MLB Playoffs

The Game Room
162

As a diehard Cub fan since 1984 (fuck you, Steve Garvey), I’m perfectly okay with none of the 2016 team going into the Hall, as long as they get the hardware.

Would I like to see a more sustained team that goes deep into the playoffs every year? Absolutely.

But the front office pulled the trigger on those deals at exactly the right time, and it made them look like a genius. It’s painful to see the drop offs of those players, and it hurt when they traded them, but it would have been pure torture to see those players drop off that dramatically while still in Cub pinstripes.

163

Yeah, flags fly forever.

164

I think Brown should definitely be in, and I’d probably vote for Sheff too.

I think most observers thought Bryant and Rizzo both had a good shot at the HoF after that season.

Here’s one from the Sun-Times that didn’t age well: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/8/19/18345331/rizzo-gets-nod-over-bryant-for-mvp-but-who-s-first-into-hall

As mentioned, maybe Salvy Perez. Mauer is in, and Molina will get in quickly. But Perez just doesn’t stack up with them in stats or reputation. McCann won’t get in, and Posada didn’t, so I can’t see how Perez does.

Lorenzo Cain also racked up 38.5 WAR, which isn’t too shabby. Obviously not HoF, but a solid career.

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Trey Sweeney. He’s only played 36 big league games. He was a former first round draft pick for the Yankees. I think he’ll be good but he needs more than 36 games to see.

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I always liked Cain. He didn’t become an everyday starter until he was 27, and then only had that role for seven seasons, but was consistently good to very good then: in '15 with the Royals, and '18 with Milwaukee, he was an All-Star, and was top-ten in MVP voting.

He then voluntarily sat out most of the shortened COVID 2020 season, got hurt in '21, hit .179 in '22 (at age 36) and he was done.

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IMO, he was the Royals MVP in 2015. His center field defense was unbelievable, he hit .307, had 169 hits, scored 101 runs, and had 28 stolen bases.

Plus, he was as ‘smart’ of a ballplayer as you will ever see. I know that’s an abstract and highly subjective quality, but Cain had it.

168

Might as well do the recents:

2017, Houston: 'Stros chances all depend on how harsh history looks on their sign stealing. Beltran got 57% in the voting last year and has plenty of ballots to make it; Altuve looks to be pretty lock-y. Carlos Correa has a shot, maybe even Alex Bregman.

2018, Boston: Mookie Betts obviously; Chris Sale’s extended injury woes likely have ruined his chances. Rafael Devers will need to pick up the pace and have some MVP level seasons given his poor defense, but he keeps getting injured in the 2nd half of the season. Kimbrel’s career is apparently over.

2019, Washington: Max Scherzer for sure; Juan Soto is certainly young enough to accumulate a TON of value; Trea Turner doesn’t really have much of a peak.

2020, Dodgers: Mookie, again; Clayton Kershaw is likewise a lock; Cody Bellinger had HoF talent, but pretty much only for one season; likewise with Corey Seager, who has 37 WAR thru age 30, but none of his top 10 comps thru that age are in; Kenley Jansen, see Kimbrel and Chapman.

2021: Atlanta: Ronald Acuña Jr. if he can keep from getting injured going forward; Freddie Freeman just cleared 60 WAR this year, has an MVP, and is only 34.

2022, Philly: Bryce Harper–again, gotta avoid the injuries–his peak is not historically great, note, MVP or not.

2023: Texas: Corey Seager also got a ring here. I would normally say that they won recently enough that any of their young stars could pick it up a notch, but they only had 2 key players younger than 27.

169

Good analyses. Thanks for doing this.

170

I don’t hear Smoltz much as the Mets haven’t been in the playoffs much, and I know some people hate him. A few minutes ago he said, “You would have to television yourself…” I noticed earlier he said, “Othani only three-quarter swung at it and hit it to the wall.” There were a couple more before that but I don’t remember exactly. Well I don’t think people hate him because of his bad grammar, but I found that first one particulartly funny.

171

Look, don’t tell anyone on the Guardians subreddit that I said this but the Tigers are fuckin’ TIGHT and you are going to be a force to be reckoned with next year in the AL Central. You look exactly like the Guardians, only more the 2022 Guards with your fancy veteran manager. Seriously, the series we just had was perfect with two perfectly matched scruffy baseball playing teams. I wish y’all were in the NL!

Heck, I’ve been impressed with the Royals all year too since I saw them up close and live in May. Witt is the man (shh shhh shhhhh don’t tell them!), they’re a team of studs too.

The AL Central came to play this year and I’m so happy we were all there. Fuck all the haters who say it’s because we got to play the ChiSox so much! (Cuz it sure didn’t help Cleveland) What about the fact that we had to play playoff teams so much??

God bless baseball! Go Guards!

172

Dodgers have now had 33 consecutive shutout innings. Interesting that pitching - what was thought to be the Dodgers’ Achilles Heel heading into the playoffs - has so far been their greatest strength.

173

I’d rather the Tigers lose to the eventual World Series champs, so I hope they smoke the Yankees and go on and win it all.

The Tigers have SO MANY holes and issues to deal with. Third base, first base, the bullpen, Kerry Carpenter, the rotation. There’s a lot of work left to do.

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Kinda feels like something’s got to give, right? Baseball is weird like that, though.

175

That ended with the first batter today, as Lindor homered to lead off the game.

Mets were cruising with a 6-1 lead into the sixth when their defense let them down. Two misplayed ground balls which could have been double plays have led to two runs. Now 6-3 with one out and the bases loaded.

ETA: Inning just ended with a double play.

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Why does it only count as one challenge, when the Dodgers challenge both the call at second and the call at first on a double play? (Both seemed like grasping at straws, in any event.)

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I wondered that myself. And, quite frankly, both calls, while close, were obvious outs. The only question I had was if the first baseman kept his foot on the bag, which he did.

178

Mets added an insurance run, 7-3 middle of the 9th.

179

Watching the Yanks-Guardians on Gamecast, which has a delay. Did Cleveland bring in Cantillo to relieve and he threw consecutive wild pitches to allow 2 runs?

180

2 batters in a row, but there was at least 1 pitch in between.

Weird rally.

181

Sadly, we may be headed towards another Subway Series.