Family is everything to me. Baseball is a close second. What better way to combine my two favorite passions than to write about them! My three children each have a different baseball team, hence the title, "Three Unassisted". I write about not only my thoughts but also the musings of Ryan (Yankees), Caitlyn (Phillies) and Matthew (Mets). I may have grown up a Yankees fan but since family is greater than ball, I also root for the Phillies and Mets. I love talking about my kids. I love talking about baseball. That lethal combination will keep you coming back for more. Happy reading!
Well, that game stunk. Matthew lost faith quickly and though I tried to be positive, the effort seemed futile. The New York Mets dropped the first game of their critical three game series against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 5-1. Luis Severino did not have it, pitching with traffic all game and surrendering four runs in four innings. At one point, Mathew called him a bum, an understandable but clear overreaction to a guy who has given the Mets plenty of solid outings in 2024. With five games to go and the playoffs not a guarantee, can the Mets rebound one last time in 2024?
Carlos Mendoza will not let the team be the same old Mets. Photo from NY Post
Despite being one game in front of the Braves, New York faces a daunting five days. First, they must find a way to beat the best pitcher in baseball on Wednesday. Chris Sale is 18-3 and on his way to the National League Cy Young Award. He faced the Mets once already this season, on July 25, pitching 7 1/3 innings and allowing two runs. The Mets would win in 10 innings by a score of 3-2. He has pitched 24 innings in September and has allowed only three earned runs. Yikes. If the Amazins’ can’t win on Wednesday, they will be tied with Atlanta going into Thursday’s game which, if the weather holds true, will be rained out. So that means they will be tied with the Braves heading into a weekend series in Milwaukee against the Central Division champion Brewers. Meanwhile, Atlanta gets to host the free-falling Kansas City Royals. If the two teams are tied for the final spot after Sunday, guess what? Game 163 against one another with a second showdown in five days with Chris Sale. Not appetizing to say the least.
If this is truly not the same old Mets, the Mets that would have been buried by July 1, then they will find a way to beat Chris Sale and the Braves to go back up by two games. Nothing about 2024 has screamed LOL Mets. At 11 games back they rallied, after the brutal loss on that August Sunday in San Diego, they dusted themselves off and kept winning. Even the recent injury to MVP candidate Francisco Lindor hasn’t slowed them down. However, should they fall short of the playoffs, this season will almost feel like a waste. It really would be the same old, LOL, lovable loser Mets. That’s not happening. I feel like the page truly has been turned for the organization with an owner that will spend money and stability at the top of the front office.
Prediction for Wednesday, September 25: New York Mets 6 Atlanta Braves 3
The New York Yankees are playing a series in the Oakland Coliseum against the A’s for the last time in the Bay Area. After the 2024 season, the A’s will begin the process of moving to Las Vegas by first, stopping in Sacramento for the next three years. By the time the organization plays a regular season game in Vegas, we will again be talking about a Presidential election. The move represents the first time in 20 years that a Major League Baseball team changes addresses, the last being the Montreal Expos morphing into the Washington Nationals. This is a sad chapter in the history of baseball as MLB officials presided over an ownership group that treated Oakland like second rate citizens. With bitter feelings still present, I would like my kids, and everyone else, to understand that although the A’s did not have the best of ownership in Oakland, they certainly were one of the premier organizations for much of the last 50 years.
The one and only Rickey Henderson. Photo from ESPN.
Disclaimer: This isn’t the first time the A’s have been on the move. They were born in Philadelphia in 1901 and left for Kansas City after the 1954 season. They lasted only 13 years in KC before moving further west . For the purposes of this post, I will stick to the organization’s time to Oakland. Their time in Philadelphia featured some of the biggest names in MLB history such as Jimmie Foxx, Frank “Home Run” Baker and Al Simmons. But that is for another day.
Where to begin? How about a little secret? You have been regaled endlessly about the tales of the 1977-78 Yankees. I know you have heard the name, “Big Red Machine” when referring to the 1970’s Cincinnati Reds. Neither was the team of the decade. It was the A’s. In fact, from 1972-1974, Oakland accomplished what no other organization in the 120 plus years of the World Series has done with the exception of the Yankees: win three consecutive championships. One of those titles came against the Big Red Machine, and they won it without Reggie Jackson, the team’s best player and future Hall of Famer. They won five consecutive AL West championships and very nearly had a sixth in 1976. Because of owner Charlie Finley’s insistence on not paying his players as well as wanting to sell them for cash, a bizarre set of circumstances left Oakland without Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Vida Blue for 12 games. They went 7-5 during that time and missed the division title by only 2.5 games.
Fast forward about a decade later and a new era of winning baseball took place for the organization . The A’s would win the 1989 World Series, and three consecutive pennants from 1988-1990. Since then, no other team besides the Yankees (who else?) has won three straight pennants. In fact, when the Yankees were winning three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000, the team that gave them the hardest time was the 2000 A’s. Though the club has not won it all since 1989, they certainly have had their fair share of winning teams. From 2000-2006, Oakland made the playoffs four times while the other two seasons produced 91 and 88 victories, a pair of second place finishes. Later on, they twice made three consecutive playoff appearance, first from 2012-2014 and then from 2018-2020. All of this success throughout the years has come despite chronically low payrolls courtesy of the various ownership groups that have owned the team at different times.
The success of the A’s because of their low payrolls caught the attention of best selling author Michael Lewis. He wrote a great book on those early 2000’s A’s titled, Moneyball. The book was later turned into a movie starring Brad Pitt. It focused on the use of analytics and how the organization, specifically General Manager Billy Beane, would use them to apply unconventional methods to secure talent and win games despite having one of the lowest payrolls in the game. Speaking of true stories, MLB Network has done their fair share of documentaries on the club and its players, beginning with The Swinging A’s, which chronicled their 70’s glory days. Reggie Jackson. Dennis Eckersley. Rickey Henderson. Billy Martin. All of them may have played and managed (in Martin’s case) in other locales but a significant part of each of their careers came in Oakland. Here’s another little tidbit: Reggie won more championships (and an MVP) with the A’s than the Yankees.
And so a glorious, and sometimes frustrating era in baseball history comes to a close. The green and gold uniforms will look out of place in the desert. Although I missed the early 70’s dynasty, I am glad I got to see the A’s celebrate a World Series title. From their time in the Bay Area until now, only the Yankees (again) have won more World Series titles than the A’s. (The Red Sox and Cardinals have also won four over that time). I hope that thousands of future baseball fans will read up on those great teams that called Oakland home.
It is sad that the Major League Baseball regular season is ending in less than two weeks. 60% of the teams in the league will not be playing in October. Our daily routine over the last six months of checking box scores and Quick Pitch highlights will conclude, leaving a void until the Spring. Fortunately, for the fans in our house, there is so much more on the line and as we continue more intense scoreboard watching over the next 12 days. All three of our teams are in playoff position yet we still check the other teams that are in direct competition with our teams to see where our playoff seeding is.
Aaron Judge leads the Yankees to another AL East title. Phot from Sports Illustrated
We have Ryan checking in on the Orioles to see if the Yankees can finally put some distance between them and win the American League East. Spoiler alert: the race is over. Matthew is making sure the Mets continue to stay ahead of the Braves while also eyeballing the second wild card spot as the Diamondbacks have entered another September swoon. Caitlyn is anxious for the Phillies to claim the best record in baseball while also rooting for the Dodgers and Braves to lose every night. Two teams are comfortably in playoff spots while the third is making life easier for their fans. It is indeed a fun time of year, even though one of us is 140 miles away. This is a far cry from last year when both the Yankees and Mets missed the playoffs and Caitlyn had playoff baseball all to herself.
Baseball is so much better when all three of our teams make the playoffs as was the case in 2022. Competitive baseball in September helps us cope with the start of school and the end of warm weather. For at least two kids, the season will have a bitter ending. Here is hoping one of them will be smiling when the last out of the 2024 season is made.
It’s a big weekend in my house. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies play one another in a three game set in Philadelphia. However, this won’t be the only time the two play each other this month. Next week, they will be in Queens for four games beginning Thursday. The stakes are high with the Phillies closing in on a division title while the Mets are trying to remain in a Wild Card spot. Perhaps the biggest item over these next three days is that this will affect the mood in my house. Caitlyn (Phillies) and Matthew (Mets) are sure to be honed in on every single pitch and for one of them, going to school on Monday will be quite the chore.
When Harper and Lindor meet, I play Switzerland. Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer
But first, a quick story as to how Caitlyn became a Phillies fan.
The year was 2016 and the month was also September. The Mets were making a late push to secure a playoff spot. Matthew was already established as a (mostly) maniacal Mets fan. I could remember him watching the first Spring Training game of that year (or 2017) and getting upset that Yoenis Cespedes struck out on three pitches. Anyway, during that September push the Mets played the Phillies a number of times. Philadelphia wasn’t very good that year, finishing with a record of 71-91. The Mets beat them repeatedly, and Matthew was very vocal in his support. Caitlyn, who did not have a team at that point, finally had enough and said, “That’s it, I’m becoming a Phillies fan!” Speculation that it was a phase ended when she saw me looking at baseballreference.com and asked to see the Phillies roster for the following Spring.
Fast forward to today. I am extremely lucky that my three kids get along so well with each other. I could honestly say there has never been an occasion where there has been anger among the three of them. This weekend, Caitlyn and Matthew will not be making fun of one another whenever the Mets or Phillies make a mistake. They will be annoyed with the losing result and thrilled with the winning outcome. But they won’t take it out on each other. Between the two, I would say, Caitlyn will show more emotion and let me tell you, she comes out with some great one liners when she is annoyed. Even when the Phillies are in say, a 20-10 stretch she finds reason to be aggravated. The London series in June provided some great quotes as the Phillies melted their late lead away in the Sunday contest:
“Oh my gosh, this team stinks”.
“At least three players need to be left in London”.
“I would have a better time flushing my money down the toilet than watching Jose Alvarado pitch”.
Of course, the next time they win, all is forgiven.
Me? I remain neutral. I have one wish after this weekend: the result is not a sweep. I want to see happiness for both children. Someone is going to be disappointed at least twice. I would like this series a little bit more if the Mets had a stronger hold on a playoff position. I expect some great baseball from two these long time rivals.
And I hope come Monday morning, Caitlyn and Matthew go off to school without a frown.
I would jump for joy like Tommy Pham if he called New York home. Photo from the Post Register
I have been a big Tommy Pham guy over the last year or so. I wrote an article about him in March, lamenting the fact that he had not found a team so late in Spring Training. I wanted the New York Yankees to sign him and as I sit here it pains me to know that Brian Cashman and company decided on three separate occasions to not pursue the veteran outfielder with a .313 batting average in 120 playoff plate appearances. I’ve spent most of the Summer pleading with Cashman (at least privately) to go after Pham because of his proven clutch performance. I’m sure some of you are tired of my dissertations on this topic.
Oh wait, you don’t live with me.
But my kids do. And I’m pretty sure they have had it with me on this subject.
Pham clutch for the Royals. Photo from my TV
At least Ryan has gone back to school and has received some refuge. However, even he is not safe 140 miles away. See the picture directly above this paragraph? One morning while watching Quick Pitch, I snapped it as a reminder (and to possibly email Brian Cashman) what the Yankees are missing by not signing Tommy Pham. I happened to send this picture to a group chat with my kids and other members of my family. No sooner did I hit the green arrow to grace everyone with my genius, Matthew sent the following reply:
“The moment I saw you take that picture I immediately knew what was happening and my prediction was correct”.
So not only have I become insufferable but I’ve become predictable.
Here it goes, hopefully for the last time.
Pham has been picked up by the Kansas City Royals after starting 2024 with the Chicago White Sox and then dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals. Cashman blew it by not grabbing him when he was available. The Yankees are a championship caliber team. However, they need someone that plays with an edge. This team gives off a no urgency vibe. Pham would change that………..hold on:
Tommy Pham just hit a home run against the Yankees.
I am a freaking genius.
Back to what I was saying. Pham would have been perfect in left field down the stretch. Alex Verdugo has been better lately but I’m sorry, Pham is a much better player with the money on the table. Verdugo would still be a valuable member of the team. He is a good defender with an excellent arm. He could play defense late. But the starter would be Pham.
Now I have to wait until next year to see if the folks running the Yankees smarten up and sign him. I’m not holding my breath. But next year, I won’t be as insistent on him landing in New York.
For those of you who have been faithfully reading this blog, get ready for a slight change. OK, maybe it is more than a slight change. Since I have returned to the business of writing about baseball, I have had internal struggles about the direction of my writings. I would love to be able to comment eloquently on every single thing going on in the game. Majors and Minors. Past and Present. Free agents and Trades. But the truth is, there is so only much that this big brain can hold without getting fired from my day job. So I have decided that this blog should be more aligned with its name. Instead of being a crackpot analyst or a a keyboard operator without a clear direction, this change will have each of you seeing a little bit more of “me”. To wit, the name of this blog should reflect my actual experience.
Any ballpark is a happy place for my family. Photo from my collection.
Three Unassisted:
Three Kids.
Three Teams.
One blog.
Simple, right?
I’ll still be writing about teams, players and occasionally issues but it will be coming from a perspective of my family and me. It’s more conversation than profiles, focused than scattered. As the name states, we are dealing with three kids and their three teams along with my baseball (choose your adjective) knowledge, nerdom and memory. The introductions:
Tom (me)-Yankees
Beatrice (wife)-??????
Ryan (kid #1)-Yankees
Caitlyn (kid #2)-Phillies
Matthew (kid #3)-Mets
Much of the material written will be from the interaction among the five of us. With three teams and three different perspectives, there is so much material I can cover. I will write about our conversations, whether it’s providing historical depth or the concerns expressed by them about their respective teams. Even though most of you do not know me, I feel as though my writing will provide enough entertainment and information, as well as a personal connection. to say, “I should subscribe to this wonderful blog”.
Today turned out to have some unexpected baseball talk at work. Now, we talk sports alot so the topic of baseball is not unexpected. However, in the middle of a light schedule today, a couple of things happened over the last 24 hours that sparked some lively discussions. What happened? Longtime Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto announced his retirement and Giancarlo Stanton belted his 21st home run of the year. The topic? Does either player belong in the Hall of Fame?
Joey Votto: class act and future Hall of Famer. Photo from Yahoo Sports
Joey Votto
We like to think of first basemen as bruising power hitters that can hit the ball a mile. Not so with Votto. He hit “only” 356 home runs over 17 years, eclipsing 30 just three times. What Votto does posses is an obscene on base percentage. He finished with a career .409 mark, including seasons such as an absurd .474 mark in 2012 and .454 in 2017. All told, he led the National League in that category seven times. He has four seasons of over 1.000 OPS with a lifetime mark of .920. He owns an MVP. And if we need some genuinely good and funny people in the HOF, he checks that box. See the time he homered and made the day of a young cancer patient.
The Verdict: 100% yes
Giancarlo Stanton
The New York Yankees’ designated hitter is an elite power hitter. The issue with Stanton is health. He’s appeared in 120 games or more over the course of a season only four times in 15 years. For a fearsome power hitter, he has never walked 100 times in a season, hence the career on-base percentage of .346. There are some things that work in Stanton’s favor. He currently is the active leader in home runs with 423. He has an MVP to his name, winning the award in 2017 with the Miami Marlins. He has led the National League in slugging three times, twice exceeding .600. Big G has slugged at least 30 home runs in a campaign eight times. However, his OBP has not gotten above .300 since 2021 and for all of the home runs hit, he has gotten to 100 RBI’s only three times. I will say this for Stanton. He has one of the most beautiful, yet violent swings I’ve ever seen. Not many people change the channel during his at bats.
The Verdict: No for now, but if he gets to 500 home runs, then it’s a yes.
I can’t believe we are this far into August. In two weeks, Ryan goes back to college and the other two start school shortly after that. Where has the Summer gone? Actually, where has the Major League Baseball season gone? It seems like two weeks ago that I was watching the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres play each other in Japan prior to going to work. Here it is the third week of August and the Chicago White Sox have not been officially eliminated from the playoffs yet. That means we have plenty of baseball left to digest.
Jurickson Profar has been the Padres’ best player this season. Photo from Yahoo.
Series to Watch: Minnesota Twins at San Diego Padres
These two teams are in playoff position in their respective leagues. However, both still have designs on division titles with San Diego trailing the Dodgers by three games and the Twins are sitting behind the Cleveland Guardians by two games. The Padres have been arguably the hottest team in baseball with a 24-12 record since July 1. Minnesota has been sizzling, winning 11 of 16 games so far in August. Unfortunately, Twins’ center fielder Byron Buxton has found his way back to the injured list with hip inflammation. The Padres had their own injury setback when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim left Sunday’s game with a jammed shoulder. The schedule doesn’t let up for either team after this series as the Padres will next host the New York Mets and the Twins return home to face the St. Louis Cardinals.
Player to Watch: Ketel Marte
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ MVP candidate hasn’t been the same since Garrett Stubbs of the Philadelphia Phillies rolled into his ankle on August 10. He missed one game and then left the game after that in the first inning. He then missed the next three games before starting at designated hitter on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Marte pinch hit on Sunday but needed to be helped off the field after checking his swing. The second baseman cannot afford to miss any significant time as the D-backs are already dealing with the absence of first baseman Christian Walker and catcher Gabby Moreno. After a sizzling four week stretch, Arizona was swept over the weekend by the Rays. Losing Marte to an IL stint will compromise the D-back playoff push.
#1 struggles
Spencer Torkelson was the #1 overall pick of the 2020 Draft. The Detroit Tigers’ first baseman was expected to have a banner season in 2024. The Tigers were supposed to take the next step in their progression. However, Torkelson struggled mightily, barely hitting above .200 before being sent to Tripe A Toldeo. Torkelson returned over the weekend after playing 58 games for the Mud Hens. Detroit has faded from playoff contention and you can argue they and the Chicago Cubs are tied for the biggest disappointments in baseball. The soon to be 25-year old Torkelson still has two months to turn his season around or else become one step closer to acquiring the dreaded “bust” title.
I sit here in the beginning of August, feeling really bad for the Chicago White Sox. They have now lost 20 consecutive games and their record is 60 games under .500 at 27-87. I know we really shouldn’t feel bad for guys that are playing a kids’ game and earn a lot of money doing so. However, this has been one miserable experience for everyone involved, from the players, the front office and most importantly, the fans. They have a chance to be worse than the 2003 Detroit Tigers who finished the season with a record of 43-119. I really hope this is a one time occurrence and their deadline deals can provide at least a little hope for 2025.
On to the present and more positive things in Major League Baseball.
Ketel Marte is a legit MVP candidate. Photo from azcentral.com
Series to watch: Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks
The second rematch of the 2023 National League Championship Series takes place with a four game weekend series in the desert. In June, the Phils got the better of the Snakes with a 2-1 series victory. This set has personal implications for me with my daughter being a great Phillies fan and me once writing a blog about the D-backs. Philadelphia potentially righted the ship (and my daughter’s state of mind) with a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Meanwhile, Arizona, though sitting in the last wild card spot is actually within striking distance of first place, only five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bryce Harper has been slumping lately but his two home runs in Sunday’s victory makes us recognize the Harper we know and love. Ketel Marte is a legitimate MVP candidate. Despite not having 40% of their starting rotation for most of the season and severe regression by Corbin Carroll, the D-backs are in a playoff spot thanks to the outstanding season put together by their All-Star second baseman.
Player to Watch: Aaron Judge
I mean, I could put him as the player to watch each week. There is no better player in Major League Baseball right now. The youngest Lynch asked if he would win the Triple Crown this year. The batting title is out of the question but Judge will easily win the home run and RBI titles. His 41 home runs put him around the pace of his 62 homer campaign in 2022. To me, his most remarkable attribute is his ability to play both center field and right field at a Gold Glove level. Of course, all of these good vibes will evaporate in October should he struggle during another playoff run. That’s two months from now. Let’s enjoy another historic season from #99. Judge is a joy to watch and I am fortunate to view his greatness on a daily basis.
He’s back
Jackson Holliday returned to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. The highly touted prospect was called up for his Major League debut in April and struggled mightily. After going 2 for 34 in ten games, Holliday was sent back to Triple A Norfolk. In his first game back, Holliday smacked a grand slam (his first Major League home run), helping the Orioles to a 10-4 win vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. On Sunday, he hit his second home run as the O’s won their second contest in a row against the first place Cleveland Guardians. He is 7 for 18 since his return from Norfolk as Baltimore seems to have put their month long slump behind them. I am fairly certain that barring an injury that requires a rehab assignment, Holiday’s Minor League days are over.
A bright spot in Colorado
Once again, the Colorado Rockies are having a tough season. However, even the bad teams have standout players. Once such guy is center fielder Brenton Doyle. He was named the National League Player of the Month for July. He clubbed 11 home runs during the month, more than any other NL player. With 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases, Doyle has a chance to be the fourth player in club history to achieve a 30-30 season. Hopefully Doyle and rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar are building blocks for the Rockies as they look forward to 2025.
Trade deadline, trade deadline went. Too much to analyze even for me. The results won’t be fully known for a couple of years, given the number of prospects that were moved and the final pitch of the 2024 season over three months away. One team that made a flurry of moves in an attempt to finally get to the World Series was the San Diego Padres. As I glanced at my phone to see the update that the Padres acquired Tanner Scott, I thought, “Wow, way to go for it”. And then, it hit me.
I have been so wrong about A.J. Preller. He’s done a good job. Photo from San Diego Magazine
I need to give A.J. Preller, the chief baseball guy in San Diego, a lot of credit.
My kids and friends will tell you that for years, I have always thought Preller’s decisions were overrated. Year after year, we would hear how the Padres won the offseason and that they were poised for bigger things. Year after year they would disappoint experts and more importantly, their fans. Then, in 2022, after acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell, they finally broke through and made the National League Championship Series. In the following offseason, they added Xander Bogarts and got Fernando Tatis, Jr back from suspension. Yet, the Padres flopped and missed the playoffs in 2023. Before the 2024 campaign started, they traded Soto and lost Cy Young winner Blake Snell to free agency. Despite the misfortune, San Diego has been in prime playoff position all season. I’ve come to the realization that Preller has done an excellent job keeping his team relevant and consistently drafting well, allowing him to make bold trades like the ones orchestrated at this year’s trading deadline. For a good portion of my baseball life the Padres have been a below average franchise. With Preller at the helm, San Diego (with ownership’s commitment to higher payrolls), is becoming a more desirable place to play.
It is not easy to admit you are wrong. Once in a while, I was guilty of rooting against the San Diego Padres just to show people I was right. That was foolish of me. I should have respected the work A.J. Preller put in to making the Padres a good baseball organization. I won’t let that happen again. Hats off to A.J. Preller and I hope he sticks around to lead San Diego for another ten years.
Threeunassisted 