MLB Baseball Sports Fan Blog

Only two out of the top five outfielders from June 23 have returned this time around. The three newcomers to the list are all having their best seasons in their career. Will they remain on the top five list by the end of the season? Only time will tell.

5. Nick Swisher, New York Yankees: Swisher is having the best season of his career. After being named an all-star for the first time, Swisher is continuing to knock the leather off the baseball this season. Swisher always had the power, but this year he also added a high average to his arsenal. Swisher has a good eye at the plate, he is always working the count into his favor. In the past Swisher didn’t use this to his advantage, he struck out a lot. With the help of hitting Coach Kevin Long, Swisher committed himself to be a better hitter this season after struggling in the playoffs last season. Swisher is currently hitting .301 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI’s. The Yankees are tied in first place with the Rays for the best record in baseball, without Swisher this season the Yankees might not even be in second place this season.

4. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies: Gonzalez came out of nowhere this season. In his third year in the majors, Gonzalez is proving that he may be an elite player for many years to come. Gonzalez is currently hitting .320 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI’s. Gonzalez is a sure surprise this season after only hitting .284 with 13 home runs and 29 RBI’s last season. Is this guy for real? The Rockies sure hope so. Gonzalez is helping the Rockies stay in contention in the NL West. The Rockies are currently seven and a half games out of first behind the Padres. The Rockies still have a chance thanks to Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s remarkable year will have to continue if the Rockies want to make the playoffs.

3. Delmon Young, Minnesota Twins: When Young started his career with the Rays, he was expected to be a great player. Young did not live up to his hype his first two season and the Rays traded him to the Twins. After continuing to be mediocre his next two seasons with the Twins, Young is finally hitting like everyone expected him to four years ago. Young is hitting .334 with 14 home runs and 81 RBI’s, which is fifth best in baseball. Thanks to Young, the Twins are still in the hunt for first in their division. Mauer is still struggling this season, so Young stepped up his game to make up for his lack of offense. The Twins are only one game back of the White Sox for first place. Even if Young continues to hit well, the Twins really need Mauer to come back to form if they want to advance past the first round of the playoffs for once.

2. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays: Bautista is still surprising everyone this season. Back on June 23 he was considered the third best outfielder and I predicted that he would eventually fall off the list. So far Bautista is proving me wrong. Bautista actually moved up one spot to number two and is still leading the league in home runs with 32. Along with his 32 home runs, Bautista has 82 RBI’s, which is good for fourth best in baseball. Bautista’s average is still low, he is only batting .260. The Blue Jays will take Bautista’s low average as long as he continues to drive in runs. Bautista did not get traded at the deadline like everyone expected since the Blue Jays are out of contention. That doesn’t mean he still can’t move this season, the waiver wire is still open until August 31. Bautista should be on the move, a team like the Padres may be interested to bolster their stagnant offense.

1. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Hamilton is still the king of swing a month and a half later. Hamilton is still putting up sick numbers this season. Back on June 23, Hamilton was hitting .339 with 7 home runs and 53 RBI’s. Hamilton upped the ante even more! Hamilton is now hitting an insane .362, which is the best in baseball. To go along with his league leading average, Hamilton has 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s. After being injure for most of the 2009 season, Hamilton is making up for lost time this season. The Rangers are currently in first place, eight games ahead of the second place Athletics/Angels. This year belongs to the Rangers finally. The Rangers aren’t falling apart this season like in the past. Hamilton must stay healthy if they want to go to the World Series. If Hamilton continues on this pace, The Rangers should have no problem advancing to at least the ALCS. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

For other baseball news check out http://www.nysportsballs.com/

Four out of the top five shortstops have remained on the list since early June. Out of the four players that have remained, three of them have moved in the standings. There is a new number one, read on to see who it is!

5. Alex Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves: Gonzalez is the only player to remain on the list in the same spot as in mid June. He barely made the list both times because of his low average. Luckily, he makes up for that average with his power, which is why he still is on the list. Gonzalez’s average fell 10 points since early June and is now at .259. Gonzalez only added four home runs and 12 RBI’s in a month and a half. If the shortstop position wasn’t so weak, Gonzalez would not even be considered as a top five player. His 17 home runs lead all of the shortstops in baseball. I couldn’t leave the home run leader for shortstops out of the top five. Gonzalez was just traded to the Atlanta Braves to help them maintain first place in the NL East.

4. Juan Uribe, San Francisco Giants: Uribe falls one spot to number four this time around. Uribe’s average fell 20 points since June 21. Uribe is now hitting only .259 and at this rate he will be off the list by the end of the season. Just like Gonzalez at number five, Uribe is on this list because of his production numbers. Uribe has 15 home runs, four more since June 21 and 61 RBI’s, 18 more since June 21. Uribe is actually leading all shortstops in RBI’s which is why he is still on this list. If there could be two number five’s, I would have made Uribe five also because he is pretty much equal with Gonzalez, but the 11 more RBI’s made him better to me, but just barely. The Giants are holding their own still only one and a half games out of first place behind the Padres. If Uribe can raise his average back up and continue to drive in runs at the rate he is, they have a good chance of winning the division.

3. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies: Tulowitzki fell down from number one to number three this time around. Back on June 21, Tulowitzki was hitting .306 with nine home runs and 34 RBI’s. Now on August 2, Tulowitzki’s average only dropped one point to .305, he still has nine home runs and only improved his RBI total by seven to 41. The reason for these numbers is that he was on the disabled list for 33 games with a fractured left wrist after being hit by a pitch. If it wasn’t for the injury, Tulowitzki may still be at the number one spot. The Rockies are looking to Tulowitzki to help them make the playoffs now that he is playing again. The Rockies are currently in third place in their division, seven games behind the Padres. The NL West is going to be interesting the next two months with four teams that all have a chance at making the playoffs.

2. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers: Furcal is the only newcomer on the list and he is already up to number two. Furcal isn’t known to be a power hitter he only has eight home runs and 38 RBI’s, but he is hitting .317, which is the highest average for any shortstop in baseball right now. Furcal’s ability to get on base makes him a dangerous weapon because once he’s on he can steal his way around the diamond. Furcal’s on base percentage is .382 and he has 18 stolen bases. Unfortunately, the Dodgers aren’t having as good of a year as Furcal is. The Dodgers currently sit in fourth place in the tough NL West, eight games out of first. The Dodgers still think they have a chance because at the trade deadline they picked up three big names, Ted Lily, Ryan Theriot, and Octavio Dotel. These big acquisitions may be just enough for the Dodgers to squander a wild card berth.

1. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins: Ramirez claims the number one spot this time around, moving up one spot to take the spot away from the injured Tulowitzki. I expected Ramirez to be the best shortstop this season, but he may still be second best f it wasn’t for Tulowitzki going on the DL. Back on June 21 Ramirez had a .286 average with 11 home runs and 40 RBI’s. Ramirez is now hitting four points lower at .282, he added three more home runs and 16 more RBI’s. Ramirez hasn’t improved much in the past month and a half, but he is the only shortstop that has decent number across the board in average, home runs and RBI’s. The Marlins are surging right now, I proclaimed them dead two months ago and now they are proving me wrong. The Marlins are currently tied for third place in the NL East and are only six and a half games out of first place. In the weak NL East, the Marlins may have a chance at making the playoffs, but that chance is very slim. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

For other baseball news check out http://www.nysportsballs.com/

There are no newcomers to the top five third basemen list. Although everyone is the same, four out of the five players moved in the standings. Read on to see who the new number one is!

5. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays: Longoria moved all the way to the bottom. Back in early June, Longoria was the best third basemen in baseball, since then he has slowed down a little. Longoria’s average dropped 30 points since early June going from .321 to .291. Longoria’s power numbers are significantly down with only 15 home runs and 68 RBI’s, which isn’t bad. It isn’t a surprise that the Rays are now in second place, it seems like when Longoria is going right so are the Rays. The Rays still have the second best record in baseball, but unfortunately the team with the best record is in the same division. Longoria should remain on the list until the end of the season and maybe he will take back his number one spot.

4. Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds: Rolen fell back two spot to number four. Seeing Rolen anywhere on this list is a big accomplishment for him. Even though he fell two spots, he is still have a great year compared to his last few seasons. No one expected Rolen to put up these kind of numbers this season, so he is allowed to fall back a little. His average fell 8 points since early June, which isn’t that bad because he still is hitting over .300. Rolen has a .303 bating average, 18 home runs, which is only four more since early June and 62 RBI’s, which is only 17 more since early June. Rolen is slowing down from his hot start and it shows in the Reds standings. The Reds are currently in second place in their division behind the Cardinals. The Reds had the lead for most of the season, but they are only a half a game out of first so they are still right in the race. With Rolen’s help the Reds can win the division, but if he continues to slide it will be hard for them to win.

3. David Wright, New York Mets: Wright is the only player on the list to remain in the same spot since early June. Wright’s consistent offense this season is helping the Mets stay in the hunt for October. Wright is hitting .305, with 17 home runs and 77 RBI’s. Wright’s numbers have pretty much stayed at the same pace since early June, his average only dropped two points and he added five more home runs and 27 more RBI’s. Wright already surpassed his abysmal numbers from last season when he only hit 10 home runs and 72 RBI’s. Saying all of that the Mets are only one game above .500 this season and are tied for third place in the division six and a half games behind the first place Braves. With the trade deadline passing two days ago, the Mets didn’t make even one move! Wright is having a great year, but he cant do it alone. The Mets just gave up on their season by not making any moves to improve a mediocre team. If they do somehow make the playoffs, the Mets will have to pull off another miracle.

2. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees: Rodriguez is having a down year power wise with only 16 home runs, but he more than makes up for that with his 85 RBI’s, which is tied for second most in baseball. Rodriguez’s average is also low this season, he is only hitting .269. Rodriguez is having the same kind of season he did as last year. Last season Rodriguez was on the disabled list for a month after having hip surgery. When Rodriguez came back, there was a noticeable drop in his offensive numbers. When September came around Rodriguez caught fire and still wound up hitting 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s for his 12th season in a row. This season I expect the same from Rodriguez, I think he will wind up having just around 30 home runs and around 120 RBI’s by the end of the season. The Yankees still have the best record in baseball with just a mediocre Rodriguez, once he finally hits like everyone knows he’s capable of, The Yankees will have no problem winning the World Series again. Maybe Rodriguez is waiting to unload at just the right time to lead his team just like he did last season in the playoffs.

1. Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox: Moving up three spots to number one, Beltre is proving to everyone that he can still hit. Beltre is still hitting .333 for the season, the same as early June. I thought by now he would have come back to earth, but he continues to surprise everyone this season. Beltre has the fifth best record in baseball, no one would have guessed he would even be close a .300 average this season because he hasn’t been there in six years! The Red Sox are looking like geniuses for picking Beltre up. Without Beltre the Red Sox wouldn’t even be close to where they are now. The Red Sox are currently in third place six and a half games behind the first place Yankees. The Red Sox are 15 games over .500, but the Rays and Yankees are having such good years that it looks like the Red Sox are doing terrible.
The Red Sox are another team that surprisingly did not make any moves at the trade deadline. The Red Sox still have a shot at least making the playoffs with a wild card berth, but they have to hope the Yankees and Rays start to struggle or they will not make it. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

For other baseball news check out http://www.nysportsballs.com/

Four out of the top five second basemen remain on the list from early June. The only newcomer is a big surprise, after years of hype he is finally doing what everyone expected him to do. Out of the four players who remained, only one of them moved from their top five position.

5. Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks: Johnson fell from the number two spot all the way down to five. Barely making the list, Johnson slowed down since his hot start in the beginning of the season. Since my last posting in early June, Johnson only hit three home runs his batting average dropped six points and he only had 16 RBI’s. If it weren’t for Johnson’s hot start he probably wouldn’t be on this list. Johnson’s season totals are 16 home runs, 49 RBI’s and a .276 average. The Diamondbacks still remain at the bottom of their division and have the third worst record in baseball. It doesn’t matter what Johnson does this year, the Diamondbacks are not going anywhere.

4. Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves: Prado is continuing to impress this season for the Braves. Prado remains at the number four spot this time around because of his consistent hitting. Prado’s average did drop 16 points since early June, but he did hit eight home runs and got 44 hits. Prado is a big reason the Braves have remained in first place. The Phillies are knocking on the Braves door so Prado will have to remain at his hot pace and keep getting on base for the guys behind him.

3. Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins: After I put Uggla down back in early June, he has completely proved me wrong since. Uggla and the Marlins may be making a run in the division after all. Since early June Uggla raised his average 17 points from .262 to .279, he hit seven more home runs to raise his total to 21 and his RBI total moved up by 24 for a total of 61. Uggla did not move in the top five standing remaining at number three, but that is a lot better than what I predicted for him back in June. I thought Uggla would be off of the list back in June and I didn’t give much hope to the Marlins either. Now the Marlins made it to a .500 record at 50-50 and Uggla is on pace to have his best season ever. The Marlins are seven and a half games out of first and might actually have a chance at making things interesting in the NL East if they are buyers at the trade deadline.

2. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers: The only newcomer to the list comes as a big surprise. From not even being considered back in early June, to now being the second best offensive second basemen in baseball, Weeks is finally proving that he belongs in the majors. After a disappointing five seasons as the Brewers second basemen, Weeks is hitting .276 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI’s this season. Weeks’s power numbers already surpass any of his previous season totals. The Brewers are currently in third place in their division, eight games behind the Reds and Cardinals. If the Brewers aren’t sellers at the trade deadline they do have a shot at coming back with the help of Weeks, Prince Fielder who is due to have a strong second half, Ryan Braun, and Corey Hart. With that kind of power in their lineup they should be able to out slug anyone in the National League. Will the Brewers be patient and hope that these guys all catch on fire at the same time? Or will they trade them away? We will find out in a few days.

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees: Cano remains at the number one spot as the best second basemen of 2010. After having a blazing hot start, Cano looked like the sure-fire MVP. Miguel Cabrera ripped that away from Cano as he has cooled down dramatically over the last month and a half. In early June Cano’s average was .371, now it is 42 points lower at .329. Cano’s home run rate also dropped, he only hit five home runs since early June giving him a total of 18 for the season. The RBI’s also leveled off, Cano only had 11 RBI’s since early June giving him a total of 68. Even though Cano had the worst June and July out of everyone on this list, he still is number one because he still has the highest average, most RBI’s and third most home runs. If it weren’t for Cano’s remarkable start he would have fallen out of first. If Cano’s pace keeps up at this rate he will be moving down. I can see Weeks or Uggla taking the number one spot if Cano doesn’t get hot once again. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

For other baseball news check out http://www.nysportsballs.com/

First Base is the strongest offensive position by far in 2010. Three out of the five players that were on the list in early June have made it back this time around. The number one first basemen may also be MVP this season.

5. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins: Morneau barely made it back on the list this time around falling from number two to number five. The Twins are in a tight race in their division with the Tigers and the White Sox. Currently the Twins are one game out of first behind the White Sox and one game ahead of the Tigers. The AL Central is the closest division in baseball right now.
Morneau has been the Twins biggest offensive threat this season, but no one else is stepping up to pull them ahead of the White Sox. Morneau can’t do it all by himself, Delmon Young is helping in a big way this season also, but it still isn’t enough. Morneau is leading his team in average- .345, home runs- 18 and is in second in RBI’s with 56 behind Young. Morneau always seems to have a solid season as long as he stays healthy. If Joe Mauer has a strong final two months in the season the Twins will probably win the division, but with the way Morneau is carrying the team with Young right now is not enough.

4. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals: Pujols is still at number four on the list. If Pujols was at any other position he would probably be number one on the list, but since first base is so strong there are three people that are better than him so far this season. Pujols is hitting .300 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI’s. The Cardinals are currently a half a game ahead of the Reds for first place in the NL Central. Pujols and Matt Holliday are providing all the offense for the Cardinals and their pitching is doing the rest for them. Pujols should remain on this list until the end of the season and I would expect him to move up on the list actually to at least number three.

3. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard had a hot June and July to move himself onto the top five list at number three. Howard is hitting .302 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI’s. I think the Phillies who are currently in second place in the NL East, will come back and take the division away from the Braves. The Phillies biggest problem has been injuries and lack of offense. Howard, after starting off real slow has turned things on and is now on fire. The rest of his team should follow his lead because with their talent they should easily take the division. Instead they will have to hope that they can make up for lost time and barely beat out the Braves in September.

2. Joey Votto, Cincinatti Reds: Votto went from not even being considered back in early June to now being the second best First basemen in baseball and first best in the National League. Votto is hitting .315 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI’s. The Reds are currently only a half a game out of first in their division thanks to Votto’s offense. Votto is leading his team in all the major offensive categories, home runs, average, and RBI’s. The Reds could still use more power in their lineup though, which is the case with most of the people on this list surprisingly. The Reds pitching along with Votto’s power makes them a good second place team. If the Reds want to take first back from the Cardinals they will have to trade for a bat in the next few days.

1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: Cabrera remains at the top of the first basemen list. Cabrera is actually number one in my book over every player in baseball this season. Cabrera is hitting .350 with 24 home runs and 88 RBI’s. Going into June Robinson Cano was the odds on favorite to win the Al MVP but now Cabrera is the man. The Tigers are currently in third place in their division but are only two games out of first place. I think the Tigers have the best chance to win the division with the power they have in their lineup. Along with Cabrera they have Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch who are both having terrific rookie seasons and are both up for rookie of the year. Magglio Ordonez is having a comeback year this season also. The problem with the Tigers is their pitching. Guys like Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman aren’t pitching like expected. Then guys like Armando Gallagra, Rick Porcello, and Max Scherzer have shown glimmers of hope but haven’t maintained it. If the Tigers pitching turns around they will have no problem beating out the Twins and White Sox for their division. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

Three teams remain in the top five list from early in June. The two newcomers look like they are seriously making a run for the post-season. If these teams remain in the top five, the playoffs will look a lot different this year then the previous few years. Only one team on this list was in the playoffs last year. Things can change by the end of the season, but I think at least four out of the five on here are locks for the playoffs.

5. Atlanta Braves: In the beginning of June the Reds owned the number five spot, but now they are off the list. The Braves have moved in with a little help here and there from everyone on the team. There really isn’t one player on the Braves team that sticks out more than the other. Their hitting isn’t spectacular, but it also isn’t bad. Most of the players on the team are hitting in the .250 to .290 range with the exception of Omar Infante and Martin Prado who are both hitting over .300. The pitching is the same way, Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson are both leading the team in wins with 10. Then Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen have eight and six wins respectively. The top four guys in their rotation are even in the fact that their win/loss disparity is no more than five. This means they are all pitching well, but not great. Out of the five teams on the list I think the Braves are the most likely to fall apart and not make the playoffs. I can see the Phillies having a big second half to take the division away from them. You never know though, the trade deadline is a few days away, if the Braves pick up a big power bat, it might be enough for them to win their division.

4. Texas Rangers: Back in June the Twins held the number four spot on the list. Now the Twins, who were thought to be one of the best teams going into this season have completely fell off the list and will even be lucky to make the post-season. The Rangers are finally making a serious run at the playoffs this season. For the last few seasons the Rangers always started off real well and then by the second half bottomed out. The reason for their failings has been their pitching the last few years. The Rangers were always known to have one of the best offenses in the league over the last 20 years, but their pitching has just been ok at best. This season the Rangers, with help from their President Nolan Ryan, are fixing their pitching problems. Ryan must feel embarrassed by the way the Rangers pitching staff performed over the years. Ryan was maybe the best pitcher of all time and now he can’t show the Rangers staff how it’s done? Ryan was tired of it, this year he added extra emphasis to make the pitching better and it has worked. C.J. Wilson is having the best season of his career with a 3.03 ERA. Colby Lewis hasn’t pitched since 2007 and was never known as a good pitcher, but now he has a 3.52 ERA. Tommy Hunter, who is in his second full season in the majors, is pitching lights out with a 2.31 ERA and an 8-0 record. Then of course, the addition of Cliff Lee, the much needed ace that the Rangers haven’t had since Kevin Milwood dominated in his prime.
Along with their always dominate offense led by, Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, Ian Kinsler, and Nelson Cruz, the Rangers are a very dangerous team.

3. San Diego Padres: The Padres are the only team in the list to remain in the same exact spot since the beginning of June. The Surprising Padres have remained at the top of their division. Everyone expected them to fall apart by now, but they are still up there with the best winning percentage in the National League. The Dodgers were expected to run away with the NL West, but they have been up and down all year and are currently in third place behind another surprising team, the Giants and the Padres. The NL West is by far the toughest division in the National League. The top four teams all have a win percentage of over .500. The Padres continue to hold them off, but how? The answer is pitching. The Padres have the lowest team ERA in baseball with a 2.82 ERA. With pitching like that, the Padres just have to score around three runs a game to win. If it wasn’t for the Padres dominate pitching, the Padres would probably be one of the worst teams in baseball because not one of their everyday hitters is hitting over .300. The Padres need to make a move for one or more big bats to make them a more threatening team. As of now, if the team remains the same, I do not see them making it to the World Series and if they miraculously do somehow a team like the Yankees or Rays would probably sweep them.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays fell down one spot to number two since the beginning of June. Number two is nothing to be ashamed of because they still have the second best record in baseball. The Rays are doing it all this year, dominating pitching performances, great hitting and great speed on the bases all add up to where they are now. Back in June they were the best team in baseball and if it wasn’t for one team stepping up their game, the Rays would still be there. The main reason the Rays are doing so well this season is because of their pitching. Over the Years the Rays were known to have the worst pitching in the American League and that was a big reason for their failures. Now they have a solid big three in their rotation and they are all young, which means the Rays may be good for years to come. Their rotation is led by Cy Young candidate David Price who has a record of 13-5 and a 2.90 ERA. Jeff Neimann is a solid number two starter with a 2.95 ERA and a 8-3 record. Then Matt Garza rounds them off with a little bit of a high ERA of 4.36, but he does have a 10-5 record. The rookie Wade Davis is also having a good year, but he has more losses than wins. This could be a case of bad luck since Davis’s ERA is actually lower than Garza’s with a 4.32 ERA. Once Davis develops more, the Rays rotation will be considered the best because of their youth and their stuff. I expect the Rays to compete in the playoffs. The wild card is most likely coming out of the AL East. With the Red Sox losing ground the Rays should have no problem at the wild card and maybe even the division.

1. New York Yankees: The Yankees are right where everyone expected them to be. Back in June the Yankees haven’t proved that they could beat the Rays which made them the second best team in baseball. Now the Yankees are number one because they have the best record in baseball and have proved that they can beat anyone. You would think that having the best record in baseball means that the Yankees have no weaknesses, but they do. It isn’t their hitting and it isn’t their starting rotation, which leaves us with the bullpen. The Yankees bullpen is in disarray. The Yankees can go out and look for another reliever, but I think they are going to trade for a starter and move Phil Hughes back into his dominating role as setup man. Hughes is having a phenomenal year in the rotation with a 4.04 ERA and a 12-3 record, but I think the Yankees want to save his arm from falling off and limit his innings so he is fresh for the post-season. Expect the Yankees to make a big move either way in the next few days for a starter or reliever. Otherwise the Yankees are solid in all other aspects of the game. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher led the team in hitting while Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were finding their swing. Now everyone is hitting on all cylinders and the Yankees have been blowing out teams of late. Luckily they started hitting at just the right time because Andy Pettite will be out for a while with a groin pull and A.J. Burnett still hasn’t found his former self. Saying all of that the yankees still have the best record in baseball, I can’t imagine how they will be when everything is going right. The Yankees will be in the playoffs once again and they may have a tough time beating the Rays, it will come down to whoever is hotter at the time. If the Yankees make it to the World Series they should have no problem beating any National League team. (mlb.com)

by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Only two catchers’ from the June top five list have remained into July. One of them moved up to number one and the other is almost off the list falling to number five. The three new entries come as a little bit of a surprise since one of them is just filling in for an injured starter. I’m sure by next month this list will change once again.

5. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins: Previously I said Mauer will probably bounce back and have another MVP like year. Now, I think that time passed. Mauer is having a dissappointing year for his standards along with the rest of his Twins team. The Twins were the clear favorite to win their division once again. As of now the Twins are tied with the Tigers for second place with a paltry four games over .500. Saying all of that Mauer is still the fifth best catcher this year with four home runs, 44 RBI’s, and a .297 average. The only reason why he made the top five is because of his average. Most of the other catchers in the league have low averages. If the Twins want to turn things around, they need Mauer to give them even more. The Twins know Mauer is capable of hitting for more power and a higher average and they will need that from him if they want to be in the post-season.

4. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs: Soto, one of the newcomers to the top five, is having a rebound year after struggling in 2009. Soto’s average is currently 75 points higher than his final average at the end of the season last year. After starting off slow in the beginning of this season, Soto is now considered the fourth best catcher in baseball as of July. Soto has 12 hoe runs, 33 RBI’s and a .293 average. Just like Mauer, Soto doesn’t have great production numbers, but he does have a high average whic is a big advantage compared to other catchers. The Cubs are floundering this season, currently 10.5 games out of first in their division. On top of that Lou Pinella just announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season, which means he has pretty much had enough of the Cubs and their losing ways. Pinella is already giving up and it will be hard for his team to not do the same.

3. Mike Napoli, Los Angeles Angels: Another newcomer to the list is Napoli. Napoli has his time to shine with Kendry Morales on the DL for an extended amount of time. Napoli is technically a catcher, but with Morales down Napoli is also filling in at first base and he is doing a heck of a job. Napoli is considered as an everyday player for the first time in his career. He is on pace to have the most at bats in a season for his career. Napoli’s production numbers are through the roof. Napoli has 17 home runs, 43 RBI’s and a .261 average. Napoli has the best production numbers for a catcher so far this season, but his average brings him down to the third best catcher so far in July. Napoli definitely has potential to make it to number one by the end of the season.

2. John Buck, Toronto Blue Jays: After spending his whole career on the Kansas City Royals, Buck found new life catching for the Blue Jays this season. The Blue Jays players are all having better than average numbers this season, but it still isn’t enough to surpass the Yankees, Red Sox, or Rays. Buck has all things going for him this season, he has a high average for a catcher at .285 and high production numbers again for a catcher with 13 home runs and 45 RBI’s. Only Buck and the number one catcher coming up excel in all three of these categories.

1. Miguel Olivo, Colorado Rockies: No, number one is no longer Victor Martinez. Martinez fell al the way off the list from the number one spot back in June. Olivo was number two last time and he pretty much maintained his pace since June to land him at number one. Who would have thought Olivo would be the best catcher in the league at the end of July? Olivo is having the best season of his career and is helping the Rockies keep pace in the all of a sudden tough NL West. Olivo has 12 home runs, 43 RBI’s and a .313 average. No other catcher is hitting that well in all three of those categories. John Buck comes the closest, but Olivo’s average is well ahead of any other catcher in the league. Can Olivo keep going at this above normal pace for himself? Buck and Napoli will be fighting for his number one spot by the end of the season. Soto has a chance to make it to number one also, but is further off than the other two. Mauer, may be in the case of too little too late. Mauer has a lot of catching up to do in the home run department to be considered as the best offensive catcher this season. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

The American League and National League have two players that stand out among the rest as the top rookies of the first half of the 2010 season. In a year that has been dominated by pitching, three out of the four candidates on the list are pitchers.

American League:

Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers: The Rangers moved their closer of the past, Frank Francisco, to setup man this year to make room for their rookie sensation Feliz. Feliz is flourishing in his rookie season as the Rangers closer. At the halfway point in the season, Feliz has a 3.82 ERA and has saved 23 out of 25 opportunities for the Rangers. If Feliz keeps his staggering pace up, he could be the only closer in history to have more than 40 saves in his rookie season. In the past the Rangers struggled to find a dominant closer to end games for them. This year Feliz is a big reason why the Rangers are currently in first place in their division. At the age of 22, Feliz has a good chance to be the best closer in baseball for the next two decades.

Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers: Jackson moved to Detroit in the off-season in a trade with the Yankees who received Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. Who would have thought that Jackson would be having a better season then Granderson at the halfway point in the season? The Tigers made out on this trade more than the Yankees so far. Jackson is hitting .300, but his production is very low, only one home run and 20 RBI’s. Jackson is a singles hitter, but he also strikes out a lot. If Jackson got his strikeout total down he can be hitting closer to .330. As a rookie, he has a lot to learn, he will get better as time goes along.

National League:

Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals: The most famous of all the rookies this season is definitely Strasburg. Strasburg features a 100+ mph fastball and a devastating curveball. Strasburg is setting batters down at a record pace already striking out 61 batters in 42.2 innings. The first time batters face Strasburg they have no chance. The second time batters face Strasburg they have a slight chance of making contact. Their third time up if they are lucky, they may get a hit, but most likely they won’t. Strasburg was called up a month ago and has started seven games posting a 2.32 ERA and a 3-2 record, which would probably be better if the Nationals could actually score runs. Strasburg has the potential to be the best pitcher of all time if he could maintain this unbelievable pace, but something tells me his stuff will fade by the time he is 30. It isn’t possible to pitch the way he does for a long period of time.

Jaime Garcia, St.Louis Cardinals: Garcia is helping the Cardinals already strong pitching rotation become even stronger in his rookie year. With a top three of Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals may have the best pitching rotation in the National League. Combined those three starters are 30-12. Garcia has the second best ERA right behind Wainwright. Garcia is 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 80 strikeouts. Garcia is a big reason why the Cardinals are only one game behind the first place Reds.

My Pick:

AL: Feliz has to take the award home. Feliz has a chance to break a record as a rookie this season. Jackson is doing good, but compared to what Feliz is doing, he doesn’t even come close.

NL: If the season ended today Garcia would be the rookie of the year. Since there’s a whole half a season left, Strasburg should be able to steal the award away from Garcia. Garcia may have more wins by the end, but Strasburg will probably double him in strikeouts while maintaining the same low ERA as Garcia. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

The first half of the 2010 season will be remembered as one of the most dominant pitching performances in the last 20 years. Last nights All-Star game put that dominant pitching on display. The starting pitchers featured Ubaldo Jiminez tured for the National League team against David Price for the American League.
The first three innings of the game was over before you knew it. I hope no one took a bathroom break because the pitching in the first four innings was spectacular. Jiminez and Price blew the hitters away with fastballs reaching 98 and 99 mph. Jiminez pitched two innings and allowed two hits, one strikeout, and zero runs. This was the first time I have seen Jiminez pitch and all i can say is wow, this guys pitches are crazy!
Price matched Jiminez through the first two innings only allowed one hit, struck out one, and allowed no runs. Batters were so late on Price’s pitches that it looked like they were swinging in slow motion.
In the third inning both teams changed their pitchers, the National League brought in Josh Johnson from the Marlins and the American League brought in Andy Pettite from the Yankees. In the top of the inning Pettite let up one hit to the number nine batter Yadier Molina, but that was all as he struck out two in his one inning of work to keep the score 0-0 through three. Johnson pitched even better than Jiminez. Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the third to continue the pitching dominance.
In the top of the fourth the American League brought in the newly acquired Texas Ranger, Cliff Lee. Lee showed the National League hitters why everyone wanted him when he was on the trading block. Lee pitched one inning, sending the batters down in order while only throwing six pitches. In the bottom of the fourth Johnson came back out for the National League and dominated once again pitching another 1-2-3 inning. In two innings of work Johnson allowed no hits and struck out two.
In the fifth inning, some offense finally showed up. Justin Verlaner let up two hits, but held the runners on base by striking out two batters. Verlander was shaky at best, but he made it through unscathed. Hong-Chih Kuo of the Dodgers came in to pitch for the National League. The American League scored one run in the inning without even getting a hit. Evan Longoia led off the inning with a walk. The next batter Joe Mauer hit a slow dribbler up the third base line that Kuo picked up and threw 15 feet over the first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez. This error put the American League with two runners in scoring position with no outs. The next batter, Robinson Cano hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Longoria to score the American Leagues only run of the game.
In the sixth inning Roy Halladay came in to pitch for the National League. The first batter he faced, Derek Jeter hit a blooper into right that dropped in. Elvis Andrus came in to pitch run for Jeter and he quickly attempted to steal second base. Andrus made it to second way ahead of the throw but he slid so late that he went right over the base and kept going. Andrus attempted to get his foot back on the base, but he was tagged out. This was a key play of the game, if Andrus was safe the American League could have scored another run because Halladay let up another single that may have scored Andrus. Halladay clearly not on his game was taken out of the game and replaced by Matt Capps who turned out to be the winning pitcher of the game. Capps just pitched 1/3 of an inning striking out the only batter he faced and he picked up the win, not bad.
There was no more offense in the game until the top of the seventh when the National League finally broke through. Phil Hughes of the Yankees started the inning and got roughed up quick. Scott Rolen and Matt Holliday each singled off Hughes. Hughes was quickly pulled out of the game. Matt Thornton came in and didn’t do any better. Thornton walked the first batter he faced to load the bases for Brian McCann. McCann hit a double down the right field line to clear the bases and give the National League a 3-1 lead that they would never give up.
In the bottom of the ninth the American League put up a little bit of a threat when David Ortiz started the inning with a single to right off of the closer Jonathan Broxton. Adrian Beltre came up next and he couldn’t catch up to Broxton’s fastball and struck out. John Buck came up next and ran the count full showing that he could not catch up to the fastball ether. Miraculously, Buck just nicked the ball to right field which landed in front of Marlon Byrd. Unfortunately, bad base-running by David Ortiz got him forced out at second base which ended the rally as the next batter, Ian Kinsler flew out to end the game.
Noticeably the only batter that did not hit for the American League was Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez was slated to fill in for Beltre if he got on base but that never happened.
For the first time since 1996 the National League won the All-Star game and will have home field advantage in the World Series. Brian McCann receieved the All-Star MVP as he was the difference in the game. (mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

The 25th annual Homer Run Derby is taking place in Angels Stadium in Anaheim. Last year Prince Fielder took home the derby trophy. This year Fielder will not be back to defend his title. There will be five new derby contestants this year, it is time for a fresh young batch of players to liven things up a bit. Here are my predictions for how everyone will do tonight, starting from least favorite.

8. Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks: Young is having a pretty good year for him this season. Young’s average is higher than usual but still low, he is hitting .266. In the past Young would not even be considered to participate in the home run derby. This year a lot of new players are getting a shot because home run totals are a lot lower than in recent years. Young has 15 home runs and the lowest slugging percentage out of all the derby participants -.469. Young is a right-handed batter, which also puts him at a disadvantage at Angel Stadium because it is deeper in left-center field than right-center by 17 feet. I do not see Young hitting more than three home runs.

7. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins: Ramirez is entering the derby with the least amount of home runs out of everyone participating. Ramirez has 13 home runs and is slugging .485. Ramirez is having an average year so far. Ramirez is on pace to have about the same number as last season except his average is down 41 points. Ramirez is not generally know as a power hitter, the most home runs he had in one season was 33 back in 2008. Ramirez is also at a disadvantage as a right-handed batter. I think Ramirez will hit about four home runs.

6. Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays: Wells is having somewhat of a bounce-back year power wise. Wells is another player who is generally not considered a power hitter, actually most of the participants aren’t really aren’t considered power hitters. Wells has never hit more than 33 home runs and that came way back in 2003. This season Wells has 19 home runs and is on pace to have the most home runs in his career for one season. With a slugging percentage of .524 Wells will hit some home runs in this derby, but not enough. As another right-handed batter in Anaheim I say Wells will hit around six home runs. Watch out though! There is usually a sleeper in these derbies. From 2003-2005 sleepers have won the home run derby- Garret Anderson, Miguel Tejada, and Bobby Abreu. In 2006-2007 sleepers made it to the finals, but lost- David Wright, Alex Rios. Wells may be one of the sleepers in this home run derby.

5. Nick Swisher, New York Yankees: Swisher is having his best season in the majors this year. Swisher made his first all-star team this year in the final vote. Swisher is on pace to hit 30 home runs and bat around .300. Swisher never has hit over .262 in a season. This season Swisher is hitting .298 with 15 home runs and a .524 slugging percentage. Swisher definitely has the personality for a home run derby and he is a switch hitter. Swisher will probably bat from the left side to give him a shorter distance. Even though his numbers are almost the same as Wells’s numbers, I think Swisher will hit a few more home runs because he will be batting lefty. Swisher can also be another sleeper as well.

4. Matt Holliday, St.Louis Cardinals: Holliday is the first person on this list that played in a previous home run derby. Back in 2007 Holliday almost made it to the finals only falling one home run short. Holliday is not really considered a genuine power hitter either. Holliday averages about 25 home runs a season. This season he is on pace to hit about 30, with 16 home runs at the halfway mark. Holliday is slugging .529, which isn’t that much better than the previous four players on the list. Holliday is also a right-handed batter which doesn’t help, but since he has some experience over the other guys, he may know how to pace himself better. Holliday’s experience alone will advance him on to the next round.

3. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox: Ortiz is back in the home run derby for his fourth time. Ortiz hasn’t played in a derby since 2006, which was his last huge home run season. Ortiz is back this season. He has 18 home runs and is slugging .562. If this were two years ago, Ortiz would not be in the home run derby. By today’s standard’s, post-steroid era, Ortiz is a power hitter once again. Ortiz has more experience over everyone in the derby this year. Ortiz is actually 17 home runs away from having the most home runs in the derby’s combined which is now held by Ken Griffey Jr. I think Ortiz will come close to making it to the finals. Ortiz is a lefty and has the most power out of everyone. Ortiz’s only drawback is his build, Ortiz is so big that if he hits a lot of home runs in one round he will be drained. Ortiz’s only chance of making it to the finals is if he hits most of his home runs in the first round than just ride that into the finals. It will be around 77 degrees at the time of the derby, at least the heat will not be a factor, which will help Ortiz. I’m sticking with my health approach though which makes Ortiz finish in third because there are two guys who have almost just as much power who are in a lot better shape.

2. Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers: Hart is having a huge power year out of nowhere. Move over Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, Hart is the big bat in the Brewers lineup this season. Hart has the third most home runs in the league this season with 21. Hart never hit more than 24 home runs in a season, he is almost past that now! Hart is also slugging .569, which is fourth most in the National League. Hart is a right handed batter, but in his case i don’t think that matters too much. This guy can hit home runs way further than that and is by in the best shape combined with power in the derby. There is one guy that stands in Hart’s way.

1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: Cabrera is the odds on favorite to win this year’s home run derby. Cabrera is hitting for a massive slugging percentage of .651 this season. Cabrera is now considered the favorite to win most valuable player this season since Robinson Cano has come back to earth a little of late. Cabrera also has the most home runs out of everyone in the derby with 22 so far. Cabrera played in one home run derby before back in 2006 and fell three home runs short of making it to the finals. With Cabrera’s experience and power he should definitely win the home run derby.

It is hard to determine who will win a home run derby. Cabrera, Hart, Ortiz and Holliday can all win the derby. The other four hitters are less likely to win, but just look back to 2005 when Abreu won. Anybody can win the derby.
(mlb.com)

By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network