Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2025: WINTER OMNIBUS

 

Marco’s Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2025: WINTER OMNIBUS

PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!!

As long as they are legally sanctioned just- clean- fun bets endorsed by MLB and not by that other gambling organization casually referred to as THE VEGAS MOB. (for help with your gambling addictions call this number: 1-468-843-4824... I-Got-The-Itch.)

What are we betting on? Most home runs ever hit by the hefty lads of the American League in a single season. Why? Because the Fates have conspired to bring two minor league ballparks into the AL this year.

I am speaking first of the temporary and arbitrary home of the 2025 ex-Oakland Athletics. Sutter Health Field in lovely Sacramento, California.

Built in 2000 this little jewel has a capacity of 14,000 fans of the fighting RIVER CATS (a minor league outlet for the A’s) with field dimensions of Left Field 330 feet/Center Field 400 feet/Right Field 325 feet.

The Yankees hit the most home runs by a team in 2024 with 237. The home run power allies at Yankee Stadium are 399 in Left Center and 385 in Right Center. That’s far. The fence in left at 318 and the right field Babe Ruth Memorial band box is 314... that’s where the Yankee fans wait to ambush Mookie Betts when he tries to go over the walls to spear cheapie tater-bait fly balls. But the traditional power allies are “a fur piece”.

I predict Sutter Health will be a happy hunting ground for long ball hitters.

Start counting now. For your trifecta take the over on big flies by Brent Rooker, DH of the A’s. I’d say about 55 four baggers. And right fielder Lawrence Butler and catcher Shea Langoliers should be good for 40 plus each.

Over on the East Coast the deadly hurricanes ripped into Tampa and took out the Rays’ dome-home at Tropicana Field. The Rays have switched over to Steinbrenner Field...Spring Training home of the Yanks and now the temporary home of the Rays. Steinbrenner was built to mimic Yankee Stadium so the Pinstripers could evaluate their young talent, but the diff here will be the fact that there is no dome on the Spring Training facility. Tropicana Dome is notorious for keeping the lid on long balls. At the Steinbrenner venue it’s likely that the atmospherically challenged baseballs will suddenly run wild and free as the hitters smite them manfully.

Speaking of the Yankees...I thought the whole idea of buying Juan Soto was to pair him up with Aaron Judge to make the two-headed beast to get on base a lot and hit a lot of home runs and score a whole bunch and win like other dynamic duos ala Ruth/Gehrig, Mantle/Maris, Ortiz/Ramirez etc. etc? Soto signing with the Mets canceled that idea. Now Judge has no protection in the lineup. (When was the last time Giancarlo Stanton played a full season?)

The real loser in this sad story of Yanks denied is Juan Soto. He just left his dream park. You really think he’s going to hit 41 homers in Citi Field? Maybe. He got the money but lost a lot of his numbers. And the Mets have nobody to protect him unless they make nice with Pete Alonso again. ( I hear you about Mark Vientos...how good he is and all. I think he’s too young to lean on too much. And my apologies to all the Brandon Nimmo fans out there.) *(STOP THE PRESSES!): Alonso signs for two years with Mets...must prove himself again if he wants the 5-6 year contract. Meanwhile Pete, ask

Soto how to read the strike zone.)*

Let’s talk about the Dodgers and get it over with.

This is what happens when the richest club in baseball decides to spend some serious money. Starting your lineup off with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman seemed a little tame to them so they signed Shohei Ohtani to carry the big stick. Maybe he can pitch a little bit too. The three-headed beast... The Mookster, Fast Freddie and Showtime.

Those three guys wouldn’t have been enough to win though. All three of them were injured pretty severely at various times during the season. Betts broke his hand. Ohtani had a surgically repaired elbow. Later he jammed his shoulder sliding. Freeman suffered a high ankle sprain in the playoffs and had to limp around the bases after all his home runs the poor dear.

The blue hearts were expecting their pitching staff to dominate the league but pretty much their whole starting staff broke down and left them playing the World Series with bullpen games.

But the Dodgers had the depth to survive. Their big three hitters produced when they were healthy but what saved them was the afterthought signing of Teoscar Hernandez. This man produced and produced in the clutch. Again and again he punished the opposition for trying to pitch around the triumvirate at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup. He also kept everybody loose in the dugout. When you added in the playoff hot streaks for Kiki Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman the L.A. boys had plenty of offense.

And even an overused bullpen sliced up the Yankee bats.

The Dodgers have bolstered the bullpen with 4 or 5 of the best relievers available. They have also gone to a six man rotation (at least!) featuring the 3 Japanese Aces plus Blake Snell plus Tony Gonsolin plus Tyler Glasnow plus Clayton Kershaw.

AMAZING FACT #1: They are about $120,000,000 over the luxury tax limit.

AMAZING FACT #2: They don’t give a ___k!

So does all this give Los Angeles the most potent lineup in Dodger history? As a matter of fact...NO!

The Brooklyn Dodgers of 1947 until 1956 looked like this 1-6:

1/Pee Wee Reese ... 11 plus.350 On Base/ 11 85 plus walks

7 double figure homers/ 8 90 plus runs scored/ 8 top ten MVP votes

2/ Jackie Robinson ... 5 20+ steals/.313 lifetime batting average 1 champ / 2 steals champ / 6 .900 plus OPS/ 4 top ten MVP votes

3/ Duke Snider...5 40 plus homers/ 5 .950 plus OPS / 6 top ten MVP votes

4/ Gil Hodges...6 30 plus home runs/ 10 100 plus RBI/ 2 top ten MVP votes

5/ Roy Campanella...4 30 plus homers/ 3 .950 plus OPS/ 4 top ten MVP votes 3 MVP number 1

6/ Carl Furillo… 3 20 plus homers / .299 lifetime average 1 batting champ/ 6 90 plus RBI/ 2 top ten MVP votes

23 top ten MVP votes combined

5 Hall of Fame inductees

6 World Series (won series once...1955)

Dodgers circa 2024

1/ Mookie Betts...8 90 plus runs scored/ 7 40 plus doubles / 7 20 plus home runs/ 1 bat champ / 4 .900 plus OPS / 6 top ten MVP vote totals 1 MVP

2/ Freddie Freeman … 5 40 plus doubles / 11 20 plus homers / 8 90 plus runs scored / 8 90 plus RBIs / 6 .900 plus OPS / 8 top ten MVP votes 1 MVP

3/ Shohei Ohtani … 6 double figure steals / 4 30 plus home runs 1 50 plus / 4 90 plus runs scored / 4 90 plus RBI / 4 .900 plus OPS

/ 4 top ten MVP votes 2 MVPs

4/ Teoscar Hernandez … 6 20 plus homers /

Total 18 top ten MVP votes

Hall of Fame (3 almost certain)

If we were to include defense in our examination of these teams we’d have to give Betts 6 gold gloves and Freeman 1. Ohtani’s ability to pitch is worth 2 gold gloves at least. (note: Cy Young awards and gold gloves weren’t given until 1956-57.)

Based on reputation Pee Wee Reese was a surefire multi gold glove winner. Give him 5 at least . Robinson got high marks for fielding at 4 positions. Duke Snider was a terrific outfielder. But the Duke didn’t win many gold gloves going up against Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn every year. Gil Hodges was the best fielding first baseman in the National League. Campanella likewise at catcher. Carl Furillo was a solid fielder with the best right field arm in baseball and one of the names that gets mentioned for arm strength all time.

The current Dodgers are in mid career…..they’d have higher scores if they had played as long as the fifties team, but I still give the Boys of Summer the edge. Shohei Ohtani is the top player of all these guys.

The Outlook:

You have to surrender the high ground to the Dodgers in 2025. They paid for it. Still, that division won’t be a walkover for them.

It says here that the Diamondbacks will be tough if their pitching can stay healthy.

San Diego is also capable, but I think it’s a bad sign that they didn’t really make a splash in the Free Agent or trade market. That means they couldn’t get permission from the owner to keep loading up.

The only real threats on the horizon for the Dodgers are in the East.

The Phillies are a mature team with power and speed. They traded for Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins and he could make a valuable leftie third Ace after Wheeler and Nola. He’s had a hard time staying on the field and he’s had his Tommy John procedure. Time to show up, Jesus! Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez join the rotation as 4 starters pitched at least 150 innings last year.

Injuries also loom large for the Atlanta Braves. They’ll get Acuna Jr. back by mid summer and if the rest of the roster is reasonably undamaged, the Bravos can play.

I already predicted that Juan Soto would be dampened down trying to hit at Citi Field. I also think the miscommunication between owner Cohen and Pete Alonzo bodes ill for a team that just seemed to get their hearts into it half way through the season.

Who’s getting better faster? Miami or Washington Nationals? I say Nationals. In another year perhaps?

You might see an actual pennant race in the central. The Cubs, the Reds and the Pirates will see if they can catch the Brewers.

The Brewers confound me. They keep giving up their stars and yet somehow own the division. Now they’ve let their sparkplug shortstop Willie Adames go to the Giants. And remember Devin Williams? He’s considered the top reliever in the game but he doesn’t pitch for the Brewers anymore. He’s a Yankee now. The Brews let him go for crafty Nestor Cortes, a minor league infielder and 2 million salamis....I would have stuck with Williams.

In the AL East we have the Red Sox makin’ noise with their very young prospects. The first wave made their mark last season. Jarren Duran is looking like Nomar Garciaparra. Wilyer Abreu hits with power and and won a golden glove while playing the tough right field at Fenway. Ceddanne Rafaela can be your center fielder or your starting shortstop. Now add three more top prospects in shortstop Marcelo Mayer (#12 mlb prospect), infielder Kristian Campbell (#2) and outfielder Roman Anthony(#7). Youth and speed and offensive/defensive ability. Add 2 more good pitchers and get ready to boogie. I think they’ll finish third again but this time make the playoffs as a wild card.

*(NEWS FLASH NUMERO DOS): Red Sox sign Alex Bregman who reunites with his former coach Alex Cora for more of their jolly sign stealing as in days of yore. Now instead of the worst defensive third baseman in baseball (Devers) they have the gold glove winner. Bregman is also a good bet for 30+ homers and maybe 40 doubles playing home games at Fenway and hitting from the right side. Are the Sox going to wait and see if they can teach Devers to play first base before they move him to take advantage of Bregman’s prowess? They might trade Casas in that case. Or they could let Bregman take a shot at second base. If Trevor Story gets hurt Bregs can play short. I think they should play their best fielder at his natural position, third. They should let Rafael and Casas trade off between first and DH. Bregman, Trevor Story, David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard, Vaughn Grissom (they traded Chris Sale for him!) and top prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcello Meyer can all play middle infield. Should be a very interesting Spring Training! Red Sox will wind up tieing with the Orioles for a wild card.

Baltimore didn’t have enough pitching to win last year and they should have solved that problem by now but they couldn’t keep Corbin Burnes. Second place. (tie with Red Sox)

New York has the best pitching staff in the AL if they can stay healthy. That’s been a problem with the Yankees. They are too old at too many places. At First base they can choose LeMahieu, Goldschmidt or Anthony Rizzo as their best Geezer. Still, they should win this division by at least ten games.

Santander will be missed by Baltimore. He led them in homers and rbi’s. Toronto will instantly become better with the switch hitter batting after Vladdie and Beau Bichette. I have them down at fourth in the division.

Tampa Rays will be an interesting team playing in a good hitter’s park for a change. (Steinbrenner Field loaned out by the Yankees while the Tropicana dome is kaput.) Their whole plan has been wrecked by the Wander Franco debacle. It did more damage than the hurricane. Fifth place.

The AL Central: interesting but quite muddled. If the Twins can keep Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and their pitching staff on the field...but they aren’t that much better than Detroit and Kansas City and Cleveland is right there too. A big pennant race would be something to hope for. New superstars like Bobby Witt and Tarik Skubal are exploding onto the scene.

The race for wild cards in the American League is going to be crowded and predaceous. The West, like the other two divisions...is waking up. Houston and Texas should duke it out for supremacy and leave Seattle behind. The Angels are bleeding in the dust. (Trade Mike Trout to Philly...give him one more chance at a ring!) And who knows what Oakland is going to do in their newer, smaller, friendlier, pick- your- favorite- fence- to- hit -it -over baseball emporium?

And this is where I came in. See you for Spring Training!