Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Cardinals

I never thought the Cardinals would respond to the loss of Mike Matheny by...performing better than they did with him as manager. I never could imagined how insane their August was, and how inexplicably they rose to, and fell from, power. They were the A's, only without the stability.

And...truth be told, they weren't a bad team. Granted, they weren't good enough to sneak into the playoffs, and lost too many crucial September matchups to land on a WC spot. So...they just have some accolades.

One of them is still having Carlos Martinez, one of the most notorious strikeout artists, and one of the perennial leaders in walks, in baseball. He had a down year by his own standards, but...he's still Carlos Martinez, and he's still one of the closest things the team has to an ace.

Well...aside from...

...oh yeah, their ACTUAL ACE.

Adam Wainwright, who's been fairly hit-miss in his last few seasons, decided to use his late-year return from the DL as a way of reminding people he can still throw hella hard. 40 strikeouts in 8 starts hard. Granted, his W/L ratio still isn't back, but the Cards are definitely banking on a return to form in 2019.

The numbers may not completely illuminate this, but Kolten Wong had another strong season at second, being one of the primary offensive leaders for the Cards with a 3.5 WAR. I'd put this year down a few pegs from his 100+ hit 2017, but he's proved his ability to be consistent in a constantly-shifting Cardinals environment.

The more consistent infield option is still Jedd Gyorko, who has proved to be an insanely crafty presence in the lineup, giving another 90+-hit season, and playing some top-tier defensive infield. He's got one more year of St. Louis mayhem before being released onto the general public of the MLB, so expect either some tricky postseason stuff for the Cards, or...a midseason trade sending him to Atlanta or something.

 Michael Wacha missed a portion of the season due to injury, but after his return he was back to his old tricks, improving on his 2017 season with a 3.20 ERA, an 8-2 record, and some general dominance. He'll likely be relied upon quite a bit during the 2019 run.

If not for Harrison Bader and Jack Flaherty, Tyler O'Neill would be the team's most powerful rookie. He only finished with a .254 average, but his 1.5 WAR, his 23 RBIs and defensive versatility speak for itself. Guys like O'Neill make me feel like St. Louis is gonna continue their roster interchangeability of late. O'Neill, while primarily an outfielder, can also be used off the bench, and can be swapped with Bader, Gyorko and Paul DeJong, all multi-positional guys.

 Daniel Poncedeleon's story is a nice pick me up- he comes back a season after being hit in the head with a line drive, his first start in the bigs is a near no-hitter, with multiple strikeouts and a ton of promise. Poncedeleon's stuff varied from starting and relieving duties, but he was an intriguing extra arm to have in the pitching staff, and might have an even more impressive 2019.

 Matt Adams landed in St. Louis in September, after a nice year benching in Washington. He proceeded to shed all of his good bat mojo from DC, and return to the effeteness he displayed in St. Louis before being dealt to Atlanta. Hopefully he'll find his stuff again soon enough.

Of all people to hold the fort in the ninth this year....Bud Norris? Former Houston and Baltimore starter Bud Norris? Well...okay then! Norris had 28 saves in 32 opportunities, with a 3.60 ERA, which made for a nice comeback year for the man. He's a free agent now, so hopefully someone will take a chance on this man for the ninth...hell, maybe it'll be Boston.

Coming Tomorrow- They went from being in control of the division to watching the playoffs from the sidelines...in a week's time. That's the kind of luck that used to get fans of this team down.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Orioles

It was a hell of a year to be an Orioles fan, wasn't it?

These guys were inches away from a World Series, and I was pulling for them to make it. I guess the Royals were playing a little better at the end there, but that doesn't detract from the fact that the O's had a kickass year.

The guy above will be playing for the Mariners next year, but he was the O's' best offensive producer in 2014.

The reigning champion of Baltimore's First Annual game of Musical Catchers, Caleb Joseph was a nice replacement at backstop for an injured Matt Wieters, and while he didn't produce as much as Wieters usually does, he was still a nice enough addition to the roster.

Alejandro De Aza was a late-season roster addition, plucked from the depths of the White Sox lineup. De Aza was a really nice defensive and offensive outfielder, and will likely be a nice player next season, now that Nick Markakis is gone.

Zach Britton was the Orioles' closer this season, and had a nice season of it, making me forget about how awful Jim Johnson was.

David Lough was a nice utilityman addition to the lineup, and did well in the DH spot occasionally.

Wei-Yin Chen had another nice season, and is still one of the better starters on the Orioles.

After being less-than-perfect in 2013, Bud Norris had a nice comeback with the Orioles, pitching nicely into the postseason.

Ryan Flaherty was one of the two guys they tried at 2nd base, and he did pretty well for himself.

In my opinion, Jonathan Schoop was the better of the two, because he played the most games, and made some nice strides during his rookie season. I hope I see him a lot next season.

Coming Tomorrow- I might post a bunch, as it's Christmas and all, but look for the Padres to start it off.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Orioles

 While the Orioles were nowhere near as good as they were in 2012, they still had a respectable season, and still had a nice showing out of Nick Markakis, who continued to be their star leader.

 Brian Roberts had another injury-laden season, which is normal for Brian Roberts. Good news is that in 2014 Roberts will be suiting up for the New York Yankees, and hopefully staying healthy for a while.

Bud Norris didn't do too much in his tenure with Baltimore, but he was respectable, and at least he got the hell out of Houston while he could.

Coming Tomorrow- a few from the Padres.

Top 8 Trade Deadline Deals

You know, after years of seeing trades go all over the place, and teams go crazy at the deadline, it was a combination of weird and refreshing to see a deadline where nothing really happened. Sure, deals were made, and big stars were swapped, but nobody absolutely HUGE was swapped.

Still, like usual, I'll present the top 8 deadline deals, and share how it helps both teams, and declare a victor. Why 8? Because I couldn't find enough deals to make it 10.

8. Jose Veras to Detroit, prospects to Houston. Victor: Tigers. How it helps Tigers: gives them a nice closer to swap out for the faltering Jose Valverde. How it helps Astros: rids them of someone who was juuust becoming a star closer.

7. Ricky Nolasco to Dodgers, prospects to Marlins. Victor: as of right now, Dodgers. How it helps Dodgers: gives them another nice pitcher to add to the rotating cavalcade of pitchers. Besides, they just DFA'd Ted Lilly. Nolasco helped fill the hole. How it helps Marlins. Gives youth to a team loaded with it.

6. Robert Andino to Pittsburgh, prospects to Seattle. Victor: Pirates. How it helps Pirates: gives another quick infielder to a team prospering with a lot of those. Andino would be a nice fit there. How it helps Seattle: reinvigorates the farm system.

5. Ian Kennedy to San Diego, prospects to Arizona. Victor: surprisingly the D-Backs. How it helps the D-Backs: rids them of a struggling pitcher, and said pitcher's forthcoming expiring contract. Also,more prospects. How it helps Padres: helps a little bit with another middling pitcher to add to the pack.

4. Matt Garza to Rangers, prospects and Mike Olt to Cubs. Victor: Rangers. How it helps Rangers: Gives them another deadline success, and another arm to add to the surging rotation in Matt Garza. How it helps Cubs: gives more, younger support with Olt and the various prospects.

3. Bud Norris to Orioles, LJ Hoes and prospects to Astros. Victor: Orioles. How it helps Orioles: gives them help with the one problem they've been having, and that's PITCHING. Now someone other than Jason Hammel will be able to start games flawlessly for them, and Norris has made himself a name for that in Houston. How it helps Astros: Just what the doctor ordered: MORE PROSPECTS!

2. Alfonso Soriano to Yankees, prospects to Cubs. Victor: Yankees. How it helps Yankees: Gives another strong, powerful bat to a team that really needs one. Plus, returns a struggling star to where he made it big the first time. How it helps Cubs: Gives youth for the future.

1. Jake Peavy to the Red Sox, Avisail Garcia and prospects to the White Sox, Jose Iglesias to the Tigers. Victor: by a hair, the Red Sox. How it helps Red Sox: Gives one of the best pitchers of the late 00's to one of the best teams in baseball. Well done to the GM. How it helps the Tigers: If Jhonny Peralta is suspended for his steroid use, then it'll give one of the best young shortstops to one of the best teams in baseball. How it helps the White Sox: gives some of the most okay prospects to one of the worst teams in baseball. I got nothing,

Overall, victories for the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers (as usual). I'm personally surprised that the Phillies did nothing, but I'm glad that Utley and Lee stayed put.