Is This the End for Curtis Granderson?

I know for a fact that I have talked about this numerous times on the blog, but Curtis Granderson is one of my favorite players. Not just because his peak years were as a member of the Yankees, but because he seems like a great baseball personality, and he's been a great presence on every team he's played for. Hell, I saw him play in Toronto last year, and he had a 6-RBI day, with 2 doubles, a single, and a home run. He was a triple away from a cycle, and this was him as a 37-year-old.

This year, however, has been less impressive for the Grandy Man. Despite playing 136 games for the Miami Marlins, he only has 34 RBIs, 56 hits, 12 home runs, and a .186 batting average. Which, compared to Lewis Brinson, is great, but compared to the rest of the league, and even Granderson's last season, is very, very poor. I realize that Grandy must be in the lineup to inspire a ton of the younger players, but he's not having a great year, and he's being paid to start games.

The good news is that Neil Walker is in a similar position. He's a veteran who can play the infield, hit relatively well, and be a solid presence in the lineup. Walker has said audibly that he wants to return to the Marlins next season, solely because it's a generally nice environment for him, even if he's not exactly playing to compete. This influence has led Grandy to start a similar campaign. Like Walker, he's good enough in the dugout, he's cheap enough to keep around, and he can be the fun veteran presence that counts as a draw for fans.

The difference is Walker had a better season, and Walker is 33. I do think the Marlins might re-sign Walker, but I don't know about Granderson. As much as I love him, I don't know how much he has left in the tank.

Still, the Marlins aren't at the point where they lack roster space for somebody like Grandy, and they still need a lot of help, so...I'd love to see it happen. Plus, another year of Curtis Granderson playing in the MLB is always a good thing.

Coming Tomorrow- A rookie for the single worst team in baseball.

The Marlins Have Improved...Slightly

The Miami Marlins...somehow don't have the worst record in the major leagues.

...I know, I was shocked too.

The Marlins have won [checks notes] SIX GAMES IN A ROW. They took three from the Mets, and they just took three from the Tigers. Not only have they swept a team, they've swept two consecutive...okay teams. Which is a big deal for a team that only has 1 player with over 1.0 WAR.

It's a hard team to talk about because there's such a...varied spread of abilities across this roster. For instance, you have three starting position players and one Martin Prado that are over 30. So clearly the team isn't confident in prospects and young players to start all of them yet. At the same time, the people who ARE being called up, like Austin Dean, aren't doing a hell of a lot. Occasionally you get a good rookie like Harold Ramirez, but is there room for him? Do the Marlins want to risk making room?

Most of the young players on this team have been in the league for a few years already, like Brian Anderson, Rosell Herrera and Jorge Alfaro. Unlike other failing teams like Cincinnati, Toronto and EVEN BALTIMORE, the Marlins aren't throwing many true rookies into the fold. Does this mean that there aren't many good prospects waiting to be called up? Does this mean that none of the prospects are ready? Or does this just mean that the good prospects that ARE ready, like Austin Dean, just haven't figured out how to succeed at the MLB level yet.

In fact, let's look at the New Orleans Baby Cakes, their AAA affiliate. They have SEVERAL players, like Yadiel Rivera, Peter O'Brien, Matt Snyder, Elieser Hernandez, Zac Gallen, Monte Harrison, HELL EVEN LEWIS BRINSON, who are doing a nice job in the minors, and could be promoted soon. But, as evidenced by Brinson's 2018 numbers, not all of them are guaranteed a smooth ride in the majors, and they may not work with the roster.

For now...I guess we'll just stick with guys like Neil Walker, Curtis Granderson and Martin Prado doing very, very okay things in starting jobs. But...how much longer can you wait on a youth movement that's kind of waiting on you?

Coming Tomorrow- What a weird team. From one dimension, they seem to have things figured out, but then you look at the pitching and you see the flaws. Here's a relatively decent starter, though.

Yankee Game 5/12/18: Triumph of the Clanking

Ten dollars.

My college was giving out 25 tickets to whichever seniors wanted to go to a Yankee game...for TEN DOLLARS.

This was something that I never thought would happen with Yankee Stadium. If I'd have gone to school near Philly, I imagine there'd be like 70 trips to Citizens Bank Park, but I've already been there a ton. So going to the most renowned baseball stadium in the country, even if the seats are up a bit, for a manageable fee? That was worth it.

The seats, while 400 level, were not bad, and we could still see the action pretty well, while not getting headaches. I attended with my beautiful, Yankee-loving girlfriend, who, while not 100% adept in baseball knowledge, loves the team, and obviously loves the experience of being at the Stadium.

The big giveaway today was a miniature Didi Gregorius replica bat to all attendees under 12, which already was an inspired idea, arming little kids with bats. Brings a whole new meaning to the term 'Baby Bombers'.

The lineup, vs. the surprisingly potent Athletics, was the standard band of Yankees: Judge, Didi, Stanton, Sanchez and Hicks, plus Andujar and Torres late in the lineup, and Neil Walker low. I was initially fearing Walker's lineup presence, but I'd heard he was doing well lately, so I went with it.

The pitching matchup was Domingo German vs. Andrew Triggs, and it was...alright for a bit. German had a nice start, with a few strikeouts and some nice moments. Triggs also had a nice amount of strikeouts throughout the day. But...this was hardly a pitching duel.

Halfway through the second inning, Gary Sanchez cracked a Triggs pitch HARD into the outfield. If that wasn't enough, Aaron Hicks followed up with a blast of his own, putting the Yankees up 2-0, which was a pretty nice start.

Yes, eventually Khris Davis had to follow up with a 3-run home run, once German had cooled off exponentially. And some more renegade A's followed up to eventually lead the A's to a 6-2 lead. Which the crowd of mostly Yankee fans, needless to say, did not enjoy. We booed German after a while, because we're also impatient.

Fortunately, our impatience worked to our advantage, because not too soon after the 6th A's run, the Yankees got back on the board. First Aaron Judge rocked a 2-run home run off a tired Triggs, followed by some relievers mucking up the hold and letting Neil Walker get some RBI numbers and Miguel Andujar continue his reign.

However, for a few innings, it was still. The bullpen went to work. Both bullpens, that is. I went to get food and didn't miss anything substantial. However, by the time I got back, there was a starling development...there was a perennial clanking from a few sections over. It was the sound off...some passionate fans using the souvenir bats to clank on the plastic seats, in a 'let's go' chant sort of way. It was like a Tomahawk Chop, but from a Mad Max movie. Every time, there'd be loud, excited, rhythmic clattering, and I wasn't sure to be amused or horrified. Yes, eventually some site personnel came over to talk, but...surprisingly, that did not stop them.

The ninth came quickly, and Aroldis Chapman did his best despite the lack of a lead, but...the yips got to him, and runners ended up on third and second. The A's sent in Jonathan Lucroy, eerily absent from the game thus far, and he had a fielder's choice that sent the runner on third galloping towards home. The throw game in, Sanchez braised a tag...and it was safe. The crowd was in anguish, and it was safe.

...that is, until Aaron Boone called for a review. And after a few tense minutes...the runner was out. And soon, the extras began, and the clanking continued.

Extras were, as the rest of the last half of the game, uneventful, but well-matched. The A's were giving some strong competition, and they're a pretty well-formed team for a .500-level one. However, as the extras went on, the bullpen work of Chris Hatcher of the A's began to wane, as A.J. Cole's Yankees stuff was really strong.

And then...with two men on...Neil Walker got up, with two outs. And did all he needed to do...bop a single into the outfield, which gave Sanchez the go-ahead to cross home and FINALLY end the game, as the crowd went wild. Walker got his gatorade both, Sinatra played, and all was finally right in the kinda-cold Yankee Stadium.

It wasn't an easy win, but it was a rewarding one, with great stuff from all around. I'm glad I went, especially considering the price of the ticket.

Milwaukee Pulls the Walker Lever

(Whatever, at least I get my references.)

The race is still on for the final Wild Card spot, and while the Rockies seem to have a hand on it, the Brewers cannot be counted out. With the insane pitching from Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson and Zach Davies, and some star turns from Orlando Arcia, Domingo Santana and Travis Shaw, the team that everyone counted out is shaping up to make one last stab at glory.

Part of the reason why they're fighting is the addition of Neil Walker to take over for a slumping Jonathan Villar, and he's been an improvement. Not only does he not have to play in Queens anymore, but he's a sharp bat, picking up where he left off in Pittsburgh, and he fits into a cohesive, building infield that could use some veteran leadership.

The problem I'm seeing is that the Rockies may stand still in the next few weeks, and not let the Brewers even think about taking the wild card spot. But still, they've come a very long way as a team, and are definitely back on the upswing.

Coming Tomorrow- An oddly-named pitcher for those red-hot Astros

Raise the Apple

Isn't it great that even without Lucas Duda in the lineup, the Mets are still one of the best home-run hitting teams in baseball?

You have, on the same roster, Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson (BA aside), Michael Conforto, Lucas Duda and Neil Walker. Cespedes, Conforto and Walker are some of the best bats in baseball right now, and the three of them are keeping the Mets alive right now.

Well...them and the pitching, but I want to focus on the hitting, because that's pretty great too.

Cespedes is picking up exactly where he left off in 2015, hitting homers left and right and taking full advantage of his NL stay. Conforto's broke big this year, on a home run spree that spanned the end of April and beginning of May. Walker, who was primarily a defensive standout in Pittsburgh, already has 11 home runs, and is one of the offensive go-tos. Grandy's there, but his average is way down. Duda's hitting, but he's on the DL. Asdrubal Cabrera and David Wright are hitting, but less so.

Right now the Mets are neck-and-neck with the Phillies (!?!?!?!?) for second place. It's a pretty tight battle, and while it seemed a ton more obvious in April, the completeness and conciseness of the roster is making it kind of obvious as we are now.

If the Mets keep it up, they can still squeeze through to October. But that's a big IF.

Coming Tonight- Yet another White Sox custom. This one's their top-hitting outfielder.

In Which the Mets Make a Statement

I honestly didn't think the Ben Zobrist swishing that the Cubs did yesterday could be topped. And yet...the Mets found a way to make an even more roster-balancing move by trading Jon Niese to the Pirates for Neil Walker.

And how does this work? Well, it solidifies their amazing homegrown rotation, and it confirms the fact that Daniel Murphy is not needed in Queens anymore. And both statements are pretty shocking.

I'll go with the more obvious one first, which is the pitching. Even last year, it looked like the Mets were trying to emphasize the young guys and phase out the older, less-consistent ones. They proved this when they waived Dillon Gee. And now they've gotten rid of Jon Niese, and agreed to trade him to a team who could actually use some pitching help about now. If they're going for a Harvey-deGrom-Syndergaard-Wheeler-Matz rotation for 2016, they've made the move that's solidifying that. Plus, it does not look like they're reupping Bartolo Colon, which is nice.

But yeah, onto the bigger issue. Neil Walker will be playing 2nd base for the Mets in 2016. Which means Daniel Murphy will NOT be playing 2nd base for the Mets in 2016. Which means, despite all he did for the Mets in the postseason, he'll be playing somewhere else in 2016, or, and this is more likely, the Mets are saving their money and trying to go for Yoenis Cespedes, or another big free agent that can do more for them. And that's kind of smart.

I mean, yeah, it's gonna suck losing Murph, but Neil Walker is still an elite, ASG-caliber 2nd baseman who had played on playoff teams and risen to the occasion. The Mets needed a speedy little defensive guy like that, especially since their defense in the infield needs work, because Wilmer Flores, David Wright and Lucas Duda aren't great defenders, and Wright isn't as good as he was at 3rd, sadly.

This is a pretty big statement from Sandy Alderson, who's obviously playing to win, and this move might get the Mets further next year. And as for whoever takes Murphy...consider yourselves lucky.

Customs for Christmas: Pirates

I made a McCutchen custom earlier this year, but I figured since that one was an action shot, I might as well include a cool static shot, and this one is pretty damn cool.

The Pirates had a pretty nice year that was cut a little too short for my tastes. If I ran the world, they would have gotten past the Giants at the Wild Card level, but unfortunately that didn't really happen.

Cutch had a pretty nice season as well, even if it wasn't as awesome as his 2013 season. Still, it's McCutchen. How do you not love him?

Gerrit Cole had an impressive sophomore season, even if it was marred by a brief minor league stint. He was great for my fantasy team.

Pedro Alvarez is consistently great, so I wasn't shocked that he had another nice season in 2014. He's one of the more underrated stars in the league, as he's a pretty nice third baseman too.

I may be the only Vance Worley super fan, but I can still appreciate him as much as the Pirates fans can for his efforts this fall. He was a mid-season pickup that turned into a nice grab around August and September.

Neil Walker, seen here in one of the few batting practice shots this season, had another nice defensive season.

Finally, here's Mark Melancon, whose name I know for certain is not pronounced that simply, stepped into the closer role this year after Jason Grilli flew the coop. Nice job of it, too.

Coming Later: The few Rangers that didn't make Rangers fans want to turn on the Cowboys games this year.