Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Diamondbacks

Well, about 8 months after I thought I'd be posting it, here is a custom of one of the biggest 2015 offseason moves- Shelby Miller as a Diamondback...

Man, it sure is a shame that not only did the D-Backs tank under the pressure of the fans' expectations...but Miller did as well, having his worst season to date, and completely imploding in Phoenix. I hope better seasons are in the cards, but it's not looking good.

At least they had Patrick Corbin, who, while not absolutely perfect, still did well enough to keep the rotation afloat. In all honesty, between Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke and Corbin, the D-Backs had three solid pitching seasons...but marred by generally un-solid numbers as well.

The D-Backs had a number of rookies pop up this season and try to save the squad, even when it was kind of imploding in on itself. Brandon Drury was one of them, and he did a pretty commendable job.

Chris Herrmann was the other, as he provided another catching option, aside from offense-prone Welington Castillo.

The D-Backs were a solid disappointment in 2016, but will probably do a few more things right in 2017, now that they have the opportunity to step back and breathe.

Coming Tomorrow- The 'WE ALMOST HAD IT' 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Custom Card of the Day: Miller Edition

So, the Braves haven't necessarily held onto their astonishing streak to lead off the season. Hell, they don't even have that same catcher from the opening streak, AJ Pierzynski. They're hanging onto a couple of strong bats, Freddie Freeman, and a sack of injured starters.

Shelby Miller is the one guy who's doing his job 100% correctly. The guy's got great numbers, and is playing as well as he did in St. Louis. Plus, with Minor and Beachy and all those guys gone, and Teheran struggling, Shelby Miller is bringing the sort of rotation stability the team desperately needs right now, because Cameron Maybin can only do so much without the proper pitching support.

I don't know if too many Braves are gonna be consequential this season. Maybin and Freeman are rocking the place, and Jace Peterson deserves a closer look, but Shelby Miller is the standout. He's the guy you build a rotation around...or trade at the deadline.

Coming Tonight- He, up until a few nights ago, led the AL in RBI. So...right now he's second, but not by much. Still, this is the season that we were WAITING for with this guy.

Custom Card of the Day: Miller Edition

So, this is what it's come to.

It's September. And you know what that means. It's time for the Cardinals to inexplicably become really, really good at baseball!

Brewers have it this year? Pirates surging? Their 2013 was better? Who cares?! Certainly not the Cardinals. They're just gonna run up to the playoffs anyway, even if it's not their year, even if the pitching staff isn't as good as last year, even if it's absolutely unexpected and spontaneous.

Before I get myself killed here, yes, they have a pretty talented team, and they have some really nice players. But I don't get the part where they wait until the last two months of the season to actually make an impact. Did they MEAN to let the Brewers and Pirates have the division for a few months, just so they could get warmed up? Like, usually how you do it is start commanding the league a couple months before the race gets heated up. Because, I kind of thought the Brewers or Pirates would take this one, so it surprised me that the Cardinals are in front. It'd be like if the Tour de France was won by a guy who was in the middle of the pack for half the race. Not really unexpected.

I mean, look at the Dodgers. They're ahead, and they've been ahead for most of the year. Look at the Orioles. They've been leading the league since about June. Look at the Athlet...bad example.

Bottom line is that the way the Cardinals go about their last few seasons...is not the way most people play baseball. And I understand that the first time they did it, they played the underdog card, and people rooted for them, and it was cool. Well, that doesn't work the next three times. Then you're not the underdog, you're just trying too hard.

I honestly hope that the team who eliminates the Cardinals doesn't do so in the World Series.

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of the Athletics, the guy they hired to hit...who isn't really hitting at the moment.

Custom Card of the Day: Miller Edition

(Yep, I'm doubling up again today. Get used to this.)

I find it very odd that there's a guy in the Major Leagues named Shelby. The only two people I know named Shelby are both women. One's a drummer for a one of those ever popular 'jazz-influenced alternative rock bands'. But I digress.

For someone who hates the Cardinals, the sudden influx of 'the Cardinals are amazing' coverage has made me increasingly infuriated. Hell, the NL is meant to be ruled by teams I do not loathe. We are already failing in this regard. Even worse, the Cardinals pitching has gotten so good that Sports Illustrated has already made them the cover-boys ONCE. Dare they do it once more.

I realize of course that a lot of them are actually worthy of merit. Shelby Miller is really pitching something wild for the Cardinals (nobody is allowed to get this pun), as are several of the other pitchers. Carlos Beltran, as usual with teams outside of California or Texas, is playing extremely well, bashing homers left and right and solidifying his status as a player too good to be considered for the Hall.

Still, I find it inclined to hate them once more. In approx. one month, if they're still the #1 team in the NL, I will make a custom of David Freese, or some other hated Cardinal. Really.

Coming Tonight: The reigning AL MVP, and all around good player.