Mariners Moose Tracks, 8/17/21: Joey Votto, Cole Hamels, and Jake Arrieta

The Mariners are back in action as they face the Texas Rangers tonight at 5:05 pm. Catch up on the happenings of the baseball world before the game with today’s links:

In Mariners News...

• Congrats to Tacoma Rainiers infielder Donovan Walton on his well-deserved MiLB Player of the Week award!

• In the latest round of Mariners roster moves, Paul Sewald has returned to the active roster from the paternity list, and RHP Yohan Ramirez has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
• Baseball America’s 2021 Midseason Organization Rankings have been released and the Mariners, even with Jarred Kelenic, Logan Gilbert, and Taylor Trammell graduating from the list, have secured the #1 spot with the best farm system in baseball. ($)

Around the League...

• An unfortunate month for the Orioles:

• Congrats to Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto on 2,000 career hits! His third major milestone this season, Votto also reached 300 home runs in April and 1,000 RBIs in June.
• A Field of Dreams TV Show is reportedly coming soon to a TV near you. Michael Schur, the creator of The Office and The Good Place, has a series in the works that will reimagine aspects of the movie and will be available for streaming exclusively on Peacock.
• A Washington Post study of umpires’ calls during the 2021 season has shown an increasing rate of missed strike calls. Umpires have been calling fewer strikes than at any point since 2008, the first year that pitch tracking became available. When adding up all of these missed strike calls, the impact one strike can have in an at-bat and on a season can be massive.
• 12 days after singing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves, Cole Hamels’ season is over after he was placed yesterday on the 60-day IL. ($)
• The San Diego Padres have signed RHP veteran Jake Arrieta to a minor league deal. He is expected to be added to the Padres’ active roster and start against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Becca’s Picks...

• A huge congrats to Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay on their new baby girl!