Almost Cooperstown
We're a father & son who love to talk and argue about baseball! Baseball is the professional sport that has the longest history so there is a lot to talk about. We launched Almost Cooperstown noting that baseball contains a long history of players that, for whatever reasons, have been shunned by the electors of the Hall of Fame. Consequently here are many 'Almost' players still waiting their turn for induction. With less than 1.5% of the now more than 23,000 players in the HOF, we feel there should be more players included. In these podcasts we also discuss current seasons & trends. Please send any messages to almostcooperstown@gmail.com.
Baseball articles can be found here: https://almostcooperstown.substack.com/publish/posts
Almost Cooperstown
What Went Wrong With the Mets—and Why 2027 Could Be Better
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The 2026 Mets have been a mess—but are they actually better positioned for 2027 than their record suggests?
Mark and Gordon, two Mets fans who have suffered through the season firsthand, look at what went wrong, why a brutal 12-game losing streak essentially destroyed the season, and why the emergence of young players may give Mets fans legitimate reasons for optimism next year.
Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing could be part of a young outfield alongside Juan Soto. Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are emerging as potential rotation anchors. Kodai Senga may have found a new role in the bullpen. And despite plenty of questionable decisions, the Mets may finally be developing enough young talent that free-agent signings can become luxuries rather than necessities.
Before getting to the Mets, there’s plenty happening around baseball.
The American League wild-card race has become a dogfight, with Toronto making an unexpected charge and several teams packed together in the standings. Cal Raleigh’s dramatic offensive decline is hurting Seattle, while the entire AL West continues to struggle.
We also remember Tommy John, who passed away this week. John finished with 288 career wins—the most ever by a pitcher outside the Hall of Fame other than Roger Clemens—and his death immediately renews the debate over whether Cooperstown has waited far too long.
There’s also a remarkable MLB debut: Cardinals rookie Joshua Baez homered on the first pitch he saw, then homered again—and again—becoming the first player in Major League history to hit three home runs in his first game.
Plus: Paul Skenes’ declining fastball velocity, what 100-mph pitching may be doing to starting pitchers, the sale of the Dodgers, the competitive advantages created by baseball’s revenue structure, Hunter Greene’s injury, and whether Cincinnati should rethink its direction.
It’s another week where today’s baseball collides with history, statistics and plenty of opinion on Almost Cooperstown.
Almost Cooperstown is a weekly baseball podcast featuring thoughtful conversations about the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball history, current MLB topics, player comparisons, statistics and the stories that connect today's game with its rich history.
Thanks again to Mercury Maid for the Intro & Outro music.
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