Chasing Milestones

 

On one team you've got a guy looking for his 400th home run and another guy relatively close to his 500th save. Seeing as it's the Angels that's really all they've got to look forward to right now.

Mike Trout reaching 400 feels like something that, had his 30s been a luckier period of his career, should have happened a while ago. It's very much the Ken Griffey thing where so much talent and promise couldn't be sustained past thirty because of those awful injury-lost years. Having him in a better state this year has helped, but this isn't peak Trout either. In 119 games he's hit .231 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs, some very pedestrian numbers for a guy who'd routinely pass 35 during his prime. You can see he's trying desperately to help this team and return to his prior period of dominance, but he's 34, on the verge of a downslope and still playing kinda hurt. I've never seen a road to a 400th home run feel so anticlimactic. Heck, how likely is it that Trout even makes it to 500? Maybe it's a Griffey thing where he just makes up some ground in his late 30s without the high quality, but the wind's been taken out of the sails, and it's just sad to see.

Meanwhile, you've also got Kenley Jansen on this team, and somehow HE's the one still giving out prime seasons. Since Craig Kimbrel has been winding down, Jansen has become the sole tentpole closer in the bigs, and he's also managed to deliver consistent dominance in the ninth into his late 30s. Since becoming an everyday closer he's never finished a [non-2020] season with less than 25 saves. Right now he's got 27, and a 2.73 ERA to go with it. Despite some really sketchy early 2010s seasons, Jansen's career ERA is currently 2.58, and isn't really in danger of going over 3 anytime soon.

Jansen will likely hit 500 saves next year, which will all but guarantee a Hall of Fame induction he's honestly deserved for a while. For a whole decade, Kenley Jansen was a lights-out closer who never got hurt [substantially], always rose to the occasion and just kept at it. He's probably the greatest closing pitcher in Dodgers history, and he might be one of the best pure closers of the 2010s. In an era where the closing job has become so variable, and is routinely given to simply the best reliever on the team these days, you don't see as many people as a primary closer for 10 years. Josh Hader's coming close but he's definitely had his missteps. Clase was on the way but who knows what the rest of his career looks like now. Even Chapman had years where he was a better reliever than a pure closer. Jansen is just that guy consistently, and has been that guy for every team he's played for. His next save will be number 475, and seeing as you get the sense he's not done yet, 500 is not out of the question.

As for what IS out of the question...an Angels playoff run. I can admit there's been improvements, and having Taylor Ward and Jo Adell as a 30+ homer duo feels absolutely correct, but all the pieces I thought would bring this team further forward really haven't. Kyren Paris, Christian Moore, Ben Joyce and Luis Rengifo all struggled this year despite the promise of taking on the load. And again, no input from Anthony Rendon. What a terrible contract that's turned out to be. I can only assume 2026 will be better, but...what'll go wrong that time? 

It's very weird that I'm more confident in Kenley Jansen's 2026 accomplishments than the Angels themselves, but that's where we are.

Coming Tomorrow- South Jersey export trying to salvage a decidedly down year. 

How Not to Boost Merch Sales

 

Only Boston, man. Nowhere else in the country can a guy drop a homophobic slur only for his jersey sales to rise rather than fall. 

The Jarren Duran thing has sort of clouded over a lot of the other Red Sox activity this week, solely because the Sox were kind of threading the middle of the line for a while anyhow. Like, getting Danny Jansen helped, the James Paxton thing went about as well as you'd expect, as did the Luis Garcia thing. They're not chasing 2nd at this rate, and the Royals and Twins are pretty confidently holding onto the nearest wild card spots. So when nothing's really going on one way or another, the team's best player telling an Astros fan to shut up in the most offensive way possible is gonna field some attention. 

And like...there's worse insults for Astros fans. 'Astros fan' is pretty damning already. You could call them posers, bandwagoners, people that abet cheating, stuff like that. You don't have to evoke slurs or anything. Hell, you wanna get back at rude fans, hit a home run! That'll shut 'em up. But Jarren Duran just went for it, and suffered with a suspension for a couple games. I don't think there's gonna be a long lasting stigma against him, and Liam Hendriks is already jumping in to go 'hey, he didn't mean it'. And considering that he's probably gonna be their star for a while, Duran might just need to do some damage control and hope it blows over.

But this causing his jersey sales to skyrocket is...appalling. When players get PED suspensions or abuse suspensions the jersey sales usually go down because people don't want to associate with players who do that. But...this means the inverse is true in this case. Which is...wild. Especially coming from Boston sports fans, who any visiting black outfielder will tell you aren't the best judges of character. So I'm...struggling to relate to the moral judgment that prompted this trend. But I'm not a Boston sports fan, and I'm not a very hateful person.

The Sox themselves are at least trying to let their gameplay speak for themselves, and they still have Wilyer Abreu, Rafael Devers, Ceddanne Rafaela and Tanner Houck working on excellent seasons. I'm also just impressed that Kenley Jansen has stuck around long enough to become a well regarded perennial closing option in Boston. Obviously he's gonna be best remembered for his Dodgers seasons, but he's been strong for the Sox, and 51 of his 442 career saves have come in Boston. There are shortcomings to this Sox team, which is why they're not in the race as firmly as they'd like to be, but they have a lot more to work with than people previously thought.

The Sox have the opportunity to ensure this team outlasts the Duran thing. It remains to be seen whether they have the team to do so.

Coming Tonight: Many people thought his career was basically cooked after a rough year in San Francisco last year. But really, all he needed were the right circumstances. It's just...wild to me that this team, of all teams, were the right circumstances for him.

Always Be Closing: 400 Blows

 

As usual, I use the Always Be Closing tag as a way of highlighting specific developments and moments in the field of closing pitching, how things are different now, changing now, yada yada. And I think it's probably a good moment to talk about closing pitching, seeing as we have one longtime closer just passing the 400 saves mark, and another looking to pass that mark within his next few appearances. 

Kenley Jansen, after a decade's work in Los Angeles delivering season after season of consistent work, has mellowed into a decent option for teams willing to compete, but also willing to stomach the occasional dropped save. Basically, Jansen's 2010s made him look like Mariano Rivera, and his 2020s have made him look like Jose Mesa. Craig Kimbrel, who's still sitting at 398 saves, had a 2010s that made him look like Mariano Rivera, and a 2020s that has made him look like Rod Beck in the 2000s. As predicted. But Jansen, even in the last few years, has kept pounding out saves, led the league with 41 last year for the Braves, and has 9 saves already with Boston. Granted, he's been shaky since getting #400, but he's still reliable enough for a Sox team that only has so much to hold onto.

Kimbrel has been given some more ninth inning opportunities than he had earlier this season, thanks to an injury to Jose Alvarado, but he's not the closer he was. Even if he did deliver 22 saves last year for a team that didn't especially need even an okay closer, he's failed to really latch onto a team since leaving the Cubs. He was extremely rough starting out, but has been scoreless in his last four appearances, has picked up a save in the last week or so, and is beginning to look more comfortable in middle relief than he has in a while. I don't know if this means that Kimbrel is 'back' or anything, but it does make his goal of reaching 400 a little more attainable. 

Right now, there are two active closers in the all time top-10 saves list. The next closest active closer to the top 10 is #24. Unfortunately, it is Aroldis Chapman. Unless he somehow figures his shit out, I doubt he's passing Dennis Eckersley. The only other two active closers in the Top 50 all-time list are Mark Melancon, who is both injured and in his late 30s, and Edwin Diaz, who is juuust over the Top 50 line. The way closing careers are going, and the way teams are utilizing relievers, there have been less and less 'perennial' type closers, people that have been at this for 10 consecutive years or whatnot. Of the current designated closers, five of them, six if you count Kimbrel covering for Alvarado, have had careers as closers going back to before the pandemic; Jansen, Josh Hader, David Robertson, Will Smith and Ryan Pressly. If they weren't hurt this year, I'd add Melancon and Diaz. Two of the six names, Robertson and Smith, had years that stopped them from consistent runs of saves/9th inning work. 

I think it's gonna be harder going forward to get someone like Jansen or Kimbrel, or for there to be somebody who notches 40 saves multiple years in a row. Closing is very much a 'what have you done for me lately' thing, and a lot of current closers are just people who've relieved excellently and are first on the depth chart. That's how we have people like Carlos Estevez, Evan Phillips, Felix Bautista and Clay Holmes pressed into the role. While there are some young guys who could be at this for a while, like Alexis Diaz, Jhoan Duran, Camilo Doval and especially Emmanuel Clase, who's to say they won't struggle to hit consistent marks, like several other recent closers have?

I'm still happy for Kenley Jansen, and hopeful for Craig Kimbrel. All the while I'm not sure when another player will join them in the top 10, though.

Coming Tomorrow- The Padres farmed him, started him, then the moment he got injured they dealt him. And now he's making them regret it.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Braves

 

It is insanely hard, in this current playoff climate, for there to be repeat World Series winners. The playoffs now last so long that it's impossible for the 'best teams' to hold onto momentum the entire way through. The era of the Yankees or Braves winning every year may be behind us.

That being said, if anybody was gonna go back-to-back, I thought it was gonna be the Braves.

The 2021 team was a feel good come to prominence that no one expected, and it was a season I knew they'd be able to build on. Sure enough, the Braves outdo the Mets in the 11th hour for the division, make smarter decisions, call up killer pieces like Spencer Strider and Michael Harris, and look like a more confident, more pronounced team. 

...and then they got trounced in the playoffs by the Phillies of all people. I sure do know how to call 'em.

The Braves have a lot to be proud of, though, and still probably have the strongest team in the NL East [sorry, Mets]. As much as some pieces are leaving in free agency, the big guns that make this team can't-miss baseball are tied up for most of the decade. 

Adam Duvall, fortunately, is one of the aforementioned free agents. Not that his season was bad, as he did nearly make the All-Star team, and he hit 12 homers, but in a shortened 86-game season he still struck out 101 times and hit .213. Duvall is still very much a one-dimensional power hitter who is good to you when he's surging, and this year he really wasn't surging. Then he got injured, missed the playoffs and spent the rest of his contract at home. As much as he helped the team in 2021, I doubt he'll be missed. 

2023 Prediction: A middle of the road team signs him to a 1-year deal, he does okay. The big years may be over.

Then you have Marcell Ozuna. After the battery charges, the Braves haven't really decided what to think about Ozuna, even if he did have a monstrous 2020 season as a DH. With the team growing up and more outfielders and power hitters settling in, there's less of a place on this team for someone like Ozuna, and despite that he's still signed until 2024. This season, in 124 games he hit 56 RBIs and 23 homers while still being phased out as much as the Braves could.

2023 Prediction: Similar numbers. I don't even think the Braves WANT Ozuna to have anymore good seasons. If he does, he'll likely be trade bait for somebody. 

After being a respectable, consistent closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 10 seasons, Kenley Jansen took the free agency period to find a new place to play, and landed in Atlanta, who...moved Will Smith over to make room. Jansen, despite a 3.38 ERA, is a rock in the ninth, and led the NL in saves with 41, bringing his career total to 391, bringing him within 10 of 400 overall, and bringing him to 8th overall on  the all-time saves list, and three under former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. It's clear that Jansen is etching his name in the history books as a closer, and while he wasn't perfect for the Braves, he did exactly what they signed him to do- dominate the ninth by any means necessary.

2023 Prediction: Similar to this year, somebody signs him, he gives them the traditional Jansen material with another 30-40 saves, and we might be doing this for a bit. I dunno if anyone wants to give him a long-term deal.

A few favorable bullpen heroes for the Braves this year. First, Collin McHugh, former Astros starter, has become a pretty efficient bullpen arm since stints with the Red Sox and Rays. In 58 appearances he sported a 2.60 ERA and 75 strikeouts, in addition to notching a considerable amount more innings than most relievers due to his starting experience. McHugh was a much-needed long-man presence for a varied relief squad.

2023 Prediction: I'm not sure who is on the Braves' shortlist to close, or if they're getting anybody, but...guys, Collin McHugh might be working the ninth for some spots this year, and that's alright with me.

 

A.J. Minter, the perennial Braves bullpen favorite, had another strong year this year, with a 2.06 ERA, 94 Ks and 5 wins in 75 games. Minter is a workhorse and a club favorite, and the Braves are lucky to have him.

2023 Prediction: The way Minter has swung recently, 2023 is looking like a down season, but I still see big postseason moments coming his way.

Even with a packed rotation, the Braves gave a few starts to rookie Bryce Elder, who already looks like he's been living in the woods for some time. Elder impressed for the most part, with a 3.17 ERA and 47 Ks in 10 games, 9 of them starts. Ultimately I think he was just low on the depth chart, and once Anderson came back he was back down in the minors.

2023 Prediction: Either there is room for him, and he has a Kyle Wright-esque breakout, or there isn't and he's a big piece in a trade deadline deal. It kinda depends on whether or not Mike Soroka is gonna be a thing in 2023, and I'm honestly not sure if he will be.

This story you've already heard, but...for the purposes of this post. So Ozzie Albies gets injured, right? The Braves do what they did when Acuna was injured and bring up a rookie who's ready to take on MLB work to take his place for a bit. Like Michael Harris before him, Vaughn Grissom took to the majors like a trout to water, and hit .291 with 18 RBIs and 5 homers in 41 games. Mind you, the man is 21 years old. Yes, Albies eventually rejoined the Braves lineup and Grissom became a bench man, but ooooh boy is this kid valuable. The good news for Braves fans is he can play shortstop, and might have to considering who might be leaving town.

2023 Prediction: Vaughn Grissom will be the next Brave to be locked up for the foreseeable future. 

Onto the trade deadline acquisitions. Robbie Grossman was the most useful guy they got, as he'd been a durable, contact-hitting favorite in Detroit, and Oakland now that you mention it, for the last few years. Just a guy that's good to have around. In Atlanta, Grossman improved on a slow 2022 start and hit .217 with 30 hits and 22 RBIs in 46 games. He also posted some of his best defensive numbers since his 20s. 

2023 Prediction: Back to what he was doing before, signing with non-competitive teams and having great seasons for them.

In a very interesting move, the Braves traded Will Smith to Houston for Jake Odorizzi, as they were better off with rotation security than bullpen security. Now, we know how this went, considering Smith got his second consecutive World Series ring with the Astros, but Odo was no slouch either, striking out 40 in 10 games, despite an ERA over 5, and giving up 2 runs in 3 playoff innings. He's still a reliable depth piece at this point in his career.

2023 Prediction: Well, he's at the back half of a rotation led by Jacob deGrom. The odds are, if he stays healthy, and he probably will, he will get a ton of starts next year. I'd love for deGrom to stay healthy, we all would, but...I feel like Odo is gonna get a lot of work next year in Texas. A lot like Jordan Lyles and Kyle Gibson once Kluber got hurt.

And in the second baffling trade the Braves made this July, they shipped Jesse Chavez and Tucker Davidson over to LA to have Raisel Iglesias work the eighth...which is odd, because working the ninth is more his thing. I think it was just in case Jansen fell apart. Still, Iglesias was excellent as a Brave, allowing only 1 earned run in 36 innings, and striking out 30/100 batters. Iglesias is still scary when he's on, and his back half numbers gave the Braves some good feelings about their long term bullpen security.

2023 Predictions: I'm thinking Iglesias is just the Braves' new closer, so he's gonna be really good at that for a couple years.

Tomorrow, a few members of a Brewers team that were so close to a playoff run.

Championship Series Day 5: An Obligatory Testimony from the Opposition

 
I said yesterday that both series' would be battles of which bullpen could go the longest without making the mistake. Suffice to say, the Braves and Sox bullpens evened things up yesterday, culminating in two ninth innings that blew the game up entirely.

First of all, Braves-Dodgers. Seemed like a game of inches for the longest time. Corey Seager has his bomb, the Braves throw some points up and make it 5-2, and it just...stays there, palpably standing, waiting for someone to just do something. Like in the Sox game, the lead wasn't deep enough where you could turn off the set. While some Dodgers fans left before the Bellinger homer, there was still this chance that something could happen, and it certainly did. Getting all of this done in bottom 8 and leaving top 9 to Kenley, with some very easy lineup pieces batting, was just a wonderful twist of fate. Cause now all Kenley Jansen needed to do was just...do his thing, and that he did. While this has been a stronger year for Jansen, you still get the specters of past years of blown saves clouding what could be an easy opportunity, and I'm glad he can still be efficient in these situations.

So, Braves are still leading, but they're the away team and the Dodgers are juuust gaining momentum. This could be very tricky for them. 

As for Boston...look...we need robo-umps. We just do. Angel Hernandez is one thing, but this guy was messing up all night, the media was REPORTING that he was messing up all night, and his mistake in the ninth led to the Astros coming back and winning the game. Meanwhile, all anyone can say is 'well, I guess it was a ball'. Bullshit. The ump got it wrong and cost the Sox the game, and put Jason Castro in position to score the RBI, and lead to the battering of the Sox bullpen. Meanwhile Manfred shrugs because...I'm beginning to think he actually wants the Astros to succeed, seeing as he only barely reprimanded them. 

If the Astros come back and win this series, people will point to this game. Which should have been a Boston win. I never thought I'd be vouching for Boston this much, but here I am.

Tonight, at least one team will take a 3-game lead. Please, PLEASE, do not let it be the Astros. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Dodgers

Not sure if you guys missed it or not, but the Dodgers won their first World Series in over 30 years this year.

I think it was well-deserved. Dodgers were the best team in the arrangement, had some of the biggest pieces and moments, and had so much talent to spare that even with that surging Rays team it wasn't gonna be close. I'm glad it happened, and I don't think it's the end of this team's reign.

A.J. Pollock, signed last year, finally dug into his potential as a starting outfield piece rather than a backup, in the wake of Joc Pederson's drop off. As the starting left fielder, he hit .276 with 34 home runs and a TEAM-LEADING 16 HOME RUNS [tied with Mookie Betts] in 55 games. It's definitely a return to form for the former Arizona stalwart, and I'm glad he's learning to stay healthy.

2021 Prediction: More healthy numbers but less room to start.

After sneaking up last year and getting some sneakily great starts in, Tony Gonsolin was given more of an opportunity to succeed this year, and the unlikeliest-looking pitching phenom went to work. Gonsolin had a 2.31 ERA in 9 games, with 46 strikeouts and a rotation-low .836 WHIP. Oh yeah, and he started Game 6, which would be the game the Dodgers won the World Series with.

2021 Prediction: More starts, more insane power, and a bit more respect from Kershaw and Buehler. I don't think he'll be a novelty after next year is what I'm saying.

Yes, the position of catcher belonged to Will Smith again this year, but Austin Barnes certainly had his moments to shine. He still hit .244 with 9 RBIs in 29 games, and was responsible for one of the big RBIs in Game 6, and literally bat 1.000 in the NLDS against San Diego. He may be the backup, but Austin Barnes should not be counted out.

2021 Prediction: Either he continues backing up Smith or some club signs him as a starter. 

Inevitably, Kenley Jansen was back at his old tricks this year. He did have some more moments of humanity, nearly lost the closing gig, and keeps giving up too many earned runs, but he led the league in games finished and still notched 11 saves. Considering he's got one more year on his contract, he's probably got one more peak year of being the Dodger closer left in him.

2021 Prediction: 40 saves, 3.50 ERA.
 

The bullpen seemed to be about more than just the usual suspects, as three new faces had great moments throughout. Victor Gonzalez, making his debut this year, had an exorbitantly low ERA, a 1.33 with 33 Ks in 15 appearances. The postseason gave him a 2.70 ERA and 5 more Ks, including some in Game 6. 

2021 Prediction: He'll get hit a few more times but he'll still be a valuable member of the bullpen.

After losing the closing gig to Liam Hendriks in Oakland last year, Blake Treinen signed a deal with the Dodgers to relieve, not close; that very much helped his chances to succeed, as he was used as a setup for Jansen most of the time, and he got a 3.86 ERA and 22 Ks, certainly not bad at all. Despite giving up some runs in the postseason he held onto his material and still got 10 Ks, and finished strongly.

2021 Prediction: Gets picked up by a lower-tier team and evens his ERA out.

And then there's the now-iconic Brusdar Graterol. Traded from Minnesota for Kenta Maeda, Graterol was eased for a relief role, and while his regular season stats were fine [3.09 ERA with 13 Ks], he really gained traction during the playoffs. With the exceptions of 3 earned runs against the Braves, Graterol was unhittable, garnering 0 earned runs anywhere else in the playoffs, and getting some spiritedly tough outs with flair. Graterol's exaltation, even at 21, got a lot of eyes his way, and I hope he keeps it up.

2021 Prediction: More dominance, but he's gonna need to work on keeping runs down. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Giants NEARLY made the playoffs this year. Just barely missed. And there was a lot of talent that nearly got them there.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Dodgers (Part Two)

Yes, I still have a ton more Dodgers to talk about in 2019. This is how good they were this year. 17 players missed regulation in terms of customs this year, which means this team was already awesome...and 17 players weren't awesome enough to go during the season, and yet...it's still SEVENTEEN. Some teams have, like, 3.

Rich Hill has sort of gone on consecutive Uncustomed Heroes years because he's a solid pitcher who's fantastic when he's healthy, but he's never a pivotal performer or leading the team. He only started 13 games this year, but Hill still had a 2.45 ERA with a 4-1 record. So he clearly still had some of his stuff.
Why Him in 2019?: Had a lower ERA than Kershaw, Buehler and Maeda. And he's 40.
2020 Prediction: Signs with a middling team, has a few more last hurrah starts and then retires.

 Meanwhile, Kenta Maeda repeated his 2018 voyage of starting well in the rotation and being moved to the bullpen for the postseason. Maeda still had a 10-8 record with 169 strikeouts, but he's not the innings-eating, high-rotation star he was.
Why Him in 2019?: Allowed 1 hit in 7 innings of postseason ball.
2020 Prediction: Will hold onto a starting rotation spot, and potentially might be traded midseason.

 In Maeda's place, the Dodgers looked to two minor leaguers to fill spots, with mostly good results. Tony Gonsolin, one of the most unlikely dominant MLB pitchers this side of Randy Dobnak, lobbed his way to a 2.93 ERA, and had a 2.89 ERA in his 6 starts.
Why Him in 2019?: Unlikeliest big-game pitcher in LA in August.
2020 Prediction: Will start the year in the minors, but will have some big games in an audition for a permanent rotation spot.

 In Gonsolin's wake left Dustin May, a more-touted prospect who was expected to be stronger, but struggled early, and eventually left a game after a liner to the head. After 4 starts, he was moved to the bullpen, and still averaged 3.63 ERA.
Why Him in 2019?: The Dodgers' second-biggest prospect debut.
2020 Prediction: The Dodgers will make a concrete decision on where they want Dustin, and no matter what they decide, he'll deliver 100 strikeouts.

 Kenley Jansen had something of a down year as closer, which is odd for a perennially dominant guy like Jansen. His 33 saves were his lowest season total since 2013, and his 8 blown saves was his highest season total ever.
Why Him in 2019?: Still closed the Dodgers.
2020 Prediction: Either he goes back to the 40s, or he loses the closing gig.

 Pedro Baez has continued to be a strong bullpen arm for LA, delivering his lowest full-season WHIP in 2019 with a .947, and, sadly, continuing his rotten postseason luck.
Why Him in 2019?: Baez was the most integral reliever in LA.
2020 Prediction: This is Baez' last year before free agency, so he'll have to deliver in order to be on the Dodgers' radar beyond this year.

 After winning a ring last year, Joe Kelly came to his former WS opponents to try to win another one. This didn't exactly happen. Kelly's 4.56 ERA, and his numbers in general, were down from last year, and his postseason numbers weren't much better.
Why Him in 2019?: Solid member of a solid bullpen.
2020 Prediction: Might not last the whole season in LA.

 Julio Urias vexes me. Like, his early troubles made me think the Dodgers had rushed him early, but now that he's had a few seasons, I just assume this is what he does? I dunno, it's odd. This year he started a few more games, and had a 3.26 ERA in 8 starts. As a reliever, he had a 2.08 ERA in 29 appearances, getting his first 4 saves. I guess this means he's better off as a closer?
Why Him in 2019?: The Dodgers finally figured out what to do with him.
2020 Prediction: Will be the strongest reliever on the club next year.

And lest we forget Adam Kolarek, a late-season trade from Tampa who posted a 0.77 ERA in 26 Dodger appearances with 45 strikeouts. In the postseason he was even nastier, despite only pitching an inning over 3 games.
Why Him in 2019?: Kolarek was possibly the Dodgers' best deadline acquisition.
2020 Prediction: A slight decline in production over a full season, but numerous strikeouts anyway.

Coming Tomorrow Morning: Now we get your Giants customs, and I'll do the Indians tomorrow night so we can balance this month back out.

Defying the Odds (but not Inevitability)

So, the Dodgers are a few games away from winning the NL West. If this was March, it wouldn't be a shock. If this was May, it definitely would be.

The Dodgers had one of those unlucky stretches where all their viable pitching options got injured, most of their lineup was slumping, and the teams that they kept to Wild Card threats last year, the Rockies and Diamondbacks, took hold of the division, leaving them to sort of mope around in third and fourth for most of the year. And that was kind of depressing, especially considering that these guys nearly won the World Series last year.

But once this team reconfigured, got healthy, and found the strike zone...things immediately got better. I don't know how it all turned around at once, but seeing this team rise from third and become a true contender was pretty damned nice, even grabbing Manny Machado out of the claws of Philadelphia (for now), and getting bit players like Brian Dozier, Ryan Madson and David Freese to help with the playoff push. And the lineup went from just Matt Kemp doing well to the rest of the offensive, like Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger, springing back to life.

And yes...once Clayton Kershaw stepped off the DL, he was back to his normal, unhittable self. Which definitely helps.

So, in a matter of days, I can only imagine they'll be grabbing the third seed, and securing a spot in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. And now that they're here, they need to prove that they're better than a team that's been good all year. The Braves have only improved once they figured out the winning combination, and while the Dodgers' pitching may outweigh the Braves', they have some crafty elements that may still stymie LA during this series.

A Dodgers run could definitely happen, even if it's a bit less likely than last year. But seeing as Jansen's back to his old tricks, and Puig's hot as hell...I'm certainly not ruling it out.

Coming Tonight: This year, the Red Sox have relied on three veterans to fill the shoes of the injured Dustin Pedroia. Here's the best of the three.

No One Team Should Have All That Power

And now, another moment with the 73-31 Los Angeles Dodgers. Have you heard how amazing they are?

The Dodgers are one of those teams that have been really good for the past 10 years, have made dozens of playoffs attempts, and have never made it to a World Series. Not since 1988. Even with Kershaw, ruling the world, Kenley Jansen being one of the best closers in the bigs, and the amazing farm system that's been popping out rookie gold for 5 years, we've yet to see the Dodgers hit the World Series this decade. And with the amount of talent they've amassed, even with Clayton Kershaw taking a DL break, if they're gonna make a run any year, it has to be this year.

Just look at the guys that people aren't even talking about. Chris Taylor's having a monster rookie year, hidden behind Cody Bellinger. Austin Barnes is a great backup for an even better catcher, Yasmani Grandal. Justin Turner is STILL having one of the best seasons in baseball, and I don't think anybody's noticing. Alex Wood has a 12-1 record that you didn't know about because you were too busy watching Kershaw.

This team has an insane amount of depth, and an insane amount of talent. And I'm just anxious to see what's gonna happen next.

Coming Tomorrow- Loves pitching. Hates Eck.

Kenley Jansen is Finally Proving His Worth

Last year, on this very blog, I compiled a list of who I thought were the 10 best pitchers in the game, devised of people that had been in the league for a while and were still kicking it, or people who were momentarily leading in saves. However, after I made the post I got some heat for not including someone on the list. That someone was Kenley Jansen.

Why I left him off the list, I'm guessing, had to do with his numbers up to July 2015. He'd posted a nice amount of saves per season, but never really set the league on fire, at least statistically.

Of course...NOW I can see why people wanted him on that list. This season, the guy's been pretty phenomenal in the ninth, breaking the record for most saves at Dodger Stadium, and going very high into the league standings for saves. This guy can definitely save games, and he can definitely work a mound, a bit more than I would have thought last year.

Kenley Jansen has EARNED himself an All Star nod, as he's definitely become one of the best overall closers in the NL since the departure of Aroldis Chapman (though he could be back). The Dodgers have gained a ton of steam in the NL this year, even if the Giants have a hold on the division, and Jansen has been a huge part of that, perhaps being one of the few aspects of the pitching staff that isn't sinking currently.

Again, consistency like this is pretty admirable, especially in a year when one of the top up-and-coming closers, Trevor Rosenthal, was demoted halfway through the year, so it's good to see he's still mowing 'em down. I'd love to see him become even more of a fixture, and keep things going for longer.

Coming Tomorrow- With his record, ERA, and his team's momentum, it's kind of shocking that he didn't make the All Star team.

Dodgers Update: NOW It's an NL West Party

it was only a few days ago that I was lamenting how the Diamondbacks were going to shake up the balance in the NL West, and potentially send either the Dodgers or the Giants hurtling back into obscurity.

Then, a few days ago, the Giants signed Jeff Samardzija. So now TWO teams had made a statement that they were going to compete in 2016. Which left the Dodgers, the team that, for the past decade or so, HAD BEEN competing, pretty damn well to that extent. Were they done? Or were they warming up?

It's weird. Last night I had a dream that Aroldis Chapman was traded to the Dodgers. There were so many rumblings the night before, and so much speculation, that the fact even entered my subconscious, somehow.

And I woke up, checked ESPN. And lo and behold...my subconscious was onto something.

First of all, they got some rotation security last night and signed Hisashi Iwakuma, which was a smart move, because if anything was ailing in the bottom half of 2015, it was DEFINITELY the rotation, and Iwakuma is a sharp, consistent pitcher that threw a no-no this year, and will definitely flourish in LA. That part I was waiting for confirmation on til the morning. But then the Chapman deal happened.

It was vexing to me, because so many people chewed me out earlier this year for not including Kenley Jansen on my Top 10 closers list, because apparently he was dominant, powerful, and worthy of inclusion. However, this trade tells me that he's expendable. Which is...kind of odd.

He had 36 saves this year, still can work a mound, hadn't showed any signs of slowing down, and...somehow he's expendable? It's like the Drew Storen situation. There really was no reason to get a better closer- there wasn't a real issue in the ninth for the Dodgers. But apparently they wanted to cockblock anybody who actually NEEDED a closer, so they nabbed Aroldis so they can have TWO really good closers. One of which, Jansen, will be shoved to the eighth next year.

I mean, yes, it's very smart that they grabbed Chapman, because he's one of the best closers in the league, and his stuff is so good that he deserved to be traded at the deadline this year. But...does this mean they're just gonna trade Jansen? I'm not sure.

Bottom line is the Dodgers are in the race too, and judging by what they're doing with pitching, they want to contend, and might make one or two more moves before this offseason is up.

So Glad we Met

Only one team that made the CS' in 2014 has made the CS' round this year, and it happens to be the most fun team of the four, the Royals.

The other three spots have been filled with some of the most out-of-the-box teams imaginable. The Cubs and Jays went first.

Now I get to say that the New York Mets are going to the NLCS for the first time in 9 years. And I'm pretty happy about that. When I saw them in July, they were JUUUUST getting good. And then the behemoth continued to grow, and now they're in the running to make it to the World Series, which I love. D'you know how many people counted the Mets out?

This is a pretty nice development for baseball. Even as a Philadelphia resident, I approve.

As for the Dodgers...they had a hell of a job, and they had a better, more contained roster than they have their last few playoff runs. Sadly, they had to play the Mets at the exact wrong time.

I hope they can retool so they can FINALLY have a successful playoff run in the future, because I feel really bad for them that they've gotten to this point again and gotten eliminated. It's pretty sad, but I think they have the kind of foundation that allows itself for improvement.

But yeah...the stage is set for the championship series. Let's bring on the oddballs.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Dodgers (Part One)

I made a good amount of Dodgers customs a few months back, because I was intent on them advancing in the playoffs. Sadly, that didn't...really...happen, so they were sentenced to my unposted folder. Thankfully, they're seeing the light of day today.

I'm starting with Kemp because he's the big story this week, as he was recently traded to San Diego for another catcher that they didn't especially need. I'll be sad to see Kemp go, but I don't know what he has left in the tank.

Meanwhile, Juan Uribe had another nice season at third, continuing his ascension as one of the Dodgers' most trusted position players since his arrival in L.A. in 2011.

Kenley Jansen was the Dodgers' closer this year, and he did a pretty nice job, landing on the NL closer charts for most of the season, and making the fans forget that Brian Wilson and Chris Perez were even on the roster. Plus, unlike those two, Jansen lacks sufficient facial hair, and that works for him.

I meant to post this a few days after Joc Pederson's rookie debut, but that didn't happen, due to the playoffs. Pederson will likely get some more playing time due to Matt Kemp's departure, but whether he'll pan out like Yasiel Puig did remains to be seen.

Tonight I'll post the rest.