The Moonshot: Biggest MLB surprises, sticky stuff suspensions and how to make the White Sox worse

Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.

Welcome to The Moonshot.

1. What has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise from the first half of the MLB season?

Zachary Rotman: The Cleveland Guardians lost Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Cal Quantrill, and even Terry Francona this past offseason. They lost Shane Bieber for the season after just two starts. They were without Steven Kwan for almost a full month. Despite all of that, they’re 50-26 entering Tuesday’s action, holding an 8.0 game lead over the second-place Twins in the AL Central, and possessing the second-best win percentage in the majors. This team went 76-86 last season, got worse over the offseason on paper, and has been one of the best teams in the majors all season. Who would’ve predicted that?

Terrence Jordan: Zach nailed it with the Guardians, but I’ll take the Washington Nationals for the silver medal. We’re nearly at the halfway point of the season, and Dave Martinez’s club is hanging around .500. While that may not sound all that impressive next to Cleveland’s .657 winning percentage, it represents huge progress for a franchise that has been more dysfunctional than Congress in the four seasons since winning its first World Series. The Nationals are last in the majors in home runs, but they’re young, scrappy, and third in the league in steals. MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker have more than held their own as big-league starters, while CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., and Jacob Young have formed a formidable under-25 trio up the middle. Time will tell if the Nats can hang in the race this year, but the future is looking bright.

John Buhler: I’m so original, but it has to be Cleveland. With the AL Central being somewhat up for grabs at the start of the year, I’m shocked that this division has one of the best teams in baseball. Cleveland seems to do more with less than most MLB franchises financially. Again, I am not surprised they are leading the Central, but rather that they are not only keeping pace with the Yankees and the Orioles of the world in the American League, but that they are thriving!

2. Sweat, rosin, sunscreen, oh my! Do we believe Edwin Diaz’s explanation for his sticky fingers? Or is he just following the crowd — all the cool pitchers are doing it and he was just unlucky enough to get caught?

Zachary Rotman: Diaz sounded honest when addressing the media after the game, has no history of cheating, and it happened to have been very hot and muggy at Wrigley Field. There’s little reason to believe he’s lying, but the umpires felt what they felt. There’s a good chance that pitchers are getting away with cheating, it really depends on the day and the umpiring crew. It’s unfortunate that costly suspensions can be doled out for games of “he said, she said.”

Terrence Jordan: I believe Diaz that he followed the same routine he always does, but his hand did look like he’d pressed it in the cement in front of TCL Chinese Theatre. The issue for me is the inconsistency with which the sticky stuff rule is enforced. Sometimes umpires let players go wash their hands, sometimes they throw them out. Every pitcher is checked when they enter the game, so I can’t imagine anyone would knowingly overdo it. What MLB needs is some kind of approved substance that provides grip but doesn’t wildly increase spin rate, like a light version of Spider Tack. We put a man on the moon, surely someone can come up with this.

John Buhler: Do I believe Diaz? Sure, but do I want to believe him? Not really. I have to counterbalance this New York Mets madness in the two prompts above me. It would be absolutely hysterical if this was the latest beginning of the end for him in New York. Truth be told, I kind of still want him around because he keeps the best division in baseball interesting. If only these type of shenanigans could knock Bryce Harper or one of those delightful Phillies down for the count …

3. The White Sox are in the neighborhood of the worst win percentage of the modern era. What’s one key trade they can make to help catch the 1962 Mets?

Zachary Rotman: The 1962 Mets went 40-120. This White Sox team is bad, but they’re not that bad, right? Well, they’re 21-59 70 games into this season, putting them on pace to win somewhere around 50 games out of 162. It’d be tough for them to play worse than their pace right now, but if they trade away the likes of Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Luis Robert, Tommy Pham, and Michael Kopech it might be possible. If we’re limited to one key trade, they’d have to package as many of those players as possible for only prospects (it’d be an absurd package) and see what will happen next.

Terrence Jordan: For as bad as the White Sox have been, the ‘62 Mets are in a class (or detention) of their own. As much as I like Zach’s idea of re-enacting Major League by getting rid of all the best players, for all we know Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen could show up and lead them to the pennant. Still, Crochet is way too good for this team to challenge the wrong side of history, so he’s gotta go. Just subtracting him isn’t enough, though — we need a saboteur in his place. I don’t know if Zach LaVine can pitch, but a cross-sport Chicago trade for the Bulls’ oft-injured guard could serve the dual purpose of giving the Bulls a chance at a high lottery pick in next year’s loaded draft while forcing Pedro Grifol to explain why he’s trotting a basketball player out to the mound every fifth day.

John Buhler: Man, the White Sox are crappier than when I lived in Chicago for three years, and that’s saying something. I would say to catch the 1962 Mets that they should trade everyone on the team who has a pulse to franchises claiming to have publishing rights to Michael Jordan’s next Chicago Bulls venture. I am sure Jerry Reinsdorf would love that! The only thing better than living in the past is not watching Chicago White Sox baseball. Michael Kopech to the Dodgers for an “idea” that Magic Johnson definitely came up with sounds like the fairest trade to me!