Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Nationals

I have to say well done to the Nationals team, as they had another really nice season in 2014, despite not doing very well in the playoffs. This is proof of using its acquisitions solely to back up the merits of its farm system. You'll notice that people like Jayson Werth, Denard Span and Asdrubal Cabrera do not define the team. Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg all define the team, and they're all homegrown and awesome.

Ryan Zimmerman is definitely on the downslide, but he's still a nice hitter.

Meanwhile, the other Zimmermann had a nice season, pitching another winning season and becoming one of the more consistent starters on the roster.

Rafael Soriano has been a nice closer for a while, and even if he's not controlling the charts like he did with the Rays and Yankees, he's still a solid closer, and he's still a nice piece in Washington.

Denard Span has solidified himself as one of the most underrated outfielders in baseball. He's a great hitter and great baserunner, as evident in the above card. The fact that he's killing it in Washington is just a topper on it all.

Gio Gonzalez is a few years from being the standout of the Nationals' rotation, but he's still a solid third starter, and he's still a nice piece of a growing team.

Meanwhile, this rookie, Tanner Roark, made his name halfway through the season, as the fifth starter, and had a ton of nice starts, making his presence known for next season.

I absolutely love this custom. The fact that the guy that's on it is Wilson Ramos just makes it better.

Nothing could be more fitting than ending the post with a guy named Fister raising his fist in an upward motion.

Fister is one of those guys that can be an excellent pitcher in any city in the world. He was great in Seattle, he was great in Detroit, and now he's one of the standouts of the Nationals, which not too many people expected. Very underrated.

Coming Tomorrow- The Orioles were soooo close to making the World Series. Tomorrow, some of their standouts.

Another Yankee Leaves

Sorry about that. I took a few days off due to no apparent things to write about. But, to quote Eddie Vedder, I'm still alive.

(What, were you expecting something hip, like the Black Keys?)

But anyway, I must report on the loss of another Yankee, this one our 2012 closer, Rafael Soriano. You know, it's one of those things where you hate a player up until the point he signs for your team. I hated Rafael on the Braves, and I hated him on the Rays. And then they sign him as the Next Mariano Rivera (which sounds like it should be hosted by Ryan Seacrest. I know. Two for two on outdated references), and I sorta begin to not hate him. I thought he was good during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Maybe I was biased, but there ya go.

So today, Rafael signs with the Nationals. This I'm fine with. The Nats are a good team, one that's building a stronger foundation to go farther in the postseason. Soriano could add to the already-strong bullpen they have over there.

The problem that leaves the Yanks is who takes over after Rivera leaves. Yeah, David Robertson's an option, but an option that hasn't been well tested. Last season he was injured most of the time. I don't know if he's too reliable. But again, we'll see how the season goes for Rivera now.

Year by Year Customs: 1990

 

A wild yet still cool set leads off the last few days of Year by Year. It's been a fun month of customs, and it'll total up to the most amount of customs per year. 

Also, as you can probably tell, 3 out of 4 of these are from the update set.

 

 

Dunno if he was 'Howie' or 'Howard'.

 

Coming Tomorrow- A design that has always been hellish to customize. Wish me luck.

The Soriano Enigma

If two years ago, you were to tell me that Rafael Soriano would eventually become the Yankees setup man/ closer, I would have done one of two things:
1. Laughed.
2. Asked "Who?"

Before you griping that I don't know who he is, I KNOW who he is. He's played unsuccessfully for the Braves for a few seasons, and after being traded to the Rays for a few prospects, has skyrocketed in value thanks to his tendency to pick up saves. He is a decent closer, but by no means should I have cared...that is, until now.

Like it or not, I have to face the fact that when Mariano Rivera retires, that Rafael Soriano is going to have to be the Yankees new closer. I'm not entirely sold on the fact that this guy's gonna be our closer, picking up where the Greatest Closer That Ever Lived left off. But I can't do a thing about it. I wasn't very happy when we traded for Nick Swisher, but now look where he's gone to.

Look...even though I'm not particularly fond of the man, there's still a part of me that might enjoy when he takes the mound in pinstripes. Even if Mo's still active...if he's just taking a night off, I could see him pitching a great night in relief. After the cinderella season that he just had, I wouldn't be surprised if he churns out a few more.

In the end, it all amounts to this: A good team isn't truly good unless they have a decent closer. Without a decent closer, the team has no hope in capping off a win, or securing things in a final inning. They need a closer, whose only determination is to send three batters back to where they came from one by one. To make a name for himself as one of the greatest, and people everywhere will agree.

Teams need one of those closers.

The Bronx has two.