Now Warming Up…MLB!

 Let's start with the Opener.

***MLB will be opening up their rosters this Labor Day weekend expanding to 28 from 26 players for September.  Teams in the playoff mix will look carefully at their minor league players to fill holes on their roster over the last month of the season.  An interesting option for the New York Metropolitans is Luisangel Acuna.  The younger brother of the dynamic Ronald Acuna has 34 stolen bases in the minor leagues. He can play second, shortstop, and center field, making him versatile and a potential pinch-runner late in games.  What players are you looking forward to seeing on your team in September?

Now to the Set Up Man.

***Shohei Ohtani’s 40/40 season (so far) makes him the sixth player to have at least 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single MLB season.  Historically, designated hitters have garnered MVP votes.  David Ortiz got a lot of MVP votes, but never the award.  Even next season, Shohei is preparing to pitch and once again be a two-way MLB player. Yet, in 2024, does a designated hitter, even one with Ohtani’s gaudy numbers, deserve to be the leagues Most Valuable Player?

Now the Closer.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were predicted to be in the 2024 playoff mix, at least by this writer.  Albeit a young team, a team with up-and-coming pitching like Mitch Keller, impactful hitters like Onel Cruz, and a dominant closer in David Bednar.  Yet, Bednar didn’t live up to the seasons of the past.  Although he managed 23 saves this season, Bednar has been hit rather hard with a 1.43 WHIP leading to a 6.32 ERA.  His seven losses helped make the Pirates a last-place team. 

"Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said, 'Sure, every time,” Mickey Mantle admitted.  Keep swinging for your own personal home runs, everyone!