Blog Archives
Don Mattingly Would Be Perfect For The Nationals Or Tigers MGR Positions: Dodgers Skipper Is Still In Limbo
Don Mattingly has a Managerial Record of 260 -225 (.536) in his 1st 3 years as Dodgers Skipper. Among the totals in this year – was that he guided the club to a 62 – 30 record during the last 92 Games this year. The Dodgers were knocked out the NLCS Round versus the Cardinals. Mattingly’s $1.4 Vesting Option was picked up by that accord of being in the final 4 this season. The Dodgers are only offering the one year of 2014, and Mattingly believes he has done a great enough job to earn a multi-year deal.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twiter Follow @mlbreports
The Dodgers are making a mistake in not signing Don Mattingly to a multi – year deal. If you actually sit back and think about what he was able to do is a miracle this year.
Matt Kemp was 50% of himself – and also missed half of the year.
Hanley Ramirez played at an MVP caliber for the time he was in there, problem was – missed 74 games.
Carl Crawford was great, but he missed 45 Games.
Yasiel Puig came up – with 60 Games already taken off of the year.
Zack Greinke missed 2 months after Carlos Quentin charged him.
Brandon League was abysmal early as a Closer.
The 3rd base/Shortstop position featured an opening day of Luis Cruz and Justin Sellers.
BBA Awards 2013
As a member of the BBA, MLB Reports chooses the following for each award:
Please enter your choice for the Connie Mack Award: *
The Connie Mack Award is given to the top manager each year.
Please enter your choice for the Willie Mays Award: *
The Willie Mays Award is given to the top rookie each year
Please enter your choice for the Goose Gossage Award: *
The Goose Gossage Award is given to the top reliever each year.
AL: Koji Uehara, BOS NL: Craig Kimbrel, ATL
Please enter your choice for the Walter Johnson Award: *
The Walter Johnson Award is given to the top pitcher each year.
AL: Max Scherzer, DET – NL: Clayton Kershaw, LAD
Please enter your choice for the Stan Musial Award: *
The Stan Musial Award is given to the top player each year.
AL: Mike Trout NL: Paul Goldschmidt
Wishful Thinking Part 2: Chicago White Sox Style: They Sign Jose Abreu
“Rick Hahn made his first major move as White Sox GM yesterday when he signed 26 year old Cuban defector Jose Abreu to a 6 year $68 million contract. While most are surprised that the White Sox were able to sign him, most are also happy with the signing. So fans are hoping that, along with Avisail Garcia, Abreu can be one of the Sox cornerstones for years to come. Chicago had their worst year in a long time this 2013 season, and this move is good in that it did not cost the franchise anything but money on the payroll.
By ‘White Sox Correspondent’ Brian Madsen Follow @brianm731
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I love Paul Konerko. I love Frank Thomas. These two White Sox first basemen are whom we as fans will compare the recently signed Jose Abreu to, as we should.
Don’t compare him to Yoenis Cespedes, or Yasiel Puig, just because they are also from Cuba. He’s the direct replacement for Paul Konerko, just as the longest reigning White Sox player was the replacement for Frank Thomas.
I assumed Rick Hahn would wait until after the postseason was completed to begin the White Sox revamp going into the 2014 season.
Well, the World Series hasn’t even begun, and Hahn managed to sign the biggest free agent hitter available to a 6 year, $68 million contract. This is also the biggest contract given to an international free agent in the history of MLB.
Good start? Some say no, but many say yes. Abreu was very sought after, desired by many MLB clubs. We, as Sox fans, knew of the White Sox interest in him once it was announced that he was soon going to be made available as a free agent.
But, I don’t think many of us thought he would sign here. Boston maybe. Yankees? Rangers? All distinct possibilities. No way the White Sox get him.
Then, you started hearing rumblings that White Sox left fielder Dayan Viciedo, also a native of Cuba, knows Jose Abreu, and even played with him on a couple Cuban teams.
Could he be whispering in the Cuban players ear about coming to Chicago? Maybe. Was the $ the main contributing factor in Abreu signing with the White Sox? More than likely.
Mike Napoli Is A Clutch Performer In The Post Season – And Is Potentially Earning A Nice New Contract!
Mike Napoli agreed to a 1 YR/$13 MIL deal prior to the 2013 season. While he struggled at various times in the regular season, he still Slashed for .259/.360/.842 – with 23 HRs and 92 RBI. It was his 6th straight season with 20+ HRs – and his 498 2013 ABs – still have left him without ever reaching 500 AB in any of his seasons. The man averages a HR for every 16.38 AB in his Career. (169 HRs in 2768 AB). He will turn 32 on Oct.31/2013.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @chuckbooth3024
If you have followed this website for very long, you will realize that we have made some great prognostications from the time of its inception.
We called the emergence of the Oakland A’s half way through the campaign last year. We also called Adam Dunn to be the bargain of the 2012 season.
We also stated that the Tigers would make the 2012 World Series.
We said the Dodgers were going to go nuts and spend like there was no tomorrow, probably make the World Series, sign Zack Greinke.
We called every aspect of the New York Yankees season this year, including trading for Mark Reynolds, Vernon Wells and for Alfonso Soriano to thrive back in pinstripes.
Then there was the predicting of Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Trout and Wil Myers at the verge of breaking out.
Previous Owner Jonathan Hacohen also predicted the emergence of Mike Napoli in 2011, and thoroughly admonished the Blue Jays for trading him – after having the Catcher for about a week.
Mike Napoli Game #5 HR 2013 ALCS
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – October 15, 2013
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Both League Championship Series look like they can go a long way.
Today on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast, I look at the two series that are now pretty interesting. And I praise Puig, I don’t bury him.
Hyun-Jin Ryu and the notorious Yasiel Puig got full WOOs last night.
Adam Wainwright got a 1/2 WOO.
Confused what a WOO is? An explanation for Who Owns October can be found HERE.
An updated WOO tally can be found HERE.
To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.
To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.
Who Owns October? (WOO) Tally Updated For October 14, 2013 Games
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO.
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO to a worthy player on the losing team.
For a full explanation, click HERE.
From today’s games:
Receiving 1 WOO:
Yasiel Puig may have styled a little too long, but his RBI triple gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. He would finish the game 2-3, contributing to the 3-0 win over the Cardinals.
Hyun-Jin Ryu came up big in a must win game for the Dodgers. Down 0-2 in the series, he gave L.A. 7 shutout innings, letting up just 3 hits and 1 walk, getting the decision in the 3-0 series saving victory over St. Louis.
Receiving 1/2 WOO:
Adam Wainwright pitched well enough to win most games. He threw 7 innings letting up only 2 runs and didn’t walk a batter. St. Louis’ offense betrayed him and he was saddled with a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Dodgers.
2013 MLB Playoff Predictions: ALCS + NLCS Matchups
The Red Sox went from 69 Wins in 2012 – to World Series favorite in one year. The ‘Beantowners’ have assembled a playoff tested crew to arm them in their quest to make it to the World Series for the 1st time in 6 years. Will the Red Sox take out the Tigers and go for the team of the decade, with a 3rd World Series Bid (out of the last 10 years) in 2013?
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
After nailing the National League straight on in picks for the LDS Round, I failed in either of my upset predictions of Tampa Bay or Oakland to advance.
I am not displeased though, I won money on the Rays losing the series (that came from a bet for them to win the World Series in June that paid +2000 or so, I bet the Red Sox to win the Series as a hedge.
Heading into last nights game, I could have still gone 3 – 1 for the Series prediction if Oakland could come up with a win.
Really the A’s failing to wrap up Game #4 was the big blow.
Thanks to a nice odd of Justin Verlander -107 @ Sonny Gray (-103), I nailed the game last for a nice little profit.
I never bet one dime on the other series in the NLCS.
So I went 2 – 2 in the Round, but plus some nice cash for my effort. Including the playoff game and Wild Card game, I am now 4 – 3 this Post Season.
The Red Sox win the LDS vs the Tampa Bay Rays
youtube=http://youtu.be/Y4m4eeyhFks
The Atlanta Braves State Of The Union – Fall 2013: Part 1
2013 was not an easy road traveled for Atlanta. The Braves suffered so many injuries and set backs this season that I think a lot of us almost forget about the ones that happened earlier on in the year. Johnny Venters never even threw a regular season pitch this year and he has been our premiere set up man. Eric O’Flaherty threw his last pitch somewhere around the middle of May against this very Dodger team at Turner Field.
By Bob McVinua (Special Guest Braves Writer – visit his website here): Follow @tomahawkchop95
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
At the point after Eric O’Flaherty went down, many of us Braves fans began to panic and wonder how Fredi Gonzalez would get the ball to arguably the best closer
in all of baseball Craig Kimbrel. What happened after that? The Braves would still go on to post the best bullpen ERA in all of baseball and on top of that set a franchise record for the same mark.
Jason Heyward missed significant time as did Brian McCann. Freddie Freeman spent a couple of weeks on the disabled list and still drove in over 100 runs on the season.
BJ Upton and Dan Uggla struggled throughout most of the 2013 season and BJ was one of the players expected to make a huge impact when he signed with the Braves this winter and it just never happened.
Other players stepped up and young players assumed roles that were well beyond the original expectations of them in 2013.
No one panicked and no one quit and as a fan I am appreciative of the heart and effort this team always put forth.
The Dodgers Celebrate winning the NLDS Series versus Atlanta (At Turner Field)
2013 MLB Playoff Predictions By MLB Reports
In my view, Evan Longoria could end up being the MVP of the entire playoffs – with his penchant for being clutch in the last games of years. I am predicting the Tampa Bay Rays are going to win the World Series versus the LA Dodgers, iIf Wil Myers and Ben Zobrist help bashing the ball around, then this team is scary. Also picking up proven playoff performer Delmon Young (yes that guy) (HR’d last night – and is .266/.328/.887 – with 9 HRs and 16 RBI In 109 AB) was also a good move by the Rays brass. If these guys hit, the Pitching should do enough.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Okay, now that the Wild Card Games are over, I am 2 – 1 this week in predicting the outcomes of games. I had both Rays wins and lost with the Reds.
For those that have been reading my gambling pick posts, will also see that I have been discussing some of the odds posted for the playoffs. Check out those here.
I am not going with the masses this year, however I am picking 2 favorites and 2 underdogs in the 1st Round.
Really, I think the matchups are a lot more even than even some of the biggest betting industry odds are suggesting.
I may have also taken the Athletics all the way to the World Series if Cespedes wasn’t hampered by his injured Right Shoulder.
Yoenis Cespedes HR Derby Mashing
Braves May Have The Medicine To Cure The “Blue Flu”
The Braves are National League Eastern Division champions and for that they deserve a large amount of recognition. When you think back to the start of Spring Training and look all of those “expert” predictions that said the Washington Nationals would win the East this year you have to realize that despite the busy off season activity the Braves were still labeled as under dogs in their own division.
By Bob McVinua (Special Guest Braves Writer – visit his website here): Follow @tomahawkchop95
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Despite injuries and struggles on the offensive end from highly paid players such as BJ Upton and Dan Uggla the Braves still manged to dominant the Eastern Division.
By “dominate” I mean they were in 1st place every single day of the season except for April 4th and they held at least an 8 game lead every single day for the final 60 of the season. If that’s not dominance I don’t know what is.
Besides the incredible season – and all that was achieved, the Braves did fail to secure the number one seed in the National League for the post season – which would have secured them home field throughout the playoffs and allowed them to play the winner of the Wild Card “play in game.” rather then having to face the Dodgers in the N.L.D.S.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – September 20, 2013
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The Dodgers earned their NL West title with an amazing second half. Remember they were only a game above .500 after the All Star Break.
Meanwhile the Diamondbacks look like a bunch of whining spineless wimps and I compared them to Sweathog Arnold Horshack.
More thoughts like that on today’s Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Hanley Ramirez, Gerrit Cole, Coco Crisp and John Lackey all owned baseball on September 20, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE
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Joe Morgan Weekend In Cincinnati: From A Fans Perspective
This weekend at Great American Ball Park was Joe Morgan Weekend. Once this was announced earlier this season, I decided that I was going to make the trip to Cincinnati from my home in Louisville, Kentucky. A part of Joe Morgan Weekend was Morgan getting his “Sculpture” out in front of the stadium. As a huge Reds fan and a historian of the Reds this was a great moment for me and my dad. The best thing about the weekend, the entire Big Red Machine made the trip, including the hit king Pete Rose.
Ryan Ritchey (Featured Baseball Columnist): Follow @baseballaddicts
Follow @mlbreportsIt was finally here, Joe Morgan Weekend.
As a life long Reds fan and a huge fan of Reds history, this was a huge weekend for me. I had it circled on my calendar since the day they announced it.
Joe Morgan was to become the sixth player in Cincinnati Reds history to have a statue put out in front of Great American Ball Park.
The other five were very good players as well, Ted Kluszewski, Ernie Lombardi, Frank Robinson, Joe Nuxhall, and Johnny Bench. Morgan would be joining great company to say the least.
The festivities were on Friday and Saturday, but Morgan would remain for the third game on Sunday, which happened to be the Sunday Night Baseball game.
I was lucky enough to be there both Friday and Saturday for both sets of festivities and here is my perspective on each day.
Joe Morgan Speech, Unveiling of Sculpture:
Four Things To Watch For On The Marlins This Month
Jake Marisnick plays tremendous defense out in center field but his bat has been far from impressive in his limited time in Miami this season.
Sam Evans ( Baseball Writer and Marlins, Mariners Correspondent): Follow @RJA206
Follow @mlbreportsIt’s not exactly easy to get excited about the average Marlins game this late in the season.
With the Marlins struggling to give their pitchers any run support and finding seemingly different ways to lose everyday, it would be easy to give up on the Marlins and just wait for next year.
However, thanks to topics like Jose Fernandez‘s quest for the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award and lefty Brian Flynn‘s recent promotion, there still are reasons to watch the Marlins in 2013.
Here are what I consider to be the top four things to watch for on the Marlins in the final month of the regular season (in no particular order).
2 And A Hook Podcast #14: The Races, The Red Sox + The Crowd Hitter Concept
The 2 And A Hook Podcast will be running 7 consecutive shows on Thursdays Sept. 19 + 26, and Oct 3,10,17,24,31) – Join us for our extensive playoff coverage from Chuck Booth, Chris Lacey, James Acevedo and many other guests!
‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran ) Follow @yankeeman1973
Guests On The Show:
On today’s show, brought to you by www.mlbreports.com
& yours truly The Bench Warmers Show.
i start it off by wishing the head of MLB Reports Chuck Booth Follow @chuckbooth3024 a Happy Birthday today then i talked about the A.L. East race & who will prevail at the end…
I also get to talk to the return of the Vice Prez of MLB Reports.com Chris Lacey (30 MIN mark and a 25 MIN Segment)Follow @tbwarmers
We talked about all the division & wild card races in both leagues, Matt Harvey’s season ending injury which is a big blow to the mets & the mets trading Byrd & Buck to help the pirates…
CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or CLICK PAST THE MLB REPORTS LOGO
The Red Sox Left Town With A Series Win, But Left The Dodgers With So Much More In 2012
A year after the big blockbuster Red Sox/Dodgers trade, both clubs have benefited from the salvation is created. The Red Sox were able to hit a reset button on their finances – and spend money on key Free Agents: Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, take on Jake Peavy’s Salary, pick up Jonny Gomes and have a slightly lower payroll overall still. For the LA Dodgers, they received a bonafide Leadoff hitter in Carl Crawford, plus a lethal Left Handed Bat in 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The LA club was also willing to eat the $$ owed on bust Josh Beckett. Los Angeles could bury lots of money for little given away talent wise. Little did all of us know, that they had an electric ballplayer like Yasiel Puig ready to bust out. Boston is leading the AL East, and the Dodgers are killing it in the NL West. Perhaps this might be an October showdown?
BY Enrique Rivera (MLB Reports Dodgers Correspondent) Follow @mlbreports
It has been a year since that big blockbuster Red Sox/Dodgers trade that sent a loaded bank of salary to the Dodgers along with superstar players like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto.
After a first half of struggles and criticism and watching the Red Sox play better baseball, the Dodgers have proven that the trade benefited them as well.
The Dodgers lead the NL West 9.5 games after being down by 9.5 earlier in the season. Meanwhile in the AL East, the Red Sox lead the division by 1 game.
Adrian Gonzalez’s first AB as a Dodger last year resulting in a HR
MLB 30 Team Power Rankings: Week 21
42 – 8, 25 – 3, 19 – 1, 10 wins in a row. These are all significant numbers put up with a team with deep pockets, the ability to outdraw everyone for park attendance, and owners willing to do whatever it takes to bring home the 1st World Series Title since 1988. No one can touch these guys right now. Best 3 Starters in the NL and hottest 2 NL Hitters in Puig and Ramirez. Oh yeah, the Bullpen has been lights out for the last 50 contests!
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @mlbreports
It is time for the MLB Power Rankings. These are based on my thoughts on whether who has the best chance to win the World Series.
A lot of these positions are based on who has the toughest Strength of Schedule left, who their competition is for the Division, and possibly even the League they are in,
The races for the Divisions (AL East, AL West and NL Central are starting to tighten up, while the NL West, AL Central and most notably NL East are looking to be foregone conclusions
The Braves have rattled of a 18 – 3 stretch, and have been ousted by the Dodgers for the #1 spot in the MLB Rankings .
The Rangers are trying to ricochet off of a couple of great deals, in order to flame down the Oakland Athletics.
2 And A Hook Podcast #13: MLB Reports State Of The Union Address + MLB Fancave Top 7 Finalist Aaron Roberts
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, Aug.16 2013
‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran ) Follow @yankeeman1973
Guests On The Show:
On today’s show, brought to you by www.mlbreports.com
& yours truly The Bench Warmers Show.
Follow @tbwarmers I start off with the new replay rules that mlb wants to put in starting next season in 2014.
Chuck Booth (16 minute mark and a 40 Minute Segment) calls in on his segment to talk about the HUGE changes that are taking place on the MLB Reports website so make sure you all check that out!!
Also I got to talk to Thomas Aaron Roberts (1 hour in and 50 minutes) Follow @bertsball)
Roberts was one of the last 7 MLB Fancave Dwellers & was our first LA Dodgers correspondent back in the infancy of MLB Reports!!
We talked about his experience in the MLB Fancave, all of the ball players he met & advice on being a MLB Fancave Dweller for future contestants…
then we get into about his team the Dodgers & if he thinks they have a chance to go to the World Series!!
Plus i get into my future award winning segment & everyone’s favorite Stats & Facts so pull up a chair, download/play this podcast & SPREAD THE WORD!!! Thank you all for your continuous support!!!
Either click the link just below here… or you can go past the show logo or CLICK THE READ TO READ THIS ENTRY – to listen to it on our Player
The Dodgers Bullpen Has Been One Of The Biggest Strengths In 2013
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, Aug.09/2013
Kenley Jansen has given Dodger fans confidence going into the 9th inning with the game on the line once again. He has picked up the 7 saves in his last 10 appearances and has not blown a save in that stretch. He also has 17 saves in 20 opportunities this year to close the dominance of the Dodger Starting Pitchers lately.
By Enrique Rivera (MLB Reports Dodgers Correspondent) Follow @eriqwiththeq
Sure, the Dodgers wouldn’t be where they are without the help of Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, and Clayton Kershaw but the Dodgers bullpen has also given the Dodgers the greatest effort during its two month stretch that has brought the Dodgers into first place.
Guys like Ronald Belisario, J.P. Howell, Brandon League, and Kenley Jansen has stepped up from their first half woes and have shined after picking up games from starters.
They’ve also brought in rookies like Paco Rodriguez and Chris Withrow to help out the pen and have brought in former Cubs closer Carlos Marmol.
Kenley Jansen closes out a hot Reds team as the Dodgers continued their amazing run
Dodgers Have Been Pulverizing The Competition For Weeks – While The Rest Of The NL West Have Been Brutal
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Follow @mlbreportsThursday Aug.08/2013
Despite early season rumors of Mattingly getting fired, Donnie has managed his team back into the division race after a private meeting with Dodger executives. The Dodgers are now 63 – 50 after setting a franchise record 15 game road winning streak earlier this week and are opening up a commanding lead versus their NL West brethren. Now with Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez igniting the clubs offense, plus Zack Greinke coming back to the Starting Rotation, the team has begun to gel. But it is also the secondary players that have provided some clutch play of late. The team has won 33 of their last 41 Games. Now that is outstanding!
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I was wrong to throw the towel in on the Dodgers at the beginning of June in an article.
While I initially had LA as my NL representative in the WS before the year started, I thought they were cooked.
Yasiel Puig was infused into the lineup, and the team has fed off of his electricity.
Zack Greinke and Hanley Ramirez then came back to facilitate the start of this hotstreak.
I am not sure I have ever seen an entire Division struggle so badly – with the exception of 1 team doing the polar opposite simultaneously, like has happened in the NL West over the last 8 weeks.
The Dodgers have been on a historical run in their ascent from last place (trailing by as much as 9.5 games on June 1st) – all the way to top of the Division (by 5 games as of right now.)
There have been countless reasons how the turnaround has transpired.
Don Mattingly has gone from the hotseat – to now being in the position where he could net himself a contract extension when the season is over.
The rest of the NL West Clubs have been incredibly anemic – and we will focus on the records since that date in this piece.
Could There Be A Giant Miracle In San Fran This Year?
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday August 5, 2013
The defending champion San Francisco Giants aren’t having a championship season in 2013. They are 12 games back of the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The clubs of the past have relied on pitching and little offense. In 2013, they have received little offense and even less pitching. Their number one starter (Matt Cain), has had one of his worst seasons since 2008. Lights out closer Sergio Romo hasn’t been lights out – and the bullpen has been iffy at best. The bright spot for the Giants pitching staff was Tim Lincecum’s 148 pitch no-hitter. It will take a miracle for them to come back, but it is possible. The Dodgers, despite playing lights out baseball, continue to fight the injury bug to Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig, and it SF can encounter any hotstreak, they may be able to make up a lot of ground in a short-term, being the NL West.
Ryan Ritchey (Baseball Writer): Follow @baseballaddicts
The defending champion San Francisco Giants aren’t playing like champions in 2013. They are 12 games under .500 and are 12 games back of the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
The pitching staff has carried them to greatness, but this season it has been far from great.
They will need to tear it up in the next 3 weeks to have any chance at all.
Once the Divisions all play each other the majority of the way, 2 NL West playing each other – will ensure at least one team SF is chasing in the Division – will put up a ‘W’ on a nightly basis.
Chances are, they would likely need to win about 86 or 87 Games minimum to be on the cusp of a spot in the Wild Card – and hope the Dodgers play under .500 the rest of the way in.
The Giants would need to reel off a clip of about 37 – 15 mark in their last 52 games (over.700 baseball). Of course this not PROBABLE!
Tim Lincecum’s No – Hitter
MLB 30 Team Power Rankings: Week 19
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday Aug.04/2013
The Braves have charged out of the ALL – Star Break at a pace like they did to start the year. They have an 11.5 Games Lead in the NL East over Washington, and most of their offense is starting to click – which have helped contributed to the team hold down the fort now that the pitching has had vast injuries.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
It is time for the MLB Power Rankings. These are based on my thoughts on whether who has the best chance to win the World Series.
A lot of these positions are based on who has the toughest Strength of Schedule left, who their competition is for the Division, and possibly even the League they are in.
How unfortunate it is for the Indians and the Royals to have the Tigers winning 9 of their last ten – to fend off their those absurdly hot AL Central counterparts?
The good news for the KC and CLE teams is that the AL East are beating up on each other in the last month, while Texas will see a Nelson Cruz suspension dampen their odds of making the Post Season.
Check out the Show we did on AL and NL Rankings Here on the 2 And A Hook Podcast
The MLB Needs To Amend Its Weighted Schedule/Payroll Flaws By The 2016 CBA Renewal!!
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Follow @mlbreportsThursday August.1/2013
If you are a Mariners fan, your park is the furthest geographically away from another Leagues (NL) home park or vice versa (806 Miles). If your favorite team is in the NL, get your bags packed, because chances are, you will need to head on a roady in order to see your team every year. The MLB needs to address the situation for complete fairness to every single team. My plan would still be to have 44 – 52 Divisional Games, 60 other games against the 10 teams in your own league, and then to play 50 Interleague Games. Of course this isn’t even possible until the MLB and MLBPA workout a new CBA in 2016.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Maybe it is because I am a West Cost (Vancouver B.C Canada) guy that lives 1100 Miles away from the nearest NL Ballpark, or maybe it is because I have seen it work well in other professional sports – when I worked as a pro handicapper for 3 plus years.
I am sick of seeing teams come in to town for 3 series in a year – when it might take another team 6 years to visit in Interleague.
Sure if I lived in the East Coast, in a place like New Jersey, I could have my pick of any home parks (AL + NL) within a 450 MILE radius, I may not feel the same, but even that I doubt it.
My friend Doug Miller (from Washington State), also wrote a column worth reading on this subject. He called it “Team Fatigue”. read that article here
I also wrote a similar column on MLB Baseball’s need to adapt a Payroll/Geographical Re – Alignment that could bring a huge amount of parity to the MLB in future years here.
With the Orioles playing good baseball all year, I fear they will not be playing baseball in October. You know why? It is not because they don’t deserve to be, and it will likely not be their fault. The reason is: they will have had the toughest Strength of Schedule: playing the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Rays 76 times this year, while the Indians and Royals play extremely weak clubs like Minnesota and the White Sox a quarter of their schedules. The same can be said for the Oakland and Texas franchises feasting on the hapless (Trade Depleted Astros), and a steady dose of the Mariners (who are far easier to play than any of the 5 AL East teams).
MLB 30 Team Power Rankings: Week 18: Trade Deadline Edition
Click The Link Below For A Great MLB Reports Podcast On The Trade Deadline
Triple Play Podcast Trade Speculation
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday July.28/2013
The Dodgers have won 25 out of their last 31, play in the weakest division in the MLB right now, and other than Arizona, do not have much competition. Solid Pitching and a revamped healthy lineup has led the charge. They climbed all the way up to 6th in this weeks rankings. The Dodgers have a 230 Million Dollar Plus payroll, and have no plans to slow down in this offseason. It may actually be a blessing in disguise if this team makes a long run in the playoffs. It has been speculated they will pursue Robinson Cano this winter. I have predicted they will offer him a 7 – 8 year deal worth $30 MIL per annum.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Detroit Tigers finds itself back on top of our rankings. It was a hard decision between them and the Atlanta Braves.
The prevailing thought is that I am more confident in the “Motown Boys” to make the World Series.
Since starting the year 12 – 11, the Braves have only gone 47 – 44. Lets just say the should finish the season with about 89 wins. That would force Washington to go 38 – 19 in their final 57 Games.
I fully expect the Nationals to take off at any part in the season, so this is not a foreign concept.
In contrast, I don’t believe in either the Indians or Royals to near 90 wins like the Tigers should have by seasons end.
With a bypass to eliminate the Wild Card Game, Detroit is our #1 team.
Clip is Francona talking about Fielder – (There are 2 more clips of C.Fielder + P.Fielder at end of this blog)
MLB 30 Team Power Rankings: Week 17
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday July.21/2013
The Cardinals are the big benefactor of an early July swoon by the Pirates. Will this team make some moves at the deadline – to aid the young Starting Rotation Innings? Will Chris Carpenter be able to make an impact for the club at some point this campaign? They sit perched back up upon the MLBR Power Rankings for now. The Cards have made 7 out of the last 12 NLCS showdowns – holding a 3 – 4 record in those years – and a 2 – 1 mark in the World Series.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Tampa Bay Rays are making a huge statement. Even as I write this post, they have a commanding 4 – 1 lead on the Toronto Blue Jays, which would make the 58 – 41, and no worse than 1.5 Games Behind the Boston Red Sox heading into play tomorrow.
The Rays will head to Fenway Park right after this for a four game series – before concluding a 10 game Road Swing at Yankee Stadium. They could end up in 1st place in the AL East by next week.
With their pitching strength – and new underrated offense, would anyone pick against them for the rest of the season? I have slotted them 7 positions higher than the previous week.
Chris Carpenter 5 months ago, He is now rehabbing in the Minor Leagues with a chance to come back in 2013 – Amazing!
2 And A Hook Podcast #10: All Star Chat, Yankees, Dbacks + Trade Deadline Talk
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, July.12, 2013
MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.
‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran ) Follow @yankeeman1973
Guests On The Show
Im back & ready after being off during the 4th of July week to give you all another baseball packed podcast. On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports ( www.mlbreports.com ) & yours truly The Bench Warmers Show.
I star by paying respect to the great Yankee Stadium PA announcer Bob Sheppard on the 3 year anniversary to the day that he passed away…
I talk to the boss man Chuck Booth as he returns to do his segment! 16 Minutes in and a 31 Minute Segment Follow @chuckbooth3024
Chuck makes some notions about the New York Yankees and Brian Cashman needing to risk it all for this year – for the legacies of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano. Plus whether the club can trade Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes – and maybe acquire a bat. Read the rest of this entry
Top MLB Teams 1 – 30: Monthly Rankings + (Top 200 Stats For Reading And Fantasy Baseball)
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Follow @mlbreportsThursday July.11/2013
The Giants have gone 9 – 23 in their last 32 Games – and are in danger of having a brutal campaign just one year after capturing the World Series. Key injuries and overlogged pitchers have been the main point of contention. They lost 8 Ranking Spots this past time. Should they also become sellers at the Trade Deadline, Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence could fetch a few players in return. The Giants are currently 40 – 50 and 6.5 Games behind the NL West Leading DBACKS – but are in last in the NL West.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The time has come for the July Power Rankings with Stats Edition. There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.
I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during these weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.
These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.
I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams. I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll past the video and picture.
Dodgers Climb Into Second Place Behind Quiet Heroes
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday, July.09/2013
Ramirez had 5 hits including two triples during the weekend series against the San Francisco Giants as the Dodgers took two out of three games against the defending champions.Probably another impressive thing about Hanley’s recent success is the fact that he has SO’d only three times during the last 10 games. He hasn’t SO’d more than once in any of those 10 games.Hanley Ramirez has taking the role as the cleanup hitter pretty well as he has an 18-game hitting streak and is hitting .488 (20 Hits and 12 Runs Scored) – with 2 HRs and 7 RBIS in his last 10 games.
By Enrique Rivera (Dodgers Correspondent) Follow @eriqwiththeq
Much has been said about Dodgers’ rookie Yasiel Puig and rightfully so. He has had one of the most memorable first months in MLB history. He has played in 32 games and is hitting .409 with 8 HRs and 19 RBIs.
You can easily connect Puig’s success with the Dodgers’ success as they’ve quietly got back in the division and are in fact now 2nd place in the NL West.
But another guy who has had the same if not better success than Puig during their first 32 games of the season is Dodgers’ shortstop Hanley Ramirez.
Hanley Ramirez smashes a homerun to the third deck at Petco Park:
MLB 30 Team Rankings Week 15
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday July.08/2013
The Boston Red Sox started out the season 21 – 8 after their 1st 29 games, and have maintained over the last 61 games, with 33 Wins and 28 Losses. They are #1 on our rankings charts.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Past this page break or the Dodgers logo, is the written version of the rankings. If you want to listen to the audio podcast we did for this, we have the links below to download or just listen.
Triple Play Podcast Ep #15 Monthly Rankings For All 30 Teams
Potential All – Star Candidates For All 30 MLB Teams:
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Saturday, July.06/2013
Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and will be host to the 2013 ALL – Star Game. It is light years ahead of where Shea Stadium was. The home club should have the Starting Pitcher and Third Baseman for the NL, who else will be picked for the NL and AL – will all be revealed in a matter of hours. MLB Reports gave its candidates and choices in this blog. Citi Field also modified its fences last year in hopes of hosting this event. This is the RF cavernous portion that used to be what Right Field was. I took this photo in 2009 – during its 1st season in existence.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I am doing this list based solely on whether the player is a viable candidate or not. I don’t care if the fans vote someone else in – although they have done a decent job.
This website’s stance on Yasiel Puig is known by know – if you are reading this for the 1st time. We feel the man belongs based on his numbers. He has numbers comparable to Bryce Harper – and his BA and OPS is far above and beyond.
In a recent article our Dodgers Correspondent Follow @eriqwiththeq also mentioned Hanley Ramirez deserves a shot to make the team.
Ordinarily, I would say no – but Troy Tulowitzki is hurt.
Han- Ram might be a victim of all teams needing to be represented as the Padres best candidate is definitely Everth Cabrera – unless Bochy takes Jason Marquis to replace him.
I think behind Bochy should take Ramirez behind David Wright and Pedro Alvarez at 3B. With Segura, Cabrera and Desmond taking spots at SS. Read the rest of this entry
Could Manny Still Be Manny?
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, July.05/2013
Manny Ramirez was last sniffing around the MLB with Oakland last year in the Minors. Technically, he finished his PED suspension from the year before – accrued with the Tampa Bay Rays. Before that, he was with the White Sox, Wait a second??? When was the last time Manny was Manny on the field? You have to go all the way back to his LA Dodgers days. He was exciting that town like someone named Yasiel Puig is now – batting for a 3 slash line of .396/.485/1.232 in 62 Games Played – with 19 HRs and 63 RBI during the 2008 year Mannywood couldn’t lead the Dodgers past the Phils in back to back years for the NLCS. He then resigned in LA, tested positive for PED use, came back – and was traded to Chicago.
By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent): Follow @bka_9
Most baseball fans have spent the first half of the season watching their favorite teams, as well as getting a good laugh out of the constant YouTube videos coming from Taiwan.
Manny Ramirez, in his short term with the EDA Rhinos, starred in his own version of Mr. Baseball part 2 as a crowd favorite in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Ramirez hit 8 Homers, moonwalked to the dugout, and had a hilarious attempt to slide into 2B (and stopped about ten feet short).
But the joke was on Texas Rangers fans on Wednesday, whenever Ramirez signed a minor league contract and was optioned to AAA Round Rock Express.
Manny Ramirez: I’M BACK!
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