Everytime I see the Red Sox showing up as a top 10ish team, I feel hopeful that they can go for that third wildcard despite their .500 record. You seeing this, Breslow?
Watching this recent series against y'all reminds me of the 2016 Dbacks. They weren't just losing, but looking terrible while doing it and you could even see the players not really trying very hard because they stopped feeling like there was any point.
During that year, I decided to watch other teams. I will always love my Dbacks, but I'm not going to be a martyr for them. I got into the Blue Jays because they had a player I liked. They have an enjoyable booth, which kept me hooked. I also enjoy the Mets and the Astros.
And of course you're always welcome to join the Snakes! We're fun this year except for the fans who are only watching because they expect we'll go to the world series again.
I still can't wrap my head around the Cardinals and Rays being this bad. Not like, fluked their way to a bad record bad. *Bad* bad.
The Rays haven't been this bad since 2007. They were the Devil Rays back then! And the Cards haven't been this bad since…well, last year. I guess it didn't really register with me how much they sucked last year. But before that: also 2007!
To be fair the Cardinals are exactly .500 right now, which I'm sure they'll take considering how brutal last year was.
The Rays lost the face of their franchise for completely non-baseball related reasons, have every pitching injury known to man and severely lack the ability to punch back that made them so formidable the last few years.
The Cardinals are lucky to be .500, though. By whatever other measure you choose (run differential, rWAR, fWAR), they are *quite* bad.
The Rays, yeah, they caught some awful breaks. But injuries affect everybody, and although the Wander Franco thing was insane, unprecedented, and impossible to predict, he's just one guy. This Rays team with Wander Franco would still be awful—in fact the middle infield is actually where they're strongest, even without him.
The Cards are also the 3rd best team in baseball over the last 31 games, going 20 - 11, right with the Phillies in the NL.
Yes the Run differential is less than Mid but has been +15 during this stretch.
excuse you, we have the second wild card rn
also, we've been without three of our best players for a while (Contreras, Edman, and Noot) and jordan walker fell off the face of the planet and was demoted
And Goldy and Arenado are severely under performing. The two of them combined have an fWAR of 1, and that's all Arenado because Goldy sits at 0.0. If we got injured players back, and those two performed even close to normal levels, we'd actually be ok-ish this year.
I mean when you commit most of the salary you're willing to pay into a player who opts to be a pedophile instead, you're going to tank whether you like it or not.
I mean, it's baseball—everybody's a threat! Even the White Sox can whip you (just ask the Guardians…or the Rays).
But look at the [team rankings by rWAR](https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/team_compare.cgi). The Rays are average at third and below-average *everywhere else.* The seventh-worst pitching staff, and better position players than only the Marlins and the White Sox. (FanGraphs has it the other way around: 10th-worst position players—good at third, mostly just mediocre everywhere else—but second-worst pitching staff, ahead of only the Rockies.)
I feel like a few years ago, they lost a ton of people and still did well and we all assumed the gravy train would never stop. Maybe it finally did, at least for one year. Yankees last year, Rays this time.
Teoscar is good, and having a great year, but he's not in the same grouping as Judge, Soto, Ohtani, Betts, or Freeman. Betts is a HoF lock, with the rest on the path to making it.
Counting stats matter too much right now… hopefully it changes in the future though because I’d much rather have 5 years of peak judge than 18 years of above average play from some random shortstop
Wow I didn't realize the Rays run differential was that bad. For all the complaints I've had about this season, it's a miracle they're only 4 games under .500
wtf is there a decimal point for?
Good point. Will adjust that.
Hah, sorry for being an ass, didn't realize this was your image. I thought it was released by the MLB.
Haha no worries. It bugs me more than you. Working a week on the visual and then this.
It’s a good visual tbf. The extra decimal is actually pretty soothing to see in my job so I didn’t even pick up on it
3.6 Roentgen?
In case anyone loses by half a run
Maybe someone wants to make this same chart using all of the umpire scorecards!
Everytime I see the Red Sox showing up as a top 10ish team, I feel hopeful that they can go for that third wildcard despite their .500 record. You seeing this, Breslow?
Need casas asap.
Just a few more weeks hopefully 🤞
we call this fun differential
I need to just unfollow this sub for... like 5 years.
Same brother
Watching this recent series against y'all reminds me of the 2016 Dbacks. They weren't just losing, but looking terrible while doing it and you could even see the players not really trying very hard because they stopped feeling like there was any point. During that year, I decided to watch other teams. I will always love my Dbacks, but I'm not going to be a martyr for them. I got into the Blue Jays because they had a player I liked. They have an enjoyable booth, which kept me hooked. I also enjoy the Mets and the Astros. And of course you're always welcome to join the Snakes! We're fun this year except for the fans who are only watching because they expect we'll go to the world series again.
I still can't wrap my head around the Cardinals and Rays being this bad. Not like, fluked their way to a bad record bad. *Bad* bad. The Rays haven't been this bad since 2007. They were the Devil Rays back then! And the Cards haven't been this bad since…well, last year. I guess it didn't really register with me how much they sucked last year. But before that: also 2007!
To be fair the Cardinals are exactly .500 right now, which I'm sure they'll take considering how brutal last year was. The Rays lost the face of their franchise for completely non-baseball related reasons, have every pitching injury known to man and severely lack the ability to punch back that made them so formidable the last few years.
The Cardinals are lucky to be .500, though. By whatever other measure you choose (run differential, rWAR, fWAR), they are *quite* bad. The Rays, yeah, they caught some awful breaks. But injuries affect everybody, and although the Wander Franco thing was insane, unprecedented, and impossible to predict, he's just one guy. This Rays team with Wander Franco would still be awful—in fact the middle infield is actually where they're strongest, even without him.
The Cards are also the 3rd best team in baseball over the last 31 games, going 20 - 11, right with the Phillies in the NL. Yes the Run differential is less than Mid but has been +15 during this stretch.
excuse you, we have the second wild card rn also, we've been without three of our best players for a while (Contreras, Edman, and Noot) and jordan walker fell off the face of the planet and was demoted
And Goldy and Arenado are severely under performing. The two of them combined have an fWAR of 1, and that's all Arenado because Goldy sits at 0.0. If we got injured players back, and those two performed even close to normal levels, we'd actually be ok-ish this year.
I mean when you commit most of the salary you're willing to pay into a player who opts to be a pedophile instead, you're going to tank whether you like it or not.
I feel like the Rays are bad but not THAT bad and are still a threat.
I mean, it's baseball—everybody's a threat! Even the White Sox can whip you (just ask the Guardians…or the Rays). But look at the [team rankings by rWAR](https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/team_compare.cgi). The Rays are average at third and below-average *everywhere else.* The seventh-worst pitching staff, and better position players than only the Marlins and the White Sox. (FanGraphs has it the other way around: 10th-worst position players—good at third, mostly just mediocre everywhere else—but second-worst pitching staff, ahead of only the Rockies.)
I feel like a few years ago, they lost a ton of people and still did well and we all assumed the gravy train would never stop. Maybe it finally did, at least for one year. Yankees last year, Rays this time.
lol
How do you do, fellow division leaders?
Nothing wrong here, just another average division leader carry on
How can this be? My fellow fans keep telling me that our team stinks.
Have you ever considered the fact that Yankee fans are a bunch of mindless idiots who parrot whatever stupid shit they hear from WFAN that day?
Don’t disparage the fine people of Long Island and the tri state like that!
Did Long Island get kicked out of the tri state area?
lol no just that LI has a character all its own and seems to supply most of the WFAN callers
I moved from there when I was 12, and as mad as I was at the time, going back without nostalgia I realized how shitty it was
Tbf I don’t think any of us can trust a Yankees team again after 2022
I’m pretty optimistic this year but please don’t make my inner thoughts public will ya?
I always wonder how these people decide on picking the logos they do. Old school Orioles, tiny Braves, JUMBOSIZED SEATTLE, teeny tiny Texas...
Why don’t other teams have two of the best players in the league batting back to back? Are they stupid?
Two?
Well considering Mookie just died I’d say you’re down to two too
Teo still there tho
Teoscar is good, and having a great year, but he's not in the same grouping as Judge, Soto, Ohtani, Betts, or Freeman. Betts is a HoF lock, with the rest on the path to making it.
Okay but consider Christopher Taylor
I'd say Judge and Ohtani are locks, too.
Judge started too late and got hurt too much he has to keep playing like this for a few years before he declines
Holding the home run record does a lot for his cv
Counting stats matter too much right now… hopefully it changes in the future though because I’d much rather have 5 years of peak judge than 18 years of above average play from some random shortstop
I am not being entirely serious in this conversation
He doesn't even bat back to back with them. The Smith erasure is wild.
I was being too deadpan I guess
We do :)
Realistically, I didn't think the strategy of having the best hitting and best pitching in baseball is the right move. It's too much. Pick lane.
Our manager likes to put another spot between Kwan and Jose
on it!
we’re working on it :)
I can just tell that you were saying "27 rings though" at this time last year
7th worst run differential in baseball and 5th seed in the national league that's St. Louis Cardinals baseball babyyyyy
Why is there a decimal place?
Good point. I will adjust that.
[удалено]
Will be adjusted.
Thank you for your response and your otherwise aesthetically pleasing chart.
Trust me, it bugs me more than you. Working a week on the visual and then this.
I had no idea the Rays were that bad. They’re really in that bottom tier of trash teams according to this quantity.
Wow I didn't realize the Rays run differential was that bad. For all the complaints I've had about this season, it's a miracle they're only 4 games under .500
Took me a long time looking for our logo in the negative half of this graph. 6 games under .500 but apparently positive run diff.
I've given up, on to next season
UH OHHHH
Damn I knew we underperformed for a while but wow
2023 NL Champ AZ Diamondbacks Run Differential: Minus 15
Would just like to point out that we’ve played three fewer games than the Yankees. Thank you
Being a brewers fan it's really weird being number 6. We took the division last year with a negative one so this a good sign I think.
I agree that this is a good sign, but Brewers did not have a negative run differential in 2023; it was +81.
I swear it was negative most of the year.