PORT JEFF, NY- We’re living in some truly crazy times. Let’s block some of that out by focusing on everyone’s favorite distraction… Sports! Today’s topics: Mets Surge/MLB Trade Deadline Hopes, British Open Picks and Preview.
Mets Surge
How about those New York Mets! I truly can’t believe how drastic of a turn around it’s been for the boys in orange and blue. Through much of the first two months of the season they looked lifeless in every facet of the game. Just a month ago they sat nine games below .500 at 28-37, and have since gone a NL best 21-8. Aside from the disaster that is the current state of the bullpen, the rest of the team has looked like legit contenders. Leading the charge of this resurgence has been Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, both of whom somehow weren’t selected as All-Stars’. The omission of particularly Nimmo is baffling as he’s performed at a near MVP clip for the better part of two months. Perhaps someone will need to be replaced and Nimmo can rightfully be given the recognition he’s deserved for many years.
MLB Trade Deadline Hopes
There’s almost no denying it at this point, the Mets are undoubtedly contenders. They currently hold the last Wild Card spot alone and sit just 0.5 GB of the Cardinals for the second WC. Though they’ve been playing incredibly, they do have some holes they’ll need to address. To start, the bullpen has been astonishingly bad. I think they’ll need almost a complete overhaul of the bullpen, aside from Diaz. Star closer for the A’s – Mason Miller – may be a bit too much to ask for, but a nice compromise would be Carlos Estevez from the Angels, who’s enjoyed a terrific season recording a 2.70 ERA with 16 saves… Other potential names who I’d love to see the Mets go out and pursue would be Tanner Scott from Miami, Michael Koepch from the White Sox and Kirby Yates from Texas. All of them would solidify the back end of this bullpen and really take this team to the next level.
British Open Picks and Preview
The final major of the 2024 season is upon us!
The 2024 iteration of the British Open will be played at Royal Troon for the first time since 2016.
Brian Harman is the defending champion, winning in dominating fashion going wire to wire in his victory last year at Hoylake.
I’ll start this major championship preview with the same name I’ve given for each of the first three.
Scottie Scheffler: Scheffler continued his historic 2024 season after a slight hiccup at the U.S Open, winning the Travelers Championship for his 5th win of the season. There isn’t much to say. Scheffler is far and away the best player on Earth and if he shows up with even his B-game, it’s likely enough to win.
Ludvig Aberg: As I type, the Swedish phenom currently leads the Scottish Open by three heading into the final round. Aberg stormed onto the scene a year ago as an amateur and never looked back. He already has two professional wins under his belt to go along with a plethora of top-end finishes – including a 2nd place finish at the Masters and a T-12 at the U.S. Open. Aberg’s stoic demeanor sets him up perfectly to contend for his first major title this week at Royal Troon.
Collin Morikawa: It’s been a strange few years for the two-time major champion. After winning at a prolific rate to begin his career, he’s won just once since winning the British Open in 2021. Despite contending at every major this year, Morikawa has struggled to close the door and close out these big time tournaments. However, he continues to play incredible golf, recording top 15 finishes in each of his last nine tournaments. Perhaps most notably, he’s finally straightened out his struggles with the putter, gaining strokes with the flat stick in each of his last four starts. It’s all coming together for Morikawa and if he continues to putt the way he has, he should be primed to contend.
