Major League Baseball has a balance problem.
No, not the $338 million payroll gap between the Dodgers and the Marlins. The conversation about the financial haves and have-nots should be held on another, much colder day. If that’s your cup of tea, the impending work stoppage this winter will provide ample time for such discussions.
The more relevant (though admittedly less important) example of unevenness impacting MLB is the glaring disparity in quality between the American League and the National League. On the diamond, the NL has absolutely clobbered the AL this season, notching a .554 interleague winning percentage as of Wednesday. The NL has nine teams over .500; the AL has six. The NL has five teams with a run differential better than plus-40; the AL has one.
Next week, that discrepancy will be on full display as the leagues square off in Philadelphia for the 96th annual All-Star Game. The National League roster is chock-full of stars, both established and ascendent. Multiple worthy characters — JJ Wetherholt, Brice Turang, Michael Harris II, Zack Wheeler — couldn’t crack the roster. The American League, meanwhile, is scrambling to fill a void caused by injuries, underperformance and an interleague exodus.
That’s not to say the junior circuit is devoid of talent. Junior Caminero is billboard material. Bobby Witt Jr., even in the midst of a down year at the plate, might be the third-most valuable player in baseball. Nick Kurtz is an imposing slugger with star-scraping power. Yordan Álvarez is reestablishing himself as the most feared at-bat in the game. Mike Trout has turned back the clock to deliver a wonderful renaissance.
No, not the $338 million payroll gap between the Dodgers and the Marlins. The conversation about the financial haves and have-nots should be held on another, much colder day. If that’s your cup of tea, the impending work stoppage this winter will provide ample time for such discussions.
The more relevant (though admittedly less important) example of unevenness impacting MLB is the glaring disparity in quality between the American League and the National League. On the diamond, the NL has absolutely clobbered the AL this season, notching a .554 interleague winning percentage as of Wednesday. The NL has nine teams over .500; the AL has six. The NL has five teams with a run differential better than plus-40; the AL has one.
Next week, that discrepancy will be on full display as the leagues square off in Philadelphia for the 96th annual All-Star Game. The National League roster is chock-full of stars, both established and ascendent. Multiple worthy characters — JJ Wetherholt, Brice Turang, Michael Harris II, Zack Wheeler — couldn’t crack the roster. The American League, meanwhile, is scrambling to fill a void caused by injuries, underperformance and an interleague exodus.
That’s not to say the junior circuit is devoid of talent. Junior Caminero is billboard material. Bobby Witt Jr., even in the midst of a down year at the plate, might be the third-most valuable player in baseball. Nick Kurtz is an imposing slugger with star-scraping power. Yordan Álvarez is reestablishing himself as the most feared at-bat in the game. Mike Trout has turned back the clock to deliver a wonderful renaissance.
26 days ago
