UTK Special 10/25/23
Playoff Notes
Two game sevens. What more can a baseball fan ask for? This is basically a quick notebook dump from discussions over the LCS period. I’ll have the World Series Health Preview coming up, but in the interim:
Two teams no one expected. The Rangers built this quick, Chris Young convincing Ray Davis to give him the reigns and several hundred million bucks to supercharge a rebuild. It worked. Mike Hazen’s Diamondbacks did it differently, building largely through the draft, staying patient despite a 110 loss season, and making tweaks instead of big leaps. The trade deadline was about Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and the Angels going all in. Few noticed Paul Sewald getting dealt for Josh Rojas and a couple other guys, but was that the move that pushed the Diamondbacks from the 85 win team they were to a playoff contender? It just might be and now we have a World Series with just as many contrasts.
Rhys Hoskins made progress with his ACL rehab and was in play for the World Series, but how the Phillies played is one reason he was not expected to be included had they advanced.. With the lineup as constructed, the Phillies were a game away from the World Series. Hoskins would force a full-scale reconstruction of the defense and one of the Phillies hot hitters would be forced to the bench. Moving Brandon Marsh to center and Schwarber to left would be the easiest, but Hoskins is likely to be surplus to requirements given how quickly Bryce Harper has learned playing first. Hoskins is a free agent after the season and should have no issues with the knee going forward.
Where could Hoskins end up? Most think the same roster issues that kept him sidelined this off-season might force him off the Phillies. Hoskins should have plenty of suitors as he hits the market, with the Giants the likeliest landing spot. The California native could be a quick signing to show Shohei Ohtani the team is serious about winning. Hoskins could also be a good fit on a young Orioles team if he’d take a shorter deal.
Both the Phillies and Rangers were/are making heavy use of analytics in preparation, but they’re presenting it to their players in different ways. The results show it’s working. Philadelphia’s GM Sam Fuld has led a long-term project on how each player should be presented with information and how they make use of it. It’s simple data optimization done through the lens of the “old school” baseball vernacular. (Note as well, Fuld turned down the opportunity to interview not just in Boston, but in Miami. He’s only going to leave for the perfect job and even then, remember that Dave Dombrowski was very involved with the Nashville expansion effort.) Houston? Well, they’re consciously uncoupling from their formerly analytic ways, including letting several longtime execs go before the playoffs started.