So Close But So Far

     C'mon guys, y'all were so close!

    Yesterday the Tigers and Pirates played in a doubleheader, due to Wednesday's game being postponed. Wednesday was Skubal's turn in the rotation, and Thursday Skenes'. 

    As a baseball fan, I would have been very excited to see the two toe the rubber against one another, mano e mano. But of course, this didn't happen.

    It's to be expected since neither team wouldn't want to chance losing the game their ace is starting; and they didn't. The Tigers won game one with Skubal on the mound, the Pirates game two with Skenes. Though it makes for less exciting television, I suppose it was the logical answer, even if it feels lame from a fan's perspective.

    The annoying thing is that since the series was of the interleague variety, the teams won't play each other for a while now, and we were seriously this close to seeing the two best MLB pitchers facing each other at their best. I guess people need to live with disappointments 😂

    That's all I got for today's post. I'll be back next time with some LCS grabs. Thanks for checking out the blog, remember to have a great rest of the week, and happy collecting!

My Very Brief Commentaries on the MVP, ROY, and CYA

     The 2024 baseball season was filled with some extreme talent. There were two triple-crown winners among pitchers, and we had some rookies carrying their teams. All in all, the awards I'm giving my opinions on today should have been:

1) Fairly obvious choices

2) Well-deserved

The Rookie of the Year awards were announced on November 18th.
The Cy Young awards were announced on November 20th.
And the MVP awards were announced today.
I don't really care too much about the Manager of the Year awards.

NL Rookie of the Year:

Winner: Paul Skenes
My Choice: Jackson Merrill
Correct Choice: Either Skenes or Merrill

    I would have loved to see Jackson Merrill win the Rookie of the Year award. He not only was the most clutch hitter in MLB, but played stellar defense in center and took his team to the playoffs. However, it's hard to beat a flamethrower who posted an 11-3 record and 1.96 ERA. I think it could have gone either way, but of course, I'm a little bit biased :)
    What do y'all think? Who should have taken this one?

I don't have a Paul Skenes card :(

AL Rookie of the Year:

Winner: Luis Gil
My Choice: Mason Miller
Correct Choice: Mason Miller

    Mason Miller wasn't even a finalist for the Rookie of the Year. I feel they kind of jipped. He throws 104, threw to a 2.49 ERA, and collected 28 saves. His opposing slash line was .160/.233/.262, so he was near impossible to hit. Don't get me wrong, Luis Gil was solid (15-7, 3.50, 171 K), but he was inconsistent. At times he was lights-out, and at other times he looked horrible. I really think this one should have been Miller.

I don't have any Luis Gil cards either

NL Cy Young Award:

Winner: Chris Sale
My Choice: Chris Sale
Correct Choice: Chris Sale

    This one isn't very hard. Sale won the triple crown (18 wins, 2.38 ERA, 225 K). Though we have two dominant starters as the other two finalists in Zack Wheeler and Paul Skenes, you can't beat a triple crown. 

I do have Sale, but not with the Braves...

AL Cy Young Award:

Winner: Tarik Skubal
My Choice: Tarik Skubal
Correct Choice: Tarik Skubal

    I think this one was even easier. Tarik Skubal was likely the best pitcher in MLB this year, and like Sale, won a triple crown too (18 wins, 2.39 ERA, 228 K). And it was his 28th birthday yesterday when the award was announced, which makes for a nice gift. Emmanuel Clase was a finalist, which is kinda cool since he's a closer. Clase had an 0.61 ERA and 46 saves, so it's well-deserved. Seth Lugo is the other finalist, finishing as the second place man -- he was the only finalist with an ERA of 3.00.

This is my favorite card of Ubals that I own

NL MVP Award:

Winner: Shohei Ohtani
My Choice: Shohei Ohtani
Correct Choice: You guessed it, Shohei Ohtani

    I'm not gonna lie: I'm not the biggest Shohei fan. But come on, he had a 50-50 season. Even as a DH, with an offensive season that good (and his popularity), he can't lose. The other finalists were middle infielders in Ketel Marte and Francisco Lindor. They were both elite; but beating 54 homers and 59 steals is near impossible.

Bomb Squad seems right for the year Shohei had

AL MVP Award:

Winner: Aaron Judge
My Choice: Bobby Witt Jr.
Correct Choice: >sighs< Aaron Judge

    Bobby Witt played outstanding defense and was an incredible hitter (he won the batting title you know) from a harder position than Aaron Judge. But Aaron Judge did Aaron Judge things, belting 58 homers and batting .322. Not to mention his 144 RBI, 122 Runs, and OPS of 1.159. I think he'll be the next guy to win a triple crown for batting. They got it right, though I wanted Witt.

I don't know, I just like the picture on the card

Also, I gave my Stars of MLB Judge as part of a birthday gift

    

    There we go. I think for the most part, the BBWAA got the awards right. I would not have complained had Jackson Merrill won ROY or Bobby Witt MVP, but the winners were deserving of the award. What do y'all think? Did they get the awards right? What would y'all have done differently? 

    Well, thanks for reading, congrats to the winners of the awards, and happy collecting! Enjoy the rest of you week!

    I know that I said I didn't care about the Manager of the Year award. However, I would like to point out that Mark Kotsay made the leaderboard. The A's manager had a record of 69-93 -- he didn't get a vote for his record. I bet he got a vote for the way he dealt with his team leaving Oakland. Kotsay couldn't control the situation, but dealt with it the best he could. His speech on that last home game was great, and I think the fans appreciated it. I can commend that vote, even though he didn't win 100 games. 

Here We Go.......Wait, Not Until Tomorrow - And thanks a lot Diamondbacks!

     Well, we have a doubleheader today between the Braves and the Mets, and so I cannot make my yearly playoff predictions for the National League yet. If the Diamondbacks had just lost to the Padres instead of smoking them, then we would be set. Now, a split in the doubleheader would eliminate the D-Backs, and a sweep would kick the team on the losing end. So, I guess these games are kinda big. C'mon guys, please split. 

    Since I cannot yet make my yearly playoff predictions for the NL, I think I'd better go ahead and do it for the American League. After all, the playoffs start tomorrow, and I'm gonna need to publish my NL predictions before the games start. 

    Before I start off on the journey of playoff guessing (which I'm historically bad at), I'd like to recap the seasons of, and speak to some of my favorite players, you know, for sentimental reasons. I'll go with just five.

    

    Jackson Merrill: Merrill finished the regular season going 1-for-2 with a walk (wait, he walked?) as the Padres got smoked to the Diamondbacks and Brandon Pfaadt. He finished the year with a slash of .292/.326/.500 and 24 homers and 90 RBI to go along with solid defense all year in center. Please win the rookie of the year Merrill! Please, I beg of you!

    Tarik Skubal: I guess I've already been over this. 18-4, 2.39, AL triple crown among pitchers. This is such a great year for you Skubal. I love that. Now I must beg a question from the readers: Skubal or Skenes? Who's better (this year)?

    Evan Carter: Maybe we skip this one? Poor Evan, playing through a back injury, batting a buck 88. Please rebound next year, I ask you. At least the GM knows he will. I still believe in you, and I'd better - you're my favorite guy (aside from Buster Posey).

    Nico Hoerner: Way to come back man!  Through June the batting average was at .248, and through July it was .252. But you never quit. Nico ends up batting .273, and getting that OPS over .700, all while playing stellar defense at second base. Good job kid.

    Zack Gelof: I guess the good has to come with the bad. Zack, what happened man? You went from .267/..337/.504 in 2023 to .211/.270/.362 this year. I know you got it in you, and though you'll be missing your fans in 2025 (don't you start crying too), I know you'll rebound. 

    Before, I get down to business, I would like to mention that if Chris Sale either doesn't start today, or starts and doesn't throw a stinker, he will also win a pitcher's triple crown. Amazing that I got both he and Skubal in one of my fantasy leagues (14th and 7th rounds, respectively).

    And now, I can stall no longer. It is time for my American League Playoff Predictions! 

    This is what the seeding looks like for the AL.

    1: New York Yankees
`   2: Cleveland Indians (or Guardians, but I only ever call them the Indians)
    3: Houston Astros
    4: Baltimore Orioles
    5: Kansas City Royals
    6: Detroit Tigers

    Thanks to that loss against the White Sox yesterday, the Tigers fell below the Royals in the standings and need to square off against the Astros - not that the Orioles is much better. 

    The Yankees and Indians will be getting the two byes, so it looks like our first matches will be

    Astros vs. Tigers

    and

    Orioles vs. Royals

    Let's break this down really quick. These Wildcard Series are of the three-game variety, so a team would need to win two games in order to move on. 

    

    

    I'll start with the 3 against 6 matchup: Astros against Tigers.
    Now, unfortunately, the Astros get home advantage, but we already knew that. Houston has a far superior offense than that of Detroit, but the Tigers have the better pitching staff. I think that they will be able to keep Houston's offense in check if their pitching set-up works. 
    The Tigers typically (with the exceptions of Tarik Skubal and sometimes Reese Olson) start their games with an opener (one of their relievers), and then move on to one of their starters, whether that be Keider Montero, Casey Mize, Reese Olson or Kenta Maeda. The starter pitches anywhere from 3-5 innings, and then the solid late innings crew comes in for the finish. This strategy is a big part of why the team's pitching is so good.
    I would hate to see the Tigers eliminated, and quite frankly have no idea who has the edge in this one, so I guess I'll go with the team from Detroit  (please don't think I'm trying to be biased). They've been really hot, though coming off a series loss to the White Sox sure doesn't feel good I'm sure. But I'm hoping (and thinking) that their momentum can power them past the team from Houston.

    Now for the second set in the AL Wild Card Series: Orioles vs. Royals
    Again, I have a team I'm rooting for in this one, and that would be the Royals. They have a solid team all-around, sixth-best in the league in ERA at 3.76. The Orioles' sits at 3.94. The Royals have a good offense that strikes out the least in the American League, but the Orioles' bats are just better. Baltimore has a .250 batting average (third in the league), .315 OBP (4th), and .435 slugging percentage (1st) with 235 homers (2nd). And with the return of Jordan Westburg, the team has another powerful bat back in their lineup. I'm really unsure that the Royals will be able to keep up with them, therefore I have to go with the Orioles.

    Now we move on to the ALCS, a five-game series. As of my predictions, we have the following matchups:

    1: Yankees vs. Orioles 4

    2: Indians vs. Tigers 6

    

    I think I'll start with the Yankees/Orioles matchup.

    Wow this is a juicy one. The Yankees are the only AL team with more homers than the Orioles, but only two more. Obviously they have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who pack a heck of a punch, and the pitching staff has been very good too (3.74 ERA). I actually didn't know just how good the pitching of the Yankees is. 

    I've already been over the deal with the Orioles. They seem just slightly outmatched by the Brooklyn Bombers. They definitely have more depth offensively (and I would say from a pitching perspective), but the top four of the Yankees is straight-up overpowering, and Gerrit Cole is back to his old Cy Young self. So I think it's definitely going to be a good series, one definitely worth watching, but my money's on the Yanks.

    Moving on to the 3-6 matchup: Indians and Tigers
    Look, I'm trying to be unbiased, but I really think the Tigers have a very good shot at this series. The teams had the same ERAs across the regular season at 3.61. The offenses seem similar, but Cleveland's a bit better. I think the Tigers need to rely on how good they've been the last month and a half. It seems highly unrealistic that the team could pull off two upsets, but I think I have to go with them. 

    Now for the seven-game ALCS. I have it as Yankees vs. Tigers.
    I've been through both teams already, so let me just say it: I love the Tigers, think they have a team with the potential to go all the way, especially in the near future, but the Yankees would be far and away the best team they're facing in the American League. I can't give it to the Tigers this time. I'm sorry.

    That'll do it for my American League Playoff Predictions. Watch me get all of them wrong. 

    Let me know what you think of them and what I did right and wrong. I can tell you right now, I think I'm putting too much faith in Detroit, but we'll just have to see. Please come back tomorrow for my National League predictions. Don't worry, the post should be much shorter.

    Y'al have an amazing week, and good luck to the teams you're all rooting for in this Postseason. Happy collecting!

Player of the Week 5 (and some playoff predictions)

     Alright, the season has two games left (or three if you're the Braves or Mets), and some interesting things have definitely happened this week, as you would suppose with the playoffs right around the corner. Let's see...

    I've already gone over the A's move to Vegas and the final game in the Coliseum (just check out my last post). Aaron Judge is doing Aaron Judge things, and the Padres turned a triple play to clinch a spot in the postseason. Any better way to do it? Didn't think so.

    Speaking of the postseason........the Royals made it in. With yesterday's loss to the Orioles, the Twins are officially kicked out of playoff contention. 

    Also, my boys the Tigers broke in too! They have been quite literally insane as of late, and took the month by storm. With nine games to play going back to the 20th, the team had three three-game sets, against the Orioles, Rays and White Sox. Well, they won the series against the O's, 2-1, and swept the Rays, as I correctly predicted. Just yesterday they took the game against the Sox 4-1, and with two games to go, it's just up to them to stay ahead of the Royals, who lost to Atlanta yesterday.

    Seeing as how the Tigers are my favorite postseason squad right now, I think I know who my final Player of the Week is, and that man is.....

    Skubal started the first game of the Rays series, and possibly threw the best game of his life. Ubals, as I call him, fired 7 scoreless frames, giving up two hits and a walk with seven punchouts. This stellar outing gave the ace his 18th win of the year and dropped his ERA to an incredible 2.39. Skubal has been carrying the team since minute one, and I can't wait to see him make his first-ever playoff appearance. I don't think there's much of a contest for the AL Cy Young award either.

    Now, as for playoff predictions, I can't really make a ton since the seeding isn't complete yet. I may just predict a Padres World Series appearance though. I love what they bring to the table in terms of offense, starting pitching and bullpen. I feel the same way with the Brewers. 

    

    Now, as for the AL, I would love to see a Tigers or Royals World Series run. I doubt it's super realistic, but with the way the Tigers have performed, it's definitely a possibility. If I had to make a real prediction though, I'm afraid I'd need to go with the Bronx Bombers. Their offense has just been too good.

    I'll definitely come out with some more in-depth playoff predictions once the seedings are set, but that'll have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday most likely. As for now, y'all have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

Do We Have a Tigers October?

     Man, would I love to see the Tigers in the postseason this year. The last time the team made it to the playoffs was in 2014, when they got swept by the Orioles in the ALDS. With the young talent and potential that the team has to offer, I can see a playoff appearance this year, and more in the near future with the development of players like Parker Meadows, Jace Jung and Colt Keith.

    I've grown to really like the team, and perhaps the reason for this is because two of my favorite players are performing well for them; Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene. Seeing them perform up to their potential is great, and when a team's two best players do well, the team as a whole usually does (unless it's the Rangers this year >sobs<). 

    As of right now, the team sits at an 80-73 record, which is tied for the last American League postseason spot. They are starting a three game set with the Orioles this evening, followed by a six game homestand with the Rays and White Sox. I like it, I like it. 

    Meanwhile the Twins, who are tied with Detroit for that last spot, have a three game set at the Red Sox, followed by a homestand that features three game sets against the Marlins and Orioles. It's going to be close, that's for sure.

    The team plays as if a loss deals them certain death. And they haven't been losing! In their last 40 games, the Tigers have won 27, and the offense has performed well in that time, and the pitching staff even better.

    But, as far as offense goes as a whole, the team is not too good. They have a collective slash line of .235/.299/.387, all of which are tenth in the league or worse (OBP is second-last). They have a few really good hitters in the mix, but if they want a realistic shot at the championship, they'll need to up the offensive numbers. 

    Now, taking a brief look at the Tigers starting rotation is interesting. Unfortunately, they traded away Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Flaherty had a 2.95 ERA in 106 2/3 inning with the team before he moved to the Dodgers. They got Trey Sweeney out of the deal, who is currently playing for the team in the Majors, and a minor league catcher named Thayron Liranzo. 

    Even with the loss of Flaherty, the team has a 3.62 ERA, which is second in the AL only to the 3.51 mark of the Mariners. Besides their ace, the Detroit rotation really isn't that intimidating. They have Reese Olson and Casey Mize, who are both good, but won't be winning most games like Skubal has.

    The bullpen for the Tigers has been very good this season for the most part. Tyler Holton and Jason Foley both have ERAs below 3.00, and Will Vest is at a 3.02 mark. Beau Brieske and Shelby Miller have been able to pitch in high-leverage spots for the team, which seems to be going well. The pen has been lights-out as of late, which is certainly why they've been winning so many games.

    Anyway, that's my brief analysis of the Tigers. And looking at it, I'm less sure that they'll be able to do much by the time the postseason comes around. But that won't stop me from rooting for them.

   These last nine games are going to be huge, and I am definitely hoping that they break in to the postseason. I'm rooting for a Tigers/Royals ALCS, which may be too much to ask for. Only time can tell I guess. Let's go Tigers!

    On a side note, my second to last Player of the Week post will be coming out sometime tomorrow. I've got some stuff going on in the morning baseball-wise, but will get that post out there when I can. As for y'all have a great day and happy collecting!

    Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight. 

What to Look Forward To

     Well, to put it bluntly, the All-Star Break begins tomorrow. The actual All-Star Game is to be played on July 16th, at Globe Life Field, home of the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers.

    While my campaign failed to bear much fruit since Jose Altuve won the starting second base role for the AL All-Stars, Marcus Semien will be starting the game anyway. It appears that Altuve will miss the game while nursing a sore hand.

    While both of the All-Star teams look really good this year (with the exceptions of a few positions), there are a few players that I am dissapointed are left out.

    I'm gonna ignore the fact that Brenton Doyle has been one of the best hitters on one of my fantasy teams since I picked him up on waivers, and head straight to the stats. Doyle is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases across his 92 games this season, and is playing beyond stellar defense in center field. Why he's not an All-Star, I don't think I'll ever know.

    Trevor Megill (with the Brewers) has been ridiculously good as closer in place of the injured Devin Williams. Megill has pitched to a 2.05 ERA in his 32 appearances. He has also acquired 18 saves, 10.9 K/9, and only 2.1 BB/9. I honestly haven't the slightest idea why he's not an All-Star.

    Justin Steele has been absolutely electric across his 14 starts this season. In his 86 1/3 innings pitched, Steele has a 2.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 5.2% walk rate. However, his record stands at only 2-3 on the season, quite possibly the reason he's not in.

    I regret to inform all Cardinals fans that Tyler O'Neill is no longer on the team. He has, however, been raking with the Red Sox, batting .252 with 16 homers in only 68 games. Sure, the AL has a lot of good outfielders on their side. That's a definite fact. However, I would think there should be room for O'Neill on the team.

    Of course I mention Corey Seager. This is because he's batting .270 with 18 home runs in his 82 games this first half. He has also been very good in the field. And with the actual game being played in his home field, I would've thought he'd get more support.

    Though he struggled mightily his first two seasons in the Bigs (.191 batting average), Josh Smith has excelled this season in place of Josh Smith (who has a fractured wrist), batting at a nice .293 mark and reaching base at a wonderful .394 mark. He's also mashed 19 doubles and 10 home runs, while fielding like a Gold Glover at third base.

    I know that there are more snubs out there, but I'll stop with these six. I suppose it's possible that these players could get in as replacements, but I would highly doubt it by now, since the last games before the break have just finished up.

    Now then, my second order of business. Starting for the National League in the All-Star Game is the hot rookie prospect Paul Skenes. 

    Skenes has been amazing in his 11 major league starts. The Pirate has a 6-0 record and 1.90 ERA, while striking out 12.1 batters per nine innings and walking only 1.8. While 11 starts isn't a lot, the young Skenes has really earned the role as starter.

    The American League has yet to choose their starter, although I can imagine that Tarik Skubal will get the ball, with his 10-3 record, league-leading 2.41 ERA, and 10.9 K/9. He is also leading the league in Winning Percentage (.769) and WHIP (.088).

    This season proves to have an interesting All-Star Game, and I will definitely make sure to see it. Please tell me in the comments which talents you think were left out of the Midsummer Classic, and I hope y'all can get a chance to catch some of the game. As always, thanks for reading, happy collecting, and have an amazing start to your week!

It's Friday and You Know What That Means...

     I don't even know what that means. It just feels like a day for card-blogging, doesn't it? Well, why don't we take a look at some cards, 'cause that's kind of the line of work I'm currently in...

    I think I'll go through all my binders from 2021-2024, showing off my best/favorite cards from said binders every Friday until I either don't feel like doing it anymore or finish them, whichever comes first. I may also sprinkle some trade bait in these posts here and there. Well, let's get started. Nonsense is boring, cards are exciting.

    2021 was the 70th anniversary of Topps, so all of the cards say something about it; all of them. Unfortunately, I 'm not even close to owning the 2021 Topps complete set, but I'm not really a set collector. I just like to grab cards from the current season until it's done with. Then we move on to the next year. Here are the five of my 2021 Topps cards being featured this fine (and wet) morning:

    Most of these cards have been given to me as gifts for various occasions; whether a birthday or Christmas. This card jumped out at me as soon as it was revealed from a pack because Stephen Strasburg was one of my favorite and best-known players at the time, and the card is nice and suave. As I've noticed was the trend with the 70th anniversary of Topps, this card is reminiscent of a past year, 2005.

    I suppose this card is supposed to be reminiscent of the '52 Topps set, but because the oldest Topps card I own is from 1968 (I'm ashamed of this fact), I wouldn't have known that without the help of the internet. Casey Mize was the first overall pick in the 2018 draft with the Tigers and has been....decent throughout his career, which has been injury plagued. He's been healthy so far all of this season and has a 3.50 ERA. At only 27, hopefully he'll be good for a while.

    I didn't notice this until looking at the card for the post, but my gold German Marquez is numbered  287/2021. I guess it's no big deal, not like that 2019 Topps Holiday Green Luis Robert numbered to 99 that I traded for 2016 Topps Ben Zobrist (the regret hurts me to this day).

    This card is supposed to be reminiscent of 1965 Topps, which I actually did know. Jesus Luzardo has been an interesting pitcher across his career. Is fickle a good word to use? Today he'll be starting at home against the Mets, so good luck to him. Anyway, along with Luzardo I also have the Casey Mize from this set, but he's already been shown.

    When I first saw this card in my pack, I thought 'Tarik Skubal? Well that's a funny name.' I didn't realize that I had the rookie card of someone who was to become one of my favorite players. And, like quite a few 2021 Topps sets, this card is trying to look like 1981 Topps. Not really my favorite design, but whatever. It's one of my favorite cards anyway. I think I still probably pronounce Skubal's name wrong to this day.

    It's now that I realize that my binders are organized by position, so all five of these cards are of pitchers. Don't worry though, next Friday will see some position players; I think. Anyway, thank you for reading, have a nice Friday, and Happy Collecting! I'm gonna go finish my duties for the week. I'm out.