Two Decades of Overthinking

 

People Zack Greinke pitched against during his rookie season in 2004: Tony Batista, Mike Piazza, Todd Zeile, Bobby Higginson, Rafael Palmeiro, Carl Everett, Eric Young Sr., Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams, John Olerud.

People that Zack Greinke has pitched against so far this year: Riley Greene, Luis Arraez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Vaughn Grissom, Brice Turang, Joey Wiemer, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Adley Rutschman. 

That's...insane. You can connect Adley Rutschman to John Olerud through Zack Greinke. It says so much about not only the evolution of baseball, but the solid consistency of Zack Greinke, who continues to be one of the game's greatest mentalists, and one of the single most eccentric players from this era's Hall of Fame class. And there are some eccentric players in there already, people like Dizzy Dean, Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson and Yogi Berra. But Greinke blurs the line of neurodivergence and simple admiration of routine. One of the greatest triumphs in the league's history is that Greinke was able to overcome his anxiety attacks in order to properly acclimate to the league in the mid-2000s, and once he figured it out he was good for another 16 years. 

Greinke led the league in ERA twice, not by striking everybody out, but just by outthinking his competitors. Ironically, the only time he ever got more than 225 strikeouts was in 2009, the year of his only Cy Young award [though admittedly maybe he deserved one in 2015. Greinke's consistency has carried to his health, having only missed a few games in two or three seasons, and not sitting out large swaths like his contemporaries Verlander and Kershaw. Greinke made all his scheduled starts in 9 seasons, and has made all of his scheduled starts thus far in KC this year. 

True, the Greinke the Royals are working with this year isn't primetime Greinke, as he's 1-6 with a 4.59 ERA, but he has 50 Ks so far this year, putting him 68 away from the almighty 3000 mark. I'm not sure if this is Greinke's last season, though his being 39 does make that something of a possibility, but if he finished off with getting his 3000th strikeout and lasting the whole year in a turbulent Royals squad, I think that'd be an awesome way to go out.

The Royals, Greinke and Salvy aside, don't have a ton else going on this year. Bobby Witt does have 10 homers and 19 steals, but he's still missing some pieces. Jordan Lyles is 0-10, that is, at the very least, funny. Pratto, Maikel Garcia and Nicky Lopez are trying but there's just not a lot going on with this team that isn't resting on mythology. And for now, hopefully they can build on the young guys a little and hope that something works going forward.

For now, it's the Zack Greinke show, and I guess that's alright.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the hardest throwing players in the bigs, and yet somehow he's not the biggest newsmaker on his team this week.

Right Back to Where We Started From

 

I like that we have multiple cases this season of players returning to the place of greatness for themselves and appealing to all their old fans. The most obvious case of this is Albert Pujols coming back to St. Louis, but we also have Stephen Vogt coming back to Oakland, Ian Kennedy's return to Phoenix, and Jesse Chavez returning to Atlanta after like 3 months away. 

But I honestly think Zack Greinke suiting up for the Royals again might be the most sentimental.

Keep in mind, back in 2006 or 2007, Zack Greinke's career could have been dead in the water. After coming up as a crafty starter with high velocity, the anxiety of the big leagues and the lack of proper run support in Kansas City made for a very difficult time for him, and heading into the 2007 season, no one was quite sure what exactly would become of Greinke. That was 15 years ago. Essentially every year since has been nothing short of incredible. Greinke becomes a starting fixture in KC from 2007 til 2010, wins a Cy Young award and an ERA title, finds fame and fortune in Milwaukee, LA, Phoenix and Houston, gets another ERA title, his 200th win and enough strikeouts to make 3000 a possibility, and cements his status as a cerebral pitcher that probably will wind up in the Hall of Fame. 

Part of me honestly thinks he'll go there as a Royal, too. The heights may have been in LA, but like with most non-KC places, it took a little while for Greinke to get going and find his rhythm. He's had the most tenure, and made the most difference, while playing for the Royals. And I think they'll take that into consideration. You can tell by this season that Greinke feels especially at home in Kansas City.

Even more evidence for that- through 2 and a half weeks of play, Zack Greinke is the Royals' top WAR earner, and has a 2.25 ERA through 3 starts, despite only throwing 2 strikeouts. This is an older, craftier Greinke with less velocity, and he's relying more on craftsmanship, as well as a strong core defense. Granted, the run support isn't always there, as evidenced by his lack of a win so far, but he's still pitching as low-key and as strongly as he wants to. I think it's the lack of pressure, too. He's out of the spotlight, out of the playoff race. Some people, like Verlander and Wainwright and such, can eat that sort of thing up, and Greinke isn't one of those people. I respect that.

The Royals might not amount to a whole lot this season, but I think that if they get a great season out of Zack Greinke, especially if he bows out afterwards, it'll be a sure highlight.

Coming Tomorrow- 14 years later, the Chicago Cubs have another Japanese rookie ready to rock your socks off.

The Mentalist and the Monolith

 Zack Greinke is 37. THIRTY-SEVEN. He started pitching in 2004 and is still pitching. He's roughly 2 seasons away from 3000 strikeouts, perhaps the only active feasible candidate remaining for 250 wins [Justin Verlander needs to convince me he can still pitch in order for him to qualify], and he's one of the reasons why strikeout artists have become so common in the last 15 years. 

And he's also the kind of socially-awkward, unspeakably-odd, mental case representation that I strive for in the bigs. You really have him and Trevor Bauer, but Bauer is more of the chaotic version of Greinke. Bauer spreads chaos, does bad things for intriguing reasons, trolls everybody, and just doesn't care what everyone thinks about him. Greinke's mentalism stuff is surprisingly wholesome, as detailed in an Athletic article I read earlier this year- all his catchers love him but agree he's ridiculously blunt, insanely serious, has a very odd sense of humor, and wavers towards a specific diagnosis. He doesn't exactly mean people harm, he's just unabashedly weird and owns it. Which I can respect.

Also, he can be this weird while also continuing to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, which is even better. So far Greinke has been in peak condition, with a 1.38 ERA in 2 starts, including 8 strikeouts and a win, and leads the team in WAR with 0.7. Not a bad start considering his downer 2020, and the fact that he's 37. Even if the team is without Justin Verlander, they still have a future Hall of Famer at the helm of the rotation anyway, so it could be a lot worse in that respect for the Astros.

 Him, Lance McCullers and Cristian Javier have gotten the rotation off to a decent start [Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia still have some work to do]. And, as expected, Bregman, Correa, Gurriel and Altuve are all hitting pretty well and bringing the team up to a decent start.

However, like last year...the Astros doing well is not something that the rest of the league wants. They were punished, barely, they had their big pieces taken away...and because not enough was done, they're still good, they're still leading the AL West, and not much has changed. The theory we had about the team not being the same after having to follow the rules in 2020 seems unfounded now that everybody's doing well again. And so with the A's refusing to be good right now and the Angels being good but human...we may have to face the fact that the Astros might waltz to the end again. 

I sincerely hope the momentum shifts. Not with Greinke, with the Astros. Hopefully the two aren't too intertwined, though.

Coming Tomorrow- The team may have been gutted offensively, but they still have some really nice starters.

Zack to Where We Started From

 I have no idea why it's a law that Zack Greinke can't be in a mega-rotation anymore. The 2010s Dodgers went so well for him. Then, right when his D-Backs rotation starts bulking up, he gets traded, and right when the prospect of a Greinke-Verlander-Cole-Miley rotation becomes sustainable, Miley goes to Cincy, Cole goes to NY, Verlander gets injured, and the 2020 Astros rotation becomes 'Greinke and Lance McCullers train a team of youngsters'. Can't Zack Greinke have nice things too?

Look, I'm still firm in my belief that Zack Greinke is a Hall of Famer. It's obvious to me. For an entire 10-year period, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball, and still is. From 2008 to now, he has a 3.11 ERA, 2341 strikeouts, a 187-88 record, a 1.117 WHIP and a 60.4 WAR. If sportswriters just eradicate the first few anxious years of his stat line, they can find a definite HOF case, and some of the best pitching numbers of his era. I will not stand down from this. I didn't stand down from Mussina.

But...Greinke is, to his credit, performing admirably without Verlander or Cole. He's got 3 wins, a 2.91 ERA, 44 Ks and the highest WAR on the team. 36 and still outdoing a bunch of 30 and 20 year olds. He's also mentoring people like Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Brandon Bielak and Jose Urquidy, and keeping the rotation together on his strength pretty much alone. Javier and Valdez are picking up the pace and learning from Greinke, but this is still Greinke's rotation, and I imagine he's gonna be part of some great playoff starts.

And yet...otherwise, this is a fairly pedestrian Astros team with some mild playoff chances. Altuve's injured, Bregman's just come back, Brantley and Bregman are kind of okay, and Kyle Tucker is doing a lot of the offensive heavy lifting right now. This is not an 'anyone can succeed' sort of lineup like the 2017 one, or even the 2019 one. This is very much a 'dust has settled, diminishing returns' Astros team. They're still good, they're still gonna make the playoffs, but I don't see them completely dominating as they have in the past.

Ah well. At least Greinke's still acing it.

Coming Tonight: After a slow start, he's finally playing like the guy the Padres wanted when they signed  him last year. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Astros

The Houston Astros very nearly won their second World Series. Or, if they hadn't have cheated, their first World Series. But, thanks to the gradual overpowering of the Nationals, they wound up in second place, which is where they belong for stealing signs. Or, like...much lower than 2nd. 18th. Yeah.

Regardless, Yordan Alvarez and Justin Verlander won awards this year, possibly outside of any cheating attempts. Alvarez is a powerful hitter in the same vein as Dave Parker, and Verlander is a Hall of Famer next decade.

Jake Marisnick, after a disappointing 2018, came back as a member of the outfield platoon with Josh Reddick. Though Reddick had the better year, Marisnick had a higher slugging percentage.
Why Him in 2019?: He was the bench player extraordinaire for the AL Champion team.
2020 Prediction: Marisnick will not end the season on the Astros' active roster.

 Zack Greinke was the biggest name dealt at the deadline, and he did not disappoint in Houston, going 8-1 with a 3.02 in the regular season. His postseason numbers were less consistent, as he was felled by Tampa, and failed to garner a playoff win.
Why Him in 2019?: His move to Houston is the most important one in terms of getting the Astros to the postseason. Said trade also moves Josh Rojas and Seth Beer to Arizona, and both could be deadly soon.
2020 Prediction: This will be Greinke's last Cy Young-caliber year, and the last year the sportswriters will use to make a HOF case.

 Jose Urquidy was an odd household name for this Astros team, but he burst onto the scene in June and slowly became a rotation asset, especially during the postseason.
Why Him in 2019?: Got the win in Game 4 of the World Series, which isn't bad for a rookie.
2020 Prediction: Will edge Peacock out of a starting spot and become a solid sleeper hit in a full year in Houston.

Aaron Sanchez was a deadline deal for the Astros that paid off for a few weeks before an injury robbed them of the strong Sanchez for the rest of the year.
Why Him in 2019?: One of his starts was a combined no-hitter, also featuring Sanchez' trade-mate Joe Biagini.
2020 Prediction: Will be a solid third to Verlander and Greinke. (EDIT- so much for that! Hopefully someone good picks him up)

 The proposed fifth-starter, Brad Peacock, was injured for a lot of this year, and despite his strong starting numbers, ended the season as a member of the bullpen staff.
Why Him in 2019?: His injury paved the way for Jose Urquidy, and, eventually, Zack Greinke.
2020 Prediction: Peacock will be back to a primary bullpen man, though a few late-season starts will boost his free agency appeal for 2021.

The Astros' big rookie this year, at least according to Topps, was Kyle Tucker. It's not as if they wasted their time they should have spent on Alvarez or anything. Tucker had 22 glorious games for Houston, 6 less than he did in 2018, and had a .269 average with 11 RBIs and his first 4 home runs. His postseason numbers were a little more sparse.
Why Him in 2019?: He had a better rookie campaign than he did in 2018, his ACTUAL rookie campaign.
2020 Prediction: A boosted lineup appearance. By the postseason, he'll be starting games.

 Machete Maldonado, for the second year in a row, ended the year in an Astros uniform, though his 2018 (with a solid campaign for Anaheim), was a bit more stable than his 2019 (being Salvador Perez' replacement, getting traded to Chicago for no reason only to land in Houston a week later). Maldonado's 32 games as an Astro weren't as starry as his time there last year, but he had a better OPS than he did in Kansas City
Why Him in 2019?: Machete had a .312 average in the postseason, and made up for a quieter run in 2018.
2020 Prediction: Either some club will sign him as a backup or Houston will make him their full-time, because his 2019 was a nice preview of his abilities.

 3 years after his ASG nomination, Will Harris had his best full season yet, ending the year with a 1.50 ERA, and notching 62 strikeouts in 60 innings.
Why Him in 2019?: In a messy year for the Astros' bullpen, Harris was the sole constant.
2020 Prediction: A team that's kinda out of the question will sign Harris, and he'll help them contend. I'd say someone like the White Sox or Cardinals?

And one more Topps-lauded rookie for the road. Josh James came in as a threat to start, but found his calling in the bullpen, notching 100 strikeouts in 61 innings, and being an impressive postseason asset, despite giving up some crucial runs in the World Series.
Why Him in 2019?: He was the best, and most prolific, rookie pitcher for the Astros.
2020 Prediction: He'll snag Harris' spot in the bullpen and expand on his already-strong 2019.

Coming Tomorrow- Those impressive Wild-Card-contending Oakland A's.

Top 10 Trade Deadline Deals of 2019

So...last night I told everyone to bring it, and...uh...they brought it.

A lot of players went in a span of 24 hours, turning this into a wild, live trade deadline after seeming positively dead for several days. I do think it was ironic that things didn't hit fever pitch until I landed in Cooperstown, NY, the supposed birthplace of baseball. It's almost narrative shifting.

Before I get into honorable mentions, and then my usual top 10, let's just congratulate the biggest names of this deadline season, including Noah Syndergaard, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler, Robbie Ray, Clint Frazier, Matt Boyd, Ken Giles, Hunter Renfroe, Kirby Yates and Alex Colome, who didn't get dealt. They may in fact be the real winners here.

Now, onto the honorable mentions:

-Martin Maldonado to Chicago for Mike Montgomery, THEN to Houston for Tony Kemp

-Hunter Wood & Christian Arroyo to Cleveland, prospects to Tampa

-Derek Holland to Chicago, cash to San Francisco

-Jake Diekman to Oakland, prospects to Kansas City

-Zac Gallen to Arizona, Jazz Chisolm to Miami (remind me to come back to this one in a year)

-Sergio Romo to Minnesota, prospects to Miami

-Roenis Elias to Washington, prospects to Seattle

-Andrew Cashner to Boston, prospects to Baltimore

-Homer Bailey to Oakland, prospects to Kansas City

 -Trevor Richards & Nick Anderson to Tampa, Ryne Stanek to Miami

-Jesus Aguilar to Tampa, Jake Faria to Milwaukee

-Scooter Gennett to San Francisco, prospects to Cincinnati

-Jason Vargas to Philadelphia, prospects to the Mets

...and now...FINALLY...THE TOP TEN

#10- Jordan Lyles to the Brewers, prospect to the Pirates.
How it Benefits Milwaukee: Jordan Lyles gave the Brewers stability in the bullpen last year, and was a crucial member of that playoff team. They now have Starter-Lyles, who has done extremely well in Pittsburgh, with 90 strikeouts in 17 games, despite some recent slip-ups. Lyles can work as a starter, and add to the dire-looking group of starters for the Brewers, and he could also contribute to the red-hot bullpen. This is the kind of two-way player the Brewers need now, and Lyles fits in some cool ways.

#9- Eric Sogard to the Rays, prospects to the Blue Jays
How it benefits Tampa: Gives them some serious NERD POWER. Brandon Lowe's out at 2nd, Wendle is struggling, and the Rays needed a sure thing at 2nd. Sogard gives them that, AND he can also play shortstop or third. Not only is he a jack-of-all-trades in the infield, but he's been on fire at the plate, and can be a Zobrist-esque contact bat throughout the year. Sogard, like Aguilar, fits SO WELL with the Rays lineup that I'm impressed.

#8- Mike Leake to the Diamondbacks, prospects to the Mariners
How it benefits Arizona- I was initially skeptical on whether or not to include this on the list, because Leake going to a non-contender is a little anticlimactic...but then I looked back at it. Zack Greinke, as you'll see later, is gone. Robbie Ray, Merrill Kelly, Taylor Clarke and Alex Young are still in Arizona. Luke Weaver will be off the DL in a few weeks. And now Zac Gallen and Mike Leake are a part of that rotation. I imagine some pieces of this could be shifted to the bullpen or the minors, but...the top five pieces could be a DEADLY rotation. And Leake could be the ace, and fit very well into Greinke's shoes. This may not work for this season, but for the future? Damn.

#7- Nick Castellanos to the Cubs, prospects to the Tigers
How it benefits Chicago: Well...Nick Castellanos can fit either in the outfield or at third, and while the Cubs' lineup is a bit crowded right now, Castellanos gives them flexibility. He's still an alright defender, and he's still a great bat. Now, does this mean someone like Almora or Schwarber plays less? Does this mean Bryant plays at 2nd base more? It's too early to say. But a guy like Castellanos could be pretty deadly in the Cubs lineup.

#6- Tanner Roark to the A's, prospects to the Reds
How it benefits Oakland: The A's may be the under-the-radar winner of this deadline, netting Diekman and Bailey from the Royals, and now Roark from the Reds. We are now looking at a rotation of Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, Tanner Roark, Chris Bassitt and either Daniel Mengden or Homer Bailey. Add Sean Manaea when he returns later this month, and going into September we could have a strong, cohesive A's rotation. And Roark may challenge Fiers for ace duties, as Roark was damn near an ace in Cincy, and had a 4.24 ERA and 108 strikeouts. They needed a guy like him.

#5- Marcus Stroman to the Mets, prospects to the Jays
How it benefits New York: Well...seeing as the Mets kept their entire youth movement, and only lost Jason Vargas? It REALLY helps them. Because now they have a rotation of DeGrom-Syndergaard-Wheeler-Matz-STROMAN. And now they're all healthy, and we're just heading towards the last few months, WITH EDWIN DIAZ AS WELL. So that could be dangerous. Stroman is nasty when he's on, and he's been on all year, and the Mets will use him to his fullest.

#4- Corey Dickerson to the Phillies, prospects to the Pirates
BET YOU NEVER THOUGHT THIS ONE WOULD BE SO HIGH!!!!
How it benefits the Phillies: The Phils have had an outfield problem all year. First Cutch gets injured, then Herrera gets suspended, then Bruce gets injured. We know Roman Quinn and Nick Williams aren't the answer, and as good as Adam Haseley is, he's definitely more of a backup. For right now, having Dickerson as an outfield bat AND an outfielder in general is a fantastic bet for the Phils. He's been hitting .317 since getting off the DL, he's been a contact-hitting hero in Pittsburgh, and...he's just likable enough for Philly. We may only use him for this fall, because Bruce and Cutch will be back soon, but...he's one hell of an upgrade

#3- THE MEGADEAL: Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes and Logan Allen to Cleveland, and Taylor Trammell to San Diego
How it benefits the Indians: So...the tribe won this trade. Just to be sure. They solved two of their main problems this year: they got a surefire outfielder for the foreseeable future in Yasiel Puig, and they got a guy who can be a permanent DH for them in Franmil Reyes. I do think they'll re-sign Puig as well. AND...they now have Logan Allen, who can be a decent starter option from now until Kluber and Carrasco's return. They got a windfall.
How it benefits the Reds: Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Trevor Bauer in the same rotation? That is some scary shit. I don't think it's gonna help them this year, but he will definitely guide them to some great seasons.

#2- Shane Greene to the Braves, prospects to the Tigers
How it benefits Atlanta: I'm gonna keep this very simple. The Braves desperately needed a closer. Now they have one of the best. It's really that simple.

...and, OF COURSE...the #1 move made this deadline...WITHOUT A DOUBT...

#1: Zack Greinke to the Astros, prospects to the Diamondbacks
How it benefits Arizona: As my dad said, 'the Astros just won the World Series'. The one 'okay' aspect of the Astros has been the very back half of its rotation. Collin McHugh and Jose Urquidy have been...human. The Astros cannot look human if they want to be the best, which they've flirted with being. So they need to take things to the next level. Verlander-Greinke-Cole-Miley-Urquidy...is not only the next level, it's the next game. Plus, when Brad Peacock gets back, he's gonna fit right into Urquidy's spot, and make it the single deadliest rotation in baseball. Greinke is among the best, and him on the Astros is...a game-ender.

So...that's my Top 10 deadline deals. Let's see how well these age.

Ten Years Later, Zack Greinke is Still Good

Just for fun, let's look at everyone who's won a Cy Young in the last ten years.

Of the fifteen people who've won a Cy Young award since 2009, three are no longer playing (Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay and R.A. Dickey), four that are currently inactive (those three and Dallas Keuchel), two haven't come close to the top 3 vote-getters since (Jake Arrieta and Rick Porcello), two have come close to repeating but haven't, and probably won't (Felix Hernandez and David Price), three have repeated (Kershaw, Scherzer and Corey Kluber) and one probably will this year (Justin Verlander, unless I just jinxed him).

...and then there's Zack Greinke. Who has come the closest out of anybody to getting a second Cy Young, yet still gets underestimated a lot more than many of the people I listed above.

Let's get something straight. In 2015, the award was Greinke's to lose. He had an UNSPEAKABLY LOW ERA, held onto some scary leads he held at the All-Star-Break, and actually got a ton of MVP votes as well. I honestly think he would have been a better choice than Jake Arrieta that year, but Arrieta was the flashier choice.

And that's what works against Greinke a lot of the time. He's not flashy. He's not too loud, he's not too angry anymore. He just shows up every five days, throws 10 strikeouts and maybe allows a hit or two, then leaves with the win. And for some reason, in between those days, people forget that he's still got it, or that he had a lot of it to begin with. Zack Greinke is 35 years old, which is about the same age that most people are either thrice divorce, living in a van down by the river, or both, his hair is greying around the back, his eyes have sunken, and if he were an average pitcher, he'd be showing his age.

And judging from the first two months of play, where he's rocking a 6-2 record with 73 strikeouts and a 2.78 ERA, he's not average. He's never been average, even when losing 17 games in Kansas City. And he's still one of the most ferocious pitchers in the NL, even if his Diamondbacks are, admittedly, kind of average this year.

I worry that in about 10 years, when his Hall of Fame case is brought up, that statisticians and Tim Kurkjian types are gonna bring up ridiculous things like 'DID YOOOOOU KNOW THAT ZACK GREINKE LED THE LEAGUE IN LOSSES ONCE, BUT NEVER LED THE LEAGUE IN WINS?', just to keep him out for a few years. Which is bullshit, because Zack Greinke's one of the best pitchers in the game, one of the toughest strikeout artists to face, and someone, a lot like Bert Blyleven, who's done a lot in baseball without being a showy name like Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer.

So that's my Greinke spiel. Hope it's not as nonsensical as it was before I went back and edited it.

Coming Tonight: He is the DJ, and he is what he plays. Which means he is some awesome defensive 2nd base, man.

Draining Arizona

Well, what a torrid two weeks the Diamondbacks have had.

They lose their surging outfielder AJ Pollock to injuries, their star first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, is having his worst season to date, their 2nd starter, Robbie Ray, is injured, and the momentum the team had for most of April has been completely wasted. The Rockies are now in first, and the Diamondbacks, while close enough behind, might need to do a ton more work in order to stay afloat.

Perhaps the biggest problem was the fact that the lineup wasn't exactly pristine to begin with. Yes, David Peralta and Jake Lamb are giving some fine stuff, but the rest of the lineup consists of a bunch of people batting below .200, and this includes veterans like Chris Owings, Jarrod Dyson, and Alex Avila. And...sadly, Paul Goldschmidt, who is not hitting for average, and who might not have recovered from a late 2017 injury. Even bench players like Daniel Descalso aren't helping.

Thankfully, the pitching staff is still in nice enough shape. Zack Greinke is still the ace, and he's still giving Grade A material, along with a still-sturdy Patrick Corbin and consistent Zack Godley. Some experiments have been working, though, as Matt Koch has worked well as a late-rotation replacement, and somehow Clay Buchholz is back from the dead as a fifth starter. Heck, even the bullpen is in pretty great shape. So, the main problem is the general inconsistency of the lineup, and it's been costing them lately. A ton of these losses haven't been blowouts- they've just been games where the pitching gave up some runs and the hitters couldn't exactly catch up. It's not a HORRIBLE conundrum to be in, but it's not pristine either.

The Diamondbacks may need to figure out a solution that doesn't involve waiting for 2 people to get off the DL. Perhaps there's someone waiting in the minors who can save this team? Or perhaps it's not worth saving.

Coming Tomorrow- Another fairly-put-together pitcher, only this one's pitching for one of the worst teams in the AL.

Flight of the Phoenix?

Another episode of 'who the hell could have predicted this crap': The Diamondbacks are in first place in the NL West. HOW?? WHY??

The D-Backs, who started off with some platooning and scattered starting jobs after some big pieces (like Jean Segura) left, swept the AL champion Indians in three games, and are in the process of holding down the Inexplicably Last Place Giants. Yes, this is the top of the season, and yes, nothing is constant in the MLB, not even Rob Manfred's shit-eating grin that's in no way genuine, but the work that the D-Backs are doing is turning some heads.

Chris Owings, Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Drury and Jake Lamb are all hitting pretty well- THAT IS THE ENTIRE INFIELD. Jeff Mathis is bringing some intriguing stability to a position that's been plaguing the Diamondbacks for a year or so. Zack Greinke and Patrick Corbin have been on fire. A.J. Pollock's been back in career form. Not a ton has been going wrong for them yet, and that's because all the elements that SHOULD HAVE BEEN working last year are suddenly working pretty damn well.

Except Shelby Miller. But you knew that.

I don't know how this is going to last, but if they keep winning, the Dodgers and Rockies are gonna get concerned and try to take back the division. I'm just basking in this, though- I never would have predicted it, and yet it's still pretty cool.

Coming Tomorrow- A last-minute pickup that's been pretty hot for Baltimore.

Custom Card of the Day: Segura Edition

Baseball has these ways of folding back into itself and making these fitting little coincidences.

Jean Segura, in 2012, was a member of the Anaheim Angels. Of course, this was Mike Trout's rookie season, so a lot of you probably didn't know that. Any other LA rookie meant absolutely nothing that year. The Angels were attempting a playoff run, and needed another arm to complement their already-amazing rotation.

So, that July, they traded Jean Segura to the Brewers in exchange for Zack Greinke. Long team, the Brewers won that trade, because Segura had an All-Star caliber season in 2013, and though he never returned to that status offensively, he became an impressive defensive threat for the Brew Crew, while Greinke eventually wound up on the other side of LA.

The funny little coincidence I spoke of earlier is that both Segura and Greinke are a part of Arizona's latest franchise reclamation project, and are playing alongside each other, finally. And...so far I'd say that Segura, once again, is playing better than Zack Greinke. He's off to a fantastic start, hitting excellently, and playing better than a majority of the D-Backs squad right now. I'm pretty impressed, actually, as sad I am for Greinke not doing as well.

Not sure about the D-Backs being the SERIOUS THREAT they seemed like they'd be a while ago, but I'm hoping for a bunch of nice seasons at least for people like Segura.

Coming Tomorrow- Newly acquired home run hitter doing a serviceable job in Tampa.

Second Custom of the Year

This was going to be my 'First Custom of the Year', but Greinke has already got the 1st-of-the-year treatment, back when he was a recent signee with the Brewers in 2011. So J-Hey got the nod.

Still, a ton to love about this card. True, it's going to be tough for the Diamondbacks to live up to the reputation of their offseason, but at least Greinke will give you a ton of strikeouts. I'm not sure if he's going to singlehandedly bring the team to October...but it would be kind of nice.

Tomorrow I'll post one with a bit more substance to it. I've got two more in storage and then I have to wait for more pictures to pop up, so tomorrow's is another big team-changer, another one from Chicago, too.

Something That Did Actually Happen

WASN'T I JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS LESS THAN A WEEK AGO???

The Diamondbacks failed to snag Johnny Cueto, and in that mind, that meant 'Cueto could have gone there, but he didn't, so the D-Backs might not have that big arm in mind.'

However, what it actually meant was 'The D-Backs are looking for an arm, and if it isn't Cueto, it is going to be someone HUGE."

And thus, tonight...someone huge signed to pitch for Arizona for the next few years. And that someone huge was the guy who almost won the Cy Young this year, Zack freaking Greinke.

I don't even need to go over how this affects the D-Backs, because I already did. This was the push that Arizona needs to potentially be huge in 2016. With Greinke, they have what they've been needing ever since Brandon Webb left- a surefire ace. Him, Rubby de la Rosa and Patrick Corbin can be a solid triple threat at the start of your week, and if Greinke is on like he was in 2015...forget it.

No, the real issue is how this affects the Dodgers. Because now, they're officially circling downslope central. There's a lot of age swirling around this team, and this isn't the roster they got huge with in the past few years. There is definitely still promise, but the pitching rotation, Kershie notwithstanding, needs a MASSIVE overhaul if they still want to contend, because next year will be a three horse race in the NL West, presumably, and I don't think the Dodgers want to take third.

Still, Greinke landing in Arizona is even bigger than Cueto almost landing there, because Zack Greinke is a better pitcher than Johnny Cueto. Let that be known. And he's gonna do a lot more in Phoenix than Cueto would have.

Custom Card of the Day: Greinke Edition

Safe to say, I don't think the sports world was ready for Clayton Kershaw to have a down season.

I mean, anybody else has a down season, they just have a down season. But when Kershaw has a down season, people shout in the streets and complain that he'll never have another good season again, and wonder if his arm's dead, when in reality, he's just having a down season. People have those.

I think people, especially Dodger fans, would be even more worried if they didn't have Zack Greinke to root for, because the dude is throwing fire.

I mean, the last few seasons for him have been pretty nice, as he's been a definite success as Kershaw's second-in-command, but this is the first season where Greinke's going in there and completely dominating the pitching staff. It's helping a bit that Ryu and McCarthy are just getting injured around now, making the decision to trade Dan Haren an even worse one. But still, Kershaw's got some nice numbers going, is throwing some great games and racking up a nice amount of wins.

Greinke hasn't especially dominated a roster since he won the Cy Young in 2009. And he's had some excellent seasons since then, but none where he was the true defining factor behind a team, or a rotation's success. This season may end up being that chance for Greinke again, and I really hope he keeps posting excellent numbers. He's a fun pitcher, one I love when he's 100% on.

Coming Tomorrow- I was worried for a second about this guy, after his subpar 2014 season. But, lo and behold, he's back to completely dominating the batting numbers. His father would be proud.