Wil Myers to Make Major League Debut On Tuesday
The decision by the Royals to not call up Wil Myers towards the end of last season, in which he batted .314, with 37 home runs and 109 RBI’s, left many people scratching their head. Then, after an offseason trade that sent Myers to the Rays, many expected Myers to get moved to the big league club fairly quickly, especially with the great spring training he had. But once again, it didn’t happen. Myers was sent to Triple-A Durham, where he spent 65 games, before finally receiving the call that everyone has been waiting for.
After five seasons in the minor leagues, Wil Myers is going to the majors.
Pulled from Sunday’s Durham Bulls game, after doubling in the first inning, Myers is set to make his major league debut on Tuesday, up at 
Fenway Park, against the Red Sox. Myers truly left the Rays no choice but to bring him up, as he began to heat up over the past couple of weeks. After a short slump, Myers has been a hitting machine as of late, quickly increasing what started out as subpar numbers, by his standards, up to 14 homers and 58 RBI’s, this season at Triple-A. After the recent success, it will be interesting to see if Myers’ hot streak will continue into the majors.
But Rays manager, Joe Maddon, isn’t too concerned with Myers making a flawless transition, saying, ”You’re not going to hear a lot of the high expectations coming from this particular desk or this chair. I want him to play. I want him to be a Ray. I want him to run hard to first base. I want him to try to do the right things on the field, continue to work on his defense, try to improve his baserunning.”
Many feel Myers will do all of that, and much more.
Myers is set to take over the right field position, wearing the number nine for the Rays, and is going to bat towards the bottom of the order, at least for now. As is to be expected when a player of Myers’ caliber is promoted to the big leagues–arguably the most hyped hitting prospect to reach the majors since Bryce Harper–nearly everyone is making their predictions as to how they feel Myers will perform. Having seen him play in five games this season, I have a fairly bold opinion as to how he will fare.
I may be placing the bar a bit too high for Myers, but I could easily see him hitting a home run in his first major league game. After all, the green monster at Fenway is nothing new to him, as the Bulls have a blue monster, and therefore, Myers is used to the challenge that comes along with the towering left field wall. But wall or no wall, there’s really no ballpark that can contain Myers’ power. The rare combination of the ability to hit for power AND average, as well as the skill to take the ball to all parts of the field, make Myers a very special player.
Wil Myers should become a major impact player for the Rays for many years to come.
Who I’d Like To See In the 2013 Home Run Derby
It was recently announced that Robinson Cano would once again be participating in the home run derby, for the third year in a row. After winning the derby in 2011, Cano failed to hit a single homer in 2012, but it’s highly unlikely that he will let that happen again. Cano was once again named the captain of the American League, with David Wright receiving the honor for the National League. Both now have the task of selecting three more players from their given league to participate in the derby.
With the 2013 home run derby exactly a month away, I figured I’d post this entry on which players I’d most like to see participate.
American League
Chris Davis- After blasting a career high 33 home runs last season, Chris Davis is well on his way to another career season. In just 67 games, Davis has already hit 22 homers, leading all of major league baseball, and I feel he’d be a great player to take part in this year’s home run derby. Not only do I feel Davis would go deep into the derby, cranking out numerous home runs per round, but I feel he would put on a fairly good show. Davis can hit long balls with the best of them, and I hope to see him in the 2013 derby.
Prince Fielder- It’s no secret that Prince Fielder is a major threat to win a home run derby, having won twice in his career. After winning the derby last year, I’d love to see Fielder in this year’s derby to give him a chance to defend his title. It wouldn’t be all that surprising to me if Fielder happened to win the derby once again. He has the power and endurance needed to stay in the derby for a long time, and therefore it would be great to see Fielder participate in July.
Yoenis Cespedes- I’m not sure just how many home runs Yoenis Cespedes would hit in a home run derby, but I’d love to see him take part in this year’s derby, if merely for his power alone. Not many guys in all of baseball can slug a ball as far as Cespedes can–launching balls deep into the outfield seats at the spacious Oakland Athletics ballpark makes it all the more impressive. To me, although I don’t think Cespedes would go to deep into the derby, he’d certainly put on a show. And I’d love to see him take part.
National League
Evan Gattis- One of the best stories of the season–going from janitor to major league baseball player–Evan Gattis isn’t someone you’d necessarily have heard of if you don’t follow baseball fairly closely. But even so, the power he possesses, and the story that goes along with him, is enough for me to want to see Gattis in the home run derby. Gattis has already blasted 14 homers, in this his rookie season, and therefore should at least be considered for the derby in July, in my opinion.
Giancarlo Stanton- It was a major disappointment last year when it was announced that Giancarlo Stanton was planning to participate in the home run derby, only to have him injure himself shortly before the actual event. Stanton would’ve put on a fantastic show, and thus, as long as Stanton is fully healthy, I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t take part in the derby this time around. If in fact Stanton is one of the eight sluggers in the 2013 derby, I could easily see him making it to the final round, and possibly even winning.
Bryce Harper- After Stanton was forced to forgo the 2012 derby, I wanted to see Bryce Harper as his replacement, but instead the world saw Andrew McCutchen. No offense to McCutchen, but I knew he wouldn’t perform all that well, and by hitting just four home runs, he proved me right. Harper on the other hand, would put on a show; and an amazing one at that. I would love to see Harper (assuming he’s completely healthy by then) take part in this year’s HR derby. Guys with his talent don’t come around all that often.
So, those are my picks for who I’d like to see in the 2013 home run derby, up at Citi Field, on July 15th. Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Who would you like to see participate? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
My Baseball Game Schedule for the Rest of June
So far this season I’ve attended seven minor league baseball games–three Carolina Mudcats games, and four Durham Bulls games. In that time, I’ve been able to collect fourteen autographs, two game used bats and three game home run balls. While that’s far more than I was able to get all of last year, I’m hoping to continue adding to those totals, as I’m planning to attend as many games as possible from now until September, when the minor league baseball season ends.
The next game I’m going to is this Saturday’s Bulls game versus the Indianapolis Indians. I had originally been planning on trying to get an autograph from Pirates’ number one prospect, Gerrit Cole, at this game, but he’s set to make his major league debut later tonight, and therefore won’t be there. Thus, I’ve decided to try for autos from the Bulls players instead, that I haven’t been able to get so far this season. This includes stand outs such as Alex Colome and Jake Odorizzi, however, David Price is supposed to begin a rehab assignment with the Bulls sometime this weekend, so I’m hoping I can get him while I’m there.
If Price doesn’t happen to be at the game on Saturday, he’s nearly guaranteed to be there when I go to one of the three Bulls games against the Louisville Bats early next week. I’m going for the sole purpose of getting an autograph from Reds’ number one prospect, Billy Hamilton–I was going for Tony Cingrani as well, but he was just called back up to the Reds–but if I don’t get an autograph from David Price on Saturday, I may end up rethinking my plans. (Though that’s a hard decision to make–a guy who stole 155 bases last year, or last year’s Cy Young award winner.)
My first major league baseball game of the season, and my first since June 23, 2012, is coming on June 29th, up in Baltimore. The Orioles are set to take on the Yankees, and with it being my first time at Camden Yards, I’m really looking forward to the game, though it’s sure to be packed. I hate that Derek Jeter won’t be there, but I’m going to be trying for autos from the Yankees nonetheless, including guys like Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira, with my main targets being Ichiro Suzuki and Mariano Rivera. I’m not too confident on getting Suzuki, but with it being Rivera’s last season, and his overall fan-friendly attitude, I’m hoping I get lucky and pick up a signature from ‘Mo’.
So that’s basically it for the remainder of the month. If I don’t get an autograph from David Price on Saturday or next week’s game, I may end up adding an extra Bulls game in, so I can get Price to sign. But I’m staying optimistic that I won’t have to do that.
Towards the end of July, I’m going to be attending a Mariners-Twins game up at Safeco Field, in Seattle. This game is part of a month long road trip that will have a major impact on this blog. But I’ll wait to discuss that at some point next month….
2013 MLB Draft: Appel, Bryant & Gray As Top Three
Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray and Kris Bryant were ranked as the number one, two and three draft picks going into Wednesday’s 2013 first-year player draft, and that turned out to be close to dead-on. While Appel did in fact go number one overall, as predicted by many around the baseball world, Gray and Bryant went in reverse order from expected, however, they all fell within the top three as was originally thought out.
Mark Appel went first overall, getting drafted by the Houston Astros.
Appel, who chose not to sign with the Pirates after they drafted him eighth overall in the 2012 draft, went 10-4, with a 2.12 ERA, this past season at Stanford University. His college career was a fairly impressive one, as Appel went 28-14 overall, with a combined 2.91 ERA, including setting the record for most career strikeouts as a Stanford pitcher. If Appel can continue to develop–though many argue he’s nearly ready at the moment–he should be pitching on the mound for his hometown Houston Astros sometime in the very near future.
Kris Bryant went second overall, getting drafted by the Chicago Cubs.
Bryant, who was previously drafted by the Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2010 draft, batted .329, with 31 home runs and 62 RBI’s, in his third season at the University of San Diego. Though Bryant has only been playing college ball for a total of three years, his numbers are intriguing, as his combined stats include a .353 batting average, with 54 homers and 155 RBI’s, between his freshman, sophomore and junior years. It’ll take a little time for Bryant to fully tap into his projected above average power, but once he figures things out, he’s sure to be a big impact player for the Cubs.
Jonathan Gray went third overall, getting drafted by the Rockies.
Gray, who was previously drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2011 draft, went 10-2, with a 1.59 ERA, this past season with Oklahoma University, after playing at Eastern Oklahoma State College two years earlier, where he was just as great, going 6-2, with a 2.89 ERA. It shouldn’t take long before Gray finds himself pitching in the mile high city, as he was regarded as one of the top college pitchers and is sure to carry the same tag with him as he moves into the minor leagues. The Rockies would appear to have a can’t miss pitching prospect on their hands.
The remainder of the draft saw many surprises. A lot of players went higher than anyone expected, while others stuck around longer than many thought they would. But that usually happens every year with the draft.
The rest of the 1st round of the 2013 draft, following the first three picks, went as follows:
4. Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart
5. Cleveland Indians: Clint Frazier
6. Miami Marlins: Colin Moran
7. Boston Red Sox: Trey Ball
8. Kansas City Royals: Hunter Dozier
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Austin Meadows
10. Toronto Blue Jays: Phillip Bickford
11. New York Mets: Dominic Smith
12. Seattle Mariners: D.J. Peterson
13. San Diego Padres: Hunter Renfroe
14. Pittsburgh Pirates: Reese McGuire
15. Arizona Diamondbacks: Braden Shipley
16. Philadelphia Phillies: J.P. Crawford
17. Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson
18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Chris Anderson
19. St. Louis Cardinals: Marco Gonzales
20. Detroit Tigers: Jonathon Crawford
21. Tampa Bay Rays: Nick Ciuffo
22. Baltimore Orioles: Hunter Harvey
23. Texas Rangers: Alex Gonzalez
24. Oakland Athletics: Billy McKinney
25. San Francisco Giants: Christian Arroyo
26. New York Yankees: Eric Jagielo
27. Cincinnati Reds: Phillip Ervin
28. St. Louis Cardinals: Rob Kaminsky
29. Tampa Bay Rays: Ryne Stanek
30. Texas Rangers: Travis Demeritte
31. Atlanta Braves: Jason Hursh
32. New York Yankees: Aaron Judge
33. New York Yankees: Ian Clarkin
Competitive Balance Round A
34. Kansas City Royals: Sean Manaea
35. Miami Marlins: Matt Krook
36. Arizona Diamondbacks: Aaron Blair
37. Baltimore Orioles: Josh Hart
38. Cincinnati Reds: Michael Lorenzen
39. Detroit Tigers: Corey Knebel
So there you have it. Take a good look at that list. Make sure to follow them as the majority of them begin their professional careers. Odds are at least a few of those names will become MLB All-Stars, with the possibility that some may become a future Hall of Famer. You never know what can happen when you have so much young talent entering their given MLB organizations.
Puig and Bradley Jr. Blast First Career Home Runs
The biggest news of the day on Tuesday was the announcement that Major League Baseball plans to make an attempt to suspend approximately 20 players, with connections to the biogenesis clinic in Miami, for accused use of PED’s; including stand out players such as Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, who could be forced to sit out up to 100 games. While this has been in the news since January, this “major development” certainly got people talking again.
A-Rod’s situation is a bit different than many of the other players on the list of those with connections to use of PED’s. Unlike most of them, Rodriguez doesn’t have all that much time left in his career, if any at all. He’s currently in the process of coming back from hip surgery, and if 
suspended, wouldn’t be able to play in another game until the middle half of next season; assuming Rodriguez returns by August as expected.
In my opinion, if Alex Rodriguez does receive a 100-game suspension, we may have seen the last of him in a Major League uniform.
But despite all of this, Tuesday wasn’t entirely fully of negative news stories. A couple of highly coveted prospects hit their first career home runs, which will likely be just the first of many to come once all is said and done.
Jackie Bradley Jr.–the number 29 overall ranked prospect in all of baseball, and number two prospect in the Red Sox’ organization–cranked the first homer of his career to left field, over the bullpen, off of the Rangers’ Justin Grimm, in last night’s 17-run game by the Red Sox.
While Bradley doesn’t possess all that much power, his first home run went over 400 feet, and he’s sure to have plenty of chances to hit many more like that in his predicted long career in Boston.
Yasiel Puig–the number 70 overall ranked prospect in all of baseball, and number one prospect in the Dodgers’ organization–hit both his first and second home runs, in his second career game, in which he went 3-4, with 5 RBI’s.
Many thought Puig should’ve stuck with the Dodgers out of Spring Training, as he had one of the best performances of any Dodger, however, he has spent the year to this point at Double-A Chattanooga. But nonetheless, Puig is in the big leagues now, and he’s fitting right in.
Puig has been extremely impressive so far in the majors. Though he’s only had eight at-bats, Puig has gotten a hit in five of them, and has also been able to show off his other tools, including his rocket arm as well as his above average speed. Both of which have the potential to develop even more.
Though you can tell Puig is still figuring things out, as is to be expected with a player this new to the big leagues, he’s been able to show a decent amount of his overall potential. Puig just might end up being what the struggling Dodgers need to help get their disappointing season back on track.
Latest MLB Leaders (March 31st-May 31st)
With the first two months of the 2013 MLB season in the books, I thought I’d take the first day of the new month to recap the season thus far. It’s been exciting, as well as disappointing, depending on how you look at it, and who you’re rooting for.
Instead of talking about the events that have taken place so far this year, I decided to make a list of different categories and beside them name the player(s) that lead that particular category. I did the same thing last year, and it was so well-received that I wanted to do it again this season. I’m planning on posting an entry like this on the first day of each month. (That would make 4 more of these if you’re keeping score at home.)
The following lists are categorized into hitting and pitching, but NOT AL or NL:
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- HITTING
Most Games Played-Dustin Pedroia (56)
Most At-Bats-Manny Machado (239)
Most Hits-Miguel Cabrera (81)
Highest Average-Miguel Cabrera (.372)
Highest OBP-Joey Votto (.465)
Highest SLG-Chris Davis (.749)
Most Runs-Joey Votto (45)
Most Doubles-Manny Machado (25)
Most Triples-Mike Trout (6)
Most Home Runs-Chris Davis (19)
Most RBI’s-Miguel Cabrera (61)
Most Base On Balls-Joey Votto (46)
Most Strikeouts-Mike Napoli (78)
Most Stolen Bases-Jacoby Ellsbury (21)
Most Caught Stealing-Gerardo Parra (7)
Most Intentional Base On Balls-Joey Votto (9)
Most Hit By Pitch-Shin-Soo Choo (15)
Most Sacrifice Flies-Brandon Phillips (6)
Most Total Bases-Miguel Cabrera (146)
Most Extra Base Hits-Chris Davis (37)
Most Grounded Into Double Plays-Matt Holliday and Michael Young. (12)
Most Ground Outs-Norichika Aoki (91)
Most Number Of Pitches Faced-Shin-Soo Choo (1,086)
Most Plate Appearances-Joey Votto (256)
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- PITCHING
Most Wins-Four players tied for most. (8)
Most Losses-Cole Hamels (9)
Best ERA-Patrick Corbin (1.71)
Most Games Started-Thirteen players tied for most. (12)
Most Games Pitched-Scott Rice (31)
Most Saves-Jason Grilli (22)
Most Innings Pitched-Clayton Kershaw (87.1)
Most Hits Allowed-Joe Blanton (100)
Most Runs Allowed-Wily Peralta (48)
Most Earned Runs Allowed-R.A. Dickey and Jeremy Hellickson. (43)
Most Home Runs Allowed-Jeremy Guthrie (15)
Most Strikeouts-Yu Darvish (105)
Most Walks-Lucas Harrell (37)
Most Complete Games-Jordan Zimmermann (3)
Most Shutouts-Bartolo Colon, Justin Masterson and Adam Wainwright. (2)
Best Opponent Avg.-Matt Harvey (.172)
Most Games Finished-Jason Grilli (25)
Most Double Plays Achieved-Lucas Harrell (14)
Most Wild Pitches-Brandon Maurer (8)
Most Balks-Alfredo Aceves, Shawn Camp and Juan Nicasio. (2)
Most Stolen Bases Allowed-Edinson Volquez (14)
Most Pickoffs-Clayton Kershaw and Julio Teheran. (3)
Most Batters Faced-C.C. Sabathia (338)
Most Pitches Thrown-Jon Lester (1,315)
Time to Start Giving Manny Machado Due Credit
Manny Machado has played in a total of 102 games in the Major Leagues and in that time he’s matched or exceeded the stats of young phenoms Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, yet he’s still not getting a lot of recognition. 
Batting .335 with five home runs and 28 RBI’s, including leading all of the majors in doubles so far this season, Machado is well on his way to becoming a full on superstar, but even before that happens, it’s time to start including Manny Machado in the conversation of best all around young player in the game.
I think part of why Machado isn’t getting enough attention has to do with the media. You hear nearly everyday about Trout and Harper, with them getting compared so often, but you fail to notice as much what’s unfolding with Machado. Admittedly, he gets some recognition here and there, but the spotlight that’s on Harper and Trout is far brighter than that on Machado.
Let me take a second to compare the three statistically:
Mike Trout, winner of the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year award, put up great numbers last season, and while he struggled a bit to start 2013, Trout is now starting to get things heated up again. Through 51 games played, Trout is batting .304 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI’s–hitting his first career cycle on May 21st.
Bryce Harper, winner of the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year award, has been injured as of late, however, through 44 games player, Harper has been even better than last season. Batting .287 with 12 home runs and 23 RBI’s, Harper continues to live up to the hype that has been on him for years.
Manny Machado is batting 73 points higher with two more RBI’s and fifteen more doubles than he had last season. Machado has also collected 75 hits this year, which stands as the most hits ever before June by a player under the age of 21. It’s the little things like that, that make me scratch my head as to why Machado is so underrated.
So, while baseball fans around the country have reason to be in awe of what Mike Trout and Bryce Harper have done and continue to do, it’s time they start noticing just how good Manny Machado is. The crazy part being, Machado will undoubtedly continue to get better.
Kevin Gausman Makes MLB Debut
Though highly thought of by many around the baseball world, being ranked as the number 35 overall prospect, I was fairly shocked when it was announced that the Orioles had called up Kevin Gausman to make his Major League debut on Thursday night, versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
I had been keeping track of Gausman, and seeing that he had gone 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA in eight games pitched at Double-A Bowie, despite the need for a pitcher on the big league club, I didn’t think Gausman was ready.
After watching Gausman pitch on Thursday night, however, I’m very happy to state that I was wrong.
While the box score doesn’t show it, Gausman was impressive. Maybe not overly impressive, but impressive nonetheless. Gausman allowed four runs in five innings pitched, but they didn’t come until the fourth and fifth innings–a pair of runs in each.
He matched his punch outs to innings pitched, striking out five, and even though he got the loss, Gausman gained his first innings of big league experience of what looks to be a promising career.
At just 22 years old, Gausman’s road to the majors was a very short one, as he was the fourth overall pick, out of LSU, in the 2012 MLB draft. With only 61.1 professional innings under his belt, you still have to question whether or not he’ll be able to perform consistently at the big league level, or if the Orioles rushed him to the majors, but if Thursday is a sign of more things to come, I’d say the Orioles have a future ace on their hands.
Miguel Cabrera On Pace for Triple Crown….Again
Homering three times in Sunday night’s game versus the Texas Rangers–increasing his season stats to 11 homers and 47 RBI’s, to go along with a .387 batting average–there’s no denying that Miguel Cabrera is currently the best hitter in all of baseball. Having won the Triple Crown last season–the first player to do so since Carl Yastrezemski, in 1967–Cabrera is currently on a good pace to do so again, as he’s already ahead of his 
stats from last year; some by a fairly good margin.
Through 43 games played, Cabrera is batting 83 points higher, with three more home runs and thirteen more RBI’s than he had through the same number of games last season, in which he won the Triple Crown. If Cabrera can continue his hot pace, he stands a good chance of becoming just the third player in the history of Major League Baseball to win two Triple Crown awards in their career–Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby being the other players. (No player has ever accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons.)
As is to be expected with a player as good as Cabrera, many are beginning to form comparisons of his stats to other players’, such as HOFer Hank Aaron, as well as star players, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez. ESPN even went as far as to say that Miguel Cabrera is the Babe Ruth of our generation, in a tweet after Cabrera’s three home run performance Sunday night. While I strongly disagree with that statement, I do agree that Cabrera is one of the best hitters the game has ever seen.
Therefore, although there’s still a lot of the season left, in which anything can happen, Miguel Cabrera is a player you need to be keeping an eye on. Regardless of if he wins his second straight Triple Crown award, you’re watching a player that will inevitably go down as one of the games all-time greats, once all is said and done. That alone is reason enough to take the time to appreciate just how good Miguel Cabrera is while he’s still around.
My Thoughts On More Replay In Major League Baseball
There’s been more talk lately about expanding instant replay in baseball than there ever has been in the history of the game. This coming due to advancing technology, and with that technology comes concerns that more needs to be done to get the calls right every time. (Something that truly can’t be done.)
But the topic of increasing what’s reviewable and what isn’t is controversial among many. Some feel that things need to be left just the way they are, sighting the human error element that’s always been part of the game, however, others are saying that as long as you have the technology, you should use it.
I stand somewhere in between.
I love the idea of getting every call right, but at the same time, I don’t see how that would be possible, and I somewhat enjoy the human element to the game. If you lose that, it’s not the same game anymore. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don’t. That’s the way it works. But I understand wanting to get the call right more often than not.
The main complaint that comes from those who oppose further replay is that it would lengthen games, which have historically increased in length over the past few decades. If you begin reviewing everything, a game which already takes roughly three hours to complete, could begin taking closer to four, depending on the events of any given day.
The only thing I see as being “unreviewable” is balls and strikes. While there’s no denying that umpires blow a few calls of the strike zone every game, there’s also no denying that reviewing every single close strike call isn’t a realistic option. There’s absolutely no need to do so, nor is there the time to do so. Other than that, everything is discussable for possible replay, in my mind.
But while everything other than balls and strikes is worthy of replay discussion, not every close play needs to be reviewed. Some things will have to be left off the list of reviewable plays or it’ll turn into a big joke of reviewing every single close call. I would hate to see that happen. But this is where it gets complicated: What should be reviewable and what shouldn’t? And why choose some things and not others?
My thoughts, looking at all of the possible controversial plays that can take place in a game, are that the major plays worth reviewing are the ones in which runs are scored; be it a questionable home run, trapped/caught ball in the outfield in which a run does or doesn’t score, fan interference that would’ve scored a run, and close plays at the plate. If it could be argued one way or another, it should be reviewed. As far as everything else, it doesn’t involve a run scoring, and I feel the umpires do a decent job of those type of plays for the most part.
So, to sum everything up as best I can, I’m for more replay in baseball, to an extent. You’ll never be able to get every single call right, but if you can increase the chance that the outcome of the game doesn’t turn out differently than it should have because of a blown call, by reviewing certain run scoring plays, why not make an attempt to try?
What do you think: Should there be more replay in baseball?
Matt Huddleston
