Should fans boo their own players?

Mets fans appeared to boo one of their own pitchers this week, which got us thinking about when — if ever — it's fair for hometown fans to turn on their own team.

Then Pete Alonso returned to Citi Field and received a curtain call after hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth inning. Baseball fans can be a complicated bunch.

In Episode 724, Mark and Gordon dig into fan behavior, booing your own players, the Mets and their fans, and what players should expect from a passionate home crowd.

We also look around MLB as the 2026 regular season winds down. Most of the postseason field appears to be taking shape, but there are still a couple of playoff spots worth watching.

Are boos simply part of being a professional athlete — or should fans support their own players when they're struggling?

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.

Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.

Major League Baseball awards separate MVPs in the American and National Leagues, but what would happen if there were only one award for the entire sport?

The leading candidates present a fascinating contrast.

Pete Crow-Armstrong offers elite defense, speed, power and enormous all-around value. Traditional value measurements such as WAR make a compelling case that the Chicago Cubs center fielder has been the most valuable player in baseball.

Yordan Alvarez presents a different argument. The Houston Astros slugger may not match Crow-Armstrong’s defensive value, but his bat changes games. Measures such as Win Probability Added give Alvarez credit for delivering in the moments that have most directly affected whether his team wins or loses.

That raises a larger question: What should “most valuable” actually mean?

Should the award go to the player who accumulates the greatest overall value across hitting, defense and baserunning? Or should greater weight be given to the player whose biggest performances come in the most important moments?

In Episode 723 of Almost Cooperstown, Mark and Gordon compare Pete Crow-Armstrong and Yordan Alvarez and consider what WAR, WPA and other measurements reveal—and sometimes fail to reveal—about player value.

They also discuss whether clutch performance should influence MVP voting, whether a designated hitter can overcome the value contributed by an elite defensive center fielder and whether one statistic should ever settle an MVP debate.

If Major League Baseball selected only one overall MVP, would you vote for PCA or Yordan Alvarez?

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.

Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.

With the MLB season entering its final stretch, the standings remain crowded—but does that mean baseball has compelling playoff races or simply too many mediocre teams still in contention?

In Episode 722 of Almost Cooperstown, Mark and Gordon Kolier examine the American and National League playoff pictures, the teams building momentum and the supposed contenders beginning to fade. The expanded postseason keeps more fan bases interested deep into August, but it can also create a path to October for teams that have barely played winning baseball.

Which clubs are legitimate World Series threats? Which teams are hanging around only because the playoff field has grown? And how much should one strong postseason run erase five months of ordinary regular-season baseball?

The discussion also covers the continuing uncertainty surrounding MLB’s next collective bargaining agreement, the owners’ interest in greater payroll controls and whether baseball can avoid another damaging work stoppage before the 2027 season.

Plus, Mark and Gordon consider late-season injuries, pitching concerns, surprising performances and the players and teams worth watching as September approaches.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.

Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.