This week I will give my awards for World Series games 1-3, make my World Series predictions, and give my difference maker so far.
Last week I took a trip to Disney World with my dad. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much. My dad was there for a conference and he took me with him. We stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club hotel, which is very nice. I hung out in the room during the day and we went to Disney World at night. At MGM (now called Hollywood Studios) they have this new ride called Toy Story Mania that we had to wait for 70 minutes for before we could ride, but it was well worth it and is now my favorite ride at Disney World, closely followed by Splash Mountain. At Magic Kingdom they had a new show called the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and they had redone Haunted Mansion. The Laugh Floor was really good, and they did some nice clean-up work in Haunted Mansion and made it better. We stayed at Magic Kingdom till 1:00 AM on Sunday because we stayed at a Disney hotel and got to use the extra hours benefit. On Sunday morning we went to Animal Kingdom and had a blast. We did Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safari, and It’s Tough to be a Bug. They were all really good, but Dinosaur was my favorite. In the Kilimanjaro Safari you go around and see a bunch of real animals and learn facts about them. We were in our driver’s first safari. On Monday we went to MGM and the new ride was Toy Story Mania which I already mentioned. On Tuesday, we went to Epcot and the new rides there were The Seas (Finding Nemo ride), and they redid the Mexico ride and Spaceship Earth. They made Spaceship Earth much better and Mexico rideable, and The Seas was really good. On Wednesday I had to fly out and on Thursday I had to go back to school.
Awards:
Game 1 MVP: Cole Hamels, PHI: W, 7 IP, 2 ER
Runner-up: Chase Utley, PHI
Game 2 MVP: James Shields, TB: W, 5.2 IP, 0 ER
Runner-up: BJ Upton, TB
Game 3 MVP: Carlos Ruiz, PHI: 2-for-3, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s, walk-off single
Runner-up: Jamie Moyer, PHI
Difference Maker:
So far I think that Carlos Ruiz has been the major difference maker for this series because he’s won a game for them, and even if you take Game 3 out of stats, he’s still 2-for-5 with 4 walks and 1 RBI. He is hitting .500 and has a .667 OBP. When you can have those stats along with a walk-off, you’ve got to be the difference maker. Also, he has called three great games behind the plate, allowing 4 runs at most in a single game.
Predictions:
I think that the Phillies will win this series 4-3. I think it will come down to if Matt Garza’s inexperience will affect him in Game 7 (he will probably pitch game 7 against Jamie Moyer). I think that the pressure will be too large for Garza to handle and that he will allow 4 or 5 runs, which the way this series is going, will be all the runs that the Phillies will need. If the Phillies are able to hit the ball better, then they should be able to win this series easily, but if they don’t then they might lose this series. I could see either team winning the series, but I think that the Phillies will win just because of the Rays’ inexperience. But the Rays will be back sometime soon if they keep playing at this rate.
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will win the World Series?
Phillies – 45%
Rays – 45%
Red Sox – 10%
Come back next week for more World Series coverage.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
LCS Awards and World Series Prediction
This week I will give my LCS Awards along with my World Series predictions.
NLCS Awards:
NLCS Game 1 MVP: Chase Utley, PHI: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s
Runner-up: Cole Hamels, PHI
NLCS Game 2 MVP: Brett Myers, PHI: 3-for-3, 3 RBI’s, 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 K
Runner-up: Shane Victorino, PHI
NLCS Game 3 MVP: Rafael Furcal, LAD: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Runner-up: Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
NLCS Game 4 MVP: Shane Victorino, PHI: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s
Runner-up: Matt Stairs, PHI
NLCS Game 5 MVP: Cole Hamels, PHI: 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K
Runner-up: Ryan Howard, PHI
NLCS MVP: Cole Hamels, PHI: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, 14 IP, 13 K: Cole won two out of four wins and definitely deserves the NLCS MVP, which he did actually get.
Runner-up: Shane Victorino, PHI
ALCS Awards (so far):
ALCS Game 1 MVP: Dice-K Matsuzaka, BOS: 1 W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 K
Runner-up: Kevin Youkilis, BOS
ALCS Game 2 MVP: Evan Longoria, TB: 3-for-5, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
ALCS Game 3 MVP: BJ Upton, TB: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Matt Garza, TB
ALCS Game 4 MVP: Erick Aybar, TB: 4-for-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI’s
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
ALCS Game 5 MVP: JD Drew, BOS: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Scott Kazmir, TB
ALCS MVP (as of Game 5): BJ Upton, TB: .400 AVG, 3 HR’s, 10 RBI’s: BJ Upton is leading the team in ALCS RBI’s, and is second in both batting average and home runs.
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
Rays/Red Sox Prediction:
I think that the Rays will win Game 6 because they will be facing Josh Beckett, who they scored 8 runs off of in Game 2, and the fact that the Rays will have James Shields on the mound. But I think that if the Rays lose Game 6, then they will lose the series because Jon Lester pitches Game 7.
World Series Prediction:
Phillies over Rays: 4-3
Both teams are hot right now, but the Phillies have more experience and will pull it off. I think Cole Hamels will have to pitch three times (Games 1, 4, and 7) and will have to win all three games for the Phils to win. And I think that this will happen. Even though the Rays have homefield advantage, I’m going with the Phillies.
Come back next week for World Series coverage.
NLCS Awards:
NLCS Game 1 MVP: Chase Utley, PHI: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s
Runner-up: Cole Hamels, PHI
NLCS Game 2 MVP: Brett Myers, PHI: 3-for-3, 3 RBI’s, 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 K
Runner-up: Shane Victorino, PHI
NLCS Game 3 MVP: Rafael Furcal, LAD: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Runner-up: Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
NLCS Game 4 MVP: Shane Victorino, PHI: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s
Runner-up: Matt Stairs, PHI
NLCS Game 5 MVP: Cole Hamels, PHI: 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K
Runner-up: Ryan Howard, PHI
NLCS MVP: Cole Hamels, PHI: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, 14 IP, 13 K: Cole won two out of four wins and definitely deserves the NLCS MVP, which he did actually get.
Runner-up: Shane Victorino, PHI
ALCS Awards (so far):
ALCS Game 1 MVP: Dice-K Matsuzaka, BOS: 1 W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 9 K
Runner-up: Kevin Youkilis, BOS
ALCS Game 2 MVP: Evan Longoria, TB: 3-for-5, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
ALCS Game 3 MVP: BJ Upton, TB: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Matt Garza, TB
ALCS Game 4 MVP: Erick Aybar, TB: 4-for-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI’s
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
ALCS Game 5 MVP: JD Drew, BOS: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s
Runner-up: Scott Kazmir, TB
ALCS MVP (as of Game 5): BJ Upton, TB: .400 AVG, 3 HR’s, 10 RBI’s: BJ Upton is leading the team in ALCS RBI’s, and is second in both batting average and home runs.
Runner-up: Carl Crawford, TB
Rays/Red Sox Prediction:
I think that the Rays will win Game 6 because they will be facing Josh Beckett, who they scored 8 runs off of in Game 2, and the fact that the Rays will have James Shields on the mound. But I think that if the Rays lose Game 6, then they will lose the series because Jon Lester pitches Game 7.
World Series Prediction:
Phillies over Rays: 4-3
Both teams are hot right now, but the Phillies have more experience and will pull it off. I think Cole Hamels will have to pitch three times (Games 1, 4, and 7) and will have to win all three games for the Phils to win. And I think that this will happen. Even though the Rays have homefield advantage, I’m going with the Phillies.
Come back next week for World Series coverage.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Championship Series Predictions
This week I will make my championship series predictions. The poll is not working so there will be none for this week.
Phillies vs. Dodgers: Phillies lead 2-0
Game 3: Jamie Moyer (PHI) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (LAD) in LAD
Game 4: Joe Blanton (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in LAD
*Game 5: Cole Hamels (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in LAD
*Game 6: Brett Myers (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in PHI
*Game 7: TBD (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in PHI
I think the Phillies will win this series 4-2. If the Phillies can just win one game at Dodger Stadium they should be able to wrap it up at home fairly easily. Game 3 is a must-win game for the Dodgers and Hiroki Kuroda isn’t the guy you’d want in that kind of game as he went 9-10 with a 3.73 ERA in the regular season and is going against Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard (who’s still a threat even though he’s cold), and a very hot Shane Victorino. If the Dodgers lose that game they will almost certainly lose the series, seeing that they will face Cole Hamels, if they get past game 4, and then if they beat Hamels then they will face Brett Myers in Philadelphia. That will be two very tough games for the Dodgers. Although Joe Blanton went 9-12 on the season, he can also throw a gem. The Dodgers really put themselves in a bad position and will really have to step it up to win the series. The Phillies are the overall better team, pitching-wise, because there is only one Dodger pitcher I would trust every time out and that’s Derek Lowe, who probably won’t pitch again until game 5. The only way I see the Phillies losing the series is if the passing of Charlie Manuel’s mother and Shane Victorino’s grandmother impact their focus.
Red Sox vs. Rays: Red Sox lead 1-0
Game 2: Josh Beckett (BOS) vs. Scott Kazmir (TB) in TB
Game 3: Jon Lester (BOS) vs. Matt Garza (TB) in BOS
Game 4: Tim Wakefield (BOS) vs. Andy Sonnanstine (TB) in BOS
*Game 5: Dice-K Matsuzaka (BOS) vs. James Shields (TB) in BOS
*Game 6: TBD (BOS) vs. TBD (TB) in TB
*Game 7: TBD (BOS) vs. TBD (TB) in TB
I think the Red Sox will win this series 4-1. I don’t see Jon Lester losing and I don’t see Andy Sonnanstine winning in BOS, and I think both Game 2 and Game 5 are up for grabs. The Rays really needed to win game one at home when you’ve then got to face Josh Beckett and Jon Lester and go to Fenway for three. Jon Lester will throw a gem again, Josh Beckett could throw a gem or could get destroyed, Tim Wakefield could throw a gem, and Dice-K Matsuzaka will probably throw a gem. The Rays could be shut out every single game with the Red Sox pitching and the Rays offense, even more specifically Evan Longoria, needs to step it up. In Game 1 Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, and Cliff Floyd were the only ones to get hits and only got one hit each, all singles. Evan Longoria went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and grounded into a key double play in a scoring situation. The Red Sox are just too good a team, both pitching wise and hitting wise for the Rays to catch up after losing their first home game. The only way I see the Rays winning is if BJ Upton hits more home runs and Evan Longoria gets more RBI’s and if Carlos Pena gets more hits.
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think should be the AL MVP?
Kevin Youkilis – 40%
Justin Morneau – 40%
Other – 20%
Josh Hamilton – 0%
Come back next week for championship series recaps and World Series predictions.
Phillies vs. Dodgers: Phillies lead 2-0
Game 3: Jamie Moyer (PHI) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (LAD) in LAD
Game 4: Joe Blanton (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in LAD
*Game 5: Cole Hamels (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in LAD
*Game 6: Brett Myers (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in PHI
*Game 7: TBD (PHI) vs. TBD (LAD) in PHI
I think the Phillies will win this series 4-2. If the Phillies can just win one game at Dodger Stadium they should be able to wrap it up at home fairly easily. Game 3 is a must-win game for the Dodgers and Hiroki Kuroda isn’t the guy you’d want in that kind of game as he went 9-10 with a 3.73 ERA in the regular season and is going against Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard (who’s still a threat even though he’s cold), and a very hot Shane Victorino. If the Dodgers lose that game they will almost certainly lose the series, seeing that they will face Cole Hamels, if they get past game 4, and then if they beat Hamels then they will face Brett Myers in Philadelphia. That will be two very tough games for the Dodgers. Although Joe Blanton went 9-12 on the season, he can also throw a gem. The Dodgers really put themselves in a bad position and will really have to step it up to win the series. The Phillies are the overall better team, pitching-wise, because there is only one Dodger pitcher I would trust every time out and that’s Derek Lowe, who probably won’t pitch again until game 5. The only way I see the Phillies losing the series is if the passing of Charlie Manuel’s mother and Shane Victorino’s grandmother impact their focus.
Red Sox vs. Rays: Red Sox lead 1-0
Game 2: Josh Beckett (BOS) vs. Scott Kazmir (TB) in TB
Game 3: Jon Lester (BOS) vs. Matt Garza (TB) in BOS
Game 4: Tim Wakefield (BOS) vs. Andy Sonnanstine (TB) in BOS
*Game 5: Dice-K Matsuzaka (BOS) vs. James Shields (TB) in BOS
*Game 6: TBD (BOS) vs. TBD (TB) in TB
*Game 7: TBD (BOS) vs. TBD (TB) in TB
I think the Red Sox will win this series 4-1. I don’t see Jon Lester losing and I don’t see Andy Sonnanstine winning in BOS, and I think both Game 2 and Game 5 are up for grabs. The Rays really needed to win game one at home when you’ve then got to face Josh Beckett and Jon Lester and go to Fenway for three. Jon Lester will throw a gem again, Josh Beckett could throw a gem or could get destroyed, Tim Wakefield could throw a gem, and Dice-K Matsuzaka will probably throw a gem. The Rays could be shut out every single game with the Red Sox pitching and the Rays offense, even more specifically Evan Longoria, needs to step it up. In Game 1 Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, and Cliff Floyd were the only ones to get hits and only got one hit each, all singles. Evan Longoria went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and grounded into a key double play in a scoring situation. The Red Sox are just too good a team, both pitching wise and hitting wise for the Rays to catch up after losing their first home game. The only way I see the Rays winning is if BJ Upton hits more home runs and Evan Longoria gets more RBI’s and if Carlos Pena gets more hits.
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think should be the AL MVP?
Kevin Youkilis – 40%
Justin Morneau – 40%
Other – 20%
Josh Hamilton – 0%
Come back next week for championship series recaps and World Series predictions.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
End-of-Season Awards
This week I will give out my awards for the MLB 2008 regular season.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .304 AVG, 32 HR, 130 RBI: Josh led all of the AL in RBI’s, had a batting average over .300, and had over 30 home runs. It’s pretty obvious that he should be the Rangers MVP for this season.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 14-8 W-L, 4.74 ERA, 127 K: Vicente didn’t really have that great of a year at all. He just was the best Rangers pitcher due to a lack of competition.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX
Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 74 RBI: David Murphy only held on to the Rangers ROY Award because he has 19 more RBI’s than Chris Davis, even though Chris has two more home runs and a better batting average. David also has more at-bats, more total bases, and more doubles.
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Kevin Youkilis, BOS: .312 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI: To me it comes down to Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Youkilis. Josh leads the three in both home runs and RBI’s, and is second in batting average, although last in OBP. Youkilis is leading the three in both batting average and OBP, while second in home runs, but last in RBI’s. I think Kevin gets the edge only because his team made the playoffs.
Runner-up: Josh Hamilton, TEX
Cy Young: Cliff Lee, CLE: 22-3 W-L, 2.54 ERA, 170 K: Cliff Lee should obviously be Cy Young, as he leads the AL in both wins and ERA, and has only lost three games on a losing team.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR
Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, TB: .272 AVG, 27 HR, 87 RBI: It’s pretty clear that Evan Longoria should be rookie of the year, because he has great numbers, and the Rays probably wouldn’t have won the division without him, and might not have even made the playoffs.
Runner-up: Alexei Ramirez, CWS
Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe took a team that hadn’t had a winning record in franchise history and made them the AL East champs over the Red Sox.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenhire, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL: .285 AVG, 37 HR, 106 RBI: The Brewers wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs without CC Sabathia, nor Ryan Braun. Ryan put up huge power numbers for them, and had a very good batting average, not to mention his two key homers down the stretch, one a walk-off shot, and another a game-winning, playoff-clinching homer in the 8th inning in the last game of the year. Albert Pujols would be the Most Outstanding Player, but not the Most Valuable Player.
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL
Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, SF: 18-5 W-L, 2.62 ERA, 265 K: Tim won 18 games this year, while only dropping five on the Giants, has a 2.62 ERA, and has struck out 265 batters in just 227 innings. It’s hard to go against Webb and Santana, but Lincecum has had the better year.
Runner-up: Johan Santana, NYM
Rookie of the Year: Ricky Nolasco, FLA: 15-8 W-L, 3.52 ERA, 186 K: Ricky has been the Marlins only reliable pitcher that pitched throughout the whole year, and is probably one of the main reasons that they stayed in the playoff race so long into the year.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
Manager of the Year: Charlie Manuel, PHI: Charlie and the Phillies just had a great year and won the NL East.
Runner-up: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will win the Dodgers/Cubs series?
Cubs – 55%
Dodgers – 45%
Come back next week for divisional series recaps as well as championship series predictions.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .304 AVG, 32 HR, 130 RBI: Josh led all of the AL in RBI’s, had a batting average over .300, and had over 30 home runs. It’s pretty obvious that he should be the Rangers MVP for this season.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 14-8 W-L, 4.74 ERA, 127 K: Vicente didn’t really have that great of a year at all. He just was the best Rangers pitcher due to a lack of competition.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX
Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 74 RBI: David Murphy only held on to the Rangers ROY Award because he has 19 more RBI’s than Chris Davis, even though Chris has two more home runs and a better batting average. David also has more at-bats, more total bases, and more doubles.
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Kevin Youkilis, BOS: .312 AVG, 29 HR, 115 RBI: To me it comes down to Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Youkilis. Josh leads the three in both home runs and RBI’s, and is second in batting average, although last in OBP. Youkilis is leading the three in both batting average and OBP, while second in home runs, but last in RBI’s. I think Kevin gets the edge only because his team made the playoffs.
Runner-up: Josh Hamilton, TEX
Cy Young: Cliff Lee, CLE: 22-3 W-L, 2.54 ERA, 170 K: Cliff Lee should obviously be Cy Young, as he leads the AL in both wins and ERA, and has only lost three games on a losing team.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR
Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, TB: .272 AVG, 27 HR, 87 RBI: It’s pretty clear that Evan Longoria should be rookie of the year, because he has great numbers, and the Rays probably wouldn’t have won the division without him, and might not have even made the playoffs.
Runner-up: Alexei Ramirez, CWS
Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe took a team that hadn’t had a winning record in franchise history and made them the AL East champs over the Red Sox.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenhire, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL: .285 AVG, 37 HR, 106 RBI: The Brewers wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs without CC Sabathia, nor Ryan Braun. Ryan put up huge power numbers for them, and had a very good batting average, not to mention his two key homers down the stretch, one a walk-off shot, and another a game-winning, playoff-clinching homer in the 8th inning in the last game of the year. Albert Pujols would be the Most Outstanding Player, but not the Most Valuable Player.
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL
Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, SF: 18-5 W-L, 2.62 ERA, 265 K: Tim won 18 games this year, while only dropping five on the Giants, has a 2.62 ERA, and has struck out 265 batters in just 227 innings. It’s hard to go against Webb and Santana, but Lincecum has had the better year.
Runner-up: Johan Santana, NYM
Rookie of the Year: Ricky Nolasco, FLA: 15-8 W-L, 3.52 ERA, 186 K: Ricky has been the Marlins only reliable pitcher that pitched throughout the whole year, and is probably one of the main reasons that they stayed in the playoff race so long into the year.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
Manager of the Year: Charlie Manuel, PHI: Charlie and the Phillies just had a great year and won the NL East.
Runner-up: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will win the Dodgers/Cubs series?
Cubs – 55%
Dodgers – 45%
Come back next week for divisional series recaps as well as championship series predictions.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Divisional Series Predictions
This week I will give my predictions for all the AL and NL divisional series.
Red Sox vs. Angels:
The Angels should be able to win this series based on the regular season, having beaten the Red Sox 8 games to 1 this year. But the Angels have struggled against the Sox in the playoffs, as the Red Sox swept the Angels in the ALDS last season. The Red Sox also have a rotation of Jon Lester, Dice-K, and Josh Beckett to lead off the series, while the Angels have two inexperienced playoff pitchers in Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana. The Red Sox will win the series 3-1.
White Sox vs. Rays:
If the White Sox beat the Tigers today and then beat the Twins on Tuesday, which is unlikely, then they will play the Rays. I think that the White Sox would lose this series due to their pitchers of Jon Danks, Javier Vazquez, Mark Buerhle, and Gavin Floyd. The Rays have Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, and Edwin Jackson if necessary. You can make a case that the Rays aren’t experienced enough, or that the White Sox are too old, with the exception of John Danks. Even though the Rays are so young, I think that they’re a better team even without Carl Crawford because the White Sox have lost their best player, Carlos Quentin. The Rays will win 3-1 if they play the White Sox.
Twins vs. Rays:
If the White Sox either lose to the Tigers or lose to the Twins, then the Twins will play the Rays. I think the Rays will beat the Twins because the Twins’ starting pitching is lacking. Their rotation is Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Scott Baker. They are all young guys. Also, maybe more importantly, the Twins’ two big offensive weapons (Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer) are both cold, while Carlos Pena is hot. The Rays should win the series 3-1 if they play the Twins.
Dodgers vs. Cubs:
Although the Dodgers are hot and they have Manny Ramirez, I still think that the Cubs will win the series, just because they’re the better team. The Cubs will be able to throw Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Ted Lilly out on the mound this series, and the Dodgers will only be able to throw Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, and Chad Billingsley on the mound. The Cubs have much better pitching than the Dodgers, especially with Brad Penny out with an injury. Also, the Cubs have no weak spot in the line-up, with the exception of the pitcher. Even Carlos Zambrano can hit well. The Cubs should be able to win this series 3 games to 2.
Brewers vs. Phillies:
The Phillies should be able to win this series, even with CC Sabathia pitching against them. Ben Sheets is pitching through an injury and I think that’s why the Phillies will win the series. The Phillies have Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, and Jamie Moyer. The Phillies were in the playoffs last year, so they have some playoff experience, while Milwaukee hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1982, and have no playoff experience. The Phillies also have a hot Ryan Howard, who hit double-digit homers in September and has raised his batting average a lot lately. CC should win all the games he pitches, but the Phillies should win all the others, so I think the Phillies will win the series 3 games to 2.
Results of last week’s poll:
What do you think the Rangers have done best this year?
Hitting – 88%
Pitching – 12%
Fielding – 0%
Coaching – 0%
Come back next week for a summary of the playoffs along with more predictions.
Red Sox vs. Angels:
The Angels should be able to win this series based on the regular season, having beaten the Red Sox 8 games to 1 this year. But the Angels have struggled against the Sox in the playoffs, as the Red Sox swept the Angels in the ALDS last season. The Red Sox also have a rotation of Jon Lester, Dice-K, and Josh Beckett to lead off the series, while the Angels have two inexperienced playoff pitchers in Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana. The Red Sox will win the series 3-1.
White Sox vs. Rays:
If the White Sox beat the Tigers today and then beat the Twins on Tuesday, which is unlikely, then they will play the Rays. I think that the White Sox would lose this series due to their pitchers of Jon Danks, Javier Vazquez, Mark Buerhle, and Gavin Floyd. The Rays have Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, and Edwin Jackson if necessary. You can make a case that the Rays aren’t experienced enough, or that the White Sox are too old, with the exception of John Danks. Even though the Rays are so young, I think that they’re a better team even without Carl Crawford because the White Sox have lost their best player, Carlos Quentin. The Rays will win 3-1 if they play the White Sox.
Twins vs. Rays:
If the White Sox either lose to the Tigers or lose to the Twins, then the Twins will play the Rays. I think the Rays will beat the Twins because the Twins’ starting pitching is lacking. Their rotation is Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Scott Baker. They are all young guys. Also, maybe more importantly, the Twins’ two big offensive weapons (Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer) are both cold, while Carlos Pena is hot. The Rays should win the series 3-1 if they play the Twins.
Dodgers vs. Cubs:
Although the Dodgers are hot and they have Manny Ramirez, I still think that the Cubs will win the series, just because they’re the better team. The Cubs will be able to throw Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Ted Lilly out on the mound this series, and the Dodgers will only be able to throw Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, and Chad Billingsley on the mound. The Cubs have much better pitching than the Dodgers, especially with Brad Penny out with an injury. Also, the Cubs have no weak spot in the line-up, with the exception of the pitcher. Even Carlos Zambrano can hit well. The Cubs should be able to win this series 3 games to 2.
Brewers vs. Phillies:
The Phillies should be able to win this series, even with CC Sabathia pitching against them. Ben Sheets is pitching through an injury and I think that’s why the Phillies will win the series. The Phillies have Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, and Jamie Moyer. The Phillies were in the playoffs last year, so they have some playoff experience, while Milwaukee hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1982, and have no playoff experience. The Phillies also have a hot Ryan Howard, who hit double-digit homers in September and has raised his batting average a lot lately. CC should win all the games he pitches, but the Phillies should win all the others, so I think the Phillies will win the series 3 games to 2.
Results of last week’s poll:
What do you think the Rangers have done best this year?
Hitting – 88%
Pitching – 12%
Fielding – 0%
Coaching – 0%
Come back next week for a summary of the playoffs along with more predictions.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Rangers Season Analysis
Last week I put the Astros as my NL Champions. Take that out and replace it with the Cubs. I now have the Cubs winning the World Series. The Astros got moved to Milwaukee for two games against the Cubs due to Hurricane Ike and lost all of the momentum they had built up. I think this was completely wrong of baseball because:
1. That’s Cubs territory and it was supposed to be an Astros home game. Milwaukee is only 90 miles away and if you watched the games you would see about 5 Astros fans in the whole ballpark and then you see about 40,000 Cubs fans.
2. The Astros wouldn’t be thinking about baseball when there is so much destruction in Houston, where a lot of them live and have families. Their minds were on other things than the games.
3. It made a very tough travel day for Houston to go to Milwaukee in the morning and play in the night while the Cubs probably took a 30 minute plane to Milwaukee .
Congratulations to the RoughRiders on a great season. My dad, little sister and I went to all of the RoughRiders playoff games (actually I missed one but my dad and little sister were at all of them). They were a lot of fun with lots of good games and great weather (and small crowds). We got to sit and talk with Eleanor Czajka at all the games which was fun too. It was disappointing that they couldn’t win that last game to win a championship but they had a great year.
I have two Rangers games left (tonight and Tuesday) and then no more live baseball until spring training.
This week I will analyze the Rangers’ season (stats are through September 19).
Hitting: Scored 852 runs this season (most in majors by 42 runs):
The Rangers’ hitting has been incredible this season and we couldn’t have asked much more from them. The Rangers have three players batting over .300 (Kinsler, Bradley, and Hamilton) and two just 5 points away from it (Byrd and Vazquez). They are tied for the best batting average in baseball and are 3rd in OBP. They are 1st in slugging percentage, have scored the most runs and have the most at-bats in all of baseball. They are also 6th in home runs, 1st in total bases and 1st in RBI’s. They also have the most hits and the most doubles in baseball. The Rangers have the 6th most walks in all of baseball, and the 7th highest stolen base percentage in baseball. They also have the 4th most sacrifice flies, the 6th highest pinch-hitting average, and have grounded into the 8th least amount of double plays. Lastly they have the most extra base hits and the most plate appearences. The Rangers’ offense has been incredible and is the best in baseball.
Grade: A+
Pitching: Allowed 929 runs this season (most in majors by 78 runs):
The pitching has been terrible this season. If you allow 78 more runs than the Pirates, then it’s pretty bad. Also when you allow 300 more runs than three other teams or 250 more runs than 13 other teams, then you’ve got the worst pitching in baseball. And when you’ve got one pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 (of pitchers who have pitched 31 or more innings) it’s pretty bad (Frankie Francisco has a 3.28 ERA in 60.1 innings; Kameron Loe has a 3.23 ERA, but in just 30.2 innings). When you’ve got only one pitcher with double-digit wins it’s pretty bad. The Rangers have a 5.43 team ERA. All those stats make the Rangers pitching staff one of the worst (if not the worst) ones in baseball.
Grade: D-
Fielding: Commited 126 errors (most in majors by 8 errors):
The Rangers have committed the most errors and it certainly seems like it. The Rangers have three players with 10 or more errors (Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Ramon Vazquez). The Rangers have the worst fielding percentage in all of baseball at .978. The Rangers’ defense has certainly not helped the pitching out and really needs to improve. Out of everybody that has played 600 innings, David Murphy has the least amount of errors with two, but second is Josh Hamilton with five, which is very high being second best on the team.
Grade: D-
Coaching:
Rudy Jaramillo has been great, but the pitching coaches have not. Even though they’ve been trying to develop a lot of young players, whenever you’ve got the worst pitching in baseball, you’re pitching coaches have not done their job. Rudy Jaramillo is the star of the coaching staff, which is what you have to be when you’re the hitting coach of the best offense in baseball. Ron Washington is a fine manager except for when it’s time to pull a pitcher. There have been countless times when my dad, my granddad and I all knew that the pitcher was done and that he didn’t have anything left and there was nobody even warming up in the bullpen. I have also seen that Ron Washington usually doesn’t pull the pitcher until he’s given up the lead. Ron did a good job this year of pulling the team together after a rough start and getting them into the playoff race for a while. The team seems to have good morale and enjoy playing for him.
Grade: C-
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will be the NL Wild Card?
Astros – 33%
Brewers – 33%
Mets – 22%
Phillies – 11%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for my end-of-season awards.
1. That’s Cubs territory and it was supposed to be an Astros home game. Milwaukee is only 90 miles away and if you watched the games you would see about 5 Astros fans in the whole ballpark and then you see about 40,000 Cubs fans.
2. The Astros wouldn’t be thinking about baseball when there is so much destruction in Houston, where a lot of them live and have families. Their minds were on other things than the games.
3. It made a very tough travel day for Houston to go to Milwaukee in the morning and play in the night while the Cubs probably took a 30 minute plane to Milwaukee .
Congratulations to the RoughRiders on a great season. My dad, little sister and I went to all of the RoughRiders playoff games (actually I missed one but my dad and little sister were at all of them). They were a lot of fun with lots of good games and great weather (and small crowds). We got to sit and talk with Eleanor Czajka at all the games which was fun too. It was disappointing that they couldn’t win that last game to win a championship but they had a great year.
I have two Rangers games left (tonight and Tuesday) and then no more live baseball until spring training.
This week I will analyze the Rangers’ season (stats are through September 19).
Hitting: Scored 852 runs this season (most in majors by 42 runs):
The Rangers’ hitting has been incredible this season and we couldn’t have asked much more from them. The Rangers have three players batting over .300 (Kinsler, Bradley, and Hamilton) and two just 5 points away from it (Byrd and Vazquez). They are tied for the best batting average in baseball and are 3rd in OBP. They are 1st in slugging percentage, have scored the most runs and have the most at-bats in all of baseball. They are also 6th in home runs, 1st in total bases and 1st in RBI’s. They also have the most hits and the most doubles in baseball. The Rangers have the 6th most walks in all of baseball, and the 7th highest stolen base percentage in baseball. They also have the 4th most sacrifice flies, the 6th highest pinch-hitting average, and have grounded into the 8th least amount of double plays. Lastly they have the most extra base hits and the most plate appearences. The Rangers’ offense has been incredible and is the best in baseball.
Grade: A+
Pitching: Allowed 929 runs this season (most in majors by 78 runs):
The pitching has been terrible this season. If you allow 78 more runs than the Pirates, then it’s pretty bad. Also when you allow 300 more runs than three other teams or 250 more runs than 13 other teams, then you’ve got the worst pitching in baseball. And when you’ve got one pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 (of pitchers who have pitched 31 or more innings) it’s pretty bad (Frankie Francisco has a 3.28 ERA in 60.1 innings; Kameron Loe has a 3.23 ERA, but in just 30.2 innings). When you’ve got only one pitcher with double-digit wins it’s pretty bad. The Rangers have a 5.43 team ERA. All those stats make the Rangers pitching staff one of the worst (if not the worst) ones in baseball.
Grade: D-
Fielding: Commited 126 errors (most in majors by 8 errors):
The Rangers have committed the most errors and it certainly seems like it. The Rangers have three players with 10 or more errors (Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Ramon Vazquez). The Rangers have the worst fielding percentage in all of baseball at .978. The Rangers’ defense has certainly not helped the pitching out and really needs to improve. Out of everybody that has played 600 innings, David Murphy has the least amount of errors with two, but second is Josh Hamilton with five, which is very high being second best on the team.
Grade: D-
Coaching:
Rudy Jaramillo has been great, but the pitching coaches have not. Even though they’ve been trying to develop a lot of young players, whenever you’ve got the worst pitching in baseball, you’re pitching coaches have not done their job. Rudy Jaramillo is the star of the coaching staff, which is what you have to be when you’re the hitting coach of the best offense in baseball. Ron Washington is a fine manager except for when it’s time to pull a pitcher. There have been countless times when my dad, my granddad and I all knew that the pitcher was done and that he didn’t have anything left and there was nobody even warming up in the bullpen. I have also seen that Ron Washington usually doesn’t pull the pitcher until he’s given up the lead. Ron did a good job this year of pulling the team together after a rough start and getting them into the playoff race for a while. The team seems to have good morale and enjoy playing for him.
Grade: C-
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will be the NL Wild Card?
Astros – 33%
Brewers – 33%
Mets – 22%
Phillies – 11%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for my end-of-season awards.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
NL Predictions
This week I analyzed all of the NL divisions and made predictions for how the season and playoffs will end up.
NL West:
Los Angeles Dodgers 88-74
Arizona D’Backs 79-83
San Francisco Giants 73-89
Colorado Rockies 72-90
San Diego Padres 61-101
The Dodgers are hot right now, 9-1 in September and 11-1 in their last 12 games. I think they will continue their run and go 12-3 the rest of the year. The D’Backs have gone cold, going 3-7 in September and 4-13 in their last 17 games. I think that they will also continue their stretch throughout the rest of the season. The Rockies have a very tough schedule, and so do the Giants, but I think the Giants (who are just 0.5 games behind the Rockies right now) will overcome the Rockies for 3rd in the division. The Padres have a tough schedule, and really, just aren’t very good, with a 57-91 record right now (September 13th).
NL Central:
Chicago Cubs 97-65
Houston Astros 92-70
Milwaukee Brewers 90-72
St. Louis Cardinals 88-74
Cincinnati Reds 70-92
Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
The Cubs are cold right now, going 3-7 in their last 10, but with a 5.5 game lead over the Brewers, (who I think the Astros will pass) it would be amazing if the Cubs lost the division title. The Brewers are also cold, going 3-7 in their last 10, while the Astros are hot, going 9-1 in their last 10. They’ve won six straight, and have a 35-16 record since the All-Star break. I think the Astros will play the rest of the year 12-3 and that the BrewCrew will go 7-8 to finish the year. The Cardinals have a fairly easy schedule and will probably get closer in the Wild Card, but not close enough. The Reds and Pirates probably have the toughest schedule in the division for the remainder of the season, and will struggle.
NL East:
New York Mets 92-70
Philadelphia Phillies 91-73
Florida Marlins 81-81
Atlanta Braves 70-92
Washington Nationals 60-102
Both the Mets and Phillies have very easy schedules, but the Mets have a four-game series with the Cubs, while the Phillies play the Braves, Marlins, and Nationals for the rest of the year. I think the Phillies will creep back a little, but will fall just a game shy of tying the Mets for first place. The Marlins play the Nationals twice, but play both the Phillies and Mets once and then play the Astros in a three-game set where I think they’ll get swept. The Braves play nothing but the Phillies, Mets, and Astros the rest of the year, so they should struggle mightily. The Padres are the only losing team that the Nationals face and since they’re the Nationals and they’re only 4-6 in their last 10, the Nats should struggle to get five wins the remainder of the season.
NL Divisional Series:
Dodgers vs. Cubs: Dodgers win 3-2
Astros vs. Mets: Astros win 3-1
NL Championship Series:
Dodgers vs. Astros: Astros win 4-2:
Both teams are hot right now, but the Astros are hotter and have already been-there-done-that in the National League when they lost the World Series to the White Sox. Manny will do well, but it won’t be enough.
World Series:
Astros vs. Angels: Angels win 4-3:
The Astros will be hot, but they don’t have the great pitching rotation that the Angels do or K-Rod. The Astros hitting can match up to the Angels, but the pitching can’t. The Angels will have a rotation of John Lackey (2002 World Series champion), Joe Saunders and Jon Garland (2005 World Series champion). The Astros will have Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe, and Randy Wolf. It just doesn’t match up. The Astros will put up a fight, but won’t win.
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will be the AL Wild Card?
Red Sox – 50%
Rays – 21%
Twins – 21%
White Sox – 7%
Yankees – 0%
Other – 0%
Come back next week for Part 8 of my Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
NL West:
Los Angeles Dodgers 88-74
Arizona D’Backs 79-83
San Francisco Giants 73-89
Colorado Rockies 72-90
San Diego Padres 61-101
The Dodgers are hot right now, 9-1 in September and 11-1 in their last 12 games. I think they will continue their run and go 12-3 the rest of the year. The D’Backs have gone cold, going 3-7 in September and 4-13 in their last 17 games. I think that they will also continue their stretch throughout the rest of the season. The Rockies have a very tough schedule, and so do the Giants, but I think the Giants (who are just 0.5 games behind the Rockies right now) will overcome the Rockies for 3rd in the division. The Padres have a tough schedule, and really, just aren’t very good, with a 57-91 record right now (September 13th).
NL Central:
Chicago Cubs 97-65
Houston Astros 92-70
Milwaukee Brewers 90-72
St. Louis Cardinals 88-74
Cincinnati Reds 70-92
Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
The Cubs are cold right now, going 3-7 in their last 10, but with a 5.5 game lead over the Brewers, (who I think the Astros will pass) it would be amazing if the Cubs lost the division title. The Brewers are also cold, going 3-7 in their last 10, while the Astros are hot, going 9-1 in their last 10. They’ve won six straight, and have a 35-16 record since the All-Star break. I think the Astros will play the rest of the year 12-3 and that the BrewCrew will go 7-8 to finish the year. The Cardinals have a fairly easy schedule and will probably get closer in the Wild Card, but not close enough. The Reds and Pirates probably have the toughest schedule in the division for the remainder of the season, and will struggle.
NL East:
New York Mets 92-70
Philadelphia Phillies 91-73
Florida Marlins 81-81
Atlanta Braves 70-92
Washington Nationals 60-102
Both the Mets and Phillies have very easy schedules, but the Mets have a four-game series with the Cubs, while the Phillies play the Braves, Marlins, and Nationals for the rest of the year. I think the Phillies will creep back a little, but will fall just a game shy of tying the Mets for first place. The Marlins play the Nationals twice, but play both the Phillies and Mets once and then play the Astros in a three-game set where I think they’ll get swept. The Braves play nothing but the Phillies, Mets, and Astros the rest of the year, so they should struggle mightily. The Padres are the only losing team that the Nationals face and since they’re the Nationals and they’re only 4-6 in their last 10, the Nats should struggle to get five wins the remainder of the season.
NL Divisional Series:
Dodgers vs. Cubs: Dodgers win 3-2
Astros vs. Mets: Astros win 3-1
NL Championship Series:
Dodgers vs. Astros: Astros win 4-2:
Both teams are hot right now, but the Astros are hotter and have already been-there-done-that in the National League when they lost the World Series to the White Sox. Manny will do well, but it won’t be enough.
World Series:
Astros vs. Angels: Angels win 4-3:
The Astros will be hot, but they don’t have the great pitching rotation that the Angels do or K-Rod. The Astros hitting can match up to the Angels, but the pitching can’t. The Angels will have a rotation of John Lackey (2002 World Series champion), Joe Saunders and Jon Garland (2005 World Series champion). The Astros will have Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe, and Randy Wolf. It just doesn’t match up. The Astros will put up a fight, but won’t win.
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think will be the AL Wild Card?
Red Sox – 50%
Rays – 21%
Twins – 21%
White Sox – 7%
Yankees – 0%
Other – 0%
Come back next week for Part 8 of my Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Predictions
Over the past week, I went to the RoughRiders’ first two playoff games and saw both Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz pitch. Derek Holland pitched incredibly well and went 6 2/3 innings. He’s looked very good both times I’ve seen him and seems to have a really good breaking ball. Neftali Feliz threw 99 MPH at his highest on Thursday night and struck out 11 in just 7 innings. He was also very impressive. Nolan Ryan, Jon Daniels, Jim Sundberg, Thad Levine, and Scott Servais all attended the first game. They sat in the first row and had security all around them so that no one would bother them. But I got to talk to Jon for a while one time when he got up. I saw Frank Francisco sitting in the stands of the second game. We got to sit with Eleanor Czajka at both games and talk baseball with her. They were both great nights, with great games and great weather. We’ll be going to all of the championship games next weekend too.
Friday night I went to the Rangers game, and Millwood did not look impressive at all. It was not a very good game. The Rangers lost 8-1.
Saturday night I went to my first concert with my dad and my uncle. It was Squeeze, an old 80’s band and my 3rd favorite band (after the Beatles and the Beach Boys). The concert was a lot of fun. It was at the House of Blues. By the time we got tickets, all of the seats were gone so we had to get general admission tickets standing in front of the stage. It was tiring but it was neat to be just a few feet away from the band. The show started at 8:30 with an opening act called Fastball, who I had never heard of. Squeeze started at 9:45 so it was a late night. It was a great show. They played all of their best songs. They waited until the last song of their encore to play my favorite Squeeze song – ‘Pulling Mussels From the Shell’.
This week I analyzed all of the AL divisions and made predictions for how the season and playoffs will end up.
AL West:
Angels 100-62
Rangers 80-82
Athletics 75-86
Mariners 60-102
The Angels already have a huge lead and they will be facing the A's and Mariners plenty so they should get lots of wins out of those games. The Rangers face the A's a lot so that should be pretty even.
AL Central:
Twins 92-70
White Sox 86-76
Indians 79-83
Tigers 75-87
Royals 67-96
The White Sox have a very tough schedule and lost Carlos Quentin for the year. I think the Twins are better suited for the end of the season because they are a younger team and might not be as tired as the White Sox players and because they will be at home more often, not to mention the White Sox losing their best player.
AL East:
Rays 99-63
Red Sox 98-64
Yankees 86-76
Blue Jays 85-77
Orioles 72-89
The Rays have a little tougher schedule than the Red Sox, but I think they'll hold them off and win the division. They play each other 6 times and I think they'll end up going 3-3 in those games. The Yankees have a very tough schedule and will struggle.
AL Divisional Series:
Twins vs. Rays: Rays win 3-1
Red Sox vs. Angels: Angels win 3-0
AL Championship Series:
Rays vs. Angels: Angels win 4-2:
The Rays are a young team and won't be able to stand up to a veteran team like the Angels, who will probably have a playoff rotation of John Lackey, Joe Saunders, and Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, or Jon Garland.
Results of last week’s poll:
Do you think the Guardado trade was a win or a loss?
Loss – 55%
Win – 45%
Come back next week for the NL predictions along with the World Series.
Friday night I went to the Rangers game, and Millwood did not look impressive at all. It was not a very good game. The Rangers lost 8-1.
Saturday night I went to my first concert with my dad and my uncle. It was Squeeze, an old 80’s band and my 3rd favorite band (after the Beatles and the Beach Boys). The concert was a lot of fun. It was at the House of Blues. By the time we got tickets, all of the seats were gone so we had to get general admission tickets standing in front of the stage. It was tiring but it was neat to be just a few feet away from the band. The show started at 8:30 with an opening act called Fastball, who I had never heard of. Squeeze started at 9:45 so it was a late night. It was a great show. They played all of their best songs. They waited until the last song of their encore to play my favorite Squeeze song – ‘Pulling Mussels From the Shell’.
This week I analyzed all of the AL divisions and made predictions for how the season and playoffs will end up.
AL West:
Angels 100-62
Rangers 80-82
Athletics 75-86
Mariners 60-102
The Angels already have a huge lead and they will be facing the A's and Mariners plenty so they should get lots of wins out of those games. The Rangers face the A's a lot so that should be pretty even.
AL Central:
Twins 92-70
White Sox 86-76
Indians 79-83
Tigers 75-87
Royals 67-96
The White Sox have a very tough schedule and lost Carlos Quentin for the year. I think the Twins are better suited for the end of the season because they are a younger team and might not be as tired as the White Sox players and because they will be at home more often, not to mention the White Sox losing their best player.
AL East:
Rays 99-63
Red Sox 98-64
Yankees 86-76
Blue Jays 85-77
Orioles 72-89
The Rays have a little tougher schedule than the Red Sox, but I think they'll hold them off and win the division. They play each other 6 times and I think they'll end up going 3-3 in those games. The Yankees have a very tough schedule and will struggle.
AL Divisional Series:
Twins vs. Rays: Rays win 3-1
Red Sox vs. Angels: Angels win 3-0
AL Championship Series:
Rays vs. Angels: Angels win 4-2:
The Rays are a young team and won't be able to stand up to a veteran team like the Angels, who will probably have a playoff rotation of John Lackey, Joe Saunders, and Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, or Jon Garland.
Results of last week’s poll:
Do you think the Guardado trade was a win or a loss?
Loss – 55%
Win – 45%
Come back next week for the NL predictions along with the World Series.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Guardado Traded and August Awards
This week I will evaluate the Eddie Guardado trade and give my August Awards.
Eddie Guardado Trade Evaluation:
Eddie Guardado was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Short-season A pitcher Mark Hamburger:
Mark Hamburger was 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA and 13 saves in 14 opportunities for Elizabethton. He struck out 40 batters in 36.2 innings and only walked 13. He held righties to a .221 average. In 2007 he signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent. He went to Mesabi Range Community College. Eddie Guardado had a 3.65 ERA for the Rangers in 49.1 innings and was the Rangers’ dominant 8th inning pitcher before being named the closer recently.
Grade: B- – Eddie Guardado would have been a free agent at the end of the year so the main question is whether Hamburger is better than what we could have gotten for Eddie as draft pick compensation for losing him as a free agent. Hamburger seems like a marginal prospect.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .295 AVG, 29 HR, 116 RBI: Josh is what kept the Rangers in the playoff chase for a while and without him the Rangers wouldn’t have been anywhere as good this year.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 12-7, 4.98 ERA, 105 K: Vicente has gotten 12 wins this year, but has struggled mightily of late.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX
Rangers ROY: David Murphy, TEX: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 75 RBI: Even though Chris Davis has done so well, David Murphy still has 35 more RBI’s than him, so David is still my ROY, although that might change in a month.
Runner-up: Chris Davis, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Carlos Quentin, CWS: .290 AVG, 36 HR, 100 RBI: Carlos is leading baseball in homers, has 100 RBI’s after August and has a pretty good batting average.
Runner-up: Josh Hamilton, TEX
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, CLE: 19-2, 2.43 ERA, 145 K: He’s leading the league in wins, and has a great ERA and has only lost two games.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR
AL ROY: Evan Longoria, TB: .278 AVG, 22 HR, 71 RBI: Evan is having a great year and is putting up all these stats after being in the minors the first month of the season.
Runner-up: David Murphy, TEX
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: He’s taken a last place team and made them a first place team in just one year.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL: .356 AVG, 28 HR, 87 RBI: Albert is having a good year when you just look at the regular stats, but when you look at his .464 OBP he becomes the MVP, in my opinion.
Runner-up: Ryan Braun, MIL
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 19-5, 2.96 ERA, 157 K: Brandon is leading the league in wins by three wins, has an ERA under three, and has over 150 strikeouts already.
Runner-up: Ryan Dempster, CHC
NL ROY: Geovany Soto, CHC: .285 AVG, 20 HR, 78 RBI: When you’re a rookie and you hit 20 home runs and 75 RBI’s with a .280 or above batting average through August, you’ve got to be considered Rookie of the Year.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
NL Manager of the Year: Tony La Russa, STL: He has taken a team that really didn’t have much talent and made them a playoff contending team.
Runner-up: Jerry Manuel, NYM
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think is the best player that the Rangers traded for in 1991 and 1992?
Jose Canseco – 83%
Charlie Leibrandt – 17%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for Part 8 of the Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
Eddie Guardado Trade Evaluation:
Eddie Guardado was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Short-season A pitcher Mark Hamburger:
Mark Hamburger was 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA and 13 saves in 14 opportunities for Elizabethton. He struck out 40 batters in 36.2 innings and only walked 13. He held righties to a .221 average. In 2007 he signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent. He went to Mesabi Range Community College. Eddie Guardado had a 3.65 ERA for the Rangers in 49.1 innings and was the Rangers’ dominant 8th inning pitcher before being named the closer recently.
Grade: B- – Eddie Guardado would have been a free agent at the end of the year so the main question is whether Hamburger is better than what we could have gotten for Eddie as draft pick compensation for losing him as a free agent. Hamburger seems like a marginal prospect.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .295 AVG, 29 HR, 116 RBI: Josh is what kept the Rangers in the playoff chase for a while and without him the Rangers wouldn’t have been anywhere as good this year.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 12-7, 4.98 ERA, 105 K: Vicente has gotten 12 wins this year, but has struggled mightily of late.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX
Rangers ROY: David Murphy, TEX: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 75 RBI: Even though Chris Davis has done so well, David Murphy still has 35 more RBI’s than him, so David is still my ROY, although that might change in a month.
Runner-up: Chris Davis, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Carlos Quentin, CWS: .290 AVG, 36 HR, 100 RBI: Carlos is leading baseball in homers, has 100 RBI’s after August and has a pretty good batting average.
Runner-up: Josh Hamilton, TEX
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, CLE: 19-2, 2.43 ERA, 145 K: He’s leading the league in wins, and has a great ERA and has only lost two games.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR
AL ROY: Evan Longoria, TB: .278 AVG, 22 HR, 71 RBI: Evan is having a great year and is putting up all these stats after being in the minors the first month of the season.
Runner-up: David Murphy, TEX
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: He’s taken a last place team and made them a first place team in just one year.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL: .356 AVG, 28 HR, 87 RBI: Albert is having a good year when you just look at the regular stats, but when you look at his .464 OBP he becomes the MVP, in my opinion.
Runner-up: Ryan Braun, MIL
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 19-5, 2.96 ERA, 157 K: Brandon is leading the league in wins by three wins, has an ERA under three, and has over 150 strikeouts already.
Runner-up: Ryan Dempster, CHC
NL ROY: Geovany Soto, CHC: .285 AVG, 20 HR, 78 RBI: When you’re a rookie and you hit 20 home runs and 75 RBI’s with a .280 or above batting average through August, you’ve got to be considered Rookie of the Year.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
NL Manager of the Year: Tony La Russa, STL: He has taken a team that really didn’t have much talent and made them a playoff contending team.
Runner-up: Jerry Manuel, NYM
Results of last week’s poll:
Who do you think is the best player that the Rangers traded for in 1991 and 1992?
Jose Canseco – 83%
Charlie Leibrandt – 17%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for Part 8 of the Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tom Grieve Trade Analysis Part 7
This week I will continue the analysis of all the trades Tom Grieve made as the Rangers GM. I posted part 6 on May 18 of this year, if you want to see my last post of this. This time I will analyze all of the trades Tom Grieve made as GM in 1991 and 1992.
41. 7-21-91 The Montreal Expos traded Oil Can Boyd to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later, Jonathan Hurst, and Joey Eischen. The Texas Rangers sent Travis Buckley (minors) (September 1, 1991) to the Montreal Expos to complete the trade.
Loss – Oil Can Boyd went 2-7 with a 6.68 ERA in only 62 innings with the Rangers. Travis Buckley never made it to the majors and Jonathon Hurst only pitched 26.1 innings in his career, but Joey Eischen had a very good career as a relief pitcher. He played 13 years and had a 3.67 career ERA.
Record: 9-9-23
42. 8-30-91 The Pittsburgh Pirates traded a player to be named later and Kurt Miller to the Texas Rangers for Steve Buechele. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Hector Fajardo (September 6, 1991) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
Loss – Kurt Miller never played for the Rangers, and Hector Fajardo played 3 and a half seasons with the Rangers and the ERA’s for the seasons he played significant time in were 5.68 in 19 innings (1991), 6.91 in 83.1 innings (1994), and 7.80 in 15 innings (1995). Steve Buechele had one more good year in ’93 when he hit .272 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI’s (after he had been traded to the Cubs.
Record: 9-10-23
43. 5-25-92 The Milwaukee Brewers traded Edwin Nunez to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later. The Texas Rangers sent Mark Hampton (minors) (September 15, 1992) to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade.
Tie – Mark Hampton never made it to the majors and Edwin Nunez only played half a season with the Rangers and had a 5.58 ERA in that time.
Record: 9-10-24
44. 8-31-92 The Oakland Athletics traded Jose Canseco to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Jeff Russell, Bobby Witt, and cash.
Loss – Jose Canseco played a little over two years with the Rangers. He hit .233 in his first partial year with the team (22 games), had to get Tommy John surgery halfway through his second season (after making a pitching appearance), and played very well in the ’94 strike-shortened season (.282, 31 HR, 90 RBI). Ruben Sierra played well with the A’s. In ’92 he hit .277 with 3 HR in 27 games as the A’s won their division and then hit .333 with 7 RBI in the NLCS. He only hit .233 in 1993 but had 22 homers and 101 RBI. He had an All-Star year in ’94 (.268, 23 HR, 92 RBI). Jeff Russell had a 0.00 ERA in 8 games down the stretch for Oakland in 1992 before becoming a free agent after the season. Bobby Witt had 14 wins and a 4.21 ERA in ’93.
Record: 9-11-24
45. 12-9-92 The Atlanta Braves traded Charlie Leibrandt and Pat Gomez to the Texas Rangers for Jose Oliva.
Win – Jose Oliva only played in 89 games in his career and had a career batting average of .178. Pat Gomez never played for the Rangers, but Charlie Leibrandt had one solid year with the Rangers where he threw 150.1 innings with a 9-10 record and a 4.55 ERA in 1993 (the last year of his career).
Record: 10-11-24
46. 12-16-92 The San Diego Padres traded Terry Bross to the Texas Rangers for Pat Gomez.
Tie – Terry Bross never played for the Rangers and Pat Gomez only pitched 79 career innings and had a 1-3 record.
Record: 10-11-25
Come back next week for my August Awards.
41. 7-21-91 The Montreal Expos traded Oil Can Boyd to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later, Jonathan Hurst, and Joey Eischen. The Texas Rangers sent Travis Buckley (minors) (September 1, 1991) to the Montreal Expos to complete the trade.
Loss – Oil Can Boyd went 2-7 with a 6.68 ERA in only 62 innings with the Rangers. Travis Buckley never made it to the majors and Jonathon Hurst only pitched 26.1 innings in his career, but Joey Eischen had a very good career as a relief pitcher. He played 13 years and had a 3.67 career ERA.
Record: 9-9-23
42. 8-30-91 The Pittsburgh Pirates traded a player to be named later and Kurt Miller to the Texas Rangers for Steve Buechele. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Hector Fajardo (September 6, 1991) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
Loss – Kurt Miller never played for the Rangers, and Hector Fajardo played 3 and a half seasons with the Rangers and the ERA’s for the seasons he played significant time in were 5.68 in 19 innings (1991), 6.91 in 83.1 innings (1994), and 7.80 in 15 innings (1995). Steve Buechele had one more good year in ’93 when he hit .272 with 15 home runs and 65 RBI’s (after he had been traded to the Cubs.
Record: 9-10-23
43. 5-25-92 The Milwaukee Brewers traded Edwin Nunez to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later. The Texas Rangers sent Mark Hampton (minors) (September 15, 1992) to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade.
Tie – Mark Hampton never made it to the majors and Edwin Nunez only played half a season with the Rangers and had a 5.58 ERA in that time.
Record: 9-10-24
44. 8-31-92 The Oakland Athletics traded Jose Canseco to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Jeff Russell, Bobby Witt, and cash.
Loss – Jose Canseco played a little over two years with the Rangers. He hit .233 in his first partial year with the team (22 games), had to get Tommy John surgery halfway through his second season (after making a pitching appearance), and played very well in the ’94 strike-shortened season (.282, 31 HR, 90 RBI). Ruben Sierra played well with the A’s. In ’92 he hit .277 with 3 HR in 27 games as the A’s won their division and then hit .333 with 7 RBI in the NLCS. He only hit .233 in 1993 but had 22 homers and 101 RBI. He had an All-Star year in ’94 (.268, 23 HR, 92 RBI). Jeff Russell had a 0.00 ERA in 8 games down the stretch for Oakland in 1992 before becoming a free agent after the season. Bobby Witt had 14 wins and a 4.21 ERA in ’93.
Record: 9-11-24
45. 12-9-92 The Atlanta Braves traded Charlie Leibrandt and Pat Gomez to the Texas Rangers for Jose Oliva.
Win – Jose Oliva only played in 89 games in his career and had a career batting average of .178. Pat Gomez never played for the Rangers, but Charlie Leibrandt had one solid year with the Rangers where he threw 150.1 innings with a 9-10 record and a 4.55 ERA in 1993 (the last year of his career).
Record: 10-11-24
46. 12-16-92 The San Diego Padres traded Terry Bross to the Texas Rangers for Pat Gomez.
Tie – Terry Bross never played for the Rangers and Pat Gomez only pitched 79 career innings and had a 1-3 record.
Record: 10-11-25
Come back next week for my August Awards.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Cincinnati/Indianapolis Trip Summary
From August 8-12th I was in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. This week I will summarize my trip.
On Friday, we had an early flight, so I woke up at about 6:20, got ready, and my dad, and my little sister, and me went to pick up my grandparents. After we picked them up we headed to the airport. We went through security and waited for our plane. Our plane took off about 20 minutes late, but it was still fine. We flew into Cincinnati and checked into an Embassy Suites in Covington, KY and went to our rooms. We hung out around there for about half an hour before heading over to the Reds Hall of Fame. Our hotel was on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River so we had to walk across a bridge to get to the Hall of Fame, which is right next to the Reds’ stadium. The Reds H.O.F. is very well done. When you first get there you go into a theatre that’s decorated like a baseball park and watch a short video about the history of the Reds. The room is very neat and so is the film. Then you go to the stairs that take you up to the main level of the museum. As you walk up the stairs, you see a collection of thousands of baseballs - one for every one of Pete Rose’s hits. It’s amazing how many hits he had. When you get to the top they have a room dedicated to the recently deceased Joe Nuxhall called The Ol’ Lefthander. Joe was a pitcher for the Reds and then a broadcaster for many, many years. They have a few other rooms, including a room that celebrates great Cincinnati teams through the years. In that room, they have a scene called the Great Eight, with life-sized statues of the Big Red Machine celebrating together. That room also has trophies for the Reds’ five World Series championships. There’s also a broadcast booth where you can make the call on some big moments in Reds’ history and people outside the booth can hear you. My dad and I made the call for Pete Rose’s 4192nd (record-breaking) hit. Lastly they have a big room with plaques for all the members in the Reds Hall of Fame, and that’s a very neat room. This year’s inductions included Barry Larkin and Cesar Geronimo. The plaques are suspended from the ceiling and are in order of when the players played. They’re a lot like the Cooperstown plaques. The Reds have done a great job on their museum and Hall of Fame.
After the Hall of Fame, we went into the stadium where we had club level tickets and ate at the 4192 Club (named after Pete Rose’s record breaking hit). They had decent food. I got a pizza and so did my sister. If you ever go there, don’t get the chili cheese dog. They are mini-hot-dogs that take about three bites to eat and the still cost $3.50. After that we went to the gift shop to get me a shirt. At the Reds, they have no adult smalls anywhere in the ballpark, so I had to get an adult medium. We went back to our seats just in time for the first pitch. The club level in Cincinnati is so much nicer than the Rangers because the concourses are air conditioned and they have TV’s so you can watch the replays of close plays (which they don’t show those on the jumbotrons anywhere).
This was our third game at the Reds’ new ballpark (Great American Ballpark) but our first since 2003 (its first year). My dad is from Cincinnati so he's a big Reds fan. The ballpark is in a good location, right on the river and on the edge of downtown. From our seats, we could look out of the ballpark and see the river. There’s a neat restaurant in the outfield that looks like a steamboat and fireworks and smoke come out of the smokestacks during the game.
We saw the Reds play the Astros. The game was a very good one that included two 4-run innings, five home runs, and 15 strikeouts by one team.
First 3 innings: In the top of the first, Kaz Matsui led off the game with a solo homer to give him 5 on the year. Carlos Lee also hit a solo homer in the top of the first off of Johnny Cueto (one of the Reds’ big pitching prospects) to give Lee 28 on the year. The Reds were scoreless in the bottom of the 1st and were also scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd. In the top of the second the Astros had men on 1st and 2nd with no outs, men on 2nd and 3rd with one out, and the bases loaded with 2 outs, but failed to score a run. In the top of the 3rd the Astros scored no runs, but in the bottom of the 3rd the Reds scored 4 runs. Here is what the Reds did play-by-play that inning:
- David Ross walks
- Johnny Cueto bunts for a base hit
- Jeff Keppinger hits a 2-RBI double
- Joey Votto grounds out
- Jay Bruce flies out
- Brandon Phillips hits his 17th home run of the year with Jeff Keppinger still on second
- Adam Dunn strikes out
Innings 4-6: Nobody scored in the 4th inning, although the Astros got men to second and third. In the top of the 5th the Astros forced a walk, got hit by a pitch and then singled with two outs to score Carlos Lee and cut the Reds’ lead to 4-3. The Reds didn’t score in the bottom half of the 5th. Johnny Cueto didn’t come back out in the 6th as he had 109 pitches through five innings. Cueto gave up 3 runs (all earned) on 9 hits in his five innings of work, but did strike out nine. Neither team scored in the sixth, although both teams got a man to at least second.
Innings 7-9: In the top of the second the Astros scored two runs due to a costly error by Nick Masset. Masset is a former Ranger who was traded to the White Sox along with Jon Danks for Brandon McCarthy, but more recently traded to the Reds along with Danny Richar for Ken Griffey, Jr. Masset had two outs and nobody on and then made the error. Humberto Quintero then made him pay with his first homer of the year to give the Astros a 5-4 lead. Nick Masset would leave after the inning, going two innings, allowing two runs (0 earned) on 3 hits while striking out three. The Reds would respond quickly, though, tying it up in the bottom half of the seventh on a Jeff Keppinger sacrifice fly to give him three RBI’s on the day. The eighth and the ninth were both scoreless so it then went to extras. Mike Lincoln would leave the game for the Reds after the ninth, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out two, to give the Reds’ pitching staff 14 strikeouts through nine.
10th inning: In the top of the tenth Francisco Cordero (another former Ranger) would come on to pitch and would just get massacred. He gave up four runs in total and he had two outs and nobody on base. After that the Astros’ inning went like this:
- Miguel Tejada doubles
- Lance Berkman walks
- Carlos Lee drives in two with a double (giving him his 100th RBI for the year)
- Hunter Pence hits a two-run homer
- Ty Wigginton grounds out to end the inning
In the bottom of the tenth, Javier Valentin and Jeff Keppinger both flew out and then Joey Votto grounded out to end the game.
The final score was 9-5 Astros. It turns out that we saw one of Adam Dunn’s last games as a Red (he was traded to Arizona later that weekend) and one of Carlos Lee’s last games of the year (he was injured later that weekend).
After the game, there were fireworks and it was probably the best fireworks show I’ve seen other than Disney World and Disneyland. My little sister tried to stay awake but fell asleep before the fireworks were over. We then walked back to our hotel and went to bed.
The next morning we got up and, after a great Embassy Suites breakfast, drove to Indianapolis to see our family. My great grandparents and some of my dad’s cousins live up there and we got to see all of them. We saw the cousins once and went to see my great grandparents about five times. My great grandma was having her 91st birthday and my great grandparents were having their 70th anniversary. On Saturday I got to play with my cousin Sam (the son of my dad’s cousin), his little brother Tim, and his little sister Gracie. All three are younger than me. I played Star Wars with Tim, and bubbles with Gracie. I just talked with Sam. My great granddad really likes Snoopy, so he gave me and my sister a lot of Snoopy things to take home with us. All of my family is very nice and I’m glad I got the chance to go visit them.
On Sunday night we flew home to Dallas and drove home at about 10:00pm.
Also, on Tuesday night, my dad, my sister, and I went to a McKinney Blue Thunder game. This was our first time to see them and we wanted to check them out before the season was over. They’re a new minor league baseball team that plays in the Continental Baseball League, which only has four teams. They play at the Ballfields at Craig Ranch in McKinney. The level of play is very, very low. It’s even below the Fort Worth Cats and Grand Prairie AirHogs. The stadium is at a park with a lot of little league fields and it pretty much is like a high school field. It has a statue of Joe DiMaggio outside the stadium, which is neat. There are about 1,000 seats in the stadium. You don’t even get tickets when you pay to enter - they just stamp your hand. The players roam around the concourse and use the same bathroom as the fans. The players and employees are very friendly. It was a good place to go to once, but it’s not a place that I would ever go to again.
Results of last week’s poll:
Out of Will Carroll’s three winners of the trade deadline, which one do you think did the best?
Yankees – 60%
Dodgers – 22%
Pirates – 18%
Come back next week for a Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
On Friday, we had an early flight, so I woke up at about 6:20, got ready, and my dad, and my little sister, and me went to pick up my grandparents. After we picked them up we headed to the airport. We went through security and waited for our plane. Our plane took off about 20 minutes late, but it was still fine. We flew into Cincinnati and checked into an Embassy Suites in Covington, KY and went to our rooms. We hung out around there for about half an hour before heading over to the Reds Hall of Fame. Our hotel was on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River so we had to walk across a bridge to get to the Hall of Fame, which is right next to the Reds’ stadium. The Reds H.O.F. is very well done. When you first get there you go into a theatre that’s decorated like a baseball park and watch a short video about the history of the Reds. The room is very neat and so is the film. Then you go to the stairs that take you up to the main level of the museum. As you walk up the stairs, you see a collection of thousands of baseballs - one for every one of Pete Rose’s hits. It’s amazing how many hits he had. When you get to the top they have a room dedicated to the recently deceased Joe Nuxhall called The Ol’ Lefthander. Joe was a pitcher for the Reds and then a broadcaster for many, many years. They have a few other rooms, including a room that celebrates great Cincinnati teams through the years. In that room, they have a scene called the Great Eight, with life-sized statues of the Big Red Machine celebrating together. That room also has trophies for the Reds’ five World Series championships. There’s also a broadcast booth where you can make the call on some big moments in Reds’ history and people outside the booth can hear you. My dad and I made the call for Pete Rose’s 4192nd (record-breaking) hit. Lastly they have a big room with plaques for all the members in the Reds Hall of Fame, and that’s a very neat room. This year’s inductions included Barry Larkin and Cesar Geronimo. The plaques are suspended from the ceiling and are in order of when the players played. They’re a lot like the Cooperstown plaques. The Reds have done a great job on their museum and Hall of Fame.
After the Hall of Fame, we went into the stadium where we had club level tickets and ate at the 4192 Club (named after Pete Rose’s record breaking hit). They had decent food. I got a pizza and so did my sister. If you ever go there, don’t get the chili cheese dog. They are mini-hot-dogs that take about three bites to eat and the still cost $3.50. After that we went to the gift shop to get me a shirt. At the Reds, they have no adult smalls anywhere in the ballpark, so I had to get an adult medium. We went back to our seats just in time for the first pitch. The club level in Cincinnati is so much nicer than the Rangers because the concourses are air conditioned and they have TV’s so you can watch the replays of close plays (which they don’t show those on the jumbotrons anywhere).
This was our third game at the Reds’ new ballpark (Great American Ballpark) but our first since 2003 (its first year). My dad is from Cincinnati so he's a big Reds fan. The ballpark is in a good location, right on the river and on the edge of downtown. From our seats, we could look out of the ballpark and see the river. There’s a neat restaurant in the outfield that looks like a steamboat and fireworks and smoke come out of the smokestacks during the game.
We saw the Reds play the Astros. The game was a very good one that included two 4-run innings, five home runs, and 15 strikeouts by one team.
First 3 innings: In the top of the first, Kaz Matsui led off the game with a solo homer to give him 5 on the year. Carlos Lee also hit a solo homer in the top of the first off of Johnny Cueto (one of the Reds’ big pitching prospects) to give Lee 28 on the year. The Reds were scoreless in the bottom of the 1st and were also scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd. In the top of the second the Astros had men on 1st and 2nd with no outs, men on 2nd and 3rd with one out, and the bases loaded with 2 outs, but failed to score a run. In the top of the 3rd the Astros scored no runs, but in the bottom of the 3rd the Reds scored 4 runs. Here is what the Reds did play-by-play that inning:
- David Ross walks
- Johnny Cueto bunts for a base hit
- Jeff Keppinger hits a 2-RBI double
- Joey Votto grounds out
- Jay Bruce flies out
- Brandon Phillips hits his 17th home run of the year with Jeff Keppinger still on second
- Adam Dunn strikes out
Innings 4-6: Nobody scored in the 4th inning, although the Astros got men to second and third. In the top of the 5th the Astros forced a walk, got hit by a pitch and then singled with two outs to score Carlos Lee and cut the Reds’ lead to 4-3. The Reds didn’t score in the bottom half of the 5th. Johnny Cueto didn’t come back out in the 6th as he had 109 pitches through five innings. Cueto gave up 3 runs (all earned) on 9 hits in his five innings of work, but did strike out nine. Neither team scored in the sixth, although both teams got a man to at least second.
Innings 7-9: In the top of the second the Astros scored two runs due to a costly error by Nick Masset. Masset is a former Ranger who was traded to the White Sox along with Jon Danks for Brandon McCarthy, but more recently traded to the Reds along with Danny Richar for Ken Griffey, Jr. Masset had two outs and nobody on and then made the error. Humberto Quintero then made him pay with his first homer of the year to give the Astros a 5-4 lead. Nick Masset would leave after the inning, going two innings, allowing two runs (0 earned) on 3 hits while striking out three. The Reds would respond quickly, though, tying it up in the bottom half of the seventh on a Jeff Keppinger sacrifice fly to give him three RBI’s on the day. The eighth and the ninth were both scoreless so it then went to extras. Mike Lincoln would leave the game for the Reds after the ninth, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out two, to give the Reds’ pitching staff 14 strikeouts through nine.
10th inning: In the top of the tenth Francisco Cordero (another former Ranger) would come on to pitch and would just get massacred. He gave up four runs in total and he had two outs and nobody on base. After that the Astros’ inning went like this:
- Miguel Tejada doubles
- Lance Berkman walks
- Carlos Lee drives in two with a double (giving him his 100th RBI for the year)
- Hunter Pence hits a two-run homer
- Ty Wigginton grounds out to end the inning
In the bottom of the tenth, Javier Valentin and Jeff Keppinger both flew out and then Joey Votto grounded out to end the game.
The final score was 9-5 Astros. It turns out that we saw one of Adam Dunn’s last games as a Red (he was traded to Arizona later that weekend) and one of Carlos Lee’s last games of the year (he was injured later that weekend).
After the game, there were fireworks and it was probably the best fireworks show I’ve seen other than Disney World and Disneyland. My little sister tried to stay awake but fell asleep before the fireworks were over. We then walked back to our hotel and went to bed.
The next morning we got up and, after a great Embassy Suites breakfast, drove to Indianapolis to see our family. My great grandparents and some of my dad’s cousins live up there and we got to see all of them. We saw the cousins once and went to see my great grandparents about five times. My great grandma was having her 91st birthday and my great grandparents were having their 70th anniversary. On Saturday I got to play with my cousin Sam (the son of my dad’s cousin), his little brother Tim, and his little sister Gracie. All three are younger than me. I played Star Wars with Tim, and bubbles with Gracie. I just talked with Sam. My great granddad really likes Snoopy, so he gave me and my sister a lot of Snoopy things to take home with us. All of my family is very nice and I’m glad I got the chance to go visit them.
On Sunday night we flew home to Dallas and drove home at about 10:00pm.
Also, on Tuesday night, my dad, my sister, and I went to a McKinney Blue Thunder game. This was our first time to see them and we wanted to check them out before the season was over. They’re a new minor league baseball team that plays in the Continental Baseball League, which only has four teams. They play at the Ballfields at Craig Ranch in McKinney. The level of play is very, very low. It’s even below the Fort Worth Cats and Grand Prairie AirHogs. The stadium is at a park with a lot of little league fields and it pretty much is like a high school field. It has a statue of Joe DiMaggio outside the stadium, which is neat. There are about 1,000 seats in the stadium. You don’t even get tickets when you pay to enter - they just stamp your hand. The players roam around the concourse and use the same bathroom as the fans. The players and employees are very friendly. It was a good place to go to once, but it’s not a place that I would ever go to again.
Results of last week’s poll:
Out of Will Carroll’s three winners of the trade deadline, which one do you think did the best?
Yankees – 60%
Dodgers – 22%
Pirates – 18%
Come back next week for a Tom Grieve Trade Analysis.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Newberg Night
This week I will document the events from Newberg Night at the Ballpark (Sunday night August 4th).
Newberg Night started at 4:00 in the Legends of the Game Museum with a Q&A session with Will Carroll and Joe Sheehan. Will does a column called ‘Under the Knife’ for Baseball Prospectus (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/) where he describes and analyzes different baseball injuries. He also works for SI.com as the NFL injury expert and has written a couple of books, including ‘The Juice’. For the last few Newberg Days at the Ballpark, Will has flown to Dallas to do Q&A sessions and is always very interesting. Joe is a co-founder and author of Baseball Prospectus and this was his first time to do this event
Will and Joe answered questions for about 45 minutes and here are some of the questions and answers they covered:
Q: Who were the three biggest winners and losers of the trade deadline?
A: Will did the winners and said:
- The Yankees because they got Pudge to solve their catching problem and got Nady and Marte without giving up many prospects.
- The Dodgers because they got Manny without giving up much at all.
- The Pirates because they finally made a plan
Joe did the losers and said:
- The Orioles because they didn’t trade any of their veterans who weren’t a part of their future.
- Mariners because they didn’t trade Raul Ibanez, Adrian Beltre or some of their other players.
- Giants for not trading Randy Winn or Bengie Molina and some other veterans that are on their roster.
Q: What are your expectations for Neftali Feliz?
A: Will said he has a huge upside and was the biggest part of the Teixeira trade. He also said that the Rangers are doing the right thing by not rushing him and that 2010 should be the earliest year that he’s in the bigs.
Q: How much money are Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia worth?
A: They said that with both of them (especially Sheets) you make your best offer to them, but leave without pushing too hard for them.
Q: Which team do you think will win each division and why?
A:
Will:
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Rays
NL West: D’Backs
NL Central: Cubs
NL East: Mets
Joe:
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Twins
AL East: Red Sox
NL West: LAD/ARI
NL Central: Cubs
NL East:Mets
Q: Who will be in the World Series?
A: Will said that it would be New York and Chicago without clarifying which ones. (I think he was just joking.)
At 4:45 Jeff and Cindy Kuster did a presentation on the Hello Win Column Fund. Cindy is the daughter of Mark Holtz, who used to broadcast for the Rangers. They have a charity to help people with cancer. They talked about what the charity is for and introduced an 11-year-old girl (Chalisa Smith, 11) who had just recovered from cancer. The little girl and her family were being hosted by the Kusters for that night’s game.
Jamey then gave away a bunch of prizes to people who had donated money to the fund. You could donate money as you entered the museum and you got a raffle ticket for every $10. Also, anyone who donated $20 got a set of Nolan Ryan books donated by the Kusters. After the raffle prizes, there was an auction for some more prizes. The best prize was being in the booth for an inning with Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve. My dad and granddad tried to win it for me but it sold for 600 dollars.
At 5:00, Jon Daniels came to start his Q&A session. Here are some of the highlights:
Q: If it’s 2010, Padilla and Millwood are gone, and the only players you can get are ones that are currently in your system - who do you think would be in the starting rotation and why?
A: I asked this question and, before he answered, Jon asked me what I thought. I said Tommy Hunter, Eric Hurley, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Kasey Kiker. Jon said that that was a good list and also mentioned Derek Holland and Brandon McCarthy and said some of the people currently in the rotation are possibilities. Allen Cordrey filmed the Q&A session and sent me this link that shows Jon answering this question: http://www.sportsnetworklive.com/videos/jdgrant.wmv
Q: Can you describe your relationship with Nolan Ryan?
A: Jon said that it’s a good relationship and that Nolan’s involved just the right amount. He brings Nolan in on decisions when it makes sense on a day-to-day basis. He also mentioned that people don’t realize how many things Nolan is involved in for the Rangers, including real estate, fan experience, branding, uniforms, and ticket prices.
Q: What do you plan to do with Nelson Cruz?
A: He would come up if they had an outfield injury or needed a bat.
Q: What has been the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment of the season?
A: The biggest disappointment was the start of the season because they had such high hopes out of spring training, and to start of the year so poorly wasn’t fun. The biggest surprise has been the resiliency of the players. He said they never give up.
Q: What are the priorities for this offseason?
A:
- To sort out the catching and outfield situations
- Starting pitching
- Closer is not an off-season priority
Jon also said that:
- We shouldn’t read anything into the fact that the Rangers took a lot of college pitchers in this year’s draft. It’s not a new draft strategy. It had to do with the players that were on the board.
- He would like to have Milton Bradley back next year.
- Chris Davis is staying in the majors
At about 6:30, after the interviews, we went to our seats to watch the game. I was one row in front of Scott Lucas, Jamey Newberg, Will Carroll, Rob Cook, and Eleanor Czajka. Joe Sheehan was two rows behind us. I enjoyed talking to all of them and they were all really nice. I got to talk with them during the whole game. Will and I talked about fantasy football a lot and he helped me prepare for my draft.
It was a good game. It was close and the Rangers walked away victorious. In the top of the 1st, Luis Mendoza just didn’t have it as he allowed 3 runs to score. Joe Inglett grounded out to second to start off the game and that’s when Mendoza started to really struggle as he walked Marco Scutaro, then Alex Rios singled, then Lyle Overbay had an RBI double, Adam Lind had a sacrifice fly and then Matt Stairs had an RBI single that forced the pitching coach to the mound. After that, Mendoza got Brad Wilkerson to ground out.
In the bottom half of the inning the Rangers went down 1-2-3. So after one it was Blue Jays 3, Rangers 0. In the top of the second Luis Mendoza, really started to settle down as he got three straight groundouts in the inning. Josh Hamilton got hit by a pitch to start off the second inning, but then Marlon Byrd grounded into a fielder’s choice that was almost a double play ball and then David Murphy did ground into a double play. Both halves of the third were 1-2-3 innings. To lead off the 4th Adam Lind singled, followed by another single off the bat of Matt Stairs that moved Lind to 3rd. Brad Wilkerson then grounded out to second, but drove in Adam Lind. The next two hitters went down easily, so after the top of the 4th the Blue Jays were winning 4-0. In the bottom half, though, Ian Kinsler led off with a walk, followed by the Rangers’ first hit of the ballgame, a Gerald Laird two-run homer off of Blue Jays rookie David Purcey. Michael Young then grounded out, followed by a Josh Hamilton walk, but Marlon Byrd and David Murphy couldn’t drive him in. After the fourth it was Blue Jays 4, Rangers 2.
In the bottom of the 5th Chris Davis had a solo homer with one out, followed by Travis Metcalf hit by a pitch, and Ian Kinsler fly out and then Gerald Laird’s 2nd home run of the game. After five, the Rangers were leading 5-4. Nobody scored again until the bottom of the eighth. Michael Young singled to start off the inning, which brought the pitching change (Jesse Carlson came in). Jesse threw a wild pitch that moved Young to second and then he moved Young to third by committing a balk. Josh Hamilton then walked and Marlon Byrd had an RBI double. David Murphy then popped out and Brandon Boggs was intentionally walked. Chris Davis then got an RBI single and loaded the bases. Ramon Vazquez then had a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-4 and that would be the final score of the ballgame, as in the top of the 9th Eddie Guardado retired the Blue Jays on four batters and gave the Rangers the win.
Newberg Night was a blast and I would like to thank Jamey for organizing it and Will, Joe, and Jon for doing the Q&A sessions.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which player from each league do you think has had the best year so far?
AL:
Josh Hamilton – 100%
Both others – 0%
NL:
Brandon Webb – 50%
Ryan Braun – 38%
Jair Jurrjens – 12%
I’ll be taking a week off. Come back in two weeks when I’ll continue work on the Tom Grieve trade analysis for the first time in a while, unless the Rangers make a trade.
Newberg Night started at 4:00 in the Legends of the Game Museum with a Q&A session with Will Carroll and Joe Sheehan. Will does a column called ‘Under the Knife’ for Baseball Prospectus (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/) where he describes and analyzes different baseball injuries. He also works for SI.com as the NFL injury expert and has written a couple of books, including ‘The Juice’. For the last few Newberg Days at the Ballpark, Will has flown to Dallas to do Q&A sessions and is always very interesting. Joe is a co-founder and author of Baseball Prospectus and this was his first time to do this event
Will and Joe answered questions for about 45 minutes and here are some of the questions and answers they covered:
Q: Who were the three biggest winners and losers of the trade deadline?
A: Will did the winners and said:
- The Yankees because they got Pudge to solve their catching problem and got Nady and Marte without giving up many prospects.
- The Dodgers because they got Manny without giving up much at all.
- The Pirates because they finally made a plan
Joe did the losers and said:
- The Orioles because they didn’t trade any of their veterans who weren’t a part of their future.
- Mariners because they didn’t trade Raul Ibanez, Adrian Beltre or some of their other players.
- Giants for not trading Randy Winn or Bengie Molina and some other veterans that are on their roster.
Q: What are your expectations for Neftali Feliz?
A: Will said he has a huge upside and was the biggest part of the Teixeira trade. He also said that the Rangers are doing the right thing by not rushing him and that 2010 should be the earliest year that he’s in the bigs.
Q: How much money are Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia worth?
A: They said that with both of them (especially Sheets) you make your best offer to them, but leave without pushing too hard for them.
Q: Which team do you think will win each division and why?
A:
Will:
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Rays
NL West: D’Backs
NL Central: Cubs
NL East: Mets
Joe:
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Twins
AL East: Red Sox
NL West: LAD/ARI
NL Central: Cubs
NL East:Mets
Q: Who will be in the World Series?
A: Will said that it would be New York and Chicago without clarifying which ones. (I think he was just joking.)
At 4:45 Jeff and Cindy Kuster did a presentation on the Hello Win Column Fund. Cindy is the daughter of Mark Holtz, who used to broadcast for the Rangers. They have a charity to help people with cancer. They talked about what the charity is for and introduced an 11-year-old girl (Chalisa Smith, 11) who had just recovered from cancer. The little girl and her family were being hosted by the Kusters for that night’s game.
Jamey then gave away a bunch of prizes to people who had donated money to the fund. You could donate money as you entered the museum and you got a raffle ticket for every $10. Also, anyone who donated $20 got a set of Nolan Ryan books donated by the Kusters. After the raffle prizes, there was an auction for some more prizes. The best prize was being in the booth for an inning with Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve. My dad and granddad tried to win it for me but it sold for 600 dollars.
At 5:00, Jon Daniels came to start his Q&A session. Here are some of the highlights:
Q: If it’s 2010, Padilla and Millwood are gone, and the only players you can get are ones that are currently in your system - who do you think would be in the starting rotation and why?
A: I asked this question and, before he answered, Jon asked me what I thought. I said Tommy Hunter, Eric Hurley, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Kasey Kiker. Jon said that that was a good list and also mentioned Derek Holland and Brandon McCarthy and said some of the people currently in the rotation are possibilities. Allen Cordrey filmed the Q&A session and sent me this link that shows Jon answering this question: http://www.sportsnetworklive.com/videos/jdgrant.wmv
Q: Can you describe your relationship with Nolan Ryan?
A: Jon said that it’s a good relationship and that Nolan’s involved just the right amount. He brings Nolan in on decisions when it makes sense on a day-to-day basis. He also mentioned that people don’t realize how many things Nolan is involved in for the Rangers, including real estate, fan experience, branding, uniforms, and ticket prices.
Q: What do you plan to do with Nelson Cruz?
A: He would come up if they had an outfield injury or needed a bat.
Q: What has been the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment of the season?
A: The biggest disappointment was the start of the season because they had such high hopes out of spring training, and to start of the year so poorly wasn’t fun. The biggest surprise has been the resiliency of the players. He said they never give up.
Q: What are the priorities for this offseason?
A:
- To sort out the catching and outfield situations
- Starting pitching
- Closer is not an off-season priority
Jon also said that:
- We shouldn’t read anything into the fact that the Rangers took a lot of college pitchers in this year’s draft. It’s not a new draft strategy. It had to do with the players that were on the board.
- He would like to have Milton Bradley back next year.
- Chris Davis is staying in the majors
At about 6:30, after the interviews, we went to our seats to watch the game. I was one row in front of Scott Lucas, Jamey Newberg, Will Carroll, Rob Cook, and Eleanor Czajka. Joe Sheehan was two rows behind us. I enjoyed talking to all of them and they were all really nice. I got to talk with them during the whole game. Will and I talked about fantasy football a lot and he helped me prepare for my draft.
It was a good game. It was close and the Rangers walked away victorious. In the top of the 1st, Luis Mendoza just didn’t have it as he allowed 3 runs to score. Joe Inglett grounded out to second to start off the game and that’s when Mendoza started to really struggle as he walked Marco Scutaro, then Alex Rios singled, then Lyle Overbay had an RBI double, Adam Lind had a sacrifice fly and then Matt Stairs had an RBI single that forced the pitching coach to the mound. After that, Mendoza got Brad Wilkerson to ground out.
In the bottom half of the inning the Rangers went down 1-2-3. So after one it was Blue Jays 3, Rangers 0. In the top of the second Luis Mendoza, really started to settle down as he got three straight groundouts in the inning. Josh Hamilton got hit by a pitch to start off the second inning, but then Marlon Byrd grounded into a fielder’s choice that was almost a double play ball and then David Murphy did ground into a double play. Both halves of the third were 1-2-3 innings. To lead off the 4th Adam Lind singled, followed by another single off the bat of Matt Stairs that moved Lind to 3rd. Brad Wilkerson then grounded out to second, but drove in Adam Lind. The next two hitters went down easily, so after the top of the 4th the Blue Jays were winning 4-0. In the bottom half, though, Ian Kinsler led off with a walk, followed by the Rangers’ first hit of the ballgame, a Gerald Laird two-run homer off of Blue Jays rookie David Purcey. Michael Young then grounded out, followed by a Josh Hamilton walk, but Marlon Byrd and David Murphy couldn’t drive him in. After the fourth it was Blue Jays 4, Rangers 2.
In the bottom of the 5th Chris Davis had a solo homer with one out, followed by Travis Metcalf hit by a pitch, and Ian Kinsler fly out and then Gerald Laird’s 2nd home run of the game. After five, the Rangers were leading 5-4. Nobody scored again until the bottom of the eighth. Michael Young singled to start off the inning, which brought the pitching change (Jesse Carlson came in). Jesse threw a wild pitch that moved Young to second and then he moved Young to third by committing a balk. Josh Hamilton then walked and Marlon Byrd had an RBI double. David Murphy then popped out and Brandon Boggs was intentionally walked. Chris Davis then got an RBI single and loaded the bases. Ramon Vazquez then had a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-4 and that would be the final score of the ballgame, as in the top of the 9th Eddie Guardado retired the Blue Jays on four batters and gave the Rangers the win.
Newberg Night was a blast and I would like to thank Jamey for organizing it and Will, Joe, and Jon for doing the Q&A sessions.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which player from each league do you think has had the best year so far?
AL:
Josh Hamilton – 100%
Both others – 0%
NL:
Brandon Webb – 50%
Ryan Braun – 38%
Jair Jurrjens – 12%
I’ll be taking a week off. Come back in two weeks when I’ll continue work on the Tom Grieve trade analysis for the first time in a while, unless the Rangers make a trade.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
July Awards
This week I will give my July awards. These are as if the season ended at the end of July (stats are as of July 26th).
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .306 AVG, 24 HR, 103 RBI’s: Without Josh I can assure you that we would be 3rd place, completely out of contention, and under .500.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 12-5 W-L, 4.56 ERA, 80 K: Vicente has thrown the most innings of any Ranger pitcher and has had a solid year, leading the team in wins.
Runner-up: Eddie Gaurdado, TEX
Rangers Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .272 AVG, 14 HR, 64 RBI’s: Murphy is having a great season, and may very well have 100 RBI’s in his rookie year along with 25 homers and a .275 average which would be a very solid year.
Runner-up: Chris Davis, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .306 AVG, 24 HR, 103 RBI’s (in only 100 games): Josh has 24 more RBI’s than any AL player, is batting over .300, and is 3rd among the AL in home runs along with his seven stolen bases. He has more RBI’s than games played.
Runner-up: Jermaine Dye, CWS
AL Cy Young: Justin Duchscherer, OAK: 10-6 W-L, 1.87 ERA, 70 K: Justin has double-digit wins and an ERA under two. The only thing going against him is his number of strikeouts.
Runner-up: Mike Mussina, NYY
AL Rookie of the Year: Armando Galarraga, DET: 8-4 W-L, 3.27 ERA, 75 K: It’s a tight race between Armando and Longoria, but at this point I’m going to give a slight edge to Galarraga because of how good his ERA is.
Runner-up: Evan Longoria, TB
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe has turned a nobody into a force to be reckoned with in just one year.
Runner up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL: .299 AVG, 26 HR, 74 RBI’s: Ryan is almost hitting .300, is on a contending team, and has very good power numbers.
Runner-up: Chase Utley, PHI
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 13-4 W-L, 3.11 ERA, 116 K: Webb is tied for the NL in wins, has a very good ERA and a good number of strikeouts.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL
NL Rookie of the Year: Jair Jurrjens, ATL: 10-5 W-L, 3.02 ERA, 92 K: Jair is having a great year. He has won two-thirds of his decisions and has an ERA that is almost in the two’s.
Runner-up: Yunel Escobar, ATL
NL Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA: Fredi has done a great job in his first year managing the Marlins and has made them a contender.
Runner-up: Ned Yost, MIL
Also, this weekend I went to see the Grand Prairie Airhogs for the first time. They’re an independent minor league team that was created this year. They’re in the same league as the Fort Worth Cats. They play in the same complex that has Lone Star Park and Nokia Theater. They have a very nice stadium, with a nice play area for little kids, and good food choices. It was a much better experience than the Cats.
Results of last weeks’ poll:
What position do you think the Rangers need to trade for the most?
Starting pitching – 82%
Relief pitching – 18%
All other positions – 0%
Come back next week for an analysis of any trades the Rangers make this next week.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .306 AVG, 24 HR, 103 RBI’s: Without Josh I can assure you that we would be 3rd place, completely out of contention, and under .500.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 12-5 W-L, 4.56 ERA, 80 K: Vicente has thrown the most innings of any Ranger pitcher and has had a solid year, leading the team in wins.
Runner-up: Eddie Gaurdado, TEX
Rangers Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .272 AVG, 14 HR, 64 RBI’s: Murphy is having a great season, and may very well have 100 RBI’s in his rookie year along with 25 homers and a .275 average which would be a very solid year.
Runner-up: Chris Davis, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .306 AVG, 24 HR, 103 RBI’s (in only 100 games): Josh has 24 more RBI’s than any AL player, is batting over .300, and is 3rd among the AL in home runs along with his seven stolen bases. He has more RBI’s than games played.
Runner-up: Jermaine Dye, CWS
AL Cy Young: Justin Duchscherer, OAK: 10-6 W-L, 1.87 ERA, 70 K: Justin has double-digit wins and an ERA under two. The only thing going against him is his number of strikeouts.
Runner-up: Mike Mussina, NYY
AL Rookie of the Year: Armando Galarraga, DET: 8-4 W-L, 3.27 ERA, 75 K: It’s a tight race between Armando and Longoria, but at this point I’m going to give a slight edge to Galarraga because of how good his ERA is.
Runner-up: Evan Longoria, TB
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe has turned a nobody into a force to be reckoned with in just one year.
Runner up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL: .299 AVG, 26 HR, 74 RBI’s: Ryan is almost hitting .300, is on a contending team, and has very good power numbers.
Runner-up: Chase Utley, PHI
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 13-4 W-L, 3.11 ERA, 116 K: Webb is tied for the NL in wins, has a very good ERA and a good number of strikeouts.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL
NL Rookie of the Year: Jair Jurrjens, ATL: 10-5 W-L, 3.02 ERA, 92 K: Jair is having a great year. He has won two-thirds of his decisions and has an ERA that is almost in the two’s.
Runner-up: Yunel Escobar, ATL
NL Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA: Fredi has done a great job in his first year managing the Marlins and has made them a contender.
Runner-up: Ned Yost, MIL
Also, this weekend I went to see the Grand Prairie Airhogs for the first time. They’re an independent minor league team that was created this year. They’re in the same league as the Fort Worth Cats. They play in the same complex that has Lone Star Park and Nokia Theater. They have a very nice stadium, with a nice play area for little kids, and good food choices. It was a much better experience than the Cats.
Results of last weeks’ poll:
What position do you think the Rangers need to trade for the most?
Starting pitching – 82%
Relief pitching – 18%
All other positions – 0%
Come back next week for an analysis of any trades the Rangers make this next week.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Deadline Deals
This week I will review some of the big names that are reported to be on the trading block and analyze whether or not they are likely to be traded.
The list of players is from http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/trade_deadline/index_08.jsp but the opinions are mine.
Catchers:
Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers: No, the Tigers are right in the thick of things in the AL Central. They’re seven and a half games back, but they can definitely come back. They wouldn’t trade Pudge and have to call up a minor leaguer to start.
Ramon Hernandez, Orioles: No, I think they will try to trade him, but that there won’t be enough interest to do so. He has injury issues and isn’t the best catcher available.
Paul Lo Duca, Nationals: Yes, Paul won’t be traded because of talent, but for the fact that he can be a leader on a young team in contention. He might go to the Rays and back up Dioneer Navarro.
Johnny Estrada, Nationals: No, Johnny has been injured most of the year and I don’t think that the interest in him is high enough for him to be traded.
Miguel Olivo, Royals: Yes, Miguel is a good catcher who could start for a team like the Mets who don’t have any solid catchers, or most likely would be an upgrade at back-up for another team.
Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies: Yes, Yorvit can really help a catching squad in need of some help. Also, he has experience in big games now.
Gregg Zaun, Blue Jays: No, his contract is just too big. He has a 2-year/$7.25 million contract and would most likely be a back-up. I don’t think any team would pick up that contract for a back-up catcher.
First base/Third base:
Mark Teixeira Braves: Yes, there are a few teams in the playoff hunt who don’t have either developed or even solid first basemen. The Yankees might be a good suitor.
Carlos Delgado, Mets: No way, the Mets are in contention now and Delgado is hot. There’s no way that they’re dealing him.
Hank Blalock, Rangers: No, his trade value is too low right now. The Rangers will probably wait until the off-season or next year to ship him out.
Casey Blake, Indians: No, I doubt that many teams, if any, are interested in him, and even if someone made an offer, the Indians probably wouldn’t be happy with what little they would receive in return.
Frank Catalanotto, Rangers: Yes, I’d be amazed if he wasn’t traded. The Rangers need starting pitching and Frank with one more player could give the Rangers a solid 3-4-5 spot in the rotation guy.
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers: No, the Dodgers are near first place and wouldn’t want to trade away their back-up plan if Blake DeWitt struggles or gets injured, unless they got an offer that blew them away.
Aubrey Huff, Orioles: Yes, the Yankees or another big-market team would ignore his big contract and get him unless they’ve already solved their first base problem in another trade by then.
Wilson Betemit, Yankees: No, the Yankees really seem to like him, though I don’t know why. They would probably be very tentative to move him out of New York.
Kevin Millar, Orioles: There just aren’t enough contenders that are in need of first basemen who would be willing to pick up Millar for half a year to try to solve their problem.
Melvin Mora, Orioles: No, Mora has a no-trade clause and the Orioles would probably ask for too much in return for another team to get him.
Jose Vidro, Mariners: Yes, there are plenty of NL teams who could use a utility/pinch-hitter guy on their bench.
Mike Jacobs, Marlins: No, the Marlins might try, even though they’re in the playoff race, but because of the fact that they are contenders, they would probably ask too much in return.
Second base/Shortstop:
Brian Roberts, Orioles: No, the Orioles tried to trade him before the year started, but I think that they will decide that he’s worth more than what they will probably be getting and that it would be better to try again later.
David Eckstein, Blue Jays: Yes, although the Blue Jays would have to be happy with a mediocre outfielder or two.
Ray Durham, Giants: No, amazingly with a 40-56 record they are only seven games out in the terrible NL West, so I bet that they’ll hang onto him in case they make a surprising playoff push.
Christian Guzman, Nationals: Yes, Christian is having a career year and the Nationals have no reason to hang onto him.
Juan Uribe, White Sox: No, the White Sox will try to move him, but I don’t think that they’ll be able to get much for him and that they’ll decide that it’ll be better to just hang onto him.
Mark Grudzielanek, Royals: No, Mark is an older guy and I don’t think that his trade value is high enough for them to give him a new address.
Felipe Lopez, Nationals: No, Felipe is going to make 4.9 million dollars this year and I don’t think any team will think that he’s worth that money.
Jack Wilson, Pirates: Yes, the Pirates are already in trade talks with the Dodgers and I don’t see why LA wouldn’t take him on unless Pittsburgh asks for an unreasonable amount in return.
Mark Loretta, Astros: Yes, Mark would be a good utility guy on a contending team and could be a good addition to the bottom half of the line-up.
Outfield:
Matt Holliday, Rockies: No, unless the Rockies get an offer that just completely blows them out of the water with plenty of huge prospects, Matt is going to stay in Colorado.
Adam Dunn, Reds: Yes, many AL teams could use a DH to bulk up the middle of their line-up, and the Reds would probably give him up if they could get some prospects, which I’m sure that they’ll be able to do.
Ken Griffey, Jr., Reds: Yes, there are a couple of AL teams that could use another starting outfielder. The Reds have no reason to keep him.
Jason Bay, Pirates: Yes, the Yankees are interested and every team, even those who don’t even need another outfielder, could make room for Bay and could use him in their line-up.
Emil Brown, A’s: No, Emil has struggled of late and his trade value has gone way down and I’m not sure that any deal will get done.
Milton Bradley, Rangers: No, the Rangers are contending and Milton is a big part of that, although I’m sure that the Rangers would be open to listening to offers.
Jay Payton, Orioles: Yes, every team could use a back-up outfielder, really. Especially a good defensive one like Jay Payton.
Matt Kemp, Dodgers: Yes, the Dodgers don’t seem to be too high on Matt Kemp and many other teams would take him in a heartbeat.
Xavier Nady, Pirates: Yes, the Yankees and Rays are good suitors, and I’m sure almost every team could use that bat in the middle of their lineup.
Starting pitchers:
AJ Burnett, Blue Jays: Yes, there will be at least one team who will be willing to give up minor league talent for Burnett to help them down the stretch.
Erik Bedard, Mariners: Yes, the Mariners are well out of the race, and Bedard wants to get out. The Phillies probably are looking into him because of their lack of starting pitchers, but might not have the prospects to spare.
Randy Wolf, Padres: Yes, the Padres won’t get much, but there’s no reason for them to keep him and I’m sure someone needs him in the rotation.
Daniel Cabrera, Orioles: No, the Orioles are over .500, so they have some upside and they probably won’t trade away the top two men in the rotation. Also, Cabrera’s just too good for them to let him go unless they get blown away.
Paul Byrd, Indians: Yes, as long as the Indians don’t ask for too much. The Rangers might be one suitor, but there are plenty other places where he might go as well.
Adam Eaton, Phillies: No, Adam has been terrible the last couple of years and I don’t think anybody would want to give up someone for a guy who might actually hurt your team with poor performances.
Relief pitchers:
George Sherrill, Orioles: No, the Orioles will probably want to keep him for the future contending Orioles teams that are actually probably just a couple years away.
Chad Bradford, Orioles: Yes, Chad is an older reliever and obviously isn’t part of the O’s future, so they would have no reason to hang on to him.
Jamie Walker, Orioles: He could go to any team that needs a lefty in their bullpen, even though he isn’t performing well.
Dustin Moseley, Angels: Yes, the Angels have too many good middle relievers and Dustin is a quality one who can also spot-start. He would be a good fit for a team with a weak bullpen and injury-prone starters.
Brian Fuentes, Rockies: Yes, there will be some team willing to give up the prospects the Rockies will ask for in return to get Brian.
Damaso Marte, Pirates: Yes, there is room on almost every team in the bigs for a lefty specialist, especially a successful one.
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Who do you think will win the All-star game?
AL – 100%
NL – 0%
Come back next week for my July Awards or a trade analysis if the Rangers make one.
The list of players is from http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/trade_deadline/index_08.jsp but the opinions are mine.
Catchers:
Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers: No, the Tigers are right in the thick of things in the AL Central. They’re seven and a half games back, but they can definitely come back. They wouldn’t trade Pudge and have to call up a minor leaguer to start.
Ramon Hernandez, Orioles: No, I think they will try to trade him, but that there won’t be enough interest to do so. He has injury issues and isn’t the best catcher available.
Paul Lo Duca, Nationals: Yes, Paul won’t be traded because of talent, but for the fact that he can be a leader on a young team in contention. He might go to the Rays and back up Dioneer Navarro.
Johnny Estrada, Nationals: No, Johnny has been injured most of the year and I don’t think that the interest in him is high enough for him to be traded.
Miguel Olivo, Royals: Yes, Miguel is a good catcher who could start for a team like the Mets who don’t have any solid catchers, or most likely would be an upgrade at back-up for another team.
Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies: Yes, Yorvit can really help a catching squad in need of some help. Also, he has experience in big games now.
Gregg Zaun, Blue Jays: No, his contract is just too big. He has a 2-year/$7.25 million contract and would most likely be a back-up. I don’t think any team would pick up that contract for a back-up catcher.
First base/Third base:
Mark Teixeira Braves: Yes, there are a few teams in the playoff hunt who don’t have either developed or even solid first basemen. The Yankees might be a good suitor.
Carlos Delgado, Mets: No way, the Mets are in contention now and Delgado is hot. There’s no way that they’re dealing him.
Hank Blalock, Rangers: No, his trade value is too low right now. The Rangers will probably wait until the off-season or next year to ship him out.
Casey Blake, Indians: No, I doubt that many teams, if any, are interested in him, and even if someone made an offer, the Indians probably wouldn’t be happy with what little they would receive in return.
Frank Catalanotto, Rangers: Yes, I’d be amazed if he wasn’t traded. The Rangers need starting pitching and Frank with one more player could give the Rangers a solid 3-4-5 spot in the rotation guy.
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers: No, the Dodgers are near first place and wouldn’t want to trade away their back-up plan if Blake DeWitt struggles or gets injured, unless they got an offer that blew them away.
Aubrey Huff, Orioles: Yes, the Yankees or another big-market team would ignore his big contract and get him unless they’ve already solved their first base problem in another trade by then.
Wilson Betemit, Yankees: No, the Yankees really seem to like him, though I don’t know why. They would probably be very tentative to move him out of New York.
Kevin Millar, Orioles: There just aren’t enough contenders that are in need of first basemen who would be willing to pick up Millar for half a year to try to solve their problem.
Melvin Mora, Orioles: No, Mora has a no-trade clause and the Orioles would probably ask for too much in return for another team to get him.
Jose Vidro, Mariners: Yes, there are plenty of NL teams who could use a utility/pinch-hitter guy on their bench.
Mike Jacobs, Marlins: No, the Marlins might try, even though they’re in the playoff race, but because of the fact that they are contenders, they would probably ask too much in return.
Second base/Shortstop:
Brian Roberts, Orioles: No, the Orioles tried to trade him before the year started, but I think that they will decide that he’s worth more than what they will probably be getting and that it would be better to try again later.
David Eckstein, Blue Jays: Yes, although the Blue Jays would have to be happy with a mediocre outfielder or two.
Ray Durham, Giants: No, amazingly with a 40-56 record they are only seven games out in the terrible NL West, so I bet that they’ll hang onto him in case they make a surprising playoff push.
Christian Guzman, Nationals: Yes, Christian is having a career year and the Nationals have no reason to hang onto him.
Juan Uribe, White Sox: No, the White Sox will try to move him, but I don’t think that they’ll be able to get much for him and that they’ll decide that it’ll be better to just hang onto him.
Mark Grudzielanek, Royals: No, Mark is an older guy and I don’t think that his trade value is high enough for them to give him a new address.
Felipe Lopez, Nationals: No, Felipe is going to make 4.9 million dollars this year and I don’t think any team will think that he’s worth that money.
Jack Wilson, Pirates: Yes, the Pirates are already in trade talks with the Dodgers and I don’t see why LA wouldn’t take him on unless Pittsburgh asks for an unreasonable amount in return.
Mark Loretta, Astros: Yes, Mark would be a good utility guy on a contending team and could be a good addition to the bottom half of the line-up.
Outfield:
Matt Holliday, Rockies: No, unless the Rockies get an offer that just completely blows them out of the water with plenty of huge prospects, Matt is going to stay in Colorado.
Adam Dunn, Reds: Yes, many AL teams could use a DH to bulk up the middle of their line-up, and the Reds would probably give him up if they could get some prospects, which I’m sure that they’ll be able to do.
Ken Griffey, Jr., Reds: Yes, there are a couple of AL teams that could use another starting outfielder. The Reds have no reason to keep him.
Jason Bay, Pirates: Yes, the Yankees are interested and every team, even those who don’t even need another outfielder, could make room for Bay and could use him in their line-up.
Emil Brown, A’s: No, Emil has struggled of late and his trade value has gone way down and I’m not sure that any deal will get done.
Milton Bradley, Rangers: No, the Rangers are contending and Milton is a big part of that, although I’m sure that the Rangers would be open to listening to offers.
Jay Payton, Orioles: Yes, every team could use a back-up outfielder, really. Especially a good defensive one like Jay Payton.
Matt Kemp, Dodgers: Yes, the Dodgers don’t seem to be too high on Matt Kemp and many other teams would take him in a heartbeat.
Xavier Nady, Pirates: Yes, the Yankees and Rays are good suitors, and I’m sure almost every team could use that bat in the middle of their lineup.
Starting pitchers:
AJ Burnett, Blue Jays: Yes, there will be at least one team who will be willing to give up minor league talent for Burnett to help them down the stretch.
Erik Bedard, Mariners: Yes, the Mariners are well out of the race, and Bedard wants to get out. The Phillies probably are looking into him because of their lack of starting pitchers, but might not have the prospects to spare.
Randy Wolf, Padres: Yes, the Padres won’t get much, but there’s no reason for them to keep him and I’m sure someone needs him in the rotation.
Daniel Cabrera, Orioles: No, the Orioles are over .500, so they have some upside and they probably won’t trade away the top two men in the rotation. Also, Cabrera’s just too good for them to let him go unless they get blown away.
Paul Byrd, Indians: Yes, as long as the Indians don’t ask for too much. The Rangers might be one suitor, but there are plenty other places where he might go as well.
Adam Eaton, Phillies: No, Adam has been terrible the last couple of years and I don’t think anybody would want to give up someone for a guy who might actually hurt your team with poor performances.
Relief pitchers:
George Sherrill, Orioles: No, the Orioles will probably want to keep him for the future contending Orioles teams that are actually probably just a couple years away.
Chad Bradford, Orioles: Yes, Chad is an older reliever and obviously isn’t part of the O’s future, so they would have no reason to hang on to him.
Jamie Walker, Orioles: He could go to any team that needs a lefty in their bullpen, even though he isn’t performing well.
Dustin Moseley, Angels: Yes, the Angels have too many good middle relievers and Dustin is a quality one who can also spot-start. He would be a good fit for a team with a weak bullpen and injury-prone starters.
Brian Fuentes, Rockies: Yes, there will be some team willing to give up the prospects the Rockies will ask for in return to get Brian.
Damaso Marte, Pirates: Yes, there is room on almost every team in the bigs for a lefty specialist, especially a successful one.
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Who do you think will win the All-star game?
AL – 100%
NL – 0%
Come back next week for my July Awards or a trade analysis if the Rangers make one.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
All-Star Special
This week I will provide analysis on who the All-Stars are and who I think is deserving.
AL All-Stars:
Starter: C Joe Mauer, Twins: Joe deserves to start since he’s batting .323.
Starter: 1B Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: Justin Morneau should start. He’s leading AL starting first basemen in average, RBI’s, and is 3rd in HR’s. Kevin Youkilis should be a reserve.
Starter: 2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: Ian Kinsler deserves to start. Kinsler leads all of the AL in average, and he also leads AL second basemen in home runs and RBI’s.
Starter: 3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: Unfortunately, A-ROD deserves to start, with a .311 batting average, 18 home runs, and 50 RBI’s.
Starter: SS Derek Jeter, Yankees: Michael Young deserves to start, as he leads AL shortstops in batting average (.305), and RBI’s (50), and is 2nd in home runs (7). Jeter is batting .286 with 4 HR’s and 39 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Josh Hamilton, Rangers: Josh definitely deserves to start. He might have 100 RBI’s at the Al-Star break. He’s leading the AL in RBI’s (93), and leads AL outfielders in home runs (21), RBI’s (93), total bases (206), slugging percentage (.560), and is second in batting average (.313).
Starter: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: Carlos Quentin deserves to start and Ichiro shouldn’t be an All-Star. Carlos has 21 home runs, 66 RBI’s, and a .266 batting average. Ichiro is hitting .302, but only has 3 HR’s and 21 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Manny Ramirez, Red Sox: I think Nick Markakis should start and Manny should not be on the team. Somehow, he didn’t even make the team or the final vote, but he has a .302 average, 14 home runs, 50 RBI’s, and a .400 OBP. It really surprises me he didn’t make the team. Manny has 17 home runs and 59 RBI’s, but a .289 AVG and a .384 OBP. Manny has good stats, but I think that there are better outfielders this year.
Starter: DH Milton Bradley, Rangers: David Ortiz actually got selected as starter, but he’s injured so Bradley is starting and he definitely deserves it.
Reserve: C Dioneer Navarro, Rays: Dioneer deserves to be a back-up catcher, he’s hitting .306 with 4 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.
Reserve: C Jason Varitek, Red Sox: Jason shouldn’t be an All-Star at all, with a .220 average and power numbers that aren’t very good. AJ Pierzynski should be here. AJ is hitting .288 with 7 HR’s and 35 RBI’s.
Reserve: 1B Justin Morneau, Twins: This should be Kevin Youkilis. Justin should start and Kevin should be a reserve.
Reserve: 2B Ian Kinsler, Rangers: This should be Dustin Pedroia. Ian and Dustin should flip-flop and have Ian start and Dustin be a reserve.
Reserve: 3B Joe Crede, White Sox: Joe has good power numbers, but is only hitting .254. I think Ramon Vazquez should be in for him. Vazquez is hitting .316 with 5 home runs and 31 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Carlos Guillen, Tigers: I think Mike Lowell should be in for him. Carlos is doing well, but it’s not an All-Star year, with a .284 average with 8 HR’s and 47 RBI’s. Lowell is doing much better. Mike is hitting .297 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Evan Longoria, Rays: Evan Longoria deserves to be here with a .281 batting average, 16 HR’s and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Michael Young, Rangers: Michael should be starting and Johnny Peralta should be here. Johnny is only hitting .257, but his power numbers dominate all shortstops except for Young. Peralta has 15 HR’s and 45 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF JD Drew, Red Sox: JD has had a great year and this is where he should be.
Reserve: OF Carlos Quentin, White Sox: Carlos should be starting and Jermaine Dye should be here as the reserve. Jermaine has a .297 AVG, with 20 HR’s, and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF Grady Sizemore, Indians: Grady should be here with his 22 home runs.
Pitcher: Justin Duchscherer, Athletics: Justin definitely deserves to be here. He’s done well enough that he might be the starter.
Pitcher: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays: Roy is pitching great this year, with a 12-6 record, a 2.71 ERA, 146.1 IP, and 121 K. I think he should start. What puts him over the top for me is his seven complete games. That’s more than the Astros, Mets, Giants, Marlins, Reds, Yankees, Pirates, Nationals, Tigers, Cubs and Rockies combined. That’s also more than every team other than his own team. It’s incredible.
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir, Rays: I think this spot should go to Nick Blackburn of the Twins. Scott has done well, but has only pitched 77 innings. Nick has pitched 111.1 and has a 7-4 record and a 3.72 ERA.
Pitcher: Cliff Lee, Indians: Cliff has been amazing and he has a very good chance of starting the game with his 12-2 record.
Pitcher: Joe Nathan, Twins: Joe should be in the All-Star game, as he has 26 saves and a 1.16 ERA.
Pitcher: Jonathon Papelbon, Red Sox: Jonathon should be on the team. He has 27 saves and a 2.27 ERA.
Pitcher: Mariano Rivera, Yankees: Mariano deserves to be in, he is 23-for-23 in save opportunities and has a 1.06 ERA.
Pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez, Angels: K-ROD is doing incredible this year with 36 saves, a 2.48 ERA, and he’s living up to his nickname K-ROD with 38 strike-outs.
Pitcher: Ervin Santana, Angels: Ervin should be in. He has 10 wins, a 3.53 ERA, and 112 strikeouts.
Pitcher: Joe Saunders, Angels: Joe should definitely be an All-Star. He’s having an incredible year.
Pitcher: George Sherrill, Orioles: Since I already have an Oriole in Nick Markakis, I don’t need George Sherrill. Instead of him I’ll take Zach Grienke of the Royals. Zach is having a terrific season with a 7-5 record, a 3.48 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.
Pitcher: Joakim Soria, Royals: Joakim is having a terrific season, striking out more than one batter per inning, with 25 saves and a 1.50 ERA.
My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Joe Mauer
1B – Justin Morneau
2B – Ian Kinsler
3B – Alex Rodriguez
SS – Michael Young
OF – Josh Hamilton
OF – Nick Markakis
OF – Carlos Quentin
DH – Milton Bradley
C – Dioneer Navarro
C – AJ Pierzynski
1B – Kevin Youkilis
2B – Dustin Pedroia
3B – Ramon Vazquez
3B – Mike Lowell
3B – Evan Longoria
SS – Johnny Peralta
OF – JD Drew
OF – Jermaine Dye
OF – Grady Sizemore
P – Justin Duchscherer
P – Roy Halladay
P – Nick Blackburn
P – Cliff Lee
P – Joe Nathan
P – Jonathon Papelbon
P – Mariano Rivera
P – Francisco Rodriguez
P – Ervin Santana
P – Joe Saunders
P – Zach Grienke
P – Joakim Soria
NL All-Stars:
Starter: C Geovany Soto, Cubs: This should be Brian McCann and Soto should be a reserve. Brian has a better batting average (.296), more homers (17), and has struck out 41 less times.
Starter: 1B Lance Berkman, Astros: Lance deserves to start. He is hitting .347 with 22 HR’s and 70 RBI’s. He’s in the top three in all of those categories among NL first basemen.
Starter: 2B Chase Utley, Phillies: Chase should be starting. He’s got a .292 AVG with 25 HR’s and 69 RBI’s. You just don’t see many second basemen with those power numbers.
Starter: 3B Chipper Jones, Braves: Chipper should definitely start. He’s got a .373 batting average and still has 18 home runs. It’s just incredible what he’s doing.
Starter: SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins: Hanley should start the All-Star game. He’s got a .313 batting average with 23 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. Those are very good numbers and no other shortstop matches them.
Starter: OF Ryan Braun, Brewers: Ryan deserves to start. He’s is batting .290 and has 23 homers and 66 RBI’s. Last year he was Rookie of the Year and this year he’s an All-Star starter. Watch out for this guy.
Starter: OF Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs: Nate McLouth should be starting here and Kosuke should not be an All-Star. Nate is having an incredible breakthrough year. He’s batting .284 with 18 homers and 62 RBI’s. He’s got better numbers than Kosuke at every one of those stats.
Starter: OF Matt Holliday, Rockies: Matt (added to the starting lineup due to Alfonso Soriano’s injury) should be starting for sure. He’s got a .340 AVG and good power numbers, too. He’s quietly been doing well.
Reserve: C Russell Martin, Dodgers: Russell Martin should be here. He’s one of the best catchers in average, home runs, and RBI’s.
Reserve: C Brian McCann, Braves: Geovany Soto should be here. Brian and him should flip-flop between starting and being a reserve.
Reserve: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Padres: Adrian is hitting .281, which is pretty good. His power numbers don’t disappoint, either. He’s tied for 2nd among NL first basemen with 22 HR’s and he ranks 2nd with 71 RBI’s. He should definitely be in.
Reserve: 1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Pujols has a .469 OBP. Anybody with that who starts should be in with no questions asked. Not to mention a .350 batting average with 18 HR’s and 49 RBI’s.
Reserve: 2B Dan Uggla, Marlins: Dan is another slugging second baseman. He has a very good batting average, a very good amount of RBI’s and 23 HR’s.
Reserve: 3B Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Aramis should be in this spot. He is batting .289 with 17 homers and 66 RBI’s. He’s having a terrific year.
Reserve: 3B David Wright, Mets: David is having a good year, but I think that Garret Atkins of the Rockies should have this spot. Garrett has a .311 batting average and has 14 HR’s and 54 RBI’s. Garrett should be an All-Star. David Wright is hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Christian Guzman, Nationals: The Nationals need a player and Guzman is the rightful one. Christian has a .317 average and has been a very successful leadoff man.
Reserve: SS Miguel Tejada, Astros: This should be JJ Hardy. JJ is hitting .291, while Tejada only .276. JJ Hardy has 13 home runs and Tejada 10. And Miguel only has four more RBI’s than Hardy. JJ Hardy is the deserving recipient of this spot.
Reserve: OF Corey Hart, Brewers: This spot was Carlos Lee’s property, but was stolen away by Corey Hart. Carlos has a better batting average (.295 vs. .292), a better OBP (.346 vs. .331), more home runs (21 vs. 15), and more RBI’s (72 vs. 58) than Corey Hart. Carlos Lee should have this spot.
Reserve: OF Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals: Former Ranger Ryan Ludwick has and deserves this spot. With a .281 AVG, 19 HR’s and 60 RBI’s he’s finally breaking through about three or four years late.
Reserve: OF Nate McLouth, Pirates: Since I have Nate starting I’ll give this spot to another Pirate. Xavier Nady should have this spot on the roster. Xavier is hitting .319 and has 12 home runs and 55 RBI’s.
Pitcher: Aaron Cook, Rockies: This spot should be owned by Kyle Lohse. Kyle and Aaron both have 11 wins, but Kyle only has two losses while Cook has six. Kyle (3.39) also has a better ERA than Cook (3.57).
Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, Cubs: This, in my opinion, should belong to Jair Jurrjens of the Braves. Jair is 9-4 while Ryan is 10-3, but Jair’s ERA is 3.00 while Ryan’s is 3.13. What really made me chose Jair is the fact that on the road Ryan has really struggled.
Pitcher: Dan Haren, D’Backs: Dan deserves to be here. Whenever you’ve got eight wins and an ERA under 3.00 at the All-Star break, you should be an All-Star.
Pitcher: Brad Lidge, Phillies: Brad definitely deserves to be an All-Star. He is 20-for-20 in save opportunities and has a 0.52 ERA.
Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, Giants: Tim deserves to be an All-Star. He is 10-2 with a 2.66 ERA. Both those numbers by themselves should be enough to get him in.
Pitcher: Ben Sheets, Brewers: Ben deserves to be in. He has a 2.85 ERA and is 10-3. There’s no way he should miss it.
Pitcher: Edinson Volquez, Reds: In my opinion, Volquez has been the best pitcher in all of baseball this year and I think that he should start. He is 11-3 with a 2.36 ERA.
Pitcher: Billy Wagner, Mets: There has to be a Met player, but I think that it should be Johan Santana. It doesn’t seem like Johan’s doing too well, but he’s still got 8 wins and a 2.84 ERA.
Pitcher: Brandon Webb, D’Backs: Brandon should definitely be in. He has 13 wins (MLB lead) and a 3.27 ERA. He’s having a great year.
Pitcher: Brian Wilson, Giants: Brian is tied for the NL league in saves, so he should definitely be in.
Pitcher: Kerry Wood, Cubs: Kerry has had a good year, but he’s blown five saves. I think Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins should take his spot. Ricky is 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA.
Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, Cubs: Carlos should definitely be in. He is 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s having a great year.
My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Brian McCann
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Chase Utley
3B – Chipper Jones
SS – Hanley Ramirez
OF – Ryan Braun
OF – Nate McLouth
OF – Matt Holliday
C – Russell Martin
C – Geovany Soto
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
1B – Albert Pujols
2B – Dan Uggla
3B – Aramis Ramirez
3B – Garrett Atkins
SS – Christian Guzman
SS – JJ Hardy
OF – Carlos Lee
OF – Ryan Ludwick
OF – Xavier Nady
P – Kyle Lohse
P – Jair Jurrjens
P – Dan Haren
P – Brad Lidge
P – Tim Lincecum
P – Ben Sheets
P – Edinson Volquez
P – Johan Santana
P – Brandon Webb
P – Brian Wilson
P – Ricky Nolasco
P – Carlos Zambrano
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Out of all my AL and NL Award winners, who do you think has had the best year?
Josh Hamilton – 80%
Chase Utley – 16%
Geovany Soto – 4%
Everyone else – 0%
Come back next week for an All-Star game recap.
AL All-Stars:
Starter: C Joe Mauer, Twins: Joe deserves to start since he’s batting .323.
Starter: 1B Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: Justin Morneau should start. He’s leading AL starting first basemen in average, RBI’s, and is 3rd in HR’s. Kevin Youkilis should be a reserve.
Starter: 2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: Ian Kinsler deserves to start. Kinsler leads all of the AL in average, and he also leads AL second basemen in home runs and RBI’s.
Starter: 3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: Unfortunately, A-ROD deserves to start, with a .311 batting average, 18 home runs, and 50 RBI’s.
Starter: SS Derek Jeter, Yankees: Michael Young deserves to start, as he leads AL shortstops in batting average (.305), and RBI’s (50), and is 2nd in home runs (7). Jeter is batting .286 with 4 HR’s and 39 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Josh Hamilton, Rangers: Josh definitely deserves to start. He might have 100 RBI’s at the Al-Star break. He’s leading the AL in RBI’s (93), and leads AL outfielders in home runs (21), RBI’s (93), total bases (206), slugging percentage (.560), and is second in batting average (.313).
Starter: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: Carlos Quentin deserves to start and Ichiro shouldn’t be an All-Star. Carlos has 21 home runs, 66 RBI’s, and a .266 batting average. Ichiro is hitting .302, but only has 3 HR’s and 21 RBI’s.
Starter: OF Manny Ramirez, Red Sox: I think Nick Markakis should start and Manny should not be on the team. Somehow, he didn’t even make the team or the final vote, but he has a .302 average, 14 home runs, 50 RBI’s, and a .400 OBP. It really surprises me he didn’t make the team. Manny has 17 home runs and 59 RBI’s, but a .289 AVG and a .384 OBP. Manny has good stats, but I think that there are better outfielders this year.
Starter: DH Milton Bradley, Rangers: David Ortiz actually got selected as starter, but he’s injured so Bradley is starting and he definitely deserves it.
Reserve: C Dioneer Navarro, Rays: Dioneer deserves to be a back-up catcher, he’s hitting .306 with 4 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.
Reserve: C Jason Varitek, Red Sox: Jason shouldn’t be an All-Star at all, with a .220 average and power numbers that aren’t very good. AJ Pierzynski should be here. AJ is hitting .288 with 7 HR’s and 35 RBI’s.
Reserve: 1B Justin Morneau, Twins: This should be Kevin Youkilis. Justin should start and Kevin should be a reserve.
Reserve: 2B Ian Kinsler, Rangers: This should be Dustin Pedroia. Ian and Dustin should flip-flop and have Ian start and Dustin be a reserve.
Reserve: 3B Joe Crede, White Sox: Joe has good power numbers, but is only hitting .254. I think Ramon Vazquez should be in for him. Vazquez is hitting .316 with 5 home runs and 31 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Carlos Guillen, Tigers: I think Mike Lowell should be in for him. Carlos is doing well, but it’s not an All-Star year, with a .284 average with 8 HR’s and 47 RBI’s. Lowell is doing much better. Mike is hitting .297 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI’s.
Reserve: 3B Evan Longoria, Rays: Evan Longoria deserves to be here with a .281 batting average, 16 HR’s and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Michael Young, Rangers: Michael should be starting and Johnny Peralta should be here. Johnny is only hitting .257, but his power numbers dominate all shortstops except for Young. Peralta has 15 HR’s and 45 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF JD Drew, Red Sox: JD has had a great year and this is where he should be.
Reserve: OF Carlos Quentin, White Sox: Carlos should be starting and Jermaine Dye should be here as the reserve. Jermaine has a .297 AVG, with 20 HR’s, and 53 RBI’s.
Reserve: OF Grady Sizemore, Indians: Grady should be here with his 22 home runs.
Pitcher: Justin Duchscherer, Athletics: Justin definitely deserves to be here. He’s done well enough that he might be the starter.
Pitcher: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays: Roy is pitching great this year, with a 12-6 record, a 2.71 ERA, 146.1 IP, and 121 K. I think he should start. What puts him over the top for me is his seven complete games. That’s more than the Astros, Mets, Giants, Marlins, Reds, Yankees, Pirates, Nationals, Tigers, Cubs and Rockies combined. That’s also more than every team other than his own team. It’s incredible.
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir, Rays: I think this spot should go to Nick Blackburn of the Twins. Scott has done well, but has only pitched 77 innings. Nick has pitched 111.1 and has a 7-4 record and a 3.72 ERA.
Pitcher: Cliff Lee, Indians: Cliff has been amazing and he has a very good chance of starting the game with his 12-2 record.
Pitcher: Joe Nathan, Twins: Joe should be in the All-Star game, as he has 26 saves and a 1.16 ERA.
Pitcher: Jonathon Papelbon, Red Sox: Jonathon should be on the team. He has 27 saves and a 2.27 ERA.
Pitcher: Mariano Rivera, Yankees: Mariano deserves to be in, he is 23-for-23 in save opportunities and has a 1.06 ERA.
Pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez, Angels: K-ROD is doing incredible this year with 36 saves, a 2.48 ERA, and he’s living up to his nickname K-ROD with 38 strike-outs.
Pitcher: Ervin Santana, Angels: Ervin should be in. He has 10 wins, a 3.53 ERA, and 112 strikeouts.
Pitcher: Joe Saunders, Angels: Joe should definitely be an All-Star. He’s having an incredible year.
Pitcher: George Sherrill, Orioles: Since I already have an Oriole in Nick Markakis, I don’t need George Sherrill. Instead of him I’ll take Zach Grienke of the Royals. Zach is having a terrific season with a 7-5 record, a 3.48 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.
Pitcher: Joakim Soria, Royals: Joakim is having a terrific season, striking out more than one batter per inning, with 25 saves and a 1.50 ERA.
My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Joe Mauer
1B – Justin Morneau
2B – Ian Kinsler
3B – Alex Rodriguez
SS – Michael Young
OF – Josh Hamilton
OF – Nick Markakis
OF – Carlos Quentin
DH – Milton Bradley
C – Dioneer Navarro
C – AJ Pierzynski
1B – Kevin Youkilis
2B – Dustin Pedroia
3B – Ramon Vazquez
3B – Mike Lowell
3B – Evan Longoria
SS – Johnny Peralta
OF – JD Drew
OF – Jermaine Dye
OF – Grady Sizemore
P – Justin Duchscherer
P – Roy Halladay
P – Nick Blackburn
P – Cliff Lee
P – Joe Nathan
P – Jonathon Papelbon
P – Mariano Rivera
P – Francisco Rodriguez
P – Ervin Santana
P – Joe Saunders
P – Zach Grienke
P – Joakim Soria
NL All-Stars:
Starter: C Geovany Soto, Cubs: This should be Brian McCann and Soto should be a reserve. Brian has a better batting average (.296), more homers (17), and has struck out 41 less times.
Starter: 1B Lance Berkman, Astros: Lance deserves to start. He is hitting .347 with 22 HR’s and 70 RBI’s. He’s in the top three in all of those categories among NL first basemen.
Starter: 2B Chase Utley, Phillies: Chase should be starting. He’s got a .292 AVG with 25 HR’s and 69 RBI’s. You just don’t see many second basemen with those power numbers.
Starter: 3B Chipper Jones, Braves: Chipper should definitely start. He’s got a .373 batting average and still has 18 home runs. It’s just incredible what he’s doing.
Starter: SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins: Hanley should start the All-Star game. He’s got a .313 batting average with 23 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. Those are very good numbers and no other shortstop matches them.
Starter: OF Ryan Braun, Brewers: Ryan deserves to start. He’s is batting .290 and has 23 homers and 66 RBI’s. Last year he was Rookie of the Year and this year he’s an All-Star starter. Watch out for this guy.
Starter: OF Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs: Nate McLouth should be starting here and Kosuke should not be an All-Star. Nate is having an incredible breakthrough year. He’s batting .284 with 18 homers and 62 RBI’s. He’s got better numbers than Kosuke at every one of those stats.
Starter: OF Matt Holliday, Rockies: Matt (added to the starting lineup due to Alfonso Soriano’s injury) should be starting for sure. He’s got a .340 AVG and good power numbers, too. He’s quietly been doing well.
Reserve: C Russell Martin, Dodgers: Russell Martin should be here. He’s one of the best catchers in average, home runs, and RBI’s.
Reserve: C Brian McCann, Braves: Geovany Soto should be here. Brian and him should flip-flop between starting and being a reserve.
Reserve: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Padres: Adrian is hitting .281, which is pretty good. His power numbers don’t disappoint, either. He’s tied for 2nd among NL first basemen with 22 HR’s and he ranks 2nd with 71 RBI’s. He should definitely be in.
Reserve: 1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Pujols has a .469 OBP. Anybody with that who starts should be in with no questions asked. Not to mention a .350 batting average with 18 HR’s and 49 RBI’s.
Reserve: 2B Dan Uggla, Marlins: Dan is another slugging second baseman. He has a very good batting average, a very good amount of RBI’s and 23 HR’s.
Reserve: 3B Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Aramis should be in this spot. He is batting .289 with 17 homers and 66 RBI’s. He’s having a terrific year.
Reserve: 3B David Wright, Mets: David is having a good year, but I think that Garret Atkins of the Rockies should have this spot. Garrett has a .311 batting average and has 14 HR’s and 54 RBI’s. Garrett should be an All-Star. David Wright is hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI’s.
Reserve: SS Christian Guzman, Nationals: The Nationals need a player and Guzman is the rightful one. Christian has a .317 average and has been a very successful leadoff man.
Reserve: SS Miguel Tejada, Astros: This should be JJ Hardy. JJ is hitting .291, while Tejada only .276. JJ Hardy has 13 home runs and Tejada 10. And Miguel only has four more RBI’s than Hardy. JJ Hardy is the deserving recipient of this spot.
Reserve: OF Corey Hart, Brewers: This spot was Carlos Lee’s property, but was stolen away by Corey Hart. Carlos has a better batting average (.295 vs. .292), a better OBP (.346 vs. .331), more home runs (21 vs. 15), and more RBI’s (72 vs. 58) than Corey Hart. Carlos Lee should have this spot.
Reserve: OF Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals: Former Ranger Ryan Ludwick has and deserves this spot. With a .281 AVG, 19 HR’s and 60 RBI’s he’s finally breaking through about three or four years late.
Reserve: OF Nate McLouth, Pirates: Since I have Nate starting I’ll give this spot to another Pirate. Xavier Nady should have this spot on the roster. Xavier is hitting .319 and has 12 home runs and 55 RBI’s.
Pitcher: Aaron Cook, Rockies: This spot should be owned by Kyle Lohse. Kyle and Aaron both have 11 wins, but Kyle only has two losses while Cook has six. Kyle (3.39) also has a better ERA than Cook (3.57).
Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, Cubs: This, in my opinion, should belong to Jair Jurrjens of the Braves. Jair is 9-4 while Ryan is 10-3, but Jair’s ERA is 3.00 while Ryan’s is 3.13. What really made me chose Jair is the fact that on the road Ryan has really struggled.
Pitcher: Dan Haren, D’Backs: Dan deserves to be here. Whenever you’ve got eight wins and an ERA under 3.00 at the All-Star break, you should be an All-Star.
Pitcher: Brad Lidge, Phillies: Brad definitely deserves to be an All-Star. He is 20-for-20 in save opportunities and has a 0.52 ERA.
Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, Giants: Tim deserves to be an All-Star. He is 10-2 with a 2.66 ERA. Both those numbers by themselves should be enough to get him in.
Pitcher: Ben Sheets, Brewers: Ben deserves to be in. He has a 2.85 ERA and is 10-3. There’s no way he should miss it.
Pitcher: Edinson Volquez, Reds: In my opinion, Volquez has been the best pitcher in all of baseball this year and I think that he should start. He is 11-3 with a 2.36 ERA.
Pitcher: Billy Wagner, Mets: There has to be a Met player, but I think that it should be Johan Santana. It doesn’t seem like Johan’s doing too well, but he’s still got 8 wins and a 2.84 ERA.
Pitcher: Brandon Webb, D’Backs: Brandon should definitely be in. He has 13 wins (MLB lead) and a 3.27 ERA. He’s having a great year.
Pitcher: Brian Wilson, Giants: Brian is tied for the NL league in saves, so he should definitely be in.
Pitcher: Kerry Wood, Cubs: Kerry has had a good year, but he’s blown five saves. I think Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins should take his spot. Ricky is 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA.
Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, Cubs: Carlos should definitely be in. He is 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s having a great year.
My Roster: (players in italics are changes from the actual roster)
C – Brian McCann
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Chase Utley
3B – Chipper Jones
SS – Hanley Ramirez
OF – Ryan Braun
OF – Nate McLouth
OF – Matt Holliday
C – Russell Martin
C – Geovany Soto
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
1B – Albert Pujols
2B – Dan Uggla
3B – Aramis Ramirez
3B – Garrett Atkins
SS – Christian Guzman
SS – JJ Hardy
OF – Carlos Lee
OF – Ryan Ludwick
OF – Xavier Nady
P – Kyle Lohse
P – Jair Jurrjens
P – Dan Haren
P – Brad Lidge
P – Tim Lincecum
P – Ben Sheets
P – Edinson Volquez
P – Johan Santana
P – Brandon Webb
P – Brian Wilson
P – Ricky Nolasco
P – Carlos Zambrano
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Out of all my AL and NL Award winners, who do you think has had the best year?
Josh Hamilton – 80%
Chase Utley – 16%
Geovany Soto – 4%
Everyone else – 0%
Come back next week for an All-Star game recap.
Friday, July 04, 2008
June Awards
This week I will give my June Awards. These are as if the season ended at the end of June (stats are as of July 3rd).
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .308 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI’s: He’s having an incredible year. He might be going through a slump now, but he still has a chance at 90 RBI’s before the All-star break.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 10-4 W-L, 4.13 ERA, 71 K, 104.2 IP: Vicente leads the team in innings pitched and has double-digit victories.
Runner-up: Eddie Guardado, TEX
Rangers Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .266 AVG, 10 HR, 52 RBI’s: David is good enough to be in the top two in ROY voting in the all of the AL.
Runner-up: German Duran, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .308 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI’s
Runner-up: JD Drew, BOS
AL Cy Young: Joe Saunders, LAA: 12-4 W-L, 3.04 ERA, 58 K, 112.1 IP: Joe leads the AL in wins, has plenty of innings, and is 7th in ERA.
Runner-up: Justin Duchscherer, OAK
AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, TB: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI: He hasn’t been up the whole year, but he’s still 2nd in all AL rookies in RBI’s to David Murphy, has 15 homers and a decent batting average.
Runner-up: David Murphy, TEX
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe has taken a last place team to a first place team.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Chase Utley, PHI: .300 AVG, 24 HR, 67 RBI’s: Chase is leading the MLB in homers and is batting .300 for a team in playoff contention.
Runner-up: Dan Uggla, FLA
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 12-4 W-L, 3.43 ERA, 100 K, 118 IP: Brandon has 100 strikeouts, leads the NL in wins, and has a good ERA for a first place team.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL
NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, CHC: .283 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI: Geovany’s having a great rookie year for the Cubs.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
NL Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA: He has made a team with almost no talent to a team three games over .500.
Runner-up: Tony La Russa, STL
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Which Ranger, other than Josh Hamilton, do you think deserves to be in the All-Star Game the most?
Ian Kinsler – 85%
Milton Bradley – 7%
Michael Young – 4%
David Murphy – 4%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for my All-star team and game special.
Rangers Awards:
Rangers MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .308 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI’s: He’s having an incredible year. He might be going through a slump now, but he still has a chance at 90 RBI’s before the All-star break.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Rangers Cy Young: Vicente Padilla, TEX: 10-4 W-L, 4.13 ERA, 71 K, 104.2 IP: Vicente leads the team in innings pitched and has double-digit victories.
Runner-up: Eddie Guardado, TEX
Rangers Rookie of the Year: David Murphy, TEX: .266 AVG, 10 HR, 52 RBI’s: David is good enough to be in the top two in ROY voting in the all of the AL.
Runner-up: German Duran, TEX
AL Awards:
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, TEX: .308 AVG, 19 HR, 82 RBI’s
Runner-up: JD Drew, BOS
AL Cy Young: Joe Saunders, LAA: 12-4 W-L, 3.04 ERA, 58 K, 112.1 IP: Joe leads the AL in wins, has plenty of innings, and is 7th in ERA.
Runner-up: Justin Duchscherer, OAK
AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, TB: .275 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI: He hasn’t been up the whole year, but he’s still 2nd in all AL rookies in RBI’s to David Murphy, has 15 homers and a decent batting average.
Runner-up: David Murphy, TEX
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB: Joe has taken a last place team to a first place team.
Runner-up: Ron Gardenheier, MIN
NL Awards:
NL MVP: Chase Utley, PHI: .300 AVG, 24 HR, 67 RBI’s: Chase is leading the MLB in homers and is batting .300 for a team in playoff contention.
Runner-up: Dan Uggla, FLA
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, ARI: 12-4 W-L, 3.43 ERA, 100 K, 118 IP: Brandon has 100 strikeouts, leads the NL in wins, and has a good ERA for a first place team.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL
NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, CHC: .283 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI: Geovany’s having a great rookie year for the Cubs.
Runner-up: James Loney, LAD
NL Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez, FLA: He has made a team with almost no talent to a team three games over .500.
Runner-up: Tony La Russa, STL
Results of last weeks’ poll:
Which Ranger, other than Josh Hamilton, do you think deserves to be in the All-Star Game the most?
Ian Kinsler – 85%
Milton Bradley – 7%
Michael Young – 4%
David Murphy – 4%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for my All-star team and game special.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Washington/Baltimore Trip Report
A couple weeks ago, my dad and I went to Baltimore and Washington DC for our annual baseball trip. Here is a summary of my trip.
Thursday, June 19th:
We were on the 7am flight from DFW to Chicago O’ Hare (where we connected to go to DC). But we had a 1 hr 20 min delay getting out of DFW because of thunderstorms. We only had a 1 hr 40 min layover between our two flights. Luckily, our flight to DC was only three gates down, so we made it in the middle of the boarding process. Our flight to Washington went right on schedule, so even after a 1 hr 20 min delay we got there just on time. Once we got there we got a rental car from Avis, and drove to Baltimore. The drive didn’t go smoothly because we had to keep making stops at places. Maryland doesn’t do a very good of signing on the highways. The signs will show what’s off of the exits (like McDonald’s), but unlike Dallas where the place is right off the highway, you have to go searching through the town for the place. When we finally got to Baltimore we checked in at a Days Inn that was just two blocks away from Camden Yards. It was nice for a Days Inn, but was way overpriced.
My dad and I hung out in our room for about half-an-hour, and then headed over to the ballpark. The Rangers are incredibly fan-friendly for two main reasons that we saw just on this trip. #1: A lot of teams are starting to only open up the outfield during batting practice (the Rangers open the whole ballpark). #2: The Orioles that day were giving away Nick Markakis bobbleheads. But, they were only giving them away to people 15 and older. When we went there a couple years ago they were doing the same thing with hats. I don’t understand why they would keep kids from getting giveaways like bobbleheads and hats. So they only gave us one bobblehead but my dad gave his to me.
My dad and I got there at 5:00 PM, when Eutaw Street opened (the outfield), for the 7:00 PM game. We went to the team store and I got an Orioles shirt. Camden Yards is my favorite ballpark in all of baseball because of all the plaques of balls that show all of the homers that have been hit out into the concourse and the warehouse that they have in the outfield. And they have a really good scoreboard system.
The Orioles were playing the Astros, who going into the game had lost seven straight. The O’s were going for a sweep. Shawn Chacon was pitching for the Astros and Brian Burres for the Orioles, both of whom had pitched against the Rangers earlier in the year. Neither pitcher got out of the sixth. The Astros scored one in the top of the first and then shut the O’s down in the bottom half. Then, in the top of the second, Hunter Pence had a solo homer that put the Astros up 2-0. In the bottom half of the third, the O’s scored one to get back within one. Then in the bottom half of the fourth, they took the lead for good, with a solo homer from Ramon Hernandez, and another from Alex Cintron two batters later. It was his first of the year. In the bottom of the fifth, the Orioles tacked on three and ended Chacon’s night. He left after five, allowing 8 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 4 walks, 0 strike-outs and 2 home runs. He only threw 50 strikes in 96 pitches. Then, in the top of the sixth, with two outs and nobody on, Miguel Tejada ended Brian Burres’ night (which was only 87 pitches) with a solo homer. Burres pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 2 homers, and striking out 3 (two in the first inning). The O’s tacked on their last run in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer hit by Aubrey Huff to take a 7-3 lead. In the top of the ninth, Dennis Sarfate allowed two runs on only one out, but they were both unearned due to an Alex Cintron error. George Sherill then came in and got the last two outs of the game, allowing one hit, but still picked up his 24th save of the year, and giving the Astros their eighth straight loss. The Orioles won 7-5.
After the game, we walked back to our hotel.
Friday, June 20th:
When we woke up, we went to Camden Yards, because Eutaw Street is always open, so we went there and checked out the balls on the ground. The first one ever hit out there was by Kevin Reimer when he was a Ranger. We then went to the Sports Legends museum right outside the ballpark. It has a whole floor for the Orioles and Babe Ruth, and then another floor for all the other sports in Baltimore. It’s a very neat museum. After that we followed the 60 baseballs painted on the ground that lead you from Camden Yards to the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. It’s a very small place, but has plenty of information. The place has a wall that shows every home run he ever hit in his career, categorized by year. After that we ate lunch at a restaurant in Camden Yards and then went and checked out a couple of old ballpark sites, but they were both in just awful areas of town. One of the parks (Oriole Park where the Orioles played in 1901-02 before they became the Yankees) was replaced by run-down apartments, and another (Memorial Stadium) by a YMCA.
After that we drove to DC, but that was also slow, this time due to traffic. When we finally got there we checked into a brand new Marriot Courtyard that was just four blocks from the Nationals stadium.
We got to the ballpark when the gates opened (5:00 PM for a 7:30 PM game), and walked all around the outside, but the outside was very plain. The only neat thing on the outside is an area where they have information on important dates in Washington DC baseball history. They have the years carved into the ground and then posts with information on what happened each year.
After walking around the outside, we went into the park, but like the Orioles, the only let you in the outfield during BP. The inside was also very plain. There just wasn’t much to it, other than it being new. Once it gets older, it’s going to be a very lame ballpark. Eleanor Czajka was there and we talked to her for a while during BP and she came and sat with us during the game.
The pitching match-up was Kevin Millwood for the Rangers against Tim Redding for the Nationals. The first inning was scoreless, but in the top half of the second the Rangers scored all three of their runs on a three-run double by Ian Kinsler. But after the second, the Rangers only had two hits (both of them infield) in their final 12 innings. In the bottom of the 3rd the Nats scored two on a Randy Flores two-run single. No one scored again until the bottom of the eighth. In the fourth, Gerald Laird pulled his hamstring going to first. After the sixth, Tim Redding came out with a stat-line of 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth Elijah Dukes hit a solo homer that tied up the game. Kevin Millwood left after the inning, pitching 8 strong innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and striking out 4. After that the Nationals bullpen dominated. For the Rangers Frank Francisco had one strong inning, Josh Rupe had three strong innings, and Joaquin Benoit had one strong inning. No one scored until the bottom of the fourteenth. Jamey Wright came in and only allowed one hit, but walked two, and with two outs Elijah Dukes singled between third and short for a walk-off victory for the Nationals. Elijah Dukes went 5-for-6, with 2 runs, 2 RBI’s, one walk, a double, a homer, 3 singles, 2 stolen bases, and a walk-off hit. He ended up a triple shy of the cycle. Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, and David Murphy all went 0-for-6 on the night.
Even though the Rangers lost, it was a lot of fun being there. I had never been to a 14-inning game before. They did a 14th inning stretch and ran the Presidents’ race twice. The Presidents’ race is like our dot race but it’s with people dressed up like Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt never wins no matter what he does. Lincoln won all of the races we saw that weekend.
After the game, we walked back to our hotel.
Saturday, June 21st:
On Saturday we hung around the hotel until around 10:00 AM. We then took the subway into downtown DC. We walked to the ESPN Zone for lunch and got there right when they opened. Since we were the first people there, we got to sit in recliners in front of a big screen TV while we ate our food. It was a very neat experience.
After lunch, we went to the International Spy Museum and walked around the museum for about an hour. It’s a neat museum with lots of information on spying and its history. Then, we played a spy game they offer at the museum for an extra charge. In the game you become a spy and you make decisions about what to do. It’s very well done and really fun. It takes just over an hour to do. You go in groups of 12 and are put in spying scenes and situations (all of which are part of one big story). We got to do video surveillance, clean up an audio surveillance tape, break into and search a room, crack open a safe, and question a prisoner. Our group got 4 out of 5 stars. Once we did that, we went back to ESPN Zone and played a few games before getting back on the subway and going to see the Rangers game.
Before the game, we ate at the Red Porch, which is a restaurant in the outfield at Nationals Park. It was good to eat at an air-conditioned place but the restaurant wasn’t very good. They just serve the same food you can get at the concession stands.
To lead off the game Ian Kinsler homered into the Rangers bullpen to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Later on in the inning David Murphy doubled over Elijah Dukes’ head to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. The Rangers took a 4-0 lead with 1 in the second, but it was cut in half in the bottom half by a solo homer from Lastings Milledge, and then they scored another later in the inning. In the bottom of the fifth the Nationals came within one, scoring one. Nobody scored until the top of the seventh after that, but then there was a lot of it. The Rangers scored seven in the inning. Vazquez struck out to start the inning, but then German Duran singled, Kinsler walked, Milton Bradley singled, Michael Young got a 2-RBI single, Josh Hamilton got an RBI single, and then four runs later the incredible inning ended after a pinch-hitter got two at-bats in it. The Rangers scored again in both the eighth and ninth, scoring one in each inning and ended up winning 13-3 with 18 hits. Kason Gabbard got the win, and Luis Mendoza got a three-inning save.
The game was a lot of fun. We sat with Eleanor again and it rained a little during the last inning. I got to talk with Thad Levine as he was leaving the game. After the game we walked back to the hotel.
Sunday, June 22nd:
We flew home taking the same route back as we took there, going through Chicago O’ Hare to get to our destination. Everything went just as planned this time and we got back right on time.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of my top five pitchers would you want the most on your team?
Brandon Webb, ARI – 42%
Edinson Volquez, CIN – 26%
Tim Lincecum, SF – 21%
Cole Hamels, PHI – 5%
Roy Halladay, TOR – 5%
Other – 0%
Come back next week for my June Awards.
Thursday, June 19th:
We were on the 7am flight from DFW to Chicago O’ Hare (where we connected to go to DC). But we had a 1 hr 20 min delay getting out of DFW because of thunderstorms. We only had a 1 hr 40 min layover between our two flights. Luckily, our flight to DC was only three gates down, so we made it in the middle of the boarding process. Our flight to Washington went right on schedule, so even after a 1 hr 20 min delay we got there just on time. Once we got there we got a rental car from Avis, and drove to Baltimore. The drive didn’t go smoothly because we had to keep making stops at places. Maryland doesn’t do a very good of signing on the highways. The signs will show what’s off of the exits (like McDonald’s), but unlike Dallas where the place is right off the highway, you have to go searching through the town for the place. When we finally got to Baltimore we checked in at a Days Inn that was just two blocks away from Camden Yards. It was nice for a Days Inn, but was way overpriced.
My dad and I hung out in our room for about half-an-hour, and then headed over to the ballpark. The Rangers are incredibly fan-friendly for two main reasons that we saw just on this trip. #1: A lot of teams are starting to only open up the outfield during batting practice (the Rangers open the whole ballpark). #2: The Orioles that day were giving away Nick Markakis bobbleheads. But, they were only giving them away to people 15 and older. When we went there a couple years ago they were doing the same thing with hats. I don’t understand why they would keep kids from getting giveaways like bobbleheads and hats. So they only gave us one bobblehead but my dad gave his to me.
My dad and I got there at 5:00 PM, when Eutaw Street opened (the outfield), for the 7:00 PM game. We went to the team store and I got an Orioles shirt. Camden Yards is my favorite ballpark in all of baseball because of all the plaques of balls that show all of the homers that have been hit out into the concourse and the warehouse that they have in the outfield. And they have a really good scoreboard system.
The Orioles were playing the Astros, who going into the game had lost seven straight. The O’s were going for a sweep. Shawn Chacon was pitching for the Astros and Brian Burres for the Orioles, both of whom had pitched against the Rangers earlier in the year. Neither pitcher got out of the sixth. The Astros scored one in the top of the first and then shut the O’s down in the bottom half. Then, in the top of the second, Hunter Pence had a solo homer that put the Astros up 2-0. In the bottom half of the third, the O’s scored one to get back within one. Then in the bottom half of the fourth, they took the lead for good, with a solo homer from Ramon Hernandez, and another from Alex Cintron two batters later. It was his first of the year. In the bottom of the fifth, the Orioles tacked on three and ended Chacon’s night. He left after five, allowing 8 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 4 walks, 0 strike-outs and 2 home runs. He only threw 50 strikes in 96 pitches. Then, in the top of the sixth, with two outs and nobody on, Miguel Tejada ended Brian Burres’ night (which was only 87 pitches) with a solo homer. Burres pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 2 homers, and striking out 3 (two in the first inning). The O’s tacked on their last run in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer hit by Aubrey Huff to take a 7-3 lead. In the top of the ninth, Dennis Sarfate allowed two runs on only one out, but they were both unearned due to an Alex Cintron error. George Sherill then came in and got the last two outs of the game, allowing one hit, but still picked up his 24th save of the year, and giving the Astros their eighth straight loss. The Orioles won 7-5.
After the game, we walked back to our hotel.
Friday, June 20th:
When we woke up, we went to Camden Yards, because Eutaw Street is always open, so we went there and checked out the balls on the ground. The first one ever hit out there was by Kevin Reimer when he was a Ranger. We then went to the Sports Legends museum right outside the ballpark. It has a whole floor for the Orioles and Babe Ruth, and then another floor for all the other sports in Baltimore. It’s a very neat museum. After that we followed the 60 baseballs painted on the ground that lead you from Camden Yards to the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. It’s a very small place, but has plenty of information. The place has a wall that shows every home run he ever hit in his career, categorized by year. After that we ate lunch at a restaurant in Camden Yards and then went and checked out a couple of old ballpark sites, but they were both in just awful areas of town. One of the parks (Oriole Park where the Orioles played in 1901-02 before they became the Yankees) was replaced by run-down apartments, and another (Memorial Stadium) by a YMCA.
After that we drove to DC, but that was also slow, this time due to traffic. When we finally got there we checked into a brand new Marriot Courtyard that was just four blocks from the Nationals stadium.
We got to the ballpark when the gates opened (5:00 PM for a 7:30 PM game), and walked all around the outside, but the outside was very plain. The only neat thing on the outside is an area where they have information on important dates in Washington DC baseball history. They have the years carved into the ground and then posts with information on what happened each year.
After walking around the outside, we went into the park, but like the Orioles, the only let you in the outfield during BP. The inside was also very plain. There just wasn’t much to it, other than it being new. Once it gets older, it’s going to be a very lame ballpark. Eleanor Czajka was there and we talked to her for a while during BP and she came and sat with us during the game.
The pitching match-up was Kevin Millwood for the Rangers against Tim Redding for the Nationals. The first inning was scoreless, but in the top half of the second the Rangers scored all three of their runs on a three-run double by Ian Kinsler. But after the second, the Rangers only had two hits (both of them infield) in their final 12 innings. In the bottom of the 3rd the Nats scored two on a Randy Flores two-run single. No one scored again until the bottom of the eighth. In the fourth, Gerald Laird pulled his hamstring going to first. After the sixth, Tim Redding came out with a stat-line of 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth Elijah Dukes hit a solo homer that tied up the game. Kevin Millwood left after the inning, pitching 8 strong innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and striking out 4. After that the Nationals bullpen dominated. For the Rangers Frank Francisco had one strong inning, Josh Rupe had three strong innings, and Joaquin Benoit had one strong inning. No one scored until the bottom of the fourteenth. Jamey Wright came in and only allowed one hit, but walked two, and with two outs Elijah Dukes singled between third and short for a walk-off victory for the Nationals. Elijah Dukes went 5-for-6, with 2 runs, 2 RBI’s, one walk, a double, a homer, 3 singles, 2 stolen bases, and a walk-off hit. He ended up a triple shy of the cycle. Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, and David Murphy all went 0-for-6 on the night.
Even though the Rangers lost, it was a lot of fun being there. I had never been to a 14-inning game before. They did a 14th inning stretch and ran the Presidents’ race twice. The Presidents’ race is like our dot race but it’s with people dressed up like Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt never wins no matter what he does. Lincoln won all of the races we saw that weekend.
After the game, we walked back to our hotel.
Saturday, June 21st:
On Saturday we hung around the hotel until around 10:00 AM. We then took the subway into downtown DC. We walked to the ESPN Zone for lunch and got there right when they opened. Since we were the first people there, we got to sit in recliners in front of a big screen TV while we ate our food. It was a very neat experience.
After lunch, we went to the International Spy Museum and walked around the museum for about an hour. It’s a neat museum with lots of information on spying and its history. Then, we played a spy game they offer at the museum for an extra charge. In the game you become a spy and you make decisions about what to do. It’s very well done and really fun. It takes just over an hour to do. You go in groups of 12 and are put in spying scenes and situations (all of which are part of one big story). We got to do video surveillance, clean up an audio surveillance tape, break into and search a room, crack open a safe, and question a prisoner. Our group got 4 out of 5 stars. Once we did that, we went back to ESPN Zone and played a few games before getting back on the subway and going to see the Rangers game.
Before the game, we ate at the Red Porch, which is a restaurant in the outfield at Nationals Park. It was good to eat at an air-conditioned place but the restaurant wasn’t very good. They just serve the same food you can get at the concession stands.
To lead off the game Ian Kinsler homered into the Rangers bullpen to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Later on in the inning David Murphy doubled over Elijah Dukes’ head to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. The Rangers took a 4-0 lead with 1 in the second, but it was cut in half in the bottom half by a solo homer from Lastings Milledge, and then they scored another later in the inning. In the bottom of the fifth the Nationals came within one, scoring one. Nobody scored until the top of the seventh after that, but then there was a lot of it. The Rangers scored seven in the inning. Vazquez struck out to start the inning, but then German Duran singled, Kinsler walked, Milton Bradley singled, Michael Young got a 2-RBI single, Josh Hamilton got an RBI single, and then four runs later the incredible inning ended after a pinch-hitter got two at-bats in it. The Rangers scored again in both the eighth and ninth, scoring one in each inning and ended up winning 13-3 with 18 hits. Kason Gabbard got the win, and Luis Mendoza got a three-inning save.
The game was a lot of fun. We sat with Eleanor again and it rained a little during the last inning. I got to talk with Thad Levine as he was leaving the game. After the game we walked back to the hotel.
Sunday, June 22nd:
We flew home taking the same route back as we took there, going through Chicago O’ Hare to get to our destination. Everything went just as planned this time and we got back right on time.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of my top five pitchers would you want the most on your team?
Brandon Webb, ARI – 42%
Edinson Volquez, CIN – 26%
Tim Lincecum, SF – 21%
Cole Hamels, PHI – 5%
Roy Halladay, TOR – 5%
Other – 0%
Come back next week for my June Awards.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Outfield/Pitcher Picks
This week I analyzed the players in MLB at the outfield and pitcher positions and determined the top 60 players at pitcher and 35 at outfield that I would want on my team. The assumption is that my team is a contender so I’m picking for this year as well as the future.
Pitcher:
1. Brandon Webb, ARI – Webb just has such good talent, is Cy Young caliber every year, gets so many wins, with a good ERA and a good amount of strikeouts. He’s so good at getting out of jams by getting the batters to ground into double-plays with his sinker, and he still has plenty of years left on him.
2. Tim Lincecum, SF – Tim Lincecum is incredibly young, very talented, and seems to have already gotten to his full potential, as he has a great ERA this year.
3. Cole Hamels, PHI – He’s young, he’s talented, he gets plenty of strikeouts, he gets good ERA’s, he’s performed in big games, and I’m not even sure he’s reached his full potential yet.
4. Edinson Volquez, CIN – Edinson is still very young, and he’s really putting it together, leading the MLB in strikeouts (110) and ERA (1.71) and is tied for third in the MLB in wins (10), all in a hitters’ ballpark.
5. Roy Halladay, TOR – Roy is just a workhorse. He’s a veteran guy that doesn’t strike out too many guys, but doesn’t allow many runs, and he just pitches so many innings each and every year.
6. Jake Peavy, SD
7. Josh Beckett, BOS
8. John Lackey, LAA
9. Aaron Cook, COL
10. CC Sabathia, CLE
11. Matt Cain, SF
12. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
13. Dan Haren, ARI
14. Johnny Cueto, CIN
15. Johan Santana, NYM
16. Chris Young, SD
17. Erik Bedard, SEA
18. Fausto Carmona, CLE
19. Felix Hernandez, SEA
20. Jair Jurrjens, ATL
21. Ryan Dempster, CHC
22. James Shields, TB
23. Cliff Lee, CLE
24. Dustin McGowan, TOR
25. Carlos Zambrano, CHC
26. Roy Oswalt, HOU
27. Adam Wainwright, STL
28. Javier Vazquez, CWS
29. Aaron Harang, CIN
30. Jon Lester, BOS
31. Kyle Lohse, STL
32. Chad Billingsley, LAD
33. Zach Grienke, KC
34. Luke Hochevar, KC
35. Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
36. Gavin Floyd, CWS
37. Justin Duchscherer, OAK
38. Jon Danks, CWS
39. Jon Garland, LAA
40. Chien-Ming Wang, NYY
41. Vicente Padilla, TEX
42. Jose Contreras, CWS
43. Jesse Litsch, TOR
44. Jon Maine, NYM
45. Micah Owings, ARI
46. Braden Looper, STL
47. Nick Blackburn, MIN
48. Boof Bonser, MIN
49. Jered Weaver, LAA
50. Shawn Marcum, TOR
51. Ben Sheets, MIL
52. Joba Chamberlain, NYY
53. Greg Smith, OAK
54. Dana Eveland, OAK
55. Joe Lannan, WAS
56. Jeff Suppan, MIL
57. Joe Blanton, OAK
58. Ervin Santana, LAA
59. Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
60. Scott Feldman, TEX
Outfield:
1. Josh Hamilton, TEX – Josh is only 26 years old, and he can just do it all. He can run, field, and hit. He’s the definition of a five-tool player.
2. Alfonso Soriano, CHC – Soriano has good speed, and he can hit for both power and average. He’s just missing some better fielding.
3. Vladimir Guerrero, LAA – Vlad can struggle, but at the end of the year, every year, he’s batting over .300 with 20-30 homers, and 100 RBI’s.
4. Grady Sizemore, CLE – Grady plays brilliant defense, he can hit 25 homers a year, is a great leadoff man, gets a lot of base hits, and he’s also a five-tool player.
5. Jay Bruce, CIN – Jay is very, very young, has so much talent and potential and is already getting it done in his rookie year.
6. Manny Ramirez, BOS
7. Ryan Braun, MIL
8. Pat Burrell, PHI
9. Carlos Quentin, CWS
10. Nick Markakis, BAL
11. Torii Hunter, LAA
12. Carl Crawford, TB
13. Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
14. Chris Young, ARI
15. Rick Ankiel, STL
16. Matt Kemp, LAD
17. Matt Holliday, COL
18. Aaron Rowand, SF
19. Magglio Ordonez, DET
20. Nate McLouth, PIT
21. Kosuke Fukudome, CHC
22. Andre Ethier, LAD
23. Justin Upton, ARI
24. Hunter Pence, HOU
25. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
26. Vernon Wells, TOR
27. Ben Francisco, CLE
28. Xavier Nady, PIT
29. Ryan Church, NYM
30. Carlos Beltran, NYM
31. Carlos Lee, HOU
32. Jeff Francoeur, ATL
33. David Murphy, TEX
34. Jason Bay, PIT
35. Michael Cuddyer, MIN
Result of last week’s poll:
Which infield position do you think is most stocked throughout baseball?
First base – 82%
Catcher – 9%
Second base – 9%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for a recap of the baseball trip to Washington DC (Rangers/Nationals) and Baltimore (Astros/Orioles) that I just got back from.
Pitcher:
1. Brandon Webb, ARI – Webb just has such good talent, is Cy Young caliber every year, gets so many wins, with a good ERA and a good amount of strikeouts. He’s so good at getting out of jams by getting the batters to ground into double-plays with his sinker, and he still has plenty of years left on him.
2. Tim Lincecum, SF – Tim Lincecum is incredibly young, very talented, and seems to have already gotten to his full potential, as he has a great ERA this year.
3. Cole Hamels, PHI – He’s young, he’s talented, he gets plenty of strikeouts, he gets good ERA’s, he’s performed in big games, and I’m not even sure he’s reached his full potential yet.
4. Edinson Volquez, CIN – Edinson is still very young, and he’s really putting it together, leading the MLB in strikeouts (110) and ERA (1.71) and is tied for third in the MLB in wins (10), all in a hitters’ ballpark.
5. Roy Halladay, TOR – Roy is just a workhorse. He’s a veteran guy that doesn’t strike out too many guys, but doesn’t allow many runs, and he just pitches so many innings each and every year.
6. Jake Peavy, SD
7. Josh Beckett, BOS
8. John Lackey, LAA
9. Aaron Cook, COL
10. CC Sabathia, CLE
11. Matt Cain, SF
12. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
13. Dan Haren, ARI
14. Johnny Cueto, CIN
15. Johan Santana, NYM
16. Chris Young, SD
17. Erik Bedard, SEA
18. Fausto Carmona, CLE
19. Felix Hernandez, SEA
20. Jair Jurrjens, ATL
21. Ryan Dempster, CHC
22. James Shields, TB
23. Cliff Lee, CLE
24. Dustin McGowan, TOR
25. Carlos Zambrano, CHC
26. Roy Oswalt, HOU
27. Adam Wainwright, STL
28. Javier Vazquez, CWS
29. Aaron Harang, CIN
30. Jon Lester, BOS
31. Kyle Lohse, STL
32. Chad Billingsley, LAD
33. Zach Grienke, KC
34. Luke Hochevar, KC
35. Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
36. Gavin Floyd, CWS
37. Justin Duchscherer, OAK
38. Jon Danks, CWS
39. Jon Garland, LAA
40. Chien-Ming Wang, NYY
41. Vicente Padilla, TEX
42. Jose Contreras, CWS
43. Jesse Litsch, TOR
44. Jon Maine, NYM
45. Micah Owings, ARI
46. Braden Looper, STL
47. Nick Blackburn, MIN
48. Boof Bonser, MIN
49. Jered Weaver, LAA
50. Shawn Marcum, TOR
51. Ben Sheets, MIL
52. Joba Chamberlain, NYY
53. Greg Smith, OAK
54. Dana Eveland, OAK
55. Joe Lannan, WAS
56. Jeff Suppan, MIL
57. Joe Blanton, OAK
58. Ervin Santana, LAA
59. Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
60. Scott Feldman, TEX
Outfield:
1. Josh Hamilton, TEX – Josh is only 26 years old, and he can just do it all. He can run, field, and hit. He’s the definition of a five-tool player.
2. Alfonso Soriano, CHC – Soriano has good speed, and he can hit for both power and average. He’s just missing some better fielding.
3. Vladimir Guerrero, LAA – Vlad can struggle, but at the end of the year, every year, he’s batting over .300 with 20-30 homers, and 100 RBI’s.
4. Grady Sizemore, CLE – Grady plays brilliant defense, he can hit 25 homers a year, is a great leadoff man, gets a lot of base hits, and he’s also a five-tool player.
5. Jay Bruce, CIN – Jay is very, very young, has so much talent and potential and is already getting it done in his rookie year.
6. Manny Ramirez, BOS
7. Ryan Braun, MIL
8. Pat Burrell, PHI
9. Carlos Quentin, CWS
10. Nick Markakis, BAL
11. Torii Hunter, LAA
12. Carl Crawford, TB
13. Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
14. Chris Young, ARI
15. Rick Ankiel, STL
16. Matt Kemp, LAD
17. Matt Holliday, COL
18. Aaron Rowand, SF
19. Magglio Ordonez, DET
20. Nate McLouth, PIT
21. Kosuke Fukudome, CHC
22. Andre Ethier, LAD
23. Justin Upton, ARI
24. Hunter Pence, HOU
25. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
26. Vernon Wells, TOR
27. Ben Francisco, CLE
28. Xavier Nady, PIT
29. Ryan Church, NYM
30. Carlos Beltran, NYM
31. Carlos Lee, HOU
32. Jeff Francoeur, ATL
33. David Murphy, TEX
34. Jason Bay, PIT
35. Michael Cuddyer, MIN
Result of last week’s poll:
Which infield position do you think is most stocked throughout baseball?
First base – 82%
Catcher – 9%
Second base – 9%
All others – 0%
Come back next week for a recap of the baseball trip to Washington DC (Rangers/Nationals) and Baltimore (Astros/Orioles) that I just got back from.
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