Welcome to another edition of Five Things I Liked (Or Didn’t Like) this week. I’m not sure if this is by design or simply a scheduling coincidence, but this week was full of compelling matchups between current rivals. The Cubs and Cardinals squared off. So did the Yankees and Orioles. The Guardians and Mariners aren’t exactly rivals, but their series rocked too, and I’m sad I couldn’t find a way to squeeze them in this week. That said, there’s a ton to talk about, so let’s get to it, after our usual nod to Zach Lowe of ESPN, who is surely enjoying a well-deserved vacation after the conclusion of the NBA season. To baseball!
1. Willie Mays
I almost didn’t write about Willie Mays this week. I feel unqualified. What do you say about the greatest baseball player of all time? Mays was like something out of fiction, the platonic ideal of an outfielder. Everyone who saw him play knew it right away: This guy was just different. Statistics alone are a woefully inadequate way of describing him, but those statistics are comical. He hit 660 home runs, batted .301, and walked as often as he struck out. He’s probably the best defensive center fielder of all time. He racked up more than 3,000 hits, won two MVPs, made 24 All-Star teams; the list goes on and on. That’s not really the story of Willie Mays, though. The story of Willie Mays, for me, is the universal admiration that every baseball player had for him. I’ve never heard a bad word about Mays. He was an idol and a mentor at the same time. He transcended eras, coasts, fanbases; he wasn’t a famous Giants player, he was a famous baseball player. That might even undersell it – he was one of the biggest celebrities in the country. Even nearly 60 years after his heyday, defenders want to be like him. He was the coolest, the best. That never stopped being true. Plenty of other people have written touching Mays tributes. I loved Jay Jaffe’s encapsulation of what Mays meant both on and off the field. I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said. But I couldn’t talk about the week in baseball without paying my respects. Willie Mays was a giant in every possible definition of the word. Well, other than physical stature, which makes his overall excellence all the more impressive. There will almost certainly never be another baseball player like him. I see echoes of Mays in every over-the-shoulder catch, every play at the plate, every beautiful day game in San Francisco. May his memory live on forever.
2. Hunter Greene Hitting Corners
Hunter Greene’s career has been a mixed bag so far. He burst onto the scene in the halcyon days of 2022, before every single starter seemed to throw 100 mph. He’s the last starting pitcher prospect I can think of whose standout tool was pure velocity. It hasn’t worked that way in the majors, which is part of why he has a career 4.36 ERA and 4.21 FIP. It seems like velocity alone just won’t do it anymore. Greene has largely survived by leaning on his slider. This year, though, he’s made some promising fastball changes. The pitch is more vertical than before, which…
