“He got the voices speakin’ riddles. He got the eye as black as coal. He’s got a suitcase covered with rattlesnake hide, and he stands right in the road.” – John Fogerty, The Old Man Down the Road
The Cubs were off for Labor Day, a welcome respite for the team and its fans. Rather than go another day without a Rundown, I thought I’d piggyback off of Evan’s predictions column. I don’t agree with some of what Mr. Altman wrote, but then again, what fun would it be if I just copied his predictions and called it a column?
Yes, I agree that Pete Crow-Armstrong will make his MLB debut next season and that Matt Mervis will win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. I also see extensions for Nico Hoerner and Willson Contreras, though the catcher won’t get his until after he accepts Chicago’s qualifying offer. Other than that, here are my bold predictions for this winter and next season.
Kody Clemens is now a pitching legacy.
Kody Clemens was hyped to strike out Shohei for his first K. pic.twitter.com/UD4zJ29TWk
“Mountain gets steeper, the hole you dig gets deeper.” – Eric Clapton, No Alibis
The Cardinals swept the Cubs over the weekend, outscoring Chicago 18-4. The Cardinals hit six home runs in the three-game set. The Cubs hit zero.
At least Marcus Stroman had a strong outing on Sunday. He’s been having a tough go of it at Wrigley Field this season, but he’s been stellar in road games. The two teams have now completed their season series, and the Cubs dropped 13 of the 19 contests.
Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen tied a major league record with six consecutive starts in which he has held his opponents scoreless.
Rodón said the Giants have the best fans in baseball.
Pujols is climbing the MLB leaderboard in several offensive categories. I know he intends to retire after this season, but I’m not sure I believe him.
Astros top prospect Hunter Brown threw a three-hit, six-inning shutout at the Rangers in his MLB debut.
The Blue Jays have designated former White Sox catcher Zack Collins for assignment.
Yu Darvish reached a milestone over the weekend. He now has 3,000 career strikeouts, including his time in the NPB. Hideo Nomo is the only other pitcher with 3,000+ punchouts across the two professional leagues.
Jacob deGrom said he is going to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and test free agency. The multiple Cy Young award winner is expected to earn a Max Scherzer-like deal, according to Jon Heyman.
The inaugural MLB Draft lottery is expected to take place during this year’s Winter Meetings, which will be held in San Diego during the first week of December. The Cubs have a 3.9% chance of winning the first pick according to this morning’s standings, and a 32.9% chance of earning a top-six pick.
Mike Trout is now tied with Roberto Clemente with 80.6 fWAR. Clemente needed 2,433 games to reach that mark, while Trout did it in 1,383.
Josh Hader is certainly no Zach Davies.
Josh Hader's ERA with the Padres is 17.55. pic.twitter.com/nKLmSHDO9T
I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day.
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