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Who Owned Baseball – August 7, 2019 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVPs) + 2019
YES Network
Let’s see owned baseball on August 7, 2019
Earning Full WOBs:
Ozzie Albies went 4 for 5 with 2 homers to help the Braves out slug the Twins, 11-7.
Iván Nova threw 8 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits as the White Sox won 8-1 in Detroit.
José Quintana allowed 2 hits and 1 run over 7 innings to earn the 10-1 decision for the Cubs over the A’s.
Gio Urshela homered twice, added another hit and drove in 4 as the red hot Yankees crushed the Orioles, 14-2.
Earning 1/2 WOBs:
Jack Flaherty struck out 10 Dodgers in 7 innings of 4 hits shutout ball. The Cardinals bullpen would melt down in the 9th and give up the 2-1 walk off defeat.
Lance Lynn went 7 innings, allowing 1 unearned run and 1 earned run while striking out 8 Cleveland batters. He took the hard luck 5-1 decision for Texas.
Miguel Sanó went 2 for 5 with a homer and 4 RBI in the Twins 11-7 loss to Atlanta.
Fernando Tatís Jr. reached base 3 times win a homer but the Padres lost to the Mariners, 3-2.
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
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Who Owned Baseball – July 23, 2019 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVPs) + 2019
David Banks/Getty Images
Let’s see owned baseball on July 23, 2019
Earning Full WOBs:
Robinson Canó homered 3 times and added a fourth hit, driving in all 5 Mets runs as they topped San Diego, 5-2.
Mike Fiers pitched into the 8th, allowing 2 runs in 7 2/3 innings. He set up the A’s dramatic comeback and extra inning 4-3 win in Houston.
Didi Gregorius reached base 6 times, homered and drove in an eye popping 7 runs as the Yankees held on in extra innings to take a wild 14-12 game from Minnesota.
Caleb Smith retired the first 17 White Sox hitters he faced and finished with 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 run and 9 strikeouts, earning the 5-1 decision for Miami.
Earning 1/2 WOBs:
Trevor Bauer took a shutout into the 8th and left with 7 2/3 shutout innings, striking out 9 Blue Jays. The Cleveland bullpen blew the lead in the 9th and the 2-1 final in extra innings.
Manny Piña went 2 for 2 with a homer and 4 driven in but the Brewers were topped by the Reds, 14-6.
Miguel Sanó homered twice in the Twins wild 14-12 extra inning loss to the Yankees.
Chris Stratton threw 3 perfect innings out of the bullpen but the Pirates could not complete a comeback and fell short to St. Louis, 4-3.
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball – June 28, 2019 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVPs) + 2019
Andy Cross – The Denver Post
Let’s see owned baseball on June 28, 2019
Earning Full WOBs:
Nolan Arenado went 4 for 5 with a homer and 2 RBI to help the Rockies finally slug one past the Dodgers, 13-9.
Lance Lynn struck out 10 in 8 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk as the Rangers blanked the Rays, 5-0.
Matt Olson reached base 4 times, including a pair of homers, driving in 5, powering the A’s past the Angels, 7-2.
Aníbal Sánchez held the Tigers to 1 run over 6 innings, striking out 8, to give the Nationals a 3-1 victory.
Earning 1/2 WOBs:
Danny Duffy pitched into the 7th, striking out 8 Blue Jays in 6 2/3 innings, but was saddled with the 6-2 Kansas City loss.
Max Muncy homered, singled and walked, driving in 5 runs but the Dodgers dropped the 13-9 slug fest to Colorado.
Miguel Sanó hit a pair of homers and added a walk in the Twins 6-4 loss to the White Sox.
Michael Wacha held the Padres to 2 runs an 6 hits over 7 innings but took the hard luck 3-1 decision for the Cardinals.
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball April 25, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB
AP Photo/Michael Wyke
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Justin Verlander kept the Angels hitless into the 5th and finished with 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 9 strikeouts, no walks and a 5-2 decision for the Astros.
Jon Gray struck out 11 Padres over 6 innings of 3 hit shutout ball to earn the 5-2 Colorado victory.
Nicholas Castellanos reached base 5 times, including a homer and 4 RBI in the Tigers 13-10 slug fest Game 1 win over Pittsburgh. He added another hit and RBI in the nightcap which Detroit dropped.
Matt Adams singled, doubled and launched a homer, driving in 6 runs as the Nationals demolished the Giants, 15-2.
They all owned baseball on April 25, 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 July 18, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Wacha threw a complete game 3 hit shutout, striking out 8 Mets and giving the Cardinals a much needed 5-0 win.
Brad Peacock struck out 9 Mariners in 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 run to earn the 6-2 decision for Houston.
Bryce Harper went 4 for 4 with a homer and 2 runs scored as the Nationals squeaked past the Angels, 4-3.
Nicholas Castellanos got 4 hits, including a pair of homers, driving in 5 runs as the Tigers beat the Royals 9-3.
They all owned baseball on July 18, 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.
Who Owned Baseball May 22, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
Ross D. Franklin – AP
Zack Greinke pitched into the 9th and struck out 12 White Sox in 8 2/3 innings and earned the 5-1 Diamondbacks victory.
Ender Inciarte collected 5 hits, drove in a run and scored another as the Braves topped Pitttsburgh, 5-2.
Michael Pineda gave the Yankees 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 6 Royals to get the 4-2 win.
Miguel Sano drove in 3 and scored 3 with his 4 hits, including a homer, to help Minnesota come from behind to beat Baltimore, 14-7.
They all owned baseball on May 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.
Who Owned Baseball April 30, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2017 #WOB Standings
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Rendon had a game for the ages, going 6 for 6, slugging 3 homers, scoring 5 runs and driving in a mind boggling 10 runs himself as the Nationals smothered the Mets, 23-5.
Patrick Corbin gave up 2 hits and no runs over 6 1/3 innings. He didn’t get a decision but set up the Diamondbacks walk off 2-0 win over Colorado.
Miguel Sano collected 3 hits, including a homer, driving in 5 to help the Twins beat the Royals 7-5.
Dallas Keuchel continued his fast start with 7 2/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 9 Oakland batters en route to a 7-2 victory.
They all owned baseball on April 30, 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.
2017 Baseball’s Breakout Players at Each Position
C- J.T. Realmuto (Miami Marlins): Realmuto had a great year in 2016, but I expect him to maintain, if not improve in 2017. At only 25 years old, Realmuto has plenty of room for growth, but he is moving in the right direction. He has a rare combination of on base potential, speed, and power at the catching position. While I am a little worried about his .357 BABIP in 2016, his 8.8% HR/FB ratio tells me he could really tap into his power potential moving forward. There are plenty of decent offensive players in the Marlins lineup in 2017, so Realmuto should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs or score himself. While he isn’t the most exciting breakout player, the catching position is a tough position to get excited about except for the top 3-5 players.
Projection: .290 BA, .340 OBP, 15 home runs, 65 runs, 65 RBIs, 13 stolen bases
Other Potential Breakout: Tom Murphy
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Projected Top 5 Home Run Hitters In Major League Baseball For 2017
Having nothing to do with the ALL – Star Game, and a ton to prove after inviting himself to the HR derby in San Diego, we placed a $125 bet on Stanton to win the event at +325 odds – and he won the whole thing. Now only if he could refrain from beingthe DL for 1 campaign. It was another injury plagued season for the veteran in 2016, but I still claim he will lead the league in HRs one of these years and possibly challenge 50 HRs in the process. He is our #1 pick to win the overall MLB HR crown in 2017.
With apologies to the pending Free Agents who cracked 40+ HRs in Mark Trumbo (47) and Chris Carter (41), I just don’t see them duplicating their 2016 campaigns.
I also foresee a bunch of changes to the top 6 Home Run hitters in the American League in 2017.
Newly signed Indians player Edwin Encarnacion is quite possibly the only returning top 5 guy that will be in there back to back seasons for the Junior Circuit.
Chris Carter. actually tied was the co-leader for the HR title with Nolan Arenado in 2016. and then was promptly non-tendered by the Brewers for his efforts.
Mark Trumbo hasn’t been able to parlay his HR title into a Free Agent deal either. I think this may play a huge factor in a 2017 regression of sorts.
Don’t get me wrong. i fully expect these gentlemen to eclipse 30+ HRs each still in 2017.
Since the top 5 overall Major League HR totals all resided in the AL in 2016 – I suspect this won’t be the case next year.
Ultimately, career years from Khris Davis and Brian Dozier will be hard to do again.
(RELATED – Top 5 Saves Leaders Projected For The MLB in 2017) Read the rest of this entry
Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano Need to Fix The Same Problem For 2017
The Minnesota Twins aren’t your run-of-the-mill 103-loss team. Yes, the starting rotation is a mess and new chief of baseball operations Derek Falvey has a lot of work to do, but he inherited what should be a nice core at the MLB level.
Two players getting the most attention in this regard are Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. While they boast vastly different skill sets on the diamond, there was one aspect of the game in which they both struggled with equally in 2016: striking out way too much.
This isn’t exactly a new problem for either of them, though.
In a disappointing 46-game stretch in 2015 as a rookie, Buxton struck out 31.9 percent of the time. He then watched his strikeout rate balloon to 35.6 percent in 331 plate appearances this past season in multiple stints with the Twins.
On the other hand, Sano broke out in 2015 by hitting 18 home runs in 335 plate appearances. His 35.5 percent strikeout rate wasn’t great; but that number was easier to swallow with a 15.8 percent walk rate and 150 wRC+. Since his strikeout rate didn’t improve (36 percent) and both his walk rate (10.9 percent) and wRC+ (107) took nosedives in 2016, it’s something worth being concerned about.
In order to be the cornerstones this organization wants them to be, they must cut down on the strikeouts. And they can do that by taking back control of the strike zone.
2016 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty League Trades Analysis
Following a 2nd place finish in 2015, this is the active roster I ended the year with:
C– Travis d’Arnaud
1B– Brandon Belt
2B– Robinson Cano
3B– Anthony Rendon
SS– Brandon Crawford
LF– Yoenis Cespedes
CF– David Peralta
RF– Bryce Harper
UTL– Daniel Murphy
Starting Pitchers– Madison Bumgarner, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Sonny Gray, Justin Verlander
Relief Pitchers– Ken Giles, Daniel Hudson, Jonathan Papelbon, David Robertson, Shawn Tolleson
Off. Bench– Robinson Chirinos, Justin Bour, Jonathan Schoop, Alex Rodriguez
P. Bench– Nick Martinez, Carlos Rodon, Arquimedes Caminero, Jenrry Mejia, Drew Pomeranz, Tom Koehler
Offensive Prospects– Chance Sisco, A.J. Reed, Kean Wong, Tim Anderson, Jorge Mateo, Eloy Jimenez, Manuel Margot, Bradley Zimmer, Brett Phillips
Pitching Prospects– Edwin Diaz, Anderson Espinoza, Michael Fulmer, Taylor Guerrieri, Pierce Johnson, Yoan Lopez, Francis Martes, Alex Reyes, Jack Flaherty, Casey Meisner, Luis Ortiz
While I did finish the season in 2nd, my roster needed some serious improvements. I had a lot of faith in my ability to scout prospects, so I figured it was time to unload some prospects for win-now talent and trust my ability to refill my minor league system with less publicized talent. You can see all of the trades I made in the offseason and during the 2016 season in order from oldest to most recent below (all trades made prior to the season are in bold and in season is in italics):
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/30/16
P- Kyle Hendricks (vs. Pittsburgh Pirates): $10,800. Over the last 17 starts, Hendricks has given up three or fewer earned runs. Included in those starts is his sole start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he threw six innings, giving up one earned run, and 12 strikeouts. The Pirates offense has been very mediocre recently, which is in favor of the right-handed pitcher.
P- Adam Wainwright (vs. Milwaukee Brewers): $6,900. Wainwright has gone through some struggles recently, but he has been very successful against the Brewers’ lineup throughout his career. In 122 career at bats against Waino, the Brewers are batting .230, with a .264 OBP, and a .321 slugging percentage. In his only start against the Brewers in 2016, Wainwright threw seven innings, giving up seven hits, and he struck out seven.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/19/16
P- Tanner Roark (vs. Atlanta Braves): $10,600. In nine career starts against Atlanta, Tanner Roark has a 1.77 ERA. In fact, his last start was against the Braves, where he went seven innings giving up five hits, one earned run, and he struck out three. In his two starts against Atlanta this year, Roark has given up one earned run in 14 innings pitched.
P- Adam Wainwright (vs. Philadelphia Phillies): $6,600. This pick does scare me a bit, but I’m going to stick with it. Over Wainwright’s last two starts, he has not been effective at all. Luckily, the Cardinals are giving Wainwright an extra two days of rest because he believes he has found the issue in his windup. This pick is risky, but the other options that are affordable are very risky as well.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/23/16
P- Max Scherzer (vs. San Diego Padres): $13,100. In 112 career at bats against Scherzer, the Padres’ lineup is batting .134, with four RBIs, and a .190 OBP. Over his last nine starts, Scherzer owns a 1.61 ERA, with 81 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 61.1 innings pitched. Needless to say, he is a great start on Saturday.
P- Kendall Graveman (vs. Tampa Bay Rays): $7,900. Over his last seven starts, Graveman owns a 4-0 record, with a 2.64 ERA. While he hasn’t faced the Rays’ lineup very much throughout his career, he has shown some success by holding them to a .213 batting average and a .368 slugging percentage.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/8/16
Due to the amount of time dedicated to the analysis of my midseason top 100 prospect rankings analysis, which you can find on my blog, I will not be providing reasonings behind my DFS picks for the next few days. I can assure you my picks below have been chosen using the same research methods I use on a daily basis. These methods include weather, B v. P stats, recent success, splits, stacks and much more. If you have any questions or comments, I will be glad to answer via social media (@dynasty_digest).
P- Chris Sale (vs. Atlanta Braves): $13,500
P- Hisashi Iwakuma (vs. Kansas City Royals): $6,500
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 6/1/16
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog.
P – Jaime Garcia (vs. Milwaukee Brewers): $8,400. Garcia is facing the 23rd ranked Brewers’ offense on Wednesday. In 131 career at bats against Garcia, the Brewers’ offense is only batting .191, with two home runs, 12 RBIs, 29 strikeouts, and a .230 OBP. In the past seven days, the Brewers’ offense has struck out 73 times, which is the third worst in Major League Baseball.
P- Masahiro Tanaka (vs. Toronto Blue Jays): Tanaka will be facing the 24th ranked Blue Jays’ offense on Wednesday. In 81 career at bats against Tanaka, the Blue Jays are batting .198, with three home runs, seven RBIs, 27 strikeouts, and a .252 OBP. The Yankees are 6.5 games out of first place, so these divisional games are a must-win, which should have Tanaka fired up.
To view the rest of the picks, click the link below:
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 5/27/16
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
Follow @dynasty_digest Follow @mlbreports
If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog.
P – Max Scherzer (vs. St. Louis Cardinals): $13,000
P – Julio Urias (vs. New York Mets): $7,600
To view the rest of the picks, click the link below:
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What Is Up With Miguel Sano?
(Featured BBBA Website – offtthebenchbaseball.com)
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The Minnesota Twins are 8 -2 3, a 120-loss pace. If it weren’t for the Atlanta Braves, the Twins would be the worst team in Major League Baseball. These are the same Twins who finally came into a season with a reason to smile.
The Twins want to be this year’s 2014 Royals and come from nowhere to win the AL Central. They think they have the offense to do it and with Miguel Sano and others, they might be right. But I’m very suspicious about their pitching staff.
Max went on to discuss Ervin Santana and the huge potential range of possible outcomes for their underwhelming pitching staff. Sure, its was always possible for the Twins pitchers to greatly exceed their admittedly average expectations, but it never seemed all that likely.
Well, to this point, they’ve underperformed. The Twins have the worst collective ERA in the American League. 6 of the 8 pitchers who have made at least 1 start have an ERA of at least 4.70. You don’t get to an 8 – 23 record without “contributions” from the whole roster.
But far more worrisome for the long-term Twins’ plans are their young prospects’ struggles. Jose Berrios, their top pitching prospect, sports a 6.75 ERA after his first two starts. Byron Buxton, once the top prospect in all of baseball, has a .497 OPS. And Miguel Sano, the 23-year old slugger who actually produced in his limited time last year, is 200 points off of his 2015 OPS so far into his sophomore season.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Draft Kings 5/3/16
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
Follow @dynasty_digest Follow @mlbreports
If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog (dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) and my Twitter for updates.
P – Michael Wacha (vs. Philadelphia Phillies): $9,000. Wacha will be facing the 22nd ranked offense of the Philadelphia Phillies at home on Tuesday.
In Wacha’s first 5 starts, he is 2-1, with a 3.07 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and 9 walks in 29.1 innings. He should thrive in this game since he is pitching against a mediocre offense and he is at home.
P – Matt Harvey (vs. Atlanta Braves): $10,300. Harvey will be facing the 21st ranked offense of the Atlanta Braves at home on Tuesday.
In Harvey’s first 5 starts, he is 2-3, with a 4.76 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 9 walks in 28.1 innings. His ERA is very inflated considering his FIP is a 3.56.
This matchup is perfect for Harvey to get back to his old self.
To see the rest of the picks, click the link below:
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MLB Power Rankings 2016: Week 4 – April
One is the #1 club in the whole MLB right now, and the other was the biggest mover and shaker of the week for week 3 of MLB action. Both are leading the Central Divisions in their respective leagues behind awesome starting pitching and timely power.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_Hunter21
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Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Game Records were before the results of the ESPN Sunday Night Game was played.
After a crazy week in which we saw our 1st no hitter, and massive long 16 inning game in Washington, we have for you the MLB Power Rankings.
There was no movement from the top 3 clubs. The NL West saw the Dodgers take a decent lead on the Giants – and that is major critical, as that is the team most likely to give them trouble in their quest for a 4th straight Division crown.
Bryce Harper has pulverized the Phillies, Marlins, Braves and Twins thus far. His late inning heroics are taking him to the next level.
The biggest mover and shaker this week was the White Sox, who climbed up 7 slots. The Giants dropping 8 positions was the biggest decline.
Bad weeks were had by the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees and Astros. All clubs in the AL who are supposed to contend for a playoff slot.
The Mariners won their 3rd straight road series against the Angels (after beating the Yankees and Tribe 1s), and sit just a half game back in the AL West.
Oakland had started 7 – 0 on the road, before yielding 15 runs over the last 2 losses to the Blue Jays. They are tied with the Rangers for the lead in the Division, but it is just a matter of time before they are bounced out in my opinion.
Cleveland had a nice week of 4 – 2 to jump up 5 spots in the rankings. and are that much closer to bringing back Michael Brantley.
Gaining only one spot but having an awesome week were the New York Mets. All the boys are hitting now, and they are 8 – 2 in their last 10 contests. Read the rest of this entry
FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) Baseball Selections For MLB Action – Apr 6, 2016
Josh Robbins (Featured Fantasy Writer/60ft6in.com) Follow @Qualcomm98
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Hi, my name is Josh Robbins. I would like to share my Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) strategy with you throughout the MLB season. Fanduel is my preferred game of skill.
APRIL 6, 2016…Late Slate (7:05 PM ET Fanduel Games)
Starting Pitchers
It’s not a deep slate for starting pitchers today.
1. Sonny Gray (10400) vs. Chicago White Sox
2. Collin McHugh (8900) vs. New York Yankees
3. Kenta Maeda (7200) vs. San Diego Padres Read the rest of this entry
These 2 MLB Teams Could Surprise Everyone In 2016
Matt Musico (Featured BBBA Writer/Owner – chinmusicbaseball.com) Follow @mmusico8
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Major League Baseball has technically been back for nearly two months now, but the fun is finally about to start.
As teams wrap up their respective Grapefruit and Cactus League schedules, we’re literally on the precipice of Opening Day. With the final week of Spring Training games taking place, many baseball analysts made their yearly predictions on who they think will make the playoffs and eventually capture World Series glory.
We all know these predictions really mean nothing, but it’s an entertaining way to spark debate as everyone waits anxiously for games to start counting again. After listening and reading countless predictions, there seems to be something missing.
In 2015, we witnessed a handful of teams that came out of nowhere to qualify for the postseason. The process of rebuilding ended a year earlier than expected for teams like the Houston Astros, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, while nobody picked the Texas Rangers to win the American League West. If you did and don’t claim to be a Rangers fan, you’re probably lying.
Keeping with this theme, here are two teams currently flying under the radar who have the potential to surprise everyone by the time September rolls around.
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Projected Top 5 Home Run Hitters In Major League Baseball For 2016
Giancarlo Stanton should contend for the NL HR championship crown in 2016. He is capable of cracking 40 – 50 HRs if he can play a year completely healthy. The Marlins are lucky to have one of the best young hitters in the game on offense. We will predict he will lead the overall MLB as well. Stanton cracked 27 HRs in just 74 Games Played in 2015 before a broken hand derailed his last three months of the season.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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So I think I fared fairly well from my prognostications of last HR leaders last year – although I was seriously off on Mark Trumbo and George Springer and of course Nelson Cruz did not slow down in 2015.
I almost nailed the totals for the top 1 – 4 in the AL. Bryce Harper did emerge. I also said that Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista would be near the top of the list of near misses, but those continued to be productive past that.
So it comes to another year of figuring out this maze of the top power hitters. I still believe that if Giancarlo Stanton remains healthy for a full season – that he will bomb 50 HRs. I am picking him to be the National League Leader. Read the rest of this entry
Miguel Sano: Too Big To Fail In Minny
Miguel was not even called up to the Majors until July this year but he still finished 3rd in AL Rookie Of The Year Voting. He had a 3 Slash Line of .269/.385/.530 with 18 HRs and 52 RBI. This guy is a beast – and the club should use the DH position to have him stay for his duration of his playing tenure with him. If he can avoid a sophomore slump, and match his production next season, it will give them the #4 hitter they haven’t seen since the Justin Morneau days before his concussions kicked in.
John Swol (Featured BBBA Writer/Owner – twinstrivia.com)
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I have told you all before that my glass is half empty and it is leaking. You can say that it is a negative attitude or what ever you want but this type of thinking has served me well during my life time and it helped me immensely in my 38 year career in IT.
I hope like hell that Miguel Sano has finally found a position he can call home but I can’t help but wonder what would happen if for some reason it does not pan out.
It is unlikely that a decision like that would be made quickly because the Twins want and need Miguel Sano to play right field, if Sano isn’t an outfielder all kinds of poop hits the fan.
2016 MLB Preseason Power Rankings
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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With just 5 weeks to the regular season – and all of the important Free Agents finally being locked up with Ian Desmond signing with the Rangers, it is time to see where all 30 MLB clubs stack up.
We are going to be running weekly power rankings once the year starts on Apr.3, 2016.
The way I compile the Power Rankings is best on confidence to win the World Series. Some clubs may be more talented (or playing better) than a squad they are behind in the rankings, but the Division (and strength of opponents) plays a massive factor.
It is the reason why teams like the Royals or Astros will be selected above a team like the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Pittsburgh Pirates might win 90 games (which may only see one AL club join them), but because they have to contend with the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central, it will be tough for them to receive a great ranking (at least until games are played). Read the rest of this entry
Perhaps It Is Time For The MLB To Adopt The ‘Boomerang Concept’ For Drafting Rounds In The Amateur Draft
The MLB should consider doing what all ‘even level playing field’ sports pools do and that is to use the boomerang method of each draft round. A team that drafts 1st in round one would draft last in round 2, before picking 1st in round 3 again and so forth. It wouldn’t alleviate tanking altogether – with the best talent still being absorbed in the top 10 most times, but it would level out the middle rounds for sure.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
We have all gone into pools/player drafts where we drew the worst card possible and then picked last. To offset the sting of this a lot – in the ‘interest of fairness’, the draft worked like a boomerang.
If there are 30 guys picking, the 30th guy picks the last selection in the 1st round, but then he is able to pick 1st in the 2nd round. Maybe it is time for the MLB to take this action for its Amateur Draft each year?
There has been so much talk about tanking by the teams like Phillies, Braves, Reds, Brewers, Padres and Rockies all following the path paved by the Cubs, Astros, Royals, Pirates, Nationals, Rays and Twins in yesteryear.
KC and Pittsburgh both had 2 decades of shame before they turned their franchises around to respectability. The Rays (once named the Devil Rays) failed to top 72 wins for the first 9 seasons since their inception to the MLB in 1998. before showcasing 80 wins for every year since 2008. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The Overall Homer Crown In 2016 MLB Baseball: Battle Of The Big Fly’s
Stanton has light tower power – and should lead the NL and MLB in Homers if he can remain healthy for a whole year. In just 74 Games Played last campaign, the big slugger belted 27 HRs. The problem is always staying on the field. There is no reason to think he can’t crack 50+ HRs if he played a full season. To aid his efforts as the biggest favorite to win this years MLB Homer crown – is that Marlins Park is bringing in the fences and also lowering them.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I am flat-out wondering why these guys failed to include Chris Carter on this list? For a prolific Home Run Hitter over the last 3 years (90 bombs), this guy is getting no respect.
I mean they have Corey Seager, Matt Adams and Freddie Freeman at the +20000 clip, but no word for a guy who finished 2nd in 2014 MLB Homers?
Carter is headed to the best home run park in the Major Leagues in Milwaukee, and will not be on a competitive club, where his AB may be in question. Sure the guy might fan 250 times in 600 AB this season, but he may crack 40 taters for all we know.
I have requested this gambling website send me the odd for Carter (you can request a player that wasn’t listed), and I will get back to you shortly.
Let me start by saying that if Giancarlo Stanton remains healthy for a full year that he should definitely lead the Majors in longballs. Despite us predicting him to do this, his odd only is listed as our #5 value best bet on the board. Read the rest of this entry
The White Sox Need To Sign 1 Of Fowler Or Desmond To Stay Competitive
The White Sox have had a decent offseason – however every team that was near or beneath them in the standings have also upgrade their rosters going into 2016. With a need for an upgrade for the OF, and the chance to put forth an incredible homer-centric Infield, I would love to see them go after Ian Desmond, and or Dexter Fowler.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I like the moves the White Sox have done in the offseason. The only problem is what the Royals and Tigers also have done this winter will make it tough for Chicago to keep up.
The Pale Hose finished a disappointing 76 – 86 in 2015 – and almost 20 games behind Division winner KC for the AL Central.
2014 winter moves of Adam LaRoche, Jeff Samardzija and Melky Cabrera just didn’t work out like they thought.
Despite the poor results off those player acquisitions Rich Hahn acquired Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie so far in the hot stove this year, and also inked catchers Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro as key moves.
I love this aggression – and even believe that LaRoche and Cabrera will have bounce back seasons for the White Sox this season. Cabrera was pretty decent in the 2nd half, and LaRoche suffered the Adam Dunn NL to AL syndrome.
Having said this already, the Royals are sitting with a talented squad as reigning World Series Champs, and the Tigers added Jordan Zimmermann, Justin Upton, and bushel full of relievers and Cameron Maybin.
There is no doubt in my mind that Detroit will be much better than their cellar dweller 2015 campaign.
The White Sox have a decent pitching staff in its entirety. Maybe not as talented as the Cleveland Indians, but the Tribe doesn’t have the sticks as Chicago either.
KC has the best bullpen in the Division, and will rely heavily on it again with their grinder offense backing it up.
Minnesota has a ton of young offensive superstars in Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton, yet also lost team leader Torii Hunter.
Chicago is still spending at a decent clip – having a budget of near $123 MIL so far, but Detroit has crept up to near $200 MIL, and KC has paid for its title, by going near the $140 MIL team salary barrier. Read the rest of this entry
2016 AL Rookie Of The Year Candidates
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. Who will be the Rookie Of The Year in the AL for 2016?
Ground Rule Triple Blog (Featured Baseball Website/groundruletriple.com)
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2015 was the Year of the Rookie. So many young phenoms made their mark on baseball than ever before.
Both leagues were packed with young studs. In the American League, Carlos Correa led an impressive bunch that included Miguel Sano, Francisco Lindor, Mark Canha, and James McCann,
So what will 2016 bring us? Who’ll succeed Carlos Correa as the ROY? Let’s take a look at the 2016 AL candidates…
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MLB Power Rankings New Years 2016
Perhaps the Back to the Future Prediction was off by just one year. The Cubs , who are immensely loaded with young offensive superstars added another to the mix with the Jason Heyward signing. Add that to a revamped Bullpen, strong Starters signed last year in Jon Lester and Jason Hammel, coupled with John Lackey this year, and this team is the clear cut #1 ranked team. Oh yeah..They even have depth to make another trade should they need to.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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(1) Chicago Cubs: Big additions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. Tonnes of young superstars only ging to get better.
(2) NY Mets: Starting Pitching best in the Majors. Offensive depth better in offseason. Need David Wright to stay healthy. NL East easiest bottom 3 teams in the bigs.
(3) Kansas City Royals: Easiest Division in the Majors. Back to Back AL Pennants and defending World Series Champs. Look for some more mid year deals. Read the rest of this entry
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