Introducing the EFL TOAST! (Tally of Overlooked All Stars Team)

Portland: W 10-4 (59 PA, .309, .356, .564; 19 IP, 6 ER, 2.79 ERA) When you are in first place it means you have a lot of good players, and the MLB also noticed how good the players are on the Rosebuds, electing 7 of them to the actual game. But who are the TOAST from this team? Tatis is having an incredible year, even though he is a rookie, but he has only been on the Rosebuds for one week, so he is not an option. My TOAST picks for Portland are: Eduardo Escobar and Brett Anderson. Escobar leads the Rosebuds in Total Bases (189), Hits (103), and Triples (6 – that is a fun but tiring stat to lead the team in, I imagine). The 31 year old Anderson has thrown 102.7 IP with a 3.86 ERA. Among starters on the Rosebuds with over 85 IP he leads the team in BABIP with a piddly K/9 of 4.6. That means he pitches to contact and hitters are making contact, but it’s weak. That’s a good recipe for a strong season thus far!

Flint Hill: W 6- (-3) (45 PA, .279, .289, .558; 18 IP, 6 ER, 3.00 ERA) The Tornadoes also had a large number (6) picked to attend the MLB All Star game, and because they pay Mike Trout so much money, their roster is not very deep. And if you paid close attention to those who were named as All Stars, you noticed that not a single Tornado pitcher was chosen. It’s because Tornado pitching has been awful. But when you have a team OPS of .856 it can cover some horrible pitching. The Tornadoes I am awarding as inaugural TOASTs: Max Kepler and Wade LeBlanc. Kepler has surpassed his 2018 HR total already (21) and has a K rate of 17%. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has increased their HR total as much as he has and has a K rate that low. LeBlanc was having an average season until the Mariners decided to use an opener for his starts (we know how Tom feels about these openers for the Mariner, but in this case, I love them!) Since June 1 when they began this little experiment, LeBlanc has 39.3 IP and an ERA of 2.97! Why does starting in the second inning help him pitch better? Who knows! But as far as I am concerned it should never change.

Old Detroit: (W) 3-4 (57 PA, .204, .246, .500; 2.7 IP, 1 ER, 3.38 ERA) When I peruse Ron’s roster I am usually stricken with a small amount of fear because in one of two years his team could be very good – don’t tell him I said that. But we are picking TOASTs for this year, and picking a hitter is extremely easy – a pitcher, not so much. The first Wolverine TOAST awards go to: Rafael Devers and Robbie Ray. Devers is absolutely crushing the ball this year. He leads OD in AVG (.324), OBP (.377), hits (112) and if there wasn’t a player named Josh Bell on the team Devers would lead every offensive category. How was he not chosen as an All Star? I have no idea. On the pitching side, you already know my proclivity for players whose first and last names begin with the same letter (or at least sound like they do), so I had to choose Ray. His stats have been ok, except for Ks – in 104 IP he has 137 Ks! The bad part is when he isn’t striking people out they are getting on base (.310 BABIP).

Pittsburgh: L 2-10 (40 PA, .194, .,237, .389; .7 IP, 3 ER, 40.50 ERA) Pittsburgh has for years, it seems, been buoyed by the bat of Jose Altuve, who is appears is finally learning what it means to be old. In his place the Alleghanys still sent a few players to the All Star game, but they overlooked the following TOASTs: Dansby Swanson and Stephen Strasburg. Swanson was robbed by the Braves from the Dbacks a couple of years ago, and Mark was able to take advantage of that deal. I saw Swanson play one game as a Hop a few years ago. He didn’t get a hit and made the only play hit to SS that night, but apparently he has learned how to hit (now he just has to learn how to stay healthy!). He is second on PA in hits (92) and second in BBs (29). I can’t believe Strasburg wasn’t chosen for the ASG, because he is having another good year (and, once again, both names start with the same letter): 116 IP, 138 Ks (take that, Robbie Ray!) and only 29 BBs! 

Peshastin: W 10-5 (39 PA, .371, .421, .657; 14 IP, 9 ER, 5.79 ERA) Yikes, speaking of teams with a bright future, the Pears hitters are strong, and he controls most of them for a few more years. Let’s hope he doesn’t get any pitching help! I could have chosen so many players for the Pears as first-time TOASTs – Ozzie Albies, Marcus Semien. Pear pitching, on the other hand, is a little anemic compared to their great hitting (mostly just needing more IP), but I was able to find one to award. The Pear TOASTS for 2019 are: Juan Soto and Zach Eflin. Soto’s OPS (.943) is second only to All Star Joey Gallo, and he leads his team in BBs (51). Did I mention he is only 20 years old? Eflin has pitched really well this year, notching 100 IPs with a 3.78 ERA.

Haviland: W 7-4 (39 PA, .278, .333, .444; 1.3 IP, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA) I was invited to dine with Dragon management the other night, and over some deliciou homemade pizza prepared by the Dragon Master (his wife, duh), he said, “I don’t think anyone has noticed how well the Dragons are playing lately!” So, here you go, Dragons – everyone now knows how good you have been playing lately. They also know you are 14.1 games out of first place, but maybe they won’t pay much attention to that. On to the Dragon TOASTs: Ramon Laureano and Domingo German. Laureano is most often a highlight maker in the OF, but his offensive stats are strong, and trending in the right direction. He is second in total bases (152) and hits (86). German has been very good, even in fewer innings that the Dragons would like, I am guessing. In 76 IP he has an ERA of 3.67 and a WHIP of 1.09.

Canberra: (L) 7-3  (42 PA, .243, .349, .514; 10.7 IP, 5 ER, 4.22 ERA) The Kangaroos traded away an All Star at the end of June (thank you, Ryan!), but they still have their fair share of good players. I hinted a few days ago at one of my TOAST choices, and the other is someone I wish was on my team. The Kangaroo TOASTs for 2019 are: Mitch Garver and Joey Lucchesi. The Twins have been a fun team to follow this year, hitting a lot of HRs, playing great defense, and winning a lot games. Garver has been a main reason for this. As part of their catcher tandem he is hitting .295 with an OPS of .984. He is hitting a HR every 8 ABs, or basically every other game he plays. Lucchesi has thrown 96 IP and has ab ERA 3.94, however his defense has cost him a few runs, as his FIP if 3.75.

Kaline: (W) 9-10  (53 PA, .313, .377, .542; 2 IP, 3 ER, 13.50 ERA) Tom can attest to the fact that I am often trying to acquire his players. When I look at his roster, I just find myself coveting, and I know that isn’t good, but it’s true. So picking a couple of TOASTs was kind of tricky, but I have chosen these two: Hunter Renfroe and Spencer Turnbull. Renfroe is very quietly having a good year in San Diego. His OPS (.921) is second on the team behind All Star Kris Bryant, and he leads the team in HRs with 27. Now all he needs to do is walk a little more and strike out a little less and his OPS could get over 1.000. Turnbull was a surprise TOAST, to be honest. I had a hunch he played for the Tigers, but I wasn’t sure – he’s flying under the radar, for sure. He has 90 IP with a 3.31 ERA and almost a K per inning (8.4 K/9). Let’s hope his shoulder injury won’t sideline him for long!

Cottage: L 3-6 (47 PA, .205, .255, .341; 4 IP, 2 ER, 4.50 ERA) I haven’t done an official tally, but I think I have completed more trades with the Cheese than I have with any other team. So picking some TOASTs should be easy, since I know (and love!) the players I have sent his way. And I was right – it was easy to pick the Cheese TOASTs (it’s a cheaper alternative to avocado toast): Yoan Moncada and Yonny Chirinos (should we call them the Yo Bros?). Yoan Moncada was pried away from me in the Trout trade, and back then his K% was above 30 and it made me so mad. Well, things have changed. He is second on the team in OPS (.908), first in HR (16) and RBI (48), oh, and also first in Ks (98). Chirinos has been masterful on the mound, with 100 IP and a 3.15 ERA. Add in a healthy Ohtani and the YOh Bros are a good foundation on which to build a team.

Bellingham: L 3-7 (30 PA, .192, .300, .346; 2 IP, 1 ER, 4.50 ERA) The Cascades have some classic All Star names on their team, guys who have performed at high levels for a while, and though they may not be having quite the same season as prior seasons, they still cause fear when they step in the box. The 2019 Cascade TOASTs are: Justin Turner and Wade Miley. Turner is one of those classic All Star names, and his numbers are still very good this year. I guess 3rd base is stacked in the NL, or perhaps too many other Dodgers already made it (in my opinion, one Dodger is one too many…sorry, Dave. That wasn’t nice). Turner is hitting .294 with an OPS over .800 (.822). His power is down a little (13 HR) but he is still a TOAST in my book. Miley is the guy who seems to be done every other year only to find ways to make hitters look silly with his 85 MPH fastball. Over 101 IP he has an ERA of 3.28. Pretty good for being old and slow!

Brookland: W 5-2 (33 PA, .233, .303, .500; 11.7 IP, 3 ER, 2.31 ERA) I would hate to be a player on Cody Bellinger’s team (not just because he plays for the Dodgers, mind you). I mean, the guy is OPSing 1.124! And he only has 2 more Ks than BBs. No matter how good someone on his team is, it seems like it isn’t good because he is so good. But underneath the Belli you can find some very intriguing players. My Out TOAST awards go to: Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. and Reyes Moronta. Did you know that Gurriel is OPSing over .900? I didn’t until just about 1 minute ago. How about his HR totals? He has 16! In 53 games played he has amassed 122 total bases, which is about one double every game. Pretty good! Moronta is the first RP I have awarded, and his numbers have been very strong. In 40 IP he has 54 Ks and an ERA of 2.72.

DC: W 7-3 (27 PA, .407, .407, .444; 14.3 IP, 6 ER, 3.77 ERA) I recently teamed up with the Balk’s owner for a game of doubles tennis. He was very gracious to me, seeing as it was only the second game of tennis I have ever played (the first was the week before). He also was proof that age is just a number, because he showed me how to play tennis at a level that I would consider above average for someone with his…er…mileage. This is fitting because the two Balk TOASTs have a combined age of 67! And they are winning TOAST awards. How great is that? The Balk recipients are: Nick Markakis and Daniel Hudson. Markakis has been putting up very good numbers, especially considering he is 35 years old! He leads the team in hits with 92, and is one behind the RBI leader (All Star Matt Chapman) with 51 RBI. Who says old guys can’t hit? And Hudson continues to defy the odds as he pitches well when everyone seems to give up on him. He has thrown 40 IP with an ERA of 2.72. He might be one of few players in the league this year to have a Game Started and also a Save. See, age is just a number!

Well, there you have the first ever TOAST awards given out. In in the interest of keeping Ron off my back, I am letting you all know that this post took me somewhere between 3-4 hours to fully write, which should make up for the lack of time I’ll spend doing updates the next few days.

And if there is someone else you think deserves a TOAST, fill up the comments with your choice. Happy TOASTing!