Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Padres (Part One)

 

After 13 years of being unworthy of much merit whatsoever, the San Diego Padres not only made the playoffs, but won a playoff series and squared off against a very tough Dodgers team without seeming too beatable. And yes, while the Padres lost, they certainly didn't mark this season as a failure- this team came from a scattered, well-intentioned club last year to absolutely annihilating western pitching this year. It was genuinely fun to watch.

I already did a Jake Cronenworth custom this year, but I prepared this one for a Rookie of the Year win that never happened, so it goes here.

Eric Hosmer, after a disappointing first two seasons in San Diego, finally began to circle back towards his Royals numbers. This year he hit .287 with 18 RBIs and 9 home runs, and a .9 WAR that came close to the production of the core of the team. He and the rest of the infield seemed to be on the same page for most of the season, and he also had 4 postseason RBIs. 

2021 Prediction: A more traditional return to form year...halted by an injury.

Looking from the rotation from a keen edge, it seems as though Zach Davies had the most productive season for his 12 games. The Brewers mainstay did insanely well in his first season in San Diego, with a 7-4 record, a 2.73 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and...unfortunately, two less-than-stellar postseason starts.

2021 Prediction: More of the same. Davies continues to be the best 'bang for your buck' pitcher there is, and will probably rack up 10 wins before most of the league has even mustered 5. 

The new piece of the infield this year, complementing Machado, Tatis and Hosmer, was Jurickson Profar, after an alright season in Oakland. Profar improved vastly from his low-WAR year in 2019, raising his to 1.1 for the season, and hitting .278 with 50 hits and 28 RBIs. Plus, after the inevitable come-up of Jake Cronenworth, Profar shifted to the outfield easily.

2021 Prediction: Another yearlong pickup, but this one has a trade deadline deal involved. 

Tommy Pham had his first human year in 2020, and it's a shame it came at the expense of the Padres, who gave up Manny Margot and Hunter Renfroe for him. Pham's season was hindered by injuries, and while he was healthy he only hit .211 with 12 RBIs. Not a great look.

2021 Prediction: An upswing, but not enough of one to return to his Rays-era dominance. 

Drew Pomeranz returned to the city where he gained recognition and an ASG gig, and continued his use as a bullpen option. Before Trevor Rosenthal made it to town, Drew Pomeranz was actually the closing option, and he did get 4 saves before being shifted back to regular relief. Pomeranz' season was pretty excellent, with a 1.45 ERA and 29 Ks.

2021 Prediction: Several steps down from his 2020, but he'll stay with the Padres.

Matt Strahm has also mellowed into a relief role with the Padres, and did his best work in relief this year, with a 2.61 ERA in 20 innings.

2021 Prediction: A larger middle relief role, verging on a closing role. Strahm has some talent, and it's about time the Padres used more of it.

Pierce Johnson spent 2019 in Japan, playing for the Hanshin Tigers, and seemed to master his control as a reliever. So, he asked the MLB clubs if they wanted him back, the Padres said yes, and pretty soon Johnson was one of their more interesting relief weapons [as predicted by me back in February]. Johnson posted a 2.70 ERA this season with 27 strikeouts to match, and had 7 more Ks in the postseason. 

2021 Prediction: Slightly higher ERA, but still a main member of the 'pen.

Tonight I'll present the members of this team that entered into the mix after Opening Day.

Rising in the East

Once again, the situation in the AL East has boiled down to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Everyone else has sort of stepped back, saying 'you guys can have this one.'

Right now the Sox are ahead, and it's assumed they're gonna stay ahead for the next week or so. They have enough momentum to have the division all-but locked up, and to already start gearing for the series against the Astros. This has been a great year for them, overcoming shenanigans and all 50 injuries Dustin Pedroia's had to stay on top. The pitching has been stellar, with Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez stepping in to make sure Chris Sale doesn't have to be amazing alone this year. Breakout stars like Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi have been lifting the vets even further, towards the postseason.

Still, you have the Yankees creeping up from below, fighting for the Wild Card spot, but also fighting to be relevant this postseason. And it's got to be tough for the Sox, as they spent the whole year trying to establish superiority, and have to combat this crap again. The Yankees might have an equally awesome team, too, with similar strengths/weaknesses. So it might have to be only one of the two that gets the glory this postseason.

I'd obviously like the Yankees to end up advancing a bit more, but the Sox have a not-so-hateable team this year, and I'd be fine with them making a leap forward. Still...we've got a week or so left. Interesting to see how the rivalry strengthens.

Coming Tomorrow- A pitcher for a doomed-but-impressive NL East team.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Red Sox

It's funny...the Red Sox were the team I was expecting to make and win the World Series, and I was fine with this...and then the team that actually won the AL title was a lot better and a lot easier to root for and I was fine with that.

Don't get me wrong, the Sox were wonderful this year, and the bats were explosive. It's just...as a Yankee fan, I can only like them for so long without coming up for air.

Drew Pomeranz was a late-season trade that...quite frankly, should have worked better than he did. But, again...lefties in Fenway don't do too well, and...why has it taken so long for the Red Sox to realize this? Because they keep trading for them...and they're all gonna stop doing well.

Ah, anyway. Should stop ranting. GOOD THINGS, Jordan, GOOD THINGS.

Right. Brock Holt. He had a decent enough post-breakout season, though it didn't pack the punch his 2015 season did. The Sox have just gotten rid of Travis Shaw, so maybe Holt is next? Hard to say, but...Pablo Sandoval's comeback is intriguing enough to make me anxious about his job stability.

Brad Ziegler's one of the more intriguing relievers in the game, and after doing well for my fantasy team on the D-Backs, he was traded to the Sox and worked the eighth for the most part, doing a nice enough job.

Andrew Benintendi's a rookie that made his debut late in the season, and did a nice enough job. Meanwhile, Yoan Moncada, who did a less-than-perfect job in his debut, is now wearing different colored sox. So, first impressions count, definitely. Maybe Benintendi will be vying for a starting job next year.

Meanwhile...this guy had a Grade-A season when absolutely no one thought he would.

Porcello's been nice, he's had a few good seasons, but this was his first major, I-made-the-grade season since 2014. This is something that's gonna mean a lot to the Red Sox in the next phase of their evolution from 'David Ortiz' team' to a new, young-blooded roster. If he has more seasons like this one, the Sox will be DANGEROUS.

Coming Tomorrow- A much weaker shade of Red.

Trade Analysis: No, I Guess It's Not Too Early So Come On In Edition

Drew Pomeranz had an amazing start with the Padres, posting a great record, an awesome ERA, and giving some extreme legitimacy to the Padres' rotation after a subpar 2015.

So, naturally, Drew Pomeranz was one of the first big trade deadline deals, and the first of what will probably be an ongoing series of TRAAAAADE ANALYSIS.

So, Pomeranz was traded to the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for a pitching prospect. This is a small, well-balanced and interesting trade that I really don't have a ton of problems with, and believe me, this will be a RARITY this month.

The Red Sox, up to this point, have had some MAJOR problems with pitching- it's been the only low spot in their red-hot team. Aside from Rick Porcello, Steven Wright, and David Price's strikeout levels, there's been a ton of guys who've disappointed, such as Clay Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly, so they DEFINITELY needed some pitching help. So, Pomeranz is definitely able to plug into the roster and give them some much-needed help.

Only question that arises is whether or not this prevents the Red Sox from trying to trade for bigger trade target pitchers like Jose Fernandez (who they'd LOVE to snag). Pomeranz is great, but I don't know if he's a top-of-the-rotation starter, and the Sox probably still need that.

Still, this DEFINITELY helps, is even, and is probably going to change the direction of the AL East maybe a little bit...