Let’s check in on a couple of injury situations in the National League…
- The Dodgers got some good news today as X-Rays on Max Muncy’s ankle came back negative, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Muncy is suffering from a mild ankle sprain, but he should be available to pinch-hit. Muncy has perhaps been even better than usual this season with a 165 wRC+ while handling 72 percent of the workload at first base and 12 percent of the playing time at second.
- Luis Guillorme began a rehab assignment in Triple-A on Friday night as he recoveres from a right oblique strain, per Deesha Thosar of the NY Daily News (via Twitter). The Mets expect Guillorme to be healthy enough for activation by the end of the week.
- Alex Blandino has a broken right hand, but no surgery will be required, so he could return to the Reds in three to six weeks, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). A first round pick back in 2014, Blandino has appeared at every infield position and left field while also toeing the rubber four times this season for the Reds. He owns a .200/.317/.257 in 82 plate appearances.
Muncy has to be on the short list of legitimate MVP candidates thus far. He’s been fantastic. Hopefully this doesn’t linger
Yes, Muncy is definitely in the same discussion as DeGrom, Acuna, Tatis, & Bryant.
So y’all just gunna act like Nick Castellanos isn’t leading the NL in WAR right now? He definitely deserves to be on this list.
Buy, Steve, his teammates aren’t in that nebulous region where they’re good enough to be competing for the division but not so good that they would still be good without him, so of course he can’t be on the list. It’s all about “value,” based on some ill-defined definition of the word.
Steve- WAR? HAHAHAHA
gbs42- It is not about value. It is about who had the best season and Castellanos is right up there
Pete – WAR captures value very well, and is a useful, if imperfect, tool to help determine who had the best season. Those who mock it generally haven’t taken the time to understand it.
Also, I think you missed my sarcasm.
Pete, I’ve never seen someone enjoy revealing their stupidity to the world so willingly
Steve- I would never call you stupid for expressing your opinion on something. Can I suggest lighten up and don’t be so sensitive.
gbs42- I have taken the time to understand WAR and do understand it.
I just don’t agree with it. It’s lacking. And just my opinion but when WAR is sited for or against a player, I feel the person siting WAR is being lazy.
Yea when someone’s only argument against WAR is “HAHAHA”, you move on. No intelligent life here.
Cosmo2- Wasn’t a debate it was just a comment.
And one more thing on WAR.
In the last decade Ben Zobrist had an eight year period where he ranked #8 on the WAR list for those eight years. That’s ridiculous.
Ben Zobrist on the All Decade Team? Or Second Team All Decade? You guys are smarter than that. Lazy but smarter than that. You guys can have the last word on WAR if you want. Again don’t be so sensitive and try not to call people stupid. Lazy is okay but not stupid.
Pete – I’m curious what you consider lacking in WAR.
Zobrist was a very good hitter with nice position flexibility. Was he the eighth-best player in baseball over an eight-year? Maybe, maybe not, but he was very valuable to his teams.
I’m curious about why you consider it to be so compelling.
BlueSkies – It summarizes hitting, pitching, fielding, and base running rather effectively into a single value that considers both ballpark and era. Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s a solid starting point when comparing players’ overall contributions.
I’m well aware of what it’s supposed to do, but from my discussions here I don’t believe one in a hundred knows how the number is actually calculated (in any of its various flavors), or cares. Nobody knows why or how certain performance characteristics are weighted in the formula. None of the assumptions are ever discussed, let alone, challenged. In statistics the objective isn’t coming up with a number, it’s coming up with numbers that correlate to something you can measure. Since WAR is supposed to predict wins, testing it for ground truth wouldn’t be very difficult, but as far as I can tell nobody has ever done that either. It’s one of the most doubtful stats in all of baseball, but now one of the most cited and the one that’s supposed to end all arguments about who is a better player.
Zobrist had a high WAR because he was never hurt. WAR is a cumulative state. It is a representation of collective on field value, which is what the MVP should be – the player who provided the most production to his team. So yes, for those 8 years, Zobrist was the 8th most productive player. Talented? No, but productive.
It seems you just fundamentally don’t understand it, whether it is intelligence or laziness.
@Pete Ward: Especially when it gets CITED on this SITE.
Yeah he’s top five for sure right now. Behind Acuña and Tatis and just about even with Bryant and Posey, I would say. Dodgers need him back and healthy to keep pace with such a top heavy division.
Oh good call on deGrom too
Degrom definitely has to be at the top of that list. Can you name me one pitcher that has produced more runs with their bat than earned runs given up through pitching? He has scored 4 runs knocked 3runs in and given up 4 ER through 9 games with 93 strikeouts. the only one i can think of is Ohtani and that is because they have the dh in the AL. Imagine if Degrom was a dh with the way he been hitting (i know his hitting will never stay that good but it is pretty impressive considering he is a full time pitcher and not a dh)..
Why would Muncy be behind any of those guys? None of them is having a better season. Muncy contributes not only on offense but provides excellent defense at two positions. He is the only player in the NL’s top 10 in both offensive and defensive WAR.
Once the Dodgers become healthy, Muncy becomes the reason they are better than everyone else. While a few teams (Braves, Padres, White Sox, Yankees) can perhaps argue they have a top 3 that can compete with Betts/Bellinger/Seager, no one has a fourth-best played as good as Muncy. Or a fifth as good as Smith, a sixth as good as Turner, a seventh as good as Taylor, an eighth as good as Pollock, or a ninth as good as Lux. This Dodger team will challenge the franchise record of 106 wins with a good chance of topping it. No one else in MLB will win that many games.
Beating the franchise win record may have been possible earlier but is highly improbable now since it would require them to play .700 ball for the rest of the season. That 5-15 stretch really hurt. Those losses don’t come back.
For starters, Muncy is in a packed lineup with plenty of other hitters for pitchers to worry about. Even the struggling ones you can’t exactly pitch directly to. Betts, Bellinger, Turner, Seager. How many other lineups can you name that are as stacked as the Dodgers?
Without DeGrom, the Mets possibly lose at least 5 wins, which drops them from first to fourth, and likely gets worse the longer they’re without him. I’d say that means that losing degrom devastates the Mets, while losing Muncy just inconveniences the Dodgers.
Tatis Jr. I’ll give you, Muncy should probably be at the very least equal with him. The Padres got by without him. It stings their lineup, but they’ve still got a good enough team this year that he doesn’t destroy their chances by any means missing time either.
Posey I see as more of a fit for comeback player of the year, but his resurgence is more important to the giants than Muncy is to the Dodgers. The Giants are more reliant on everyone contributing as much as possible than just one person, but having Posey at least partially returning to form is an important factor for that team.
Acuna Jr. is on a team with a lot of players, even it’s other biggest factor at the plate, that are struggling. He’s unquestionably the most important piece in that lineup right now. With him playing at MVP levels undoubtedly puts him ahead of Muncy.
I get that you’re likely a die hard Dodgers fan. So you’ve got rock solid team loyalty. But MVP means most valuable player. And on teams loaded with stars, I’m sorry, but your players are going to lose votes just because it’s harder to place their importance to a lineup. When your team almost seems like it is an all star team, it’s not going to seem like any one person is the most important compared to other teams, where losing that player truly derails their chances.
Brewer, you’re WAY underselling muncy
Just because he has other talented teammates, it doesn’t negate how impactful he’s been on both sides of the ball
Tatis is probably the only one I’d say is on par with Max, but with his missed time, Muncy still leads him in WAR. Max is getting it done on another level compared to most
As good as Acuna is, when a teammate like Freeman is on the same team….MVP consideration gets downgraded a bit. LAD has only had one other consistent hitter outside of Muncy. Comments such as Smacky ‘s (insight into possible head trauma?) want to base it on “whose the best player?”which is mildly amusing.
While I can understand the thought process, I don’t agree with the idea that a player’s teammates determine his value. In determining the MVP, I’m looking for the best player, plain and simple.
Also, talking about the MVP in June is silly.
Muncy is completely recovered from the broken finger he played with last year (it was indeed broken though not openly talked about). He leads all MLB position players in WAR. Muncy is way underrated by fans and the media, as is Chris Taylor.
CBS Sports has a lengthy article this weekend about probable all-stars that doesn’t mention Taylor at all. People who follow and cover the sport don’t realize how good he is. He’s not really fully appreciated by many Dodger fans. Since last September, Taylor leads the Dodgers in OPS, runs scored and RBI. A top player on a championship squad, yet overlooked by fans of his own team. It’s safe to say the man will get paid over the winter. I hope it’s by the Dodgers. Considering possible contract outlay, he’s a better fit on the team than Seager. Fewer years on a deal for Taylor and more versatility. I’ll understand if Taylor leaves. Regardless, I hope they don’t overpay to retain Seager. Excellent bat, so-so defense at best.
Games and WAR since Seager and Taylor joined the Dodgers in 2016.
Seager: 578 Games, 18.5 WAR.
Taylor: 561 Games, 14.5.
Cey, more I watch this year and combine the past, it wouldn’t shock me if LA spends their money on Taylor+ one of the other star SS who won’t cost 300M
Seager makes them way better no arguing that, but I really think LA is gonna pay Taylor instead of losing him
Lets hope,
I’ve been in the Don’t sign Seager camp for almost 2 years now. Watching Lux day after day improve only solidifies this
Too soon butttt……Id actually give it to Kris Bryant if I had to name one today from the NL
Oops MVP post above ^
If only there was a sarcasm font…
iF OnLy tHeRe WaS a sArCaSm fOnT…
😉
WAR is a joke. How does Max Muncy have a 3.3 WAR when he has numbers similar to Mitch Haniger? Is it the walks? Am I missing something?
It might be the whole “having an OBP thats 114 points higher than Mitch Haniger, while also playing very good defense at two positions” thing?
If you look at two stat lines and can’t see the difference between a guy with a .310 OBP and a guy who combines power with an extremely low chase rate and a .424 OBP, then I don’t know what to tell you you’re missing.
The on base percentage difference comes from the walks, as I mentioned. All other stats are similar. Haniger has twice as many doubles, more hrs, more rbi and a very similar batting average. Haniger is an above average defender with power. So you failed to make a point.
What you’re missing is that their numbers aren’t actually very similar at all.
Better check again
Hahahaha. Being mad at WAR while whining that an 825 OPS hitter and a 950 OPS have been the same level of valuable is something special even for the comments here
No one is mad here. What are you talking about? Laughing in my face makes you look immature. I made a valid point. If you can’t have a conversation like a grown man then don’t speak. The OPS went up because of the walks. Hanigers numbers are better across the board except for walks. Walks alone shouldn’t account for a 2 WAR difference. You can’t add OBP and OPS when calculating WAR because you’re counting walks three times when you do that. That’s like saying a walk is more valuable than a HR
Since we’re on the topic. Slugging percentage is a flawed stat as well. It should be anything that’s a double or higher. You’re not slugging if your slapping singles and walking all the time
Hey Alex B…take your tickling back, and I mean a loooong time…