Miss the Misery

 

So. To give you an idea. Christian Scott comes up for the Mets on May 4th 2024. He's called back down on May 31st. The Grimace thing happens on June 12th. Scott gets called back up to start July 3rd. From this start to Scott going on the IL on the 21st, the Mets are 8-7. Then, after Scott's injury, the Mets keep winning til they get to an NLCS. 2025 happens, it's hysterical. 2026, decent enough start, then the bottom falls out, everybody gets injured and the Mets wind up in last. And it is at this point that Christian Scott rejoins the Mets and becomes their best starter, with a 2.50 ERA in 8 starts.

I'm thinking the #1 question on Christian Scott's mind right now has to be 'how come I'm only up when the team sucks?' Like, we have a Met whose presence boosts the team, that is Francisco Alvarez, it's proven that the team is substantially better when he's healthy. But the Mets also have Scott, who is only healthy when the team isn't very good. Is he the jinx? Or is the team just so messy this year that it can't be helped?

Now, admittedly. Since May 27th, the Mets have been *better*. Since then they've been 7-4. That's very good timing, I think New York sports fans were conflicted over something from 5 days earlier, or Knicks fever kinda bled over into the Mets. I personally credit the upsurge to the outfield stylings of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, who've been having great months. Benge is now hitting .264 with 7 homers and 26 RBIs. Ewing is hitting .270 with 24 hits and 7 steals in 26 games. And while Jared Young is not as Young as Ewing or Benge, he's still getting in on the fun with a .270 average, 3 homers and 7 RBIs in 21 games. With everything in this lineup that isn't working [[motions around]], it's nice that there can be a homegrown boost of genuine talent to help things along.

...which begs the question, would this team be better off if they didn't try to buy up all those contracts and instead let the team develop naturally? Maybe? They'd still have Brandon Sproat, PCA and Luisangel Acuna. 

Either way, the inadvertent side effect of loading up for this year is the big items they've taken on are getting eyed by competitors. Freddy Peralta's lowered his ERA to 4, and is having a very good season if you had no idea how good he was in 2024 or 2025. Marcus Semien's doing his usual thing of heating up after 2 months of progress have already gone by. Luis Robert should be back soon, and should be a July target. Some relievers might be on the block too. Probably not Devin Williams, he's suffered enough.

At the very least the Mets are a better team than they were, and have more immediate answers than just buying contracts. But they're still very far from competing, and they're nothing compared to a much sharper and fuller Braves team. So...unless they plan on really trying to see if Christian Scott is a jinx, it's probably more of the same from here on out.

Coming Tonight: I can't remember the last time that someone made breaking into the majors look so easy right from the jump. Maybe Skenes? Either way, this guy's immediately making waves.

Which Young People are the Good Ones Again?

 

The trouble with basing a team around a youth movement is that after a certain point it becomes akin to wrangling cats. And that's kinda where we're at in Boston. Obviously the veterans are gonna be taken care of. Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Ranger Suarez and IKF- no issues. They know the drill, and even the newcomers can take to Boston pretty easily. Suarez had a rough first few starts, he's mellowed out, he's now got a 3.18 ERA. Gray's even settled in, he's 7-1. IKF's been a really valuable utility guy, proving he can excel anywhere in the AL East except New York. 

But the kids...the kids that are supposed to be leading the team...it's just not entirely happening.

Roman Anthony in 2025 was hilariously inconsistent. He took a month to get going, then got hotter than hell to the point where, once he got injured, he became the 'magic hat' piece for this team. And so he starts the year healthy, and now he's hurt again. Marcelo Mayer has stayed healthy, but like last year he hasn't really gotten going yet. He's hitting .224 with a .600 OPS. This is not what was promised. Caleb Durbin cost this team Kyle Harrison, something that's gonna really haunt them going forward, and he's barely done anything this year, hitting .193. At least Isaac Collins has turned his season around. Durbin's just stalling in place. And Carlos Narvaez, after a breakout 2025, has regressed to a .200 hitter and has given the catching job back to Connor Wong essentially.

The most confounding detail of this Sox team is Jarren Duran, who's supposed to be the centerpiece of the whole thing. He's got 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 11 steals right now, which is not bad. But he is currently hitting .209, with a .655 OPS. That is heartbreakingly average. Duran is constantly put in position to be the hero, and while sometimes it does pay off, this should not be the central guy. Not when he's hitting .209. In 2024 he had a 9 WAR, and was one of the most impressive hitters in baseball. Now he's just as forgettable as he was back in 2021 when he was starting out.

What's nice is that the young players that ARE pulling their weight are mostly pitchers. Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, after debuting last August, have essentially taken over the rotation, and are in the midst of very strong breakout years. Early has made all his starts and has a 3.30 ERA with a team-leading 69 Ks. He's an impressive, consistent starter without being too flashy. Tolle is even sharper, with a 2.70 ERA and 54 Ks in 9 starts. In a year where Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet have let this team down, these two springing into action is exactly the right remedy, and is a surer sign of future value than Mayer and Durbin's antics. Also, lest we forget Ceddanne Rafaela, who's having a great contact year so far. There's even a chance Jake Bennett could make a further impact if he shakes off starts like today's, which wasn't even that bad but isn't to the standard of his compatriots. So it's not all horror stories from this youth movement, but the fact that it's a lot of that does not bode well.

The Sox have Texas and Toronto up next. I can't say with certainty that they're better than either. We'll see how the young guys continue to fare in a team very much made for them.

Coming Tomorrow- He hasn't pitched since 2024, and he's suddenly extremely valuable, which says less about him and more about the state of his team. 

Can't Keep Goodman Down

 

The good news is that, generally, the 2026 Colorado Rockies can be described as 'not as bad as last year's.' The bad news is that since April ended they haven't exactly been acting like it.

Look, here's what should sum it up. Yesterday the Rockies called up Cole Carrigg, a centerfield prospect looking to stake his claim on the team. To remind you, this team has already gone through so many 'here's the big new prospect' moments that haven't worked. This has been since like 2024. We've seen Drew Romo, Zac Veen, Yanquiel Fernandez, Warming Bernabel, Braxton Fulford, Jordan Beck, Ryan Ritter, Kyle Karros, Adael Amador, McCade Brown, Carson Palmquist and Bradley Blalock in the bigs, and with the exception of a few decent months from Beck, a solid week from Bernabel and maybe some of Karros's recent stuff, there's been little to no impact. 

The goal is to build a team upwards with young talent, and it's not gonna work if all of them can't play in the bigs. It's bad enough that there's two actual good pitching talents that absolutely refuse to stay healthy, meaning Dollander and Feltner are leaving major responsibilities to veterans on one year deals AGAIN. But the lineup is mostly replacement-level guys because the prospects aren't panning out. Brenton Doyle might even be cooked at this point. Dude started his career with two straight gold gloves and hasn't been competent since. 

So what is working? Well, once again, Hunter Goodman, who's got 17 homers and 31 RBIs already. Dude's a born hitter perfect for Coors Field, his power work has been very helpful as usual. T.J. Rumfield and Troy Johnston are having great offensive campaigns as supporting players. Jake McCarthy and Willi Castro are playing pivotal roles...seeing as Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle really aren't. The bullpen's still great, and Seth Halvorsen's finally stepping up in a big way. Feltner's been great his last few starts. Tomoyuki Sugano might be the perfect Rockies starter because he's a fly ball pitcher anyway and these guys are used to the air difference, plus he's efficient without overexerting himself. Everything else is kind of forgettable, especially the major pieces like Freeland and Tovar.

Hopefully Carrigg can provide some level of stability upon his call-up. I know they've got people coming, Roc Riggio eventually, Veen again at some point, and hopefully that can work better than what they've got. If they can eventually build something sustainable, then we can really talk, but until then it's gonna be stuff like this. And as long as it's not 2025-bad, I think we'll be alright.

Coming Tonight: In a very good sign for the club, the Red Sox are once again calling up homegrown pitchers who can actually keep runs down. 

Too Fun For the Majors

 

A couple years ago, when the White Sox were going for the all-time losses record, occasionally it would be said, 'oh, well this is a minor league team, isn't it?'. And that is what the 2024 White Sox felt like at times. The only star feels like he is rehabbing, the big pitching talent is being kept under preexisting MLB talent, the big prospect's bored out of his mind, most people are replacement level. Sad stuff.

So when I say that the Angels right now feel like a minor league team, that's not necessarily an insult. So far in 2026, we've yet to find a last place team that truly bores me to tears every time I have to write about them. Every last place team is interesting this year, from the somehow-superior Rockies to the disappointing but rallying Mets to even the backpedaling Royals. The Angels, being one of the candidates for last overall, should be an exhausting last place team. But they're not. Because they've somehow cobbled together a motley crue of former top prospects and have created the most surprising lineup in the bigs. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who runs the Bananas is taking notes. 

Beyond Mike Trout, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel, this lineup is so frigging weird. So first of all, you have Jo Adell, former top prospect, who will either hit 2 home runs and have the catch of his life or strike out 3 times and make an embarrassing error. No in-between. He's got 10 homers and 37 RBIs already, but at what cost? Then you have Oswald Peraza, consistently blocked in New York, playing everyday and hitting .270 with 7 homers and some terrific 2B play. 

That's basically the extent of the understandable lineup additions though. Cause then you get to the really wild stuff. Like Wade Meckler, former Giants farmhand waived this January, who's hitting .300 in left and is already an upgrade from Josh Lowe. Then you have backup catcher Sebastian Rivero, a career minor leaguer who had some cups of coffee with the Royals in the early 2010s who just went 5 for 5 with 6 RBIs against the DODGERS of all people. Just in the last few weeks you've had insane comeback campaigns from Jose Siri, who's hitting .375 with a 1.068 OPS, 9 RBIs and 2 homers in 19 games, and Nick Madrigal, who's hitting .346 with 9 hits in his first 10 games back. Both of these guys were dead on arrival after some injuries got them dropped by the Mets, and now they're succeeding in Anaheim.

AND! AND! Just last night the Angels brought up Trey Mancini, who hasn't played since his Cubs contract in 2023 didn't go well. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI. This is ridiculous, but somehow it's working. And to be clear, the Angels were thinking like this before as well, that's how Travis d'Arnaud, Jeimer Candelario, Adam Frazier and Yoan Moncada got roster spots. But like...none of them worked. So they brought in people who WERE doing well in the minors, and they're actually helping the team. This team beat the Dodgers 13-5 on Sunday. Not every team this season's gonna be able to say they scored more than 10 against the Dodgers.

Now, does this make them a competitor? No, not necessarily. They're playing the Astros and Rays this week, two teams that have been doing the 'whichever cheap guys can help the big league ballclub' schtick better, and for longer, than the Angels have. Last night the Astros squeaked one out. The Angels are still expected to finish in last, and I do not think this month's bonkers mentality is sustainable. But they're not exactly keeling over and dying, and they're not giving the fans a product that isn't worth going to games for.

I salute these piecemeal, ragtag Angels, for making things interesting when they could be otherwise cut-and-dry.

Coming Tomorrow- 

Good Heavens! An Actual Pirates Team!

 

It's so refreshing. Two straight years the Pirates have been basically a front for Paul Skenes's highlight reels and showcases for his agent, and now, finally, there's an actual baseball team to build around Skenes. Actual other ballplayers who can actually play well, and actual depth that can actually keep this team in the conversation for the next few months. Not that I figured it would never happen, but the fact that it hasn't in so long, and now we're here...is just really refreshing. There's actual things to talk about!

Bringing in Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, Ryan O'Hearn and Jhostynxon Garcia onto this team is some long-awaited wise thinking from management, cause they've all greatly improved this team's output. Brandon Lowe's having another phenomenal year, with 15 homers and 41 RBIs already. He might make an all-star team at this rate. O'Hearn's hitting .286 with 9 homers and 33 RBIs, doing exactly what they signed him to do. Mangum's a .291 hitter that's also an excellent outfield depth piece. And Garcia, though the team doesn't completely have room for him yet, is a dangerous hitter who, when he has made contact, has done some damage. In addition, Bryan Reynolds is having his best season in a while, with an .805 OPS and 39 RBIs. Spencer Horwitz has an .846 OPS and is still surging. Oneil Cruz can obviously still rake in between the frustration. It's a very full lineup, and one that might only get better as they figure out some of the last few details [like an actual viable catching option, which is weird to say when Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez were supposed to be so good]. 

And then, right when Paul Skenes gets rocked for a few starts, Braxton Ashcraft is able to step up and take the brunt of the workload effortlessly. He's currently 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 86 Ks [more than Skenes!] This is a more human year for Skenes, as his ERA's over 3 and he's getting hit more often than usual, probably the effect of pitching for 2 years straight. The down seasons are gonna happen, just hopefully they're only this and not full burnout. You also have Jared Jones slowly returning to his old self, Bubba Chandler finding the strike zone, Mitch Keller trying to stay consistent and Carmen Mlodzinski all but assuring he'll be dealt in a month and a half. The bullpen's not great but it was a lot worse before. 

Just very refreshing to see a Pirates team this good, and one that's able to soundly beat the Astros, Cubs and Reds. This week they're playing the Dodgers. Considering how well the Braves series went, this could be similarly rough, but Skenes is pitching in one of these games, so maybe they'll keep things rolling.

Coming Tonight: The Yanks had nowhere to play him....but the Angels certainly did. And now they're being rewarded. 

Lugo for Broke

 

The Royals' season was already kinda going down the toilet, despite the amount of talent baked into it. But now, Bobby Witt Jr.'s got right knee soreness and it feels like the whole season could be hinging on it. Remember 2024, where everybody showed up and made this a formidable, varied team with so many different points to hit teams with? Now we're at 'if Witt's gone there's no point'. 

Cause like...when one of the big storylines of the WBC is 'look at Caglianone and Pasquantino go for Team Italy', and then they get back and Pasquatch hits .220 with a .650 OPS and Caglianone takes a month to get going, has a strong May then gets hurt...that's false advertising, man. Every spring for the past four years has been 'look at how well Vinnie Pasquantino's been playing', and then the season starts and he hits .220. He just does this. Mr. February. Right now it's Witt, Cags, Maikel Garcia and surprisingly Michael Massey who are the only people currently doing well in the lineup. Salvador Perez is technically hitting, but he's hitting .204. They're phasing him out of catching more and more, and while Carter Jensen is a slight upgrade, he's been slumping a bit lately. The lineup just doesn't have the forcefulness and depth that it used to, and even the Twins are doing more in that department right now.

As for the rotation...the draw in 2024 was that if you have Cole Ragans up top, then Seth Lugo and Brady Singer, and then Michael Wacha's your fourth man, it's still gonna be difficult. Having the depth of 'here are some young fireballers who can beat you and also here are two 34-year-olds who can also beat you' is how they got far in 2024. Now, Bubic and Ragans are hurt, Marsh is still hurt, Stephen Kolek's out on leave, and the sole lines of defense are Seth Lugo, who's good but not 2024 good, Michael Wacha, who's still very good, and Noah Cameron who's good now but took a while to get there...with the other two days' worth of options being Luinder Avila and a shrug....yeah, that's not deep. They're getting Kolek back tomorrow, that will help. And worse comes to worse they could try Ryan Bergert, if they needed to. But it's much less formidable now. Lugo's still a fundamentally good pitcher, he's got a 3.91 ERA and 64 Ks, but he's getting dangerously close to Chris Bassitt territories of innings-eating. Bullpen isn't great either.

The rumor is that, once Matt Quatraro loses his job this year [how the hell is Oli Marmol gonna out last this guy?], the Royals are gonna try to court Albert Pujols to take over, and that might help things, but...I dunno if this team is a managerial regime away from being fixed. If you keep putting people in position to hit and they don't hit, a new manager can't fix that. Maybe a new GM can, but we don't wanna talk about that yet probably..

Coming Tomorrow- So Paul Skenes has had a rough go of things lately, meaning now was an ideal time for another Pirates pitcher to step up. But then Jared Jones got rocked in his first start back. So it was up to this other guy.

Mead 'Em and Weep

 

2026 has already been a nice year for Australian ballplayers, and so soon after Liam Hendriks sort of trailed off. You've got the frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year, Travis Bazzana, already taking to the bigs like a fish to water, he grew up in Australia then went to Oregon State. You've got Brandan Bidois, a relief specialist who just came up with the Pirates and has been doing alright for himself [or really just 'better than Justin Lawrence and Mason Montgomery were doing]. And then you've got Curtis Mead, who struggled to find an entryway with Philly, Tampa and the White Sox then was dealt to Washington right before the season started and is now an everyday guy. For a country whose biggest exports to this point were Dave Nilsson and Graeme Lloyd, things seem to be picking up for our friends down under.

Mead is the kind of hitter that the Nationals need right now, because his contact sensibilities click with this team, and he's still got plenty of prime years left. Right now he's got an .829 OPS, 9 homers and 28 RBIs. He's settling in as a corner infielder, primarily playing third but occasionally finding time at 1st. Considering how many sneaky contact guys are already on this team [Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, C.J. Abrams, Luis Garcia], Mead just seemed to arrive at the perfect time. And throwing an Australian journeyman with contact ability in with the people who were part of the plan to begin with is a very Toronto-esque strategy of just going for it. Why not Curtis Mead, especially if he's playing this well.

It's the same mentality that's made Foster Griffin a rotation staple this year, even after all that missed time overseas. It explains why Jorbit Vivas, former Yankee also-ran, is providing some recent utility flair. It's also why the team has been so patient with Zack Littell, after a scary start to the season. His last few starts have been really good, and he's back to allowing only 1 or 2 runs per game, winning his last five starts easily. It's a shame Littell's April was so snakebitten, but the guy who surprised people with the Rays and Reds last year is definitely still in there. 

The Nats know they're probably not a competitor this year, and are just trying to be the best they can given those circumstances. Fortunately, this 'why not' mentality has put them in 3rd place, a game above .500 and with one of the most run-scoring teams in the league. This week they've been chasing the D-Backs, a very good team, and have the Giants to play next. Even if the likelihood of the Nats being sellers is still high, they're doing more with a depleted team than anyone would have thought, and it might even mean that James Wood leading a team to the playoffs might not even be that far away.

Coming Tonight- One of those guys that finds himself after turning 30. The Royals have been loving his stuff.