Ace in the Hole

    The Washington Nationals shut down starting pitcher Steven Strasburg on Saturday morning, after a terrible start against the Miami Marlins the night before. It was no surprise that Strasburg would be shut down, seeing as team management had been saying they would since before the start of the season, due to precautions taken from Tommy John surgery that ended Strasburg's season a  year ago. However, a couple of weeks ago, Nationals manager Davey Johnson said that they had decided that they were going to shut Strasburg down following his start on September 12 against the  New York Mets. Thus, it was a surprise when the Nationals suddenly decided to shut him down early, following his rough outing against Miami on Friday night. Strasburg struggled through 3 innings, allowing 6 hits, five earned runs, and two homers before being pulled from the game for, what turned out to be, the final time this season.

    The announcement of the premature shutdown came Saturday morning with manager Davey Johnson saying that "...his head just wasn't in it." as the reason for ending Strasburg's season one start early. What I wonder is anyone ever thought that the reason he pitched so poorly on Friday just might be because, not only did he know about the deadline before the season, but so did the media and the fans. As Strasburg's innings count rose, and everyone in the country began the "Countdown to Shutdown", all eyes were focus, without end, on Strasburg. So, of course his head wasn't in the start, and it was his own team's fault. If the Nationals hadn't made his impending shutdown so public, there wouldn't have been so much pressure on him, or a "Countdown to Shutdown" from the media and fans. Quite frankly, I don't see why Strasburg needed to be shut down.  He looked healthy and was having a great season. He was 15-6 with a 2.94 ERA and 195 strikeouts and an NL Cy Young candidate prior to his start on Friday night against Miami.

Strasburg in the Nationals dugout

   But, the shutdown happened, and right away, it seemed like the Nationals might regret the benching of their number one starter. In the first two games following the loss of Strasburg, the team struggled against the last place Miami Marlins. Poor pitching forced the game into extra innings, where the Nationals were eventually victorious. Then on Sunday, the offense was non-existent as the were blanked 8-0 by Miami. Pitcher Gio Gonzalez helped the Nats get back on track with a 5-1 win against the New York Mets last night, but it'll be interesting to see if they can stay consistent without Strasburg's skills and leadership. "Operation Loss-burg" begins tomorrow night as John Lannan takes the mound against the Mets (Strasburg's originally scheduled last start). It'll be interesting to see if the Nationals can maintain their season's success and make a statement in the playoffs, or if they'll suffer from "Stras-bite".

Boston Coaching Carousel

    After the departure of Terry Francona as Boston Red Sox manager after last season, not only were the Red Sox hoping to find a successful replacement for the man that won them two World Series in 4 years after an 86 year drought, but they were hoping to find someone to right the ship after a historically bad September amid controversy that surfaced about certain players quitting on the team at the end of the season. They had hopes that Bobby Valentine was the answer, hoping that his recent success coaching in Japan. Instead, what they got was a manager struggling to control his team's record on the field and his players off of it. However, despite reports, is Bobby really to blame?

    The Red Sox are 59-63 and in fourth place in the AL East. They are struggling to score runs and their pitching has been less than bargained for-both similar attributes to their collapse last September. Flashback: On August 31st 2011, the Red Sox were 83-52 and heading for a playoff spot under Francona. Then September hit...Boston's worst nightmare. They went 7-20 in the last month of the season, blowing a 9 game lead in the AL East- the worst collapse in baseball history-and missed the playoffs altogether. Terry Francona subsequently resigned after reports surfaced that he had "lost control" of the team and that many of the players, including starting pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, were drinking beer and eating chicken in the clubhouse during the game. Boston hoped to put that "season to forget" behind them coming into 2012, but instead, encountered more of the same with Valentine as manager. Players are refusing to play for him and have expressed their displeasure with him as manager.

    The players, however, are singing a different song. On July 26th, a players-only meeting was called to discuss the state of the team. Initial reports said that the team had asked for Valentine's job in the meeting, but second baseman Dustin Pedroia came to his team's defense, trying to explain the real meaning behind the meeting. "We try to play baseball the right way. I don't think Bobby should be fired. We haven't played well." 

    However, I'm not entirely buying that the players don't want Bobby fired. It's no secret that the Boston's season has been a disappointment, but shots of confrontations between Valentine and his players, Pedroia included, suggests that some players think he's the problem. The reality is that it is September 2011 all over again. The players have quit on Bobby the same way they quit on Valentine. Josh Beckett, the main piece in last year's 'Beer Gate' reports, has 'struggled' again this year, losing 5 of his last 6 decisions and surrendering 42 earned runs in his last 56 innings pitched during that span. Lester has also struggled this year.

    So, in my opinion, Valentine is not totally to blame. Red Sox players just seem to be quitters who don't want to work for the success they long for. The Red Sox have a long history of players quitting, no matter the manager: Josh Beckett, John Lester, Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez to name a few. Sure, Valentine may not be doing the job they'd hoped for, but the team's woes should not fall entirely on him. The same team quit on Francona-no doubt a great manager and the only Boston Red Sox manager to win a World Series in over 90 years. The players owed their success, and for some, their careers to Francona and they still quit on him. So, Francona wasn't the problem and neither is Valentine...it's the players. So, we must ask the question: If these players wouldn't play for Francona, is there anyone they will play for?

Second Coming Of The Greats?

    Los Angeles Angels rookie center fielder Mike Trout has been taking Major League baseball by storm. In his first full season in the big leagues, Trout is generating a lot of buzz, by fans, analysts, and even other players around the league. However, controversy stems from frequent comparisons to some of the all-time greats like Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. After hearing many of these comparisons, I've decided to do some of the math and see if the 21 year old Mike Trout really is worthy of being compared to the all-time greats this early in his career.

Mantle in 1951

    For starters, we'll be comparing Trout to the two players that he has already been associated with the most: Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. For the most fair comparison, Mike Trout's 2012 season will be compared with Mantle's 1952 season and Mays' 1951 campaign-the first full season for each.

    In 1952, Mickey Mantle posted a .311 average, 27 home runs, 87 runs batted in and 171 total hits. Mantle also scored 94 runs, drew 75 walks, and struck out 111 times.  (142 games)

    In 1951, Willie Mays ended the season with a .274 average, 20 home runs, 68 runs batted in and 127 total hits. Mays scored 59 runs, walked 57 times and struck out 60 times. (121 games)

    So far, through 89 games this season, Mike Trout has a .345 average with 20 home runs, 60 RBIs and 125 hits. He has scored 87 runs in 89 games (including a 20 game streak), walked 38 times, and struck out 85 times. He also has 36 stolen bases.

"Say Hey" Willie Mays in 1955

Since you can't really gain perspective on a full season without a full season worth or stats, I calculated Trout's projected numbers by season's end. Trout is on pace for a .344 batting average, 32 home runs, 96 RBIs, 199 hits, 139 runs scored, 61 walks, 136 strikeouts AND 57 stolen bases in 142 games. Trout is also on pace to break the American League single-season record for runs scored by a rookie-a record currently held by the great Joe DiMaggio.

   Since neither Mantle nor Mays were  consistent base stealers, let's put Trout's stolen base numbers into perspective using career stolen base king Rickey Henderson. In 1979, Henderson stole 33 bases in 89 games. In as many games so far this season, Trout has stolen 36.

    So using his projected 2012 totals, let's get some perspective on Trout's ranks among the best at the same points in their careers:

Batting Average

Trout- .344
Mantle- .311
Mays- .274

Rookie center fielder Mike Trout made
his 2012 debut for the Angels
on April 28.

Hits
Trout- 199
Mantle- 171
Mays- 127

Home Runs
Trout- 32
Mantle- 27
Mays- 20

Runs Batted In
Trout- 96
Mantle- 87
Mays- 68

Runs Scored
Trout- 139
Mantle- 94
Mays- 59

   Now, I know there's controversy because of the fact that this is the steroid era and, because of that, numbers are elevated but regardless, numbers never lie and these are great numbers. Although you can't tell whether someone will be one of the greats after one season, in comparison, Trout has the potential to do just that. I'm not saying that Trout will definitely end his career as one of the best to ever play the game, but potential is limitless, and potential doesn't always yield results, but 21 year old Mike Trout  truly seems to be a story book career in the making.

Piece of "Sheet" Cake

Sheets pitched for the Milwaukee
Brewers from 2001-2008

    Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ben Sheets is blazing the comeback trail. After missing two full season due to injury, Sheets thought that his career was over following his two year absence from the game. However, the 4-time All-Star and Olympic Gold medalist was not ready to call it quits. On July 1st, the Braves announce that they had signed Sheets to a minor league contract. Two weeks later, Sheets made his major league debut against the New York Mets-his first start in nearly two years. Sheets had successful completed his comeback. However, the Sheets of old was not quite the one who returned. In 8 seasons as the ace of the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff, Sheets was a strikeout pitcher, averaging 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings, but had a less than impressive ERA over those 8 years: a collective 3.77.

    Since his debut with the Braves on July 15th, Sheets has made 5 starts. He is currently 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA and 23 strikeouts, only allowing 5 earn runs to this point. He has transformed in a pitcher who pitches to contact, averaging only 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings and making his living on ground balls and quick outs.

    Sheets has been very consistent for a Braves team that was searching for help in their starting rotation. His only loss was against the Miami Marlins, and even then, Sheets pitched fairly well. He allowed 4 runs in 6 and two-thirds innings with 8 strikeouts, but Atlanta's lack of offense left Sheets with his only loss of the season.

Sheets on the mound for the Braves in 2012

Sheets should have about 9 more starts this season, and the Braves are hoping that he can remain equally consistent over the next 2 months of the regular season. Sheets' performance has been one of the feel good story lines of the second half and he may just be the answer that the Braves have been looking for if they want to make it deep into the playoffs.

   Despite not pitching for almost two years, Sheets still stayed around the game. One year ago, he was coaching his son's team, and now he's back in a big league rotation and probably better than ever. From the big league mound to the little league clubhouse and back again, the continuing story of Ben Sheets proves that success can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places.

Gold Is A Player's Best Friend

   One of the most coveted single season individual awards is a Gold Glove. Gold Gloves are given to the best defensive player at each position at the end of each season. However, when it comes to the outfield, the award is given to the three best outfielders in each league...not necessarily the best at the three separate outfield positions. With that being said, these are my current front runners by position for this hallowed award.

American League Gold Gloves

First Base: Mark Teixeira (NYY)

Second Base: Dustin Ackley (SEA)

Shortstop: Brendan Ryan (SEA) -Despite Seattle's struggles, their middle infielders, Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan sweep the Gold Gloves for those positions. This is something good that the M's can take away from a rather disappointing first half.                             

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera (DET)

Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski (CHW)

Outfield 1: Curtis Granderson (NYY)

Outfield 2: Austin Jackson (DET)

Outfield 3: Michael Brantley (CLE) -With perfect 1.000 fielding percentages, Granderson and Jackson are no-brainers Gold Glovers thus far. The conflict, however, comes with the third outfield award. Texas outfielder Craig Gentry also had a 1.000, but since Gentry is not an everyday player, I gave Cleveland Indians center fielder Michael Brantley the final spot.

Pitcher: Felix Hernandez (SEA)

National League Gold Gloves

First Base: Freddie Freeman (ATL)

Second Base: Brandon Phillips (CIN) -Even though Darwin Barney of the Chicago Cubs has slightly better numbers, Phillips has been very good for a winning team, and that gives him the edge.

Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins (PHI)

Third Base: Chase Headley (SD) -Third base in the National League has been a difficult position to play this season. No one had great numbers, with the exception of Philadelphia's Placido Polanco, who has only played 78 games due to injury. Thus, Headley gets the nod, only as, what seems to be the least of many evils at third base so far this season.

Catcher: Yadier Molina (STL)

Outfield 1: Alfonso Soriano (CHC)

Outfield 2: Andrew McCutchen (PIT)

Outfield 3: Shane Victorino (PHI/LAD) -Despite being traded to the Dodgers at the deadline, his consistent play in the field and the fact that he still remains in the NL helps him grab the last outfield spot.

Pitcher: Mark Buehrle (MIA)

    Be sure to check back soon for playoff predictions and opinions on current story lines in and around Major League Baseball. See ya 'round!

                                                                                                                                   

No Whammies, No Whammies!

    The trade deadline has come and gone, and now that the dust has settled on the busiest day of the baseball season, managers and executives around the league can only wait and see if the moves they made, or neglected to make, will pay off at season's end.

    I can't help but make a quick comparison of yesterday's deadline: From 1983 until 1986, a game show called "Press Your Luck" featured contestants who used a graphics board and a buzzer to try to win money. While monetary gain was the primary goal, contestants would do their best to avoid "Whammies" that were also strategically placed on the board. A Whammy was a fictional creature, created just for the show. Should a contestant land on a Whammy, all of the money that they had accumulated up to that point would be wiped away, and they would have to start over again from zero. Thus, during their turn, contestants, without fail, would say "No Whammies, Big Bucks, No Whammies!" before they pressed the buzzer and discovered their fate.

    That being said, who were the winners and losers of yesterday's trade deadline? Which teams will see positive results after their deadline moves? Which teams' hesitation during the deadline will cost them? Finally, which teams that did make moves will regret those moves and discover that they've landed on a Whammy and must start over?

Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers 

    Since the Dodgers are in a dead heat for first place in the NL West with the San Francisco Giants, they knew that they had to make some moves at the deadline if they were going to bolster their offense and make a playoff run. Earlier in the month, the Dodgers acquired SS/3B Hanley Ramirez and reliever Randy Choate from the Miami Marlins. Then, at the deadline, the Dodgers were busy acquiring outfielder Shane Victorino from the Philadelphia Phillies for relief pitcher Josh Lindblom and another minor league pitcher.They also worked out a deal with the Seattle Mariners for relief pitcher Brandon League in exchange for outfielder Leon Landry and righty pitcher Logan Bawcom. Ramirez and Victorino will certainly help boost a struggling Dodgers offense and League and Choate will add some depth to the bullpen. Even though the Dodgers failed to acquire their guy Ryan Dempster, they still seem to be the overall winner after the trade deadline.

Loser: Philadelphia Phillies 

    Even though the Phillies inked starting pitcher Cole Hamels to a new deal, making him the highest paid athlete in Philadelphia sports history, it came at a price. Their last place standing made them sellers at the deadline, but they sold away two-thirds of their starting outfield when they traded Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino to the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively. In return for these two big name trades, the Phillies recieved nothing more than Nate Schierholtz, who will probably be a back-up outfielder, and a slew of minor league prospects. Losing two good starters in exchange for almost nothing puts them at the bottom of the trade deadline totem pole.

Winner: Texas Rangers

   The Texas Rangers have one of the top offenses in baseball, but after losing both Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz to injury and moving Roy Oswalt temporarily to the bullpen, the Rangers knew what they needed to obtain at the deadline if they had any hope of making it to the World Series for the third straight season. At the last possible minute, they acquired Ryan Dempster from the Chicago Cubs to help their starting rotation. Not only that, but in a separate deal, the Rangers also acquired catcher Geovany Soto from the Cubs-Dempster's starting catcher in Chicago. The pitcher-catcher tandem coming to Arlington together will make the transition to the American League easier for both. It appears that the Rangers got just the help they needed to possibly reach the Fall Classic again.

Loser: Oakland Athletics   

    The Oakland Athletics' surprising season would have taken another turn for the better if they could have gotten a big name at the deadline to help them make a run for a playoff spot in the second half of the season. They badly needed a shortstop in place of Cliff Pennington who was just placed or the 15-day disabled list and/or a starting pitcher, as A's ace Brandon McCarthy is also temporarily down with an injury. Sadly, the only move the A's were able to make was a low key trade for 29 year old backup catcher George Kottaras- a far cry from the big name they hoped for and needed. I wouldn't be surprised that, if you see the Athletics miss out on the playoffs, they would look back on the trade deadline and say, "if only, if only..."

   Only time will tell if these moves will help or hurt their teams, but until then, let's sit back and enjoy the rest of the season and see if these players respond well in their new environments. See ya 'round!

   

Halfway Home

    With the All-Star break passing by a couple of weeks ago, I thought I would share my thoughts on the major awards through the first half of the season. Let's get started, shall we?

Most Valuable Player

Josh Hamilton (TEX) and Andrew McCutchen (PIT)

   From the onset of this season, Josh Hamilton has provided a spark for the Texas Rangers. For the past two years, Hamilton has been instrumental in the Rangers postseason success, reaching the World Series two straight years. So far in 2012, Hamilton is second in the American League in home runs (29), and is tied for first in runs batted in (84). He has slumped a bit in the month of July, but he is healthy again and the Rangers are in first place in the AL West, so he should be back to form in no time. Despite a terrible .173 batting average in July, he is still putting up MVP-caliber numbers. Not to mention that he did hit 4 home runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 8th.

    It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the surprise teams in baseball this year.The Pirates are 58-44 and in second place in the National League West, 3 games behind the red-hot Cincinnati Reds. The driving force behind the Pirates success thus far is center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who is having arguably the best year of his career. He is batting a Major League best .368, is third best in the National League with 22 home runs and is tied for 6th in runs batted in with 66. He is one home run away from tying his career high of 23 and is currently shattering his career best in batting average by 82 points...an almost unheard of improvement from one season to the next. My other candidates for NL MVP are San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera and New York Mets third baseman David Wright, but for now, McCutchen is my front runner.

Cy Young Award-Best Starting Pitcher in Each League

Chris Sale (CHW) and R.A. Dickey (NYM)

    Chris Sale may only be a first year starter, but numbers would suggest that one year was all he needed to be a Cy Young candidate. He is ranked third in the AL in both wins (12) and earned run average or ERA (2.61). Sale is also third in the AL in WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) posting a solid 1.02, and tied for 10th in strikeouts with 114. Sale is the ace on a Chicago White Sox staff that is fighting for a playoff spot and his success could propel Chicago deep into the playoffs.

    Should he win, New York's R.A. Dickey certainly wouldn't be your typical Cy Young recipient. But then again, there is nothing typical about the way Dickey pitches. He is a knuckle ball pitcher, the only one in the major leagues today. However, what makes Dickey different than other knuckle ball pitchers even, is that the average knuckle ball travels between 60 and 70 miles per hour, and Dickey's knuckle ball has been clocked at around 83-85 miles per hour, making it even harder for hitters to pick up this whirlwind of a pitch. Dickey is tied for the major league lead with 14 wins, second the the NL with 147 strikeouts and has the second fewest losses in the major leagues (2). Probably the most baffling thing about Dickey's success this year is the point in his career in which this success came. Dickey is 37 years old in his 10th year in the league, the New York Mets are his 4th team, and he had only had 10 or more wins in a season one other time. This goes to show you that there isn't necessarily a timetable or prime for success. Now, I know that  knuckle ball pitchers can be a controversial issue with some, but as of right now, Dickey is the best choice for the Cy Young Award.

Rookie of the Year

Mike Trout (LAA) and Bryce Harper (WSH)

    There is no surprise that L.A.'s Mike Trout or Washington's Bryce Harper should be named Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues. Neither player started the season on their big league rosters, but were quickly called up to the Major Leagues and even more quickly impacted their clubs and turned them around. 

    The Nationals were fighting for first place in their division early in the season when Harper joined the team on April 27 and provided them the spark they needed to build a 3.5 game lead on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East as well as currently having the best record in baseball at 61-40. Harper also arguably plays the game harder than anyone in the league...the way it should be played.

    The Angels on the other hand, were bottom dwellers from the beginning of the 2012 season, which was surprising due to the major offseason acquisitions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. There were talks of multiple World Series titles immediately following the arrival of Pujols and Wilson, but when Trout was called up to the Angels on April 28th, the Angels were sitting at the bottom of the division and the league at 6-14. Since Trout joined the team however, the Angels have come to life. The Angels have gone 42-24 with Trout on the team and have once again become competitive for a playoff spot, as expected. Oh, and Trout has been the owner of the 'Reigning Web Gem' on ESPN's Baseball Tonight for over 3 weeks! Just saying.

Manager of the Year

Bob Melvin (OAK) and Clint Hurdle (PIT)

    There is no doubt in my mind that Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin should receive the award for AL Manager of the Year. In his second year as Oakland's Manager, he has helped return the A's to relevance. In his first 201 games as Oakland's manager dating back to the middle of last season, Melvin is 103-98, including a surprising 56-46 record so far in 2012. Before Melvin, the Athletics struggled to stay out     of last place and one calender year later, they are fighting for first place and a playoff spot. Melvin took a group of players previously rejected by other teams and turned them in to this year's Cinderella story in baseball.

   The same can be said for the Pittsburgh Pirates and manager Clint Hurdle. In his second full year as Pirates manager, the Pirates are 58-44, tied for the NL Wildcard lead, and have been in first place in the division multiple times during the year.

    If these two teams can maintain this success through September and possibly lead their teams into October, their managers should be awarded for it.

Comeback Player of the Year

Adam Dunn (CHW) and Jason Heyward (ATL)

    Adam Dunn, to me, is the runaway Comeback Player of the Year in the American League. In 2011, Dunn posted basement numbers for the Chicago White Sox: a .159 batting average, 11 home runs, 42 runs batted in and only 66 hits in 122 games...by far the worst season of his career. But so far in 2012, Dunn is having an incredible bounce back year. So far in 2012, this bonafide power hitter has returned to form, batting .212 with a major league leading 31 home runs to go with 73 RBI's which is the 4th best in the AL. I think Minnesota's Josh Willingham and Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion deserve recognition for this award, but it's Adam Dunn's horrendous numbers last year that make him the favorite for the award.

    When Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward made the Opening Day roster as a rookie in 2010, expectations for Heyward were through the roof. However, after an okay rookie campaign in 2010, Braves nation was disappointed but thought "He's a rookie, he'll get better" and "It's a learning curve...wait 'til next year. He'll dominate!" He didn't.In 2011, Heyward hit a mediocre .227 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI's. He also missed 34 games with multiple injuries. Heyward shared the fans' disappointment after last season saying, "I need to go back to the basics...I haven't been playing well." He returned in 2012 with new life. Playing in almost every game for the Braves to this point, Hayward is hitting .271 with 17 home runs (one away from tying a career high) and 51 RBI's and a career high 15 stolen bases. Heyward is healthy, productive, and, in my opinion, could be on his way to NL Comeback Player of the Year.

    Stay tuned in the coming days for more first half predictions, including Gold Gloves, playoff predictions and more. See ya 'round!