This is the Nats We Were Waiting For

 

Sure worth it, wasn't it?

After a week away from the game with COVID-regulated stagnancy, the Washington Nationals are finally off and rolling. And if you thought the offseason would be a decent respite for the Nats after a poor season in 2020....think again.

I think it was the lack of Gomes, Schwarber, Harrison and Bell that sunk this team for the first week. Because even games with Scherzer and Strasburg doing well and Zimmerman and Soto hitting for average, they couldn't get by their competitors. And a series with the Dodgers didn't help much either. So, even with a win under their belt thanks to return of the COVID 4, the Nats still haven't made too great of an impression right off the bat.

And it's a bit disheartening to see the one strong starters like Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Erick Fedde get off to such disappointing starts. True, Scherzer's 3.75 ERA is only disappointing by his standards, but still. This team was in the World Series 2 years ago, and now, up against a tough first few series', they're struggling.

And yet because this is such a young team, it's not really a team that owes itself to being gutted anytime soon. Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Stephen Strasburg and Andrew Stevenson all look to stay with this team, and if anything the inconsequential players will be flipped, like Starlin Castro, who, while he is off to a decent start, could be a good stretch tool for anyone who needs him. Heck, why hasn't anybody picked up Jonathan Lucroy yet? He proved with his first week of games that he can still play competently. Nobody needs a backup catcher? 

Now, the Nats get to play the Diamondbacks later this week, a team that could theoretically be worse than them? Will this be the moment their momentum sparks? Or are they really a lost cause? It's still too early to really tell, but I'm not very confident in this Nats team. Even with Juan Soto, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, they can't pull things together. Maybe it was all those veterans that made them World Series-caliber after all.

Coming Tonight: A very interesting Tigers rookie hoping to shake things up a bit in the AL Central.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Nationals

 

Okay. The Washington Nationals, without Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg and Sean Doolittle, were a last-place team. It is that simple. Yes, Trea Turner and Max Scherzer and Juan Soto all did well, but the uniformity and consistency across the board that made the Nationals borderline good enough to catch fire in October was gone this year. And it's very clear why.

First of all, Victor Robles, who was fantastic last year, was back to his usual middling performances. Dude hit .220 and led the team in strikeouts with 53. Nothing close to his 2019, and the outfield sort of wilted without his better numbers.

2021 Prediction: An improvement, and more of a contact year, but I feel like every subsequent Victor Robles season is gonna pale in comparison to last year.

On the last season of his multi-year deal in Washington, Adam Eaton hit the first Nats home run of the season, and the first home run off of Gerrit Cole in 2020, but beyond that he continued his post-White-Sox decline, hitting .226 with 17 RBIs. After hitting at least .280-something in his prior seasons, this was the weakest year of Eaton's career, and it was a huge hit to his free agency chances.

2021 Prediction: A reunion with the Chicago White Sox will revitalize his offense numbers even as his defensive numbers continue to go downhill.

In the absence of Stephen Strasburg, and Anibal Sanchez' better numbers, Erick Fedde still provided solid rotation support for Scherzer and Corbin. In 11 games he had a 4.29 ERA with 28 Ks, not bad for a lower-tier arm. 

2021 Prediction: Officially becomes the fourth man in that rotation. Like, there's a difference between being fourth in the rotation and being the FOURTH of Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and Fedde. And I think 2021 is his year. 

It's not gonna show in like 8 years when he's up for HOF election, but Kurt Suzuki might be one of the more reliable backstops of the 2010s. The A's, Twins, Braves and Nats have enjoyed his [mostly backup] catching material for years, and 2020 was no exception. Zuk hit .270 off the bench, with 30 hits and 17 RBIs in 33 games. 

2021 Prediction: I think one more season backing up somewhere [hell, maybe back in Oakland] before he calls it a career.

Right. Now we get into the saga of the million middle infielders in Washington. Buckle up, cause this is where it becomes clear why the Nats sucked this year. 

Starlin Castro was signed during the offseason to play 2nd for the Nats. I thought it was a good deal for them, and as the season began, Castro seemed to look very sharp, hitting .267 with 2 homers in his first 16 games. Then he gets injured, and is out for the season, throwing 2nd base into limbo for the remainder of the season.

2021 Prediction: More health, but a gradual shift to DH.

So now we go to other infield options. Asdrubal Cabrera played some games at 2nd, as it's his primary position, but he played more at 1st, switching with Eric Thames. At 36, Cabrera may no longer be a feasible defensive option, as his defensive levels were at replacement level, and he only hit .242 this year. So he wasn't the answer.

2021 Prediction: I don't think anyone's gonna sign him this offseason.

The next option would be Howie Kendrick, who also came up as a second baseman, yet has been starting a lot at 1st. This year, he was the primary DH in Washington, and hit .275 with 14 RBIs when he wasn't injured. Okay, so two members of this team aren't feasible 2nd base replacements. Now bring in some signees.

2021 Prediction: Perhaps a victory lap season before he retires.

After being released by the Phillies right before the beginning of the season, Josh Harrison was very quickly scooped up by the Nats, and was the next, and more substantial, 2nd base option of the early season. Harrison hit .278 with 14 RBIs in 33 games, though his defense wasn't quite as starry. 

2021 Prediction: Seemingly more backup work in Washington. 

But then they also get Brock Holt from the Brewers, and plug him into utility work, which makes FIVE SECOND BASE OPTIONS, and five infielders over 30 roaming the roster and preventing over, younger infielders from getting work. And the ones that did, like Carter Kieboom and Wilmer Difo, weren't great. So Holt is the starting 3rd baseman for a bit this year, does a decent job with a .262 average, but is more of the same veteran mediocrity that is bringing this team down.

2021 Prediction: A similar, multi-team backup year to this one. 

FINALLY, in September, the Nationals found an answer with their sixth middle infield option, as Luis Garcia got the 2nd base gig and seemed to earn it. In 40 games, he has 37 hits, 16 RBIs and bats .276, the kind of wild start that gets some heads, especially his clutch abilities. The Nats were teasing good things from this guy for 2021, and I believe them.

2021 Prediction: Starts the whole year at 2nd, hits 25 homers and gets 75 RBIs and we never have this problem again. 

Coming Tomorrow- Surprisingly the Orioles weren't completely terrible this year. 

Crappy Team Roundup: Rockies & Marlins

Two more last-place teams! The Rockies go first, because they're slightly better.

I think it's very sad that the Rox went from a Wild Card-winning runaway playoff team last year to a last-place finisher. That's usually the Twins' thing.

It's not like the core has let this team down- Arenado, Blackmon, Story and Murphy is a strong core, Ryan McMahon has finally come into his own, and Jon Gray and German Marquez are proven aces. Only thing is...the rest of the team exists. The rest of the lineup is very middling, with guys like Raimel Tapia, Ian Desmond and Sam Hilliard barely coming above replacement levels.

The pitching's even more dire- Gray and Marquez are injured, leaving Antonio Senzatela to lead a rotation of two rookies (Tim Melville and Peter Lambert), two guys who've had MUCH better numbers (Kyle Freeland and Jeff Hoffman), and...Senzatela himself, who's not great. Even Wade Davis is having his worst year since becoming a perennial closer.

It's a team that'll hopefully be better when everyone gets healthy next year, but...2019 was pretty damn dire.

Meanwhile, the Marlins have stopped being fun-bad, as they were mid-year, and are back to just being unbearably bad.

Not even Starlin Castro is doing well, and he usually does. I mean, it is nice that they're developing a youth movement, and they can rely on Miguel Rojas and Brian Anderson to lead the team, but what happens when Anderson is out for the season? You try other guys like Jon Berti, Harold Ramirez and Isan Diaz, and hope one of them sticks.

Good news is that Magneuris Sierra is finally doing well in the majors, Garrett Cooper and Jorge Alfaro have had great seasons, and Caleb Smith and Sandy Alcantara have been strong rotation options. Hell, another trade piece, Steven Duggar, is now starting games and doing an alright job, and Brian Moran, Colin's brother, is finally up in the majors relieving games.

This is still a and team, but there's an ounce of hope that maybe, potentially, theoretically...enough young talent could pool together to get them out of last. It may not happen in 2020, but it should happen...someday.

...right?

Coming Tomorrow- THE FIRST TEAM TO 100 LOSSES. And one of their starters.

Meanwhile, Back in Last Place

Last night's game in Syracuse was very ho-hum, and there's not a great deal to write about in regards to it. So instead, I'm gonna talk about the last-place Marlins.

Statistically, they're not the worst team in baseball...but NOMINALLY? Damn close. At least teams who are statistically bad, like the Reds and Orioles, have a few landmark players going for them. What do the Marlins have? J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour and Starlin Castro. That's it. I'm not really exaggerating.

And the sad part is, even if they DO get traded in a month or two, none of them are really having terrific seasons. I mean, they're good, and Bour is hitting home runs, but...these guys were never supposed to be the ones to hold up the team. The Marlins were better as an ensemble piece, a lineup of varied stars...SORT OF LIKE HOW THEY WERE LAST YEAR. The team was only a few pieces away from getting back to dominance, so going backwards made even less sense. But apparently giving away all of the great hitters was easier than trading for better pitchers.

Starlin Castro is having another alright season, though. Is he as good as he was last year for the Yankees? No. He's not hitting near as many home runs, and he's still striking out quite a bit. Bour and Realmuto are pretty nice, but I imagine they'll want out soon. There's promise in the lineup right now, like Brian Anderson and Derek Dietrich, but I don't even know if they'll carry the team after the bigger vets leave. Lewis Brinson certainly won't, as he's striking out way too much. The pitching's in bad shape, with only Caleb Smith giving in good numbers.

This team is in a dire position, especially in comparison to last year, and they're unfortunate enough to be in last in a division where the top 3 teams are excellent, and even the 4th place team is borderline good. And I don't know when the Marlins will be able to be good again. Which, the year of a ownership change, is not a good sign.

Coming Tonight: Possibly another game recap. I'll be seeing a much better AAA affiliate tonight, so maybe it'll warrant a post. It's the last one, though.

Major Sweepage Expressway

(You know...I've done a ton of horrible puns in my time on the blog...and THAT one might take the cake. That may be the worst pun I've ever done for the blog. I'm actually ashamed.)

The New York Yankees are still one of the best teams in baseball. It's halfway through May, and the Yankees are still ferociously contending. This alone just makes me happy. It's been a few years since we've had a Yankees team performing well right out the gate, and thanks to the exploits of the mighty Aaron Judge, we've gotten there.

However, it's important to note that Aaron Judge is not doing this alone. It's a collaborative effort. It's not like the Brewers, where Eric Thames is just pulling the team on his Korean-steroid-infused back. The whole team's playing well- Starlin Castro's having a season even better than the one that made me happy the Cubs traded him here. Aaron Hicks is hitting tremendously off the bench, which is kind of a shock. Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez are rebuilding after injuries, but still hitting well. Michael Pineda and Luis Severino are pitching insanely well. Tyler Clippard's gone from an impressive set-up man to...our impressive closer. You could honestly name anyone in the starting nine here- they're all doing well.

The only downsides are the DL-losses of Aroldis Chapman and Greg Bird, and the early slump from Masahiro Tanaka. These can probably be worked around though. The Orioles are also catching up, and it's still a very tense, tight battle...but the Yankees have the rest of the season to ebb and flow. What isn't going to leave anytime soon is the fact that they're a fantastic team, and they deserve to contend. So if the O's chase them away, they will return. It's inevitable.

I'm just happy my team's doing well. I don't get it too often anymore.

Coming Tomorrow- Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a slugger that's doing well despite being 9 games out of first...and still in second place.

Last Place Yankees- You All Got Your Wish

Now...I wasn't exactly expecting the Yankees to make a run at first this season, but LAST? Man, they certainly are unpredictable.

The main problem is that the pitching, which was hit-or-miss last season, is centering more on 'miss' this season. With the exception of a generally on-point Nathan Eovaldi, and a rebuilding Ivan Nova, the pitching's been especially pathetic, with Michael Pineda and C.C. Sabathia giving up too many runs, Masahiro Tanaka being only effective to a point, and Luis Severino showing none of the promise he had in 2015. The only sure thing in terms of pitching is the bullpen- Betances to Miller to Chapman works extremely well, but getting to that trio is difficult when the pitchers are giving up so many runs.

Starlin Castro at least had a pretty lethal start to the season, but with the exception of some hits here and there, he's gelled with the main lineup as pretty ineffective when it comes to dealing with opposing pitching. The guys that are hitting, like Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann, are both some of the older-tier members of the team. The younger kids we hired to hit, like Castro and Didi Gregorius, aren't doing much. Heck, Chase Headley's barely had any offensive progress this season.

There are some definite structural problems in the Yanks right now, and I'm not sure if they're ones that can be solved by the end of this season. People just need to start hitting, because right now we're losing a series to the Diamondbacks, a team that has worse structural problems that we do, as hard as it is to believe. If we start giving up games to teams that have no business winning anything this year, then the problems should be evident.

I just hope they can do something this season that doesn't involve bottoming out.

Coming Tonight- The first baseman for the worst team in baseball.

Fun With Cubbies and Infielders

Boy, did I pick the right day to make my Uncustomed Heroes post about the Cubs. Because today was the day that they proved how real they are, and that they can potentially get back to the heights of 2015.

First of all, the whole thing started with Ben Zobrist. I was becoming convinced that Ben Zobrist was headed to the Mets, because they were talking pretty heavily, and it looked like they'd rather get him than Murphy, and that was gonna happen. I wasn't exceptionally pleased with that, but I rolled with it. And also, at the same time, it looked like the Giants wanted him too, which was bullcrap, because they already have Joe Panik and don't really need another second baseman.

And then the Cubs swooped in and made everything make perfect sense.

The way the Cubs infield was working, the double-play combo of Addison Russell and Starlin Castro was in flux, because they were playing Castro at 2nd more, trying to transition him over, also while starting Russell at short on some games, mainly because one, Russell, was already multitalented in both positions, and they were trying to get the other, Castro, some more experience on the other side. And...it was going pretty well. I mean, yeah, Castro was playing not to his standards, but it was going well.

However, this transition works better for this new Zobrist deal, because it allows for the kind of versatility and movement that somebody like Zobrist will bring to this. If you slide him into second, Addison Russell has enough experience to play short, but if you play him in the outfield, Russell can play second, and Javier Baez (or Brendan Ryan now) can play short. It's pretty flexible, even if someone gets injured.

This also helps Starlin Castro, too. How, you ask? Because he's going to a team that's had problems at 2nd base ever since Robinson Cano left, and that is my beloved New York Yankees.

Sure, it was a deal that cost us Brendan Ryan and Adam Warren, two guys that...we apparently didn't need...but, it definitely helps in that it gives us a guy who's had experience at 2nd base, and can definitely be trained to be a regular second baseman. He can also hit pretty well, and give you a ton of defensive stability. The Yankees NEEDED someone like Starlin Castro, because him and Didi Gregorius, who are sort of like kindred spirits now, can work well together, and if it's a Tex/Bird-Starlin-Didi-Headley infield, you're going in with some pretty damn good odds...

So today, in adding Ben Zobrist to their already amazing infield, and trading away Starlin Castro to a team who needs him for two really nice parts, the Chicago Cubs have cemented themselves as a legitimately frightening team, that could move some major mountains in 2016. There's no more of the 2015 preseason 'are they for real' shit or not. They're for real, and they're not going away anytime soon.

Cubs Game 6/11/15: Friendly Confines and Nasty Rookies

In all honesty, the trip to Chicago was fueled by a desire to see Wrigley Field. I mean, it's one of the most beloved ballparks in America. It's a rite of passage for anybody claiming to be a diehard baseball fan. And, funny enough, it marked the tenth of thirty baseball stadiums I'd been to, giving me two-thirds left to conquer.

But yeah, I knew I needed to hit wrigley, and I was not disappointed whatsoever. The game we attended was against the Reds, and it was a very nice one.

I took a tour of the stadium before the game. Not a lot of touring. Lot of stories though. That works, I guess.

It was a cloudy day, with rain in the forecast, but, for the most part, it stayed away. Before the game I felt I needed to blend in, so snagged a Rizzo t-shirt and a snazzy retro-ish hat, and I was all set.

My seats, contrary to the photo I took on the tour, were on the third base side, a bit farther back than the Sox game, but closer to the right, towards Kris Bryant. Pretty nice, actually, as we had a nice view of the guy everybody was fighting for a view of.

I did, actually, attempt to snag an autograph of Bryant, but the people in charge told us to sit back down...and then ten minutes later, Bryant came out and started signing. My luck, right?

The pitching matchup that night was kind of blah. For the Reds, it was Anthony Lorenzen. For the Cubbies, it was Tsuyoshi Wada, who barely lasted too long into the game before being pulled and replaced with Travis Wood. Hey, here's a bright idea. Switch Wada and Wood. Wood can obviously start games.

The Reds were without Brandon Phillips, Billy Hamilton and Marlon Byrd, as well as most of the rest of the bulk of their lineup. Votto, Frazier and Bruce were there, of course. As for the Cubs, Jorge Soler, one of the guys I was most excited to see, was off. But, the core infield of Rizzo-Russell-Castro-Bryant were ALL there, present and accounted for, as well as their everyday catcher Miguel Montero. David Ross was around though, signing a few balls for a girl that was next to me against the fence.

I came to this game, essentially, to see what kind of stuff Kris Bryant had in him. I was not disappointed. The guy had a couple of nice hits, played some pretty nice third base, and I could definitely see why everybody was going insane about him. I'm happy with that whole infield, actually. I love Rizzo, and Castro has always been pretty nice. Russell wasn't hitting as much as he did early on in the season, but he could heat up.

Dexter Fowler was a guy who I'd loved with Colorado, and still really liked. In this game he hit one of the many pivotal home runs, along with Miguel Montero. I'm glad he's still hitting.

What I loved about the stadium was the serenity. It was just a very cozy, laid-back place to watch a ballgame, a lot like Dodger Stadium. Very laid back, and the fans are pretty fun. The food's nice, too. I had a bison italian sausage, which I did not know was a thing, and was pleasantly surprised.

The Cubs ended up winning 6-3, and it ended up being a much more exciting game than the Sox one. I think the team was better, too. The Cubs right now have a ton of momentum, and the fans are 100% behind them. Plus, Wrigley was PACKED. The Sox game had a lot of seats open, but Wrigley was packed.

I think I enjoyed this game the best out of the two. There was a lot more to it, and it was a lot more interesting to watch. Plus, Wrigley's awesome. I doubt I'll be forgetting this one.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Cubs

Sadly, you won't find Jon Lester, Miguel Montero or any of the newly-brandished Cubs in this post. Instead, just a few of the players who kept the Cubs out of last place in the NL.

Starlin Castro got an All Star nod this year, which he deserved. He's become a nice little player, and I see why so many Cubs fans like him.

This guy made his rookie debut this year, and while he didn't make the same impact as Jorge Soler and Javier Baez, he still was a nice rookie, and could mean great things next year.

I think we may have a contender for Custom of the Year. This is an awesome shot, and Arrieta deserves it, as he had a very nice season.

Coming Tomorrow- The Diamondbacks sucked this year, but a few people on the team didn't.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Cubs

There isn't too much to say about the 2013 Cubs, but look at that shot. It's a long-haired pitcher at the bat, even a Cubs pitcher. I think a certain blogger will find that pretty awesome.

And just a generic double play shot of Starlin Castro. Even though the Cubs were pretty unspectacular this year, these customs are far from it.

Coming Tonight- A few members of the Diamondbacks.

Custom Card of the Day: Castro Edition

First of all, look at that card.

Second of all, I must address the decline of the Chicago Cubs this season. They're circling last, only propelled by the fact that they at least have redeeming qualities, unlike a certain team leaving the division this year.

Starlin Castro is their only real hope. He's young, he can hit, he's good at the position, and when he's on his game he's really good. He's not getting much attention, mainly because his team isn't. Hopefully the team will get better, or he'll get traded to a team that truly respects him.

Coming Tomorrow- The ace of a team that I've wanted to make a comeback for several years now. 

Finally A custom card of the Day

I did get lazy, and forgot to post this one, but it's a good one. This guy really has a future with the Cubs, and may lead them to that World Series they've been chasing. Maybe.

Tomorrow- Another Chicago Star, but on the other side

Year by Year Customs

Wanna talk about coincedence? I'm posting this card of Adam Dunn exactly a week after I made it, and one day after he signed with the Chicago White Sox. So- the day before I post a scheduled card of Adam Dunn, he gets signed with another team. Terrific.


By the way- this Hamels right here- might be one of my fave new cards.

Coming tomorrow- 1973's, and quite possibly my favorite custom I've ever made.