Uncustomed Heroes of 2021: Twins

 

Nobody does worst to first, and back, quite like the Minnesota Twins.

I mean, they did it famously in 1991, going from last to a World Series. They did it in 2011 after a pair of division wins. They did it in the late 2010s, going from a joke to a contender. And now, after a playoff appearance in 2020, they ended the year in last place, with a lot of dead weight, and a lot of question marks.

In the absence of Mitch Garver for most of 2021 due to injuries, 2020 rookie Ryan Jeffers became the primary starting catcher for the Twins this year. In 85 games he had 14 homers and hit .199, with decent enough defensive numbers.

2022 Prediction: Something keeps telling me the Twins are gonna try to trade Mitch Garver this offseason, so I reckon Jeffers is gonna get even more starting time in 2022.

The other rookie who became a starting piece this year was Trevor Larnach. Like Rooker, Larnach's stats weren't HUGE- he only had 58 hits and 28 RBIs in 79 games, but he had a few big-game moments, especially in June, where he shifted into the main core of the youth movement.

2022 Prediction: With a slightly sparser lineup, Larnach is gonna become a under-the-radar favorite that will get stronger as more people leave. 

The big rookie prospect going into the season was Alex Kirilloff, especially after a brief appearance during the 2020 postseason. Kirlloff flirted with big-league greatness, hitting .251 with 8 homers and 34 RBIs in 51 games, but in a crowded outfield schematic, he spent some of 2021 in the minors as well.

2022 Prediction: The big statement season. I think he laps Larnach for a starting spot and starts getting some traction as Twins hero.

Willians Astudillo continued to be one of my favorite unsung heroes whose team has no idea how to use him. In 72 games, La Tortuga hit .236 with 7 homers and 21 RBIs, including a few big clutch hits along the way, but with most positions full, and with Astudillo not exactly known for his defense, he mostly spent the year as a bench bat.

2022 Prediction: Will sneak onto someone's roster and be a force at some point.

Another long-gestating rookie prospect was Nick Gordon, Tom's kid and Dee's step-brother, who was a decent name in the minors for the Twins in the last few years. Unlike his brother, Nick seems to be more of a power hitter, and hit .240 with 23 RBIs and more strikeouts than hits. 

2022 Prediction: Similar swing OF position with some replacement perks down the stretch.

As far as pitching is concerned, one of the big letdowns of 2021 was Alex Colome in Minnesota. After some strong work in Chicago, Colome buckled under the weaker roster, and only had 17 saves, with a 4.15 ERA, in 67 appearances. 

2022 Prediction: Will be picked up as a reliever, not necessarily as a closer. Which isn't to say he won't work the ninth once or twice next year, just...his time of being an elite closer might be over.

As for the rotation helpers, Bailey Ober came into the equation in June and was a decent young starter, with a 4.19 ERA and 96 Ks in 20 games. It was hard for him to really establish himself positively in the shadow of Berrios and Maeda, but he did as good of a job as any, I reckon.

2022 Prediction: Ober will be the second man behind Kenta Maeda, and may eventually have to act as makeshift ace. I'm expecting Scott Baker-esque numbers- good for a barren rotation, but maybe not a league-wide talent yet.

Meanwhile, as sad as the departure of Nelson Cruz was, the Twins still got a decent return in Joe Ryan, the longtime Rays farmhand. In his first taste of the bigs, Ryan wowed crowds, with a 4.05 ERA, 30 Ks, a 0.788 WHIP and 2 wins in 5 starts. It was a big exclamation point to end the very blah year with.

2022 Prediction: Will win a rotation spot over Griffin Jax and will have similar strikeout numbers with a few more human moments. 

Tomorrow, a few extra customs for the White Sox team that almost made it.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: White Sox

 

This was the White Sox team that made it to the playoffs, when so many others couldn't. Granted, they lose in a three-game series to Oakland despite Lucas Giolito pitching a gem, but this team felt more fully-realized and more accomplished than most other recent ChiSox incarnations.

Though not as statistically interesting as he's usually been, Yoan Moncada had another decent year in Chicago. He only hit .225, but had 24 RBIs and 6 homers. Yes, it's a comparative down year, but Moncada is still useful as a clutch bat, and as a top-heavy infielder. He should be fine for the foreseeable future.

2021 Prediction: An ASG nod and some higher offensive numbers.

Though not to the caliber of his season in Milwaukee, Yasmani Grandal's first year in Chicago was at least entertaining, with 8 homers and 27 RBIs despite a .230 average. The bottom line is Grandal is still one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball, and the White Sox still have him wrapped up for three more years, so even if he's not immediately a standout, it's still good to have some much-needed power numbers from him.

2021 Prediction: Your 2020 starting catcher for the AL All-Star team. 

Dylan Cease's sophomore season went pretty damn well, honestly. He had a 5-4 record in 12 games, a 4.01 ERA and 44 strikeouts. Despite giving up a few too many earned runs, he still made a name for himself as a consistent, strong middle-rotation starter.

2021 Prediction: 10+ wins, 200 Ks, outdoing Keuchel. 

After a strong season as Yankee DH last year, Edwin Encarnacion was given a large contract to recapture the magic in Chicago. Didn't exactly happen. Edwin hit 10 homers, but also hit .157 with 54 Ks. He's no longer able to hit for average, and his power numbers are lessening. 

2021 Prediction: The ride ends. I don't think anybody's gonna sign him.

Meanwhile, Alex Colome had another strong season of closing games for the Sox, with 12 saves on a 0.81 ERA in 21 games. Colome still being an elite closer 6 or 7 years after his come-up is a rarity that I love seeing, even in a shortened season like this one.

2021 Prediction: Gets a two-year deal to be a ninth-inning man in San Francisco, and gets an ASG gig or two out of it. 

Among the many big stars that landed in Chicago this year was Nomar Mazara, coming off some strong years with the Rangers. Mazara was limited by injuries at the top of the season, and when he eventually got to the lineup, he hit .228 in 42 games. His stats were nonexistent, even from a contact perspective.

2021 Prediction: He'll be a cheap signing that'll pay off this year and cause someone to overpay next year. 

Adam Engel got a ton of starts this season, which usually means they're out of outfielders in Chicago, but this season it was a plus, as not only was Engel his usual defensively-excellent self, but he hit .295 with 12 RBIs in 36 games. Yes, he's really a spare part and an outfield sub, but for a better White Sox team he had a bigger role, which helps.

2021 Prediction: After getting some great games in with a crowded outfield situation, gets traded at midyear to a lesser team for a HUGE piece. 

A week or so into the season, the Sox called up Nick Madrigal to join his fellow prospect Luis Robert in the majors. Madrigal was injured for a little bit of time, but still took hold of the starting 2nd base gig and won over fans with contact hitting, batting .340 with 11 RBIs in 26 games. Madrigal is a nice little piece, and I can't wait to see what he does in a full season.

2021 Prediction: Gets a batting title for leading the league in average, and will have a high hits total as well.

The other big in-progress rookie for the Sox this year was Dane Dunning. Dunning debuted the same night as Casey Mize and had the better start, and the better year. In 7 starts, Dunning had a 3.97 ERA with 2 wins and 35 Ks. He was a major piece of the rotation heading into the stretch, and it's so odd that his Sox year will likely be a footnote considering his recent trade to Texas.

2021 Prediction: Leads the Rangers rotation in ERA and wins. Even is Kyle Gibson has a halfway decent year, Dunning's gonna be the true crowdpleaser in that rotation

The Sox' main trade deadline conquest was getting another outfield option, so they plucked Jarrod Dyson from Pittsburgh. Dyson bat .300 in 11 games, mostly as a bench bat, and had 3 hits and 2 steals. Not much, but exactly what the Sox needed- speed and versatility. 

2021 Prediction: A similar role in a non-competitive team. 

Yolmer Sanchez spent Spring Training with the Giants, and was cut prior to the season, yet because Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn are kind to players who do well for them, Sanchez rejoined the White Sox without having played for any other teams. Sanchez was used as an infield fill-in, where he returned to his gold-glove roots and hit .313 with 5 hits in 11 games, mostly starts. 

2021 Prediction: Will be a full-scale starter for the O's next year in Iglesias' absence.

Coming Tomorrow- The last post of Uncustomed Heroes, which means it's time to dissect yet another Yankees team that didn't make it to a World Series. 

Slow Market (Again)

4 wins since the ASG break. Ughhh

I wanna be optimistic about the White Sox, because I have a feeling that this central core of Anderson-Moncada-Jimenez-Abreu is gonna get them places within the next few years. But...it's just not working this year. 3rd place under .500 is still under .500. One great starter doesn't compliment the existence of four other shitty ones. Having Alex Colome and Aaron Bummer throwing well doesn't save the rest of the bullpen from being meh.

So I imagine they wanna unload Colome. And I don't blame them, because Colome is still an elite closer, he still throws smoke, and he's still an impressive tool for any team, especially one that's competing, to have. The Sox ain't competing, so they're looking to trade him.

Only problem is we've got three more days til the deadline. And not just the soft, 'hahaha, seriously, don't trade anyone else but we won't enforce it' deadline. The hard deadline. And BECAUSE it's such a hard deadline, and because this is so important...people are holding out. They're not making moves, because they know that one will set off 20 others, and the people who want to leave aren't agreeing to things yet.

...sound familiar? Weren't we JUST going through this six months ago during the offseason? Aren't we TRYING to avoid things like this? I mean, remember, if you wait too long, people start scrambling, and the deals maybe aren't as well thought out as we thought they'd be.

So Colome is still on the market, but mainly because Edwin Diaz, Kirby Yates, Will Smith, Mychal Givens, Ken Giles, Shane Greene and Felipe Vazquez are all still on the market, and they're all just as good. And teams have four days to finish up those deals regarding acquiring them. Because...they couldn't just do any of that in the weeks leading up to the deadline, because the Royals are the only team who are actually taking this seriously.

Again, I could be challenging a hurricane, and the remainder of trade deadline deals could all hit one after the other, but...with four days left, I'm very concerned.

Coming Tonight: [sigh] Guess who's first in the NL Central now...

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Mariners

Back in about...July, I'd say, I had a conversation with my uncle, who's a lifetime Mariners fan. And we were talking about the Wild Card game. How our teams were gonna square off, and it'd be a matter of whether Mitch Haniger and Nelson Cruz could outhit Severino.

That...didn't exactly happen. And the Mariners CONTINUE to be the unluckiest team in baseball. Their playoff drought is about to go into its eighteenth year, they've given away Jean Segura, Robinson Cano, James Paxton and Edwin Diaz...for practically nothing, and they're continuing to unload as we speak. A team that felt playoff-bound midway through this season is going to start next season looking like a shell of itself. Which is unfortunate.

Speaking of a shell of itself, Felix Hernandez is...that. He's lost his velocity, and his ability to consistently win games, and now all he is...is a strikeout artist that's resting on mythology. He's 32, and he's not quite a lock for the Hall, but...if he can turn his rotten luck around, and regain his mid-decade mojo, the Mariners could be in better shape.

 Ryon Healy was plucked from...the eventual Wild Card finalist to play first base, and occasionally DH, for the M's, and this kind of illuminated how unfit he was for that A's roster. He's a hitter with middling defensive ability and a low average, and could only do so much with a .235 average, despite the 24 homers. He'll have to compete with Edwin Encarnacion in 2019, who had a much better season this year.

 Even in a season where he'd be the MLB's top Seager brother by default, Kyle Seager still disappointed for the umpteenth year, continuing his 2017 trend of striking out too damned much and slipping his average. He's becoming a liability both at the plate and in the field, with negative saber metric stats in both categories. Perhaps Healy will be competing with HIS position.

 Alex Colome was a solid eighth-inning man for the M's this year, and made up their impressive bullpen. In a perfect world, he'd be their closer for 2019, but he was traded to Chicago for, admittedly, a needed catching pickup in Omar Narvaez.

Cameron Maybin, kind of like last year, came to a new team at the trade deadline and didn't really do a whole lot for them. Which is a shame, because he was doing alright in Miami. He'll likely be a cheap free agent for someone who needs outfield help (so perhaps he'll return to San Diego?)

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of Miami, they had a predictably atrocious year after losing all their big stars.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Rays

So, now that Evan Longoria's been traded, the Rays...still sort of exist, but might sink into oblivion for 2018. Yes, they still have Kiermaier, Dickerson, Morrison and the guys that did well this year, but they don't have the safe, franchise-building star that Longo was, so...now they have to rebuild a little. Alex Cobb did his usual work as a mid-rotation starter, which was nice, as Chris Archer is probably gonna leave soon as well.

Wilson Ramos was a new addition from the offseason, to offset the lack of good catching choices in Tampa (Curt Casali included). After missing a month or so due to injuries, Ramos got back to his business of...well, being a solid catcher and not doing a great deal offensively. So everything he was in Washington before 2016. Which isn't bad, just...probably not what the Rays wanted.

Adeiny Hechavarria was an early-season trade, as the Marlins were inundated with young shortstops, and the Rays were about to lose theirs. It all worked out, as Hechavarria had a nice enough season, and seems to be sticking around.

Once again, Alex Colome had a great season of high-saves and solid mechanics. I'm hoping the Rays can build a great team on this guy before he goes and joins a contender.

Coming Tomorrow- They did well, but lost momentum just as their division rivals gained theirs.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Rays

...Not a great year for the Rays, eh?

Look, lately things have been pretty murky for the Tampa Bay Rays. They were banking on a youth movement last year that barely made that much of a difference in 2016. The veterans that stuck around were inefficient or injured, and when they were DFA'd they ended up having MONSTER seasons elsewhere. It was just sad.

Brad Miller at least did a decent enough job at short, replacing Asdrubal Cabrera, and building on his solid 2015.

Alex Colome took over for an injured Brad Boxberger and...did an even better job than the one that got him an ASG nod last year. He was ferocious, and made a case for the permanent gig in Tampa.

So...at least that happened this year.

Coming Tomorrow- A much better AL East team, this one coming short of a World Series.