Twenty Years Later

 

Here are some fun facts about the 2005 Tigers, the team Justin Verlander debuted playing for in July of 2005: they were starting Chris Shelton at 1st base in the midst of his mid-2005 swoon; Magglio Ordonez was only hitting .082, having missed most of the spring with an injury; the team's best statistical player was Placido Polanco, with a 4.3 WAR; the team's manager was Alan Trammell, whose sacking would pave the way for Jim Leyland literally a year later; no starting pitcher had an ERA lower than 4.50, yet despite that four starters had over 175 innings; and they were platooning Nook Logan in center with a young hitter named Curtis Granderson. It was an interesting team to come up with, that's for sure.

And now Justin Verlander is an integral part of this 2025 Giants team, a team managed by Bob Melvin, who in 2005 was in his first year with the Diamondbacks, presided over by Buster Posey, who was still in high school in 2005, and alongside Hayden Birdsong, who is 19 years his junior. It's gotta be odd for him.

In all actuality, JV doesn't have much left to prove. He's already a Hall of Famer, he's already married to Kate Upton, already has 3 Cy Youngs and 2 World Series rings. He's done well for himself. But this Giants season seems to be JV trying to wrap things up on his own terms rather than fizzling out after an injury-shortened year last year. This is a dignified exit, says he. And you've seen moments of greatness in the midst of some lesser numbers from Verlander in San Francisco. His last two starts he's allowed 0 runs and only 3 hits. Against the Rays in August he went 7 strong with only 2 hits allowed and 8 Ks. Now, tellingly, some of Verlander's stronger starts are against middle of the road teams, but he's still got the ability to do this. His ERA was way higher before the ASG break, and he's gotten it down to 4.09, with 120 Ks to boot, but by and large the guy feels like a 42 year old. Which is fine, at the very least he's 42-year-old Justin Verlander and not 42-year-old Mike Maroth, but you can tell everyone involved wishes things were a little different.

Verlander is one of the last lines of defense for a Giants team that's spontaneously gotten very hot lately, on the strength of Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Dominic Smith. There are gaping flaws in this team that make me feel sort of confident that they won't make the leap to full-on Wild Card threats, but there's this narrow margin of possibility that they're hanging onto. They're gonna have to play the Dodgers later this week, and that'll cement whether or not anything's happening, but the fact that it's still possible after a midyear drop-off that could kill any other team does, at the very least, make me more confident than I'd thought. 

You never know. If you're in a 'losing games' contest with the Mets and the Reds, you've still got the odds on your side automatically.

Coming Tonight: From the moment he bailed on the Yankees to stay in Florida during a playoff race, I knew something like this would be coming from him. The villain arc. Sure enough it's here, in epic fashion.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2024: Astros

 

A little while before the playoffs, I wrote a post about the Dodgers and Astros having subpar quality teams for their regime, owing mostly to pitching injuries. The Astros were going with lesser seasons from most of their regulars, a shruggingly existent youth core, and a rotation of people getting by simply because they were the Astros. And I said that they didn't deserve being handed postseason glory again. 

The fact that in the early rungs of the postseason, the Dodgers were nearly eliminated and hit an incredible second wind to take it all while the Astros got bodied by the Tigers before October was really underway is honestly incredible. I was right about one of those teams, and it was the Astros. This was not the team, and they weren't gonna shove themselves into a playoff picture that had no room for them this year. 

Needless to say that worked for me. Didn't have to see teams struggle to figure out a team with obvious flaws. Breathed easier. 

So yes, the Astros' main issue this year was rotation injuries. Three of their usual weapons, Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy, were nowhere to be found this year, and another one, Cristian Javier, only started 7 games before his own injury. They were still good quality starts, but with 24 more of them this team doesn't have to go to Spencer Arrighetti, Jake Bloss or Yusei Kikuchi. Still, in 7 games, Javier had a 3-1 record and a 3.89 ERA. Hopefully whatever recovery he needs goes quickly, he's a pretty crucial part of this team's future with so many people leaving.

2025 Prediction: Some crucial starts in the second half. 

Mauricio Dubon has continued to be one of the most useful extra hands the Astros have. He didn't get as much of a starring role as he did last year with his month of filling in for Jose Altuve, but he was still extremely helpful, and was essentially the starting left fielder this year. In 137 games he hit .269 with 47 RBIs and some above-average defense, though not to the degree of his gold-glove 2023.

2025 Prediction: Something tells me he's gonna be one of the most called upon position players next year. Less people are sticking around, and the ones who are are older. He may be getting a ton more reps at 2nd next year.

After sending Martin Maldonado to a team that matches his mediocrity, the Astros got a new backup in Victor Caratini, who's made the postseason with practically every team he's ever played for, and has caught no-hitters from the best. Caratini, unsurprisingly, had another steady season there, and it was in fact his best statistical season to date, with a 1.3 WAR. In 87 games he hit .269 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs, and was an above-average backstop. With Yainer Diaz being a more offense-friendly catching option, having Caratini as a backup that can play more often, and swap in at C to give Diaz a start at DH, is a great thing, and hopefully he'll deliver a similar season in 2025.

2025 Prediction: Diaz will get hurt, Caratini will need to start, and while he won't be 2024 good he'll be really competent, giving teams a nice preview for his free agency case.

Folks, in our 20th season of Justin Verlander, we finally landed upon a sight we'd rarely ever seen with the future Hall of Famer, and that is human, beatable JV. The veteran made 17 starts this year, and thanks to both injuries and his age, teams were able to figure him out more than usual this year. JV went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA and 74 Ks. For the first time since his rookie year in 2005, Verlander ended the year with a negative WAR. Yet despite this, Verlander seems to have no plans to retire yet. He'll be 42 next year, and at the very least he'll be back from whatever injuries were holding him back this year. If anything, it's good for baseball if he does suit up for somebody.

2025 Prediction: 1 year deal with the Detroit Tigers. Not pretty but hangs 'em up with the team that made him a star. Will cross 3500 strikeouts.

I didn't understand the mentality that led to the Astros trading Joey Loperfido and Jake Bloss, two guys who were actually working their way toward aiding the Astros as they competed, and Will Wagner, someone who was league ready and would prove it in Toronto, for Yusei Kikuchi, who'd been terrible in his last ten starts and had established community with the team. And yet, because the Astros' GM always seems to know more than anyone else, this paid off: Kikuchi was wonderful in 10 starts with the Astros, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 76 Ks, more than Justin Verlander in nearly double the games. Between Kikuchi, Arrighetti, Brown and Valdez, the Astros really capitalized off of the strikeout this year. 

2025 Prediction: Kikuchi may be 34 this year, but he'll be eating well. I say he gets at least one nice year out of this Angels deal, and like Tyler Anderson it's not gonna be the first one.

Here's the oddest sight of the year for this team: Jason Heyward, who was very close to competing for a ring this year in LA, was cut in August and picked up by Houston, despite interest from Atlanta. And so we have this...very usual combination, this stage of Heyward's career and this stage of Astros baseball. J-Hey was okay for the 'Stros, he had 4 homers and 9 RBIs in 24 games, and this was a bit more energized than he was for the Dodgers, but he wasn't exactly a key contributor to the postseason team. 

2025 Prediction: Signs with a low-marker team with a lot of openings. Mentors some youth and does alright. Perhaps even Sacramento at this rate.

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of Sacramento, a few extras from an A's team that outdid some expectations. 

Stroetic Justice

 

I would like to start this post by giving a round of applause to the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals played the Astros in six games during September, a month where the Astros needed to keep winning and preserve an umpteenth AL West title, and the Royals won FIVE out of those six games. The Royals are gonna finish this season with five losses, having undone a ton of the progress they made in 2022, and yet five of their 54 wins in this season came against the mighty Houston Astros. 

In fact, the more you look at the Astros' 2023 track record, the more you realize how much they struggled against sub-.500 teams. They had crucial losses, and big losses at that, against teams like the A's, Padres, Tigers, Red Sox, Mets and Pirates. And then, when you look at their first half, those losses are against GOOD teams. The Mariners, Brewers, Phillies, Twins, Blue Jays and Reds all won series' against the Astros during the first half. Even during the midyear stretch when the Astros gained ground and fought back against the Rangers, there was a human element to them that wasn't there in the past. Now there were 'good' starters and 'beatable' starters; teams consistently got the best of people like Hunter Brown, J.P. France and Cristian Javier while stomaching getting shut out by Framber Valdez. And as more and more younger players took large roles in this team's success, you began to see this team lose its identity. 

Which is why we can finally acknowledge the team's move to bring back Justin Verlander via trade with the Mets for what it is; an act of desperation to return the team, though still doing well, to its earlier dominance. They never used to stand a chance against us, but with Verlander back, that'll have to be the difference maker, right? 

Well...Verlander's been good. 5-3 record, 3.93 ERA, 50 Ks. That's not exactly a stain on his career, especially as a 40-year-old. But the team hasn't exactly reverted to their 2022 selves. The last month has been a savage crawl to the finish, with losses to the Yankees and Royals evening things and letting the Rangers back into 1st place. The pitching might honestly be to blame, with even Valdez's ERA headed towards 4, Javier nowhere near as dominant as prior years, and several options just being too inexperienced. Verlander can only help that so much.

There are still enough elements of this Astros team that worry me for this postseason, as now they have a better hitting catcher in Yainer Diaz, a healthy and surging Jose Altuve, a younger and more compact outfield and Kyle Tucker's best season to date. I want to hope that this downhill turn is the death nell of their season, but I also know these guys always overstay their welcome. Hopefully they bow out at the right time. 

It would be hilarious if the Mariners suddenly got hot and boxed them out of October entirely, even if it is unlikely. Still would make a hell of a finish. 

Coming Tonight: One of the teams the Astros have to go up against before the season's out. Specifically, their closer.

The JV Question

 

See what happens, Steve? See what happens when you sign a bunch of 40 year olds instead of building upwards?

So, the 2023 Mets ended up being a bold experiment in the field of piling an already-good team with contracts in the hopes of making it better, only for the two biggest contracts to sink solely because they'd been given to a couple of pitchers over 38. The Scherzer and Verlander era of Mets baseball ended after 3 months, with only like 2 or 3 months of them actually being active together. Steve Cohen meant this to be a last hurrah for the 2010s Tigers, and a bulking up of Cy Young winners in the absence of deGrom, what he got was two very human seasons from two guys who didn't need to perform well anymore. These are both first-ballot of Hall of Famers with enough accolades at this point, and a ring each. It was nice to have 'em here, but if the team's gonna sink and not even get over the Marlins, it just points out how meaningless this whole experiment was.

Anyway, once David Robertson was dealt, Max Scherzer went to complain only to get dealt to Texas himself, which is...just a little funny when you think about it. And just like that, the Max Scherzer era of Mets baseball ended after a year and a half of no playoff success and very okay stuff from Scherzer. Like, Scherz was 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA, but we've all seen him do better, and he's also 38 and missed parts of last season. This is the Scherzer I kinda thought would be showing up in Queens, and while it must have been nice for merchandise, it didn't really do anything in the long run. 

So now Scherzer's gone, and Pham and Canha might be going. What does this mean for Verlander? JV, who is 40, is still signed for another year and a half. He's actually built himself a solid enough season, with a 3.24 ERA and 76 Ks in 15 starts. It's not, like, close to what he did last year, or even with the Astros in general, but he can still pitch, and he's still one of the best in the game. There's a chance the Mets trade him too. It's not as clean-cut as Scherzer because there's that extra year, but it's an option, and there are competitors who might need the help. And if Scherzer was underwhelmed with the Mets' level of success this year, I bet Verlander has to be bummed about it too. Here he is, one of the best pitchers of his generation, right off a World Series ring and a Cy Young, doing his best for a team that once again doesn't have the run support to do anything. It's gotta absolutely crush him. And if my instinct's right and JV doesn't even get dealt, well he got to watch Scherzer suit up for a competitor while he gets stuck here to round out the year.

The Mets thankfully have enough guys to start games if they lose both Scherzer and Verlander. Quintana, Carrasco, Senga, Peterson and Megill are all healthy, and while it's not an ideal rotation, it'll get the job done for a bit. There's a chance Cohen could just have Quintana dealt instead of JV, that's just as well. But for a season that began with such trumpets and such promise to lead to losing some of the big marquee pitchers...that has gotta hurt. It's a needed move, but it's gotta be painful as hell for them, and I really wish that this one would have been the one that worked.

For now, we'll just have to see what the Mets do with Verlander. Part of me thinks they keep him. Another part of me wonders what that 35 would look like in red pinstripes.

Coming Tonight- A Chicago White Sock that I am pretty sure is staying in town.

Cy Youngs in Motion

 
Overall, pretty predictable Cy Young winners this year. Alcantara I saw coming since, like, June, and JV I figured would be a lock considering that other candidates, like Alex Manoah and Nestor Cortes, lacked a strong enough case. Once again, I would have gone with a completely different Astro, that being Framber Valdez, who had a 28-game-long quality starts streak that apparently means nothing to most sportswriters. But hey, JV will be going into the Hall with 3 Cy Young awards, 2 World Series rings and an MVP, and that is more than a lot of all-timer pitchers can say. Nolan Ryan didn't even win a Cy Young. 

However, these awards have made these two pitchers very hot commodities in the now-accelerating offseason market. Verlander is using this win to justify himself as a talent worthy of a Scherzer-in-New-York sized contract. There are a few problems with that. Chiefly, teams are already looking to give a contract of that magnitude to someone like Jacob deGrom. Also, Scherzer is a little younger than Verlander, and had enough to justify a multi-year deal. Verlander is 40. That he squeaked out one last peak season at that age is miraculous enough. Asking for multiple at this rate, especially considering that Verlander isn't juicing, could be asking for quite a bit. 

I think Verlander just wants the payday, because he's gotten very small deals in the last few years because he hasn't been a sure long-term bet. But...this isn't the age he should be asking for a sure bet contract. A lot of pitchers in his corner, like Wainwright, Kershaw and Greinke, are just asking for 1-year deals. Yes, Verlander is a monster talent, but he's also at the point where he's resting on his own mythology and doesn't NEED anymore big seasons to prove himself. 

Besides, he's got a beautiful wife at home and enough career achievements, so there's no reason that Brady should really want to go out there for anything else.

I mean...I mean Verlander. Didn't I say Verlander? What'd I say? Oh. Well can you blame me?

Look, don't be surprised if JV suits up for a few more years, and in the midst of the contract Kate Upton starts dating somebody else. Verlander can leave the table now, or he could re-up for one more year in Houston and leave with dignity, or he could do something crazy and gamble on an arm that was lucky enough to give him one last great season at 39. 

Then you have Alcantara. On one hand, he is locked up for another few years in Miami, and the fans there love him and don't want him to leave. On the other hand, that didn't stop Miami from dealing Stanton or any of their other contracted stars. Yes, this is a post-Jeter Marlins, and Kim Ng is a bit more calculated than her predecessors, but there is still the idea that Alcantara could get dealt to a competitor at any second, especially considering that he just won a Cy Young. Somebody like LA or Houston or New York could take on that contract and boost their playoff cases in seconds. Will it happen? Who knows. But a win like this has allowed it to be more possible.

Now, if Alcantara didn't just sign this contract before this season, I'd be less skeptical that something could happen. But I also know how the MLB works, and I know that the Marlins don't plan on being a major contender again for a few years. So Alcantara could go somewhere, even if it's just as likely that he stays in Miami and breaks loose somewhere thereafter.

Tomorrow night we see the MVPs. I have an idea of how this is going to go. Two guys who have very famously been within inches of an MVP before might be getting theirs tomorrow night. If not, we riot.

35 at 39

 

I'm honestly not sure why no one has mentioned it yet, but since beginning the season at .500 exactly, the Houston Astros have won 8 straight games. The villains of baseball, initially doomed to fighting with the Rangers and A's for relevance, are now in danger of ascending to first yet again and controlling the narrative of the season like usual, by the grace of Dusty or cheating or something.

What everyone is talking about, and for good reason, is the incredible season that Justin Verlander is having. After missing all of 2020 and 2021, most people thought he was done being part of baseball's elite, but he was only recouping for one last ride. So far this season, JV has been absolutely incredible, with a 4-1 record, a 1.55 ERA, a team-leading 36 strikeouts and a 0.639 WHIP. Last night against a 1st place Twins team he nearly went the distance, going 7 and a third innings before allowing a hit. The fact that Verlander can still be this dominant even at 39 is...incredible. It's also just indicative of his supreme talent. The man notched 3000 strikeouts at 36, on a 300-K season. He's bringing home 2 Cy Young awards [at least], an MVP, a Rookie of the Year and a World Series. And despite the nastiness of the Astros, JV's stock has somehow risen since joining the much-maligned squad. That takes a true athlete, and that's exactly what Verlander is.

People are already talking about Verlander getting his third Cy Young this season, and I think we should let the rest of the season go by first. If the NBA has taught us anything, it's that sometimes the most obvious and likely candidate could just end up losing to Nikola Jokic not getting it anyway. The AL still has Alek Manoah, Logan Gilbert, Gerrit Cole, Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease killing it right now. Maybe an unknown challenger will rise up and take it.

It's not like it's gonna make or break Verlander's HOF case. Dude's getting in if he retired tonight, one of the best pitchers of his era, a modern companion to Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. And that's honestly the weird part about this season for Verlander. He really doesn't have anything else to prove other than career longevity. He's already gotten a ton of accolades to work with, and he's pitched so many great games. Hell, I have seen Verlander pitch AGAINST MY TEAM, and I'm satisfied with it. But I'm also just glad that he can still deal 'em out after everything he went through in the offseason. 

The Astros may, in fact, be a force this year. The old core of Bregman, Altuve, Tucker, Alvarez and Brantley might still have some life in them. This team might inevitably speed through the playoffs and vie for another title. And I'll stomach it as long as Verlander's pitching well enough to be proud of. He is the one non-heel on this team, and even if I despise this team, I can't despise him.

Coming Tomorrow- In case you thought his 2021 season was a fluke, and dependent solely on playing in Chicago...

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Astros

The Houston Astros very nearly won their second World Series. Or, if they hadn't have cheated, their first World Series. But, thanks to the gradual overpowering of the Nationals, they wound up in second place, which is where they belong for stealing signs. Or, like...much lower than 2nd. 18th. Yeah.

Regardless, Yordan Alvarez and Justin Verlander won awards this year, possibly outside of any cheating attempts. Alvarez is a powerful hitter in the same vein as Dave Parker, and Verlander is a Hall of Famer next decade.

Jake Marisnick, after a disappointing 2018, came back as a member of the outfield platoon with Josh Reddick. Though Reddick had the better year, Marisnick had a higher slugging percentage.
Why Him in 2019?: He was the bench player extraordinaire for the AL Champion team.
2020 Prediction: Marisnick will not end the season on the Astros' active roster.

 Zack Greinke was the biggest name dealt at the deadline, and he did not disappoint in Houston, going 8-1 with a 3.02 in the regular season. His postseason numbers were less consistent, as he was felled by Tampa, and failed to garner a playoff win.
Why Him in 2019?: His move to Houston is the most important one in terms of getting the Astros to the postseason. Said trade also moves Josh Rojas and Seth Beer to Arizona, and both could be deadly soon.
2020 Prediction: This will be Greinke's last Cy Young-caliber year, and the last year the sportswriters will use to make a HOF case.

 Jose Urquidy was an odd household name for this Astros team, but he burst onto the scene in June and slowly became a rotation asset, especially during the postseason.
Why Him in 2019?: Got the win in Game 4 of the World Series, which isn't bad for a rookie.
2020 Prediction: Will edge Peacock out of a starting spot and become a solid sleeper hit in a full year in Houston.

Aaron Sanchez was a deadline deal for the Astros that paid off for a few weeks before an injury robbed them of the strong Sanchez for the rest of the year.
Why Him in 2019?: One of his starts was a combined no-hitter, also featuring Sanchez' trade-mate Joe Biagini.
2020 Prediction: Will be a solid third to Verlander and Greinke. (EDIT- so much for that! Hopefully someone good picks him up)

 The proposed fifth-starter, Brad Peacock, was injured for a lot of this year, and despite his strong starting numbers, ended the season as a member of the bullpen staff.
Why Him in 2019?: His injury paved the way for Jose Urquidy, and, eventually, Zack Greinke.
2020 Prediction: Peacock will be back to a primary bullpen man, though a few late-season starts will boost his free agency appeal for 2021.

The Astros' big rookie this year, at least according to Topps, was Kyle Tucker. It's not as if they wasted their time they should have spent on Alvarez or anything. Tucker had 22 glorious games for Houston, 6 less than he did in 2018, and had a .269 average with 11 RBIs and his first 4 home runs. His postseason numbers were a little more sparse.
Why Him in 2019?: He had a better rookie campaign than he did in 2018, his ACTUAL rookie campaign.
2020 Prediction: A boosted lineup appearance. By the postseason, he'll be starting games.

 Machete Maldonado, for the second year in a row, ended the year in an Astros uniform, though his 2018 (with a solid campaign for Anaheim), was a bit more stable than his 2019 (being Salvador Perez' replacement, getting traded to Chicago for no reason only to land in Houston a week later). Maldonado's 32 games as an Astro weren't as starry as his time there last year, but he had a better OPS than he did in Kansas City
Why Him in 2019?: Machete had a .312 average in the postseason, and made up for a quieter run in 2018.
2020 Prediction: Either some club will sign him as a backup or Houston will make him their full-time, because his 2019 was a nice preview of his abilities.

 3 years after his ASG nomination, Will Harris had his best full season yet, ending the year with a 1.50 ERA, and notching 62 strikeouts in 60 innings.
Why Him in 2019?: In a messy year for the Astros' bullpen, Harris was the sole constant.
2020 Prediction: A team that's kinda out of the question will sign Harris, and he'll help them contend. I'd say someone like the White Sox or Cardinals?

And one more Topps-lauded rookie for the road. Josh James came in as a threat to start, but found his calling in the bullpen, notching 100 strikeouts in 61 innings, and being an impressive postseason asset, despite giving up some crucial runs in the World Series.
Why Him in 2019?: He was the best, and most prolific, rookie pitcher for the Astros.
2020 Prediction: He'll snag Harris' spot in the bullpen and expand on his already-strong 2019.

Coming Tomorrow- Those impressive Wild-Card-contending Oakland A's.

Cy Youngs: Repeat Offenders

We've reached the point again where we can just coast and give great pitchers their umpteenth Cy Young awards. It's a throwback to the Johnson-Clemens years, just with less scumminess.

It's not like they don't deserve it, too. Verlander had his best season in years, eclipsing even last year, when he SHOULD HAVE won over Blake Snell. He's a league-talent, a future Hall of Famer, and he was dominant throughout the 2019 season. He was the one I knew was gonna win.

deGrom's was slightly in question. I may be alone in this, but I seriously thought Stephen Strasburg should have been considered more. He had his best season to date, he's a strikeout machine, and his numbers were league highs. Perhaps neither league is ready to really reward strikeout achievements again (as evidenced by Cole not winning either. Still, of the three that made the finals for this one, DeGrom clearly had the best case. A league-leading 255 strikeouts, a 2.43 ERA, only 19 home runs allowed, and a 0.971 WHIP. Amazing stuff, especially considering he turned 31 this year. Hope he keeps it up.

These two are good for baseball, and I'm glad they both got awarded for it this year.

Tomorrow, we get our MVPs. I'm personally predicting we end up with repeat winners here as well, but I could be wrong on the NL side.

Division Series Update: Balance & Predictability

So, if Day 1 of the division series games was all about Walker Buehler's pitching performance, Day 2's was dominated by Justin Verlander. Which...is a tiny bit predictable, but...it's 2019, so I'll allow it.

Verlander gave up 1 hit in 7 innings, while fanning 8. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez were responsible for the bulk of the offensive work, unfortunately at the expense of 2019's feel-good story Tyler Glasnow. I'm not saying that the Astros kicking the shit out of the Rays while Verlander's on the mound was predictable, but...come on.

Today is Gerrit Cole vs. Blake Snell. One of these people has a Cy Young award, and it's the wrong one.

Meanwhile...

These guys managed to get even with St. Louis, thankfully.

Look, I'm kinda glad that yesterday's game was the conclusion of the 'sportswriters yelling at Ronald Acuna' arc. Because sportswriters shouldn't be yelling at Ronald Acuna. Screw hustle. He's a baseball phenom, and he could be charming us for the next two decades. Don't piss him off now or we'll get another Antonio Brown situation. But yes, he hustled, and thank god for that, because if he didn't, then the fabric of the universe would collapse.

This is baseball in 2019. People are complaining about hustle and pace of play while the balls are becoming conveniently easier to hit home runs with.

Anyway, Donaldson and Duvall did their thing and beat up Jack Flaherty, and Mark Melancon got back to being a great postseason closer. All is well.

AND SPEAKING OF ALL BEING WELL, HOW ABOUT THOSE NEW YORK YANKEES???

Yes, time to bring up the other thing sportswriters are bitching about this morning, which is 'leaving your starter in for an allotted period of time'. This one's a little more pressing, as Berrios was killing it, and I don't think they should have brought in Duffey so soon, but...Baldelli thought it would help, and it backfired, so...oh well.

Great day for the Yankee offense, though. Gardy, DJ, Edwin, Gleyber...they were all rolling. And Paxton, despite not getting the win and giving up some homers, was relatively sharp. I'm excited to see how we keep the momentum going.

Today's game is Masahiro Tanaka vs. Randy Dobnak. As much as I wanna call this a David-Goliath kinda thing, Tanaka has had a very shaky year, and Dobnak has had some nice starts, so this could be kinda even.

And here's the biggest upset of the night- Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg go against each other, and...Strasburg has the better night.

You can chalk this up to Kershaw's October struggles returning, but Kershaw is also significantly better at home in the postseason, and the Dodger stadium crowd wasn't expecting their ace to let them down so much. Stras, meanwhile, had 10 strikeouts and only gave up 3 hits. The man is still a beast on the mound, and I'm glad he can have big games like this one.

Tonight, we get some AL Games. Sure to be fun.

Call to the Hall: 2019 Edition

I've got some time today, so might as well write a sequel to a favorite post of mine from 3 years ago.

In 2016, I was a stone's throw from Cooperstown for a few days, and wondered aloud how many active players had a shot at being enshrined eventually, considering that children of the 80s and 90s are getting all their fringe players in the hall at this point. I went down the list of teams, and named the most likely player on that team to make the Baseball Hall of Fame, or at the very least the player with the absolute best HOF chances of any, even if they are unsuccessful.

I think it's a good time to do a sequel now because of the fact that people can look back at 80s Topps or whatever and count 20, or 30 or so Hall of Famers, and think 'wow, all of those guys were playing at the same time, cool!' And it's weird to think that somebody who's a rookie right now could potentially be a Hall of Famer in 24 years...granted, this assumes that the planet will still be here in 24 years, but nevertheless.

So I'm doing it again. For all 30 teams, the best, or most-votes-getting, candidate for the Hall. You'd think there'd be a lot of repeats from 2016, but...a lot has changed since then.

ANGELS: Albert Pujols, who's gotten to the point where everything he's done since like 2015 has sort of have been just for tiny little footnotes on his plaque. He's definitely in, even if he's kind of a non-factor this year. If it weren't for him, it would most certainly be Mike Trout occupying this space.

ASTROS: Justin Verlander. I'm interested to see what the sportswriters will say about this guy. I see him as a Roy Halladay type, where his overall dominance will clear up any blank spots in his award case. And I do think that Verlander's one of the best overall pitchers of this modern era, as he's been a perennial standout since his rookie year in 2006, has come within the top 3 in the Cy Young voting 5 times, has an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, and a Cy Young. This season with the Astros, he's STILL doling out amazing numbers, as he's already leading the league in wins AND WHIP. Unless somebody else (David Price?) challenges him further down the stretch, I'm guessing he'll get another Cy this year. And probably that HOF plaque.

ATHLETICS: Khris Davis. There's a lot of youth on this team, so this was a tough choice, but I went with Davis over Joakim Soria solely because Davis may be the single most consistent power hitter of the decade, a sort of variation on Albert Belle or Cecil Fielder. He's very one-dimensional, and doesn't do much else other than hit homers, but he's exceptional at that one thing. He'd probably get some votes for that alone.

BLUE JAYS: Edwin Jackson. Dude has the longest career out of all of the Jays, has a storied, veteran pitching career, and even if he's a long-shot to get in, has more of a resume than most of this team.

BRAVES: Josh Donaldson. This was a toss-up between him, Markakis and Freeman, but I went with Donaldson because he has an MVP, he's still just an insanely-talented all-around player, and he's still got some big-game oomph with the Braves. Freeman and Markakis have been solid, consistent players, but haven't had the sort of quality that Donaldson's been playing with the past 5 or so years.

BREWERS: Christian Yelich. Yelich's the only guy who's numbers are screaming at me, solely because Yelich might be the best player in baseball right now. And because Cain and Moose might not have great cases.

CARDINALS: Yadier Molina. And then maybe after he gets in, they'll vote in Ted Simmons. Yadi's an all-time-great catcher.

CUBS: This is literally a deadlocked tie between Jon Lester and Cole Hamels. It is so tough to decide who has the better HOF case, because both are some of the best pitchers of this era, and neither have enough credentials to either outdo each other or tangibly receive over 75% of the vote in my eyes. I mean...of the two, Lester has more rings, so maybe his case is a little better, but it's still tough.

DIAMONDBACKS: Zack Greinke. This would have been Adam Jones if I hadn't just...completely forgot Greinke was on this team. Another classic talent.

DODGERS: Clayton Kershaw. Next.

GIANTS: 3 years ago I said Buster Posey, but his HOF case has plummeted since then. Now, I'd have to say Evan Longoria, for being a consistently solid third baseman, and for even staying sharp despite this team's inescapable downfall.

INDIANS: Corey Kluber, because he's the one with two Cy Young awards. Even if he's hurt right now, and has had some down seasons, he's still one of the hardest throwing pitchers of the strikeout era we're in right now.

MARINERS: Felix Hernandez. Would have gone with Edwin, but then I remembered Felix's first decade of baseball.

MARLINS: Curtis Granderson. This is a tough team to make a case for someone for, because everyone is either too young, or too washed-up, to really make a difference right now. Grandy kind of has the best case, because he has the most home runs, has been on a ton of playoff teams, and is one of the most notable humanitarians in the game. But those strikeout numbers would really chase sportswriters.

METS: Jacob de Grom. The strength of this guy's first six seasons in the league bypass career numbers from Robinson Cano and Todd Frazier. If de Grom keeps it up, he'll be an all-time great.

NATIONALS: Max Scherzer. Next.

ORIOLES: oof. Uh. I guess Andrew Cashner has the best HOF case on this team. Which says a lot about the quality of ball playing on the Orioles.

PADRES: On a team with Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado and Wil Myers, would you believe that I'm going with Ian Kinsler? If it weren't for his last 2 seasons, this wouldn't be a stretch, but Kinsler's numbers with Detroit and Texas have been consistently fantastic. He's a great-hitting player, a great defensive shortstop, and a very Scott-Rolen-esque talent...which means, considering how much traction Rolen has gotten on the ballot, that Kinsler might not have a great case.

PHILLIES: Andrew McCutchen. This was a tight race between Cutch, Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper and Jake Arrieta, but I had to go with Cutch due to his star presence, all-around abilities, and the fact that he's one of my favorite players.

PIRATES: Francisco Liriano. Because Chris Archer and Starling Marte don't have very good Hall cases, and because Liriano's been great as a starter AND reliever on multiple teams. He'll get 4 votes, but he's still got more of a definite case than those 2.

RANGERS: Hunter Pence over Elvis Andrus because I love controversy. I put Andrus into the Freddie Freeman category as he's been perfectly solid for 10 years, and hasn't had the huge, league-dominating breakout year that we've been waiting for. Hunter Pence has had a few of those years for different teams. And now he's having another huge year with Arlington after everyone counted him out. Hall voters will enjoy interpreting his career.

RAYS: Charlie Morton. He's got the longest career of anybody on the team, and he's probably the most underrated pitcher of the decade.

RED SOX: I'd put Dustin Pedroia, but I don't know if he's what you'd call active anymore. So instead, I'll put Chris Sale, because he's another insane hard-throwing strikeout artist, he's gonna win a Cy Young anyday now, and he's gonna be this generation's Randy Johnson.

REDS: Joey Votto. Next.

ROCKIES: Nolan Arenado. Props to the person who predicted that he'd overtake this spot back in 2016. You clearly know your stuff. Arenado is another guy who's basically one MVP away from running the MLB. He hits home runs, he's strong at third, he's essentially the team captain in Denver, and he might be their first genuine HOF talent.

ROYALS: Alex Gordon, solely because Perez is injured and nobody else has enough longevity to have a good enough case. Yes, that includes you too, Ian Kennedy.

TIGERS: Miguel Cabrera. Next.

TWINS: Nelson Cruz. He's the post-Ortiz-generation's marquee DH, he's 29 away from 400 home runs, and he's hit for power AND contact.

WHITE SOX: Jose Abreu? I don't know, this one's pretty tough, because I can't say with confidence that any of these guys are really HOF-caliber. Everyone's good enough for right now, but I don't really know if there are any all-time talents.

YANKEES: CC Sabathia. He got his 3000th strikeout this year, and will get his 250th win this year as well. He's also one of the best pitchers of the 2000s, and has jumpstarted a generation of hard-throwing aces. He belongs.

Did I get anything gloriously wrong? Sound off, if you'd like.

Coming Tonight: The best pitcher on the Dodgers right now is not Kershaw, not Rich Hill, not Walker Buehler....but this guy.

The New Mega-Rotation for 2018

...but first, a moment with Dallas Keuchel.

Dallas Keuchel, copious strikeouts aside, has been fairly human this year. Today he delivered a loss against the Indians, and he has a 3-5 record. He still has a low ERA, and he's still very much able to strike people out, but he's bringing up the rear in the Astros' rotation this year.

...Although, it's safe to say that Dallas Keuchel would probably be bringing up the rear of the rotation even if he was pitching as well as he did in 2015.

This is a year where Lance McCullers, with a 5-2 record and a 3.68 ERA, is the FOURTH-BEST pitcher on the team. Where Collin McHugh's success as a reliever isn't being drawn into question. Where not even Brad Peacock's absence is being felt.

The Astros have a 3-man team that's scarier than arguably any other in the AL. Justin Verlander is having his best season in years, with a 1.05 ERA, 84 strikeouts, and a great record. He's the ace that Dallas Keuchel should have been, and the Astros are fortunate to have him. GERRIT COLE, meanwhile, has 94 strikeouts, which is the MOST IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES RIGHT NOW, and has a 1.75 ERA with a 4-1 record. Cole is having his best season yet, and all of the control woes he had in Pittsburgh haven't showed up yet. And then there's Charlie Morton, an unlikely fireballer who's won 6 games and hasn't lost one yet, with a 1.94 ERA and 70 strikeouts. This guy's career essentially started the second he picked up an Astros uniform, and he's been just as awesome as he was last year.

Even better, the lineup's not doing too bad either; Altuve, Correa and Springer are back to their old tricks, Brian McCann's hitting, and Alex Bregman's continuing his 2017 work. This is a tighter, more fearsome roster, arguably, than the one that won the World Series. And even if the Angels keep bobbing back and forth with them at the top of the AL West, they have a serious leg up in this rotation, which is the best in the MLB, outside of maybe Washington.

This is the kind of rotation where, if they keep it up, some huge things could happen around October.

Coming Tonight: A veteran pitcher that's probably the only arm on his western team that seems to know what he's doing.

Justin Verlander is Still the Best

(furiously tears through stats)

HEY, UH...HOW COME JUSTIN VERLANDER ONLY HAS ONE CY YOUNG???

I think this is a valid question. Verlander's tenure in Detroit culminated in two World Series stops, a Rookie of the Year, an MVP, a ton of ASG nods, and a few years where he came in 2nd in the voting, but for some reason...a guy who was, for a few years, the single best pitcher in the AL, only has one award to show for it, from his particularly incredible 2011 season.

Perhaps you can argue that Verlander's numbers went down a bit as the Tigers' quality worsened, and as the teams got less and less playoffs-ready. However...this has been rectified now that Verlander has wound up on the Houston Astros, one of the best teams in the AL, and World Series winners themselves.

So, now what does Verlander have to prove? He's 35, he's got a ton of awards, he's accumulated a ton of great stats and seasons. Well...now he has to seal the deal. He needs to pitch 2 or 3 more really good seasons so that sportswriters in 10 years note his consistency and durability over the years, especially when they think about Hall of Fame voting. Verlander, as great as he is, isn't quite a lock yet, and while he probably will be soon, more amazing seasons could do it.

So far, he's off to an amazing start in 2018, with a 4-0 record, a team high WAR, a low ERA, and some of his trademark nasty stuff. He's leading a pitching staff that includes an equally-fearsome Gerrit Cole, pitching like never before, and an improved Lance McCullers. Now that Dallas Keuchel has proved himself less-than-consistent, it's great that Verlander can lead a rotation, and a team, towards greatness.

As the Angels lose more games (TO THE YANKEES!!), Verlander and the Astros will go up in the standings, as the deservingly best team in the AL West, but they'll need to be prepared for a run in with...those aforementioned Yankees very soon.

Coming Tonight: Out of nowhere, he's become the single thing to talk about from San Diego.

ALDS': The Postseason Begins!

Chris Sale vs. Justin Verlander- formerly a division matchup for the books, currently a playoff matchup for the pantheon. I have an idea of how this is going to go, but neither team is going to go quietly, and I imagine we're gonna get some great baseball from this. All I'm saying is I don't think it will go all 5 games.

As for later tonight...

Sonny Gray's legend was born in the playoffs, and last year, Trevor Bauer's blood was all over the playoffs. I feel like I know which way tonight's gonna go, even if Bauer's been having a better season, but the series is probably going to go Cleveland's way if the Yankees don't rise to the occasion. They have an opportunity with Sonny Gray on the mound, but even the Twins got past Sevvy. They're going to need to work hard. And the Indians...they're going to need to work even harder to make sure this foregone conclusion works out.

Lots of fun to be had. Hopefully we'll have some results worth writing about.

Verlander: Back to October

I didn't think it was possible, but all you needed to do was pluck Justin Verlander out of Detroit, and he'd quickly become the most dominating pitcher in the AL.

Weird thing is the Astros' rotation was already fantastic, with Keuchel, McCullers, McHugh, Peacock and Morton. Throwing Verlander in makes the Astros even more of a playoff threat, as they'll be going in seeded second, set to play whoever ends up winning the AL East, be it Boston or Bronx.

Even worse, the whole team is picking up a scary amount of momentum, with not only the pitching staff, but the lineup, led by 'just-give-him-the-MVP-trophy-already' Jose Altuve, and George Springer. The whole lineup is hitting, the bench is hitting. Everybody, except maybe for Cameron Maybin, is doing a great job, as they've one their last few games and are heading into the last weeks of the season.

I want the Astros to do well, and they've done so well with the insane amount of talent this season, but...even if they are streaking, I can't bank on a team that's doing this well still surging in three or four weeks' time. It doesn't guarantee anything. I want them to do well, but I'm not sure if they will.

Still...at this point, all we can hope for is Verlander's Houston ERA to stay below 1.

Coming Tomorrow- Rockies pitcher. Long hair. Not Thor.

Panic in Detroit

This year more than any other, guys who've been on teams for a while have been pining to compete again. Adrian Beltre did it. Joey Votto did it a little. And I can only imagine Justin Verlander's been doing it, as he's used a few starts as 'auditions' for the Astros' rotation, only to wind up still pitching for his beloved Tigers. Yes, it'd be nice if this was still 2012, and the Tigers were still a powerful, World Series-caliber team, but now that the only things to go to games include Justin Upton, and...Mr. Kate Upton, it's all feeling very glum for Tigers fans.

Like...what do they have right now? They have two good pitchers, Verlander and Fulmer, and some surging players like Upton and Mikie Mahtook, but...honestly, there's a whole lot of blah. There's two guys that could be playing well, Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler, but various controversies are keeping them from having immaculate, positive seasons. Some guys, like Jordan Zimmermann and Nick Castellanos, are just disappointing this year. Some guys who were doing really well, like Alex Avila, JD Martinez and Justin Wilson, are now doing really well for better teams. Not a ton is left that's even worth writing about.

Plus, it's not even a season where Kate Upton can do some lobbying for her boyfriend to get another Cy Young. If anybody's gonna get any end-of-the-season praise, it'll probably be Upton, but Verlander might look to get out of Detroit if he can. The guy's a great pitcher, a potential future Hall of Famer, but there's a feeling that he's potentially one more truly great season away from being a sure shot. Still, even finishing out this season, it's clear he's one of the best.

Coming Tomorrow- Even five years later, he's still one of the reasons people come to Cubs games.

Custom Card of the Day: Verlander Edition

The Justin Verlander renaissance is upon us. And, appropriately enough, so is the Tigers'.

Verlander took a couple seasons to rework his stuff, despite not being the absolute best like he was for a few years back there. Last year he made some appearances halfway through the year, to aid his fifth-place team, depleted since the departure of Yoenis Cespedes, and the rise of the Royals.

According to his first start of the year, I think the Tigers are gonna be in pretty damn good hands this year. Justin Verlander was shutting down batters like it was 2011 all over again.

The guy's been around in the league for 10 years, and, with the exception of the few years after his Cy Young reign where he had some injuries, he's been one of the most consistently dominant pitchers in baseball. The guy throws fast, and he throws hard, and that combination's worked pretty well for him since 2006. He's been to the World Series twice, once in his rookie year, and again in 2012. Didn't go especially well for him, but he performed like a pro.

The Hall of Fame question is definitely swirling at this point, but in order to make it a definite, Verlander has to have some stellar seasons down the stretch, starting this year. He can't be the kind of pitcher who fades in his 30's- he has to be amazing all the way through. I'm not thinking that's going to be a problem here, but judging by the past few years, I do have reason to be concerned.

Tigers are probably going to do well this year, and Justin Verlander's gonna be a huge part of that.

Coming Tonight- The one reason Atlanta Braves have to be excited. Besides Freddie Freeman.

The Triumphant Return of Justin Verlander

It's never fun to go from a two-time Cy Young winner to...being on the DL for parts of two years.

Justin Verlander was on the DL for the start of the season, which meant this was the first time in a little more than 5 years that he wasn't the Opening Day starter. They instead went with David Price, who's not on the team anymore...which says a ton about the Tigers' rotation.

Now the Tigers are circling last and the main offensive threats are on and off the DL, but Verlander has thankfully returned to form. He's had a few great starts in the past month, and is looking like his former self. I feel like if Verlander ends his career the way he started it, he's a Hall of Famer for sure. He just needs some more amazing seasons for a definite HOF shot. Because if his career ended now, he'd have support, but he wouldn't be a definite. That's why I wish Roy Halladay would have been active for longer, because there's gonna be more debate when he comes up for election.

I respect Justin Verlander, and I'm glad that his last few starts have gone so well. I hope he can get another season or two of solid pitching.

Coming Tonight (?)- He's been on five teams in the last four seasons, but he's managed to pitch pretty well through all of them.

Argh

This would have been so fun if it all had gone according to plan. An A's-Red Sox ALCS would have been so fun to watch, even if the Sox would have probably won anyway.

But nope. You had to ruin it.

Nothing against the Tigers, I just loved the story of the A's. A Tigers-Sox series is so...predictable. And I hate predictability.

Still shooting for a Dodgers-Red Sox series. If Mike Matheny screws that up for me, I will have lost total respect for him.

Custom Card of the Day: Frustrating Verlander Edition

Okay, let me clarify that title a bit before I sprawl right into my rant. You see, Justin Verlander does not frustrate me. Far from it, actually. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he's garnered that awesome custom above.

What frustrates me is the fact that due to a minor technicality, Justin Verlander will not be pitching in the All Star Game that he was voted to be a part of.

The reason being that Verlander pitched today, the Sunday before the All Star break. If he pitches today, then he can't pitch, like, ONE INNING of the All Star game in two days. And that I don't freaking understand. The All Star game does not involve strenuous activity to warm up, or train, or anything. All you do is go out there, pitch for a little bit, and then wait for Jim Leyland to give one of the other pitchers a chance. You can do that on two days' rest. But evidently, the MLB says you can't, and now Verlander has to miss out on the All Star game, and one that he DESERVES to go to.

That is my least favorite rule in all of sports, because it takes away a much-needed privilege, one that many players kill for. And the MLB has done nothing to fix this rule, because they don't wanna disrupt the tradition of the ASG being on a Tuesday, because that certainly works with everyone's schedule. Also, since Jim Leyland is the one MANAGING the AL team, couldn't he have just, you know, gotten another pitcher and put HIM in? Like, Verlander could miss a start, he has an All Star game ahead. Couldn't Leyland have just brought up another starter, or just gotten Porcello or somebody to do it? It's easily solvable, but because the fans wanted JUSTIN VERLANDER, then it's worth missing an All Star game over.

Here's something else that's infuriating- the replacements the managers are pegging for dropouts like Verlander, Jeff Locke, and Jordan Zimmerman, are people that really shouldn't be at an All Star game. For instance, Mark Melancon of the Pirates was brought into the roster, which baffles me, because all he is is a middle reliever. You can't stack a pitching staff full of middle relievers that you're not even gonna use. Get some starters that are lying around. I'm sure Zack Greinke didn't have anything better to do. Though I will say that Sergio Romo at least partially deserves it. Just not effing Melancon.

So, yeah. Pretty bummed that Verlander isn't going to be pitching at the All Star Game, because he'd probably be starting. And I know I'm made my stance clear on this issue before. I'm just letting it out there. I mean, I'm sure the Tigers fans aren't bummed, because they still have, like, 20 other players representing them.

At least this didn't cost me anybody on my teams.

Coming Tomorrow- Somebody having to do with the All Star Game or Home Run Derby. Also, I have a Tim Lincecum Highlight card to make.

Custom Card of the Day: Scherzer Edition

Max Scherzer looks pissed. And he has a reason.

Max joined the team in 2010, right after they got to the first rung of the playoffs in 2009. For a good three seasons, Max had to deal with Justin Verlander being the total embodiment of Detroit pitching.

Even when he'd have a good season, Verlander would just come in and eclipse him. In 2011, he has a fairly decent season. What does Justin Verlander do? Win the Cy Young award AND the MVP. Last season, Max Scherzer has a better second half than Verlander. What does Verlander do to top him? Finish 2nd in Cy Young voting.

This season Scherzer has gotten off to a hell of a start, already racking up 10 wins, and being very high in the ERA rankings. Verlander hasn't had the start he's used to, but that's because he's used to be being better than Max Scherzer at everything. It's like they're brothers, just trying to top each other.

Scherzer is likely to get an All Star nod. Here's hoping Verlander doesn't try to top him by getting, like 3 nods or something.

Coming Tomorrow- The Twins are doing poorly this season. Their first baseman is doing alright, but his best days are behind him.