Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Phillies

 

Right now, the Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in football, the Philadelphia 76ers are tearing shit up with both Ebmiid and Harden healthy, the Philadelphia Union are sitting pretty after making it to the finals, and the Philadelphia Flyers also exist. But I think the single biggest accomplishment of the year in Philly sports might go to the Fightins. Nobody expected them to sneak into the playoffs, or beat St. Louis, or beat Atlanta, or beat San Diego, or take a win against the Astros, or SHUT OUT THE ASTROS. It was never gonna be perfect, and of course the Phils got no-hit twice this year, but they did what no one thought they could do and make a World Series, and I'm so immensely proud of them.

I was with my Mets fan cousins the other day, and one of them admitted to me that he thinks the Phils have the best lineup in the NL. This is a Mets fan who lives off the McNeil-Lindor-Nimmo-Alonso combo, and he's sitting there saying Turner made the Phils' lineup unstoppable. I went 'can we get that on record?' jokingly. But they are looking good next year, and additions like Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm do make me feel really good about their future chances. The NL East is gonna be tight, but they're not as outmatched as they were.

Despite going into the season with the outfield very clearly being Schwarber-Castellanos-Herrera, Matt Vierling did work his way into being a nice depth, and occasional starting, outfielder for this team. In 117 games, he hit .246 with 30 RBIs and 80 hits, plus 2 postseason hits and 1 postseason RBI. He's a handy guy to have around, and even with Brandon Marsh rendering him obsolete for the second half, he was still a big piece of this team.

2023 Prediction: Okay, so at the very least the first half, if not the first three quarters, of this season will use Schwarber at DH, Castellanos in right and Marsh in center. Folks, I think we're looking at our starting right fielder next year, and I think he'll do a nice job for himself. Defensively he's better than Marsh or Castellanos, so we'll be alright.

Zach Eflin struggled with injuries this year, and though he had a decent start with a 4.37 ERA in 13 starts, he mostly worked out of the bullpen after coming back. Surprisingly he did well as a relief, guy, with a 1.17 ERA and a save in 7 appearances. In 10 postseason games he had a 3.38 ERA with 12 Ks, 4 earned runs and a save. All things considered, not a bad end to Eflin's respectable Phils tenure.

2023 Prediction: Zunino's gone, the Rays need a new Florida man. Eflin's from Orlando, and he'll be there for a bit. They will enjoy him this year before he gets injured. 

Brad Hand spent 2021 with 3 teams, and spent 2022 with just one, and one that got him to October. Suffice to say he chose the right team. Hand was never the team's designated closer, but he was a stern, imposing eighth inning man, and he finished the year with a 2.80 ERA with 5 saves. Not as flashy as Alvarado or Dominguez, but the workmanship did not go unnoticed.

2023 Prediction: Part of me kinda wants the Phils to re-sign him, but he's more likely going to a mid-marketer and having a decent year for them.

A team with the best catcher in baseball should also have a great backup catcher, and after FINALLY getting rid of Andrew Knapp, the double-letter backup catcher trend continued after Rupp and Knapp with former Astros backup Garrett Stubbs. Stubbsy was a really nice tool for us, and I got to see him leg out a triple when no one expected him to. In 46 games, Stubbsy hit .264 with 16 RBIs and 5 homers, which was the right kind of backup performance. Sadly, Stubbs did not appear in the World Series against his former team.

2023 Prediction: More of the same. I never hope for a scenario to use him everyday, as that'd imply a JT injury which I do not want, but I think he'll continue his solid work for us.

Speaking of Astros connections, Nick Maton's brother won a World Series ring with the team this year, and Nick himself got a chance at it with the Phils. Nick has been a versatile infield guy for us, and while he didn't have much playing time til later on, he still impressed, hitting .250 with 18 hits, 17 RBIs and 5 homers in just 34 games. A lot of production in a short time. Maton only had 1 postseason at-bat, and it wasn't a productive one.

2023 Prediction: We're likely going with a Hoskins-Stott-Turner-Bohm infield. Bohm and Stott are gonna need to miss games. I think Maton is gonna have some nice games for us in the first half, and unless Bohm or Stott completely collapse, might be a trade incentive for someone.

In the interim period while Eflin was injured, Suarez missed starts and Syndergaard was still in LA, the Phils used relief guy Bailey Falter in starting situations. He actually did pretty well with the opportunity, with a 3.86 ERA, a 6-4 record and 74 Ks. Unfortunately, Falter's sole postseason start was a drubbing at the hands of San Diego. 

2023 Prediction: The Phils rotation has Nola, Wheeler, Suarez and Walker confirmed. Falter's a heavy favorite for the fifth spot out of camp, though Cristopher Sanchez and Andrew Painter are gonna make a run at it, and maybe Hans Crouse if he's anything like Topps has been saying. I think Falter will be the fifth starter as the season opens. I am not certain he will be as the season ends. Painter might be ready next year.

The first move the Phillies made in July was in nabbing Edmundo Sosa from St. Louis in exchange from Jojo Romero. It was initially viewed as an odd move, two competitors dealing, Cardinals giving an excess infielder for a crucial reliever. Sosa was a very fun pickup for us, as he hit .315 in 25 games with 17 hits and 13 RBIs, in addition to his dazzling defense.

2023 Prediction: Our primary backup infielder for next season. He's gonna do a lot of great stuff for us, and mayyyyybe take Stott's job?

The big deal the Phils made was landing Noah Syndergaard in exchange for Mickey Moniak. Thor was always a favorite of mine with the Mets, and though he'd become less of a strikeout guy and more of a leverage guy, he was still a great choice for Philly. Thor continued his leverage further with the Phils, resulting in a 5-2 record, a 4.12 ERA and 34 Ks in 10 games. Thor was also a little shaky in the postseason, as he was still limiting innings.

2023 Prediction: The Dodgers signed him expecting a Tyler Anderson-esque surprise FA triumph. I do not think it'll go as well as they think it will.

In 2019, the Phillies signed David Robertson to a 2-year deal. He pitched 7 games in 2 years for us. He then made the 2021 USA team, used it to be a 2021 Rays bullpen piece, and had a huge start to 2022 with the Cubs. On D-Rob's return to Philly, while he wasn't as consistent as he was in Chicago, he still has a 2.70 ERA, 30 Ks and 6 saves. Robertson had a postseason win against St. Louis, and was scoreless in the World Series with a save and 5 Ks in 4 games against Houston.

2023 Prediction: I don't think he'll be quite as good for the Mets, but he'll have some good moments. Robertson is probably gonna go down as one of the great relievers of the last 10 years, and next season won't be an outlier.

Tomorrow, a few fun odds and ends with the Pirates.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2014 Marlins

 

I will give Topps credit for a few things in 2014 regarding the Miami Marlins, who were still mostly bad at this point. They actually did make Marlins cards of Rafael Furcal, Donovan Solano, Randy Wolf and Reed Johnson, some fringe guys who, if they hadn't done flagship cards of them, I'd have to. 

However. It still left some very important work for me to do for 2014. VERY IMPORTANT WORK.

For instance. Two of their biggest rookies of the 2014 season came in after the cutoff. One of them has become one of the best catchers in baseball, and that's J.T. Realmuto. In 2014, he was still going by Jacob, and still trying to break in behind Jarrod Saltalamacchia. In 11 games, he hit .241 7 hits and 9 RBIs, not a bad ratio whatsoever. It was a prelude to the next several seasons of excellent catching and hitting we'd see from him.

Jeff Baker and Garrett Jones got cards as Marlins, but the guy who would actually get the 1st base job in Miami, Justin Bour, also didn't make the cutoff. He had a stronger rookie debut than Realmuto, with a .284 average, 11 RBIs and 21 hits in 49 games. His numbers would dilute over time with the Marlins and he was last spotted hitting .170 in the Korean leagues. 

As for another Marlins rookie who didn't make the cutoff, Anthony DeSclafani had 13 games as a Miami Marlin, which a lot of people forget after his tenures with the Reds and Giants. He started 5 games, and struggled in that position, with a 7.40 ERA and 2 losses. He'd fare better as a bullpen piece. After the season he'd be traded for Mat Latos, become an option in a dead Reds rotation, and the rest would be history. But he is one of those players whose early uniform is so unfamiliar that I wished Topps would have done something with it. 

Same with this guy. Like with Disco, Enrique Hernandez' Topps cards begin after his trade to a better market, in this case being Los Angeles, but Hernandez' time in Miami is thanks to a trade that brought Jake Marisnick and others to Houston. So already Topps missed his Astros tenure [and I'll get to that eventually], but they also missed his 18 games in Miami. Because he hadn't BECOME Kiké Hernandez yet, his numbers weren't great, he hit .175 with 6 RBIs and 2 homers, but his defensive numbers are what caught the eye of the Dodgers, and led them to trade for him when dealing Dee Gordon. 

Brad Hand had cards in the previous two Topps sets, so as he was settling into a role as a modest reliever, Topps thought they didn't need to make cards of him as often. So they missed Hand's 2014 season, where he had a 4.38 ERA and 67 Ks in 32 games, 16 of which were starts. Once he'd become a full time reliever he'd blossom, take the ninth, and, yes, get more Topps cards. 

With a visual as strange as this, you would think that Topps would have to put it in Update. Brad Penny, 2000s Marlins hero...in 2010s Marlins garb? I talked about seeing Xavier Nady in 2014-era Padres duds, this is just as strange. At 36, Penny was still pitching, though he was nowhere near as powerful as he was in the mid-2000s, and with a lack of great options, the Marlins did start Penny for 4 games. Honestly, his best numbers of the season were in these starts, with a 5.21 ERA and 2 wins. He'd yield 8 earned runs in 4 relief appearances, though, and that inconsistency would lead to his dismissal, and subsequent retirement. For a great career, especially as a Marlin, Brad Penny really should have had a Topps card in 2014. But, alas, he has one here.

Tomorrow, some very strange 2007 Mets that I have been waiting a while to post.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Indians

 

The Cleveland Indians had their comeback season, on the heels of Jose Ramirez, Shane Bieber, and some other characters that represented their growth since moving on from the core of their 2016 team.

However, one of the big pieces of said 2016 team, Carlos Santana, had a step backwards after an ASG season last year. Despite hitting 30 RBIs, Santana ended the year with a .199 average and a small figure of 8 home runs. Clearly a down year for Slamtana, and seemingly the final one for him in Cleveland.

2021 Prediction: In Kansas City, he'll have 25 home runs while building his average up slightly.

Zach Plesac, for those keeping score at home, was the Indians starter who got caught partying in Chicago and REMAINED on the team, instead of being punished by...[checks notes]...getting traded to an NLDS-qualifying Padres team, getting Tommy John surgery and a two-year deal and still being a top-tier starter. 

Plesac still had a good year though, post-scorning. In 8 starts he had a 4-2 record, a 2.28 ERA and 57 strikeouts. If he doesn't make any similar screwups in 2021, he should more than make up for the loss of Clevinger.

2021 Prediction: Remember in 2013 when Justin Verlander sort of stepped back so Max Scherzer could have his big year? Expect Shane Bieber to do something like that for Plesac.

Brad Hand led the league in saves this season, which should be a big deal. For some reason that I not able to determine, despite a 2.08 ERA, zero blown saves and 29 strikeouts, the Indians weren't enamored with Hand's work in 2020, and didn't offer him a contract offer for 2021. I have no idea why. This guy's been a solid closer for 3 years now, he just had a stellar year, and y'all are just acting like he's been bad all along? Baffling to me.

2021 Prediction: Hand gets 40 saves for a last place team and the joke will be on Cleveland.

One of the biggest stars of the 2020 postseason for the Indians, as short-lived as their run their was, was Josh Naylor, a kid out of Toronto who up until recently was warming the bench for San Diego. Upon arriving in Cleveland, Naylor hit .230 with 14 hits and 2 RBIs in 22 games. In two postseason games, however, Naylor sported a .714 average with 5 hits, 3 RBIs and a home run. Absolutely insane postseason material against NY, despite being on the losing side.

2021 Prediction: The official Indians DH, complete with a high average and a bunch of homers.

It impresses me that even with its stellar rotation this year, the Indians still had room to call up their pitching prospect, the tall, slender Triston McKenzie, who struck out 10 in 6 innings, the most Ks in a debut by an Indians pitcher ever. McKenzie finished the season with a 3.24 ERA and 42 Ks in 8 games. 

2021 Prediction: Rotation member right off the bat, fans 200 batters and gets some Cy Young votes. 

Aaron Civale was a crucial member of the rotation for the full year, starting 12 games and posting a 4.74 ERA with 69 Ks and 4 wins. Despite being the most human of all of the full-time starters for the Indians this year, he still is a nice strikeout artist with some potential.

2021 Prediction: Wins 12 games despite being the 4th or 5th man in the rotation.

Undeniably, James Karinchak was the best reliever in Cleveland this year. In 27 relief appearances he posted a 2.67 ERA with 53 strikeouts, stymying tons of batters throughout the year. The good luck wore off a little in the postseason, but I doubt the Indians are giving up on him anytime soon.

2021 Prediction: The closing gig is his. I say he makes a big statement with it.

Despite Karnichak's dominance, there was still room for the 38-year-old Oliver Perez to take down some batters, as he has for the last 3 seasons in Cleveland. Perez had a 2.00 ERA this year and 14 strikeouts in 21 appearances. Fantastic that he's still an integral part of this team.

2021 Prediction: Someone signs him to a minor league deal, he makes the deal and helps them into the playoffs. Then retires, I reckon.

Coming Tomorrow- Genuine good things to say about the Mariners. 

Always Be Closing: Kirby Yates

Once again, we roll out our recurring spotlight on closing pitching to talk about the guy who has the most saves of anyone in the MLB, San Diego's Kirby Yates.

Last year, this exact month, I wrote an ABC post about Brad Hand, who was doing the exact same thing for the Padres: closing a ton of games despite the team's general mediocrity. However, things have changed for the Padres. Instead of being a lock for last place, the Padres are now sort of a lock for fourth, with the D-Backs and Rockies a few wins ahead of them, battling for second.

Which is, if anything, an improvement.

I don't think there's a ton of comparison needed when talking about Yates and Brad Hand. Though I will say that Brad Hand is the type of closer whose abilities outweigh his team's: this is the second year in a row where he's been on the saves leaders list while playing for a team that's not in first, and whole the Indians are a lot better than the Padres right now, it's safe to say that their best days are behind them.

Yates, like Hand, came up as a middle reliever, switched teams a few times and eventually got handed the closing gig. And since taking over for Hand, Yates has been fantastic in the ninth, getting 12 saves in the last two months of the 2018 season, and having 23 saves so far this season. He's also a late bloomer, as he's 32 years old and just now reaching his potential.

...but it is quite a potential. Yates has a 1.24 ERA in 29 appearances, has finished a league-leading 28 games and has saved 23 of them. And since we're doing Hand comparisons, let's do the ratio: Kirby Yates has saved 67% of the Padres victories, comparative to Brad Hand's 60% this time last year.

So...is Kirby Yates a better closer than Brad Hand, or are the Padres just better now than they were with Brad Hand?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I have less stats to work with on Yates' side than Hand's, and Hand is still pitching beautifully in Cleveland, but it might just be the slight improvement of the San Diego offense. The games are still close, but the wins are more frequent. And it helps having Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and a consistent Franmil Reyes in that lineup. Run support is nice for closers.

For now, let's just say that Kirby Yates is one of the best closers in the league right now, and if the Padres are, in fact, selling at the deadline, then he's gonna make a team very happy in the postseason.

Coming Tonight: Another piece of proof that the Pirates gave up too much in the Chris Archer deal last year.

Second Hand News

(I'm sorry, but...Brad Hand is just the easiest player to make post title puns of. It's astonishingly simple.)

My gosh...this Indians team is insanely okay.

I know that last year, that was a major criticism of the competing Tribe squad, even as they were miles ahead of any AL Central competition. Everything they had done during the 2016 and 2017 seasons felt distant, as if the team was beginning to move away from its own success. And now...a lot of the successful elements of the WS-qualifying team have felt less special, a bit older, a bit duller.

Which isn't to say that it's completely hopeless. Trevor Bauer has ascended to the ace spot in the rotation in Corey Kluber's injury-plagued absence. Carlos Santana is hitting miles ahead of his previous power-hitting numbers. Shane Bieber and Jefry Rodriguez have been strong, if smaller-name, replacements for injured starters. Nick Wittgren has been insanely clutch as a middle reliever.

But...you think of the heart of these teams, and you think of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. And...only Lindor seems to be doing sort of well out of those four. Kluber is injured, Carrasco is a bit down, Ramirez is VERY DOWN with a sub-.199 average, and even Lindor took a bit to get back onto the lineup after being injured. The heart of these teams is...not helping this Indians team. I'm sad it took us only 3 years to really get to that point, but...here we are.

And I'm not saying we're done with these guys being elite. It's just...they're not reliable right now. For the first time, the Indians have major competition in the fire-breathing Twins, and they can't really do anything about it because their core is slumping.

Let's at least talk about Brad Hand briefly, because he's still a great closer. He has 11 saves, a 1.53 ERA, and 25 strikeouts. As closers go, that's pretty nice, even if he's not exactly at Shane Greene's league standard yet. It's also nice that he's on this team, because the Indians don't have a ton of power to make for blowouts.

Not sure how much of a force the Indians will continue to be vs. the Twins, but...I just hope the core improves. They need those guys.

Coming Tomorrow- One of my favorite social media posts by any of the 30 teams has been when this team went to a screening of Avengers: Endgame, and this guy showed up with an Infinity Gauntlet, as "Thamos". So cheesy it's wonderful. Anyway...him.

A Show of Hand

Well, not only are the Cleveland Indians headed to the playoffs for the third straight year, but they're doing so with more than one viable bullpen option. Because along with Oliver Perez's scarily consistent work, they also have the return of Andrew Miller, and Brad Hand as their new closer. Yes, Dan Otero can occasionally relieve a game without giving up 20 runs, but as long as they have that solid core, they're better off than they were in June.

Oh yeah, and they also still have one of the toughest pitching rotations in baseball. All four of the Kluber-Bauer-Clevinger-Carrasco combo have been churning out amazing numbers this year (with Clevinger the only one under 200 strikeouts, though he'll rectify that in his next start). And even if the fifth man has to be Shane Bieber or Adam Plutko, it's not likely they'll need to start them in the playoffs.

And yes, the lineup is still pretty great. The Indians have surprised me in that even if most of their outfield options have gotten injured, they've still gotten by on using Greg Allen, Rajai Davis and Melky Cabrera. To that end, this team has a pseudo-2016 feel to it- guys you wouldn't expect to help a playoff team being integral parts. And still, there's a 40-home run DP combo, an MVP on the bench, and some genuine talent pulling walk-offs. There's some under-the-radar dominant qualities to this team that may bring them a lot of good luck in their eventual series with the Astros.

Could the Tribe go further than last year? Possibly. The 'Stros series could be tough, but I'm not ruling it out. Could they go further than 2016? ...I'm not ruling that out either.

Coming Tomorrow- It's looking like he may get the last Wild Card spot, which may or not spell doom for the rest of the league.

Hand, We're Off to the Races

Apparently it only takes 12 hours for the trade market to go from 'dormant' to 'the stock market frenzy at the end of Trading Places'.

After the Machado deal essentially opened up the floodgates on the trade deadline deals, we got the OTHER big ticket piece, Brad Hand, sealed up in a trade, this time to the most logical destination for a successful reliever in 2018: Cleveland.

Cleveland's bullpen has been extraordinarily bad this year. Like, 2017 Phillies bad. Their only successful reliever so far has been Oliver Perez, which means actual great players like Dan Otero, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller have been having down seasons, so they NEED good, new blood in there. So, getting Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, two guys who've been doing quite well for San Diego so far this year, is a great deal. Both will bolster the bullpen, and Hand may take over from Allen as closer if they get particularly fed up with him.

They did have to give up Francisco Mejia for him, and he's their big catching prospect, but seeing as Yan Gomes is having a career year, and they haven't really found a place to put him, it sort of works out. Mejia could eventually take over for Austin Hedges, who's an alright catcher but isn't exactly starting catcher material.

But yeah- sound trade all around. No real qualms here. Helps both teams. Ensures that the Padres are gonna be stacked in like 2 years. Bring on some more trades.

Always Be Closing: Brad Hand Edition

This is another installment in my recurring series on closing pitching.

Right now, in the NL, there's a standstill for leaders in saves. Three guys are tied at 21 saves, which...while dwarfed by the saves accumulations of the closers of the top two AL East teams...as well as Edwin Diaz, who's killing it this year, is still a pretty nice achievement for June.

Two of the NL leaders can be understood if one is familiar with recent trends; Wade Davis is coming off of a fantastic season, and is following in the footsteps of another guy who led the league in saves last year, while Sean Doolittle is coming off of a comeback season, as well as being a prime figure in the A's teams of the early 2010s.

But then there's Brad Hand. And other than an impressive showing as a middle reliever for the last two seasons in San Diego, only taking the closing job after the trade of Brandon Maurer to the Royals, there's not a lot that would lead people to believe that he'd work as an effective closer. Remember, the transition from middle relief to closing isn't always as seamless as one might think; for every Kelvin Herrera who adjusts to the learning curve and figures out how to close games, there's someone like Dellin Betances, who flounders whenever he's given the ninth.

However, Brad Hand's second half in 2017 was indicative of the fact that he was more than ready to close if given the opportunity. And the Padres are nothing if they don't have a ton of opportunities this year.

Now, I should make it clear that Brad Hand has blown 4 saves already this season, which should put his blown lead over the rest of the division into perspective, as well as illuminating why the NL's mark isn't as high as the AL's. But...what's most important here is that the Padres have only won 35 games, and Brad Hand has saved 60 percent of them. To put that into perspective, Aroldis Chapman has only saved 45% of the Yankees' wins.

Brad Hand is not only good at what he does, but he can be good at this when the Padres need him most. You look at the other last place teams, and only Keone Kela has this ability to be rock-solid when nothing else on the team is able to be. Brad Hand has 56 strikeouts, which right now is more than Joey Lucchesi has, and he's started 13 games with a decent ERA.

Unlike Edwin Diaz, who is great as his team is also great, Brad Hand's abilities eclipse those of his team, to the point where he's been considered one of the chief trade targets for the July trade deadline. I would love to see Hand closing games for a truly great team, even if...it's more likely that someone will scoop him up just to do middle relief duties.

Coming Tonight: He's speedy, he's great at hits, and he's a charter member of a team whose weirdness is becoming the stuff of legend.

Brad Hand Dealt a Bad Hand

So...I don't think there's anything at all worth talking about in terms of the San Diego Padres.

Look, even if there have been rookies and misfits, and people like Franchy Cordero and Jose Pirela hitting like animals, this is still the absolute most pathetic team in baseball. Nobody on the starting roster is hitting. None of the pitching is polished, and everybody's over the hill. Wil Myers is back to disappointing us (slightly). It's just a mess of a team, even if the little shreds of youth are trying to save them.

Brad Hand's one of the few noteworthy players on this team. Literally...he's just a middle reliever, and he's the only guy worth talking about. That's something.

I don't have much else, guys. They're the 2017 Padres. They don't give you much.

Coming Tonight: He's royalty in his home country...and he's certainly become royalty in the Bronx.