The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Brad Ausmus after only one season at the helm. The firing comes despite the fact two years were remaining on Ausmus' contract. His predecessor Mike Scioscia managed the club for 19 seasons.
The Angels had a very disappointing 72-90 season finishing in fourth place in the AL West, 35 games back of the Astros. At the All-Star Break, the Angels were a game under .500 (45-46) but slid to 27-44 in the second half. The sudden death of starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs cast a pall on the club. No manager could have got their club around that sort of tragedy.
I suspect that Ausmus' firing has a great deal to do with Joe Maddon's availability. Of course, there are several clubs who want Maddon's services. But only the Angels can claim Maddon was in their employ for 31 years. In which case, Brad Ausmus could have just been Rick Renteria-ed.
Monday, September 30, 2019
My 2019 MLB Post-Season Predictions
October is almost here and this means post-season baseball.
Back in March, I predicted a Minnesota Twins-St. Louis Cardinals World Series. I still stand behind this prediction. Here is how we get there.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL Wild Card - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland A's
Winner: Tampa Bay Rays
ALDS # 1 - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Rays in 4
ALDS # 2 - Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Twins in 5
ALCS - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Twins in 7
ALCS MVP: Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL Wild Card - Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals
Winner: Washington Nationals
NLDS # 1 - Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Dodgers in 3
NLDS #2 - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Cardinals in 4
NLCS - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Cardinals in 7
NLCS MVP: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
2019 World Series: Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Cardinals in 7
World Series MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
We shall see if this comes to pass. It is entirely possible the Brewers could throw a wrench into this scenario tomorrow night. Or this could be my Don Larsen moment of baseball perfection.
Back in March, I predicted a Minnesota Twins-St. Louis Cardinals World Series. I still stand behind this prediction. Here is how we get there.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL Wild Card - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland A's
Winner: Tampa Bay Rays
ALDS # 1 - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Rays in 4
ALDS # 2 - Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Twins in 5
ALCS - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Twins in 7
ALCS MVP: Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL Wild Card - Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals
Winner: Washington Nationals
NLDS # 1 - Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Dodgers in 3
NLDS #2 - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves (Best 3 out of 5)
Winner: Cardinals in 4
NLCS - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Cardinals in 7
NLCS MVP: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
2019 World Series: Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Best 4 out of 7)
Winner: Cardinals in 7
World Series MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
We shall see if this comes to pass. It is entirely possible the Brewers could throw a wrench into this scenario tomorrow night. Or this could be my Don Larsen moment of baseball perfection.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Will Pete Alonso's Dream Rookie Season Be Enough to Save Mickey Callaway's Job?
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso had a season rookies could only dream about. He forced his way onto the roster in spring training and then hit a MLB record 53 HRs for a rookie becoming the face of the franchise.
Combine Alonso's historic season with another Cy Young caliber performance from Jacob de Grom and you have a team that was competing for a NL Wild Card spot into the final week of the season and finished 2019 with an 86-76 record. They ended their season on a positive note with Dominic Smith hitting a walk off HR in extra innings against the Braves in his first at bat in two months. But will it be enough to save the job of Mets manager Mickey Callaway?
After a 9-4 start, the Mets lost 21 of their next 32 games putting Callaway on the hot seat by late May. The Mets went 46-26 in the second half (including a stretch where they won 15 out of 16 games). Nevertheless, the Mets bullpen blew 28 saves as many of Callaway's pitching decisions were called into question. Pitching coach Dave Eiland was fired in mid-June in favor of 82-year old Phil Regan.
Callaway has a year left on his contract. Even if the club opts to keep him he will be on a very short leash in 2020. Assuming of course that he has any leash at all.
Combine Alonso's historic season with another Cy Young caliber performance from Jacob de Grom and you have a team that was competing for a NL Wild Card spot into the final week of the season and finished 2019 with an 86-76 record. They ended their season on a positive note with Dominic Smith hitting a walk off HR in extra innings against the Braves in his first at bat in two months. But will it be enough to save the job of Mets manager Mickey Callaway?
After a 9-4 start, the Mets lost 21 of their next 32 games putting Callaway on the hot seat by late May. The Mets went 46-26 in the second half (including a stretch where they won 15 out of 16 games). Nevertheless, the Mets bullpen blew 28 saves as many of Callaway's pitching decisions were called into question. Pitching coach Dave Eiland was fired in mid-June in favor of 82-year old Phil Regan.
Callaway has a year left on his contract. Even if the club opts to keep him he will be on a very short leash in 2020. Assuming of course that he has any leash at all.
Red Sox Reversal of Fortune
After winning a franchise record 108 games in 2018 en route to a fourth World Series title in 15 years, I predicted the Boston Red Sox would not make the post-season in 2019.
This has come to pass. But I did not expect the Red Sox to win 24 fewer games than in 2019. I did not expect them to finish 19 games back of the Yankees in the AL East. I did not expect them to fire Dave Dombrowski. Nor did I expect them to announce plans to cut payroll with plans to trade away 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts. Yet here we are.
The Red Sox will do all this and be expected to win the World Series next year. It's what happens when a city has too much winning. It is never enough. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not living amongst Red Sox Nation. Not that there isn't pressure to win in New York. But New York doesn't have Boston's inferiority complex.
Cubs Part Ways With Maddon; Pirates Make Hurdle Walk Plank
Two NL Central teams let go of their managers on the final day of the regular season. The Chicago Cubs parted ways with Joe Maddon after five seasons while the Pittsburgh Pirates made Clint Hurdle walk the plank after steering their ship since 2011.
Three years removed from winning the World Series, 2019 was a season of reckoning for the Cubs after losing to the Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS and losing last year's NL Wild Card game to the Rockies. Nothing short of another World Series title would have saved Maddon's job.
On September 16th, the Cubs had won five in a row and were on pace to face the Washington Nationals in the NL Wild Card game. The Cubs then lost 9 games in a row. During this time, the Brewers won 8 of 9 games. This collapse sealed Maddon's fate. It is widely believed the Cubs will hire former Yankees manager Joe Girardi as his successor.
But Maddon will have a third act. There are managerial vacancies with the Padres, Giants, Royals and now the Pirates. There's a good chance one of those teams will jump at the chance to work with him.
The same cannot be said for Hurdle. Although Hurdle guided the Bucs to three consecutive NL Wild Card berths, they have not been a factor since 2015. At the All-Star Break, the Pirates were 44-45 only half a game behind the Cardinals. While the Cardinals surged to the NL Central title, the Pirates went 25-47 before Hurdle's dismissal. Complicating matters were several brawls between players and coaching staff and the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez for alleged sexual assault of a child. This created the perception that Hurdle had lost control of the club. With two years remaining on his contract, Hurdle was given assurances by Pirates owner Bob Nutting that he would remain. But Nutting made an about face and terminated Hurdle late last night. However, GM Neal Huntington remains on the job. It is widely believed former Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister has the inside track as Hurdle's successor. Prior to managing the Rangers, Banister had spent 29 years in the Bucs organization before rejoining it this year as a special assistant.
There could be other teams which change managers. The NL East could have a very different dynamic as both New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway and Philadelphia Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler have uncertain futures.
Three years removed from winning the World Series, 2019 was a season of reckoning for the Cubs after losing to the Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS and losing last year's NL Wild Card game to the Rockies. Nothing short of another World Series title would have saved Maddon's job.
On September 16th, the Cubs had won five in a row and were on pace to face the Washington Nationals in the NL Wild Card game. The Cubs then lost 9 games in a row. During this time, the Brewers won 8 of 9 games. This collapse sealed Maddon's fate. It is widely believed the Cubs will hire former Yankees manager Joe Girardi as his successor.
But Maddon will have a third act. There are managerial vacancies with the Padres, Giants, Royals and now the Pirates. There's a good chance one of those teams will jump at the chance to work with him.
The same cannot be said for Hurdle. Although Hurdle guided the Bucs to three consecutive NL Wild Card berths, they have not been a factor since 2015. At the All-Star Break, the Pirates were 44-45 only half a game behind the Cardinals. While the Cardinals surged to the NL Central title, the Pirates went 25-47 before Hurdle's dismissal. Complicating matters were several brawls between players and coaching staff and the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez for alleged sexual assault of a child. This created the perception that Hurdle had lost control of the club. With two years remaining on his contract, Hurdle was given assurances by Pirates owner Bob Nutting that he would remain. But Nutting made an about face and terminated Hurdle late last night. However, GM Neal Huntington remains on the job. It is widely believed former Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister has the inside track as Hurdle's successor. Prior to managing the Rangers, Banister had spent 29 years in the Bucs organization before rejoining it this year as a special assistant.
There could be other teams which change managers. The NL East could have a very different dynamic as both New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway and Philadelphia Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler have uncertain futures.
Cardinals Win NL Central; Brewers to Face Nats in Wild Card Game
On the final day of the MLB season, the playoff picture has been resolved. The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central with a 9-0 shellacking of the Chicago Cubs. It is the first post-season appearance for the Cardinals since 2015. The win automatically gave the Milwaukee Brewers the second NL Wild Card berth. They will travel to D.C. to face the Washington Nationals in the NL Wild Card game on Tuesday night.
The Cardinals began the season winning 20 of first 30 games. But by the All-Star Break they were at .500 (44-44). But after winning 25 of 39 games following the All-Star Break the Cardinals claimed first place in the division for good on August 23rd. To put this into perspective, the Cardinals were only a half game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the half. The Cardinals are going to to the post-season and the Pirates are looking for a new manager.
For the second year in a row, the Milwaukee Brewers played their best baseball in September. The Brewers rose to the occasion after Christian Yelich fractured his kneecap on a foul ball winning 12 of 14 games which was sufficient to give them a second straight post-season appearance. The Brewers were swept by the Colorado Rockies this weekend. Will this stall their momentum when they face Max Scherzer and a Washington Nationals team that finished the season with 8 straight wins? Or will they go onto the face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS?
As for the Cardinals, they will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS beginning on Thursday.
The Cardinals began the season winning 20 of first 30 games. But by the All-Star Break they were at .500 (44-44). But after winning 25 of 39 games following the All-Star Break the Cardinals claimed first place in the division for good on August 23rd. To put this into perspective, the Cardinals were only a half game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the half. The Cardinals are going to to the post-season and the Pirates are looking for a new manager.
For the second year in a row, the Milwaukee Brewers played their best baseball in September. The Brewers rose to the occasion after Christian Yelich fractured his kneecap on a foul ball winning 12 of 14 games which was sufficient to give them a second straight post-season appearance. The Brewers were swept by the Colorado Rockies this weekend. Will this stall their momentum when they face Max Scherzer and a Washington Nationals team that finished the season with 8 straight wins? Or will they go onto the face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS?
As for the Cardinals, they will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS beginning on Thursday.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
AL Wild Card Will Be A's vs. Rays
The Oakland A's celebrated with champagne despite losing tonight to the Seattle Mariners 4-3. Earlier in the evening, the Cleveland Indians were defeated 8-2 by the Washington Nationals. This gave the A's their second straight AL Wild Card berth.
Much like a year ago, the A's struggled out of the gate. On May 14th, the A's were 19-25. But an 11 game winning streak would follow en route to a 77-39 record since. Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien and Matt Olson all had standout seasons along with the spectacular defense of Ramon Laureano.
The A's will face the Tampa Bay Rays who punched their post-season ticket with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. This marks the Rays fifth post-season appearance, but first since 2013 when they won an AL Wild Card berth. The Rays were in first place in the AL East through mid-May. Although the Yankees would eventually dominate the division, the Rays hung onto the AL Wild Card virtually the entire season. Tommy Pham, Avisail Garcia and Austin Meadows were solid with Travis d'Arnaud getting a new lease on life after failed stints with the Mets and Dodgers. While last year's Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow couldn't stay healthy, Charlie Morton and an array of openers and closers picked up the slack.
It's a shame one of these teams will have their playoff dreams ended on one night. But I believe this will be one spectacular game that could easily go 15 innings come Wednesday night.
Much like a year ago, the A's struggled out of the gate. On May 14th, the A's were 19-25. But an 11 game winning streak would follow en route to a 77-39 record since. Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien and Matt Olson all had standout seasons along with the spectacular defense of Ramon Laureano.
The A's will face the Tampa Bay Rays who punched their post-season ticket with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. This marks the Rays fifth post-season appearance, but first since 2013 when they won an AL Wild Card berth. The Rays were in first place in the AL East through mid-May. Although the Yankees would eventually dominate the division, the Rays hung onto the AL Wild Card virtually the entire season. Tommy Pham, Avisail Garcia and Austin Meadows were solid with Travis d'Arnaud getting a new lease on life after failed stints with the Mets and Dodgers. While last year's Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow couldn't stay healthy, Charlie Morton and an array of openers and closers picked up the slack.
It's a shame one of these teams will have their playoff dreams ended on one night. But I believe this will be one spectacular game that could easily go 15 innings come Wednesday night.
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