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Who Owned Baseball May 6, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB

(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Mike Trout had his third consecutive 3 hit game, reaching base 4 times altogether. homering, stealing a base and driving in 3 to push the Angels into first place alone with an 8-2 victory in Seattle.
Domingo German threw 6 no hit innings, striking out 9 Cleveland batters along the way in his first major league start. The Yankees bullpen would give up the no hitter and the lead, but New York staged a dramatic 9th inning comeback to walk off 7-4 winners.
Ian Desmond homered twice in the Rockies 3-2 win over the Mets.
Chad Kuhl allowed 1 hit and struck out 8 Brewers over 7 shutout innings as the Pirates rolled to a 9-0 laugher.
They all owned baseball on May 6, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball June 22, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

Eric Espada / Getty Images
Addison Russell went 4 for 5 with a homer and 2 RBI as the Cubs pounded Miami 11-1.
Carlos Gomez homered twice, added another hit and drove in an eye popping 5 runs to give the Rangers an 11-4 victory over Toronto.
Aaron Nola went 7 1/3 innings, striking out 8 Cardinals allowing 1 run and earning the 5-1 decision for Philadelphia.
Jose Quintana pitched shutout ball into the 7th, finishing with 6 2/3 scoreless frames and striking out 9 Twins as the White Sox rolled, 9-0.
They all owned baseball on June 22, 2017
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each MLB Franchise (Updated For Carlos Gomez, April 29, 2017 )

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Third cycle of the year and it isn’t even May!
My oh my. I can’t update this list of most recent cycles fast enough! Are we really going to have 3 cycles a month? We are on that pace.
At least this one wasn’t in Coors. The second cycle in Carlos Gomez’s career put the Rangers over the top over the Angels.
But don’t get used to this list. There is bound to be another one soon!
Here is the list, updated for today’s action!
THE MOST CYCLE HIT
FOR EACH FRANCHISE

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
John Jaso
September 28, 2016 vs. Chicago Cubs

NEW YORK YANKEES
Melky Cabrera.
August 2, 2009 vs Chicago White Sox
MINNESOTA TWINS
Michael Cuddyer
May 22, 2009 vs Milwaukee
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
George Brett
June 24, 1990 vs. Toronto
BONUS –
Last Cycles Hit For Teams in Old Locations
MONTREAL EXPOS
Vladimir Guerrero
September 14, 2003 vs. New York Mets
WASHINGTON SENATORS
Jim King
May 26, 1964 vs. Boston
NEW YORK GIANTS
Don Mueller
July 11, 1954 vs. Pittsburgh
PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS
Elmer Valo
August 2, 1950 vs. Chicago White Sox
BROOKLYN DODGERS
Gil Hodges
June 25, 1949 vs. Pittsburgh
ST. LOUIS BROWNS
George McQuinn
July 19, 1941 vs. Boston Red Sox
BOSTON DOVES
Bill Collins
October 6, 1910 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
With all these cycles in 2017, there MUST be one for the Marlins at SOME POINT!!!
Who Owned Baseball April 29, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2017 #WOB Standings

Ray Carlin – USA TODAY SPORTS
Carlos Gomez hit the first Rangers cycle since 2015, driving in 3 and scoring a pair to lead the Rangers past the Angels, 6-3.
Andrew Triggs threw 7 shutout innings, struck out 9 Astros and earned the 2-1 decision for the A’s.
Matt Kemp hit 3 homers and drove in 5 as the Braves clobbered the Brewers, 11-3.
Ivan Nova threw a stellar 3 hit complete game shutout, striking out 7 Marlins and securing the 3-0 Pittsburgh victory.
They all owned baseball on April 29, 2017
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
The Texas Rangers’ Outfield Has a Ton of Questions With 2017 on the Horizon
If the general premise of this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve talked about this before.
On the heels of the Texas Rangers returning to the playoffs in 2015, I noticed they had similar roster uncertainties in advance of 2016. All they did once Opening Day rolled around was win the American League West with ease by posting an AL-best 95-67 record.
While they proved to be masters of winning one-run games, having just a +10 run differential made some wonder if they’d be able to hang in the playoffs. And before there was an answer, they were packing up for the winter after getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.
The 2017 season is fast approaching, and the AL West will be interesting to follow. After all, Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto won’t stop making trades and the Houston Astros are doing whatever they can to make Sports Illustrated look like a bunch of geniuses.
The Rangers still have some roster questions to answer ahead of Spring Training — like, is this Mike Napoli reunion happening or not? — but one area that’s set is the outfield.
Texas will go to battle with 21-year-old Nomar Mazara in left, Carlos Gomez in center and Shin-Soo Choo manning right. This looks good on paper, but it’s far from a sure thing judging from each player’s recent history.
Texas Rangers State Of The Union For 2017: Jon Daniels Must Counter To Houston/Seattle’s Early Moves

The Texas Rangers won an American League best 95 games last season – to win their 2nd AL west Division. and to make the playoffs for the 5th time since 2010. The winter has not gotten off to a good start, as they have watched the Astros and Mariners all add depth to their teams – while Texas has lost players from their own year end roster. The team has to get involved right now to change the course of this offseason. The time to win is now with Yu Darvish and Jonathon Lucroy in walk contract years – while their ALL – Star Veterans like Cole Hamels and Adrian Beltre become another year older.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
The Rangers have been one of the better teams in the MLB since the 2010 season. Back to Back AL Pennants, and now back to back AL West Division wins have seen them reach the playoff 5 times out of the last 7 campaigns.
For those who like pitching – the franchise has 2 number one aces for at least one more year in Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels.
Simply put, the development of all of their Draft Picks, domestically or international, coupled with the management’s keen eye for talent, have the club still in the conversation for another few years.
Here is the thing though….The Astros and Mariners have been the two busiest clubs in acquiring talent thus far in the winter. Both of these teams have closed or narrowed the gap on Texas already,
Houston has signed Free Agents Josh Reddick and Carlos Beltran – with also dealing for Brian McCann. This will not affect their 2017 squad as both didn’t require anybody from the Major League Roster to get it done.
Seattle has not made as big of a splash like Houston, but has shored up some depth, and have nicely added Jean Segura (who was an ALL – Star and top 15 NL MVP in 2016 – without losing anything of note.)
Texas has signed Andrew Cashner and lost Beltran for sure…yikes.. Read the rest of this entry
6 MLB Teams That Will Benefit The Most By The New CBA

The Toronto Blue Jays have had to contend with the overspending in the last 25 years by the Yankees and Red Sox. With stiffer penalties now imposed on the higher payroll clubs. coupled with their recent back to back ALCS Appearances, the franchise draws enough to spend more money on total team salary in the next few years. It will come down to the management’s ability on player personnel that should determine their success for the next 5 years and not sheer finances.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Tomorrow we will point out the clubs that were hurt most in the short term. today we talk about the winners of the new deal.
I am calling the Nationals, Mariners, Astros, Jays, Cardinals and Giants the immediate victors under the new format.
When i was thinking about more the past two days, the new structure seems to favor mid level payroll teams more than the lower or higher payroll clubs.
With the new penalties for spending way more money than the Luxury Tax Threshold, the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers are going to find that the impact will run pretty steep on their roster decisions for the next 5 years.
Being that that all of those franchises are still going to dole out the kind of money on player contracts they are, I am not calling them losers for the new CBA either. Read the rest of this entry
Who Owned Baseball September 28, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
John Jaso hit the first ever cycle in the history of PNC Park, driving in 5 runs and helping the Pirates top the Division Champion Cubs, 8-4.
Carlos Gomez got on base 4 times, homering, driving in 3 as the Rangers came back to top Milwaukee, 8-5.
Tyler Chatwood threw 8 innings of dominating shutout ball, striking out 9 Giants and earning the 2-0 decision for Colorado.
Miguel Gonzalez pitched a shutout into the 9th, finishing with 8 1/3 innings, 3 hits and 5 Rays strikeouts as the White Sox shut them out, 1-0.
They all owned baseball on September 28, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball September 26, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

Getty Images
Dee Gordon started an emotional game in Miami with a homer dedicated to his late friend Jose Fernandez. He would finish with 4 hits and a stolen base to inspire the Marlins past the Mets, 7-3.
Robinson Cano got 3 hits, including two homers. The second one put the Mariners up for good in the 4-3 extra inning victory in Houston.
Tim Adleman held the Cardinals to 2 runs over 7 strong innings, walking none as Cincinnati ran up the score, 15-2.
Andrew Miller struck out 4 Tigers in 1 2/3 innings and earned the 7-4 decision as the Indians clinched the AL Central.
They all owned baseball on September 26, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Why The Houston Astros Have The Brightest Future In Major League Baseball

Carlos Correa was the 1st overall pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft for the Houston Astros. He came up in early June and proceeded to win the American League Rookie Of The Year Award with a 3 Slash of .279/.345/.512 with 22 HRs (led all shortstops in the MLB) and 22 Doubles in just 99 Games. This type of production will change the complexion of the team for the next 6 years. He is just going to be 21 for all of next season – and he looks exactly like a young Alex Rodriguez. In his 1st postseason action, Correa smacked 2 HRs in that pivotal game 4 of the ALDS for Houston, staking them to a 6 – 2 lead before the Bullpen gave up the game.
Trey Rose (Featured Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) Follow @Dynasty_Digest
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros had some very rough years from 2011 to 2013 (162-324 record).
While this was a tough time for the Major League Organization, their Minor League affiliates were thriving. Luckily for the Astros, a lot of their young talent has made their way through the minors and has finally landed in the big leagues.
This youth movement has helped the team drastically. Many baseball experts and fans didn’t predict the Astros to compete in 2015, but they proved them wrong.
In 2015, they made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They accomplished this feat while having the 6th youngest roster in Major League Baseball (Average age of 26.7 years old).
If the Astros were this successful with a roster with so little Major League experience, then can you imagine what they will do once their talent matures throughout the next few seasons?
Bold Predictions For The 2016 MLB Year
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Every year we do an article called “Bold Predictions”. I love this concept as most of these ideas are so preposterous that none of them will actually happen. I liken it to the “Riverboat Gambler Theory” where you can really get rich quick if it were to come to fruition.
There may not be too many secrets in the National League where the clubs seems to be either really good or really bad. The American League has a lot more parity.
I suppose I could start off by saying that the NL would win the Interleague series versus the AL, but that it is probably not going to happen based on a 12 year losing streak. Read the rest of this entry
San Francisco Giants State Of The Union For 2016

With the club pretty much being set for players all around the Infield and Outfield, and now the Starting Staff, the Giants look poised to make another run at a World Series run for an even year this decade. 2016 will see several of its Bullpen members on the last year of their contracts.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The only real need to upgrade could be at the Outfield level, with either a CF/LF. Angel Pagan is also in the last year of his deal, so maybe signing a guy to man the position beyond this coming year would be an option.
The Starting Rotation will be a lot stronger in 2016 with the additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
You can say what you want about Cueto’s time in Kansas City not being as effective., but he has played most of his career in Cincinnati – and pitched extremely well at Great American Ball Park.
Funny enough his best years have also come in even years with finishing 4th in NL Cy Young Voting in 2012, and 2nd in 2014, when he led the NL in Innings Pitched with 249.2 – and Strikeouts with 241 for the Reds.
Samardzija still has great stuff, and as a #3 Starter, you could see him bouncing back with a nice year in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry
Houston Astros State Of The Union For 2016

The Houston Astros were the worst team in the Major Leagues from 2011 – 2013, where they topped the 100 Loss barrier for each of those seasons, underwent an ownership change, and also moved from the tough NL Central to the AL West. Last year the Astros finally turned the corner with the 2nd Wild Card Spot, won that game in New York and took the KC Royals to the brink of elimination before they lost. They are young, have a core nucleus of team controllable superstars and exceptional depth that they can use for upgrades. It is a great time to be a ‘Stros fan.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros are set to contend for the foreseeable future. A 6 year stretch in which they revamped their entire Minor League System – and kept payroll down to grab top Draft Picks finally reeled in the teams 1st playoff spot in a decade in 2016.
After taking a 6 – 2 lead in Game 4 of the ALDS series against the Royals with 2 – 1 lead the Bullpen coughed up the margin – with the club also losing the next game to the eventual World Series winner.
It was a tough lesson to learn in the postseason – but it may be the 1st of many appearances in October in the near future.
The #1 task of acquiring a lock down Closer has been addressed in the recent trade for Ken Giles. Yes it cost them Brett Oberholtzer, former #1 overall Draft Pick Mark Appel, and a few other prospects, but it also sets up the nucleus core for 4 – 5 more years.
The clubs offense featured 11 guys with double digit Homers in the lineup, and 2 others that fell just a dinger shy of the clip. Read the rest of this entry
Chicago Cubs State Of The Union For 2016

I absolutely love the signing of Zobrist for the Cubs. He is a quality veteran Utility guy for this young versatile club. Zobrist at 35 may have been pricey at the four year deal work, but they were able to trade away Starlin Castro as a result. Zobrist was vital to the Royals 2015 World Series Playoff run – and is Joe Maddon’s favorite all time player. His ability to switch all over the field will give guys like Schwarber, Baez, Soler and Russell all the availability to thrive with matchup maneuvers. The Cubs should not stop here though. They need to acquire a CF – and trade for a #3 starter at some point in the next 8 months.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Cubs finally threw their names in the ring on the Free Agent front this week by first signing ultra Utility man Ben Zobrist to a 4 YR/$56 MIL -on the heels of John Lackey to a 2 YR/$32 MIL deal.
The club also dealt Starlin Castro away for another team controllable pitcher in Adam Warren. These are significant steps in the right direction to start their run at the 2016 NL Central Division Title,
2015 was a nice breakout season – and the furthest the team has gone in 12 years however this franchise needs to spend as much money and continue to pursue an end to their century plus World Series drought.
There is no question all other 29 clubs would trade their offensive rosters for the value the young Chicago NL squad is going to put forth the next 5 years. Read the rest of this entry