MLB Expands Playoffs For THIS YEAR.. On Opening Day!!

In a shocking developement, Major League Baseball has announced that there will be expanded playoffs after all.. not for 2022.. not for 2021.. but for THIS SEASON. This announcement came on Opening Day 2020 and sent a flurry of emotions through the fanbase including both joy and dismay.

Before getting into the details of the new playoff format, I will give my opinion - I have never been for expanding the playoffs to the point that more teams make the playoffs than don’t. That is something that would be unacceptable for me in a 162-game season. Teams don’t fight for 162 games to get into a playoff system that requires them to then win 4 or 5 more playoff series in order to take home a ring. If you earn a playoff spot in a 162 game season, it should be a coveted spot that only the top teams in the league have earned.

However, because this season is a shortened 60-game season, things are different. I am actually fine with expanding the playoffs for this season only. My biggest fear is that Major League Baseball will take advantage of good TV ratings or a positive experience this year and use that to convince the MLBPA to continue this type of playoff format.

If that does happen, hey - worse things have happened to baseball and I’ll stick with it as I’ve always done. But I won’t like it.

As for the 2020 MLB Playoffs -

• SIXTEEN of the 30 MLB Teams will be in (more than half if you’re counting).

• As in NBA Basketball, the #1 seed takes on the #8 seed, the #2 takes on the #7 and so on.

• The first round is considered the WILD CARD series and every playoff team takes part - NO BYES

• The Wild Card Round is a best of 3 series with ALL 3 GAMES at the higher seed’s ballpark

• Division Series (best-of-five, with traditional 2-2-1 home/road format): Winner of 1-8 vs. Winner of 4-5; Winner of 2-7 vs. Winner of 3-6. Home-field advantage goes to the higher seed.

• League Championship Series (best-of-seven, with traditional 2-3-2 home/road format): Winner of 1-4-5-8 vs. Winner of 2-3-6-7. Home-field advantage goes to the higher seed.

• World Series (best-of-seven, with traditional 2-3-2 home/road format): AL champion vs. NL champion. Home-field advantage goes to the team with the superior regular-season record.

This is where we’re at for this season - it will be a wild ride and will be fun and exciting at times. Nevertheless, it’s not something I hope continues into 2021 and beyond.

The other factor of this that I’m not a fan of is the 3 games at home for the Wild Card series. I understand that if you’re lucky enough to sneak in to the playoffs, you have to beat the superior team at their home stadium in a best of 3 in order to prove yourself worthy of continuing on. However, I feel that if you’re deemed worthy of making the playoffs, you should have a relatively clean slate going in (other than the natural home field advantage assigned to the team with the better record). Any rule or regulation that removes fairness from the game is not ideal in my opinion, and that includes the horrendous runner starting at second in extra innings.

Well, baseball is moving onward and upwards, and we either have to get on the train or get off.. I’m staying on for now, but I don’t love these changes. Call me an old purirst, but when more than half the teams in the league make the playoffs (especially in a 162-game season), I have an issue. For this year though, I’ll enjoy it.. and I’ll enjoy the fact that it will keep teams like my favorite team (the Giants) in the race for longer.

MLB Over/Unders Lines & Predictions For 2020!

LA Dodgers 38.0 (106-56 Last Year)

Added Betts, Treinen, Wood | Lost Verdugo, Hill, Ryu, Maeda

Opt Out: David Price

Give me the over!  Last year through the first 60 games the Dodgers had won 41 games and they’ve actually gotten better.  For additions you could also include: Lux, May, Gonsolin.  38 seems like a very attainable number.

New York Yankees 37.5 (103-59 LY)

Added Cole | Lost Gregorious, Encarnacion

If they could keep everyone healthy, this would be an easy over, but in juries are my main concern.  Now, they had 38 wins through 60 games last year even with the injuries.  They added Cole, they’ll start healthy, the schedule is generally favorable so I’ll take the over, barely.

Houston Astros 35.0 (107-55 LY) New Manager – Baker

Lost Marisnick, Cole, Harris, Miley

This season is going to be a mess for the Astros for the obvious reason PLUS they lost an Ace in Cole and didn’t replace him.  40 wins through 60 games last year but I’m going to take the under on the 35 number for this year.  I think they start out a little slow and will miss Cole.

Minnesota Twins 34.0 (101-61 LY)

Added Donaldson, Bailey, Hill, Maeda |Lost Schoop, Gibson, Perez

They surprised everyone last year and through 60 games were 40-20 with an 11 game lead in the Central!  They are improved with the Donaldson addition and the additions of Hill and Maeda.  This might be the easiest over to take.

Tampa Bay Rays 34.0 (96-66 LY)

Add Martinez, Tsutsugo, Renfroe|Lose Garcia, d’Arnaud, Pham, Pagan

37 wins at the 60 game mark in 2019 and they had Glasnow pitching out of his spikes, and a line-up that included Tommy Pham, one of the games best and underrated hitters.  I don’t think Glasnow repeats his early 2019 performance, I don’t think Morton repeats a career year, I don’t know what Tsutsugo is going to do.  For those reasons I’m going to take the under.

Atlanta Braves 33.5 (97-65 LY)

Added Ozuna, d’Arnaud, Hamels, W. Smith|Lost Donaldson, Keuchel, Teheran

Opt Out: Felix Hernandez, Nick Markakis

I feel like Atlanta is essentially the same team they were last year plus some seasoning on the young guys, and last year they were 33-27 after 60.  I’m going to take a slight under on that 33.5 because they’re going to be stuck facing some of the best pitching in baseball this year thanks to the format of the 60 game schedule. 

Washington Nationals 33.0 (93-69 LY)

Added Castro, Thames, Harris |Lost Rendon, Dozier

Opt out: Joe Ross, Ryan Zimmerman, Wellington Castillo

Last year the Nats were on the outside looking in with a 27-33 record.  We all know how that turned out.  With the loss of Rendon, Zimmerman and their number 5 starter, plus the difficult NL East schedule, I’m concerned about the Nats chances this year.  I’m going to take the under.

Chicago Cubs 32.5 (84-78 LY) New Manager - Ross

Lost Castellanos, Hamels, Edwards Jr.

I’ve been skeptical about Ross as a manager and therefore I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and take the under.  The team is loaded with talent but I swim against the current with my belief that the manager does matter.  Last year the Cubs had 34 wins in their first 60 games under Maddon who they’ll miss this season.

Oakland Athletics 32.5 (97-65 LY)

Lost Profar, Roark, Treinen

The A’s were slow out of the gate last year and had a 30-30 record after 60 games.  These losses won’t hurt them because they have a lot of young talent (Mateo, Luzardo, Puk) that will get a lot of opportunity this season.  I’m going to take the over…they could pass the Astros for the division.

Cleveland Indians 32.5 (93-69 LY)

Added Deshields Jr., Clase | Lost Kluber

They could sweep the awards with Lindor for MVP and Bieber or Clevinger for CY.  Probably not, but there going to be in the mix.  30 wins at the 60 game mark last year but Lindor and Clevinger both missed the start of the season.  I like the over here with everyone ready to go and a weak division.

Cincinnati Reds 31.5 (75-87 LY)

Added Castellanos, Akiyama, Miley

All of the new additions and young talent did not click last year for the Reds.  They began the season 28-32 over the first 60 games.  The young guys are a year older, Castellanos and Akiyama are nice additions so I think the Reds take a step forward this season and finish a few games above .500 – therefore lock me in for the over.

New York Mets 31.5 (86-76 LY) New Manager – Luis Rojas

Added Marisnick, Betances, Porcello, Wacha | Lost Wheeler and Syndergaard out for season

Turmoil in the head coach role over the last few months, a downgraded pitching staff (Wheeler and Thor out, Porcello and Wacha in), a difficult NL East and AL East interleague schedule – I think the Mets are at or just below .500 so I’ll take the under. 

Philadelphia Phillies 31.5 (81-81 LY) New Manager - Girardi

Added Gregorious, Wheeler |Lost Dickerson, Franco

A new manager, an upgraded infield with Didi and Rotation with Wheeler so I have the Phillies a few games better than the Mets so I’ll take a slight over.

St. Louis Cardinals 31.5 (91-71 LY)

Added Kwang-Hyun Kim | Lost Ozuna, Martinez, Wacha

Opt out: Jordan Hicks

Year in and year out the Cardinals are there so a over/under of just 31.5 seems like a no brainer to go over.  They’ll be above .500 in the hunt for the NL Central title.

Boston Red Sox 31.5 (84-78 LY) – New Manager Ron Roenicke

Added Pillar, Verdugo, Perez, Mchugh |Lost Betts, Price, Pomeranz, Porello,

I like the additions but the loss of Mookie is going to prove to be too large.  In 2019 The Red Sox started the season a surprising 31-29 coming off their World Series title.  They still have a ton of talent but no Mookie, something up with Benintendi, no Sale, no Price – I just don’t see it.  I’ll take the under.

Chicago White Sox 31.5 (72-89 LY)

Added Grandal, Mazara, Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez, Keuchel

Opt Out: Michael Kopech

A lot of new additions but ask the Reds how that worked out last year.  The Sox went 29-31 to start the 2019 season so 31.5 doesn’t seem like that much of a leap so I’ll take the over despite a lot of guys needing to get used to each other.

Los Angeles Angels 31.0 (72-90 LY) New Manager - Maddon

Added Rendon, Bundy, Teheran |Lost Calhoun

The Angels were 29-31 in the first 60 games of 2019, now they’ve got Rendon and a healthy two-way Ohtani so an improvement of just a few games seems reasonable.  Oh and a big upgrade at manager with Maddon.  I’ll take the over.

Arizona Diamondbacks 31.0 (85-77 LY)

Added Calhoun, Marte, Bumgarner

Opt Out: Mike Leake

An underrated offense, underrated rotation and underrated by Vegas, but here we can make some money on the deal.  They went 30-30 to start ’19 and got better this offseason.  They’ll beat up on the Giants, Rockies and Padres too.  I’ll take the over.

Milwaukee Brewers 30.5 (89-73 LY)

Added Garcia, Smoak, Navarez, Anderson, Lauer | Lost Grandal, Moustakas, Lyles

Gandal and Moustakas are big losses but they also made some nice additions.  That being said the NL Central is going to be a battle this year and I worry that the Brewers don’t have a good enough rotation to hang in there.  I’ll take the under.

San Diego Padres 30.5 (70-92 LY) New Manager – Jayce Tingler

Added Pham, Dozier, Profar, Grisham, Pomeranz, Pagan, Davies

In the NL West last year, at the 60 game mark, 4 of the 5 teams were at or above 30 wins!  San Diego was at 31.  They have improved enough to make me feel confident that 31, 32, 33 wins is a good bar for them so I’ll take the close over.

Texas Rangers 28.5 (78-84 LY)

Added Kluber, Gibson, Lyles | Lost Pence, Deshields Jr, Mazara

The first team we’ve encountered on this list with an over/under number that would have them under .500 for the season.  Last year the Rangers had 32 wins after the first 60 games.  They focused on pitching this offseason and that should help.  It won’t be enough to win the division but it should be enough to get them over this 28.5 number.  I’ll go over.

Toronto Blue Jays 27.5 (67-95 LY)

Added Shaw, Ryu, Roark, Anderson, Yamaguchi | Lost Smoak

There is a lot of hype around the Jays thanks to Guerrero, Bichette, Biggio and the offseason acquisition of Ryu.  The problem is that after Ryu their rotation is just going to be throwing BP to the New York, Tampa and Boston lineups.  I’d love to be wrong and maybe Borucki surprises, and they give Pearson a chance in the rotation and they make it work.  They won’t surprise anyone and sneak into the playoffs but they should be able to beat that 27.5…barely, so I’ll take the over.

Colorado Rockies 27.5 (71-91 LY)

No significant moves.

Opt Out: Ian Desmond

They just can’t pitch and they’re in the wrong division to have a weak staff.  The Dodgers, Diamondbacks and improving Padres will smack them around.  The only hope is that the offense, led by Arenado and Blackmon will be able to win games.  I’m not optimistic.  I’m going under.

Pittsburgh Pirates 25.5 (69-93 LY) New Manager - Derek Shelton

Lost Marte, Nova

There really isn’t much to be optimist about here for the Pirates.  We’re getting into the worst teams in baseball portion of the over/under.  Last year the pirates hung around and went 29-31 after 60 games.  I like Josh Bell and some of the other young guys, but with the Reds improving there’s no way they match last year’s start so I’m going slightly under.

San Francisco Giants 25.0 (77-85 LY) New Manager - Kapler

Added Pence, Gausman | Lost Pillar, Bumgarner, Smith

Opt out: Buster Posey

Kapler completely had a let down last year with a very talented Philadelphia team and now he goes to a less talented Giants team.  They won 25 of the first 60 last year and will probably be right around there again this year but I’ll go under with the Padres and Diamondbacks getting better.

Kansas City Royals 25.0 (59-103 LY) New Manager - Matheny

Added Franco

Free Whit Merrifield.  That’s all there is to say.  Under.  Sorry KC.

Miami Marlins 24.5 (57-105 LY)

Added Dickerson, Villar, Aguilar |Lost Castro

Miami won 23 games to start the 2019 season but they weren’t stuck playing NL and AL East teams.  That’ll have an impact, even though they have improved year over year.  I will take the under.

Seattle Mariners 23.5 (68-94 LY)

Added Edwards Jr | Lost Navarez, Santana

The only hope for Mariner fans is that they start out the way they did last year and make a run for it because it’s a short season.  That’s unlikely though.  They have a lot of young talent in the pipeline and it’ll be interesting to see how much of it gets regular playing time this year.  Under.

Detroit Tigers 22.0 (47-114 LY)

Added Schoop, Nova

I actually think the Mariners, Tigers and Royals are the 3 candidates to win less than 20 games.  There is no reason for them to mess around and hurry any of the young talent up this year. 

Baltimore Orioles 20.5 (54-108 LY)

Lost Villar

Is Chris Davis back?  He looked good in March.  He hit another homer the other day.  They’ve got John Means, who looks good.  They’ve got guys that play hard so I’m actually going to say over…21 or 22 wins.

Cleveland Indians Name Change ODDS Released!

Like it or not, it’s happening! The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name and I am very worried about what it will be. We have some pretty good ideas of the possibilities now that official ODDS have been released! Here are the odds, provided by BetOnline.ag, and my opinions of each name…

• Spiders +300

• Naps +400

• Guardians +500

• Buckeyes +600

• Dobys +700

• Wild Things +800

• Blue Sox +900

• Rocks +1000

• Cuyahogas +1500

• Crows +2000

• Rockers +2000

• Unions +2500

• Fellers +3300

• Great Lakers +4000

Cleveland Spiders

This would be a tribute to the old National League team that existed during the late 19th century. It has a nice ring to it, historical significance, and hopefully won’t be offensive to any one later on down the road! This is one of my favorites and would probably be my first choice.

Cleveland Naps

This was the name of the club before being changed to the Indians. The name simply came from their star player, Nap Lajoie. The odds are not bad at all for this name, which surprises me as it was named after a former player who doesn’t seem any more significant at this time than any other former great player from any franchise. He got to have the team named after him while he played, but why should it be named after him now? I’m not a huge fan of this option.

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians is an original sounding name but it doesn’t have a great ring to it, at least not at first. Of course, whatever it is changed to we will likely get used to.

Cleveland Buckeyes

This is a tribute to the old Negro League team called the Buckeyes. Due to the current political climate, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the new name. However, I don’t like it, simply because I associate the Buckeyes nickname with Ohio State, as most sports fan do! Buckeyes belongs to OSU and not the MLB team… I don’t want them to share it.

Cleveland Dobys

What’s with all the player name options? Larry Doby was the first black player in the American League and followed Jackie Robinson as the second in the MLB after Jackie broke the color barrier. For this reason, it does make some sense to name the team after him. However, I am in general not a fan of naming teams after players. This has a good shot to be the new name for the same reasons as the Buckeyes.

Cleveland Wild Things

A tribute to the Major League films, I see this as having almost no chance. Major League is my favorite baseball movie of all time, so I wouldn’t hate this name, but I also don’t love it.

Cleveland Blue Sox

I’m not a fan of this name. The Red Sox and White Sox have been around for over 100 years as have the Cleveland Indians. To now, after all this time, try to be the third Sox team is ridiculous. Save that for an expansion team.

Cleveland Rocks

Well, this makes sense. It obviously has a ring to it, which is why the expression become popular on the Drew Carry show. I don’t hate it all, actually. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s not bad.

Cleveland Cuyahogas

This one I really like. It is in competition with the Spiders as my #1 choice. The name of the river has a great flow with Cleveland and has a Native American feel (and likely origin).

Cleveland Crows

Not a terrible ring to it, but not my favorite. It would be something we’d get used to pretty quickly, but fairly lackluster.

Cleveland Rockers

This one I like as a musician and lover of rock music. However, it has a bit of a Minor League feel. Will the scoreboard be shaped like a guitar??

Cleveland Unions

This is a civil war reference, and while the team would be named after the Union, I’m not sure I like naming teams after civil war sides.

Cleveland Fellers

Another name - this time Bob Feller, the great Indians pitcher. You know how I feel about player names being team names, but this one does sound somewhat cool - We’re the Fellers! Still… pass.

Cleveland Great Lakers

Naming the team after the great lakes is not a terrible idea; I just don’t love the sound of it. Again, a bit of a Minor League feel. Also, not sure the Lakers will appreciate it.

Another name making the Rounds is the CLEVELAND LINDORS?…

LOL.

Stupidest MLB Rule of All Time: 2020 Season Will Start a Runner on Second Base in Extra Innings

I am happy that it seems like baseball will be back in 2020!! Nothing brings me more pleasure… and at the same time nothing brings me more disgust than knowing that in extra innings, a runner will start the inning on second base… an idea I assume Manfred picked up at his local Beer Softball League.

This rule has been in effect in Minor League Baseball for some time and has been annoying enough to cause me to leave games once they go into extra innings. However, at least the result of Minor League games cannot be considered nearly as meaningful as big league results. Yet now, the same ridiculous rule will apply in MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES… games that MATTER… games with PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS.

I can already see it happening… a game in late September or early October… a team has fought and clawed all season to be in a position to make the playoffs! Let’s say it’s the Arizona Diamondbacks. And the D-Backs are taking on the Dodgers on the last game of the season… win and you make the Wild Card game.. lose and you go home.

Well, after nine innings the game is tied up 2-2. So, now we go into the 10th at Dodger Stadium… the D-Backs are unable to score in the top half despite two hard line drives right at infielders. Tough luck. Here come the Dodgers, who trot a runner out to second base to start the inning. Arizona’s relief pitcher throws a nasty slider that breaks Max Muncy’s bat in two… but the ball flares out into short right field.. drops in, and in comes the free runner to score! Sorry, D-Backs…

The pitcher made no mistakes.. the fielders made no errors.. yet a run scores because they get a FREE RUNNER!? This is INSANITY… this is completely unfair and it will only take ONE of these instances for the outcry to force MLB to abolish the rule. So, WHY HAVE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE??? Imagine if the same scenario happened with the YANKEES or RED SOX…

This WILL happen if this rule ever becomes more than just a one season thing during the pandemic. Problem is.. this rule was already in Manfred’s mind before this season! That’s why it has been in use in the Minor Leagues for a few years. It’s absolutely horrible… and Manfred & Co. are using the pandemic as an excuse to implement this rule that will destroy extra innings baseball forever. As long as this rule is in effect in the MLB, I will complain about it, tweet about it, make videos about it, blog about it and basically just bitch and moan until I die… if you hate the rule as much as I do, please share this post.

2020 MLB Mock Draft: EVERY TEAM'S FIRST PICK! (Except the Astros... Sorry!)

Tomorrow is the big day - it’s the 2020 MLB Draft, which will be significantly different from previous drafts. However, the first round will be more or less business as usual (except for the fact that the Houston Astros won’t have a pick due to the punishments stemming from their 2017 sign stealing scandal). Here are my predictions (AKA Mock Draft) for the first round including the Competitive Balance A Picks starting at #30 :

1. Detroit Tigers - 1B Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State)

2. Baltimore Orioles - 2B Austin Martin (Vanderbilt)

3. Miami Marlins - LHP Asa Lacy (Texas A&M)

4. Kansas City Royals - CF Zac Veen (Spruce Creek HS - Florida)

5. Toronto Blue Jays - RHP Emerson Hancock (Georgia)

6. Seattle Mariners - RHP Max Meyer (Minnesota)

7. PIttsburgh Pirates - 2B Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State)

8. San Diego Padres - OF Robert Hassell (Independence HS - Tennessee)

9. Colorado Rockies - LHP Reid Detmers (Louisville)

10. Los Angeles Angels - OF Heston Kjerstad (Arkansas)

11. Chicago White Sox - RHP Mick Abel (Jesuit HS - Oregon)

12. Cincinnati Reds - OF Austin Hendrick (W. Allegheny HS - Pennsylvania)

13. San Francisco Giants - LHP Garrett Crochet (Tennessee)

14. Texas Rangers - C Patrick Bailey (North Carolina State)

15. Philadelphia Phillies - RHP Cade Cavalli (Oklahoma)

16. Chicago Cubs - OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Harvard-Westlake HS - California)

17. Boston Red Sox - C Tyler Soderstrom (Turlock HS - California)

18. Arizona Diamondbacks - SS Ed Howard (Mt. Caramel HS - Illinois)

19. New York Mets - OF Garrett Mitchell (UCLA)

20. Milwaukee Brewers - RHP Tanner Burns (Auburn)

21. St. Louis Cardinals - RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (South Carolina)

22. Washington Nationals - RHP Cole Wilcox (Georgia)

23. Cleveland Indians - RHP Nick Bitsko (Central Bucks East HS - Pennsylvania)

24. Tampa Bay Rays - RHP J.T. Ginn (Mississippi State)

25. Atlanta Braves - RHP Clayton Beeter (Texas Tech)

26. Oakland Athletics - RHP Chris McMahon (Miami)

27. Minnesota Twins - C Dillon Dingler (Ohio State)

28. New York Yankees - SS Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State)

29. Los Angeles Dodgers - RHP Bryce Jarvis (Duke)

    Competetive Balance A

30. Baltimore Orioles - RHP Carson Montgomery (Windemere HS - Florida)

31. Pittsburgh Pirates - LHP Dax Fulton (Mustang HS - Oklahoma)

32. Kansas City Royals - RHP Justin Lange (Llano HS - Texas)

33. Arizona Diamondbacks - RHP Bobby Miller (Louisville)

34. San Diego Padres - SS Nick Loftin (Baylor)

35. Colorado Rockies - RHP Jared Kelley (Texas)

36. Cleveland Indians - LHP Burl Carraway (Dallas Baptist - Texas)

37. Tampa Bay Rays - 1B Aaron Sabato (North Carolina)

MLB Owners Shoot Down MLBPA Proposal and REFUSE to Send Counter-Offer!

In a move that surprised no one, the MLB Owners denied the 114 game proposal sent by the players that included pro-rated salaries. What may be a bit surprising is that the owners also said that they will not send a counter-offer! This is certainly bad news, and another indicator that a 2020 MLB Season is becoming more and more unlikely.

Rumors have indicated that the owners would prefer a much shorter season that will end around late September as to avoid any possible “second wave” of the coronavirus. This seems logical but may require a season as short as 50 games. In my opinion, there are actually some pros to such a short season (as a one time thing!):

• Every team, including the Marlins, Giants, Mariners and Orioles, has a chance to get hot for a few weeks and make the playoffs

• The season will hit the ground running and every game will be huge

• There will be a higher probability of finishing the season without any player or MLB employee getting infected, causing an early shutdown

• If there is a second wave of the coronavirus, it may be avoided

These are advantages for the owners and fans, but do the players care? They would not get paid more for less games, and may not care about the possibility of sneaking into the playoffs as an underdog. Most MLB players are confident and don’t go around thinking that their team has "no chance”… so, perhaps there is little about a shorter season that would appeal to them. This is evidenced by their 114 game proposal — they want to play as many games as possible.

All in all, things do not look good for baseball in 2020…. and keep in mind, even if these two sides do come to an agreement, there are several other hoops to jump through in order to get a season going. I hope I’m wrong, but I believe it will be a long time before we see some meaningful baseball.

MiLB Pitcher Rips Mets For Tim Tebow Celebrity Signing.. and I Agree With Him!

Hundreds of Minor League baseball players are being released this week due to the current pandemic. One of them, who has been with the New York Mets organization since 2013, is named Andrew Church. Church, a pitcher with mediocre career stats, ripped into the Mets organization in a lengthy Instagram post, which included the mention of a “celebrity signing,” who we all know to the be the fromer Hesimann Trophy winner and NFL Star, Tim Tebow.

Regarding the Mets and the Tebow signing, Church wrote:

“The Mets made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets,’’ Church wrote, an apparent reference to the 2016 signing of Tebow. “I saw players lose their jobs because of it. We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly one player did.”

Andrew Church, former Mets Minor League Pitcher

As a lifelong fan of Major League Baseball, I respect the talent and worth ethic it takes to get to the top. I dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but never made it. It takes a combination of ridiculous talent, hard work, and usually a little luck as well. For this reason, I have never been a fan of celebrity singings, whether it be Garth Brooks, who embarrassed himself during a few Spring Training performances or Michael Jordan, who actually hit over .200 in Double A, which is pretty impressive for a man who hadn’t played baseball in 15 years.

Unsurprisingly, the Tebow signing was a bit annoying - an obvious attempt to cash in on the celebrity, who likely thought he could become a good professional baseball player. He couldn’t.. and didn’t. Last season in Triple A, he was by far the worst player in the league, hitting .163 with 98 strikeouts in 239 At Bats and only 4 home runs. That unfathomably earned him an invite to 2020 MLB Spring Training Camp with the New York Mets. Unbelievable.

This move by the Mets proves that all along it was what it appeared to be - a complete mockery of professional baseball, a celebrity signing for money and not in the spirit of winning games at all. Tebow did not develop into the talent they hoped yet still got a Spring Training invite in 2020. It is about time another player spoke out about this, and I appreciate Andrew Church doing so.

Tim Tebow with Syracuse (Triple A International League)

As for Tebow, he may be a great guy and a hard worker and incredible athlete. However, as long as he holds a roster spot with an affiliated team, he takes one away from a player who is deserving, who has a chance to play at the Big League level. Tebow has already lived the dream - he has played at the highest level of professional football, won the Hesimann Trophy, become a gigantic celebrity, earned a ton of money, and has played professional baseball for 3 years. Retire, Tim.

It’s especially the time to give it up, because of this pandemic.. how many Minor Leaguers need to be cut before Tebow is? He was the worst player in Triple A last season… he will never be a contributor on a big league time. Having faith in Tebow is is not like having faith in Tiger Woods, who was once the greatest golfer in the world. Tebow was never a great baseball player and never will be…at least not at the big league level. If the Mets won’t release him, I believe he should retire… this is the time.

Prediction: There Won't Be a 2020 MLB Season

It’s time to admit the truth: there likely will not be an MLB Season in 2020. There are just too many obstacles in the way, including the ongoing dispute between the Major League Baseball Player’s Association and the MLB Owners. This is just one hurdle, however. Even if they are to come to an agreement (which is not a guarantee — see 1994), there are also so many other factors including, but not limited to…

• Making sure all the players, coaches, umpires, and every employee involved are able to get constant testing throughout the season.

• Finding places to play when there are still many cities and states that have strict laws on public gatherings (even without fans it would still be a fairly large public gathering)

• Dealing with the public scrutiny of using up resources needed for others in order to play a game

• Finding a way to play a semi-normal baseball game while trying to comply with social distancing laws

These are just some of the many obstacles that may stop a 2020 MLB Season from happening and in my opinion, they will be more than enough. This prediction has nothing to do with what I want to happen or what I think should happen. I want nothing more than an MLB season, even if it is a little weird. I love baseball more than anything else and cannot imagine the toll it would take not having it for an entire year or more. However, as said, there are just simply too many obstacles in the way.

As for a Minor League Season, it is all but guaranteed to be cancelled. Well, on the bright side, I guess that means the Sacramento River Cats get to be reigning Triple A Champions for another year.