#debating degrom'

[investmart007]

NEW YORK | A pitcher for NL MVP? The numbers make a compelling case

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NEW YORK | A pitcher for NL MVP? The numbers make a compelling case

NEW YORK — Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola are going pitch for pitch in the NL Cy Young Award race. Problem is, that prize might not do the trio justice. Not according to baseball’s advanced analytics.

With 2½ weeks left in the season, it’s time to ask: Should one of those three be MVP?

“It’s the best player in the league,” deGrom said. “If that happens to be a pitcher and they can win it, then it’s well deserved.”

There’s no debating deGrom’s dominance, even if it’s not translating into wins for the struggling New York Mets. Scherzer’s awards-season resume is more traditional, bolstered by league-leading totals in victories and strikeouts. And Nola is right there, too, in a breakout season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

But an MVP? For three pitchers who are going to miss the postseason? Some don’t think pitchers should even be considered for the award, though they’ve won 25 times before.

The stats devised by sabermetricians suggest it would be a swing and a miss not to consider a pitcher — certainly not in a year when the crop of NL hitters just doesn’t add up.

The National League has produced at least one hitter worth 6.0 wins above replacement (WAR) each season since the Chicago Cubs’ Hack Wilson topped 1926 at 5.7, according to Fangraphs.

This year’s group is equally underwhelming, strictly by the numbers. Milwaukee teammates Lorenzo Cain (5.4) and Christian Yelich (5.3) top the circuit, followed by Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt (5.2), St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter (5.2), Chicago’s Javier Baez (4.9) and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado (4.8).

For a catch-all stat like WAR — which measures contributions on offense, defense, baserunning and pitching — that 0.6 gap from Arenado on up is nearly negligible. Can’t go wrong choosing among them.

But that group is far behind the league’s top pitchers by the same measure. DeGrom leads the NL with 8.1 WAR, and Scherzer, Nola and Diamondbacks ace Patrick Corbin are also ahead of the hitters. Over at Baseball-Reference, which has its own WAR formula, Scherzer (9.7) holds the top spot way ahead of Cain (6.3), with Nola, deGrom and Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland all beating the batters.

It’s unusual, but not unheard of, for a pitcher to lead a league in WAR. By Baseball-Reference’s math, Clayton Kershaw did it when he won NL MVP in 2014, as did Justin Verlander for his AL MVP in 2011. Corey Kluber, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke each did it over the past decade, too. But in the age of ever-tighter pitch counts and innings limits, it’s not as common as it once was and figures to keep getting tougher.

Of the 25 pitcher MVPs, 14 were awarded before the Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956. Prior to Kershaw and Verlander, the previous pitcher winner was reliever Dennis Eckersley in 1992, and the prior starter to take MVP was Roger Clemens in 1986.

Marlins manager and 1985 AL MVP Don Mattingly was the runner-up to Clemens that year — and wasn’t thrilled about it.

“Hard for me as a player, to kind of know I play 160 games or whatever it is and then somebody has 30, 35 starts,” Mattingly said. He’s changed his mind since becoming a manager. Doesn’t hurt that he was leading the Dodgers when Kershaw won MVP.

“If you’re talking about them as Cy Young and MVPs, they’re guys that are basically taking care of your bullpen that day, stopping any kind of streaks, adding to streaks — a guy you know you can count on,” Mattingly said.

Mattingly has seen plenty of deGrom, Scherzer and Nola in the NL East.

“I can see where you could look at them as being most valuable player,” he said.

The cases for those pitchers are a little different from their predecessors — especially for deGrom.

The Mets ace is just 8-9, putting him in the historic position of having more WAR than wins. According to Baseball-Reference’s records, deGrom would be just the second qualified pitcher ever to have more WAR than wins, following Eddie Smith (4-17 record, 4.1 WAR) with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937.

At this point, deGrom’s underwhelming win total probably won’t hurt him much in Cy Young balloting. Voters set aside the stat when crowning Seattle’s Felix Hernandez in 2010 despite a 13-12 mark, and the electorate seems to agree that victories aren’t paramount to being the best pitcher.

But to be the most valuable? Voters might still be stuck on wins there. Opinions are all over the board on how to quantify value — some voters insist MVPs have to come from winning teams, others see winning as something of a tiebreaker, and a growing number of progressive writers try to separate a player’s performance from that of his teammates entirely.

That’s where deGrom’s candidacy could fall apart. Of the 21 starting pitchers to win MVP, all of them won at least 20 games. DeGrom is going to have a hard time winning 10.

That’s not deGrom’s fault, of course. He has a 1.71 ERA this season, and yet New York is 12-17 behind him thanks to minimal run support.

DeGrom has taken to helping himself, driving in four runs since Aug. 3, including New York’s only RBIs in 2-1 losses to the Braves and Cubs.

Scherzer has been even better with the bat. He’s hitting .270 with six RBIs and a stolen base. Those contributions won’t help him stave off deGrom in his pursuit for a fourth Cy Young and third straight in the NL, but it could sway some MVP voters.

Nola’s pitch seems to have lost a little steam as the Phillies have faded out of the playoff picture. Philadelphia dropped 6½ games behind Atlanta in the NL East after getting swept by the Nationals in a doubleheader Tuesday. Nola was 16-4 with a 2.29 ERA prior to a start Wednesday and wasn’t far behind Scherzer with 8.9 WAR, per Baseball-Reference.

Unless a hitter separates from the pack over the final couple weeks, one of those three just might be an MVP.

“It’s been done before,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “They should be considered.”

By Associated Press

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

You Are Back In It, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates, 

And the streak continues. I didn’t know if you would be able to keep the winning going against a Reds’ team that has played much better lately. I should’ve known better. You beat the crap out of them outscoring them 27-5 in a three-game series and you’ve increased your winning streak to nine games. Yes, you averaged nine runs per game in this series. You’ve climbed the ladder but you’re still a fairly insurmountable eight games back in the division. The interesting part is the Wildcard chase where you are only 4 ½ games back of the Brewers and the Phillies, the two Wildcard teams as of now. The Brewers got smoked again today so you are in it. There are still two teams between you and the final Wildcard spot, but you’re coming on strong just at the right time so that if you’re a seller at the trade deadline it will look terrible and if you don’t it will look stupid. This winning steak might be the most Pirates’ thing you have ever done. The offense has been absolutely electric albeit against some mediocre pitching. If you keep winning at this rate, is it possible you become buyers at the deadline? It’s not out of the question. I would have never imagined you would be in this position but I also never imagined you would win nine in a row. This next week will determine a lot. If somehow this winning continues and you’re within a couple games of a Wildcard spot, then maybe the thinking does need to change. I’m not there yet, but the tide is turning.

Marte and Polanco have remained on absolute fire after the All Star break. Both have raised their OPS’s to .827 and .829 respectively with 15 and 17 home runs now on the season. This offense centers around them. Marte is a known commodity already having a full season in which he had an OPS over .900. Polanco might finally be breaking out and I almost hesitate to say that. His last month he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball with an OPS over 1.000 during that stretch. Anyone arguing we should trade them while their value is high is crazy. Polanco is only making 3.5 million this year. You have him under contract through 2023 and the last two years of the contract are option years where the most he will make is 13.5 million. Marte is making 7.5 million this year and he’s technically under contract until 2021 and he’ll make 12.5 million in that final year. Because of those team friendly contracts, their value is very high and you could get high-end prospects in return for them. The problem is that even if you got a few of the better prospects in baseball, you still don’t know how they will turn out. Even with Polanco’s inconsistencies, both him and Marte are proven commodities. When the Padres traded their closer, Brad Hand, and reliever Adam Cimber, who is having an awesome season, earlier this week and got one of the top prospects in baseball in return, people discussed trading Felipe Vasquez. First off, to get that kind of return, we would need to trade Vasquez and Crick. You only do that if you don’t think you can compete in the next couple years and given this run and how the NL really only seems to have two elite teams (Cubs and Dodgers especially after they traded for Manny Machado), it’s reasonable to believe you could compete sooner. You still might end up trading players who will be free agents this year or next year, but I don’t think doing a full rebuild is the right move because you don’t know what you will get in return and I honestly don’t trust this front office to make moves of that magnitude.

Who has the best OPS on your team right now? That would be Corey Dickerson after his 4 for 5 performance which included a double and two home runs, his 10th and 11th. He’s homered in four straight games. His OPS is up to .856 and he will be the biggest debate whether to trade him or not at the deadline. Obviously this nine-game winning streak throws a minor curveball into that thought process. He has another year of arbitration next year so he’s under your control for another season. He’s making 5.95 million this season so it’s fair to guess that he would make around 8 or 9 million next year. That’s still very reasonable for a guy with his current statistics. He’s been a streaky hitter throughout his career and his BABIP is .330 right now so he’s due for a regression. He is right around top five in the NL in batting average, which I know isn’t that important to most people, but it makes him fit very well at the top of the lineup. This week will probably determine if you are buyers or sellers but Dickerson could net you a very nice return. If you have a rough week and still don’t trade him, then that will tell me a lot about your opinion on Austin Meadows. I know Meadows started off strong but his last month before being demoted was well below average. The drop off from a .856 OPS to a .617 OPS (Meadows’ last month) is obviously drastic. I really like Dickerson as a ball player particularly his approach with two strikes on him. I don’t know why more players don’t choke up in that situation. He’s also cut down on his swing and misses on fastballs in the zone considerably after being the worst in baseball at that last year. That makes me think this could be sustainable.  By this time next week, Dickerson could be on another team. If he’s still here, that’s great. You could always trade him this offseason too. Or maybe you should extend him and trade Meadows. Again, it’s a proven commodity versus potential that might never come to fruition. Meadows has been very average at almost every level in the minors. One way or another, trading for Dickerson seemed like a no-brainer at the time and it has proved to be a brilliant move. Even if he ends up being traded, that mean you got a damn good prospect for him which is a win too.

I’ve been all about trading JHay and Mercer, bringing up Kevin Kramer and Kevin Newman, and starting them for the rest of the season. I’m starting to backtrack on that. Obviously things could change depending on what happens this week, but maybe you need to stay the course for now. I know JHay has had a terrible offensive season (.639 OPS) and Mercer is having a typical season which means his OPS is right around .700. Those aren’t two guys you want starting. I’m sticking with the theme of the week here which is you don’t know what prospects will actually do in the majors. People will say that there’s no way Kramer and Newman could be worse than those two but the reality is they could be. It’s very possible they could come up, bat under .200, and have an OPS of .500. That would be significantly worse. It’s also important to keep in mind that given their offensive numbers you are going to get next to nothing in return for Mercer or JHay. They both play stellar defense and are smart ball players, but that’s it. If this week ends up being a disaster and you fall well out of contention, I’d trade them in a second. I would just be sure that everyone is realistic on the lack of return you are sure to get and the possibility that what you are left with could even be worse than what you had. It’s a similar situation with Ivan Nova. I’m all for trading him too but, with the Kuhl injury, that means you are probably putting Glasnow or Holmes in the rotation and neither of those are a very desirable circumstances. My overall point is be careful what you wish for because things could always get worse.

I’m not overstating it when I say that this is the most important week of the season. For the millionth time, it will basically determine if you will be buyers or sellers at the deadline. The week starts with a tall task and finishes with a fairly easy one. Tomorrow you travel to Cleveland to take on the first place Indians and the pitching matchups don’t favor you at all. You start off by facing the defending Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and his 12-5 record with a 2.76 ERA. He will face basically your #5 starter Trevor Williams and his 4.36 ERA. That doesn’t bode well for you. Game 2 will see Joe Musgrove facing off against one of the top 100 prospects in baseball and the Indians #3 prospect, Shane Beiber. He’s 5-1 with a 3.53 ERA since being promoted after he threw a no-hitter in Triple-A. Game 3 will be your ace, Jameson Taillon, facing off against former top three pick Trevor Bauer and his 2.44 ERA. It’s the biggest series of the season and you are facing two Cy Young candidates and an elite prospect. After that, you go home to face the Mets and their lowly offense for a four-game series. You will have to go against Jacob DeGrom, but the other three games are very winnable. If this week goes well, you could be buyers at the deadline. If it goes south, you will be sellers. No pressure. It’s been a hell of a ride over this nine-game winning streak so thank you for that. Just keeping playing the way you have been and we will see what happens. Love you bunches!

                                                                                           Enjoying The Ride,

                                                                                                      Brad

P.S. stands for Pathetic Shit (pardon the language) and that’s in reference to the Brewers’ All Star reliever Josh Hader. During the All Star game, it was discovered that he had tweeted out some very racist and very homophobic things a few years ago when he was 17 years old. There is no excuse for that kind of behavior. He apologized for it and maybe he’s grown up a lot since then. We all did some stupid things when we were that age. I do think it’s a little ridiculous that his only punishment is sensitivity training rather than being suspended. A five-game suspension is still a fairly light punishment. Putting that aside, it was even more crazy when on his return to the mound at Miller Park that he was greeted with a standing ovation. I can understand forgiving the guy to a certain extent and maybe even not booing him (though I might have), but a standing ovation? Really? Poor form, Milwaukee…

[anisanews]

Rats! Mets’ Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil won’t say what happened between them during game

Francisco Lindor hit his first Citi Field home run as a Met on Friday night, but no hint of a smile could be seen on his face afterward. Maybe he was still frustrated over the early-season slump that has caused the Flushing faithful to boo him.

Or maybe Lindor was still fuming after having had a dustup with double-play partner Jeff McNeil minutes before he went deep.

Shame on us for thinking the latter, at least: Lindor told reporters postgame that he and McNeil were just debating whether a rat or a raccoon had made its way into the park. Lindor had rat, he said, and McNeil had raccoon. Lindor also had rediscovered his smile and laugh as he said this.

“We were going back and forth debating if it was a rat or a racoon”

SOUND UP to hear about what happened in the tunnel between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil from Francisco himself

pic.twitter.com/REn66S6nf3

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 8, 2021

McNeil contradicted Lindor when he got his turn at the microphone — he said he thought it was a possum.

Jeff McNeil is now telling the same story about a rat and a raccoon.

“To be honest, I thought it was a possum,” McNeil said.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 8, 2021

In other words, the $341 million shortstop and a teammate whose nickname is “Squirrel” took time during a tense game to check out a roaming rodent, after the two had just appeared to miscommunicate on a ground ball that turned into an infield hit for Nick Ahmed. 

Cool story, guys.

FAGAN: DeGrom’s scratched start a reminder to savor each masterful performance

The first clue that this was more than a wildlife expedition came from a between-innings replay on the Mets’ broadcast. An SNY camera picked up Michael Conforto, Dominic Smith and Jonathan Villar running into the tunnel between the dugout and the clubhouse in the middle of the seventh. Pete Alonso later ambled over to monitor the situation.

After the replay came some middle-school gossip: McNeil wasn’t in the dugout to congratulate Lindor for his game-tying homer; Smith was later seen giving Lindor a pep talk before going on to the field; smiles were sparse after . . . whatever happened.

In the bottom of the ninth, a grim-looking Lindor gave a grim-looking McNeil an awkward pat on the hip and some words prior to McNeil hitting a leadoff single. 

But then Lindor bunted into a forceout, the Mets failed to win in regulation (Alonso snapped his bat after flying out to end the ninth) and the game rolled into extras. The Mets eventually walked it off in the bottom of the 10th on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice roller by rookie catcher Patrick Mazeika. And everyone was really happy again as they ripped off Mazeika’s jersey between first and second base.

And then came Lindor and McNeil’s odd cover story.

Maybe they can try to lure that rodent back to the Queens Zoo and settle this once and for all prior to Saturday’s game. A big slice of New York pizza should do the trick.

from Anisa News https://ift.tt/3utZoWo

[viraljournalist]

MLB All-Decade Team -- Who made our squad of baseball's best from 2010-2019?

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MLB All-Decade Team -- Who made our squad of baseball's best from 2010-2019?

Picking a 2010s all-decade team is fun, and everyone has been doing that. You know what’s even more fun? Picking an all-decade team for every decade since 1900!

What goes into an all-decade team? It’s some amorphous mix of decade-long value, peak-level dominance and iconic status. Some might factor in postseason performance or World Series titles, and some might consider that irrelevant, focusing only on regular-season numbers.

Here were my rules: I picked nine position players — one for each position, including at least one outfielder who must be a center fielder, plus a utility/DH role that can be any position. I picked five starting pitchers, plus a relief ace for each decade since the 1940s. All WAR totals listed are from Baseball-Reference.com, and only numbers compiled from within the given decade were considered — some all-time greats might not fit neatly in a specific decade; a few were great enough for long enough to make more than one all-decade team.

Check in on the trades, free-agent signings and more, from now until pitchers and catchers report. MLB Offseason page »

One general note: WAR doesn’t make any timeline adjustment, something to keep in mind as you compare players across eras. As the quality of play improves over time, it becomes more difficult to post big numbers. In other words, my take is that an 8.0-WAR season is more impressive in 2019 than it was in 1929.

So let’s get to it, starting with an in-depth look at the 2010s and then comparing our just-ended decade to the previous 10.

All-decade teams: 2000s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s | 1960s | 1950s | 1940s | 1930s | 1920s | 1910s | 1900s

The 2010s all-decade team

ESPN

Catcher: Buster Posey (128 OPS+, 42.2 WAR) Others considered: Yadier Molina Why it’s Posey: Posey has a sizable edge in WAR (42.2 to 31.9) — an even bigger one at FanGraphs, which attempts to incorporate catcher framing into its WAR (53.0 to 41.7) — and three World Series titles in the decade to one for Molina. Molina’s big edge is he played 1,291 games behind the plate to just 980 for Posey. I put this vote to some ESPN baseball scribes and editors, and Posey was the unanimous choice.

First base: Joey Votto (152 OPS+, 52.1 WAR) Others considered: Miguel Cabrera, Paul Goldschmidt Why it’s Votto: He led all batters in the decade in runs created and on-base percentage, ranked third in WAR, won an MVP and matched Cabrera in wRC+ (while being a much better fielder).

1 Related

Second base: Robinson Cano (132 OPS+, 54.2 WAR) Others considered: Jose Altuve, Ian Kinsler Why it’s Cano: Yes, Altuve is better right now and a lot more fun, but we forget how great Cano was from 2010 to 2017, hitting .303/.362/.503 and averaging 27 home runs and 99 RBIs per year. He trails only Mike Trout in WAR for the decade and has a big lead over Altuve (54.2 to 38.5). Even if we look at each player’s best seasons, Cano has five of the seven best seasons between the two.

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (119 OPS+, 28.6 WAR) Others considered: Andrelton Simmons, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Correa Why it’s Lindor: Tulo was great the first half of the decade, while Lindor and Correa were great the second half. Simmons has the Ozzie Smith-like defense and leads in WAR but has a sub-.700 OPS. Lindor’s high peak gives him the edge.

Third base: Adrian Beltre (130 OPS+, 51.0 WAR) Others considered: Josh Donaldson, Evan Longoria, Nolan Arenado Why it’s Beltre: His all-around excellence for the first seven years of the decade, when he averaged 6.5 WAR per season and had five top-10 MVP finishes, makes him the clear choice over Donaldson.

Outfield: Mike Trout (176 OPS+, 72.5 WAR), Mookie Betts (134, 42.0), Andrew McCutchen (135, 41.2) Others considered: Giancarlo Stanton Why these three: It wasn’t an especially strong decade for outfielders. Trout, of course, was the best player of the decade. Mookie makes it on his terrific half-decade of excellence, and McCutchen had a dominant run from 2011 to 2015, averaging 6.2 WAR with four top-five MVP finishes (including a win in 2013).

DH/utility: Miguel Cabrera (153 OPS+, 43.5 WAR) Others considered: Donaldson, Goldschmidt, Nelson Cruz, David Ortiz Why it’s Cabrera: One of the best hitters of the decade, plus an iconic figure with four batting titles, two MVP awards and the Triple Crown in 2012.

Starting pitchers: Clayton Kershaw (164 ERA+, 59.3 WAR), Justin Verlander (136, 56.2), Max Scherzer (134, 56.1), Madison Bumgarner (120, 32.2), Chris Sale (140, 45.4) Others considered: Zack Greinke, David Price, Cole Hamels, Jon Lester Why these five: The first three are easy choices, but then it turns into a good debate for the final two spots. I put this one to a vote, and Bumgarner got the edge as the fourth guy on the list, even though he was just 13th in the decade in WAR and lacks the peak of even guys like Corey Kluber or Jacob deGrom; his postseason heroics put him over the top. You could make a similar argument for Lester, who trails Bumgarner in WAR but had 148 wins in the decade. Greinke and Sale tied for the fifth spot in the voting, but I went with Sale’s more dominant peak (140 ERA+ to 128 for Greinke, who won 155 games in the decade with 44.0 WAR). If you want to argue Greinke, I won’t disagree, but Sale received Cy Young votes in seven different seasons compared to four for Greinke.

Relief pitcher: Craig Kimbrel (195 ERA+, 19.6 WAR) Others considered: Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman Why it’s Kimbrel: He led in saves with 346 (Jansen was second with 301), had a lower ERA than Jansen or Chapman and matched Chapman with a 41.1% strikeout rate.

2000s

People consider the 1990s and early 2000s as the PEDs era, but offensive numbers actually remained pretty high through 2007. There were 4.80 runs scored per team per game in 2007 compared to 4.79 in 1998, the year Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke the home run record. That leads to some tough calls in our lineup. Nine players drove in 1,000 runs in the decade, and only two of them make the all-decade team.

C Jorge Posada: 129 OPS+, 37.5 WAR 1B Albert Pujols: 172 OPS+, 73.8 WAR 2B Chase Utley: 130 OPS+, 42.2 WAR 3B Alex Rodriguez: 153 OPS+, 77.7 WAR SS Derek Jeter: 121 OPS+, 44.1 WAR OF Barry Bonds: 221 OPS+, 59.1 WAR OF Carlos Beltran: 122 OPS+, 51.4 WAR OF Ichiro Suzuki: 118 OPS+, 51.1 WAR DH Chipper Jones: 147 OPS+, 50.6 WAR

SP Randy Johnson: 137 ERA+, 51.3 WAR SP Johan Santana: 143 ERA+, 46.2 WAR SP Curt Schilling: 132 ERA+, 46.2 WAR SP Pedro Martinez: 152 ERA+, 45.6 WAR SP Roy Halladay: 134 ERA+, 45.4 WAR RP Mariano Rivera: 217 ERA+, 33.0 WAR

Years H P OPS+ Total 1990s 491.1 301.4 147 792.5 1910s 474.2 297.8 143 772 1960s 497.7 272.7 139 770.4 1970s 444.9 318.6 131 763.5 2000s 487.5 267.7 146 755.2 1930s 468.8 262.5 148 731.3 1900s 432.9 298 139 730.9 1950s 479 248.7 153 727.7 1920s 489.8 227 149 716.8 2010s 427.3 268.8 140 696.1 1980s 469 204.5 133 673.5 1940s 414.3 197.5 146 611.8

Hitting: Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols duke it out for player-of-the-decade honors. A-Rod led in home runs, RBIs, runs and WAR, but Pujols played one fewer season. Both won three MVP awards and one World Series. … Catcher is a debate between Jorge Posada and Joe Mauer. Mauer’s first full season was 2005, and he won three batting titles and an MVP award. He was worth 25.9 WAR in those five seasons. In Posada’s five best seasons, he was worth 25.2 WAR. Given his additional seasons, I have to go with Posada. … Chase Utley is the easy call at second base, averaging 7.9 WAR from 2005 to 2009. … Derek Jeter isn’t quite a slam dunk at shortstop, as Miguel Tejada was close in WAR and had 1,046 RBIs. … Barry Bonds broke baseball when he won four straight MVP awards from 2001 to 2004, hitting an incredible .349/.559/.809. … Carlos Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki make it for their all-around brilliance, beating out Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero and Lance Berkman. … Todd Helton ranked fourth in the decade in WAR (53.1), but I’m going with Chipper Jones as the DH/utility guy.

Pitching: Randy Johnson began the decade with three straight Cy Young Awards (after also winning in 1999) and ranked second in the decade in wins. … After that, it gets dicey, with 10 pitchers ranging between 38 and 46 WAR and 112 to 139 wins. I ended up going with the highest peak performers in Johan Santana, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. … Schilling didn’t win a Cy Young but finished second three times, and his playoff performances for Arizona and Boston stand out. … Roy Halladay edges out Roy Oswalt (43.1 WAR, 134 ERA+) for the final spot. … Andy Pettitte (32.0 WAR) led the decade in wins but lacks the peak of the other top pitchers, and Tim Hudson, CC Sabathia and Mark Buehrle also deserve consideration. … Mariano Rivera? Of course.

2000s vs. 2010s: With Bonds, Pujols and Rodriguez, the lineup edge goes to the 2000s, plus you have Beltran and Ichiro running everything down in the outfield. The starting rotation edge probably goes to the 2010s group, with the outstanding trio of Kershaw, Verlander and Scherzer, plus big-game MadBum. Johnson and Martinez had some great years for the 2000s team, but the decade also contains their decline years. Winner: 2010s.

1990s

C Mike Piazza: 156 OPS+, 41.6 WAR 1B Jeff Bagwell: 160 OPS+, 56.9 WAR 2B Roberto Alomar: 122 OPS+, 45.6 WAR 3B Robin Ventura: 119 OPS+, 46.1 WAR SS Barry Larkin: 126 OPS+, 52.6 WAR OF Barry Bonds: 179 OPS+, 80.2 WAR OF Ken Griffey Jr.: 152 OPS+, 67.5 WAR OF Larry Walker: 143 OPS+, 47.8 WAR DH Frank Thomas: 169 OPS+, 52.8 WAR

SP Greg Maddux: 162 ERA+, 65.4 WAR SP Roger Clemens: 151 ERA+, 68.1 WAR SP Randy Johnson: 140 ERA+ 52.1 WAR SP David Cone: 135 ERA+, 52.9 WAR SP Tom Glavine: 129 ERA+, 52.9 WAR RP John Wetteland: 166 ERA+, 17.9 WAR

Hitting: Some difficult choices here, starting with Mike Piazza over Ivan Rodriguez. Pudge won eight Gold Gloves and the 1999 MVP award, but Piazza led in WAR and had the greatest offensive decade ever for a catcher. … Jeff Bagwell’s all-around brilliance gives him the nod over Mark McGwire, who did lead the decade with 405 home runs, but also had some injury issues and poor seasons early in the decade. … Craig Biggio had the higher WAR and was certainly the most underrated player of the decade, but Roberto Alomar was a defining player and won two rings with Toronto (and his below-average defensive metrics don’t match the eye test). … At third base, I could cheat and put Edgar Martinez, but he spent only a few seasons there, so we’ll go with Robin Ventura over Matt Williams. Both were outstanding defenders, and I’ll take Ventura’s OBP over Williams’ edge in power. … It’s easy to forget that Larry Walker was a great player in Montreal before putting up ridiculous numbers at Coors Field. He edges out Kenny Lofton (47.5 WAR) and Albert Belle (39.5 WAR, huge peak) as the third outfielder behind Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. For the DH/utility spot, it’s Frank Thomas and his two MVP awards over Edgar.

Pitching: Our five starting pitchers accounted for 12 of the decade’s 20 Cy Young Awards, including four in a row from Greg Maddux from 1992 to 1995. I’d give him the nod over Roger Clemens as the pitcher of the decade due to more wins, lower ERA and all the playoff trips. … Randy Johnson started the decade as a wild flame-throwing lefty and ended it as the most dominant strikeout pitcher baseball had ever seen. … David Cone was the hired gun of the decade but won four rings with the Blue Jays (one) and Yankees (three). … Tom Glavine is my fifth starter over Kevin Brown and the underrated Kevin Appier, although those two had a slight edge in WAR. Glavine was part of the iconic Atlanta rotation and won two Cy Young Awards. … John Wetteland had two more saves than Dennis Eckersley and also had the lower ERA (2.66 to 3.18).

1990s vs. 2010s: The PED decade that kicked in rather suddenly in 1993-94 (a livelier ball certainly helped) featured some remarkable offensive performances — we saw 40 seasons when a player hit .300 with 40 home runs compared to just 13 in the just-completed 2010s — but maybe the most remarkable aspect to this team is its two-way brilliance. Other than Piazza, the other seven position players were terrific defenders, combining for 40 Gold Gloves in the decade (not including Maddux’s 10 at pitcher). Despite the big home run numbers, we also saw the peak performances of some of the greatest pitchers of all time. Can any decade match the offense, defense and starting pitching of this team? For what it’s worth, the 1990s team leads in total combined WAR. Winner: 1990s.

1980s

C Gary Carter: 118 OPS+, 44.9 WAR 1B Eddie Murray: 141 OPS+, 45.9 WAR 2B Ryne Sandberg: 112 OPS+, 37.7 WAR 3B Mike Schmidt: 153 OPS+, 56.6 WAR SS Cal Ripken: 123 OPS+, 50.2 WAR OF Rickey Henderson: 137 OPS+, 71.1 WAR OF Robin Yount: 135 OPS+, 55.3 WAR OF Dale Murphy: 132 OPS+, 47.1 WAR DH Wade Boggs: 150 OPS+, 60.2 WAR

SP Dave Stieb: 126 ERA+, 48.0 WAR SP Roger Clemens: 139 ERA+, 35.5 WAR SP Jack Morris: 109 ERA+, 30.2 WAR SP Fernando Valenzuela: 111 ERA+, 33.1 WAR SP Orel Hershiser: 132 ERA+, 47.1 WAR RP Dan Quisenberry: 151 ERA+, 24.8 WAR

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Hitting: Rickey Henderson was the best player of the 1980s, with 11 more WAR than Wade Boggs. He didn’t win an MVP award in the decade (his win came in 1990), but he led AL hitters in WAR in 1985 and 1989 and ranked second in 1980 and 1981. … Robin Yount spent the first five seasons of the decade at shortstop before moving to center field, and his 1982 MVP season ranks as the best of the decade (10.5 WAR). He won a second MVP in 1989. … Two-time MVP Dale Murphy ranked second in home runs and RBIs and earns the nod over Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and Dwight Evans. … Gary Carter was arguably the best player of the first half of the decade, ranking fourth in WAR over that span behind Mike Schmidt, Yount and Henderson. … Schmidt, who won three MVPs, is my third baseman, pushing Boggs to our utility spot. Sadly, there is no room for George Brett (47.7 WAR) on the team. … Lou Whitaker actually led Ryne Sandberg in WAR, although Sandberg played two fewer seasons. Sandberg won an MVP and had power and speed. … Steady Eddie Murray was third in home runs and first in RBIs and beats out Keith Hernandez. … Shortstop is a three-way coin flip between Cal Ripken, Ozzie Smith (52.2 WAR) and Alan Trammell (52.9 WAR). Ozzie was my initial pick, but Ripken had two fewer seasons and the higher peak, plus he was the ’83 AL MVP.

Pitching: Good luck picking five starting pitchers from the 1980s. Dave Stieb was the only hurler to top 40 WAR — 10 would do it in both the 1990s and 2000s, as pitchers in the ’80s had trouble staying healthy. … Jack Morris ranked just 12th in WAR (which is why he was such a heated Hall of Fame debate), but he was the one guy who did manage to stay healthy for 10 years, and he led in wins and innings. … Roger Clemens debuted in 1984 and had a dominant run from 1986 to 1989, including an MVP and two Cy Young Awards. … Fernandomania in 1981 was one of the biggest stories of the decade, and he was brilliant until Tommy Lasorda broke him from heavy usage. He gets the edge over Dodgers teammate Bob Welch (35.2 WAR) and Bert Blyleven (38.1 WAR). … For my fifth spot, I’m going with Orel Hershiser over other half-decade greats Bret Saberhagen and Dwight Gooden. His 1988 season, with his consecutive-scoreless-innings streak and postseason heroics, is one of the defining seasons of the decade. … Dan Quisenberry was every bit the pitcher that Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter was and deserved more Hall of Fame consideration.

1980s vs. 2010s: The 1980s provided us with perhaps the most diverse decade in style of play, with an exciting blend of power and speed — stolen bases peaked in 1987 for the highest total since the dead ball era in 1919. No wonder attendance increased 28 percent from 1980 to 1989. Eight of the nine position players are in the Hall of Fame, but the lack of decade-long dominant pitchers hurt the 1980s in our make-believe showdown. Winner: 2010s.

1970s

C Johnny Bench: 132 OPS+, 58.9 WAR 1B Tony Perez: 130 OPS+, 36.2 WAR 2B Joe Morgan: 140 OPS+, 67.0 WAR 3B Mike Schmidt: 141 OPS+, 50.3 WAR SS Dave Concepcion: 93 OPS+, 30.1 WAR OF Pete Rose: 128 OPS+, 50.6 WAR OF Cesar Cedeno: 128 OPS+, 44.2 WAR OF Reggie Jackson: 148 OPS+, 51.3 WAR DH Rod Carew: 142 OPS+, 56.3 WAR

SP Tom Seaver: 138 ERA+, 67.1 WAR SP Jim Palmer: 137 ERA+, 54.1 WAR SP Gaylord Perry: 125 ERA+, 59.0 WAR SP Bert Blyleven: 130 ERA+, 57.8 WAR SP Phil Niekro: 122 ERA+, 64.5 WAR RP Rollie Fingers: 118 ERA+, 16.1 WAR

Hitting: It was, indeed, the Big Red Machine. Five members of the Cincinnati Reds make the all-decade team as the National League dominates with seven of the nine position players. … Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan both won two MVP awards in the decade and would duke it out for player-of-the-decade honors. … Pete Rose, who led in hits and runs, started in right field, left field, third base and first base. He won his MVP in 1973 while playing left field, so we’ll put him in the outfield. … Tony Perez and Dave Concepcion get the nod at weak positions. First base was especially soft, with Perez the only player to top 30 WAR. Steve Garvey would be his main competition. The ’70s was the decade of weak-hitting middle infielders. I picked Concepcion over Bert Campaneris and great-field, no-hit Mark Belanger. … Graig Nettles (54.5) tops Schmidt in WAR, but Schmidt played fewer seasons and was much more dominant at the plate. … Reggie Jackson ranked second in home runs to Willie Stargell and fourth in RBIs (Bench was first) and is no surprise in the outfield, but Cesar Cedeno? He’s viewed as one of the great “what if” stories in baseball history, a player who was a star at 21 (8.0 WAR) and 22 (7.4) but never reached those heights again. Still, he had a strong decade, with his offensive value masked by the Astrodome. He’s our center fielder over Amos Otis and half-decade star Fred Lynn. … Rod Carew split the decade between second base and first base and won six batting titles, so he’s our utility guy.

Pitching: The best pitchers in the 1970s tossed ungodly amounts of innings, routinely topping 300 innings on an annual basis, especially in the first half of the decade. Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer both won three Cy Young Awards, and Seaver has a case as the player of the decade over Bench and Morgan. … Gaylord Perry’s workload the first six years of the decade was incredible, averaging 321 innings per season through 1975. He won two Cy Youngs (although he didn’t really deserve the 1978 award with the Padres). … Bert Blyleven was not appreciated in his own time because of that 148-128 win-loss record, but modern analysis shows he was one of the best. … For the final spot, I initially had Nolan Ryan (41.4 WAR) for his iconic status and strikeout records, but Phil Niekro deserves the spot, trouncing Ryan in WAR and adjusted ERA. … Steve Carlton (44.6 WAR) and Fergie Jenkins (52.6) also have arguments, but Carlton was inconsistent, and two of his four Cy Youngs came in the 1980s.

1970s vs. 2010s: How good is this pitching staff? It leads all decades in total WAR. Some of that is tied to the timing, as all six of our pitchers were around for the entire decade, but longevity and excellence were the mark of the best of this generation. The offense, however, isn’t nearly as good, with relative weak spots at first base, shortstop and center field. In Bench, Morgan and Schmidt, you have arguably the three best ever at their positions, but the 2010s squad has a pitching staff that was perhaps even more dominant relative to the league and the better lineup. Winner: 2010s.

1960s

C Joe Torre: 129 OPS+, 36.3 WAR 1B Harmon Killebrew: 157 OPS+, 44.5 WAR 2B Pete Rose: 123 OPS+, 30.2 WAR 3B Brooks Robinson: 115 OPS+, 53.9 WAR SS Maury Wills: 92 OPS+, 36.6 WAR OF Hank Aaron: 162 OPS+, 81.0 WAR OF Willie Mays: 159 OPS+, 84.2 WAR OF Roberto Clemente: 144 OPS+, 66.4 WAR UT Frank Robinson: 166 OPS+, 64.6 WAR

SP Sandy Koufax: 147 ERA+, 47.9 WAR SP Juan Marichal: 136 ERA+. 55.3 WAR SP Bob Gibson: 135 ERA+, 54.2 WAR SP Don Drysdale: 119 ERA+, 44.7 WAR SP Jim Bunning: 121 ERA+, 46.3 WAR RP Hoyt Wilhelm: 160 ERA+, 24.3 WAR

Hitting: Let’s start with that all-universe outfield. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Frank Robinson were the top four players of the decade. Here’s a good way to explain their greatness: In looking at the three leaders each season in WAR among position players, those four hold down 15 of the 30 spots. They were so good, we couldn’t fit Carl Yastrzemski or Al Kaline on the team. … Third base is a tough choice between Brooks Robinson and Ron Santo, and while Santo (57.6) leads in WAR and was the better hitter, Robinson was the more iconic player. … First base is a coin flip between Harmon Killebrew and Willie McCovey, with almost identical totals in WAR and OPS, but Killebrew led the decade with 393 home runs and was second to Aaron in RBIs. … Joe Torre was a borderline Hall of Famer as a player and led catchers in WAR, home runs and RBIs as a five-time All-Star. … Second base in the 1960s may be the least impressive position of any decade — only Rose and Bill Mazeroski crossed 20 WAR, and Rose played there only four seasons before moving to the outfield in 1967. … Toss-up at shortstop between Maury Wills, Jim Fregosi and Luis Aparicio, but Wills’ 104 steals in 1962 was a defining moment of the decade.

Pitching: The 1960s were known as a pitching decade, but that’s mostly because everyone remembers these five starters. The gap from Don Drysdale (fifth in WAR) to Larry Jackson (sixth) is nearly 10 WAR. … Sandy Koufax, despite pitching through just 1966, ranked seventh in wins and tied for third in strikeouts. … Juan Marichal had season records of 25-8, 25-6 and 26-9 yet never won a Cy Young Award. … Bob Gibson’s 1968 season, with his 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts, still stands as one of the most famous seasons of all time. … Hoyt Wilhelm, underrated as an all-time great, had a 1.99 ERA from 1961 through ’69 as a reliever.

1960s vs. 2010s: Led by the six Hall of Famers on the pitching staff and that amazing outfield, the 1960s group has a strong argument as best decade ever, even if it’s a little soft in the middle infield. Still, the collective WAR of this team ranks third behind only the 1990s and 1910s. Best-of-seven, anyone? Let’s see, Kershaw versus Koufax, Verlander versus Gibson, Scherzer versus Drysdale, Bumgarner versus Marichal. Let’s get it going. Winner: 1960s.

1950s

C Yogi Berra: 130 OPS+, 48.4 WAR 1B Stan Musial: 160 OPS+, 61.2 WAR 2B Jackie Robinson: 134 OPS+, 43.3 WAR 3B Eddie Mathews: 152 OPS+, 53.7 WAR SS Ernie Banks: 139 OPS+, 42.4 WAR OF Ted Williams: 185 OPS+, 47.5 WAR OF Willie Mays: 158 OPS+, 58.8 WAR OF Mickey Mantle: 173 OPS+, 68.1 WAR UT Duke Snider: 147 OPS+, 55.6 WAR

SP Warren Spahn: 126 ERA+, 57.1 WAR SP Robin Roberts: 119 ERA+, 60.5 WAR SP Billy Pierce: 128 ERA+, 43.9 WAR SP Early Wynn: 116 ERA+, 37.4 WAR SP Whitey Ford: 140 ERA+, 26.3 WAR RP Hoyt Wilhelm: 140 ERA+, 23.5 WAR

Hitting: No real arguments to be had anywhere with this roster. We slot Stan Musial at first base instead of the outfield, but he did play 721 games there versus 710 in the outfield. Gil Hodges (41.8 WAR, second in RBIs) is the backup choice. … Jackie Robinson retired after 1956 and Ernie Banks didn’t debut until 1953, but both led their positions in WAR, with Banks winning MVP honors in 1958 and 1959. … Ted Williams missed almost two full seasons thanks to the Korean War, but we can’t leave off a guy who had a .476 OBP for the decade. Richie Ashburn (50.9 WAR) and Minnie Minoso (47.6) have strong cases, but we’ll go with Duke Snider, who led in home runs and RBIs, as our utility/DH. … Player of the decade? Has to be Mickey Mantle.

Pitching: Likewise, the pitching staff is pretty cut-and-dried other than Whitey Ford, who makes it with a remarkable .704 winning percentage and great World Series record. He missed two seasons while in the military. (His best seasons came in 1961 and 1963; after Casey Stengel was fired, Ralph Houk let him pitch more often.) … I have Warren Spahn over Robin Roberts as the pitcher of the decade. Spahn won 20-plus games eight times. Roberts had a remarkable run from 1950 to 1955, when he averaged 323 innings and 23 wins per season. … Billy Pierce is the only non-Hall of Famer on this team, but he’s a vastly underrated pitcher with 211 career wins and 3.27 ERA.

1950s vs. 2010s: The 1950s ranks only eighth in total WAR primarily due to being a little soft in the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation, but that lineup … holy cow, as Harry Caray might say. I might take the 1950s lineup over all others, and it does have the highest average OPS+ of any lineup. We’ll put Willie Mays in the leadoff spot, Williams bats second with his OBP, Musial third, Mantle cleanup … I’ll take the 2010 rotation, however, so this one goes seven. Winner: 2010s.

1940s

C Ernie Lombardi: 124 OPS+, 19.3 WAR 1B Johnny Mize: 159 OPS+, 41.1 WAR 2B Joe Gordon: 123 OPS+, 45.6 WAR 3B Bob Elliott: 125 OPS+, 39.7 WAR SS Lou Boudreau: 126 OPS+, 59.9 WAR OF Ted Williams: 200 OPS+, 65.8 WAR OF Joe DiMaggio: 162 OPS+, 43.6 WAR OF Stan Musial: 172 OPS+, 57.6 WAR UT Bobby Doerr: 122 OPS+, 41.7 WAR

SP Bob Feller: 131 ERA+, 38.3 WAR SP Hal Newhouser: 138 ERA+, 54.1 WAR SP Dizzy Trout: 128 ERA+, 36.7 WAR SP Harry Brecheen: 140 ERA+, 32.3 WAR SP Mort Cooper: 124 ERA+, 28.4 WAR RP Joe Page: 111 ERA+, 7.5 WAR

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Hitting: World War II cuts into the counting stats for the decade, but it’s hard to beat an outfield of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. Musial won three MVP awards, and Williams and DiMaggio each won two. … Johnny Mize, an underrated Hall of Famer, averaged 31 home runs (with a high of 51 in 1947) and 106 RBIs. … Joe Gordon and Bobby Doerr are both Hall of Fame second basemen. We’ll go with Gordon and put Doerr on the squad as the utility guy. … Lou Boudreau had eight top-10 MVP finishes and won in 1948, when he hit .355 with 106 RBIs as player-manager of the last Indians team to win the World Series. … Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi led a weak crop of catchers in WAR and Bob Elliott, the 1948 NL MVP, led the decade in RBIs and ranked in the top 10 in WAR.

Pitching: Bob Feller heads the pitching staff. He missed almost four seasons due to the war, but check out his first full season back in 1946: 26-15, 2.18 ERA, 371 IP, 348 SO, 36 CG, 10 shutouts. … Hal Newhouser won MVP awards in 1944-45, but he wasn’t just a wartime star, as he then went 26-9 with a 1.94 ERA in 1946 (and finished second in the MVP voting, ahead of Feller). … Harry Brecheen and Mort Cooper (the 1942 NL MVP) were the aces of the great Cardinals teams of the decade. … Joe Page was one of the first true relief aces and his mark of 27 saves held until 1961.

1940s vs. 2010s: Even factoring in the war, this may be the weakest team of them all, even with the star-studded outfield. Only two of the six pitchers are Hall of Famers, and Newhouser is a pretty weak Hall of Famer at that. Winner: 2010s.

1930s

C Bill Dickey: 132 OPS+, 43.7 WAR 1B Lou Gehrig: 181 OPS+, 73.1 WAR 2B Charlie Gehringer: 133 OPS+, 61.2 WAR 3B Harlond Clift: 122 OPS+, 25.6 WAR SS Arky Vaughan: 142 OPS+, 53.2 WAR OF Paul Waner: 133 OPS+, 44.1 WAR OF Joe DiMaggio: 152 OPS+, 26.3 WAR OF Mel Ott: 161 OPS+, 68.7 WAR UT Jimmie Foxx: 173 OPS+, 72.9 WAR

SP Lefty Grove: 162 ERA+, 80.8 WAR SP Carl Hubbell: 142 ERA+, 56.0 WAR SP Dizzy Dean: 133 ERA+, 44.1 WAR SP Lefty Gomez: 131 ERA+ 43.5 WAR SP Red Ruffing: 119 ERA+, 38.1 WAR

Hitting: This decade featured the ridiculous rabbit-ball season of 1930 and crazy offensive numbers throughout the decade in the American League, which averaged over five runs per game each year of the decade. Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig ranked 1-2 in home runs and RBIs as the decade’s best hitters. … Mel Ott is an inner-circle Hall of Famer and the NL’s best position player and hitter of the decade, although he never won an MVP award. … Paul Waner is our other corner outfielder. He won two batting titles starring for the Pirates. … They called Charlie Gehringer “the Mechanical Man” for his robotic consistency. He had seven straight top-10 MVP finishes, including first in 1937 when he hit .371. … Arky Vaughan is a forgotten star and gets the nod over fellow Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, although Cronin drove in over 1,000 runs in the decade. Vaughan was an OBP machine and hit .385 in 1935. … Third base lacks a decade-long star, although Harlond Clift averaged 4.9 WAR from 1935 to 1939 while playing for terrible Browns teams. … We need a center fielder, so that eliminates Babe Ruth, who was still great the first half of the decade. Hall of Famer Earl Averill (44.5) has the most WAR, but we’ll go with Joe DiMaggio for his terrific first four seasons from 1936 to 1939, averaging 140 RBIs as the Yankees won four straight titles.

Pitching: How dominant was Lefty Grove in the 1930s? His 80.8 WAR is the second highest for a pitcher for any decade and he won seven ERA titles. … Carl Hubbell, with his famous screwball, was the NL’s top hurler and won two MVP awards during an incredible run from 1933 to 1937. … Dizzy Dean got hurt and pitched just five full seasons, but still ranked fourth in the decade in WAR (and won 58 games in 1934-35). … Our final two spots go to the two Hall of Famers on the great Yankees teams, Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing. Gomez was 6-0 in World Series play and Ruffing went 5-1 in the decade.

1930s vs. 2010s: “Inner-circle Hall of Famer” is kind of a vague description. It’s kind of “you know it, when you see it.” This maybe gives the edge to the 1930s, with Gehrig, Gehringer, Ott, DiMaggio, Foxx, Grove (arguably the greatest pitcher of all time) and Hubbell. The 2010s have Trout, Cabrera, Kershaw, Verlander and perhaps Scherzer. I don’t quite put Beltre in that group and maybe Betts or Lindor gets there someday, but for now the super-duper-star power goes to the 1930s (and that’s without even considering Negro Leagues legends like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson). Winner: 1930s.

1920s

C Wally Schang: 114 OPS+, 25.6 WAR 1B Lou Gehrig: 174 OPS+, 39.3 WAR 2B Rogers Hornsby: 188 OPS+, 93.2 WAR 3B Pie Traynor: 107 OPS+, 23.0 WAR SS Joe Sewell: 113 OPS+, 44.1 WAR OF Harry Heilmann: 156 OPS+, 56.8 WAR OF Tris Speaker: 151 OPS+, 51.4 WAR OF Babe Ruth: 216 OPS+, 102.3 WAR UT Frankie Frisch: 118 OPS+, 54.1 WAR

SP Dazzy Vance: 130 ERA+, 50.1 WAR SP Pete Alexander: 130 ERA+, 47.7 WAR SP Red Faber: 121 ERA+, 46.1 WAR SP Urban Shocker: 125 ERA+, 44.8 WAR SP Burleigh Grimes: 112 ERA+, 38.3 WAR

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Hitting: Babe Ruth in the 1920s had the decade of decades for individual achievement. Simply: He changed the game. … Rogers Hornsby had three .400 seasons — three of his seven batting titles). … Harry Heilmann is an easy call for the other corner outfield spot and Tris Speaker gets the nod in center field, even though the 1920s were only the second-best decade of his career. … Wally Schang was a superb hitter and is the choice over Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett, who had his peak seasons in the 1930s. … First base is a weak position in the 1920s so Lou Gehrig is the easy call for his run from 1925 to 1929, including his career-best season in 1927. … At shortstop, we’ll go with Hall of Famer Joe Sewell. From 1925 to 1929, he played 150-plus games every season and struck out 30 times. That’s 30 times in five seasons. … Third base is toss-up between overrated Hall of Famer Pie Traynor and defensive whiz Willie Kamm. It’s one of the weakest positions of any decade.

Pitching: As ERAs rose this decade compared to the dead ball era, pitchers started fewer games and threw fewer innings. Dazzy Vance is the one easy selection on the pitching staff. He had cups of coffee in 1915 and 1918, but didn’t return to the majors until 1922 at age 31. He led the NL in strikeouts his first seven seasons and became a Hall of Famer. … Pete Alexander was on the back half of his career, but was still terrific and had one final monster season in 1920 with 27 wins and a 1.91 ERA. … Burleigh Grimes was the Jack Morris of the 1920s. … Red Faber and Urban Shocker are my final two choices, although you could go with Eddie Rommel, Herb Pennock, Eppa Rixey or even old Walter Johnson or young Lefty Grove. … Shocker won 18 games for the 1927 Yankees and was dead a year later from heart disease.

1920s vs. 2010s: As great as Ruth and Hornsby were, I’ll go with the 2010s here. Much better depth in the starting pitching and the 1920s teams have some soft spots in the infield. Winner: 2010s.

1910s

C Chief Meyers: 116 OPS+, 23.3 WAR 1B Ed Konetchy: 123 OPS+, 32.0 WAR 2B Eddie Collins: 150 OPS+, 73.5 WAR 3B Home Run Baker: 139 OPS+, 53.3 WAR SS Art Fletcher: 102 OPS+, 41.8 WAR OF Joe Jackson: 171 OPS+, 55.2 WAR OF Tris Speaker: 166 OPS+, 76.5 WAR OF Ty Cobb: 192 OPS+, 84.3 WAR UT Honus Wagner: 125 OPS+, 34.3 WAR

SP Walter Johnson: 183 ERA+, 107.8 WAR SP Pete Alexander: 145 ERA+, 68.7 WAR SP Eddie Cicotte: 127 ERA+, 48.1 WAR SP Hippo Vaughn: 125 ERA+, 43.3 WAR SP Christy Mathewson: 127 ERA+, 29.9 WAR

Hitting: You want to talk about star-studded outfields? The trio of Shoeless Joe Jackson, Tris Speaker and Ty Cobb is hard to beat. The power numbers don’t compare because of the era, but if we average the adjusted OPS of the three, their 176 OPS+ ranks second behind only the 1940s trio. … Eddie Collins and Home Run Baker, teammates on the Philadelphia A’s, are strong choices at their positions. During the four years of the Chalmers MVP award from 1911 to 1914, Collins finished third, sixth, third and first in the voting. … Chief Meyers didn’t enter pro ball until he was 25 and reached the majors at 28, but was a star on great Giants teams under John McGraw. … First base was more of a defense-first position in the dead ball era and the 1910s lacked a clear star. Ed Konetchy played for five teams (he was always asking for more money, so teams traded him), but was eighth in the decade in RBIs. … Art Fletcher was another member of the Giants, regarded as an excellent fielder. … Finally, we’ll go with Honus Wagner in the utility spot. He averaged 5.3 WAR from 1910 to 1916, and was still good enough to lead the NL in 1911 and 1912 at ages 37 and 38.

Pitching: Even though the 1910s were a low-scoring era, it’s interesting that many top pitchers burned out quickly, unable to handle the big workloads of the era. Not the legendary Walter Johnson, who pitched at least 322 innings in nine of 10 seasons, had seasons of 33 and 36 wins and led the AL nine times in strikeouts, five times in wins and four times in ERA. … Pete Alexander is a distant No. 2, winning 208 games in eight seasons. He won 30 games three times and led the NL five times in wins, five times in strikeouts, four times in ERA and six times in innings. Pretty solid one-two punch. … Eddie Cicotte and Hippo Vaughn were the only other two to clear 40 WAR. For the fifth spot we’ll go to late-career Christy Mathewson over a half-dozen other possibilities. He averaged 7.7 WAR from 1910 to 1913 before fading.

1910s vs. 2010s: The 1910s actually rank second behind the 1990s in total WAR, but the decade is a little weak at first base and shortstop and the back of the rotation isn’t particularly strong for such a low-scoring decade. You do have four inner-circle Hall of Famers in the lineup in Cobb, Speaker, Collins and Wagner, although Wagner was post-peak. Winner: 2010s.

1900s

C Roger Bresnahan: 130 OPS+, 31.0 WAR 1B Frank Chance: 140 OPS+, 41.3 WAR 2B Nap Lajoie: 165 OPS+, 69.5 WAR 3B Jimmy Collins: 113 OPS+, 33.4 WAR SS Honus Wagner: 175 OPS+, 85.8 WAR OF Elmer Flick: 150 OPS+, 43.9 WAR OF Roy Thomas: 125 OPS+, 35.9 WAR OF Sam Crawford: 146 OPS+, 45.0 WAR UT Bobby Wallace: 111 OPS+, 49.7 WAR

SP Christy Mathewson: 142 ERA+, 67.7 WAR SP Cy Young: 140 ERA+, 75.4 WAR SP Rube Waddell: 136 ERA+, 58.5 WAR SP Eddie Plank: 120 ERA+, 56.4 WAR SP Mordecai Brown: 164 ERA+, 40.0 WAR

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Hitting: Honus Wagner was the player of the decade, dominating his peers like few have done since. He led the majors in position-player WAR five times and his 1908 season was one of the best ever (he had a .957 OPS when only one other NL player was even over .800). … Nap Lajoie was the other standout, winning four American League batting titles. … Roger Bresnahan was kind of the Ben Zobrist of his era, if Zobrist had also played catcher. He actually first appeared as a pitcher, moved to outfield and settled in at catcher, where he famously introduced shin guards and a padded mask. … Frank Chance arrived as a catcher, moved to first base and had a great five-year stretch from 1903 to 1907. As player/manager of the Cubs he won four NL pennants in the decade. He even led the NL twice in stolen bases. … Our corner outfielders are Sam Crawford and Elmer Flick, two Hall of Famers. Crawford ranks second in the decade in RBIs and Flick, Lajoie’s teammate in Cleveland, ranks fifth in adjusted OPS. He gets the nod over Fred Clarke. … Center field is a tough call. Ty Cobb came up in 1905, but played mostly right field until 1910 (Crawford actually spent a couple of seasons in center). Roy Thomas was the best pure center fielder. He had zero power, even for the 1900s, but drew 100 walks six times and was third in the decade in runs. … Hall of Famer Bobby Wallace was a defensive whiz at shortstop and is our utility guy (actually, Wagner would make a great utility guy, as he played all over early in his career).

Pitching: Christy Mathewson leads the pitching staff and he would battle Wagner for player of the decade honors. From 1903 to 1909, he averaged 29 wins per season, leading the NL three times in wins and three times in ERA. … Cy Young had dominated the 1890s, jumped to the AL when it began play in 1901, and led in victories its first three seasons. … Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank were teammates on Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s for a time. Waddell was one of the great strikeout pitchers of all time after adjusting for era. His 349 strikeouts in 1904 stood as the highest post-1900 total until Sandy Koufax beat it in 1965 (and still ranks sixth). … Others have more wins and WAR in the decade than Three-Finger Brown, but he had a great peak from 1906 to 1910 as ace of those Cubs teams.

1900s vs. 2010s: The 1900s feature one of the best five-man rotations, but the lineup is a little lacking (although eight of the nine are Hall of Famers). Bresnahan and Chance had very short peaks, third baseman Jimmy Collins wasn’t a great hitter and center field is a little soft. One of the strongest aspects of the 2010s roster is there are no major holes, which speaks to the depth of talent in today’s game. Winner: 2010s.

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[syndergaarden]

Jacob deGrom has the best hair on the Mets BY FAR. This shouldn't even be up for debate!!! 💁🏻

I wholeheartedly co-sign this.

[podcastpalace]

Rest of Season Rankings, One-Hit Wonders by CBS Sports Podcasts .... Want more? Subscribe to our Podcast for free! http://ift.tt/10o2o7L Justin Smoak or Chris Davis (2:00)? Sean Manaea or Gerrit Cole (3:45)? Anthony Rizzo or Daniel Murphy (46:00)? These are some of today's player debates! Get excited! ... We talk Jacob deGrom's pitch count (6:20), a couple of catchers you need to add right now (16:30), Ryon Healy's potential and more hot hitters (38:08) ... We debate when to draft one-hit wonders like Jonathan Villar and Aledmys Diaz (8:40), and we go in-depth on trade strategies and roster construction ... Your emails at fantasybaseball@cbsi.com

[walruspush87-blog]

MLB Trade Rumors: Dodgers Actively Trying to Trade Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp

The Winter Meetings are finally here, and teams are preparing to offer big paydays for needed replacements and reinforcements ahead of the 2019 season.

Big name free agents such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still on the market and expected to take home some of the largest paychecks in baseball history.

The Mets and Mariners got started on the wheeling and dealing blockbuster deal for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, a number of other notable players are hitting the free-agent market earlier than expected.

Last week's big news concerned pitcher Patrick Corbin, who agreed to a six-year deal worth $140 million with the Washington Nationals. The Cardinals also traded for perennial All–Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, which should make the NL Central race more interesting.

Here's all of the latest rumors and transactions around baseball:

• The Dodgers are actively trying to trade Yasiel Puig or Matt Kemp. (Mark Feinsand, The Athletic)

• It is becoming "less likely" that the Giants will trade ace Madison Bumgarner this winter. (Mark Feinsand, The Athletic)

• The Phillies remain "very aggressive" in their pursuit of free-agent reliever Zach Britton, but other teams are still in the mix. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

• The Orioles are "closing in" on hiring Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde as their new manager. (Joel Sherman, New York Post)

• The Nationals have had a "few discussions" with free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu's representatives. (Jesse Doughterty, The Washington Post)

• The Reds and Dodgers have discussed trade packages that include Los Angeles outfielder Yasiel Puig and other outfielders and pitchers. The Dodgers want to clear money for other pursuits. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

• The Mets are pursuing Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto "heavily," but giving up starter Noah Syndergaard in a three-team deal seems less likely. The Marlins are interested in Mets shortstop Amed Rosario and another player for a deal. (Mike Puma, New York Post)

• Talks between the Yankees, Mets and Marlins regarding a three-team deal are not progressing. However, the Mets continue to show interest in acquiring catcher J.T. Realmuto. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)

• The Mets are "very aggressive" in their pursuit of Realmuto but are debating about giving up shortstop Amed Rosario or starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. (Jon Heyman, Fancred)

• The Yankees, White Sox and Phillies will meet with Manny Machado. Three other teams that are set to meet with him remain unnamed. (Jon Heyman, Fancred)

• The White Sox, Braves and Phillies are interested in free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley. (Jon Heyman, Fancred)

• The Giants are showing interest in Japanese free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)

• Free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton agreed to a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2020 season with the Royals. (Team announcement)

• The New York Yankees end their pursuit of Bryce Harper citing a crowded outfield, and continue to have talks concening Manny Machado and J.A. Happ. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

• The Yankees are reportedly open to moving third baseman Miguel Andujar as it pursues free agent Manny Machado and Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

• The Mets have started engaging the Marlins on coveted catcher J.T. Realmuto, with some discussions involving a possible three-way deal sending Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the Yankees. (Anthony DiComo, MLB.com)

• Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom is not available for trade. New York is listening to offers for right-hander Noah Syndergaard. (Joel Sherman, New York Post/MLB Network)

• Left-hander J.A. Happ could potentially sign with whichever team first offers him a three-year contract. Happ currently has several two-year offers to consider. (Jeff Passan, Yahoo)

• Outfielder Andrew McCutchen reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with the Phillies. (Jeff Passan, Yahoo)

• The White Sox reportedly acquired right-hander Ivan Nova from the Pirates. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

• The Astros are interested in signing Michael Brantley, and desire to add a left-handed bat. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)

• The Braves do not plan on trading pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, outfielder Ender Inciarte or shortstop Dansby Swanson. (Jon Heyman, Fancred/MLB Network)

Story continues

• The Reds are interested in free-agent left-hander Wade Miley. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)

• Several teams, including the Cardinals, have inquired about Giants left-hander Will Smith. (Mark Saxon, The Athletic)

• The Mariners are interested in Japanese free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. (Greg Johns, MLB.com)

• Free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton has agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Royals. (Jon Heyman, Fancred)

• The agents for Harper and Machado are set to meet with the Phillies organization at the Winter Meetings. (Todd Zolecki, MLB.com)

• Free agent right-hander Tyson Ross and the Detroit Tigers reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth $5.75 million. (Team announcement)

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-trade-rumors-mets-yankees-111528636.html?src=rss

[toakatdot]

MetsJunkies Wednesday Night Recap

MetsJunkies Wednesday Night Recap

Jacob deGrom and the Mets went toe to toe with Max Scherzer and the Nationals tonight and as anticipated, it was a low scoring game as both pitchers were locked in.

Unfortunately for both teams, HomePlate Umpire Ryan Blakney was the epitome of an inconsistent umpire. Mind you, this is the reason why an automated strike zone is apart of any discussion and it’s a valid debate.

Jacob deGrom pitched…

[turkeymonkey33-blog]

Red Sox, Jacob deGrom, Bryce Harper and other unforgettable MLB moments from 2018

We’re in the final hours of 2018, but the memories aren’t going anywhere. Especially when it comes to baseball, where this year saw the Boston Red Sox win another World Series, the rise of a two-way phenom unlike anything the game has seen in decades, a historic season by a starting pitcher and the newest strategy to take the game by storm.

With 2019 on the horizon, we’re looking back at some of the moments from baseball in 2018 that will be etched in our brains for years to come — whether they’re storylines, amazing plays or record-setting achievements.

Red Sox win the World Series, David Price gets redemption

The Boston Red Sox were the undisputed kings of baseball in 2018. After winning a franchise record 108 games during the regular season, the Red Sox were even more convincing in October, going 11-3 against the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers to win the franchise’s fourth World Series championship since 2004.

Along the way the Red Sox provided several moments their fanbase won’t soon forget. Perhaps no series of moments brought more relief and happiness than David Price’s postseason redemption. Price changed the narrative with a string of excellent outings as a starter and a reliever. He notched his first three career playoff victories this October, which included a fantastic seven-inning outing in the World Series clincher.

Price went from being the guy we expected to see fail in October, to being Alex Cora’s go-to man.

The Boston Red Sox dominated the 2018 baseball season. (AP)

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Jacob deGrom’s incredible season amid Mets chaos

There wasn’t a single moment with Jacob deGrom. His season was a continuously brilliant display of dominance that ranked among the greatest pitching seasons in recent history. And what made it even more special was the consistently horrific display of incompetence that surrounded him.

DeGrom somehow managed to overcome the Mets miserable season to become the franchise’s fourth NL Cy Young award winner. He led MLB in ERA (1.70), FIP (1.99), xFIP (2.60) and home runs per nine innings (0.4). He also posted MLB single-season records with 24 consecutive quality starts and 29 straight outings of three runs or fewer.

DeGrom was a must-see attraction on a team that otherwise was entirely unwatchable.

The Ohtani Experiment thrills despite some disappointment

No baseball player was more fascinating in 2018 than Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese import who was attempting to be a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels. It was all we heard about early in the baseball season, from his disappointing spring training to his even-more-impressive early regular season.

The most thrilling moment came April 8 when he flirted with a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics. It lasted into the seventh inning, with 12 strikeouts and was a great glimpse of Ohtani’s potential.

So was this: Ohtani changed the narrative of disappointment like only he could. When he started to have elbow troubles and eventually needed Tommy John surgery, Ohtani stopped pitching and just focused on hitting. Such is the advantage of being a two-way player. He finished the season with 22 homers and 61 RBIs, plus a 4-2 record with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts on the mound — winning the AL Rookie of the Year. Though he’ll be out all of 2019, it looked like just the start of things to come for Ohtani.

Bryce Harper wins Home Run derby in Washington D.C.

If Bryce Harper moves on from the Washington Nationals this winter, this might go down as his signature moment in front of the home fans. Harper won the 2018 Home Run derby in dramatic fashion, besting Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber with a walk-off in the championship round.

Harper, who has preferred not to participate in past derbys, decided to give the home fans a treat. Harper hit 45 home runs total during the event, including an incredible nine during one 47-second stretch.

Story continues

At the time, it felt like an epic goodbye from player to city. If that’s the case, it was quite a sendoff.

The Yankees homer into the history books

We knew the Yankees were going to hit a lot of dingers once they traded for Giancarlo Stanton. We knew they might, in fact, challenge for the all-time record. Actually, they set it.

The Yankees hit 267 homers in 2018, beating the Seattle Mariners’ mark of 264 in 1997. They were led by Stanton’s 38 bombs, but had six players who hit 20+, including Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres.

Two of the greatest plays you’ll ever see

We saw two of the best plays in 2018 on back-to-back August days, leaving plenty of people to wonder which was better. One was an outfield throw for the ages — A’s rookie Ramon Laureano making a great catch and following it with a 321-foot throw to complete a double play. It’s the definition of wow.

Then there was David Bote, who achieved every kid’s backyard dream for the Chicago Cubs: The Ultimate Grand Slam. Bote came up in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, the bases loaded and his team down by three. He even had two strikes on him. Then he unleashed what is believed to be only the 15th Ultimate Grand Slam in history.

The rise of ‘bullpenning’

Baseball has shown us in recent years how the roles of relief pitchers have changed. It’s not enough for some teams to have a lock-down closer in the ninth, they want closers in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

In 2018, we also saw the opposite of the closer. We saw the invention of “the opener” — a relief pitcher that started a game. Many people scoffed at the idea when the Tampa Bay Rays first tried it, but by the postseason, we saw the Oakland A’s bullpenning the wild-card game and the Milwaukee Brewers doing it in the NLDS. The idea was that if you don’t have a great starter and have better relievers, why not just get to the good stuff?

In the grand history of baseball, perhaps this will be a short-term trend — maybe the wildcat offense of baseball — but right now, it’s definitely a thing. Teams are always looking for a way to maximize their chances of winning with the talent they have. And that’s what this one is all about.

The other not-so-wonderful trend to hit MLB

Speaking of trends: This one wasn’t great, but many young baseball players were on the “old tweets exposed” list, a 2018 social media phenomenon in which people dug through the old Twitter accounts of athletes and found less-than-suitable tweets from years past.

Josh Hader, the Milwaukee Brewers reliever, was the biggest case in MLB, since it happened while he was pitching in the All-Star Game. But the list of players also included Sean Newcomb and Trea Turner. This isn’t a baseball problem so much as it’s a young-athlete problem, one that probably won’t go anywhere in 2019.

New York Yankees’ Tyler Austin, center, rushes Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Joe Kelly, right, after being hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

More

Red Sox-Yankees brawl in April

The Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry was alive and well in 2018. The tension reached a boiling point early — April 11 to be exact — when an aggressive slide by the Yankees Tyler Austin led to Joe Kelly drilling Austin with a 98 mph fastball.

Punches were thrown. Suspensions were handed out. Above all else, the stage was set for a season-long battle for the AL East crown.

While there were no more physical altercations during the season, the longtime rivals traded wins and even met in the postseason for the first time since 2004. The Red Sox emerged with the division title and the World Series title, which will no doubt fuel the Yankees fire in 2019.

The end of the Chief Wahoo era

One of baseball’s long-standing debates (don’t worry, there are dozens more) ended in 2018, as the Chief Wahoo era came to a close in Cleveland. For years now, people have clashed about whether Chief Wahoo — the red-faced Native American caricature who was a Cleveland Indians logo for 70 years — was a racist symbol.

Major League Baseball announced earlier this year that Wahoo was “no longer appropriate” for the Indians to wear, and thus 2018 would be his final year on the team’s uniforms. It concluded two years of talk on the subject between the team and the league. The Indians had already moved on to using the Block C as their primary logo a few years ago, so the change won’t be too drastic. But they wore a Wahoo patch on their jerseys and often wore Wahoo caps. Now, the Indians have already unveiled their first Wahoo-less uniforms in 70 years.

Danny Farquhar throws first pitch after life-threatening brain aneurysm

In an instant, Chicago White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar went from battling an opposing batter to battling for his life. The veteran right-hander suffered a brain aneurysm during a game on April 21 that many doctors thought would require a “miracle” to survive.

Farquhar and his family got that miracle. The 31-year-old made a remarkable recovery, which allowed him to throw a very emotional first pitch before a White Sox game just six weeks later.  The best news is Farquhar was cleared to resume his baseball career in November and is hopeful to pitch in MLB in 2019.

David Wright’s comeback and emotional sendoff

Few games elicited as much emotion as David Wright’s final game at Citi Field on Sept. 29.

The Mets all-time hits leader and long-time captain returned to the starting lineup for the first time in two years after battling back and shoulder injuries. At the same time, he also said goodbye, bringing an end to a career that will go down as one of the most notable in Mets history.

The Mets gave Wright a proper sendoff, allowing him to take the field one final time.

There was no dramatic final hit or diving play. There didn’t have to be. That Wright wore the Mets uniform one last time made it one of the season’s best moments.

– – – – – –

Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

More from Yahoo Sports:

• NFL star’s record broken an hour after he sets it • Steelers, fans get first-hand look at heartbreaking play • Redskins player takes pettiness to an all-new level • Black Monday: Tracking NFL’s head coaches fired

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-jacob-degrom-bryce-harper-moments-2018-well-never-forget-183359680.html?src=rss

[marilynngmesalo]

Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Ray’s Blake Snell win Cy Young Awards

Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Ray’s Blake Snell win Cy Young Awards Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Ray’s Blake Snell win Cy Young Awards https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

NEW YORK — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.

The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander had just 10 victories, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.

The AL prize also reflected a change in voters’ values, with Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beating out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first Cy Young. Snell pitched just 180 2/3 innings, fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. Over full seasons, Snell is the second starter to win the award with fewer than 200 innings after Clayton Kershaw logged 198 1/3 in 2014.

Oakland’s Melvin, Atlanta’s Snitker voted top managers

Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr. win Rookie of the Year honours

“I definitely think the game has changed in that aspect,” deGrom said.

“I feel like it’s just turning more into quality of work and what did you accomplish in those innings,” Snell said. “I think that’s just the way it’s going.”

DeGrom easily beat out Washington’s Max Scherzer, who was seeking a third straight Cy Young and fourth overall. DeGrom got 29 first-place votes and 207 points from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Scherzer had the other first-place vote.

In his first season after chopping off his distinctive long hair, deGrom cut down hitters from start to finish despite little help from teammates. He had a 1.70 ERA, the lowest in the NL since Zack Greinke’s 1.66 mark in 2015. Yet the 30-year-old right-hander went 10-9, eclipsing the low bar among starters of 13 victories set by the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and matched by Seattle’s Felix Hernandez in 2010.

DeGrom allowed three runs or fewer in 29 consecutive starts to close the season, breaking Leslie “King” Cole’s 108-year-old record of 26 such outings. Yet the Mets were 11-18 in those games and 14-18 overall with deGrom on the mound.

“My thought process was, ‘Hey, take the ball every fifth day and continue to try to put this team in position to win and control what you can control,”‘ deGrom said.

Hernandez’s Cy Young victory signalled a major shift from voters, who once prioritized pitcher wins. The push toward advanced analytics made deGrom’s candidacy possible, and by September there was little debate deGrom was worthy, even as the Mets regularly wasted his dominance.

“This was one of my goals,” deGrom said. “The team didn’t end up where we wanted to be this past season, but you kind of set personal goals, and I think being able to accomplish something that has been a dream of yours is just something special. To be a Cy Young Award winner, you’re in great company, and it truly is an honour.”

Perhaps no pitcher had ever been such a hard-luck loser. New York averaged 3.5 runs in games started by deGrom, second only to Cole Hamels for worst support in the majors among qualified pitchers. During one stretch late in the season, the Mets totalled 10 runs over seven of deGrom’s outings, and four of those were driven in by the pitcher himself.

DeGrom nearly produced more wins above replacement than actual wins — an unfortunate sabermetric feat that has only been accomplished once, when the Philadelphia Athletics’ Eddie Smith went 4-17 with 4.1 WAR in 1937. Baseball-Reference calculated deGrom for 9.6 WAR.

The 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, he became the seventh rookie winner voted a Cy Young, joining fellow Mets Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden. R.A. Dickey was the only other Met to win a Cy Young.

The Mets unveiled a deGrom bobblehead featuring the Cy Young Award shortly after deGrom was crowned. They will give away 25,000 prior to a home game April 7 against Scherzer’s Nationals.

Snell got 17 first-place votes and 169 points to 13 first-place votes and 154 points for Verlander. Kluber had 71 points, followed by Boston’s Chris Sale and Houston’s Gerrit Cole.

Snell had a 1.89 ERA, third best in the AL since the DH was introduced, trailing only Ron Guidry (1.74) in 1978 and Pedro Martinez (1.74) in 2000. The 25-year-old pitched had 33 1/3 fewer innings than Verlander, but his dominance was enough to sway the electorate.

The lefty nicknamed Snellzilla wreaked havoc against the AL’s top lineups. He was 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in four starts against the World Series champion Red Sox, and 2-0 in two starts each against the Astros and Indians. The Yankees roughed Snell up twice, but he got threw five scoreless innings in a victory Aug. 16. That came during a late-season run of nine consecutive wins for Snell, including a victory against every team in the AL East. He also made five starts against former Cy Young winners and went 3-0 with an 0.59 ERA.

Snell was the first player 25-or-younger to win 21 games since Barry Zito in 2002. He was highly regarded as a minor leaguer for his electric arsenal, but subpar control led to struggles during his first two major league seasons. He was even demoted to Triple-A for a month in 2017.

It all came together this year. Snell was a stalwart for a most unusual pitching staff, taking the ball every fifth day while manager Kevin Cash successfully experimented with reliever “openers” to start games in between. Snell led the Rays with 31 starts, and no other traditional starter had more than 17. After longtime franchise ace Chris Archer was traded to the Pirates on July 31, Snell went 9-0 with a 1.17 ERA.

“I felt with the opener, I had a bigger role on the team,” Snell said.

Snell is the second Rays pitcher to win the award, following David Price in 2012.

Scherzer went 18-7 with a 2.53 ERA and led the majors with 220 2/3 innings and 300 strikeouts. He was attempting to become the first player since Randy Johnson to win three consecutive Cy Youngs. He got the first-place vote of John Maffei of the San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 seconds and 123 points. Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies was third with 86 points, followed by Colorado’s Kyle Freeland and Arizona’s Patrick Corbin.

Verlander led the AL with 290 strikeouts while going 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA for AL West champion Houston. This is his third second-place finish since winning the Cy Young and MVP in 2011 with Detroit.

Kluber was attempting to win his second straight Cy Young and third overall. He went 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA for AL Central champion Cleveland and led the AL with 215 innings.

//<![CDATA[ ( function() { pnLoadVideo( "videos", "V5Cu92kl39w", "pn_video_375549", "", "", {"controls":1,"autoplay":0,"is_mobile":""} ); } )(); //]]> Click for update news Bangla news https://ift.tt/2T9lJX0 world news

[chris-sales-belly-ring]

Jacob deGrom

It took me a minute to remember what this was in reference to. I forgot that I reblogged that ask meme last night!

Where do I start with Jacob deGrom? He’s an incredible pitcher and I’m so proud and so in awe of him. He’s a short stop that got moved to the bullpen in college. He was a low draft pick and he was expected to be in the bullpen when the Mets called him up. But he fought for himself and for his right to be a starter. And fucking look at him now!!

He’s the only stability that the Mets have had in their rotation since 2014. It’s so much fun watching him dominate and continue to get better. He’s a quiet guy, but he’s so fierce on the mound. He’s an absolute competitor and he’s just so impressive! Jake is a complete pitcher and I definitely hope that there are a few Cy Youngs in his future! 

Also, it’s crazy to me that he’s as great as he is, yet somehow doesn’t get as much praise and attention as he deserves. I mean, you literally had people debating if he was the best pitcher on the Mets staff for a good portion of this season still! (You all know that I’ve been on the Jake is better than Noah train since the beginning of time, LOL!)

He totally got robbed of being the Opening Day starter 2 seasons in a row and he should have also started the Wild Card game in 2016!! Anyway, Jacob is one of the best pitchers in Major League baseball and he deserves all the good things!!

Send me a team or a player and I’ll give you my 100% honest opinion about them 🏒

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Pitcher Shuffle Up: Don't you wish you had all the Astros?

All of my aces live in Southeast Texas (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)ƒcas

Here’s the big one, the starting pitcher Shuffle Up. It’s going to look absurd in a day or a week because that’s how pitching is. This position is erratic, fickle, humbling, especially in the homer-friendly world of 2018.

What’s happened to this point is merely an audition. We’re trying to calibrate 5×5 value from here on out. Players at the same price are considered even. And if two guys are a buck apart, it’s not that big a difference, kids.

[Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free]

I will not debate the injured pitchers. Assume a 5×5 scoring format, as always.

Game on.

$35 Justin Verlander $35 Max Scherzer $35 Corey Kluber $34 Chris Sale $33 Gerrit Cole $30 Luis Severino $28 Jacob deGrom $27 Carlos Carrasco $27 Noah Syndergaard $26 Aaron Nola $26 James Paxton $26 Stephen Strasburg $24 Zack Greinke $23 Patrick Corbin $23 Charlie Morton $22 Rick Porcello $22 Lance McCullers $19 Jose Berrios $18 Blake Snell $18 Shohei Ohtani

Was leaving Pittsburgh the tonic for Cole? Pow-wows with Verlander and Keuchel? Getting a better feel for his breaking stuff, and how to use his fastball to set up his breaking stuff? If nothing else, appreciate that Houston, despite its look on television, is a pitcher’s park.

And this deep into the season, we have to be inclined that Cole’s growth is real. Anyone can have a lucky start or two. He’s whiffing 41 percent of his batters, while switching from a sinker profile to a fly-ball profile. See, fly-ball biases don’t have to be a bad thing. As Gene McCaffrey told us a million years ago, so long as a pitcher is exerting a significant tilt to the shape of the at-bats he pitches, he’s doing a good thing. (Meanwhile, Keuchel, Morton, and McCullers are all among the leaders in ground-ball rate. Whatever gets you through the night, and through the ninth.)

I’m still a full believer in Berrios. He’s made inroads with control while keeping his strikeout rate the same, and he’s getting a lot of chases out of the zone — there’s upside for even more strikeouts. He’s also nudged his ground-ball rate a little bit. If he can get anything out of his changeup, he’s going to be an ace.

With Paxton and Strasburg (and hell, Ohtani), the big question is, how many innings are you getting? Strasburg’s mean is less prohibitive given the shape of today’s game, but given the upside someone generally wants to chase on draft day, I rarely have shares of him.

$17 Sean Manaea $17 Trevor Bauer $17 Miles Mikolas $17 Jon Lester $17 Gio Gonzalez $16 Sean Newcomb $15 Dallas Keuchel $15 Jake Arrieta $14 J.A. Happ $14 Mike Clevinger $13 Alex Wood $12 Kyle Hendricks $12 Jack Flaherty $11 Jose Quintana $11 Luke Weaver $11 Zack Godley

I probably held Mikolas’s earlier MLB resume against him, but given how long ago that was, it was an obvious mistake . . . Happ’s ERA should be lower if you accept the unluckiness of his homer rate. His K/BB numbers are moving in the right direction. The Regression Police was so taken aback at Happ’s 2016 season, he’s been underrated ever since . . . I don’t know why the entire National League doesn’t abuse Lester for his base-throwing mental block, but apparently they’re not going to do it.

$10 Tanner Roark $10 Nick Pivetta $10 Walker Buehler $10 Jameson Taillon $10 Masahiro Tanaka $10 Fernando Romero $10 Tyson Ross $10 Julio Teheran $10 David Price $10 Garrett Richards $9 Tyler Skaggs $9 Eduardo Rodriguez $9 Chris Archer $9 Yu Darvish

I take zero joy in this: Yu Darvish since the Tommy John surgery – 56 starts, 3.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP. And the FIP is 3.72, so this isn’t some bad-luck tour.

— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) May 22, 2018

$8 Zach Eflin $8 Kyle Freeland $8 Trevor Cahill $8 Daniel Mengden $8 Andrew Heaney $8 Jake Odorizzi $8 Kevin Gausman $8 Kenta Maeda $8 Michael Wacha $8 Mike Foltynewicz $8 Luis Castillo $7 Jake Junis $7 C.C. Sabathia $7 Ross Stripling $7 Junior Guerra $7 Jaime Barria $7 Vincent Velasquez $6 Jeremy Hellickson $6 Jordan Lyles $6 Matt Boyd $6 Trevor Williams $6 Chase Anderson $6 Caleb Smith $5 Reynaldo Lopez $5 Chad Bettis $5 Cole Hamels

Kudos to Sabathia for reinventing himself, the Frank Tanana path to late-career relevance. He’s also made strides in his personal life, beating some demons; a very easy story to root for . . . Stripling could easily become a $10+ arm if the Dodgers commit to him . . . Folty is a 5-6 inning guy, but the strikeout stuff plays, especially in IP/capped leagues. I bet he’d be a knockout reliever if the team ever wanted to go that route . . . Hitting Cahill’s sinker is like hitting a brick. He’s in the right park, too. You could say this about the entire list, but he just needs health. Everything else is in place.

$4 Matthew Andriese $4 Matt Koch $4 Francisco Liriano $4 Michael Fulmer $4 Jordan Montgomery $4 Tyler Chatwood $4 Aaron Sanchez $4 Jeff Samardzija $4 Sonny Gray $4 Brandon McCarthy $3 *Nick Kingham $3 Bartolo Colon $3 Ryan Yarbrough $3 Mike Fiers $3 *Freddy Peralta $3 Jacob Faria $3 Jonathan Gray $3 Dylan Bundy $3 Felix Hernandez $3 Drew Pomeranz $2 Jarlin Garcia $2 Wade LeBlanc $2 Jhoulys Chacin $2 Steven Matz $2 Kyle Gibson $2 Max Fried $2 Tyler Mahle $2 Marco Estrada $2 Chad Kuhl $2 Dan Straily $2 Marco Gonzales $2 German Marquez $1 Brent Suter $1 James Shields $1 Jordan Zimmermann $1 Chris Stratton $1 Andrew Cashner $1 Ian Kennedy $1 Ty Blach $1 Sal Romano $1 Mike Leake $1 Zack Wheeler $0 Lucas Giolito

I’m not going to price any of the hurt guys. Do you have better medical intel? Are you more or less optimistic? That’s all it turns into.

xxx Clayton Kershaw xxx Carlos Martinez xxx Robbie Ray xxx Johnny Cueto xxx Rich Hill xxx Joey Lucchesi xxx Marcus Stroman xxx Matt Shoemaker xxx Hyun-Jin Ryu xxx Mike Soroka xxx Yonny Chirinos xxx Zach Davies xxx Matt Moore xxx Wade Miley xxx Adam Wainwright xxx Ben Lively xxx Brett Anderson xxx Chris Tillman xxx Martin Perez xxx Miguel Gonzalez

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In this week's Nine Innings, our staff examines the Astros' major flaw, the Dodgers' rare no-no and the pitchers who solved Ichiro. Credit goes To Sports Illustrated

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Let Jake Test the Market

Let Jake Test the Market

By: David Weiss

  At the end of last week, Mets ace Jacob deGrom set an ultimatum. Either the Mets extend his contract before opening day, or talks are off. To put pressure on the front office, deGrom threw out the idea of an innings limit.

This situation has triggered off a debate among fans and pundits alike. Should the Mets extend a contract or let him walk? While the popular opinion seems to…