This week I interviewed Rangers pitcher Brennan Garr. Brennan has been in Frisco for the last couple of years, and I have gotten to know him there. He is a great guy and I would like to thank him for doing this interview for my blog.
Me: Can you please describe the whole experience of the Arizona Fall League and what that experience has been like so far?
Brennan: So far it has been a great experience. The part I have enjoyed the most is meeting different players from other organizations. A lot of the guys have been in the big leagues before so I have been really trying to pick their brains and learn as much as I can from them. Another thing I like is being able to wear the big league uniform and I feel proud to represent the Rangers.
Me: When you were in college, did you enjoy hitting or pitching more?
Brennan: That’s a tough question. I really enjoyed hitting in college because I was successful at it and I liked the feeling of hitting a home run, but when I got the chance to pitch, I liked that better because the game was always on the line and the feeling of striking someone out to end the game and get the save was it for me.
Me: Why do you think the Rangers chose to use you as a pitcher, even though you led Northern Colorado in batting average, hitting .346, and had 44 RBI’s in just 46 starts?
Brennan: I think they chose me because I had a lot more potential to be playing in the big leagues as a pitcher because I was very raw, only throwing, I think, 33 innings in my college career and my arm was very fresh.
Me: What did you change in your approach in 2007 after you had a 6.35 ERA in April, but then had a 1.29 ERA in May, a 2.38 ERA in June, and a 1.13 ERA in July of that year?
Brennan: Well, I was very fortunate to have Danny Clark as my pitching coach in Spokane my first year and then having him in 2007. When I struggled in April, we looked over some video and since he knows me and knows my mechanics very well he found something I was doing. We fixed it and made an adjustment. From then on I was locating my pitches, throwing strikes, and being confident.
Me: Were you excited to make the 2007 Midwest All-Star team or would you rather have had the off days?
Brennan: I was really excited about making the team. My parents flew out to see me throw and it was a good feeling knowing I had a good first half of the season and was rewarded by being able to go to the game. It was also cool meeting guys from other organizations and I still see a lot of those guys now when we’re playing each other.
Me: You’ve had a lot of success when pitching with runners in scoring position (for example you had a .150 batting average against with runners in scoring position in 2008). What do you do to change your approach with runners in scoring position that leads to this success?
Brennan: When I have runners on I have a different kind of focus that I can’t really explain. I get a little angry when runners are about to score on me and I feel like I have a lot more conviction with my pitches during that time. Also, having runners not score is a big thing for me as a reliever because it is an important part of my job when coming out of the pen.
Me: How disappointed were you to be put on the High-A team to start the ’09 season after pitching all of ’08 in Frisco?
Brennan: I was very disappointed, but I wanted to take advantage of what I could by being back in Bakersfield. I never got down or felt like I was getting messed around with by the organization. I got a lot out of pitching again in High-A. I was able to work on mechanics, throw pitches in counts that I normally wouldn’t and learned a whole lot more on how to pitch.
Me: Did you notice a difference between single-A and double-A hitters and, if so, what is it?
Brennan: I did notice a difference. I thought the 3-4-5 hitters were a lot better and all the hitters were a lot more patient. I really learned the importance of throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters.
Me: What meant more to you, being the D-1 MVP in both 2005 and 2006, being named Division-I First Team All-Independent, or being on the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for National Player of the Year? Why?
Brennan: Being on the Brooks Wallace Watch List was pretty exciting for me because I felt like it was hard to get recognized since I was from a smaller D-1 school. Also, when I got to pro ball and looked back at that list, there are some really good players on that list and I felt honored to be a part of that.
Me: What do you think has been your best professional game and why?
Brennan: There was a game in Spokane that I really remember. I remember it because I threw 4.1 innings and struck out like 9, I think, didn’t give up any runs, and at that time I was very young as a pitcher and I had never thrown that many innings before and still haven’t.
Me: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Brennan: That’s a hard one because I have met so many good friends, but I’ll try to name three. Andrew Laughter, Beau Jones, and Chris Gradoville (I played with him one summer in college ball). My favorite Latin players are: Pedro Strop, Jumbo Diaz, and Kendy Batista
Me: Can you please rate each of the ballparks in the Rangers organization that youʼve played in from 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and explain your ratings?
Brennan: Spokane – 8 - great atmosphere. Great place to start.
Clinton – 6 - the field was in great shape. The locker room was redone and huge. The town was terrible and smelled.
Bakersfield - 3 - Didn’t like the town, the field was in bad shape, no fans. Only good thing was the travel was easy.
Frisco - 9 - best field I have ever played in. There are a lot of fans. The city is great with a lot of things to do.
Me: What is the toughest thing about minor league life and why?
Brennan: Being away from family and friends for so long.
Me: Who are the three toughest hitters you’ve faced and why?
Brennan: Hank Conger- Played against him all the way up through the system. Hitter you have to be careful with.
Tommy Everidge - I played with him one summer college season, so we know each other, so it was always a cat and mouse game with him every at bat.
Eric Young Jr.-Tough hitter. Very hard to strike out. Very fast
Me: What was your favorite team growing up?
Brennan: Colorado Rockies. The Rockies were a new team in Denver while I was growing up, so I followed them closely. I loved watching the Blake Street Bombers. (Todd Walker, Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette, and Vinny Castilla)
Me: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
Brennan: Besides baseball, I played basketball and was on the golf team in high school. I was better at golf.
Me: What is the worst injury you’ve had to deal with?
Brennan: I have been pretty fortunate with injuries. Nothing major. In college I tore my meniscus in my knee and had to have surgery, but was playing again in 4 weeks and it hasn’t bothered me since.
Me: What are your hobbies?
Brennan: In the off season I do a lot of small game, big game, and waterfowl hunting. I also do a lot of ice fishing in the mountains of Colorado. I still play golf also.
I would like to thank Brennan again. It was very nice of him to take his time while he’s in Arizona for the Arizona Fall League to do this for me.
Come back next week for a free agent special.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
No Entry This Week
I just got back from a trip to Indianapolis and am taking the week off. We had a family reunion for my great grandfather's 95th birthday.
I will say that I'm disappointed both that the World Series is over and that the Yankees won. And am I the only one that got tired of hearing talk about how 'long' the Yankees and their fans have been waiting for a championship? I think most fans would be pretty happy to 'endure' a 9 year wait between championships.
I will say that I'm disappointed both that the World Series is over and that the Yankees won. And am I the only one that got tired of hearing talk about how 'long' the Yankees and their fans have been waiting for a championship? I think most fans would be pretty happy to 'endure' a 9 year wait between championships.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
#21-25 All-Time Rangers List
I’m rooting against the Yankee and, also, I’m rooting for a long World Series.
I don’t like the 2-3-2 playoff format. The team with home field advantage shouldn’t have the chance of not coming back home if they lose one of the first two games.
The Rangers made the unfortunate decision to close the Legends of the Game Museum. Yesterday was its last day before closing permanently. I don’t understand this decision. The museum was unique part of the ballpark and from what I’ve read was profitable. They plan to turn the top two levels into meeting rooms, which is lame. They plan to turn the bottom floor into a Rangers Hall of Fame (open during home games), which is a great idea. But they could have done that and still left the rest of the museum in place. Half of the second floor was already dedicated to Rangers history, so they could have turned that area into the Rangers Hall of Fame and left the rest of the museum alone. There used to be a lot of things you could do at the Ballpark in the off-season. My dad and I would sometimes go to the museum on a Saturday morning in the winter and then eat lunch at the Fridays that used to be in right field. We could then walk around the stadium and read the bricks that outlined each year’s teams, showing each player on the team (with stats) and any awards won by team members. Now the museum is closed, the restaurant is closed, and they tore up all of the bricks (except for two years’ worth, which sit by themselves looking odd and lonely). Now the only thing you can do there during the offseason is shop at the team store. That’s really sad.
This week I will continue my Top 50 Rangers All-Time List. I will do numbers 21-25. My last entry in this series was on August 16th.
25. Bobby Witt: 104-104 (3rd in wins), 1680.2 IP (3rd), 1405 K (2nd), 4.85 ERA
Bobby appeared in 430 games for the Rangers over parts of 11 seasons, which included 2 different stints with the team. He started with the team in 1986 and was part of the Jose Canseco trade to Oakland in 1992. He returned to the club in August 1995 as part of a trade with the Marlins. He was a major part of the Rangers’ first-ever playoff team, going 16-12 in 1996. He was later sent to the Cardinals during the 1998 season. Bobby is 3rd on the Rangers’ all-time list in wins, is third in innings pitched with 1680.2 IP, and is third in strikeouts with 1405 of them. If it weren’t for him having 104 losses (the same amount of losses as he has wins) and a 4.85 ERA (not at all a great ERA), he’d be higher on the list. But the stats he has are good enough to get him #25 on this list. He also had a cool moment in 1997, when he hit a home run at Dodger Stadium during the first year of interleague play, becoming the first AL pitcher to homer in years. Bobby was a good guy (I got to meet him once) with a tough attitude, and I’m glad he was able to win a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks in his last year as a player.
24. Kevin Brown: 40 CG, 78 W, 1278.2 IP, 742 K, 3.81 ERA, .549 W%, 78-64 W-L, All-Star (‘92), 21-Game Winner (‘92), T-Win Leader (‘92)
Kevin was 78-64 as a Ranger, a .549 winning percentage - very solid. He also had a 3.81 ERA, which is very good. He had a great season in 1992, as he won 21 games, which was tied for the league lead, and was an All-Star. He also threw 40 complete games, and struck out 742 in 1278.2 innings pitched. If he had stayed a Ranger for maybe even just one more year, he would’ve easily cracked the top 20 on my list. But he left the Rangers after 8 years to go to Baltimore as a free agent in 1995, later taking his sunny personality to Florida for their first championship season.
23. Will Clark: .308 AVG (2nd), 397 RBI, 77 HR, All-Star (‘94)
Will is 2nd all-time among Rangers in batting average with a .308 average. He also had 77 home runs and 397 RBI’s as a Ranger. He was an American League All-Star in 1994, his first season with the Rangers. Clark was only with the Rangers for five years (in between Rafael Palmeiro’s two runs with the club), but was a key part of the 1996 and 1998 playoff teams (both with his stats and with his leadership). He did not play well in the postseason with the Rangers, going 3-for-27 between the two years. He was also hurt a lot, playing more than 125 games only once. His batting average plus his contribution to the Rangers’ first two playoff teams is what got him so high up on this list.
22. Pete O’Brien: 3351 AB, .273 AVG, 114 HR, 487 RBI
Pete O’Brien had 3,351 at-bats as a Ranger over seven seasons, which is a lot of at-bats with one team. He also had a decent batting average, as he hit .273 in his career as a Ranger. His power numbers as a Ranger are very good, though, as he had 114 home runs, and 487 RBI’s. Even though his batting average is just average, his power numbers make him #22 on this list.
21. Larry Parrish: 149 HR, 522 RBI, .264 AVG, All-Star (‘87)
Larry Parrish’s average as a Ranger wasn’t all that hot, at just .264, but his power numbers are very good and make up for that. He hit 149 home runs as a Ranger over seven seasons, and he also had 522 RBI’s. He made the All-Star team in 1987, and that was his only All-Star game as a Ranger. His power numbers deserved to be higher on this list, but with a .264 batting average, you can only go so high.
Come back next week for a ‘Predictions vs. Results’ Special.
I don’t like the 2-3-2 playoff format. The team with home field advantage shouldn’t have the chance of not coming back home if they lose one of the first two games.
The Rangers made the unfortunate decision to close the Legends of the Game Museum. Yesterday was its last day before closing permanently. I don’t understand this decision. The museum was unique part of the ballpark and from what I’ve read was profitable. They plan to turn the top two levels into meeting rooms, which is lame. They plan to turn the bottom floor into a Rangers Hall of Fame (open during home games), which is a great idea. But they could have done that and still left the rest of the museum in place. Half of the second floor was already dedicated to Rangers history, so they could have turned that area into the Rangers Hall of Fame and left the rest of the museum alone. There used to be a lot of things you could do at the Ballpark in the off-season. My dad and I would sometimes go to the museum on a Saturday morning in the winter and then eat lunch at the Fridays that used to be in right field. We could then walk around the stadium and read the bricks that outlined each year’s teams, showing each player on the team (with stats) and any awards won by team members. Now the museum is closed, the restaurant is closed, and they tore up all of the bricks (except for two years’ worth, which sit by themselves looking odd and lonely). Now the only thing you can do there during the offseason is shop at the team store. That’s really sad.
This week I will continue my Top 50 Rangers All-Time List. I will do numbers 21-25. My last entry in this series was on August 16th.
25. Bobby Witt: 104-104 (3rd in wins), 1680.2 IP (3rd), 1405 K (2nd), 4.85 ERA
Bobby appeared in 430 games for the Rangers over parts of 11 seasons, which included 2 different stints with the team. He started with the team in 1986 and was part of the Jose Canseco trade to Oakland in 1992. He returned to the club in August 1995 as part of a trade with the Marlins. He was a major part of the Rangers’ first-ever playoff team, going 16-12 in 1996. He was later sent to the Cardinals during the 1998 season. Bobby is 3rd on the Rangers’ all-time list in wins, is third in innings pitched with 1680.2 IP, and is third in strikeouts with 1405 of them. If it weren’t for him having 104 losses (the same amount of losses as he has wins) and a 4.85 ERA (not at all a great ERA), he’d be higher on the list. But the stats he has are good enough to get him #25 on this list. He also had a cool moment in 1997, when he hit a home run at Dodger Stadium during the first year of interleague play, becoming the first AL pitcher to homer in years. Bobby was a good guy (I got to meet him once) with a tough attitude, and I’m glad he was able to win a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks in his last year as a player.
24. Kevin Brown: 40 CG, 78 W, 1278.2 IP, 742 K, 3.81 ERA, .549 W%, 78-64 W-L, All-Star (‘92), 21-Game Winner (‘92), T-Win Leader (‘92)
Kevin was 78-64 as a Ranger, a .549 winning percentage - very solid. He also had a 3.81 ERA, which is very good. He had a great season in 1992, as he won 21 games, which was tied for the league lead, and was an All-Star. He also threw 40 complete games, and struck out 742 in 1278.2 innings pitched. If he had stayed a Ranger for maybe even just one more year, he would’ve easily cracked the top 20 on my list. But he left the Rangers after 8 years to go to Baltimore as a free agent in 1995, later taking his sunny personality to Florida for their first championship season.
23. Will Clark: .308 AVG (2nd), 397 RBI, 77 HR, All-Star (‘94)
Will is 2nd all-time among Rangers in batting average with a .308 average. He also had 77 home runs and 397 RBI’s as a Ranger. He was an American League All-Star in 1994, his first season with the Rangers. Clark was only with the Rangers for five years (in between Rafael Palmeiro’s two runs with the club), but was a key part of the 1996 and 1998 playoff teams (both with his stats and with his leadership). He did not play well in the postseason with the Rangers, going 3-for-27 between the two years. He was also hurt a lot, playing more than 125 games only once. His batting average plus his contribution to the Rangers’ first two playoff teams is what got him so high up on this list.
22. Pete O’Brien: 3351 AB, .273 AVG, 114 HR, 487 RBI
Pete O’Brien had 3,351 at-bats as a Ranger over seven seasons, which is a lot of at-bats with one team. He also had a decent batting average, as he hit .273 in his career as a Ranger. His power numbers as a Ranger are very good, though, as he had 114 home runs, and 487 RBI’s. Even though his batting average is just average, his power numbers make him #22 on this list.
21. Larry Parrish: 149 HR, 522 RBI, .264 AVG, All-Star (‘87)
Larry Parrish’s average as a Ranger wasn’t all that hot, at just .264, but his power numbers are very good and make up for that. He hit 149 home runs as a Ranger over seven seasons, and he also had 522 RBI’s. He made the All-Star team in 1987, and that was his only All-Star game as a Ranger. His power numbers deserved to be higher on this list, but with a .264 batting average, you can only go so high.
Come back next week for a ‘Predictions vs. Results’ Special.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
World Series Predictions
This week I will give my predictions for the World Series for both the Phillies vs. Yankees scenario and for the Phillies vs. Angels scenario.
Phillies vs. Yankees: Philadelphia in 7
Here’s how I would have it playing out:
Game 1: CC Sabathia (NYY) over Cliff Lee (PHI) in New York
Game 2: Cole Hamels (PHI) over AJ Burnett (NYY) in New York
Game 3: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Andy Pettite (NYY) in Philadelphia
Game 4: Cliff Lee (PHI) over CC Sabathia (NYY) in Philadelphia
Game 5: AJ Burnett (NYY) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Philadelphia
Game 6: Andy Pettite (NYY) over Pedro Martinez (PHI) in New York
Game 7: Cliff Lee (PHI) over CC Sabathia (NYY) in New York
I think that Cliff Lee will be the difference-maker in this series. Nobody so far has been able to match up with CC Sabathia this postseason, but Cliff Lee is pitching just as well as CC right now, and I think will win two out of three times facing CC. AJ Burnett and Cole Hamels have both been struggling this postseason, so I think they are about equal. Both Pedro and Pettite are good clutch pitchers, and so I have them splitting, too.
The offenses of both these teams are the best two in all of baseball. Here’s how I break down their lineups:
1: Derek Jeter (NYY) over Jimmy Rollins (PHI) – Jimmy Rollins just isn’t himself this year, and, even if he was, he’s still no Derek Jeter.
2: Shane Victorino (PHI) over Johnny Damon (NYY) – Shane Victorino is hitting .361 this postseason while Johnny Damon is only hitting .211.
3: Chase Utley (PHI) over Mark Teixeira (NYY) – Mark Teixeira has only a .256 OBP this postseason, while Chase Utley has a .439 OBP.
4: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) tied with Ryan Howard (PHI) – Even though A-ROD has better stats so far, Ryan has been to the World Series, while A-ROD has not.
5: Jayson Werth (PHI) over Hideki Matsui (NYY) – Jayson already has 5 home runs this postseason, while Matsui only has 1.
6: Raul Ibanez (PHI) over Robinson Cano (NYY) – Robinson has only five RBI’s, while Raul Ibanez has nine.
7: Jorge Posada (NYY) over Pedro Feliz (PHI) – Pedro is hitting .161 this postseason. That’s horrible.
8: Carlos Ruiz (PHI) over Nick Swisher (NYY) – Carlos is hitting .346 with a .500 OBP so far this postseason, while Swisher is hitting .103.
Phillies vs. Angels: Philadelphia in 6
Here’s how I have it playing out:
Game 1: Cliff Lee (PHI) over John Lackey (LAA) in Anaheim
Game 2: Joe Saunders (LAA) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Anaheim
Game 3: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Jered Weaver (LAA) in Philadelphia
Game 4: Cliff Lee (PHI) over John Lackey (LAA) in Philadelphia
Game 5: Joe Saunders (LAA) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Philadelphia
Game 6: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Jered Weaver (LAA) in Anaheim
John Lackey couldn’t quite match up with CC, so I don’t think he’ll be able to match up with Cliff Lee. Even though Joe Saunders isn’t that great, Cole Hamels has been horrible this postseason, so I have Joe winning both their match-ups, and then Pedro is just a good clutch pitcher.
The Phillies offense, in my opinion, is better than the Angels offense by a fairly large margin:
1: Jimmy Rollins (PHI) over Chone Figgins (LAA) – Figgins has two hits this postseason and is hitting .065.
2: Shane Victorino (PHI) over Bobby Abreu (LAA) – Bobby is hitting only .267 this postseason, which is only because Victorino is hitting .361.
3: Chase Utley (PHI) over Torii Hunter (LAA) – Torii is hitting only .276 with only one home run this postseason.
4: Ryan Howard (PHI) over Vladimir Guerrero (LAA) – Howard tied the record for most consecutive playoff games with an RBI earlier this postseason with 8. Vlad can’t match that.
5: Jayson Werth (PHI) over Juan Rivera (LAA) – Jayson has 5 home runs. Juan has none.
6: Raul Ibanez (PHI) over Howie Kendrick (LAA) – Howie has worked no walks this postseason, and that really hurts his OBP.
7: Kendry Morales (LAA) over Pedro Feliz (PHI) – Even Kendry’s .200 batting average is better than Pedro’s .161 batting average.
8: Carlos Ruiz (PHI) over Mike Napoli (LAA) – Carlos is hitting .346 with a .500 OBP. Mike is hitting .154 with a .267 OBP.
Come back next week for my Results vs. Predictions Comparison.
Phillies vs. Yankees: Philadelphia in 7
Here’s how I would have it playing out:
Game 1: CC Sabathia (NYY) over Cliff Lee (PHI) in New York
Game 2: Cole Hamels (PHI) over AJ Burnett (NYY) in New York
Game 3: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Andy Pettite (NYY) in Philadelphia
Game 4: Cliff Lee (PHI) over CC Sabathia (NYY) in Philadelphia
Game 5: AJ Burnett (NYY) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Philadelphia
Game 6: Andy Pettite (NYY) over Pedro Martinez (PHI) in New York
Game 7: Cliff Lee (PHI) over CC Sabathia (NYY) in New York
I think that Cliff Lee will be the difference-maker in this series. Nobody so far has been able to match up with CC Sabathia this postseason, but Cliff Lee is pitching just as well as CC right now, and I think will win two out of three times facing CC. AJ Burnett and Cole Hamels have both been struggling this postseason, so I think they are about equal. Both Pedro and Pettite are good clutch pitchers, and so I have them splitting, too.
The offenses of both these teams are the best two in all of baseball. Here’s how I break down their lineups:
1: Derek Jeter (NYY) over Jimmy Rollins (PHI) – Jimmy Rollins just isn’t himself this year, and, even if he was, he’s still no Derek Jeter.
2: Shane Victorino (PHI) over Johnny Damon (NYY) – Shane Victorino is hitting .361 this postseason while Johnny Damon is only hitting .211.
3: Chase Utley (PHI) over Mark Teixeira (NYY) – Mark Teixeira has only a .256 OBP this postseason, while Chase Utley has a .439 OBP.
4: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) tied with Ryan Howard (PHI) – Even though A-ROD has better stats so far, Ryan has been to the World Series, while A-ROD has not.
5: Jayson Werth (PHI) over Hideki Matsui (NYY) – Jayson already has 5 home runs this postseason, while Matsui only has 1.
6: Raul Ibanez (PHI) over Robinson Cano (NYY) – Robinson has only five RBI’s, while Raul Ibanez has nine.
7: Jorge Posada (NYY) over Pedro Feliz (PHI) – Pedro is hitting .161 this postseason. That’s horrible.
8: Carlos Ruiz (PHI) over Nick Swisher (NYY) – Carlos is hitting .346 with a .500 OBP so far this postseason, while Swisher is hitting .103.
Phillies vs. Angels: Philadelphia in 6
Here’s how I have it playing out:
Game 1: Cliff Lee (PHI) over John Lackey (LAA) in Anaheim
Game 2: Joe Saunders (LAA) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Anaheim
Game 3: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Jered Weaver (LAA) in Philadelphia
Game 4: Cliff Lee (PHI) over John Lackey (LAA) in Philadelphia
Game 5: Joe Saunders (LAA) over Cole Hamels (PHI) in Philadelphia
Game 6: Pedro Martinez (PHI) over Jered Weaver (LAA) in Anaheim
John Lackey couldn’t quite match up with CC, so I don’t think he’ll be able to match up with Cliff Lee. Even though Joe Saunders isn’t that great, Cole Hamels has been horrible this postseason, so I have Joe winning both their match-ups, and then Pedro is just a good clutch pitcher.
The Phillies offense, in my opinion, is better than the Angels offense by a fairly large margin:
1: Jimmy Rollins (PHI) over Chone Figgins (LAA) – Figgins has two hits this postseason and is hitting .065.
2: Shane Victorino (PHI) over Bobby Abreu (LAA) – Bobby is hitting only .267 this postseason, which is only because Victorino is hitting .361.
3: Chase Utley (PHI) over Torii Hunter (LAA) – Torii is hitting only .276 with only one home run this postseason.
4: Ryan Howard (PHI) over Vladimir Guerrero (LAA) – Howard tied the record for most consecutive playoff games with an RBI earlier this postseason with 8. Vlad can’t match that.
5: Jayson Werth (PHI) over Juan Rivera (LAA) – Jayson has 5 home runs. Juan has none.
6: Raul Ibanez (PHI) over Howie Kendrick (LAA) – Howie has worked no walks this postseason, and that really hurts his OBP.
7: Kendry Morales (LAA) over Pedro Feliz (PHI) – Even Kendry’s .200 batting average is better than Pedro’s .161 batting average.
8: Carlos Ruiz (PHI) over Mike Napoli (LAA) – Carlos is hitting .346 with a .500 OBP. Mike is hitting .154 with a .267 OBP.
Come back next week for my Results vs. Predictions Comparison.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
End-of-Season All-Stars
This week I will give my all-stars for the year in both the NL and AL.
AL Starters:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.365 AVG, 28 HR, 96 RBI): He leads all catchers (with at least 7 at-bats) in batting average at .365. He also leads all catchers in home runs and is second in RBI’s.
1B: Mark Teixeira, NYY (.292 AVG, 39 HR, 122 RBI): Mark leads all first basemen in RBI’s, is tied for the lead in home runs, and has a very solid batting average.
2B: Aaron Hill, TOR (.286 AVG, 36 HR, 108 RBI): Aaron has a solid batting average, and leads all AL second baseman in both home runs and RBI’s.
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.334 AVG, 18 HR, 66 RBI): Derek leads all shortstops in batting average, is tied for 4th in RBI’s, and is 1st in home runs.
3B: Michael Young, TEX (.322 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI): Michael leads all AL third basemen in batting average, and has solid power numbers at 22 home runs and 68 RBI’s.
OF: Jason Bay, BOS (.267 AVG, 36 HR, 119 RBI): Jason leads all AL outfielders in both home runs and RBI’s, so, even though he’s only hitting .267, he’s still deserving.
OF: Michael Cuddyer, MIN (.276 AVG, 32 HR, 94 RBI): Michael is third among AL outfielders in home runs and has 94 RBI’s, so even though his average is a little low, he still deserves it.
OF: Bobby Abreu, LAA (.293 AVG, 15 HR, 103 RBI): Bobby has 103 RBI’s, a .293 batting average, and, most impressive, a .390 on-base percentage.
SP: Zack Grienke, KC (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K): Zack had the lowest ERA in the majors, had 242 strikeouts, and had 16 wins with the Royals.
AL Reserves:
C: Victor Martinez, BOS (.303 AVG, 23 HR, 108 RBI)
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.324 AVG, 34 HR, 103 RBI)
Kendry Morales, LAA (.306, 34 HR, 108 RBI)
2B: Ben Zobrist, TB (.297 AVG, 27 HR, 91 RBI)
Robinson Cano, NYY (.320 AVG, 25 HR, 85 RBI)
SS: Jason Bartlett, TB (.320 AVG, 14 HR, 66 RBI)
Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.308 AVG, 6 HR, 68 RBI)
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.281 AVG, 33 HR, 113 RBI)
Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.286 AVG, 30 HR, 100 RBI)
OF: Nick Markakis, BAL (.293 AVG, 18 HR, 101 RBI)
Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (.300 AVG, 20 HR, 86 RBI)
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.352 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI)
Marlon Byrd, TEX (.283 AVG, 20 HR, 89 RBI)
P: Felix Hernandez, SEA (19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217 K)
CC Sabathia, NYY (19-8, 3.37 ERA, 197 K)
Justin Verlander, DET (19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269 K)
Roy Halladay, TOR (17-10, 2.70 ERA, 208 K)
Scott Feldman, TEX (17-8, 4.08 ERA, 113 K)
Jon Lester, BOS (15-8, 3.41 ERA, 225 K)
Jon Danks, CWS (13-11, 3.77 ERA, 149 K)
Josh Beckett, BOS (17-6, 3.86 ERA, 199 K)
Andrew Bailey, OAK (26 SV, 1.84 ERA, 91 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (44 SV, 1.76 ERA, 72 K)
Joe Nathan, MIN (47 SV, 2.10 ERA, 89 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (48 SV, 3.93 ERA, 46 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (38 SV, 1.85 ERA, 76 SV)
David Aardsma, SEA (38 SV, 2.52 ERA, 80 K)
Players per Team:
New York Yankees – 6
Boston Red Sox – 5
Texas Rangers – 3
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Seattle Mariners – 3
Cleveland Indians – 2
Toronto Blue Jays – 2
Detroit Tigers – 2
Baltimore Orioles – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
Chicago White Sox – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
NL Starters:
C: Brian McCann, ATL (.281 AVG, 21 HR, 94 RBI): Brian leads all NL catchers in home runs and RBI’s, and also has a very respectable batting average.
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.327 AVG, 47 HR, 135 RBI): Albert leads NL first basemen in batting average and home runs, and is 3rd in RBI’s.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.282 AVG, 31 HR, 93 RBI): Chase is second among NL second basemen in RBI’s, is tied for 1st in home runs, and has a solid batting average.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.342 AVG, 24 HR, 106 RBI): Hanley leads NL shortstops in batting average, RBI’s, and is second in homers.
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.292 AVG, 33 HR, 106 RBI): Ryan has a good batting average, leads NL third basemen in RBI’s, and is 2nd in home runs.
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.320 AVG, 32 HR, 114 RBI): Ryan has a great batting average, leads all NL outfielders in RBI’s, and is 4th among NL outfielders in home runs.
OF: Matt Kemp, LAD (.297 AVG, 26 HR, 101 RBI): Matt Kemp is solid in batting average, home runs, and RBI’s, and is one of the only ones to be solid in all three categories.
OF: Carlos Lee, HOU (.300 AVG, 26 HR, 102 RBI): Carlos is hitting .300 (a century-mark), had 100 RBI (a century-mark), and had 25 homeruns (another century-mark).
SP: Chris Carpenter, STL (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 K): Chris leads the NL in ERA, and is up there in wins with 17.
NL Reserves:
C: Miguel Montero, ARI (.294 AVG, 16 HR, 59 RBI)
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL (.299 AVG, 46 HR, 141 RBI)
Ryan Howard, PHI (.279 AVG, 45 HR, 141 RBI)
2B: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.276 AVG, 20 HR, 98 RBI)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.297 AVG, 32 HR, 92 RBI)
Miguel Tejada, HOU (.313 AVG, 14 HR, 86 RBI)
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.330 AVG, 25 HR, 90 RBI)
Mark Reynolds, ARI (.260 AVG, 44 HR, 102 RBI)
OF: Adam Dunn, WAS (.267 AVG, 38 HR, 105 RBI)
Andre Ethier, LAD (.271 AVG, 31 HR, 106 RBI)
Jayson Werth, PHI (.268 AVG, 36 HR, 99 RBI)
Raul Ibanez, PHI (.272 AVG, 34 HR, 93 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.300 AVG, 26 HR, 86 RBI)
P: Adam Wainwright, STL (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (12-9, 3.10 ERA, 151 K)
Johan Santana, NYM (13-9, 3.13 ERA, 146 K)
Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (15-12, 3.47 ERA, 198 K)
Bronson Arroyo, CIN (15-13, 3.84 ERA, 127 K)
Josh Johnson, FLA (15-5, 3.23 ERA, 191 K)
Ross Ohlendorf, PIT (11-10, 3.92 ERA, 109 K)
Heath Bell, SD (42 SV, 2.71 ERA, 79 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (39 SV, 2.16 ERA, 58 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (38 SV, 1.92 ERA, 44 K)
Brian Wilson, SF (38 SV, 2.74 ERA, 83 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (36 SV, 2.61 ERA, 114 K)
Trevor Hoffman, MIL (37 SV, 1.83 ERA, 48 K)
Players per Team:
St. Louis Cardinals – 4
Philadelphia Phillies – 4
Milwaukee Brewers – 3
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3
Arizona Diamondbacks – 3
Cincinnati Reds – 3
San Francisco Giants – 3
Colorado Rockies – 2
Houston Astros – 2
Florida Marlins – 2
Washington Nationals – 2
Chicago Cubs – 1
New York Mets – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Diego Padres – 1
Atlanta Braves – 1
Come back next week for playoff predictions.
AL Starters:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.365 AVG, 28 HR, 96 RBI): He leads all catchers (with at least 7 at-bats) in batting average at .365. He also leads all catchers in home runs and is second in RBI’s.
1B: Mark Teixeira, NYY (.292 AVG, 39 HR, 122 RBI): Mark leads all first basemen in RBI’s, is tied for the lead in home runs, and has a very solid batting average.
2B: Aaron Hill, TOR (.286 AVG, 36 HR, 108 RBI): Aaron has a solid batting average, and leads all AL second baseman in both home runs and RBI’s.
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.334 AVG, 18 HR, 66 RBI): Derek leads all shortstops in batting average, is tied for 4th in RBI’s, and is 1st in home runs.
3B: Michael Young, TEX (.322 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI): Michael leads all AL third basemen in batting average, and has solid power numbers at 22 home runs and 68 RBI’s.
OF: Jason Bay, BOS (.267 AVG, 36 HR, 119 RBI): Jason leads all AL outfielders in both home runs and RBI’s, so, even though he’s only hitting .267, he’s still deserving.
OF: Michael Cuddyer, MIN (.276 AVG, 32 HR, 94 RBI): Michael is third among AL outfielders in home runs and has 94 RBI’s, so even though his average is a little low, he still deserves it.
OF: Bobby Abreu, LAA (.293 AVG, 15 HR, 103 RBI): Bobby has 103 RBI’s, a .293 batting average, and, most impressive, a .390 on-base percentage.
SP: Zack Grienke, KC (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K): Zack had the lowest ERA in the majors, had 242 strikeouts, and had 16 wins with the Royals.
AL Reserves:
C: Victor Martinez, BOS (.303 AVG, 23 HR, 108 RBI)
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.324 AVG, 34 HR, 103 RBI)
Kendry Morales, LAA (.306, 34 HR, 108 RBI)
2B: Ben Zobrist, TB (.297 AVG, 27 HR, 91 RBI)
Robinson Cano, NYY (.320 AVG, 25 HR, 85 RBI)
SS: Jason Bartlett, TB (.320 AVG, 14 HR, 66 RBI)
Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.308 AVG, 6 HR, 68 RBI)
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.281 AVG, 33 HR, 113 RBI)
Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.286 AVG, 30 HR, 100 RBI)
OF: Nick Markakis, BAL (.293 AVG, 18 HR, 101 RBI)
Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (.300 AVG, 20 HR, 86 RBI)
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.352 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI)
Marlon Byrd, TEX (.283 AVG, 20 HR, 89 RBI)
P: Felix Hernandez, SEA (19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217 K)
CC Sabathia, NYY (19-8, 3.37 ERA, 197 K)
Justin Verlander, DET (19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269 K)
Roy Halladay, TOR (17-10, 2.70 ERA, 208 K)
Scott Feldman, TEX (17-8, 4.08 ERA, 113 K)
Jon Lester, BOS (15-8, 3.41 ERA, 225 K)
Jon Danks, CWS (13-11, 3.77 ERA, 149 K)
Josh Beckett, BOS (17-6, 3.86 ERA, 199 K)
Andrew Bailey, OAK (26 SV, 1.84 ERA, 91 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (44 SV, 1.76 ERA, 72 K)
Joe Nathan, MIN (47 SV, 2.10 ERA, 89 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (48 SV, 3.93 ERA, 46 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (38 SV, 1.85 ERA, 76 SV)
David Aardsma, SEA (38 SV, 2.52 ERA, 80 K)
Players per Team:
New York Yankees – 6
Boston Red Sox – 5
Texas Rangers – 3
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Seattle Mariners – 3
Cleveland Indians – 2
Toronto Blue Jays – 2
Detroit Tigers – 2
Baltimore Orioles – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
Chicago White Sox – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
NL Starters:
C: Brian McCann, ATL (.281 AVG, 21 HR, 94 RBI): Brian leads all NL catchers in home runs and RBI’s, and also has a very respectable batting average.
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.327 AVG, 47 HR, 135 RBI): Albert leads NL first basemen in batting average and home runs, and is 3rd in RBI’s.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.282 AVG, 31 HR, 93 RBI): Chase is second among NL second basemen in RBI’s, is tied for 1st in home runs, and has a solid batting average.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.342 AVG, 24 HR, 106 RBI): Hanley leads NL shortstops in batting average, RBI’s, and is second in homers.
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.292 AVG, 33 HR, 106 RBI): Ryan has a good batting average, leads NL third basemen in RBI’s, and is 2nd in home runs.
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.320 AVG, 32 HR, 114 RBI): Ryan has a great batting average, leads all NL outfielders in RBI’s, and is 4th among NL outfielders in home runs.
OF: Matt Kemp, LAD (.297 AVG, 26 HR, 101 RBI): Matt Kemp is solid in batting average, home runs, and RBI’s, and is one of the only ones to be solid in all three categories.
OF: Carlos Lee, HOU (.300 AVG, 26 HR, 102 RBI): Carlos is hitting .300 (a century-mark), had 100 RBI (a century-mark), and had 25 homeruns (another century-mark).
SP: Chris Carpenter, STL (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 K): Chris leads the NL in ERA, and is up there in wins with 17.
NL Reserves:
C: Miguel Montero, ARI (.294 AVG, 16 HR, 59 RBI)
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL (.299 AVG, 46 HR, 141 RBI)
Ryan Howard, PHI (.279 AVG, 45 HR, 141 RBI)
2B: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.276 AVG, 20 HR, 98 RBI)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, COL (.297 AVG, 32 HR, 92 RBI)
Miguel Tejada, HOU (.313 AVG, 14 HR, 86 RBI)
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.330 AVG, 25 HR, 90 RBI)
Mark Reynolds, ARI (.260 AVG, 44 HR, 102 RBI)
OF: Adam Dunn, WAS (.267 AVG, 38 HR, 105 RBI)
Andre Ethier, LAD (.271 AVG, 31 HR, 106 RBI)
Jayson Werth, PHI (.268 AVG, 36 HR, 99 RBI)
Raul Ibanez, PHI (.272 AVG, 34 HR, 93 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.300 AVG, 26 HR, 86 RBI)
P: Adam Wainwright, STL (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K)
Tim Lincecum, SF (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (12-9, 3.10 ERA, 151 K)
Johan Santana, NYM (13-9, 3.13 ERA, 146 K)
Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (15-12, 3.47 ERA, 198 K)
Bronson Arroyo, CIN (15-13, 3.84 ERA, 127 K)
Josh Johnson, FLA (15-5, 3.23 ERA, 191 K)
Ross Ohlendorf, PIT (11-10, 3.92 ERA, 109 K)
Heath Bell, SD (42 SV, 2.71 ERA, 79 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (39 SV, 2.16 ERA, 58 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (38 SV, 1.92 ERA, 44 K)
Brian Wilson, SF (38 SV, 2.74 ERA, 83 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (36 SV, 2.61 ERA, 114 K)
Trevor Hoffman, MIL (37 SV, 1.83 ERA, 48 K)
Players per Team:
St. Louis Cardinals – 4
Philadelphia Phillies – 4
Milwaukee Brewers – 3
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3
Arizona Diamondbacks – 3
Cincinnati Reds – 3
San Francisco Giants – 3
Colorado Rockies – 2
Houston Astros – 2
Florida Marlins – 2
Washington Nationals – 2
Chicago Cubs – 1
New York Mets – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Diego Padres – 1
Atlanta Braves – 1
Come back next week for playoff predictions.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
End of Season Awards
This week I will give my end-of-the-season awards.
Rangers Awards:
MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.322 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI): Michael Young is the Rangers’ MVP even after missing most of September. If he hadn’t done that, he would’ve gotten 200 hits, possibly 25 home runs, and probably 75 RBI’s. That’s pretty good, but he doesn’t even need that to be the MVP.
Runner-up: Marlon Byrd, TEX (.283 AVG, 20 HR, 89 RBI)
Cy Young: Scott Feldman, TEX (17-8, 4.08 ERA, 113 K): Scott Feldman threw the second most innings on the team, had the second most strikeouts on the team, the most wins on the team, and the second best ERA among starters on the team, and he didn’t even start the first month of the season.
Runner-up: Kevin Millwood, TEX (13-10, 3.67 ERA, 123 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.267 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI): Elvis should be the AL ROY, so he’s obviously the Rangers ROY.
Runner-up: Julio Borbon, TEX (.312 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
AL Awards:
MVP: Joe Mauer, MIN (.365 AVG, 28 HR, 96 RBI): He missed the first month of the season, is ‘only’ (by MVP standards) tied for 16th in the AL in RBI’s, and is ‘only’ tied for 17th in the AL in HR’s. But his .365 batting average makes up for all of that and more. In my mind, he’s the obvious choice.
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.324 AVG, 34 HR, 103 RBI)
Cy Young: Zack Grienke, KC (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K): He is on the Royals and he still has 16 wins. That’s pretty incredible. He leads all of baseball with a 2.16 ERA. He’s also 2nd in the AL in strikeouts with 242. I think that those two categories will make up for the three extra wins that CC and Verlander have on him.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, DET (19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.267 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI): Elvis may not have the best stats out of all the rookies, but he has the most stolen bases and the best defense by far out of all of them. And he had a solid average to go along with that.
Runner-up: Gordon Beckham, CWS (.270 AVG, 14 HR, 63 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire, MIN (87-76, 1st place): Ron took a team that really wasn’t very good to the playoffs and had a huge run at the end to get them there. I don’t think there’s much more to say.
Runner-up: Mike Scioscia, LAA (97-65, 1st place)
NL Awards:
MVP: Albert Pujols, STL (.327 AVG, 47 HR, 135 RBI): Albert Pujols was 3rd in the NL in RBI’s. He was 3rd in the NL in batting average. He was 1st in the NL in home runs. He was 1st in the NL in on-base percentage. And he’s 1st in the NL for my MVP vote.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL (.299 AVG, 46 HR, 141 RBI)
Cy Young: Chris Carpenter, STL (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 K): Chris leads the NL in ERA at an outstanding 2.24, and is second in the majors only to Zack Grienke. He also has 17 wins and, to me, had a better season than the other Cy-Young-worthy Cardinal.
Runner-up: Adam Wainwright, STL (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K)
Rookie of the Year: Garrett Jones, PIT (.293 AVG, 21 HR, 44 RBI): Garrett is a Pirate, I know. And Pirates don’t win awards, I know. And the Pirates don’t have anyone most people in Pittsburgh have ever heard of, I know. But Garrett leads all NL rookies with 21 home runs, has 44 RBI’s, and has a solid .293 batting average. This is probably the only time you’ll see me say a Pirate should win an award, so read this closely. A Pirate deserves to win this award.
Runner-up: J.A. Happ, PHI (12-4, 2.93 ERA, 119 K)
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, COL (72-42, 2nd place): The Rockies were 20-28 when he took over from Clint Hurdle and now they are 92-70 and in the playoffs. I’d have to say that makes him a deserving manager.
Runner-up: Tony La Russa, STL (91-71, 1st place)
Come back next week for a playoff analysis.
Rangers Awards:
MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.322 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI): Michael Young is the Rangers’ MVP even after missing most of September. If he hadn’t done that, he would’ve gotten 200 hits, possibly 25 home runs, and probably 75 RBI’s. That’s pretty good, but he doesn’t even need that to be the MVP.
Runner-up: Marlon Byrd, TEX (.283 AVG, 20 HR, 89 RBI)
Cy Young: Scott Feldman, TEX (17-8, 4.08 ERA, 113 K): Scott Feldman threw the second most innings on the team, had the second most strikeouts on the team, the most wins on the team, and the second best ERA among starters on the team, and he didn’t even start the first month of the season.
Runner-up: Kevin Millwood, TEX (13-10, 3.67 ERA, 123 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.267 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI): Elvis should be the AL ROY, so he’s obviously the Rangers ROY.
Runner-up: Julio Borbon, TEX (.312 AVG, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
AL Awards:
MVP: Joe Mauer, MIN (.365 AVG, 28 HR, 96 RBI): He missed the first month of the season, is ‘only’ (by MVP standards) tied for 16th in the AL in RBI’s, and is ‘only’ tied for 17th in the AL in HR’s. But his .365 batting average makes up for all of that and more. In my mind, he’s the obvious choice.
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.324 AVG, 34 HR, 103 RBI)
Cy Young: Zack Grienke, KC (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K): He is on the Royals and he still has 16 wins. That’s pretty incredible. He leads all of baseball with a 2.16 ERA. He’s also 2nd in the AL in strikeouts with 242. I think that those two categories will make up for the three extra wins that CC and Verlander have on him.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, DET (19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.267 AVG, 6 HR, 40 RBI): Elvis may not have the best stats out of all the rookies, but he has the most stolen bases and the best defense by far out of all of them. And he had a solid average to go along with that.
Runner-up: Gordon Beckham, CWS (.270 AVG, 14 HR, 63 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire, MIN (87-76, 1st place): Ron took a team that really wasn’t very good to the playoffs and had a huge run at the end to get them there. I don’t think there’s much more to say.
Runner-up: Mike Scioscia, LAA (97-65, 1st place)
NL Awards:
MVP: Albert Pujols, STL (.327 AVG, 47 HR, 135 RBI): Albert Pujols was 3rd in the NL in RBI’s. He was 3rd in the NL in batting average. He was 1st in the NL in home runs. He was 1st in the NL in on-base percentage. And he’s 1st in the NL for my MVP vote.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL (.299 AVG, 46 HR, 141 RBI)
Cy Young: Chris Carpenter, STL (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 K): Chris leads the NL in ERA at an outstanding 2.24, and is second in the majors only to Zack Grienke. He also has 17 wins and, to me, had a better season than the other Cy-Young-worthy Cardinal.
Runner-up: Adam Wainwright, STL (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K)
Rookie of the Year: Garrett Jones, PIT (.293 AVG, 21 HR, 44 RBI): Garrett is a Pirate, I know. And Pirates don’t win awards, I know. And the Pirates don’t have anyone most people in Pittsburgh have ever heard of, I know. But Garrett leads all NL rookies with 21 home runs, has 44 RBI’s, and has a solid .293 batting average. This is probably the only time you’ll see me say a Pirate should win an award, so read this closely. A Pirate deserves to win this award.
Runner-up: J.A. Happ, PHI (12-4, 2.93 ERA, 119 K)
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, COL (72-42, 2nd place): The Rockies were 20-28 when he took over from Clint Hurdle and now they are 92-70 and in the playoffs. I’d have to say that makes him a deserving manager.
Runner-up: Tony La Russa, STL (91-71, 1st place)
Come back next week for a playoff analysis.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Playoff Predictions
The Rangers finished their season today with a record of 87-75, twelve games over .500. If they were in the AL Central, they would’ve won it. In fact, they have the 4th-best record in the AL. This was a great season. The pitching and defense were great, but the offense let them down. They played great against the good teams, but struggled against the bad teams. That’s the sign of a talented young team, but it cost us the playoffs, because ultimately it’s hard to make the postseason when you’re losing to teams like the A’s. But nothing should take away from the fact that it was a great season. I can’t wait for 2010, when the Rangers will win the AL West.
Following are my playoff predictions.
NLDS:
Colorado vs. Philadelphia: Colorado in 4
The Rockies will have a good #1 starter in the playoffs. Ubaldo Jimenez was on the ’07 playoff team for the Rocks and had a 2.25 ERA in his three postseason starts. This year he is 15-12 with a 3.47 ERA and 198 strikeouts. The Rockies will have a solid (not great, but solid) #2 starter. Aaron Cook was also on the ’07 team, and had very similar numbers this year. He had a 4.12 ERA (4.16 this year) in 166 IP (158 this year). They will also have good #3 and 4 guys. Jason Marquis is 15-12 with a 3.95 ERA this year, and even though he has given up four or more runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, he has three years of playoff experience and should get back on track. Jorge De La Rosa is 16-9 with a 4.38 ERA. He has also pitched well of late, pitching 6 quality starts in his last 8 games. The Rockies can also hit, as they are 2nd in the AL in runs scored.
Unlike the Rockies, the Phillies might not have a shut-down #1 guy. Cole Hamels has really struggled this year, as he is 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. And even though he did well in the playoffs last year, he was hot going into them then. He isn’t now. He has had three straight bad outings. And Cliff Lee, after a hot streak after the trade to the Phils, has really struggled since. He has had only one quality start in his last seven outings. He’ll need to get it back on track in his first year of the playoffs (and I don’t think he will). The #3 starter, Joe Blanton, has a 4.05 ERA and has allowed five runs in six innings of work or less in both of his last two starts. J.A. Happ, a rookie, might be the best in the group. But he probably won’t even pitch if they’re behind in the series when it comes to his turn. He has a 2.85 ERA this year, and is hot. He has allowed three runs or less in 9 of his last 10 starts. The Phillies have won games off of their NL-leading offense, but that doesn’t help as much in the playoffs. That’s why I think the Rockies will win.
St. Louis vs. Los Angeles: St. Louis in 3
Chris Carpenter is an NL Cy Young candidate and the NL ERA leader. Adam Wainwright is an NL Cy Young candidate and is the MLB wins leader. Joel Pineiro is 4th in the NL in wins. They have Albert Pujols. They have Matt Holliday. They have allowed the 3rd least runs in the NL. That is all it takes and more to beat a team that is 38-35 since the All-Star break. The Cardinals are 42-28 since the All-Star break. I think that pretty much explains my prediction.
The Dodgers, as I said above, are only 38-35 since the All-Star break and are extremely cold. They are 3-7 in their last 10. They also don’t have great pitching. Their number one starter has a 4.03 ERA (Chad Billingsley), and although that’s a good number 2, it’s not a good number 1. And even though Randy Wolf has done well this year, he has never been to the playoffs, so he might struggle under the pressure. And while Kershaw has done well, this is his first full season in the majors and also his first playoffs. Hiroki Kuroda is out for the first round. Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier are all in slumps. They just don’t have a good team.
ALDS:
Detroit/Minnesota vs. New York:
The Yankees are not going to get by the Tigers or Twins in my opinion. The Tigers have great pitching and the Twins are hot. The Yankees’ playoff rotation consists of CC Sabathia, who has struggled mightily in the playoffs in his career, AJ Burnett, who has gotten only two wins in his last ten starts, and Joba Chamberlain, who is still young, unpolished, and inconsistent. That is not good. And you just can’t live off the home run, and runs in general, in the playoffs like you can in the regular season. I think that they have a great regular season roster, but that when it comes to the playoffs, they don’t have a very good team. It would be different if CC had pitched better in the playoffs before, or if AJ Burnett wasn’t pitching the way he has been lately.
Boston vs. Los Angeles: Boston in 4
The Red Sox have a good playoff pitching staff. Josh Beckett just came back from injury, and Jon Lester is still pitching well. Clay Buchholz is also pitching well. Those three are solid for the playoffs, but compared to the Angels’ rotation, they are incredible. The Red Sox also have a pretty good offense. Here are the first six:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury
2. Dustin Pedroia
3. Kevin Youkilis
4. Jason Bay
5. Victor Martinez
6. Mike Lowell (.353 AVG with 2 HR’s and 15 RBI’s in ’04 playoffs)
Normally, pitching wins you series, but, against the Angels, it could be either pitching or hitting.
The Angels have some of the worst pitching in the AL. It’s the 5th worst in the AL and worst in the playoffs. John Lackey has allowed 12 runs in his last 13 innings (three starts). Ervin Santana has a 5.10 ERA. Joe Saunders has a 4.62 ERA. Jared Weaver has the lowest ERA of the group (3.75), and he’s the #4 guy. Plus, their offense is old. Very old. They depend too much on guys like Vladimir Guerrero, and Torii Hunter, who’s coming off an injury. I just don’t see them going anywhere playoff-wise.
NLCS:
St. Louis over Colorado in 6
ALCS:
Detroit/Minnesota over Boston in 7
World Series:
St. Louis over Detroit/Minnesota in 6
Come back next week for my Championship Series Analysis.
Following are my playoff predictions.
NLDS:
Colorado vs. Philadelphia: Colorado in 4
The Rockies will have a good #1 starter in the playoffs. Ubaldo Jimenez was on the ’07 playoff team for the Rocks and had a 2.25 ERA in his three postseason starts. This year he is 15-12 with a 3.47 ERA and 198 strikeouts. The Rockies will have a solid (not great, but solid) #2 starter. Aaron Cook was also on the ’07 team, and had very similar numbers this year. He had a 4.12 ERA (4.16 this year) in 166 IP (158 this year). They will also have good #3 and 4 guys. Jason Marquis is 15-12 with a 3.95 ERA this year, and even though he has given up four or more runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, he has three years of playoff experience and should get back on track. Jorge De La Rosa is 16-9 with a 4.38 ERA. He has also pitched well of late, pitching 6 quality starts in his last 8 games. The Rockies can also hit, as they are 2nd in the AL in runs scored.
Unlike the Rockies, the Phillies might not have a shut-down #1 guy. Cole Hamels has really struggled this year, as he is 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. And even though he did well in the playoffs last year, he was hot going into them then. He isn’t now. He has had three straight bad outings. And Cliff Lee, after a hot streak after the trade to the Phils, has really struggled since. He has had only one quality start in his last seven outings. He’ll need to get it back on track in his first year of the playoffs (and I don’t think he will). The #3 starter, Joe Blanton, has a 4.05 ERA and has allowed five runs in six innings of work or less in both of his last two starts. J.A. Happ, a rookie, might be the best in the group. But he probably won’t even pitch if they’re behind in the series when it comes to his turn. He has a 2.85 ERA this year, and is hot. He has allowed three runs or less in 9 of his last 10 starts. The Phillies have won games off of their NL-leading offense, but that doesn’t help as much in the playoffs. That’s why I think the Rockies will win.
St. Louis vs. Los Angeles: St. Louis in 3
Chris Carpenter is an NL Cy Young candidate and the NL ERA leader. Adam Wainwright is an NL Cy Young candidate and is the MLB wins leader. Joel Pineiro is 4th in the NL in wins. They have Albert Pujols. They have Matt Holliday. They have allowed the 3rd least runs in the NL. That is all it takes and more to beat a team that is 38-35 since the All-Star break. The Cardinals are 42-28 since the All-Star break. I think that pretty much explains my prediction.
The Dodgers, as I said above, are only 38-35 since the All-Star break and are extremely cold. They are 3-7 in their last 10. They also don’t have great pitching. Their number one starter has a 4.03 ERA (Chad Billingsley), and although that’s a good number 2, it’s not a good number 1. And even though Randy Wolf has done well this year, he has never been to the playoffs, so he might struggle under the pressure. And while Kershaw has done well, this is his first full season in the majors and also his first playoffs. Hiroki Kuroda is out for the first round. Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier are all in slumps. They just don’t have a good team.
ALDS:
Detroit/Minnesota vs. New York:
The Yankees are not going to get by the Tigers or Twins in my opinion. The Tigers have great pitching and the Twins are hot. The Yankees’ playoff rotation consists of CC Sabathia, who has struggled mightily in the playoffs in his career, AJ Burnett, who has gotten only two wins in his last ten starts, and Joba Chamberlain, who is still young, unpolished, and inconsistent. That is not good. And you just can’t live off the home run, and runs in general, in the playoffs like you can in the regular season. I think that they have a great regular season roster, but that when it comes to the playoffs, they don’t have a very good team. It would be different if CC had pitched better in the playoffs before, or if AJ Burnett wasn’t pitching the way he has been lately.
Boston vs. Los Angeles: Boston in 4
The Red Sox have a good playoff pitching staff. Josh Beckett just came back from injury, and Jon Lester is still pitching well. Clay Buchholz is also pitching well. Those three are solid for the playoffs, but compared to the Angels’ rotation, they are incredible. The Red Sox also have a pretty good offense. Here are the first six:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury
2. Dustin Pedroia
3. Kevin Youkilis
4. Jason Bay
5. Victor Martinez
6. Mike Lowell (.353 AVG with 2 HR’s and 15 RBI’s in ’04 playoffs)
Normally, pitching wins you series, but, against the Angels, it could be either pitching or hitting.
The Angels have some of the worst pitching in the AL. It’s the 5th worst in the AL and worst in the playoffs. John Lackey has allowed 12 runs in his last 13 innings (three starts). Ervin Santana has a 5.10 ERA. Joe Saunders has a 4.62 ERA. Jared Weaver has the lowest ERA of the group (3.75), and he’s the #4 guy. Plus, their offense is old. Very old. They depend too much on guys like Vladimir Guerrero, and Torii Hunter, who’s coming off an injury. I just don’t see them going anywhere playoff-wise.
NLCS:
St. Louis over Colorado in 6
ALCS:
Detroit/Minnesota over Boston in 7
World Series:
St. Louis over Detroit/Minnesota in 6
Come back next week for my Championship Series Analysis.
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