Houston has a new manager. The bad news is that it’s Dusty Baker. Baker has yo be in the dictionary next to “incompetent managing”. I e thing that Dusty proved throughout his career is that he’s good at losing when it matters. He made it into an art form on fact. 2002: He managed the San Francisco Giants to a
Read moreIn parentheses I’m putting actual positions that they’re also eligible or about to be eligible for early into the season. 1. Ronald Acuna Jr., (LF, CF, RF) ATL 2. Christian Yelich, (RF) MIL 3. Mike Trout, (CF) LAA He doesn’t steal much and has quietly been injury-prone the last few years. 4. Mookie Betts, (RF) BOS Trade candidate in his
Read moreTOP 30 SHORTSTOPS 1. Francisco Lindor, CLE 2. Trevor Story, COL 3. Trea Turner, WAS Could be #1 if he’s moved to third in Washington’s batting order and doesn’t steal less bases. 4. Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP His BABIP was too high last season and this is his sophomore season 5. Javier Baez, CHC 6. Xander Bogaerts, BOS 7. Gleyber
Read moreTOP 10 CATCHERS 1. J.T. Realmuto, PHI 2. Gary Sanchez, NYY 3. Yasmani Grandal, CWS 4. Salvador Perez, KCR 5. Mitch Garver, MIN 6. Willson Contreras, CHC 7. Wilson Ramos, NYM 8. Will Smith, LAD 9. Sean Murphy, OAK 10. Buster Posey, SFG I recommend streaming catchers whenever possible, or getting as much of a bargain as possible, as the
Read moreTOP 60 STARTING PITCHERS 1. Gerrit Cole, NYY Best SP in the game, but could be an overpay due to the unknown of how he’ll perform on a new team in a new home ballpark. The difference in price between him and DeGrom is also ridiculously high despite how close they are in ability. 2. Jacob DeGrom, NYM A contender
Read more1990 Teams That Changed Closers: 10 1991 Teams That Changed Closers: 12 1992 Teams That Changed Closers: 10 1993 Teams That Changed Closers: 9 1994 Teams That Changed Closers: 9 1995 Teams That Changed Closers: 6 1996 Teams That Changed Closers: 8 1997 Teams That Changed Closers: 10 1998 Teams That Changed Closers: 12 1999 Teams That Changed Closers: 11
Read moreThis isn’t an actual list where the managers are ranked from best to worst, but rather a look at the greatest managers. 1. MILLER HUGGINS 1913-1917 St. Louis Cardinals 1918-1929 New York Yankees Pennants: 6 Championships: 3 Extra Pythagorean W-L: 37-11 Overall Playoff Series Results as Favorites/Not Underdogs: 3-2 Overall Playoff Series Results as Underdogs: 0-1 2. JOE MCCARTHY 1926-1930
Read moreI decided to make a list based on records, level of competition and postseason success. I used this to help with my own opinion. MY OPINION 1. 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES 2. 1939 NEW YORK YANKEES 3. 1998 NEW YORK YANKEES 4. 2018 BOSTON RED SOX 5. 1932 NEW YORK YANKEES 6. 1961 NEW YORK YANKEES 7. 1975 CINCINNATI REDS
Read moreBoston Red Sox superstar RF Mookie Betts is a free agent after next season and is so far refusing to sign an extension, it’s risky to let him hit the open market, so could Boston trade Betts? And if so what package could they receive? I’m going to look at teams that I think could be potential matches in a
Read moreThe New York Yankees got their ace. Gerrit Cole is now a New York Yankee. The Bronx Bombers are now the favorites to at least win the pennant next year. The biggest losers are the Los Angeles Angels, who failed to get starting pitching help that they needed yet again. I’m personally glad because I’ve been predicting this signing and
Read moreThe Atlanta Braves signed SP Cole Hamels to a 1 year deal worth $18 million. He’s not the pitcher that he used to be, but it’s a great one year deal as it poses little risk for Atlanta and gives them a solid inning eater. That said, he’s not an ace any more. The Philadelphia Phillies signed SP Zack Wheeler
Read moreCincinnati added a new 2B. Mike Moustakas is a third baseman, but can play second base as well. This is a blow for the Milwaukee Brewers who keep losing bats this offseason. I think that this is a risky signing, as Moustakas may not ultimately last at second base and third base is already spoken for by Eugenio Suarez. Cincinnati
Read moreI’m prioritizing the more important moves and letting MLBTR tell you the details. The Chicago White Sox got a new catcher. This is a solid move, though I think that Yasmani Grandal is overpaid. They then locked up 1B Jose Abreu in a solid but risky move. Great move by Atlanta, they’ve been the most active team so far and
Read moreGreat result for Minnesota as SP Jake Odorizzi accepted his Qualifying Offer. I don’t think that he would’ve made that much on the open market and if he improves in 2020 and proves himself to be consistent and not just a one year fluke, he should command more money, especially without attached draft pick compensation. This also gives Minnesota less
Read moreI only considered competitive series with ideally rivalries. ALDS 2001 NEW YORK YANKEES 3 OAKLAND ATHLETICS 2 NLDS 2001 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS 3 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 2 ALCS TIE BETWEEN 2003 NEW YORK YANKEES 4 BOSTON RED SOX 3 AND 2004 BOSTON RED SOX 4 NEW YORK YANKEES 3 NLCS 1992 ATLANTA BRAVES 4 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 3 WORLD SERIES 1956 NEW
Read moreThe Washington Nationals are world champions for the first time ever. During the series, Washington batted .241/.320/.419 compared to .265/.342/.454 during the season. The Houston Astros batted .272/.342/.452 during the series and .274/.352/.495 during the season. On the pitching side, Washington had a 4.29 ERA during the series and a 4.27 ERA during the season. Houston had a shockingly identical
Read moreGood start to the offseason by the Los Angeles Angels. Great love by the Philadelphia Phillies, as they get an experienced manager who should make it easier for them to make the playoffs. Questionable hire by the San Diego Padres, that seems pretty risky and could work out or be a disaster. A move that can go either way by
Read moreNLCS WASHINGTON NATIONALS 4 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 0 The sheer dominance by Washington was a surprise, but their win was not. They had the better record, the better Pythagorean record, better starting pitching and better hitting. They were simply the better team. ALCS HOUSTON ASTROS NEW YORK YANKEES Another unsurprising result. Houston were the favorites going in because they had
Read moreWhat if teams finished according to their Pythagorean W-L records? What changes would take place? I’m only looking at the playoff years. 1969 The Chicago Cubs win the NL East instead of the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants win the NL West instead of the Atlanta Braves, one of them loses to the Baltimore Orioles in the
Read moreALCS NEW YORK YANKEES VS HOUSTON ASTROS Hard to say which is the better team, though most likely it’s Houston. I think that the Bronx Bombers will be more motivated due to overcoming all of their injuries and not wanting to lose to Houston in the playoffs again. They also swept Minnesota, who were better than Tampa Bay, who Houston
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