YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:
There have been a couple interesting article posted on MLB.com lately
about the top 5 moves that lead the Royals and Mets, respectively, to the World
Series. Below are those lists:
Mets:
- The R.A. Dickey trade – After Dickey won the 2012 NL
Cy Young Award, the Mets, knowing that they had pitching depth in their
organization, smartly decided to trade the ace at his peak value rather
than sign him to an extension. They found a buyer in the Blue Jays, and in
return, they extracted two potential premium players from them. At 23
years old, Noah Syndergaard has
been as impressive as any rookie starting pitcher, leading all first-year
starters with 166 strikeouts while posting a 3.24 ERA. Meanwhile, catcher Travis d'Arnaud is
finally healthy after dealing with a variety of ailments, and put up a
.268/.355/.487 line over 268 plate appearances. That slugging percentage
would have led all catchers had he qualified. Both guys are key pieces for
the Mets this season and years to come.
- Re-signing David Wright – When Wright
was a year away from free agency following the 2012 season, he and the
organization both had to take a leap of faith. The front office had to
decide on whether it should invest $138 million over eight years to
arguably the best position player in franchise history. Conversely, Wright
had to decide if this was the organization that was going to take the
steps necessary to win. Wright believed in the plan, and the front office
showed incredible discipline and decision-making in the Draft and
internationally over the past several seasons (15 players on the roster
are homegrown, the most of any playoff club). Wright isn't the player he
once was, but he still posted an .814 OPS this year, is a consummate
leader, and was integral in convincing the likes of Curtis Granderson
and Michael Cuddyer to
buy in and sign with the club.
- Signing
Curtis Granderson – In a move to infuse more offense, the Mets signed
Granderson to a four-year deal during the 2013 Winter Meetings. They hoped
he would be a middle-of-the-order bat and run producer. But after a slow
2014 season, manager Terry Collins and new hitting coach Kevin Long felt
his best place in the lineup this year was batting leadoff. After making a
couple of mechanical adjustments under Long's observation, Granderson
became one of the best leadoff men in the NL, leading the Mets with a .364
OBP. Granderson's productivity has gone under the radar in the postseason
due to Daniel Murphy's
torrid October, but he has set the table for the Mets, posting a .385 OBP
while driving in seven runs and even stealing four bases in five attempts.
- Trading Ike Davis – This was less about trading
Davis and more about the fact that it opened up the door for Lucas Duda to take over as the everyday first
baseman. It seems like an obvious move now, but when the 2014 season began
it was unclear who the Mets would choose as their long-term answer at
first. Davis, the Mets' first-round pick in the 2008 Draft, hit 32 homers
in 2012, and was considered a better defender. The organization tried to
keep both, playing Duda in the outfield (he played 100 games in 2012 and
another 58 in '13), but as Davis' struggles continued beyond '13, the Mets
decided it was time to cut ties with him and make Duda the full-time first
baseman. He responded by hitting 30 home runs in '14 and another 27 this
past year, with an impressive .838 OPS while playing solid defense.
- Acquiring Yoenis Cespedes – OK, so there
was one move from 2015 that had to be on this list. No player moved at the
non-waiver Trade Deadline made a bigger impact for a team this year than
Cespedes. His numbers as a Met are gaudy: In only 230 at bats, he hit 17
home runs, had 44 RBIs, a .942 OPS and a 157 OPS+, while playing mostly
center field for the Mets (starting 39 of his 53 games in CF), a position
that evaluators were convinced he was not comfortable playing anymore. Over
the course of the summer, the Mets acquired two other veteran bats in Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, promoted rookie Michael Conforto from
Double-A to the Majors, and welcomed Wright's return from a long disabled
list stint, and all of those moves helped create a deeper and more dynamic
lineup. But the Cespedes acquisition almost single-handedly allowed the
Mets' offense to come alive, as it averaged more than five runs per game
in the final two months of the regular season.
Royals:
- The Zack Greinke trade
– In
December 2009, one year after he won the American League Cy Young Award,
Greinke was traded along with Yuniesky Betancourt to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress.
Kansas City was coming off a 67-win season and desperately needed an
influx of young talent. What's amazing is that this trade almost didn't
happen. The Royals made a lot of progress on a trade with the Nationals,
but Greinke made it clear he would not waive his no-trade clause to go
there. At the time of the trade, it was unclear who the best piece was
coming back to Kansas City, but general manager Dayton Moore took a chance
on athletes, and in doing so he acquired Cain, the 2014 AL Championship
Series MVP, Escobar, the 2015 ALCS MVP, as well as Odorizzi, who was used
in the trade with the Rays that brought back Wade Davis and James Shields.
That one trade laid the foundation for this great Royals team.
- Hiring Dayton
Moore – That
Greinke trade wouldn't have happened without Moore at the helm. He was
hired in 2006 to bring some of the scouting and player development acumen he
picked up while working in the Braves' front office. With a philosophy
built around relationships, loyalty and a team approach, Moore built one
of the deepest farm systems in history, and then parlayed that into the
juggernaut you see now. This is a team that can beat you with pitching
depth, defense, speed, contact hitting and even power. It does not have a
glaring weakness, and Moore is the man responsible for putting this group
together.
- Drafting Alex Gordon – If you're going to pick in the
top five of the Draft, you have to make it count, and the Royals had an
impressive run of top-three picks that began with Gordon, the No. 2
overall pick in 2005. In the subsequent three years, they drafted Luke Hochevar No.
1 overall in 2006, Mike Moustakas No.
2 overall in 2007 and Eric Hosmer No. 3
in 2008. And one common thread among all of these guys is that none of
them was an instant sensation. Kansas City had the patience to stick with
these guys as they struggled in the Minor Leagues and early on in the
Majors. Gordon had to switch from third base to left field, Hochevar moved
from the rotation to the bullpen, Moustakas struggled to hit lefties and
Hosmer dealt with vision issues in the low Minors. Many in the game
doubted that these guys would pan out, but the only people who didn't
waver were the folks who were developing them and the front office who
drafted them. Their patience has been rewarded.
- The Salvador Perez
extension – In
today's game, every organization needs a productive Latin American
program, one that consistently adds impactful talent to the organization.
No player represents the Royals' Latin American program better than Perez,
who they signed out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old for $65,000 in 2006.
After a solid debut in 2011, hitting .331 in 39 games, Kansas City gave
Perez a five-year, $7 million extension with three club options that might
be the best bargain in baseball. Other products of that Latin American pipeline
are Yordano Ventura
and Kelvin Herrera,
both signed out of the Dominican Republic. Like Perez, Ventura was signed
for a bargain bonus ($28,000), and he also received a club-friendly
contract after his rookie campaign. He signed a five-year, $23 million
deal before last season that includes club options for 2020-21.
- Hiring Ned
Yost –
Yost was hired in 2010 to replace Trey Hillman, and he spent the next four
years slowly nurturing a young core of players. His patience, belief and
humility eventually showed itself in 2014, and again this season. With
Yost and Moore paired together, the Royals have an outstanding combination
that has been able to adapt consistently to the ever-changing challenges
of the game. As you can see, Kansas City is a complete organization where
each area of the baseball-operations department impacts its current roster.
It is an organization that is blessed with continuity, and it is led by
humble quality people who truly understand what an organization should
represent.
POSTSEASON
PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6th to see how many I have gotten wrong!
CURRENT
POSTSEASON PICTURE:
World Series
New York at Kansas City
Game
1: Tuesday, October 27, at 8:00 PM
PHILS PHACTS:
Plenty of rumors floating around but no news
yet!
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL
East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and
bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in
franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making
headlines in the playoffs this year.
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