This past weekend Mookie Betts had a homecoming of sorts, returning to Boston’s Fenway Park for the first time since the huge trade that landed him with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2019 season.
The two teams met at a time when their franchises are moving in opposite directions. The Red Sox are sliding down the American League East standings and staring at a long offseason, while Mookie Betts is once again in serious consideration for NL MVP following a dominant August in which he won National League Player of the month while becoming the third person since 1900 to hit .450 have 50 hits and 10 Bro bombs.
In the current status of the two parties in question, the Boston fanbase had no choice but to wonder if their team could be in the middle of a dynasty if Betts remained in Boston.
“Even though I wasn’t really ready for (the trade to the Dodgers) – I know people don’t believe me but I wanted to stay in Boston my whole career,” Betts told former teammate Brock Holt during his appearancevia MassLive.
“That was my life. I knew everybody there. It was a short flight to Nashville. It was perfect.”
Well David “Big Papi” Ortiz was never a guy that kept his opinion quiet about baseball discussions and his Betts opinion resonated during the series last week.
When Ortiz played with Mookie closing out the last two and a half seasons of his career, he knew back then that our MLBbro was not just an ordinary star for the era. He was a keeper. A franchise cornerstone that you simply don’t trade away.
Big Papi Lost Some Love For Boston When They Traded Mookie
During his appearance on Audacy’s podcast, “Baseball Isn’t Boring” last weekend, “Big Papi” Ortiz shared his thoughts on Boston letting Mookie Betts go and gave the former Red Sox star one of the greatest compliments a Hall of Famer can give to a fellow player.
“I think that the minute he went to the Dodgers my emotions shifted a little bit because that guy, he was the perfect franchise boy for an organization like this one,” Ortiz said. Mookie has the personality – I’m not going to even talk about the player because that’s off the charts – and he’s young, very mature. He’s the full package. He’s the full package.”
Our MLBbro put together a resume to back up Ortiz’s statements. In six years in Boston, Betts hit over .300 while Bro Bombing 139 times and driving in 470 runs in 794 games. He collected the AL MVP during the Red Sox World Series championship run in 2018.
Not long after, Betts was traded for reportedly “financial reasons” which Ortiz understood.
“We know it was a mistake. We know. We know because numbers don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie, Ortiz said. “But that happens. This type of mistake happens sometimes and there’s not much you can do about it.”
Mookie Betts has 35 home runs, tying his career-high
“Mookie Betts is like my baby brother,” Ortiz said. “We always stay in touch. We always communicate. He’s too smart, because he’s always on the search and smart baseball players, that’s what they do because this game every day has something to show you. There’s something to learn every day.”
As of September 1, Betts is in the top 10 in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.410), OPS (1.021), hits (156), home runs (36), doubles (36), RBI (94) and runs scored (114).
The Rangers are right now part of the hottest division race in baseball. The AL West is crowded with the Rangers, Seattle Mariners and the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
Texas and Houston are in a virtual tie for second behind Seattle, who are holding onto a one-game lead going into Tuesday night matchups…
Seattle Mariners: 75-56 while riding a four-game winning streak.
Texas Rangers: 74-57 losing eight of their last ten.
Houston Astros: 75-58 while riding a three-game winning streak.
While the Rangers’ recent slide back to the pack could easily be attributed to an inconsistent bullpen that blows saves at a clip of more than 50 percent. It is actually amazing that the Texas Rangers are still in contention based on these circumstances.
Since the save became an official MLB stat in 1969, 13 teams have passed the 20-save mark in a season with a conversion rate of less than 50 percent. None of those teams won more than 70 games.
The Rangers currently have more blown saves than converted saves this season. 😬 pic.twitter.com/mMT8sRx1oo
One of the main reasons that all is MLBbro Marcus Semien. Semien is on a historical pace for driving in runs in for a leadoff hitter. His 81 RBI has already broken the single season record by a Texas player in the leadoff spot. The MLB record is currently held by Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies (2017).
Bottom line, Marcus Semien has the knack to put the ball in play and get on base. Through 131 games, our MLBbro is third in the American League in hits with 151 which is five hits more than Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 146.
Now that the Texas Rangers have lost first place for the first time since April 8, not only is first place in the division in a perilous position, but a playoff spot in general. Here’s the playoff scenario as of this writing.
Seattle trailed Texas by 10 games on July 19 and now leads Texas by one game.
Despite being virtually tied with the Astros one game behind the Mariners with a winning percentage 1/100ths of a point ahead, Houston owns the first tiebreaker by record head-to-head.
The Toronto Blue Jays are now getting in the Wild Card mix sitting 2.5 games back with a four-game series with Texas in two weeks.
“We are going to find out what we’re made of,” second baseman Marcus Semien said in an otherwise sullenly silent clubhouse. “It is anybody’s division. We’ve got to play our best baseball in the last month. Whoever does that is going to be standing at the end. We have to figure it out and get it rolling.”
Even though the bullpen has been an issue since the start of spring training (now it’s just historically bad!), the blame game (unfairly) could go to the multi-million dollar middle infield that is Corey Seager and Semien. Even though they are currently the only second base/shortstop duo to eclipse the 20-homer mark in the majors, the team’s current collapse which includes a recent eight-game losing streak will make the headlines.
The month of September will be one to watch for Rangers fans. Marcus Semien may have to keep his record RBI pace to save his team from one of the more historical collapses in recent history.
When MLBbro.com acquired the mission statement to cover and spotlight Black and brown baseball players from the past to present to the future, it was a huge undertaking, but a very necessary one. While doing that, the company has grown in reputation and contributions over the last three seasons, particularly after the pandemic.
MLB Still Struggling With African-American Representation
What’s even more impressive about MLBbro.com’s accomplishments and dedication is the small number of Black and brown players represented in the league and seemingly shrinking month to month. It’s challenging to keep track of the elevator between the minors and majors that many of them are constantly on. Certain teams don’t have any Black players, so covering them is also challenging and sad and angering at the same time.
According to MLBbro.com columnist, David Grubb in his weekly “Diamond Cuts” column, at the start of the 2022 season, MLBbros made up only 7.2 percent of the players on rosters on Opening day. This season, that percentage dropped a full percentage point to 6.2 percent.
With injuries to superstars, DFAs (“Designated for assignment” or released) and lack of representation in the All-Star Game, sometimes the mission of highlighting these sensational feats by Black ballplayers is difficult to do.
HOWEVER, when you have two dominant ballers like Judge and Mookie, there’s always something to discuss.
Who’s Hotter? Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers or Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees?
Arguably the top two MLBbros in the game, Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge have been tearing up their opponents as of late. Whether it be four home runs in less than 24 hours (Judge) or getting a career high five hits in one game (Betts), it has been a run that has the staff of MLBbro.com wondering who is hotter right now.
Mookie Betts:
Look to the fearless leader of the MLBbro movement, Rob Parker to foreshadow a possible debate going into the final month of the MLB season. Despite Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and Matt Olsen being the front runners for NL MVP, the MLBbro.com founder thinks the MVP is Betts, due to the defensive versatility that he brings to the red-hot Dodgers.
It seems that Betts should get the same recognition that the media gives to Shohei Ohtani for being able to pitch at a high level while leading all of baseball in home runs. Mookie has put in work in multiple positions all over the diamond including the outfield, shortstop and second base. Not only that, but he has also done a credible job at each position.
Despite his defensive prowess, t’s the offensive side of the ball that puts this MLBbro square in the middle of the MVP conversation. Overall, as of this writing, Mookie has a hitting slash of .310/.405/.605 with 34 homers, 89 RBI with 105 runs scored. He tops the majors with a 7.0 fWAR and is near the top with a rWAR of 6.9.
But the fact that Betts has turned himself into an amazing slugger at his size is the next level of his growth. Something that was a topic of conversation on MLB Network.
Mookie Betts is just one HR short of tying his career-high!
Betts is hitting over .440 going into this weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. Hopefully this series will be a continuation of the dominant performances as of late. He hit two homers on LeBron James bobblehead night and followed that up with his first career five-hit performance.
Bottom line, this MLBbro.com tweet says it all…
The Incredible Mr Mookie Betts keeps pounding as the season steadily moves towards October baseball for the LA Dodgers.
After going 5-for-5 in a game that started on Wednesday and ended on Thursday, the MLBbro is batting .567 during his current 11-game hit streak and has hit… pic.twitter.com/tOTV1rm5dk
Now it is very hard to compare Aaron Judge’s exploits as of late to Mookie Betts’.
Why?
The Dodgers are passing the time mowing down opponents before the playoffs while the Yankees were mired in a nine-game losing streak. Why is Judge still considered the top MLBbro?
No help as Gary Sheffield Jr. discusses right here…
Even With A Bum Toe, MLBbro Aaron Judge Is The Show, But He Can't Win Without Any Help
Gary Sheffield Jr. explains why someone in Yankees organization needs to call 911 pic.twitter.com/jyaTvWzjXp
While the Yankees do need to call 911 like Wyclef, MLBbro.com did have two individuals that could help the Yanks get back on track. But for now, Judge will have to carry the show as he set a career-high with three Bro Bombs against the Washington Nationals. Then the man dusted off another homer for his fourth in FIVE AT BATS in a 24-hour period!
Even though this is considered a sample size season due to his toe injury, his stats, comparable to other MLB players almost doesn’t make sense!
Judge’s HR rate this year at 9.1 AB/HR is better than last year at 9.2! Remember the man broke the American League home run record last year!
Despite missing 54 games up to this point of the season, Judge still leads the Yankees in homers (28) and RBI (55). (Gary Sheffield Jr.’s video makes even more sense now right?)
There are 148 players in the American League who have played more games than Aaron Judge’s 73. The number of players with more than Judge’s 28?…Four.
Baseball is still a business, and the Yankees still have to fill seats in what has turned into a disastrous season. It would be easy for this MLBbro MVP to shut it down and have surgery on his toe. He hasn’t done that. He has earned every penny of his new contract and might need a raise.
All of this while climbing the ladder in the Yankees record books.
Not many baseball fans outside of the Boston Red Sox faithful (They are wired to think this way!) saw the New York Yankees possibly struggling to their worst record in this century.
To the Yankees faithful, conversations center around having enough talent to start a winning streak to nab a wild card spot to injuries all season, particularly reigning MLBbro MVP Aaron Judge.
While those are theories and hot takes, the reality surrounding the New York Yankees is that they are getting closer to missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season with each passing day. An eight-game losing streak and nine losses in 10 games is not helping matters either.
Before the eventual series sweep against the Red Sox, Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed a meeting that he was a part of with general manager Brian Cashman and team owner Hal Steinbrenner about the current status of the team and the future.
Aaron Boone said he met with Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman a couple of days ago. He said they discussed the direction of the organization. He admitted that they’re all frustrated by the Yankees’ performance.
With discussions of bringing up young prospects from the minors, the Yankees might be waving the white flag, which is against the Yankees fanbase’s religion based on the franchise’s 27 World Series championships.
Based on how things are going for this franchise and their stellar reputation for winning, when September comes, the conversation will turn to who’s to blame for this abysmal season.
Right now, three names will be caught in the crossfire…
Hal Steinbrenner: Son of the late George Steinbrenner and current owner of the New York Yankees.
Can’t fire the owner as they say. The reason he is on this list is due to a statement he had in June…
Hal Steinbrenner said he is “a little confused” as to why Yankees fans are so angry in the third week of June: https://t.co/KOkpmoDOGw
With one of the highest payrolls in baseball with underwhelming results Aaron Judge or not, Steinbrenner’s statement will be replayed like a reality show the second the Yankees are officially eliminated from the playoffs. At least until there are follow up questions.
Brian Cashman: General manager of the New York Yankees since the 1998 season. His resume contains six American League pennants and four World Series Championships.
“Now Brian Cashman’s greatest quality as general manager, or one of his greatest qualities, would be I would say, that he is a survivor,” Ken Rosenthal said on his podcast called Fair Territory. “He will survive this. The question is what does he do to make things better? How does he turn this around? And if I’m Hal Steinbrenner, I’m saying to Brian Cashman, ‘Okay, you’re going to stay this is one bad year.’ One losing year at least, I know there have been other disappointing years recently, but ‘Brian you’ve got to tell me now, how are things going to change, because things have to change.’”
Like his boss, Cashman has to stand by a statement that will haunt him in a few weeks. After doing very little at the trade deadline, he stated that the team was “In it to win it”. Since August 1, the Yankees went 5-13.
Aaron Boone: Yankees manager since 2018. Led the team to over 100 wins in his first two seasons. No World Series appearances.
The Yankees manager probably will be gone particularly if Cashman survives. His management style has put him on the hot seat due to decisions with the bullpen, lineups, in-game adjustments (Basically everything the job entails!) while the losses pile up.
How can the MLBbros turn this around and more importantly…who will do it?
Replace Aaron Boone with Willie Randolph:
MLBbro.com had a list of MLBbro contenders for managerial jobs late last season and Willie Randolph was on the list. His managerial experience with the New York Mets makes him perfect for this situation.
He led the Mets to a NL East Division title before falling in a seven-game battle to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS in 2005.
Willie Randolph is the first manager in MLB history to improve his team’s record by at least 12 games in his first two seasons with the team.
He’s a Yankees great so he is equipped to handle the pressure of turning this team around while understanding the culture of the fanbase to the front office. Something that is going to be important over the next few seasons as the team sheds bad contracts.
The Yankees are going to have to start developing young talent and for that to happen, they need a steady hand at manager to do so. Randolph is that guy.
Fire Brian Cashman and replace him with Derek Jeter (If he says no…go back and beg!):
They called the man “The Captain” …
Why Not Jeter?
The New York Yankees need a new voice and leadership and no one really on the planet can take over the front office and bring trust of the fanbase back quicker than Derek Jeter.
As the part owner and front office executive of the Miami Marlins, he was one of the franchise’s only bright spots. Now that he left for philosophical reasons (Jeter wanting to win and the team wanting to save money!), going to a team that has a blank checkbook and similar goals to building a team would be perfect for all parties involved.
Meanwhile the Yankees are mired in their worst losing streak since 1995. They could have their first losing season since 1992 all while having the second highest payroll in baseball. Time will tell if Cashman and Boone are released and if these qualified MLBbro icons get a chance.
On August 11th, 2023, Major League Baseball launched a business partnership with Mass Appeal’s Hip-Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium, home of the 27-time World Series champion, New York Yankees. The stadium is located in the Bronx, which is well-known as the birthplace of rap music, one of the core elements of hip-hop culture.
With this one-year partnership continuing into the 2024 season, Baseball along with all 30 teams will provide baseball and rap music fans a variety of things such as content creation, merchandise and other exciting giveaways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the marriage of the music genre and culture to the city of New York.
The choice to be the music ambassador for this year-long extravaganza turned out to be an easy one if you’re a hip-hop fan… Chuck D, leader of the iconic group Public Enemy…
One of the more recognizable voices of the hip-hop generation, Chuck D has always been an ambassador to this music, so adding the title music ambassador, which will include his overseeing special content and programming, allows Major League Baseball to educate its fanbase to the overall impact of the music and culture while enjoying the historical game of baseball and its impact on African-Americans. It kind of brings Jay Z’s partnership with the NFL to mind.
“As a longtime baseball fanatic, I am beyond honored to be the first hip-hop artist to work with Major League Baseball in this exciting new way – connecting sound and culture to the stories of the game, said Chuck D. “Thank you MLB for adding me to the lineup… and the pitch is on the way.”
Chuck D’s love of baseball is not just for today’s game or just the MLB. He is a student of the game with knowledge dating back to the Negro Leagues. Just last year he took to social media to honor the Philadelphia Stars.
Look for Chuck’s exclusive content on all of MLB’s platforms; MLB.com, MLB.TV and the MLB Network as well as social media handles like @MLB and @MLBLife. The cerebral rapper‘s resumé shows that Baseball got the most-qualified man for the job. Besides producing iconic albums…
In 2013, Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2020, Public Enemy received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.
Just this year, Chuck D released “We Wreck Stadiums” which is a collection of songs honoring some of baseball’s players from the past and their impact on the game of baseball and society.
He developed and executive produced “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” a four-episode documentary series covering the evolution of the music genre and its significant impact on society and the World. It premiered on PBS in 2023.
With his love for baseball cards, Chuck has also taken up drawing. Check out his illustration of the old Shea Stadium — formerly home to his beloved Mets. (He hated the Yankees!)
Congratulations to Major League Baseball, hip-hop and Chuck D for this partnership and taking the game of baseball and the elements of hip-hop to new heights as we celebrate 50 years of the culture.
Recent Comments