#but we met on first base (i was the runner and you were first baseman)

[mollypaup]

Normal about Austin describing Trio Trifecta developing a personality, but remaining clearly defined from a synthetic person, but that's fine because it just they communicate with a couple of quirks.

[cj-schlatt]

Take Me Out - Part One

Pairing: MLB player!Schlatt x gn!sideline reporter!reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: Schlatt is the new first baseman for the New York Mets, and you’re the team’s new sideline reporter.

Content: Fluff!

A/N: I went with the Mets over the Yankees because a.) I’m a Red Sox fan, and b.) the Yankees are strict and only allow mustaches (long live the chops). Enjoy! :)

You feel like a kid on the first day of school. You’ve got that nervous, butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of feeling, but in a good way.

It’s your first official day as the sideline reporter for the New York Mets, and you couldn’t be more excited. All those long nights of studying, all your hard work to obtain your communications degree, have finally paid off.

You can’t help the grin that spreads across your face as you enter Clover Park for the first time. You’re in beautiful Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Spring Training is just getting underway. The smell of freshly-cut grass hangs in the air as you watch the players running drills on the field.

It’s here, as you speak to a member of the production team near the dugout, that you catch your first glimpse of him.

His laugh is what you hear first. Instinctively, you turn towards the sound, and that’s when you see him. He’s standing near first base, facing away from you, showing off the number 99 that covers his broad back.

Schlatt, everyone calls him, despite the surname stitched across the back of his jersey. His reputation precedes him. Everyone has heard the scouting reports, seen the viral videos passed around social media. In the minor leagues, he’s been known for his antics, taunting runners on the opposing team when they reach him at first base. It’s his first year being called up to the majors, and he’s one of the big stories for the team, the player to watch.

You’ve done your homework. You know all about Schlatt and his rather colorful personality. He’s certainly one of the more animated players in the sport, always fired up after a solid hit or a particularly impressive defensive play. He’s cocky, and, honestly, he has every right to be. He’s the Mets’ number one prospect, an above-average first baseman and strong power hitter. You know he’s going to be a handful in interviews, but you’re up for the challenge.

You can’t tell from this angle, but you know that if Schlatt were to turn around, you’d see the infamous mutton chops. Second to his spectacular playing ability, his unusual facial hair has been one of his defining characteristics since he was first drafted. Love it or hate it, it gets the fans talking, keeping that oh-so important spotlight on him.

You’re pulled out of your musings by a shout of, “Look out!” followed by a baseball whizzing past your head, narrowly avoiding you. You look to the field to see a few players standing around sheepishly.

“You okay?” To your surprise, it’s Schlatt who turns to ask you.

You give him a thumbs up. “All good,” you call out to him.

With a satisfied nod, he turns back to face the field.

It’s going to be an interesting season, you think.

You’re packed into the press room like sardines, shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow reporters. You all crowd around the podium where Schlatt sits, an array of microphones and cell phones in front of his face to catch his every word.

The press conference begins, and you’re called upon to ask the first question.

You open your mouth to speak.

Before you can get a word out, an older, male reporter begins talking over you. “What do you think—”

“Hey,” Schlatt cuts the reporter off sharply. “Let ‘em speak.” He gestures to you.

You feel your cheeks heat as seemingly every pair of eyes in the room turns towards you. You take a breath, then, as calmly as you can, ask your question: “What’s your takeaway from day one of Spring Training?”

Schlatt hums thoughtfully before answering, “That we look good out there, but we still have a lot of work to do before we’re ready for Opening Day.” He leans back a little in his chair and adjusts his cap. “That all?”

“One more thing: got any advice for a rookie reporter, as a rookie yourself?”

He grins wide. “Just enjoy it. We’re in the big leagues, baby!” he whoops, and the crowd erupts in laughter and scattered applause.

Before moving onto the next reporter, you swear Schlatt shoots a wink in your direction.

Spring Training flies by. Before you know it, you’re on a plane to New York for Opening Day. The sun is shining bright on Citi Field, helping to warm the chilly air.

You’re trying your best to soak it all in. This is what you’ve dreamed of for so long, and you want to enjoy every moment of it.

What an exciting Opening Day it turns out to be. The Mets and Phillies have gone back and forth, earning runs and keeping the score close throughout the game.

It’s now the bottom of the ninth, and the teams are tied three-to-three. There are two outs, no one on base, and Schlatt is up at bat. The count is full—three balls, two strikes. It all comes down to the next pitch.

You watch with bated breath as the Phillies pitcher throws a blazing fastball towards the plate. Schlatt swings the bat, and—CRACK! Just from the sound, you know it’s gone, and Schlatt does, too. He stands in the batter’s box for a few moments, watching the ball sail into the stands, before beginning his victory trot around the bases.

The crowd is going absolutely crazy. Lights are flashing all around, and music is blaring through the stadium speakers. The Mets dugout empties to meet Schlatt at home plate, where they convene in a huge group, shouting and high-fiving one another.

As the celebration on the field dwindles and players are headed off the field, you’re able to get Schlatt’s attention for a post-game interview. You can hear Gary, the announcer, in your ear, setting it up for the viewers at home.

“Schlatt!” you have to practically yell over the crowd. “That was amazing! What’s going through your mind right now?”

He’s breathing heavily, standing with his hands on his hips and leaning in to hear you better.

You think he starts to talk, but you’re suddenly doused in ice-cold liquid. You gasp and instinctively try to back away, but it’s too late. You realize, belatedly, that another Mets player has dumped the Gatorade cooler in celebration, but seems to have missed his mark.

“What the fuck, man?!” Schlatt shouts at his teammate, instinctively putting an arm around your shoulder, as if to shield you from another onslaught.

You shiver, not completely sure if it’s from the unexpected contact or the fact that you’re soaking wet in New York in early April. Maybe it’s a little bit of both.

The station must have cut back to the booth by now. At the very least, the audio will have been muted momentarily when Schlatt swore. Still, you’re pretty sure that, even though the camera is there, it’s not broadcasting you in all your drowned rat glory.

“Fuckin’ idiot,” Schlatt mutters to himself before focusing his attention on you. “Are you alright? Lemme get you a towel.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” you try to tell him, but he’s already jogging towards the dugout and returning moments later with a clean towel, ironically emblazoned with the Gatorade logo.

“Thank you,” you say, taking the towel and attempting, maybe in vain, to dry yourself off. You’re at least able to get the worst of it so there is no longer Gatorade running into your eyes, which is an improvement.

Schlatt crosses his arms and shakes his head. “I’m sorry about him.”

To be honest, you’re surprised he’s still here, still talking to you. You figured he’d want to get out of here as quickly as possible, but here he stands, looking genuinely concerned.

“It’s alright,” you try to brush it off.

“No, it’s not,” he insists. “I’ll talk to him, make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

You smile appreciatively. “Thank you,” you say again.

He smiles back at you softly. It’s so unlike him, you think—or, at least, so unlike the version of himself that he presents on the field and in interviews. It’s like you’re getting a peek at the real Schlatt, the man behind the persona.

You’re whisked off the field soon after. The production team assures you that you don’t have to stick around for the post-game press conferences, insisting that you go home and get cleaned up, for which you’re very grateful.

One very uncomfortable (but thankfully short) walk later, you’re back at your apartment. You quickly peel off your ruined outfit and hop in the shower, eager to wash off the day (and the Gatorade).

Soon, you’re curled up on the couch, cozy in your pajamas. It’s then that you feel your phone buzz, pulling it out of your pocket to reveal a wall of notifications. Confused, you unlock your phone, trying to make sense of the influx of Twitter mentions.

You nearly drop your phone when you open Twitter.

There, on your screen, is a video of you, microphone in hand as you begin interviewing Schlatt, before the Gatorade shower interrupts you both. The video doesn’t end there, though. You watch in disbelief as Schlatt puts his arm around you and continues talking to you, unaware that the camera is still rolling. Sure, there are a few moments where the audio is muted to cover up Schlatt’s f-bombs, but it appears that SNY aired your entire interaction with Schlatt.

You scroll down, eyebrows raising as you read through the replies. There are screenshots of Schlatt with his arm around you, followed by incomprehensible strings of letters and an impressive amount of emojis. You don’t really know what to make of it, and you try to put it out of your mind as you get up to make yourself dinner.

An hour or so later, you get a text from an unknown number:

can we talk?

A second message comes through moments later:

it’s schlatt

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think! :)

[timmyrx2000]

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 4

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 4

From the Journals of Dipper Pines: January 3, 2014: Well, here we are, back in Piedmont. It was nice to spend the week after Christmas in Gravity Falls with Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford, Soos, and Melody.

OK, OK, and Wendy. ESPECIALLY Wendy. She's been teasing me in her texts ever since she saw that awful picture of me on Peoplebook, but a couple days ago she said she wanted to have a serious talk with me: Was I sure I wanted to play baseball? Could I handle it if we didn't do so well? If I didn't get to play much would I be upset? Was I going to focus too much on the game and not enough on school?

I told her she was talking like an adult, and she said, "Well, ya know, I'm getting' there, dude!" But we exchanged gifts (sorry, Mabel, but what we gave each other is still our secret. Yes, I know you sneak in and read this journal sometimes!), and I asked, "Are you still looking forward to us coming back next summer?" And she gave me a little shove and said, "Don't be a dork! You know I am!"

So. . . . I guess we're still just friends, but I realized again, being there with her—and I finally got the courage to tell her this—I can't turn off the way I feel about her. She thinks that's sweet. But she brushed back my hair, smiled at me, and said, "I love your birthmark." Then she leaned close and whispered, "I'm still kinda old for you, dude."

My heart beat a little faster, just because this time she said "kinda." Not "I'm too old for you. You know that," but KINDA! I know, I know, I'll hang my hope on anything. It's probably not realistic.

But maybe not totally unrealistic, because from what Wendy told us, Robbie's still tight with Tambry, and Wendy herself has no boyfriend, no serious one, anyway, and she hinted she might sort of be willing to wait for me to catch up. "Never dated a sports star," she teased me. "Might be fun to try if I got a chance. So—you guys win the pennant or you get to be like the most valuable player or whatever, and we just might go together to a dance or some junk when I see you again."

So . . . now I have to learn to dance?

I'll do it! Man, if I need to win a game single-handed, somehow I'll do that, too, and in the meantime I'll even get Mabel to teach me some dance moves—because NOW I'm motivated!

It was easy to be motivated, coming right off a week with his friends (especially the red-headed one), but the next day when school started again, Dipper didn't feel so sure of himself.

In Piedmont, January is the rainiest month of the year, and that Monday was a dismal, wet one with low, ragged gray skies and cold rain drifting down either in showers or in wind-rippled sheets. The team couldn't practice on the swamped baseball field, so they went to a gym classroom and on a big flat screen they watched video of last season's Pico Padres in action.

Just seeing the footage intimidated Dipper. The Padres all looked taller, longer of leg and arm, and more muscular than almost anyone on the Piedmont team—Chuck Taylor and Wiley Casen were the only two Panthers that looked like they'd be even close to an even footing. Coach Waylund kept identifying Padres players from last year who were still on this year's team.

Dipper could see how good they were—a couple of power hitters, some fast runners, some agile and accurate fielders. "Oh, man," someone groaned when they saw a video of one of Piedmont's games against the Padres. It ended in the fifth inning—the Padres were ahead twelve to one, and if a team led by more than ten, the game was over at the end of the fifth, rather than going to the standard-for-JV seven innings.

"We are so dead," someone else moaned, thunking his head down on the desk.

"With that attitude, you may be," Coach said as he flicked on the lights. "Start noticing their weaknesses, not their strengths! Look at their guy Manello—power hitter, but a sucker for a low inside pitch! And Grobbert—yell at him as you run the bases, and he gets confused! In the game against Pemberton, a player got caught between second and third, so he rushed Pemberton and screamed "Look out!" and Pemberton flinched and missed catching the throw and the runner hit third standing up. Watch for things like that!"

It would have helped if they'd had more practice time, but gallons of rain fell that month, and they got in only one day on the field per week. They got back to two or three days in February, but when Saturday, the fifteenth, rolled around, Dipper didn't feel ready—and he was afraid the team wasn't, either. In fact, he secretly hoped for rain that day, but—just their luck—the day after Valentine's dawned bright and clear.

As they suited up in the locker room, the guys talked about girlfriends and Valentines. Taylor said, "I'm out of luck there. The girl I really liked moved to freakin' Florida! How about you, Dipper? Have a date yesterday?"

Dipper was putting on his cleats. "Uh, not exactly," he said. "I video-chatted with this girl I like a lot, but—not the same."

"She from around here?" Chuck asked.

"No. Remember Mabel told you we spend summers in Gravity Falls, up in Oregon? I met her there."

"Bummer. Gravity Falls. Weird name. Yeah, Mabel talks about it a lot, and, something funny, I happened to mention the place at dinner one night. Guess what? My great-great-something-granddad on my mother's side lived in that crazy town, like, more than a hundred and fifty years ago! In fact, Mom says he founded it."

Oh, no. No, it can't be.

"He had a weird name, too," Chuck went on, not noticing that Dipper had frozen in position with only one shoe on. "Nicholas Northwest? Something like that."

"Nathaniel?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, that's it! One of his daughters moved to California and became my mom's great-great grandmother, I think. I mean, Mom doesn't even know for sure, but something like that. Anyhow, the Northwests supposedly got rich, but I guess they didn't want to have anything to do with us poor relations. The Gravity Falls Northwests still around?"

"I think so. That's a wild coincidence," Dipper said numbly, wondering why his mystery sense was tingling.

For a while he didn't have time to worry about it. When they went out to warm up, he saw Mabel. In a short blue skirt, a white top with the Panthers logo on it in gold and blue, knee-high white-and-blue socks, white sneakers, and—not one, but two pony tails, one on each side of her head, tied with blue-and-white ribbons. And pompons. There had to be pompons. One big, fluffy, and gold, and the other one big, fluffy, and blue. And Mabel was doing high kicks, somersaults, even splits.

The bleachers looked about half full of laughing spectators. Chuck whistled. "Man! I know this is the home field and all, but we never drew a crowd this big last year!" He slapped Dipper's shoulder. "Your sis is OK, dude! I think she'll bring us good luck!"

As the game started, Dipper warmed the bench and hoped that if they really were in for some luck, it would start soon.

But it didn't, not right away. Piedmont won the coin toss, and Chuck decided they'd take the field in the top of the first, so the guys who were playing trotted out to their positions. Dipper hunkered down on the bench, his glove in his lap, and tried not to hear Mabel shrieking, "Padres, Padres, gonna flop! Panthers, Panthers, we're the top! Gimme a Panther roar, people!" What she got was mostly a sustained laugh and some scattered cheers, but that didn't even slow her down.

Dipper glanced sideways and saw that Coach was grinning down at him. Dipper knew he must look sheepish.

But Coach just shrugged and said, "Don't worry, Pines. Mabel's brought in a crowd. Nice to have some spectators!"

Chuck's arm was in good shape. He struck out the first batter with four pitches—two strikes, a ball, and then a strike—and the next man in the batter's box popped out on his first pitch, the shortstop taking two quick steps to field the little looper. Then, seeming to gain confidence, Chuck fanned the next man, the big hitter Ricky Manello—though Manello protested the last low inside pitch, which he claimed missed the strike zone by an inch. The umpire politely disagreed, suggesting if Manello thought a pitch was too low, he probably shouldn't swing at it, and the Padres took the field.

At first it looked as if the bottom half would fly by just like the top: Mike Monohan took a good cut at a fast pitch and launched a pretty fair line drive, but the Padres shortstop, already tall, made a leap and snagged it. One out. Then Petey DeFoy, who had started out nearly as bad as Dipper at the plate but who had been hard at work on his batting all fall, took two strikes and two balls, but to the crowd's excitement, on the next pitch he made a solid connection. The left fielder misjudged it, it flew over the tip of his glove by a couple of inches, and by the time he'd scrambled around to grab the ball and fire it in, Petey was sliding into second, and Mabel was going nuts, like an AAA-cell battery-operated toy that had accidentally been plugged directly into a wall socket.

Chuck stepped up. The pitcher shook off a couple of suggestions from the catcher and pitched an outside ball. Then another. It looked as if he meant to walk Chuck, but then the pitcher threw one that would have just clipped the outside edge of the strike zone if Chuck hadn't swung on it and sent it past the first baseman and skipping along the first-base line. He made it to first while the right fielder fielded it and threw to second for the relay to home, holding Petey at third.

Now the bench guys all leaned forward, chanting, "Go! Go! Go!"

Jayden Dufresne, like Dipper a freshman, was a muscular, above-average cleanup man, and Mabel chanted, "One, two, one-two-three! Hit a homer now, JD!"

He grinned at her and gave her a salute before stepping into the box. The pitcher looked grumpy as he went into a windup. He drilled in an excellent fastball—and JD, the heavy hitter, bunted!

That was all Petey needed. He slid into home plate, though the catcher, a fraction of a second too late to tag him, turned and fired the ball to first, just barely putting J.D. out. And then, unfortunately David Barbour—"Barb"—struck out after two strikes, two balls, and two fouls.

The second inning was fast and scoreless for both teams. Dipper kept looking back at the scoreboard, as if the Panthers' 1 would suddenly evaporate. He began to hope that he might have a chance on the field this game. It was early in the season, they were ahead—well, just barely ahead—and maybe things would fall right for him.

And they did in the next inning. Coach looked thoughtful as the Padres' seventh and eighth batters both reached base on singles. He signaled Chuck to call for a change and said, "Pines, take second. Renaldo, you're in at first. Don't get shook up just because this is your first game, guys. Remember your practice!"

Dipper took over second from X-Man, who in passing said, "Luck, Dip!" and Tom-Tom Renaldo replaced Monohan at first. Dipper got into position and tried to concentrate over Mabel's glass-shattering "Dipper! Dipper! There's no doubt! He's the man to put them out!"

He tried to gulp back some butterflies that seemed to be trying hard to flutter out of his stomach and pass up his gullet and escape from his mouth. It wasn't a hot day, but suddenly the sun seemed glaring and he felt a little dizzy. Get a grip, get a grip, be in the game.

The next batter whiffed the first pitch, took the second for a called strike, and then swung on the third, getting a piece of it—it was going to come down a few feet behind second! Dipper backpedaled, jumped, caught the ball—and it stayed in the pocket of his glove!—and was running in mid-air before his feet hit ground again. The runner on second had bolted for third, realized what happened, reversed, and made a dash back to the base—but Dipper's monster-running practice got him there a heartbeat faster, and he tagged the Padres player out—an unassisted double play!

And the crowd went crazy! Well, be fair, Mabel, mainly, went crazy. But Dipper felt a couple of feet taller. Unfortunately, the next man up blasted a double, and the runner on base scored. But Chuck bore down hard and struck the next batter out, retiring the side with the score tied 1-1.

From there, for Dipper, it was downhill. He got to bat in the bottom of the inning, but though ahead of him Bobby Adamski had reached first and Dub Wilson had made a clean hit through the gap, the base coach unwisely motioned Dub to stretch his hit to a double—and Dub wasn't as fast as Dipper. He was put out, the throw to third was in time, and suddenly the Panthers had two outs, no one on base, and it was up to Dipper.

Who clenched up. A good pitch went right past him. He swung uselessly at one outside the strike zone. And he broke too soon and went down swinging on the third pitch, which, to be fair, he should have hit.

He took the field again, feeling, as Grunkle Stan might say, like ten cents worth of nothing.

The fourth inning brought a personal improvement, but unfortunately, it looked like the Padres had caught fire. They led off with a double; then the next man struck out; and then the biggest guy on the team with the unfortunate name Frank Farder hit a sweet home run, and suddenly the Padres were ahead, three to one. The next Padre got to first, and the next one after him smashed a blazing line drive to far left field. Dipper saw JD dive, catch it a foot off the ground, roll and leap to his feet, and fire it to him. He caught it—it stung like a hard-hit ball—and Dipper spun, realizing that the runner on first had overrun on his way to second but at the last moment had reversed direction. Putting on his best speed, Dipper caught him almost at first base and tagged him out.

The coach met him as he came in. "Good double play back there earlier," he said. "But Pines, throw to first when a man's running back. You're lucky you got the speed."

Dipper hung his head and admitted, "I know that was a dumb move. I got too anxious and lost track."

"You're coming along. Just remember next time."

Dipper rested in the dugout, but not for long—the next three Panthers struck out, one after the other. The Padres pitcher, Norm Chernky, was even better than Chuck, and he seemed to have hit the top of his game.

In the fifth, as if in revenge, Chuck in turn struck out three Padres in a row. And as if inspired, the other guys stood up to Chernky when they came up to bat: Stevie Prenelli, not a great hitter, got a single on a fielder's error. Kenneth Keeler, who had a good eye, then sacrificed to put Stevie on second. Mike managed a double, Petey went down swinging, and then Chuck, facing a Padres pitcher who now was getting a little tired and wild, also smacked a double, tying the score. That was great. Even better was JD's heroic homer, which pushed Piedmont to a 5-3 lead. Mabel didn't calm down even after the next batter, David Barbour, made a ground out.

Following league rules, which limited a pitcher to under 95 pitches per game, Coach retired Chuck at the top of the sixth and sent in Jon J as pitcher. After his warm-up, Jon J first pitched into a line drive, but the shortstop nabbed it for the out. The next Padres batter hit a fast grounder, and Dipper hustled to pick it up—but he glanced to first base at the wrong moment and overran it, letting it shoot through the gap, and the opposing player got a single.

Coach called for substitutions, and—not to Dipper's surprise—he was called in to the bench, while X-man took his place. "Sorry, Coach," Dipper mumbled. "That was a bad error."

"Not so bad if you learn from it," Waylund insisted. He also sent Big W in as catcher, and from that point to the end of the game, Dipper was a spectator. The Padres went down without managing to score another run, leaving it 5-3, Piedmont's favor, before they were retired. In the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers just couldn't get anything going. Two men got to base, but the others were caught out or struck out.

"If we can hold 'em," Coach muttered, "we've won a big one."

And—

Well, no need for false suspense. They did win it in the seventh. True, thanks to a double and a grounder single, the Padres got another man home and brought the score to 5-4, but between some good pitching and some better fielding, the Pico Padres were retired without managing to tie or beat Piedmont. The game ended with the score still five to four, Piedmont, and they'd squeaked out a win for their first game of the season.

And—funny thing—only when his mom and dad came down from the bleachers did Dipper even realize they'd come to the game. "We are so proud!" Mom said, beaming with joy. "You were absolutely wonderful! Everyone loved it! That was so great—Mabel!"

But Dad at least glanced at him and said in a mild voice, "Nice double-play, Dipper."

Mabel was jumping up and down in her lone-cheerleader get-up and excitedly suggesting that they should treat Chuck to an early dinner at a fancy restaurant when, behind them, a commotion broke out. Dipper turned.

One of the Piedmont men lay on his face in the grass just to the right of the third-base line, as if he'd fallen.

The number on his back was 3.

Chuck Taylor's number.

And Coach, who had hunkered over him, stood up with an expression of urgent concern and yelled as loud as he could, "Is there a doctor here?"

To be continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don’t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.

[gyrlversion]

Baseball’s Latest Identity Crisis

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the Home Run Derby on Monday. Photo: Adam Glanzman/MLB Photos via Getty Images

When was the last time baseball transcended its fan base and broke into the broader culture? For my money, it has happened only once since the season began back in March: at last week’s Home Run Derby. On Monday night, the day before the annual MLB All-Star Game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the son of one of the most purely enjoyable baseball players of the last 20 years, went full-on maniac on batting-practice fastballs, hitting an absurd 29 home runs in four minutes and 30 seconds, one home run every nine seconds. It’s something that’s never even come close to being accomplished before, and Vlad Jr. did it with considerable panache, his hair flapping like it was holding on for dear life. It was an incredible physical achievement from an incredible physical athlete. It was why we watch sports.

Vlad Guerrero Jr set a Home Run Derby record with 29 home runs in a single round

pic.twitter.com/twUE8fLaF5

— Baseball Lifestyle

(@BsbLifestyle__) July 9, 2019

The Home Run Derby, after years of Chris Berman–induced fatigue, has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years, thanks largely to a rule change a few years ago that turned the event into a timed sprint rather than an endless dirge. And it is now arguably just as popular, if not more so, than the All-Star Game itself, which had record-low ratings this year. Those ratings were still higher than the Derby ratings, but only barely, and certainly only because the Derby was on cable while the All-Star Game remains on Fox broadcast television. Television ratings for sports, especially baseball, should always be taken with a bit of sodium; ratings are a snapshot to gauge how many people tuned in, but they are an unreliable measure of how popular or significant an event was. This is particularly true for an event with the regional relevance and ubiquity of baseball. But you can’t help but notice: Casual fans increasingly seem more interested in baseball when it has less, you know, baseball in it. Fans love homers. Fans love to watch baseballs be hit a long way. As the old, now-sorta-cringey Nike commercial went, chicks dig the long ball.

This is, suffice it to say, not the current conversation among baseball enthusiasts. Baseball is going through one of its seemingly regular identity crises. Past crises include “steroids,” “gambling scandals,” and “apocalyptic labor disputes” (look for the return of last one coming your way in the next couple of years), but the crisis du jour is a strange one: Players are hitting too many home runs. Major League Baseball set a record for the number of home runs in 2017 with 6,105, but that number is on pace to be shattered in 2019, with 6,591 expected. April featured the most home runs ever in that month, and May featured the most home runs ever in any month, and June had an even higher homer rate than that. Half the teams in baseball will hit more home runs than any time in their history this year. All-Star Game starting pitcher Justin Verlander, one of the game’s most beloved, outspoken figures, said that during the game’s signature week that MLB was “turning the game into a joke.” The game has turned into the Moneyball-esque Three True Outcomes efficiency nightmare: Players are homering, they’re walking, or they’re striking out. Here’s a wild stat: There are now more strikeouts in baseball than there are hits. That happened last year for the first time in baseball history, and it’s happening this year too.

There are many theories as to why this is occurring. The “launch angle” revolution — selling out for home runs and not sweating small-ball techniques of bunting and stealing bases — has players swinging freely and for the fences; home runs look a lot better for a player going into salary arbitration than moving runners over into scoring position. Increased pitch velocity is making hitting so difficult that your only real option is swinging as hard as you can and just hoping you make contact. But the simplest answer is probably what makes the most sense: The balls are juiced. FiveThirtyEight’s Rob Arthur has been on the juiced-ball beat for years now, and the evidence is overwhelming that balls are simply traveling farther than they ever have before. (This off-season, Triple-A teams started using MLB balls … and home runs are up 50 percent.) MLB commissioner Rob Manfred insists there’s nothing nefarious, that he hasn’t told anyone to pump up the balls, and said he will be looking into the issue, which observers believe results mostly from tighter seams. Whether or not you believe Manfred that the league had nothing to do with it, something is obviously up.

But is this really a problem for baseball? Are too many dunks bad for basketball? Sure, it might be a problem for Generation-X fans who grew up watching the Whitey Herzog Royals and Cardinals teams of the ’80s that got by with speed and AstroTurf defense. But baseball is constantly changing, and older fans who grew up with the game being played a certain way are constantly complaining about it: Grousing about how the game isn’t the way it used to be is as much a baseball tradition as spitting and adjusting your cup. But if baseball is going to evolve into something new and different, during a time when young fans have been turning away from the game, one has to admit there are worse ways for it to evolve than into an all-time increase in the most exciting play in the whole sport. If baseball had a sudden increase in weak ground balls to the second-baseman or pitchers falling asleep on the mound, I’d be more concerned.

Whether or not juicing the ball is intentional, it’s difficult to agree with the “traditionalists” that this sort of home-run happiness is “bad for baseball.” People love homers! There is a cathartic thrill in watching someone like Vlad Jr. or the Mets’ Pete Alonso, huge men launching baseballs deep into the endless night. You’re going to tell me this isn’t more fun, more viscerally appealing, than a well-placed sacrifice fly? Really?

This view of Vlad Guerrero Jr warming up in incredible #HomeRunDerby pic.twitter.com/4aKjb4n7Fw

— Bleacher Preacher / Sports (@BleachrPreachr) July 9, 2019

Baseball is not going to get back to its peak popularity of the mid-to-late-20th century. (Though even that can be overstated: Look how empty the stands were when Roger Maris hit his record-breaking 61st home run.) The culture is too fragmented, attention spans are shorter, and there are simply too many entertainment options. All of the major American sports face the same challenge, of course, but it’s baseball that always seems to be entrapped by its past, by the perpetual lingering sensation that somehow things used to be better, even if they weren’t. I write a regular series for MLB.com about this soon-to-end decade of baseball, and I’ve realized that there are ways in which baseball has become entirely unrecognizable as compared to 2010 — and I’ll be saying the same thing in 2029 when I compare it to right now. Baseball will change again, into whatever direction trends and science and style pull it, and everyone who falls in love with it now will complain about all the changes, and on and on it will go. But if baseball has to change … an unprecedented number of shockingly mammoth dingers doesn’t seem like the worst way to go, no?

Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter

Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.

Terms & Privacy Notice

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.

The post Baseball’s Latest Identity Crisis appeared first on Gyrlversion.

from WordPress http://www.gyrlversion.net/baseballs-latest-identity-crisis/

[papersandkeyboards]

4/25 to 5/1/16: Take Me to Church and Pitch Me the Ball

31st WEEK, APR 25-MAY 1, 2016

This goes to the list of things I thought I would never do: doing one of my five daily prayers in a church building.

Iya. Sabtu kemaren gue shalat Zuhur di bangunan gereja.

Before someone that might be more religious than me start to protest, let me give you reasons: one, it wasn’t exactly in the church (I almost did, though), it was a YMCA building that was intact with the church, and two, really, there was no other place I could do prayers and I personally don’t think it’ll matter much if I do my prayers in a building smothered with other belief than mine as long as I just mind my own business.

But ok. Here’s how I could end up doing that.

On Saturday, April 30, there was a pre-departure orientation for students from the Seattle area that are going abroad with AFS. They will go after we all (me and my chapter friends) finish our year. Nancy told me about this few days before and asked me to help out if I want to. I ended up inviting Kira along, as Nancy suggested. The event was in Fauntleroy Community Church/YMCA in West Seattle.

When I got there, I found out that there Antonio was there as well, and then there were two exchange students from South Sound region, Joost from Germany and Isabella from Brazil (I’ve met them before—I met Joost in the Brightwater Treatment Plant field trip and Isabella from Mercer Island High School International Festival).

We had a panel discussion, where the current exchange students (me, Kira, Antonio, Joost, Isabella), three returnees (including Kellianne, the staff), and one host parent (that is also having her daughter in an exchange) answered questions from Nancy and the parents of the candidates.

It felt good to be on the other side of an orientation (haha). Eight months ago we were the one asking questions and freaking out about life a year ahead, now we told these students our experience and giving advice.

Bah. Merasa tua jadinya.

The only thing that isn’t very fun about the day was that it made me think about leaving.

Anjir.

Udah ah. Itu masih bahan pikiran nanti-nanti.

Speaking about life in the U.S., this Friday wasn’t a good Friday.

One, I found out that my DSLR camera needs reparation (that means costing money). After consulting with my dad, he suggested that I should wait and fix it in Jakarta instead. It’s not that I can’t use my camera in the mean time, anyway. I would just have to live with it for another couple of months, and it isn’t gonna be so hard, really.

Two, softball games. We were up against Cleveland High School, and, quoting Coach Tomchick, it was one of the most frustrating games we’ve ever had.

Losing, for us, wasn’t a new thing. We were well aware of where we are in the cluster of high school softball teams in Seattle. But what made Friday’s game frustrating was (again, quoting Coach) that we could’ve had it.

And something happened during the game.

Our team was fielding. I was second baseman. The opposite team had two outs. And there was a runner on first base. She walked off the base casually before the pitcher pitched. That means she’s out, and that gave three outs.

At first I thought she was just stupid (whoops). But at the end of the game, Dawanda and Coach Tomchick told me that they did it out of pity. As in, they did it on purpose to give us a chance to bat and get more scores. Dawanda was ranting all about it in the dugout.

It was obvious, apparently. I knew it was too stupid of a move to make. Now I felt stupid for being happy/surprised when that happened.

We know we didn’t do as well as we thought. We know we were behind so many points, even we didn’t even bother to know what the points were. But it was offending to do such move. Okay.

But I got to admit that we weren’t on the top of our game that day. I kept making mistakes, so as some other people, and some part of it were just plain shit out of luck, like slipping balls and whatnot.

But the following week is gonna be the last week of games. We wouldn’t guarantee we will win, but we know we will do our best and have fun with it. Softball team is fun without the wins anyway, let alone if we win. Hehe.

On Thursday, which was the preceding day, we had senior meeting—Jurdy, the school counselor, ranted on how the seniors got to get their stuff together in order to graduate, then a mini game about motivation in which some seniors were asked to punch a punching bag (the moral lesson was to ‘keep fighting in life’), then a little time to talk about prom and graduation.

On the preceding days, like Monday, we were supposed to have a game with Roosevelt, so we took the school bus up north to Woodland Park, where the game was supposed to be held. But the field condition was pretty bad the game was cancelled. Oh well. We practiced there for a while. We had fun on the bus anyway. And it’s kind of nice to have practice outside of the school once or twice.

So that was school.

Let’s go back to Saturday. Kira and I were planning to leave at 3pm from the orientation to hang out downtown (more like ‘me accompanying Kira to look for birthday present for her mother and tagging along with her to a German store’). Before we left, I asked Nancy if there was an empty room I could use to do prayer. Nancy almost led me to the church itself, but it was locked, so we found another room upstairs, which was a sort of small library filled with reference books, bibles, and children’s books. Ga papa lah.

(tapi bayangin aja deh kalau aku beneran shalat di gerejanya, with the benches and aisle and all. pengalaman banget tuh. Ke gereja pertama kali aja pas di sini, di Amerika.)

So yeah. Kira and I left for downtown, walked to Target to buy a birthday present for her mother back in Germany (plus fooling around), then to Pike Place Market where the German food store is (the lady in the store gave Kira two German wieners—“for you and your friend,” the lady said—but that just means Kira got to have two free wieners because I couldn’t eat it).

Then we took the light rail and I got off the Stadium Station, because I was about to do something big in my to-do list.

Watch a Mariners’ game!

Seattle Mariners is a softball team from Seattle. At first, I put ‘watching Seahawks football game’ on my list, but later I found out it cost my kidney to buy the tickets, plus, I am not a fan of football and I don’t know the rules, so I dropped it.

Then, later in the year, I got into the softball team, and the baseball season has begun, so I put another thing on my list: to watch a Mariners’ game. Luckily the tickets were so easy to get (and it wasn’t that costly), so Karen and Eric bought us three a ticket for a game this Saturday.

It was fun. Especially when you know the rules so you can quite follow what’s going on. It was againt Kansas City Royals—and Mariners won, of course (hehe).

Anyway, look at this photobombing kid. He looks like he owns life.

I was so happy I can finally cross another thing off my list.

Going to a Mariners’ game: ✔

But sure, my list isn’t that short. There’s probably still a dozen more things to go.

[rehlander-blog]

The biggest issue is still running

For additional information, call 909 537 5102. Beginning in 1969 and running for about five years, Royce Hunt's automotive students at Garey High School formed the Road Agents Car Club, which spawned the Road Agents Racing team. Willie Parker has been hurt most of the season. While the previous week he looked like he was finally back to full speed, he was not overly impressive against the Ravens cheap jerseys. Limited Tyron Smith Cowboys Jersey Limas Sweed has really White Brandon Browner Jersey not clicked with the team or lived up to what would be expected from his potential.

wholesale jerseys "First game I ever coached vs. Eastern, first game as a head coach, he found his way to Rosemont," Hughes said. "The security guy is like, 'Excuse me, can I help you?' He's like, "I got to see Barney, Barney's playing, I got to get there.' He walks in the gym, he just walks over and sits on the bench.  wholesale jerseys

Cheap Jerseys free shipping "The biggest issue is still running," Nowitzki said after the game. "I'm not a big runner at this stage in my career but I can't really go up and down yet. I haven't run in full practice. Additionally, you get a free few thousand dollars included to your base salary offering. When a sales representative works from home, they are allowed certain tax deductions off of their rent or mortgage. For some, this is a substantial amount.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale jerseys from china 4. Chef Mickey's At the Contemporary Resort: It is difficult to plan a family vacation without a trip to Chef Mickey's. It is a monorail ride away from EPCOT, the Magic Kingdom, or the Bay Lake resorts. "He's going to always have to see bodies," Purvis said. "When he's coming down in transition https://www.cheapjerseysofchina.com, we're going to have to find him. We're wearing white, we're going to be home, so he's going to always have to see white jerseys.  wholesale jerseys from china

wholesale nfl jerseys There are many, many excellent books available, but almost all cover only a single aspect of writing or publishing. For example, if a beginner wanted to write a novel, he/she might have to read a book on plot, another on character, a third on description and so forth. Toss in publishing and promotion and their personal library expands endlessly.  wholesale nfl jerseys

As pope, John Paul II made the sainthood process faster and simpler but it's still not cheap. The biggest expenses are usually the ceremonies for beatification and canonization. When St. "He's very big, but not very big on himself," Verdi continued. "Which is probably one reason why he's so lik among the public and so respected in the locker room. It's always 'We' with him and 'Us'.

wholesale jerseys from china FATSIS: Well, at this point, the fallout is credibility and image. ESPN today released the results of a poll on the Rice case. Sixty one percent said they didn't think the NFL investigated fully. There is no game on the face of this planet like football cheap nfl jerseys. In which other sport can a miracle in Delhi cause a revolution 3,000 km away in Kerala?This is the story of FC Kochin. Where Bengali fans, who live, swear, shout and die by their teams, actually bellowed "Vijayan, Vijayan" as the Malayali star whose lanky, seemingly uncoordinated body belies a dancing athleticism lifted the Durand Cup..  wholesale jerseys from china

wholesale jerseys So the Mets and general manager, Omar Minaya, who had already signed ex Red Sox icon Pedro Martinez to a four year, $53 million deal that many in baseball especially in Boston thought outlandish, landed the best player available. Beltran, who had 38 homers, 104 RBI and 42 steals for the Royals and Astros last year, became a household name in the playoffs when he hit eight homers. While the Yankees appear done, the Mets still might be after players, possibly free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado..  wholesale jerseys

cheap nfl jerseys Are you looking to turn heads this year at Oktoberfest? For anybody who is, a beer girl costume is perfect for you. Without doubt, costumes like Wonder Girl or a Fairy may capture a few looks from the people in the house https://www.cheapjerseyssonly.com, but not a soul will get as much notice as a naughty beer maiden. What's impressive relating to attractive barmaid outfit is it's multi functional.  cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale jerseys from china You may do better changing from minnows to leeches. Leadhead jigs can still be used or you can use lindy rigs. Lindy rigs are a 2 to 3 foot long leader with a plain hook attached to one end with the other attached to a swivel with a slip sinker above it.  wholesale jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys free shipping These chemicals may also cause reddening of the eye if you use the cream to treat skin conditions around the eye. As a result of lightened skin, your body will be more susceptible to sun damage. Retin A also causes heightened sun sensitivity. The quail, and chukar hunts went fine. Riley percent was about 110 in those days every hundred birds they stocked for him, he find a hundred and ten (few hunting parties bagged all their birds so there were always extras in the fields). On the Tuesday pheasant hunt he somehow broke a toe on his right hind foot.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

Cheap Jerseys free shipping We've had a depressing number of people with self inflicted gunshot wounds to the head and chest. I've even dealt with a decapitation. But very few ever do.. A Big Day for Little Jack by Inga Moore, Walker pounds 7.99. Velvety drawings and a simple story little Jack Rabbit prepares for his first solo outing to a party make this a perfect picture book for three to five year olds and one guaranteed to bring a lump to the throat of any granny. Life in the burrow is rendered with great delicacy: the fur on Jack, big brother Buck and sisters Nancy, Rhona and Rita looks so soft you could pick them up and rub them against your cheek.

[biofunmy]

World Series: Nationals Stun Astros in Game 2 to Seize Control

HOUSTON — First came silence from the shocked Houston Astros fans, then some grumbling, and finally a round of sarcastic claps and whistles when the home team finally converted a routine play. The way their team was playing, there was little else to cheer.

In a game that was as surprising as it was lopsided, a strong performance from Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg and an utter collapse by the Astros gave the Nationals a 12-3 victory in Game 2 of the World Series and stunned the crowd at Minute Maid Park.

The Nationals, playing in their first World Series, grabbed a two-games-to-none lead and are now heading home for the next three games, beginning Friday night at Nationals Park.

Washington has history on its side: Only three teams have lost the first two games of the World Series at home and gone on to win the title — the 1985 Kansas City Royals, the 1986 Mets and the 1996 Yankees. For the Astros, who won the 2017 World Series in seven games, joining that group will require summoning all of their experience and skill to reverse course immediately.

But even in a grim and near-silent clubhouse after a team meeting, the Astros insisted they still had life.

“I remember when we lost three in New York and the world was coming to an end,” said Alex Bregman, the Astros third baseman who made two costly defensive gaffes in the seventh inning. “Next thing you know, we’re in the World Series in ’17. We’ve been here before.”

Bregman was referring to the 2017 American League Championship Series, in which the Astros rallied from a three-games-to-two deficit to beat the Yankees, but in that series Houston won all four of its home games. This time around the Astros have looked vulnerable at points, and downright awful at others.

In the seventh inning Wednesday, they gave up a tiebreaking home run to Kurt Suzuki, bobbled one routine ball, made an poor throw for an error, threw a wild pitch and allowed the Nationals to score six times in the nightmarish frame. When Astros shortstop Carlos Correa finally threw across the diamond for the final, some taunting claps and whistles followed.

“We’re a really good team,” said A.J. Hinch, the Astros implacable manager. “We have Game 3 in a couple of days. We’ll be fine.”

But the Nationals are really good, too, and have probably performed better than many fans expected. When they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series last week to win the club’s first pennant, it was the first time in 86 years that a Washington team had made the World Series; the long-gone Senators made it in 1933.

But now, with the Nationals having beaten two Houston aces at home — Gerrit Cole in Game 1 and Justin Verlander in Game 2 — the focus will turn to a 95-year drought: The only World Series the old Senators won was in 1924.

The Nationals have aces of their own, including the Game 1 winner, Max Scherzer, and Strasburg, who is now 4-0 in the postseason. Sean Doolittle, a Nationals’ relief pitcher, said winning Game 1 eased the tension for Washington, and he said he could sense a relaxed sense of confidence filtering through the clubhouse before Game 2, despite the high degree of difficulty Verlander and the Astros’ lineup presented.

“If you had said at the beginning of the series, ‘What’s the best-case scenario?’ and I said, ‘Well, we win two games,’ a bunch of people would be like, ‘Let’s be realistic, here. These are two of the best guys in all of baseball,’” Doolittle said. “But give Max and Stras credit. They went toe-to-toe with those guys.”

But the Nationals’ lineup has been terrific, too, putting balls in play and forcing the Astros into uncharacteristic mistakes. They also forced Houston to do something it had not all year: In the decisive seventh inning, Hinch signaled Ryan Pressly to walk Juan Soto intentionally, marking the Astros first pass since August 2018. (Soto, of course, went on to score.)

The Nationals have now won eight straight postseason games and are 17-2 in their last 19 games, dating to the regular season. The only other teams to win eight consecutive postseason games are the 2014 Kansas City Royals, the 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The Nationals also became the only team to win five consecutive postseason road games.

All of this is from a team that started 19-31 before rallying to win a wild card berth. They trailed in that game and won, and they fell behind in their division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But since losing Game 3 of that series, Washington has not lost.

“People had kind of written us off in May and June,” Doolittle said. “A lot of us found our names in trade rumors, and our manager was on the hot seat. So, we’ve kind of embraced that, just that role of being counted out. We’ve kind of played with a chip on our shoulder for a while and we’ve embraced it.”

They still have two more games to win, but all these years later, something special appears to be happening with Washington baseball again.

“I like our team, that’s all I’ve got to tell you,” said Howie Kendrick, one of the Nationals’ veteran players. “I don’t know whether it’s special or not, but I like what we do as a team and it’s fun.”

James Wagner contributed reporting.

Benjamin Hoffman provided live updates and analysis from Game 2 as it happened:

9th Inning: Nationals Finishing Things Off

Bottom

After Carlos Correa flied out to center off Javy Guerra, Martin Maldonado hit a surprising solo homer to left, narrowing the deficit to 12-3. Josh Reddick grounded out but George Springer was able to briefly keep Houston alive by reaching on a throwing error from Anthony Rendon. Jose Altuve singled, sending Springer to second, but Jake Marisnick grounded out to third to end the game.

Top

Chris Devenski came in to pitch for Houston. He retired Kurt Suzuki on a grounder to third but then allowed a 393-foot homer to Michael Taylor, a player who had come into the game as a defensive replacement. Taylor now has two postseason home runs this season after hitting only one in the regular season.

Devenski settled down to strike out Trea Turner and Gerardo Parra, who came in as a pinch-hitter for Adam Eaton, flied out to center to end the inning.

The Astros have three outs left to try to make up a 10-run deficit.

8th Inning: Nationals Add Three Insurance Runs

Bottom

Tanner Rainey was much better tonight than last night. Alex Bregman flied out to right, Yuli Gurriel flied out to center and Yordan Alvarez struck out. Rainey needed 12 pitches for a perfect inning.

Top

This game is officially out of hand.

Josh James struck out the first two batters he saw in the inning, but Victor Robles, who had led off, reached first on a dropped third strike. That proved costly, as Adam Eaton hit a two-run homer to right, pushing Washington’s lead to 10-2.

Anthony Rendon struck out and Juan Soto walked ahead of Howie Kendrick getting his second hit of the game with a single to left. James was replaced by Hector Rondon who promptly allowed a single to center from Asdrubal Cabrera that brought Soto in from second, making it 11-2.

Jose Altuve managed to end the difficult inning with a nice diving stop on a grounder from Ryan Zimmerman that gave him plenty of time to throw over to first for the third out.

7th Inning: Suzuki’s Homer Starts a Rally

Bottom

Houston was unable to counter the Nationals’ big inning.

Washington’s first reliever of the night was the 42-year-old Fernando Rodney. He walked Josh Reddick, but got some defensive help when Anthony Rendon fielded a harder grounder from George Springer at third and was able to throw to second to retire the lead runner. Jose Altuve popped out softly to Trea Turner at shortstop and Michael Brantley grounded out to first to end the inning.

Top

The damn finally broke and Washington jumped to a 8-2 lead thanks to a solo homer and three singles that generated more five runs.

Leading off the inning, Kurt Suzuki put Stephen Strasburg in line to potentially get a win in this game by taking the second pitch he saw from Justin Verlander on a 381-foot ride to left-center. The solo home run gave Washington a 3-2 lead.

Victor Robles then walked, putting Verlander at 107 pitches, and Manager A.J. Hinch talked briefly to his ace before replacing him with Ryan Pressly.

Pressly walked the first batter he saw, Trea Turner, and then had both runners advance on a sacrifice bunt from Adam Eaton.

After Anthony Rendon flied out to center for the second out, Houston intentionally walked Juan Soto to get to Howie Kendrick. With the bases loaded, Kendrick got his first hit of the World Series — an infield single that brought in a run. The next batter, Asdrubal Cabrera, singled to center, bringing in two more runs, and the Nationals were suddenly leading, 6-2.

A wild pitch sent the runners to second and third, and that proved vital as Ryan Zimmerman singled on a ground ball to third that drove in a run and brought a second one in thanks to Alex Bregman’s throwing error, making it 8-2.

That was it for Pressly, who was replaced by Josh James after allowing four earned runs to go with one inherited run while recording just two outs. James quickly ended things by getting Suzuki, the batter who started the scoring, to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.

6th Inning: A 1-2-3 Sixth for Verlander, but Strasburg Sweats

Bottom

A few baserunners, but no real trouble for Stephen Strasburg, whose night is most likely finished.

After Alex Bregman grounded out to shortstop, Yuli Gurriel doubled on a liner into the left-field corner that took a while for Juan Soto to corral. After falling behind in the count, 2-0, against the next batter, Yordan Alvarez, Strasburg signaled for an intentional walk to bring up Carlos Correa. Strasburg ran the count full against the Houston shortstop, but then threw him a bat-breaking changeup that got Correa to pop-up to second for the second out.

Strasburg was at 106 pitches when Kyle Tucker came out to pinch-hit for Robinson Chirinos, and he was at 114 when he finally retired the rookie on a called strike three.

Top

That was a quiet one for Justin Verlander. Howie Kendrick continued to look lost, flying out to center, and Asdrubal Cabrera struck out swinging. Ryan Zimmerman then grounded out to end the inning. Verlander is at 98 pitches.

5th Inning: Starters Continue to Cruise

Bottom

Continuing the theme of the ace pitchers matching each other, Stephen Strasburg stranded a runner in a scoreless fifth inning.

Josh Reddick led off by grounding out to first and George Springer grounded out sharply to shortstop. Jose Altuve then extended the inning with a single to left that a diving Trea Turner couldn’t reach, but he was left there as Michael Brantley flied out to center to end the inning.

Just like Verlander, Strasburg’s pitch count is starting to climb into the range of wondering how much longer he will be in the game. He is at 86 pitches through five innings.

Top

Trea Turner singled off Justin Verlander but was back in the dugout fairly quickly when Adam Eaton grounded into a 6-3 double-play. Anthony Rendon walked in a seven-pitch at-bat, and while Juan Soto took a few mighty hacks at Verlander’s offerings, the 20-year-old slugger ended the inning by grounding out harmlessly to first.

Houston Manager A.J. Hinch will at least need to start thinking about his bullpen moves, as Verlander is up to 83 pitches and may only have one, possibly two innings left.

4th Inning: More Zeros, and More Strikeouts

Bottom

Stephen Strasburg continued to match Justin Verlander’s dominance.

After Yuli Gurriel struck out to start the inning, Yordan Alvarez singled on a hard grounder that found its way past Asdrubal Cabrera at second base. Carlos Correa hit a grounder to third base, but with Anthony Rendon fielding it on the run, he had no play at second, so he threw to first for just one out.

With two down and a runner on second, Robinson Chirinos struck out to strand the runner. Strasburg is up to six strikeouts.

Top

Justin Verlander came up empty on an attempt at a diving grab on defense, but he worked around that one hit for a third straight scoreless inning.

After Verlander struck out a visibly frustrated Asdrubal Cabrera with a high changeup to start the inning, Houston’s starter was unable to make a play on a soft grounder by Ryan Zimmerman, resulting in an infield single for the longest-tenured Nationals player.

Unrattled, Verlander retired Kurt Suzuki on a liner to left and then ended the inning by getting Victor Robles to pop out to second.

3rd Inning: Another Scoreless Inning

Bottom

Stephen Strasburg had to deal with a few base runners, but he came away with another scoreless inning.

Josh Reddick led off for Houston and he struck out swinging before George Springer skied a pop-out to second base. With two down, Jose Altuve grounded a ball to short that Trea Turner struggled to field. With Altuve motoring to first, Turner rushed a throw and Ryan Zimmerman was unable to scoop it out of the dirt. Altuve ended up on first, with an error charged to Turner.

Michael Brantley sent Altuve to third with a single to right that just cleared the glove of a jumping Asdrubal Cabrera at second base, but Alex Bregman grounded out sharply to shortstop to end the threat.

Top

Justin Verlander was dominant once again.

Adam Eaton started things off in the third by flying out to center and Anthony Rendon grounded out to Jose Altuve, who was playing on the other side of the diamond as a result of a shift. With two outs, Juan Soto doubled down the right-field line — his third extra-base hit of the World Series — but Howie Kendrick flied out to right to end the inning. Kendrick, the N.L.C.S. M.V.P., remains hitless in the World Series.

2nd Inning: Justin Verlander Sets Strikeout Record

Bottom

Stephen Strasburg was absolutely dominant in a perfect inning.

Yordan Alvarez hit a ball sharply that appeared headed for the outfield before Washington’s second baseman, Asdrubal Cabrera, was able to snare it for an out. Strasburg then froze Carlos Correa with a sinking curveball for a called strikeout and got Robinson Chirinos with a terrific changeup that the Houston catcher could only wave at.

Top

Justin Verlander is the new postseason strikeout king and the game remains tied after a scoreless half-inning.

Verlander got off to a better start than he did in the first, striking out Ryan Zimmerman on six pitches. After Kurt Suzuki singled to left-center field, Victor Robles struck out, with a foul-tip finding its way into Robinson Chirinos’s glove. It was Verlander’s 200th career postseason strikeout, pushing him past John Smoltz for the major league record.

With two down, Trea Turner flied out to right to end the inning.

1st Inning: Both Teams Get on the Board

Bottom

Staked to a 2-0 lead, Washington’s Stephen Strasburg could not hold it, as Alex Bregman’s two-run homer made it a 2-2 game.

After Strasburg struck out the Astros’ leadoff batter, George Springer, on three pitches, Jose Altuve doubled to left, making it 22 consecutive postseason games in which he has reached base. He wasn’t there long, however; he got caught trying to steal third, with a strong throw from Kurt Suzuki and a quick tag by Anthony Rendon.

Michael Brantley then hit a two-out single, dropping the ball in front of Victor Robles in center field, bringing up the previously ice-cold Bregman. He proceeded to launch the ball 411 feet to left, tying the score at 2-2.

Strasburg recovered to retire Yuli Gurriel on a sharp grounder to third to end the inning.

Top

Houston’s Justin Verlander started his day with an uncharacteristic four-pitch walk of Trea Turner. Adam Eaton then laced an 0-1 fastball into left for a single, and Verlander paid for putting two quick runners on base when Anthony Rendon crushed a double off the wall in left. Turner and Eaton scored, and Washington had a fast 2-0 lead.

That brought up Juan Soto, one of the heroes of Game 1, but Verlander struck out the powerful youngster. Verlander then got Howie Kendrick to fly out to right and escaped the inning without further damage by striking out Asdrubal Cabrera.

Astros G.M. Addresses Locker-Room Comments

In a radio interview before Game 2, Houston General Manager Jeff Luhnow addressed the comments that his assistant general manager, Brandon Taubman, has been accused of directing at a group of female reporters in the team’s clubhouse after the Astros clinched their berth in the World Series.

Taubman was said to have shouted at three female reporters in an “offensive and frightening” manner as he praised the team’s closer, Roberto Osuna, who was suspended for domestic violence last year. The Astros initially attempted to discredit the Sports Illustrated article that revealed the incident, but later backtracked under a hail of criticism — and after multiple reporters corroborated the details of the Sports Illustrated report.

Taubman apologized for his language on Tuesday, and Major League Baseball said it was investigating the incident. And while Luhnow apologized for the incident in the radio interview, he also seemed to cast doubt on whether the incident played out as reported.

“What we really don’t know is the intent behind the inappropriate comments he made,” Luhnow said of Taubman. “We may never know that because the person who said them and the people who heard them, at least up to this point, have different perspectives.”

Starting Lineups

The Nationals will use the same lineup that propelled them to victory in Game 1.

1. Trea Turner, SS

2. Adam Eaton, RF

3. Anthony Rendon, 3B

4. Juan Soto, LF

5. Howie Kendrick, DH

6. Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B

7. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B

8. Kurt Suzuki, C

9. Victor Robles, CF

The Astros went with the same basic lineup they used in Game 1, swapping in their normal starting catcher, Robinson Chirinos, for Martin Maldonado, who had started Game 1 because he is Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher.

1. George Springer, CF

2. Jose Altuve, 2B

3. Michael Brantley, LF

4. Alex Bregman, 3B

5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B

6. Yordan Alvarez, DH

7. Carlos Correa, SS

8. Robinson Chirinos, C

9. Josh Reddick, RF

Keys to the Game

The Nationals, with a one-game lead in the series, will start Stephen Strasburg and the Astros, playing at home, will counter with Justin Verlander.

Strasburg and Verlander have both been superb throughout their careers, with Verlander holding a fairly distinct edge in terms of regular-season success. But in more limited postseason action, Strasburg has been far more effective. In seven postseason appearances (six starts), Strasburg has a 1.10 E.R.A. in 41 innings, with 57 strikeouts and only 5 walks. Verlander has not been bad in the postseason by any stretch, but in nearly a full regular season worth of postseason work (28 starts), he has put together numbers that closely resemble how he pitches in the regular season: a 3.26 E.R.A. in 176⅔ innings, with 196 strikeouts and 54 walks.

With his moonshot off Gerrit Cole in the fourth inning of Game 1, the 20-year-old Juan Soto became the third youngest player ever to homer in a World Series. But there’s no need to filter by age when trying to show how special of a game the Nationals’ outfielder had. He was only the seventh player of any age to have a World Series game in which he collected at least three hits, a home run and a stolen base. The feat was last accomplished by Moises Alou of the Marlins in Game 5 of the 1997 World Series.

Sahred From Source link Sports

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2JhB30x via IFTTT

[junker-town]

Ranking the 50 best MLB free agents for the 2018-2019 offseason

Bryce Harper or Manny Machado? Does Clayton Kershaw opt out? This year’s free agent crop sure comes with a lot of loaded questions.

This ranking is a lie. The best free agent hitter in terms of value and production two years ago was Max Muncy. The best free agent pitcher in terms of value and production last year was Dereck Rodriguez. And yet here I am, like a doofus, trying to rank all of the expensive free agents in baseball. Most of these guys will tank.

And yet we must. Here are the top 50(ish) free agents in Major League Baseball for the 2018-2019 offseason.

1. Manny Machado

Okay, his postseason didn’t help. Dude’s weird. He runs like an honorary Molina, and that’s when he’s busting it down the line. He was involved in minor kerfuffles for no good reason, and his production dipped with the Dodgers.

Still, he’ll be 26, and he’s been one of the best players in baseball for several years now.

The whole point of Machado wanting to be a shortstop was that it was going to make him more marketable. There were other reasons, sure, but the lure of more money was at least a part of his request. Why pay $300 million for a slugging Gold Glove third baseman when you can pay $350 million for a slugging Gold Glove shortstop?

Except the move only muddled Machado’s value. Is he a plus-plus glove with a plus-plus power bat, the kind of dual threat who deserves down-ballot MVP votes even when his OBP is hovering around .320? Or is he just a big, honking shortstop with power, and you’ll live with the defense to get the offense?

I’ll chalk the poor defensive numbers up to inexperience, especially when you consider that they steadily improved throughout the season. It could be that the Orioles Death Slime infected everyone, including the very talented. Even if Machado doesn’t thrive at short, my guess is that he claws his way back to being at least average, and that’s ludicrously valuable

2. Bryce Harper

When given the choice between the long-term prospects of a 26-year-old middle infielder and a 26-year-old corner outfielder, take the middle infielder. Especially if that corner outfielder’s defense already isn’t so hot. While it’s silly to treat a one-season sample of defensive stats as gospel, especially when he played 63 games in center for the Nats, I think everyone agree that Harper’s defensive ceiling is closer to “eh, whatever” than “wow,” and his floor is much lower. I’m not worried about it when he’s 26; I’m worried about that when he’s 31. And 32.

And ... you get the idea.

There’s also the matter of Harper’s inconsistency. After a dreadful start, Harper finished strong enough to place in the top 10 for National League OPS, but that’s not the inconsistency I’m talking about. No, that has to do with what he’s done according to WAR over the last few years:

2014 - 1.1 WAR 2015 - 10.0 2016 - 1.5 2017 - 4.7 2018 - 1.3

Every other year, he’s giving Good Utility Infielder value, even if you keep waiting for that MVP repeat. It might happen. But there’s also the chance it was an outlier, which means a team will be giving a $400 million contract to someone who has accumulated fewer WAR over the last five seasons than Justin Upton, Brian Dozier, and Ender Inciarte. And that’s with a 10-win season mixed in.

I’m still considering Harper a star who’s closer to his MVP season than his 2018 season, if only because he’s young enough to be a rookie. But one more season of ambiguity, and I don’t know, man. Maybe we’ll realize he is who he is, and nothing more.

And this realization will come with nine years and $370 million left on the contract.

He’s still great. Just, you know, caveat all of the emptors, people. All of them.

3. Clayton Kershaw

I’m assuming he’s opting out. He’d be silly not to, considering he would get far more than $60 million in guaranteed money, and this might be his last chance at a big contract. The idea that he’s a choker who can’t handle the postseason pressure is overblown and tired. The idea that he’s just not the same pitcher that he used to be is very much on the table. If he’s commanding a five- or even six-year deal, there are gonna be a whole lot of crossed fingers in his new city.

Or old city. He’s probably coming back. And while it’s easy to write things like, “He’s not the same pitcher,” the guy was still good enough to put up a 2.73 ERA in 161 innings, which was worth 4 WAR. If that’s a down year, I’ll take a dozen of them, please.

4. Patrick Corbin

Maybe I’m biased because I watched every start he made against the Giants in 2018, but Patrick Corbin is the greatest pitcher of his generation, someone who has definitely won at least three Cy Youngs and will get a $300 million contract this winter.

[checks]

Huh. Well, I’ll be. He’s still an excellent pitcher, of course, and his numbers all went in the right direction. His strikeouts are way up, and his walks are way down. Someone will give Clayton Kershaw all the money, but I’m wondering if Corbin will be better in the short term, much less the long term.

5. Josh Donaldson

Bargain or boondoggle? Bardoggle! Boondargain!

I’m going with relative bargain. The team that pays Donaldson will still wish that they weren’t by the end of the contract, but they won’t be saddled with the mega-deal that it would have taken before his injury-marred season.

Four years? Five years? Hard to see it going to six. I’ll guess it’s something creative, like four years with an opt-out after the first year, and that Donaldson will help a team win more games than they otherwise would have. It’ll be a huge bargdoggle, and you’ll love it.

6. Craig Kimbrel

Still throwing in the upper 90s with a wipeout breaking ball. Still on track for the Hall of Fame. Still one of the very best relievers of his or any other generation.

Still a reliever. Beware paying too much money for a reliever. You want a Mark Melancon? I can get you a Mark Melancon by 3 o’clock this afternoon. With spin-rate polish. You’ll just have to take his entire contract and ...yello? Yello?

How many reliever contracts work out? That depends on your definition. Jonathan Papelbon was fine during his time with the Phillies, but he went there right when the walls started crumbling. Billy Wagner was great with the Mets, but the one chance he had to help them win a World Series, he had a rough time.

Reliever contracts are all about timing. The Giants have no use for an overpriced Melancon, even if he were as healthy and effective as ever, but the Red Sox sure are glad they had Kimbrel. So if your team is going for it, by all means, employ the name brand closer. He’s way better than the store brand.

Always beware the relievers, though. The more saves they have, the more you should side-eye them in free agency.

7. J.A. Happ

We’re on year four of Happ being really, really, really good. He’ll be 36, but with starting pitchers, that’s almost a feature instead of a bug. He won’t command a four- or five-year deal because of his age, which almost makes him the perfect target for a win-now team.

The velocity has leveled off, but never forget the strange, inspiring trajectory of his career. Ten years ago, he was a generic lefty arm with the ceiling of a swingman. Now he’s the kind of pitcher that the superpowers will chase to put them over the top in the postseason.

8. Dallas Keuchel

Keuchel faced more batters than any pitcher in baseball last year, which is a testament to a) his durability and b) his relative struggles at keeping runners off the bases. He’s only 31, even though it feels like he’s been around forever, and his power sinker has been a perfect pitch for the homer-happy era.

Even in a pitcher-rich market and an austere mess of tightwad teams, Keuchel will be popular, especially for the teams that play in hitters’ parks. Get yourself a pitcher who can keep the ball in the park and your team in the game. It worked for the Astros.

9. Nelson Cruz

Ah, the subject of my all-time worst take.

Why Nelson Cruz will fail spectacularly with the Mariners

Good headline, idiot.

So will I double down and declare Cruz to be another bust in the making? Or will I make amends and laud him as one of the best one-tool players of his generation?

Both, maybe?

I give Cruz exactly one more great year. And that might be all a team needs to make this deal an unqualified success. Imagine Cruz at DH for the Yankees, nestled in the lineup between Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Or imagine him on the Astros taking over for Evan Gattis and thumping another 40 home runs into the Crawford Boxes.

Who cares about 2020 when you put it like that? Cruz has been incredible in the third act of his career, and he’ll be popular.

10. A.J. Pollock

The best pure center fielder on the market, and it isn’t particularly close. The defensive stats still like Pollock, and the eyeball test agrees. He’s not hitting like the down-ballot MVP he was in 2015, but he had a career high in homers (21) and does a lot of things very, very well.

Don’t expect him to be good at the end of his contract, but, well, don’t expect that from anyone on this list, really. It’s why teams are interested only in young players now. But if you want a better-than-solid center fielder and you don’t want to give up prospects, Pollock is one of the best options to come around in the last couple years.

Just ignore the part where he’ll be 31, and he’s only had more than 450 at-bats in his career once. I’m sure that’s all fine.

11. Andrew Miller

We’re probably past the days of “Throw Andrew Miller out there in the fourth inning if you need to, and let him soak up three innings” in the postseason. The knee is reportedly fine now, but he dealt with shoulder issues after coming back, and it’s easy to forget that he’ll be 34 next year. Anyone paying for that 1.09 career ERA in the postseason will regret it.

Anyone with reasonable expectations paying for a badass reliever will probably have fun, though. As a healthy part of a balanced bullpen, Miller will be an asset. As a savior, he’s probably two years removed. My guess is that he’ll still be wildly popular.

12. Charlie Morton

He used to be a guy who couldn’t strike anyone out, and his efforts to ape Roy Halladay’s delivery were easy to mock — it was like Darwin Barney modeling his stance and swing after Aaron Judge’s. And then the Astros weaponized him, and now he’s one of the better free agent options on the market.

Is there a team out there that should get a mid-market ace like Morton and supplement it with another one like Happ? There are probably 20 of them. I’m not sure if it would work, but it’s nice to have the option of a couple older and effective pitchers who won’t completely wipe out the budget.

13. Michael Brantley

After Bryce Harper, maybe the best outfielder on the market? If you think that A.J. Pollock will never be anything more than an average hitter, you can probably remove the hedging. After two injury-ruined seasons, he came back with a vengeance, and he’s finally ready to shed that ludicrously owner-friendly contract.

Still, he’ll be 32. Does he get a three-year deal? Four? Seems dicey. But I guess they all do.

My god, all of these players are risky. I just realized that. They will all come with various measures of risk and reward.

I ... I need to sit down for a minute.

14. Nathan Eovaldi

Went into the season as an enigma, and he left it a Boston legend. That’s a fine third act. Eovaldi is a two-time Tommy John survivor, and he was worked fairly hard in October. If you’re cynical and looking for an imperfect comp, Brandon Morrow might be it — starred in the postseason after a rough injury history, signed for a chunk of change, and hurt the following year — but it’s almost certainly unfair to lump every pitcher with an injury history together.

After wondering if he was going to pitch again, Eovaldi will get a multi-year deal. And he’ll deserve it.

15. Adam Ottavino

A reverse Zach Britton, in that he’s hitting free agency at the perfect time, Ottavino will make a ton of money. He’ll be 33, and his famous slider is murder on his elbow, so caveat emptor, but there’s no way to sniff at 112 strikeouts in 77⅔ innings.

Whatever was wrong in 2017 was fixed, and Ottavino will be a popular target. It would be rough if the Rockies spent all that money on their bullpen last year, only to lose their best reliever.

16. Wilson Ramos

There are maybe five catchers who are better than the average major-league hitter in a typical season now? Six?

Ramos is one of them. If he’s hitting cleanup in your lineup, your team is in trouble, but as an auxiliary piece, he has a chance to be one of the best values on the open market. His knee injury in 2016 probably cost him, oh, $40 million or so, but who among us hasn’t suffered a workplace accident that cost us $40 million or so?

He probably won’t make up all of that, but he hit well enough with the Rays and Phillies to deserve a fair payday. If you’re the Red Sox, and you have one of the best lineups in baseball but a couple of catchers who have troubles out-hitting Rick Porcello, don’t you at least poke around Ramos?

17. Yasmani Grandal

Oh, boy.

How bad was Grandal in the postseason? At one point, Mary Hart was heckling him.

Mary Hart has not had any Entertainment Tonight from Yasmani Grandal. Here she is yelling at him for another passed ball. pic.twitter.com/Ljl5vaFqmO

— Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonSBN) October 16, 2018

Fans in the NLCS chanted “We want Austin,” referencing Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes. In the World Series, he continued having problems catching the ball, which is literally the first part of his job description.

Oh, and did we mention that Grandal is 8-for-75 in the postseason for his career?

And yet. Check out the slugging percentages from the last few seasons:

.477

.459

.466

That’s not just for a catcher. That’s for a switch-hitting catcher who is only about to turn 30. The list of switch-hitting catchers who have slugged over .450 in five or more seasons is a fine list of the useful and the should-be-Hall-of-Famers (get two drinks in me and ask about Ted Simmons some day.)

I’m not saying Grandal is right for every team. But he’s better than you think. Probably much better. You just wouldn’t know this from watching the postseason, when he looked like the worst baseball player in the majors.

18. DJ LeMahieu

I do think too much is made out of hitters turning into pumpkins away from Coors Field. It’s a subject that’s been written about quite a bit, and I think at the very least, we can all agree that it’s silly to look only at a Rockies player’s road numbers when evaluating him.

The overall numbers for LeMahieu just aren’t special, though, and there’s a strong chance that he’s a below-average hitter. His .276/.321/.428 line last year is really pushing it for a guy who plays half his games at Coors, and his .298/.350/.406 career line just isn’t that impressive for the same reason.

His defense, though, is pretty sweet. So if you think there’s a hidden high-average asset buried under the Coors noise, this is probably the best value on the market.

19. David Robertson

You can pay for saves with a pitcher like Jeurys Familia, or you can get the setup-man’s discount with a guy like Robertson, who is probably the same pitcher he was when he was a closer making closer money.

Robertson is turning 34 this year — it feels like every pitcher on this list is turning 34 this year — so he’s not a great candidate for a long-term deal, but for two or three years, he’s a solid gamble for a win-now team.

20. Andrew McCutchen

Not a center fielder anymore. Don’t even think about it. But I sure want to see what he can do over a full season at a park that doesn’t obfuscate his hitting talent. PNC Park was a little rough for right-handed home runs, and AT&T Park was extremely rough. When he got to the Yankees, he was reborn into a high-OBP, occasional-pop contributor. He can probably be that again next year.

Just give him a ballpark that plays fair, and don’t let him play center. Someone’s going to get a good value, here. Get him the heck away from the Yankees so he can grow his goatee back, though. That was freaky.

21. Jed Lowrie

What the heck?

That’s it, that’s my official Jed Lowrie evaluation. Though I would also accept a strong “What the ...?” Lowrie has been one of the better hitting second basemen for two years straight. Even more impressive is that he’s stayed healthy for two straight seasons, which will certainly increase his value.

Lowrie will be 35 next year, and while he’s been far better than a utility player recently, do you really want your team to play All-Star starter money for him, even if it’s just for two years? It’s such a tough decision.

I could see the A’s doing it, though. He’s been so very good for them. Also, he’s now played with the A’s more than the Red Sox in his career, which seems strange to me.

22. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Possibly the most thorough and impressive of all of the comebacks. Ryu came back from the depths of shoulder hell to have a fantastic run. In the regular season, at least. In the postseason, he finished miserably, giving up 11 runs in his final 13 innings.

Still, while you shouldn’t expect a sub-2.00 (or sub-3.00) ERA again, Ryu is going to be a relative bargain because of his health history. Unless he’s a complete waste of money because of his health history. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, really.

23. Daniel Murphy

He can probably still hit, but he’s also at the point where you don’t want him playing 162 games at second. His body agrees, at least, which is why he won’t play 162 games anywhere.

But as a first baseman/second baseman/DH/utility player? Sure. He’s 34, so it’s not like he’s ancient. There still might be an All-Star season left in those bones.

Just be prepared for deserved criticism.

24. Kurt Suzuki

Suzuki in his 20s: .253/.309/.375, 86 OPS+

Suzuki in his 30s: .267/.324/.405, 98 OPS+

The rabbit ball and era of launch angles has been good to him, with the last two years being the best offensive seasons of his career. He’ll be 35, but maybe paired with a left-handed catcher, you can get a net positive in the lineup who can act as a field general and plus defensive catcher.

A Suzuki/McCann tandem would probably be cost prohibitive, but it would sure have a high reward to come with that high risk.

25. Marwin Gonzalez

He’ll be 30, so there is some decline to factor into a three- or four-year deal, but there isn’t a team that can’t use Gonzalez. He played every position except pitcher and catcher last season, and he adds just enough pop. You want him to play for your team.

Just don’t expect that much. His 2018 slash line is .247/.324/.409, which was good for a 103 OPS+. His career slash line is .264/.318/.419, which is good for ... a 103 OPS+. He is a fine super-utility player, and he can be a net positive while hitting like that and playing 140 games.

If your expectations are kept in check, you’ll love him, even if he’ll be an expensive luxury.

26. Jose Iglesias

A solid player. You will forever be that meme dude with him ...

... but you can always do worse than a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop who isn’t a complete waste of a lineup spot. He’s only 30, too, which means he might even be a longish-term solution for a team with nothing close in the upper minors.

My guess: Yankees, where he hits .302 with 18 homers next year.

I don’t make the rules, I just point them out.

27. Adam Jones

Jones had one of his worst offensive seasons, but it’s hard to escape the sucking gravity of the 2018 Orioles, so it’s hard to blame him. The defensive stats were way down on him last year, which, fine, you can ignore because it’s an outlier in an otherwise solid career. He can probably still help a team with his bat.

But any time I see a hitter with a low walk total getting deep into his 30s, I run the other direction. Jones is a fun player, and I’m not counting him out, but guys with his skill set (Hunter Pence would be a close comparison) generally don’t go tiptoeing down the side of a cliff. They hurtle down it.

28. Gio Gonzalez

He’s an 11-year veteran, but it feels like he’s been around for 22. The former 21-game winner probably isn’t going to make another All-Star Game, but he was worth a win above replacement in his worst season this decade. Someone will sign him to help them win in the regular season, and hopefully they’ll have three starting pitchers ahead of him in the postseason.

Either way, he’ll be an asset for someone.

29. Zach Britton

Here be dragons. You can chalk up his rising walk rate and shrinking strikeout rate to the rust he accumulated on the disabled list, but ... that’s not a sentence that makes me want to pay him more.

While Britton was fine in the ALDS (one run in four innings), he never looked like the Cy Young contender he was just a couple years ago. His dominant form might come back, but I don’t think teams will pay for that. A one-year deal might be his best bet.

30. CC Sabathia

About 25 solid starts or so, with most of them being 5⅔ innings. There’s a market for that! It’s not sexy or exciting, and Sabathia will be 38, but it’s not hard to see how he would help a contending team. He was one of the better starters on a 100-win team, after all.

Sabathia had to take a one-year deal with the Yankees last year, and I’m thinking he’ll do it again. The best fit might be in Oakland, which is close to his hometown, but this isn’t a predictions post, dang it.

31. Joe Kelly

Don’t look at the ERA. Kelly was reportedly tipping his pitches for most of the season. Look at how silly he made the Dodgers look in the World Series. He can still get a wild hair up his nose, but he limited the best lineup in the National League to four hits and no runs over six innings.

The Red Sox want him back, of course, if only because there isn’t another reliever in baseball who looks more likely to get into a fistfight outside of Cask And Flagon. There’s value in that for Boston, you know.

32. Wade Miley

I’m not buying it. Miley’s FIP was a full run higher than his ERA, and his 5.6 K/9 makes him an extremely risky fella to hitch your wagon to.

On the other hand, check out his history of FIPs:

3.15

3.98

3.98

3.81

4.45

5.27 (warning, Orioles)

3.59

If you expunge the Orioles year — which is always a good idea — the pattern suggests a productive pitcher who will help his team win. He ain’t gonna have a sub-3.00 ERA again, but it’s not unreasonable to think that he’ll return to his old self, which is worse than his new self, but much better than his old new self.

33. Jesse Chavez

I don’t know what the Cubs whispered in his ear, but he was suddenly one of the most valuable relievers in baseball last season. In 39 innings, he struck out 42 and walked just five, allowing just five earned runs (with three of those coming on home runs). He was completely and utterly dominant, and his famously elastic arm makes him more versatile than the typical late-inning reliever.

I’m not sure if I trust Chavez’s renaissance, but for a little money upfront, there’s at least a sliver of a chance that he’s a neo-Andrew Miller, just waiting to gobble up the middle of every postseason game. It’s probably a risk worth taking.

34. Tony Sipp

I saw he was a free agent before writing my first draft, and a co-worker said, “What about Tony Sipp?” And because I’m a very smart professional baseball writer, I counter with, “Wait, did he even pitch this year?”

He did! Very, very well! However, he allowed just one homer in 2018 after allowing 20 (!) combined in 2016 and 2017. It’s possible that the Astros somehow reverse-engineered the home runs out of him. It’s also possible that the low dinger rate was a fluke.

Still, if you want lefty relief and you can’t afford Andrew Miller, Sipp would be a solid option. Think of him like the Tony Watson of this offseason. I tried to make a joke about the Tonys being left-leaning propaganda, but I couldn’t make it work, so, here, you figure it out.

35. Nick Markakis

I expended an awful lot of energy making fun of the Braves for signing Markakis to a four-year deal back when they were awful, and look at that. He was magnificent exactly when they needed him to be. My bad. I’m the dummy, here.

At the same time, it’s probably okay to make fun of the team that pays a 35-year-old outfielder for what he did as a 34-year-old. Especially when you consider these splits:

Pre-All-Star break: .323/.389/.488 Post-All-Star break: .258/.332/.369

The post All-Star break numbers make more sense. But it’s also possible that he was just tired (he played in all 162 games), so there will be more than a few teams that are interested. When you add those pre- and post-break numbers together, guess what you get? His season line of .297/.366/.440, which is pretty sweet.

36. Clay Buchholz

Buchholz was ... not on this list last year. There’s a case to make that he’s the least trustworthy pitcher of his generation, as likely to put up an 10.38 ERA in 37 innings as he is a 2.01 ERA in 98 innings, which is what he did last year for the Diamondbacks.

But, fine, maybe he’s legit again. I don’t know what to believe anymore. Depending on the price, he might actually be a bargain in this pitcher-saturated market. And his presence on this list is fun because it makes me think that, like, Matt Moore will be on next year’s list after putting up a 3.29 ERA in 178 innings. I’m a sucker for comeback stories.

37. Matt Harvey

He really wasn’t that great for the Reds — petering out toward the end — but he was certainly better than he was for the Mets. My dude still likes to party, and he’s turning 30 with a lot of miles on his arm, so I can’t suggest anything more than a two-year deal, but he definitely reestablished some of his market value.

I’m kind of hoping Yankees, but only because I have the kind of sick imagination that can envision him thriving there.

38. Lance Lynn

It’s no fun when one-year deals go incredibly, spectacularly wrong. Lynn was hosed out of the $50 million contract he probably deserved last year, and he’ll likely get another one-year show-me deal this offseason.

He’s had a strong career, though, and he might be the best of the risk/reward bunch.

39. Ervin Santana

He had a five-year run of being extremely valuable, with an average season of 182 innings and 3.52 ERA (116 ERA+), before suffering through five miserable starts this year. To be honest, I have no idea what to think about a pitcher with a lingering finger injury. Elbows I know (it’ll probably okay with a lot of rest). Shoulders I know (you’re screwed). But fingers? Total mystery.

That five-year run gets him on this list, though. He’d be perfect for a team that didn’t contend this year, but secretly thinks they have a tiny shot next year. Looking at you, Rangers.

40. Garrett Richards

Over the last three years, Richards has averaged 138 innings with a 3.05 ERA, which is why he’s going to get a huge contract with a ...

Wait, check that. Over the last three years Richards has thrown a total of 138 innings with a 3.05 ERA. Which is both good and devastating at the same time. Richards is coming back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year, so he’ll be looking for an incentive-laden one-year deal.

But as far as secret weapons for the postseason go, this would be a fantastic low-cost gamble for any team looking to contend in 2019. Call him ... Nathan Twovaldi.

No? OK, I’ll workshop that and get back to you.

41. Shawn Kelley

How much of a butthead does a solid reliever have to be to get punted from a contending team? That’s a koan that’ll keep you up at night until you realize the answer is simple. Much butthead. You have to be super much butthead.

Still, Kelley pitched well for the A’s after they scooped him up, laughing. He’s still striking guys out, and he’s still effective at limiting runs. There will be a market for him. Just ... not with the Nats.

42. Ian Kinsler

Maybe we need an acronym for the second basemen who probably shouldn’t start anymore, unless your team is really in a pickle. SBWPSSAUYTIRIAP.

Kinsler is a SBWPSSAUYTIRIAP. He was worth two wins, so maybe I’m underrating him, but the bat never made it to Boston, and it’s not like his baserunning is going to make up for it. In entertainment value, sure, but not in on-field value.

Out of Cabrera, Kinsler, Dozier, Murphy, and Lowrie, I’ll guess one is awesome, one is pretty okay, and the other three are drains on the payroll. It’s like a game of chance! I love games of chance.

43. Brian Dozier

No idea. You don’t have any idea, either. For each of the two seasons prior to 2018, Dozier was an unstoppable dynamo in the second half. It’s not wise to dig too much into splits like first/second half, which means it’s reasonable to wonder if the real Dozier is that second-half MVP candidate.

After last year, it’s also reasonable to wonder if they built the whole airplane out of the first half. Dozier looked absolutely lost with the Dodgers, and he’s probably going to be on a one-year show-me deal. Which means he might be back on the market looking for a major-league contract next year, or he might be picking between three- or four-year deals.

It’s a rough market for second basemen looking for a starting gig, though. He’s one of the more interesting cases to follow.

44. Asdrubal Cabrera

Ah, yes, yet another glad-we-have-him guy. The thing about these guys is how quickly they can become a what-is-this-dude-still-doing-here guy, and those are absolutely no fun. Cabrera will be 33, and he scuffled with the Phillies after a midseason trade, but here’s what he’s done over the last four years in the way of OPS+:

106

117

110

112

His defense is on the rougher side now that he’s older, and you definitely don’t want him at short for an extended period. But you’ll be glad your team employs him. Right up until you really, really aren’t. A two-year deal is pushing it, but I really have no idea what the market is for these second base-types who maybe shouldn’t be starting. There are sure a lot of them this year.

45. Brian McCann

As long as Grandal has us running the Play Index search, let’s take a look at the best LHB catchers of all time. Yogi Berra is first, of course, followed by Bill Dickey and Mickey Cochrane, and McCann is seventh all-time, which reminds us that he’s had a heckuva career.

Which means approximately nothing. McCann is just ahead of Tim McCarver, and I regret to tell you that McCarver probably wouldn’t help a team win in 2019. At some point the historical stats aren’t informing us about the potential for future contributions, and we’re at a tipping point like that for McCann. He’ll be 35 next year, and he just barely kept his OBP over .300.

It was also his first truly poor offensive season, so ... maybe there’s still something there? His left-handed bat certainly makes it much easier for a team to think about him as a part of a solution and not the full solution.

46. Evan Gattis

He caught four innings last year, which lets you know that he’s stopped renting a condo in Galoot Town. He bought a place. He’s not a positionally flexible wonder-galoot at this point. He’s bearded dingers and maybe an emergency catcher if someone gets hurt in the 16th.

Besides, if he’s hitting .226/.284/.452 as a DH-type, I’m not sure what would happen if he were ground down by playing catcher 50 times a year.

Still, dingers! Sweet bearded dingers.

47. Matt Wieters

He’s younger than McCann and Suzuki, but he’s been extremely Just a Guy for three years now. If his name were Dendly Corus, he would be relegated to the backup bin this year, and that still might happen. There might be a team, though, that still reads the name Matt Wieters and thinks, “Maybe, just maybe ...”

Don’t let your team be that team. But for a team that already has a half-decent catcher in place and can mix and match to prevent backstop fatigue? Probably something here.

48. Anibal Sanchez

Sanchez was the best of the reclamation bunch (see below), and possibly the most unlikely comeback of them all. He’ll be 35, and I’ll set the over-under at 100 innings next year and take the under, but he sure had a brilliant season for the Braves. He’ll tempt a lot of teams this year, even if he’s an extremely volatile pitcher.

49. Bud Norris

He’s on this list because of the saves, but I’ll be honest with you, the sooner I finish, the sooner I can play Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time, so, uh, Bud Norris, everyone! He’s the Bud Norriest. He’s probably fine.

Well, maybe not fine in the clubhouse. He’s ranked 49th, OK, this all checks out.

50. (tie) Jeremy Hellickson, Trevor Cahill, Derek Holland

They’re lumped together because they’re all telling a similar tale of redemption. Of red dead redemption, that is, and, uh, let’s wrap this up, idiot. No, really, they’re all lumped together because I wanted to have a nice even number of free agents (50!), and I didn’t know which of these guys to leave off.

Hellickson was fine once you de-Oriolesed him, which is a recurring theme, and he’s probably the most stable of the bunch. Cahill finally lived up to the promise I’ve been expecting since the Cubs resurrected his career in 2015. Holland was legit this year, with solid velocity and a swing-through slider, though you’ll want to keep him away from smaller ballparks, still.

Those are the 50ish best free agents on the market. If I left anybody out, remember that it’s because I hate you and your favorite team, as always. And don’t forget, the real answer is going to be someone like Max Muncy or Dereck Rodriguez. So let’s just pick a name out of the hat and guess.

Congratulations to Tommy Joseph for his 40-homer season in 2019, then. We knew you had it in you, buddy. We will definitely not be surprised.

[oraneproductions]

This would be the worst possible time for a Yoenis Cespedes DL stint

May 18, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (30) hits an rbi single during the first inning of the game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports (Gregory Fisher)

The Mets (24-20) wrap up their three-game series against the Marlins (18-30) on Wednesday night at Citi Field at 7:10.

Mets notes…

The Mets are 5-2 on their current homestand, which concludes tonight. … The Mets are 4-1 against the Marlins this season, posting a 2.20 ERA in 45.0 innings against them. … Mets pitching has struck out nine or more batters in seven straight games — tied for the longest streak in franchise history. … The Mets have 14 come-from-behind wins this season — the third most in the majors.

May 20, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets pinch hitter Asdrubal Cabrera (13) reacts with shortstop Jose Reyes (7) after hitting the game winning two run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports (Andy Marlin)

On the latest episode of Shea Anything, Doug Williams and Andy Martino discuss the sad state of affairs surrounding Jose Reyes, the Jose Bautista signing, and the importance of getting quality starts from the likes of Zack Wheeler and Jason Vargas.

Plus, Doug and Andy want to hear from you! Go to SNY.tv/SheaAnything and upload a video or audio clip of your take on the Mets. Keep it to 30 seconds or less, make it good, and you may be on the show!

Click below to listen!

Michael Conforto celebrates with Wilmer Flores and Brandon Nimmo after the Mets beat the D-backs in walk-off fashion at Citi Field on Saturday. (Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports)

The Mets may have young pitching to gamble on, but it’s become painfully obvious that they’re significantly lacking in young hitters. What’s worse, the young hitters they do have in Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Amed Rosario are not yet consistently living up to their potential.

As a result, and because the team is without Yoenis Cespedes, Todd Frazier, and Juan Lagares — the Mets signed free-agent OF-3B Jose Bautista on Tuesday.

To the tune of no more than $545,000, the Mets can simply release Bautista if he is unproductive. Thankfully, they pay the same price if he exceeds expectations and discovers the Fountain of Youth. Therefore, the decision to sign Bautista, start him in left field and have him bat fifth was a no brainer given their available internal options….

2:39PM

Share: New York Mets third baseman Jose Reyes (7) (Noah K. Murray)

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | Word this afternoon is that Jose Reyes’ roster spot remains safe, at least over the next several days. The Mets do not plan to cut him as a reaction to last night’s two error performance.

That equation could change before long, though — especially when Todd Frazier returns from the disabled list. At that point, the team could buy time on a Reyes decision by optioning Luis Guillorme or a reliever. Or they could decide that Reyes’ long Mets career is over.

Reading between the lines, if Reyes doesn’t show value soon, the end could be drawing near. It just won’t come today.

Piazza breaks his bat at the plate at Shea Stadium in 1999. Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler winds up. (AP)

Tuesday was an important night for Zack Wheeler, who I hope understands how and why he was so effective after a difficult first inning. Instead of just pounding the bottom of the strike zone, Wheeler was wild, but effective.

It all changed for Wheeler in the second inning, down three runs with two outs and runners on second and third base. If Marlins 1B Justin Bour gets the fifth hit of the inning, the game is blown wide open, Wheeler is demoralized and out of the game sooner than later, the Mets easily lose and the bullpen gets taxed again.

However, after a quick mound visit from Tomas Nido and Dave Eiland, and with a 2-2 count, Wheeler set up Bour with an unhittable 97-mph fastball inside. Then, with what was his most important pitch of the night, Wheeler dropped a perfectly-placed 91-mph splitter down and inside for a swing-and-miss strikeout to end the inning.

In the latest installment of Gameday, Keith Hernandez discusses how he prepares his scorecard for each night’s game.

May 22, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

Mets RHP Zack Wheeler allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings against the Marlins on Tuesday night, and was done in by an inexcusable error by Jose Reyes in the second inning.

With runners on first and second and one out in the second, pitcher Caleb Smith bunted toward Reyes at third base while attempting to move the runners over. Reyes fielded the ball and would have had the runner out by 20 feet at second base, but didn’t throw there. Instead, he hesitated before throwing wild to first base — allowing Smith to reach.

After Wheeler got Martin Prado to pop out for the second out of the inning, J.T. Realmuto’s two-run single made it 3-0, Marlins, with both runs unearned due to Reyes’ gaffe…

9:31AM

Share:

Porsche, Coca-Cola®, and the Mets have teamed up to provide fans the opportunity to win an experience to catch the Mets take on the Braves in Atlanta.

Enter for the chance for you and a guest to win this once in a lifetime trip, including the following:

Roundtrip airfare for two Hotel accommodations for two for one night Two tickets to the Mets vs. Braves game on Tuesday, June 12th Access to pre-game batting practice on the field at SunTrust park Gift card for the food and beverage at the game

The newest member of the Mets arrived just in time for Tuesday night’s game against the Marlins and made an immediate impact.

Jose Bautista, recently released by the Braves, doubled in his first at-bat and scored the Mets’ only run of the night. He batted fifth and started in left field.

Bautista flew from Tampa to New York in the afternoon to join the Mets, who were searching for a right-handed hitter to add depth in their depleted outfield.

By Michael Avallone | May 22 | 10:11PM

Share:

Caleb Smith allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings to help the Marlins end the Mets’ winning streak at four games with a 5-1 win on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Things you should know about tonight’s game…

1) Zack Wheeler overcame a shaky second inning to turn in a solid start for New York, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs — one earned — on 106 pitches in six innings. He retired 13-of-his-last-15 batters and matched his season high with nine strikeouts while issuing no walks for the first time in eight starts.

May 4, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Jose Bautista (23) hits a double against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports (Brett Davis)

The Jose Bautista signing is not a big enough deal to get worked up about, but that’s the best thing I can think to say about it.

Okay, that’s not totally fair. The move makes logical sense, in that Bautista is a righthanded hitter, and the Mets need outfielders.

The only problem is that, in the eyes of multiple talent evaluators, Bautista does not seem to have much left. He was 5 for 35 in a brief stint with Atlanta this year, and posted a .674 OPS in 157 games in 2017. There is little indication that, at 37, he can still be productive.

May 18, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Jose Bautista (23) warms up during batting practice before their game against the Miami Marlins at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports (Jason Getz)

Moments after the Mets signed Jose Bautista on Tuesday, general manager Sandy Alderson touted the veteran outfielder’s ability to hit left-handed pitchers.

"We had been looking at the possibility of a right-handed bat in the outfield that could spell our other outfielders and give us some offensive potential against a left-handed pitcher," Alderson said. "Given the way that we expect he will be used initially, that fit pretty well with what we need."

Bautista has three hits — including two home runs — in 16 at-bats against left-handed pitching this season. In his career, Bautista has hit .257 with 82 home runs and 203 RBI against left-handers.

The Mets have agreed to a one-year major league deal with INF/OF Jose Bautista, who was released by the Atlanta Braves this past weekend, the Mets announced Tuesday. Bautista will be available for Tuesday night’s game, with Phillip Evans optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room on the roster.

SNY’s Andy Martino had reported a deal was close.

Bautista, who was just 5-for-35 (.143) with two home runs after joining Atlanta’s big-league roster on May 5, had agreed to a minor league deal in April.

New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario is congratulated by left fielder Brandon Nimmo after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning. (Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports) May 18, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (30) hits an rbi single during the first inning of the game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports (Gregory Fisher)

Michelle Ioannou, MetsBlog | Twitter | When the Mets opened their series in Philadelphia on May 11, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen spoke on SNY about how if Michael Conforto is hot, the Mets will be hot. In case you don’t remember, this was the game where the Mets were losing to the Phillies, 1-0, going into the ninth. Conforto hit a bomb that just missed and landed foul. He then compensated for this by hitting a two-run home run, putting the Mets in front. He sparked a rally, with Devin Mesoraco knocking it out of the park right after him for his first homer after becoming a Met. The Mets, who were reeling at the time, desperately needed that come-from-behind win.

And Conforto needed that big hit, too, as he had hit a slump towards the end of April and beginning of May, to the point where he was kept out of the lineup twice in order to have mental health days off. That is not the Conforto any of us know, or ever want to see. Shortly before the Phillies series — upon returning from being benched for two days, Conforto led off a Monday game against the Reds, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run, helping his team finally win a game. Not a bad way to break a slump, right?

Since then, Conforto has continued to heat up. Over his last 10 games, Conforto is hitting .333/.366/.590 with 13 hits — including three home runs — and seven RBI. To put things into perspective, from April 13 – May 6, Conforto was just 8-for-58, hitting .138. He’s improved in a drastic, much-needed way.

Mike Piazza (AP)

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter | 20 years ago today, the Mets made one of the biggest moves in franchise history, acquiring Mike Piazza from the Marlins for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall, and Geoff Goetz.

I was a 14-year-old listening to Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN when I heard the news, and ran back and forth in my house in excitement. It was the biggest moment I had experienced up to that point as a Mets fan, and I — along with thousands of others — rushed out to Shea Stadium the next day to see Piazza make his Mets debut against the Brewers.

Piazza — a 29-year-old superstar in his prime — instantly turned the Mets from a nice little team into a legitimate contender. And for the first time since Darryl Strawberry departed following the 1990 season, the Mets had a hitter whose every at-bat was a must-see event. Piazza shined in his Mets debut, but his first huge Mets moment arguably came at the Astrodome on Sept. 16, when his laser of a three-run homer off Billy Wagner in the top of the ninth inning erased a 2-0 deficit. Watch his debut and the huge homer in Houston below…

Sep 26, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki (26) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

Mets C Kevin Plawecki will join Triple-A Las Vegas Tuesday and begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. Plawecki has been out since April 11 due to a hairline fracture in his left hand.

Grip strength in Plawecki’s left hand doubled earlier this month, and he began a hitting progression shortly after.

Without Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud (who is out for the season due to Tommy John surgery), the Mets have been using a combination of Devin Mesoraco and Tomas Nido behind the plate recently. ..

May 15, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco (29) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Toronto Blue Jays on a single by shortstop Amed Rosario (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Devin Mesoraco (elbow) is not in the Mets’ lineup against the Marlins on Tuesday night, but is available off the bench.

X-rays on Mets Mesoraco’s left elbow came back negative Monday night after he suffered a contusion on a backswing in the Mets’ 2-0 win Marlins.

Mesoraco suffered the injury midway through the game, but stayed in. He said after the game that he felt no pain and that he would be fine.

New York Mets pitcher Anthony Swarzak throws during the third inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Mets RH reliever Anthony Swarzak (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie as he continues to work his way back.

The earliest he can return is May 31.

"He’s progressing nicely," manager Mickey Callaway said last week. "We’re hoping to get him in games and get him going so he can get back here and help us."

May 2, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman (65) reacts after allowing four runs during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Robert Gsellman has been one of the Mets’ most valuable weapons in the bullpen this season, and manager Mickey Callaway believes a lot of that has to do with Gsellman’s attitude and desire to learn.

"When I told him and we relayed the message to him that he was gonna be going to the pen, he embraced it from day one," Callaway told SNY’s Steve Gelbs prior to Monday night’s win over the Marlins at Citi Field. "And you have to do that to have success. And I think that’s why he’s having success."

The 24-year-old Gsellman — like Seth Lugo — is adjusting to his full-time bullpen role on the fly. And while he is excelling — with a 2.76 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go along with 28 strikeouts in 29.1 innings (21 appearances), Gsellman is still learning…

Mets LHP Jason Vargas struck out seven batters in five scoreless innings to earn his first victory of the year in Monday’s 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

Vargas (1-3) lowered his season ERA by nearly four runs. He entered the game 0-3 with a 13.86 ERA and a 2.68 WHIP, having allowed 19 runs, 26 hits and seven walks in 12 1/3 innings. He hadn’t pitched since May 8, the Mets skipping his last turn in the rotation.

But Monday, he threw five complete innings for the first time this year, lowering his ERA down to 9.87.

"The biggest difference wasn’t giving up multiple runs each inning," Vargas said, "just making quality pitches and getting some swings and misses … It was a good night, definitely had a good rhythm going, had good control with the hitters."

New York Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco runs towards home plate after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

By Michael Avallone | May 21 | 10:13PM

Share:

Jason Vargas turned in his best outing of the season, tossing five two-hit innings as the Mets extended their winning streak to four games with a 2-0 win over the Marlins on Monday night at Citi Field.

Things you should know about tonight’s game…

1) Vargas (1-3) came into the game having allowed 34 baserunners in 12 1/3 innings over his first three starts. The 35-year-old retired the first nine batters and allowed two hits, walked one and struck out seven to lower his ERA from 13.86 to 9.87. He was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the fifth after tossing 86 pitches — 51 for strikes.

SNY’s Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez call a Mets game from the outfield at Citi Field. (SNY)

Tonight in Post Game Extra, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling will be answering your questions about tonight’s game against the Marlins.

While Gary, Keith, and Ron have a wealth of knowledge about lots of things and would love to answer every question under the sun if they could, please keep the questions specific to tonight’s game.

Leave your questions in the comments section below!

May 19, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets left fielder Michael Conforto (30) (Noah K. Murray)

The Mets (23-19) open a three-game series against the Marlins (17-29) on Monday night at Citi Field at 7:10.

The Mets are 5-2 in their last seven games, including 4-1 on their current homestand. … The Mets swept the Marlins in a three-game series in Miami earlier this season, April 9-11. … The Mets have hit five HR over their last two games and 15 HR over their last 10. … The Mets have 10 wins this season when the game is tied or they are trailing after six innings — tied with the Mariners for the most in the majors.

New York Mets catcher Jose Lobaton loses grip of his bat as he strikes out swing to end the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)

The Mets outrighted catcher Jose Lobaton to Triple-A Las Vegas, two days after designating him for assignment, according to MetsMerized’s Jacob Resnick.

Lobaton hit .152 with no home runs and three RBIs with the Mets, being replaced on the active roster by Tomas Nido’s promotion to the majors and New York’s acquisition of Devin Mesoraco in the Matt Harvey trade earlier this month.

Apr 7, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) throws to the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Mills)

During this weekend’s sweep of the Diamondbacks, Jeurys Familia was one of the many Mets with standout performances. But there was little buzz over his two perfect innings. In fact, his entire resurgent season has largely flown under the radar.

After three straight seasons as one of the best relievers in baseball, Familia’s brutal 2017 was an alarming blow to a struggling team. Between a suspension related to a domestic violence arrest and surgery for a blood clot, he threw only 24.2 innings with an ERA of 4.38 — nearly two full runs higher than his career mark — and had only six saves on the year.

Familia’s most notable weakness has always been his walk rate, which in 2017 jumped to 5.5 batters per nine innings. Aside from a slight drop in his strikeout rate (which has never been elite in the current environment), Familia’s other statistics largely held stable, suggesting a return to form wasn’t out of reach. Looking back, it seems that rustiness from lost time and lingering effects of a short-term injury were to blame for his ineffectiveness, both of which have fully resolved…

Apr 18, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman Todd Frazier (21) celebrates his two run single against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Todd Frazier (hamstring) took batting practice on Monday for the first time since landing on the DL on May 8. The 32-year-old Frazier was eligible to return from the DL this Friday.

While Frazier is progressing, he will need to run before the Mets clear him for a rehab assignment, manager Mickey Callaway said prior to Monday night’s game.

In Frazier’s absence, the Mets have been using a combination of Wilmer Flores, Luis Guillorme, and Jose Reyes at third base.

May 15, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario (1) hits an RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Mets SS Amed Rosario hit two home runs Sunday and provided a glimmer in to the dynamic, smooth and powerful player he projected to be when making his debut last summer.

It would be a godsend if Rosario emerged this season as the player we all hope he can be and helped lead the Mets to a long winning streak. The thing is, he’s still 22 years old. So, instead of an immediate All Star, he’s been a typical young player, showing signs of amazing talent in a sea of pressure and learning curves.

I realize we live in a league where it seems every day a new phenom emerges to step in to the spotlight. But, there are far more young players who are making their debuts in line with Rosario, who has produced a career OPS well below average…

Courtesy: Oregon Live: The Oregon Ducks take on the Stanford Cardinal at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon on April 21, 2017 (Eric Evans Photography)

Mets LHP prospect David Peterson continued his dominance on Sunday for Low-A Columbia, firing 7.0 innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while walking none and striking out seven.

The 22-year-old Peterson has allowed just two earned runs over his last 26.0 innings (three starts). Overall, Peterson has a 1.91 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 37.2 innings this season.

Peterson, who the Mets selected with their first round pick (20th overall) in last June’s MLB Draft, is No. 58 on Keith Law of ESPN’s Top 100 Prospects list…

New York Mets infielder Dominic Smith tosses a ball during spring training baseball practice Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter | With the Mets down to three healthy outfielders on their 25-man roster — and with zero outfielders on their 40-man roster beyond those three — Dominic Smith (yes, Dominic Smith) made his professional outfield debut over the weekend with Triple-A Las Vegas. The slimmed-down Smith started in right field on Saturday night, and threw a runner out at second base.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway smirked prior to Sunday’s game while addressing the Smith-to-the-outfield thing — not because the idea of Smith being out there is crazy, but because it was done due to the fact that the Mets are simply running out of healthy outfielders. At the moment, Wilmer Flores and Phillip Evans are the Mets’ backup outfielders.

"The way he’s been moving around, the way he’s been working, he’s a really good athlete," Callaway said about Smith. "With the injuries we’ve had, it makes some sense for him to go out in right field and get some reps. … This only gives Dom another option to be able to make it back up here and contribute." In the short-term, if Smith can hack it in the outfield, it will give the Mets an option to turn to if another outfielder is lost due to injury. The long-term options are even more interesting…

Aug 3, 2017; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; St. Lucie Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (5) scores before the tag of Tampa Yankees catcher Wes Wilson (69) in the eight inning at First Data Field. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports (Jasen Vinlove)

Double-A Binghamton 2B Jeff McNeil has been tearing Eastern League pitching apart all season, and was rewarded Monday by being named Eastern League Player of the Week.

The 26-year-old McNeil hit .389 (14-for-36), with 5 HR, 13 RBI and a .833 slugging percentage this past week. He shares the league lead with 12 HR, and had a 17 game hit streak earlier this year — the longest in the EL this season so far.

Overall, McNeil — who was not on MLB.com’s Mets Top 30 prospects list entering the season — is hitting .328/.403/.715 with 12 HR, 11 doubles, three triples, and 31 RBI in 35 games (137 at-bats) for Binghamton…

May 8, 2018; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway (36) against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports (Aaron Doster)

The Mets entered their series with the Diamondbacks having lost seven of their previous eight games. Meanwhile, the Mets are 11-7 in starts made by Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard and 17-3 when the team scores four or more runs in a game.

In other words, with deGrom and Syndergaard pitching two of three games, during which the Mets scored 12 runs, sweeping the D-backs this past weekend should be what is expected from a team that entered this season hoping to make the postseason.

"That was a huge sweep," Syndergaard said after getting Sunday’s win. "We’d kind of been struggling a little bit. But just as easily as we were struggling, it’s that easy to turn it around."

May 20, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; The New York Mets celebrate after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports (Andy Marlin)

The Mets swept a series! The Mets swept a series! And there are more Mets babies to talk about!

It really has been quite the week in Mets Land. No, we’re not back to our exciting start to the season, but hey, baby steps! (Yes, pun intended).

The Mets actually won four out of their five games this past week, which is pretty impressive with what we have been seeing recently. It wasn’t the easiest week, though, filled with rain delays and more injuries…

May 20, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports (Andy Marlin)

Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard allowed one run on six hits in seven innings in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field.

While Syndergaard (4-1) labored through five innings in his last start, he was effective Sunday, only giving up singles and pitching around Wilmer Flores’ fifth-inning error when Jay Bruce threw Jeff Mathis out at home.

"I just kind of took a deep breath, relaxed and focused on making quality pitches as opposed to focusing on my mechanics," Syndergaard told reporters after the game. "Today was just a lot of fun. Great win, great sweep."

New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario is congratulated by left fielder Brandon Nimmo after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning. (Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports)

Mets shortstop Amed Rosario hit his first two home runs of the season in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field.

The 22-year-old Rosario homered to tie the game at 1 in the sixth inning, and after Asdrubal Cabrera’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh, Rosario hit his second of the game.

"For me, it’s amazing," Rosario told reporters after the game. "It’s my first time hitting two homers. I’ve been waiting for this moment and this opportunity so I’m feeling great."

By Michael Avallone | May 20 | 4:16PM

Share:

Asdrubal Cabrera’s pinch-hit homer snapped a 1-1 tie and Amed Rosario homered twice to back Noah Syndergaard as the Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.

Things you should know about today’s game…

1) Having been limited to one hit through five innings by Clay Buchholz, Rosario went deep for the first time in 200 at-bats dating back to last season to tie the game. D-backs reliever Jorge De La Rosa retired the first two batters of the seventh, but Tomas Nido singled and Cabrera followed with his third career pinch-hit homer. Rosario went deep on the next pitch to increase the Mets’ lead to 4-1.

May 20 | 2:25PM

Share: New York Mets infielder Dominic Smith tosses a ball during spring training baseball practice Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson/AP)

One day after Dominic Smith made his outfield debut for Triple-A Las Vegas, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said the added experience "only gives Dom another option to be able to make it back up here and contribute."

Smith played right field for Las Vegas on Saturday night, marking the first time he played the outfield in his professional career.

The decision to shift Smith to the outfield came after Mets OF Juan Lagares was placed on the disabled list with a toe injury and could miss the rest of the season. OF Yoenis Cespedes (hip) also landed on the DL earlier in the week.

SNY’s Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez call a Mets game from the outfield at Citi Field. (SNY)

Today in Post Game Extra, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez will be answering your questions about today’s game against the Diamondbacks.

While Gary and Keith have a wealth of knowledge about lots of things and would love to answer every question under the sun if they could, please keep the questions specific to today’s game.

Leave your questions in the comments section below!

Apr 26, 2018; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports (Joe Puetz) May 19, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets left fielder Michael Conforto (30) (Noah K. Murray)

May 20 | 11:00AM

Share:

Enter for the chance to win a vacation to Universal Orlando Resort, the only place on earth where you can play, scream and laugh with the biggest characters in movies, TV and pop culture! With three exciting theme parks, five spectacular on-site hotels offering a range of accommodations, and the dining and entertainment of Universal CityWalk™, it’s days and nights of endless fun for every member of the family. Vacation beyond anything you’ve experienced before at Universal Orlando Resort!

You could win a 3-night trip for FOUR including:

Roundtrip airfare to Orlando, Florida Admission to Universal Studios Florida™ and Universal’s Islands of Adventure™ theme parks, plus Universal’s Volcano Bay™ water theme park Accommodations on-site at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Ground transportation between the airport and hotel in Orlando Tickets to Blue Man Group at Universal Orlando Resort™ The Mets rallied to tie the game in the eighth inning when Devin Mesoraco hit a two-run homer.

By Matt Tracy | May 19 | 11:20PM

Share:

Devin Mesoraco tied the game in the eighth inning with a two-run homer and Wilmer Flores hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth to lift the Mets to a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday night at Citi Field.

Things you should know about today’s game… May 19, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) delivers a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

Mets LHP Steven Matz pitched just four innings against the Diamondbacks on Saturday night after allowing two home runs in a three-run fourth inning.

Matz gave up a season-high four earned runs on six hits and threw 79 pitches on the night. He walked one and struck out two batters.

John Ryan Murphy drove in Arizona’s first run in the second inning with an RBI single.

SNY’s Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez call a Mets game from the outfield at Citi Field. (SNY)

Tonight in Post Game Extra, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez will be answering your questions about tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks.

While Gary and Keith have a wealth of knowledge about lots of things and would love to answer every question under the sun if they could, please keep the questions specific to tonight’s game.

Leave your questions in the comments section below!

Source Article

The post This would be the worst possible time for a Yoenis Cespedes DL stint appeared first on ORANE PRODUCTIONS.

Read full post at: http://www.oraneproductions.com/this-would-be-the-worst-possible-time-for-a-yoenis-cespedes-dl-stint/

[elitesportsny]

Elite Sports NY

https://elitesportsny.com/2017/11/30/esny-2018-baseball-hall-of-fame-vote-cooperstown/

ESNY's 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame vote: Who's headed to Cooperstown?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot features newcomers and holdovers with considerable accomplishments. Who got 75 percent of the vote?

When it comes to voting on things, nothing is more subjective than the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballots. To see if we could predict who will be going into the Hall of Fame in 2018, Elite Sports NY had eight of their top baseball minds cast their votes to see if anyone would reach the 75 percent threshold needed for induction.

ESNY’s panel followed the same rules as laid out by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Each panelist had a maximum of 10 votes.

CHECK OUT the MLB League Center: News, Stats, Standings, Schedules

11 Aug 1998: Outfielder Vladimir Guerrero #27 of the Montreal Expos stands ready for the play during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Expos 15-6

Who Got In?

Vladimir Guerrero: 100 percent of the vote

Jim Thome: 87.5 percent

Edgar Martinez: 87.5 percent

Chipper Jones: 87.5 percent

Trevor Hoffman: 75 percent

Curt Schilling: 75 percent

Mike Mussina: 75 percent

CHECK OUT the New York Yankees Team Center: News, Stats, Standings

Better Luck Next Year

Barry Bonds: 50 percent of the vote

Roger Clemens: 37.5 percent

Johnny Damon: 12.5 percent

Andruw Jones: 37.5 percent

Jeff Kent: 50 percent

Fred McGriff: 25 percent

Manny Ramirez: 25 percent

Johan Santana: 12.5 percent

Gary Sheffield: 25 percent

Omar Vizquel: 12.5 percent

Billy Wagner: 12.5 percent

Larry Walker: 12.5 percent

CHECK OUT the New York Mets Team Center: News, Stats, Standings

Individual Ballots

Nicholas Durst

Vladimir Guerrero: One of the best arms of all time in right field and a guy who could hit any pitch.

Trevor Hoffman: Second all-time in saves with 601.

Edgar Martinez: A career .312 hitter who often doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he was a designated hitter.

Curt Schilling: Arguably the most clutch postseason pitcher of all time with an 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA.

Omar Vizquel: The greatest defensive player of all time. No one in the history of baseball has played more games at shortstop than Vizquel (2,709).

Billy Wagner: Wagner is sixth all-time in saves and second among lefties. He had a career ERA of 2.31 and struck out 1,196 batters.

Jim Thome: Hit 612 home runs which are the eighth most all-time.

Gary Sheffield: Hit 508 home runs and drove in 1,676 runs.

Barry Bonds: Is the home run king and stole 514 bases. He is a seven-time MVP and it could be argued that his seven years in Pittsburgh were Hall of Fame worthy on their own.

Manny Ramirez: Was he ever clean? We will never really know. However, he is the most dangerous right-handed hitter of all-time with 555 home runs, 1,831 RBI and a career .312 average.

Al Jordan

Vladimir Guerrero: He was the complete package on offense and defense, was a nine-time All-Star, MVP, and won the Silver Slugger award eight times. Only seven other players have at least a .318 batting average and a .533 slugging percentage.

Johnny Damon: Won a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. One of nine players with at least 2,700 hits, 1,600 runs scored, and 400 stolen bases.

Trevor Hoffman: He had 601 saves, which ranks second in MLB history, and was the first pitcher to reach the 500 and 600-save milestones. He was a seven-time All-Star and finished in the top 10 for the CY Young Award four times.

Andruw Jones: He was a five-time All-Star and won the Gold Glove in center field 10 times. Ranks 47th all-time with 434 home runs.

Chipper Jones: He won a World Series title, was an MVP, an All-Star, and won the Silver Slugger Award twice. One of nine players to have at least a .300 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging average, and 400 home runs.

Jeff Kent: Kent was one of the best second basemen of all-time as he won four Silver Slugger Awards, an MVP and was an All-Star. He’s tied for 28th on the careers doubles list (560), is 54th on the career RBI list (1,518) and his 351 home runs are the most ever by a second baseman.

Edgar Martinez: He should be in the Hall of Fame already as he was an All-Star, won five Silver Slugger Awards and a batting title. Martinez is the Mariners all-time leader in runs (1,219), doubles ((514), walks (1,283), RBI (1,261), extra-base hits (838) and total bases (3,718).

Fred McGriff: He won a World Series title, was an All-Star, and won three Silver Slugger Awards. Is tied for 28th all-time in home runs (493), 45th in walks (1,305), 47th in RBI (1,550), 50th in extra-base hits (958), 54th in total bases (4,458) and 32nd in intentional walks (171).

Mike Mussina: The Moose won seven Gold Gloves, was an All-Star and received Cy Young Award votes nine times. Ranks 23rd all-time in strikeouts-to-walk ratio (3.583), 20th in strikeouts (2,813), 33rd in wins (270), 33rd in games started (536) and 41st in winning percentage (.638).

Jim Thome: He was an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award. One of only five players to have at least 500 home runs, 1,500 runs scored, 1,600 RBI and 1,700 walks.

1990: Barry Bonds of the Pittsburgh Pirates batting during a Bucs game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Robert Beck/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Justin Birnbaum

Chipper Jones: In addition to destroying my beloved Mets at every opportunity, Chipper is one of five switch-hitters to blast 400-plus home runs. A career batting average of .303 and WAR of 85 doesn’t hurt Chipper’s chances in his first year on the ballot.

Vladimir Guerrero: A former MVP with six top-ten finishes, eight Silver Slugger Awards, and nine All-Star selections. Vlad was the prototype slugger of his generation who will not only be remembered for his 449 career home runs and .318 batting average, but his distaste for batting gloves, love of pine tar, and rocket for a right arm.

Jeff Kent: Another former MVP who remained durable and productive all the way into his age-40 season.  The only question should be what cap Kent goes in wearing.

Curt Schilling: Schilling has certainly hurt his popularity in recent memory with his “unique” political views. In the context of voting, I’m going to put those aside and evaluate him strictly as a baseball player. Despite his dominance, the six-time All-Star never claimed a Cy Young Award. He did, however, not only bring a championship to Philly, but reversed the curse in Boston en route to a career WAR of 79.9.

Johan Santana: If injuries didn’t cut his career short this would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, they did. I got to watch Santana up close for two spectacular years and I don’t know if we will ever see a more dominant circle change. Two Cy Young Awards, four All-Star selections, and a Triple Crown. One of baseball’s all-around good guys belongs in the Hall.

Barry Bonds: The home run king belongs in the Hall of Fame. It would be hypocritical of me to refute this as I’ve supported the induction of others linked to PEDs like my childhood favorite, Mike Piazza.

Roger Clemens: Since I’m discounting PEDs, what Clemens did on the mound and for how long was almost transcendent. I can’t imagine what cap he would go in wearing seeing as he alienated every fan base he ever played for.

Mike Mussina: See Brett Borzelli’s column on why Mussina belongs in the Hall of Fame. It will leave you with little-to-no doubt.

Edgar Martinez: DH’s deserve love too.

Manny Ramirez: Anyone with 500-plus home runs and a batting average safely above .300 deserves enshrinement. Manny’s antics were of a Hall of Fame caliber as well.

Disclaimer: As an IBWAA member, my final votes are subject to change until ballots are officially due.

Ricky Keeler

Barry Bonds: Before steroids, arguably one of the best hitters of the era

Roger Clemens: As I stated with Bonds, tough to have a Hall of Fame without including potentially the best hitter and pitcher of the generation. The era should not be ignored. Plus, he did have three Cy Young Awards in Boston before going to Toronto.

Vladimir Guerrero: Guerrero never met a pitch he didn’t like to swing at. He was a career .318 hitter and was productive in both leagues.

Chipper Jones: Watching the Mets in the late 90’s, Jones was one of the more feared hitters to go up against. The 1999 NL MVP had eight consecutive seasons of 100 or more RBI.

Andruw Jones: While Jones never won an MVP, he did have seven seasons of 30 or more home runs. He was more known for his defense. When your team played against him, you never wanted to hit the ball close to the 10-time Gold Glove centerfielder.

Trevor Hoffman: Yes, I know Hoffman doesn’t have the same big-game track record as Mariano Rivera. However, he was one of the best closers in the National League during his era.

Edgar Martinez: Martinez was a full-time designated hitter, but should be recognized for being the best at his position. If David Ortiz is eventually going to be voted in, then Martinez should be in first.

Jim Thome: Thome ended his career with 612 home runs, which should be enough to get him into Cooperstown.

Mike Mussina: Mussina did fall short of 300 wins, but he did have 270 wins in a competitive AL East. Plus, what always stood out to me about the Moose was in 2003 when he came in relief during Game 7 of the ALCS and kept New York in the game to eventually get to the Fall Classic.

Curt Schilling: In 19 postseason starts, Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and won three World Series. He finished runner-up in the Cy Young 3 times and had three seasons of 20 or more wins.

Steve Contursi

Chipper Jones: The only switch-hitter to average .300 (Mickey Mantle is a couple of points shy).

Mike Mussina: 270 wins and a .653 winning percentage. I’ll go with that lifetime winning percentage

Edgar Martinez: The prototypical DH.

Vladimir Guerrero: Who can’t give love to a guy who hit home runs on balls six inches off the ground?

Trevor Hoffman: Not Mariano, but good enough.

Jim Thome: You can’t scoff at 600-plus home runs and he didn’t do PEDs.

That’s only six, but I don’t feel a compulsion to make it ten. Honorable mention, though, for Omar Vizquel and Jeff Kent sometime later in the balloting. But not this year. And noticeably, no votes for the scammers.

Nicholas Santuccio

Vladimir Guerrero: A five-tool player who finished with a .318 career average, 2,500 hits, 449 HR, 1,486 RBI. He should already be in Cooperstown

Jeff Kent: Had 12 seasons with at least 20 home runs. His 2,461 hits, 1,518 RBI, and an MVP Award make him worthy.

Jim Thome: 612 HR, 1,699 RBI and one of the most feared left-handed power hitters in the league during his career. That and the six 40-plus HR seasons make him a Hall of Famer.

Trevor Hoffman: 601 saves don’t beat Mariano, but they don’t need to, also finished as Cy Young runner-up twice as a closer and had nine 40-plus save seasons.

Mike Mussina: A consistent workhorse who is underrated, Moose won 18-plus games six times and finished top six in Cy Young Award voting nine times.

Curt Schilling: The regular season numbers alone aren’t enough, but the postseason success and workhorse numbers (250-plus innings four times) pushes him in. No one wanted to face Schilling in a must-win playoff game.

Chipper Jones: A .300 career average as a switch-hitter and from each side of the plate, an MVP award, 468 HR and 2,700 H make him a lock

Reason I️ didn’t vote for 10: left off the four obvious steroid players.

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 01: ANAHEIM, CA: Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox circa 1987 pitches against the California Angels at the Big A in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)

Rick Weiner

Barry Bonds: Bonds was a Hall of Famer before rumors of PED use began to swirl.

Roger Clemens: See Bonds, Barry.

Vladimir Guerrero: The complete package, Vlad could beat teams with his bat, his arm, his defense and his speed.

Chipper Jones: A batting champion, an MVP and an eight-time All-Star, Jones is one of the most offensively prolific third basemen in MLB history, among the top five in multiple statistical categories.

Edgar Martinez: The BBWAA, which handles Hall of Fame voting, has handed out “The Edgar Martinez Award” to the season’s most outstanding designated hitter since 2000. Think about that, and then think about the hypocrite voters who use his DH status against him. He’s a no-brainer.

Fred McGriff: If he had two more home runs and 10 more hits, McGriff would check off the “milestone boxes” of 500 homers and 2,500 hits. Were it not for the 1994 strike, he’d have cracked both.

Mike Mussina: Moose is the Bert Blyleven of his generation: An overshadowed, underappreciated workhorse who’s only “flaw” is a lack of individual accolades.

Curt Schilling: Schilling’s political leanings are the only reason he’s not gotten in yet. No one can argue with his stats or his success.

Gary Sheffield: Sheffield’s peak began 11 years after he made his MLB debut at the age of 19, but he was one of the most feared hitters in the game. Fun fact: Sheffield is one of 10 members of the 500 home run club with more walks (1,475) than whiffs (1,171).

Jim Thome: A guy from the steroid era who finished his career with 612 home runs and nary a whisper of being on the juice? No debate is required.

Greg Cambareri

Vladimir Guerrero: One of the most feared hitters of his generation, Gurrero’s blend of speed, power, and a cruise missile for an arm helped him compile an impressive career which included nine All-Star Games, an MVP, and eight Silver Slugger Awards.

Trevor Hoffman: One of the few members of the 600 save club, Hoffman undoubtedly stands as one of the best closers of all time. Not many relievers finish second in the CY Young Award voting, which Hoffman did in 1998.

Andruw Jones: One of the best defensive players of his generation, Jones won 10 Gold Gloves at a premium defensive position. Combine that with 434 homers, and you have one of the better two-way players of his time.

Chipper Jones: Players who bat over .300 with a .400 OBP usually can say they had an impressive season—Jones did that for his entire 19-year career. One of the great switch-hitters of all-time, Chipper’s success and career accolades speak for themselves.

Jeff Kent: Made his enemies in the media and in the clubhouse, but Kent’s career success can’t be denied—five All-Star Games, four Silver Slugger Awards and the 2000 NL MVP. Like him or not, Kent is one of the best offensive second basemen of all-time.

Edgar Martinez: Who cares if he didn’t play defense? Someone has to DH, and Martinez was one of the best to ever do it, leading the league in batting average twice and OBP three times.

Curt Schilling: Can we not hold Schilling’s political views against him? The Hall measures on-field success, and Schilling had plenty of that, winning 216 games while also pitching to an 11-2 postseason record with just a 2.23 ERA.

Jim Thome: Although Thome played in the steroid era, he was never seriously connected with PEDs. His 612 career homers put him in elite company and worthy of enshrinement.

Larry Walker: Playing at Coors Field hurts his chances, but it doesn’t matter if you’re playing on the moon when you hit over .350 in three different seasons. Walker’s elite offensive production, which led to a .313 career batting average and .400 OBP should also be remembered with his seven Gold Gloves and 230 stolen bases. Coors Field or not, Walker was a complete player.

 NEXT: Brandon McCarthy Wins Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes 

[rtirman-blog]

21       Graduation,roses, and                          baseball.

The first graduation I remember ever attending was when I graduated from high school.  I can’t remember going to Al’s graduation, but I know he graduated.  Mickey and I graduated together.  Mickey is sharper than almost everyone I know.  He was having difficulty in school because he has dyslexia.   The whole way through his education, the schools and the teachers had no idea how to help…or they never heard of dyslexia. There were no such things as Learning Services, or Disability Services. I can’t even remember any Special Education classes.  Generally, just about any kind of disability put you out of school, destined for home education.  

 Our graduation was outside in Freeport Stadium, the home of the Freeport Red Devils!  We were on a portable stage, located on the 50-yard line of our football field.  I can remember both Mickey and me receiving our diplomas on that very sunny, breezy day in June of 1954.  Mother and Joe, probably, were in the stands. But if it was on a Saturday, Daddy and Phyllis were not. However, if it was a Sunday, all of them were there.  I can guarantee no grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends of our family were there.

 Neither Mickey nor I received any kind of special recognition.  However, if there was recognition for most absences, Mickey deserved that award, with me as runner up.   If you were absent from school, you needed to bring in a signed note from home giving the reason for your absence.  I wrote all the notes.  If my mother would have written one, it would have been considered a forgery.  Here’s an example:

                 Dear Mrs. Skinner,

                 Please excuse my son Michael for having been absent yesterday,

                December 11, 1953. He was kept home from school because of

                 illness.

                 Sincerely,

                 Signature,

 One time when Mickey played hooky, I decided I was not writing an excuse for him because he could have made it to school that day, and he had far too many days absent.  Naturally, Mickey was certain I would write the excuse for him.  He kindly explained my options- write the excuse… or…get the crap beat out of me and then write the excuse.  My role, as the excuse writer, over time, may have made me more responsible and adult like. Regarding Mickey’s attendance behavior…I told him I would not write the excuse.  After a few punches in the arm and my face being pushed into the living room floor, I wrote the note… in tears.  In my heart, I vowed to shove a knife into his stomach when I get bigger.  It has never happened. But we are both still breathing in our 80’s – there still is time!

 Before I write about my life after high school graduation, there are just a couple of things I want to share with you that happened earlier. The first involves my friend Roger, my wingman who helped me get that date with Carol Lee in 6th grade. Evidently, the B-12 vitamins he was consuming helped him grow. By the time we were juniors in high schools, Roger was a good five inches taller than me.

Also, he was much more involved with girls than me.  We did hang out sometimes. But as time progressed, I saw less and less of Roger. I spent most of my time with John and, of course, Mickey.  It was weird, in a way. He probably had friends I never met; yet no matter what he was doing in life, I always felt close to him- he was forever my friend.  He died from nephritis at age 24.  I was in the Mid-West when I got the call telling me he died.  All I remember was me lying, face down, on the living room rug crying.  Even with the years of separation, I lost a “brother”. My memories of him are forever.

 The story is about softball, and it begins with Roger.  It was either the summer of 1952 or 1953.  Roger’s dad helped Roger form a softball team.  Unlike the basketball team when I wasn’t a starter, I was a starter on the softball team.. I was put in right field.   Do you have any idea what being put in right field meant?  It was like being told you stink at this sport. Since we have to include you, we’ll put you in right field (where there is hardly any action), and oh! you are batting ninth (last in the lineup). As the home team, we ran out onto the field as the game began.   I was all set, and all alone, way out in right field.  I should have been playing 2nd base.  That’s my position.  On our team at Princeton Summer Camp, I was the 2nd baseman. My throws to first base were exemplary.  I had an overhand throw that sent the ball to 1st like a bullet 3 feet off the ground. I was the Eddie Stanky of softball! (Stanky played 2nd base for the Dodgers in the 40’s).  

 Here I was, out in right field, feeling lonely and misused. Almost immediately, I decided to go home. So, quietly, I walked further out in right field to finally disappear.  I walked all the way from Randall Park to home. A day or two later, Roger told me that in the third inning, when I was due to bat, they couldn’t find me.  No one missed me!  Unless your Carl Furillo (Dodger right fielder), it’s a common fear- if you are playing right field and leave, no one will miss you.

 That year, the Police Athletic League (PAL) was beginning its softball team.  The PAL was not well organized in Freeport. In fact, it was not well organized anywhere outside New York City.  Joe Romeika, a cop assigned to help get Freeport boys involved in sports, suggested I join the older boys on a PAL team.  Joe was a terrific guy, who I had met earlier, at Randall Park, when we played hardball.  Believe it or not, in hardball, I was either a shortstop or a catcher.  Anyway, Joe Romeika suggested my move to the PAL team right after I shared with him my right field experience.    Even though I looked 10, I reminded Joe of how old I was, and that I would catch for the PAL team.  Actually, playing with those guys was quite a few steps up for me.  Needless to say, I was a good catcher.  I fashioned myself as the next Mickey Owen, another Brooklyn Dodger.

 Just at the time I joined the team, Joe had decided we needed uniforms.  To pay for the uniforms, we had a lottery to win a TV console with an AM-FM radio and a phonograph record player.  Over the next two weeks, each of us on the team were selling one dollar chances to win that big prize. I got busy selling!  I can’t remember how many chances were in each book of chances, but I went door-to-door, ending up selling 66 chance books.  My efforts just about paid for uniforms for half the team. Joe Romeika was super grateful, and proud of me.  He then asked me if I would like to attend a Dodger game and appear on television on Happy Felton’s Knothole Gang.

 Prior to every Dodger home game, along with the game, WOR-TV Channel 9, broadcasted live, from Ebbets Field, “Happy Felton’s Knothole Gang”.  As hundreds of thousands of baseball fans tuned in, three of us from the PAL got to throw a baseball with a Dodger, then compete against each other for a chance to attend another game while sitting in the Dodger Dugout.

 As my family, cousins and all, were glued to the TV, Renzi Lamb, some other kid, and I were on the screen throwing a ball with Jim Russell, a Dodger outfielder. Happy Felton asked each of us a few questions, and finally, the competition.  No, I did not win.  Renzi won.  He would return to Ebbets Field the next Day.  This may seem like sour grapes…I was a catcher, not an outfielder, Renzi’s uncle was Harold Parrott, the traveling secretary for the Dodgers, and finally, the lower part of the right field wall actually is angled at least 45 degrees from the ground and the upper part of the wall is perpendicular to the ground. When Jim Russell practiced with us, he threw balls off the upper part of the wall. We would play the ball off the wall and throw it back to Russell.  While playing ball with me during the competition, which was televised,

he threw the ball toward the lower part of the wall causing the ball to bounce further away from me than I expected.  Just as Happy Felton was telling the TV audience about what hustlers we kids were, I was sadly moping for the ball in disgust.  My family said that as soon as they realized I was not a hustler, the TV went to a brief commercial.  I think they were kidding me, but I certainly put myself out of the competition. Perhaps if that competition was done behind home plate or if one of my uncles worked for the Dodgers, things would have turned out differently. Like I said, no sour grapes.

 The other thing that I was thinking about was 7th grade.  Many things stand out in my mind. The first is Mrs. Carpenter, my homeroom teacher for the first half of the year.  I think she taught English, but I never was in one of her classes. I can’t tell you the measure of her contribution to my survival. Believe it or not, I would go to school early just so I could spend time with her.  She talked with me, had me help her with small tasks, and simply let me know I was someone she cared about.  Maybe she was my homeroom teacher the whole year, but somehow I think she was gone the second half of that year.  

 Then, I had Mr. Acerno for math.  He was a superb person with a great sense of humor.  At the end of the year, he had me help him with administering the Final Exam. I got A’s from start to finish.  Administering the final was a special treat.  The other kids would know I was the smartest kid in our math class.  Also, some of the smartest kids in 7th grade were in that class.  

 If you remember that lady, across the street from us, who made the bouquet of roses for my mother, then you know where Mr. Acerno’s fiancée lived.  She was that lady’s daughter.  Occasionally, we would see him visit her.  Doing his patriotic duty, he joined the Army to fight in Korea.  To my disbelief, he was killed in battle. I wish I could remember his fiancée’s name.  I did go visit her and her mom to say how sorry I was.

 Then there was one morning, near the end of the year, when I stopped to see Mr. Southard, the Principal of the Junior High School.  I liked Mr. Southard a lot.  He soon became Principal of the High School.  His daughter Janet was a classmate of mine. She was just about one of the prettiest girls, ever!  I never got to know her well, but we said hello.  She didn’t know this, but one day at Jones Beach, she was standing right by my blanket in her bathing suit, and my eyes were glue to her legs up by the bottom of her bathing suit, with my imagination going wild.  It was fortunate I was lying on my stomach.

 When I stopped into Mr. Southard’s Office, no one was there. The secretary must have gone somewhere, and I could see his empty office through his open door.  As I sat waiting, I looked on the secretary’s desk and right on top of the desk was the pile of Mr. Case’s Social Studies Final Exam that we were to face in a day or two.  Again, with quickness of action, I grabbed an exam, folded it, and pocketed it. I left the office in due haste.  Before noon, I had secretly shown my find to, at least, ten of my friends, most of whom were top students.  Naturally, they all took a good look at it, and we planned to look at it after school. When I went home at lunchtime, I told Al what was going down.  Al strongly suggested I turn myself in because someone is bound to rat on me. He said I shouldn’t have told anyone.

 So after lunch, I went to see Mr. Southard, and told him what I did.  I apologized and told him I deserved any punishment he thought to give me. At his request, I also gave him the names of all the other cheaters.  The next scene was Mr. Southard reprimanding lots of the top students. His talk to them included my honesty in coming to him.  He was very proud of me, and disappointed in them.

 So I came out of 7th grade with fairly good grades and with my future high school Principal having enormous trust in me.  I wish he would have said to me, please date my daughter, Janet!

[biofunmy]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Quandary of Promoting Young Stars

The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Wednesday that they were finally promoting baseball’s best prospect, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., to the major leagues. That same day, the San Diego Padres’ Chris Paddack threw seven shutout innings in a victory, and the Mets held first place in the National League East, thanks largely to their slugging first baseman, Pete Alonso.

“He’s a born leader,” Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said. “He was made for this.”

Alonso is a rookie who had never appeared in the majors before this season. So is Paddack, a 23-year-old right-hander, as is his Padres teammate, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who is 20. Alonso, 24, had eight home runs entering Friday’s game, with a 1.086 on-base plus slugging percentage; Paddack had a 1.67 E.R.A. in five starts; and Tatis was hitting .299 with six home runs.

Guerrero, 20, might be better than all of them. He has more walks than strikeouts in his minor league career, and hit .381 with 20 homers last season. His father, Vladimir Sr., is in the Hall of Fame. But the Blue Jays did not promote Guerrero last season, and had no plans to put him on the opening day roster this year, either, even before he strained his oblique muscle in spring training.

By delaying his promotion to the majors, the Blue Jays ensured that Guerrero could not accrue a full year of service time for 2019, meaning he will not become a free agent until after the 2025 season, at the earliest. This tactic has been widely employed — notably by the Chicago Cubs with Kris Bryant in 2015 — and it is easy to understand the strategy of sacrificing a few weeks of one season for an extra year of control over a potential superstar.

Then again, the Mets and the Padres are happy with their choices. Both teams hope to contend and have started well, and they will be grateful in September for the games they won in April.

“At the end of the year, you just don’t know what it’s going to come down to,” Alonso said. “This division’s cutthroat. Anything can happen, and you can’t save any bullets. You’ve got to let it all fly.”

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Scott Kingery, one of baseball’s top prospects before last season, made the team out of spring training last March, after signing a six-year, $24 million contract. He said the recent trend of players signing long-term deals before reaching free agency might motivate teams to promote their best players without considering service time.

“Maybe they’re thinking, ‘If we’re going to sign them to a contract anyways, we might as well get ’em up here to help the team,’ ” Kingery, 24, said, adding that every team weighed different factors. “It seems like every team should do that, right? It should be that every team is trying to win as many games as possible, and to do that, you want to have your best 25 guys.”

That was Brodie Van Wagenen’s theory when he left a lucrative job as a player agent to become the Mets’ general manager last fall. Van Wagenen had made a career of advocating for players, and sought assurances from the Wilpons, the team’s owners, that they would not hold back their best.

“I took the job with a pretty significant risk of my own professional stature, and the communication I had with the ownership group on the front end was, ‘I’m interested in this job if you’re committed to winning — and if we’re committed to winning, we’ve got to put the best 25 guys on the field when they prove to use they’re the 25 best guys,’ ” Van Wagenen said. “I was consistent with that publicly and privately throughout the off-season, and I met Pete, spent time with Pete, outlined the opportunity for Pete and gave him a platform to seize that.”

Alonso, who was not called up last September despite hitting 36 home runs in the minors, took advantage of his chance by hitting .352 in spring training. He has been indispensable ever since, but inevitably, there will be struggles. Van Wagenen pointed out that many top young players, including the Mets’ Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, needed a return to the minors after their initial promotions.

“Sometimes, we as an industry overvalue the potential for extra years of service dictated by the first 20 days,” Van Wagenen said. “In reality, it might be the next 20 days, or the next 120 days, or a year and a half from now, that ultimately will determine when a guy gets to free agency.”

What if Alonso — or another star rookie — does stay in the majors every day for six consecutive years? Van Wagenen said he would welcome that problem.

“That’s a good thing for us,” he said. “And if we can’t win in a six-year window of players going wire to wire, then that’s on me.”

The Royals Are Still Running

The Kansas City Royals had their two fastest runners on the corners in the second inning against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. With Billy Hamilton at first base and Terrance Gore at third, the Rays’ Blake Snell made a pickoff throw to first as Hamilton took off for second. Gore then streaked for home, and the Rays threw there and caught him in a rundown. By then, Hamilton had rounded second — and the Rays caught him, too, for an unusual double play.

The rebuilding Royals are in last place in the American League Central, but they won that game and increased their total to 28 stolen bases, the most in the majors entering Friday’s games. Their speedsters have the freedom to run, which stands out in an age when teams tend to be risk-averse.

“I’m just glad to be on a team that allows us to run and gives us opportunities to show our ability,” said Gore, who had 31 career steals and 28 career at-bats through Thursday. “That was pretty much what they told us: ‘We want to play defense, we want to play the game right, we want to run the bases hard — and we want to the lead the league, literally, in stolen bases.’ ”

The Royals, who play home games at spacious Kauffman Stadium, led the majors in steals in 2014, when they won the A.L. pennant, and finished fifth in steals the next season, when they won the World Series.

The Royals also relied on power relievers in those seasons, a philosophy many teams have tried to copy. But their daring approach on the bases has not caught on: The 2018 and 2019 seasons have featured the fewest steals a game (.51) in the majors since 1972.

“I know we like it, that’s all that really matters,” Manager Ned Yost said. “It’s a lot funner than sitting back waiting for somebody to hit a three-run homer and striking out 10 times a game. We like that action, we like to get on base, we like to create havoc on the basepaths. We like to kind of push the boundaries when we’re playing.”

The Royals’ Whit Merrifield led the majors in steals last season with 45, the lowest major-league-leading total since 1963. While he is admittedly not as fast as Hamilton or Gore — “They can outrun the baseball most of the time,” Merrifield said — he reaches base more often, studies pitchers’ moves and takes advantage whenever possible.

“Sometimes, we’re going to get thrown out, we know that,” Merrifield said. “It’s not going to keep us from running. We’re going to keep going.”

Merrifield also led the majors last season in another of baseball’s bedrock counting statistics: Hits, with 192. His franchise-best 31-game hitting streak ended this month after a bunt single that broke a record that George Brett held.

“That was the part of my game in high school and early on in college,” said Merrifield, who attended South Carolina and singled in the clinching run in the 2010 College World Series. “That’s how I played, that’s how I got in the lineup: I at least tried once a game to bunt for a hit. As I got older, I started to be able to drive the ball, and also word got around that I could bunt, third basemen became better, and there was less opportunity to do it. The fact that record-breaking hit came on a bunt was kind of full circle, so it was cool.”

Wisdom in a Rut

Cody Allen has earned more than 150 saves and $30 million playing baseball. He has pitched in the postseason four times for the Cleveland Indians and fired six shutout innings in the 2016 World Series.

But Allen is struggling now for the Los Angeles Angels, allowing runs in four consecutive games in a recent stretch and losing his job as closer, at least temporarily. When asked about it on Wednesday by reporters covering the team, Allen gave a timeless comment that should resonate with almost anyone who has played baseball.

If you’ve ever felt your knees buckle on a curveball, or had your pride wounded by a barrage of line drives off your pitches, Cody Allen speaks for you:

“This game is humbling,” he said. “It’s either hard or really hard.”

Sahred From Source link Sports

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2GKWGFL via IFTTT

[junker-town]

The Houston Astros started from the bottom, and now they’re World Series champions

The Astros were the butt of baseball’s jokes not that long ago. Now they’re having a whole lot of fun.

LOS ANGELES — The Houston Astros were a joke. A literal punchline to whatever baseball joke you could come up with. They were “The Aristocrats!” of baseball, something you could say at the end of a long, drawn out explanation of utter and total baseball incompetence. Say the word “Astros,” and you would get laughs.

The Houston Astros are World Series champions for the first time in their 56-year history.

It took skill, luck, talent, and smarts, which is what it took for every other championship team before them. The 2017 Astros were an incredible collection of talent. They were found talent, acquired talent, developed talent, and bought talent. They won 101 games in the regular season, and then they won 11 games after that. When future generations look back at the 2017 season, they won’t think, “Now how did that happen?” It makes sense. What with the talent and all.

But I want to talk about how bad they were if that’s okay.

I can’t stop thinking about this.

... not a single, solitary Nielsen household tuned in for as long as a few minutes in any given quarter-hour to watch the Astros lose to the Indians for their 105th defeat of the year.

The Astros pulled a 0.0 Nielsen rating for a regular season game in 2013. A total goose egg. The next year, it happened again. It was possible to sample nearly 600 Houston households and not find a single one that would turn the Astros on for a second. For perspective, note that about four percent of the population believe that lizard people control the government. Five percent believe Paul McCartney has been dead for decades.

Zero percent were willing to watch the Astros on purpose in 2013 or 2014, give or take.

And those people shouldn’t be blamed. The Astros were transcendentally terrible. If you want moving images, here’s a tidy collection. If you want words, oh, there are words. If you want a single video, this will do:

For my money, I’m very much into this kid losing his innocence just to laugh at how horrible the Astros were:

He wasn’t wrong.

The Houston Astros are World Series champions, though. It didn’t take witchcraft or space-age technology. They put out a “QUIET! WE’RE SUCKING TO GET BETTER” sign in front of Minute Maid Park, and they asked for patience, which they couldn’t possibly have expected to get. Then they built the foundation. Then the frame, then the plumbing, a little drywall, and it was up before we had a chance to realize it.

Suddenly, the Astros were a contender. The high draft picks, the deep farm system, and the twists of fate conspired to make them relevant again. But contending teams are a dime a dozen. The Twins made the postseason this year. The Rockies, too. The Angels and Brewers cared about what was going on in September, somehow. Next year, the Marlins, A’s, and Rays might all care about September.

No, the Astros were a contender, a juggernaut, a team with enviable talent stacked upon enviable talent. It’s important to remember how they got that talent.

There were the players who required a lot of losing. The Astros lost 86 games to get George Springer. Tommy Manzella started more games at shortstop for them than anyone else in 2010, and that’s part of how they got Springer. They lost 106 games in 2011 to get Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers. They lost 107 games in 2012 to get Not Kris Bryant, who turned into Ken Giles, who most definitely didn’t close out Game 7.

They lost 111 games in 2014 to almost get Brady Aiken, which is how they ended up with Alex Bregman in a roundabout way, but that was all a huge mess. People are still arguing about it.

They weren’t all nonsensical losing seasons, though. They built players, too. Charlie Morton was someone available to all 30 teams, but only one of them was creative enough to sign him. Dallas Keuchel was a 23-year-old non-prospect, striking out five batters per nine innings in Double-A. He was brought up to the majors because the Astros were that bad. The new guard rebuilt him and turned him into a Cy Young winner.

They bought players. Brian McCann came over because the Yankees wanted to shed payroll, which is inherently funny. Yuli Gurriel was a high-risk investment, and because of his advanced age, that move didn’t have a huge window with which to work. Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick sure weren’t cheap.

They traded for players. Justin Verlander was the obvious get, but there were more than that. They gave up a strong prospect to get Evan Gattis. They made a lesser deal with the A’s to get Brad Peacock.

Perhaps most importantly, they inherited players from the people who built those 110-loss teams. I keep thinking about Jose Altuve, who was brought up as a sacrificial lamb in 2011, straight from the low minors. Someone from the Bad Astros had to recognize him as a diamond in the rough and follow through with that evaluation, signing him and developing him, and all that. Keuchel was already here and nothing more than a generic organizational arm. A particularly funny one is Marwin Gonzalez, who came over in the Rule 5 Draft the same day in 2012 that GM Jeff Luhnow was officially hired. That’s a heckuva mint to leave on the pillow for the new guys.

It all coalesced into a team of disparate parts that liked each other. They were from all over the globe. The World Series MVP was Connecticut-born to parents from Panama and Puerto Rico. There was Cuba and Puerto Rico and Venezuela and New Mexico, and the Jewish kid from New Mexico really wanted to learn Spanish so he could speak to his teammates from Cuba and Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

This team, the one that rose out of the depths of the deepest, stinkiest compost pile, that was cobbled together and reinvented itself several times over, was the one in place for a city that needed something to distract itself from Hurricane Harvey. There are still people without homes, people who need a car to function, and the damage isn’t completely fixed, not even close.

But everyone can rally around the sports, now. It’s a small token, but it’s an important one. In Houston, everyone was jabbering about the Astros. There were handwritten notes on the menus of restaurants all over town, and there were large, silkscreen signs in front of the hotels. The Nielsen rating was higher than 0.0 this October. Everyone was very much into this team winning for this city.

It took transactions, sleights of hand, unexpected developments. players left over from the last tenants, and talent, talent, talent. Oh, how the Astros had talent. Their star middle infielders were a second baseman who was cross between Bilbo Baggins and Pete Rose, and a shortstop who was a Greek god with puppy dog feet.

They weren’t a joke anymore, an automatic punchline. The 2017 Houston Astros were the best team around, and they went through the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers to get there. That’s 366 combined years of baseball history standing in their way, and the Astros navigated it deftly.

The Astros are World Series champions. If you were around in 2011 or 2012, that still reads weird, right? They were so bad, everyone.

I’d like to bring this to your attention, via Baseball-Reference.com:

What a marvelous collection of faces and names. The first two rode a tandem bike to work every day, but they couldn’t win a World Series. There was Jose Cruz, and Lance Berkman, and Joe Morgan, and Nolan Ryan, and Mike Scott, and Terry Puhl, and Glenn Davis ...

It all led to this team, this one right here. This was the team that did it. The Astros had a secret legacy of pain that started with this 1980 NLCS, in which there were four straight extra-inning games. Can you imagine that stress? You cannot. From there, the Astros biffed it against the ‘86 Mets, and they lost to the White Sox in ‘05. They were incapable of winning in the postseason.

Until they did.

This brings us to the Dodgers, the other side of the tale. The last time they won the World Series, the Astros were as old as the Rockies. Nobody is worried about the Rockies’ legacy of pain. No one is contemplating the championship curse of the Rays.

Which is to say, it’s been a long, long time since the Dodgers have won the World Series.

This is the season in which they did everything right. They built the team that went on the historic run. They traded for the complementary ace at the deadline. They took great pains to make sure they didn’t overwork Clayton Kershaw and strip him down for parts. This was the team with Chris Taylor and Justin Turner batting seven times every inning, somehow.

Let them be an example of how hard it is to win a World Series.

They had everything going for them. They had the money. It was the kind of money that let their Plans A, B, and C fall through, like it was no big deal. They had the talent. They had the brain trust to dig up more talent than they thought they already had. And it still wasn’t enough.

The Dodgers had a plan going into Game 7. They were going to count on the All-Star to start the game. Then they were going to bring in the All-Star to bridge the gap until the next All-Star. It was a fine plan, until the first All-Star messed the bed.

There was no reason for Yu Darvish to face George Springer. That’s not something we needed the benefit of hindsight to complain about; it looked dicey at the time. But it wasn’t the only reason the Dodgers lost the 2017 World Series.

They lost because of absolutely crappy luck, among other things. The Dodgers were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and they left 10 men on base. Some of those outs were hit exceptionally hard. Joc Pederson pounded a grounder that deserved better in the first inning with the bases loaded. Chris Taylor roped a ball that should have been a triple, at least, in the second inning, except it was a flukey double play. Yasiel Puig just missed pitches, fouling them back or popping them up. On another day, he would have been the hero.

On another day, they all would have been the heroes. What we know is this: The Dodgers planned better than any team in modern history. They spent more, and they built the best baseball players they possibly could. They still couldn’t navigate around the tricky obstacle of “Oh, by the way, Yu Darvish is Scott Erickson now.” They couldn’t overcome the classic baseball booby trap of all-your-hitters-hit-it-straight-into-a-mitt. You can spend all the money in the world to create the best team, but baseball can still take your wallet and dump it into a fountain when you aren’t looking.

The Dodgers are proof of that.

The 2017 World Series was a tremendous contest, filled with twists, turns, landmines, and locusts. Game 7 happened to be the most boring of them all, a game with the obvious conclusion telegraphed from the very beginning.

Except it wasn’t that boring because you kept waiting for the ninjas to pop out of the jack-in-the-box. You kept waiting for the blernsball nonsense from Games 2 and 5 to pop up again. It never did.

The Houston Astros are the World Series champs for the first time in their history. Congratulations upon congratulations to them.

Before the game started, the Dodger Stadium PA was playing Drake at 400 decibels, as they do. It wasn’t just any Drake. It was this one:

This video could have been a five-minute loop of the butt slide. Or the quintuple-error that captured our imagination back in 2012. Instead, it was a standard hip-hop video with Brian McCann and/or Evan Gattis.

And while it was supposed to fire up the Dodgers, ostensibly, it reminded the Astros of where they came from. Dallas Keuchel and Jose Altuve were footnotes on some of the worst baseball teams in history. Now they’re champions, actual World Series champions, because they persevered and everyone got a lot smarter around them.

The Houston Astros used to be funny. Trust me, really, really funny. Now they’re a model franchise, and they have the championship that previous iterations couldn’t figure out. The ‘90s/’00s had two inner-circle Hall of Famers, and the supporting cast wasn’t too shabby, either. The ‘70s had some of the most underrated players in baseball history, with Jimmy Wynn and Cesar Cedeno. The ‘80s had Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott and some fantastic chances.

This was the team that did it, though. It came with the backdrop of a city trying to rebuild, trying to shake everything off. This was a city with “Fuck it, try again” as an unofficial motto. They don’t have to try again. The Houston Astros are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history. I’m not going to say they deserved it, because deserve’s got nothing to do with it. But it was long overdue.

It was long overdue and well-timed. The Astros are champions, even though they were a blight on baseball, a complete embarrassment, just three years ago. They started from the bottom and now, well, you know. Smart teams don’t have to succeed.

This one did. The 2017 Astros won the World Series. You’ve seen the Sports Illustrated cover predicting it. It’s real now. The message for the rest of baseball is this: If they can do it in just a few years, buddy, your team can definitely do it.

That’s a lesson that doesn’t have to be applied in 2018. Or 2048. It’s a universal lesson, and there’s no better example than the Astros. They were so bad. So, so, so bad. Now they’re the champions, and they’re carrying a city on their shoulders.

I remember the butt-slide. I remember the multiple errors on one hilarious play. But it all led to this. The Astros are World Series champions. It seemed like an obvious possibility before the season. It seemed unthinkable just a couple years ago. But it’s here, and it’s glorious.

.