2021's Dream Team

 

One of the frustrations of the spring training season is seeing great players in new uniforms, and resigning yourself to wait to make customs of them during the regular season...and then they get cut before the end of training camp and you never get to make a regular season custom of them, or even see a Topps card of them. It's a sucky feeling, just for the possibilities of it all. 

So I figured...why not make them anyway? 

I used Topps' K-Mart oddball set Dream Team for the basis of these, because this is literally a dream team- you can only dream of seeing these players in these uniforms in regular season play.

Coolest one first- Felix Hernandez signed a minor league deal with Baltimore this season, was looking like a surefire hit to make the rotation, then got injured and opted out of his contract. Like with Atlanta, the next stage of King Felix' career only existed in preseason views of it. I'm still holding out for him to somehow pitch again, because...it'd be awesome, but whatever he's most comfortable with.

One of the ones I was looking forward to seeing in regulation was Jonathan Lucroy in Chicago. After Yasmani Grandal's injury-laden start, it was looking like Lucroy was gonna make the team as a backup, and was hitting really well at that. But, Grandal came back looking confident, and Zack Collins came alive during the second half of camp, meaning Lucroy as a White Sock would never happen. I keep waiting for Lucroy to have a comeback, cause he was so great with the Brewers, but it might never be a thing.

Heck, this one hurts for me because Todd Frazier is such a New Jersey legend, and I kinda want him to succeed anywhere he goes. Here he is 10 years after his rookie year, and he's failing to make camp with the PITTSBURGH PIRATES, the dregs of the majors. It's mainly because the Pirates are stacked at 3rd, with people like Kevin Kramer, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Colin Moran blocking him, but it's still sad to see him so depleted. 

Some of these aren't indicators that these players might not play at all this season- Billy Hamilton is looking to make the White Sox in some faction right now, but earlier this month he was a hopeful potential outfielder for the Indians, doing his best in early games despite once again refusing to perform at the plate. With Oscar Mercado and Bradley Zimmer, despite not making the team either, taking preference in the minors, Hamilton really had no reason to pretend he'd make the team at all, so he was an early release for the benefit of trying to make another team. Not sure if the Sox will take him, but you can only hope.

Similarly, another former all-star and base-stealer extraordinaire was trying to make Hamilton's old team, the Cincinnati Reds. Dee Strange-Gordon was looking very human after his last few seasons in Seattle, and his attempt for the Reds made him look even more unworthy. I hate that this cut happened, because Gordon was the league's best in 2015, and he was an all-star and hero for a few consecutive years, and now he's essentially an also-ran. 

Jake Lamb had a tremendous comeback year in 2020 filling in for Matt Chapman in Oakland. So he was a nice idea for the Braves as a third baseman, in a year where the position once again seems to be relatively open. Not only does Jake Lamb fail to make the Braves despite this schematic, but he misses the team while PABLO SANDOVAL makes the team. Lamb is younger and had more promise, and thanks to a weaker spring, he's now trying to make the White Sox. 

Ivan Nova was a strong pitcher for the Yankees and Pirates before bopping around the league in Chicago and Detroit unsuccessfully, his velocity down. The Philadelphia Phillies were the latest stop on his career reclamation tour, and he was chased in multiple starts. With the Phils prioritizing Chase Anderson and Matt Moore, there was no place for Nova in Philly.

After jump-starting the offseason by being sent by his longtime White Sox to the Orioles, former gold-glover Yolmer Sanchez was thought to be a threat to Rio Ruiz for the third baseman job, and made the most of some early spring starts. Unfortunately, the combination of Ruiz's continued dominance and the arrival of Maikel Franco onto the scene spelt doom for Sanchez' starting bid.

Arguably one of the saddest stories here is of Francisco Liriano, the former Twins and Pirates fireballer who was coming off a comeback season in Pittsburgh as a reliever in 2019. He was in camp with the Phillies in 2020 when COVID hit, and that was a setback that cost him a roster spot. So he tried again with a team he'd played for in the past, the Toronto Blue Jays, but this was a different Jays and an older Liriano, so that combination didn't exactly work, despite Liriano circling the final roster spots well into camp. I'm not sure if this is the end of the road for Liriano, but he was certainly a strong pitcher in his prime.

Hopefully there's better futures in new uniforms for these players, but it helped to at least do customs of them now rather than never having done any of them. 

The regular custom season begins tomorrow. What fun!

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: White Sox

 

This was the White Sox team that made it to the playoffs, when so many others couldn't. Granted, they lose in a three-game series to Oakland despite Lucas Giolito pitching a gem, but this team felt more fully-realized and more accomplished than most other recent ChiSox incarnations.

Though not as statistically interesting as he's usually been, Yoan Moncada had another decent year in Chicago. He only hit .225, but had 24 RBIs and 6 homers. Yes, it's a comparative down year, but Moncada is still useful as a clutch bat, and as a top-heavy infielder. He should be fine for the foreseeable future.

2021 Prediction: An ASG nod and some higher offensive numbers.

Though not to the caliber of his season in Milwaukee, Yasmani Grandal's first year in Chicago was at least entertaining, with 8 homers and 27 RBIs despite a .230 average. The bottom line is Grandal is still one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball, and the White Sox still have him wrapped up for three more years, so even if he's not immediately a standout, it's still good to have some much-needed power numbers from him.

2021 Prediction: Your 2020 starting catcher for the AL All-Star team. 

Dylan Cease's sophomore season went pretty damn well, honestly. He had a 5-4 record in 12 games, a 4.01 ERA and 44 strikeouts. Despite giving up a few too many earned runs, he still made a name for himself as a consistent, strong middle-rotation starter.

2021 Prediction: 10+ wins, 200 Ks, outdoing Keuchel. 

After a strong season as Yankee DH last year, Edwin Encarnacion was given a large contract to recapture the magic in Chicago. Didn't exactly happen. Edwin hit 10 homers, but also hit .157 with 54 Ks. He's no longer able to hit for average, and his power numbers are lessening. 

2021 Prediction: The ride ends. I don't think anybody's gonna sign him.

Meanwhile, Alex Colome had another strong season of closing games for the Sox, with 12 saves on a 0.81 ERA in 21 games. Colome still being an elite closer 6 or 7 years after his come-up is a rarity that I love seeing, even in a shortened season like this one.

2021 Prediction: Gets a two-year deal to be a ninth-inning man in San Francisco, and gets an ASG gig or two out of it. 

Among the many big stars that landed in Chicago this year was Nomar Mazara, coming off some strong years with the Rangers. Mazara was limited by injuries at the top of the season, and when he eventually got to the lineup, he hit .228 in 42 games. His stats were nonexistent, even from a contact perspective.

2021 Prediction: He'll be a cheap signing that'll pay off this year and cause someone to overpay next year. 

Adam Engel got a ton of starts this season, which usually means they're out of outfielders in Chicago, but this season it was a plus, as not only was Engel his usual defensively-excellent self, but he hit .295 with 12 RBIs in 36 games. Yes, he's really a spare part and an outfield sub, but for a better White Sox team he had a bigger role, which helps.

2021 Prediction: After getting some great games in with a crowded outfield situation, gets traded at midyear to a lesser team for a HUGE piece. 

A week or so into the season, the Sox called up Nick Madrigal to join his fellow prospect Luis Robert in the majors. Madrigal was injured for a little bit of time, but still took hold of the starting 2nd base gig and won over fans with contact hitting, batting .340 with 11 RBIs in 26 games. Madrigal is a nice little piece, and I can't wait to see what he does in a full season.

2021 Prediction: Gets a batting title for leading the league in average, and will have a high hits total as well.

The other big in-progress rookie for the Sox this year was Dane Dunning. Dunning debuted the same night as Casey Mize and had the better start, and the better year. In 7 starts, Dunning had a 3.97 ERA with 2 wins and 35 Ks. He was a major piece of the rotation heading into the stretch, and it's so odd that his Sox year will likely be a footnote considering his recent trade to Texas.

2021 Prediction: Leads the Rangers rotation in ERA and wins. Even is Kyle Gibson has a halfway decent year, Dunning's gonna be the true crowdpleaser in that rotation

The Sox' main trade deadline conquest was getting another outfield option, so they plucked Jarrod Dyson from Pittsburgh. Dyson bat .300 in 11 games, mostly as a bench bat, and had 3 hits and 2 steals. Not much, but exactly what the Sox needed- speed and versatility. 

2021 Prediction: A similar role in a non-competitive team. 

Yolmer Sanchez spent Spring Training with the Giants, and was cut prior to the season, yet because Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn are kind to players who do well for them, Sanchez rejoined the White Sox without having played for any other teams. Sanchez was used as an infield fill-in, where he returned to his gold-glove roots and hit .313 with 5 hits in 11 games, mostly starts. 

2021 Prediction: Will be a full-scale starter for the O's next year in Iglesias' absence.

Coming Tomorrow- The last post of Uncustomed Heroes, which means it's time to dissect yet another Yankees team that didn't make it to a World Series. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: White Sox

It's weird talking about the 2019 White Sox knowing that they're going to look a lot different in 2020. We already know that Yasmani Grandal, Cheslor Cuthbert, Edwin Encarnacion, Nomar Mazara, Tayron Guerrero, Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez and several more years of Jose Abreu will be at Guaranteed Rate Field next year. Also, at least one of the players in this post won't be with the team in 2020.

Either way, the White Sox had moments of the spark hitting, and for a good month in May, they were doing pretty well in mid-standings. But...it didn't last too long, and though they ended up in third, it was in front of two 100-loss teams. So in any other division, they might be in at least fourth with their  89 losses.

Yolmer Sanchez, a charter member of these middling Sox teams, had another decent year in 2019, getting his first gold-glove at 2nd, and cleaned up in the field despite his subpar batting numbers.
Why Him in 2019?: ...he got a gold glove! And I should have done him during the season.
2020 Prediction: Will suit up for another team, but maaaay not be a starting option.

 Dylan Cease was the big rotation rookie call-up this year, making his debut in July and hedging some meh starts in order to have a 3 ERA and a positive W/L ratio in September. 81 Ks in 14 starts isn't a bad start at all.
Why Him in 2019?: Filled in for Michael Kopech as the rookie arm standout
2020 Prediction: Will have to fight for a spot in the rotation, and may not be a factor until midseason.

 In terms of bullpen assets, you had Aaron Bummer, who...went by Bum during Players Weekend, and if Madison Bumgarner is MadBum, d'you think that makes Aaron 'HappyBum'? I dunno. Anyway, Aaron Bummer was the relief specialist for the Sox this year, with 60 strikeouts in 58 appearances, a 2.13 ERA, and the best bullpen WHIP for guys with over 30 games notched.
Why Him in 2019?: Top-tier bullpen guy for a dire team.
2020 Prediction: His numbers will take a dip, but I still think he's gonna chase 100 strikeouts with his usage.

After splitting 2018 between Kansas City and Phoenix, Jon Jay stayed in Chicago for the 2019 season, despite missing some time due to injury. Once he made it onto the roster, he hit .267 off the bench with 44 hits in 47 games.
Why Him in 2019?: Veteran feel-good bench guy of the team
2020 Prediction: Not sure who has a place for him, but I expect a minor league deal to lead to some playing time eventually.

Coming Tomorrow- The last new customs of 2019, some members of my beloved, World-Series-less-for-the-decade Yankees.

The Artist Formerly Known as Carlos

(Music Pun #12)

I'll explain the Prince connection here. If you go on Baseball Reference dot com, as I usually do to research prospective custom recipients and general statistical nonsense, you'll find that the WAR leader on the South Side of Chicago is some guy named Carlos Sanchez. This player does not exist, and is a very boring name for a guy who's leading the White Sox in something.

No, turns out Baseball Reference fouled this up, as this is a glitch in the general management of the site; everywhere else, Yolmer Sanchez' name has been changed to, well, Yolmer, as he started going by his birth name rather by his middle name Carlos prior to his breakout season in 2017. And EVEN LAST YEAR it had his name as Yolmer on the White Sox page. But now, and I have no idea why it's now rather than immediately after the name change, the site is still calling him Carlos again. And it's an issue that hasn't been a thing in over a year.

So...yes, his name is still Yolmer, but I was very confused while making this custom. You click on the player page, boom, his name's Yolmer again. But on the team page...there's an outdated name going on. So that was my little conundrum this week.

Yolmer, by the way, is one of the few reasons to still go to White Sox games. He's a great infielder, he leads the league in triples, and he's having some all-around upward momentum that a lot of people can't seem to catch onto. This team does have a pretty alright core of Yolmer, Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu, all three of whom are mashing the ball this year. Heck, even Matt Davidson and Yoan Moncada are having on seasons, and it has taken a while for me to say that. The only problem this team has is that it can't hit for average to save its life. This team strikes out a ton, though you would too if you had to play in the same division as the Indians.

The only thing the Sox can do at this point is hold on, and protect Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Covey and Carlos Rodon, or else the fifth place spot that they've been staying out of might be theirs after all.

Coming Tomorrow- Out of the Japanese league he came, and he's currently heading up a rotation of established veterans with more experience than he. Only in St. Louis.

Chicago White Flag

Leave it to the White Sox to screw up a perfectly solid lead....again.

It was bad enough last year, when the White Sox were a first place team for a month, had some amazing April momentum, and then completely fell apart by the beginning of June. Sure, it was an embarrassing fall, but the Twins were still there in last to cushion them.

2017, they start relatively high in the standings, and the fall-apart thing happens again. No Twins to cushion them. The Royals are the last place team this year, and the second the Sox become absolutely horrendous again, the Royals decide that the BEST IDEA is to suddenly start playing well. So who's the last place team now? You guessed it- the Chicago White Sox. Because it's bad enough to start on first and end in fourth. It's even worse to start the season as a competitor and end up in last. That's a role reversal you just don't want.

The only guys who are holding up the team are guys most people have never heard of. Avisail Garcia, Leury Garcia, Yolmer Sanchez, Derek Holland. Yes, Abreu and now Todd Frazier are hitting home runs and keeping the team noteworthy, but this is a depleted, injured, forgettable roster, and they're gonna have to deal with this for the next few months.

Coming Tomorrow-