Friar Than the Sun

[I'm not doing music pun streaks this year, but if I'm gonna do a music pun title, it's gonna be something relatively obscure]

So. The two best teams in the NL both come from the NL West. The Padres, who are in second, have a better record than any division leader from the East or Central. Even if the Cubs and Braves make it in as division leaders, they may not be seeded as high as the Padres.

Think about that. The 'buy a ton of contracts and refuse to break .500' Padres have a better record than 14/15ths of not only the NL, but the AL. Of all the horrors of 2020, this is one of the silver linings.

 Right now the Padres have two MVP candidates, Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, a Cy Young candidate, Dinelson Lamet, and a Rookie of the Year candidate, Jake Cronenworth. And that's just the cherry on top, really. I mean, it's good enough that Machado's back to his old numbers and on a hot streak, but...this team has so much more depth now, and it's genuinely fantastic to see.

For instance, both of the Padres' new catching options, Austin Nola and Jason Castro, are hitting really well. Greg Garcia, Mitch Moreland and Jorge Mateo are doing well off the bench. Though Eric Hosmer has been sent to the IL, Will Myers, now the elder-statesman of this team, is hitting really well, and newer members like Trent Grisham and Jurickson Profar are also contributing frequently.

And this rotation, of Lamet-Richards-Paddack-Davies-Clevinger, has become pretty formidable with the addition of Mike Clevinger. Lamet and Davies are the strongest, but Paddack shouldn't  be counted out. It's also nice to see Drew Pomeranz, Matt Strahm, Pierce Johnson and Trevor Williams in relief.

The fact that this team is so well-built, and is such a playoff threat even if they're not leading a division, first of all says a lot about the 2020 season, but also just says a lot about their rise over the last year. I hope they keep going, they're genuinely fun to watch.

Coming Tomorrow- [loud sigh] Hottest player for the team that's been enjoying kicking the shit out of my Yankees recently.