MLBRT 6/6/2024

The questions and discussion…  

1) In December of 2020 MLB declared that The Negro Leagues were ‘major league’ in eyes of MLB, and that its statistics are now a part of the official record.

On Wednesday (5/29), Major League Baseball announced that the statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players will be incorporated into the MLB record books. This move by MLB means that some of the players that once were the record holders of some of the most revered statistics are about to be changed including… Josh Gibson’s career .372 batting average, moving ahead of Ty Cobb by 5 points for the best in history… Gibson’s .718 slugging percentage becoming the best ever and 28 points higher than now-second-place finisher Babe Ruth… and Gibson’s 1.177 career OPS is now at the top of that career leader board, which now reads Gibson, Ruth (1.164), Ted Williams (1.116). Gibson is also the new single-season leader in each of these categories… .466  batting average (1943), .974 slugging average (1937) and 1.474 OPS (1931).    

What is your opinion of this seismic changing of the guard of the record holders of MLB statistical records? Why?

I like that the MLB finally added the stats of the Negro Leagues to their official record books. While they have allowed other leagues in from the early 1900s and before 1900, it’s only fair to add the Negro Leagues to the statistical records. The only caveat on some of these awards, though, is that the sizeable difference in at-bats, games, etc. that’s going to have to be noted in some fashion.

Like, comparing Ty Cobb and Josh Gibson for the all-time batting average record… 2,168 at-bats and 808 hits for Gibson and 11,440 at-bats and 4,189 hits for Ty Cobb. Is it fair to compare the two for batting average crown when Cobb has almost 9000 more at-bats? That will all have to be discussed, and it’s going to encourage people to really dive deep into statistics to evaluate players instead of just going off of top layer numbers, but I’m worried that the history is going to be erased after a certain period of time.

While we do want them compared evenly, we do want to make sure that their history is recorded properly as well, because of the terrible times that the Negro Leagues had to face while just trying to play the same game as white players were able to back before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. I’m happy they were added, it’s been a long-time overdue. 

It was way past time for MLB to add the Negro league players and  their statistics to the record books.

As for what has been called a sizeable difference in at-bats, games, etc. between the current record holders and the Negro League players, who played relatively short scheduled seasons compared to MLB standard seasons of either 154 or 162 game, fans will just have to use their own personal judgement when considering the numbers that will be now presented n the record books. Hell it’s what bar stool discussions about sports is all about from the get go. We the fans offering up our personal opinions of which player from which ever era was as good as or not as good as some other player who played the game today.   

I’ll say this though… while Josh Gibson, who suddenly is now the career leader in many offensive categories, might not have played in as many games or accumulated numbers in the amounts that some of the prior record holders may have his attained, the fact is that during his time in Negro Leagues Gibson stats are so consistently outstanding… he simply dominated almost every countable category and it did it at such an exceptionally high level of achievement…  that I have no doubt that if he did play in a comparable 154 games season that MLB was playing back in his era that his statistics would  still be at that same exceptionally high level of achievement.

2) On Sunday (5/26) the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a torn left ACL and it was announced he will miss the remainder of the season. Presently the Braves sit second in the NL East 5 game behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

However Acuña’s injury combined with the Braves losing ace pitcher Spencer Strider who suffered a UCL tear earlier in the year and is also out for the seson is a hard hit to the Braves roster. 

Can the Braves survive the loss of these two key players in their lineup and overtake the Phillies to win the NL East? Why or why not?

And if the Braves don’t win the NL East, and maybe the more relevant question is…

Can the Braves be a playoff team this season without Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider in their lineup? Why or why not?

The Braves will be able to survive the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr and Spencer Strider, as they have been, but they won’t be able to surpass the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have an almost fully healthy squad and has been riding off of a very solid pitching staff, especially led by their two aces at the front of the rotation. They’ve been enjoying a lot of success at the plate as well, and even if Acuna Jr was healthy, I don’t think the Braves would be able to catch and overtake the Phillies this season.

But the Braves are going to get in the playoffs in the Wild Card. Not only is the National League weaker this season overall, but they still have a very good offense and some solid pitchers who are still going to perform and lead the Braves into the post-season with relative ease. I think they’re in the high 90s for overall wins. 

It doesn’t help the Braves that the Philadelphia have started the season hot. And stayed hot through the season up to this point. However the rest of the NL is not as strong as the Phillies except maybe arguably for the Dodgers. Right now (As of 6/6) the Braves sit atop the Wild Card standings five games better than their nearest team. Their .583 W/L percentage is heads and tails over the next team… the Cubs at .500.

GM and President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos is an aggressive deal-maker and isn’t afraid to bring in new blood but maybe the Braves already have all they need in house.

It hurts to lose the reigning MVP, but Acuna was off to a slow start hitting just .250 with four home runs and 15 RBI through 49 games but as mentioned above they sit top the Wild Card standings by a very comfortable margin.

The Braves have been among the top to middle or so teams in most offensive and pitching categories and have done so without Acuna at his best or Strider pitching in games. Added to this is that key infield Austin Riley, All-Star catcher Sean Murphy and outfielder Jarred Kelenic have all been missing in action due to injuries or having an up and down season.  

Riley is set to come off the injured list soon and should be able to improve on his early-season .232 batting average. He’s a career .272 hitter who for the past three seasons has hit between .273 and .303 with 30+ HRs and  if he returns to his average level of play he will provide a big boost  to the Brave offense.

Kelenic was acquired in the offseason and has been running hot and cold all season but if he can settle in, that should also give Atlanta more upside.

Murphy, who was injured in the season’s first series has recently been activated, which should help provide a spark that allows the Braves to return to its catching tandem of Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud.

As of June 6, the Braves have the tenth-best team batting average and the ninth-lowest team ERA. If they can stay the course; strengthen the team and maintain consistency with their returning players they just need to focus on making the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They make the playoffs and then it’s a brand new ball game as they go and try to win the 2024 World Series… which they can certainly do without Acuna, just like they did it in 2021 when he suffered a season mending injury and the Braves went on to take it all.

3) On Wednesday morning (5/29) the New York Yankees were the AL East leaders over the Baltimore Orioles by 1½ games. as of that date their 37-19 record was the 3^rd best in MLB behind only the Phillies (38-18) and the Cleveland  Guardians (37-18).

Compared to last season when the Yanks barely eked out a record of just over .500 and missed the playoffs this is a complete turnaround for the Yankees.

To what do you attribute this turnaround by New York? Why?

The Yankees turnaround is attributed to one thing: offense. They’re finally hitting the ball.

Anthony Volpe is enjoying a nice season, they have Juan Soto dominating and leading the American League for AL MVP. They have three hitters on pace for 40 home runs this season in Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Their top three hitters have remained healthy for the season.

Lucas Gil is having an outstanding season for their pitching staff. But getting an offense together, and having the team hit all-around and not rely solely on Aaron Judge night in and night out is the biggest reason for their turnaround. 

Health. Staying healthy and avoiding injuries to their key players is a big reason for their turnaround.

Aaron Judge is playing in every game and is leading MLB in HRs (21), Slugging (.667) and OBP (.423). Juan Soto also has played in every game so far and he has produced in some big time spots to win games late is leading the AL in BA and among the  MLB leaders in most other categories. Giancarlo Stanton is playing healthy and after last season’s statistical nightmare he is back to hitting HRs (15) and getting runs across the plate. As a team they are batting .256 (3^rd in MLB); slugging .441 (2^nd in MLB) and are tied for the in HRs (92) third in runs scored (313) and second in RBIs (299)

Pitching last season was also a nightmare as their pitchers were either battling injuries or having very down years. This season… without AL Cy Young winner Gerritt Cole…  the Yankees as a team lead MLB in ERA (2.79), Opponents BA (.208) and Saves (22) and are second in MLB in WHIP (1.10).

 All of which is a complete turnaround from what they produced last year when they barely finished over .500.  

4) Once upon a time the MLB MVP award was named the Kenesaw Mountain Landis MVP award. Landis was the first commissioner of MLB and oversaw Major League Baseball through an era of segregation that prevented Black players from playing and was in fact a big part of the reason Black players were banned from the game because of racism.

After a number of Black players and others complained Landis’ name was removed from the award in 2020.

While it was very arguably the correct move to strip Landis’ name from the MVP award. it made no sense to begin with to name a player award after a baseball executive. 

The best pitcher awards are named after Cy Young. The best rookie awards are named after Jackie Robinson. Hank Aaron (best overall offensive performer in each league) and Roberto Clemente (the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship and community involvement) have awards named after them, as do Mariano Rivera (AL Reliever of the Year)  and Trevor Hoffman (NL Reliever of the Year) and Edgar Martinez (top designated hitter). 

Is it long pass time to name the MLB MVP award after a player? Why or why not?

And if so should that player be Josh Gibson, who is now the new leader in various career and seasonal statistical categories, or possibly a dominant all-star player from a more recent era such as Willie Mays? Why or why not?

It’s time to put a name on the MVP Award, and they should’ve changed the name a long, long, long time ago.

I would name it after Joe DiMaggio, who has won three MVP Awards, had a 56-game hitting streak, was part of the great dynasty Yankees, and meant a lot to baseball as one of the most valuable offensive players of all-time. He would be very deserving to have the award named after him. I would want to name it after Barry Bonds, who won a record seven MVP Awards, but because of his steroid allegations and mixed reviews about him overall in the baseball community, I think it would be too divisive and cause too many complaints and/or problems to name it after him.

Put it as the Joe DiMaggio Award and be happy with it.

This another long overdue item that ML needs to correct.

The MVP award definitely should be named after an all-time great.

And my proposal is to honor two of the greatest platers to have ever played in the history of the game…

In the NL call it the Willie Mays NL MVP Award and in the AL call it the Ted Williams AL MVP Award.  

5) The Milwaukee Brewers lost their manager and best pitcher during the offseason. A step back from winning the NL Central would have been understandable. Instead, two months into the season, Milwaukee is the top team in the National League Central with a respectable 33-23 record.

In your opinion what is behind the Brewers success this season? And is it sustainable for the remainder of the season? Why?

The Brewers have surprised most of baseball with the success they’ve been having. With their three-game sweep over the Chicago White Sox this weekend, they’ve taken first place as the division leader up by the most games over second place.

They’ve enjoyed a lot of offensive success, most notably by Willy Adames, who struggled last season. He’s posted a .260/.338/.789 slash line this season while hitting nine home runs (leads the team) and 42 RBI. William Contreras has been an MVP-type player leading most catchers in most offensive categories this season and was able to lead the offense during Christian Yelich’s injury list stint. Yelich has also enjoyed a ton of success at the plate while healthy, including recording a five-hit performance recently. Sal Frelick, Joey Ortiz (who was acquired for Corbin Burnes), Blake Perkins, and especially Brice Turang have all contributed heavily to the offense.

They’re able to score runs. And when they can’t score runs, they come through with just enough at the end of the game to win.

They’ve also had a lot of pitching success. Freddy Peralta has been the ace of the staff, and Colin Rea has matched him in the ERA/WHIP categories. Peralta has been averaging 11.1 K/9 and posted 89 strikeouts on the season. Robert Gasser has had a terrific start to his MLB career in his first 28 innings pitched, only allowing eight earned runs.

The bullpen has also enjoyed success with Bryan Hudson dominating this season, posting a 1.13 ERA/0.75 WHIP in 32 innings pitched this season. Elvis Peguero, Jared Koenig, Joel Payamps and Trevor Megill have all enjoyed a lot of success in the bullpen, keeping ERAs under 3 and low WHIPs while keeping teams from scoring runs in later innings and giving the offense more time to work.

The entire team has been working together and this is definitely sustainable for the rest of the season. I see the Brewers getting to mid-90s in wins this season, and easily enjoy a NL Central pennant. 

The Brewers offense has been relatively hot, finding ways to score using their speed on the base paths, the reliable top of the order, and the power scattered throughout their lineup.

With a team BA of .254 (5th in MLB), OBP of .330 (3rd) and slugging average of .408 (7th), along with 293 RBIs( 4th) and 306 runs scored (tied for 3rd) they are doing it with their offense.  

And with a pitching staff that is somewhat mediocre they need to keep their hitters producing or their seson could face a complete turnaround. But I don’t see that happening with this teams player composition.

If they somehow don’t win NL Central they will definitely get into the playoffs as a Wild Card.

Extra Innings…