Category: MLB

Ranking the 3-Team Markets Part 2 of 3

by jonesg17, posted in MLB, NBA, NHL

Well here comes part two of my big 4 market rankings. This one will focus on the six markets that have three franchises. If you have not read my rankings of the markets with 1 team or 2 teams you can do so here. A refresher on how my rankings were determined-

There are a few rules I followed in my rankings and are as follows:

  1. Each market is divided into a classification (1 team, 2 teams, 3 teams, 4 teams) — similar to how high school sports are divided–in order to make it easier to compare.
  2. MLB and NFL playoff appearances are weighted slightly more because NHL and NBA playoffs have over half of the teams in their leagues in the playoffs.
  3. For the NBA, NHL and NFL, I use the 2009-2010 seasons as the start of the decade, because the champion of each was crowned in 2010. For example, the Saints were Super Bowl champions in 2010.
  4. Markets only include teams in the metro area (for example I did not include Green Bay with Milwaukee and Sacramento with the Bay Area.

6 Tampa, Florida (NFL, MLB, NHL)

Largely kept out of misery by the Lightning’s resurgence in the last half of the decade, Tampa still is last in this edition. The Lightning won the President’s Trophy just last season and made a Stanley Cup appearance in 2015 only to fall to the Chicago Blackhawks. Playoff appearances in 11’,14’,15’ and 16’ as well as division titles in 2018 and 2019, have made the Lightning the pride and joy of Tampa. Considering their financial circumstances, the Rays have made a respectable effort the last 10 years, making the playoffs three times and winning the AL East in 2010. They weren’t able to get out of the ALDS in any of their tries. Then theres the Bucs. Zero playoff appearances since 2010 but I will say Jameis Winston does make for some must watch TV.

5 Atlanta, Georgia (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Compared to a lot of other places, Atlanta did not have a terrible decade as far as their professional sports teams go. They might have moved up this list if the Falcons had a 31-3 lead instead of a 28-3 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Either way they made a Super Bowl 51 appearance, won the NFC South 3 times and had two wild card berths. The Atlanta Hawks also made the playoffs eight straight years from 2010-2017 and were the one seed in the Eastern Conference in 2015 before getting swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Braves moved to a shiny new ballpark in 2017 and have hosted playoff games in 2018 and 2019. Two losses in the wild card game (10’ & 12’) and 3 losses in the NLDS (13’,18 & 19’) has left many fans frustrated with the state of Atlanta sports.

4 Toronto, Ontario (MLB, NHL, NBA)

With hockey being king in Canada, you would thing a team from Canada would have won the Stanley Cup recently but unfortunately the Montreal Canadiens championship in the most recent team to do that in 1993. More of the same has came from the Toronto Maple Leafs as they have made four playoff appearances with zero series wins. The city is starved for a hockey winner and Auston Matthews might be the guy to do it. Moving on to the Blue Jays where they made the ALCS in 2015 & 2016 but nothing farther. Both of those seasons coming as the only postseason appearances for the Jays. Kawhi Leonard and the rest of the Raptors gave a championship to a starved city. It had been since the Blue Jays won in ironically enough 1993, since the city had a parade. The Raptors had made the playoffs every year since 2014 but with Kawhi gone, it’s hard to see Toronto repeating.

3 Cleveland, Ohio (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Similar to the Bucs of Tampa Bay, the Cleveland Browns did not crack the playoffs once in the last ten years. As a matter of fact they did not have a single winning season and managed to go 0-16 in the 2017-2018 season. The Indians came within one win of a World Series title in 2016 before losing in game 7 to the Chicago Cubs. Along with that pennant in 2016, they won three straight AL Central titles and made an appearance in the wild card game in 2013. The Cavaliers put Cleveland out of their misery making five playoff appearances, five division titles, four Eastern Conference Championships and ended the championship drought for the city in 2016 by erasing a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Ironically about five months later the Indians blew a 3-1 lead to the Chicago Cubs.

2 Houston, Texas (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Houston has enjoyed playoff success by all three of their teams. Starting with the Houston Texans who have only been in existence since 2002. They have won six division titles since 2010 and have four playoff wins, however they have failed to advance past the divisional round. The Rockets have made the playoffs every season since 2013 and winning the Southwest division in 2015, 2018 as well as 2019. The rockets have not made it all the way to the NBA finals having lost to the warriors in the Western Conference finals in both 2015 and 2018. In 2017 the Astros gave Houston its first title since the rockets won back-to-back in the mid-1990s. Up until 2015 the Astros may have been the worst team in Major League Baseball. Winning the wild card game in 2015 and then three straight division titles from 2017 through 2019. They were able to turn those playoffs appearances into two AL Pennants and the World Series crown in 2017.

1 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NFL, MLB, NHL)

The Pirates ended a 20-year playoff drought in 2013 and made two other wild card appearances in 2014 and 2015. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2015 and it seems to have taken a turn for the worst this last season with all the clubhouse chaos and executive turnover. For being the second most successful team in the city over the last decade, the Steelers faired extremely well. They started off with a Super Bowl appearance in 2010 and had four AFC North titles and two more wild card berths. They did not finish below 8-8 over the entire decade which would put them at 45 games above .500 for the decade. The Penguins had one of the most impressive decades of any NHL team. They made the postseason every single season while winning their division twice. On top of the 10 postseason appearances they won the Stanley Cup back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. The city of Pittsburgh has always had a rich tradition of sports success and the 2010’s carried the torch for another 10 years.

RANKING THE BIG 4 MARKETS

by jonesg17, posted in MLB, NBA, NHL

BY: Gerritt Jones

This is the first part in a three-part series

In this series we will examine how every sports market fared in the 2010 decade. I will look at each team in their respective market and compare with other teams within that market.  I only used Big 4 sports teams (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL) in these rankings.

There are a few rules I followed in my rankings and are as follows:

  1. Each market is divided into a classification (1 team, 2 teams, 3 teams, 4 teams) — similar to how high school sports are divided–in order to make it easier to compare.
  2. MLB and NFL playoff appearances are weighted slightly more because NHL and NBA playoffs have over half of the teams in their leagues in the playoffs.
  3. For the NBA, NHL and NFL, I use the 2009-2010 seasons as the start of the decade, because the champion of each was crowned in 2010. For example, the Saints were Super Bowl champions in 2010.
  4. Markets only include teams in the metro area (for example I did not include Green Bay with Milwaukee and Sacramento with the Bay Area.

1 TEAM CLASS

              There are 19 different markets in the United States and Canada with only one Big 4 team. Most of them have not had much success in the 2010’s so instead of mindlessly ranking all 19, I will give you my top 3 for this category

3 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (NBA)

Oklahoma City has been a menace in the NBA since the new decade. They have made the postseason every year but the 2015 season, winning their division four straight years from 2011 through 2014 and another in 2016. The Thunder won a total of 10 playoff series this decade as well as a Western Conference Title in the 2012 season. However, they fell to the Miami Heat in five games, and an NBA title eluded them throughout the decade.

2 Green Bay, Wisconsin (NFL)

Headlined by their Super Bowl XLV title in the 2011 season, the packers were dominant for the first half of the decade. They racked up four division titles from 2012 through 2015, and another in 2016. Adding Wild Card appearances in 2011 and 2016, the Packers were a regular in the NFL playoffs this past decade.

1 San Antonio, Texas (NBA)

              I could probably keep the Spurs in this spot since the start of the millennium with how dominant they have been over the last 20 years. However, since the 2009-2010 NBA season, they won the Southwest Division seven times (2011-2014, 2016 & 2017) and they have two western conference titles in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 they beat the Big 3 Miami Heat for their fifth NBA title in franchise history. This was an easy call to have San Antonio at the top.

2 TEAM CLASS

11 Buffalo, New York (NFL, NHL)

              Oh boy, where do I start here… Buffalo has some of the most loyal fans with the worst sports teams. Between the Bills and Sabres they have a combined THREE playoff appearances this decade. The Bills in 2018 and the Sabres all the way back in 2010 & 2011. The Sabres did have the lone division title in 2010 for Buffalo. To make things worse, the Bills lost their playoff game and the Sabres did not get out of the first round either year. Things are definitely looking up for the Bills going into the new decade.

10 Cincinnati, Ohio (NFL, MLB)

              Without an NBA or NHL team to prop up their playoff appearances, the Reds and Bengals still totaled nine playoff appearances over the last 10 years and four of them coming by way of a division crown. The Bengals did not win a playoff game in six opportunities and the Reds lost in the NLDS in 2010 and 2012. To cap off their last appearance of the decade the Reds lost to Pittsburgh when Pirates fans were able to rattle Johnny Cueto in the 2013 Wild Card game.

9 Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MLB, NBA)

              This is where it becomes more difficult to rank each market. It is hard to put Milwaukee this far down considering they have two MVPs in the last two seasons with Christian Yelich and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Most of the success in Milwaukee has been very recently. The first part of the decade was largely a dumpster fire for Milwaukee. The Bucks had five playoff appearances before 2019 and did not have a single series win. Their first division title also came in 2019 as well as an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. The Brewers did win their division in 2011 and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five before falling to St. Louis in the NLCS. They won their division in 2018 and again lost in the NLCS. A wild card loss in 2019 kept Milwaukee out of the World Series and NBA finals for the entire decade and that’s why they’re at #9.

8. Charlotte, North Carolina (NFL, NBA)

              Charlotte’s position at #8 is propped up almost entirely by the Carolina Panthers. In particular their appearance in Super Bowl 50 preceded by a 15-1 regular season. The Panthers won three straight division titles from 2014 through 2016 and tacked on a wild card berth in 2018. If Cam Newton was able to stay healthy, Charlotte would be a few spots higher. The most notable thing the Charlotte Hornets did was switch their name from the Bobcats back to the Hornets after 2014 and the team did not seem to do any better; just 3 playoff appearances and not one series win. They have been painfully spaced out and did not string together back-to-back postseason appearances all decade. This team may belong in Buffalo.

7. Nashville, Tennessee (NFL, NHL)

              Yet another city propped up by one of their teams, but the Nashville Predators have been dominant the last 10 years. The predators have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs just twice and have a Stanley Cup finals appearance and a Presidents Trophy to show for the 2010’s. If they weren’t snake bitten by the Chicago Blackhawks early in the decade, they would have more than seven playoff series wins. The Tennessee Titans chipped in a playoff appearance in 2018 and a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead, which is not an easy task.

6. Indianapolis, Indiana (NFL, NBA)

              Indianapolis comes in as the city with the most playoff appearances between their two teams (14) and the Colts won the AFC to start the decade. The Colts had a total of six playoff appearance and won the AFC South 4 times (2010,2011,2014 & 2015). The transition from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck propelled the Colts through the decade. The Pacers have been a mainstay in the postseason for the last 10 years, only missing the playoffs in 2010 and 2015. Making back to back Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 & 2014 headline the 2010’s but were unable to overcome LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Let’s not forget about Lance Stephenson either.

5. New Orleans, Louisiana (NFL, NBA)

              The New Orleans Saints beat the aforementioned Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV netting the city’s first professional sports title. The Saints also appeared in the postseason five more times in addition to 2010 but suffered heart-breaking losses in 2018 to the Minnesota Vikings and in 2019 to the Los Angeles Rams. Both years it was not out of the realm of possibility for another Saints Super Bowl victory. On the other hand, there is the New Orleans Pelicans. This team is notorious for wasting talented players, namely Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. Just three playoff appearances and no division titles, it was not a pretty decade for the Pelicans. They did however pick up a series sweep against Portland in the 2018 playoffs.  

4. Seattle, Washington (NFL, MLB)

              I can already hear my friends from the greater Seattle metro area tearing me apart for putting the Emerald City this low. The Seahawks have been absolutely phenomenal this decade. A Super Bowl win, another appearance and six total playoff appearances. Four NFC West titles to boot as well. It’s definitely not the Seahawks that is holding Seattle back. It’s the team that plays right across the street. The Seattle Mariners are one of just four MLB teams to not make the postseason in the last 10 seasons (Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres). To rub salt in the wound, they are now the only MLB franchise to never play in a World Series. I think most Seattle fans are content with a perennial contender in the Seahawks though.

3 Baltimore, Maryland (NFL, MLB)

              It really is hard to believe that the Orioles used to be a very good baseball team with how horrendous they have been the last two seasons. The O’s made the playoffs in 2012, 2014 and 2016, with the 2014 season being a division title. They did have a Wild Card win in 2012 and an ALDS series win in 2014. The real powerhouse in Baltimore is the Ravens who have three division titles and Super Bowl XLVII under their belt. They add another three playoff appearances in wild card games. An 8-5 postseason record is definitely a sign of a strong decade and the way they have played this season, the 2020’s could be friendly to them as well.

2 Kansas City, Missouri (NFL, MLB)

              The Kansas City Royals may have been the worst MLB team from 2000-2009. They had ONE winning season over that span, but the pain and suffering finally came to an end in the 2010’s. The Royals started out the 2014 postseason 8-0 enroute to a World Series appearance before losing to the San Francisco Giants in 7. They came back in 2015 and captured their second World Series title, beating the New York Mets in 5. They have largely gone dormant the last few years again but that’s the price of winning a ring in a smaller market. In the exact same parking lot lies Arrowhead Stadium and home to the Kansas City Chiefs. Amassing five division titles and two more wild card appearances, the Chiefs were regularly featured in the NFL playoffs even though they did not reach the AFC Championship until this past season. Just like the Ravens, the Chiefs will likely be a contender for a long time.

1 ST LOUIS, MISSOURI (NFL, MLB)

*I AM NOT COUNTING THE RAMS*

              It is strange how the top two markets lie in the same state of Missouri. St. Louis is the only city on this list to have both teams claim a championship this decade. The Cardinals are one of the most respected MLB organizations and have consistently developed their own players. It has paid dividends for them in the form of a 2011 World Series Championship, a 2013 NL Pennant, and five division titles. The Cardinals have their name written all over postseasons for most of the decade. Finally, in 2019 the Blues raised the cup for the first time in franchise history. The Blues netted six playoff appearances since 2009-2010 before their seventh resulted in the Cup. That journey was nothing short of phenomenal, being in last place as late as January when the playoffs start in April. They missed the playoffs the first two years but have made it six of the last seven and have two division titles in 2012 and 2015. PLAY GLORIA!

NEXT UP: 3 TEAM MARKETS

Cubs Uneventful Offseason and 2020 Outlook

by jstuursma19, posted in MLB

The 2016 season brought Chicago Cubs fans their biggest triumph in franchise history. After 108 years, the Cubs finally broke through and won a World Series in dramatic fasion, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series. But since this historic night, the Cubs have slowly reverted back to those lovable losers we all hoped were a thing of the past. In 2017, the Cubs were overmatched in a NLCS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series was far from competitive as it lasted only five games and saw the Cubs get outscored 28-8. In 2018, the Cubs managed to lose a five game division lead in the month of September, forcing a game 163 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs lost game 163 as well as the wild card play-in game for an early postseason exit. In 2019, the Cubs were competitive in the division all year long until that dreaded month of September rolled around again. The Cubs went 11-16 in September including a nine game losing streak, all at the hands of division opponents (Baseball Reference). When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, fans were expecting a dynasty with the great core of young talent and the answer to our prayers in Coach Joe Maddon. However, with the progressive drop off since 2016, it may be time to start reevaluating the team and making changes to right the ship for the future.

The 2019 offseason got off to a hot start for Chicago as Joe Maddon was let go and quickly replaced by rookie manager David Ross. Ross was a pivotal part of the Cubs 2016 World Series as a player. His most significant contribution came in game 7 when he smoked a fastball from Andrew Miller over the centerfield wall. But David Ross will now be watching games from the dugout as he transitions into the coaching world. With the coaching staff for 2020 figured out, the Cubs now turn their offseason attention to the roster. The Cubs came into the offseason in need of middle infield and bullpen depth as well as another arm or two in the rotation; however, the offseason has been eerily quiet for the Cubs. This offseason has featured big names coming off the board early with Strausburg, Rendon, and Cole all signing big contracts. Yet the Cubs have not made any sort of competitive move. So how should the quiet offseason thus far be interpreted? I beleive that the Cubs have no intentions of spending big this offseason, but are instead packing it in with what they already have and preparing for the 2020 season. Not to say that they won’t sign a couple lower tier free agents, but fans should not expect big things from the Cubs this offseason, and here is why:

The Chicago Cubs are already among the biggest spenders in the major leagues with a 2019 payroll that was second only behind the Boston Redsox. A majority of their payroll remains in tact going into 2020. They have committed salaries at just over $137 million, estimated arbitration player salaries at $48 million, and pre-arbitration salaries at $5 million. Add in some extra expenses and around $15 million in player benefits and the Cubs are estimated to have a payroll of around $220 million, already over the 208 million luxury tax for 2020 (Andraki). This leaves little room to operate in free agency as the team has already elected to let Cole Hamels walk (signed with the Braves) and have been hesitant in signing back Nick Castellanos to the team. With the payroll already over the luxury tax, I believe the Cubs are setting their sights on the 2020 free agency. By this time, they will have unloaded the overpaid contracts of Jon Lester, $20 million, Tyler Chatwood, $13 million, and Craig Kimbrel, $16 million. So if the Cubs are staying quiet this offseason, what are the goals and expectations of 2020?

  • Get David Ross comfortable: The 2020 season will be big for the Cubs, not competing for a World Series, but determining where the future of the franchise goes. It will allow first year coach David Ross to get his feet wet managing a team for the first time without large expectations weighing him down. Being a coach at any level is a transition, but this is magnified at the major league level. It’s not just about coaching in the big leagues; it’s about being able to establish a coaching style, creating a comradery amoungst the players, dealing with injuries and players rest, and protecting the arms of your pitching staff. There is so much more that goes into managing a major league baseball team outside of actually coaching the games and practices. 2020 will be a big year for David Ross to learn the ropes and get comfortable in his new role.
  • Trade or Pay?: The time is soon apporoaching where the young core of the Chicago Cubs is going to get PAID. There isn’t going to be room in the budget to pay everyone the bigger contracts they deserve, so 2020 allows the Cubs time to trade a couple of these players instead of letting the walk in free agency. The guys at the top of this list are Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. Kris Bryant’s young career has already come with many accolades including a Rookie of the year and MVP award in consecutive years. But since his MVP season in 2016, he’s had some difficulties staying healthy, leading to some drops in power numbers and RBIs. Not to mention, Bryant filed a grievence against the Cubs claiming there was some manipulation in how they handled the beginning of his MLB career. Add in all these factors, and it might be time to part ways with the slugger, if the right packages is obtained in return. Schwarber is coming off his best full season in the bigs and seems destined to play in the American League. Coming up through the organization as a catcher/outfielder, Schwarber has found his home in Left Field for the Cubs. His lack of experience and ahtleticism have led to below average outfield play from Schwarber. Ideally, he is a player that should be penciled in at the DH spot each game. For the right package, Schwarber could be another canidate for the Cubs to trade rather than pay in the next year.
  • Young Guns: The Cubs featured some players towards the end of last year that had success for the first time in the MLB. These include guys like Alec Mills, Nico Hoerner, and Robel Garcia. Mills made some spot starts for the Cubs late in the season because of an injury to Cole Hamels as well as coming out of the pen and was a bright spot for the Cubs at the end of the year. In four starts and 36 innings pitched, Mills accummulated a 2.75 ERA and had a 10.5 K/9. With the exit of Hamels, Mills could fight for a rotation spot this year, but is also auditioning to be a part of the franchise in the future. Nico Hoerner filled in for the injured Javier Baez last year and shocked everyone with the success he had. In his first big league action, Hoerner hit .282 with 22 hits and 17 RBIs in just 20 games played. With the exit of Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell, infield depth will be a necessity. Hoerner looks to cement his spot on the major league roster with a solid 2020 season. Garcia is another canidate to take on some innings in the infield. With the absence of Zobrist and disaster season of Daniel Descalso, Garcia was thrust into the lineup in the middle of the year. Garcia was up and down throughout the middle of the season showing off some power with a .500 slugging percentage (ESPN). Garcia will have more opportunities in the 2020 season to try and become a more consistent part of the lineup.

Unfortunatley, the frustrations that the Cubs fans have had over the last few years look like they will continue in 2019. The bigger contracts that helped the Cubs win a 2016 World Series are now taking their toll as the Cubs have been unable to be aggressive in free agency. But remain positive Cubs fans. This will be a year for our rookies to step up and get experience, our young stars to emerge, and our first year head coach to gain important experience for future postseason runs. It will be a bump in the road that will allow our franchise to be even more successful in the future. Forever, Go Cubs Go!

References:

Rangers Trade Nomar Mazara to White Sox for Prospect

by Alec Murray, posted in MLB

The Texas Rangers have traded outfielder Nomar Mazara to the Chicago White Sox for outfield prospect Steele Walker per multiple sources. This news broke shortly after the Gerrit Cole signing, so it will likely go unsung by most of the baseball world outside of the two involved fan bases.

Mazara debuted for the Rangers in 2016 and showed great promise, slashing .266/.320/.419 and hitting 20 HR while finishing 5th in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Since then, the left-handed 24 year-old has maintained that slightly below average performance, posting a .268/.318/.469 campaign in 2019. He has failed to piece together a single season of at least 1.0 bWAR. For context, Joey Gallo had a bWAR of 3.0 in just 70 games in 2019. Mazara has simply failed to develop on the talent that he clearly possesses and put on display against his new team in June of this year when he unloaded on a 505-foot HR that may have still been on its way up when it hit the seats.

On the return, the Rangers get OF prospect Steele Walker who was the #6 ranked prospect in the White Sox’ system and finished 2019 in high-A ball. Walker is 23, but played 3 years in college at Oklahoma where he actually played in the same outfield as Arizona Cardinals quarterback and Oakland A’s first round draft pick Kyler Murray. He put up better numbers at OU than Murray, who declined a $4.9M signing bonus and chose to play football.

The move makes sense for both teams as the Rangers can clear a log-jam in their outfield that included budding star Joey Gallo, Delino DeShields, Willie Calhoun, and occasional appearances from utility man Danny Santana and Shin-Soo Choo. The White Sox, meanwhile, can take a chance on a low-risk, high-upside player in Mazara, who still has two years of control left before becoming eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.

We already saw a monster home run from Nomar Mazara, so enjoy this video of Steele Walker with an all-time pimp job from his high school days in Prosper, TX:

EMERGENCY: The Yanks Signed Mr. Cole

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

Gerritt Cole is a New York Yankee. Let us rejoice and be glad. Cashman and the Yanks got their guy. Similar to the winter before the 09 season, the Yankees front office had a plan and were backed financially by the Steinbrenner family. The rotation is now stacked. The lineup is deep. And the Bronx Bombers are officially the EVIL Empire again. I will see everyone in October. The chase for 28 has begun.