The Nats are the Champs !!

Down Howie Kendrick reached and off it went. Carrying far, slicing right, pinging the yellow-coated steel screen of the foul pole in right field. The Washington Nationals were trailing until they weren’t. They were, true to form, down but not done.
The late-May misfits and National League Wild Card Game winners roundly expected to be a quick October exit had, with one swing of the bat from the 36-year-old Kendrick, taken the lead they would not relinquish in a 6-2 victory in Game 7 of the World Series against the Astros on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park. They claimed their franchise’s first crown and completed a clean sweep for the road clubs in a first-of-its-kind Fall Classic.
 “I feel like everybody was rooting for [Houston] and we were kind of the underdog in this Series,” From 19 wins on May 23 to ’19 champs on Oct. 30. That’s the story of a Nationals team that played five elimination games, trailed in all of them and won all of them.endrick said. “But it goes to show that you can’t ever count anybody out.”
 The Nats survived and thrived with “Los Viejos” (“The Old Ones”) like Kendrick and an unmistakable affinity for the unexpected ... and for "Baby Shark." They came back to break the heart of the Brewers in the late innings of the NL Wild Card Game. They dispatched the mighty 106-win Dodgers in the NL Division Series behind Kendrick’s Game 5-changing grand slam. They silenced the sizzling Cardinals in an NL Championship Series sweep. And after squandering a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven Fall Classic and returning to Minute Maid Park on the brink of elimination, Washington summoned the stamina for one last exclamation-earning effort.
 Washington, D.C., has its first World Series championship since the 1924 Senators. Kendrick joined the Pirates’ Hal Smith ('60) as the only players to hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning or later while their team was trailing in a World Series winner-take-all game. Kendrick is also the fourth-oldest player to go deep in a Game 7. The Nats became the first team to win the Series with four road victories.

“All the road teams winning,” said Astros starter Zack Greinke, “doesn’t seem normal.”
So why would the anticipated Game 7 pitchers' duel be normal?

Max Scherzer, making his cortisone-aided comeback from the debilitating neck injury that had made him a no-go for Sunday night's Game 5, didn’t have his typical movement or mastery. He induced just 11 swinging strikes among his 103 pitches in five innings. A viewer only able to tune in every 20 minutes or so would be forgiven for thinking that the Astros had somehow been given permission to begin every inning with two aboard.
And yet, through four innings, the eight baserunners against Scherzer had resulted in just a single run -- Yuli Gurriel's laser beam to the Crawford Boxes for a homer that put Houston up, 1-0, in the second.
 “We put a lot of heat on him,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said of Scherzer. “We made him work. He had almost 20 pitches an inning. We had guys on base. We hit the ball hard. We didn't chase that much. There was a lot of good that we -- almost similar to how we were in Game 1 against him where we just made him earn every out that he got.”
 Despite the traffic, despite the tightropes Scherzer kept stringing up for himself, Martinez abstained from having anybody warming in his bullpen. It was Max effort all the way.
 Greinke, meanwhile, put on a pitching clinic with his awesome arsenal of offspeed stuff. The Nationals’ swings included so many “excuse me’s” you would think they were walking through a crowd. The weak contact was such that Greinke, an athletic and gifted defender, had four assists in the first four innings alone.

 Slight separation, which doubles as seismic separation on a stage like this, arrived in the fifth, when the Astros finally got a rip with runners in scoring position. It came with -- again -- two aboard and two outs, as Carlos Correa smacked a one-hopper down the third-base line. Anthony Rendon, one of MLB’s most outstanding occupants of the hot corner, dived for the ball, but it kicked off the edge of his outstretched glove and into foul territory, allowing Gurriel to score from second on the single.
 By then, Martinez had Patrick Corbin warming, and he went on to replace Scherzer, whose effort was worthy of applause no matter the end result, in what turned out to be a scoreless sixth.
 Greinke, on the other hand, lasted into the seventh. But it proved a step too far. His third trip through the lineup hit a stumble when Rendon, the Houston native coming off a five-RBI effort in Game 6 on Tuesday night, smacked a solo shot to left to get the Nats on the board, 2-1. Then Greinke issued a walk to Juan Soto, and his night was done.
 Though Gerrit Cole had warmed earlier, Hinch, in that moment, went to his most trusted relief

“Kendrick and [Asdrúbal] Cabrera was where I had really focused on Will Harris at that point,” Hinch said. “Will has been tremendous for us. I knew I had [Roberto] Osuna, I knew I had Gerrit if need be. Will coming in to spin the breaking ball [is what I wanted].”weapon, Will Harris.
 Harris got ahead of Kendrick with a first-pitch strike. But his second offering was a 90.6 mph cutter down and away, and Kendrick got bat to ball for the new signature swat of his club’s epic October run and an instantly iconic MLB moment.
 “This guy [Harris] punched out Howie at home, screamed and stared in our dugout, and Howie never forgot that,” Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “I said, ‘Boys, Howie remembers this, just watch.’ And then he ends up going oppo right there. You couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
 As Corbin kept delivering big outs in relief, the Nats kept adding insurance. They got a run in the eighth when Adam Eaton walked, swiped second and scored on Soto’s single off Osuna. Washington got two in the ninth when it loaded the bases and Eaton truly broke the game open with a ground-ball single up the middle that was booted by center fielder Jake Marisnick
 And Daniel Hudson's 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, punctuated by a swinging strikeout of Michael Brantley, completed the capital thrill.

The wild card team that overcome obstacles, won over all the pundants predictions.

Astros tie the series at 2

He was Jose Luis Hernandez only one year ago, an anonymous pitcher among a plethora of power in Houston’s heralded farm system. Buried beneath a bevy of ballyhooed prospects, he changed his name and authored an unforeseen ascension. The apex arrived on Saturday, on a stage few assumed José Urquidy would ever take.

The unflappable rookie with a bushy beard and biting slider started his team’s takeover, turning this World Series back toward an Astros advantage. Given Game 4 of the World Series for his 11th major league appearance, Urquidy unnerved and unseated the $140 million offseason acquisition he opposed.

Urquidy neutralized a Nationals lineup like none of the three Astros aces who preceded him. Poise was apparent. Confidence flowed with each well-executed fastball or chased changeup.

Uncertainty about Urquidy’s wherewithal was assuaged. He fired five fabulous frames. Two baserunners reached against him. Only one passed first. On a night where so many Astros stars shined, Urquidy’s outing offered the sort of tone his team craved.

Houston tied the World Series with an 8-1 win against the Nationals, ensuring the tussle will return to Minute Maid Park for Game 6 on Tuesday.

Urquidy was unflappable. He attacked the strike zone with little fear of hard contact he may yield, trusting the defense at his back. Forty-five of the 67 pitches he threw were strikes. Equal use of both his slider and changeup kept Washington off balance.

Urquidy’s four-seam fastball featured plenty of hop. It averaged 94.5 mph. He reached back for 96 mph to get Juan Soto swinging in the fourth, eliciting the only emotion Urquidy unleashed all evening. He slapped his glove and began a saunter around the mound.

He yielded just two hits — a two-out single to Anthony Rendon in the first and a leadoff double to Yan Gomes in the third, turning what many perceived to be a one-sided pitchers' duel on its head.

The Astros’ lineup struck a playoff-high 13 hits, hammering heralded Nationals starter Patrick Corbin and four relievers who followed. Alex Bregman banged the death knell in the seventh, striking the second postseason grand slam in franchise history to hand Houston a seven-run lead.

An Astro reached base in all but two innings. The lineup crushed Corbin, a man paid handsomely to provide an awesome start in games like this. No Astro had more than 10 major league plate appearances against Washington’s $140 million man.

Experience was not required to realize one truth — Corbin’s slider is among the sport’s best. The southpaw can spin the pitch in almost any count, but most often relies upon it to finish. Advancing ahead in counts was a distinct way to avoid it.

Four of the first five Astros he saw struck singles. They saw just seven pitches, determined to avoid disadvantaged counts when Corbin could spin the slider. Bregman and José Altuve ambushed first-pitch fastballs. Michael Brantley rifled a second-pitch slider to left-center field.

Yuli Gurriel struck a third-pitch offering for an infield single. Brantley scored. Urquidy worked with a lead before he even toed the rubber.

That he did is one of the Astros’ most sudden success stories. Urquidy underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016. He was Class AA Corpus Christi’s opening night starter this season, sharing a rotation with more heralded prospects he’s since passed.

Before the season, the Astros saddled Urquidy with a so-called “innings limit” to protect his surgically-repaired right arm. Despite an admirable showing in a few July spot starts, debate raged within the organization whether to reward Urquidy with a September call-up. He’d already exceeded the team’s work threshold.

“There were scenarios where if we had more confidence in other pitchers that we would have rested him,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said Saturday. “The reality is he continued to pitch well, he felt good.

Only two other Mexican-born pitchers had ever started a World Series game. No Astros rookie had ever done it. Urquidy’s 1.50 ERA in September suggested he could be the first. Wade Miley’s revolting end to the regular season only simplified the decision.

The Astros passed him over for traditional starts in each preceding postseason round, opting for a short-rest start from Justin Verlander in the ALDS and a bullpen game in the ALCS. Urquidy entered both. Calm amid calamity in both instances suggested the rookie was apt for a more meaningful assignment.

“I don't even know if I want to call this a bullpen game,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “because Urquidy is a starter.”

Expectations for Urquidy were modest but malleable. Before the game, Hinch cautiously committed to either five innings or 75 pitches. Either benchmark would be a boon for a bullpen that required four relievers to finish Game 3.

Urquidy ended the fifth at only 67 pitches. A handshake from Hinch often ends outings. The manager gave Urquidy knuckles as he entered the dugout.

Somewhat surprisingly, Hinch inserted reliever Josh James for the sixth, ending Urquidy’s splendid day. The top of Washington’s order loomed for a third look at Urquidy, something Hinch perhaps sought to avoid. James allowed the game’s lone run.

Jays should consider Jake

This will be an important offseason for the Blue Jays. After a third straight losing season, the team needs to make upgrades to their roster, with the most pressing need on the mound in the rotation, followed by first base and the outfield. While the Blue Jays saw some of their young players emerge in 2019 as likely core pieces, it’s now up to the front office to acquire additional talent to support them.
And following two fairly tame winters in terms of activity, this one should be a different story for the Blue Jays. So over the next few weeks, we’ll be identifying and assessing players around Major League Baseball — both free agents and potential trade targets — who we think might currently find their name on some of those infamous Blue Jays whiteboards, as the front office looks to improve the club heading into the 2020 season.

 After putting together a respectable career over seven MLB seasons prior to 2019, Jake Odorizzi had a career year as he helped the Minnesota Twins win the 2019 American League Central title. Odorizzi was selected in the first-round (32nd overall) of the 2008 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2010, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals as a key player in the deal that brought back Zack Greinke. While a prospect, he impressed, ranking among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects in 2011. He debuted for the Royals in September 2012 but was traded again that offseason, this time to the Tampa Bay Rays in the controversial James Shields deal.
 
By 2014, when he was 24 years old, Odorizzi was in the Rays rotation. He was fine in his first full season, pitching to a 4.13 ERA over 168 innings. He fared better in his next two seasons, and over four years with Tampa, he posted a respectable 3.82 ERA and 1.215 WHIP over 698 innings. In February 2018, for the third time in his career, Odorizzi was traded in the offseason, this time going to the Minnesota Twins for minor-leaguer Jermaine Palacios.
As his year began with the Twins, Odorizzi was expected to eat innings as a mid-rotation arm. But as The Athletic’s Dan Hayes detailed in his piece from August, Odorizzi’s 4.49 ERA in 2018 was largely a result of some mechanical flaws. After an offseason working on his fitness and mechanics with trainer and coach Randy Sullivan, Odorizzi added velocity to his fastball leading to career-high strikeout numbers (10.1/9), an All-Star berth and a tidy 3.51 ERA.

Following the World Series, the Twins will have the opportunity to give the 29-year-old Odorizzi a one-year qualifying offer, worth $17.8 million. Should he decline it, he will be a free agent, albeit one with a compensatory draft pick assigned to him. But with so many teams seeking rotation reinforcements, Odorizzi should attract plenty of attention on the open market.

Odorizzi’s 2019 in review:

Randy Sullivan is part coach, part physical therapist and part strength and conditioning expert. In the past, he’s worked with fellow Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson as well as Justin Verlander. Odorizzi’s offseason work with Sullivan propelled him to a stellar start, going 9-0 over 10 starts from April 17-June 9, with a 1.07 ERA and 63 strikeouts to 13 walks in 59 innings. His strong first half earned him his first All-Star appearance.
He hit a rough patch mid-season, however, pitching to a 7.99 ERA over seven starts (32 2/3 innings) from June 15 to July 24, which included a particularly disastrous outing against the New York Yankees, where he allowed nine earned runs over four innings. During that stretch, opponents hit .316 against him. Later, Odorizzi told Dan Hayes he attributed the blip to “a lapse in not keeping up with the things that had got me to that point and letting it ride because I was going good.”
Eventually, he got back on track and finished the season strong, accumulating a 15-7 record, a 3.51 ERA and a career-high 178 strikeouts. He made his postseason debut in Game 3 of the ALDS. Despite limiting the Yankees to two runs over five innings, the Twins couldn’t muster the offence they needed and were soundly swept out of the playoffs.

Odorizzi’s final 2019 numbers: 15-7, 30 GS, 159 IP, 3.51 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 131 ERA+, 3.36


“I felt strong health-wise. But the mechanics weren’t there (in 2018). The offseason was about finding those mechanics again. I knew what I needed to change, I just didn’t know how to change it…I knew I didn’t make the impression I wanted to make my first year in a new place. I wasn’t the pitcher I’ve viewed myself as over the years. There was only one way to go about it and it was to try something new to get back to how I view myself and how I think I should be throwing. Lo and behold, I found the recipe.” — Odorizzi, speaking to The Athletic about his turnaround in 2019.

How is Odorizzi trending?

An uptick in velocity proved pivotal for Odorizzi. In 2019, his four-seam fastball topped out at 95.8 mph and averaged 93, per Brooks Baseball. That was up nearly two miles per hour from 2018 when his four-seamer sat at 91.5 mph. The extra mileage was a product of his offseason regime, which saw him work on lower body strength to correct the movement of his lower half during his delivery. The increased velocity led to more strikeouts as he upped his strikeout rate to 27.1 percent, more than four percent higher than his career norm. His 10.1 strikeouts per nine were also a career-high. He was earning more swings and misses, too, with a career-best 12.7 percent swinging-strike rate. He also lowered his 2018 walk rate (9.9) by nearly two percent to 8.1, just slightly better than league average.

Odorizzi is primarily a flyball pitcher. Over the past three seasons, his flyball rate has been 46.9 percent, the highest among starters with at least 400 innings. But in 2019, it was down to 44.3 percent, while his ground ball rate rose to 35 percent. Allowing so many flyballs is like walking a tightrope, but in 2019, Odorizzi lowered his home-run rates, posting a career-best 0.91 HR per nine with an above-average home run to flyball ratio of 8.8 percent, per FanGraphs.
In 2019, Odorizzi remained relatively healthy, missing just 10 days in July with a blister. He has pitched at least 140 innings every season since 2014, but he’s never hit the 200-inning mark in his eight-year career, the closest coming in 2016 when he pitched 187 2/3 innings for the Rays. This past season, he pitched more than six innings just twice and averaged 5.3 innings per start. And understandably so: opponents had a .883 OPS against him the third time through the order as opposed to a .610 OPS the first time through.

Why Odorizzi is a fit for the Blue Jays:

While the Blue Jays have maintained they’re intent on spending on starting pitching this offseason, it seems unlikely they’ll be in the mix for the top free-agent starters, if not because they can be easily outspent by the likes of the New York Yankees, but because free agents have been reluctant to sign with Toronto, especially during a rebuild. Odorizzi, however, is situated in that mid-tier of available starters, and that’s likely where Toronto will look to do their shopping. The aim, according to general manager Ross Atkins, is to bring in starters “that we can count on.”

Odorizzi would fill a few needs for the Blue Jays and could be a stabilizer for their rotation going forward. He’s a reliable arm with minimal injury history and a career 3.88 ERA. He’s heading into his age-30 season and coming off his best campaign, where it appeared as though he cracked the code on how to throw his fastball harder. That said, he isn’t in the same category as a Gerrit Cole or Madison Bumgarner, and won’t demand the salary (or term) they will. In other words, he’s not an ace, but he would make a lot of sense and, more pertinently, he seems like an achievable target for the Blue Jays, who have ample room to add to their 2020 payroll and beyond.

In his session with reporters following the season, Atkins indicated this offseason would resemble the club’s 2015 and 2016 winters. In 2015, the Blue Jays signed J.A. Happ to a three-year deal worth $36 million, which might in the range of what Odorizzi can expect. Back then, Happ, also a flyball-prone pitcher, was coming off a good season, brought on by mechanical adjustments he made with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was far from a flashy deal and could have backfired had Happ underperformed. But, four years removed, it still stands as one of their better recent free-agent signings. (And it should be noted the deal was completed while Tony LaCava was the team’s interim GM.)
And, most importantly, Odorizzi’s Twitter bio states he is a “hockey enthusiast.” What better place for a hockey enthusiast to be than the centre of the hockey universe?

Why Odorizzi might not be a fit for the Blue Jays:

After having pitched in the postseason for the first time in his career, Odorizzi may be seeking a more competitive atmosphere than the Blue Jays can offer next season. While the aim in Toronto is to build a sustainable winner, the Blue Jays still remain in the early stages of that process, with a return to relevancy in the AL East looking, at best, more likely for 2021 or beyond. With so many teams vying for starting pitchers this offseason, Odorizzi may receive more enticing offers, including from the Twins, who will look to stay competitive in the weak AL Central next season.
There also remains the possibility that the Twins will make Odorizzi a qualifying offer, and, if he declines it, it will saddle him with a compensatory draft pick. That means, if a team other than the Twins sign him, they’ll have to forfeit a 2020 draft pick. A year ago, draft pick compensation proved to be a major drag on the markets for free-agent pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel. However, in an interview earlier this month on Sportsnet 590 The Fan with Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt, Atkins said draft pick compensation “is not something that is going to deter us or keep us away from acquiring a player.”

Odorizzi’s flyball tendencies could also be concerning in the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, not to mention the other AL East ballparks. When he pitched for the Rays, he averaged more than a home run per nine innings (1.3 HR/9), with the number peaking in 2017 when he surrendered 1.9 home runs per nine. Looking at his ERA+, which takes into account factors such as ballpark and opponent to normalize it across the league, prior to 2019 Odorizzi owned a 102 ERA+, which is league average. In 2019, his ERA+ was 131, meaning he pitched 31 percent better than league average.

The likely competition:

The Twins will be a favourite to sign Odorizzi. At the conclusion of the World Series, they’ll have a five-day exclusive window to negotiate with him. During this time, the Twins may also decide to make him a qualifying offer. With pitchers Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda also set to become free agents, the Twins will need starters for next season. Based on his numbers, Odorizzi seems like the guy they’d most want to keep. That said, he might choose to explore what else is out there.

The list of other teams in search of starters this season is long: Yankees, Rangers, White Sox, Astros, Angels, Mariners, Phillies, Giants, Padres, Mets, Cardinals, Dodgers.

In conclusion:

It’s easy to picture Jake Odorizzi on the Blue Jays next season. Of the available free-agent starters this offseason, he is near the top of that middle-tier, which is likely where Toronto will be looking to spend their money. After putting in the work in the offseason, Odorizzi had his best season yet in 2019, which is good timing for his wallet. Odorizzi won’t demand a huge salary commitment, but he should attract plenty of suitors, with so many teams in search of starters. So, if the Blue Jays do pursue him, they likely won’t be alone.
Among the teams after Odorizzi, his former club, the Twins have the inside track on negotiations. But Odorizzi can also decide to see what else is out there. He would fill an obvious need for the Blue Jays and they can afford to award term and salary to attract free agents. Will it be enough to lure Odorizzi to Toronto?

Altuve walks it off, all the way to the World Series

The Astros weren’t built to win just one championship. Raising the trophy one time was never going to be good enough. You don’t endure three consecutive years of losing 100 games to rebuild into a juggernaut and get just one taste of champagne at the end of October.


Perhaps that’s what drove the Astros to wash away last year’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Red Sox and come roaring back to a club-record 107 wins. Maybe that’s why they remained laser-focused despite being tested by the Rays in the American League Division Series and never took anything for granted when they pushed the mighty Yankees to the brink of elimination in the AL Championship Series.
 And when Yankees first baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a stunning two-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the ALCS to tie the game, that simply set the stage for José Altuve -- the only Astros player who endured the three 100-loss seasons in a row -- to send the Astros back to the World Series.

 Altuve crushed an Aroldis Chapman slider and hit a towering walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning to score George Springer for a 6-4 win over the Yankees in Game 6 on Saturday night at raucous Minute Maid Park. The Astros won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, to punch their ticket to the World Series for the second time in three seasons.


The Astros will play host to Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park against the National League champion Washington Nationals, who overcame a 19-31 start to reach their first Fall Classic. Nearly eight months after the Astros and Nationals -- who share a Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. -- began the season with an exhibition game, they will meet for the right to be called World Series champions.
“We’ve said all along our goal was to win multiple championships,” Astros president of baseball operations and general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “We’re not there yet.”

It’s the third time in five seasons the Astros have eliminated the Yanks, who battled with Houston for the best record in baseball all season before losing home-field advantage in the final week of the regular season.
“I feel like we are on equal footing with them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Unfortunately, sports can be a little bit cruel for the team that goes home and such can happen in the series.”

The Astros, who have been headlined all season by their star-studded starting pitching, had to turn to their bullpen to try to finish off the Yanks, saving dominant ace Gerrit Cole for a possible Game 7 -- and in a perfect world -- Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.

The start of the game couldn’t have gone any better, with Brad Peacock using seven pitches to breeze through the first inning. Needing a hero, Yuli Gurriel -- 1-for-20 in the ALCS entering the game -- blasted a three-run homer to left in the bottom of the inning to give the Astros a 3-0 lead. Gary Sánchez answered with an RBI single off Peacock in the second.


“He was incredible tonight,” Hinch said of Urquidy. “What's hard for a young player is not really knowing what was going to happen or how he was going to be used. It probably would have been easier on him emotionally just to start the game and have the normal routine, and we weren't going to do that. And we told him we weren't sure if or when he was going to pitch, but the way the game was progressing and we went through a lot of pitching early, we don't win this game if Urquidy doesn't come in and get the outs that he did at the time in which he did to turn it over to the back end of the bullpen.”
Then there was steady veteran Will Harris, who got the final out in the sixth and three more big ones in the seventh, with an unreal assist from left fielder Michael Brantley. He made a diving catch of an Aaron Hicks fly ball and doubled up Aaron Judge at first to end the inning and make Minute Maid Park erupt with noise.

“Our bullpen, we all read what everybody writes that everybody we face has a better bullpen than us and to do it on a bullpen day [was sweet],” Smith said. “It took everybody out there, though.”
From pitching to defense, the Astros were doing everything they had to do to overcome their offensive shortcomings in the series. They were two outs away from a tense win when LeMahieu socked his game-tying homer just over the glove of a leaping Springer. Minute Maid Park sat in stunned silence.

“I knew that was gone,” Osuna said. “That was a terrible feeling. I felt terrible. When Altuve hit the homer, obviously I came back to life and pretty excited right now.”
In the end, it worked out like it should have for the Astros. It was Altuve sending the rocket into the night. It was Altuve humbly rounding the bases and into a mass of teammates. It was Altuve that sent the Astros back to the Fall Classic.

What is to come ?  Well, I'd suggest you tune in on Tuesday night and watch, otherwise you might  miss something special.

Time for Change

Like bananas, flowers and carrots, managerial openings come in bunches in MLB these days. There were six of them after the 2017 season, another six after the 2018 season and eight of them after the just-completed 2019 season.
One of the eight skipper spots has been filled by  Joe Maddon;s return to his Angels roots. But as the World Series looms, there are still interviews being conducted, with several examples of the same guy going for multiple jobs.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the seven remaining openings, and the pros and cons that a discerning managerial candidate must consider with each one.


CUBS


Pros: Though this club fell flat again this year, there is certainly enough talent on the Major League roster that you don’t have to squint hard at all to see a contender in 2020. The front office is highly motivated to kick things back into gear and to be more progressive in terms of technological adaptation at every level. And, of course, the allure of managing one of baseball’s most supported franchises in one of its two most hallowed ballparks sells itself.
Cons: No matter how polished, professional and experienced you might be, you’re replacing a guy in Maddon who was generally a master at handling the media and absorbing and overcoming the inevitable controversies and distractions that come with a 162-game schedule. Fan angst is at a high point given the way the past two seasons ended abruptly, the rotation is old and the farm system was raided by trades and graduations, lessening the margin for error in a market where nothing goes unnoticed. Oh, and Kris Bryant is a free agent in two seasons, just so you know.

GIANTS

Pros: A supportive fan base in a big market means there could be opportunity to make significant additions in the not-too-distant future, and after season loss totals of 98, 89 and 85 the past three years, expectations are necessarily tempered for 2020, so even flirting with .500 would be considered a success in your first season. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is one of the brightest minds in the game, and we have every reason to suspect that he can successfully reshape the roster.
Cons: You’re replacing a legend in Bochy, so, while the bar might not be set high for '20, three titles in a decade is a pretty steep organizational precedent. The upper levels of the farm system are not stocked with what is considered to be elite talent, so there’s no telling how long the aforementioned roster recalibration might need to take real shape. Zaidi’s general manager and managerial searches are taking place concurrently, so at the moment it’s unclear who you’ll be working closely with or what the power dynamic might be moving forward.
  
METS

Pros: A team that for the past few years has put too much hope and emphasis on its potentially great rotation now finally has the legit offensive cornerstones to be a viable NL contender. Though the farm system took a hit with the aggressive bid to make the 2019 team a contender, it still has enough talent to feel comfortable with the long-term ability to fill some needs internally. And while working in New York is its own animal, succeeding in New York is a reward like few others.
Cons: Look, things can get messy with the Mets. This isn’t the smoothest ship on the MLB waters, and the tabloids are quick to recognize any ripples in the water. You’d better bring your "A" game from a game-management perspective, and you’d better understand -- as Callaway apparently didn’t -- that even when you’re winning, media members are going to pick at (and spotlight) any negatives. That’s life in the big city. Furthermore, Brodie Van Wagenen’s approach to the GM job is still very much under scrutiny after his aggression in the both the winter and midsummer went unrewarded, so it’s hard to say if the margins of the roster will be accurately addressed.

 PADRES

Pros: First off, have you ever been to San Diego? Yeah, I mean, come on. But as far as the baseball is concerned, the arrow is certainly pointed upward here, with a rich farm system, a strong nucleus at the big league level with Manny Machado entering his age-27 season, and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack entering their sophomore years, among other pieces. This team hasn’t been competitive in a decade and hasn’t been to the playoffs in 14 years or the World Series in 21, so even finishing above .500 will earn you praise.
Cons: With so much money already committed to Machado, Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer, is this club going to expand the payroll enough to adequately address other problem areas on the roster? And while the farm system is undeniably strong, how long will it take to build a legitimate, postseason-caliber starting rotation? Trying to compete with a rich Dodgers team loaded at both the big league and Minor League levels is no picnic, even if San Diego is a lovely place to have a picnic.

PHILLIES

Pros: This is another market where your legend can grow quickly if you win, and a roster with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Nola, among others, can most certainly win -- provided health cooperates a bit better than it did in ’19. Ownership’s commitment to building a winner was made quite evident last season, and consecutive second-half fades have everybody on board hungry to take the next step.
Cons: After ownership forced the front office’s hand in the replacement of the hitting coach and then the manager, is greater discord on the doorstep here? Furthermore, does this team legitimately have the infrastructure to justify the big expenditures at the top of the roster, or are you entering a scenario in which even an average rate of injury and ineffectiveness sullies the season? Do the aforementioned second-half slides mean the law of averages should aid the next skipper, or are they a systemic issue that a mere managerial change can’t fix?

Managerial Candidates ?

Rain rain go away..astros yankees want to play

With heavy rain forcing a postponement of ALCS Game 4 in New York on Wednesday evening and the Nationals completing a four-game NLCS sweep against the Cardinals the previous night, there was no postseason baseball yesterday for the first time this October. The fallout from the weather-related shakeup is wide-ranging and will undoubtedly have a massive impact on the remainder of an already compelling series. Let’s start with the immediate future before delving into some of the long-term ramifications. It’ll be Masahiro Tanaka versus Zack Greinke when the ALCS resumes with Game 4 on Thursday night, with the Astros holding a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 will now be played on Friday, which was originally scheduled as an off-day for both teams. Games 6 and 7 (if necessary) will take place in Houston on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Obviously, the Yankees benefit tremendously from the postponement, which enables them to hand the ball to Tanaka for Game 4 on his normal four days of rest, instead of their original plan to go with a bullpen game. The 30-year-old right-hander fired six scoreless frames to lead the Yankees to a victory in Game 1 last Saturday. He’s quietly morphed into one of the best postseason performers of his generation, posting a microscopic 1.32 ERA over 41 career postseason innings (seven starts). The short-term benefit of having Tanaka on the mound with a chance to even the series on Thursday night shouldn’t be overlooked. However, the monumental task facing the Yankees over the remainder of the condensed series is that they’ll need to win three games in four days, while facing the Astros’ “Big Three” starters, and relying primarily on their bullpen. In a New York minute, everything could change in this series. A one-game deficit certainly isn’t insurmountable. However, the Yankees need their bats to come alive and strong performances from Tanaka and likely Game 5 starter James Paxton if they’re going to send the series back to Houston.

Meanwhile, the Astros find themselves squarely on the precipice -- just two victories away -- from their second World Series appearance in the last three years. They’ll turn to Greinke on normal rest for Game 4 on Thursday night, rather than their originally scheduled bullpen game, which likely would’ve been started by rookie right-hander Jose Urquidy. The 35-year-old veteran will aim for improved results after he was tagged for three runs over six innings in a Game 1 loss. Astros manager A.J. Hinch confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that veteran righty Justin Verlander, who gutted out 6 2/3 solid frames in a no-decision in Game 2 of the series last Sunday, will start Game 5 on Friday. The central question for the Astros over the next 48 hours is whether they’ll be able to wrap up the American League pennant in New York. If not, the series shifts back to Minute Maid Park for Game 6 (and a potential Game 7 as well), where Hinch would almost certainly face a decision regarding when to deploy ace Gerrit Cole, who is in the midst of a historic postseason run. The ideal scenario for the Astros would be to finish off the Yankees with Greinke and Verlander, enabling them to save Cole for Game 1 of the World Series against the Nationals next week.

Maddon, Angels Re-Unite In Los Angeles 

The Angels officially agreed to terms with Joe Maddon on a three-year contract to fill their managerial vacancy. It’s a long-awaited homecoming for the veteran manager, who spent 31 years in the Los Angeles (formerly Anaheim) organization prior to taking over as Tampa Bay’s manager from 2006 to 2014. He spent the last four years managing the Cubs, including winning a World Series title in 2016. The 65-year-old owns a 1,252-1,068 career managerial record over 16 seasons. He's been to the postseason eight times and taken home Manager of the Year honors on three different occasions.

Clearly, the Angels had their sights set on reuniting with Maddon once he became available. The high-profile veteran manager will be replacing Brad Ausmus, who lasted just one season at the helm in Los Angeles before being terminated shortly after Maddon and the Cubs parted ways at the end of last month. On the heels of a disappointing campaign in which they went 72-90 overall and finished fourth in the Amercian League West, the Angels appear poised to make a splash in free agency this offseason and build around franchise cornerstones Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani moving forward.  

AL Quick Hits: Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he's “not sure” whether Giancarlo Stanton (quad) will be ready to start Game 4 on Thursday … Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports that Mike Butcher is under consideration to be the Angels' new pitching coach.

NL Quick Hits: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Buck Showalter is a “strong” candidate for both the Mets and Phillies' open managerial jobs … Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Padres are bringing in managerial candidate Jayce Tingler for a second interview … Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reported Wednesday that, in addition to the Royals, the Giants, Mets and Padres have also shown interest in Mike Matheny for their managerial openings … Hernan Perez has elected free agency after being outrighted off the Brewers' 40-man roster on Wednesday … Marlins sent RHP Hector Noesi and C Tyler Heineman outright to Triple-A New Orleans … Reds claimed LHP Josh Smith off waivers from the Marlins and also designated C Juan Graterol for assignment.

The Blue Jays Blueprint

The blueprint for a successful rebuild can be found in Houston, where the Astros have gone from a perennial bottom feeder to a potential dynasty within a matter of several years.

Houston went through a lot of pain before becoming a team that advanced to the American League Championship Series in three consecutive seasons.

 The organization tore apart its foundation and started over with a renewed emphasis on drafting, signing international players and hitting the open market when the time was right.

The result has been three consecutive seasons of 100-plus wins and three division crowns. Next up is a matchup with the Yankees, which starts Saturday, where the club will look to advance to the World Series for the second time in three years. Houston, in its current state, is the envy of almost every team in the league.

Of course, it’s not always that easy. More rebuilds fail than become a success and just because something worked for one team doesn’t mean it will work for another. Yet, at the same time, most organizations look at what happened in Houston and want to replicate it. Baseball often is a game of copycats and teams have been following this model for a while.

There are a lot of comparables between the Astros and Blue Jays, but it’s worth pointing out that earlier this decade the state of Houston was far worse than anything Toronto has experienced over the last several years. Houston lost at least 107 games in three consecutive seasons from 2011-13. Not surprisingly, the Astros’ attendance, which exceeded three million in 2007, dipped to 1.7 million or fewer from 2012-14. 

We know Bo

The lowest point might have been 2013 when the Astros opened with a payroll of $26 million (all dollars U.S.). Bud Norris, who was cut by the Blue Jays in spring training, was the opening day starter for a team that almost nobody cared about. There were five players on the 25-man roster who made seven figures, and nobody earned more than Norris’ $3 million. That’s as close to rock bottom as it gets in this sport.

It was a clear case of the team tanking to improve its draft position and focus on youth. There was a risk of alienating the fan base and turning people off the sport — and to a certain extent that happened — but a series of deft moves by general manager Jeff Luhnow turned an ambitious vision into reality. 

George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman were among the top picks made by Houston in the draft. Yuli Gurriel and Jose Altuve were added as international free agents while others, such as rookie of the year candidate Yordan Alvarez, were acquired through trade. Those moves, combined with a countless number of solid picks and signings, laid the foundation for what Houston is experiencing now. 

Thanksgiving Day

It is the time to be thankful,
To be thankful to the family,
To be thankful to friends,
To be thankful to the cobbler,
Be thankful to the person, who built your home,
Yes, I should be actually be thankful for thousand of things around,
I cannot look around for anything else,
I feel all full,
When I look all around,
I am thankful for the air,
I am thankful for the birds that fly,
And, the food that keeps me alive,
I am blessed and I will say every second!
It’s my day and I want to say…..
Life is lovely, live it, love it….
Happy Thanksgiving Day, and playoff baseball to boot !

It was 50 years ago

I have been writing this particular blog for some weeks now, in time for the World Series, and the celebration of 50 years ago. 

It is New York, in early October of 1969.

Indian Summer, in these pre-Earth Day times, is something everyone can see. An orange, almost atomic sky.

You reach to touch the furniture of 50 years ago.

A television made by Zenith. Ashtrays ready for filling on just about every table. A kitchen clad in Formica in case of Swanson or Chef-Boy-R-Dee spills.

This, you realize, is exactly the moment that your life as a kid drastically changed. Nothing to do with family, or with your life at school. It has to do with the team you root for — the usually cartoonish, normally hopeless Mets.

New York/New Jersey at this time is not a Yankee area, as some might assume. The Yanks are a so-so squad. The area is still nostalgic for its National League Dodgers and Giants, whose blue and orange colors have been blended into the uniform of your Metropolitans.

During their first seven years, from 1962 through 1968, your Mets have never finished higher than ninth place — ending up in last five times. No one understands this, but this year’s team of young unknowns and journeyman players is out of the cellar and on the move.

You are back there in memory … and it is simple to slide into old and familiar patterns. Running to find the paper, then riffling furiously for sports and for “The Standing of the Clubs.” Barely believing what you read.

Barely believing, because the 1960s New York you know is not the glossy, tourist-friendly locale of needle skyscrapers, or the High Line, or of Hudson Yards. For the first time ever the Big Apple has free-floating fears about itself. A clinical complex. It needs a civic psychiatrist.

New York is often referred to as “Fun City.” It is a bitter joke. Movies like The Out of Towners and The Prisoner of Second Avenue reflect a place where people are angry. Angry and afraid. Although you live in Chelsea, a neighborhood that’s relatively calm, just about everyone you know has been mugged at least once.

For a battered metropolis that’s confronting blackouts, garbage strikes, and bankruptcy, the Mets of 1969 are starting to feel like redemption.

Your team has pulled ahead of the Cubs — a franchise of future Hall of Famers like Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins and Ernie Banks. Your team has captured its division in a shower-bath of Reingold Beer. And, in a wink, your Mets have mopped up Hank Aaron’s Atlanta Braves in three games.

Even your mom has turned into a fan now. She is obsessed. And superstitious.

When leadoff hitter Tommie Agee comes to bat, she flees to the kitchen. “He usually walks or singles” she tells me, “when I am making toast.”

 Whenever the all-but-unstoppable Tom Seaver pitches, Mom is convulsed with worries. Standing by the sink sometimes leads to another strikeout for Seaver. But, one night during an important inning, she turns on the faucet for good measure — and the tactic fails.

Mom isn’t sure what will work when the Mets face the airtight Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, who trot out perennial all-stars Frank and Brooks Robinson, and have won 109 games. You tell her you are not concerned. You tell yourself that, too.

The Series begins. It is a flame-colored event, at least when it comes to logos and uniforms. The Orioles sport a slightly different shade than the Mets. And they are the shooting stars at first, beating Seaver in the opening game, and defeating your Mom’s sink strategy once and for all.

You are not concerned, you say to her. And, somehow, thanks to some magic that’s in baseball, you are actually proved right. Your Mets and Tommie Agee and Jerry Koosman and Don Clendenon and Cleon Jones take games two, three, four and five.

There is a Wall Street ticker tape parade for the world’s most unlikely World Champions. You are back there, seeing it all. And what you see is orange. Like the New York license plates on taxis. Like the “N” and “Y” on Met caps.

Almost atomic. Like the tinted sky.

This day of big city celebration is as smoggy as any other. But despite the inversion — despite the unbreathable air — your Mom shouts suddenly: “Open windows! Open them all!”

You run for the newspaper. You pick up a pair of scissors.

Together, you toss out some ticker tape of your own.

Enjoy the celebration.

Astro Nomical

Jose Altuve and Gerrit Cole Celebrate

There are officially four teams remaining in the quest to be called 2019 MLB World Series champions. The final piece of the puzzle was put into place on Thursday night in Houston, as Gerritt Cole put the Astros on his back as part of a 6-1 victory over the Rays in a decisive Game 5 of the ALDS.

While it wasn’t quite on the level of the Cardinals’ historic beat down of the Braves in Game 5 of the NLDS on Wednesday, the Astros poured it on in the first inning against right-hander Tyler Glasnow.. It almost felt like they knew what was coming at times, with Glasnow later acknowledging that he was tipping his pitches. The Astros tallied four straight hits to begin the bottom of the first, including an RBI single from Jose Altuve and a double from Alex Bregman to knock in two more runs. After Glasnow retired Yordan Alvarez with a ground out Yuli Gurriel singled to drive in the fourth run of the frame.

While Glasnow was able to avoid a complete nightmare inning like we saw from the Braves, it really didn’t matter, as four runs were more than enough for Cole. He allowed just two hits over eight innings of work, with the lone run scoring on a solo homer from Eric Sogard in the second inning. The AL Cy Young Award hopeful walked two batters and notched 10 strikeouts, still hitting 99 mph on the radar gun after reaching 100 pitches in his final frame.

Cole has now struck out at least 10 batters in 11 consecutive starts, including nine regular season starts and two starts during the ALDS. That’s the longest such streak in MLB history. He struck out 25 batters total in his two starts against the Rays, the most all-time in a single division series. He’s on a decent little run right now with free agency awaiting him after the postseason.
Taking the “all hands on deck” approach literally, the Rays used nine pitchers in the winner-take-all game. After the four-run first inning, they were able to hold the Astros off the board until Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve connected for solo homers against Emilio Pagan in the eighth. The homer from Altuve was his 11th all-time in the postseason, passing Chase Utley for the most ever among second basemen.

The Astros will now make their third straight trip to the ALCS, with a matchup against the Yankees set to begin on Saturday night. Two of the sport’s most power-packed and star-studded teams going head-to-head. It should be a doozy of a series.

Quick Hits: The Phillies fired manager Gabe Kapler on Thursday after the club went 161-163 over two seasons on the job. … Annibal Sanchez will start Game 1 of the NLCS for the Nationals while Mikilos will get the ball for the Cardinals. … Despite the Dodgers’ disappointing exit from the NLDS, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports that Dave Roberts will remain the club’s manager. … X-rays came back negative on Kurt Suzuki’s left wrist and he’s expected to be ready to go for Game 1 of the NLCS against the Cardinals on Friday. ..Michael Wacha (shoulder) will not be added to the Cardinals’ roster for the NLCS. …C.J.Cron will get an outside opinion for a nagging right thumb injury and could require a procedure to alleviate symptoms. … Athletics catcher Sean Murphy underwent surgery for meniscus issues in his left knee on Thursday and is expected to be ready for spring training. ... The White Sox announced Thursday that Frank Menechino will serve as the club’s hitting coach, replacing Todd Stevenson. … Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. will be back as Marlins’ pitching coach in 2020 while third base coach Fredi Gonzalez will not return. … Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets will interview Twins bench coach Derek Shelton for their managerial opening. … Padres prospect right-hander Jacob Nix was arrested on October 6 in Peoria, Arizona on charges of criminal trespassing. … Mariners prospect outfielder Jarred Kelenic has been shut down early from the Arizona Fall League due to back soreness.