Uncustomed Heroes of 2021: Orioles

 

The best thing you can say about the 2021 Orioles is that they had a starting all-star outfielder who had a 30-30 season and took his place among the stars of the game. Other than that...this was an Orioles season.

Even if there were good performances to be had, like John Means and Austin Hays, this was still a very weak team with barely any starting pitching, a lot of one-dimensional hitting performances, and four other division rivals that are trying to compete. So I really don't have a ton to say about this team. 

However...I can say that this team managed to get 28 starts out of late-career Matt Harvey and have it not be a complete waste of time. Despite a 6.27 ERA and a 6-14 record, Matt Harvey stayed healthy for almost the entire season, and was one of the more reliable starting arms this team could rest weight on. Unfortunately this was the third straight season where he finished with a -0.6 WAR. If anything, he's consistent.

2022 Prediction: Oh, god, I don't frigging know at this point. He returns to ace level with the Pirates? He throws a no-hitter in Korea? He can't even make the majors with the Marlins? Comes in sixth place on the next season of the Masked Singer? Fill in your own blank at this point. Whatever it is, it'll be sure to raise an eyebrow. 

Speaking of much-maligned lost causes, Maikel Franco also played for the Orioles this year. He played in 104 games, hit .210 with 47 RBIs and was released in August. The feel good vibes of his Kansas City comeback appear to be through.

2022 Prediction: Makes some appearances with Washington but doesn't really rewrite his story.

And one more weird one for the road. Chris Ellis appeared in one game for the Royals in 2019, and one game for the Rays in 2021, and neither very especially memorable [despite his 7-K 4-inning Rays bit this year complete with a game win]. After the Orioles got him off waivers, Chris Ellis started his first six games at the age of 28. He did incredibly well, with a 2.49 ERA and 16 Ks, as well as finishing the season with a 1.1 WAR, the sixth-highest on the team. For his efforts, the O's released him after the season.

2022 Prediction: Uh...signs with....let's say Oakland. And, uh...had a late season comeback? Look, these have been the hardest to predict yet, I'm literally flying blind here.

Tomorrow, thank god, it's an easier-to-discuss team, those San Diego Padres.

As You Maik It

I never thought I'd be able to do TWO horrible Shakespeare puns in one week. I think I've peaked.

Anyway, Maikel Franco. Man, it looks like he picked the right season to start hitting again. Because he's finally fitting in a lineup of legitimate MLB stars, all playing well. And somehow Maikel is the one with the most home runs...along with Bryce Harper.

Granted, the Phils lost their first game earlier today against Washington, but...it was bound to happen eventually. All teams lose. The Phils are still atop the NL East, tied with the Mets for first, and are still surging. Yes, it's a bit unsettling that both a lot of the carnage today came at the expense of Aaron Nola, but...that whole pitching staff is still doing fantastic. Arrieta, Elfin and Pivetta are all doing great, although Pivetta needs to get over a shaky start. It's also too early to tell whether Neshek or Robertson will be closing, but...again, it's early enough that both Harper and Franco have batting averages over .400.

The main question here is whether or not the Phils have enough to last the entire season. And given what I've seen from Harper, Franco, McCutchen and Segura...I am definitely intrigued. If everyone stays this on, we could be in for a huge season in Philly. They honestly took the opposite approach from San Diego, and melded the remaining starters to fit with the acquisitions. Granted, it's a very 2015-Padres-esque gamble to make, especially considering Harper's inconsistency, but...the pitching staff was kept entirely intact, and THAT unit has been doing insanely well thus far.

This madcap scheme seems to be working so far, but we'll see if the Phillies are made for long-term success.

Coming Tomorrow- Fireballer No. 4 for a team that may be in for a downswing this year.

We Like Maik

How about that? A year after we basically gave up on him, Maikel Franco is finally playing well for the Phillies.

He and Odubel Herrera are tied for highest average of the starting lineup, he's cracked 18 home runs, and he's actually an integral member of this surging Phillies squad. Yes, having standouts like Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins and Cesar Hernandez certainly helps, but the Phils are getting by on just efficiency alone. The roster is tight- even guys like Scott Kingery are doing well enough. Adding Asdrubal Cabrera was a smart idea, even if his average hasn't especially come alive yet.

Plus, the core pitching five of Nola-Arrieta-Pivetta-Velazquez-Elfin is...surprisingly brilliant this year. Not a single weak spot. Even Vince has been fighting back the last month or so, getting his ERA back down and throwing strikeouts like it's nothing. This positive behavior is something we've only dreamed of from Vince, so seeing him play as well as the ace is nice.

And then...Seranthony Dominguez, Adam Morgan, Victor Arano, Edubray Ramos...and of course, Pat Neshek, are all doing a brilliant job relieving games. I saw this team last year, and the bullpen was atrocious- all the guys who were tanking then are out, and all the guys who were killing it, like Neshek, have more power (and money). Dominguez is a heck of a closer, too.

This is just a solid team. The Braves may be a bit more outwardly dangerous, but the Phillies are just hella strong, and an inoffensive choice to get far in the playoffs. With the Braves coming from behind them, it could be a tricky last 2 months, but...Maikel Franco being on certainly helps the Phillies' case.

Coming Tomorrow- He was a surprising survivor of the trade deadline, but now the 2017 World Series winner needs to work for his current team, even if the waiver deadline might end up severing the ties anyway.

Maik Drop

So...the Philadelphia Phillies still exist..

Yeah, you probably forgot about that, didn't you?

Ever since the collapse of their unstoppable 2008-2011 rosters, they've been sort-of an afterthought in the MLB. In 2012, the Nationals took over, and since then pretty much everyone else in the league (save for the Marlins) have had a chance to take over the division for a year. Meanwhile, the Phillies have lost all of the young stars that made their 2008 team great...though most of them just became old stars. They've been trying to bank on an alright farm system, and things are...sort of panning out?

Right now the Phils are in second place in the NL East, behind the still-fantastic Washington Nationals, and in front of the suddenly-injury-prone New York Mets. It's a very odd place to be for a team that's been really bad for a while. And this isn't even their best squad- right now Howie Kendrick's injured, and the roster isn't completely wonderful...but they're winning games, and that's reason to be a bit happy.

Mostly it's the pitching- Jeremy Hellickson, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff and even a surprisingly good return performance from Aaron Nola. They're keeping the team afloat, and Hellickson, like last season, is getting a ton of acclaim. At the same time...Cesar Hernandez cannot be ignored. He's having the best season of his career, and he's redeeming himself from his poor start after replacing Chase Utley. Yes, this is the Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera show, but Cesar Hernandez is doing a fantastic job of making Citizens Bank Park his own amphitheater.

Again, the Marlins and Mets have a bit more meat on them, so I'm not sure how long this will last, but it's amusing enough to see the Phillies win games against the best of them.

Coming Tonight: Testament to the youth movement in Cleveland- two years ago nobody knew who this guy was. Now he's one of the more powerful members of the Indians' lineup.

To Be Like Maik (or Not To Be Like Maik)

Let me tell you, it's pretty interesting living in Philly this year, with all that's going on with the big ol' sports team right now. You have a ton of people going in with the whole 'we're gonna lost 100 games' mentality this season, because of how things went in 2015. And somehow...we're 2nd in the NL East, ahead of the Mets, and the youth movement that wasn't supposed to kick in for another 5 years is propelling us back to the top.

So, people have this sort of weird optimism. It's very hard to explain. Yeah, they're not going to games, as you can plainly see, but they have this faith that they'll find a way to win. For the first time since the early part of the decade, I'm seeing Phillies jerseys out in town. The fan base is coming back in big numbers. I don't think any of them are wearing Herreras or Nolas or Francos yet, because we all thought they'd be gone by September, so stocking up on their merch felt a slight bit counterproductive. It's mostly Utleys, Howards and Halladays still, but the fans are still coming back, and the hope is returning.

In Philly, the hip new hashtag is #BeLikeMaik, which is, of course, referring to hip, fun new third baseman Maikel Franco, who debuted last season, and after some DL time, was playing some stellar baseball by September, and, while not at the Odubel Herrera levels of killing it, he's still doing pretty damn well, and capturing the spirit of the fan base, which is kind of a good thing in someplace like Philly where the fan base is dying (again).

Once again, I have no idea if the Phillies are going to STAY this amazing, or if this is all gonna die in a month or so, but whatever keeps giving the fans hope, I want it to keep happening. This is good news for a lot of people who thought we were dead in the water. It's also good news for me that I at least have my hometown team to root for while my college-town team is doing horribly right now (and it's NOT Girardi's fault!)

Keep on rocking, Phils. Keep being like Maik.

Coming Tonight- Third baseman for a middling AL Central team who's figured out how to keep an incredibly high batting average.