Morning Mound Visit: Members of Giants, Reds kneel to protest police brutality

Andrew Baggarly | The Athletic $: On Monday before an exhibition game against the Oakland A’s, several members of the Giants knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality. This included manager Gabe Kapler, Jaylin Davis, first base coach Antoan Richardson, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, Trevor Gott, Tyler Cyr, Chadwick Tromp, and pitching coach Ethan Katz. It’s not the first time a baseball player has knelt for the national anthem—Bruce Maxwell knelt in 2017 and was black-balled from the league for it—but it’s the first time multiple players and coaches joined in protest. Keynan Middleton of the Angels also knelt in protest ahead of Monday’s game. The next day, several members of the Reds including Joey Votto, Amir Garrett, Phillip Ervin, and Alex Blandino joined the movement.

Sean Dolinar | FanGraphs: FanGraphs introduced a new tool just in time for the upcoming season. FanGraphs’ new leaderboard shows the best and worst 60-game stretches ever. Ryan Doumit, don’t read this.

Brady Klopfer | McCovey Chronicles: Alyssa Nakken, assistant coach for the Giants, became the first woman to coach first base at the major league level during Monday night’s exhibition. Nakken also started Tuesday night’s game, and it’s possible she could make more appearances during the regular season.