2293 - Ohtani's big game and other end of season talk
Take 10 with Tim – September 20, 2024 1.Shohei Ohtani had one of the greatest games in baseball history. 6 for 6, 3 HR, 2 SB and 10 RBI that led to the Dodgers clinching a playoff spot. He’s now sitting on 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases, slashing .294/.376/.629 with 77 walks. Where does this stack up in the greatest season in baseball history? Here are some others… a.Barry Bonds (2001) – 73 HR, 137 RBI, 177 walks, .328 BA, .515 OBP, .863 SLG b.Barry Bonds (2004) – 45 HR, 232 walks, .362/.609/.812 c.Mickey Mantle (1956) – 52 HR, 130 RBI, 10 SB, .353/.464/.705 d.Ricky Henderson (1982) – 130 SB, 119 runs, .398 OBP e.Bob Gibson (1968) – 34 starts, 28 complete games, 12 shutouts, a 1.12 ERA and 268 strikeouts. 2.Luisangel Acuna has been the talk of fantasy baseball since he was promoted. He’s hitting .467 with two home runs. Ronald who? What do you think so far? 3.Landon Knack pitched well on Wednesday and should get another start against the Padres next week. Are you interested? 4.What has happened to Bobby Miller? He had a brutal start this week, and then was optioned to Triple-A. 5.The Orioles are 18-24 since Jordan Westburg got hurt. Before that, they were 66-44. It’s clear he was a massive part of the equation. He is just about ready for his return. a.Does this return the Orioles to who they were in the early part of the season? b.Is Westburg an immediate insertion into a fantasy manager? c.Speaking of the Orioles, they DFA’d Craig Kimbrel on Wednesday. It went South in a hurry for him. What happened? 6.Jose Quintana has been shoving it in the second half, particularly of late. He has a 3.11 ERA with six wins since the All-Star break and in his last five games, he’s 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA but only 20 strikeouts. a.What do you make of this resurgence? b.Is he setting a new baseline or is this just a hot streak? 7.We have discussed Ryan Pepiot much this season, but he’s posted a 3.64 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 121 innings. He shoved it on Wednesday night with 12 K’s in 6 innings, but still did not get the win. a.What do you think about him for next season? 8.Any advice for these last two weeks of the season? 9.Juan Soto hit his 40th home run this week and his 200th for his career. It’s crazy to think he’s only 25. I’m assuming you believe he’s on an HOF path? Who of these ten current MLB players have a shot at making the Hall of Fame? I didn’t include the three obvious guys (Trout, Scherzer, Verlander) 1)Mookie Betts – Age 31, 69.4 WAR, 269 HR, 1,607 hits, .294 AVG, 1 MVP 2)Manny Machado – Age 32, 57.8 WAR, 342 HR, 1,894 hits, .279 AVG, 0 MVP 3)Jose Altuve – Age 34, 52.9 WAR, 228 HR, 2,227 hits, .306 AVG, 1 MVP i.BTW, Jose Altuve taking off his shoes and socks to prove to the home plate umpire was a classic. Just awesome! That alone should push him into Cooperstown 4)Jose Ramirez – Age 32, 51.4 WAR, 251 HR, 1,488 hits, .278 AVG, 0 MVP 5)Aaron Judge – Age 32, 51.2 WAR, 310 HR, 1,017 hits, .287 AVG, 1 MVP 6)Francisco Lindor – Age 30, 49.3 WAR, 246 HR, 1,486 hits, .274 AVG, 0 MVP 7)Bryce Harper – Age 31, 50.7 WAR, 335 HR, 1,662 hits, .282 AVG, 2 MVP 8)Gerrit Cole – Age 34, 41.8 WAR, 151 wins, 2,239 Ks, 3.20 ERA, 1 CY Young 9)Shohei Ontani – Age 30, 26.7 WAR, 219 HR, 861hits, .277 AVG, 2 MVP 10)Ronald Acuna – Age 26, 25.8 WAR, 165 HR, 815 hits, .289 AVG, 1 MVP It looks like you need at least a 70 WAR to make it. 10.What hitter are you targeting for pickup this weekend? 11.What pitcher are you targeting for pickup this weekend?
