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It doesn’t take much time to run out of superlatives when describing Miguel Cabrera’s ability to make square contact with a baseball.

He is, after all, one of the two best hitters of his generation. The best since Barry Bonds, probably better than Alex Rodriguez, right there with Albert Pujols, and it might take somebody like Mike Trout continuing his greatness for another 12 to 15 years for anyone in the next generation to match Cabrera’s offensive aptitude.

Cabrera reached another milestone Saturday afternoon, further establishing himself as one of the best hitters Major League Baseball has ever employed. On a totally misplaced Tyler Lyons first-inning cookie, the Detroit Tigers slugger smoked his 400th career home run over the center field wall of St. Louis’ Busch Stadium.

The home run made Cabrera the most prolific home run-hitting Venezuelan in MLB history, surpassing Andres Galarraga as well as former Tigers great and Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Cabrera is the 53rd player to amass 400 home runs.

While the glowing adjectives inserted before Cabrera’s name are running low, his latest feat reminds us that he is destined to gain another before the end of his career: immortal.

Cabrera is 32 years old, and after this season, he is under contract for eight more years and an unforgettable $248 million. As long as his body does not completely betray him, Cabrera is a lock for 600 career home runs and 3,000 career hits.

That would put him in the company of only Henry Aaron and Willie Mays as of now, but by the time Cabrera reaches those marks, Rodriguez and Pujols will both likely be in the club as well. That would make Cabrera only the fifth player to ever get to 600-3,000.

So yeah, “immortal” is a fine superlative.

Miguel Cabrera just hit his 400th homer at age 32. Most homers through age 32: 553 – ARod 500 – Foxx 475 – Pujols 468 – Griffey 454 – Mantle

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 16, 2015

We might have believed Cabrera’s health was already starting to betray him in the past year. He posted a 147 OPS-plus, hit 25 home runs and drove in 109 in 2014. For many players, that is a career year. But for Cabrera, those were his lowest OPS-plus and RBI marks since 2009, and it was his lowest home run total since his rookie year, when he played in just 87 games. Cabrera followed that with offseason ankle/foot surgery to remove bone spurs and repair a stress fracture.

To wonder about his health and production going into 2015 was reasonable, but Cabrera already buried those concerns before Saturday’s 400th homer. He entered the game with a .338/.442/.592 slash line, a 1.035 OPS, nine home runs and 28 RBI. His OPS-plus was 183.

His 154 career OPS-plus, which is an adjusted OPS calculated at Baseball-Reference.com used to compare players of different eras, is currently the 25th highest in baseball history. Seventeen of the 24 players ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame. Bonds, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pujols are also in that group of 24.

Of those ahead of Cabrera, only Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx have 400 career homers, a Triple Crown and multiple MVP awards.

Cabrera, who still might be in his hitting prime, is already in truly elite company.

“What makes him so great and special is that you never, ever, ever catch Miguel off-guard,” teammate Victor Martinez told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan in early May. “Once he steps up in the box, he’s ready to hit. I don’t know how he does it. … He’s always ready to hit. You throw a pitch on the plate, he’ll do damage.”

Another thing to keep in mind: Cabrera’s 6’4″, 240-pound body does not seem to be betraying him. Despite the surgery and the “down” 2014, Cabrera has missed a total of 33 games since the start of the 2009 season. He has played in at least 148 games in all of his seasons except his rookie one, and he has averaged 191 hits and 34 home runs in each of those.

If Cabrera averages 180 hits and 25 home runs a season starting this year, he will reach 3,000 hits and 600 home runs in 2019. His contract extension, which doesn’t even kick in until next year, goes through 2023 with club options for the following two.

Miguel Cabrera will go down as one of the greatest Detroit athletes of all time. Maybe the greatest. Enjoy every at bat.

— Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) May 16, 2015

The Tigers were absolutely crushed by many for giving Cabrera that contract extension in March 2014, both by the baseball media and by major league executives. And rightfully so, since the deal takes Cabrera through his age-40 season, and players rarely produce at elite levels at the ages for which the Tigers extended Cabrera.

Even Pujols, the previous best hitter in baseball, is in major decline with the Los Angeles Angels. That makes the team’s $240 million investment in him look foolish, as it did at the time he signed. The decline, not coincidentally, started in Pujols’ age-33 season, the same age Cabrera will start his extension. And like Cabrera, Pujols was quite durable before he played in only 99 games that year.

That mistake is on the Tigers, though. It should not, and likely will not, tarnish Cabrera’s greatness. He is a truly amazing hitter who has produced through two eras, one that greatly favored hitting and the current one that greatly favors pitching. He is also unlikely to eek out milestones by hanging around as an average hitter, piling up the counting stats.

No, Cabrera is an all-time great. And sometime within the next five or so years, he will cement himself among the best the sport has ever seen when he undoubtedly reaches 600 and 3,000.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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Five weeks into the 2015 MLB season, the Detroit Tigers (19-13) are looking up at the Kansas City Royals (20-12) in the American League Central Division standings.

A one-game deficit in no way constitutes “languishing,” but the Tigers are a team accustomed to being front-runners. Winning four straight division titles is testament to that.

Despite currently playing chaser, their .594 winning percentage is nothing to be sneezed at. In fact, if you extrapolate this figure over a full season, the Tigers are on pace for 96 wins—six more than 2014. Ergo, you can make a good argument for progress in the early going.

There have been some noticeable causes. With a stronger bench, manager Brad Ausmus has been able to tinker with his lineup and manipulate matchups to the team’s favor. Defensively, the team is also night-and-day compared to last year. Meanwhile, the bullpen is still a major concern (sigh), but one pitcher is shining brightly in a murky sea of mediocrity.

Click “next” for extended analysis on what’s getting the thumbs-up right now in Motown.

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The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers both find themselves chasing the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central standings heading into the series opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park Tuesday.

The Tigers are the 7-2 second choice on the odds to win the AL pennant and just dropped two of three games at home to the Royals, who are favored to win their second straight American League title at 13-4 odds.

The Twins have also jumped into the race for the division title after winning eight of their last 10 games, and they saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Sunday. They trail Kansas City by 2.5 games for the AL Central lead heading into the week and are at 28-1 to win the pennant.

However, Minnesota has lost six of the last seven meetings with Detroit, according to the Odds Shark MLB database, including five of six in the first month of the season.

The Tigers have averaged seven runs a game over the past five meetings between the teams, three of which ended up finishing over the total for bettors. However, they have averaged half of that (3.5 runs per game) in their last four games overall, scoring just four combined runs in losing to the Royals on Saturday and Sunday.

Detroit will send the struggling Alfredo Simon (4-1, 3.44 ERA) to the hill Tuesday for its matchup with the Twins, hoping to end the two-game skid although the team has also dropped each of his last two starts.

Simon has surrendered nine runs and 14 hits in just over nine innings combined over two road starts against Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox, walking six and striking out eight. The over cashed in both of those outings, but the under is 2-0 in his two home starts this year.

The Twins will counter on Tuesday with Kyle Gibson (3-2, 2.97), who has seen his team win in each of his previous three trips to the mound. In fact, Gibson has not allowed a run in either of his past two starts, scattering eight hits over 14 innings in home wins over the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics by a combined score of 14-0.

The under is 4-1-1 on the baseball betting lines in Gibson’s six starts overall this season although the lone over cashed last time out in a 13-0 victory against the A’s last Wednesday.

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The Detroit Tigers have begun the 2015 regular season in fine fashion. A 17-9 record through the first month puts them in familiar territory atop the American League Central Division.

Their advantage, however, is of minuscule proportions. Kansas City (16-9) currently sits only a half-game adrift of the Tigers. The two sides have swapped leads on several occasions already, and the 2014 AL champion Royals figure to be neck and neck with Detroit all year long.

So what’s the deal with these first-place Tigers?

“Detroit” and “defense” were two words that used to go together like oil and water. Things have sure changed. Jose “The Human Highlight Reel”, Iglesias is healthy again this season, and his impact has been profound on the team’s fielding. 

The gifted shortstop is not the only player who has returned from 2013 to provide a boost. First baseman Miguel Cabrera is back, too.

Say what?

Indeed, Cabrera was very much present last season, playing in 159 games for Detroit. However, he simply wasn’t the Miggy of his MVP days. That colossal figure has returned in 2015 to lead a stud-laden yet inconsistent Detroit offense.

As for the pitching, starters David Price, Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene, Alfredo Simon and Kyle Lobstein have arguably been the best starting quintet in the league. Considering that the exits of Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello created a talent vacuum, this is a major surprise.

With plenty to examine after one month, it’s time to grab the microscope and zoom in on the five major happenings in Tigertown.

*Rankings are based on how significant its impact has been to the team.

5. Joakim Soria is providing rare ninth-inning security

It’s been a while since Detroit has felt good about its closer—four seasons, to be exact. Not since Jose Valverde was mowing down hitters in 2011 has Detroit had a reliable ninth-inning stopper.

Not until now, anyway.

Soria has been lights out with Detroit this season, much to the delight (relief?) of most Tigers fans.

Bringing his Mariano Rivera-esque composure to the hill, the 30-year-old is a perfect 10-of-10 in saves since Tommy John surgery shut down former closer Joe Nathan for the season. It is a noteworthy turnaround for Soria, who had a terrible start to his Tigers career after Texas traded him last July.

According to starter Sanchez, Soria’s presence exudes confidence through the ballclub, per James Schmehl of MLive.com: “He just goes out there relaxed and throws the ball in the right spots. Everybody feels comfortable (with him around).”

4. Miguel Cabrera is back on top of his game

By any mortal’s standards, Cabrera had a very fine season in 2014. Most big league hitters would gratefully accept a .313/.371/.524 slash line with 25 dingers and 101 RBI if you offered it to them before the season.

But this is Miguel Cabrera we’re talking about.

Last year was quite a regression from his .348/.442/.636 line of 2013.

But this drop-off must be put in perspective. Cabrera entered the 2014 campaign after undergoing core surgery, and then ankle and foot injuries beset him during the regular season.

Healthy again now, the veteran slugger is discarding to the trash heap any thoughts of a decline. His .366 batting average (third in the AL) and a career-high 1.083 OPS unequivocally show that the old Miggy is back.

Another indicative sign is that pitchers are fearing him again. Cabrera is third in the AL with 17 walks already, including four intentional passes.

Just imagine if Victor Martinez gets going behind him. Scary stuff.

3. The starting rotation has excelled

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Subtracting Scherzer and Porcello while adding Greene and Simon should equal certain regression, right? Not so far.

Through 26 games, Detroit’s staff ranks first in the AL in wins, innings and quality starts.

Remarkably, no Tigers starter ranks in the top 10 in the league in ERA. But barring an off day or two, the rotation has been excellent as a group.

Its prospects should only get better, too. 2011 AL MVP Justin Verlander is still absent due to an injured triceps, and his return will provide an enormous boost.

The performance of the rotation pips Cabrera and Soria due to the need for it to step up after two substantial offseason departures. It has also been very timely considering…

2. The offense has been prone to slumps

With a lineup including Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes and Ian Kinsler, you’d almost expect Detroit’s offense to be slump-proof. Not so.

During the first month, the Tigers have failed to score runs on a consistent basis. They currently rank eighth in the AL with a mediocre 4.5 runs per game.

Some nights, the bats are barely showing up at all. The Tigers have scored two runs or less in 11 of their 26 games (42 percent).

While Nick Castellanos, Alex Avila and the strikeout-prone J.D. Martinez have caused their share of head scratches, the biggest concern has been Victor Martinez. The designated hitter’s major league-high .974 OPS in 2014 has nearly halved this year to an unflattering .544.

He hasn’t been himself at the plate after February knee surgery interrupted his preparation for the season. While still bothered by it, Martinez has shown some signs of improvement lately, according to manager Brad Ausmus, per Chris Iott of MLive.com:

“He seems to be progressing. The limp’s not as noticeable. When he’s taking pitches, he looks more normal, more comfortable, so I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

This takeaway grabs second, as its scoring rate (3.5 per game in their last 20) must be improved if Detroit is to be a genuine contender this year.

1. The Tigers can now play defense

While great offense and starting pitching have been staples of Detroit teams over the years, defense has never been its forte. This year, it’s a transformed unit.

Opposing teams would know this as well as anybody. After facing the Tigers six times already, Indians manager Terry Francona has certainly taken notice, per Dave Hogg of Fox Sports Detroit:

They’ve gotten so much more athletic on defense, especially up the middle, which makes them even tougher to beat. They’ve had great center fielders here for a while, but (Anthony) Gose and (Rajai) Davis can both fly out there, (Jose) Iglesias is obviously a great defensive shortstop and (Ian) Kinsler is really good at second.

The numbers back him up. Detroit’s .990 fielding percentage is second in the league, and only the Tampa Bay Rays have given up less unearned runs.

Watching the Tigers play defense is not hard on the eye, either. Take a look at Iglesias in action:

Detroit’s improved glove work gets top spot, as it arguably makes it a more complete team than it has been during any of its contending years. What do you think?

Stats in this article are courtesy of FanGraphs and MLB.com

Hit me up on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu played the 162nd game of his career Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to join Rudy York, Chuck Klein and Ryan Braun as the only players in MLB history with a .300 batting average, 40 home runs and 120 RBI through 162 games, per ESPN Stats & Info.

After recording one hit and one RBI in four at-bats during Sunday’s 5-3 victory, the 28-year-old Cuban has a .316 batting average, 41 home runs and 121 RBI for his career.

Per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com), Klein is the only player to best Abreu in each of those three categories through 162 games, having produced a .361 batting average, 44 homers and 129 RBI at the same stage in his career.

Klein did his damage for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1928 and 1929, with the second of those seasons starting a five-year stretch in which he led the National League in homers four times.

While he would go on to have a few more strong seasons, the Hall of Fame slugger was notable for his early peak, as he never hit more than 25 homers in a year after 1933, despite doing so in five straight seasons from 1929 to 1933.

York also had an early peak, but in his case, it wasn’t quite enough to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame, as the catcher’s later years were overwhelmingly mediocre.

The group is rounded out by Braun, who also seems to be headed for a career that’s largely notable for its early peak. While it’s perhaps too soon to cast such a judgement on the Brewers outfielder, Braun simply hasn’t been the same player since serving his suspension in 2013.

Abreu surely hopes to have better longevity than the three players that preceded him, but it may be asking a bit much from a guy who made his MLB debut at the age of 27.

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Carlos Rodon will not be long for the bullpen.

That much you can bet on. Unlike new teammate Chris Sale before him, Rodon will not be stuck in relief for his entire rookie season.

The Chicago White Sox cannot afford to use Rodon as just an effective bullpen piece. Not when he already has one of the best sliders in the big leagues and not when the team already finds itself in a 5.5-game hole in the American League Central, partly because the rotation is one of the worst in the majors.

Once he is slotted in with Sale, the ace, and Jeff Samardzija, the No. 2, Rodon will give the White Sox one of the strongest, deepest rotations in the AL. That move will also undoubtedly rocket the left-hander into the league’s finicky Rookie of the Year race.

Everything you need to know about @WhiteSox phenom @CarlosRodon16 and his NSFW slider: http://t.co/iar9fbl7UI pic.twitter.com/lpDyQ1xIvA

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 20, 2015

The White Sox drafted Rodon third overall in the 2014 draft. They gave him a franchise-record $6.582 million bonus, the largest in last year’s draft class and the highest ever for a left-handed pitcher.

Rodon went into this season as one of the game’s best prospects, rated No. 15 overall by MLB.com and Baseball America. He was the team’s top prospect when he was invited to big league camp in February.

Rodon gave the White Sox an impressive spring training, striking out 21 and walking five in 17.2 innings. Those numbers made him a consideration for the Opening Day rotation, but the team elected to send him to Triple-A Charlotte to work on fastball command and his changeup. In his two starts there, Rodon struck out 13, walked four and had a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings.

While the minor league numbers are not huge on wow factor, Rodon did enough to prove he can handle big league hitters from both sides of the plate. That fact will make him a valuable reliever while he is in the bullpen.

The move to start him in the ‘pen could make it easier for Rodon to handle the pressure that comes with his call-up, and it gives the coaches chances to look at him in games more than once every fifth day.

As White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes near the end of the season, it’s remarkable for Rodon to be in this position already:

We’re talking about a kid who is 22, 23 years old, who was in the ACC a year ago at this time, has fewer than 25 professional innings, and yet here we are talking about the finishing elements of his development. That’s fantastic. We’re in a great position. Carlos is in a great position. … You’re not talking about talent. You’re not talking about ceiling. You’re not talking about mechanics or health or anything that’s going to be a factor in his long-term success—we’re talking about practice.

Apparently 10 innings worth was enough for the White Sox, particularly when the rotation has been as bad as it has during the first two weeks with the exception of Sale. Samardzija (4.29 ERA in 21 innings) and Jose Quintana (8.40 in 15) have looked bad, but their spots are safe among the starters.

Because of the schedule, Hector Noesi has made only one start this season, and it was an unimpressive one—4.2 innings, four hits, six walks, two runs allowed. That clearly makes his hold on his spot weak with his second start scheduled for Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.

John Danks is the other potential ouster from the rotation. He’s pitched 10.1 innings and allowed eight runs on 18 hits over two starts. He starts Monday against the Indians.

That should make it safe to say that as long as Rodon performs as a reliever, he will eventually take over one of those spots in the rotation. When that happens is mostly up to him.

Even though Rodon’s fastball-slider combination is good enough to get hitters out from the bullpen, he needs to develop a third pitch—the changeup—to become a starter. If he can flash that as at least an average major league pitch in his time as a reliever, it will give the White Sox less pause to move him into a starting role.

“Fastball command, it was real good,” Rodon told reporters after being informed he would not make the big league roster in March. “And then now it’s busting out the changeup and throwing it more often so I can develop that pitch. I think it’s ready so we’ll see.”

The White Sox have had success in breaking in pitching prospects through the bullpen, with Sale as the example. The difference is that when Sale broke in as a full-time reliever, the White Sox were expected to be a mediocre club, and they finished 79-83 in that 2011 season.

Expectations have changed. The White Sox underwent a noticeable roster makeover in the offseason, and anything but a postseason berth can be filed in the failure folder. That means if Danks and Noesi continue their struggles, and Rodon proves the changeup is manageable, he will not spend the entire year in the bullpen.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired first-hand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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When the Kansas City Royals won the American League last year, many thought it might have been a fluke. The team had to make an incredible comeback just to make the playoffs, then relied on historic bullpen performances and highlight-reel defense on its way to the World Series.

When 2014 ace James Shields signed a contract with the San Diego Padres during free agency, it seemed extremely unlikely for Kansas City to repeat last year’s success. But the team is off to a hot start—it is 7-2 as of this writing, after starting the season 7-0—and its lineup has been mashing. It’s early yet, but it seems perfectly fair to call the Royals contenders.

So what are the keys to Kansas City’s season? What makes the Royals contenders? Here are three things to think about.

Their Offseason Was Better Than You Thought

The Royals’ offseason moves this year garnered a range of criticism. Some, like Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh citing FanGraphs stats, argued that Kansas City took a step backward when it replaced Nori Aoki, Billy Butler and James Shields (5.7 WAR combined) with Kendrys Morales, Alex Rios and Edinson Volquez (minus-0.8 WAR combined, including Kris Medlen).

Others, like ESPN.com’s Christina Kahrl, credited Royals general manager Dayton Moore with an effective offseason and predicted that Kansas City would compete for a title once again.

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Lindbergh was correct that Morales, Rios and Volquez are not equivalent to Shields, Butler and Aoki. But, as he noted, the former three are projected to improve dramatically in 2015, and there was never much of a chance for Shields to return anyway.

Nine games in, Rios is hitting .321 with an .809 OPS (although he’s now headed to the DL). Morales is even better—.351 average and 1.036 OPS—and the Royals lineup in general has destroyed opposing pitchers. Seven Royals are hitting over .300, and two players (Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer) are likely to improve upon their comparatively slow starts.

Volquez is 1-1, but he’s allowed just four runs and nine hits in 15.2 innings, good for a tiny WHIP of 0.70. He’s coming off two Tommy John surgeries, so the risk of injury is notable. But if he can stay healthy, Volquez will have been a smart (and economic) offseason pickup.

Most importantly, the rest of the Royals roster went largely unchanged, and production hasn’t diminished. The otherworldly trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland have allowed just three hits and zero runs in their combined 10 innings pitched. Shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Salvador Perez are off to hot starts as well.

And Lorenzo Cain remains Lorenzo Cain:

Defense and Speed

The Royals’ postseason success last year could be attributed to any number of things: clutch hitting, an unhittable bullpen, key contributions from unexpected sources and even their delirious fanbase. But Kansas City’s defense, and its aggressive baserunning, was arguably what kept the team alive.

Let’s start with defense. In last year’s ALDS, the Royals were saved on two occasions by spectacular defensive plays. First, in the second game of the series, Jarrod Dyson did this:

That double play was essential to the Royals victory, given that it preserved a 1-1 tie that wasn’t broken until the 11th inning.

Then, in Game 3, Cain topped Dyson by robbing the Angels of two consecutive hits (and at least one run):

Surprisingly, Kansas City was a well-below-average defensive team in 2014. But the Royals have retained their speedy youngsters and (at this point) have the league’s sixth-best defense in 2015.

On a different note, the Royals were arguably the best-running team in baseball last year. Per SportingCharts, the Royals stole an average of 0.94 bases per game—and 15 more bases than the second-place team. That aggressive running paid off, particularly in the team’s remarkable Wild Card Game victory against Oakland:

Kansas City is off to a fast start on the bases again, with eight stolen bases in nine games (a number similar to last year’s average). Rios and Cain have stolen two bases each, and while the absurdly fast Dyson hasn’t swiped a base yet, he’s only appeared in three games.

Pitching and batting are less predictable than running and defense. The Royals can expect to improve upon last year’s defense and continue their success on the basepaths.

Youth

This is Royals fans’ biggest cause for excitement. In Kansas City’s loss to Minnesota last night, eight of the Royals’ nine batters were 30 years old or younger—and Morales is just 31. That’s crazy. Eric Hosmer is only 25, Perez is 24 and the oft-criticized Mike Moustakas is 26.

On the other side of the ball, the Royals’ superlative relief trio—Davis, Herrera and Holland—are all 29 or younger. The starting rotation is older (four of the five starters are 31 or older), but the team’s most exciting pitching prospect, Yordano Ventura, is just 23. Ventura is young, and his stuff is nasty:

The Bottom Line

The Royals are young. They can run and play defense, and their offense—so far—has been dominant. Baseball is a long, long season, and the team will undoubtedly grapple with injuries, slumps and downturns. But there is good reason for the Royals to expect a postseason berth.

And, as Kansas City fans saw in last year’s Wild Card Game, anything can happen in the playoffs.

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There’s an epidemic-like problem facing pitchers in Major League Baseball, and this one has nothing to do with arms, elbows or shoulders.

The scariest thing that can happen to a pitcher is getting hit by a comebacker in the head or face, which is what occurred Tuesday evening when a line drive rocketed off the bat of the Chicago White Sox‘s Melky Cabrera in the top of the first inning and struck Carlos Carrasco squarely in the left jaw area.

The worrisome scene played out with the Cleveland Indians right-hander laying on the ground for several minutes before he got up with the help of trainers—but mostly under his own power—and then was carted off the field.

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian described the scene:

As serious, ubiquitous and career-threatening as Tommy John surgery can be for pitchers, a batted ball sent screaming back at the head is much worse.

That threatens not just one’s career but one’s life. 

Carrasco, fresh off signing his four-year, $22 million extension last week, was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the final two months of 2014 and a dark-horse Cy Young candidate this year. Now his season could be in doubt, to say nothing of his well-being, had he been hit in just the wrong spot or by an even harder-struck ball.

With the necessary warning that this may be hard to watch, here’s replay footage of the incident in real time, via Josh Hill of FanSided:

And this version, from SideLeague, reveals replays from different angles to show just how hard, if not impossible, it is for a pitcher to react in time to defend himself from impact, because a batted ball comes out faster than it goes in:

Here’s what’s scary: The 28-year-old Carrasco is far from the only pitcher to suffer this fate even in just the past few years.

Others to have been hit in the head recently include Aroldis Chapman, Brandon McCarthy, Alex Cobb, J.A. Happ, Dan Jennings and Juan Nicasio, each episode seemingly scarier than the previous one.

Heck, just this spring training, none other than the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, misjudged a soft liner back to him that wound up striking him in the face.

Because it wasn’t hit all that hard, Kershaw actually stayed in the game and merely needed some minor dental work afterward. But that doesn’t make that particular incident—or the recent rash of them—any less scary.

At the time, Kershaw had this to say, via Eric Stephen of True Blue LA, about those oversized (and let’s face it, somewhat awkward) protective caps that have been tested out by and approved for pitchers in the wake of all of these comebackers: “You look like Mario from Nintendo. I’m not a huge appearance guy, but I don’t know if I could take myself seriously.”

Maybe it’s time for pitchers to start worrying more about their safety and wearing something to protect themselves, regardless of the style or appearance, as long as it doesn’t impact their ability to do their job.

Otherwise, baseball needs to figure out a better way to protect pitchers, even if it means spending some money to solve the problem.

The head isn’t something to skimp on.

Of course, were Carrasco wearing that cumbersome current cap, he likely would not have been safe, given where and how the ball struck him.

The fact of the matter is there really isn’t an easy answer, if there is one at all, when it comes to protecting pitchers—who are much closer than 60 feet, six inches away upon release—from a hard hit ball right back at them.

Now that is scary.

Statistics are accurate through Tuesday, April 14, and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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Carlos Carrasco had to leave the Cleveland Indians‘ game against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night after being struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera in the top of the first inning. 

Continue for updates.

Carrasco Leaves Game on Cart After Line Drive Hits Him

Tuesday, April 14

The Cleveland Indians tweeted injury updates following the game:

Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 described the scene during the game:

Karl Ravech of ESPN added:

Carrasco only started 14 games for the Indians last season, but over the campaign’s final two months, he was one of baseball’s best pitchers (1.70 ERA in 10 starts). The team had big expectations for him coming into 2015, signing him to a four-year, $22 million contract just before the season began. 

After this scary incident, the main focus will be on Carrasco‘s health and well-being. Losing Carrasco for any period of time would be a huge setback for Cleveland.  

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It’s only six games! It’s such a small sample size! Don’t care.

Well, I mean, I do care, but there’s always something you can take away from a couple of games, or one game, or one at-bat even. So, that’s what I’m going to do here with the first few games of the Cleveland Indians‘ 2015 season.

Just six games into the regular season, and there are some things we can already point to as potential major storylines moving forward. The three I’ve chosen to highlight here seem to be the biggest, and most relevant to their chances at a successful postseason run in 2015.

Let’s get started.

The Starting Rotation is Good…Well, the Top 3 Anyway

For most of the offseason, the Indians’ starting rotation was billed as a semi-under-the-radar option in the conversation of baseball’s best starting rotations. 

Between its top three members—Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer—the group has proved to be a rather formidable one. Kluber has been rock solid in his two starts, allowing just a 2.63 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP while striking out 17 and walking just three over 13.2 innings pitched.

Carrasco’s lone effort this season was one of the best of his career. The 28-year-old threw 6.1 scoreless innings in a winning effort against the Houston Astros, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out 10.

Bauer, who has always been an enigmatic talent, flashed his more dominant side in his first start of the year. The 24-year-old held the Astros scoreless, and hitless, over six innings while walking five (ugh) and striking out 11 (yay).

So, the front three have lived up to their end of the bargain, but what about the back two?

In their first starts of the season, Zach McAllister and T.J. House allowed five and six earned runs, respectively. The chart below details the full stat lines to this point in the 2015 season:

Yes, it’s only one start, and I think we’re all well aware of that. However, there’s something to be said for the fact that the two most suspect members of the rotation are the ones who underperformed.

McAllister and House were fringe candidates for the rotation even during spring training. If not for an early injury to Gavin Floyd, and a down performance from Danny Salazar, it’s quite possible that neither one would have even been considered for a spot in the rotation.

That said, they’re here now, and they need to figure things out if they’re going to support what has been a rather stagnant offense in the season’s early goings.

Yan Gomes Will Be Sorely Missed

He may not have been off to the hottest of starts in 2015, but Yan Gomes is a huge piece to the Indians lineup.

A Silver Slugger Award winner last season, Gomes put up a .278/.313/.472 batting line with 21 home runs, 25 doubles, 74 RBI and 61 runs scored. Arguably the best hitting catcher in the American League, Gomes was a major part of Cleveland’s success last season, posting a 4.4 WAR over 518 plate appearances.

In his time with the Indians, Gomes has also been a solid defensive option, posting a caught-stealing percentage of 35 percent; the league average in that time (2013-15) was 27 percent.

In addition to the control he exhibits over the run game, Gomes has been worth 12 defensive-runs saved with the Indians, adding further to the idea that he’s a great defensive catcher.

Unfortunately, this year, the 27-year-old could spend an extended period of time on the disabled list. On April 11, Gomes was the victim of a rather nasty collision at the plate, when Detroit Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis slid into Gomes’ outstretched leg.

According to Sports Illustrated, the move has already been made to send Gomes to the DL:

A sprained right knee is the injury Gomes is said to be dealing with, but information is still coming in at a rather brisk pace.

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gomes’ injury is severe enough that he’s using crutches to get around. In fact, Hoynes noted that the next day, the veteran backstop relied on them to go out and accept the aforementioned Silver Slugger Award:

Shortly after that, SportsCenter tweeted that the team expects to be without Brazilian native for at least six to eight weeks:

It’s an unfortunate turn of events in the young catcher’s blossoming career, but it’s already becoming clear that he’ll be sorely missed. In his first game as the team’s starting catcher, Roberto Perez allowed three stolen bases and was saddled with a throwing error that allowed a run to score.

The Indians Bullpen Is…Suspect?

The Indians bullpen was, for the most part, very solid in 2014, allowing the fourth-best ERA among AL relief units. Across the board, the Indians were able to neutralize opponents during the latter stages of games. That ability is displayed in the table below:

So, here we have a bullpen that was, for all intents and purposes, very successful, having ranked in the top half, and quite often the top third, of nearly every meaningful statistical measure of bullpen success.

This year, the team returned a group that looks eerily similar to the one it went with for most of the 2014 season; however, it hasn’t experienced similar results.

Take a look at how the 2015 bullpen ranks in the same categories we examined above:

Surely the Indians bullpen will get better, right? Well, that’s the hope anyway, because right now, it’s borderline awful. Despite being used less frequently than both the average AL bullpen and the majority of AL bullpens, the relievers are putting up numbers that place them near the bottom-third of the league.

Will they bounce back? Possibly.

Will management look to shake up the bullpen’s composition in 2015? Also possibly.

One thing’s for certain, if the Indians are going to be successful, the bullpen will have to contribute a little more.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and are current through play on April 13, 2015 unless otherwise noted.

Tyler Duma is a Featured Columnist covering the New York Yankees for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter. Follow @TylerDuma

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