A lot happened in July 2023. Not all of it was overwhelmingly good, but it was definitely a lot. Thanks to the trade deadline, we have a clearer picture of what this season's about to turn into, and which stars are sticking around, not just on their teams but as baseball greats.
Last month I made five predictions for this month, let's see how I did:
1. Some All-Star Game roster/replacement thing pisses me off. I've honestly come around on most of it, but Dusty slotting in Austin Hays to start in the outfield over Julio Rodriguez [IN SEATTLE] is extremely short-sighted.
2. Okay, NOW we get a welcome return from the IL for someone who's been long expected this year. Brendan Rodgers is back, so that's somewhat fulfilling of this. I'd also count Jose Quintana in this category.
3. An extremely big piece for a lower-tier team gets dealt. As I write this, the only thing close to this is Jeimer Candelario leaving Washington, as a lot of the other big pieces aren't exactly big fish in small ponds.
4. Rob Manfred says or does something silly with the eyes of the fanbase on him. Surprisingly not, though he probably said something asinine about Oakland/Vegas so assume this is filled anyhow.
5. I'm heading to two MLB games next month, and one of them features something I'll never forget witnessing live. I only was able to make one of these due to scheduling conflicts, but I'm still saying this was an accurate prediction because I got to see Giancarlo Stanton hit one of the hardest home runs I've ever seen. The man massacred that thing.
Sort of there, but not quite on some of them. Now, let's look at 5 things from July 2023 that no one could have predicted:
1. The Cubs are, in fact, buyers. I had hoped the Cubs would stave off the trade deadline this year, but the NL Central was so tight, and every time the team began to impress me they'd do something stupid, or go on a slump. I saw them play early in the month, they were fine, but we did kind of rough them up. Then after the all-star break they caught fire, decided to keep Stroman and Bellinger, and dealt for Jeimer Candelario. With the Pirates and Cardinals essentially out of the picture, and the Reds and Brewers technically within reach, the Cubs have more than enough assets to keep coasting and keep themselves in the picture. It'd be nice if they made something of this season, even if it's not gonna be easy for them.
2. The full extent of the Mets' fire-sale. I had figured they'd part with smaller pieces like Robertson and Pham, but Mark Canha, Max Scherzer and potentially even Justin Verlander, and more, going is...while not a BOMBSHELL, still not something I thought we'd be getting this year. With everything that this Mets team looked like they were going to accomplish this year, it's still heartbreaking, even for someone like me who's Mets-ambivalent, that they had to give people up. Especially Max Scherzer, who, while it'll be cool to see him compete with Texas, probably could have been a lot better in Queens. I'm still not sure if Verlander will be joining him in Texas [pleasedeargodno], but if so, it'll have made yet another missed opportunity for this trying franchise.
3. The Angels might actually be for real. It only took a series against the Yankees for the Angels to realize that maybe Shohei Ohtani's worth keeping after all. The Angels did a lot of smart things from the jump, slowly dealing for people like Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas for bench roles, then going for the big pieces with deals for Lucas Giolito, Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron. Not only has this team reaffirmed their rotation, but they've bulked up their lineup with two people who came up in this system. And with Ohtani still doing incredible things, along with some of the lower-budget players and rookies impressing as well, this Angels team looks really good, and is priming themselves for either a wild card spot or a surprise takeover of the division. I'd kind of love to see it.
4. The Yankees forget how to hit. Welp. Even after I got to see them, the Yanks just fell apart, with or without Judge. Bader and Rizzo went cold, Stanton was only good for homers, the back half of the lineup caved in, and only really Gleyber Torres was doing anything substantial. The team's currently in last, being batted around by the Rays. Oh goody.
5. We basically have our MVPs decided now. You know, maybe there'll be other candidates that show up, but you can pretty much start etching Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna's names on the trophy. These two are both having 'nobody's ever done this before' type seasons, and it's been fantastic watching them continue to scale the heights of the record books. Right now they're even playing each other, which has gotta be cool.
On the inverse of that, here are 5 Things from July 2023 that basically anyone could have predicted:
1. Baltimore laps Tampa. Even with the Rays having a huge start and making insanely smart roster conservation moves as they went on, it was only a matter of time before the red-hot Orioles, with so many players exceeding their expectations, took over 1st and kept going even as they clawed back. It's something I'd like to see stay put for a while. Not because the Rays don't deserve it, but because it's even more satisfying to see the Orioles on top after all this time.
2. The Dodgers were just playing the long game like usual. This is not the first time they've played the slow spool approach, taking it easy in the first half and jumping into high gear late to capitalize on the frontrunner's slumping. The D-Backs went cold, so in came LA. It's happened many times, before, and it'll happen many times again. What's interesting is that with the pitching still hazy, the Dodgers have been slipping more and more, and it's possible that the Giants could even take over 1st place, which is a wild concept. Lance Lynn is probably gonna help steer for a bit, but to have the potential for like 3 different first place team's in a span of a month for such a tough division is...very interesting.
3. The magic bringing Chase Anderson and Julio Teheran back to their former glory wears off. We were all waiting, especially for Anderson. Dude can't go that long without giving up runs without something giving in the other direction.
4. Brayan Bello might actually be for real. I remember thinking it was a gamble for the Red Sox to use Bello, who'd been an in-between guy before, as a starting option going into the season, as it stunk of a lack of substantial options. Little did I know that once Sale, Pivetta, Whitlock and Houck all wore off, Bello would end up being the single most effective starter the Sox would have this year. Bello has worked 96 innings, has a 3.66 ERA, 7 wins and 82 Ks. The man is just a steady, reliable arm that isn't overtaxing himself and just providing so much insurance to a team without much to rest on. He's 24, he might be at this for a bit.
5. The Rockies really shouldn't have spent all that money on Kris Bryant. Injured for most of last year, injured for a lot of this year, only hitting .250. I don't know how they could have predicted this, but I wish they would have just seen this coming. It may also just be a really poor fit, honestly. He's stuck on a last place team trying to rebuild yet still paying for him.
Just for future reference, here are, in my opinion, the 5 Most Important Players of July 2023:
No comments:
Post a Comment