KSR's MLB All-Star Break Update + Fandom Report
Kentucky is the host of many great things on this earth. Bluegrass, bourbon, horses, and college basketball, to name a few. However, the state has no professional sports teams. Most could understand then why UK and Louisville sports are so popular and why Kentucky basketball has been dubbed the “greatest in college basketball.”
The lack of a professional team has forced Kentuckians to get creative with their fandoms. Bengals, Titans, and Colts fans can be found all over the bluegrass in the fall, with the NFL franchises seeping into different parts of Kentucky. In the summer, the question becomes a little more complex, who do Kentuckians root for in the MLB?
This question led me to Twitter to ask who is your baseball team, and why? I received an overwhelming amount of responses, but it did provide me with a decent sample size of who Kentucky fans typically root for.
Cincinnati Reds (76 votes)
The closest team to Lexington and Louisville, the Cincinnati Reds have long been seen as the dominant force among Kentuckians. Behind years of the Big Red Machine and the Nasty Boys, the swagger of Cincinnati seeped into the state of Kentucky. With Northern Kentucky being a stone’s throw from Great American Ballpark, the Reds faithful have always seen Kentucky as another arm in the fanbase. However, younger Kentuckians may only know the Reds as a sub-par franchise, turning their fandoms away to other teams. Playoff collapses against San Francisco and Philadelphia; it seemed the Reds would lounge in mediocrity forever.
In 2021 Reds fans were treated to a fun team of Jesse Winker, Luis Castillo, Nick Castellanos, and the always-loved Joey Votto. However, despite their 83-79 record, the Redlegs missed the postseason. After this, Castellanos left in free agency, and the Reds lost Wade Miley. A bad Reds start to 2022 backed GM Nick Krall into a corner. The Reds had just failed a rebuild for the past 10 years; can the city go through another?
Krall then churned out trades and salary dumps that turned Cincinnati into a laughing stock. All-stars Jesse Winker and Luis Castillo were dumped, along with Tyler Mahle. Reds fans scoffed at the moves as other teams seemingly took Cincinnati-grown players to better their franchise. What Krall was planning was beyond the scope of even he could imagine.
Fast forward to 2023, those trades became one of baseball’s best farm systems and a rookie core that the National League hasn’t witnessed in years. Elly De La Cruz heads this rookie core as the unicorn of baseball, the 6-foot-7 shortstop that broke the Reds’ 34-year cycle drought in his second week of MLB baseball. De La Cruz switch hits, hits for power, is faster than anyone in baseball, and has a cannon for an arm. Many see De La Cruz as the future of baseball, yet he isn’t the only Reds rookie who is changing the franchise.
Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Williamson have all contributed and soared the Reds into a 44-39 record and tied for first place in the NL Central. Outfielders TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Will Benson have all enjoyed career years. Leader Jonathan India could be better statistically, but he is the club’s heartbeat. Pitching ace Hunter Greene (23) and lefty Nick Lodolo (25) are injured, but both will return in the coming months.
All that to say, the Reds are electric, the Reds are fun, and the Reds are “America’s team.” They’re loud, young, and love to play baseball. The roster has finally given the city of Cincinnati a baseball squad to get behind, a young group that doesn’t seem to care about the failures of the past. With a long way to go until they’re truly America’s team (or even playoff contenders), the city of Cincinnati is just glad to have good baseball back.
Atlanta Braves (41 votes)
The responses took me on a journey back to the 80s as Braves fans flooded the Twitter replies. Atlanta fans pointed to the TV rights of the Braves on TBS as the main factor in their fandom. Turner Sports began broadcasting the Braves in the late 70s, with peak ratings in the late 80s and early 90s. Turner started marketing Atlanta as “America’s team” to bring in fans across the US.
It was a perfect storm as many Kentuckians were searching for a baseball team to root for while America’s game continued to control the minds of sports fans. With names such as Tom Glavine, Dale Murphy, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz dominating the 80s and 90s, Braves fandom spread throughout Kentucky.
The Braves are now known as one of the best teams in baseball. This includes a World Series win over the Houston Astros in 2021, good for the franchise’s fourth ring. This season, the Braves have a National League-best 55-27 record. National League home-run leader Matt Olson has ripped the cover off of the ball. Acquired from the Oakland Athletics in 2022, Olson has been known as one of the best bats in baseball for a while now. However, this season is different as the first baseman sports a slugging percentage of .542, good for seventh in baseball.
Atlanta fans are also lucky enough to have (one of) the best hitters in baseball in Ronald Acuña Jr. The 25-year-old is simply one of the best the game has to offer. Acuña holds a .331 batting average (second in MLB) with 14 homers on the season. He is seen as one of, if not the best, young talent in baseball. Atlanta also has control over Acuña until the 2028-29 season with a contract worth about $17 million per year. However, some people have even said Acuña is underpaid — he’s been that good.
Leading the rotation is former Clemson Tiger, Spencer Strider. The 24-year-old has a career 3.11 ERA and is considered the best young arm in the majors. Austin Riley and Sean Murphy have continued their success this season, with Murphy having a career-best .289 batting average. Reigning National League Rookie of the Year, Michael Harris II is starting to get over the sophomore slump. All of this to say, Kentucky Braves fans are expecting another World Series this season, and it’s hard to argue against.
St. Louis Cardinals (32 votes)
One thing that was evident in the replies to the tweet was Cardinal Country is not only in Louisville. Western Kentucky seems to be full of St. Louis fans, as they are closer to the Cardinals than the Reds. Cardinals fans come from all over the Commonwealth.
St. Louis has been dominant over the years, with 11 World Series titles and 19 National League Pennants. They have won the NL Central 11 times since 2000, dominance unheard of in baseball. Except, this season has yet to go to plan for the Redbirds. St. Louis is 34-48 on the year, an abysmal 14 games under .500. In fact, the Cardinals have yet to finish under .500 since 2007, a year after winning the World Series.
2023 was supposed to be the year the Redbirds broke out from their postseason slump. They suffered defeats in the NL Wild Card series in three straight seasons. However, few can attest that St. Louis is not a franchise of supreme constancy and winning. With rings in 2006 and 2011, Cardinals fans in Kentucky have enjoyed great joys and triumphs. But this current Cardinal roster has yet to break through the National League.
Superstars Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt have a combined 15 All-Star appearances in their careers and now anchor the Cardinals’ corner infield. Last season Goldschmidt took home the National League MVP award at the age of 34. Arenado is currently 32 and has made a career out of power and a supreme glove (winning ten straight Gold Gloves at third base). Both stars are entering the twilight years of their careers, likely pushing the Cardinals’ ownership into win-now mode.
However, Cardinals fans will be the first to tell you this squad will not do the job. Seemingly in disaster mode, St. Louis could look to move some of their *many* talented pieces for ample compensation. Can a proud ownership and fanbase hit the complete reset button on such a talented team? Young third baseman (turned right fielder) Jordan Walker is one of the most promising players in the majors. Walker is seen as one of the most talented rookies in baseball. Can Walker spark-plug the Cardinals into a second-half turnaround?
Chicago Cubs (28 votes)
WGN broadcasting to the state of KY on cable brought in a multitude of fans that felt disconnected from Cincinnati. Cubs faithful grew with the legendary Harry Caray on the call, as many feel Caray is the best sportscaster of all time. Caray caused some Kentuckians to drift more towards WGN broadcasts and into supporting the Cubbies.
Now, Cubs fans must battle the Cardinal fans of Western Kentucky and the Reds fans of NKY. For many years, Cubs faithful were the laughingstock of baseball behind a 108-year World Series drought. Adding insult to injury, Chicago had many great teams throughout that century. Sammy Sosa, Ernie Banks, and Ryne Sandberg are legends in the game. Whether it was a curse or just bad luck, the Cubs were doomed for many years. However, a squad led by Kris Bryant broke the curse in 2016 with a game-seven WS victory over Cleveland.
The last three years have been rough for Chicago. They have failed to reach the postseason since 2020 when they lost in the Wild Card. However, they brought in former Atlanta star Dansby Swanson on a monster deal to pair with outfielder Ian Happ as the club’s core. The pair will likely be the mentors for the younger Cubs rising through the ranks. One example is baseball’s No. 9 prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 21-year-old outfielder currently plays in AA but will look to crack the big league roster next season. Pitchers Ben Brown and Cade Horton will look to make impacts in the coming years as top-100 prospects.
The Cubs are 38-45 and five games back of the NL Central lead this season. Former star Cody Bellinger is having a good season for Chicago and could make a complete career resurgence in Wriggly Field. Young arm Justin Steele has been incredible in his three years with the club. Steele is 8-2 on the year with a 2.62 ERA. Marcus Stroman has been dominant thus far, with a 2.47 ERA and a 9-5 record. However, Stroman has an opt-out after this season and has made it clear he wants more money. His negotiation will be huge for the coming years of Cubs baseball.
Other Teams Mentioned by Users
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Los Angeles Dodgers
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