Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Blue Jays

 

No one expected the Blue Jays to compete this year. Even less people expected them to finish the season at 1st in the AL East. And even less people expected them to make the World Series. But the Jays built an insanely efficient baseball team, with a lineup of really sturdy contact hitters, a rotation that even withstood an injury to Jose Berrios, a bullpen of young role-players, and the leadership of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., finally making his mark on Toronto. Yes, the run ended tragically in seven games of a ferocious World Series, but the Jays managed to not only fulfill the promise of a youth movement that had been building since 2019, but ensure that the infrastructure is in place to maintain this team's value going forward. The odds are that Bo Bichette might be playing somewhere else this year, unless Ross Atkins pulled whatever he pulled with Vlad and Cease, but enough people are sticking around that this team will definitely still compete.

Jeff Hoffman kept the closing position for the whole year in Toronto, despite a 4.37 ERA. It wasn't all terrible, Hoffman had 33 saves, 84 Ks and 9 wins, but the dominance Hoffman showed in a middle relief role in Philly seemed to dissipate. And despite some strong October work, the blown save to end all blown saves landed on Hoffman's shoulders, giving up a game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas of all people, and letting the game go to extras. Even if Hoffman rebounds next year, which is possible, that's gonna haunt him for a while.

2026 Prediction: A much better season. Not closing. The Jays want a proven clover, they asked about Raisel Iglesias after all. Hoffman is a set-up man, so given the opportunity to be one, he'll be much better.

Going into 2025, despite failing to sign Roki Sasaki, Willy Adames, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Juan Soto, or any of the truly high-tier free agents, the Blue Jays did land one big piece, that being Anthony Santander, the Orioles slugger who, in his age 29 season, had a 44-homer, 102 RBI year, the best of his career. Any alarm bells sounding yet? No. Thank you, Ross Atkins. Anyway, they give Tony Taters the money, and he hits SIX TATERS in his first year in Toronto. He'd just hit 44, because of injuries and a horrifying .175 average in the games he was healthy for, he only took 6 out. If he never recovers, the Jays fans are gonna look at this as grounds for running Atkins out of town on a rail. Out of EVERYBODY, they picked the one free agent with a palpable ceiling. He couldn't even do too much in the postseason. 3 hits, 2 RBIs in 5 games. 

2026 Prediction: He hits 25 homers. Will it be enough to satiate the fans? Not too sure.

After getting cut by the Guardians, y'know, the KINGS of high-defense/contact leaning little guys, Myles Straw got a job as a depth outfielder with the Jays. Then Daulton Varsho, the starting centerfielder, gets hurt and Straw becomes the everyday guy out there, reignites his career. Even though the defense is the star, Straw still hits .262, which isn't terrible. Varsho eventually comes back, gets hot, and Straw stays on as a defensive sub and depth piece. In the playoffs he was more notable for diving catches than any real plate work, but he's a big reason why the Jays made it as long as they did.

2026 Prediction: Similar role, perhaps more starts in right or left. Between him and Varsho, they've got it made out there.

Speaking of former Astros OF guys they didn't have any room for, Joey Loperfido came to Toronto last year in the deal that brought Yusei Kikuchi to LA...by way of Houston. Of the two pieces of that deal, I figured Jake Bloss would factor more into this season, but Loperfido took advantage of a midseason push and had a great second half, hitting .333 with 4 homers and 14 RBIs in 41 games. His appearances died down in September, and he didn't do much in October, but he was a great burst of energy down the stretch.

2026 Prediction: So all of the main outfield players are still in the picture next season. Santander, Varsho, Lukes, Schneider, Straw. They're all sticking around. Loperfido is the odd man out, and he still hasn't found a strong foothold in Toronto, at least not a long term one. Odds are he gets dealt this offseason. Wherever he's going, I think he makes it work there.

Ty France, after something of a comeback as 1st baseman for the Twins, wound up as a surprise trade deadline addition by the Jays, needing a power bench guy. France obliged, hitting .277 in 37 games, with 8 RBIs and 1 homer. 

2026 Prediction: Starter for a low-end non-competitor, a training wheels piece. Colorado could bite? Pittsburgh?

Also poached from Minnesota was middle relief wizard Louie Varland, who was working on a truly excellent season before the trade. After a 2 ERA with the Twins, Varland posted a 4.94 ERA with the Jays, with 2 more earned runs than in Minnesota. In the playoffs, he had a 3.94 ERA with 17 Ks and 7 earned runs, showing dominance more often than not. 

2026 Prediction: I say he settles in with Toronto, maybe gets to close.

After spending the first half of the 2024 season in Toronto and getting traded to Pittsburgh, looking to compete [?????], Isiah Kiner-Falefa found himself dealt right back to Toronto a year later, in time for a much more meaningful playoff push. IKF isn't the guy New York thought they'd be getting in 2022, but he's become a pretty handy guy to have around. IKF was mostly a fill-in for Bo Bichette, and acted as such in early rungs of the playoffs, before being shifted to a defensive sub, on account of a lack of hitting. As good as he was in the field, I fear IKF will forever be haunted by his choice of sliding strategy in a move that could have won the game in the bottom of the ninth. 

2026 Prediction: Whoever picks him up cuts him before the end of the year.

Coming Tomorrow- Unsurprisingly a ton of Atlanta Braves.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Athletics

 

It's extremely ironic that, in the first year of being stripped of their national identity and having to play in a minor league park in Sacramento without a credited city while they wait for their stadium in Las Vegas to be build, the Athletics finally formed a team identity for the first time since Fisher sold the farm in 2022. I can now tell you exactly who this team is, what they're trying to do and how far along they are. I couldn't tell you that during many of their last Oakland years. 

In 2025 alone, the Athletics reaped the benefits of two separate rookie stars, Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz, while getting 30+ homer years from veterans Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers and a 20-20-20 season from Lawrence Butler. Yes, they also dealt Mason Miller this year, but they got Leo de Vries in return for him, which is a very good thing. 

Does that mean every big piece is gonna hit the ground running immediately for the A's? No, not even remotely. Max Muncy was an April call-up that spent the majority of the season with the team, and did so without making much of an impact until far too late. Max Muncy, not to be confused with that other corner infield guy for the Dodgers. This reminds me of when the A's gave an Opening Day lineup spot to Kevin Smith, not to be confused with Kevan Smith the catcher, and Kevin Smith bowled an absolute gutterball in the majors. Muncy was...marginally better. At the very least he had 9 homers and 23 RBIs, but aside from a June run, he was mostly ineffective, and spent a lot of time in the minors.

2026 Prediction: Seeing as he will have competition at both 2nd and 3rd [see later in the post], he'll need to get into what prospectors have been talking about. I say he gets there, but I also think if the A's are gonna trade any of their infielders this offseason, it'd likely be him.

Denzel Clarke got a special award during Awards Week for the big 'web gem' of the year, which could have been any of his incredible catches in the outfield. The Toronto native may not have had the contact hitting part down during his rookie season, but his defense made him a crucial piece of the team's development. Even in games where the A's got embarrassed, I'd hear something insane Clarke did in center. He also stole 6 bases in 47 games, meaning if he gets a starting job next year, him and Butler could be a fun, speedy duo.

2026 Prediction: The A's wouldn't have released J.J. Bleday if they didn't think they had something in Clarke. I think if the A's build themselves up enough, they can use Clarke in the same way the Jays used Myles Straw this year, as a defensive substitution with the occasional contact perk. As for who'll get the majority of the offensive starts in center, uh...well, see a little below.

So...the wild idea Fisher had of getting Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs on contracts to start, uh...didn't really work. Springs flirted with greatness but was mostly fine. Sevvy struggled all year. Even J.P. Sears wound up getting dealt anyway. So a lot of local guys and scrubs had to start games for the A's, and one of the more prevalent ones was J.T. Ginn, who came up towards the end of last season. Ginn made 23 appearances, 16 of them starts, in 2025, and went 4-7 with a 5.08 ERA and, importantly, 99 Ks. The A's are gonna try to make sense of this rotation next year, with Jacob Lopez, Luis Morales and Gunnar Hoglund impressing in late months, and Ginn may be one of their most reliable rotation arms remaining.

2026 Prediction: A surprisingly great season that's a great audition for a better team to trade for him.

The Red Sox used Sean Newcomb as an Opening Day rotation guy this year, in case you've already forgotten. Because it's no longer 2018, that didn't especially work. So they cut him, and the A's picked Newcomb back up and used him, once again, in long relief. Somehow, this move led to Newcomb becoming one of the A's best relief pieces this year, posting a 1.75 ERA in 36 appearances, leading to a 1.7 WAR.

2026 Prediction: I actually think relief is the way to go. Somebody like the Reds or the Brewers is gonna pick him up and he's gonna be really useful. 

Two years ago, Zach Gelof was thought of as one of the foundational prospect pieces for the A's. He was brought up with Tyler Soderstrom, and was joined by Lawrence Butler some time later, and the idea was that they'd lead the team to greatness. Last year was...passable for Gelof, but he still led the league in strikeouts with 188. This year he missed almost the entirety of the year with injuries, and only made it up for 30 games, in which time he hit .174 with 46 more Ks. Either he's cooked or he's getting this out of his system.

2026 Prediction: Gelof will be higher in the depth chart than Muncy, and I think the A's will give him 2nd from the start, and some great games will follow. However, if he gets injured again I don't think the team will give him another chance.

The A's also had rookie Colby Thomas in the outfield mix, primarily in right field. Thomas seems like a decent piece, with some power perks, hitting .225 with 6 homers and 19 RBIs in 49 games. Thomas could be the missing piece to the outfield formula on offense, between Soderstrom and Butler.

2026 Prediction: Yeah, will get tons of starts at RF/CF with Bleday gone, will come into his own next year. Assuming the guys who broke out this year stay great, he could be a part of a great A's lineup next year.

Coming Tomorrow- Not sure if you heard, but the Blue Jays made a World Series this year. Here's a few people on that squad that I didn't get to during the year.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Astros

 

For the first time since 2016, the Houston Astros failed to make the playoffs. What a great thing to say after all the hell they've put me through. Stealing signs, making it to the end every year, beating both my teams, not getting penalized enough. And this year, they finish 87-75, after being one of the best teams in the AL during the middle months, and are taken out in the final moments of the season by a Tigers win. They absolutely collapsed in August and September, and saw the Mariners overtake them for the division and go deeper than they could have. It was, in a word, satisfying.

Now, would this have happened if the big pieces hadn't gotten injured? Maybe. You also have to remember that Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman left, and more might be leaving this offseason. And knowing how the Astros handled Tucker's injury last year, by downplaying it to the point of inaccurately leading fans on, seeing them do it again this year with Yordan Alvarez just confirms how much of a sinking ship this team is now. Plugging Jose Altuve into left field while giving his position to Brendan Rodgers, then getting confused when that doesn't work, and then panicking when Cooper Hummel sucks in left as well and Jesus Sanchez hits .199 there. MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T PISS OFF YOUR LEFT FIELDER. He's gonna be making lots of money this offseason, as well Bregman, and if you'd have actually stayed on good terms with them it'd be for your team! Jeez!

Anyway, Yordan Alvarez only played 48 games this year, because he got hurt early, the injury was downplayed, he came back after the All-Star break and then got hurt again. So much is said about how well the Astros builds their organization, but not enough is said about how terribly they treat players once they're up. This could have been avoided, man. 

Alvy's year was...I mean I guess it was fine, for 48 games. Hit .273, 27 RBIs and only 6 homers. I reckon if he stays healthy and isn't screwed over by the team, they win that 88th game.

2026 Prediction: 2025 was the only full season of Alvarez's career that didn't give him over 30 homers. Next year will ensure this stays the case. An All-Star nod to follow.

Something else the Astros really don't like talking about is that since Yuli Gurriel left, they've had the absolute worst luck at 1st base. Similar to the Mariners' black hole at 2nd, the Astros have fired sure thing after sure thing into that position and they've all struggled. Trey Mancini gutter-balled, then Jose Abreu burned millions on a deal that could have gotten them the stars. And now it's Christian Walker's turn. The former Diamondback signed a pretty cool deal last offseason, for 3 years and 60 million, and the Astros must have forgotten the small detail that Walker was 33 when he signed it. This season was...certainly a season of baseball played by a 34-year-old. Despite barely missing any time, Walker was shockingly average, with the first under-average defensive work of his career, a negligible WAR figure and a career high 177 Ks. Granted, Walker also hit 27 homers and had 88 RBIs [the team leader in both!], but this was not his best work. He'd lost a dimension or so, and that's not what the Astros signed.

2026 Prediction: I'd like to think there's an improvement, but he'll be 35, and he's no Paul Goldschmidt. So there may be more of the same. The power numbers will be the same though.

After a phenomenal 2024, Ronel Blanco was one of several Houston starters, including Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia, J.P. France and Hayden Wesneski, to miss copious amounts of playing time this year. I think of that group, Blanco had the best sample size, and quality, while he was healthy, with a 4.10 ERA and 48 Ks in 9 starts. Unfortunately, the injury came right after I picked him up in fantasy, and that was his season.

2026 Prediction: Um...something tells me Hunter Brown might not make all his starts. So I figure Blanco will at least be healthy enough to make up the work for him. A much better season, if not 2024-first-half levels.

For the second time with Houston, Mauricio Dubon won a gold glove as a utility infielder. For someone who struggled to find a place with both the Brewers and Giants, it's been very cool to see Dubon come into his own as a super-ute, and in a year with SO MANY INFIELD INJURIES, there was no shortage of playing time for the guy. And of course, Dubon was exceptional in the field, with a 17 fWAR figure, and the occasional contact moment as well. Even if so much is in disarray for this team, the Astros can still rely on Dubon, which is fantastic [I drafted this in early November]. 

2026 Prediction: WELL APPARENTLY THE ASTROS DON'T NEED HIM THAT BADLY ANYMORE. I honestly think Atlanta's a great place for him. He can play the infield on a daily basis or be a utility piece like in Houston. Plus, with all the injury turnaround they might need him a lot.

Victor Caratini has become one of the more respected backup catchers in the game, alongside Austin Hedges and Jacob Stallings. Unlike those guys, Caratini was able to hit this year. In 114 games, Caratini hit .259 with 46 RBIs and 12 homers, which, in this cursed year, was the 6th most on the Astros. Caratini's a very good guy to have around, and he's found a nice home in Houston.

2026 Prediction: Houston re-signs him, he becomes defacto starter midyear, does well.

So here's the story with Brandon Walter. Dude went to UDel, was drafted by the Sox, mostly minor league guy, gets a taste in 2023. Keeps kicking around, gets cut by the Sox, the Astros pick him up. This year, due to the lack of healthy options, Walter, at 28, gets a shot, and does well in a starting role. In 9 games, he has a 3.35 ERA, 52 Ks, and a 1.3 WAR. Then he gets hurt and is out for the rest of the year. Not sure who's unluckier, him or the Astros.

2026 Prediction: Even if he does come back, he's like ninth in the depth chart. I see him mostly as a triple-A guy.

So then after that, with little to no other healthy options, the Astros go with career swingman Jason Alexander, brother of Scott and not, as previously assumed, the star of 'Dunston Checks In'. Alexander began the year as a middle relief guy in Sacramento, and after one too many heckle of 'SERENITY NOW' from one of the dozens of people in attendance, he was cut and picked up by Houston. Where he soon found himself...starting games. In all honesty, for a while Alexander was one of the Astros' best players. From July 29th to September 15th, all of Alexander's starts culminated in wins, only allowing a high of three runs in any of them. Of course, then he got clobbered by Seattle, and there went the 1st place hopes, but Alexander still finished the year with a 4-2 record and a 3.66 ERA.

2026 Prediction: Well, he SHOULD be kept as a long man and relief piece, but with the injury turnover in Houston who even knows at this point? You know we're LIVING IN A SOCIETY.

Aside from nabbing Carlos Correa at the deadline, the Astros also tried to solve their left field issue by bringing in Jesus Sanchez, who'd been good, if not world-destroying, for Miami. Sanchez had some high highs, with 12 RBIs and 4 homers in 48 games, but the .199 average, despite some decent defense, made it more of a puzzling add. Sanchez is fundamentally a good player, but he couldn't meet this moment for the Astros.

2026 Prediction: I think he mellows out a produces a better full-season effort but he still has the potential to be a Dan-Vogelbach-sized thorn in the side of a fanbase who are expecting the world of him.

With Chas McCormick no longer an option and Jake Meyers oft-injured, the Astros brought up Zach Cole to potentially be the next great Astros outfielder. In 15 games, Cole hit .255 with 11 RBIs and 4 homers. He's got a high contact ceiling and hit over .300 with the Space Cowboys. Might be something here.

2026 Prediction: If the Astros don't deal him for Brendan Donovan or somebody like that, he makes his way up the depth chart and is the next Kyle Tucker, something the Astros desperately need.

And most surprisingly, the Astros brought in Craig Kimbrel after he proved he was useful, if low on options, for the Braves. Kimbrel is 37, and I think he just needs some seasons out of the spotlight, a lot like Aroldis Chapman, so he can find himself again. In 13 games, Kimbrel had a 2.45 ERA and 16 Ks. Not as poisonous as his Orioles or Phils numbers, and a lower key year. I'm not sure if this is the last we'll see of Kimbrel in the bigs, but at least if that's the case he doesn't go out completely undignified. 

2026 Prediction: I think he makes camp with somebody, has some middle relief appearances and one last save. And then hangs it up.

Coming Tomorrow- The A's didn't make the playoffs either, but at least I can see what direction they're headed.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Angels

 

As per usual, we spend December on the blog knocking out customs of every memorable, or notable, season that didn't get one during regulation. We go in alphabetical order, which means once again, we start with the Los Angeles Angels.

At this point, the Angels have to be aware that the usual tactic isn't going to work. The past several seasons have consisted of Mike Trout having an amazing start, getting injured after a month and the season effectively ending for them. The issue is that they're spending so much time focusing on Trout that they can't build an effective team, and are baffled when this doesn't work. So this season, not only did they build a much better team with multiple a new WAR leader and two 35+ home run guys, they actually had 130 games of Mike Trout, his most since his last MVP season in 2019. And STILL, despite all that, the Angels finished in last place, behind the A's, with 90 losses. Wash didn't work, Maddon didn't work, Ausmus didn't work, here they are.

This was a season of baseball from Mike Trout that, while healthier, was not exactly elite. Trout hit .232 with 106 hits, 64 RBIs and 26 homers, and a 1.5 WAR. Exceedingly average. He's 34 years old, he's been injured every year for the past several years, and now he's past his prime and just trying to perform at all. The Ken Griffey comparisons are real, man. A decade of dominance and a lot of empty space afterwards. And you can tell he hates letting people down, too. But yeah, Trout was at least somewhat reliable this year, at least from a power standpoint, but it was his most mediocre season yet.

2026 Prediction: An improvement statistically, though perhaps not appearance-wise.

Luis Rengifo is another one of those guys who seems to jump into the action with the Angels and perform great as a backup, then immediately gets injured and halts the momentum. Last season he hit .300 but in only 78 games. So here he got to start from the getgo, and like Trout, was healthy for most of the year, and played in 147 games. Unfortunately they were not his best work. Despite 119 hits and 43 RBIs, Rengifo's OPS went below 7 for the first time since 2021, and had a blistering -17 bWAR figure. Defensively he was average. Perhaps he's just not a great choice to start.

2026 Prediction: He's a free agent, and I don't think the Angels need to re-sign him considering that they have Christian Moore. Makes camp as a utility guy with a contact team, think the Brewers or Guardians.

After splitting 2024 between San Francisco and Atlanta, the Angels brought on Jorge Soler, thinking he'd boost their power game. Unfortunately, for the first time since his first year in Miami, Soler had some injury troubles, and only made 82 games this year, and not some of his best ones, with a .215 average, 34 RBIs and 12 homers.

2026 Prediction: Crosses 30 longballs again. 

For most of this season, the Angels settled on a compact rotation of Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz, eventually bringing in Mitch Farris and Caden Dana down the stretch. All of this to say that the Angels did not have room for Reid Detmers in their rotation, making 2025 a year without Detmers, Sandoval or Canning, the once promising young core. Detmers moved to the bullpen, and in 63 innings had a 3.96 ERA with 80 Ks. This might be the way going forward.

2026 Prediction: Leads team in appearances, perhaps notches the odd save.

The Angels actually brought on two staples of the Renteria/LaRussa White Sox teams this year, though Tim Anderson didn't go especially well for them. Yoan Moncada, yet another guy who makes waves then immediately misses 5 months, fit right in with this team. As the primary third baseman [in Rendon's absence], Moncada made only 84 games, and hit .234 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs. It's upsetting to realize just how much time Moncada lost after being set up for success in the Boston farm system.

2026 Prediction: Oh how the hell am I supposed to know? Hits .300 for the Twins, then gets clotheslined by the groundskeepers and tears his aorta. I cannot predict this man.

People are already calling Kyle Hendricks's 2025 season, his final one and his only one in a uniform not belonging to the Chicago Cubs, an oddity. I wouldn't go so far. Tim Lincecum on the Angels was an oddity. Jered Weaver on the Padres was an oddity. Brandon Crawford on the Cardinals was an oddity. Kyle Hendricks actually had some nice material in a full season in Anaheim. In 31 starts, he went 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA, 114 Ks and a 1.7 WAR. Considering how unreliable Hendricks had been in the last few seasons for the Cubs, the fact that he was consistent, healthy and had some nice moments is admirable. Dude pitched 11 years strong, did his job and hung it up when it didn't spark joy. Gotta respect it.

Coming Tomorrow- A lot of people who were promised October in Houston and couldn't get past September.