20-year MLB vet back yet again, plus Shohei Ohtani, the DH MVP?

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Rich Hill is back. Also, the Royals are really doing it, aren’t they? Plus: Ken on the NL MVP race, and we discuss ways teams can still add for October. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!

He’s back: Hill to pitch in 20th straight season

Thanks to my cohorts for filling in while I was on “vacation.” (I spent last weekend playing wood-bat sandlot baseball in New York and Connecticut. I am 44 years old, and after playing three baseball games in three days, my body is in full revolt.)

Nobody cares that a sports writer is Baseball LARPing, so I only bring it up because, I’m sorry, what happened while I was out?

“Boston Red Sox selected the contract of LHP Rich Hill,” read the transaction report.

Hill, lest we forget, is also 44 years old. An article about his “last stand” was published five years ago. When he debuted on June 15, 2005, for the Cubs, the starting pitcher was Greg Maddux. Here are a few more facts about that day:

No. 1 song: “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey.
No. 1 movie: “Batman Begins” (the first of the Christopher Nolan trilogy).
The Washington Nationals were playing their first year in D.C., having previously been known as the Montreal Expos.
The words “glamping,” “microblogging,” “ransomware” and “sexting” were invented.
Twitter and Reddit did not exist, but you probably checked your MySpace page daily.

I could play this game for hours (plans for the Freedom Tower in Manhattan had not yet been released!) but you get the point. Hill has played for a remarkable 13 big-league teams, including three previous stints with the Red Sox.

Jen McCaffrey has more here.

Ken’s Notebook: Does Ohtani’s lack of defense matter in MVP race?

From today’s column:

There it is, plainly stated in the Baseball Writers Association of America’s instructions to voters, for all those who wish to play “gotcha” with Shohei Ohtani’s quest to win his third MVP award in four years.

In listing the five criteria, which remain the same as they were written on the first ballot in 1931, the BBWAA starts with, “Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense and defense.”

Ohtani, recovering from major elbow surgery, isn’t playing his version of defense this season, performing as an elite starting pitcher. But he is still the front-runner for National League MVP because his offense is that much better than everyone else’s.

No primary DH has ever won an MVP award. The BBWAA’s instructions, however, make clear that pitchers and designated hitters are eligible. They also state, “There is no clear-cut definition of what Most Valuable means.”

In other words, voters can pick whoever they want, using any rationale they want. The process, though, is fully transparent. The BBWAA reveals the ballots of each voter, two from each city in each league. So, voters must be prepared to defend their selections, and most are keenly aware of the blowback questionable choices can produce on social media.

Ohtani entered Tuesday’s play with 41 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 44 attempts, making him the sixth 40-40 player in AL/NL history. His latest milestone is partly the product of him running more after moving to the leadoff spot in place of Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts, who suffered a fractured left hand on June 16 and missed nearly two months.

MLB implemented rules last season to enhance base stealing, but no player has gone 45-45, much less 50-50. In the likely event Ohtani makes history, he is going to be awfully difficult to deny — just as Aaron Judge was difficult to deny in the AL after his record 62-homer campaign in 2022, even though Ohtani had 34 homers and an .875 OPS as a hitter and a 2.33 ERA in 166 innings as a pitcher.

In MVP races, the terms of engagement often change. Voters generally base their decisions on a variety of statistics, including wins above replacement, an estimate of a player’s combined offensive, defensive and base-running value — and one that different websites calculate in different ways.

Many voters, though, also are influenced by narratives. Ohtani has one narrative working for him: the unicorn narrative. He’s amazing. No one does what he can. He also might have two narratives working against him: The anti-DH narrative. No way I’m voting for half a player! And the Ohtani fatigue narrative. Let’s find someone else.

Standings Watch: Your first-place Kansas City Royals

So the Royals are tied for first place in the AL Central. I need a minute to let that marinate.

Last year — last year — the Royals finished 56-106. Now they’re 75-58, and with a third straight win over the Cleveland Guardians, they’re sharing the top seat in the division, with a shot at a four-game sweep this afternoon that would put them alone atop the heap.

Some of this, of course, has to do with Cleveland’s rough second half. The Guardians led the division by nine games on June 25. That was the same day the Royals saw their biggest deficit of the season; they were 10 games back. That means the Royals have pulled off a similar coup to that of the Astros (who now lead the AL West by 3 1/2 games after trailing by 10 games on June 18).

But back to the Royals. Here are a few key players who have contributed in a big way to their stunning comeback (all stats are from before last night’s 6-1 win over Cleveland):

The Usual Suspects: Bobby Witt Jr. (duh) is only hitting .402 (1.202 OPS) since June 25, while Salvador Perez is hitting .286 (.863) over that timeframe. Meanwhile, Michael Wacha isn’t quite to Khris Davis-hitting-.247-every-year proportions, but his ERA the last three years has been remarkably consistent: 3.32 with the Red Sox in 2022, 3.22 with the Padres last year and 3.32 this year with the Royals.

The Other Guys: Over the last two-plus months, MJ Melendez is raking, hitting .282 (.877) with nine home runs, which is one less than Vinnie Pasquantino (who also leads the team with 49 RBIs over that stretch). Even Freddy Fermin and Dairon Blanco are contributing in limited at-bats, both hitting over .300 since that day in June.

Deadline Acquisitions: Since coming over from the A’s at the deadline, Lucas Erceg hasn’t allowed a single run in 12 1/3 innings. He has 15 strikeouts and one walk. Meanwhile, Michael Lorenzen (acquired from the Rangers) had a 1.99 ERA with the Royals before allowing one hit and no runs in 1 2/3 innings last night. Also, Paul DeJong has been excellent in limited action, hitting .296 (.935 OPS) since the White Sox sent him to Kansas City.

Last Call: Anyone need playoff help?

While the trade deadline is old news, this is the last week when teams are able to bring in reinforcements they think might help during the postseason. How? Well, it’s more like your fantasy baseball roster than you might think: It has to do with players being placed on waivers or released, then being claimed by (or signing with) a new team. So long as they’re on the roster before Sept. 1, they’re eligible for the postseason.

A prime example is happening in Houston right now, where the Astros are reportedly set to sign Jayson Heyward, who was recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers, then released. Another recent example: catcher Elias Díaz, who signed with the Padres shortly after he was released by the Rockies. Michael Tonkin went from being the Yankees’ feel-good bullpen story of the year to a waiver-claim acquisition by the Twins.

There are definitely going to be a few more before Saturday. Shawn Armstrong — whom the Cardinals acquired in a deadline deal from the Rays in exchange for Dylan Carlson — was recently a surprising casualty of a roster crunch in St. Louis. Any teams out there need a reliever who posted a 2.84 ERA over his Cardinals career (11 games)?

Handshakes and High Fives

Since signing Anthony Rendon to a seven-year deal worth $245 million, the Angels have used 27 other third basemen. Sam Blum ranks them all.

With Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey selling for $24.12 million, Brooks Peck asked if there are any other jerseys that could ever break that record.

Toss out your preseason AL ROY ballots that had Jackson Holliday and Wyatt Langford penciled in at Nos. 1-2, in some order. Jim Bowden gives you five others who are in the running.

As the Twins chase down the Royals and Guardians (and hold a wild-card position), could Royce Lewis move to second base? Eh, not any time soon, probably.

Manny Machado is getting a little healthier by the day. That’s extremely good news for the Padres.

If it seems like Sean Manaea of the Mets has been pitching like Chris Sale … well, there’s a reason for that.

Another wrinkle to the Bally/Diamond Sports bankruptcy saga: Amazon has nixed their nine-figure investment deal, reports Evan Drellich.

Most-clicked in yesterday’s newsletter: The video of Aaron Judge’s home run robbery.