Jesus Rakes

 

As I write this, Jesus Aguilar has 12 home runs and 50 RBIs on the season. Coincidentally, this was the same amount of power numbers he was pulling in 2019 by the time he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. The difference is that then he was hitting .213, and it was late July, and he's already amassed those numbers by June this year and is hitting .260. So he's learned a little bit, and he's a bit closer to average than he was in 2019, but he's the same old power hitter.

Which, for a purely power-based team like the Marlins, works just fine.

Aguilar, along with Adam Duvall and Garrett Cooper, are providing a great net of power for this last-place Marlins team, fitting right in with the contact-hitting front line of Jazz Chisholm, Starling Marte and Miguel Rojas. Yes, the team is without Brian Anderson and Corey Dickerson right now, but pretty much everybody is hitting between .250 and .300, Aguilar and Duvall have over 50 RBIs, and Lewis Brinson is down in the minors. Everybody wins.

Heck, even the rotation is in pretty good shape. Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Cody Poteet and Zach Thompson are all having great seasons with ERA below 5 [only Poteet's is higher than 3], and WHIP lower than 1.038 [again, Poteet is the outlier]. The bullpen is also still pretty sharp, with Yimi Garcia, Adam Cimber, John Curtiss and Anthony Bender all having great years.

So...if all of those elements are working, why the hell is this team in last place?

Well, right now the Marlins just aren't as good as the top of the division, even if teams like the Phillies and Braves are struggling mightily. The Marlins also have the sixth-most strikeouts in the league, and have scored the sixth-least amount of runs in the league. So even for all their flashiness, they still need to get the rest of this lineup going and get everybody else up to speed. Because this isn't necessarily bad baseball, and this team has a lot of performers befitting of a .500 squad. I don't know if it'll happen, but it honestly should be. 

Coming Tonight: Another team with the most strikeouts in the league, and an infielder responsible for several of them. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Rays

Not only have the Kevin Cash Rays teams been good...they've been interesting. It's not like the Cardinals, where they're good in the face of mediocrity or whatever- the Rays have so many individual pieces to talk about that made them a great team this year. And the best part is they're not relying on many contracts- the established stars that were here this year (Garcia, Sogard, Aguilar) were never permanent...although having one perennial guy like Charlie Morton certainly helps.

Yonny Chirinos was given a larger starting role this year, despite injury, and had a 3.54 ERA in 18 starts, with a 1.045 WHIP. Chirinos is still being used both as a starter AND a reliever due to the fluidity of Cash's pitching, but he's still figured out how to stick around
Why Him in 2019?: Had a better, and more versatile, year than 2018 ace Blake Snell
2020 Prediction: A full year, with an ERA closer to 4.

After breaking through in 2018, Joey Wendle took a backseat to new additions like Brandon Lowe, but he still came through when he could, hitting .235 with 18 RBIs in 75 games.
Why Him in 2019?: His demotion/injury made way for Brandon Lowe to take over.
2020 Prediction: Will embrace a utility role until an injury puts him back into the forefront.

Another amusing rookie infielder post-Lowe was Mike Brosseau, the infield bat who hit .273 with 6 homers in 50 games. Brosseau was also the starting 2nd baseman in Tampa's wild card game against Oakland.
Why Him in 2019?: Took over for Lowe after the injury.

And then there's the other rookie named Lowe, Nate Lowe, who hit more for power than the other guy with that name. Nate hit 7 homers and 19 RBIs in 50 games, and gave the team a bit more corner infield mobility.
Why Him in 2019?: Hit .313 in July with 12 RBIs, and fueled the Rays' comeback after dropping to 2nd.
2020 Prediction: More starts at 1B/DH

And now for the bullpen standouts. And there are a ton. Like last year, Ryan Yarbrough was the resident long man, notching 141 innings, which was more than any starter not named Morton. Yarbs also had an 11-5 record, also impressive for a long man, and had 117 strikeouts, third most on the staff. This guy is being used so impeccably by Cash and co. that he blurs the line between starter and reliever.
Why Him in 2019?: Most effective long reliever in the MLB
2020 Prediction: Probably more of the same, with maybe an ASG for his efforts.

Colin Poche was the more traditional setup man type, and despite his 4.70 ERA he still has 72 strikeouts in 51 innings. He also allowed only 31 hits, a low for all Rays pitchers who pitched over 50 innings this year.
Why Him in 2019?: Led all non-closer, non-Yarbs relievers in WHIP.
2020 Prediction: A lower ERA, but a less prevalent year

And then you have Chaz Roe, who fared slightly better with a 4.06 ERA, and seemed to be the Rays' expert on coming in for exactly one batter.
Why Him in 2019?: Gave up the fewest amount of homers of all relievers with 40+ innings.
2020 Prediction: His role will change following the limit on batters per reliever.

An amusing experiment was the saga of Brendan McKay, brought in to start games and occasionally be a two-way player. This didn't go perfectly well, as McKay had a 5.14 ERA and a .200 average.
Why Him in 2019?: Proved that Michael Lorenzen and Shohei Ohtani are just really dang talented.
2020 Prediction: Will have more of the same material before a trade.

Speaking of trades, perhaps the smartest one the Rays made is the one that brought Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to Tampa. While Richards seemed to be the draw, he only pitched 7 games, started 3. Nick Anderson on the other hand, the deadly Miami reliever, fared way better, getting right back to his tricks with a 2.11 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 21 appearances.
Why Him in 2019?: Biggest relief boost after losing Kolarek.
2020 Prediction: An ASG gig and a lot of major relief accolades are coming this guy's way.

And the other amusing get at the deadline was Jesus Aguilar, who wasn't hitting in Milwaukee, and in Tampa...he hit a little better. .261 in 37 games with 16 RBIs. He's definitely not a dead bat, and Miami will bank on him for 2020.
Why Him in 2019?: Primary DH for the postseason run
2020 Prediction: Will hit 25 home runs in Miami, but not for average.

Coming Tonight: So I have a lot for Xmas Eve, so tonight's will be some remnants of a Red Sox season that didn't go as planned.

Final Man, Derby Man

Well, we're officially at the All Star Break, we're essentially halfway through the season, and, by law, some of us are supposed to reflect on the season so far. And honestly? Not weird enough.

The teams that have come to power, like the Phillies, Braves and Mariners, have had rosters building for some time, and have been prime for a come up. The teams that have declined, like Washington, have showed signs. The players ahead of the curve, like Mike Trout, Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge, were kinda predicted to be there. So, with some exceptions, this has been a fairly straightforward season so far.

Of course...I don't think anybody could have predicted the insane come-up of Jesus Aguilar, a guy who was a reserve first baseman last year for Milwaukee. In the absence of Eric Thames, Aguilar struck hard at the plate, hitting a league-high 24 home runs, getting the final man vote in the All Star Game, and earning a spot in the Home Run Derby (This Year Without Stars). Aguilar is probably a more versatile, impressive hitter than Thames, and probably has more of a future in the league, especially considering the slow rise of Milwaukee in the standings.

Aguilar may be the face of the second half, in that he's consistent, he's strong, and he doesn't have to carry the team on his back. The Brewers are a pretty well-rounded team that could do some sneaky stuff this year, especially if they nab a few extra players from the deadline deals.

For now, let's hope Aguilar does well in the Home Run Derby....but not too well, as he's against Rhys Hoskins.

Coming Tomorrow- Probably a box break post, then my usual ASG roster post.

Benching Eric Thames

Yeah, that'll be a wake-up call to April 2017. The big guy that's hit a bunch of home runs after coming back from Korea...yeah, he's gonna be hitting off the bench in a year's time. But not because he's doing badly, no no....cause the other 1st baseman is doing BETTER.

This is the kind of problem we have with this Brewers team. The bench is too damned strong, and if you blink or get injured, a bench player could be taking your place in the starting lineup. Eric Thames missed a month of playing time (after getting off to a pretty nice start, too), came back, and suddenly Jesus Aguilar was hitting over .300, and playing 1st base everyday. So...with apologize to Thames and his home runs...the Brewers made the right choice there. As good as Thames is, Jesus Aguilar is having a career year, and improving on his solid bench work down the stretch last year.

Additionally, Hernan Perez has gracefully slid into an outfield spot after the injury to Lorenzo Cain, and is improving his numbers, which aren't at 2017 caliber but...he's trying. Domingo Santana has been demoted, but might wind up as a bench arm the next time someone gets injured. And Ryan Braun? He's...hanging in there. As usual.

But this isn't really Braun's team anymore; Travis Shaw carries the lineup, Lorenzo Cain is the crowdpleaser, Christian Yelich is one of the top offensive producers, and Junior Guerra is the star pitcher. Matter of fact, most of the pitching has been pretty nice this year, with Jhoulys Chacin taking a prime role, Brent Suter getting a ton more mound time, and some kid named Freddy Peralta giving a STELLAR audition to nail the last rotation spot even when Davies gets back in the picture.

The Brewers are dealing with overflow right now, which is a really good problem to have. Everybody's just pretty great this year, and everyone's just building the lead right into the All Star break, because as long as they can hold off the Cubs, they'll be clear. They might be the most dangerous team in the NL Central...and they will stay that way if everyone resumes being on.

Coming Tonight: The big power hitter for the #1 rivals to the defending champions.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Brewers

Wouldn't have guessed this one, eh?

Not just that the Brewers were able to make a serious run act the playoffs, set up an impressive youth movement and cement a team that could go even further next season...but that Ryan Braun doesn't even seem to be a factor in them anymore.

I mean, yeah, still hits, but after the steroids thing, they haven't been using him as much, which is a relief- he's definitely on the downswing, and he's definitely not the face of the franchise anymore.

The pitching is what made this team great- from a late season return from ace Junior Guerra...

...to the rise of fifth-starter Brent Suter, mastering his innings into September.

Hell, the bench was pretty impressive too, with Jesus Aguilar covering for Eric Thames, and arguably doing a better job than he did at the plate.

Eric Sogard was a huge surprise, coming in mid-season and absolutely owning every one of his plate appearances, even after disappointing in Oakland. He came back late to keep the momentum going. Speaking of DFA'd from Oakland...

This guy was definitely a nice pickup, even with Manny Pina behind the plate. He picked up some momentum, got back to hitting, and was a huge bench presence for the Brewers as they made their postseason run. Thankfully, Vogt gets to play for Milwaukee for another year.

Coming Tomorrow: [exasperated groan]