MLB Baseball Sports Fan Blog

Unlike other leagues the MLB does everything they can to keep their two leagues separate. In fact, until 1997, the National and American Leagues wouldn’t meet until the World Series. Today is that time of the MLB season when interleague play starts. This means one thing above all else: good news for the American League.

Since Interleague began, the American League has won 11 of the 15 years including the last eight. That’s eight years in a row that AL teams have been able to improve their records playing against the NL. Over the past five years their are 9 AL teams over .500 in interleague play to just 4 NL teams. The New York Yankees are 54-36, the Los Angeles Angels are 62-28 and the Boston Red Sox are 57-33. The best NL team is (surprisingly) the Colorado Rockies 45-33. Look for the AL to continue their dominance this year.

The Baltimore Orioles haven’t won the World Series since 1983. They haven’t made the playoffs since 1997. That was also the last time they had a winning record. That’s 15 years, 180 months, 5.475 days since they last finished a season above .500. This year is different. This year they will win the World Series.

As of May 15, 2012 the Orioles sit atop the AL East or as it’s otherwise known, the hardest division in baseball. Their record stands at 22-14, tied with the Tampa Bay Rays, 1.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees, and 5.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. Their payroll for 2012 is about $82 million, good for 19th in the league. They didn’t sign any big free agents and most likely won’t be getting one at the trade deadline. So what makes this year different?

Let’s start with their pitching. Thanks to players like Jason Hammel, who’s 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA and Wei-Yin Chen, who’s 3-0 with a 2.43 era, the Orioles are currently third in the AL in overall ERA. Jim Johnson has been the most reliable closer in baseball this year getting 11 saves in 11 opportunities. The Orioles lead the AL in saves at 14.

The hitting hasn’t been too shabby either. The long ball, which has plagued the Orioles for years, has become their greatest weapon. They lead the majors in homeruns with a very balanced attack. Only Adam Jones has double digit homers with 10 and seven guys have 5 or more homers. This has jolted them to fourth in the AL in runs scored behind only the Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees.

It seems possible their hitting could continue because no one player is particularly hot. They only have one regular hitting over .300 and that’s Nolan Reimold (.313). They’ve done a much better job getting on base this year and that seems unlikely to change.

What really helps them more then anything is the fact that the MLB expanded their playoffs by one team in each league. Unlike previous years, the third best team in the AL East could make the playoffs.

And, as the Cardinals proved last year, once you make the playoffs anything could happen.

We’re about 25% of the way through the MLB regular season. Josh Hamilton and Matt Kemp have made the MVP races rather boring so instead lets look at players who are having great years that you may have missed:

1. Carlos Beltran- Many thought the Cardinals were foolish to give Beltran a two year contract worth $26 million. Not only has he been a viable replacement for Pujols, but he is probably second in the MVP race in the National League behind Kemp. His 13 home runs (most in the NL) and 32 RBIs (second in the NL) have led the Cardinals to a 20-15 start.

2. Edwin Encarnacion- You may have missed what Encarnacion is doing up in Toronto but his 11 home runs (4th in the AL) and 29 RBIs (tied for second in AL) have led the Blue Jays to a solid 19-17 record. Unfortunately, they still reside in the A.L. East where that kind of record lands you fourth, only ahead of the struggling Red Sox. He’s well on his way to top his career highs of 26 homers and 76 RBIs and could become a hot commodity around the trade deadline.

3. Adam Jones- Jones had been a highly touted prospect who had never lived up to his hype. He showed signs of breaking out last year with a solid .280 average to go along with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs. In what is the last year of his contract, Jones is doing what he can to ensure he gets a large one this off season. His 10 home runs (fifth in the AL) and his 22 RBIs (tied for 11th) have led the Orioles to first place in the AL East. Put that along with his .295 average and he’s likely looking at a large pay upgrade this off season.

4. Bryan LaHair- LaHair is in his first full year in the big leagues and this likely means his numbers will start to go down soon. Right now he looks like one of the few bright spots on a struggling Cubs team. His .356 average ranks fourth in the NL. Put that with his 9 home runs and 20 RBIs (a number that would definitely be higher if people got on base in front of him) and LaHair becomes the biggest surprise of the 2012 season so far.

Hey, it’s only been one weekend, but it’s a weekend Mets fans have been waiting for a long time. The perennial powerhouse Yankees started off the season getting swept by the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, and are now the bottom-feeders of the AL East. The Mets, on the other hand, have taken the total opposite approach to start the season by sweeping the Atlanta Braves in Citi Field, with Jon Niese leading the broom parade with his no-hit bid yesterday.

The Yankees will try to pull the tail out from between their legs when they head to Camden Yards to face the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles, with last year’s rookie sensation Ivan Nova taking the mound in hopes of turning the tide. Of course, this is the Yankees, and this is New York, so it’s always fun to hear that the sky is falling with an 0-3 start. But lest we forget, the Red Sox started 0-6 last season and did not make it to the post-season. Hhmm…still think it’s just 3 games?

It’ll take a lot more than a 3-0 start for Mets fans to start screaming “You Gotta Believe” again, but at least for the time being we can have fun at the Yankees expense (and be in 1st place in the NL East). It’s easy to forget with how truly abysmal the Mets were last season that they actually led the division in runs scored. Granted Jose Reyes was a major catalyst and Carlos Beltran also aided with production to that stat (both are no longer on the team), but with a lineup featuring Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis, Jason Bay, and Lukas Duda, call me delusional if you want, but there is no reason they can’t do it again in 2012.

Let’s take a step back for a second shall we. Who honestly thought this would happen? Hell, who thinks it will continue to happen? I think more people had perfect brackets predicted in the NCAA Tournament than those who predicted this flip-flop of New York dominance. I’m sure the Yankees will be the Yankees, and the Mets will be the Mets, and order will in fact be restored again throughout the MLB, but for now…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA METS BABY!!

Baseball season is back, and today is Opening Day in the MLB. The Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s may have played a couple games in Japan to start the year off, but the official start of the season is tonight when the Miami Marlins face off against the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. I know it’s early but somebody’s gotta do it. Before the season even begins, here are my bold predictions for who will make it to the post-season, and furthermore, who will be crowned 2012 World Series Champions.

NL Winners:
NL East- Philadelphia Phillies
NL West- Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Central- Cincinnati Reds
Wild Cards- St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins

AL Winners:
AL East- New York Yankees
AL West- Texas Rangers
AL Central- Detroit Tigers
Wild Cards- LAA Angels, Boston Red Sox

2012 World Series- LAA Angels over Philadelphia Phillies

As April rolls upon us, one thing comes to mind. It’s baseball season! By now all of your NCAA tournament brackets are f.u.b.a.r. so to help you through this tough time I’ve made a list of the top 20 funniest team names for your fantasy baseball league.

1. The Humber Games
2. Fister In Her Pujols
3. Lind-Sanity
4. Choo And A Half Men
5. You And Me Baby Ain’t Nothing But Hamels
6. Hakuna Tejada
7. Toyota Kuroda
8. I’m Alexi And I Know It
9. Bros Before Hosmer
10. Soria About The STD
11. J-Rollin In The Deep
12. Kershawshank Redemption
13. Bust A Capps In Your Butt
14. B. Inge Drinking
15. Zach And Miri Make A Morneau
16. Don’t Be A Dickey
17. Before Youkillis All
18. Operation Trumbo Drop
19. Your Own Personal DeJesus
20. He’s Just Not That Shin Soo Choo

The Oakland A’s have made another splash acquisition this offseason by deciding bring Manny Ramirez back to the MLB. The A’s already signed the highly sought after Cuban defector, Yeonis Cespedes, as they try to keep up with the AL West bulking up with the likes of Albert Pujols to Anaheim and Yu Darvish from Japan to Texas. It is reported that Manny’s contract is around $500,000, which isn’t bad considering he still must serve a 50 game suspension to start the season as a result of drug policy violations. Manny will enter his 20th MLB season, and turns 40 years old in May. The A’s have been busy this offseason, but it remains to be seen if these big splash, big risk, acquisitions pan out. One thing is for sure, the bigger the risk…the bigger the reward. But sometimes, the bigger the risk…the bigger the headache.

I can remember back in school that kids can be cruel when it comes to bullying and name-calling…but can you really blame them when you make it this easy. What’s even worse is for these select few, they were in the public spotlight. These are some of the funniest names of pro athletes ever.

#10: Milton Bradley- (MLB player) You don’t need a board for this game, just an uncontrollable rage that alienates everyone around you. Coming Soon sponsored by Milton Bradley…the Law & Order game.

#9: Coco Crisp- (MLB player) I was always more of a Cocoa Pebbles fan, but whatever. I never thought I’d say this but he should have stuck to Covelli Loyce.

#8: Dick Butkus- (Hall of Fame NFL linebacker) Laugh from afar. He may be 70 yrs old but he’ll still kick your butkus.

#7: Todd Weiner- (NFL offensive lineman) Any relation to Anthony Weiner? Uh Oh…check his phone!

#6: Picabo Street- (Olympic Skier) Google maps has this street somewhere in Amsterdam.

#5: J.J. Putz- (MLB player) He says it’s pronounced like the word “puts”…what a Putz.

#4: God Shammgod- (former U. of Providence basketball player) And you thought LeBron had hype and pressure to deal with.

#3: Dick Trickle- (racing legend) Wash your hands twice dude.

#2: Ron Tugnutt- (former NHL goalie) Famous for his tuck and roll maneuver.

#1: Lucious Pusey- (former Eastern Illinois linebacker) …I’m not making this up. Congratulations Lucious, I guess. You have the funniest name in sports history!!

Honorable Mentions: 1) Metta World Peace [Ron Artest]
2) Chad Ochocinco [Chad Johnson]
These two are honorably mentioned because although their names are REDICULOUS, those aren’t their real names. God Bless America!

The defending American League Champion Texas Rangers broke the bank this offseason in acquiring Japanese phenom starting pitcher Yu Darvish to a 6-yr, $60 million contract. The Rangers’ most glaring weakness for the past couple years has been their starting rotation so they went out and got one of the most highly touted, and most highly hyped starting pitchers on the market. Yu Darvish went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and led the Pacific League with 276 strikeouts while pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2011. I guess with those stats it makes sense to pay him more than Cliff Lee to potentially blow Justin Verlander’s incredible Cy Young stats out of the water.

Those stats definitely explain all the hype and intrigue around Darvish, but please don’t tell me you really expect him to do that in the MLB. Despite the gaudy numbers Darvish put up last year, the same question still comes to the forefront in these situations: can you trust pitchers from Japan? Nothing against Japan, what I mean is…how can you devote that much money into an unproven commodity, especially one who plays in a different country, let alone, a different league?

Two fundamental differences between baseball in Japan versus in America is both the size of the stadiums, and the baseballs themselves. The stadiums in Japan for the most part are smaller than ones in the U.S. and the baseballs in Japan are bigger and harder. Are you going to sit there and tell me those should be taken into account? And the biggest difference seems to be the idea of a “pitch count”. Many Japanese players seem to struggle transitioning from Japanese ways of pitching everyday to the American style of pitching one day until you are tired, and dealing with pitching in rotation with days off in between starts. I don’t know which style is easier or harder, but it does make it difficult for even the best Japanese pitchers to translate their talents to the MLB.

Look to just the recent Japanese imports that were brought in with high expectations: the likes of Hideki Irabu, Kei Igawa, Hideo Nomo, and most recently, Daisuke Matsuzaka to name a few. Now, out of those you can argue that Nomo had a decent career as far as his longevity in the league and his stats as compared to other Japanese players, but even he did not live up to hype. The Yankees were a team that used to love getting Japanese players, but after Irabu and Igawa, the Yankees and their fans have had enough. The Boston Red Sox bit on the hype swirling around Daisuke Matsuzaka and his “gyroball” in the World Baseball Classic, and despite being a part of the Sox’ ’06 World Series win, other than that he has been a major bust as compared to how incredibly hyped he was. The Yankees and Red Sox recently have been two teams that love to be in the thick of offseason bidding wars, and also could use an extra man in their starting rotations, but guess who wasn’t involved in the hunt for Yu Darvish.

The fact of the matter is it’s a risk, and it’s a risk that hasn’t really panned out. I guess you can argue the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, but no one has reaped the rewards. It just seems more like GM’s are looking to make the big spotlight splash, rather than make a good business decision.

AL Rookie of the Year – 1B Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals

Hosmer might not be the man who actually wins this award, but this is probably because his team, the Kansas City Royals, have not been on the national radar for approximately 20 years and did not even sniff the postseason again. The two men he is competing with, starters Ivan Nova and Jeremy Hellickson, both play in the most hyped division in all of baseball and were on postseason teams. The highly touted first basemen did exactly what he was expected to do upon earning his promotion in early May. Rake, rake, and rake some more. Hosmer finished with a .293 average, 19 home runs, and 79 RBIS. Oh yeah, he’s also a burner on the basepaths in regards to first basemen (11 steals). Hosmer’s numbers compare very favorably with the rookie years of other slugging first basemen like Prince Fielder (.271, 28, 81) and Joey Votto (.297, 24, 84). Hosmer looks to be a star in the making. With a lot of other young pieces around him, Hosmer may finally be the player who leads the Royals back to postseason glory.

NL Rookie of the Year – RP Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves

Unlike the American League honors, the National League Rookie of the Year is a no-brainer. Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel should be the hands down choice over teammate Freddie Freeman and Phillies starter Vance Worley. Kimbrel burst onto the scene with a blazing heater and was entrenched as the Braves’ closer from the beginning of the season. Kimbrel had a sensational campaign compiling a 4-3 record, 2.10 ERA, 1.65 Ks per inning over 77 innings, and converting 46 of 53 save opportunities. While he ultimately cost the Braves a shot at the postseason with his blown save on the last day of the season, it was against the Philadelphia Phillies, the team with the best record in the NL. In fact 4 of his 7 blown saves came against the St. Louis Cardinals, Phillies, and Diamondbacks, all playoff teams. Kimbrel will need to step his game up against the top flight competition, but that will come with experience. The Braves look to be set at closer for the foreseeable future with Kimbrel in place.

AL Manager of the Year – Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

Early in September the Tampa Bay Rays looked to be dead in the water. On September 1^st, they trailed the Boston Red Sox by 9 games for the division and the New York Yankees by 8 games in the Wild Card. Fast forward 4 weeks later and the Rays had a chance to sneak into the playoffs with a Boston loss and a win against the Yankees on the last day of the season. Following a loss by Boston, the Rays, down by 7 runs in the 8^th inning, rallied to come back and win in extra innings, propelling them to the postseason in one of the most unlikely postseason bids ever. Tampa earned this honor by grinding the entire season. Evan Longoria missed extended time, B.J. continued his career of erratic play, runs were scarce, but they were able to hold it all together with their exceptional starting pitching. Maddon coaxed a great year from rookie Jeremy Hellickson and great seasons from James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, and Wade Davis. Great defense also played a huge part as Maddon is one of the games leading minds for employing various defensive alignments depending on the batter and situation. The end result should be Maddon winning Manager of the Year honors by continually doing more with less than everyone in baseball.

NL Manager of the Year – Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks

If someone were to tell you the Arizona Diamondbacks would make the postseason prior to the 2011 season, you would promptly ask them for the phone number of their drug dealer. The Diamondbacks finished dead last in the NL West in 2010. They were one of the most undisciplined teams at the plate and had a dreadful pitching staff. In just his first full season, manager Kirk Gibson was able to change all of that. Boasting a roster that was largely the same as 2010, their major acquisitions were signing Willie Bloomquist and J.J. Putz, the Diamondbacks climbed from worst to first in the division. Led by career years from outfielder Justin Upton and catcher Miguel Montero, the D-Backs finished 9^th in the league in runs scored, very impressive considering they faced the San Francisco Giants’ and San Diego Padres’ pitching staffs for a quarter of the schedule. Gibson showed he was a very capable manager in close games going 28-14 in 1 run affairs. Arizona trailed the defending champion Giants by 4 games at the end of the July, but rolled to win the division by 8 games despite losing starting shortstop Stephen Drew to a broken ankle. Gibson did more than just lead the team to more victories, he instilled a new attitude and demeanor to the ball club. He made them believe they could and would compete with every club out there, and that may be the most important achievement of the season for Gibson going forward.

AL Cy Young – SP Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander’s 2011 season was one of the most impressive seasons we’ve seen in recent years. Verlander was unquestionably the Tigers’ best player all season and willed the Detroit Tigers to the postseason en route to a 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, .92 WHIP, and 250 strikeouts in 251 innings. The highlight of the year for Verlander came in May against the Toronto Blue Jays. He struck out 4 batters while throwing a no-hitter, the second of his career. With this signature moment combined with his overall statistics, Verlander is a slam dunk pick for the American League Cy Young.

NL Cy Young – SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

The 2011 season was a disappointment for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite being in the midst of a ownership struggle between Frank McCourt and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig following an ugly divorce with McCourt’s wife, the team believed it had enough talent to compete for the division. The Dodgers quickly fell out of contention, but not because of Clayton Kershaw’s effort. Kershaw pulled off the pitching crown leading the National League in wins (21), strikeouts (248), and ERA (2.28). Kershaw also threw a career high 5 complete games with 2 shutout efforts. The Dodgers were 23-10 in Kershaw’s starts, but only 59-69 in games started by other pitchers. Add in the fact that Kershaw outdueled 2-time Cy Young winner and World Series Champion Tim Lincecum 4 times over the course of the season, and you have your 2011 Cy Young winner for the National League.

AL MVP – OF Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees

The AL MVP race is most likely the tightest race in all of the postseason awards with 4 candidates all having a chance to win. They are Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson, and Justin Verlander. All four players had tremendous seasons, but the nod can go to none other than the “Grandy Man” himself. This is not as much as a testament to what he did as an individual as opposed to what the other candidates failed to do. Justin Verlander had a tremendous season, but only pitched one out of every 5 days limiting his impact. Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez also played very well, but they each played a role in the Red Sox collapse down the stretch that caused them to miss the playoffs. Another factor is that these 2 players will also likely split the votes of those believing a Red Sox player should win the award. That leaves Granderson as the sole survivor, but a very strong one. Despite hitting only .262, Curtis led the league in RBIs with 119 and finished second in the league in home runs with 41.  He led the New York Yankees to an AL East crown when a lot of predictions had them missing the playoffs entirely. Granderson finally settled into New York and the Yankee organization to have one of his finest years. He finally became the player the Yankees expected when they traded for him 2 years ago.

NL MVP – OF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Coming into 2011, the abilities of Ryan Braun were overshadowed by Milwaukee Brewers’ teammate Prince Fielder. If you were one of the pitchers who overlooked the “Hebrewer”, you were sure to pay dearly for doing so. Braun finished second in batting average (.332), sixth in home runs (33),  fourth in RBIs (111), second in runs (109), and seventh in stolen bases (33). Factor in Braun’s solid defense and the Brewers’ trip to the postseason and that’s one helluva resume. Not bad for a player who was second fiddle on the team. Our apologies to Matt Kemp who had truly sensational numbers, but was on a team who was not playing meaningful baseball for any duration of the season. With Fielder possibly on the way out and Braun coming off his best season, the spotlight will be on him in Milwaukee.