Baseball

The 2021 Atlanta Braves: a perfect example of why good coaching goes a long way

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The 2021 Atlanta Braves: a perfect example of why good coaching goes a long way

The Atlanta Braves were perhaps more of a surprise this season than the Giants were. An unsuspecting National League East squad that was expected to finish in the middle of a somewhat competitive division, who ended up beating the big bad Dodgers and Astros, and winning the World Series. This team was expected to be good, but not good enough to win the World Series. But yet, after all the doubts and a bad record for most of the season, they overcame it all. One reason I often point to is the coaching quality Atlanta has to offer. They are perhaps the best in the National League, maybe in all of the MLB. They coached and built this squad from scratch, and pulled them to the top. Let’s dive into how coaching can influence players to be great, and exactly how these guys got so good.

 

Believe in your ability

If you have ever played Retro Bowl before, you know that you can easily win it all in the first season with a team. You spend all your money on the best players right off the bat to replace the bad players and go from a one-star team to a five-star team and win the Retro Bowl after only one season. 

An actual front office for a sports franchise does not work that way. It takes many years of making small, smart decisions to slowly build up your team to the point where then you can spend a good amount on the best players. For some teams, it may take 20-30 years. That’s an absurdly long amount of time, but they do what is necessary to build up to greatness. Atlanta was patient and did not spend all their money on top free agents, they decided to take the long and gritty route, which ended up being the right choice. 

Essentially, Atlanta coached up all of their players to the point where they could flip 2 or 3 of them for better players. They draft carefully to replace what they lost and coach them up as well. The ones with the best potential keep around to further their growth and progression, and they turn into recognizable names. The ones that aren’t quite good enough to become huge names are traded away for either household names or guys they see have very good potential. It’s a long and egregious process, but when done correctly builds the foundation of a team. But, without proper coaching, this will never be done correctly.

 

The Beginning of Something Great

2018 Atlanta was the future of the Braves. These were the guys they wanted to take to the next level. Freddie Freeman was who this squad was built around. Freddie was drafted as a top California prospect, and Atlanta developed him into an MVP. Ronald Acuna Jr was drafted before this season, and he had begun his development into what he is today, an MVP candidate. Ozzie Albies at Second Base was beginning to become a top Second Baseman, Dansby Swanson was being worked on to become a Gold Glove stud shortstop, Austin Riley at Third Base started to turn into a top Third Baseman. This was Atlanta’s core they would continue to build around. 

The level of coaching in Atlanta opened up opportunities for better players to come into the organization to contribute. The Braves would look for guys with potential or had success prior, and just needed a few tweaks to become household names. One example would be Travis D’Arnaud, who had success with the Mets a few years prior but was becoming worse every year. Atlanta signed him in 2019 and worked with him and gave him the confidence he needed to become their starting catcher. 

Another example is the 3 outfielders Atlanta traded for in 2021 to replace the injured outfielders Atlanta had developed. They traded for Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario. Atlanta was all in to win this season and decided to fill some holes with well-known players to further increase their chances of winning later in the season. Eddie Rosario had just been DFA’d by the Twins, Soler was not producing like his 2019 self, and Joc Pederson did not want to be on a down-spiraling Cubs team. The Braves made little tweaks in their game, and they ended up being colossal contributors to the Braves in the postseason. Eddie Rosario ended up winning WS MVP, Soler hit the big home run in game 6 to seal the deal against Houston, and Joc Pederson delivered time and time again throughout the season.

The Braves coaches were the cause of all this success. They built up the core and opened up these opportunities for the Braves to continue to get better, and even after these big additions they progressed them as well to make their additions even more valuable.

Now, who exactly are we to praise for all of this? It’s time I introduce you to the people responsible for the progression of this franchise.

 

Manager: Brian Snitker

One of the most respected managers in the league. Brian has been with Atlanta for 40 years and is now getting his first taste of success. An old-school approach to the game, which you will find all Braves coaches do. Brian makes the right moves in the game and has commanded everyone in his grip extremely well. Brian has run this organization beautifully, and his hard work is now paying off.

 

Bench Coach: Walter Weiss

Former Major League shortstop who is the Robin to Snitker’s batman. These two think brilliantly alike and are always on the same page at all times. He influences a lot of decisions Snitker makes. If you ever watch a Braves game, you can constantly see Snitker and Weiss gelling together, making decisions to help the Braves have success.

 

Third Base Coach: Ron Washington

Ah yes, Ronnie Washington, another former ballplayer who has spent 50 years in baseball. Washington is very knowledgeable and is the infield coach for the Braves. He is responsible for turning guys like Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, and Freddie Freeman into Gold Glove-winning infielders. Here he is explaining his mindset and drills he goes over with his players (MLB Network). Ron says, “After a while when the playing time stop(s), you become a giver. People gave it to you, and to keep the game going in the direction you want it to go in you have to give back”. Perfectly said, Ron.

 

First Base Coach: Eric Young

Eric has assumed the role of the outfield coach for Atlanta, and he has contributed beyond necessary. He has turned Ronald Acuna Jr into an absolute monster and kept guys sharp who are veteran defensive players such as Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Marcell Ozuna, and Adam Duvall. Eric has coaching experience with the Rockies and Rangers and has finally won his first ring.

Now, these are not the only men responsible for the success and progression of the Braves core I don’t have enough time in a day to talk about everyone. But, without that great coaching and development, the Braves would be lost and would not be the power franchise they are today.

 

Brusdar Graterol is so much fun to watch pitch in the MLB

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Brusdar Graterol is so much fun to watch pitch in the MLB

With the future of the game of baseball’s stars coming from foreign countries, many countries are famous for the players who are born there. The big counties are and are not limited to: Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Venezuela. These countries are known to pound out Major League stars. One, in particular, I have had my eyes on for a few years now, is Brusdar Graterol, a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brusdar is a special kind of athlete, and it’s time people were introduced to him.

 

Started from the Bottom

Brusdar Javier Graterol was born on August 26th, 1998 in Calabozo, Venezuela. Brusdar had no father growing up, so he was raised by his mother and grandparents. Brusdar played baseball in Venezuela as a kid until 2014, when he signed with the Minnesota Twins. 

In 2016 Graterol underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. However, when he returned from the injury he pitched very well, going 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA while pitching in low A with the East Coast Twins. Minnesota saw the crazy potential in him and promoted him to high A to play with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. 

Now, what did they see in him exactly? A big, strong, 6’0 kid that can throw 100 MPH with ease. His mechanics allowed him to throw these high speeds very effortlessly. Throw in a wipeout slider in the mix, and you have a top prospect in the Twins organization. Take a look at it yourself, here is a video of Brusdar clocking in at 99 MPH while pitching for Cedar Rapids. 

Brusdar immediately became a Twin’s top prospect, and many were excited to see him at the major league level.

Finally, Brusdar got his long-awaited wish, making his MLB debut on September 1st, 2019 in a save appearance for the Twins against the Detroit Tigers, and he looked very sharp, touching 99 MPH and closing the game out on a double play.

Brusdar continued pitching for the Twins in the bullpen for the rest of the year and finished the season to the tune of a 4.66 ERA. During the offseason after the Twins were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS, Brusdar worked his butt off. Brusdar was frustrated with the stats he finished with and wanted to do something about it. He and everyone else around him had realized the crazy potential he had, and he pursued to find it

In February of 2020, Brusdar was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers had fantasized about having a player of this caliber and potential in their bullpen, it was their one weakness they needed to address. The Dodgers saw the crazy potential, and fine-tuned Brusdar as their little toy to add to the bullpen. 

 

The beginning of a legacy

2020 was the season Brusdar made a name for himself. Although the stats may not completely jump off the page, that’s not what brings him attention. What attracted all the fans towards him was the crazy things he did while pitching.

Brusdar raised his fastball 2 MPH during that offseason, and it was on display throughout the entire season. Brusdar dominated Baseball Savant’s leaderboard in 2020 for velocity, as he is in second place behind Aroldis Chapman in velocity for a sinker, and in fourth place for a four-seam fastball. 

Not only is his fastball extremely tough to hit, but they have a crazy run on them. Run is when a fastball moves from side to side. A fastball could start at the middle of the plate, but when it hits the catcher’s glove may be on the inside half of the plate to a right-handed batter, which means that the pitch ran inside. This video by Pitching Ninja shows exactly what I am talking about, watch where the pitcher releases the ball, and where it ends up on the plate. Brusdar makes a few appearances in this video if you notice. Here is another example of what Brusdar looks like with his fastballs, watch the absurd amount of depth his pitches have on them.

But no pitcher is successful without a secondary pitch, a pitch to change speeds and eye level with. Even though you may throw 102 MPH, you still need a secondary pitch to slow down the hitter and throw off their timing. For that, Brusdar throws a wicked slider off of his fastballs, as well as a changeup to add even more variety. Watch this video and watch how the fastball (up) and the slider (down) go in different directions of each other. As a hitter seeing 102, it’s extremely tough for them to recognize the pitch. To go from 102 to 88 is very tough to adjust to as a hitter.

But yet the most impressive part of it all is he does it without even trying. Just watching Jomboy Media’s video on his outing against the Astros shows how easily he releases the ball, almost as if he doesn’t try. It’s amazing to watch.

Brusdar is also an amazing personality. Every time he strikes someone out he gets fired up.Watch Graterol’s reaction after the ball is caught. He is so passionate and is such a show to watch every time he goes out to pitch.

Just speaking on how special of an athlete Graterol is quite frankly is not enough. You just have to watch and understand to realize how gifted this young kid is. Although he struggled due to injury in 2021, I predict he will have a phenomenal season once more in 2022 and will become the Dodgers regular closer for the season. Brusdar has blown up social media because of how talented and ridiculous he is. Look up Brusdar Graterol on Youtube and you will scroll for days finding videos on all of his pitching and how he is so good. This young man will light up the league, and we have yet to see all of his potential come to light.

The Sneaky best players from the 2021 MLB season (Part 2)

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The Sneaky best players from the 2021 MLB season (Part 2)

Outfield: Adam Duvall

A journeyman outfielder is an understatement. Starting with the Giants, traded to the Reds, was shipped to Atlanta, on to Miami for 1 season, and settled back with Atlanta. All through his rookie season until 2019, he was just an underperforming outfielder that didn’t start many games. He did have some success in 2015 and 2016 where he hit 30 home runs but was a very little-known player. Then 2020 came, where he hit 16 home runs in 60 games, and famously hit 3 home runs in a game, and drove in 9 runs in a 29 run Braves massacre. But then he was DFA’d and picked up by the Miami Marlins. Somehow he was re-signed in the 2021 offseason by Atlanta, and he took it personally. In the regular season, Adam Duvall hit 38 home runs and has been an absolute monster in the postseason, his biggest moment being a grand slam in game 5 of the World Series. In a lineup loaded with sluggers such as Ronald Acuna Jr, Freddie Freeman, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario, he is overshadowed by these superstars. Keep in mind he has hit the same amount of home runs as Joey Gallo and gets no credit, so we need to change that.

 

Outfielder: Eloy Jimenez


Although he has dealt with the shoulder injury during spring training, Eloy Jimenez is back better than ever. In 122 games…..he had 125 hits, 31 of them being home runs. He went on a streak where it was guaranteed he was gonna get a hit. 

 

His biggest complaint is his defensive ability, he was a very sloppy defender in 2019 and 2020, and many considered letting him DH. But in the game he returned, he made some very good plays in the field and looked very good throughout the season. He worked very hard during recovery to clean up his defense and become the starting left fielder for Chicago, and he has done just that. With his combination of extreme power, solid defense, and an amazing personality fans should love this guy. He deserves more credit for what he does. 

 

Outfielder: Juan Soto

Ah yes, the childish bambino. He is one of the top MVP candidates this season that I hear nobody talking about, put simply seems every single year he does the same thing. CRAZY OBP, with an extremely high BA. What’s terrifying is how many minor league games he’s played, which is 122. Not even a full season in the minor leagues and he’s already called up. This is his 4th season in a row where he has been an MVP candidate. Crazy good plate discipline who when swings hits the ball very hard and far. He hit 29 home runs this season and drove in 95 RBI’s on a struggling Nationals squad who traded away their 2nd best hitter in Kyle Schwarber. This kid is unbelievably good and deserves a lot more hype than he gets as of now.

 

Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz

The man continues to defy father time and continues to take into his 40s. There was an interesting fact I found in Foolish Baseball’s video about a Twins/Yankees, specifically how good Nelson Cruz is through his old age. Watch the part where he talks about Nelson Cruz, and he will say some of the same stuff I say. What impresses me the most about the Boomstick is his approach at the plate, it’s quite perfect actually. With a guy of the stature of Nelson Cruz, he could easily hit 40 home runs each year, and he does, but he doesn’t try to hit homers. His approach is something you’ll find from some old head high school hitting coach. Throw in his size and strength and hand-eye coordination, and you have a near-perfect hitter. Due to his old age, he is restricted to DH’ing, and that’s all he does. He has embraced the role and has become, quite possibly, the greatest DH of all time. Yes, I said it. Nelson Cruz does not get as much credit as he should when you think about the best DH ever. Every player has peaks and valleys, Nelson Cruz stays flat. Unbelievable hitter and people have no clue how good he is.

The sneaky best players at every position in the MLB 2021 season (PT 1)

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The sneaky best players at every position in the MLB 2021 season (PT 1)

The 2021 season introduced many new things. This was the first full season the man on second base rule in extra innings was introduced, many new uniforms were released, and many teams stepped up and defied expectations, like the San Francisco Giants winning 107 games. In this article, I wanted to talk about the 9 players this season who came from out of nowhere and had breakout seasons in 2021.

 

Pitcher: Sean Manaea

It’s only fitting that our 1st underrated player comes from one of the most underappreciated teams in the MLB, the Oakland Athletics. A very small market team that landed this kid off of a trade from the Kansas City Royals in 2015, and let me tell you this guy is good. Through the last 6 years, he has had a 3.86 ERA which is exceptional for 6 years in a row. His worst season was talking about this stud muffin who could be a #2 starter on many teams.

 

Catcher: Mike Zunino

Although he was an all-star in 2021, not enough people give him the credit he deserves. This man just casually hit 33 home runs this season and nobody noticed. He bulked up quite a bit as if you look at a picture from 2018 and a picture of him now he has gained weight and put on muscle, and it has shown. He also has improved his pitch framing as well as his pop time and has become the everyday starting catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

 

1st Baseman: Jose Abreu

 

Now, don’t come at me for being biased, this is 100% my honest opinion. Jose Abreu is the best first baseman in the AL, other than Vladimir Guerrero Jr, and the man does not get the credit he deserves. Every single year he puts out the same product; 35 homers, 100 RBI’s, a ..260-.270 BA, and he gets better every year with his defense. Remember that one time he saved the Carlos Rodon no-hitter and the Lucas Giolito no-hitter in the later 2 innings? He is only gonna keep mashing, and you all need to put some respect on his name. I hear a lot of people say he is overrated when in reality he is a top 4 first baseman in the league.

 

2nd Baseman: Jose Altuve

 

 

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, that is how in the world is Jose Altuve on this list. The name has been in some very controversial discussions over the last 2 years. He is the exact opposite of underrated, he is overrated. But I’m not taking into consideration stuff that isn’t playing time and what he has done on the field. The fact of the matter is that Jose has had a very good season this year. He hit 31 homers with a .278 BA and is starting to clean up the errors as well. People simply refuse to believe he is good after the whole sign-stealing scandal, but he is a top 3 second baseman in the league.

 

3rd Baseman: Rafael Devers

 

This kid is a stud. Crazy power off the bat, can achieve crazy high exit velocity. Just watch this home run by him this season and you’ll get that impression. Absolutely nobody puts him in their top 5 list, it’s all the same names; Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman, Josh Donaldson, and deservingly so, these are all players that are outstanding to watch. But I do feel Devers is easily a top 3 3rd baseman in the league. I mean he’s hitting 2nd on a loaded Red Sox lineup. He hit 38 bombs and drove in 113 and no one batted an eye. He is also getting better with the glove. He is solid fundamentally and has made some tricky plays. He is only going to get better and better, and I hope with that he grows more and more popular.

Shortstop: Tim Anderson

 

Tim Anderson is an absolute cheat code and it’s time you recognize him as a top 4 shortstop in the game. What is it, 3 consecutive years now where he either leads or is top 3 in batting average among all players?. It seems like every time he gets up to the plate he is bound to get a hit and he never strikes out. He won the batting crown in 2019 and finished 2nd to DJ Lemahieu in 2020. In a season where the biggest and brightest of stars were bad, Tim Anderson still stayed hot because that’s just how good he is. He has the clutch factor in him as well. Remember the Field of Dreams game? I sure do. And every year he gets better defensively. In 2019 he was very shaky, but in 2021 he has cleaned it up and has become good with the glove. Lots of people still give him crap for being cocky, the whole deal with the bat flip against the Royals (insert video). But at the end of the day when you have 3 exceptional years and have almost no slump, you can say whatever you want.

The LA Dodgers are Fighting with the Giants for first in the NL West

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The LA Dodgers are Fighting with the Giants for first in the NL West

The LA Dodgers are Fighting with the Giants for first in the NL West

 

The LA Dodgers have been fighting with the San Francisco Giants for most of the season for first in their division, the NL West. It’s been a tight race, sometimes the Giants were ahead, and sometimes the Dodgers were ahead. Right now the Giants are one game ahead of the Dodgers, but that could easily change because all it takes is the Dodgers winning a game and the Giants losing a game and then they’re tied. The Dodgers are at 97-54, and the Giants are at 98-53, they’re only a game apart from each other.

 

The standings for the division the LA Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are a part of.

No one expected the Giants to be this good this year, most people thought that the Padres would be the second best team in the NL West and the Dodgers to be the first, so the Giants have surprised everyone. They don’t have any big-name players besides their catcher Buster Posey and their third baseman that they recently picked up, Kris Bryant who they acquired from the Chicago Cubs who cleared out most of their roster to get new players next year. They have had a lot of players step up this year and have done a lot for the Giants’ team.  Injuries have held the dodgers back some this season as well as former Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer who was probably seen for the last time in the MLB in June or July because of Sexual Assault charges he’s facing. That doesn’t change the fact that San Francisco has surprised everyone this season. Current injuries include three outfielders, former MVP Cody Bellinger, Billy Mckinney, and AJ Pollock. There are also 10 injured pitchers, Danny Duffy, Garrett Cleavinger, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Nelson, Jimmy Sherfy, Scott Alexander, Caleb Ferguson, Tommy Kahnle, Edwin Rios, and one of their starting pitchers, Dustin May. The Dodgers also picked up two key pieces of their team late this season, Max Scherzer, arguably the best pitcher in the league right now with an ERA of 2.08 and .78 with the Dodgers.

 

Both teams have been really good in the past, last year the Dodgers went to the world series against the Tampa Bay Rays and won their first world series since 1988, 32 years and they made it to the world series in 2017 and 2018 as well. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series 3 times in 6 years, in 2014, 2012, and 2010, but after that their team kind of fell apart. Both the Dodgers and the Giants have clinched playoff spots with the two best records in the league. 

 

The problem some people have with two really good teams in the same division is that they could be the two best teams in the league just like this year, but one of them has to play in the wild card game where anything could happen. It’s only one game and if the better team loses they are out of the playoffs. The winner of the NL Wild Card game which will likely be either the Dodgers or the Giants will play the other team in one of the NLDS series. With around 10 games left in the season, the playoffs are closer than ever, which team will come out on top, the Dodgers or the Giants? Only time can tell for us, in around two weeks we will know who is going to be the Wild Card team and who will play the winner of that Wild Card game in a best of 5 series.

 

Links: 

 

How bad MLB umpiring was in 2021, and why robo umps are closer than you may think

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How bad MLB umpiring was in 2021, and why robo umps are closer than you may think

 The 2021 season has had it’s ups and downs, from crazy records being broken and insane comebacks in the 9th inning, to ejections and suspensions, as well as firings and trades, this season has been nothing short of crazy. One con most pointed to not just in pro baseball, but in baseball in general, is umpiring. Umpires tend to get a bad rap for being bad at their job, and from time to time every umpire will make a stupid mistake. It’s basically a stereotype for umpires, they are all blind and stupid. There are some umpires in pro ball that really emphasize this stereotype, and it seems almost every week they do something stupid. Many have argued the case for robot umpires, umpires who will never make mistakes and umpire the game perfectly. The strike zone will be 100% correct, outs on the basepaths will be 100% correct, and confusing situations will be nailed to a T. But we would never imagine robo umps if the normal umps were good. Let’s find out just how bad umpires were this year.

 

A twitter account named Umpire Scorecards came out in 2020 that showed umpire report cards every night. It shows the correct call ratio and percentage, the consistency of the calls, stuff like that. Take a look at an example of one here.

 

Laz Diaz for example had a really bad game in this Astros win in game 4 of the ALCS. He had only an 88% accuracy. Look at all of the red dots around the strike zone on the bottom left. Those are 14-15 pitches out of the zone by roughly 3 inches that got called. I understand that umpiring is a very tough job, but we can’t have this happen, especially in the playoffs.

 

Some umpires have a worse rap than others. Some notoriously bad umpires are Angel Hernandez, Joe West, Mike Estabrook and Tom Hallion. They are all experienced, old and bad umpires. They have really bad judgement and are made fun of for it. Now, I do have respect for umpires. They have a lot on their plate and have to make a lot of calls during the game. They have tough angles to look from and only seconds to make a call, and for the most part they do it well. However there are some times where it seems umpires go rogue and get one sided almost and start making really bad calls. For example, probably the most notorious call of the 2021 season was this one here . This was game 5 of the NLDS in the bottom of the 9th with the tying run on first base and Wilmer Flores down 0-2 trying to walk it off. This ended the Giants season and sent the Dodgers to the NLCS. The internet and all of the baseball community has gone wild over it. But this wasn’t the only controversial call that was made this year. There were MANY bad calls, and I won’t get into all of them because you would just stop reading this article because it would be too long. 

 

One cause of these absolutely atrocious calls is the replay system. Look at the NBA for example, they have a good replay system. The referees head straight to a monitor and check it out for themselves. They have so many high quality cameras in so many spots to give the best possible angles to look at to make the right call for themselves. However the MLB is the opposite of this. Yes, they have many high quality cameras all in different spots, but the umpires aren’t actually the ones making the call. They put on headsets and call people in a different STATE to check and review it for them, as opposed to making the call for themselves. So the umpires have to go off of what they say. That’s why you see terribly missed calls like this one on Elvis Andrus. I mean it’s a bad call against the umpire, but this play can easily be corrected and fixed. But MLB relies upon people from New York to make the call for them. That way they don’t have close up in the moment view of the play. They need to change it so that the umpires make the call and not the replay officials somewhere else. 

 

Now, there is kind of a downside to replacing umpires with robots. It will completely change the game and history of it. It ruins the old school tradition of people making decisions for the game as opposed to robots. But I do think that this change is for the better and will make the games shorter as well. People have talked about pace of play in baseball, and I think robo umps will help. No reviews of plays that take up 5 minutes, no bickering and arguing that results in ejections and suspensions. It will speed most games up by 10, maybe 20 minutes. 

 

Umpires can suck sometimes, and with new technology arriving, umpires could be soon replaced with robots. They would never make a mistake, and the players and fans would be more engaged in the game. If someone is worried about what call the umps make, it can alter your mental plan and preformance. If you go up to the plate worried about something getting called a strike, you will take pitches that are strikes and get behind. Don’t let the umpires control the game, and switching to robo umps will relieve others of that stress.

Magic in the Bay area: How the Giants emerged into the best team in the MLB from out of nowhere.

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Magic in the Bay area: How the Giants emerged into the best team in the MLB from out of nowhere.

The Giants are the 5th most valuable franchise in baseball, and they didn’t get there by chance. The loyal fans, the history of the franchise, the former hall of farmers, the magical postseason runs, the Giants have always been a big-name franchise. And this year was no exception. The Giants have earned themselves a spot in the postseason this year, and as of right now, are the best team in the National League, and possibly the entire MLB. How did they get there, what did they do to get there, and what are their goals come October time? Let’s dive in a little deeper.

 

The San Francisco Giants were born in 1883 and were known as the New York Giants. They would later become the San Francisco Giants on May 28, 1957. Through those 72 years, they had some success, winning 4 world series trophies, but they did become home for many Hall of Famers, such as Willie Mays, Christy Matthewson, and Mel Ott. The luck continued for the Giants with the move to San Francisco. They have since won 3 more world series trophies since moving to the Bay and maybe on the cusp of winning their 4th come this October. The San Francisco Giants have a lot of history, the forefront of it being the greatest hitter of all time, Barry Bonds. As you know, 756 career home runs, and a little bit of controversy on how he hit those home runs, but he, nonetheless, is the all-time leader in home runs for a career. Other notable halls of fame players include Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Tim Lincecum, and now, Buster Posey, who has had a phenomenal career and 2021 season, his stat line this year being a .300 BA, a .391 OBP, a .503 SLG, a 141 OPS+, with 17 home runs and 45 RBI. 

 

Now that you know the history of how the Giants came to be, let’s get deep into what they have accomplished this season. They have the best record of any team this year. At the time of writing this, they have earned a postseason spot and have a record of 97-53. 

The Giants had 4 all-stars this year, including breakout seasons from veterans from the world series dynasty,  those being Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. It’s very shocking knowing how they were expected to perform before this season started. Everyone anticipated them to have another lousy season, finish under .500, and just play the same quality of baseball the Giants have played the last 3 seasons since the fall of their world series dynasty from the 2000s and 2010s. But they exceeded expectations this year, and are possibly the best team in the entire league

 

There are 3 reasons why the Giants have been successful this year. First, lots of unsuspecting young players stepped up this year. One of the biggest examples of this is LaMonte Wade Jr. Wade was a below-average bench guy for the Minnesota Twins for 2 years. The Giants traded for him in the 2021 offseason, and he has made a name for himself in the Bay Area. Giants fans love him, his teammates love him, everyone loves LaMonte Wade Jr. Off of that, looking at San Francisco’s lineup, it doesn’t shock you as an overpowering team like the Dodgers or White Sox. There aren’t too many huge names that stand out. It’s really all solid role players, such as Mike Yastrzemski, Donovan Solano, Brandon Belt, Darin Ruf, and Evan Longoria, another all-star veteran who is having a breakout season. The addition of Kris Bryant before the trade deadline from the Cubs has also been very important. He has slid into this lineup extremely well and has continued to produce and be an all-star.

 

The Giant’s approach this year financially has been pretty solid. They collect decent pieces, train them up to a few good years, and then trade them all away and get 2 or 3 all-star caliber pitchers. Their ace this year, Kevin Gausman, is having a Cy Young season. Every team needs an ace, and the Giants got theirs last year. But the pieces they wanted to trade for value, have all stepped up and have formed an excellent rotation. Anthony DeSclafani, Johnny Cueto, Alex Wood, and a few fill-in players from AAA and some they acquired at the deadline, for example, Logan Webb. Webb has been bouncing around in the Giants minor league system for 6 years….and in the last 15 games has allowed 2 total runs. An absolute stud. In the bullpen, they have the breakout star Tyler Rogers, who has assumed the role of closer, and everyone else in the bullpen is good. Guys like Jake McGee, Jarlin Garcia, and Jose Alvarez have a combined ERA of 2.59 this season. f they can go all in this offseason and flip a few of those players for even better pitchers, the Giants are going to get even better.

 

The last reason I would say they are successful is culture. Every good team that really has ever won a lot, has had good culture and plays as a family. The 2020 Dodgers are a great example. That squad is so connected and bonded together, that they play together and play for each other which boosts their play. They’ll have a big fantasy football draft in the offseason, they all support each other, they go to events with each other. That squad was and still is bonded together, as are the Giants. They have a great clubhouse culture, they play for each other, and they all love each other. Especially with the history the Giants have for having notoriously toxic and rude players, they have formed a good group this year and are getting better

 

Now, it’s not just this year the Giants have been making moves. They have spent the last 4 seasons preparing for this. Ever since the most recent world series win in 2014, they recognized that the next 2 seasons would not be as successful. Every successful dynasty will eventually come to an end. If you’ve ever watched the last dance, that’s the point of the show. It’s a deep dive into the final season of the Michael Jordan Bulls, and how they fell apart the following seasons. The Giants decided that they needed to hit the reset button for the future, and build up more money and draft some prospects and young talent. They decided to part ways with a longtime member in the organization in Pablo Sandoval (he would return a few seasons later), and Mike Morse. Both players had been big in the postseason and regular season but were valuable and aging, so they needed to get rid of them. They signed Jeff Samardzija, who has been with them since. They traded to get draft picks, which ended up being some of the players they have on the current roster. And ever since then, it’s been claiming mediocre pitching pieces and freeing up cap space, and making money.

So there you have it, the underdogs of the 2021 season. From the veterans who have been there for almost 10 years, to the unsuspecting rookies who have popped off this year, to the mediocre pitching that accidentally became one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, the Giants are the #1 team in baseball as of now. Every season has that one team that comes out of nowhere and exceeds expectations. 2019 had the Washington Nationals, the 2006 St Louis Cardinals, now the San Francisco Giants. And maybe, just maybe, the Giants will too earn a ring come October time, just like those other two teams.

Top 9 Uniforms revealed in the last 2 years

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Top 9 Uniforms revealed in the last 2 years

Nowadays, the game of baseball is built around young stars. Fernando Tatis Jr, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Wander Franco, the list goes on. People often give baseball a bad rap for being a “boring sport” to watch. The game is often played at a slow, chess-like pace. All these young superstars bring passion to the game and make it exciting to watch. Many players nowadays come from different countries around the world, bringing hype and excitement all over the earth. From the diving catches to the 40 homer seasons, and the crazy slides into bases when stealing, these young kids are making a name for themselves all over the US. A common theme with young stars is they are very flashy. Some new, young uniforms that were released this year embrace that idea better than almost anything. Some uniforms embrace the culture, some have new and bright colors, and some help connects better to their respected cities. And for the most part, they all look very clean and good. Let’s get into the top 9 best uniforms that were released in the 2020- 2021 season.

Disclaimer: One thing you will notice in this list is a lot of these uniforms have baby blue in them

 

9: Pittsburgh Pirates new Alternate and Away uniforms

Another very sneaky clean uniform was released in 2020. The Pittsburgh Pirates are known for having some ridiculously bad uniforms (ESPN). These new black and gray uniforms that were released last year are very clean. They might not stand out necessarily as a flashy and sexy pick, but they are very lowkey and clean. A very subtle uniform that is all around smooth. The obvious inspiration for these jerseys was the retro 70s uniforms the Pirates used to rock. They cleaned up and redid these new uniforms, but they came out looking very good and underrated If only the Pirates could play as good as their uniforms were.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

 

8: Diamondbacks City Connect uniforms

A pretty sneaky pick here. One of the back half choices of the best city connect jerseys that came out during the 2021 season. I do like the cream-colored jersey fill, with the clean-cut black cursive text with the snake twist in there. My diamond dynasty jerseys look very similar to these, but with red pinstripes as well. The only reason I didn’t rank these higher, is that they wear white pants with them. If they were to wear them with matching cream pants, man oh man would these get more hype. These look exactly like my Diamond Dynasty jerseys, only mine has red pinstripes. Overall, these uniforms are very solid.

Overall Rating: 7/10

 

7: Chicago Cubs City Connect uniforms

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Ah yes, the Wrigleyville City Connect uniforms. I do know that these uniforms have had a lot of mixed reviews since they came out, and I am leaning towards the side of positivity. I do like these uniforms. They are a really clean mix of two of my favorite colors, baby blue, and navy blue. Many people have criticized these uniforms and say the colors should be switched, and while I can see what they are talking about, I like these uniforms the way they are. The two colors are the same color but just different shades and tones which helps the two colors balance each other, but the main reason I like these uniforms is just how simple they made them. Lots of times new jerseys have too much on them; color, designs, logos, etc. All these uniforms are a navy blue base with a baby blue and white stripe above the elbow on the sleeve, and then the baby blue sleeves and socks. A very good job at balancing out the two colors evenly so that there isn’t too much of one color, but also not too much of it. Add the hats into the mix as well, and you have a very well-balanced uniform.

Overall Rating: 7/10

 

6: San Diego Padres 2020 brown uniforms

The San Diego Padres were the most exciting team to watch in 2021 in terms of young talent and superstars. They had it all, and when their season was cut short and didn’t make the playoffs, fans of this franchise were heartbroken, heck even I was heartbroken. Before the 2020 season, the Padres announced their new Home, Away, and Alternate uniforms for the 2020 season. And again, the Padres are a franchise that is notorious for wearing really ugly uniforms (Brew Crew Ball). The Padres decided now was the time to shuffle up the uniform game and change the jerseys completely. And maybe the jerseys were good luck because, for the first time in the history of the franchise, the Padres had a very good team that made the playoffs and went pretty deep until they were stopped by the Dodgers. Regardless, we’re here for the uniforms, let’s be honest, right? These new brown and white mixed uniforms are the real deal. Inspired by a monk’s color (that is why they are called the Padres after all), these uniforms are very clean and make all of their players look good. I love the mix of yellow in there as well, to make the jerseys pop and stand out a little. Every good uniform has at least a little bit of color to make it stand out and pop, and the Padres executed that well here when they made these uniforms. I do believe that these jerseys are somewhat inspired by the 70s Padres uniforms, but let’s be honest, these look way better.

Overall Rating: 8/10

 

5: Milwaukee Brewers Navy Blue 2020 uniforms

These uniforms are the real deal. All 4 of them in their respected right look so good in their way, they all combine to make a freaking good set of uniforms the Brew Crew launched back in 2020. All of the colors match together in perfect harmony almost. The white uniform has everything a basic white home uniform should have, a clean white jersey, a secondary color, that being navy blue, and that color that makes it pop, similar to the Padres that color is yellow. There is also the pinstripe, which is the same thing but more white and just pinstripes. And of course the gray, which are the white ones replaced by gray, and they look very good. The Brewers are another National League Central team that has been notorious for not having the best uniforms ever, but these navy blue uniforms completely flip the script on that narrative, just by themselves. My personal favorites are the navy blue ones, again much similar to the Padres, but I think these are a little better. The beautiful combo of yellow and navy blue with the fancy and unique text across the chest. I think if they wore them with white pants instead they would compliment each other a little better, but I understand that they were meant for on the road

Overall Rating: 8/10

 

4: Chicago White Sox City Connect uniforms

Now, I will admit, being a White Sox fan probably doesn’t help this at all, but hear me out, these uniforms are nice. The White Sox are a team whose main colors are black, white, and gray. It seems like there are limited options for jerseys with only black and white and a little silver, but the Southside proved that method wrong. These clean black with silver pinstripe uniforms look very good. The White Sox nailed it on the head with this one. The pinstripes aren’t obvious, but you can still see them which makes it very subtle and clean. If the pinstripes are too thick or noticeable it will make the uniform look bad, but these uniforms don’t have that. I also love the kind of street biker vibe the text across the text gives off. The White Sox have the reputation as being the dirty Southsiders that are nasty, Grimey, and mean, and that’s the feeling I get just reading the font, “Southside”. And that’s why these uniforms just scream Southsiders.

Overall Rating: 8/10

 

3: Toronto Blue Jays Baby Blue uniforms

Now, THIS is what I love to see. This is basically what I’m talking about when people wanted the Wrigleyville colors swapped, and I think it looks a little better. The baby blue is exactly what baby blue should look like, mixed with the navy blue to complement it, mix in a little white and you have a really clean uniform. These are a remake from the 70s Blue Jays uniforms, and man oh man did these not only get recreated, they got upgraded as well. This is such a nice uniform the Blue Jays have recreated, and with the young squad they have, these jerseys complement them well.

Overall Rating: 8/10

 

2: Texas Rangers baby blue uniforms

These uniforms are so sexy. The perfect shade of baby blue is complimented well by the Rangers royal blue, throw in a little bit of red, and you have a dang near perfect uniform. The Rangers are in the middle of a rebuild as of now. These are very similar to my Diamond Dynasty uniforms, which are the same shade of baby blue with red sleeves and an outline of white text across the text. Again, I do like how perfect this shade of baby blue is. This is exactly what baby blue should look like. I also love the text across the text. The classic and curvy Rangers across the text in white with the red drop shadow is spot on and compliments the baby blue on the uniform. I would have to see if the uniforms would look good with baby blue pants to match, but I like these uniforms with white pants. What a uniform though.

Overall Rating: 9/10

 

1: Miami Marlins City Connect Uniforms

Ladies and gentlemen, your winner of my top 9 best uniforms, the Miami Marlins City Connect jerseys. These jerseys are perfect in every way possible. The combination of red and baby blue is probably the best combination of colors you can get, and the Marlins nailed the perfect balance of scarlet red with their little twist of baby blue that looks very clean. The super nice text across the chest in white with the baby blue border is very good. I like the font they chose. The white subtle pinstripes that are spread apart make this uniform look even better. I think if they did too many pinstripes it wouldn’t look good, and it would look too much like a traditional pinstripe uniform. This isn’t the look Miami is going for. With their young talent and stars, they are looking to put a unique spin on things, make things their way. The white pants fit well, and the baby blue socks change the tempo up instead of red dominating here. Plus the super clean baby blue hat with the red brim, and this is your king ladies and gentlemen. Miami’s lineup is spread throughout with Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican players. Jazz Chisolm, Jesus Aguilar, Sandy Alcantara, Lewin Diaz, the list goes on. These uniforms were made to embrace the Spanish culture in the clubhouse, and they do just that. With the vibrant colors relating to the Cuban flag, this uniform is perfect.

Overall Rating: 10/10

 

There you have it, my top 9 favorite uniforms revealed within the last 2 years. These young kids are taking over the game, and they bring swag and passion. One way to express swag is through clean uniforms, and soon, the uniforms will take over the MLB and bring excitement back to the game we know and love.

 

Waaaaaaay too early 2021 MLB award predictions

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Waaaaaaay too early 2021 MLB award predictions

l know that we are a full year away, and it is way too early to be taking shots on who will be the 2021 MLB Cy Young Award winner or the MVP award. But yet, I´m going for it. These are my 2021 Award predictions.

 

2021 American League Rookie Of The Year

Wander Franco

This decision was a pretty easy one to make. Wander is the #1 Prospect in the MLB right now. He is a 5 tool player who hits for contact. Ultra talented, the Rays have been so excited to call him up when he is ready. And just by watching him play, you can tell he is a special talent

Honourable Mentions: Jasson Dominguez, Adley Rutschman

 

2021 National League Rookie of the Year

Mackenzie Gore

If you haven´t heard about this kid, you need to get to know him. Mackenzie is an ultra-talented pitching prospect in the Padres organization. He is ranked #3 in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list. Yes, as if the Padres didn´t already have an ultra-talented lineup of young talent, they will add Mackenzie here next year most likely. 

 

Gore throws a hard fastball, a 12-6 curveball, a wipeout slider, and an excellent changeup. A pretty typical repertoire, but the way he throws them makes those 4 nearly untouchable. 

 

This kid has a very bright future ahead of him, and in an organization built like the Padres, who feast of young talent, he very well may live out a great MLB career.

 

Honourable Mentions: Joey Bart, Dylan Carlson

 

2021 American League Cy Young Award

Gerrit Cole

This one was tough. One of the big names in that discussion would be Justin Verlander, but he most likely will not pitch until 2022, if he doesn’t retire by then. Verlander underwent Tommy John surgery on October 1st, 2020. But that has a silver lining. His ex-teammate and the guy who finished 2nd in the 2019 Cy Young behind Justin, is Gerrit Cole. He is my pick to win the Cy Young next year. 

 

“What are you thinking?! He has no chance to win it”, you might think. That’s where you are wrong. Over the past 3 seasons, he has dominated the league. In the past 3 seasons, he has an ERA of 2.74 and a WHIP of 0.962. That’s insanely good. 

 

The man throws an average fastball velocity of 97.1 MPH. And trust me, he can throw even harder than that. Not to mention, have you seen this guy’s slider? It moves like a wiffle ball. It’s filthy. It starts on the outside corner and runs into your elbow. And he throws it so hard, it looks like a fastball, the runs and nearly hits you. 

 

Also, Yankees park is sort of a factor. When MLB players make solid contact with Cole’s fastball, it usually goes into left center field. To left center in Yankees Stadium is 399 feet. That is a long way to travel to get out, and with a center fielder like Aaron Hicks or Aaron Judge, they can cover a lot of ground to get to deep fly balls, thus resulting in lest extra-base hits, which usually result in runs. I believe Cole will have an absolute monster season next year with the Yankees, that will make his last 3 seasons look average. Maybe the season will help them do excellent in the regular season and even the postseason. Usually, Cole hangs in Verlander’s shadow, but with Verlander injured this season, it is time to step out and win his first award. 

 

Honourable Mentions: Shane Bieber, Hyun Jin-Ryu, Luis Severino, Blake Snell

 

2021 National League Cy Young Award

Jack Flaherty

Jack Flaherty is my pick to take the National League Cy Young Award. Although he didn’t have the best 2020 season, neither did a lot of superstars, such as Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Yoan Moncada, Cody Bellinger, the list goes on forever. But we saw that he was the best pitcher in the 2nd half of the 2019 season. He can definitely do it, especially in 2021. He can definitely make the adjustment back to the 162 game season. He has so much potential and great stuff, that will make him a great ace for many pitching staffs. And he is my pick to win the 2021 NL Cy Young Award.

 

Honourable Mentions: Jacob Degrom, Walker Beuhler, Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer

 

2021 National League MVP

Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman is so good. I love watching Freddie Freeman play. The way he can hit ine drives out of the stadium to left-center field, the picks and digs he makes at 1st base, makes him a legitimate threat. 

 

I’m calling a reapeat, he won the 2020 MVP, and he’s going to win the 2021 MVP. He’s gonna be around for a little while, and I imagine he will be with the Braves his whole career. He loves the Braves, the Braves love him. He’s going to contribute very highly for a while, and when he gets old, maybe they will use him as a DH. 

 

He is the next Albert Pujols, and if he keeps it up, there is a chance he ends up better than Albert Pujols, and the best 1st baseman of all time. Freddie Freeman has my pick.

 

Honourable Mentions: Ronald Acuna Jr, Mookie Betts, Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto

 

2021 American League MVP

Mike Trout

Getting sick of this name? I sure am not. The Millville Meteor is seeking his 4th MVP, and I think he´s gonna get it. 

 

 Mike Trout is easily the greatest player of all time. Crazy power, amazing speed, incredible athleticism, and terrific defense. He is the closest thing to perfect we have ever seen. 

 

Better than Barry Bonds, better than Babe Ruth, better than everyone. He has produced every year he has been in the league at an extremely high level, and he wil continue to produce for the rest of his career. 

 

It is most likely that he stays in Los Angeles, as he signed an absolute monster deal, the biggest contract of all time, being 11 years for $426 million dollars. That is an absurd amount of money. But when you are Mike Trout, you can get that kind of money. 

 

You also have to remember, he is only 29. Fun fact: do you know that me and Mike Trout actually share a birthday? August 7th. Anyways, Mike has a chance for 20 more years in the show, and he will produce for all 10 of those years, if not more. It is the same answer as always for AL MVP, and it continues in ´21. The answer is Mike Trout.

 

Honourable Mentions: Jose Abreu, George Springer, Randy Arozerena

 

There you have it, my 2021 award winners. I know that there is a chance that none of them win the award. There is also a chance that I look like a genius because all of them win an award. We will not know until next year.

Biggest dissapointments in the 2020 MLB season

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Biggest dissapointments in the 2020 MLB season

2020 was one heck of a season. I don’t think this will be a season we will ever forget. It was..strange, unorthodox, unusual. COVID-19 changed the entire season and changed some player’s styles. There were a few surprises in the 2020 season, one of those being how some superstars had a bad year. Today, we will go over the top 5 players who had horrific seasons this year.

First, let’s name some honourable mentions

Cody Bellinger, Yoan Moncada, Nolan Arenado, Marcus Semien, Joc Pederson, Austin Meadows, Shohei Ohtani, Alex Bregman

All of those players were pretty disappointing in this weird 2020 season. But they weren’t the worst. Let’s dive into the top 5.

5: JD Martinez

You know a season was really weird when JD Martinez had a down year. For, his whole career, JD Martinez has been historically good. Even with the Astros, and even the Diamondbacks, when he wasn’t noticed, JD was very good. Before his career blossomed with the Red Sox, in between 2011-2017, JD hit 152 home runs, drove in 476 RBIs, and hit .285. That was before he got really good. 

In 2018 and 2019, where he was arguably the best DH, JD hit 79 home runs, picked up 235 RBI’s, and hit .317. Think about it. He hit half as many home runs in 2 years then he did in 7 years, not on the Red Sox. 

That’s why I was so disappointed to see JD Martinez 2020 stats. He just looked like he wasn’t in it this year, His discipline at the plate went waaaaaaay down. His strikeout numbers went waaaaaaay up. Honestly, the entire Red Sox team didn’t look like they wanted to win. It didn’t help that their manager got busted for cheating, and then got fired. Rick Roenicke wanted the Red Sox to tank this year. In 2021 Alex Cora will be making a return appearance. Maybe he will return to peak JD Martinez mode with Alex Cora at the helm. Who knows. The point is, JD Martinez, sucked this year. Bad. That’s why he is on this list.

4: Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve was an absolute monstrosity this year. He could not hit the ball to save his life, more specifically breaking balls. The swing and miss percentage on breaking pitches this year was sky-high. You can find a lot of evidence, whether it is stats, or just watching him play, to make the statement that he was arguably the most disappointing player of 2020. Watch this video (credit to Baseball Doesn’t Exist for the video) to see the lowlights of Jose Altuve’s disappointing 2020 season. You can learn the context of the past 3 seasons for Jose, and what makes him so hated and why he was horrendous this year.

On offense, this guy was hitting with a pool noodle up there. Every time he got thrown a curveball or slider, you could guarantee that he would strike out. He hit for almost now power, no consistency, on a team that relies on their biggest stars to hit extremely well. Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, and the departing George Springer. All of them except for Brantley were not that good this year. Especially Jose Altuve. There is a chance that because of the struggles of Jose, it may influence where George Springer signs. 

And on defense, he was the worst defensive 2nd baseman in all of baseball. His defensive stats are off the charts bad. As I was pulling up the defensive stats for Jose Altuve, the page malfunctioned and turned my computer off. I guess the stats were so bad that even the website didn’t want me to see them! Makes sense I guess. Not only was he bad in the regular season, but it also haunted him into the postseason vs the Rays, who would go on to the World Series, only to lose to the Dodgers. Remember in the ALCS, when he committed two throwing errors, one of which continued the inning, and the next batter hit a go-ahead home run. Check out the video Jomboy Media made about it.

It’s really hard for me to lean on the fact that he was so bad because he was never good in the first place. Of course, we all know Cody Bellinger on the Astros Cheating Scandal, he said that Altuve stole an MVP from Aaron Judge in 2017. Judge had a monster season, hitting 52 home runs as a rookie, which at the time was the record. But before the 3 years that the Astros cheated, which was 2011-2016, Jose was not all that hot. Then came the next 3 years the Astros cheated, and he was extremely good, and won the MVP in the process. Then they got busted and exposed. 2020 came, and without the trash can banging, Jose was brutal. I don’t want to believe that is why he is struggling, but let’s be honest, why else would he? It also was a really weird season, where a lot of superstars struggled, and maybe it was just a coincidence that it was after the season the Astros were exposed for cheating. Who knows? What we do know is that Jose Altuve was horrible this season.

3: Christian Yelich

The former MVP was atrocious this season. Following his 2019 season where he was an All-Star, winning a Silver Slugger award and finishing 2nd in the MVP race to Cody Bellinger, Yelich barely hit above .200 in 2020. He was horrendous. I was expecting him to have another spectacular season, hitting around .300, 20 home runs, and playing solid defense.

Yelich got some payroll this season, when he signed a $215 million extension with the Milwuakee Brewers. And he deserved it. After winning back to back Silver Slugger awards and winning an MVP in 2018 and almost another one in 2019, Yelich was on a path to possibly be one of the best outfielders of the generation. All of us were so let down by Yelich this year. 

Some people went as far as calling him the Least Valuable Player. Popular social media influencer GiraffeNeckMarc made an entire video on how Yelich was the worst player of 2020. The irony is how he made a video in 2019 on how Yelich was the best player in the league. And here we are now. It is sad to see someone like Yelich struggle so much, someone who is such a good person, and such an incredibly talented player. All we can do now, is look to the next season.

2: Javier Baez

Man oh man, was El Mago a disaster this season. So dissapointng. From being an All Star in 2019, winning a Gold Glove a few years back, the 2020 MLB The Show cover athlete, Javier Baez has looked all but that. With the bat, he was useless, a dead spot in the lineup. He hit .208 with 8 home runs and drove in 24 home runs. The counting stats aren’t horrible, but .208? Really? For being the guy who is arguably the best shortstop in the National League, he plummeted down to maybe the worst shortstop in the league.

Don’t even get me started about defense. It seemed like every single Cubs game I watched this year, Javy made an error. He was brutal with the leather this year, so bad. He was super hesitant to make the throw, never got to the ball quick, and his throwing was HORIBBLE. Seemed like Rizzo at 1st base had to pick or stretch almost every throw he made. Even on the ones that weren’t errors thrown to the wall, if the Cubs didn’t have Anthony Rizzo at 1st base, I guaruntee you Javier would have had twice if not 3 times as many errors. I hope he regains himself in 2021, because he is so exciting and fun to watch when he is right. But man, was he a bummer this season.

1: Kris Bryant

Oh boy, Kris Bryant was a mess this year. He barely could hit anything. My 7 year old brother has hit more home runs in tee ball than Kris Bryant hit this year. We all know about Bryant’s history. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2015, and then won the MVP in 2016, and he is a 3 time all star. But man, did he stink it up in 2020. Check out Kris Bryant’s stats here. He posted a 0.3 WAR. That means he was barely worth even putting in the lineup. Lots of players on the Cubs had down seasons this year, and Kris Bryant is near the top of that list. Yes, he hit a grand slam vs the White Sox. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. The Cubs lost that game, and that was only 1 of 4 home runs Kris hit this season, and only 4 of 11 RBI’s he drove in.

It has gotten so bad, that the Cubs are looking to potentially trade him. The biggest, most likeliest trade is between the Cubs and the Nationals, both teams have won World Series trophies in this decade. The deal may make you laugh, but the Nats are interested in trading Starlin Castro straight up for Kris Bryant. That’s it. The White Sox may also be interested in trading for him. “But why would they trade Kris Bryant, when they already have Yoan Moncada at 3rd base”, you may ask. Well, Kris Bryant can also play left and right field. And with the season Nomar Mazara had last year, and with the track record of Kris Bryant, it seems that if they landed him, Nomar would probably ride the bench most of the season. Even if the Cubs do not trade him, they may non-tender him, which means any team can pick him up in free agency. The chances of Kris leaving the Cubs, is fairly high, whether it is this season or next. 

Anyways, Kris was horrendous this year, and has left the Cubs scratching their head at what to do with him.

 

There you have it, my list for the biggest disappointments of the 2020 MLB season. From being MVP’s to the bottom of the shelf, these players really demonstrated what it looks like to go from the cream of the crop, to the dog poop that gets stuck on your shoe when you walk outside. I do feel bad for them, and maybe they bounce back in 2021.

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