Monthly Archives: May 2014
Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 7 + Best Value Bets

I sound like a broken record, but where is the love for this team? Okay, they may not win this thing, but at +4500, and they have an easy AL Central schedule for the rest of the year, great pitching – and could trade for a batter. Best Value on the Board – rated as the 19th longest shot.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
For my best bets last week – I was 4 – 0 – 1. Cleveland has stayed at +8000, TB has risen from +3300 to this week +3000. The Pirates went from +6600 to +5000 and the Orioles went from +4500 to +4000. I was also right on the the Royals going from +5000 – +4500.
With the +4500: This is pretty stupid considering KC is 20 – 19, and would be considered tied for the Wild Card Spot. Clearly with the White Sox, Twins and Indians, they have one of the better strength of schedules favoring them.
Also, love Yordano Ventura becoming better as the year carries on, and have Danny Duffy pitching frames again as a starter. The offense is starting to heat up a little bit. They will be my best bet of this week.
I went 2 – 2 – 1 with my worst odds on the board, as the A’ stayed the same for yet another week. The Angels proved me wrong by climbing from +1400 – +1200 and SF shot up from +1400 all the way to +1100.
I had the Marlins on the way down, and they plummeted from +6600 last week to +12500 this week,
Toronto also went from +2800 + 3000 In my favor.
Be sure to scroll down who I pick this week (Haven’t deviated much from last week.) Read the rest of this entry
The Cardinals Struggles In 2014 So Far Might Point To Accumulation Of Roster Changes Since 2011

After St. Louis won the 2011 World Series, they lost their world class 1B Free Agent player in Albert Pujols. It was the right move (10 YRs/$250 MIL is too much), and Michael Wacha was the compensation pick, so one wouldn’t even make the trade for the Cardinals former legend. However much like the Mariners in the late 90’s lost Johnson, Griffey and Rodriguez, that team had a league record 116 wins in 2001. The Cards have back to back NLCS Appearances, and lost the World Series in 2013, however despite being chalked with young talent, is that they still have lost several key components to their team in the last 3 years. Somewhere the franchise might have to slow down for a brief spell.
In no way am I going to slag the best run franchise in the MLB. We are talking about the quintessential template of how to run your team in the modern world of baseball.
All I am projecting in this article is that every team goes through a stretch of play where they may not be performing to capabilities.
Some of these problems may even persist for a whole campaign.
The 2011 Cardinals won the World Series, and then after losing their future hall of fame legend in Albert Pujols, were able to bring in Free Agents Carlos Beltran to help offset the power headed out the door.
The move paved the way for another final four finish. In fact, St. Louis held a 3 – 1 NLCS lead before the Giants won 3 straight.
2013 saw their young players come to fruition at the same time, and it mixed perfectly with their cagey Veteran core.
The organization had 6 players in the top 100 prospects as listed by http://www.mlb.com – and most of them have seen time with the big club thus far. Read the rest of this entry
2014’s Top HR Hitters In The MLB: HR Streaks (3 Active): (Ortiz, Solarte, Donaldson) + Abreu’s Monster Start In 2014

For the 2nd straight game David Ortiz clubbed 2 HRs against his former team the Twins. The big Red Sox DH now is tied for 2nd in the AL with 11 HRs (with Nelson Cruz). The 38 Year Old Designated Hitter is pulverizing the ball of late, and has shown no signs of slowing down. This bodes well for Boston, who can use the automatic advantage Ortiz gives them at a position that is struggling to find players that thrive in. The LHB has sipped champagne after winning 3 World Series with Boston, and with the way he is slugging of late, the Beantowners will be back atop the AL East Division rather shortly
David Ortiz not only hit jacks in 2 consecutive games, the ALL – Time DH HR leader hit 2 of them, in both Tuesday and Wednesday’s game.
For his efforts, he has tied for 2nd in AL HRs. The man keeps on ticking even at the age of 38.
Nelson Cruz blasted a shot that almost brought the O’s back in a game they trailed the Tigers 6 – 0. The O’s may have lost 7 – 5, but they continue to receive great play from this man.
Cruz was a bargain basement deal at 1 YR/$8 MIL, for a guy who is currently on pace to smash over 40 HRs, and drive in well over 120 RBI.
These are the kind of numbers the 33 Year Old was posting for the Rangers in 2013, before being placed on 50 game suspension for his part in the Biogenesis PED mess. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 14, 2014
It is my birthday, and more than anything, I’d like to see some pitchers get healthy!
And if you are lucky enough to have a pitcher who is great and young and you are in a pennant race… go for it!
That and more on the birthday edition of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
David Price, Miguel Cabrera, Bronson Arroyo, Curtis Granderson, David Ortiz, Ubaldo Jimenez, Emilio Bonifacio and Mike Leake all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
2014’s Top Home Run Hitters In The MLB: AL/NL, HR Streaks (1 Active) + Multi HRs Games

Brandon Moss has unleashed some serious power in the Bay Area since becoming a member of the A’s. He has clubbed 59 HRs and added 172 RBI in just 844 AB. This means he is averaging a big fly for every 14.3 AB, and about an RBI every 4.90 AB. This is outstanding production. In 550 AB, he would club about 38 HRs and add about 112 RBI. Oakland has him under team control for 2015 and 2016 in Arbitration before he can hit Free Agency in 2017. Moss has 8 HRs (2 last night) and knocked in 33 this season – while carrying a 3 Slash of .286/.364/.526 – which is close to his .894 Lifetime OPS with the A’s,
Brandon Moss continued to raise his stock in the realms of the power hitting players pantheon Tuesday by doing yard work twice.
David Ortiz did all he could to help Boston win with a 2 HR effort. There you go, looking at his year numbers for 2014, as they bare resemblance to his career 3 Slash.
The only active MLB’er to carry HRs in consecutive games this day is Mets OF Curtis Granderson.
This fine gentlemen showed the New York fans what they are missing, as he has clubbed shots over the wall in back to back games.
Granderson had back to back 40+ HR campaigns with the Bronx Bombers, and will always be compared to Carlos Beltran in the next 3 years. They both have 5 HRs – and Granderson has 4 more RBI, while Beltran has better averages.
Beltran is also hurt now with a bone spur. The Yankes felt his postseason pedigree was the deciding factor of signing him over Granderson.
Both Ortiz and Victor Martinez climbed into the top 5 in HRs last evening.
All 5 HR streaks ended for the guys who had walked into the night from previous games – including C.J. Cron losing his consecutive games bid via pinch hitting against the Phillies. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 13, 2014
Sean Doolittle got a save last night and it was the real deal.
A few changes need to be made to the save rule to make it relevant again.
Plus I like the DH being in the AL but not the NL.
That and more on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Eric Young Jr, Tim Lincecum, Jesse Chavez, Jose Bautista, Christian Yelich, Bud Norris, Brett Gardner and yes Sean Doolittle all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
2014’s Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (5 Active) + Multi HRs Games
There were a lot of HRs hit for how few games there were on a shortened Monday schedule last evening. Yasiel Puig hit a mammoth HR to erase a 2 run deficit into a lead.
The 2nd Year Dodger is on fire right now, and has hit back to back HRs in the last few games.
After a slower start, the 23 Year Old is now resembling the player he was last year, featuring a .318/.408/.551 3 Slash Line for the campaign – with 7 HRs and 29 RBI.
These totals put him on pace for about 33 HRs and 120 RBI for the year if he keeps it up. He will quickly be reengaged into the NL MVP Voting if his is the case. Read the rest of this entry
Week 7 Of The MLB Schedule 2014
ALL Times In Eastern Time
Week 7
Monday May.12/2014 (10 Games)
1. Braves @ Giants 10:15
2. White Sox @ Athletics 10:15
3. Cubs @ Cardinals 8:15
4. Tigers @ Orioles 7:05
5. Marlins @ Dodgers 10:10
6. Mets @ Yankees 7:05 (Interleague)
7. Rangers @ Astros 8:10
8. Nationals @ D-Backs 9:40
9. Angels @ Blue Jays 7:07
- Rays @ Mariners 10:10 Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 12, 2014
I was at the DMV, waiting for my number to be called.
While waiting, I decided to record a podcast about numbers that should be retired.
Lots of numbers waiting to be called on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
,Derek Norris, Homer Bailey, John Lackey, Daniel Murphy, Dustin Ackley, Jeff Baker and Clayton Kershaw all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
2014’s Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (3 Active) + Multi HRs Games

For the 3rd straight weekend, Mark Teixeira has hit HRs in back to back games. He has begun his 2014 season with power we haven’t seen from him in a few years. Tex has 7 HRs in just 79 AB – with having knocked in 16 RBI. He is on pace to crack about 40 HRs and add about 100 RBI. Don’t think he will maintain that pace, but a 25 – 30 HRs campaign, with 80 RBI is not out of the question.
Yesterday, Derek Norris hit 2 HRs to lift the A’s to a sweep over the Nationals. He also had back to back games of HRs early last month, and is featuring an OPS of nearly 1.100.
John Jaso, he is Catching tandem partner, had back to back games with dingers over the weekend.
Dustin Ackley hit HRs in both Saturday and Sunday games to put himself on our board of HRs. On Sunday, the guy clobbered two balls over the wall to give him 4 on the year.
Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki and Mark Teixeira all have been hit big HRs over the last 20 calendar days, all featuring 3 different stints, where they carried HR streak of 2 or more games.
Victor Martinez is also creeping up on the leaderboard with his recent power surge.
Finally, Charlie Blackmon did some yard work giving him 9 HRs and 29 RBI on the young season. He is tied for 5th in NL HRs. Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7 – May 2014

The Mariners are 10 – 4 in their last 14 games – without receiving any outstanding play from one particular player. They are the biggest jumpers in this weeks rankings, going from #20 – #15. The club concludes a series vs the Kansas City Royals, before they welcome the Tampa Rays next into Safeco Field.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
We are almost at the quarter pole for action in the MLB.
The biggest mover and shakers this week were the Seattle Mariners, followed by Baltimore Orioles. LA Angels and San Francisco Giants.
Plummeting in the other directions were led by the Phils, who we dropped from 17th to 24th.
The Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers and Rangers all lost 4 places in the rankings based on sub-par weeks.
The AL New York franchise is about 1 bad week from free-falling to the AL East. Right now the team has received buoyancy because of ace Masahiro Tanaka being 5 – 0.
Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran are having a tough time finding their rhythm with the Bronx Bombers.
I believe the Dodgers will rectify their situation shortly and take off.
Washington is barely over .500 even though most of their players are playing to their capabilities.
The Royals offense is destroying their team morale, as is the Mets having a tough time with the Relief Core, and their Pitchers are still battling .000 for the year like you and me.
Oakland is still leading the MLB in wins since the start of the 2012 year.
The Red Sox are one of the most likely teams to climb the standings in the next few weeks.
With the Cards not playing well, keep in mind, 18 of the next 21 games reside in Busch Stadium for them. It is time to make some headway.
The AL has fashioned a 18 – 8 mark in Interleague this week to apply a 34 – 33 overall lead on the NL now.
The Rockies are blasting every baseball into orbit right now. These guys are hitting as well at home as the Pre-Humidor ERA. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 11, 2014
It is time for The Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball Sunday podcast question: Thinking about 100 yrs of Wrigley, which of the new ballparks will still be around to celebrate 100?
— MB (@cu8sfan) May 10, 2014
I bet in 100 years a lot of the stadiums we are going to now will be long gone.
It is the Mother’s Day issue of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
John Jaso, Tyler Skaggs, Corey Dickerson, Zack Greinke, Jeff Samardzija, David Wright and Jose Altuve all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 6

Yes the Rays are playing terrible baseball at 15 – 21, but they are only 4 games behind the playoff bar. They always start off the year slow – and the exponentially become better as the year wears on. When Alex Cobb comes back – they have the best Starting Rotation in the AL East, and I think they are most capable of making a run at a playoff berth. At +3300, Tied for 14th longest odd, I am placing them the best value on the board, given their pedigree for strong second half’s.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
My best value picks last week I was 3 – 2, 1. The Royals dropped from +3500 – +5000, 2. Reds went from +5000 – +4000, TB went from +2500 – +3300, as the Orioles went from +5000 – 4500, and the Cards went from +1100 – +1000.
I still believe the Royals will turn around their season – and may beat the AL teams cannibalizing each other for a Wild Card Stretch. They went 47 – 34 down the pike, and may just be a better 2nd half club.
The Orioles at +700 for the AL East is a better wager than the +4500 right now, as i don’t believe they have the tools to win the World Series, but they could eek out the Division.
The Reds are hanging in despite injury, and I think the Brewers will fall back, so it is just the Cards to contend with in the long run, and Cincy is just 1 Game behind those guys. +4000 is still a great value.
The Rays are totally struggling as we speak at 15 – 21, however they are just 4 games behind the playoff bar, and should be receiving Alex Cobb back shortly.
Out of all of the AL East teams, they are probably best suited for a 20 – 5 stretch with their pitching. They will be the best odd this week.
Worst Odds on the Board I was right in my assessment on 2, broke even on the other 2 – and neglected to think the Jays would move up, but they did from +3000 – +2800. SF and Oak were the draws both keeping their previous odd.
The #1 worst odd pick of last week was Boston, and they dropped from +1200 +1400.
My 2nd worst odd was Cleveland at +5500 – and they skyrocketed down the road all the way to +8000.
So for the week, I fashioned a 5 – 3 – 2 overall record for value plays. Keep reading at the end of this post too see my picks this week. Read the rest of this entry
Believe it or Not: Nats Prospects
A great prospects article by Sean Hogan
We’re now just over a month into minor league seasons and there have been both some pleasant surprises and big disappointments in the Nats system so far. One month is a pretty small sample size, but some people will still jump to conclusions either that a prospect has put it all together or completely fallen apart. Today, I’ll do my best to determine what to believe and what not to.
Michael Taylor – 23 years old – OF – Harrisburg (AA)
No prospect post is complete without mentioning Michael Taylor. Somehow I’m amazed that he’s still only 23, as it seems like he’s been in the organization forever (he was a 6th rounder in 2009). Taylor has roared off to a .275/.359/.549 start through 28 games in AA Harrisburg. This is the first time he’s played at that high of a level, and he’s more than a year and a…
View original post 916 more words
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 10, 2014
I got on a plane with the Red Sox down to their last out in Yu Darvish‘s bid for a no hitter.
I spent the flight thinking he had a no hitter. No better time to record a podcast than up in the air.
From the sky to the land, it is The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Yu Darvish, Jose Abreu, Johnny Cueto, Jedd Gyorko, Justin Verlander, David DeJesus, Jason Hammel and Allen Craig all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 9, 2014
Johnny Manziel is the latest hope for Cleveland fans. But 2 and a half decades ago, the arrival of Sandy Alomar helped create a new identity for the Indians that almost took the pressure off of every single Cleveland team afterwards.
Plus Royals manager Ned Yost might be out of a job soon.
Come on down to Cleveland town everyone on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Edwin Encarnacion, Dallas Kuechel, Anthony Rizzo, Ryan Vogelsong, Ian Kennedy, Nolan Arenado and Alexei Ramirez all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
2014 MLB Team Runs Survivor Through Games Played May.08: 14 Teams Complete Including ALL The AL Central

High praise to the Cubs (won’t happen much this year) for at least scoring 10+ runs in a game yesterday. When this was accomplished to avoid a 4 game sweep to city rivals the White Sox, they had their 11th run variation from 0 – 10. They were the 5th NL squad to complete the mission. I thought it would take them much longer to score enough runs in a game – to punch out the 8, 9 and 10 run game totals respectively.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
This should turn out to be quite fun. A lot of gambling establishments have this sort of deal, and it will be fun to see the results.
What Runs Survivor is, a MLB team scoring 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10 or (10+) in different games throughout the course of the season.
Once a club has one of these run totals once, you cross it off and keep going until they complete the 11 different variations. We are going to keep tracking this category – until all 30 MLB clubs are finished this season!
In the last 5 days of play since our last post, 5 more teams have completed this mission. What I can’t wait for is who will be the last team to finish out.
It doesn’t look good for San Diego who hasn’t even scored 8 runs or above so far this campaign. Read the rest of this entry
2014 Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (5 Active) + Multi HRs: The Heavy Hitters Are Finally Awake

The 2012 and 2013 AL MVP finally is putting it all together. Miguel Cabrera has helped bash Detroit to an 8 game wining streak, and has finally hit HRs in back to back games.After hitting for a decent average for a few weeks, the 31 Year Old 1B has been racking up RBI, and is adding power back to his repertoire. Miggy now has 25 RBI in 29 Games Played despite just cranking 4 HRs. But this writer feels a hot HRs streak coming from the RHB. Cabrera is coming off back to back 44 HR campaigns.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I picked him to lead the AL and Giancarlo Stanton to lead tie him for the most in the MLB with 49 each. I think the guy could still do it. He blasted 44 HRs last year, when he couldn’t even hit for power during the last 6 weeks of 2013.
Also effectively off the snide is Adrian Beltre, who clubbed a Round Tripper in the last 2 games the Rockies have obliterated the Rangers. It may come as little solace to the now 17 – 17 Texas team, but your Silver Slugger 3B is starting to mash.
Now only if you could have the real Prince Fielder stand up and do the same! Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 8, 2014
A few years ago, the Marlins made a bunch of trades that on the surface looked disgraceful.
Now? Well, they may have helped assemble one of the most exciting teams in baseball with some of the best stars.
It is a Miami centric episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Nolan Arenado, Tom Koehler, Adam Jones, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Belt, Mike Leake and Brandon Moss all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.



















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