Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Cardinals

So...the St. Louis Cardinals...in 2017...were okay.

They didn't go to the NLCS and piss me off. They didn't stay in last like the Blue Jays were nice enough to do. They skirted around second and third, occasionally being in first, and eventually being overtaken by the Brewers and Cubs. It was an up-and-down season, with wins, losses...and some breathtaking ineptitude during their game in the Bronx I got to see in April.

Michael Wacha, after a down year, was one of the few sources of consistency in St. Louis, having a great season as a 2nd-3rd man (behind Carlos Martinez), and batting them down.

I'd like to first say that this is one of my favorite photos of the year, and that I'm very sad that I had to crop out a line of stormtroopers glaring at Kolten Wong from this photo. Still hella cool, though.

Kolten Wong, a year after being demoted to the minors thanks to a holey average, and the presence of Aledmys Diaz in the infield, had a nice comeback year, hitting well and playing back into the starting lineup. With the number of young rookies, it's hard to see how solid he'll be in the gameplan, but with Diaz gone I'm thinking he'll be there more.

Jose Martinez was an infielder that had some great outings off the bench this year, culminating in more and more playing time as the year went on. He'll probably be a starter next year.

This guy, though, might be the future. He came up late in the season, played extremely well, and will be fighting for an outfield spot next season alongside Piscotty and Grichuk (coming off disappointing seasons). Tommy Pham and Dexter Fowler will definitely be there, and it'd be cool to see Magneuris Sierra get the nod as well, as he's probably gonna be great.

Coming Tomorrow- They didn't exactly win the World Series, but they didn't do too badly, either.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Brewers

Wouldn't have guessed this one, eh?

Not just that the Brewers were able to make a serious run act the playoffs, set up an impressive youth movement and cement a team that could go even further next season...but that Ryan Braun doesn't even seem to be a factor in them anymore.

I mean, yeah, still hits, but after the steroids thing, they haven't been using him as much, which is a relief- he's definitely on the downswing, and he's definitely not the face of the franchise anymore.

The pitching is what made this team great- from a late season return from ace Junior Guerra...

...to the rise of fifth-starter Brent Suter, mastering his innings into September.

Hell, the bench was pretty impressive too, with Jesus Aguilar covering for Eric Thames, and arguably doing a better job than he did at the plate.

Eric Sogard was a huge surprise, coming in mid-season and absolutely owning every one of his plate appearances, even after disappointing in Oakland. He came back late to keep the momentum going. Speaking of DFA'd from Oakland...

This guy was definitely a nice pickup, even with Manny Pina behind the plate. He picked up some momentum, got back to hitting, and was a huge bench presence for the Brewers as they made their postseason run. Thankfully, Vogt gets to play for Milwaukee for another year.

Coming Tomorrow: [exasperated groan]

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Braves

The Braves, for most of the season, were caught in the 4-team blockade that made up the rest of the NL East (not including Washington). None of these teams were truly ready for prime time, and the Braves showed early on that they were pretty shoddily-made up. The pitching was too old, the infielders were too inexperienced, and once Freddie Freeman got injured there wasn't really a point to anything.

Julio Teheran, for once, had a comparatively down season, with an inflated ERA and some stuff that didn't stack up to his usual material. Hopefully this won't be a trend.

Nick Markakis, who's one of the most surprising potential candidates for the 3000 hits club, did his usual amount of work in Atlanta this year- great outfield work, ton of hits. He's gotten to the point where he's not really making headlines anymore, but it's just a measure of his consistency.

Tyler Flowers has become a nice everyday catcher since leaving Chicago, though he did split his job with Kurt Suzuki this year. He was one of the Braves' few offensive highlights, as he's doing what he can in a lower spot in the lineup.

However, this year was mainly about the massive youth movement- Johan Camargo came in at shortstop halfway through the year, when Dansby Swanson wasn't pulling his weight, and did a pretty nice job there before getting injured. Could be the starter for 2018, depending on what the Braves want to do with Swanson.

Lane Adams was another nice rookie call-up, who hit really well in September, fitting into a limited role that still worked well for him. I don't know if he'll be starting in 2018, but expect him to be an insanely potent bench player.

Luiz Gohara was called up in August, and touted as one of those 'OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO BE AMAZING' type of prospects. So far, he's shown that he's capable of being Williams Perez 2.0, as well as making for the rotation's weight imbalance since the departure of Bartolo Colon. I think he's capable of improving, though I'd rather not be wrong.

Coming Tomorrow- They came out of nowhere and nearly made the playoffs. Wonder how they'll shock the world next year.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Blue Jays

*Dances around joyfully as the Blue Jays end the season in last place*

It's just really satisfying. After two years of the Jays just deciding halfway through that they're gonna compete and making the ALCS, they FINALLY just stink for a season, and end up in 5th place, while deserving teams like the Yankees and Red Sox made it to the playoffs. This was a very satisfying outcome.

Not that the Jays didn't have its share of standouts amid a muddy, disorganized roster. Marco Estrada had another high-strikeout year, despite not really having a ton of wins.

J.A. Happ had another really nice year, despite a mid-year trip to the disabled list. He's becoming one of those fringe players ya can't help but enjoy, sort of like another two-initialed player from Atlanta.

Kendrys Morales was brought in to replace Edwin Encarnacion as the DH, and he did...an adequate job. He wasn't perfect, but he hit a lot of home runs. He just didn't have the extra element of well-roundedness that Edwin had (and promptly gave to the Indians).

Meanwhile, Teoscar Hernandez was a late-year trade from Houston (for Francisco Liriano), which culminated in a speedy, strong outfielder that had nowhere to play in Houston getting a place to truly dominate. He might be dangerous in 2018, which is kind of scary, seeing as I'd prefer the Blue Jays to keep this 'not making the playoffs' thing up.

Coming Tomorrow- They weren't perfect, but they still had enough signs of life to give their fans a hint of optimism.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Athletics

For the second season in a row, I am intrigued by the youth movement in Oakland...even if it technically negates the youth movement from last year (buh-bye, Ryon Healy). Bruce Maxwell got a catching gig, and though his numbers weren't amazing, he made some insane presents both behind the plate and above the headlines. I sincerely hope he keeps it up.

Matt Joyce, as one of the few veterans on the team, did an alright job. He didn't have the greatest season, but he was one of the few consistent bats they had to rely on, especially after Yonder Alonso and Rajai Davis left.

Daniel Mengden, here somehow sporting a Rollie Fingers mustache (perhaps in reverence), came into the rotation after half the young pitchers got injured, and he did...an adequate job, possibly better than last season. Not sure how he'll factor into 2018, but maybe his tail-end will garner him a 4th or 5th spot.

Despite still being the 2nd-greatest Boog Powell to play in the majors, Boog Powell had a nice year after landing from Seattle. He got some playing time in the latter half of the year, especially after Rajai Davis left a hole in the outfield. He's pretty good, but it'll be interesting to see how he handles a starting position.

After the bullpen was gutted, and Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson were sent to Washington, the A's got Blake Treinen in return, which worked...pretty well for them, as Treinan worked the ninth better than he did in DC. Hopefully the luck will stick around, as Oakland has been struggling with their bullpen for a while.

Coming Tomorrow- Those pesky, unkillable Blue Jays...who, this year, decided to stay dead.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Astros

So in case you guys missed it, the Houston Astros won their first World Series this year.

To be honest, thinking about 2017, this made the most sense, and gave us a team with a strong arc that followed through across the months. It's easy to see a feel-good team fail early (like, I dunno, the Yankees), but the Astros came up strong in April and finished strong in October. You rarely see that anymore.

I'd already made a custom of George Springer this year, but seeing as he'd win the MVP of the World Series, and solidify his status as a rising star, another one seemed necessary.

Mike Fiers was a well-used force in the rotation, as many of the more notable arms kept getting injured. This went...sort of well for him, at least in the first half, although people eventually figured out how to hit him, and he spent most of October in the bullpen, or on the bench.

Collin McHugh returned late in the year, and lit up the rotation like he'd been waiting to. He was a trusty third-fourth arm in the rotation, seriously helping his team's cause in the World Series. I'm guessing he'll have a more impressive 2018 given another full year.

Meanwhile, this guy.

Jose Altuve had been deserving an MVP for the past few years, and I'm so glad he finally got one ALONG WITH a World Series. The guy is one of the best pure hitters in the game, he's a great defensive 2nd baseman, he's super-fun, and he's the guy the Astros centered this young team around. I'm so happy he finally got what he deserved, and I hope this isn't the end of the accolades for him.

Coming Tomorrow- They didn't do especially well, but I feel like the future's beginning to look bright for this NorCal team.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Angels

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, FOLKS!

Yes, not only is it the time I randomly pick up the blog again, BUT IT'S DECEMBER! THE LAST MONTH OF 2017, HOLY CRAP IT WENT SO FAST.

As is the standard on this blog, every day in December (except the 25th for some reason), I'll be posting players from each team who either didn't get a custom this year, didn't get a custom in their new uniform, or deserved a second custom for their 2017 prowess.

Today, we start with the Los Angeles Angels, as usual, not due to accomplishment but due to alphabet. They had an okay season. Very okay. They tried staging a late comeback with Justin Upton and the guy you see above, Brandon Phillips, who did well but not as well as in Atlanta. But they couldn't build enough momentum, and fell backwards as the World Champion Astros grabbed the division.

Perhaps it was the resurgence of this guy, the ace of Anaheim, Garrett Richards, that threw the Angels back into the race- Richards is a great pitcher that never seems to stay healthy. The latter half of the year he returned from the DL, getting back to his old tricks and giving Parker Bridwell an assist in the rotation. Next season, he should regain his throne if he stays healthy the whole season, which he hasn't done in a few years.

After a year of injury-prone relievers, it was Blake Parker that took the mantle and became the closer, doing a pretty bang-up job and having some great relief numbers. Expect him to take a more intense role in the bullpen next year.

Also, if you don't like the Player Appreciation Week uniforms, you're gonna hate this month.

C.J. Cron had a down season, sort of succumbing to his role as a 1B-DH, as he spent a chunk of the year on the DL, and didn't have the greatest numbers (as his compatriot Kole Calhoun improved). With (hopefully) a full season in 2018, perhaps he'll improve and finally have a breakout year.

Coming Tomorrow- Already we get to talk about the World Champions. I don't have a great deal of truly new stuff for them, but enough to commemorate their fantastic season.