You know how there’s that saying that this season is about superteam expectations. Baseball would like to take that back. There has been chaos all across the game especially in the NL. Cinderella Stories, Soap Operas, Juggernauts, Tales of Redemption, and the Rockies. This needs further discussion. Let’s get to it.
Atlanta Braves (The Real Class of their Division): It honestly baffles me that every time the media tries to promote a team like the Mets or Phillies as the classes of the NL East, the ATL must make every single one of them eat their words. This season, like most of the past five years, has featured the Braves running with the NL East from Day 1. What you are seeing with this team like most years is the hitting core dominating against any pitching staff that opposes them. (The only downside is that top prospect Vaughn Grissom isn’t ready yet, but that might be coming) When you trot out Acuna, Albies, Olsen, Riley, and Ozuna among others in your starting nine that is a lineup to fear. It doesn’t end there. The rotation even if Max Fried and Kyle Wright have been injured is excellent. Spencer Strider has become another in a long line of Atlanta aces. Same goes for Bryce Elder. Their weakness may be the bullpen but it’s still solid for what it is. (Especially with Raisel Iglesias locking down 9th innings) This is a well oiled machine that’s only getting stronger. My guess is that the trade deadline will only add to their quest of becoming a dynasty like they were in the 90s.
Miami Marlins (Forging an Identity): In a year that has seen the 305 take the sports world by storm, even the Marlins, a franchise who has been inept for so long has emerged into a playoff contender thanks to a hot streak in June. Derek Jeter may no longer be a part owner of theirs but a lot of players in their youth movement were draft picks that he made. I’m looking right at Jazz Chisholm, Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez, and Eury Perez. Not to mention they have one of the better pitchers in the NL in Sandy Alcantara to go along with this burst of young talent. (Add in Jesus Luzardo, and Braxton Garrett as insurance for Alcantara and Perez) Then we get to Luis Arraez. Who is making the first serious bid for a .400 batting average since Tony Gwynn and John Olerud in 1993 and 1994. (Ted Williams was the last to hit .400, IN 1941!) They aren’t a power hitting team but they execute the fundamentals very well, and then they can throw out Jorge Soler to bail them out when needed. The 2nd Half will say a lot about where Miami is at in their rebuild, if they make the playoffs. The franchise will be saved from the pits of financial hell.
New York Mets (Mamma Mia, Here I Go Again): Ah yes the franchise that loves trolling their fans at the worst possible time yet has the media being delusional about their ambitions at the same time. Let me put it to you this way. A team that has a $350M payroll should not be considered as the biggest gongshow in baseball. But then again this is the wonders of LOLMETS. Despite everything Steve Cohen has done to buy a championship he’s slowly but surely turning into the new age Arte Moreno. Every single big money signing whether it was in free agency or extensions not named Kodai Senga has blown up in their faces. Justin Verlander has fallen off the face of the map, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo have had down years, Starling Marte is inconsistent, and Francisco Lindor is about to become the whipping boy of Queens whether he deserves it or not. Don’t say Edwin Diaz getting hurt is the reason they suck, they would be underachieving regardless. Especially considering that they’ve made the same mistakes over and over again. Buck Showalter will somehow get blamed even though Cohen and the front office did this to themselves. Once again, YOU WILL NEVER EVER OVERTAKE THE YANKEES IN POPULARITY! NEVER!!! (Now watch them trade the entire future of the organization for Shohei Ohtani. They would be the ones crazy enough to do it. DO IT DADDY STEVE!)
Philadelphia Phillies (Trying to Figure it Out): The Phillies are a really hard team to judge. Back in May it felt like the habits of underachieving were slowing back in session. But then again, this team has some of the finest North American talent and then went on a hot streak to get back in the chase for the Wild Card. Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner have overcome rough starts and played up to their abilities. That and of course Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are leading the way. (If only Rhys Hoskins were healthy) The pitching staff has taken a minor setback but that’s only because Citizens Bank Park is a house of hell for any pitching staff not just the Phils. With the trade deadline coming up I feel like Dombrovski is going to go big game hunting to try and get them over the hunt. I wonder who he’ll go for? (But seriously, pick a form already)
Washington Nationals (The Long Transition): A scrappy team yet still is dealing with a long hard rebuild thanks to shipping off key pieces of the core and watching Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg spend potentially the final days of their careers in the injury room. I wouldn’t say they’re tanking just yet but they’ll be out by the time September comes. At least you drafted a generational talent in Dylan Crews I guess.
Chicago Cubs (Paging Consistency): The Cubs hovering right around the 500 mark for most of the season. Just what I expect since the crew isn’t ready to take the next step. There have been solid performances. Justin Steele has quietly become an ace, Marcus Stroman has the lowest ERA in the National League, and Kyle Hendricks is still producing. If only the bullpen didn’t up leads on the regular. The same goes for the hitters. Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson, and Cody Bellinger have been mashing for most of the year. Overall this is a good team. What’s the catch you say? Consistency. That’s what I’m bothered about with this team. They’ve been a roller coaster ride all season and most of it is due to struggling against legit opponents outside of Wrigley. The Cubs aren’t ready yet, but as long as Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer know what they are doing, they’ll be contenders again before we know it. That’s all I can hope for right. (At least they’re willing to go big game hunting each year)
Cincinnati Reds (Reds Hot, LITERALLY): What the heck is going on? I could have sworn this team was tanking back in March. But like most times I’m wrong and it’s usually the city of Cincinnati that’s making me eat massive amounts of crow. The Reds have gone from the biggest gongshow in baseball, and an organization that’s done nearly everything wrong for the last 20 years into the most glamorous contender that the franchise has seen since 1990. It also helps that their youth movement just happens to be generational. Matt McLain, and Spencer Steer coming up early in the season were sparks to this rise. Andrew Abbott has given Hunter Greene a wingman in the rotation. Joey Votto even at age 39 is still raking. Buck Farmer and Alexis Diaz are bullies in the pen. Then just when we thought they couldn’t get stronger, Cincy unleashed the greatest prospect the franchise has seen since Barry Larkin. Baseball you have your answer to Joe Burrow, and his name is Elly De La Cruz. (It’s fitting that they’ve gone 23-8 since Burrow took batting practice on June 5. God Help Us All) In just one month he’s hit for the cycle, stolen home, and become one of if not the most exciting player in baseball. Perhaps the most gifted player in the game right now. It’s honestly insane that both the Reds as well as their brothers in the Bungles have terrible ownership covered up by elite talents. Or maybe Phil Castellini turned into nostradamus since all of his BS comments have proven to be correct for the better. If they somehow make the World Series with how they’ve been playing as of late, I’m never gonna hear the end of it.
Milwaukee Brewers (The Baseball Gods Hate Them): The Brewers have massive chips on their shoulders at this point. The MLB is doing everything they can to stop them from competing for a playoff spot, and other things that will be mentioned in just a bit. Overall, Milwaukee still has a good team even if they have a negative run differential. It’s good to see Christian Yelich healthy and back in prime form. Other than him and Willy Adames the hitters are so unpredictable. They either hit 4 homers a game or fail to even score 2 runs. We just don’t know what’ll happen. The pitching is still the strength of the team but like the offense it is very inconsistent. Corbin Burnes is still solid but they’re gonna need Freddy Peralta to pick up the slack. (CRACK!) And now that Brandon Woodruff is out for the rest of the season, they’re gonna need Devin Williams and the pen to drag them kicking and screaming towards the Wild Card Game. Off the field, the MLB has demanded that American Family Field is in need of renovations or else the league will force the team to move. Angel Stadium hasn’t been renovated in quite some time besides left field and they haven’t said anything about that, or Target Field. I’m guessing the gods are doing this because they’re making Milwaukee pay up for a certain championship two years ago. That or the league wants a team in Montreal again.
Pittsburgh Pirates (The Ultimate Tease): Early on things were looking excellent in YinzerLand. The Pirates had a sizable lead in the NL Central entering June. Andrew McCutchen was back home and back in 2013 form. The farm system and young talent was finally starting to take the next step. Optimism and excitement ceased the fanbase but then. (CRACK!) O’Neil Cruz breaking his ankle and missing a good chunk of time will put an end to that. Then we realized that the hot streak in May was a barrage, and the Bucs before you know it were sentenced back to the basement of their division. Cutch and Ke’Bryan Hayes were also struck down by injuries. At least the Brian Reynolds trade rumors are gone as he was given an 8 year extension. That, and Henry Davis was called up from the minors and should be a cornerstone going forward. Think of it this way, with them drafting a clone of Ohtani in Paul Skenes 1st overall, the future might be coming sooner rather than later. It all depends on how he develops in the minors. (Will they use him as a two way player? That’s the question)
St Louis Cardinals (The Boys Club of Baseball): Oh I’ve been waiting for the time to rip this team to shreds thanks to being a fan of their biggest rival, and turning into the next great Boys Club. And this is not exaggerating. The St Louis Cardinals are a bad baseball team. I never thought I’d see the day. It turns out that Pujols, Yady, and Wainwright covered a lot of flaws on the team. Now they don’t have that. And Wainwright has fallen off hard without his Hall of Fame Catcher. (Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty can say that for themselves too) Blame Willson Contreras for struggling all you want, but when Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are having down years there’s no excuses. Once they had that losing streak during May, St Louis to no one’s surprise fell right into the bottom of the table. However these are the Cardinals. They’re one hot streak away from getting right back in the race for the NL Central. Considering that they just called up Jordan Walker and Brendan Donovan is emerging as their 2nd Baseman of the future I have a feeling they are going to make everyone eat their words. The worst part is that it’s going to happen. I don’t know how but it is. (It pains me to say this, but I’d rather see Cincy win the division than St Louis, did I just say that?)
Arizona Diamondbacks (The Rise of Carroll): I must say Arizona has done a really good job this year at making one of my suggestions become reality. Back in March I said that they were a generational talent away from being a contender. They found that. His name is Corbin Carroll. A player that has brought this once derelict franchise back into the picture of the best team in the NL. It doesn’t end there either. Another callup in Geraldo Perdomo has also made an impact this season. It may not be that of Carroll’s but it’s still a big reason why they are tied for 1st place. Throw in Zac Gallen headed straight for a potential Cy Young Award and you got yourself a likable cast that’s easy to root for. The young talent supporting Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Lourdes Gurriel has been the key. (We do not mention the failed MadBum experiment) My biggest question now is this. Can they beat the Dodgers? Even if they don’t this season, it’s still much better than it was in 2021. Keep up the good work.
Colorado Rockies (The Same Song and Dance): When your owner goes out and says that this is a .500 club when on paper they are nowhere near that it usually backfires. In this case to the surprise of no one it has. The Rockies are as forgettable a franchise as they usually are. Content on being competitive but nothing more than that. Like most years they are terrible on the road yet have a winning record at Coors Field. German Marquez getting struck down by Tommy John, or CJ Cron being banged is the least of their issues. You know what symbolizes their season? Getting blown out 25-1 at home against an Angels team dead on arrival. Can Stan Kroenke please take over this franchise? That’s the only way the Mile High City will experience success on the diamond. I hope for their sake it happens.
Los Angeles Dodgers (Wanted: Healthy Pitching Staff): The Dodgers have overcome a shaky start where two other rivals were ahead of them thanks to a hitting lineup that is performing as advertised. Freeman, Betts, Will Smith, and JD Martinez have led the way as expected. If only Max Muncy could hit over .200 that would be great. (He has good numbers other than his average) There is a flaw that’s starting to take shape. And it’s the same one that cost them a deep run last year. Injuries to the pitching staff. Dustin May is out for the rest of the season, Walker Buelher’s rehab from Tommy John is slower than expected, Kershaw is not 100% either, and Noah Syndergaard is suffering a hard decline. Other than Evan Phillips the bullpen has been shaky and I expected more out of Brudsar Graterol. What they need is for Bobby Miller to become the next ace. At least they have him, Tony Gonsolin, and Julio Urias healthy I guess. It’s gonna take some effort to overcome a loaded NL. Dave Roberts will be the scapegoat again instead of the conditioning staff won’t he?
San Diego Padres (The Team Everyone Wants to Fail): There’s a reason why I called them the Memphis Grizzlies of Baseball. What you are seeing this year is exactly why. A massive bandwagon fan base that massively hyped them up in the offseason, and claimed that Tatis returning would make them invincible. As is typical in all things San Diego, the Padres have underachieved despite massive amounts of High End Talent. Tell me O’Muse about a team that has elite fielding, pitching, hitting, and stars across the roster somehow be under .500. Here’s why. They are experts at blowing leads and being unable to hit in the clutch. The most blown leads and runners stranded on base in the majors for crying out loud. Not to mention there’s drama starting to heat up in the locker room. Fernando Tatis Jr is clearly baseball’s version of Ja Morant. All we need now is for him to make an I’m Fine in the West comment and we’re set. BOOM! (Padres star Tatis says Dodgers don’t scare him, and the beating of LA will be worse than last year) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No wonder why Dodger fans despise him and Manny Machado. If San Diego misses the playoffs they’ll have no one to blame but themselves. Slam Diego? That narrative is slowly dying. (Its 2021 all over again isn’t it without the collapse)
San Francisco Giants (Back to Status Quo): Who needs Judge, Ohtani, Correa or DeGrom? Turns out that last year’s regression was a fluke. So far that is. The Giants are back to being playoff contenders again. The hot stretch they’ve been on since early June proves that thinking. Like most years San Francisco’s player development has played a big role. JD Davis, LaMonte Wade, Thairo Estrada, and Patrick Bailey. No one had ever heard of these guys going into the season. But once again the Giants like most Bay Area teams over the years are experts at player development. Those guys contributing along with Michael Conforto, Joc Pederson, and Mike Yastrzemski has been huge. The pitching staff like most years has also been very good. Alex Cobb has revived his career and given Logan Webb more insurance in the rotation. The bullpen as expected has also been near the top of the league in earned run average. Even if they’ve cooled off before the break, as long as they don’t have a skid like last year San Fran should be back in the playoffs. As long as a certain rival of theirs doesn’t unlock the nuclear codes in order to finally play up to their potential for once. PAUSE.
There are a lot of choices to pick from in terms of who makes the playoffs. The Wild Card race is going to be insane like it was the last two years.
Predictions:
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card #1: Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card #2: Giants
NL Wild Card #3: Phillies
Let me guess the Mets are getting Ohtani and lucking their way towards a Wild Card spot now aren’t they.
Bragging Rights Sports 