Culture

The Paris Olympics wanted a fast track and it got one – this is how it was made

Published

1 month ago

August 12, 2024

The Paris Olympics wanted a fast track and it got one – this is how it was made

There were two requirements for the Stade de France track for the 2024 Paris Olympics: make it purple and make it fast.

The colour was, in fittingly Parisian fashion, about creating a unique stage for athletes to perform. A lighter hue than the typical red tracks, following in the footsteps of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where the track was navy blue and not red for the first time.

Making it faster is not as straightforward as a design choice. In fact, a ‘fast track’ has become the most hackneyed of athletics sayings — no host city is going to ask for a slow one, are they?

But Paris was fast: seven Olympic records and three track and field world records were set at the Games. This excludes world-best decathlon performances and field events (hammer throw, shot put), which do not use a runway or the track.

Combined, the number of Olympic/world records has trended upwards at recent Games: five in London (2012); six in Rio; 10 in Tokyo (2020) and the same again in Paris. It is an oversimplification that athletes are getting bigger, faster and stronger. Humans are also getting smarter and technology is getting better.

T&F Olympic/World records, Paris 2024

Athlete(s)	Event	Nation	Record
Team USA	4x400m mixed relay	USA	World record Advertisement
Joshua Cheptegei	10000m	Uganda	Olympic record
Mondo Duplantis Advertisement	Pole vault	Sweden	World record
Cole Hocker	1500m Advertisement	USA	Olympic record
Winfred Yavi	3000m steeplechase	Bahrain Advertisement	Olympic record
Arshad Nadeem	Javelin	Pakistan	Olympic record Advertisement
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone	400m hurdles	USA	World record
Marileidy Paulino Advertisement	400m	Dominican Republic	Olympic record
Faith Kipyegon	1500m Advertisement	Kenya	Olympic record
USA men	4x400m	USA Advertisement	Olympic record

It was not just that records went in Paris, but how. Thirteen men ran quicker than Kenenisa Bekele’s 10,000m Olympic record from 2008 (27:01), with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei winning in 26:43.

Thirteen men ran under Kenenisa Bekele’s 10,000m Olympic record (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Four men broke Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s 1500m Olympic record from Tokyo, including Ingebrigtsen, only for him to not medal. Four women broke Faith Kipyegon’s 1500m Olympic record, also from Tokyo, with Kipyegon winning in 3:51.

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The women’s 400m final was the fastest ever, with all nine athletes going under 50 seconds. The men’s 100m final was the hardest to qualify for in Olympic history. Never before had a sub-10 second semi-final not guaranteed a spot.

The final itself was the deepest of all time, the only instance of all nine men going sub-10 in a wind-legal race, and the smallest first-to-eighth gap in a global final — 0.12 seconds separated Noah Lyles’ gold and Oblique Seville.

Similarly, the men’s 800m final was the first instance of four men running under 1:42 in the same race and that was a race where the Olympic record wasn’t broken.

The 100m final is the only instance of all nine men going sub-10 in a wind-legal race (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Maurizio Stroppiana is the vice president of Mondo, an Italian company that produces synthetic athletics tracks. Mondo first made an Olympics track for Moscow in 1980, 12 years and three Games after they were first introduced at Mexico City in 1968. Mondo have manufactured every track since Barcelona in 1992.

“Mondo tracks are known to be the fastest in the world, with 300-plus records to date and over 70 per cent of all current records,” says Stroppiana.

If you think numbers like that mean Mondo have cracked the science of making quick tracks, they kind of have, but the science is less perfect than you might expect. Mondo’s tracks are made from “vulcanised rubber”, says Stroppiana.

When Paris hosted the Olympics in 1924, it was on a cinder track. “It was like dirt,” explains Stroppiana. “So, apart from getting dirty, it was more like running in a field as opposed to running on a 400m (synthetic) track”.

‘Fast tracks’ is something of a misnomer. The athlete is fast (or not), it is about making a track efficient. “We are trying to minimise the energy that is lost. The track compresses (as the foot hits the track) and it will then return that energy in the most efficient way, although a part of it will certainly be lost,” says Stroppiana.

The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City was the first to use a synthetic track (AFP via Getty Images)

Athletes produce around three times their body weight in vertical force when running. How much of that is translated into horizontal force — them moving forwards — depends on the “braking and propulsive forces”, Stroppiana says.

Mondo implemented “elliptical air cells within the base layer of the track”, which they found to have a double benefit: a 2.6 per cent increase in net horizontal energy return, and a 1.9 per cent improvement in shock absorption.

It is about protecting athletes while trying to maximise performance, though those things are interrelated. “The track has to provide a certain level of comfort and cushion,” says Stroppiana.

He outlines that the determinants of maximal energy return are the “type of material, the elasticity of the material. We have these aerosols on the bottom of the track. That helps the cushioning effect and how that energy is returning as equally as possible”.

“What we noticed in the previous track (Tokyo) is that, depending on where the athlete stepped (with the foot), you get different results. We modified the shape to provide a more uniform response and to increase the area of depression of the track,” says Stroppiana.

“This makes the track better because they will not feel any difference, the elastic response is exactly the same throughout the track to guarantee that the rhythm of the athlete (will) be maintained.”

If that sounds straightforward and simple, it isn’t. Stroppiana says “it took us about two years to fine-tune this new solution. We developed this mathematical model at the University of Milan”. It lets them run simulations and test new combinations faster. The four-year Olympic cycle gives ideal preparation time.

Washing the Olympic track in Tokyo in 2021 (Antonin Thullier/AFP via Getty Images)

One myth Stroppiana is keen to bust is track hardness. “These narratives started in the 1996 (Atlanta) Olympic Games because they had some great record times,” he says. “They started saying, ‘Yes it’s fast, it’s fast because it’s hard’. And since then we haven’t been able to change that point of view.”

How hard is the Paris track? “It’s softer than before,” says Stroppiana. “We really came to realise that is not a good solution making the track hard. And also, (it) doesn’t necessarily translate into faster times. In fact, it can actually lead to injury. So we have changed that in the last, six, seven years.”

They use a lower-carbon production method and more sustainable materials now than before, including calcium carbonate from mussel shells.

Unsurprisingly, it isn’t cheap. Stroppiana prices the Paris track at “anywhere from two to three million”, explaining that the top synthetic part “is only 14 millimetres thick. It’s quite thin”. He says that tracks tend to last around 15 years before needing replacement or relaying.

Mondo manufactured Rio’s blue track for the 2016 Games (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Decades of academic research detail the impact of altitude (positively for sprints, with the reduced air resistance; negatively for distance running, with the reduced oxygen) and wind.

The 1968 Olympics had the added impact of being the highest-altitude summer Games ever, at over 2,000m (7,000 feet). Sprinting and jumping records were smashed to pieces. Of the 12 sprint events, only the women’s 400m did not see an Olympic or world record, but distance races were slow.

Sprint performances over 1,000 metres are not considered legal and ‘altitude-assisted’, with a following wind of up to two metres the threshold for wind-legal sprint performances.

It means a good track needs the right location to be optimal for (legal) records. Saint-Denis, where Stade de France is situated in northern Paris, is within 50 metres of sea level. Stroppiana talks about the stadium creating a “microclimate” to “provide more favourable (performance) conditions”.

He explains that “the stadium’s architecture, including its oval shape and partially covered roof, helps to reduce wind interference. The stadium’s seating arrangement and the height of the stands contribute to shielding the track”.

Looking ahead, the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, USA, and the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia, are both in coastal cities.

The Stade de France’s ‘microclimate’ provides favourable conditions for fast times (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

For Stroppiana, the future of track-making lies in Mondo working with shoe/spike brands, who are notoriously “secretive about their own knowledge. Now there is this movement toward open innovation, which means collaborating within an industry, but not through competing brands”.

“I think the next evolution of the track surfaces is to make adjustments for these different (field) disciplines — an area of improvement for all the runways,” says Stroppiana.

He went on to say that Mondo works with Adidas, Nike, Asics, ON and Puma, among others, and collaborated with the latter for Paris.

“Before Tokyo, we worked with Asics because they gave us some insight. We installed our track at their research laboratory and they were testing different types, different solutions, to see which one (track) would be best.

“They do their own evaluation and they try to make sure that the (track/spike) interaction is as good as possible, concerned about how the spike will grab onto the surface, which is critical.”

Different events require different length spikes. Stroppiana speaks of 400m spikes having “different properties on the right-hand side” to aid bend running (as the outside of the foot hits the track first on landing and athletes run around to the left).

There is a trade-off to be achieved: Mondo “want to guarantee the proper traction but minimise the friction. So if the spikes were to penetrate too much on the surface, then it slows the athletes down”, says Stroppiana. “This is one of the characteristics of the top wear layer: it has to be spike resistant.”

Exceptions from that are pole vault and javelin because athletes are moving with so much force that the spike needs to penetrate the surface to avoid injury.

“In Paris, if you look closely at the javelin runway, the last portion is slightly different in colour (to the track)” says Stroppiana. “Why? Because that section has been specifically engineered for javelin throwers. We worked with the German team and the Finnish team to test different solutions”. He says they wanted a runway with “more spike resistance and to have a better grip.

“Normally the track has to be the same. You cannot have different properties for different areas. But for javelin, they (World Athletics) accepted these changes.” It worked: Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem smashed the Olympic record by over 2.5m, throwing 92.97m, to earn Pakistan’s first athletics gold.

Stroppiana is optimistic about a future with more adjustments. “For the long distance, you could create a section where it’s specifically made,” he says, suggesting an inside lane. “In fact, we have done some tracks like this — only for training, not for competition — where you have a differentiated elastic response”.

There’s no doubt the 2028 LA track will be even more efficient. Mondo have four years to test and re-test new combinations and spike brands to work with. The main question that remains is: what colour will it be?

(Top photo: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Culture

Ghiroli: Why the Kansas City Royals are good for baseball

Published

2 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Press Room

Ghiroli: Why the Kansas City Royals are good for baseball

The Kansas City Royals are good for baseball, and not just because they’re a small market team vying for a postseason spot or because Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the game’s brightest young stars.

No, the Royals are good for baseball because they’re a shining example of what every organization in professional baseball should be doing: trying.

The Royals, you may recall, spent nearly $110 million on free agents this winter. The moves were well-received, but didn’t exactly make national headlines. They didn’t spend a half-billion dollars on two players like the Texas Rangers did before 2022. They didn’t win the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.

The Royals, who lost 106 games last year, wanted to get better quickly. They recognized that player development and amateur scouting weren’t going to be enough, so they supplemented the roster in free agency, aggressively adding more than a half-dozen players. Now, with a winning season already in hand, they’re on the precipice of clinching a postseason berth, perhaps as early as this week.

Revolutionary? Hardly. Rare? In today’s game, very.

“Sometimes you need that slap upside the head, right?” Royals owner John Sherman, who greenlit the expenditures, asked reporters this spring. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we cannot tolerate something like that again for our fans.”

Every owner can afford an offseason like the Royals had. They were aggressive without being foolish, and added again at the trade deadline and during the past month via the waiver wire. And yet, few have done it.

While MLB has added measures to try to help combat the sport’s tanking epidemic, getting teams to consistently try, front offices to assume risk and owners to open their wallets has been another problem altogether.

J.J. Picollo, the Royals’ executive vice president and general manager, has made his operation stand out from that of other teams. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

Witt’s otherworldly season (he will easily clear 10 fWAR) would make him a shoo-in for American League MVP if not for the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge. It also comes after a spring in which Sherman OK’ed an 11-year, $288.8 million contract extension for the Royals young star, which could be worth as much as $377 million over 14 years when it’s all done. It’s the most lucrative deal in franchise history.

Again, if Kansas City — one of the smallest markets in baseball — can do it, why can’t everyone else?

As other teams downsize departments and chop personnel — last week alone, a half-dozen teams made cuts to scouting and player development, according to league sources, or “restructured” in the nonstop efficiency-speak of front offices — the Royals have added infrastructure. In the two years since executive vice president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo took the reins, Kansas City reimagined all three scouting departments with new leaders, modernized the organization and changed the culture. The Royals have emphasized data, adding six new people to the research and development team, including a new director. They’ve folded that in by hiring people with traditional baseball resumes, but open minds.

Picollo, who was internally promoted when Dayton Moore was fired, hasn’t hesitated to hire outsiders, even those he has no previous relationship with, like manager Matt Quatraro. Quatraro, like Picollo, has been widely credited for steering the turnaround, and for bringing a curious mind and willingness to innovate. These aren’t two hotshot young Ivy League grads leading the charge; both men played minor league baseball and are in their 50s.

Perhaps the new market efficiency is doing things just a little differently, for zigging when others are zagging, even if it’s not always new territory. These Royals, for all their successful efforts to modernize, are also masters of the basics.

Only the San Diego Padres lineup has a lower strikeout rate, and Kansas City also ranks among the league’s best defenses, further elevating a solid pitching staff.

From Day 1 of last offseason, the Royals targeted pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, not because they were the best players available (they weren’t) or because either guy had wipeout stuff (neither pitcher has had a 200-strikeout season to date) but because they fit certain tenets. Lugo was an All-Star this year who could get some Cy Young Award consideration, despite a rare rough outing on Monday, while Wacha has gone 9-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 71-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio since the beginning of July.

At 52-45 at the start of the second half, Picollo and company didn’t wait to see which route the team would take, like so many other clubs who weren’t leading their division did. Instead, they again moved quickly, unafraid to double down after some of their offseason relief options didn’t pan out. Kansas City acquired Hunter Harvey from Washington two weeks ahead of the deadline, and also added Oakland’s Lucas Erceg along with swingman Michael Lorenzen and infielder Paul DeJong.

When first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino went down, Picollo added three players on waivers to fill the void: Yuli Gurriel, Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman. The cost was cash. The payoff was immediate. The Royals had targeted Pham and Grossman at the deadline but weren’t able to secure either. The group could have helped several clubs ahead of Kansas City in the waiver order. No one else jumped.

Not every move the Royals made has worked out. But, like their lineup, the Royals front office has a pretty low whiff rate. And as they attempt to chase down the Baltimore Orioles for the top wild-card spot, Kansas City’s model has proven to be a good one.

It’s good for the city, which hasn’t had a playoff team since the 2015 World Series champions. It’s even better for baseball.

(Top photo of Bobby Witt Jr. celebrating a win with teammates: Jay Biggerstaff / Imagn Images)

Culture

MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers lose the top spot, Orioles slip; We hand out end-of-year awards

Published

9 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Press Room

MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers lose the top spot, Orioles slip; We hand out end-of-year awards

By Grant Brisbee, Andy McCullough and Stephen J. Nesbitt

Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.

There are two weeks left in the Major League Baseball regular season. Each team has four series remaining between them and whatever is on their October calendar: playoffs or pool time.

But November looks the same for all of ’em.

That’s awards season, baby!

We’ve paired this week’s Power Rankings with picking each team’s top individual award candidate — MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Jomboy Lip-Reading of the Year, et cetera. This isn’t to suggest each team has someone with a shot to win. Far from it. Some races have basically been called. But it’s still worth tipping a cap to each team’s best bet.

Record: 90-59
Last Power Ranking: 2

Top award candidate: Zack Wheeler, NL Cy Young Award

This might be Wheeler’s best season with the Phillies, which is saying something, considering how excellent he has been since he joined the team heading into 2020. He has accumulated more wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, than any other pitcher during that time frame. He is operating at a high level as the postseason approaches. In his last eight starts, Wheeler has posted a 1.76 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning. He is the ace of the best team in baseball, the sort of horse Philadelphia intends to ride back to the World Series. — Andy McCullough

Record: 88-61
Last Power Ranking: 1

Top award candidate: Shohei Ohtani, NL MVP

I know this will be a controversial choice because Ohtani doesn’t even play in the field (!!!), but I’m thinking this will be the first time in baseball history that an injured pitcher wins the NL MVP. It would be his third MVP, which means he’d join the three-timers-and-more club:

• Jimmie Foxx
• Joe DiMaggio
• Stan Musial
• Roy Campanella
• Yogi Berra
• Mickey Mantle
• Mike Schmidt
• Alex Rodríguez
• Albert Pujols
• Mike Trout
• Barry Bonds (7)

That’s a ridiculous list, but Ohtani is a ridiculous player. He’ll fit in just fine. — Grant Brisbee

Record: 87-63
Last Power Ranking: 3

Top award candidate: Aaron Judge, AL MVP

Well, duh. He is having the best season of his career, even in the midst of a brief slump. (Judge went 16 games without hitting a home run before blasting a grand slam in a stirring victory over the Red Sox on Friday.) The downswing will prevent Judge from breaking his own American League home run record of 62, but he still may wrangle his second MVP trophy out of the clutches of Kansas City sensation Bobby Witt Jr. Witt is a five-tool dynamo and a delight to watch — but Judge has come close to replicating the production of Barry Bonds at his peak while playing center field. — McCullough

Record: 86-63
Last Power Ranking: 4

Top award candidate: Pat Murphy, NL Manager of the Year

If your predecessor walks for a record contract and your ace is traded away but your team doesn’t miss a beat — another 90-win season, another division title — yeah, you’re winning this award. It’s a pretty easy pick. So, here’s a second award candidate: Jackson Chourio, NL Rookie of the Year. He was so overmatched in April and May that many wondered if he’d head to Triple A.

Before June 1: .210/.254/.327, 5 HR, 61 wRC+, 27 K%, 5.7 BB%
Since June 1: .309/.368/.555, 16 HR, 152 wRC+, 16.4 K%, 7.8 BB%

Turns out, Chourio figures things out just fine on the fly at the major-league level. Another reason to give his manager an award! — Stephen Nesbitt

Record: 86-64
Last Power Ranking: 7

Top award candidate: Emmanuel Clase, AL Reliever of the Year

Let’s start with Clase’s case for Reliever of the Year as of this writing: 0.66 ERA, .659 WHIP, MLB-leading 45 saves in 68 1/3 innings. Got it? Got it.

Now for the bigger argument: Cy Young. No reliever has won the award in 21 years, and all signs point to the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal winning this time. But, man, what Clase’s doing is incredibly rare. I could only find 10 pitchers with a sub-1 ERA and at least 68 innings pitched, most recently 2018 Blake Treinen. Only two have matched Clase’s ERA.

2012 Fernando Rodney: 0.60 ERA, 48 saves in 74 2/3 innings
1990 Dennis Eckersley: 0.61 ERA, 48 saves in 73 1/3 innings

Both finished fifth in Cy Young voting and got down-ballot MVP votes. (Eck won both awards in 1992 when he had a 1.91 ERA and 51 saves.) — Nesbitt

Emmanuel Clase doing Emmanuel Clase things. pic.twitter.com/OEhKj7jQWy
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 17, 2024

Record: 86-65
Last Power Ranking: 6

Top award candidate: Jurickson Profar, NL Comeback Player of the Year

Because it’s a more common tale, this award often goes to the best player who was injured the previous season and then came back to post his usual numbers. Back in 2011, Lance Berkman won it over Ryan Voglesong, who had one of the better comeback stories in modern history. Not that I still think about these things. But it’s the perfect example of how the vote usually goes.

Profar wasn’t injured much last season. He just stunk it up and got released. This year, he was an All-Star for the first time, and he’s going to be a key part of the Padres’ postseason hopes. It’s refreshing, honestly. This award should go to players who stunk the season before. Profar has the best case in years. — Brisbee

Record: 84-66
Last Power Ranking: 5

Top award candidate: Gunnar Henderson, AL MVP

No, he will not take home the hardware, not in a season graced by Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. But a year after winning the American League Rookie of the Year award, Henderson leveled up in 2024. During a season in which many of his young teammates have dealt with extended slumps or nagging injuries, Henderson boosted his OPS from last year by about 100 points while playing solid defense at shortstop. He has struck out less, walked more and made consistent solid contact. It’s an excellent combination. He just turned 23 this summer. He figures to be a fixture in this discussion for years to come. — McCullough

Record: 83-66
Last Power Ranking: 8

Top award candidate: Mike Hazen, NL Executive of the Year

OK, so Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery haven’t quite worked out yet, but that’s an argument for Hazen winning this. He created a roster that could withstand dud seasons from their two biggest free agents. Randal Grichuk wouldn’t be a bad choice for Comeback Player of the Year. Corbin Carroll might be a good candidate for the award based on the difference between his first and second halves. Every regular in the lineup has an OPS+ of 100 or better, and the Diamondbacks are absolutely lapping the rest of baseball in runs scored, in no small part because of the creative additions to the roster, both during the season and in the previous offseason. The trade for Eugenio Suárez alone should make Hazen a strong contender for the award. — Brisbee

Record: 82-68
Last Power Ranking: 9

Top award candidate: Bobby Witt Jr., AL MVP

If WAR is the answer, this race is still neck-and-neck between Witt and Aaron Judge. By FanGraphs WAR, Judge leads, 10 to 9.7. By Baseball-Reference WAR, Judge is up, 9.7 to 8.9. The odds remain in Judge’s favor after he snapped a 16-game homerless drought with two big flies over the weekend. But Witt is still authoring an incredible season. He’s in line for a batting title, hitting .331 with 31 homers and 28 steals. He also has 17 outs above average at shortstop, tied with Francisco Lindor and Marcus Semien for second among infielders, trailing only Andrés Giménez (18 OAA). We may have jinxed Witt with the hitting-.400-at-home headline. He’s only batting .379 at home now. That’s on us. — Nesbitt

Record: 81-69
Last Power Ranking: 11

Top award candidate: Yordan Alvarez, AL MVP

Quietly one of the best hitters of his generation. Or of any generation, for that matter. Alvarez might put up yet another OPS+ over 170, which would be his third time doing so. The only players to have more of those seasons before turning 28: Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Frank Thomas, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Johnny Mize, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker. Alvarez is on the next tier down, which means he’s only keeping up with guys like Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. He’s never won an MVP award, and he won’t this year. But he’s deserving of something. So, here, take this acknowledgment in a power rankings. Print it out and stick it to the fridge with a magnet that has a funny saying on it. You’ve earned it. — Brisbee

Record: 81-68
Last Power Ranking: 10

Top award candidate: Chris Sale, NL Cy Young Award

For baseball fans of a certain vintage — the type of people old enough to have hard opinions about the relative merits of Timbaland’s “Shock Value” and “Shock Value II” — it has been charming to see Sale dominating this season like he did in the previous decade. Sale was the best pitcher in the 2010s to never win the Cy Young. He finished in the top six in voting in seven consecutive seasons but never topped the balloting. That figures to change in 2024. Sale entered this week on track to win the Triple Crown with a 17-3 record, a 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings. At 35, after several years disrupted by injury, he has authored a remarkable comeback story — and been the best pitcher in baseball. — McCullough

Record: 81-68
Last Power Ranking: 12

Top award candidate: Francisco Lindor, NL MVP

Lindor’s importance to the Mets was apparent long before his back injury sidelined him for a pair of crushing defeats to the Phillies this past weekend. If he can return to the lineup soon, there will be a fierce MVP debate pitting Lindor, a strong shortstop, against Shohei Ohtani, who has not played the field this season. Ohtani’s heroics at the plate may make him the first designated hitter to win MVP. But Lindor has put together a strong case. He has been more valuable than Ohtani, according to FanGraphs’s version of WAR (while Ohtani has the edge, according to Baseball-Reference). One point in Lindor’s favor — besides the whole “playing a position every day” thing: He has been reliable with runners in scoring position, posting an .847 OPS. — McCullough

GO DEEPER

Is WAR the answer? How one advanced metric has come to dominate MVP voting

Record: 79-70
Last Power Ranking: 13

Top award candidate: Carlos Santana, AL Gold Glove

Can the Comeback Player of the Year award go to a guy with 50 fewer games than the previous year? Asking for a different Carlos (Correa).

Let’s set that aside and stump for Santana to win his first Gold Glove. The 38-year-old has been a solid contributor with the stick this season, with 22 homers and a 113 OPS+, and has continued playing superlative defense at first base. He has 13 outs above average. The only other first baseman in his orbit is Christian Walker, the NL’s two-time defending Gold Glove first baseman, who has 12 OAA. — Nesbitt

Record: 77-73
Last Power Ranking: 14

Top award candidate: Cal Raleigh, AL Gold Glove

The Mariners have an absurdly talented rotation, with five different starters with at least 19 starts and an ERA between 2.38 and 3.62. Those five starters have combined to walk 152 batters as of this writing; Randy Johnson walked 152 batters by himself in 1991.

You can’t avoid walks if your catcher isn’t stealing strikes, though, and Raleigh is one of the best at doing it. He leads all AL catchers in defensive metrics according to both FanGraphs and Baseball Savant, and it isn’t especially close. He’ll almost certainly be one of the finalists after the season, and he’s earned it. — Brisbee

Tarik Skubal has impressed this season, with a 16-4 record and a 2.50 ERA. Will he be Detroit’s fifth Cy Young winner? (Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

Record: 77-73
Last Power Ranking: 16

Top award candidate: Tarik Skubal, AL Cy Young Award

A Cy Young has been in Skubal’s sights since he returned from Tommy John rehab before the 2023 All-Star game. He dominated down the stretch last season, with a 2.80 ERA, and has delivered more of the same this season. Skubal is 16-4 while leading the league in ERA (2.50), FIP (2.56) and strikeouts (214) across 180 innings. The 27-year-old lefty has been brilliant all season, and lately, the Tigers have matched his level, surging into the postseason race as the finish line nears. It’s still a long shot but not out of the question, and that’s wild. Skubal would be the Tigers’ fifth Cy Young winner, joining Denny McLain (who did it twice), Willie Hernández, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. — Nesbitt

Record: 76-73
Last Power Ranking: 15

Top award candidate(s): Shota Imanaga and Michael Busch, NL Rookie of the Year

Neither Imanaga nor Busch has a real shot of winning the award, but since they’re equally unlikely, we’ll recognize both. The Cubs acquired Busch from the Dodgers for prospects Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris — now ranked Nos. 5 and 12, respectively, in the Dodgers system by Baseball America. The trade may work out wonderfully for both sides. Busch has blasted 20 homers with a .793 OPS (122 OPS+) while playing plus defense at first base for the Cubs. The 31-year-old All-Star Imanaga, signed to an entirely reasonable contract with team options through 2028, has been terrific in his first season stateside, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 24 of 27 starts and posting a 3.03 ERA. — Nesbitt

Record: 75-75
Last Power Ranking: 17

Top award candidate: Tanner Houck, AL Cy Young Award

In an odd year for starting pitchers, Houck should land on a few Cy Young Award ballots, even if he entered the season’s final fortnight with a losing record. No longer do starters get punished as harshly by voters for their win-loss results, and Houck has been a stable presence for Boston all season. He has kept hitters off-balance by leaning heavily on his sweeper and his splitter. In turn, he’s kept opposing lineups from going deep, which is never an easy task in the American League East. — McCullough

Record: 74-75
Last Power Ranking: 18

Top award candidate: Ryan Helsley, NL Reliever of the Year

After missing much of the 2023 season with a forearm strain, Helsley has been both healthy and excellent this year, leading the league with 44 saves — more than doubling his previous high of 19 — and posting a 2.19 ERA. Helsley’s fastball averages 99.6 mph, though this season, his slider is his primary pitch — and for good reason: opposing hitters are batting .164 against it. Helsley has been more hittable in 2024, with a higher WHIP (1.15) and lower strikeout rate (28.7 percent) than he had the previous two seasons as the Cardinals’ closer. But despite the traffic, he’s limited damage by missing barrels. — Nesbitt

Record: 73-77
Last Power Ranking: 19

Top award candidate: Junior Caminero, AL MVP (in 2027)

We write about Caminero relatively often in this space, so forgive us for repeating ourselves, but he’s been a burst of energy in an otherwise bleak season. The Rays underachieved early in the year. The front office tore down the roster at the deadline. Taj Bradley ran out of gas. (Well, at least Ryan Pepiot proved to be a better bet than Tyler Glasnow.) The reasons for long-term optimism center around faith in the team’s baseball operations department and hope in players like Caminero, the 21-year-old infielder who is capable of ferocious contact and ferocious whiffs in equal measure. — McCullough

Record: 73-78
Last Power Ranking: 22

Top award candidate: Elly De La Cruz, NL MVP

While Hunter Greene will receive down-ballot Cy Young votes, we’ll go with the guy who’s been healthy. De La Cruz has leveled up across the board in his first full MLB season. He leads the majors with 64 steals, is slashing .257/.342./.469 (120 OPS+) and has contributed 14 outs above average at shortstop. De La Cruz is crushing fastballs, walking more and chasing less than last season. He has 24 homers, and with his astounding raw power he could turn more barrels into homers in future years. His clear flaw is his strikeout rate, which still sits at 31 percent. If that comes down, watch out, Ohtani. — Nesbitt

Record: 72-78
Last Power Ranking: 20

Top award candidate: Tyler Fitzgerald, NL Rookie of the Year

Fitzgerald won’t pull this off when his competition is Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio, all of whom deserve to win. But in a season that’s not as saturated with future stars, he’d have a chance. A recent back injury scuttled his chances at a 20-20 season, which is impressive for a player who didn’t become a lineup regular until the middle of June.

The Giants have other award-adjacent types, like Patrick Bailey (Gold Glove candidate) and Ryan Walker (Trevor Hoffman Award candidate), but in a normal season, Fitzgerald would be getting a lot more attention for the Rookie of the Year. If the Giants didn’t have him, goodness, they would be lousy. More so. — Brisbee

Record: 72-78
Last Power Ranking: 23

Top award candidate: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., AL Silver Slugger

This is not damning with faint praise. This is progress! After two quieter seasons at the plate, Guerrero returned as a force in 2024. Too bad it wasn’t in service of a postseason chase. At least Guerrero has set himself up for a massive payday. That could come in the form of an extension with the Blue Jays, who are committed to attempting to contend again next season with this year’s core. Or, if Guerrero wants to test the market, it could come in free agency after 2025. He is still so young that he would hit the market while entering his age-27 season. No free-agent first baseman has inked a deal worth $200 million since Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder heading into 2012. Guerrero could change that. — McCullough

Record: 71-79
Last Power Ranking: 21

Top award candidate: Bruce Bochy, AL Manager of the Year

Why not just vote for the most respected manager, regardless of their team’s record? Surely the folks who created this award never thought it would become “Manager of the team that did way better than expected” every stinking year. Where’s the love for the managers who are simply doing their jobs better than others?

So start a revolution. I don’t know if the Rangers would be 61-89 without Bochy, or if they’d be three games up in the wild-card chase without him. All I know is how his players and ex-players talk about him, and it seems like this award would be a fine way to honor him or any of the other widely respected managers around either league. The last time he won a MOY award, he was 40, almost as old as two of his players at the time, Rickey Henderson and Fernando Valenzuela.

All Bochy has done since is build an unbeatable Hall of Fame career. Seems like managers like that should get more awards, not be tied with Tony Peña, Gabe Kapler, Kirk Gibson and Matt Williams, who combined to manage 17 seasons. That is, 10 fewer seasons than Bochy alone. — Brisbee

Record: 71-78
Last Power Ranking: 24

Top award candidate: Paul Skenes, NL Rookie of the Year

Skenes entered his start Monday with a 2.10 ERA over 120 innings as a starter. Here are the last five rookies to do that.

1986 Mark Eichhorn: 1.72 ERA in 157 innings
1980 Doug Corbett: 1.98 ERA in 136 1/3 inning
1973 Steve Rogers: 1.54 ERA in 134 innings
1968 Stan Bahnsen: 2.05 ERA in 267 1/3 innings
1968 Jerry Koosman: 2.08 ERA in 263 2/3 innings

That’s the whole list going back to the Year of the Pitcher, 1968. Corbett and Rogers pitched entirely in relief. Bahnsen was the only one of the group to win Rookie of the Year. Skenes is in toss-up territory. He was the story of the Midsummer Classic and has dominated hitters. But Mr. Clutch Jackson Merrill has had an everyday impact in getting his team to the playoffs. The Pirates have only had one Rookie of the Year winner: Jason Bay in 2004. — Nesbitt

Record: 68-81
Last Power Ranking: 25

Top award candidate: James Wood, NL Rookie of the Year

It’s tough to be a National League rookie in 2024, a season blessed with the debuts of Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio. That trio has overshadowed Wood — and, with his 6-foot-7 frame, Wood rarely gets overshadowed. He has held his own since the Nationals called him up on July 1. His size will always leave him prone to strikeouts. But he has the potential to be a star for a franchise that could use some. — McCullough

Record: 65-85
Last Power Ranking: 26

Top award candidate: Brent Rooker, AL MVP

The former first-round pick is just a couple years removed from wondering if his career was almost over. In April 2022, Rooker was a throw-in to the deal that sent Taylor Rogers to the Padres. A couple months later, the Padres traded him to the Royals for a backup catcher who never reached the majors with them. Two months after that, the Royals waived Rooker. He had just turned 28, he had a .668 OPS in the majors, and the marketplace was suggesting his value was somewhere between a fringey backup catcher and a waiver claim. That’s right about when some start thinking about law school or opening a sandwich shop.

Instead, Rooker will finish in the top 10 in the AL MVP voting, and it’s hard not to get sentimental about stories like his. Although I’m really in the mood for a sandwich right now, so I’m wondering what his shop would have offered. — Brisbee

Record: 60-90
Last Power Ranking: 27

Top award candidate: Zach Neto, AL MVP (10th place)

The order I write these capsules is determined by the alphabetical order of the team name. That’s how they show up in the document every week, which means I typically have to think about the Angels first. This one feels like an OSHA violation.

This was the category that broke me. You look for a player on their team who can win an award, even a simple Gold Glove. You can’t.

This will be the first season the Angels haven’t had a top-five MVP finisher since 2011, which is wild. So while we can’t pretend that Neto deserves a top-five finish for the AL MVP, he’s got a shot at a single 10th-place vote, at least. He’s currently 23rd in the AL in WAR among position players, according to FanGraphs, but he’s a win-and-a-half away from 10th place. Fudge a little and give him extra credit for being one of the brightest lights in a dark situation. The Angels can get a single 10th-place MVP vote, as a treat, to wean them off the award endorphins that are long gone. — Brisbee

Record: 57-93
Last Power Ranking: 29

Top award candidate: Brenton Doyle, NL Platinum Glove

Any Tom, Dick and Harry can win a Gold Glove. And they have. (Tom Pagnozzi, Corey Dickerson and Harold Reynolds, to be specific.) But it takes a true fielding freak to win a Platinum Glove, and Doyle certainly qualifies. Coors Field has a monstrous, punishing outfield, and the Rockies will always need one of the best defensive center fielders in the game. They have one in Doyle. Now he’s hitting well, too, which seems unfair. There go those Rockies again, catching all the breaks.

This would be the 15th Platinum Glove in the award’s history. If Doyle wins, this would be the breakdown by team:

• Cardinals (6)
• Rockies (6)
• Cubs (1)
• Braves (1)
• Padres (1)

If Nolan Arenado wasn’t traded, the Rockies might have more than three-quarters of the Platinum Glove awards. Wild. — Brisbee

Record: 55-95
Last Power Ranking: 28

Top award candidate: Skip Schumaker, Manager of the Year (in 2025)

Schumaker will become the darling of the free-agent managerial market when the season ends. The move was telegraphed months ago when Miami eliminated his option year for 2025 after Peter Bendix replaced Kim Ng as the head of baseball operations. Schumaker won Manager of the Year after the Marlins snuck into the postseason last season. There was far less good fortune in 2024. Miami was a wreck from Opening Day onward, and the rebuilding figures to take a while. Schumaker is expected to take over in a different dugout next spring — and he’s likely to benefit from Craig Counsell’s financial windfall with the Cubs. — McCullough

Record: 36-115
Last Power Ranking: 30

Top award candidate: Jerry Reinsdorf, Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award

The Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award has been given out to 15 individuals. Cal Ripken Jr. for his Iron Man streak. Tony Gwynn for his batting titles. Mariano Rivera for his saves record. Most recently, Shohei Ohtani for making two-way history. Only one team has received the commissioner’s award: the 2001 Mariners for tying the 1906 Cubs’ wins record of 116.

If winning the most games makes you worthy of the award, losing the most should, too. I humbly nominate Reinsdorf and his 2024 White Sox to be the second club honored. Outdoing the 1962 Mets’ loss record of 120 would be nothing short of historic. — Nesbitt

(Top photo of Mookie Betts: Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Culture

Sidney Crosby’s new contract keeps him with Penguins — and in control

Published

17 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Press Room

Sidney Crosby’s new contract keeps him with Penguins — and in control

Before Sidney Crosby’s first home opener at Pittsburgh’s now-extinct Mellon Arena in October 2005, Mario Lemieux walked past a media scrum encircling Crosby and into the players’ lounge, pouring a cup of black coffee.

Smirking, he opined about soon being “forgotten.” Then, in an unusually earnest moment, Lemieux predicted Crosby would “own all my records one day,” nodded his head and walked out.

Lemieux might have undersold it. Crosby will have an opportunity to break Lemieux’s Penguins records, but also NHL records by Wayne Gretzky (most consecutive seasons averaging at least a point per game) and Steve Yzerman (most consecutive seasons as a team captain).

“(Lemieux) really said that?” Crosby said on Monday afternoon, after speaking with Pittsburgh media following his annual delivery of season tickets to an unsuspecting family in Mars, Pa. “Like, really?

“Uh, there’s still a long way to go.”

Not too long. Crosby needs 99 goals, 30 assists, and 128 points to knock Lemieux from the Penguins’ perch in those regular-season categories. He long ago set the franchise marks for postseason assists (130) and points (201), and needs only six postseason goals to do one better than Lemieux’s 76.

Still, after Crosby signed a new, two-year contract with an $8.7 million average annual value with the Penguins on Monday, he’ll get at least three more cracks at a bargain rate to notch more accomplishments.

GO DEEPER

Crosby’s new Penguins contract is his sweetest assist yet

Whether he drags the Penguins along for the ride — and back into a position of prominence — or becomes the only reason to care about a proud-turned-fledgling franchise could determine if Crosby does what Lemiex did in Pittsburgh: stay until the end of his career.

Crosby has said he wants to play only for the Penguins. He also wants to chase another Stanley Cup championship.

The Penguins have not qualified for the last two playoffs and will again enter a season with one of the NHL’s oldest rosters. Since Kyle Dubas traded for star defenseman Erik Karlsson last August, the Penguins’ front-office boss’s most intriguing acquisitions have been a handful of prospects.

Once a rite of passage for Crosby’s Penguins, a postseason appearance is hardly guaranteed before his new contract expires. Intriguingly, that contract is structured so he can leverage an exit before its final season if Dubas doesn’t quickly return the Penguins to contender status.

Crosby’s contract is designated 35-plus, a notable status per the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its Players Association. The contract includes two signing bonuses — a choice, essentially, by Crosby and agent Pat Brisson to get the bulk of the actual money paid before Crosby plays the final season of the new deal.

Crosby will earn $780,000 and $1.09 million in salary respectively in Years 1 and 2 of the new contract. But he will have been paid $16.31 million in real money before playing a game in Year 2.

Who cares how Penguins owner Fenway Sports Group pays Crosby so long as it pays him, right?

Every other GM in the league will care.

With 93.7 percent of Crosby’s salary paid before Year 2 of the new contract, he would come cheap — again, in terms of actual money — in any potential trade during the 2026 offseason. By paying the supermajority of Crosby’s real money before that second contract season, the Penguins could justifiably demand a more favorable return in any potential trade, especially if, as would be likely, they took on a sizeable chunk of Crosby’s cap hit.

It would be just a one-season hit if Dubas retained even 50 percent ($4.35 million) to maximize the return in a trade that would end — albeit probably only temporarily — one of the NHL’s great love stories.

Crosby didn’t sign this new contract to not see it through. He’s said repeatedly, publicly and privately, that he wants to play only for the Penguins.

He also said he wants to win. He reiterated that point a few hours after the Penguins announced his new contract on Monday.

“I had some conversations with Kyle throughout the process,” Crosby said of the negotiations. “I think that was reassuring — just based on what we discussed as far as there’s still hunger from the organization and ownership to win and a commitment there.

“I think that’s really important. I feel like as players, for all the different guys that have played here over the course of the time that I’ve been here, it’s something that you build as a culture… something’s that’s ingrained. And missing the playoffs for a couple of years, not being in it, is difficult.

“You want to try to find every way possible to get back in there and make sure that we compete for the Stanley Cup. So, I think that was reassuring to hear and that helped. But no, I think it was more just hearing that reassurance.”

After next season, Crosby will be approaching his 39th birthday, and Dubas will have had three full years to set a course. His franchise icon should be able to look at the roster and assess whether it’s a Cup contender. By then, Crosby’s view of the situation in Pittsburgh could depend as much on his opinion of the roster as it could on whether he wants to continue without Evgeni Malkin (likely to retire) and possibly Kris Letang, whose final two contractual seasons are not as trade-prohibitive.

Crosby reiterated Monday how special it’s been to play 18 seasons with Malkin and Letang as teammates. The Penguins’ Big Three isn’t going past 20 seasons, if only because of Malkin’s contract.

If, after next season, one or both of his dear friends have moved on and the Penguins aren’t closer to winning their first playoff series since 2018, who would begrudge Crosby for wanting what could be his final NHL season to be a shot at the Cup somewhere else?

The onus is on Dubas to make Crosby’s decision easy by then. By keeping his cap hit as is, Crosby provided Dubas precious millions to upgrade the Penguins next offseason and the one after it. If the Penguins are on the upswing after 2025-26, who better than Crosby to show their next potentially great team how to win?

That would be a picture-perfect swan song for Crosby — with the Penguins in the playoffs, one last run before No. 87 is done.

Then, he can take however much time away he wants, start a family and return to the franchise in whatever off-ice capacity he chooses. He doesn’t need to become an owner, as Lemieux did, but he might.

Crosby’s heart is with the Penguins. He made that clear on Monday.

“It’s probably difficult to put that … into a sound bite,” he said, speaking from the back porch of a suburban Pittsburgh home where he playfully traded high-fives with children wearing various versions of his No. 87 Penguins jersey. “Support (from) the people, the fans, the organization, just everything over the years — it’s been really special, and we’ve had some incredible experiences and memories.

“I just want to continue that.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Jeanine Leech and Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)