On the Veteran's Committee Picks

...They ain't bad.

For a team that won a World Series in 1984, it was slightly baffling that nobody from the 80s era of Detroit's baseball history had made the Hall of Fame. Hell, there were several potential candidates, too- Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, and, of course, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris. They were on top of their game for several seasons, and were among the best defensive players of the 80s. Morris currently has three World Series rings, each one with a different team.

The argument that may have broken the camel's back may have been that, with all the current 'great, HOF-worthy' players that are getting passed over, it makes even more sense that Trammell and Morris belong in Cooperstown. And as someone who voted for Morris in several on-blog HOF ballots, I partially agreed.

So, as the Veteran's Committee decided, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris are heading into the Hall of Fame. Not too bad.

Morris was getting outcry from sportswriters for the last 10 years, so it's all-but necessary for him to finally gain entry. Trammell I'm a little less convinced on, as he was never an undisputed amazing perennial player to me. He never really screamed Hall of Fame to me, though his defense and hitting abilities were pretty good, and he was one of the highlights of that 1984 squad, nabbing the World Series MVP (kind of like Morris did).

So while I'm not 100% there like other sportswriters may have been, I'm happy they allowed some players (not executives for once) to join the Hall, and it makes me even more excited to see who gets in come January (crosses fingers for Jim Thome).

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Dodgers

It didn't happen. But that doesn't mean it won't.

The Dodgers collected a cavalcade of players, being amazing all in the same single, solitary moment. Only reason they lost is the Astros managed to be better than them by the deciding inch. I do think the Dodgers have what it takes to come back, because the people that are leaving (with the exception of Yu Darvish) are not the important members of the team.

I made a Corey Seager card earlier this year, but I wasn't happy with it, so I made a better one. The guy's got legs, which is nice.

This guy was only a presence towards the end of the season, but he's still an LA hero, and wanted to spend his last season as a Dodger doing something beneficial. The Dodgers are gonna miss Andre Ethier, and I doubt he'll make an impact like he did in LA, but his 2017 stretch run was welcome.

Kenta Maeda's 2016 theatrics took a bit of a backseat this year, as a rotation of Kershaw-Darvish-Wood-Hill came to be, and Maeda found himself fighting with Hyun-Jin Ryu for the last spot. While Maeda had the more consistent season...

...Ryu was arguably scarier in the clutch, and was able to work more strikeouts and crafty stuff despite not having a ton of time on the mound this year. However, the offseason shakes out, I feel like Ryu and Maeda will at least have a place somewhere in LA.

We've all come to terms with the fact that 2015 Joc Pederson might not be coming back, and his subpar 2017 season proved that, but he was able to make some nice clutch moments late in the year. I doubt he'll be starting next year, as Andrew Toles might even be a better bet than Pederson. But his stuff was still appreciated when it was good.

Due to injuries and Cody Bellinger, Adrian Gonzalez had a down 2017, but when he was healthy he gave his all, and gave a veteran perspective to the postseason that was much-needed. A-Gon's one of those respected veterans that have never won a World Series, and even if his stuff wasn't 100% perfect this year, he was a great presence in the dugout...

...Much like this guy. As much as I don't enjoy saying bad things about Curtis Granderson, his performance with the Dodgers post-waiver-deal left a lot to be desired, with more strikeouts than his Mets tenure, and not a ton of positive offensive energy, leading to a diminished role in the postseason squad. I certainly hope he can continue his bat work somewhere, but part of me thinks it might be the end for him this year.

If I had to pick the most surprising standout member of this WS Dodgers team, it'd have to be Brandon Morrow, who went from subpar 5th starter in Toronto to shutting them down in relief for LA when it counted. I don't know if he'll ever have a season like this, but it was very impressive, and in a season with many fingers being pointed at the Dodgers' bullpen (especially Pedro Baez), Morrow's work was appreciated.

...And then there's the Rookie of the Year.

Cody Bellinger came in with the odds sort of muddied, and made an insanely beneficial situation out of it, not only having a fantastic rookie season but powering his team to the World Series, somewhere they've flirted with going to for a while but hadn't been since 1988. Bellinger will hopefully keep this insane plate work up, as I'd hate for him to be a one-year thing (like Pederson).

Coming Tomorrow- Next year's an even year, but I'm doubting these guys will factor into the conversation.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Diamondbacks

After years of just barely getting by on Paul Goldschmidt, the Diamondbacks finally built a team ready for October, and though they fell a bit short of everyone's expectations, they were still a sight to behold this year. Chris Owings was injured for a bit, but he was still capable of some clutch moments throughout the year.

Nick Ahmed spent most of the season playing off the bench, as he's become sort of the weaker link of the original core-four infield (Goldy-Amhed-Owings-Lamb). He still had some nice moments this year, though.

Another big piece of the team that spent the year on the DL, Yasmany Tomas, did as well as he could in the outfield and third, but was employed for his bat, which was pretty trusty when he was healthy.

With all of those starters on the DL, it was up to bench heroes like Daniel Descalso (former 2011 Cardinal, eeeerrggh), to step into the lineup and start lifting things. He was also a really nice presence when it came time for the playoffs. He may have been used to that sort of time of year.

This year's closer in Arizona was Fernando Rodney. It's become clear that Rodney's consistency is less than it used to be, but when the team's in first and close games are being saved, it doesn't matter. Rodney was as good as he could be in the ninth, though I'll be surprised if he has another nice season left.

Of course, this guy was the true catalyst for everything. As per usual, Goldschmidt had a great season, racking up MVP votes and raising the team. Unlike past years, it wasn't all on him- J.D. Martinez, Jake Lamb and Zack Greinke were also scarily tough this year, and Goldy was able to thrive in a more consistently great environment. Hope this stays a thing.

Coming Tomorrow- They nearly won the World Series. Maybe they will for the 30th?

But What if this Stanton Thing Actually Happens???

Brevity's usually a thing with my dad.

I get a lot of text messages from him that are just '?'. '?' can mean a lot of things. 'What's going on?' 'How are you doing?' 'Where'd my chocolate ice cream go?' 'What is the answer to life, the universe and everything', but he mostly just does that when he doesn't want to type a lot of things. In texting or messaging, he thrives on one-word answers. 'good'. 'really?'. 'gah'. 'sure'.

I sent him the headline that Stanton was working on a deal with the Yankees. And what did I get in return?

'no.'

My thoughts exactly.

You see...when a team is trying to build on a farm system, and keep their prospects in a steady conveyor to the bigs, so that they can build on themselves and strengthen the franchise...it doesn't make a ton of sense to undo a lot of that building in order to get a guy that strikes out a lot and hits 50+ home run seasons in between being injured.

Stanton wants to go to LA. The Dodgers will most likely have a space open for him, with Ethier's departure- if not, they can very easily make Andrew Toles a Miami Marlin. That can definitely be a thing. Everything is banking on Giancarlo Stanton going to the Dodgers. And yet...the Yankees talk has 'intensified'.

The talk is that they'll be trading Ellsbury, but...you know it won't stop there. They're gonna want Gleyber Torres, and all the really nice prospects they've been stockpiling since Mateo got knocked from #1. The Yankees don't need to give those prospects up, the reformation isn't complete yet. There's still some spots left for people to take before they complete the cycle. So trading some of those guys isn't gonna help, even if it is for Stanton.

Also, Giancarlo Stanton...I can't help but feel will be a disappointment, wherever he lands this year. Those injured seasons are scaring me. They're scaring me into thinking 2017 will be his last hurrah. They're scaring me into thinking they're gonna be paying for Josh Hamilton again. I don't know if the Yankees want Stanton unless they're absolutely sure he's gonna keep playing like he did in 2017, and not like he did in 2015-6.

It's a vexing issue, one with a lot of corners and variables, but...as cool as it would be, I don't want to see Giancarlo Stanton as a Yankee. If I do, I don't think I'll ever see him hoisting a World Series trophy.

If it goes through, fine. I just don't think it'll work as well as they think it will.

UPDATE: Looks like it's gonna go through, with Starlin Castro ending up in Miami. Stanton needs to okay this. I'm hoping that if he does, he'll be a success, and not another hefty contract.

The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Ohtani

In 2012, the top man on the board was claimed by the Anaheim Angels. In 2013, after getting Pujols, they did it again with Josh Hamilton. Something about the Angels can drive them to chase players regardless of need.

So today, in spite of teams like Seattle and St. Louis making serious runs, the Angels once again arrived out of the clutch, and signed Shohei Ohtani to a long-term deal to hit, and pitch, for them for the foreseeable future. And everyone acted surprised.

The Angels, even though they landed in 2nd place by the skin of their teeth this past year, can be very ferocious. Even when they're not winning games, they're striving for more. They're attempting a rebuild that will put the youth at the forefront, restacking the rotation to emphasize Richards, Shoemaker and Bridwell, and giving Mike Trout less of a 'one saves all' kind of thing. Having Ohtani will definitely help this- that gives a third selling point, from 'SEE THE GREAT MIKE TROUT', 'SEE HALL OF FAMER ALBERT PUJOLS'...and now 'SEE THE GREAT JAPANESE STAR SHOHEI OHTANI'.

If they can get an entire team like that, they won't even have to resort to those selling points.

I'm glad the Angels did this, I think Ohtani will do well in Anaheim, but...if they want him to stay there, they're gonna have to work. Because that didn't work for the Rangers, and now Yu Darvish is shopping for a new team.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Cubs

2017 was going to be a step backward for the Cubs. Everyone knew that. The good news is it wasn't particularly far back, as they've still managed to attend their third straight NLCS, even with a team that arguably wasn't as masterful as the 2016 squad. Ben Zobrist knew he was having a down season, but heated up a bit in October, giving them some important RBIs along the way.

I don't know why, but even as Lackey's been wearing blue for two years now, the image still looks really strange, especially on a 91SC card. Maybe it's because he made a career out of playing for red teams. It's kinda like Jack Morris' cards as a red. Jarring.

Anyway, Lackey's year wasn't as strong as his 2016, and he's likely going to retire, but he still did well enough for the Cubs to keep the fans' goodwill.

Mike Montgomery was there for the final out of the World Series last year, and he continued the work in relief, and occasionally in the rotation. He's a nice versatile arm the Cubs have been using (in lieu of Adam Warren's departure), and he'll possibly make a bigger move to the bullpen as the Cubs solidify their 2017 rotation.

In 2015, the Cubs' Bench Player Extraordinaire was Chris Denorfia. In 2016, it was Matt Szczur. In 2017, the bench player that did the most consistent amount of damage was Tommy La Stella, taking some time in the infield as several starters got injured, and keeping his bat close behind.

Alex Avila was a late-season pickup from Detroit, coming in as a replacement for Miguel Montero as the prominent backup, and he did pretty well as a lineup presence, making up for his okay defense. Not sure if the Cubs will keep him around, but he was pretty fun in the clutch.

Coming Tomorrow- They finally made an impact, after years of storing prospects and warming up. Now they're for real, and they might actually clinch the NL West next year.

Dee-Constructed

It's that time of year again- a team trades for someone who's predominantly played two positions and try to get him to convert to a third one, which he's never played, as they have two insanely good players at both positions he's proficient in.

This time, it's the Mariners, and the player in question is Dee Gordon. Dee's had a nice run of seasons in Miami (steroids notwithstanding), but he's only played 2nd base and shortstop. The Mariners have Robinson Cano and Jean Segura, therefore...they got Dee for his bat, not his defense, which is odd because he's pretty good with both.

So, the M's are gonna attempt to convert Dee into a centerfielder. With Ben Gamel, Jarrod Dyson and Mitch Haniger all still doing well, plugging an established star into that formation, albeit one who hasn't played the outfield, is odd, but the Mariners know that they're doing apparently.

At least the move makes sense offensively, as it adds a steady bat to a lineup that's in need of versatility, with a ton of home-run friendly players and not a ton of hits guys (though Dyson and Segura are starting that trend). Dee will hopefully a.) behave, and b.) continue his consistency in Seattle.

Besides, the Mariners are still in the race for Ohtani, and are expecting HUGE THINGS FOR 2018, so maybe Dee Gordon will be one of them.