MLB Narratives Draft 2020
It’s become cliché to say baseball is a regional sport but one of my goals is expanding the reach of my baseball attention to encompass more of the league. Obviously this is good because this means I get to have more games I’m interested in and have backup plans if the Twins don’t have the right stuff this year. But it requires more work. To help me start getting juiced for that task, I wanted to survey the main storylines going on elsewhere.
But it wouldn’t be enough to simply choose a narrative from each team. No, I’m told baseball writing often has to be done in the form of a draft. Now you might be thinking, how can you do a draft by yourself? Well, let me tell you how.
When I was little I had baseball cards with which I would play my own games. I’d line up the cards like fielders and use the “batter” card to physically hit marbles at the fielders. Then I would switch to controlling the defense and make the play at first. Back then there was only one of me and I was still able to operate both teams. So I don’t think I’ll have any trouble pulling the strings for all the members of this draft. But I don’t want to be drafting against myself exactly. That’s what imaginary people are for. May I introduce you to my new baseball friends. We have:
- Jen Humphrey, staff writer for the Dinger.com and co-host of the dish-washing podcast Defectively Piled
- Ricky Johnson, catcher for the Little Wombats
- Barry Zito, ex-pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
- JamGirl, proprietor of JamGirl media and co-host of Talkin’ Biscuits, a Youtube show about the AA Montgomery Biscuits
Add in me to the mix, and the five of us will draft 6 total teams’ storylines. Whoever’s storylines most drive interest this MLB season will win. That means that they 1) have to actually come to fruition and 2) when they do be interesting. Let’s see what we have to look forward to this baseball season!
First Round
- Jen: There’s no other pick put the Astros and their sign-stealing scandal. It was the talk of the off-season and will pick up again once batters start getting plunked for their participation. If the Astros soar everyone will say it’s because they’re still cheating and if they swoon it’ll be because they’re no longer cheating. Only something historic could dethrone this as the most important story of the year.
- Ricky: How high can the Dodgers go? With Mookie Betts could they be the best team since … the 2001 Mariners?
- Barry: Can the Yankees overcome the cascade of injuries to win the title? They’ve already lost 4regulars after losing a record number of players last season.
- JamGirl: Can Trout taste postseason glory? The only thing Trout has left to do to prove he is the best of his generation is do more than didley in the postseason. Did the Halos do enough in the off season to help get him there?
- Me: All Twins fans want to know if year is whether the Twins’ season will end at the hands of anyone but the Yankees. It should make for some riveting jockeying down the stretch to see if the Bombers can be avoided in the playoffs. Or if they must face them, can they somehow prevail?
Second Round
- Me: Red Sox: Are the Sox better without Mookie? Surely not. But will we reach a point in the season when fans start to ask themselves that?
- JamGirl: How bad will the Mets mets it up this year? They already had a manager last not even one game. What other self-inflicted wounds will keep them from the playoffs this season?
- Barry: Will the Rays stop playing second fiddle? Can their eclectic lineup take advantage of the Yankees injuries to win their first pennant since 2010?
- Ricky: How loud will the Baby Jays chirp? The trio of Guerrero, Bichette, and Biggio will have them fun to watch; will they have them playing meaningful games in September?
- Jen: How bad will the Cubs cub it up this year? After last seasons meltdown series vs. the Cardinals and an offseason nothingburger, it’s hard to root for success at Wrigley this season. So let’s root for chaos instead!
Third Round
- Jen: Phillies vs. their fans. We already know Philadelphia fans are famously fickle. How long will it take them to turn on their team if Bryce Harper and the boys don’t stay competitive early?
- Ricky: Is 50/50 possible for Acuña? The Braves’ Acuña says he wants to hit 50 dingers and steal 50 bags in one season. A legit chase for that mark would be electrifying.
- Barry: Will Lindor keep Indians fans smiling? Cleveland front office has said enjoy Lindor while he’s still here. Will fans’ enjoyment of the infectious infielder be enough to distract them from the stinginess of their team?
- JamGirl: Will the Cardinals stick around? The Cardinals haven’t been eliminated from the playoffs early in the season in quite some time. But with not much activity this off season, could this be the year they drop out of things ahead of schedule? Do Cards fans know how to handle such a development? Everyone else would be licking their chops.
- Me: Is this the year the White Sox are contenders? I’m trying to reverse jinx them by picking them to contend, but the big question they have is whether or not they’re one year away or if they did enough to go for a Wild Card … or higher.
Fourth Round
- Me: Similar to the White Sox, are the Padres one year away or could they compete this season? They don’t want to waste Machado’s prime, but their young guys might not quite be ripe enough to carry the team along.
- JamGirl: Will the Texas rotation be elite? The Rangers’ bats might not do much, but can their veteran-laden rotation give people reason to show up at the ball park?
- Barry: Outside of Matt Chapman, what I am excited about with my old team is what young pitchers with A+ names Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk can bring to the rotation.
- Ricky: For a team that just won the World Series, there’s not a lot to be excited about for the Nationals. I guess I’ll going with seeing whether Juan Soto can challenge for the MVP award as he looks to add new dimensions to his game.
- Jen: Bring on the Marte Par-tay! How much damage can Sterling and Katel do in this lineup and will they be the best non-brother brothers since when?
Fifth Round
- Jen: Yelich for MVP. Fresh off a new contract and a reconnected bone in his leg, Yelich shoots again for some hardware. Do Brewers fans care more about their star doing well than their team?
- Ricky: Are the Reds a spoiler or can they hang with the other contenders?
- Barry: How does the Arenado situation shake out for the Rockies?
- JamGirl: Can Miguel Cabrera bounce back? Few things are more depressing in baseball than old guys on bloated contracts limping to the end of their careers. After a down season for the Tigers, Cabrera should be healthier this season. Will it translate to success?
- Me: The Chris Davis Redemption Tour. The only thing America likes more than watching someone humiliate themselves over and over again on live TV is a good old fashion redemption story. Davis, who set the record for most consecutive hit-less at bats last year has been tearing up spring training. Will he hit .600 in the regular season? No. But will he be good again? We shall see.
Sixth Round
- Me: Can the Marlins be the feistiest bad team? They made some moves this offseason to indicate they didn’t want to be a total dumpster fire. They could play spoiler in the crowded NL East.
- JamGirl: Will America get tired of the #solerpower hashtag and related jokes celebrating Jorge Soler’s dingers, or will we all succumb to global warming first.
- Barry: Yaz! What will the son of the legendary slugger Carl Yastrezemski deliver for the Giants this year?
- Ricky: What’s even the point for the Pirates? The club have a grievance against them for not trying enough. Will anything, anything! happen this season that will show fans they could be competitive anytime soon.
- Jen: Can Daniel Vogelbach give the Mariners one thing to look forward to? Yeah, there’s not much for Seattle : (
Whose team looks the best?
- Jen: Astros, Cubs, Phillies, Dbacks, Brewers, Mariners
- Ricky: Dodgers, Blue Jays, Braves, Nationals, Reds, Pirates
- Barry: Yankees, Rays, Indians, As, Rockies, Giants
- JamGirl: Angels, Mets, Cardinals, Rangers, Tigers, Royals
- Me: Twins, Red Sox, White Sox, Padres, Orioles, Marlins
