It’s hump day, so it’s time to once again go Around the Horn. This week we’ll talk about an unsung rookie, two teams in surprising positions, and an umpiring mess for the ages. Let’s dive in!

First Base

Jackson Who?: At least that’s what they’re saying in Baltimore with the emergence of young outfielder Colton Cowser. Phenom Jackson Holliday is off to a slow start (not that it will last) so instead the 24-year old Cowser is stealing the spotlight. Through 55 major league at bats, the rookie outfielder is hitting .345, with six home runs and 17 RBI’s. An impressive line for a young lefty hitter. While I’m sure he’ll cool off eventually, it seems like the O’s have another star on their hands.

Second Base

Houston We Have a Problem: Jim Lovell’s (Tom Hanks) infamous words to Mission Control are ringing true for the Astros so far this season. With most of their starting staff injured and the lineup not clicking, the perennial powerhouse sits at 7-17 on the season. To say things aren’t going according to plan would be understatement as many felt a trip back to the fall classic could be on the cards this year. The only good news for them and first year manager Joe Espada is that there is plenty of time left to turn it around, especially since no one has run away with their division. But they can’t wait around to find their game either, it’s time to heat up in the Space City.

Third Base

Cleveland Rocks!: As we head toward third base we take a look at the opposite end of the “surprise” spectrum. The Cleveland Guardians, to the shock of the entire baseball world, are off to a 17-6 start and are in first place in the AL Central. This blistering pace under first year skipper Stephan Vogt has been keyed by a combination of solid pitching and timely hitting. It’s a motley crue, but so far they seem capable of staying in the race the rest of the way. Now if they can keep outpacing the super star heavy Dodgers we’ll really have some laughs this summer.

Home Plate

Come on Blue!: As we head for home we conclude this week’s edition with a story that is too mind numbing to even comprehend. Just when you think the state of umpiring can’t get any worse, a new bottom is reached. You can change the names of those involved but the poor work remains. This time out it’s Hunter Wendelstedt, who was on duty to call balls and strikes Monday at Yankee Stadium. Usually the umps wait until the middle innings to seek attention, but not Hunter, he wasted no time as he ejected Yankee skipper Aaron Boone as the game began. What was Boone’s “crime” you ask? Nothing, as shown by the video above, Boone was minding his business following an earlier reprimand. A fan over his shoulder made a wise crack at the ump and in his infinite wisdom, Wendelstedt ejected the manager. The mistake was so blatant and fully captured on cameras and mics, that one would think the veteran umpire would apologize postgame…but that would be giving him too much credit. He instead doubled down in the statement below. Par for the course for a profession where there is no accountability for poor performance in a league where they can’t even get the uniforms right. The good news for Hunter Wendelstedt is that the only thing worse than his work on Monday was the Yankee offense.

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