Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Braves

 

It is insanely hard, in this current playoff climate, for there to be repeat World Series winners. The playoffs now last so long that it's impossible for the 'best teams' to hold onto momentum the entire way through. The era of the Yankees or Braves winning every year may be behind us.

That being said, if anybody was gonna go back-to-back, I thought it was gonna be the Braves.

The 2021 team was a feel good come to prominence that no one expected, and it was a season I knew they'd be able to build on. Sure enough, the Braves outdo the Mets in the 11th hour for the division, make smarter decisions, call up killer pieces like Spencer Strider and Michael Harris, and look like a more confident, more pronounced team. 

...and then they got trounced in the playoffs by the Phillies of all people. I sure do know how to call 'em.

The Braves have a lot to be proud of, though, and still probably have the strongest team in the NL East [sorry, Mets]. As much as some pieces are leaving in free agency, the big guns that make this team can't-miss baseball are tied up for most of the decade. 

Adam Duvall, fortunately, is one of the aforementioned free agents. Not that his season was bad, as he did nearly make the All-Star team, and he hit 12 homers, but in a shortened 86-game season he still struck out 101 times and hit .213. Duvall is still very much a one-dimensional power hitter who is good to you when he's surging, and this year he really wasn't surging. Then he got injured, missed the playoffs and spent the rest of his contract at home. As much as he helped the team in 2021, I doubt he'll be missed. 

2023 Prediction: A middle of the road team signs him to a 1-year deal, he does okay. The big years may be over.

Then you have Marcell Ozuna. After the battery charges, the Braves haven't really decided what to think about Ozuna, even if he did have a monstrous 2020 season as a DH. With the team growing up and more outfielders and power hitters settling in, there's less of a place on this team for someone like Ozuna, and despite that he's still signed until 2024. This season, in 124 games he hit 56 RBIs and 23 homers while still being phased out as much as the Braves could.

2023 Prediction: Similar numbers. I don't even think the Braves WANT Ozuna to have anymore good seasons. If he does, he'll likely be trade bait for somebody. 

After being a respectable, consistent closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 10 seasons, Kenley Jansen took the free agency period to find a new place to play, and landed in Atlanta, who...moved Will Smith over to make room. Jansen, despite a 3.38 ERA, is a rock in the ninth, and led the NL in saves with 41, bringing his career total to 391, bringing him within 10 of 400 overall, and bringing him to 8th overall on  the all-time saves list, and three under former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. It's clear that Jansen is etching his name in the history books as a closer, and while he wasn't perfect for the Braves, he did exactly what they signed him to do- dominate the ninth by any means necessary.

2023 Prediction: Similar to this year, somebody signs him, he gives them the traditional Jansen material with another 30-40 saves, and we might be doing this for a bit. I dunno if anyone wants to give him a long-term deal.

A few favorable bullpen heroes for the Braves this year. First, Collin McHugh, former Astros starter, has become a pretty efficient bullpen arm since stints with the Red Sox and Rays. In 58 appearances he sported a 2.60 ERA and 75 strikeouts, in addition to notching a considerable amount more innings than most relievers due to his starting experience. McHugh was a much-needed long-man presence for a varied relief squad.

2023 Prediction: I'm not sure who is on the Braves' shortlist to close, or if they're getting anybody, but...guys, Collin McHugh might be working the ninth for some spots this year, and that's alright with me.

 

A.J. Minter, the perennial Braves bullpen favorite, had another strong year this year, with a 2.06 ERA, 94 Ks and 5 wins in 75 games. Minter is a workhorse and a club favorite, and the Braves are lucky to have him.

2023 Prediction: The way Minter has swung recently, 2023 is looking like a down season, but I still see big postseason moments coming his way.

Even with a packed rotation, the Braves gave a few starts to rookie Bryce Elder, who already looks like he's been living in the woods for some time. Elder impressed for the most part, with a 3.17 ERA and 47 Ks in 10 games, 9 of them starts. Ultimately I think he was just low on the depth chart, and once Anderson came back he was back down in the minors.

2023 Prediction: Either there is room for him, and he has a Kyle Wright-esque breakout, or there isn't and he's a big piece in a trade deadline deal. It kinda depends on whether or not Mike Soroka is gonna be a thing in 2023, and I'm honestly not sure if he will be.

This story you've already heard, but...for the purposes of this post. So Ozzie Albies gets injured, right? The Braves do what they did when Acuna was injured and bring up a rookie who's ready to take on MLB work to take his place for a bit. Like Michael Harris before him, Vaughn Grissom took to the majors like a trout to water, and hit .291 with 18 RBIs and 5 homers in 41 games. Mind you, the man is 21 years old. Yes, Albies eventually rejoined the Braves lineup and Grissom became a bench man, but ooooh boy is this kid valuable. The good news for Braves fans is he can play shortstop, and might have to considering who might be leaving town.

2023 Prediction: Vaughn Grissom will be the next Brave to be locked up for the foreseeable future. 

Onto the trade deadline acquisitions. Robbie Grossman was the most useful guy they got, as he'd been a durable, contact-hitting favorite in Detroit, and Oakland now that you mention it, for the last few years. Just a guy that's good to have around. In Atlanta, Grossman improved on a slow 2022 start and hit .217 with 30 hits and 22 RBIs in 46 games. He also posted some of his best defensive numbers since his 20s. 

2023 Prediction: Back to what he was doing before, signing with non-competitive teams and having great seasons for them.

In a very interesting move, the Braves traded Will Smith to Houston for Jake Odorizzi, as they were better off with rotation security than bullpen security. Now, we know how this went, considering Smith got his second consecutive World Series ring with the Astros, but Odo was no slouch either, striking out 40 in 10 games, despite an ERA over 5, and giving up 2 runs in 3 playoff innings. He's still a reliable depth piece at this point in his career.

2023 Prediction: Well, he's at the back half of a rotation led by Jacob deGrom. The odds are, if he stays healthy, and he probably will, he will get a ton of starts next year. I'd love for deGrom to stay healthy, we all would, but...I feel like Odo is gonna get a lot of work next year in Texas. A lot like Jordan Lyles and Kyle Gibson once Kluber got hurt.

And in the second baffling trade the Braves made this July, they shipped Jesse Chavez and Tucker Davidson over to LA to have Raisel Iglesias work the eighth...which is odd, because working the ninth is more his thing. I think it was just in case Jansen fell apart. Still, Iglesias was excellent as a Brave, allowing only 1 earned run in 36 innings, and striking out 30/100 batters. Iglesias is still scary when he's on, and his back half numbers gave the Braves some good feelings about their long term bullpen security.

2023 Predictions: I'm thinking Iglesias is just the Braves' new closer, so he's gonna be really good at that for a couple years.

Tomorrow, a few members of a Brewers team that were so close to a playoff run.

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.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Astros

So in case you guys missed it, the Houston Astros won their first World Series this year.

To be honest, thinking about 2017, this made the most sense, and gave us a team with a strong arc that followed through across the months. It's easy to see a feel-good team fail early (like, I dunno, the Yankees), but the Astros came up strong in April and finished strong in October. You rarely see that anymore.

I'd already made a custom of George Springer this year, but seeing as he'd win the MVP of the World Series, and solidify his status as a rising star, another one seemed necessary.

Mike Fiers was a well-used force in the rotation, as many of the more notable arms kept getting injured. This went...sort of well for him, at least in the first half, although people eventually figured out how to hit him, and he spent most of October in the bullpen, or on the bench.

Collin McHugh returned late in the year, and lit up the rotation like he'd been waiting to. He was a trusty third-fourth arm in the rotation, seriously helping his team's cause in the World Series. I'm guessing he'll have a more impressive 2018 given another full year.

Meanwhile, this guy.

Jose Altuve had been deserving an MVP for the past few years, and I'm so glad he finally got one ALONG WITH a World Series. The guy is one of the best pure hitters in the game, he's a great defensive 2nd baseman, he's super-fun, and he's the guy the Astros centered this young team around. I'm so happy he finally got what he deserved, and I hope this isn't the end of the accolades for him.

Coming Tomorrow- They didn't do especially well, but I feel like the future's beginning to look bright for this NorCal team.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Astros

It saddens me that the Astros couldn't make as strong of a run as they did in 2015, but this season definitely wasn't too far of a step behind, thanks to the strong work that A.J. Hinch has been doing up front. The team's still in progress, and is a few steps away from getting back...steps they've been taking already this postseason.

Dallas Keuchel didn't have anywhere near as good of a season as he had in 2015, but he tried his best, and still did well in the strikeout category.

Luis Valbuena spent a lot of the season circling the DL, but he's still a nice little player, and I'm glad he's found somewhere to stick around and become a starting team player. Hopefully he'll be a bit better in 2017, and potentially a more permanent 3rd base option.

Collin McHugh had to take a lot of the reins of the rotation this season, and he did a pretty admirable job, doing some strong work in the wins category, and leading the team in strikeouts.

Yulieski Gurriel was a late addition, as well as a Cuban import, and he did his best in the last month or so of the season. I think he'll be like a Yasmany Tomas-type, just an all-around player that can play anywhere and hit in the clutch.

We end with the closer. After Luke Gregerson blew the job, Ken Giles, former Philadelphia closer, was brought in to save the job, and while he wasn't perfect, he did a good enough job that I get to make a custom of him. Hoping he gets the gig next year, too. I'm still a fan of his from his Philly days.

Coming Tomorrow- The A's had a pretty down year, but not ALL was lost- after all, they have one of the most overlooked youth movements in the bigs.

Somebody Save this Amazing Baseball Story! Quick!

When the Astros crept up to the top of the AL West and fought off all competitors, the audience was thrilled. Nobody thought they'd be able to do it, let alone at this caliber, and to see people like Jose Altuve and Dallas Keuchel playing amazing baseball for a first place team...that was astounding.

Even more astounding was the fact that, for a short period of time, the Astros were the best team in baseball. The Royals had less wins than the Astros at one point, and they had a ton of momentum this year.

That's why it's really sad that the Rangers have overtaken the Astros for control of the AL West. For a while the Astros were THE baseball story this year...and now they've fallen to second place, where, unless they retake 1st, they'll likely have to square off against whoever loses this AL East battle (so most likely the Yankees) for the Wild Card spot. And a team that had a year like this one should not simply have a wild card attempt to show for their efforts.

The Astros need to pick things up, and potentially catch up to the Rangers, or else this great story doesn't especially matter. They have enough pitching, and enough young bats, that they could potentially be a nice postseason threat, kind of like the Royals last year. It can definitely happen, but only if the Astros can make it happen for themselves.

Coming Tomorrow- His team may be in last, but at least he has really nice facial hair.