I've avoided writing about the MLB season partially due to the fact that I don't want to jinx the Best in Record Astros, who, as I write this, are 31-15, seven games up in the division, and cruising despite not getting great starts from either Jose Altuve or Carlos Correa (admittedly, both have been good on the whole, just not great). The Astros are great. But so is so much else that is going on in the current season it is about time to look wider. So let's get to some quick-hit thoughts 30% through the season:
= This season has had more surprise stories than in many recent seasons, at least from my immediate reflection. We have the dueling NL West surprises in Colorado and Arizona, to the mashing Brewers, to the somehow still 25-18 Twins, to even the continued nonsensical Orioles being way over .500. None of this really makes sense. Neither does the Cubs languishing around .500, and not really performing much better either, and the Red Sox doing the same.
= The NL being upended is really surprising, given that the field seemed really locked in before the season. The Nationals are doing what everyone expected and the Dodgers are probably going to run away with the NL West, and the Cubs will probably snap out of it, but the supposed Wild Card contender Giants and Mets have flamed-out, leading way to my two favorite non-Astros stories of 2017, the Rockies and D'Backs
= The D'Backs are doing what Dave Stewart and Tony LaRussa thought they would, just one year too late, after both of those two gentlemen were shoved aside (probably for the best). Greinke was a disaster of a signing last year and has been impeccable (arguably best pitcher in teh NL so far this year). The offense has a healthy AJ Pollock matching a still great Paul Goldschmitt, who's quietly put together an insane handful of years to no real fanfare. The D'Backs may have more staying power than the Rockies since they have more established players. I even love that their weird 'let's get all of the 2010 pitching prospects' together has worked reasonably well, with Robbie Ray, Tijuan Walker and Patrick Corbin. If other 2010 phenom Shelby Miller ever turns things around they could be pretty special
= As for the Rockies, the biggest irony is that they really haven't hit all that well. Charlie Blackmon has been great, but defending batting champ DJ LeMahieu is languishing in mediocrity, and Carlos Gonzalez has done nothing. Luckily for them this is the year their pitching takes a massive step-up. There is legitimate concern it is not sustainable, but the indicators are that the Rockies at the very least have a cogent plan that makes sense and is working: they've collected a bunch of ground-ball heavy young pitchers which is perfect for an environment where any fly ball is a risk. Senzetella (22), Freeland (24) and Marquez (22) are probably not this good, but if even two of them hit, and Jon Gray comes back from injury soon, they may have something long-term, which is a statement that has never been said about the Rockies pitchers, and barely any more often for the team as a whole. Denver is a great sports market, and they deserve a good baseball team that can sustain a run for a while. They have a gorgeous ballpark that deserves more love again.
= Eric Thames has cooled off a bit, but the Brewers are still mashing, and when your name is connected to alcohol, it makes sense that the Brewers are a perfect collection of beer-league sluggers. Whether it's Braun, or Broxton, or Santana, or no names (to me at least) like Travis Shaw, my word can the Brewers mash. Now, yes, their pitching is a disaster, and given the sleeping giant in the division, I can't imagine them staying afloat for long, but man is it fun to see them mash, and Bernie Brewer have to take run after run at that slide.
= The AL has far less surprises, and their surprises aren't as fun. There's a fairly non-descript Twins team that probably won't keep this up, and two AL East teams, one being a perennial over-achiever who's best element (Manny Machado) is actually not doing all that much, and the effing Yankees. The fact that the Yankees are the plucky underdog in the AL is hilarious. Have to credit them though. Brian Cashman went about this 'rebuild' well, capitalized on overvalued relievers to restock the farm, drafted well and rode out a bunch of long-old contracts. That patience paid off masterfully. This team still has the #1 farm system in baseball even after graduating Aaron Judge so he can do his best Mike Trout impression. Hard to imagine that Starlin Castro or Chase Headly (or Matt Holliday, or Aaron Hicks) keep this up, but then again Gary Sanchez has barely played either and the last time we saw him in major action, he was doing a great Aaron Judge impression. The fact that they are shedding payroll, have the league's best farm system, and are already good enough to make a division or wild-card push, it is not a good time to be a Yankee hater.
= Quick shout-out to Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw, who continue to be fantastic and all-time good like they always are. Trout is, so far at least, on pace for the best offensive year of his career. He is squarely now in the territory where if you project out his career he ends up somewhere between Mantle and Mays. For Kershaw, he's having a relatively "down" year, with just a 2.31 ERA, just 72 strikeouts in his 71 innings (of course, the 72-8 K-BB ratio is as good as ever). Let's just remember that he has been so good that this year is actually HURTING HIS CAREER NUMBERS. In what has been, so far, his worst season since 2012, he is still basically the best pitcher in the NL. What madness. From a GOAT perspective, LA is the center of the baseball universe.
= He was shelled in his last outing, and that might be the beginning of the end of his renaissance, but man was it fun to see Jason Vargas have a Kershaw-esque start to his season. Actually, that is not accurate. Vargas wasn't anywhere near as good as Kershaw. He struck-out less than a guy an inning. His WHIP was unremarkable. Nothing about his performance was special other than that 1.13 ERA. You know what, those are the types of randomess I love about baseball, especially early in a season. Sometimes, guys with completely unremarkable stuff just put a few good months together for no real reason whatsoever. More than anything, that is the beauty of baseball.
= This season has had more surprise stories than in many recent seasons, at least from my immediate reflection. We have the dueling NL West surprises in Colorado and Arizona, to the mashing Brewers, to the somehow still 25-18 Twins, to even the continued nonsensical Orioles being way over .500. None of this really makes sense. Neither does the Cubs languishing around .500, and not really performing much better either, and the Red Sox doing the same.
= The NL being upended is really surprising, given that the field seemed really locked in before the season. The Nationals are doing what everyone expected and the Dodgers are probably going to run away with the NL West, and the Cubs will probably snap out of it, but the supposed Wild Card contender Giants and Mets have flamed-out, leading way to my two favorite non-Astros stories of 2017, the Rockies and D'Backs
= The D'Backs are doing what Dave Stewart and Tony LaRussa thought they would, just one year too late, after both of those two gentlemen were shoved aside (probably for the best). Greinke was a disaster of a signing last year and has been impeccable (arguably best pitcher in teh NL so far this year). The offense has a healthy AJ Pollock matching a still great Paul Goldschmitt, who's quietly put together an insane handful of years to no real fanfare. The D'Backs may have more staying power than the Rockies since they have more established players. I even love that their weird 'let's get all of the 2010 pitching prospects' together has worked reasonably well, with Robbie Ray, Tijuan Walker and Patrick Corbin. If other 2010 phenom Shelby Miller ever turns things around they could be pretty special
= As for the Rockies, the biggest irony is that they really haven't hit all that well. Charlie Blackmon has been great, but defending batting champ DJ LeMahieu is languishing in mediocrity, and Carlos Gonzalez has done nothing. Luckily for them this is the year their pitching takes a massive step-up. There is legitimate concern it is not sustainable, but the indicators are that the Rockies at the very least have a cogent plan that makes sense and is working: they've collected a bunch of ground-ball heavy young pitchers which is perfect for an environment where any fly ball is a risk. Senzetella (22), Freeland (24) and Marquez (22) are probably not this good, but if even two of them hit, and Jon Gray comes back from injury soon, they may have something long-term, which is a statement that has never been said about the Rockies pitchers, and barely any more often for the team as a whole. Denver is a great sports market, and they deserve a good baseball team that can sustain a run for a while. They have a gorgeous ballpark that deserves more love again.
= Eric Thames has cooled off a bit, but the Brewers are still mashing, and when your name is connected to alcohol, it makes sense that the Brewers are a perfect collection of beer-league sluggers. Whether it's Braun, or Broxton, or Santana, or no names (to me at least) like Travis Shaw, my word can the Brewers mash. Now, yes, their pitching is a disaster, and given the sleeping giant in the division, I can't imagine them staying afloat for long, but man is it fun to see them mash, and Bernie Brewer have to take run after run at that slide.
= The AL has far less surprises, and their surprises aren't as fun. There's a fairly non-descript Twins team that probably won't keep this up, and two AL East teams, one being a perennial over-achiever who's best element (Manny Machado) is actually not doing all that much, and the effing Yankees. The fact that the Yankees are the plucky underdog in the AL is hilarious. Have to credit them though. Brian Cashman went about this 'rebuild' well, capitalized on overvalued relievers to restock the farm, drafted well and rode out a bunch of long-old contracts. That patience paid off masterfully. This team still has the #1 farm system in baseball even after graduating Aaron Judge so he can do his best Mike Trout impression. Hard to imagine that Starlin Castro or Chase Headly (or Matt Holliday, or Aaron Hicks) keep this up, but then again Gary Sanchez has barely played either and the last time we saw him in major action, he was doing a great Aaron Judge impression. The fact that they are shedding payroll, have the league's best farm system, and are already good enough to make a division or wild-card push, it is not a good time to be a Yankee hater.
= Quick shout-out to Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw, who continue to be fantastic and all-time good like they always are. Trout is, so far at least, on pace for the best offensive year of his career. He is squarely now in the territory where if you project out his career he ends up somewhere between Mantle and Mays. For Kershaw, he's having a relatively "down" year, with just a 2.31 ERA, just 72 strikeouts in his 71 innings (of course, the 72-8 K-BB ratio is as good as ever). Let's just remember that he has been so good that this year is actually HURTING HIS CAREER NUMBERS. In what has been, so far, his worst season since 2012, he is still basically the best pitcher in the NL. What madness. From a GOAT perspective, LA is the center of the baseball universe.
= He was shelled in his last outing, and that might be the beginning of the end of his renaissance, but man was it fun to see Jason Vargas have a Kershaw-esque start to his season. Actually, that is not accurate. Vargas wasn't anywhere near as good as Kershaw. He struck-out less than a guy an inning. His WHIP was unremarkable. Nothing about his performance was special other than that 1.13 ERA. You know what, those are the types of randomess I love about baseball, especially early in a season. Sometimes, guys with completely unremarkable stuff just put a few good months together for no real reason whatsoever. More than anything, that is the beauty of baseball.
