Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Mets

 

In early June of 2022, the New York Mets, heavily regarded as the best team in the NL, were battered in 2 out of 3 games during a series with the San Diego Padres. At the time, it was seen as a misstep. In actuality, it was an omen.

The Mets, as big as they were, as powerful as they were, and as skilled as they were under Buck Showalter, with help from Max Scherzer, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Chris Bassitt, were always going to have a comeuppance. The Astros were good enough to avoid this, but the Mets managed to have two consecutive comeuppances, first losing the division in the final seconds to the Braves, and then losing a playoff series that they original didn't think they'd need to play to a team they didn't think they'd have any trouble with. The Padres lapped them handsomely and lost in the NLCS to the Phillies, a team the Mets frigging no-hit earlier in the year.

I think the biggest Mets piece I didn't get to customizing this year was Luis Guillorme, which is proof that I got pretty much all the big guns during the season. Guillorme once again played the role of the stellar backup infielder in Queens, and though some midyear struggles robbed him of a completely impressive year, he still hit .273 with 81 hits in 102 games. Basically, Guillorme is the backup infielder that the Mets wish Dom Smith was.

2023 Prediction: I see Guillorme playing a similar role, though of Escobar, Lindor and McNeil, one of 'em's gonna get injured and Guillorme's gonna make the best of it.

Speaking of making the best of it, James McCann underwhelmed and got hurt, and in the interim between that and the inevitable Francisco Alvarez promotion, Tomas Nido was the starting catcher for the Mets. He did alright! He hit .239 with 68 hits in 98 games, and he played passable defensive catcher, but he was embraced by the fans as a favorite.

2023 Prediction: Back to backing up McCann, I think. I'm not sure if the Mets are gonna DH Alvarez for a bit like they did this year and eventually bring Alvarez in when McCann's really unreliable. That might be next year actually.

The Mets' top bullpen asset this year was friend of the program and former Yankee Adam Ottavino, who's been consistent as hell since leaving New York. Ottavino had a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances, and he struck out 79. Ottavino and Edwin Diaz made for some magical relief energy, and the Mets probably want to recapture that as best they can.

2023 Prediction: The Mets re-sign him and he has a slightly more hectic, though still excellent, age-38 season.

Now onto the deadline guys. Tyler Naquin was probably the most versatile August get, as the former Reds outfield bat added to the team's outfield flexibility, and hit 13 RBIs and 4 homers in a backup OF role. 

2023 Prediction: I think he's phasing out of full usefulness, and may get a small deal somewhere in a minor role.

Then there was Darin Ruf, whose trade, parting the team with surer defensive bet J.D. Davis, baffled many Mets fans when it happened. Ruf, as good as he was off the bench for the Giants, was never known for his defense. As mediocre as Ruf's first half was, his second half in Queens was somehow worse, as he hit .152 with 20 strikeouts, 7 RBIs and, shockingly, no home runs. His biggest claim to fame from this time was being the only Mets pitcher not to give up any runs during that catastrophic August 15th match against the Braves. 

2023 Prediction: Who knows? Minor league deal in Seattle? Starting DH in Pittsburgh? Hitting 30 more homers in Korea? I literally have no idea how to predict this guy anymore. 

I don't think there's any question that the single best thing to happen to the Mets in the second half was Dan Vogelbach. Vogey is the kind of power hitter who can fit in everywhere but gloms onto certain markets more than others. Mets fans flocking to Vogey was honestly inevitable. Look at this guy, he looks like a lot of Mets fans I know. Vogey flocked to the starting DH position, and in 55 games he hit .255 with 38 hits, 25 RBIs and 6 homers. What a fun player. Glad the Mets seem to be holding onto him.

2023 Prediction: 30+ homers. Vogey's gonna take a big chomp out of that apple in center field. 

Tomorrow, if you can believe it, there are some Washington Nationals that are notable enough for me to make customs of after the fact.

Anyone Can Pitch: June to August 2022

 

Our chronicle of the wonderful pastime of position players pitching continues with the new Anyone Can Pitch cards, culled from June, July and August of this year. We're going in reverse alphabetical order because blogger apparently thinks reversing my image order is a cool and fun thing to do sometimes.

So we start with Brian Serven of the Rockies, who's been a backup catcher who might eventually take the position over from Elias Diaz, and has completely nullified the once-strong prospect Dom Nunez. Serven, in the midst of a 13-0 drubbing from the Dodgers, got an inning of work on the mound, and managed to score no runs and allow no hits. So hey, that's a good plus if he goes up the depth charts.

A friend of mine's a Mets fan, and the night of the deadline he was just slow burning because the Mets had done NOTHING. He was expecting them to get Soto or somebody and I'm like "...Darin Ruf." And then a few weeks later he messages me and goes 'joke's on you, Ruf's shutting down the Braves'. And sure enough, the former Giants bench bat was the only Mets pitcher that was able to keep the Braves from scoring any more runs on August 15th. Through 2 innings, Ruf gave up only 1 hit, and no runs. I joked the Mets should start him in the NLCS if they play the Braves.

With the lack of solid MLB options for the A's this year, utility infielder Sheldon Neuse has had to play a ton of roles for the club this year. This has included a pair of pitching appearances. Neither of these appearances garnered any runs, or any hits. And to Neuse's credit, on both occasions, he was throwing strikes. I think he might actually be one of the better pitching options of all the position players on here, even if he doesn't throw smoke like Christian Bethancourt does. 

Mike Ford has played for a few different clubs this year, and just hit a homer against his old club while playing for the Angels. For the majority of this year he was DHing in Atlanta, and not well at that. So far this year he's played for the Giants, Mariners, Braves and Angels, and the only one he's pitched for has been the Braves. During a tough outing in Philadelphia, Ford took the mound and didn't make things much better, giving up the second of Darick Hall's first two MLB home runs [in one night], and leaving the game with a 18.00 ERA.

The image of a Clemens on the mound shouldn't surprise anyone. However, the image of Kody Clemens, who made the Tigers as an infielder, on the mound should give baseball fans pause. Clemens, in between appearances at the bat, has made 4 relief appearances for the Tigers. Two of them were scoreless, the other two he gave up a run. Obviously Clemens hasn't been perfect, but when one of the people who taught you how to pitch was ROGER CLEMENS, I'm sure that some scoreless innings are gonna come naturally.

Elsewhere in Detroit, Harold Castro has also made 4 pitching appearances for the Tigers. Castro has given up at least 1 hit in all 4, giving up an earned run in two of them. He did manage to strike out a batter during the game against the White Sox, so that's at least a plus in his chart.

Diego Castillo was brought up as a hard-hitting infielder out of Spring Training, and while he hasn't been as hot as he was in Florida, he's played a lot of roles for the Pirates this season. Castillo has made two pitching appearances for Pittsburgh; neither went especially well, as he gave up 4 runs in each one. Like Castro, he did manage to strike someone out during his game against the Cubs. 

And we end on La Tortuga. I am saddened that no one has figured out how to properly use Willians Astudillo. The man is such a fun player, such a unique hitter, and the closest we'll get to another Bartolo Colon. Astudillo made two pitching appearances for the Marlins, and did not allow a run in either of them. He didn't even allow any hits. Yes, he has a fairly simple pitching style, not a lot of heat, but he stopped the bleeding. That is all these position players need to do, anyway.

We'll see if we have any more of these for September. 

Ruf Justice

 

Darin Run hit more home runs in Reading in 2012 than he did in 4 seasons in Philadelphia. So honestly, I wasn't thinking much of the big guy after he left Philly. I filed him away with the other failed Phils prospects, like Domonic Brown, Cody Asche and Cameron Perkins. I had high hopes for Ruf, the prospectors were calling him a team-maker...granted, they also said that about Maikel Franco and Mickey Moniak, so what do they know, right?

86 home runs in Korea later, he returns to the big leagues, signs a minor league deal with the Giants, becomes their DH in 2020 and becomes a power-hitter for a 1st place team. What can I say except Philadelphia sure knows how to conserve talent.

Darin Ruf has found a place in the Giants' lineup as the backup 1st baseman, auxiliary outfielder, and occasional bench bat. He got a ton of playing time filling in for Brandon Belt at 1st, hitting .298 in 24 games in July, and so far hitting .353 in August. He's delivering the best offensive numbers of his entire career, and doing it for a team that, while it does benefit the older performer, is still outdoing two of the hottest teams going into the season. They're games ahead of LA and San Diego, and occupying the best record in the majors, and Darin Ruf's hot-as-hell midseason turn has only aided that.

Now that Belt is back, though, Ruf is probably headed for more of a bench position in the next few months, which he can totally do. It really speaks for how stacked this team is. Guys like Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade, and now the return of Tommy LaStella, are jumping on and getting things done. Kris Bryant has fit right in at third, in Evan Longoria's absence, and is also versatile enough to work just about anywhere, which is nice. 

The one flaw I see for this team is the lack of a solid fourth rotation option in Anthony Desclafani's absence. We're looking at either Zach Littell or Sammy Long, which doesn't really compare to how Gausman, Cueto, Wood or Webb. Hopefully Disco's not out for long.

I still see the Giants being the alpha in the NL for a little longer. Eventually someone will have to dethrone them, though, and I'm guessing it'll be a fellow NL West competitor. Hopefully there's enough Darin Ruf bombs to last til then.

Coming Tonight: Last year he was cranking bombs for a World Series competitor. He could be doing it again without leaving the division.

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #19-27

 As the material for 2021 customs begins to trickle in, and I reckon some of those will start appearing on here in the next week or so, I still have a backlog of stuff to produce for 2020 Topps Final Edition. What I might start doing is doing Final Edition posts on Mondays and Fridays, cause there's a lot to get through.

Onto the next nine cards. Expect a lot of relievers.

Card #019- Ryan Tepera, Chicago Cubs

Fun fact- due to a tactical error on the part of a sportswriter, Ryan Tepera got exactly one MVP vote last year. It was a foresight by someone trying to vote for Fernando Tatis and missed. Honestly, it's kind of a cool stat, as Ryan Tepera did have a decent enough season in relief for Chicago. In 21 games, he had a 3.92 ERA and 33 strikeouts, and, yes, came 18th in MVP voting. Sadly, Tepera is still a free agent. 

Card #020- Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays

Despite the platoon at catcher of Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire that continued in Toronto this year, the Jays still had time to throw rookie Alejandro Kirk into the mix. Kirk, a big, strong, hulking 22-year-old, took a massive swat at the 2021 catching race, and hit .375 in 9 games, including 9 hits and 3 RBIs. Heck, he even had a postseason hit during the Rays series. It'll be interesting to see if the Jays have any use for him this year, as he's clearly a nice asset for any team trying to rebuild. 

Card #021- Brian Anderson ASG, Miami Marlins

If the 2020 season had gone ahead as planned, Brian Anderson would have been the sole Marlin to make the team, as the big points of success [Starling, Sixto, lapping the Phils] would happen after the midpoint that I'm basing these ASG sims from. He would be a backup, and relieve Manny Machado at third as well as getting in an at-bat. With Anderson's strong season, making him just as crucial to the Marlins core as other infielders like Miguel Rojas, it would have been a well-deserved nomination.

Card #022- Kyle Zimmer, Kansas City Royals

The Royals, despite having another okay-at-best year in the AL Central, were able to sneakily build a relatively good bullpen without anyone looking. Kyle Zimmer was one of the assets that KC was able to build off of, with a 1.57 ERA in 16 games, with 22 Ks. Zimmer and the other up-and-comers combined with veterans like Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland to provide some bullpen strength that deserved a better team. 

Card #023- Darin Ruf, San Francisco Giants

It's always interesting when a player goes to international markets and returns to the US as a star. It hurts, though, when said player came up with your team. Darin Ruf was a Phillies prospect, was blocked behind Ryan Howard and struggled in the majors, and only found contact success when playing with the Samsung Lions from 2017-2019, hitting 30 home runs in each and finding the success he SHOULD HAVE in Philly. Then, he signs a deal with the Giants as a bench option in 2020, and gets off to a hot start, and hits .276 in 40 games. Yes, only 5 homers, but 18 RBIs. He wasn't starting every day, because...I mean, Yaz-Dubon-Dickerson is a strong enough outfield. But he was a crucial bench bat that helped a postseason effort, started at DH more often than not, and has a chance of factoring into the 2021 lineup. So he's finding success in the majors...with a team that isn't Philly, because of course.

Card #024- Tyler Thornburg, Cincinnati Reds

Before this season, Tyler Thornburg was best known for being traded for Travis Shaw [and Mauricio Dubon] and immediately getting injured for Boston. This was his first productive season since then, as he only had 7 games but still had a 3.86 ERA with 10 Ks. He's currently a free agent, but as a relief specialist he still has a lot of use left.

Card #025- Jeremy Jeffress, Chicago Cubs

This was one of my most disappointing omissions from the initial Topps Update set. Jeremy Jeffress had a Brewers card in flagship, he was on the Cubs for Spring Training, and yet Topps decided that Jharel Cotton and Josh Phegley needed Update issues instead. Jeremy Jeffress had one of the best seasons of any reliever in 2020. In 22 games, he hit a 1.54 ERA, then managed to steal the closing gig away from a struggling Craig Kimbrel and had 8 saves. The Nationals just picked him up for 2020, probably for setup work, and I hope he keeps it up.

Card #026: Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays

Like Anderson, Willy Adames wouldn't be used as a starter for the potential 2020 All Star Game, but he'd be a decent substitute at shortstop. With the season Adames had, especially with his surging Rays, he would have deserved an ASG nod. Considering that there's a major SS prospect waiting to come up in Tampa, I'm not sure if Adames will even get an ASG nod as a Ray at this point, but it'd have be nice if he got one in this season.

#027- Leody Taveras RC, Texas Rangers

One of the many Rangers prospects that saw playing time in 2020, Leody Taveras, whose cousin Willy also found success in Texan markets, had a 33-game call-up with the Rangers, hit .227 with 8 steals and 27 hits, and had a modest enough audition for the outfield spot next year, which he will likely get. As the Rangers reform back into a rebuilding contender, it'll be interesting to see how speedy contact guys like Taveras and Robinson Tejeda factor into things.

Friday I'll post 9 more. A few more decent relief picks and a good traded player. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Giants (Part Two)

Continuing the reminiscence of the Giants' 2020 season...the Giants started the season with Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval, and they were both gone before September 27th. Earth-shattering for longtime fans, but necessary.

Pablo Sandoval didn't have much left in the tank in 2020, sad to say. .220 in 33 games, 18 hits and 6 RBIs. And then he's released and Atlanta picks him up.

Austin Slater fared a bit better, I suppose. His season this year was similar to last year's, in that he wasn't relied upon immediately, but once he was he was trusted in killer situations. Slater hit .282 in 32 games, led the team in stolen bases and had 7 RBIs and 5 games. Hopefully he'll be able to start the year in the majors next year.

2021 Prediction: A full year, moving Dickerson to the bench, with 20 homers and some good number of steals. The breakout year is nearly upon us.

Logan Webb was an early standout for the rotation, moved from the bullpen on a whim. Eventually he bottomed to a 5.47 ERA with a 3-4 record and 46 Ks.

2021 Prediction: Predominantly bullpen work.

 And Trevor Cahill had an opposite year, starting the year in the bullpen but making the best of a rotation audition, with a 4.05 ERA and 23 Ks in 6 starts, not bad at all. 

2021 Prediction: Similar split between the bullpen and rotation for whoever picks him up.

I don't exaggerate- when I first saw Darin Ruf's name appear in the stats for the Giants, I did a double take. THAT Darin Ruf? The guy who used to be a killed Philly prospect then got traded for Chase Utley and bottomed out in LA? We speaking the same language here? But yes, it was Darin Ruf making a comeback in SF, hitting .276 with 18 RBIs off the bench, and being a generally great fringe presence despite the occasional outfield error. The fans seem to love him, and it seems fitting that Gabe Kapler has inherited him.

2021 Prediction: Perhaps some of the magic wears off, but I expect a few more big moments from the big guy.

And then there's Joey Bart. The man all of San Francisco were waiting to debut once Posey opted out, the catcher heir apparent whose seat was just being filled by Tyler Heineman and Chadwick Tromp. And once he got to the majors...he was okay. He hit .233 in 33 games yet had more strikeouts than Brandon Belt had in 51. Whatever the Giants fans were expecting to happen evidently won't happen immediately.

2021 Prediction: Once Posey gets back, probably either more time in the majors or backup duty. Whatever it is, hopefully it'll help him be majors-ready when the time comes. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Cleveland Indians made it back to the playoffs, and had the Yankees on the ropes for a second. Here's how they did it.

How on Earth did Howie Kendrick End up on the Phillies???

Yeah, I wasn't exactly expecting the Phillies to be, you know, BUYERS this offseason.

2016 was a down year, obviously, for them, but it was semi-optimistic. Thanks to some nice performances from usually-dormant fielders like Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis, as well as the new blood of Cameron Rupp, Jerad Eickhoff and Tommy Joseph, the team did a lot better than they had any business doing.

So now, the Phillies have made a pretty major move in landing Howie Kendrick, a legitimately good veteran infielder/outfielder, in exchange for Darin Ruf and another prospect. And...somehow the Phillies...you know, the 2010's Phillies...got the better end of the deal.

Look, Darin Ruf's had the potential to be a killer offensive player for the past 4 seasons, but the Phillies have had nowhere to put him, and when they HAVE started him at first (in favor of Ryan Howard), he's disappointed. Plus, now that they have Tommy Joseph, who can basically do the exact same crap that Ruf did but with a better average and more playability, they don't really need him. Sending him to LA might not do him much good, though, as he's being blocked at first base by A-Gon, and the outfield will be mighty crowded if the Dodgers hold onto Yasiel Puig, as well as if they have healthy performances by Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson.

So, that leaves Howie Kendrick in Philly...and I think that legitimately helps us. The plan, according to the GM, is for Howie to play left field, which gives, along with Odubel Herrera and what I can only assume is a healthy Aaron Altherr performance, a much healthier outfield picture than the Phils have had in over 5 years. Kendrick is a steady average hitter, and even if he didn't absolutely dominate in LA, he's still a pretty nice performer, and the Phillies are extremely lucky to have him.

So...that makes me feel a smidge better about my Phils for 2017. Maybe some pitching would help as well?

Custom Card of the Day: Ruf Edition

It's very convenient that the Phillies wore throwbacks during the game depicted on this card. Not only are the throwbacks awesome, but the time they're throwing back to is very similar to the current timeperiod in Phillies history.

Let me splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Right now the Phillies are rebuilding. Sure, they still have the stars that made them great when the won the World Series, and when they were the best team in baseball (in 2011). But these guys aren't performing as well as they did when they won it. It's similar to the Phillies teams in the years following their World Series in in 1980. They had respectable years, had a year where they brought in a bunch of huge stars (1983), a year where all those huge stars left (1984), and a year where they brought in youth with no real avail (1987).

And if we're making this comparison....

Roy Halladay is like Steve Carlton. Some people may call this a stretch, but hear me out. Both have won multiple Cy Young awards. Both made a name for themselves with the Phils. Both had one or two okay years, while still retaining a good reputation. Both are heading into the near-end of their careers, yet are still pitching well in inconsistent years.

Chase Utley is like Mike Schmidt. Once again, hear me the bleep out. Both members act as nothing more than a constant. When the team is good, they play well. When the team sucks, they still play well. When they're needed, they hit. When they need to field, they field well. Age slows them down a little bit, but they're still pretty good.

Darin Ruf is like Von Hayes. The young, hard-hitting, well-playing star who comes in toward the end of the dynasty, tries very hard to clean things up, and ends up carrying too much of a burden. Knowing what happened to Hayes, this does not bode well for Ruf, as much as I love him as a player. Still, both can get their team out of any situation, as Ruf has done in the past.

Jonathan Papelbon is like Steve Bedrosian. More known for their exploits on more successful teams. Both did actually pretty damn well with the Phillies, despite naysayers. Both do their best as closer to a team that doesn't get the opportunity often. Both end up leaving for a better team, though I don't know where Papelbon thinks he's going.

Ryan Howard is like Juan Samuel. Great players, in consistency, speed, and hitting ability, yet toward the end of their run with the Phils, they begin to show early signs of age, and begin to stop performing well. As great as they were, they're now just kinda there in the lineup. Eventually signed for 50 seconds by another team (and we all know it's coming with Howard).

J.A. Happ is like Dickie Noles. Spent 30 seconds with the team to win a World Series ring. Has since been with 7 other teams, and hasn't done very well since.

Jimmy Rollins is like Greg Gross. As great players as they are, after a while people just seem to forget they're still there, which says a lot about how far they've come.

Cliff Lee is like Shane Rawley. Spent a lot of time with different teams, but are defined by their performance in Philly. Have a few decent seasons, but can't seem to perform the same after a while. Still generally good pitchers.

Jonathan Pettibone is like John Denny. Has one good year. One.

See? The similarities are more similar than you might have thought. I'm not saying they're bound for the bottom, but they're probably gonna rebuild with younger stars and try again soon. I hope the Jays aren't there to stop them this time, though.

Coming Tomorrow- Ooh, this is gonna be an iffy one. The Yankees' starting third baseman. Yeah, that one.

Year by Year Customs: 1975

 

First of all, I love that shot.

Second of all, I think today's batch is a pretty nice one. A veteran, two rookies, and a prospect no one outside of Philly has heard of. 

 

This guy had an amazing postseason. Hoping next year he does slightly worse, considering his team.

 

 

He hit brilliantly in the minors, but only had a few games in the majors. I really hope he gets some major playing time next year, and that he hits like the man he shares his surname with, kinda.

Coming Tomorrow- Another favorite design of mine, with one of my favorite Yankees.