So Baseball!

Here’s a theory about the three-batter rule that has come into effect this baseball season. The reason this is a good rule is not because it speeds up the total length of the game by a few minutes, it’s because the game doesn’t necessarily go to a commercial at a very exciting moment in the eighth or ninth inning when the offense is threatening. Just as other sports lose the tension of the moment when time out after time out is called in the final minutes, or when a basketball game grinds to a halt, a baseball game is more exciting if the same pitcher has to stay in there. Keep this rule, MLB!

It’s been fun, it’s been real. Highlights for me were “Slam Diego”, four grand slams in four days, and the Yankees Red Sox 12 inning game that Gary Sanchez won. Byeeeeee, see you in the playoffs!!

1. Bellinger: Kind of a bust, coming off an MVP season, he did not deliver on that kind of level.
2. Rendon: Started out injured, but played well the rest of the way. No complaints.
3. Luis Castillo: Please note, this draft took place BEFORE the COVID outbreak, which led to adding the DH to the National League, so NL pitchers had a harder time than they would have in a normal season. Either way, Castillo has good ratios (3.03 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) but only three wins on the season.
4. Jonathan Villar!? Jeez, this was a mistake. I think I was panicking about steals, which he hasn’t stolen much since being traded to Toronto. He has brought me 12 steals, sooo, great, but so has Dylan Moore.
5. Tyler Glasnow: 4 wins, 4+ ERA, 83 K’s. Not bad, but not 5th round. Don’t worry. My picks get worse from here actually. (I could have had Trevor Bauer at this stage).
6. Jeff McNeil: I love this type of player. Hits for average with some power and positional flexibility. But in the 6th round? I feel like this was another panic pick. Someone somewhere told me 2B was thin this year. I could have had Luis Robert in this spot.
7. Corey Kluber: Missed the season, so we’ll never know.
8. Madison Bumgarner: Really fell off. Disaster pick. Could have had Dinelson Lamet in this round.
9. Conforto: Great season, no complaints.
10. Will Smith, catcher: He platooned a lot, didn’t hit, and I dropped him for Kiner-Falefa. He’s turned it around a bit since.
11. Will Smith, pitcher: I think he got COVID, then didn’t really get any saves. That’s correct, zero saves. What a disaster pick for this round.
12. Salvador Perez: Turned into my #1 catcher until he had that weird eye injury. Still turned in a great season returning from injury.
13. Lorenzo Cain: Opted out. I get it, but this one hurt too.

Come back soon for Round Two of the wrap up.

https://www.mlb.com/video/triston-mckenzie-whiffs-7-batters

Brooklyn!

One of the reasons baseball is so cool is….the ball. Sure, all the other balls (and pucks) have their merits, but the baseball wins out.

• Basketball: needs to be inflated, not dangerous, too big for a backpack so must be hand-carried.
• Football: needs to be inflated, not dangerous, you can’t dribble it or throw it against a wall to practice.
• Hockey puck: dangerous, but you can’t do much without a hockey stick and ice.
• Golf: requires a golf course.
• Lacrosse: requires a lacrosse…..course.
• Tennis: okay, a tennis ball is actually pretty versatile…

But in the end, the baseball looks coolest, is the perfect weight, and is fun to carry around.

Here are some players I have dropped and how I feel about it:

• Rhys Hoskins: Sorry
• Josh Donaldson: Not Sorry
• Marcus Semien: Not Sorry
• Mitch Garver: Not Sorry
• Trent Grisham: Sorry (picked him up again)
• Wil Myers: Sorry
• Kirby Yates: injured
• Stephen Strasburg: injured
• Lorenzo Cain: opted out
• Marcus Stroman: opted out
• Corey Kluber: injured
• Madison Bumgarner: not sorry
• Miguel Andujar: not sorry
• Zach Plesac: sorry
• Alex Verdugo: sorry

That one time I got lucky enough to have Javy Baez on my fantasy team…

He hit .198

Great write-up by Pitcher List on this hilarious swing.