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The Upper Deck

Welcome to The Upper Deck, Baseball America’s daily look at the biggest stories around the game and some lighter fare. If you have videos, GIFs, photos or stories you want us to know about and feature in this space, hit me up on Twitter at @vincelara or email me here.

Love is (Not) in the Air

As one unlucky Red Sox fan learned earlier this season, proposing at the ballpark can be a very risky endeavor. Having the woman say no in such a public setting is the absolute worst outcome, and, unfortunately, a fairly common one, at least of late.

Monday’s game between the Columbia Fireflies and Charleston Riverdogs saw the very same situation unfold.

So this just happened!! Watch to the end

A post shared by Tavi Newton (@tavinewton) on

Hole in One

The MLB Draft brings two things—new players into 30 different organizations, and home videos of draftees celebrating the next step of their life-long journey with friends and family. Some prospects gather around the television with a bevy of friends and family, while others choose to have a smaller affair. For St. Amant’s Blayne Enlow, it was on the golf course with a few of his friends that he watched his name get called, 76th overall to the Minnesota Twins.

Seeing Double

There’s plenty of pressure to succeed when you’re drafted into pro ball. Naturally, you want to make a name for yourself. It’s twice as tough to do so when your name is already associated with a different player in your organization. With the 313th pick in the MLB Draft on Tuesday, the Nationals drafted Trey Turner. No, not that Trea Turner. Trey spent his spring pitching for Missouri State, while Trea has made a living as Washington’s leadoff hitter. Good luck keeping that one straight.

Beginner’s Luck?

The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs came into Tuesday with their leadoff batters hitting a collective .208 – worst in the National League. So, the ever-craft Joe Maddon chose to shake things up and start first baseman and usual middle-of-the-lineup hitter Anthony Rizzo at the top of the lineup. Now some batters struggle to adapt to hitting leadoff as it can require a different mindset than hitting 2-through-9. But just two pitches into his first at-bat at the top of the lineup, Rizzo showed that the transition might be seamless.

Paternal Pick

It’s not uncommon for a parent to help their child get a job. Whether it’s doing chores around the house for $20, or joining the family business, parents look out for their kids. But Frank Wren might do that better than anybody, as he’s drafted not one, but two, of his sons. In 2013 with the Braves, Wren drafted his son Kyle in the eighth round. On Tuesday, this time with the Red Sox, Frank Wren drafted his son Jordan in the 10th round. Thanksgiving Dinner might be a little awkward between the Wren brothers, knowing that their dad drafted one of them two rounds higher than the other.

Bombs Away

I don’t know what this is going to be used for, but I’m equally excited as I am terrified.

Awkward…

Yankees’ sixth-round pick Dalton Lehnen might want to invest in a picture of Monument Park.

Even More Awkward…

Speaking of Yankees draft picks and social media, second-round pick Matt Sauer had some things to say about The Captain in 2014.

He made an amendment to his statement following being drafted, however.


Happenings at Baseball America

The California League All-Star game rosters were released, headlined by A.J. Puk, Brendan Rogers, and a strong crop of minor league prospects. Kyle Glaser looks at who’s hot and who’s not around the majors, while Steve Kroner details how Heliot Ramos caught the eye of the Giants.

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