I was also a fan of how this team was constructed. Underperformance contributed a lot to the past lack of success.
Starting pitching - good
Defence - very good
Offence - can be good at times (and is good on paper)
Bullpen's been a bit weak the last couple of seasons and the other problem they've had is when the offence is not firing, they just don't have it. Last season and parts of this season showed that. But the offence as built SHOULD be pretty decent given the calibre of the players. The defence and starting pitching gives the team a bit of a baseline which helps keep them in a lot of games, too.
What they needed this year was a ton of bouncebacks from the high-end guys. Vlad, Bo, Springer, Kirk. They all delivered and then some which likely brought this team close to contention. What put us over the top is the surprises, the Clements, Schneiders, Bargers, etc. coming through time and time again in the clutch and that's why we are where we are.
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