Blog Archives
202 ‘WOB’ Awards Since Opening Day – Find Out Who
‘Sully’ Baseball (Paul Francis Sullivan) hosts a 20 Minute Daily Podcast Every Day – 365 Days a Year – unless its a Leap Year – and then he is going to do another one.
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WOB Stands For ‘Who Owned Baseball’ It is based on a Daily Look at the best players from the baseball games the day before. Our Lead Writer – Paul Francis Sullivan – (please call him ‘Sully’), keeps a running total for the yearly leaders every day – and we will update the standings here every day on this page..
Agree or Disagree with him on the players he selects – leave him a comment at info@sullybaseball.com. Follow him on twitter.
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So Bookmark this Page – and be part of the new phenomena of #WOB – If you reverse WOB it also means Players that take a BOW for being the best players of the night! Read the rest of this entry
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May 20th) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Yan Gomes hit a walk off, come from behind, 3 run homer in the bottom of the 10th to cap off a 3-5 day as the Indians won a bizarre 10-8 game over the Mariners.
R. A. Dickey pitched 8 strong innings letting up only 4 hits and 2 earned runs as the Blue Jays got a much needed win over the Rays, 7-5.
Brandon Belt went 4-5, homering and scoring 4 times as the Giants demolished the Nationals 8-0.
And Patrick Corbin threw his first career complete game, improving to 7-0, as he let up only 3 hits and 1 run in Coors Field, striking out 10 for the Diamondbacks 5-1 win over the Rockies.
They all owned baseball on May 20th, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON
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To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry
MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday May.20/2013
The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup. Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around. Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Rangers are #1 again based on the Division lead they currently possess, plus the fact they play all of these teams a total of 76 Games this year.
The Braves (rose their division lead to 2.5 Games with a 4 – 2 week), and Padres (18 – 13 in their last 31 Games and have been clubbing the ball lateley) were the biggest movers up for the week standings by climbing 6 spots apiece.
The biggest drops were the San Francisco Giants (hate their Starting Pitching right now – except for Madison Bumgarner) and the Baltimore Orioles (late inning magic might be dying – and still need a DH + a Veteran Starter or 2).
The Los Angeles teams keep losing ball games – and the Blue Jays lost 2 straight versus the Yankees just when they looked to be on track.
Cleveland is still ranked outside the top ten because I don’t have faith in their strength of schedule in the next month starting May 21st: 2 vs DET, 4 @BOS, 2 vs CIN, 2 @CIN, 2 vs TB, 3 @NYY, 3 @DET, 3 @TEX, 3 vs WSH and finally 3 vs KC. If they are above .500 after this stretch, I will be impressed.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.19) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
In a losing cause, Miguel Cabrera hit three homers, reached base 5 times, scored three and drove in 5 runs. (His critics would point out that he made an error.) Despite his best efforts, the Tigers lost to Texas 11-8.
Matt Moore pitched seven terrific innings, holding the Orioles to a single run. The Tampa Bay Rays won 3-1 and swept a series in Baltimore that could come back to haunt the Birds later.
Carlos Gonzalez got on base four times and got RBI hits in the first and fifth as the Rockies blanked the Champion Giants 5-0 in Coors Field.
And Ricky Nolasco pitched 8 strong innings, letting up only 1 run and struck out 11 as the Marlins enjoyed a rare win, 2-1 over the Diamondbacks.
They all owned baseball on May 19th, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.
To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry
Get A (Fantasy Baseball) Grip On Reality: Blog Series Part 1
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday May 18, 2013
Like Dale Doback, I too manage a baseball team Lucky for me, I was able to secure a steal (113th overall) in a keeper league. You have to read the post in order to find out who that player is. Now that I am done, I am going to attend a Catalina Wine Mixer nearby!! kootation.com
By Derek Jackson (MLB Reports Fantasy Expert): Follow @djaxmlbreports
I am happy to be joining the fantastic writer’s and leadership at MLB Reports, bringing you full coverage of Fantasy Baseball. If you’ve never won that elusive fantasy title or you’re the five-peat dynasty, we can all share our knowledge of players, outlooks, and advice in an open forum.
I urge any and all of you to leave me comments ripping apart my thoughts, giving me a firm but reassuring pat on the ass, or just to tell me how great of a fantasy player I must be – Now let’s roll out two player’s who have started out very differently in 2013. This will give you some insight into the stats I use and rely on in my own decision making. all thoughts are welcome.
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May.11th
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Sunday May 12th, 2013
Ryan Doumit has proved to be a great roaming player for the Minnesota Twins.He can play DH (16 Games in 2013) and Catch (10 Games in 2013) He can also play 1B and OF. Doumit has clubbed 3 HRs in the last week – and could play Jack Parkman if Major League 2 was ever re – done.
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Nelson Cruz Highlights 2012 – Mature Highlights so Parental Guidance is advised:
Who Owned Baseball – Updated May.06/2013
Justin Verlander took a no hitter into the 7th inning and finished with seven shut out innings with 9 strikeouts as the Tigers beat the Astros 9-0.
Adrian Beltre scored on the tying home run and hit the walk off hit as the Rangers won 4-3 and swept the Red Sox.
Jaime Garcia 8 strong as the Cardinals shut down the Brewers 10-1, sweeping the series.
Adeiny Hechavarria had quite a game. He tripled and hit a grand slam off of Roy Halladay as the Marlins crushed the Phillies, 14-2 .
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They all owned baseball on May 05, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.
To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – click here Read the rest of this entry
Chase Headley: Contract Talks Or Trade Bait?
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Monday May 6th, 2013
Headley led the NL with 115 RBI in 2012 amongst 31 HRs, he will need to put up monster numbers for the Padres to compete with the NL West teams going forward Chase Headley actually fared well at Petco Park in 2012 – with a 3 Slash Line of .272/.357/.812. He added 13 HRs and 51 RBI. He could potentially hit a few more out this season with the fences newly drawn in.
Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
For the past few seasons, Chase Headley has been the one guy on the roster that the San Diego Padres can rely on. Last year, he put up MVP-like numbers, hitting 31 HR and driving in 115 runs.
This year, he is really the only guy in the lineup that can truly produce runs. Yonder Alonso has that capability, but he is still a bit raw. Headley is signed to a one-year $8.58 million contract.
He becomes Arbitration-eligible in 2014 and is a Free Agent in 2015. The Padres are faced with a conundrum: should they trade Headley?
This third baseman is 28 years old—about the time when most players enter their prime. With the season we saw from Headley in 2012, I think it is safe to say that he has already entered his prime, and probably has two or three more years similar to 2012 ahead of him.
If the Padres are building for the future, which I sure hope they are, they need to trade Headley right away.
MLB Monthly Power Rankings May 2013 (Podcast Version)
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday, May.05/2013
The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
One month down in the MLB season and that means it’s time for some Power Rankings! Chuck Booth the czar of MLBreports.com joins us in studio to rank every team from worst to first. Where does your team rank? Read the rest of this entry
Texas Rangers Payroll In 2013: Rangers Organizational Rosters + Depth Charts – (MLB + MiLB)
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The Texas Rangers have been the most consistent American League Franchise since Nolan Ryan took over as CEO of the club midway through 2010. They made the World Series in 2010 and 2011 – losing to the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco in back to back years. The club has done a great job assembling a Minor League system full of talent – and a great amount of talent via Free Agency. Will the Rangers be able to finally win a World Series in the coming years?
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website here Follow @prosportsroster
You guys are all in for a treat. Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams.
Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.
In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball. He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!
For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Rangers Organization click here
2010 ALCS Highlight Video
Ranking the Top 10 Hitters In The MLB Right Now: Part 2 (6-10)
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Follow @mlbreportsBelow is Part 2 of the Top 10 hitters in baseball. You can read Part 1 here.
Tuesday February.26, 2013
Cano has only missed 7 games in the last 4 years. He has hit over .300 in those seasons – belted 40 + Doubles and scored over 100 Runs. He has averaged 29 HRs and 102 RBI also for that span. The man has won 3 straight Silver Slugger Awards. Cano’s Career 3 Slash Line is .308/.361/.854. With this being a contract year, he could stand to land himself a historic contract with an MVP type season. Picture by Keith Allison, Flicker.com
By Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Writer) Follow @thejakeman24
The top hitters in the MLB right now includes 5 awesome hitters. It was hard to comprise the list, but here it is.
Robinson Cano is in line for a huge payday after this season, and his numbers can justify his demands.
OK, Yankee stadium partially inflates his power numbers. Cano had a 59.3 HR/FB (Home Run to fly ball ratio) to Right Field, which is quite a figure seeing that the mean for baseball’s best power hitters is in the 20 percent range, to all fields.
It’s safe to say that Cano grasped the idea of the infamous shorter porch in Right Field, and who wouldn’t? On he same token, that shouldn’t give us the wrong idea about his power. According to ESPN’s Hittracker Online, Cano was eighth in the American League with nine “no doubt” Home runs, telling us that his power isn’t solely due to the friendly hitter confines of Yankee Stadium.
The thing is, there’s more to his game then Home runs. He had the fifth highest oWAR (Offensive WAR) in baseball last year, and finished eighth in the MLB in Adjusted OPS+.
Given the dearth amount of talent at Second Base these days, Cano could be in line for a 8-year, $200+ Million contract next winter.
Robinson Cano at the 2011 Home Run Derby:
Yu Darvish: What Needs To Be Done For An Encore In 2013
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday January 29th, 2013
Yu Darvish ended up with a 3.90 ERA at the end of the 2012 season, helping the Rangers into the Wild Card Game play in game. While Darvish went 10-2 before the ALL-Star Game – and then 6-7 afterwards, however the the ERA only went from 3.88 (1st half) – 3.92 (2nd half).
Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
Yu Darvish was up there with the most hyped players ever to sign out of Japan. There was a bidding war just to get the rights to negotiate with him, and the half-Japanese half-Iranian pitcher ended up signing with the Texas Rangers for over $50 Mllion and another 53.7 Million in a posting fee.. Darvish had what many would call a successful season with the Rangers in 2012, going 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 191.1 Innings Pitched. He was just what the Rangers needed in a front-of-the-rotation type pitcher who could eat up innings. Darvish signed a 6-year contract before 2012, so the Rangers will still get a minimum of five more years from him. In this feature, I will discuss what Yu Darvish needs to do in order to continue to be the successful starter the Rangers signed.
All in all, Yu Darvish had a great 2012 season. All of his numbers were right where they needed to be, and the pitcher did not have any major issues. Darvish struck out 221 and carried a 1.28 WHIP. The only statistic that was a bit eye-catching was the number of walks. Darvish walked 89 batters over the course of the season, and held a 2.48 K/BB ratio. Darvish’s control was the one part of his skillset that was rather questionable. There were games last season in which Darvish walked four, five, even six in a game. In fact, Darvish walked six in a game three times, and five in a game twice. He had no games in which he did not walk anyone. In his last seven starts, however, Darvish did not walk more than two in a game—which could possibly mean that Darvish worked out whatever was causing him to lose control.
Yu Darvish 2012 Highlights:
The Texas Rangers Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday, January.19th, 2013
Texas has doubled their total team payroll since the new ownership group took over. As good as they are doing right now for Payroll – the Angels still have them beat by 35-40 Million Dollars.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56
It is easy to equate a big market team’s success with merely a willingness to overspend on free agents and use their superior earning power to dominate the sport. While the Rangers certainly are not afraid of spending all that money that playing the Dallas/Fort Worth area provides, it would be inaccurate to equate the team’s recent string of success with only their ability to outspend a fair portion of their competitors. As we enter the 2013 season, the Rangers have built a very strong base – while managing to not tie themselves to any back-breaking, future altering contracts. That is a testament to the organization’s belief in its system – and its refusal to spend on player just because they are able to. With that being said, let’s take a look at the Rangers 2013 payroll as of now and see where Texas will be spending its money next season.
Rangers 2011 ALCS Clincher:
The 2013 Texas Rangers Roster: State of The Union
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday January 14th, 2013
The Rangers had back to back World Series Appearances in 2010 and 2011 – does this club have another run in them without Josh Hamilton and Michael Young? They regressed in the 2012 Season – losing a 13 Game Division Lead in the AL West before barely capturing a Wild Card Spot. They eventually lost the Play In Wild Card-Game to the Baltimore Orioles.
By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent): Follow @bka_9
Looking back on the end of the 2012 season, and how the AL West lead was given up in a matter of days to Oakland, it’s clear the Texas front office wanted change in the clubhouse for 2013. It seems as though GM Jon Daniels’ motto for the offseason is “out with the old, in with the new….er”. Daniels is eager to bring a World Series victory to Arlington and has pieced together a team of new players with old postseason successes. There is also a chance that the Rangers will also bring up some of their promising prospects that they protected throughout the offseason trade frenzy. This makes for some very interesting lineup possibilities for the upcoming season, especially with the major roles needing to be filled by former Ranger departures such as 1B/C Mike Napoli, U Michael Young, OF Josh Hamilton, and P Ryan Dempster.
Ian Kinsler Highlights for 2012:
Josh Hamilton: Three Reasons To Believe That He Could Sign With The Brewers
Tuesday October 30th, 2012
Jake Dal Porto: This year’s free agent market may be slim on depth, but it does not lack a main attraction with Josh Hamilton set to hit the open market. Hamilton hit a career-high 43 home runs this past season, but a slew of late season miscues have affected his marking price.
While he isn’t the safest of offseason additions, teams will still look to acquire the powerful lefty because of his middle of the order presence which very few others can match.
With the Yankees and Red Sox likely out of the running for the slugger, the Brewers suddenly have a decent chance of bringing in Hamilton.
Here are three reasons why: Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports Playoff Power Rankings and Predictions 2012
Friday, October.5/2012
The Reds have Joey Votto back and definitely are the deepest team in the playoffs. They start in San Francisco versus the Giants on Saturday in a best of 5 Series in the NLDS Round.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024
In what could be one of the most exciting days in MLB History, we present to you a special edition of the MLB Reports Power Rankings,
1. Cincinnati Reds: The reason I have chosen these guys is because of their path to the World Series is probably easier than any other team in the MLB when it comes to Strength of Schedule. Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier will challenge for NL Cy Young Votes and the Rookie of the Year Award. They have a healthy Joey Votto and it is time for Brandon Phillips to show his playoff metal. They have the greatest bullpen in the playoffs and are playing in the 1st round against the San Francisco Giants. The Great American Ball Park should be a great home field advantage.
Unheralded Player to watch in this Playoffs: Starting Pitcher Homer Bailey has pitched really well this year and is coming off a recent no-hitter.
2. Detroit Tigers: The Tigers are playing their best baseball of the season and caught a break when the Athletics won the AL West. Miguel Cabrera was on fire in September en route to his AL Triple Crown win. The Tigers were 32-11 in their last 43 home games and their solid pitching bodes well versus all of the homer centric teams in the AL. Their toughest competition would be the Yankees and Rangers and I am not sure those teams will be able to match the pitching of the club. While in my rankings I have given the #1 ranking to the Reds, the Tigers were my preseason pick to win the WS Title and it will all be on the backs of Prince Fielder and Cabrera.
Unheralded player to watch in the Playoffs: Omar Infante. He is a great all around player who comes up with clutch hits.
MLB: Final Fantasy MMXXII
Monday October 1st, 2012
Peter Stein: Although the past week may have marked the end of your fantasy season, in many of the most competitive leagues the championship comes down to the very last games of the regular season. Just as many of these games have significant meaning to many MLB times, the same holds true with fortunate fantasy owners. If you fighting it out for a championship in the final days, then read on. If not, check back next week as the focus will shift to strategy and 2013 rankings.
First and foremost, in the final days some teams will be sitting players to rest for the playoffs or giving their youngsters a taste of the big leagues. However, with the second wild card spot implemented this year, these games actually have significance for almost half of the teams in the league. No team can rest easy, including Texas, as teams want to avoid the one game playoff. Ironically, with a now a three game lead, it will probably be the Tigers (7th best record in the AL) that will clinch first and be able to rest players. However, don’t think they will be sitting Miguel Cabrera when he is in the hunt for the elusive Triple Crown title. Thus, the good news is that you most likely don’t need to worry about your star player being benched, but these are the people you need to monitor over the final three days: Read the rest of this entry
Pedro Alvarez: Finally Meeting The Hype in Pittsburgh
Saturday September 15th, 2012
Jake Dal Porto: Pedro Alvarez is starting to turn the corner. Taking the next step. But, early career struggles had insiders, fans, writers, and everything in-between, labeling him as a “bust”. Let’s not forget that he was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft. So pressure and expectations are sky-high for him, and that’s not anything out of the ordinary. That’s a common theme with almost all high MLB draft picks. Alvarez, however, didn’t meet or exceed those expectations when he first broke into the majors, which caused some concern throughout the club.
In an article on Baseball America, one writer called him “the biggest waste of hitting talent in draft history”. That’s a pretty bold statement especially from a respected baseball publication. Sure, if it came from some snobby fan, then a statement like that would simply be shrugged off. That wasn’t the case, however. And believe it or not, that bold statement was pretty precise. Harsh? Yes. True? You bet. Yes Alvarez was young, but there were too many red flags to ignore at this stage of his young career. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: September 2012
Monday, September.3/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024 To say that this year has been a good year for baseball is an humongous understatement. I thought after last years finish, that nothing was going to duplicate the experience. Everyone forgets (or maybe not) that there should not even have been many races last year with Atlanta and Boston having such substantial leads on playoff spots. The Red Sox and Braves collapsed like a couple of bowling pins with King Kong Bundy splashing down on them!
This year, there are 15 teams still vying for 10 playoff spots. So far the only probable locks are Washington for a playoff spot-and Cincinnati to probably win their division The player races for all of the categories is almost as fascinating. Will Andrew McCutcheon catch Melky Cabrera for the Batting title? Or will 2012 be forever cemented in baseball folklore by a stained player like Cabrera? He could still end up determining who wins the World Series in the Fall Classic by his Testosterone filled antics in his MVP ALL-Star Game. The big question is, will the San Francisco Giants fans cheer for him if he comes back in the playoffs? They cheered for another league leader before when it was obvious he was guilty. Right now if you are the Giants, you will take an opportunity to boo or cheer for Cabrera because that means you would be in the playoffs.
Will the spending happy Dodgers have to wait another year to capitalize on their new plan to make the playoffs? If they ultimately miss the playoffs outright, are they going to buy every player they can in the off-season? I sure hope Magic knows that there are Luxury Tax penalties for spending over 178 Million Next Year. 1st year fine is 22.5%, 2nd year is 30%, 3rd year and beyond is 40%. So if they plan on having a 250 Million Dollar Payroll in 2013 (by adding 2 or 3 more top Free Agents) will the Dodgers just forego the worry of any financial penalties on a yearly basis– just to dominate the whole National League (plus baseball for that matter.) Every other team has to consider the urgency in cashing out a World Series right now while the Dodgers have not had a full off season with the new management yet. Can Oakland and their ‘New Money Ball philosophy’ make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2006?
The Best Players over the last month were: Buster Posey, Prince Fielder, Giancarlo Stanton, Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Yovani Gallardo, Kris Medlen, Adam Wainwright, Aroldis Chapman and Felix Hernandez. The best teams have been Oakland, Washington, San Francisco, San Diego, Baltimore and Texas. The worst teams have been Houston (at least its better to go down hard and stockpile #1 Draft Picks guys.) I have a feeling you will be there for a while with the division you are heading into and may even challenge the 120 Loss Single Season Record. At least you are not going into the NL West to compete with the LA Dodgers! The Cleveland Indians have fallen to an epic drop-off as well. Toronto misses their top sluggers. What has happened to the Minnesota Twins? The Mets have ownership and payroll problems, so at least they have an excuse. Plus they lead the world in guys being hurt. When David Wright has been your healthiest player, you know the season has been backwards! So sit back, get your notebook and popcorn ready for this Month’s Rankings! Read the rest of this entry
Beltre and Hamilton Need to Carry the Rangers for a 3rd Straight WS Appearance
Tuesday, August.28/2012
Hamilton and Beltre need to carry the Rangers to their 3rd straight World Series Appearance. This feat has not been done since the Yankees went to 4 straight WS Appearances from 1998-2001.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024 It is Adrian Beltre Awareness Week! What is that exactly? I have adopted an idea to carry out on twitter-in order to provide the unheralded players of the MLB, their just credit. So far there has been Juan Pierre, Mike Morse , Jose Altuve Awareness Weeks and now it is Adrian Beltre’s turn. I decided on the Rangers 3rd base slugger because I believe that he is on a path for Cooperstown. Rather than bore you with details I have already written about before on the Reports, you can click here for my previous article on Beltre hitting himself into Hall Of Fame Consideration: click here.
Okay back to the point. It was right after Adrian Beltre’s 3 HR game that I started sending out my link on the article and hailing Beltre as a man worthy for Cooperstown if he keeps it up. I had many of my followers indicate they had never thought about him like that. In bullet point style here. Right after that he had a 3 hit game, in which he was a Triple short of the cycle. The next day he hit for his second career cycle. It made me feel really good about my stance on the guy. 5 HRs, 2 Doubles, a Triple and 2 singles is a month for some guys and Beltre accomplished this feat in 14 AB over 3 games. That is 29 total bases folks, a slugging percentage of over 2 and a .714 Average. The Rangers offense has several players that seem to blow up like this. Nelson Cruz had 8 RBI not so long ago. Beltre had that 3 homer game in the ALCS last year. Then there was Josh Hamilton and his 4 HR game. Hamilton has also had 3 games this year where he had collected 5 RBI or more.
The Rangers are a power house offense. They have guys like Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli hitting 8th routinely. They are going to win the AL West for a 3rd Straight year. With all of this said, something doesn’t resonate with me in them making their 3rd straight World Series this year. That feat has not been accomplished since the Yankees made 4 fall classics in a row from 1998-2001. The Rangers are vulnerable and have weaknesses in their pitching. They don’t have C.J Wilson this year and Rookie Yu Darvish is slowing down after a great first half. I think with Darvish, it is the innings that are catching up to him. In Japan, they usually have 6 man rotations. This is new territory for the talented chucker.
Adrian Beltre Highlights!
