Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Rockies

 

Merry Christmas! This may not be the holiday season any of us asked for, but it still is what it is. The minimized state of Christmas this year means I can get away with posting this on the 25th and not fear a supreme lack of views. It's like Thanksgiving, everybody's home, everybody's together in some way, and there's more time to relax, I presume [I write these in advance].

Anyway. 2020 Rockies. Uh...perhaps the most middle of the road a team could be this year. Under .500, but not in a way that still garners playoff time. A few good seasons, but not enough to merit much attention. Another step backward for the 2018 playoff contenders.

Nolan Arenado was one of the victims of the lack of crowds this year, along with Javier Baez and Christian Yelich. This was Arenado's most human year yet, as he bat .253 with 26 RBIs and 8 home runs. The lower contact numbers are concerning, especially considering the large contract the Rockies just signed Arenado to. I sincerely hope it's a one year fluke, cause Arenado is still an elite player and I'd hate for him to suddenly not be.

2021 Prediction: He finally gets that MVP he's been inches from for years. 

German Marquez, after a few years of ruling the Rockies' rotation, had a bit of a down year as compatriots Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela did most of the heavy lifting. Despite pitching the most games with 13, he had a 4-6 record with a 3.75 ERA. His 75 Ks were still the team high, though.

2021 Prediction: Will lead the team in wins and Ks. If the DH is taken away, he'll hit .250 again. 

Daniel Murphy has served his purpose as a contact hitter, and is now just your regular, old fashioned power 1st baseman. Anybody can do what Murph is doing in Denver, and they already had Ian Desmond for it, but he opted out. So Murph now just sorta...is there. He bat .216 with 13 RBIs and 3 homers. Not much to cry about, but for a former MVP candidate it's a sad fall.

2021 Prediction: If anyone signs him, it'll be as a backup DH. Then he retires. 

Raimel Tapia is the Boba Fett of baseball. Looks cool, does nothing to warrant it. Last few years he's been fun on the base paths and in the outfield but has no positive stats to note. However, this year was a few steps up, as he bat .321 with 59 hits and 17 RBIs, and had some positive defensive numbers to boost his WAR. He's not Story/Arenado levels yet, but he's getting there.

2021 Prediction: The contact mojo wears off, and the Rockies cut him midyear. 

If 2020 was a normal season, this would be a Marlins uniform that Matt Kemp would be wearing, as he made camp with the Marlins and was close to making the team. Then the pandemic hits, Kemp gets released...and signs with the other 93 expansion team, the Rockies, makes the team and becomes the go-to DH for the Rockies. While it wasn't a HIGH mark for Kemp, he still got 21 RBIs and 6 homers out of the deal, and he revitalized himself after a disappointing 2019, so...better than nothing.

2021 Prediction: That said, I don't know if he'll make camp with whoever signs him this year. His best numbers are clearly behind him.

The other guy who made the team based solely on summer camp tryouts was Daniel Bard, a former Red Sox reliever who'd kicked around the majors for 6 years, trying to make camp with Chicago, Texas and other clubs with no avail. 2020 was the year Bard finally returned to the majors, and oh what a return it was- Bard led the bullpen in strikeouts with 27, eventually got the closing gig, and had a 3.65 ERA and a 0.9 WAR, highest in the 'pen. 

2021 Prediction: A season that won't be as starry as 2020, but will still be consistent. 

In the absence of Jon Gray, the Rockies brought up Ryan Castellani to add to the bullpen. In 9 starts, Castellani struck out 25, had a 1-4 record and a 5.82 ERA. The perils of pitching at Coors Field.

2021 Prediction: Either he learns from the Big 4 how to pitch in Denver or he's repurposed as a reliever. 

Of the two backup infield options from 2019, Josh Fuentes had the starrier year. Fuentes took some starts at 1st from Daniel Murphy and was clearly the more feasible option, as he hit .306 with 17 RBIs in 30 games, and had a WAR that topped even Charlie Blackmon's. It's looking like he'll be the option at 1st going into next year, unless Ian Desmond really wants it. 

2021 Prediction: A full-season star-making turn for Fuentes, joining with the Arenado-Story core to really aid this team. 

As for the guys the Rockies got from the trade deadline, the weaker of the two was Orioles reliever Mychal Givens, who had a 6.75 ERA in 10 games. The Rox got him as a closing option and he blew more saves than he kept. 

2021 Prediction: Will be one of the more overlooked relievers of the 2021 Denver 'pen.

And then you have Kevin Pillar, pinched from Boston as a decent outfield bat for the stretch. Pillar hit .308 in 24 games, with 28 hits and 13 RBIs, a decent bit of pop to a lineup that sort of trailed off as the playoff race took shape.

2021 Prediction: Similar to this year- cheap 1 year signing, some solid outfield time without much statistical impact.

Coming Tomorrow- The Royals are rebuilding, and this year was...for better or worse, the result of that. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The 2008 Rookies

 

...well, since blogger took away the ability to caption photos...I guess I've gotta do away with the obvious.

2008 Topps is a weird year in terms of their rookie selection, because there is personnel that appears in Upper Deck sets, premium sets, and even their hobby-exclusive Red Hot Rookie program, and yet still fails to receive a card in actual flagship. 

Alexei Ramirez is one of the biggest rookie stories of 2008, bursting onto the scene in Chicago as a compact little shortstop with a 2.5 WAR, and notching 77 RBIs and 21 home runs, both admittedly career highs, while also coming in second during Rookie of the Year voting. Topps does not give him a rookie card in Update. What they DO give him is a World Baseball Classic short-printed gimmick hidden in the set along with Yasuhiko Yabuta and the set's rookie giant Kosuke Fukudome. All three players were supposed to have regular cards in the flagship set, but were reduced to gimmicks. 

Only Fukudome got an actual Update Series base card. Ramirez did get a card in Update, but it was a World Baseball Classic insert. Meanwhile, Upper Deck was producing base rookies of him like it's nothing. It was a maddening affair that robbed a genuinely good player of an official rookie card.

Not every rookie I made for this project comes off like Ramirez'. Daniel Murphy got an official Topps rookie in 2009's flagship set, but he still appeared in 49 games in 2008, hitting .313 with 17 RBIs in 49 games, which isn't bad at all. Sadly, a lot of this production came after the cutoff, so his chance at a 2008 Topps rookie card dissipated. 

But this one looks nice. The black Mets uniforms were underrated. And it's odd to see someone affiliated with mid-2010s Mets success wearing one. Kinda like how odd it is to see Jose Altuve in 2011-era Astros uniforms. 

We go slightly more obscure for this next rookie.

Ernesto Frieri is best known for his role as the fun-loving Angels closer in 2013, and his eventual trade to Pittsburgh in 2014 for Jason Grilli. Before landing in LA, Frieri was a staple for the Padres' bullpen, and while he didn't debut until 2009, a Spring Training photo does exist from the 2008 season, and by the rules of this project, that totally counts. Topps has based rookie cards on far less. 

So Frieri gets a rookie card in 2008. Because why not?

Similarly present in 2008 Spring Training but absent for most of the actual season was future A's DH and power-hitter Brandon Moss. Moss was among the squad that played overseas for a few games in Spring 2008, as he was being primed for an infield position that would eventually go to Jed Lowrie. 

The reason he doesn't have a 2008 rookie card with Boston, apart from Topps being harebrained and not giving him one after his 2007 debut campaign, is that after 34 games in Boston, Moss was traded to Pittsburgh for Jason Bay. Bay would be an outfield asset and All-Star for Boston, while Moss would continue his utility man role in Pittsburgh, where he would get his 2008 Update rookie card. 

Ian Kennedy has a rookie card with Upper Deck in 2008. As a matter of fact, he's all over Upper Deck's third quarter releases. Perhaps Kennedy was sought as the 'token Yankee rookie' that year, despite not getting a ton of playing time.

Despite his solid 2007 numbers, Kennedy would have an 8.39 ERA in 2008, and eventually be eased out of starting, and the majors. Topps wouldn't produce a card of him in 2009 either, and his 2010 Topps release would technically be his Topps rookie card. By 2010, Kennedy had already been traded to Arizona in the Curtis Granderson deal [but really we should be calling it the Max Scherzer deal at this point], and his career was already burgeoning as an ace in Phoenix.

Unrelated, but I bet Upper Deck would have rendered this entire project meaningless if they'd kept their license after 2009. 

Which leads us back to the 2008 Red Hot Rookie series, one of the charter members of which was Jeff Samardzija, a Cubs reliever with a funky windup and a funkier name. 

Unlike Kennedy, Samardzija's inclusion in this set does not mean he didn't receive any Topps releases in 2008. Topps liked him a lot during the last quarters of 2008, and included him in Finest and Heritage High Number. Yet he did not get a card in Update Series, and would have to wait until 2009 Topps to get an official rookie card [now that I am realizing this, neither did Pablo Sandoval, whom I always assumed has a 2008 Update card I just never pulled. So I guess I have to make one of him now].

Shark's 2008 number certainly would have warranted a rookie card, though. With a 2.28 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27.2 innings, he was clearly one of the brighter relief options of the competitive 2008 Cubs team. It just stinks that Topps' silly quotas prevented them from actually making a rookie card of him that year.

Those are the 6 newest additions to the Should Have Been series. Now I, admittedly, have to go make a Pablo Sandoval one.

Journey to the Center of the NL West

Right now, in the NL West, two spots are absolutely hammered down for the rest of the year: first place, which will be the Dodgers for a while, and last place, which will be the Giants for a while.

Everything else is fair game.

Right now, the Rockies are in second, after some smashing performances from Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and German Marquez over the past few weeks. And if this were a simple season, they'd sort of waltz their way to another wild card victory. Despite initial concerns, the core of last year's team is still definitely in play in Colorado, and they seem to have strengthened themselves for an even longer run.

The only problem is that right now, they, the D-Backs and the Padres all have the same amount of wins.

I would even make the argument that, like last year, the D-Backs are just as good as the Rockies. Both have some impressive pitching anchors (Marquez and Greinke), and both are getting veterans to provide unlikely momentum (Daniel Murphy and Adam Jones). And I can even say that both have their flaws. Like...what in God's name is the back half of the rotation in Denver? Or, why is there no one competent on the bench for Arizona? Or how come the big source of power for both teams, Ian Desmond and Christian Walker, are just so...meh?

And also the Padres are in the race as well. They're a bit more flawed, though, and something tells me they'll end up in fourth.

I do think D-Backs-Rockies is gonna be the big race again this year. Will either of them catch LA? Probably not, but...you can never really predict much in this division. Remember, last year I thought the Rockies would end the year by finishing 1st in the NL West for the first time ever, and that still has yet to happen.

Coming Tomorrow- After a few seasons of...for lack of a nicer term, mediocrity...I can safely say that this guy's one of the best pitchers in the AL again. I just wish he was pitching for a better team.

NL Wild Card Game Preview: Sudden Death

We go into the playoff with two teams that both have a lot to prove, mostly that they belong in the playoffs they were, until recently, guaranteed a spot in. The Cubs have landed in the past 3 NLCS', have won a World Series, and have spent most of the season on top of the NL Central. Them, plus the ever-ballistic bat of Daniel Murphy, are out for vengeance tonight, hoping to have a rematch with Milwaukee next week.

But, in their way...

The team that nearly kept the Dodgers out of first, with some of the most impressive offensive abilities of the year, and with some surprising improvement from their bullpen and rotation. The Rockies have proved that they've come a long way from being a first round ouster last year, so on a night where history could very well repeat itself, Wade Davis and the Rockies are gonna do their best to defy the odds, take down the Cubs and waltz into October.

It could go either way, and while I'm rooting for the underdogs here, I'd love if either team won and got to play the Brewers later on. Hope it's a nice game.

Nationals Firesale: Why They're Not Really Doomed

So. They may not have given up Bryce Harper, but the Nationals definitely made some statements yesterday in giving Matt Adams back to St. Louis, and giving Daniel Murphy to Chicago.

First of all, they confirmed that the real dead heat is the NL Central race, because both the Cubs and Cardinals are bloodthirsty and looking for some sort of playoff spot, while the NL East race is basically decided (it's the Braves, guys). Getting these two guys over there ups the ante for both, and makes either one a threat, along with the already surging Brewers, for the top spot. I'd say it's a little harder to predict now, though the Cubs currently have the division. Murph may be a pricy little replacement for Bryce Harper, but he'll definitely help them firm up the race. Adams, though, will have to compete with Jose Martinez and Matt Carpenter for first, and may just be a utility-swingman in a lineup that's already stocked with power.

What it says about the Nats, though? Well, who did they give up? Their second baseman, who'd missed half the year, and had been backed up by Wilmer Difo, and their backup first baseman, who'd competed with Mark Reynolds and the starter, Ryan Zimmerman, for time.

They gave up two players they didn't need. They're not competing, so they're lightening the battalion a little bit, and just getting a team they can finish the year with. They didn't lose anyone that left them crippled- they still have major pieces at 1st and 2nd, and aren't lost without Murph and Adams. They were honestly just high-priced backups this year, and if you're in third, and not making the playoffs, you don't need those.

This also means that they still have enough of a team where they can still theoretically compete in the future. I'm guessing it'll be without Harper, but the pitching, a lot of the lineup, and the general core of the team might stick around. Which is nice, I guess.

More Murph

When Daniel Murphy had his amazing start to last year's season, posting an incredible average and hitting even better than he had for the Mets, the sportswriters were wondering when he'd come down. When the fluke would run out.

...It's a year later, and it's not a fluke. Murph is still one of the best offensive providers in Washington, regardless of his skills on defense. He's got a similarly high average to his 2016 season, and he's one of the MANY Nationals starters who are on fire right now. He, Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Trea Turner are all playing beautifully- wait, hell, that's the ENTIRE INFIELD. I used to go crazy about the original infield formation of LaRoche-Desmond-Rendon-Zim, but this is arguably even better. Here, there's not a strikeout-heavy guy in the infield, and everyone's going for average as well as power. Yes, the infield has a combined 43 home runs, but they're still hitting for average in addition to all of the power work.

Additionally, the core four of Scherzer-Strasburg-Gonzalez-Roark is deadlier than it's ever been. Scherzer's having a season that's already rivaling his Cy Young seasons, and Strasburg's back to his old strikeout-wielding tricks, with some better control and less earned runs. The only weak link in the rotation is Joe Ross, but when the fifth guy's the only problem, you're doing pretty well.

There are still some problems, though- Bryce Harper's the greatest, but the outfield without either Adam Eaton or Jayson Werth is pretty blank. The bullpen is ailing, as not only is the suggested closer Blake Treinen tanking, but Koda Glover, the new and improved closer, might be heading to the DL. They need to secure a closer, whether by converting some middle reliever or trading for one, insanely soon, or else the ninth inning instability is gonna KILL them come September.

Still, the Nationals, and Daniel Murphy, are impressing a ton of people so far. Let's hope it keeps going.

Coming Tonight: A rookie infielder for an ailing Chicago team.

Salt of the Murph

Man, some people just know the right moment to jump ship.

Daniel Murphy was the moral anchor of the Mets for a few good years back there, and was one of the defining forces behind the World Series run they made last year. However, the Mets decided not to re-sign Murphy, so he went to another team.

That team being the Washington Nationals.

Right now the Nationals are absolutely ruling the NL East, thanks in part to efforts from an outrageously-hot Bryce Harper, and, yes, Daniel Murphy hitting .400. The Mets are working back to the top, but are currently working to stay in second.

Which means Daniel Murphy must have hired a soothsayer or something, because that was scary. He knew exactly the right place to go. The Nats were more than willing to give up on re-signing Ian Desmond to accommodate him, and the infield of Zim-Murph-Espinosa-Rendon is a pretty spiffy one. The Nats are pretty strong right now, and it's looking like they're for real this year, unlike the infamous deflation of 2016.

The big variable here is Murphy, and whether or not he's gonna stay hot the whole season. I know he can hit, but he also likes to strike out, and this could work against the Nats. Still...I'm getting some good vibes from these guys.

Coming Tonight- I've done customs of all 30 teams...except for the one who took the longest amount of time to get a win. Here's their ace.

Yes, but did the Nats really NEED Daniel Murphy??

Your Newest Nationals 2nd Baseman...just, uh, just go with it...

We knew the Mets weren't gonna re-sign Daniel Murphy. No, the additions of Neil Walker, Alejandro de Aza and Asdrubal Cabrera kind of made that part obvious. We just knew Daniel Murphy was going to go SOMEWHERE...

And yet, the one team that DID grab Murphy...I don't really think that was the greatest move for them. That may have, actually, been a step in the opposite direction.

You see, the Nationals have had this name for having a young, quick, homegrown infield, and they did a lot to make sure that all of the pieces fit. For a while it was Zimmerman-Espinoza-Desmond-Rendon in some kind of combination. Whenever one piece was injured, they would add a short term piece like Yunel Escobar or Asdrubal Cabrera, and get someone (usually Rendon or Espinoza) to float or play backups on some days.

So they made it clear that they weren't going to re-sign Yunel Escobar, so he's gone, and now they have a solid formation for a Zim-Espinoza-Dez-Rendon infield. This works because they've already been playing around each other, and now that there aren't options, it can be a very speedy, defense-driven yet still offensively-sharp infield. The only snag is that Ian Desmond is a Free Agent this season.

I really don't see why getting Daniel Murphy, for more money, was a better idea than just getting Desmond back and keeping everyone together. It's kind of baffling to me, because, yes, it allows for more flexibility, as Espinosa can play short or second, Zim can play first or third, Murphy can play 2nd or third, and Rendon can play 2nd or third...but also, it sort of ruins the dynamic that the Nats have been trying to build for the last five or so seasons. They've had the pieces in place for a truly great infield...and then they go and screw it up by getting a guy who can hit very well, but might not be able to fit into that infield. It's a Dan Uggla situation. You're fitting a guy who's not especially known for defense into a defensively-driven infield. I'm not sure if that's going to work.

A lot of people see this as an upgrade, as, yes, a bat is a bat, and Murphy could hit a ton of home runs, and possibly improve that output in the infield, but...infield bats were not really the problem. We're going into a season with only one real locked-down outfielder, Jayson Werth, a guy who's looking like he's on the decline, and your other big outfield bat, Denard Span, looks like he's heading somewhere else. You didn't need a lot of offensive help in the infield is what I'm saying.

So yes, it's great that the Nationals got Daniel Murphy. Great hitter, great 2nd-3rd baseman, gonna hit 30 homers next year. But don't be shocked if the Nationals fail to clinch yet again. I mean, I'm not denying the fact that if they do get to October, they'd get farther than they would if they DIDN'T have Murphy on the roster. I'm just saying that because they're emphasizing the wrong parts of the lineup in terms of what they need...they're not gonna do well at all. It's gonna be another year of a stacked infield and a piss-poor outfield BA-wise.

Wish I had better Christmas news, Nats fans. Who knows, there are still some FA outfielders out there. However, thanks to this Murphy deal, I'm not sure which ones you can afford...

Uncustomed Heroes of 2015: Mets

Well, I'll be damned. 2015 was the year I rooted for the Mets in the World Series.

I saw them at CitiField this year, and was so impressed by what I saw. The pitching was spot on, the lineup was explosive, and they only got bigger and better as the year went on. Yoenis Cespedes was the main crux point of this- once he joined the team he started hitting like an absolute monster, home runs left and right and making the other teams fear the cleanup spot.

I'm not sure if he'll be around Queens in 2016, but here's hoping.

Another guy who I'm hoping sticks around (haaaahhh...I wrote this a week ago...), Daniel Murphy stepped up big time in David Wright's absence, hitting tremendously and playing 2nd and 3rd whenever needed, also playing well into the postseason. This guy, if he stays with the Mets (which he probably isn't going to), will be a huge postseason performer.

Well...Curtis Granderson is one of my favorite players, and this year, he FINALLY had a great season on the Mets, hitting like his former self, and giving the same amount of fun that he gave in his first few seasons in the Bronx. Hopefully there's more coming.

And then there's the Dark Knight. Matt Harvey, the guy who had a shaky season, yet became one of the anchors once the postseason started, playing some great games, pitching like it was 2013 all over again, and giving hope to a city that needed some.

Steven Matz, the just-as-stellar fifth man in the rotation, came up and had some amazing RBIs in his first few games. He came back in the postseason, where he had even more great starts. I swear, if this guy is your #5 guy...the rest of the league is in trouble.

Michael Cuddyer was one of the Mets' few free agent signings in 2015, and while he didn't play every game, he did a decent enough job, making the most of his bookends on the team, and giving some home runs whenever needed.

Kevin Plawecki started games behind the plate once Travis D'Arnaud got injured, and while he's probably not going to be the ultimate answer at catcher for the Mets, he did a good enough job, and is definitely a worthy backup.

Juan Uribe played with three teams this year. Two of them, he was a monster offensively, and thankfully, one of those teams was the Mets. I witnessed one of Uribe's first few games as a Met, and he did not disappoint, giving some great hits, and just being a lot of fun.

Coming Tomorrow- The Nationals team that got sooooo close...

On the eve of a really fun looking World Series

I really don't know how this World Series is gonna turn out.

And part of me really doesn't care.

These are two really fun teams, both who came from some weird odds and became the strongest teams of the year. Nobody in their right minds could have called a Royals-Mets World Series, so I love that it's happening. I love that both teams have a pretty damn even shot, too. It could be either one, and that's a good thing. It's not like the '12 series, where it was so obviously gonna be the Giants that I barely even bothered watching the games.

So yeah...I'm gonna be watching this one with a bowl of popcorn. Because something tells me this is gonna be really exciting.

NLCS: Black Cats Need Not Apply

In one corner, the Webster's definition of an underdog team, a team that has not clinched a division in 12 years, a playoff run marred by the action of a guy trying way too hard to do the Bartman (and the collective groan from the audience bellows through the blogosphere), looking hotter than they've looked in over a hundred years, with superior hitting, pitching, and managing. Coming for your curses, your wins, and your title, THE CHICAGO CUBS!!!

Taking them on at home, a team whose last taste with the postseason helped create one of the most boring World Series' of all time, with the Cardinals-Tigers matchup in 2006. They've been waiting since 2000 to get back, and waiting since 1986 to win. Plus, they're used to breaking the hearts of fans waiting for a curse to be broken. Wielder of the black cats, the broken mirrors, and the barrage of goats, a team whose roster is packed with hitters, the best pitching staff in baseball, and a guy that may have a shot at NL MVP. Bandwagoners beware...IT'S THE NEW YORK METS!!!

Let's have a nice, awesome, fun series.

Day Two, in Summation

This guy had the big RBI that broke the game out of the 14-inning extra slog, and managed to say his team, the Rangers, could take away two games at home from one of the toughest teams in baseball, those battlin' Toronto Blue Jays. They're up 2-0, and looking pretty damn good right now.

Meanwhile, this guy helped drive in the force that turned what could have been a 2-0 lead for the Astros into a tied series headed into Houston. Leave it to Zobrist to still be a playoff producer, even away from Tampa.

This guy had a career renaissance performance, overpowering the Cubs, going 6 innings of no-hit ball, and letting everybody know that the Cardinals can still be a playoff threat (to many disinterested groans around the blogosphere)

And this guy became the umpteenth guy to get the best of Clayton Kershaw in October, slamming a homer and leading to an impressive offensive drive behind Jacob DeGrom, and proving the Mets can be a legitimate playoff threat this year.

Tomorrow, reprises from the Cubs-Cards and Mets-Dodgers battles. Let's see how crazy this gets.

Custom Card of the Day: Murphy Edition

Last week there was this big festival at my college, with bands, carnival attractions, and more drinking than you could possibly imagine. A friend of mine brought a guy who'd already graduated, and we were talking for a while about sports. This guy was a huge Mets fan, and he's the kind of Mets fan who will not take 'the Yankees are better right now' for an answer.

There was one alarming statistic he kept bringing up. This season, the Mets had started with an 11 game streak, in April. The only other times the team has had such a streak in April, they would either go to the World Series or get relatively close to it. Which means this happened in 1969, 1973 and 1986. It also happened in the early 90's for some reason.

And that was the kind of stat that got a 'yeah, right' from me. Stats can't tell the future. Stats are just predictions, and predictions can be wrong. People only listen to statistics when they're right...which isn't very often. So I hear a stat like that, and I'm like, whatever, it's not gonna matter in the long run, you can't confirm that that kind of shit's gonna work.

However...this is the kind of Mets team that could theoretically make something like that work this year. People like Juan Lagares, Curtis Granderson, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda are all playing pretty well right now. Hell, even Kevin Plawecki, the guy they brought up to replace Travis D'Arnaud, is off to a really nice start. And the pitching is definitely impression, especially guys like Matt Harvey and Jacob DeGrom.

Also, Bartolo Colon is pitching really well...but this is mostly thanks to his supernatural miracle cream he uses on his arm that makes it ten years younger. So it's not too shocking.

Look, we're dealing with a Mets team that is outdoing both the Nationals AND the Marlins for the top of the division. These are two teams that have some well-built structures going on, and they're being bested by the Mets.

So...I know it's a crazy little stat that my friend brought up, but it may end up being more accurate. Of course, it may not. But it's baseball. You can never call it.

Coming Tomorrow- The shortstop for a powerful AL central team.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Mets

The other day I was at my cousin's house, and he had, on top of his dresser, a bobble head of Curtis Granderson in a Mets' jersey. Still doesn't look natural to me. Robbie Cano in a Mariners' jersey will eventually fit to me, but Grandy will take more time than that.

He's probably going to remain one of my favorites, but hopefully he won't Tartabull out on me.

and if Danny Tartabull were here right now, he'd say "that's right, Jerry..."

I'd like to thank Sooz for not choosing this picture for any of the Topps Update ASG cards, so I could make an awesome custom card out of it.

Murphy had a really nice season, proving that there can exist star power in Flushing outside of David Wright. With both of them active next year, the team might be a little better.

Lucas Duda, as usual, had a nice, hard-hitting season, and is slowly building himself up as a powerful young star in New York.

Coming Tomorrow- Too Many Nationals.