Yeah, the other side of that coin is that the Nats are going to be stuck with the same players even as they decline, and won't have $50 million coming off the books.
Moustakas Moustakas. He's a guy having a good power year in a year of exploding power. Doesn't walk, doesn't hit for average, has bad knees, and I hear he doesn't tip well. I wouldn't kick him off the bus, but let's not get all Jonathan Lucroy over the guy.
Your Florida State League Player of the Month is St. Lucie firstbaseman Peter "Commando" Alonso: 29 G, 116 AB, .336 AVG, .394 OBP, .603 SLG, .997 OPS, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 7 2B, 4 BB, 20 R.
A perfect ninth with two strikeous for the save tonight and Uceta is up to 33 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. It's his first save in the FSL after he had earn the closer spot in first in Columbia and the again with Lucie.
Your sleepy-eyed Las Vegas firsbaseman has been named PCL July Player of the Month after leading the circuit in runs (28) and going second in extra-base hits (21), total bases (79), slugging (.725) and OPS (1.162). Smitty hit .385 in the month and was also in the league's top five in RBIs (26) and home runs (eight), reaching base safely in 24 of his 26 games in the month. The first-rounder out of Gardena, California's Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, has a good chance to be in uniform by tomorrow if the Mets can deal off any of four or perhaps five veterans. Since Smith's graduation from high school, Junipero Serra has been elevated to the canon of sainthood, so goodness follows in his path.
Man, besides being the subject of one of the two greatest American-produced sports films ever, the Bad News Bears only lost the championship lost by a hair, and it was only because the Yankees exhibited lousy sportsmanship like the real turds they were that denied the Bears glory. But the Bears being the Bears, they knew more joy and vindication as runners-up than the Yankees ever knew as champs. Now that we know a little bit more about Atticus Finch, I think we can safely say that Tanner Boyle is the greatest fictional American hero of the 20th century. I wish the Mets were the Bad News Bears.
Don't most ballots contain about seven guys who will eventually get in? Picking a few random years, 1991 had nine guys who would eventually get in, and 1981 had 11. And among all those guys on that ballot you describe as "stacked," Whitaker was second in WAR.
Benjamin Grimm wrote: Howie and Gary are both sure to get in some day. Sure, but as far as I'm concerned, that clip I posted above should have just moved his induction up about two years. MLB gets an insane amount of money to let ESPN unmake the schedule — money, that, a few accounts later, helps pay (among many other things) for Howie Rose's salary. Good on him for biting the hand, though. Josh Lewin doesn't have the juice to safely make that kind of statement.
Meanwhile, in the minors, Reds prospect José Siri had a record-setting hitting streak going when he approached the plate for what looked like his last at-bat. Down 4-1 with the bases empty against Dodgers affiliates the Great Lakes Loons, Siri found himself doing some dodging of his own when Loons pitcher Ryan Mosely threw at him with his first pitch. Mosely than proceeded to widen the strike zone by about 24 inches, giving Siri a pointless pitch-around. Siri attempted a bunt on a wild swing at two pitches off the plate before accepting the inevitable walk. Mosely followed that display up by mouthing off to the batter as he ran to first. While Siri wouldn't be baited, the rest of his teammates left the bench for a heated conference. Boo, Loons. Boo, Dodgers. [youtube:22k0l059]LNgXSIC96a0[/youtube:22k0l059]