8/11 FGs) through three quarters is Luka Doncic (28 points, 9/17 FGs) – 11:00 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
We’ve talked a lot about the Warriors trying to sign Jordan Poole to an extension this summer. Guess what? Kevon Looney will be a free agent. Bringing him back will be a huge priority for Golden State. 17 points and 10 rebounds so far tonight. Been sensational yet again. – 10:59 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
Kevon Looney was nothing short of remarkable in that 3rd Q. He scored 11 pts on 5-of-6 shooting and held the Mavs to 0-of-5 shooting with a turnover on the defensive end. Mavs up 85-83 heading into the 4th. Here we go. – 10:58 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Warriors center Kevon Looney scored 14 points in the third quarter. @ESPNStatsInfo – 10:58 PM
Shaun Powell @Powell2daPeople
Maxi Kleber letting Kevon Looney look like Olajuwon. – 10:57 PM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
kevon looney needs to renegotiate his contract during the commercial break – 10:56 PM
Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Kevon Looney is having another big game. The Warriors center has 15 points, 7 rebounds, and some MVP chants at the free-throw line. – 10:48 PM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
not even kidding when i say Kevon Looney has a legit chance of winning the first Western Conference Finals MVP. – 10:47 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Kevon Looney just stepped to the foul line to “M-V-P” chants. This crowd is showing its love for one of the Warriors’ unsung heroes. – 10:47 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Kevon Looney is actually older than Robert Parish. – 10:46 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Kevon Looney playing his ass off again: 15 points, 7 rebounds, holding up well on switches, handling the interior with Draymond Green on the bench with five fouls. – 10:46 PM
Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Kevon Looney (12 points, six rebounds) is quietly putting together his third really solid performance in a row. His re-emergence has been key for the Warriors. – 10:42 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Kevon Looney is proof that you shouldn’t pay Deandre Ayton the bag. – 10:33 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Kevon Looney getting his lower back wrapped on the bench. His workload has been upped way more than normal lately — 35 minutes in Game 6 vs Memphis, 28 minutes in G1 and 13 first half minutes tonight. – 10:07 PM
More on this storyline
After so much struggle, beginning with that fateful night at the NBA Draft nearly a decade ago, his brilliant performance Friday was a testament to his unwavering belief in himself. “Everything was going the wrong way, but I always just kind of stayed even-keel and keep working,” Looney told FOX Sports. ” And things have been working out for me. To have a moment like this is something special for me.” -via FoxSports.com / May 21, 2022
After having a career-night, as Looney walked toward the locker room, he was asked if that was his favorite moment he’s ever had on the court. He shook his head. “I would say the best moment is still winning the championship with them, even though in some games I didn’t play a lot,” Looney told FOX Sports. “But I was there and I contributed in certain series. So, I felt a part of it.” -via FoxSports.com / May 21, 2022
The Warriors came back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Warriors now have a 2-0 advantage in the series. The first two quarters of the game were owned by the Mavericks. They hit 15 3-pointers in the first half, setting a new franchise record for 3s made in a playoff half. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson became the second pair of starting guards to each score 20 points in the first half of a playoff game in the past 25 seasons. “I told them that if we developed some poise in the second half, the game would come to us,” Kerr said. “But I thought we were so scattered in the first half. Maybe emotionally more so than anything. Dallas came out and just punched us. We felt confident that if we [got poised], they wouldn’t make 15 3s in the second half.” -via ESPN / May 21, 2022
After more than two years of reports, rumours and promises from within, the Saudi rebel circuit will finally announce players who will officially play in their opening LIV Golf Invitational next month in Hertfordshire.
Initially, Greg Norman was intent on unveiling his first signees during this week’s US PGA Championship but was persuaded out of trying to take even a few rays of the spotlight from the season’s second major winner.
Louis Oosthuiizen is believed to have been extremely keen to “respect the integrity of the majors” and wait until either Monday or Tuesday for his participation in the $25m, 54-holer at Centurion to be made official. The full 48-man field is then expected to be made public on Friday.
The South African will be LIV’s highest-ranked player at world No 15 and although the 39-year-old is not a huge name – and will take billing behind Ryder Cup heroes including Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer – there can be no doubt of his enduring quality. The man from Mossel Bay won the 2010 Open and has five major runner-ups on his impressive CV, including back-to-back seconds last year at the US Open and USPGA.
Oosthuizen has suffered a poor start to this year after contracting Covid and being stuck in his homeland for two months around the new year. He is still waiting for his first top 10 of 2022 and that will not happen here at Southern Hills as he only scraped inside the cut. But Oosthuizen will still be fancied as an outsider for July’s 150th Open at St Andrews.
He lifted the Claret Jug at the Home of Golf 12 years and was only beaten in a play-off by Zach Johnson the last time the Open was staged at the hallowed Fife venue in 2015.
It will be intriguing to see if and how the first two tournaments of the eight-event $255 million series will have affected golf’s landscape by the time the British major swings around. Will Oosthuizen and Co be banned from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – because of disobeying their orders not to tee it up on the breakaway circuit? And will the R&A honour the tours’ punishments and act accordingly in setting its field for the Open?
It is highly likely that the heavily predicted legal fight will be under way by then and the players who do press on regardless have been assured by LIV and chief executive Norman that their short-term inclusion in the game’s biggest events will be protected by injunctions their lawyers have waiting to file.
Oosthuizen, Garcia and Kaymer have qualified for next month’s US Open, but Westwood and Poulter are not currently in the Brookline field. Both missed the cut here meaning there is only one chance left to earn a spot without going through the torment of entering final qualifying. The pair must rise from their respective ranking positions of 71st and 83rd into the world’s top 60 by Monday June 6. That also happens to be the week of the LIV curtain-raiser.
Meanwhile Richard Bland is 58th and, after missing the cut, is anxiously checking to see if he is knocked out of the top 60 for the first cut-off point on Monday.. The Hampshire 49-year-old announced earlier this week that he will appear at Centurion “ban or no ban”.
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