Hey Sportsfans — it's time for Week 11 of baseball's 2020 Power Rankings — In our final ranking of the season we are doing things a little bit differently. You'll notice only the 16 playoff teams are ranked in this week's edition and you should note the different voting rules for the week below.
I would like to take a moment to thank all the readers of this weekly feature that make this project worthwhile. Another year in the books! Cheers to you, and I tip my cap to all the team representatives, past and present, who make this project possible.

Edit: Numerous errors have been fixed and the rankings updated.

Every voter has their own style / system and the only voting instructions are these: (Special Playoff Rules)

"Please rank the playoff teams from most likely to win the World Series to least likely, taking into account match ups, route to the WS, and anything unique about the playoffs."

Full end of season retrospectives will be posted in the comments for all teams
TRANSPARENCY: this link will show you who voted each team where and has added neat statistics!
Please note: Because our dedicated team of voters have trouble breaking their habits, you may notice some people voted for all 30 teams. You can safely ignore those votes. Or argue about them since I can't stop you.
You may notice some other wonkiness because of this.
If something is a little messed up, feel free to pester me let me know.
Total Votes: 28 of 30. Missing votes / blurbs may be on their way.

#	Team	Comment	Record
1	Dodgers	With all the uncertainty we have all been faced with this year, the Dodgers have truly been one of the pillars of reliability and stability in an ever turbulant world. Simply put, they have been exactly who we all expected them to be (which uhhhh, is the best team in baseball) and seem fully locked and loaded to make another major push at that long overdue piece of metal. But they have been able to do it with a pretty notable difference in who the reliable contributors have been. A year ago, we'd be looking at this team going into the postseason with Ryu, Hill, and Maeda to flank Buehler and Kershaw (can you imagine still having those guys on this team 😳) and be led by postseason heroes of Muncy and Pederson alongside our MVP Bellinger, and the ever present questionmark that is the Dodger pen. Now, the rookie arms of May, Gonsolin, and the Mango Man alongside a revitalized Jake McGee and a seemingly "back" Blake Treinen shore up the original gang (with Kenley's massive shadow looming over with impending doom) with the bats of AJ Pollock, Corey Seager, and the new savior Mookie Betts looking to bring a ring back to LA. But what would be more 2020, the Dodgers getting knocked off surprisingly early, or the Dodgers finally not getting knocked off at all?	43-17
2	Rays	The Rays came into 2020 looking to be a legitimate contender and have 100% delivered on those expectations. They won the AL East for the first time since 2010 and were the only American League team to win 40 games. In addition to that, they also had one of the toughest schedules and had the best record in baseball vs winning teams. The name of the game has been consistency, which has been true of both sides of the ball. Injuries have come and gone, but in classic Rays fashion the guys filling in, especially pitchers, performed fantastically. The only struggles came in fielding, which was atrocious the first couple weeks but has since returned to normal. There was a little bit of drama, a few magic moments, some wacky shenanigans, and a lot of happy flappy boi posting, which filled up this shortened season to the fullest. This is looking like the Rays strongest chance since 2008, now it’s time to get it done in the playoffs. (cont. in comments)	40-20
3	Athletics	Someday soon we will all look back at 2020 fondly. One reason for me will be the A's. Yes, the owners robbed us out of June and most of July baseball. D. Mengden caught SARSII, causing a week of hectic isolation. M. Chapman, the energy behind this team, left with a hip injury. Yet this team ended the year with a .600 winning percentage- the 21st time in team history we've reached or surpassed that momentous milestone. And a lot of those teams won pennants- one inspired a movie. This was a season full of amazing snapshots- M. Olson's walk off grand slam on "opening" day under the new dumb rules, the Piscotty walk off grand slam against Texas, the historic comeback off McCovey Cove. Most of all the team seemed to like each other, led by the shrewd Bob Melvin and player leaders M. Semien and C. Pinder. Yes, this could have been M. Semien's last year. It also might have been T. La Stella's only year on the A's and it is special watching that guy rarely strike out. There was R. Laureano's hot headed yet heroic stand against Astro villany. The A. Allen charged 13th inning game against HOU. Fans will be so spoiled with the defensive wizardry of Sean Murphy and J. Heim- they can hit, too! Bet you thought I'd mention M. Olson when I started that sentance- people are still sleeping on the best LH hitter in baseball. (cont. in comments)	36-24
4	Padres	Take it with a grain of salt, as I was not fortunate enough to have watched Tony in his prime, but this past season has been my favorite, most exciting, and most interesting brand of Padres Baseball I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I come away not thinking that the team is the best at anything. The starting pitching can sometimes put us in an early hole, hitters can sometimes all seem off on the same night, the bullpen, once a staple, can sometimes blow a lead all together, if not making the game too close for comfort. Yet...with this group of guys, I’m still on the edge of my seat, waiting for the big moment to happen, because they’ve come through so very often. (cont. in comments)-	37-23
5	Twins	After a stomach-twisting final week, the Twins have repeated as AL Central Champions! Heading into the playoffs, Twins fans should be fairly optimistic as we'll have 29 other teams at our back when we face the below-.500 trash-can-banging asterisk-loving boys from Houston in the first round. With a rotation of Maeda-Berrios-Pineda, the Twins have an excellent chance to advance. How much success we have after that will depend on unlucky late injuries to Buxton and Donaldson, and if they can come back quickly to make meaningful contributions.	36-24
6	Braves	There's wind boys...blew us to our 3rd straight division title! It wasn't always pretty, we had major injuries along the way including Soroka, Albies and Acuña for significant time. After losing Soroka we knew our offense would have to carry us on their backs...and oh boy did they! As a team, we were second in the MLB in AVG (.268), second in homeruns (103), second in runs scored (348), first in OBP (.349), first OPS (.832), first in hits (.556) and tied for first in slugging percentage (.483). This was highlighted by a 29 run game and huge individual efforts by the most fearsome 1-3 in baseball. Freddie Freeman should win his first MVP and Ozuna will get votes as well. When healthy, Roñald was dominant. Max Fried stepped up huge for us an proved to be an ace. Ian Anderson showed up and was really good, Kyle Wright seemingly turned it around and was very effective in his final starts. With a healthy Soroka next year, these 4 young arms will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Hopefully we shake our playoff woes this year and have history repeat itself: win the world series in a shortened season! Let's bring it home.	35-25
7	Yankees	Thanks to the Orioles, the Yankees play the Indians in the first round, and then the Rays/Jays. So Cole/Bieber, Tanaka/Carrasco and then whatever Boone cobbles togethePlesac. The Indians have one hitter, and if we can throw around him, the pitching rotation we have to face looks a little less intimidating. This season, for the Yankees, has been the story of being very hot and very cold. It goes without saying that this team can hit when it needs to, and at the very least, you feel like this team has the potential to beat anyone on this 16 team list. It's just a matter of which Yanks show up.	33-27
8	Cubs	While this was a frustrating season to watch, the Cubs managed to lock down the NL Central before the final day of the season. Highlights included Darvish's Cy Young campaign, Hendricks' excellent season, Heyward's resurgance, and a relatively cozy late September for once. Some of the most frustrating parts of the season were Bryant/Rizzo/Contreras/Baez collectively hitting worse than the Texas Rangers, the bullpen's woes in the first half, Lester's inconsistency, and Quintana barely getting on the field. The Cubs actually have one of the easier paths to the World Series, especially if the Dodgers and Padres get knocked out by the NLCS. However, anything can happen in a 3-game series and Cubs fans are still traumatized by the 2003 series against the Marlins. I myself am so excited to watch an absurd amount of baseball over the next month-- now let's get weird!	34-26
9	White Sox	Is there a fanbase that actively hates their own team as much as the White Sox? There are exactly 5 teams in the MLB with a better record than the Sox. If you extrapolate this season, they gained 22 wins from last year, made the playoffs and 90% of the talk about is how horrible the manager is and how bad we were down the stretch. If you asked most fans at the beginning of the season if 10 games above 500 and a playoff spot would be good, they would all be ecstatic. Perspective is really important, especially after 12 years of not reaching the playoffs. Sure, there are plenty disappointments, and yes, Ricky Renteria's bullpen management and lineup decisions are bad. But this is also a team that went on an absolute tear for a month and finally generated some nationwide buzz that they could actually win it all. We have exciting, young players all over the field. We have a top 3 MVP candidate, our ace threw a fricken no-hitter this year. Even Ricky made improvements from past seasons. He hardly bunted at all this year! And he put Grandal, a high OBP guy in the #2 spot for a good portion of the season. No, we aren't the best team in the league, but before the season, we weren't even seriously considered a playoff team. This year is an absolutely, unqualified success. (And I still hold out the slimmest bit of hope that Ricky stops playing the long game in the playoffs and actively puts his best players in.)	35-25
10	Indians	There's no question that Cleveland's 1-2-3 of Bieber-Carrasco-Plesac is about as good as there is in the Silly Series. But can their weak lineup pull their weight? Who will win the battle of right-handed strikeout pitchers vs. right-handed power hitters? Anything can happen in a three-game series, and we'll find out this week.	35-25
11	Reds	The Reds go into the playoffs (!!!) as the hottest team in baseball. They've now won 5 series in a row, four of which came against playoff teams. The bullpen regressed nicely and is no longer a Phillies-esque liability. There are definitely some issues with the bat, but they've proven over the past week that they don't need to rely on solo home runs to win. Akiyama has turned into a reliable leadoff hitter, and the catching tandem has become one of the most reliable in the league. But where this team will really give the Braves fits is the starting pitching. With 2020 NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer taking the mound on Wednesday, followed by Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray, this team is built for a short series.	31-29
12	Cardinals	baseball just began / and now it's the postseason / i still long for march	30-28
13	Blue Jays	The Toronto Blue Jays had one of, if not the most, tumultuous years in baseball. After what was seen as a broadly successful offseason, highlighted by the acquisition of Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Jays were expected to play ~.500 ball, and maybe have an outside chance at a wildcard spot. The front office showed a marked desire to start opening the window of contention. Bringing in innings eater Tanner Roark, reclamation project Travis Shaw, and Japanese League stars Rafael Dolis and Shun Yamaguchi. 2020 was also the final turning point for the Blue Jays. The departure of Anthopoulos/Beeston holdover, Justin Smoak, meant the page had finally, truly turned, and this was now the team built by Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins. We would finally get to see what their team looked like. Then, the unthinkable happened. - 134 days without baseball. Canada’s response to the pandemic was unflinchingly strict. After a Summer Camp in the Skydome, that featured a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. move to 1B, the Blue Jays were sent packing, and headed off to an uncertain future, without a home. Rumours circulated that they would find a home in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or even at Spring Training HQ in Dunedin, but when all was said and done, the Jays landed in The Queen City, home of the Bisons, Buffalo, New York. (cont. in comments)	32-28
14	Astros	Finishing a regular season, as short and weird as it was, under .500 for the first time since 2014 is an uncomfortable feeling. It's unsurprising, given the blows our pitching staff received and the inability of our hitters to stay consistent. Blame it on the shortened season, blame it on being unable to cheat, blame it on whatever you want - the fact remains we have decidedly moved backwards as a franchise this year. For the first time in a few years, I do not feel confident in our pitching staff or our hitters to win a playoff series. If we had Verlander, my optimism would increase, but our bullpen would be a huge question mark no matter what. These next three games may be the last George Springer spends in an Astros uniform, so hopefully we're treated to the Springer Dingers we've become accustomed to over the years. It's difficult to look ahead to 2021 given the uncertainty in the world right now, but with (presumably) a full season and a chance to either find some help in free agency or extend some of our upcoming FA-eligible players, I'm optimistic James Click will steer the ship in the right direction. Let's make sure we give Dusty plenty of popsicles.	29-31
15	Marlins	OH BOY. First off i just wanna give the NBC Philadelphia broadcast team a huge shoutout, AY RICKY BO STAY BEAUTIFUL. Anywho, we have had a hell of a season. Despite calling up damn near over a dozen top prospects up this season, some of them way too early, we managed to stay afloat during the dog days of corona quarantine. Yall already know the deal so i dont have to say much, the starters are nasty and the defense is solid. The huge question mark going into the post season is how will the bats fare. That is our current weakest link. I made the prediction that Monte Harrison will heat up (see what i did there?) in the post season and hit october dingers in the marlins discord and im sticking by that. Cubs vs Marlins gives me some real feels going back to when i was still a jit, hopefully lightning strikes twice. Oh, and Ill say it now: we swindled the cardinals, phillies and yankees. Thanks for all the prospects suckers!	31-29
16	Brewers	Well MIlwaukee made the playoffs, that's definitely someting. The path forward is simple, get the game to the bullpen with a lead. The Brewers bullpen has shown it to be the best bullpen in all of baseball, however the bats have not seem to woken up from the winter hibernation. Only one qualified batter is hitting over .250 (Orlando Arcia with a whopping .260) Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura spent the entire year trying to race Miguel Sano to 100 Strikeouts. Plain and simple the bats are bad	29-31

2020 r/baseball Power Rankings -- Preseason / Week 1: They May Take Half Our Season, But They'll Never Take Our Desire to Rank

Welcome back to baseball Power Rankings, 2020 Edition!

Eight years ago, naaahhman created this project and for the last seven I've shepherded a diligent team of voters, past and present, to bring you the longest running feature of this great subreddit.
If this is your first rodeo, we employ 30 voters taken from each fandom / team subreddit. No one person has more influence than another and my own fandom does not enter the equation.
This 2020 season is a chaotic one, but you will normally see this feature published on Monday between Noon and 2 PM Pacific -- so, we'll meet again next Monday, July 27th.
Every voter has their own style / system and, while there are normally voting rules for guidance and numbers for analysis, this Preseason Vote called for a personal interpretation of what may transpire this season.
Note: Are you a fan of the Phillies or Whitesox? We are seeking new representation for these teams. Please see this comment for details.
Thank you to all voters who have left this project -- your work has been incredibly appreciated.
TRANSPARENCY: this link will show you who voted each team where and has added neat statistics!
If something is a little messed up, just chalk it up to general rustiness but feel free to ~~pester me~~ let me know.
Total Votes: 27 of 28.
The delta change somewhat irrelevantly refers to the last Power Ranking of the 2019 season for funsies.

#	Team	Δ	Comment	Record
1	Dodgers	+1	It doesn't matter that the seasoned is shortened. It doesn't matter than summer camp was brief. It doesn't matter that the Astros cheated or that we came close. All that matters this season for the Dodgers is winning the whole damn thing. Anything less will be a disappointment.	106-56
2	Yankees	+1	Have you been watching preseason baseball? Because I have. I love that our HR leader is Kyle Higashioka and SO leader is Jordan Montgomery. This is going to be the year of AAAA allstars, and boy am I ready.	103-59
3	Astros	-2	Bang bang. Now that that's cleared out of the way, let's get to it. Obviously, the Astros lost Gerrit Cole over the offseason, but are still blessed with a solid 1-2 punch in Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke. Lance McCullers Jr. will make his long awaited return from Tommy John surgery, and if he can stay healthy, he should emerge as one of the best #3 starters in the league. Offensively, the team should still be in great shape. All in all, it would be foolish to assume the Astros will compete for anything less than the AL pennant. Even with this offseason's losses, they are still an incredibly powerful team.	107 - 55
4	Twins	0	It's finally time for Twins baseball! The Bomba Squad is a force to be reckoned with this year, with the aquisition of Donaldson, Maeda, Rich Hill, and others to support a deadly offense that is arguably the best in the majors. The bullpen is a bona-fide strength this year with the expressive set-up men Romo and May to support the laser-focused Rogers. With a strong rotation of Berrios, Odorizzi, Maeda, Hill, and Dobnak, look for the Twins to repeat as 2020 AL Central Champions!	101 - 61
5	Rays	+2	Quentionable offseason manuvering? Check. COVID hotspot? Check. Warm water? Also check. The Rays come into 2020 with the burden of expectations after last year's playoff appearance, and look poised to make it back. There have been several Rays-ey depth additions with the likes of Manuel Margot, Jose Martinez, and Randy Arozarena, with the headliner of Hunter Renfroe. Yoshi Tsutsugo also joins from the NPB. All of these additions seem to hinge on the hope they reproduce parts of past seasons, but given the FO's track record there's reason to be optimistic. The downside is the departure of arguably last year's best position player in Tommy Pham, and letting Travis d'Arnaud go in free agency in hopes of a Zunino bounceback. Everyone else is back and ready to roll. The most important thing is that the pitching staff remains largely the same, with the only notable loss being Emilio Pagan. The short season combined with Kevin Cash's pitching antics is where the optimism for the season really comes from, with the 1/2/3 of Morton/Snell/Glasnow + one of the top bullpens in baseball. In short, raise those Chois and flap those bois, baseball is back!	96 - 66
6	Braves	-1	As fast as it began, our relationship with Yasiel Puig was "licked" by a positive COVID-19 test. Speaking of positive/COVID-19, the best first baseman in baseball has returned from his quarantine and is "feeling great!" We still have a hole to fill against lefties with Kakes opting out of the season. Look for a heavy platoon in the OF for now, but I imagine we revisit Puig if he can have the required 2 negative tests. If not, it might pave the way to the Show for Pache.	97 - 65
7	Nationals	+3	The 2019 World Series Champion Washingtion Nationals begin their title defense against Gerrit Cole as the only team to have beaten him in the last calendar year. Expect a high-flying yet low-scoring opening series against the Yankees as the Nationals will hand the baseball to three different pitchers who received 2019 Cy Young votes (Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin).	93 - 69
8	Athletics	-3	Before the end times, the A's were 1st in the cactus league. Our owner made a rare public statement- a mea cupola, after refusing to pay our minor league players. The local Sierra Club protested the organization's plans to build a new stadium, and they have good points. For a team that needs to win in this contention window to keep the franchise local, the shadow-boxing over the next labor agreement was less than ideal. Across several generations, the A's have been a second half team. Will this lead to a hot streak, or dissapointment?	97 - 65
9	Cardinals	0	THANK GOD Baseball is finally, finally being played again. An abbreviated season, but ball and bat all the same - and that means that in these strange times the only thing that matters is who gets hot and stays hot. I don't have a real guess how this season will go, I'm only glad that it's here.	91 - 71
10	Cubs	+2	The Cubs are as perplexing as ever. While the core that won them a World Series in 2016 is still intact, their lack of pitching depth and hitting consistency may once again be the deciding factors for this team. Hopefully Cubs fans will see some redemption for the abysmal collapse last fall. They are one of the few teams with no players testing positive for the coronavirus, but who knows how long that will last. Let's play ball for as long as we can!	84 - 78
11	Mets	+2	Will Pete Alonso or Jeff McNeil avoid a Sophmore slump? Will Jacob deGrom contend for a third straight Cy Young? Will Brodie Van Wagenen be able to traverse the Cursed Dungeon of Glamdor to retrieve the fabled glowing amulet to finally lift the curse that has been placed on Jed Lowrie? I'm ready to find out, but I know more than anything, I'm ready to get hurt again. #LFGM	88 - 76
12	Brewers	-1	I think Milwaukee had the most transactions of anyone in the offseason, but none of these transactions brought a true impact player. The best thing this team has going for them is positional versitility. More than any other team Milwaukee can navigate losing a key player for multiple weeks in this short season.	89 - 73
13	Indians	-5	The Tribe heads into 2020 well-poised for another 100-win 37-win season. The loss of aces Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer stings, but with a top-three of Bieber, Clevinger and a reportedly healthy Carlos Carrasco, the rotation is in great shape. The bullpen, headed by Brad Hand, Nick Wittgren and preternatural K machine James Karinchak, looks to put up another strong season. The lineup features at least six guys with 30-dinger power and two MVP candidates in Lindor and Ramirez. With no real weak spots and plenty of depth, look for Cleveland to be at the top of the division in a short season.	93 - 69
14	Reds	+3	It feels good to be back. Am I confident that the season will (or should) be played to completion? Well now's not the time to talk about that. But am I confident in the team that Dick Williams and co. have assembled? I think so! The Reds have arguably the best top of the rotation in baseball with Gray, Castillo, and Bauer. They also brought in some free agent hitters you may have heard of. The defense could be ugly this year, especially if Nick Castellanos insists he's not a DH. On the whole, this Reds team really feels like they can do great things this year. I'm ready to get let down.	75 - 87
15	Angels	+5	I am just glad that there is finally a meme that fully describes how it feels to look upon the start of another season of Angels baseball.	72 - 90
16	D-Backs	-1	With 2020 NL MVP Ketel Marte leading the charge, a team of good-to-very-good players across the diamond has a chance to be a serious contender in this shortened season. This is a team with a decent amount of depth and moving parts, one that plays excellent defense and does the little things right--even on the nights the Snakes lose, nobody in the MLB is going to look forward to playing the D-backs.	85 - 77
17	White Sox	+5		72 - 89
18	Phillies	-2		81 - 81
19	Padres	+2	In February, I don’t think I was alone in dying to see the season start. The Pads come into 2020 with a new manager, new faces in town, and of course best of all, big beautiful brown, jerseys. Given current events, and all that’s happened since, I wouldn’t blame anyone for not carrying that same enthusiasm with us to opening day, nor would I blame anyone for being skeptical of a season even finishing. What I can say, is I’m glad we’re back. The club comes in harder to predict than ever. My gut says the 60 game schedule against only west opponents will help, as well as one of the best bullpens in baseball. The infield should back our pitchers up, if their complimenting bats are alive and awake, then we could make some noise this year. The starting staff is still the biggest question mark on the team, as it relies on a young Paddack being consistent, a bounce back year for Richards, and overall health and improvement for the squad. I see the Pads starting slow, and picking up midseason, reaching a final record of 32-28. That would be the first winning season since ‘10, but likely still keep us out of the playoffs, which we haven’t reached since ‘06.	70 - 92
20	Red Sox	-6	In a way, the Sox got lucky. This is probably the worst Sox team we'll see in awhile, and we only see 1/3rd of the games from them. They've been devastated by injuries, lost free agents (mookie 😭), and years of horrible front office decisions. Thankfully, we've got Chaim Bloom on our side to save us from the terrible signings and to hopefully build a juggernaut farm akin to the Dodgers and Yankees. Until then though, I'm looking forwards to a low expectation/low stress Red Sox season.	84 - 78
21	Rangers	-3	Wear a mask. Wash your hands. As for my rankings, I tried to do my best here. Not sure how these 60 games are going to go but I think the teams with the better pitching might have an advantage but honestly not sure. Fuck the Astros.	78 - 84
22	Blue Jays	+3	The 2020 Homeless Blue Jays will be must watch TV, featuring a lineup comprised of young studs Bo Bichette, Vladdy Jr, Cavan Biggio. Hyun-Jin Ryu will take the ball on opening day, and the rotation should feature Fireballing Rookie Nate Pearson by the 2nd week in August. Sure, the government disowned them, and they aren't actually ALLOWED to play in the country, but they're still Canada's team. In a Pandemic Shortened Season, featuring an improved pitching staff, with a fiery young lineup, much of the fan base has to be thinking "Why Not Us?".	67 - 95
23	Rockies	+0	After an offseason that included a public war of words between Nolan Arenado and GM Jeff Bridich (and not much else) the Rockies will look to recapture their 2017/2018 magic. Your guess is as good as mine if they can in an abbreviated season.	71 - 91
24	Giants	-5	Buster Posey isn't playing because he's a hero. Tyler Beede is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Brandon Belt has a foot injury. Evan Longoria has an oblique injury. Pablo Sandoval is fat again. Heliot Ramos has a leg infection. Billy Hamilton is still working his way back from covid. But at least baseball is back I guess? At least a short season means the Giants will only be bad for 60 games, as opposed to 162.	77 - 85
25	Pirates	+1	Bob Nutting didn't sell the team, but the offseason otherwise went about as well as you could hope as a Pirates fan. The front office was wiped clean after a disasterous 2019, and new GM Ben Cherington will be tasked with bringing a winner back to Pittsburgh. He'll be using to 2020 season to sift through the wreckage that was Neal Huntington's 2019 roster, which means the on-field product will still be pretty bad. This year, I'll be looking to see if the pitching staff can take a step forward and if some of the Bucs' top prospects can hack it in limited MLB time. At least with a shortened season, Pirate fans only have to watch Colin Moran take the field for 60 games instead of an interminable 162.	69 - 93
26	Royals	+1	Honestly - I don't even know how to rank this season. I'm not even sure the season ends when it's scheduled to. This entire thing seems like a giant clusterfuck. But, on the plus side, Bobby Witt Jr. looks like a future star. Only issue is that he's facing the Royals pitching...	59 - 103
27	Marlins	+1		57 - 105
28	Mariners	-4	BASEBALL 👏 SHOULD 👏 NOT 👏 BE 👏 PLAYED 👏 THIS 👏 YEAR 👏	68 - 94
29	Tigers	+1	Last year was TankforTork, so this year is... GetKreamedforKumar? We might need to work on that one. What I do know is that this will be another painful year, but a year offering some glimmers of hope as Casey Mize and Isaac Paredes figure to challenge for playing time later on (if we actually finish the season). Miguel Cabrera looks as slim as he's ever been in a Tigers uniform (BSOHL!!!) in order to lessen the load on his back and knees as he heads into the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.	47 - 114
30	Orioles	-1	The season will be 60 games, the Orioles have the toughest schedule (based on teams records from last year), and the supposed opening day starter already has a sore arm. If you could bet that the Orioles will have more losses than any team will have wins in Vegas...I would take that bet.	54 - 108

3 Things: Baseball betting considerations

Your 2020 Season Survival Guide and R/Baseball Refresher!

Before we dive in, if you want to participate in the annual Call Your Shot season predictions contest, you can find it here.
It's FINALLY coming! Welcome to the 2020 MLB Season! We are so glad you are here. Don't let the length of this post scare you, we just wanted to consolidate all the relevant information that people have questions about into one place to start the season off. This is your survival guide for the 2020 season, it should have all the pertinent information to answer most of your questions!
If you are a brand new fan I'd recommend going through most of it, if you're a veteran you'll know which sections you'll want to read by their headings. My goal here is that both new and returning fans can learn how to better enjoy the season and know what's going on on Baseball this year. Okay, take some time and read through what you want to read through below!
This is the fourth year of doing this. Every year I go through the previous years comments to find things that should be added or corrected for the next edition, so if you have any great resources or information that you think would be beneficial to add, please comment it below!
Sections:

Introduction for new and renewed interest fans.
Rule changes for 2020
Finding a Team
Knowing Where Different Teams Stand
Baseball
Your Team's Sub
Twitter, Podcasts, and Other General News/Analysis Sources
The Statistical Titans: Baseball Reference and Fangraphs
Where to watch? Your TV and Streaming Guide
MLB.tv
MLB At Bat App
How to watch baseball.
Where to watch highlights and game recaps.
TL;DR: Find a way to enjoy the game.

Introduction for new and renewed interest fans.

Baseball normally has a long season. I don't just mean that in terms of time between opening day and the World Series (which can be considered long as it is), but also the 162 games played in 183 days, 18-20 times against the same 4 teams each. It can be daunting, and many people lose interest by "the dog days" of June and July. This year things are going to be a little different. With only 60 games on the schedule (assuming we make it through without a major clubhouse covid outbreak that cancels games versus that team) every game is going to matter about 3x as much as one in a normal regular season. Tensions will be high, but we might not feel it because there won't be that much crowd noise. THAT SAID - they're still playing 60 games in 66 days, which means almost every day for the next two months isn't just packed with baseball, they're packed with YOUR FAVORITE TEAMS baseball, which while exciting after months without any American sports in the regular season (MLS - a tournament is not the regular season) can end up feeling overwhelming when you just finished watching a late game go into extras then wake up to realize there's an afternoon game on in six hours.
This guide is meant to help you if you wish to avoid being one of those who feels overwhelmed and loses interest a couple weeks after Opening Day.
First and foremost if you are a new fan or newly returning, you must remember one thing: you do not need to watch every game. Many football fans, and even some basketball and hockey fans, find this difficult, they're used to setting aside a few nights a week to watch their team, and they can watch all the games. Baseball isn't like that. For the next two months, your team will only have 6 days where they won't be playing a game. And some of the games they play will start as early as 9:20am (Pacific Time), others will end after 1am (Eastern Time). If you miss a game it's okay, odds are there's another one tomorrow. If you miss a week, no big deal, hell if you get busy for a few months and aren't able to watch you team, that's not an issue, because you can still follow your team.
Baseball is a game to be followed. In the old days it meant picking up the morning paper and checking the box scores. Now it means being able to have a final score texted/tweeted/messaged/emailed/what-evered to you the minute the game ends, or rolling over in bed when you can't sleep and grabbing your phone to check the West Coast scores. It means being able to check reddit in the morning to see any breaking news from across the league, or catch a story you missed. We live in a time where you can go to MLB.com and get a recap of every game from last night in less than 10 minutes. Honestly, baseball was made to be consumed, and the technology age makes it easier than ever, whether you want to spend hours every day pouring over stats and analysis, or 15 seconds to see how your team and their playoff rivals did today.
The rest of this guide is mostly dedicated to ways that you can help yourself follow your team, and if you have time follow the entirety of MLB.
Anyways, enough rambling, TL;DR Don't worry if you miss games, there'll be one tomorrow.

Rule Changes for 2020

For this season only (or so they say...):

The NL will utilize the DH full time.
In extra innings the person in the batting order immediately before the lead off hitter will start on second base.
Games suspended due to rain will continue play at a later date rather than be washed out and restarted.
Arguing within six feet of an umpire or participating in a fight will be met with heftier fines and suspensions this yaer.
Pitchers will be allowed a wet rag to be brought out from the dugout in lieu of being able to lick their fingers for better grip.
Each team has a 20 extra players in their "taxi squad" in addition to their active roster and 40-man roster.
Active rosters will start at 30 players, then will be cut to 28 after two weeks, then 26 after four weeks.
Spitting is not allowed.
Non-social distanced celebrations are not allowed.

Permanent (as any rule change can be in baseball) rule changes for 2020 and beyond:

Three batter minimum - pitcher entering the game must face a minimum of three batters unless they complete an inning.
The MLB Active Roster is expanded from 25 players to 26 players.

Finding a Team

I always recommend following the local team since you'll have more access to news about them in the local media and should be able to get their radio broadcast, as well as TV broadcasts of them if you have cable/satellite/streaming, and depending on where you're at the occasional over the air game, but if you don't live by a team or don't want to follow the local team, or are just looking for a second team to follow, I wrote this in depth guide to picking a team that's the right fit for you.

Knowing Where Different Teams Stand

Every year ESPN, Sports Illustrated, FOX, NBS, and every other sports related site puts out their season previews. These are great for getting a basic rundown of what is going on with each team, and a simple google search will bring up a plethora of possible articles to read.
If what you really want is a fans perspective on what each team's expectations condensed into a few short comments, I'd highly recommend going through each teams day from our annual "Why will X team exceed expectations?" series. All the previous posts are linked in the Astros thread.

Baseball

Alright, so plugging baseball on baseball seems a bit redundant, but I think it's a good reminder that this is a great hub for all your MLB news throughout the season while still letting you see the occasional amazing college/minor league/foreign league performance.
During the season there are a number of features to keep you informed of all the goings on around baseball.
Every day of the season (and a portion of the offseason) we have General Discussion threads we call Around the Horn. These are great places to ask questions and discuss anything that you want to know about baseball but don't feel like it deserves it's own post. In the Around the Horn post you'll be able to see a full schedule of what is going on around Baseball every week.
Here are the weekly features:
Daily: Nightly Pick'Em - A six year running contest to pick the result of one game every day. Details can be found in this thread.
Monday: Power Rankings - A team of 30 fans from every team in baseball, led by ~~masochist~~ fearless leader kasutori_jack, releases their composite power rankings of the 30 teams. This leads to well thought out discussions and some in depth analysis, as well as salty fans crying about how their team is underrated (there may be more of the latter than the former, but it's still a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of how every team is doing).
Monday (Unofficial) - The last few years thekmanpwnudwn has posted a State of the Subreddits post that gives the top post from each team's subreddit from the last week. This is a great roundup post for staying up to date on what all the different team fandoms are feeling, and helps you catch any milestones you might have otherwise missed.
Tuesday: Weekly Awards - Led by lemcoe9 a different team of a fan from every team releases the results of their weekly (and monthly) voting for who the best position player and pitcher was since the last vote was taken. Once again, a great way to keep track of which players are on hot streaks, and who's dominating the league.
Wednesday: Wild Card Wednesday - Each week a new contest, trivia game, or just out of the box fun thread will be stickied! Got an idea? Let the mods know!
Thursdays: Division Discussions - We rotate between the Easts, Centrals, and Wests to do some more in depth talk about where the playoff races and teams stand. If you only have time for one baseball thread every week and want to keep up with the league, this is the thread to set aside time for.
Friday: Trash Talk/Compliment/Complaint - FRIDAYS ARE FUN DAYS, WE ROTATE BETWEEN TRASH TALK, COMPLIMENT, TRASH TALK, AND COMPLAIN THREADS! TRADITION STATES ALL COMMENTS BE IN ALL CAPS AND ENDING IN EXCLAMATION POINTS! WE ROTATE RATHER THAN HAVE A SET DAY FOR EACH ALL SEASON BECAUSE IT'S A LONG SEASON AND ANY ONE OF THE THREE THREADS CAN GET STALE FAST IF YOU DON'T LEAVE TIME FOR MORE AMMUNITION!
Saturday: Saturday is when we usually plug in occasional things that don't necessarily deserve weekly attention. Things like in depth stat discussions, memorobilia sharing, craft projects, etc.
Sunday: Game of the Week - Sunday is the one day a week where we get together as a subreddit to watch a baseball game together, since it's the one time every week where there's only one game going on and there's guaranteed to be a game. The Sunday Night Baseball game thread is usually posted a couple hours before the first pitch.
In addition the playoffs, and select premier match-ups (mostly at the very end of the season where there is a lot riding on a regular season game) we host game threads for all baseball users. These are neutral thread, for more info on less neutral ones skip to the next section. We may experiment with game threads in baseball for the MLB.tv Free Game of the Day this year.
In addition to all these features, it really is a great place to keep up with breaking news and highlights. It'll be posted here minutes after someone tweets it, and long before it's on MLB.com. Team beat writers get the stories first, and it's easier to check in here a couple times a day than follow every one of them. Plus there's something the kids are calling "dank memes" (but not too many, because us mods don't allow too much moisture to get into the servers).

Your Team's Subreddit (And other team subs as well)

The mods at baseball have one goal - help you have the best possible reddit baseball experience, and a LOT of that is helping you get connected to other fans of your team (which feels a little like a cop-out because it means less work for us if you're doing more on your team's sub, but your team's mods aren't complaining.)
One of the main draws of team subs (other than in depth discussion with like-fan-minded users, getting breaking news and analysis on your team, team-memes, and other reddit discussions that come up from a group of individuals who can agree on one thing) are game threads. At this time (to the best of my knowledge) every team sub hosts game threads for their team's games, and you can easily access them in the sidebar during the season by clicking on the team's logo in the schedule (we're working on getting that up to speed, MLB changed some parts of their RSS and background data and we've had to work around that to get our automated system back up). We like to keep the game threads in team subs for a few reasons, one of which is we want to support the team subs and send them relevant traffic when we can because they really do an amazing job, another is because with 15 games a day this place would look like crap if we had game threads for every game or let users post them as they please (we've tried it, it blots out news, discussion, and highlights and looks like crap, baseball doesn't have only a couple days set aside for games or focus on marquee match ups like many other sports, it's 2430 games played in 183 days and is better when it's spread out.)
Even if you're not a game thread person though, getting connected with a good team sub can make disappointing seasons more bearable, and great seasons more exciting, and I know plenty of users that said that their team's sub basically keeps them fans. Team subs are also a great place to get connected to...

Twitter, Podcasts, and other General News/Analysis Sources

Going to be honest here, I don't use twitter and I do not frequently read other people's blogs. I know many people do and enjoy it, and I believe the best way to find the people to follow/sites to visit that interest you the most are to hang around your team's sub and note which Tweets/Sites that are linked to that most often peak your interest. Your list of favorite baseball writers is going to be different than my favorite list, and finding the right twitter personalities, podcasts hosts, and bloggers can make game analysis more interesting for you even if your team is playing like crap and it's the middle of July.
Here are some common suggestions for some general baseball twitter accounts and podcasts to get you started, but like I said, find what you like and follow those:
Twitter

Account	Account	Account
@MLB	@Ken_Rosenthal	@Buster_ESPN
@jonmorosi	@mlbtraderumors	@MiLB
@JeffPassan	@MLBInjuryNews	@BNightengale
@keithlaw	@based_ball	@SamMillerBB
@jonahkeri	@BaseballAmerica	@brooksbaseball
@BenLindbergh	@ChrisCotillo	@mike_petriello
@MJ_Baumann	@FanRagSports	@TheAthleticMLB
@fangraphs	@baseballprospectus	@baseball_ref
@daynperry	@CBSSportsMLB	@CespedesBBQ
@GrantBrisbee	@JonHeyman	@cantpitch
@MLBRosterMoves	@darenw	@extrabaggs

Podcasts

Account	Account	Account
Effectively Wild	Baseball Tonight	The Ringer

The Statistical Titans: Baseball Reference and Fangraphs

Literally every day you will find a link or to BaseballReference.com or Fangraphs.com here, it's a given, and it's because these are the two most extensive free baseball databases that are easy to navigate. If you want to look up anything about baseball history, check Baseball Reference, if you want to look up how players stack up with non-proprietary advanced metrics or read an insightful blog post about why someone is overrated/underrated or overperforming/underperforming, check Fangraphs. With these two sites you have all the stats and figures you need to make a competent argument for basically anything you want with a little cherry picking.
A large part of the modern baseball world is statistics and you're going to find yourself getting more immersed in discussing the game if you can get a handle on all the terms getting thrown around. If you are brand new to baseball, take a little while to get to know the game before diving into these sites, but if you have a handle on the basics and are ready to know what this WAR everyone is talking about is, dive into the glossaries and find the statistics.
When you get the basics, creating your own analysis doesn't seem as daunting, and one of the reasons I love baseball is that I can deconstruct pretty much every play and find some meaning behind it. If you are like that and enjoy numbers, theoretical projections, and breaking things down into simple figures before reconstructing them into something long and beautiful, then learning the basics of sabrmetrics will make you a baseball fan for life. If, on the other hand, you just want to enjoy the game for the beautiful pastime that it is by watching, then we've got a little bit to go through...

Where to Watch? - Your TV and Streaming Guide

So a big part of baseball is, you know, actually being able to watch the games (though as I talk about at the end, it might not necessarily be the case for you, and that doesn't mean you can't enjoy baseball, skip down and see what I'm talking about in the final section).
First off, if you are looking for free games to watch, you are in luck! MLB.tv streams one game a day for free on MLB.com and Yahoo.com. These games are subject to local blackouts (details on those in the MLB.tv section) but are definitely worth watching if you're trying to see if you'll enjoy baseball, or just need a free baseball fix. Facebook is also streaming one game a week during the season for free. The other free games available are from May 18 to July 13 on Saturday night and Thursday nights in September when FOX airs games on their OTA affiliated networks. Believe it or not, TV antennas still work in most areas, and these games are free to watch. Some teams also broadcast select games on OTA networks in their region.
Okay, so now the more expensive stuff. If you have even the most basic cable package (or log in information) you probably have ESPN. ESPN airs games every Sunday Night as well as Wednesday Night and Opening Weekend. These games are also available on ESPN Go.
You also probably have a regional sports channel. This is where almost all of your local teams games will be aired. Here is a decent breakdown of every team and what network they are carried on.
TBS is also on even the most basic networks, they air games the final 13 Sundays of the regular season in the afternoon.
FS1 and FOX carry baseball games almost every Saturday of the season, and MLB Network carries games pretty much every day.
A list of currently scheduled national broadcasts is available here, not all games have been chosen so there will be more added to the list.
For all these networks (except for the Dodgers, Orioles, and Nationals regional networks) there are options to stream the games online provided you have cable login information for the channel. During the playoffs FS1, TBS, and MLB Network will carry most of the games, with ESPN carrying a wild card game and FOX carrying the World Series.
Now there are also streaming services that grant access to most of the previously mentioned channels:

Sling TV Orange package gets you ESPN, ESPN 2, and TBS.
Sling TV Blue package gets you FOX, FS1, FS2, TBS, and most regional sports networks.
Youtube TV gets you FOX, ESPN, ESPN 2, FS1, TBS, MLB Network, and some regional sports networks.
HULU Live gets you FOX, ESPN, ESPN 2, FS1, FS2, TBS, and your regional sports networks.
Playstation Vue Access gets you FOX, ESPN, ESPN 2, FS1, FS2, and TBS.
Playstation Vue Core adds MLB Network to the Access channels.
Playstation Vue Sports Extra adds regional sports networks in addition to your other channels.
AT&T TV Now Live a Little gets you FOX, ESPN, ESPN 2, FS1, and TBS and your regional sports networks.
AT&T TV Now Just Right adds MLB Network to the Live a Little channels.
AT&T TV Now Go Big adds FS2 to the Just Right channels.
FUBO Premier gets you FOX, FS1, and your regional sports networks

Also, ESPN+ will carry select games pretty much daily throughout the season.

MLB.TV - the Ultimate Fan Investment

Alright, so a few things to cover with this, first of all YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LEGALLY STREAM IN MARKET GAMES IF YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. MLB.tv uses your IP address to see where you are located, and if it pings back that you are in a team's home market it will not let you watch the game LIVE. Here is where you can find what games MLB.tv will black you out from. National broadcasts on ESPN, FOX, and TBS are also subject to blackouts within the United States (MLB Network games are not). Before you ask, yes there are less than legal ways to get around this (spoofing your IP address, subreddit dedicated to mlb streams, etc.), but I won't be talking about those in detail here. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, YOU WILL HAVE NO BLACKOUTS.
Even if you are blacked out, you will be able to watch the game 90 minutes after it finishes, so if you work a late shift or stay up late it might be worth it for you anyways even if you only want to follow one team.
Military members and college students, don't forget to apply your 35% discount!
"But I don't want to watch EVERY out of market game, I just want to watch MY team!" Cool, for $25 less there's a single team option that will allow you to watch all your team's non-blacked out games! Personally, I'd pay the extra $25 for the opportunity to watch every Kershaw, Bumgarner, and Scherzer start, or put the Cubs on in the background while working on a Friday afternoon, but to each their own.
"But I don't want to commit for a full year!" That's okay, there's a monthly option as well in case you know there are months where you can't watch as much.
Some of the fun features of MLB.tv include the ability to watch four games at once and quickly swap your audio from one to another (seriously, I'm never on commercial break when I'm watching baseball, unless there's only one game on I'm able to watch it all, and in September that's huge) and condensed games. What are condensed games? They go through and cut out all the time between pitches and innings, meaning if you want to watch a whole game in less than a half hour (or are searching desperately for a play to make a .gif or streamable out of that for some reason isn't considered a highlight) it's really easy. If you're someone who really wants to get into the game but can't figure out how to grind through watching a full game, Condensed Games are great for keeping up with a team while you learn the little details between pitches that somehow make watching the catcher twiddle his fingers exciting for some fans.
Also, new this year, MLB has added some great baseball documentaries to your MLB.tv subscription, giving you access to more than just games for the first time.
In addition, there are two great resources to enhance your total immersion into baseball if there are multiple games going on. Please note for both of these you must already be logged into MLB.tv to make them work. The first, and most basic, is Brooks Baseball's MLB.TV Redzone. It will automatically take you to the highest leverage game going on, and will automatically shift you to another game between innings OR if another game enters a higher leverage situation. For a more personalized touch, The Baseball Guage has MLB.TV Game Changer which lets you customize your preferences so MLB.tv will always switch to the game that is most relevant to you. This is great if you play fantasy and want to keep up with your players, are waiting for someone to hit a milestone, or if you want to make sure your action is broken into to follow a no-hitter in progress.
It also gives you a free subscription to...

MLB AtBat - The Most Underrated Way to Stay Connected to Baseball

MLB AtBat is MLB's official application. It comes in two versions, the free version which has ads but is useful for keeping up to date with all the scores, and the paid version ($19.99 for the year of $2.99 monthly) which gives you access to ad-free content, Gameday on your mobile device, and (most valuable) access to every team's radio stream for every game during the season and postseason completely blackout free. If there's a day game, you can bet I'm listening to it at work, if I'm mowing the lawn on a Saturday I'm listening to a game, when I can't sleep at night, on comes a West Coast game. To get the paid version you must download the free version, then subscribe within the app, or log into an MLB account that has MLB.tv.
Baseball was made to be on the radio, it's a sport that is very easy to follow the action with the right announcer. At work (or school) it's great because you can half listen, and when the announcer gets excited you can instantly tune back in to hear what's going on. This is the most underrated way to stay connected to your team throughout the year. Before I could afford MLB.tv, this was the way to go, and it honestly makes me question every year whether getting the MLB.tv package is worth is when I can get 80% of the entertainment value from listening to the games (and every year I manage to forget to unsubscribe, for many reasons listed above).
Gameday on mobile is also a great feature, it lets you quickly check in on the action during brief recesses in meetings (or under the table during meetings), or breaks between classes (or under a desk in classes). This is honestly my primary means of keeping track of Twins games throughout the year. My wife thinks I'm crazy when I could just watch the game, but instead am nervously checking my phone every couple minutes. IF I WATCH I JINX THE TEAM, HONEY!

How to watch baseball?

So this is a question that we get from many new fans who are just trying to figure out what the hell is going on and why people find this game so fascinating. I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way, yes there are some "boring" parts of watching baseball on TV. The camera fans to a batter spitting and adjusting his gloves, the pitcher adjusts his crotch then licks his fingers, random shots of a bored looking manager, etc. When you are actually at the ballpark you can be watching where the catcher and fielders set up to try to predict the pitch that is coming (read The Hidden Language of Baseball by Paul Dickson for some great insight into how to interpret this), but on TV it's not usually the case. This is where I have some suggestions for new fans trying to get into it.
First off, if you are looking for just a relaxing day, embrace the slow pace with a beer and veg out on the couch while watching. It's meant to be slow and relaxing (until it gets tense and exciting, usually with runners on). Seriously, when was the last time you just sat and did nothing? Mid July afternoon games are a perfect way to reach that zen of half-consciousness, until something happens to get you sucked into the action.
Another option to stay engaged is keeping score. I find keeping score relaxing and looking back through a scorebook can be fun to see what you were doing a few years ago (except for that damn unfinished scorecard from 2015 where A-Rod hit the most predictable home run in Twins-Yankees history and I sent my scorecard flying to the other side of the room). As NPR once put it, keeping score is a knowledge making activity, and if you have the time and patience for it it is a great way to learn the game. There are a couple different guides to keeping score, and most scorebooks/cards will have a brief example of how to do so. If you have any questions, the Around the Horn thread is a great place to ask!
Gamethreads are another way to get together with other baseball fans and pass the time between pitches, especially in team subs you get to know the regulars and conversations start to wonder away from baseball at times throughout the game, and that's fine. Baseball is an excuse to enjoy a summer day.
For those that want to actually understand what is going on during that time, though, there are some options. Watching Baseball Smarter by Zack Hample (who despite his reputation on this subreddit knows some stuff and actually pops in from time to time to comment on different things) is a good starting place for new fans. Baseball for Dummies and The Complete Idiots Guide to Baseball are also good starting points for those willing to sit and read for a little bit.
For those who don't want to read a book, I guess I can touch on what I'm looking for between pitches. A big part of baseball is pitch selection, so scouting out a pitchers repertoire of pitches is a good starting point, BrooksBaseball.net has great cheat sheets on every pitcher in the game, and PitcherList.com has a visual example of each pitcher's pitches so you can see what you can be looking for. Anyways, I mention that because the whole reason the catcher is twiddling his fingers behind the plate is to go over with the pitcher what pitch is going to be thrown. What I'm watching for between pitches is where the catcher is setting up behind the plate and guessing which pitch is going to be thrown. A 2-0 and 3-1 count are known as hitters counts because the pitcher needs to throw a strike or risk walking the batter, when the count reaches either of those pay attention, because the hitters going to be looking for his perfect pitch and there's probably going to be some action on the field. 0-1, 0-2, and 1-2 are pitcher's counts, look for curveball, slider or other somewhat nasty pitch to be thrown to get the batter to swing at a bad pitch, or a fastball inside to catch them off guard. If you have any questions about this, go ahead and ask in an around the horn thread.

Where to watch highlights and game recaps.

There are many many places to see highlights and game recaps, this is not an exhaustive list, but is a good start.
For highlights, bigger highlights will often be posed here on baseball a few minutes after they occur, if you wish to post them please familiarize yourself with the subreddit rules. They also appear relatively quickly on MLB.com in each games Gameday area. For a pretty slick collection of highlights from across MLB, https://baseball.theate is a great place to exclusively watch highlights.
There are a few ways to get great game recaps. If you have MLB Network, every day Quick Pitch is an hour-long show that recaps every game from the previous day. It usually starts after MLB Tonight (about 10pm EDT) or whatever game MLB Network is showing finishes up, and runs until 10am EDT the next day. MLB.com also puts out recaps of every game by the next morning, usually a 2-5 minutes quick rundown of highlights that can be found on the game recap. It also puts out Fastcast videos on youtube and their website every morning which has a brief rundown of all the games from the previous day. Here's an example of a Fastcast from two seasons ago.
If you want one concise place to see most of these, efitz11 was amazing last season and posted video links to every game recap and fastcast in the daily Around the Horn thread. Here's an example. I am unsure if they plan to continue it this year, but it would be surely appreciated!

TL;DR Finding what you enjoy about the game.

When it boils down to it, baseball is about finding entertainment and enjoyment, and don't let anyone try to tell you how to enjoy baseball. If you want nothing to do with statistical analysis and just want to enjoy what's going on on the field, don't let anyone tell you you aren't enough of a fan, and if you want to dissect a player into their strengths and components using statcast and advanced metrics don't let anyone tell you you're reading into the game too much. You can follow one team, and only one team, or you can follow multiple teams, don't let anyone tell you you're not a true fan for wearing another team's gear or enjoying their games. You might enjoy bat flips and flamboyance, or reserved speedy home run trots. You might not even enjoy physically watching a game (especially not if your team isn't playing), but find yourself loving keeping track of your team through the season and tracking your players or maybe just the thrill of the standings race and scoreboard watching or maybe you just love all the numbers that get thrown around and arguing about their relevancy. That's okay, eventually I believe enjoyment of the game itself will come, but even if it doesn't, the long baseball season is still creating a place of enjoyment for you, and that's what matters. If you have any questions, once again, feel free to ask them in our daily Around the Horn thread, or below in the comments, or if you really want to feel free to PM with questions and I'd be happy to answer.
So watch games this week and join in the discussion here, you'll naturally find yourself gravitating towards certain players or teams and enjoying different aspects of the game. Baseball is a long season, find what you enjoy, stick to it, dwell on it, and enjoy it.
TL;DR for the TL;DR - Baseball is fun

Wrestling Observer Rewind ★ Apr. 1, 2002

Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives.
PREVIOUSLY:


1-7-2002	1-14-2002	1-21-2002	1-28-2002
2-4-2002	2-11-2002	2-18-2002	2-25-2002
3-4-2002	3-11-2002	3-18-2002	3-25-2002

NOTE: Sorry about no post on Friday. Real life shit got in the way.

WWF finally took the plunge and went through with the long-rumored brand split this week, all while Steve Austin was sitting at home. Austin walked out after Wrestlemania and didn't appear on TV this week for the draft. He was expected to be the #1 pick fro Raw, so they changed the angle and explained that he couldn't be drafted due to a contract situation. Austin still has a year left on his WWF deal, so he can't go anywhere, but he isn't hurting for money so he can sit at home and be just fine. Austin's issues date back a couple of months and he was vocally unhappy about working with Scott Hall and the NWO in general. Morale in the company has sank since those guys came in, got main event spots, and started getting everything they wanted creatively and professionally. Some in the locker room see Austin's walkout as him protesting the state of the company, with an unhappy locker room that no longer has any leverage since all the other companies are dead, and Austin is the one guy with enough "fuck you" clout that he can stand up to Vince. Most of the wrestlers are said to be on his side, though the NWO guys and Triple H and co. obviously don't feel the same. But it goes back further than that. Austin was telling people 6 months ago that he would go home if the job stopped being fun.
Anyway, Dave breaks down the rosters of each show. Triple H and Jazz (men and women's champs) will float between both shows and work about half the house shows for each brand. Raw gets the IC, Euro, and Hardcore champions. Smackdown gets tag titles and cruiserweights. Several notable names were undrafted. Rhyno, Mike Awesome, Steve Blackman, and Chris Kanyon are all injured and weren't placed anywhere. Developmental names like Randy Orton and Ron Waterman are expected to be called up soon, among others. If Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio are brought in, they'll likely be on SD with the cruiserweight division (Dave says Guerrero canceled his NJPW bookings for April which is a pretty solid sign that he'll be returning soon). Many of the lower-card wrestlers had no idea where they were going to end up and had to log on to wwf.com later that night to legitimately find out their futures. Tag teams like the Dudleyz and the APA were split up in the draft. Dave can't see the logic in splitting the Dudleyz and hopes it's the beginning of an angle that eventually reunites them. As for the APA, that's fine. Faarooq's career is winding down anyway and they've been talking about pushing Bradshaw as a single's star for over a year.
Raw is missing its top draw (Austin) and is pretty weak overall. Lumbering giants like Undertaker, Kevin Nash, and Big Show all ended up on Raw so don't expect a lot of great matches coming out of that brand. Plus they drafted Brock Lesnar to that brand, so his impressive size isn't going to stand out as much among those guys. With the cruiserweight division, plus guys like Jericho, Benoit, and Angle, you can bet Smackdown is going to have the better matches. Plus they have The Rock and Hogan for star power. But much like Raw, Smackdown might be in danger of not having its top draw either. Rock is expected to be gone for much of the summer to film another movie and he's continuing to get more and more movie offers, which means more time away from wrestling. And Hogan can't be a long-term weekly top draw anymore, no matter how much nostalgia popularity he has right now. Which means it's vital that they finally commit to pushing Angle, Jericho, and Benoit as real top stars.

WATCH: Linda McMahon introduces the first WWF Draft

Dave reviews the latest UFC show, with Josh Barnett winning the heavyweight title from Randy Couture in an upset. Long detailed recap full of the usual news and stuff, but it's MMA sooooo...
And the next story is about Cael Sanderson of Iowa State becoming, record-wise, the single greatest collegiate wrestler in U.S. history by winning his 4th NCAA championship and ending his college record at 159-0. So MMA and college wrestling. On to the next...
AJPW notes: after long negotiations, AJPW failed to secure a new TV deal. The normal TV season in Japan is starting next week and they were hoping to have a deal signed by now, but no luck. Also, they're interested in bringing in Super Crazy for their junior heavyweight division but it'll likely depend on whether he gets an offer from WWF instead (neither happens right now. He spends the next 2 years bouncing around NJPW, CMLL, and Zero-1 before he finally ends up in WWE in 2005).
Already halfway through the issue and past the major stories. This seems like a slow issue wrestling-wise, but the UFC and Cael Sanderson stories were both big chunks so....sorry this one kinda blows.
NOAH junior champion Naomichi Marufuji dislocated his knee when landing wrong on a moonsault and had to be stretchered out at a recent show. No word on how long he'll be out of action for (must have been a pretty bad injury. Looks like he comes back 2 weeks later, wrestles a match to drop the title, and then is out of action for the next 10 months).
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono won the vacant tag team titles at the latest NJPW show, beating Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi in a tournament final match. The titles were, of course, vacated when Keiji Muto jumped ship to AJPW, leaving his partner Taiyo Kea and the belts behind. Nagata ate the pin here. And in fact, Nagata also recently did several submission jobs to Tadao Yasuda at some shows and Dave jokes that Nagata is getting the Chris Jericho push. You know, beat him to death for months on end until the fans see him as a midcarder, then put the title on him with almost no build-up, and then wonder why he's not over and blame him when business is down (indeed, Nagata wins the IWGP title just a week or two after this and even though he holds it for 13 months, business goes in the toilet. And it's through no fault of Nagata's).
Antonio Inoki announced that he is bringing in Chyna to the NJPW 30th anniversary show at the Tokyo Dome in May. Remember a week or so ago when Inoki talked about how successful WWF's recent show in Japan was and admitted that maybe he has some stuff to learn from it? This is it. Inoki realized the huge popularity WWF has in Japan right now and reached out to one of their biggest stars of the last few years to bring in as a celebrity guest. The idea they teased in the press is that she would come in and work a match and probably defeat one of NJPW's lower card guys, which Dave thinks would be a horrible idea (yeah, that would suck. Better idea: how about she goes over Yuji Nagata and Jushin Liger in her first match, how's that sound Dave? Because that's exactly what we get. Fuckin' Inoki, man...)
NJPW's latest show in Tokyo did a disappointing attendance number and Dave says that's what happens when you make Tadao Yasuda your world champion. No matter how much publicity he got off his upset MMA victory a few months ago, and no matter how nice his underdog comeback story is, he flat out sucks as a pro wrestler and the crowd sees it and don't buy him as champion. Even worse, they had him go over Tenzan by submission. With NJPW's depleted roster, Tenzan is one of the only cool, not-washed-up wrestlers they have left. Anyway, this sets up a Yasuda match with Nagata at the next show in Tokyo and if NJPW has any smarts at all, they'll get that belt off him and onto Nagata ASAP (they do, thankfully).
Bobby Heenan is currently recovering from surgery to remove his lymph nodes. following his recent cancer diagnosis and is said to be in good spirits.
Various notes: Goldberg filmed an episode of the HBO show Arli$$ recently. Ken Patera did an interview and said the strongest men in wrestling from his era were Andre The Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Ivan Putski, Billy Graham, and Tony Atlas, in that order, and praised Bruno for being extra impressive because he never used steroids. Shane Douglas' Time Warner contract is expiring in a few weeks and it's rumored he'll be working with XPW as a wrestlebooker.
Jerry Jarrett's new promotion is expected to start in June and there continue to be rumors that Vince Russo will be ghost-writing the show. Dave says the differences between a Russo show and a Jarrett show should be pretty glaringly obvious within the first few minutes of the first show, so we'll just have to wait and see (I don't know if he was involved in the very first shows or not, but he joins the company within the first month).
Remember the WCW KISS Demon? Well his real name is Dale Torborg and he now works as a coach for the Florida Marlins baseball team (his father Jeff is the manager of the team). Anyway, Torborg recently got into a confrontation with relief pitcher Antonio Alfonseca that is rumored to have gotten physical and resulted in Alfonseca locking himself in a trainer's office to get away. Everyone on the team is being hush-hush about the incident. Alfonseca apparently has a bit of a reputation of being hard to deal with, but since the incident, he's allegedly been on his best behavior because apparently the KISS Demon put the fear of god in him (here's a news article from it at the time. Alfonseca ends up being traded to a new team a few days later, although the Marlins denied this incident had anything to do with it).

READ: 2002 ESPN article about Torborg incident

Ring of Honor has announced some new rules for its promotion. For starters, they're bringing back tag ropes (yeah, during this era, that was a small thing that sorta just got ignored by everyone for years). They're also not doing any count-outs. ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky said that outside-the-ring counts always go really slow and referees have to stall or find excuses to break the count and no one likes count-out finishes anyway, so why even have them? So now, you can fight on the floor all you want. Dave says AJPW pretty much did the same thing in the 90s. ROH also wants to have very little outside interference or ref bumps and clean finishes.
Apparently, Jake Roberts is being investigated in England by the RSPCA for animal cruelty. After a recent show there, someone complained that he was being cruel to his snake at the show. The next night, the RSPCA sent an agent to another show Jake was working to watch and they weren't happy with what they saw either, so they've opened an investigation (yeah, as a kid, this was of course the coolest thing ever. But as an adult, I hate watching the way animals have been used in wrestling over the years. Jake used to just throw that snake around like it was nothing, fling it across the ring, people would fall on it, land on it, step on it, whatever. Remember the scene where Jake locked Ultimate Warrior in a room full of snakes? Go back and watch it now, Warrior is just kicking the shit out of these poor little snakes. Or another example, I remember watching a British Bulldogs match a few months ago and they had Matilda the bulldog jump off the ring apron to the mat below. That's a 3-4 foot jump. As someone who has owned bulldogs, that is terrible for their spines. As a kid, all this stuff was whatever. But as an animal-loving adult, watching all that old footage now makes me real uncomfortable).
An indie promotion in Pittsburg called IWC had a tournament called the Super Indy Tournament featuring Chris Hero, Christopher Daniels, Low-Ki, Colt Cabana, and some kid named CM Punk.
Early estimates for the WWA PPV in Las Vegas are around 31,000 PPV buys. Keep in mind, early estimates are always about 10-25% higher than what the final number ends up being. WWA needed 35,000 just to break-even on this show so even with the inflated number, they didn't do it. So the show is undoubtedly a money-loser, but no idea just how badly yet (spoiler: pretty badly).
Notes from Raw: it was the WWF Draft show! Dave calls it "the latest Russo-like reset of the promotion." Rock was drafted #1 for Smackdown while Undertaker was drafted #1 for Raw. It was announced that Austin wasn't eligible for being drafted and will be a free agent, so they'll figure that out later. Dave says, if you follow the storylines, it makes no sense why Ric Flair would pick Undertaker as his #1 pick (this being the guy he just had a bloodbath with at Wrestlemania and they didn't even bother to explain why Flair picked him). With his next pick, Flair selected the NWO. Once again, just a few weeks ago, Flair was ready to sign over his share of the company and leave the WWF entirely to keep Vince from bringing in the NWO. And now, with no explanation, he's drafted them to Raw. Billy & Chuck and the NWO got drafted together as a team, but the Dudleyz got split apart. Why?! None of this makes sense and Dave is so frustrated with how little thought they put into this after having a year to plan it. (Rewinderman short rant: everybody talks about all the reasons WWE has declined in popularity over the last 20 years and there's always different theories. Bad booking, not creating new stars, not pushing the right people, etc. etc. But I have my own theory that I never hear anyone say: I think it's the lack of attention to detail. Ever since WCW went out of business, Vince has been painting in broad, dumbed down brush strokes, over-explaining dumb, simple storylines, with none of the attention to detail that makes people get invested in a story. Anyway, enough of my opinions). Brock Lesnar came out and beat up a bunch of people again, which he's been doing on every show since his debut. In this case, he threw Rikishi around like a rag doll and Dave says that's one strong fella. They did an angle where Stephanie lost a match and was forced to "leave the WWF" and she was dragged out by security while the crowd sang the goodbye song to her. But Dave says they did this exact same thing with Stephanie in November and that lasted all of 5 weeks before she was back so don't get too excited (sure enough, she'll be back 3 months after this).
Notes from Smackdown: Rico Constantino debuted as the stylist for Billy & Chuck and Dave says that's a dead-end gimmick if there ever was one. He also got a haircut and looks like a totally different person from his OVW days. Rico is a fantastic wrestler and everyone from OVW to front office guys like Jim Ross have gone to bat for him and said he's ready to be a star. But he's small and he's on the older side, so this is clearly where Vince sees him (yeah, even Bruce Prichard later said that pretty much everyone in the company saw star-potential in Rico.....except Vince). Edge vs. Booker T had a rematch that was much better than their Wrestlemania match. And X-Pac debuted (with "a new physique", wink wink) and joined the NWO and they beat down Hogan and got major heat because Hogan is so over right now.
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall showed up several hours late to the Smackdown tapings in Ottawa and the first thing Nash did upon arrival was complain loudly to anyone who would listen about Rock calling him "Big Daddy Bitch" the night before on Raw, saying Rock double-crossed him and Nash hadn't approved that line. Considering all the times Nash went against the script in WCW, needless to say, there were lots of rolled eyes at that. Especially after showing up late also. To make it up to him, during the tag match on Smackdown, they had a spot where Nash yelled "Who's the bitch now?" at him and Michael Cole made sure to bring attention to it on commentary so nobody missed it, so now they're even and now everything is okay I guess. Dave says Nash and Rock smoothed things over between them later because Nash is smart enough to know that making an enemy of The Rock isn't in his best interest. But he was extremely pissed about the line.
Variety reported the new movie Rock is going to be filming later this year will be called Helldorado. It's an action-adventure movie and Rock plays a bounty hunter who heads to the Amazon jungle to capture someone and ends up joining the guy to trying to retrieve something from a local mine (close enough. The movie ends up being renamed The Rundown).
Paul Heyman has dropped significant weight since he was last on TV back in November. Even if they're not a wrestler, Vince wants everyone on television to be "cosmetically presentable."
Assorted WWF notes: Lita is filming an episode of the FOX show "Dark Angel" soon (spoiler: this turns out very poorly for Lita). Steve Blackman is still out with a neck injury and now he gets crippling migraine headaches when he tries to work out or take bumps and Dave says it's possibly career-threatening (indeed, it forces him to retire). Chris Jericho's band Fozzy will be performing at WWF New York next week. The Rock is about to be featured on every TV show and on the cover of every magazine in existence over the next few weeks as part of the Scorpion King promotion.
Dave talks about the current second season of Tough Enough and how interest is way down from the first season. He also kinda gives it a brief review and just says it's boring and nothing really entertaining happens. In the first season, Tazz was the hard ass tough guy trainer to Al Snow's nice guy routine. When Tazz did it, it felt like he was doing it to teach the students respect and was trying to do it in a positive way. This season, Bob Holly is the "bad cop" and he comes across like a complete asshole who is bullying people without any intention of doing it in a way that makes them work harder or become better wrestlers (yeah, you think it's bad now, just wait until season 3 when he starts beating the shit out of Matt Cappotelli).
WWF is going to be working with the Ozzfest concert tour this summer. WWF wrestlers will sign autographs and introduce bands at many of the tour stops and several of the bands will perform on Raw later this year. "That's what happens when there's no Nitro," Dave deadpans.
Regarding the multiple hardcore title changes at Wrestlemania 18, there was discussions about having some of them happen at the CN Tower in Toronto. With the idea that they would brawl into the elevator and end up fighting out onto the outdoor observation deck (like, 100 floors up). But a few weeks before the show, for whatever reason, WWF changed their mind and decided not to pursue it.
Bret Hart recently agreed to work Jacques Rougeau's next indie event at the Molson Center. If you recall, just a few months ago, Rougeau drew a crowd of more than 10,000 to one of his indie shows there. When Vince McMahon found out Hart was going to work the show, he tried to pull a power move and get the Molson Center to give him an exclusivity deal, which would block Rougeau (and anyone else) from being able to run the building. Didn't work and Rougeau's show will go forward as planned as of now (Vince used to do that shit all the time in the 80s to Jim Crockett).
Rey Mysterio hasn't signed with WWF yet but it's considered just a formality. They gave him a low-ball contract offer, far less than he would make just working indies. Of course, it's just his downside guarantee. When you factor in gate money, merch money, video game money, etc. then he stands to make far more than he would on the indies. But if he gets hurt, he'll be sitting at home making very little money. On the other hand, if he gets hurt on the indies, he'll be making no money so better than nothing. Anyway, sounds like Rey shot down the first low-ball offer but they're expected to agree on a deal soon.
Dave has seen more of the TSN Off The Record interviews they did with several WWF stars last week. Ric Flair talked about how much of a disaster WCW was and put over Vince. Dave says that this isn't just Flair publicly kissing the boss's ass. Privately for years, Flair has only said good things about Vince McMahon, dating back to his first run in the early 90s. Even all the years he was in WCW, Flair only had good things to say about him. During the interview, Flair was asked to name someone who could have been an all-time great but didn't have the work ethic. Flair said he couldn't think of anyone off the top of his head, leading Dave to write, "I was screaming Barry Windham but nobody heard me." Jim Ross was next and blamed the environment in WCW for the backstage problems Hall and Nash caused. Dave points out that Hall and Nash caused all those same problems in WWF before they left in 1996 so that doesn't exactly check out. Undertaker's interview was interesting for the rare experience of seeing him out of character, just being Mark Calaway. When asked about something he hates about how the business has changed, Undertaker talked about the internet spoiling things and how it hurts the product when fans know about things in advance. Dave, of course, disputes this and gives an example using the show Friends. Before this season of the show started, TV Guide reported that Ross was going to wind up being the father of Rachel's baby and it was common knowledge. But the ratings were still through the roof for the "reveal." He also jokes that they could have swerved everybody and made it Gunther instead. Then he says if Russo was writing the show, he would have made himself a character called The Scriptwriter and made himself the father of Rachel's baby. (I've never watched Friends, these references are lost on me)
Latest on WWF pay cuts: aside from the very top guys, the company is trying to get most of the roster down to $125,000-or-less per year downside guarantees. Those who work full schedules will still make a lot more than that with PPV/ticket/merch percentages, plus they're doing more house shows this year and with the split rosters, more guys should be working more dates. Plus they raised the price of PPVs so the PPV pay-offs will be bigger. So these pay cuts won't really hurt the full-time stars. But of course, if you get hurt and you're sitting at home only collecting your downside, that's gonna be a lot less money now. So that sucks. On the flip side, WCW used to do the opposite, where guys were hurt and they still collected their full salary, which led to a lot of guys milking "injuries" so they could stay home and cash big ol' checks. So then WCW decided to start cutting people's pay in half when they were out for too long, and that led to people who were legitimately injured coming back too soon because they had bills to pay. So there's a delicate balance that you have to strike there. Also, as part of the new contracts they're trying to get everyone to sign, they're attempting to lock everyone into 3-to-5 year deals because Vince wants to make sure nobody can jump ship and help one of these new start-up promotions like XWF or WWA or the new Jarrett company get off the ground.
Ric Flair is still working on his autobiography that Mark Madden was helping to ghost-write for him. WWF is now attempting to buy the rights for that book away from the original publisher so they can publish it on their own. No word if Mark Madden will still be included or if they'll re-do it (WWF did eventually get it and released it. It has another author listed but still says "edited by" Mark Madden so who knows how much of his contributions made it into the final product).
After Naoya Ogawa took pictures with several WWF names at Wrestlemania, he went back to Japan and I guess got the media stirred up about possibly working with them. Some media outlets have talked about WWF running a Tokyo Dome event headlined by Ogawa vs. The Rock. Dave says this is pure bullshit.

WEDNESDAY: AJPW Triple Crown champion Toshiaki Kawada injured, more on WWF pay cuts, business analysis, the history of wrestling/shoot fighting, more on Steve Austin walking out, and more...

Reinstate Shoeless Joe Jackson, Manfred. This is such an insult to baseball history.

Which MLB Team Namesakes I Could Beat Up

With the offseason winding down, Spring Training starting up, and baseball just around the corner, I think it’s time we talk about a very important issue that’s been on my mind the last couple of days. It’s something that involved a hearty amount of research, a giant serving of statistical analysis, and a pinch of the good ol’ fashioned eye test. It’s my greatest pleasure to bring baseball my findings, titled:

Which MLB Team Namesakes I Could Beat Up.

The rules are simple and laid out as follows:

The winner of the fight will be determined by whoever beats up the other more. This can be determined by submission, KO, or just an executive decision in who’s been beat up more, in the case that a fight winner can’t be determined.
Fighters will not be restricted on their tactics during the fight.
Each fight is 1-on-1.
The hypothetical arena for these hypothetical fights is a classic fighting spot: The back alley behind a bar. It’s nighttime, but the fighting area is well lit by neon signs from the bar and streetlights from just down the alley. The ground is somewhat damp, with a few puddles. There is also a 30 foot circle of drunk bystanders cheering us on.
Combatants are willing to fight and will not immediately flee (though there’s no guarantee I won’t).
In situations where I wasn’t sure how a team got its name or what exactly it referred to, I used Team Name Origins to make an informed judgement.

The stats on me: I’m a 24-year old male, 5’10” (5’11” on a good day), clocking in at around 165 pounds, with a 72” reach (that I measured myself when I was home alone).
Finally, I’m just trying to have some fun with this and by no means want to fight any of you. It’s not my fault I could beat up the thing your team is named after. Don’t like it? Change your team name.
Without further ado, let us begin.

Arizona Diamondbacks: We’re going to assume the fight would be against a Western diamondback rattlesnake as the team is based in Arizona. Wikipedia tells me that they’re far less venomous than other rattlesnakes, but due to their large venom glands can deliver between 250-350 mg of venom, with a maximum of 700–800 mg, per bite. That sounds like a lot. But, I’m confident that, even if it bit me, I could still kick it or something at least once or twice while its fangs were pumping venom into me before completely succumbing to shock. And with a diamondback having a small body, I think that I could beat it up enough to qualify. That thing’s gonna be bruised at least.
VERDICT: I could beat up a diamondback, though I would most definitely be killed by its venom after the fight (still counts as a beat up, though).

Atlanta Braves: The namesake “Braves” comes from James Gaffney’s association with Tammany Hall, a NYC political machine, that used a Native American chief as their symbol. I don’t like the thought of beating up a Native American chief, as most of the chiefs I’ve found online look to be very old, so instead I’m going to beat up a New York politician from 1912 who probably deserves it.
VERDICT: I could beat up a brave.

Baltimore Orioles: I could most definitely beat up an oriole. Its 12.6” (at most) wingspan is at a massive disadvantage to my 72” reach. It may have speed, but I’ve got the brute force that could overpower the bird seeing as it’s only 1.19 oz on average.
VERDICT: I could beat up an oriole.

Boston Red Sox: A pair of red socks are no match for me, seeing as I’m a sentient being and they are a pair of socks dyed red. Now, of course, one might question how I can determine “beating up” a pair of socks but, trust me, it’s possible.
VERDICT: I could beat up a pair of red socks.

Chicago White Sox: One would think the same logic of red socks applies to white socks, but this is where things get tricky. White socks are notoriously sturdy and would require a great deal more effort on my part to successfully beat up. But, by utilizing the teaching of Sun Tzu and keeping my plans dark and impenetrable as night, then falling like a thunderbolt, I could gain the upper hand.
VERDICT: I could beat up a pair of white socks.

Chicago Cubs: It’s hard to lock down exactly what kind of bear the Cubs are as wild bears have been nonexistent in Illinois for some time. Throughout the team’s history, they’ve had a black bear, a brown bear, and even a guy in a polar bear costume represent the team. So, based off their current mascot and logos, it felt safe to assume I’d be fighting a brown bear cub. Also, since a cub is generally referred to as a “yearling” after 1 year of age, the cub would be less than 1 year old. Seeing as a cub less than 1 year of age is less than 80 pounds, I think I could handle myself.
VERDICT: I could beat up a cub, but it would make me really sad to beat up a baby animal, so emotionally I think I’d be beating myself up after.

Cincinnati Reds: If there’s one thing living in the grand ol’ USofA has taught me, it’s that this town ain’t big enough for me and some no good Commie scum. That being said, I’m fairly certain I’d get the shit kicked outta me by a Communist from Russia, which I’m assuming this is. Alternatively, if we go back in history to look at where the name “Reds” comes from, then I’m fighting a pair of disembodied red legs which sounds incredibly scary and also like they can kick really well. I think I lose either way.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a red (Communist or legs).

Cleveland Indians: Yeah I'd lose this fight. Just gonna leave it there.
VERDICT: I could not beat up an indian.

Colorado Rockies: Considering the team is named after some mountains I don’t think I could beat them up. But, I don’t know how a mountain range would get to or fit inside the fighting area I’ve established, so I’m going to say I’d win this fight on a technicality. But also I lose because it’s a mountain and I can’t beat up a mountain.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a Rocky (Mountain), but I can claim I won the fight on account of them not even showing up. Cowards.

Detroit Tigers: It’s a tiger. I lose.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a tiger.

Houston Astros: The average age of an astronaut is 34. Considering one must be in peak physical and mental condition to shoot themself into space I don’t think I stand much of a chance against an astro. On top of that, I’d be severely outmatched when the astro’s friends start banging on the dumpster in the alley, letting them know what kind of attack is coming next.
VERDICT: I could not beat up an astro.

Kansas City Royals: The most famous royal, Queen Elizabeth II, is 93 years old (and will be 94 in a few months). While I’m sure she’s a scrappy fighter, in a 1-on-1 fight I like my chances against that old bag. Sorry England, hope you enjoy the Cubs/Cardinals series this year.
VERDICT: I could beat up the most famous royal, Queen Elizabeth II.

Los Angeles Angels: Fighting an angel would be no small feat. With their giant wings, occasional swords, killer vocals, shiny halos, and proficiency at fighting devils, an angel is a stacked opponent. Of course, I could look to Jacob’s example of how he wrestled one, but let’s be real, I’m no Jacob. Also, I don’t want to piss off the big man upstairs by beating up one of his employees, so I think I’m gonna take the fall on this one.
VERDICT: I could not beat up an angel.

Los Angeles Dodgers: A dodger, by definition, would be very difficult to fight as landing hits would be quite the challenge. That being said, one could also assume that their only move is dodging, not attacking. I think that, with enough time and effort, I could eventually land a few good hits on a dodger since they’re not hitting me back.
VERDICT: I could, eventually, beat up a dodger.

Miami Marlins: Considering the rules for where the fight happens, it feels a bit unfair for a marlin. But, also considering that an Atlantic blue marlin can weigh over 1800 pounds, I still don’t think I could beat one up, even if it was flopping around on the ground.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a marlin.

Milwaukee Brewers: When I think of a brewer I think of 1 of 2 people. Either a surly, gruff person, with immense upper body strength for stirring the beer (or whatever they do, I’m not sure on the specifics) or a hipster micro-brewer that just wants to talk about why IPAs are better than Pilsners. As much as I’d like to fight the latter, with the Brewers being named after beer makers like Pabst, Miller, and Schlitz in the Milwaukee area, it only feels fair to fight the former.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a brewer. Maybe if they were drunk, though.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins are named after the Twin Cities, which I can’t really fight. So if I go with human twins it makes more sense. But where this gets difficult is determining the age/physical makeup of the twins I’m fighting. So, to avoid having to create a long list of hypothetical fights, I’d be fighting my own twin (that was created especially for this fight). In that case, I’m sure my twin would let me beat them up so I can look good for a bunch of people on Reddit.
VERDICT: I could beat up a twin (of myself, given the circumstances).

New York Yankees: A yankee is a term for someone who lives in the US, so if I’m fighting a random person who lives in the US I need to determine the odds of who I might be fighting. A 2018 Population Distribution by Age graph says 24% of the population is children aged 0-18 (which I feel like I could beat up) and 29% of the population is adults aged 55+ (which I also feel like I could beat up). Together, that gives me a 53% chance of fighting a child or older American. In that case, I think I could beat them up. In the case they’re one of the other 47% aged 19-54, I still think I could get a few licks in.
VERDICT: I could (probably) beat up a yankee, if the coin flip goes my way.

New York Mets: Since the Mets name comes from the word metropolitan, which means a city, I don’t think I have much of a chance. Although, a quick Google search also lists the noun “metropolitan” as meaning “a bishop having authority over the bishops of a province, in particular (in Orthodox Churches) one ranking above archbishop and below patriarch.” which I definitely think I could beat up. Not that it matters, though, since the team isn’t named after a bishop, but I just wanted it out there.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a met.

Oakland Athletics: I do not consider myself athletic. An athletic person would definitely beat me up.
VERDICT: I could not beat up an athletic.

Philadelphia Phillies: To be honest, I’m not even really sure what a philly (phillie?) is. Is it the city of Philadelphia? A person from Philadelphia? That green mascot who’s always causing mayhem? A sandwich? A name that means “Horse Lover” (according to Google)? Either way, it feels impossible to fight something when I don’t even know what that something is. Philadelphia, fix your damn team name.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a philly, but not for lack of trying.

Pittsburgh Pirates: If I’m fighting a modern day pirate, I don’t like my odds. Now, if it’s a Pirate of the Caribbean variety, I may have a chance if I use modern day technology to dazzle the pirate while I get ‘em with a 1-2 combo. Even then, the minute hook hands and peg legs start flying I’m most likely getting beat up.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a pirate.

San Diego Padres: I think I could beat up my dad, but I won’t know for sure until he gets back from going out to buy milk. He should be back any day.
VERDICT: I could beat up a padre, if mine ever came home.

San Francisco Giants: A giant would squish me. Simple as that.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a giant.

Seattle Mariners: I am positive I’d be no match for a sailor. Another easy beatdown for my opponent.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a mariner.

St. Louis Cardinals: While cardinals tend to be slightly bigger than orioles, weighing in at around 1.58 oz on average, I still think a cardinal is no match for me. Its beak could surely cause me some damage, but at the end of the day, all I need is one good hit and that bird has been successfully beat up.
VERDICT: I could beat up a cardinal.

Tampa Bay Rays: I think I had a pretty good chance of winning this fight when the name referred to a devil ray (or a manta ray, like the patch on the jerseys), seeing as it’d be another fish out of water situation (you Florida teams and your ill-equipped land combatants). But, now that the name refers to rays of sun, I don’t stand a chance. I get burned if I’m outside in the sun for 20 minutes without sunscreen, so I don’t see how I could hope to win when the sun’s rays are going out of their way to cause me harm. Also, if the sun had to come close enough to Earth to get inside the fighting area it would destroy all life on Earth, and I don’t want that on my conscience. So I’ll concede this fight.
VERDICT: I could not beat up a ray (of sun), but I could beat up a ray (of devil (on land)).

Texas Rangers: I don’t think there’s a single thing named ranger I could beat up. Texas Ranger? Nope. Army Ranger? Nuh-uh. Walker, Texas Ranger? Not a chance. Ford Ranger? Maybe a dent when it runs me over. Power Ranger? It’s Mighty Morphin' Kickin’ My Ass Time!
VERDICT: I could not beat up a ranger, of any variety.

Toronto Blue Jays: Another damn bird? Yes. I could beat up a blue jay. Sure, blue jays can weigh up to 3.5 oz, with a 17” wingspan, but I still don’t think I have anything to worry about.
VERDICT: I could beat up a blue jay.

Washington Nationals: A national is a citizen of a country, so this is a major toss up. I guess since I claimed I could beat up a random yankee, based on the odds I should do the same here. But also, I’ve been working on this a while and this is the last one so I don’t want to hunt down all the statistics for the world’s age distribution. So I’ll just say that I could, because odds are no one even read this far anyway.
VERDICT: I could beat up a national.

In closing, I think I could beat up about half of Major League Baseball’s team namesakes. I’m using the odds to my advantage for some of them, of course, but sometimes you’ve just gotta bet on yourself. I’ve rounded up some of the final stats below:

Namesakes I Could Beat Up: 14
Namesakes I Could Not Beat Up: 16
Most Beat Up-able Division: American League East, with 4.
Least Beat Up-able Division: American League West, with 0.
Easiest Fight: White or red socks.
Hardest Fight: Physically, either a Rocky Mountain or met. Emotionally, a baby bear cub.
Edit: Fixed formatting.

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