Wagon in the Rockies
You probably don’t know the man in the photo above, but right now he’s a Top 10 hitter in the sport — and he’s leading the team with the longest win streak in baseball right now.
TJ Rumfield is the man in question, with his 7th ranked .476 wOBA and 1.089 OPS. As are the Colorado Rockies — fresh off a sweep of the Houston Astros, where they outscored the AL West contenders 23-9!
He was probably the headliner of the Yankees trade which saw Ryan McMahon head to the Bronx, and the Rockies took a swing when they added him to the Opening Day roster. A move he is rewarding them with right now.
The Astros are certainly scuffling having dropped 5 of the last 6, and now having learning they will be without Hunter Brown for a few weeks? Things are feeling a little bleak in the Space City.
Is calling the Rockies a “wagon” a little tongue-in-cheek? Absolutely. But when you get a chance to talk up some of the surprise teams you simply have to do it.
Who knows? Maybe TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnston, and Mickey Moniak can lead this team to a surprise run to the postseason.
…
Yeah probably not
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This NL Team Might Be a Wagon
What if I told you there was ONE team in baseball that was Top 6 in wOBA for both Pitchers and Hitters?
Most of you probably answered “oh the Dodgers” or “the Yankees?”
Well if you said the Yankees — learn how to read — it says NL in the headline
And if you said the Dodgers? You lack whimsy. I’d never write a puff piece on the Scrooge McDuck team.
Though both are great guesses — the Dodgers ranking 1st in hitting and 6th in Pitching, while the Yankees are 9th and 1st respectively
No. This team is in the National League East and it isn’t the Phils or Steve Cohen’s boys
It’s the Atlanta Braves
Despite dealing with a rash of injuries, Braves pitchers are #2 in baseball in wOBA allowed at .251, while opponents are hitting just .183.
And their hitters are no slouches either right now. Ranking 5th in wOBA at .332, while also being Top 5 in Slugging and 6th in Batting Average
The Braves have yet to lose a series in the young season, and most recently are coming off an 8-2 victory on Wednesday night, clinching a series W in Anaheim.
Their lineup is headlined by Drake Baldwin, who I recently featured as possibly the best hitting catcher in all of baseball — with his 1.042 OPS and MLB leading 5 Home Runs.
But besides Baldwin, the Braves have two additional regulars with OPS over .900, two MORE with an OPS over .800, and two bench bats with 1.178 and .833 OPS.
And then we get to pitching — where it arguably might be going BETTER!
No matter how many starters this team loses, two more grow in their place.
Sale has arguably performed the worst of any multi game starter and he has an ERA in the 3’s!
Reynaldo Lopez, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes have combined to throw 39.2 IP and have only allowed 5 ER between them — good for a 1.13 ERA (if I can still do any math).
Combined with a lights out bullpen — Iglesias, Robert Suarez Lee, Kinley, and Bummer — those five have thrown 25 IP and allowed only 1 ER between them… a 0.36 ERA for their regulars!
It’s too early to declare a true wagon… but the Braves might be a team we aren’t talking about enough yet
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This Division IS a Wagon
Remember what I just said about being too early to declare a wagon?
Fuck that noise.
The NL Central is a wagon.
The Central teams are usually the butt of most jokes from their Coastal Elite brethren. And generally it has been pretty true if we’re keeping it real.
They don’t spend money, they don’t win titles, and they generally don’t perform in the postseason at all.
But it might be time for a crazy prediction… I think 3 postseason teams might come out of the NL Central??
The Pirates, Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals ALL have winning records right now. In fact, the NL Central has more winning records than the ENTIRETY of the American League!
Don’t sleep on them boys in the flyover states!
I’m gonna dispense from the full team reviews, but lets just give some quick hitters for each squad:
T-1st Cincinnati Reds (8-4)
The Reds are a bit of a mirage because they’ve only scored 38 runs. But on the flip side they’ve only allowed 40 — which is 4th in baseball. Burns and Lowder are in the running for the best young 1-2 punch of any rotation in baseball.
Sal Stewart has been exactly as advertised, and it’s only a matter of time before Elly De La Cruz starts being the most electrifying player in baseball again.
T-1st Milwaukee Brewers (8-4)
I’ve talked about the Brew Crew Voodoo, and of course that really hasn’t subsided. They continue to have just about every player outperform expectations, and they’re doing it without Jackson Chourio
Kyle Harrison has been another Developmental W for the Crew, and Garrett Mitchell is coming into his own at the dish. Coupled with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich starting hot (both have an OPS north of .920) this is as formidable as a lineup as you’ll see right now.
T-3rd Pittsburgh Pirates (7-5)
This is maybe the most popular team in the sport right now. Skenes has shoved since an Opening Day Implosion. Ashcraft has stepped up as one of the more unheralded arms in baseball. Mitch Keller has looked like a bonafide ACE, having gone 3 straight 6 innings starts, 18 IP in total with a 1.00 ERA.
And that’s before we even mention Konnor Griffin, fresh off a record breaking extension, he’s giving good at-bats and providing a spark this offense desperately needs.
Too good not to share
Oneil Cruz might be living up to his high high potential, and their veteran additions like O’Hearn and Lowe are primed to lead this team into September contention
T-3rd St. Louis Cardinals (7-5)
One of the better stories in baseball right now is the breakout of Jordan Walker. He is tied for the MLB lead with 5 HR — he only hit 6 all of last season!
This start is a bit of a mirage however, as he’s the only hitter on his team with at least 25 AB’s with an OPS over .750… yikes. Five regulars have an OPS short of .610.
Their starters are doing alright for now but they have the 2nd worst xwOBA of any staff in baseball. I don’t quite expect this team to continue their over .500 ways
5th Chicago Cubs (6-6)
Ah yes, exactly where everyone expected the Cubs… last.
Jokes aside, if the Cardinals are the team I think are fake in the negative, the Cubs are the team that is outperforming their record. They are +12 in run differential which is 2nd in the division behind the Brewers.
I do have some pitching concerns now the they’ve likely lost Cade Horton for an extended period of time, but at least the lineup adds Seiya Suzuki back on Friday to ease some of their pain.
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Odds and Ends
Apologies in advance, twitter embeds aren’t working tonight no matter what I do
Thanks Elon
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LuBob has been going to the Juan Soto school of plate discipline since moving to Queens
All the Southside knows is pain
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He might have overslept... but he awoke the beast
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Have a great day everybody