2026: Mind the Elephant Dung

 

It's not as if the MLB hasn't done a 'let's pretend everything's normal' season before. You saw it in 1995. You saw it in 2020 and 2021, after the pandemic. You saw it after free agency began in the 70s. There is always going to be an effort, whenever there is something that, in a just world, would lead to work stoppage or a deliberation, for the people who lie and die by the revenue to go 'okay, from the top, just like the last time'. 

More than even 2023, the league seems headed for not just a players' strike, but a complete lockout. The wealth disparity between owners has become ridiculous, with teams like the Dodgers able to routinely buy championships, and teams like the Guardians [who, keep in mind, also have CEOs with plenty of money] not at all able to compete. The players are gonna go towards the best offers to sustain their lifestyles, and the guys with the bigger pockets are gonna have those, so they're gonna keep winning. Kyle Tucker, Dylan Cease and Tyler Soderstrom will be making Shohei Ohtani money for their solid but not overly spectacular gameplay. And so the owners' immediate response is, 'okay, let's pay everyone less and do a salary cap'. Not to actually put more money into the team and try as much as the top guys are. No, bring them down and justify their lack of spending. 

It's 100% true that every MLB player, and MiLB player, deserves the right to earn enough to make a living. But if there's a pay disparity, the workers should not be blamed or penalized, the owners and CEOs should. Without players, there is no product, as the owners will likely find out in a year's time. If you want to bring in revenue, you need to pay your star players, or any players, what they are worth. We know what happens when an owner doesn't do this, and it leads to a mass talent exodus that makes John Fisher only the SECOND-worst owner in A's history. Now, it's also an issue when the lack of talent on the field, and the lack of ticket sales, doesn't provide an incentive for owners to spend because they own 3 or 4 other things with more immediate revenue. 

Regardless, something needs to be done. I'm of the opinion that a salary floor should be implemented above all else, to incentivize the Bob Nuttings and Pohlads of this world to actually build teams. Some cap might need to be in there as well None of the players' union people want a salary cap, even with Tony Clark conveniently leaving his position ahead of the union a year or so before deliberations begin [it's still bad what he did, I just think the timing of it coming out is really suspicious]. You have two stubborn camps, one with money and one without, and like in 2023, and 1994, you can kind of guess who's gonna cave first. Whether or not the solution will actually help anyone, that's another thing entirely.

But with all this a year away, and with the tensions between the owners and players still relatively high [remember, Bryce Harper nearly beat the shit out of Rob Manfred last year], there's still a season of baseball that needs to be played. Which means everyone needs to act like there isn't gonna be a work stoppage next year and deliver an exciting season. Easy, right?

There's obviously a lot of great storylines to follow this season. The Cubs are certainly one of them. Yes, they lost Kyle Tucker, but they gained Alex Bregman, still an elite third baseman and an upgrade from Matt Shaw in several ways. Bregman-Swanson-Hoerner-Busch may be one of the best infields in the league, on a count of how much can be produced, and how much value you're getting. The Cubs have reportedly tried to trade Nico Hoerner, but I wouldn't dream of it considering how valuable he's been for them, and how consistent he's been since 2022. With the Brewers looking to continue their sleeper-hit status and the Reds looking to compete without overdoing it, the Cubs are the favorite for 1st in the NL Central. Y'know, like last year. Is this the team that actually gets over the hump?

A lot of really cool stuff could happen in this season. Konnor Griffin might be ready in Pittsburgh, and that team might have enough to sneak into the conversation. The Athletics might be a playoff team this year, and have the contracts to last them through the Vegas premiere. Murakami might be the piece that gets the White Sox out of 'laughable' status. Andrew Painter might FINALLY get to start MLB games. Ohtani and Judge might chase 50 again. There's all sorts of promise and excitement, and I really hope this year can deliver, even if it's looking pretty likely that we might not get a full season next year. 

One Annoyance After Another

 

It takes a special kind of player to get through playing for a team I don't like for eight years and then immediately go to another team I don't like. Thorzul, back when he blogged regularly, coined the term 'pissant' for a player that only does well against your team; I use 'Yankee-killer' when talking about the ones who specifically kill the Yankees, your Ellis Burkses and Carlos Penas and now Devers and Vlad Jr. But this is more specific--someone who seems to only exist to antagonize your teams, and whose moves seem to directly back up this vendetta. I think about Cody Ross, who frequented the teams that always seemed to go against mine, or Joe Kelly, who really went from the Cardinals to the Red Sox to the Dodgers. 

Alex Bregman is the next level of this. Bregman was a founding member of a team that cheated their way to a World Series over the Yankees, and were penalized so badly that they kept doing it for another 6 years, culminating in another ring that the league tried to convince us was won fairly. I tried to convince myself that it'd be okay to tolerate the Astros again once the members of that 2017 team all left [Verlander notwithstanding, it's clear he was never part of it], and while it's pretty much just Altuve and McCullers left right now, I'm still not exactly rooting for them. And a lot of these 2017 guys, when they left they picked teams I was alright with, Correa with the Twins, Tucker with the Cubs, Springer with the Jays [I mean, I tolerate it I guess]. Bregman decided to further spite me, and Yankee fans, in particular and sign with the Red Sox, meaning we'd play him even more times a year and the losses would hurt even more. 

The trouble with Bregman, much like the trouble with Altuve, is that you keep waiting for his stats to finally sour so people can give up on him and it just doesn't happen. Bregman, with all his smack talk, is still an excellent hitter, and still an excellent third baseman. Not a lot of people want to talk about this, especially me, but through age 31, Bregman's stats are relatively close to Hall of Fame quality. That's a 41.1 career WAR right now, and he's got plenty more time, especially considering he's still in his prime. Granted, it's closer to either a Scott Rolen 'wait for a while' thing or a Dale Murphy/Buddy Bell 'borderline Hall of Very Good' thing, but considering that Altuve's pretty much a lock, JV's getting in and Beltran will likely be in eventually, saying Bregman should be in as well isn't exactly out of line. He was a crucial member of those teams, nearly won an MVP, has averaged 4.3 WAR in each of the last 3 years, and has only really been injured for one season. And judging by these Sox numbers, he's still got plenty to add.

Right now, with the Red Sox, Bregman is validating the signing. People were skeptical at the time, 'what'll this do to Devers', but this seems to be the right move right now. Through 26 games, Bregman is batting .320, with a 1.5 WAR, 21 RBIs, 5 homers and a league-leading 10 doubles. Bregman and Trevor Story have formed a really nice veteran duo at the heart of the lineup, with both healthy, hitting and fulfilling the power end while Devers heals his ego. Honestly, I prefer this to Bregman's Astros stuff, because there he'd creep up on you, sort of pull things together at the end of the year despite some torrid stretches. Here, he's just simply as good as he looks. Y'know, there he is, hitting .300, helping the team out. It's a much less entitled team, too; the Astros, up until last year, were acting like the AL West was theirs and theirs alone, and that attitude led to the collapse. The Sox know they need to fight for it, and they know that with the O's struggling and the Yanks beginning to slide, they could easily take the division and run with it. 

There are still some fundamental issues with this team [Devers, the 'pen, some starters] but Bregman may have jumped ship at the right time. Maybe not a great move for me specifically, but this might be the Sox's year to make a difference.

Coming Tomorrow- In the long tradition of great Atlanta third basemen, a power hitter who's helping bring the team back from oblivion.

Astros Update: Oh, Spare Me Edition

 

The Houston Astros do not need starting pitching help. They do not. You have like 80 starters. Cut that shit out.

I mean, if you want to be crass, if you want to be pedantic, you could go 'well actually they're still without Justin Verlander for a little longer and they only have three or four guys officially tied down'-okay listen. Your fifth man is Jake Bloss. Jake Bloss is not only an organizational stud who smoked through the minors in a year, he's also a proven heavyweight with an 0.00 ERA in one appearance in Triple-A. That he currently has a 7 ERA is mainly due to the fact that he's a 23-year-old facing the best of the best. Spencer Arrighetti got lit up his first few starts, he mellowed out, he's doing a lot better now. Perhaps that'll happen to Bloss, who's fundamentally a better pitcher than Arrighetti. Considering that eventually people like Javier, McCullers, Urquidy, France and Garcia will come back, perhaps it's better to just let him get MLB experience this year and gear him up to potentially deal him for a big piece in the offseason. Or maybe keep him considering that some guys are gone next year anyway.

But apparently the Astros are on the hunt for starters. They've checked in about Jack Flaherty, they've checked in about Yusei Kikuchi, they do not...need to. You have ELEVEN STARTERS on the roster. ELEVEN OF THEM. YOU DO NOT NEED TWELVE. You are fine. You need to wait for people to get healthy, conserve what you do have, and if somebody does get hurt, nobody will fault you if you do a bullpen game. There is NO POINT in getting another starter just for the sake of having five strong options. The Diamondbacks made it to a World Series last year with only three starters they actually liked, and that was enough. The Astros have five starters. They will likely get Verlander back soon. That does not warrant the need for Jack Flaherty. If they do it at this point, it's solely because they want to annoy everyone in the general vicinity, including and especially me.

This is the last contracted season in Houston for Alex Bregman, and can I just say it's about damned time. No one has summed up this era of Astros infuriation quite like Bregman, in that he showed up right as the team got good, legged it out for the whole era and never once did anything remotely likable. His rookie season he was already arguing with fans on Twitter and calling them names. That was his best foot forward. Now it's not always an indication of character, Bryce Harper started at 'that's a clown question' and blossomed into a saint among men. Bregman doubled down. Like Altuve, he's never been completely terrible at the plate. Never 2010s levels, but always good enough to still be in the conversation, like a gnat.  Anyway, he's hitting .257 with 50 RBIs and 13 homers. I'd really like for him to play somewhere else next year but we all know the Astros are gonna roll out some 'retire as an Astro' contract just to make it more about themselves.

The Astros, who are 5 games over .500, are 1st in the AL West solely because their opponents are a Mariners team with no hitting and a Rangers team where most of the pitching is injured. I genuinely feel like if those two variables were different the Astros wouldn't be in first. They've gotten so lucky, and they've been given so many damn clean breaks by the MLB. If they make another ALCS despite every other great story that's elapsed this year, I'll go mental.

Coming Tonight: A happier post, hopefully. Well, it does concern an ex-Yankee, but this one I'm alright with.

Breg For It

 

Well, here we are again. The Astros have won two straight close games against a division rival, have series' against teams it's been proven that they can beat, and have yet to show any signs of being inconvenienced by losing Yordan Alvarez, Framber Valdez or, y'know, any of the people they've lost to free agency. Almost as if the MLB themselves have paved the way for their success yet again.

I figure that eventually I'll be alright with this team doing well on their own means, but as long as the members of the 2017 squad remain on this team and continue to waltz towards success, I'm gonna be mad. Alex Bregman was having a normal enough year, then caught fire last month and now has 53 RBIs and 12 homers. I am so sick of seeing this guy doing well, especially after he became one of the heels of the MLB in 2017 by trash-talking fans on social media and then doubling down once the cheating allegations appeared. Jose Altuve is at least having something of a down year, but he still just persists as a consistent enough force in the back of one's head to remain an annoyance. He's not even doing anything, but I don't like that he's still there; similar to somebody like Cody Ross. 

The Astros have lost games more consistently, and did drop a ton of games mid-month to open 2nd place for the Angels, but now they've undone all of that and are using this Rangers series as a way of inching back up to first. The narrative of this season was already established: the Rangers score a lot of runs, built a team over the course of a few years, and can succeed fully thanks to Bruce Bochy. It's not as satisfying if that plot line is upended by 'and then the Astros won, like they usually do'. I am aware that baseball doesn't often follow a narrative arc that makes sense, like many fictional media tends to, but I want to be able to map the story of the year as it unfolds, rather than bridging it together after the fact. And it's a lot more disappointing seeing all of these worthy stories getting squelched by yet another Astros team that refuses to be bad when given the opportunity.

In the place of their many injured pitchers, the Astros have brought up Hunter Brown and J.P. France, and both have been excellent starters that may have even improved on what the rotation once was. The Astros have gotten mileage out of replacements like Yainer Diaz and Mauricio Dubon, and are using their many young players to build a new version of this team that can withstand competition. I had hoped that the lower draft picks had dulled this farm system's quality, but it has not, and they still keep bringing up these excellent players without end, it seems.

I am exhausted, disillusioned and saddened by this Astros team just...doing what they always do, and creeping their way up to annoy me further. Something has to stop this. Something has to change. Please. 

Coming Tomorrow- To me, one of the most egregious All-Star snubs.

Ain't Too Proud to Breg

 

There's an old Looney Tunes cartoon where Daffy Duck spends the whole cartoon running from the man from the draft board trying to enlist Daffy. And Daffy does everything to get away, even locking him in a safe and burning it, throwing all sorts of violence towards this man, and he still persists because Daffy needs to have a comeuppance.

This is how I feel about the Astros. No matter how much this team befalls things that could upend a normal team, they keep freaking dominating. And it makes me absolutely miserable. 

The Astros are getting an incredible age-39 season out of Justin Verlander, an excellent rookie season out of Jeremy Pena, and peak years from Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Framber Valdez and Alex Bregman. And even if Michael Brantley, one of their contact-hitting constants, is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, the Astros just got Lance McCullers back and he's been annihilating the A's already. 

And you also have to remember that this team did pretty well at the deadline. Trey Mancini has already hit three homers as an Astro. Christian Vazquez, regardless of his struggles at the current moment, is a catching upgrade and is bringing this team closer to championship formation. Those pieces, in addition to airing out the Odorizzi contract, have made this team more compact and airtight. 

The only problem is...I don't think anybody wants the Astros to win again.

It's become a normal thing. You know, any playoff picture in the last few years is gonna include the Astros. Even if people get injured, you just have the feeling they'll make it. 2020, they finish under .500...still in the playoff picture. And it's become less special, as well. For years, the Astros were underperformers and low-ranking, and now that they're excellent again, it's almost like they're overexposed. I put them in the category of the Cardinals, Dodgers and even Yankees where if they're gonna be good every year, it's gonna be less special. And the Astros having cheated doesn't do them many favors.

I assume the Astros are going to do very well this year. With the AL Central being diluted and the Yankees looking human, there's a good chance they could make it to a World Series. It's not set in stone, and there's a surprising amount of teams capable of taking them out of the picture, but...with this team looking this good, and with everyone else sliding as they stay consistent...it's gonna take a real effort to block them from winning it all again.

Coming Tomorrow- It took him years to figure the majors out, but once he did...nobody has been able to stop him.

Breg for Mercy

 Here are some storylines that would have been a lot better than the Astros just winning the AL West in a runaway yet again.

-The Athletics retain their midseason lead over the Astros, continue to pound them into submission, eliminate them from the conversation in late August, and find a spot in the postseason against the White Sox, making this ALCS a thrilling rematch of last season's wild card series, with different stakes and new heroes and villains.

-The Mariners somehow build off their July-August run, go toe to toe with the Astros in August, nailing them as the season ends, then watching with glee as they lose a one-game playoff to the Blue Jays. Jake Fraley, Tyler Anderson and Paul Sewald become postseason icons as the Mariners end their 20 year drought.

-The Angels keep Trout, Rendon AND Ohtani, and replenish the pitching staff at the deadline, outmatching the Astros throughout the season, and leaving them plenty of room to take the West.

-The Astros go through a Yankees-like train of injuries, losing Altuve, Correa, McCullers, Greinke, Alvarez, Bregman and Gurriel in a week's span, and having to bring up replacements to get by. And unlike the Yankees, this kills them and they can't come back for it.

-The Rangers use Kohei Arihara, the new young cheap free agents, and Adolis Garcia's home runs to defy logic and ascend the AL West, pushing LA to last, and embarrassing Houston in August.

-The Astros get returned to the NL Central and get pulverized by the Cardinals in September.

I'd rather a season where any of those happened, as unlikely as some of them are, than another boring year where nobody can catch the Astros and they just make the postseason automatically almost. The lack of serious reparations on this team is allowing them to continue their reign over the game, and even if they miss the World Series this year, they're still an evergreen contender. And new members like Luis Garcia, Jose Siri and Jake Meyers are ensuring that this team has a chance even when Altuve, Bregman, Correa and the gang all graduate. 

All I am asking...is for someone in the AL West to become better than the Astros. Not for a month, not for a few games. For the year. Give them a chance to feel like losers, which they don't get enough chances to. Let them sit with what they've done. Show them how you felt. I'll take any of the other 4 teams, including the once-loathsome Rangers. Just...for 2022, shoot for that particular fence. 

Because the Astros are probably gonna be awesome next month, and we're once again looking at an Astros-Rays ALCS unless one of the more fun teams sneaks a win through. So I really hope this team loses some of their momentum over the coming weeks, and lets a more deserving competitor get some glory this year. Cause...I don't know how many more years of this crap I can take.

And I should know about contenders that don't need to be there, I'm a Yankees fan.

Coming Tomorrow- A third baseman who broke into the league 13 years ago, and is still chasing postseason glory.

Division Series' Day Four: World's Most Boring Playoff Year Taking Shape

Dansby Swanson has every right to be overjoyed right now. Not just because his Braves battered Sixto Sanchez and the Marlins to claim a spot in the NLCS for the first time since 2001. But because the Atlanta Braves may soon be the only interesting team left in the playoff arrangement. 

Folks. The fun, oddball teams are all dying out. The Marlins are done. The Padres are done. The A's are done. And even if the Yankees were to somehow make it, that wouldn't be fun for most of you. This is looking like an Astros-Rays ALCS and a Braves-Dodgers NLCS. Woop-de-doo. You honestly could have guessed that in February, before any of this horseshit year even happened. "Uhhh, I dunno...the Braves and Dodgers are gonna be good this year. So are the Astros and Rays". If it's obvious at the beginning AND the end, the same outcome, that's not exactly a gripping race.

The Braves have the most character and spontaneity to them. Their rotation is incredibly young, the bullpen is strong, the lineup has a sort of piecemeal, anyone-can-hit-here sort of quality [Pablo Sandoval is still on the roster!], and everyone's playing well. They're also the least predictable of the four teams [likely to] make the next round, and therefore I have to root for them. 

The odd part is that any other year, a team finishing below .500 and still making the playoffs, and the ALCS, would be a feel-good, underdog story.

But because it's the friggin Astros, it's the worst thing ever. 

The A's and Twins were supposed to keep this team down, using their status as division leaders and above-500 teams, as well as using their non-disappointing averages following seasons where they didn't cheat. Somehow, the Astros got to the A's pitching ONCE AGAIN, overpowered Oakland 11-6, and now are sitting comfortably in the ALCS for the umpteenth damned year. It pisses me off to no avail, and of all the teams in this next playoff rung, I want them to win the least.

Mostly because they've won most recently, as opposed to everyone else, who've been waiting 20, 30 years. But also because, you know, of the cheating thing. 

The Yankees also won, which I was not expecting whatsoever. Especially considering the start by Jordan Montgomery, which gave up a run in a silly way. Somehow, the Yankees bats prevailed, and home runs from Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres kept us alive against a bullpen day from the Rays.

And yet...this gives me a strange, conflicted feeling. If the Rays win, they have a better chance of beating the Astros. Yet, if the Yankees win...it could potentially mean a SECOND consecutive drubbing by Houston in the ALCS for us, and we do not want the Astros to get to the World Series again. Houston is very good at illuminating lackluster pitching, and we certainly have that. I fear if the Yankees win tomorrow, it won't be any different from how we usually fare against the Astros in October. There's a chance, but...I know our luck.

It does mean we have to get past the Rays first, which is difficult enough. I have no idea who Tampa's starting tomorrow. I have no idea who NEW YORK is starting tomorrow. Are we on enough rest that Gerrit Cole can start for us again? Does that also mean Blake Snell is good for that start? Is it a bullpen day for both of us? Either way, I'm predicting a bloody fight to the finish, a lot like the Yankees' series with Cleveland. 

And thanks to a 12-point drubbing of the Padres' bullpen, the Dodgers, the team that has been fantastic all decade yet somehow has yet to get a ring since 88, seem to be heading back to glory with a return trip to the NLCS against Atlanta. Will Smith, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and AJ Pollock led the charge, and Julio Urias went five innings without allowing a run, more proof that the once-forgotten prospect has officially made it, and is kicking ass this postseason.

As sad as it is that the Padres' ascent had to end here, the Dodgers are still looking like the most powerful team in baseball, and their clash against the Braves is gonna be epic. 

Tonight...Yanks-Rays for all the marbles. Either outcome means something different. I'm still rooting for my Yankees, but I'm also rooting for the Astros to not figure out the Yankee rotation.

Heard About Houston?

[Heard about Detroit? Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?]

So maybe I was a little off on my 'why are we playing the rest of this season when it's obvious that the Dodgers and Astros are gonna be meeting in the World Series?' post.

Since then, the Dodgers have stayed very strong, while the Astros, suffice to say, have dropped a few series. Not just to actual good teams, like the Yankees. They dropped a series to Cincinnati, and then they dropped one to Pittsburgh. And now they've got a series with Seattle, so if they're dropping multiple games there, the Astros will need to seriously reevaluate itself.

And it's not like a massive part of the team has stopped working. You still have Yuli Gurriel on a tear (this has been a two week stretch where both Gurriel brothers have been hitting extraordinarily), you still have Alex Bregman playing like a pro, and you still have a Cy-Young caliber year from Justin Verlander. But the closer you look, you begin to see little things that aren't working, like Tyler White's bat, Jose Altuve's contact hitting, Collin McHugh's high ERA, and Tony Kemp's disappointing sophomore numbers.

The core of the team is still really good, but these little things are beginning to cluster up and bite the Astros in the butt. I don't think this is a death sentence for this team, because bad weeks happen and I don't think the Rangers deserve to be a first place team this year, but...this is definitely a 'back to earth' week. Maybe they're not the best team in the AL, and maybe they're not gonna be the ultimate underdogs they've been in years past. But...they're still gonna be good, and they're still gonna use the second half to get some major momentum back.

Coming Tonight: The bearded constant for what's become one of the best teams of the decade.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Astros

2018 may have been a slight downgrade from the Astros' spectacular 2017...but, above all else, it was the year of Alex Bregman.

The third baseman who'd shown glints of potential down the stretch of the 2017 playoff run came out in full force this year, running a serious threat for MVP, hitting 31 home runs, leading the league in doubles with 51, outdoing the WARs of even the Altuve-est of Joses. It proved that Altuve didn't have to always lead the team, and Springer didn't have to be the only hitter. And it intrigues me that this team could be even more fully-realized in 2019.

Bregman's rise was only one of many good signs for the Astros in 2018:

Firstly, there's the fact that Collin McHugh, once a noble second-banana to Dallas Keuchel, can be used as a setup man rather than a starter. His relief work was surprisingly fantastic, as his starting numbers paved way for the occasional long relief work. It was a noble experiment that seemed to work, though perhaps you can expect McHugh to return to the rotation if the 'Stros don't pursue pitching after Keuchel's departure.

2018 also meant the rise of the Astros' bench. Between Tyler White and Tony Kemp, Houston had enough extra bats to rely on towards the end of the season, and Kemp damn near chased Josh Reddick for the last outfield spot. Given a starting promotion, I wouldn't be surprised if he goes even bigger, but we could be seeing a Jarrod Dyson situation, where his bench numbers may be more in demand in Houston.

Hell, after Martin Maldonado took over the catching spot, Brian McCann became a decent bench bat as well. Now, granted, his best days are WELL behind him, and his tenure in Houston has officially ended, thanks to a move back to Atlanta, but as a contact hitter, he occasionally made fans proud. If injuries, and age, didn't take the bite out of him, we would have seen a lot more from him, but what we got was fine, I guess.

In McCann's absence, prior to Maldonado's arrival, Max Stassi was the starting catcher for the Astros, and he wasn't bad, if...slightly unspectacular. I have a feeling that Stassi is looking towards a career as a backup catcher, but his numbers weren't bad, and he could either be an impressive starter or backup for the team next year.

Also good to note- when in doubt, people that weren't Verlander, Keuchel, McCullers, Morton or Cole could do well as a starter. Look at Framber Valdez, who was brought up late, started some games, and did pretty well for himself, despite not making the playoff roster. Look for Valdez to either work relief for Houston, or be trade bait for a reinforcement, and end up being a Velazquez-esque flamethrower somewhere else.

Another impressive development: surprisingly great relief pitching. Ryan Pressly was a steal from Minnesota, and he made the most of his trade, pitching well into the postseason, and giving great October numbers out of the 'pen.

Additionally, this year saw the return of Hector Rondon to the ninth inning, after the closing gig was passed from him to Aroldis Chapman in Chicago for the World Series. Yes, Rondon has a ring...and nearly got his second one, but he was a nice closer/relief man that bridged the gap between Ken Giles' woes and Roberto Osuna's bad attitude. Not sure if he's still able to give good closing material, but the Astros have him for one more year, so we will see.

Coming Tomorrow- Everyone counted them out, but they snuck into the race and nearly took down the Yankees for a Wild Card spot. The A's heroes get their spotlight tomorrow.

Houston Belongs to Alex Bregman

When the Astros won the World Series last year, if you were to pinpoint one specific star of the team, odds are it'd have been someone like Jose Altuve, George Springer or Carlos Correa. Now? Even when there are people like Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole surging, or if Altuve and Springer are still doing well...this is Alex Bregman's team. The man has come up in such a big way that nobody could have anticipated, making appearances in the All Star Game and Home Run Derby,

Bregman is leading the team in home runs, WAR, and RBIs. He's also leading all Astros that are not Jose Altuve in hits, which is a nice achievement. But also, he's excelling in a way that has outlasted any previous indication. Like, in 2017, he was alright, and had a very slow start, but here...he's just been fantastic from the getgo, and has been a strong, consistent presence on this still-amazing roster.

How do I sum up how great this team is? Uh...every starter has over 8 wins, the most being Charlie Morton's 11. Every starter has 100+ strikeouts except for Dallas Keuchel, who'll cross said mark with his next start. They have three relievers with lower than 2.00 ERA. 7 players have WAR higher than 2. It's late July. They're too good.

Being this good, the Astros run the risk of peaking too early, but...with talent like this, I don't see that happening. I honestly think they're a bit more well-rounded than they were when they won the title, and I think they're going to be dangerous in the playoffs.

Coming Tonight: The Braves' third baseman. Like everyone else, he's doing really well.

World Series Update: Forget Yu Edition

Remember back in April when we thought this guy would have a disappointing season?

Now it's October and he's just put his team ahead of the Dodgers at home. He, McCullers, Altuve and Gattis were having great nights last night, especially considering that the bulk of the work was at the expense of the still-failing Dodgers bullpen. Tonight, they'll have to contend against consistently-strong Alex Wood, which could be tricky for them, but with what they've done under pressure (like Yu Darvish), I'm not terribly worried.

Astro Boy

A lot has been said about the 2017 Astros, and for good reason- they've managed to stay on top since April, and have been one of the most dominant, intimidating, yet fun to watch, teams of the year. But as Altuve, Correa, Springer and Keuchel have hogged the spotlight, not a lot has been said of their young third baseman, Alex Bregman.

Initially, I was skeptical- Bregman began the season with below average, and trailing power hitters like Brian McCann in terms of dominance. But as the real picture began to form, Bregman's hinted status as a five-tool player began to appear, and the insane infield combo of Gurriel-Altuve-Correa-Bregman began to take the entire league by storm.

Bregman's doing exactly what Carlos Correa did when he came up- he hit, he played decent infield, he was smart with the ball, and he was able to show experience despite being relatively new to the bigs. On a team where some players are nearing 40 and aren't proving their worth, it helps to know what one's doing, even at 23 or so. Bregman's 2017 season has dwarfed his rookie year from last year, and his efforts this year are helping the Astros become an even stronger playoff threat than they were in 2015.

The problem with hitting the postseason will be combat inevitability. It's very easy to predict the Astros to win the whole thing, but last year we all thought the Rangers would be WS-bound, and look how well that turned out. The only way the BEST team becomes the WINNING team at the end, is if they keep the current momentum going until the season stops. If that momentum slips even the slightest bit, some other guy can slip in and take the glory for themselves, without earning it.

In order for the Astros to be standing there in November, they're gonna need to keep this insanely good 2017 season going up until the end. I know they can...I hope they can.

Coming Tonight: His team's got a shot at the wild card, and he's pitching in a place where pitching has usually failed. But he can do it. He's German. Okay...he's Venezuelan, but he's German.

At Least the Astros Tried

For a team that began the season in dead last, the Astros deserve a lot of respect for what they accomplished this year. Their Cy Young winning star pitcher was struggling, so they invested in a deeper rotation, and people like Doug Fister, Collin McHugh and Lance McCullers stepped up in big ways. The youth movement that began last season, now featuring Alex Bregman and newly-imported Yuliesky Guerriel, had been strengthening the team, and they were winning some very important games towards the second half.

However, thanks to the Mariners' sudden boom, the Rangers being so far ahead, and the fact that the Wild Card is between the M's, 3/5ths of the AL East, and the Tigers...the Astros have been essentially booted out of the race, which is sad. They had a lot going for them this year.

Still, I imagine the rebuilding for next season will definitely help. They're still a great team, and I don't think they'll be slinking back down to last anytime soon.

Coming Tonight: The still-powerful shortstop for a team that could be huge in the playoffs.