When did the name 'Tristan' come back into prominence? There's a long gap between the Tristans of, like...medieval times, and like...the other best friend from the 4Kids Yu-Gi-Oh dub for some reason [and what did he accomplish, anyway? Did he ever play any of the card game? Did he do anything ever other than wacky shenanigans while his friends risked life and limb taking part in duels?]. And now we have Tristans again. Maybe 'Preston' died off and that's what replaced it. Either way, people are being named 'Tristan' again, and in a see of Kaydengh's and Bradlee's and Jurrangelo's, I guess it's fine?
There's two guys named Tristan in the bigs right now who have almost the exact same career trajectory. Both of them kicked around multiple different MLB rosters without making an impact, both wound up in Tampa last year, both were not of use to the Rays and were set forth on other rosters and both are having surprising breakout seasons that cost their club far less than the people they were truly banking on this year. Both Tristans. Tristan Gray of the Twins, and Tristan Peters of the White Sox.
Therefore, I am coining a new baseball term, right now, based on this current phenomena. This happens from time to time on the blogs. Thorzul coined the term 'pissant' for a player that only seems to do well against your team. Beardy or somebody coined the term 'bip' to refer to an excessive amount of one card or player in a package on purpose for a gag. Nick from Dime Boxes talked about 'short term stops', 'zero-year cards' and 'sunset cards', all terms I still use. But here, I wanna clarify what makes a Tristan, or a pocket Tristan if you will, what they are.
A Tristan, as I'm making clear right now, is a nomadic major leaguer who comes to prominence with a team that is not his first organization, nor is it his second. This player has got to be in his late 20s or older by the time he makes his impact, and it has to be for a team that has enough money to bring on large contracts, or be let down by them. This player must become absolutely indispensable, out of nowhere, to the point where he runs the risk of becoming a 'magic hat' player [that one I coined a long time ago, a player who fuels a team's rise in the standings, and who, when taken away, results in the team reverting to their prior self]. Whether or not the success is sustainable does not matter. Some Tristans just keep being good for the rest of their career, some peter off almost immediately.
Now, there is a difference between a Tristan and a Jabroni, and that difference is quality. Tristans hit .300, Jabronis hit .230 but smack homers like you wouldn't believe. So someone like T.J. Rumfield, whether he's a Tristan or a Jabroni is still on the fence because we're still not sure how much quality is built into his material. It's also important to note that a Tristan cannot be a known prospect who resurfaces and comes to prominence that way. Dominic Smith and Mickey Moniak cannot be Tristans because I knew who they were first. Nathan Lukes on the other hand? Without question. The Jays are his third team, his breakout was at 30, he's a .300 hitter that did better than Anthony Santander, and he's a really big part of the team now.
A lot of Tristans have shown up this year. Curtis Mead is almost certainly a Tristan. Carlos Cortes is definitely one, and that .300 average in May cemented it. Luis Torrens actually got an extension to keep being the Mets' backup catcher, making him one of the highest paid Tristans in the land; and no, a contract does not make a Tristan any less of a Tristan. Max Schuemann is at the point where if he keeps at it, he could be a Tristan. It's just too early to tell.
We should probably talk a bit about Tristan Peters, since that who this post is about. The Rays cut him last year, which a lot of Tristans actually have in common, and the White Sox took a flyer. In a year where Austin Hays, Derek Hill and Jarred Kelenic were supposed to have concrete outfield spots, Peters somehow made all of them obsolete. As the everyday centerfielder, Peters is hitting .294 with 21 RBIs and an .804 OPS. He makes up a heart of the lineup that's grown scarier over time, with Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, and now both Colson AND Braden Montgomery raining down on opposing pitching. This Sox team is in first place in the AL Central, and looks to stay there if the Guardians' injuries keep piling up. And it's guys like Peters who've gotten them there. I'm really happy for this team.
The White Sox being a first place team is very good for baseball. And if you wanna get to where they're at right now, I'd suggest finding a Tristan of your own. You can get 'em pretty cheap these days..
Coming Tonight: So many starters are getting lit up on the North Side right now that this guy's the closest thing they've got to stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment