Lost & Hound

 

So far for the Blue Jays, a lot of the unsung guys have been providing the most highlights. The relief guys, many of whom are lifers who always do what they can, have been lining the WAR leaders. Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia, Brendan Little and Chad Green. Backups thrown into the mix, like Tyler Heineman and Myles Straw. Andres Gimenez has still been one of the best hitters on the team, which is wild considering Vlad Jr., Bo and Springer also play here. 

But the biggest success of the season has been a guy a lot of Jays fans wrote off last season. A colleague of mine is a Jays fan, and last season he was griping about Chris Bassitt. 'You can keep him in for 7 innings but he still gives up like 3 home runs a game'. In the 1970s, this was commonly known as 'being a pitcher'. Ya stay in long enough, ya get roughed up a little the third time through. Happened to Ryan and Sutton and John all the time. Nobody really goes 7 consistently anymore, as around 5 you have to ensure they don't blow their arms out. Chris Bassitt got all of that out of his system in his 20s, and since he turned 30 he's been this consistent, reliable deep game force. Fans of the A's, Mets and now Jays have lovingly referred to Bassitt was 'the hound' for just how much of a hard worker he is. Just goes in, day in and day out, gets the job done, catches you in 5 or 6 days for some more. 

To that end, Chris Bassitt really is a throwback. There's not a lot of guys who've gone through the last few seasons without getting hurt. It's him, Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, at least just coming to my head. And while Bassitt has struggled once or twice, especially last season, he's still shown up consistently and not backed down. Since 2022 he's averaged 184 innings, struck out 560 and sported a 3.65 ERA. The Jays have seen a lot of inconsistency pitching wise since Bassitt came over in 2023. They thought they had an ace in Alek Manoah, and they really didn't. They saw great seasons from Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios followed by struggles. They lost Yusei Kikuchi only for him to really take off. This year they signed Max Scherzer and lost him after 3 innings. Yet Bassitt has remained a crucial and integral piece of the rotation.

So far this season, Bassitt has a 2.62 ERA, 39 Ks, and only 10 earned runs. He leads the Blue Jays in WAR with 1.2, which is more than Guerrero, Bichette, Kirk and Santander combined. Bassitt is the standout of this rotation, which sports lesser seasons from Gausman, Berrios and Bowden Francis. Nothing's been outright terrible, it's just been more serviceable than truly great at the moment. It could click, as I think they have more going for them than the Rays, but they need that leadership figure [Vlad? Bo?] to emerge and start going on a tear. I reckon it'll happen in May or June. 

The Blue Jays don't have much at the moment, but they're thankful they have Chris Bassitt. Wouldn't we all.

Coming Tomorrow- Going from a basset hound to a polar bear...

The New Unwinnables

 

Remember how for a good decade or so there was all this hubbub about the Mariners and Phillies not making the playoffs, and then they expanded the playoffs and they did and now the next nearest playoff drought is, like...the Reds, who're probably gonna be in this year anyhow?

Yeah. It's less exciting now, I guess. It's not like the NFL where even if they keep expanding the playoffs there'll still be teams who've never won an NFC Championship or haven't won a playoff game since Clinton was in office or whatever. The MLB playoff format has made it easier for a mediocre team to not only make the playoffs, but go all the way. At the same time, though, the new playoff environment has still left behind a lot of teams that could be off to a promising competitive career had the expansion not happened. 

The Toronto Blue Jays, who everybody got really excited for in 2019 when they brought up Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette, have been to the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, and have yet to even win a playoff game. With everything they've built, and every great young player that's established themselves in Toronto, they have less playoff wins in that stretch than Minnesota, Seattle and Philadelphia. Ain't that something?

And you can point to several different factors when talking about this, because the Jays have only now reached a solid, winning manager in John Schneider, but until he gets them past the wild card round he's gonna just be that grey area type guy. He's better at it than Montoyo, it seems, but we won't know whether or not he's the answer until something happens. There's also the injury factor: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has struggled not only with injuries but the beginnings of bottoming out. Bo Bichette has missed time pretty regularly. George Springer has missed time every year pretty much. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alek Manoah famously had maintenance issues for them in the past few years.

Yet one factor that has to be said about the modern incarnation of the Jays? Last year they had 4 guys start 31+ games with a sub-4 ERA. You know how rare that it nowadays? Most people get to, like, 20 and get hurt. All of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi had solid, consistent seasons of 150 or more innings last year, with each throwing over 180 strikeouts as well. Gausman famously had a Cy Young caliber campaign, and would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling Yanks. All four of those guys are back this year, and though Gausman, for some reason, is having shoulder issues after pitching 32 games of the best material of his career, all of the rest of them look good this spring, especially Berrios.

Chris Bassitt, for the record, may be one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball right now, solely because he's consistent, makes all his starts and eats innings. The last two seasons he's won 15+ games, which, again, is rare in an era where most starters only go til the 5th. Last year he led the league in wins with 16, again, a sign of where we are in baseball history. I really hope he keeps it up, he's been a refreshingly strong presence in an era of overthrowing. 

The Jays do technically have enough to compete this year, with Bo looking to lead again, the core looking healthy and strong, and enough new pieces like IKF, Turner and possibly Votto to sweeten the deal. It's still a very tough division, and a very tough Wild Card picture, so it's not a done deal yet. But if this can be the team that not only makes the playoffs but gets to the next round, that'd be pretty cool.

10 years after they pissed me off, the Jays are a team I can root for again. How about that?

Uncustomed Heroes of 2023: Blue Jays

 

I think the best way I can sum up the Toronto Blue Jays this year is that, with how the custom order cycled, I was given thirteen chances to make customs of the best players, or most relevant players, on this team. Of those thirteen, I not only was able to do the usual suspects [Bichette, Gausman, Guerrero, Varsho] but the sudden unsung heroes that cropped up, including Davis Schneider, who set the league on fire on his come-up. And yet, as I am here for Uncustomed Heroes, and I only have four left, and two of them are the two next-best players I would have made if the cycle kept going. 

That's the Blue Jays for you. I have two players I absolutely should have talked about during the regular season, but I don't have much more than that. 

Chris Bassitt was one of those guys that was up next in the order a bunch of times, and someone else always overtook him. Jose Berrios at one point, Schneider at another, eventually Alejandro Kirk to round out the season. That shouldn't diminish his umpteenth excellent year, as the perennial workhorse didn't miss a start, led the league in wins with 16, a 3.60 ERA and a career high 186 strikeouts. For the first time in a couple seasons, Bassitt will be staying in one place for more than a year, and I think he's found a nice home in Toronto.

2024 Prediction: Bassitt will be turning 35, so he'll have the chance to establish a Charlie Morton-esque second act. I say he does it, but I don't think he'll be healthy enough to make all 33 starts again. 

The other Blue Jay that it's a wonder I'm just getting to now is Brandon Belt, who I thought nothing of when he signed but launched a homer against the Yankees on a night I was in the Bronx. Belt's consistent, peak years are over, and I don't think the Jays ever expected any Giants-esque performances when they signed him. As a DH, though, Belt was pretty nice, hitting 19 homers and 43 RBIs, despite a .254 average, in 103 games. 

2024 Prediction: A lower-key team will pick him up as a DH option. If he continues to surprise in his mid30s, perhaps a competitor, or an old friend by the Bay, will pick him up for a stretch run.

Though injuries have kept him from a full campaign since his impressive 2018-2021 run, Hyun-Jin Ryu has remained a threatening, intimidating presence in Toronto's rotation. In 11 games this season, Ryu, for the most part, delivered on the promises that his absence left. His 3.46 ERA and 38 Ks aren't completely stellar, but they padded the rotation during the stretch, and allowed for a 6-man platoon that kept the arms from overheating.

2024 Prediction: I don't know if anyone's gonna put trust in Ryu for more than a season. I'm thinking somebody relatively big will get him, but on a flyer. And hopefully, though with reduced velocity, he delivers for them.

The sole Blue Jays trade deadline deal that I actually understood, and of course it's the one that didn't amount to much overall. Jordan Hicks was having a decent year in relief for St. Louis, the Jays knew what he was capable of and dealt for him. In 25 games in Toronto he hit a 2.63 ERA, with 22 Ks and 4 saves. He was also masterful in an inning of postseason play, striking out 2 and allowing no runs. 

2024 Prediction: Hicks will sign a 'bang for your buck' deal somewhere big, and it will go so well that a team will no doubt overpay for him on a multi-year deal starting in 2025.

Coming Tomorrow- They were set to go all the way, and then by the grace of the round-1-bye they were gone. What happened?

Bassitt Found

 

It's always gotta be a little trickier than usual with the Mets, doesn't it?

We already knew the Mets would be starting the season without Jacob deGrom, that's all doable. They start the season with a Scherzer-Megill-Bassitt-Walker-Carrasco rotation. Walker misses a few starts, they have David Peterson, it's fine. Then Megill gets hurt. Now Scherzer's hurt. So now the rotation consists of Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Trevor Williams. And it's still sort of a win for the Mets.

They still have an ace, and that ace is Chris Bassitt, and after he's been locked up for a little longer in Queens, Bassitt is very capable of mowing down batters, as he always has. So far he's 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 49 Ks, which is still a pretty powerful ace performance taking Scherzer out of the equation. The funny thing about Bassitt is he's 33, and yet has only really become a force in baseball since 2018, so he's making up for a lot of lost time. As is Carrasco, who's battled injuries the last few years, and is off to his best start in years, with a 3.73 ERA, 3 wins and 37 Ks. Walker has been the comparative weak link so far, at least in terms of velocity, but he hasn't exactly been counted out yet. 

The other two are the intriguing bits, because the Mets aren't exactly out of luck. Filling in for Walker, David Peterson had a 1.89 ERA in 4 appearances, and fit right in with the rest of the bunch. I don't doubt he'll be fine. Williams, however, I'm confused by, as he's been problematic ever since his 2-8 2020 as the top pitcher in Pittsburgh. Williams has had only one true start, and it went well enough, going 4 innings and not allowing a hit, notching 6 strikeouts. His relief numbers are telling me he'll be in better shape as they go, and even if he is a bit faulty, he's still working with an excellent Mets lineup.

In addition to that, the Mets also have a sixth starter ready if they need him, in the form of Thomas Szapucki, who's been a fairly decent starter in Syracuse so far. So that's really what we're working with. Three Opening Day rotation members fall, there's four in waiting. 

As for the Mets in general, they're not doing a ton wrong. Starling Marte just got back from a week away and he's already back to hitting. Alonso, Nimmo, Lindor and McNeil are all pounding the ball. Edwin Diaz is actually working as a closer again. Patrick Mazeika actually works as a backup catcher. Travis Jankowski has fully embraced being a killer bench player. The fans are showing up, the belief is there, and nobody else in the NL East is coming close to them. May they keep it up, at least for a little while longer.

Coming Tomorrow- He was within inches of getting dealt last year, and he's stayed around long enough to see his team retake first.

Improvement, Dominance, and Mounting Terror in Oakland

 Two months of the Astros being right on their ass later, the Oakland Athletics are still in first place. I'm happy to see it, and I hope it keeps going...but there's this air of suspense around it. Like, you know the Astros could strike at any moment, and they're only 2.5 games behind them, but...the A's still have a lead. Which means, at least in the context of June...the A's might be better than the Astros. It finally happened.

The A's, like the Giants, are relying on lots of guys they've had for years who are having great seasons this year. Sean Manaea, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Ramon Laureano, Mark Canha and Yusmeiro Petit are having great seasons, and are all coming together as the veteran majority of this team to lead it to the top of the AL West. We've thankfully reached the point where the A's can stop being scrappy, pull-it-together rosters and actually benefit from long-term core formations. Chapman, Olson, Canha and Laureano are the heart of the roster, and they've all showed up this season.

Even better, not only is Chris Bassitt having yet another strong season, with a 7-2 record and 92 Ks, but Sean Manaea is having his most dominant season in years, with a 2.99 ERA and a 6-2 record. Having both those aces on at the same time is doing something for this rotation, who has struggled to find a center with struggles from Jesus Luzardo and Mike Fiers in the past. It also helps that Cole Irvin and Frankie Montas are having strong seasons as well, AND rookie call-up James Kaprielian, perhaps the only piece of the Sonny Gray deal the Yankees can regret right now, has 3 wins in 6 starts and his coming into his own in Oakland. Plus, Trivino's lights-out in the 9th, Diekman and Petit still work in middle relief, Cam Bedrosian was a steal, and Tony Kemp is finally hitting for average. So a lot is going right for this team.

It's also worth noting that the A's have the longest tenured manager in the bigs, Bob Melvin, and they are open to an extension to him. That's kinda odd- thanks to Scioscia leaving, the longest-tenured managers are all in the early 2010s, and this era doesn't have a lot of Bobby Cox type 'there forever' guys left [Tony LaRussa doesn't count anymore], other than...what, Bud Black? I dunno if he'll still have a job in a month or so, but regardless. But yeah, it's good that they still have him.

The A's are in great shape, have a reliable core, and while their lead over the Astros is scarily narrow, I still have faith they can pull this one out for once. It's about time.

Coming Tomorrow- On the other side of the bay, one of the most consistent shortstops of the last 10 years hands in another gem of a season. 

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #1-9

We've discussed that 2020's Topps flagship releases were a bit upended by early print dates, late releases, and a dissonance between the season Topps needed to depict following 2019 and the 2020 season that actually happened. As the resident customizer who's begun doing customs of more contemporary designs, I figured...if I could master the 2020 Topps design, then I'd have a way of doing the 2020 Update set that should have been. 

So, here we are. I outlined and commandeered a 330-card Update set...for a 2020 set that already had an Update set. I took on an entire checklist full of traded players past the deadline, rookies that debuted throughout the 2020 season, and lots and lots of relievers and bit players that Topps didn't document throughout the year. Additionally, I created simulated lineups for what would have been a 2020 All-Star Game, and littered the set with the people that, if voting and selection had gone ahead, would have made ASG teams this year. 

I did a lot of work for just a set I'm doing for the blog. Who knows, maybe Topps will wander onto it, though preferably without their lawyers. I'm not doing this for profit, I'm doing this relatively legally, so the only thing Topps could give me that'd alarm me is, uh, a job offer. 

So, as we'll be showing these off on a weekly basis, nine cards at a time, let's look at the first nine times of 2020 Topps Final Edition

Card #001: Starling Marte, Miami Marlins

By far the biggest star to change hands at the August trade deadline, Starling Marte proved his worth in Miami, hitting 13 RBIs in 28 games in Miami. Unfortunately, a broken hand limited Marte's output for the Marlins, despite hitting .500 in one game against the Cubs in the playoffs. Marte will likely be a major player for the Fins in 2021, and hopefully he'll stay healthy enough to warrant the plethora of Topps Marlins issues he deserves. 

Card #002: Matt Andriese, Los Angeles Angels

A former starting option for the Tampa Bay Rays, Andriese was traded to Arizona in 2018 for Michael Perez, and bopped around as a relief options. 2020 was more of a relief year for Andriese, as the Angels utilized him in a setup role, where he posted a 4.50 ERA with 33 Ks in 16 games. Andriese will be spending 2021 with the Boston Red Sox, so I doubt many issues will exist of his fleeting Angels year, which was at least a good way of proving himself in relief.

Card #003- Anderson Tejeda, Texas Rangers

Although the infield in Arlington belonged to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in 2021, Anderson Tejeda's call-up did prove that the Rangers are beginning to explore their farm system a bit more. Tejeda in 23 games sported decent defensive numbers, hitting .250 and plugging himself in at shortstop as the season went on. With Andrus heading to Oakland, Tejeda might be a strong favorite for an infield spot as the Rangers rebuild themselves. 

Card #004- Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres

After three strong seasons of bullpen work in San Diego, the rise of the rest of the team left Craig Stammen spread a bit thin. In 24 games, Stammen posted a career-high 5.63 ERA. At 36, Stammen may be beginning to slow down a bit, but the Padres have him signed for at least one more year, so hopefully he'll rebound enough to play to 38. 

Card #005- Ryan Mountcastle RC, Baltimore Orioles

One of the first steps of Baltimore's new youth movement was calling up Ryan Mountcastle, their sturdy, contact-hitting outfield prospect. In 35 games with the club, Mountcastle hit .333 with 23 RBIs, sliding into a starting outfield spot and getting even more crucial playing time after Anthony Santander's injury. Mountcastle came eighth in AL ROY voting, and will likely be starting in left this year at Camden Yards.

Card #006- Monte Harrison RC, Miami Marlins

Called up in tandem with fellow Miami prospect Jazz Chisholm, outfield bat Monte Harrison made a decent impression in 32 games with 6 stolen bases and solid defensive numbers despite not even remotely hitting for average. Harrison is likely to factor into the Marlins' outfield as the contract players begin to phase out. 

Card #007- Chris Bassitt ASG, Oakland Athletics 

As much as it pained manager A.J. Hinch, who would technically still be the AL ASG manager in 2020, he had to include Chris Bassitt as one of the starting options for the AL team. Bassitt was not only the most adept arm in Oakland, but his 2.29 ERA in 11 games was a strong statement for an A's also-ran for the last few years, and a piece of evidence that the A's had finally found their ace. 

Card #008- Taylor Clarke, Arizona Diamondbacks

While Clarke's fellow late-rotation battery member Alex Young got a card in 2020 Topps, Clarke himself, who had the better season, was shunned in both releases. Even if his 2019 season was slightly more inflated than necessary, he outdid Young, and had a 4.36 ERA in 12 games, including 5 starts. Yes, it's easy for people for Clarke and Young to get lost in the shuffle considering all the big names in the D-Backs rotation, but Clarke is still a crucial member, and did some cool stuff when people weren't looking this year.

Card #009- Matt Foster RC, Chicago White Sox

In the grand tradition of Aaron Bummer and Jace Fry, Matt Foster was the new out-of-nowhere relief specialist to take the South side of Chicago by storm. In 23 games, Foster sported a 6-1 record with a 2.20 ERA and 31 Ks, being a nice safety net for the burgeoning, expanding bullpen for the White Sox. 

Next Monday, I'll post the next 9 cards. There's a few fun player selections in there.