Tag Archives: 2013

My All-Star Ballot (2013)

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What does my All-Star Ballot look like? Well, it looks something like this:

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins

First Baseman: Chris Davis, Orioles

Second Baseman: Robinson Cano, Yankees

Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Orioles

Third Baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Red Sox

Outfield: Mike Trout (Angels), Adam Jones (Orioles), Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)

In general, this is pretty close to what the fans have voted in general. The only difference is that I have Bautista in over Nick Markakis.

National League:

Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals

First Baseman: Joey Votto, Reds

Second Baseman: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals

Shortstop: Jean Segura, Brewers (Note: Would be Troy Tulowitzki, but he’s hurt so I’m not voting for him)

Third Baseman: David Wright, Mets

Outfielders: Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Carlos Gomez (Brewers), Jay Bruce (Reds)

(Note: Bryce Harper would be in if not hurt, and Gerardo Parra would be a write-in for outfielders in , but, well, the sad truth is that I highly doubt it’d make much of a difference, so I’m voting for Jay Bruce instead)

The NL is a bit more of a mess, and I have differences at 2B (Carpenter- who is more of a utilityman, admittedly, instead of Brandon Phillips), Shortstop (sort of- Tulowitzki is leading but won’t play due to injury) and especially the outfield, where nothing matches up between my ballot and what the fans in general are voting (although admittedly Harper would be on mine too if he was healthy).

So that’s what my ballots look like- what do you think?

Minor Leaguers to Know This Year

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The short-season minor leagues have gotten started or are about to do so, so here are some to look out for… below the jump.

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Who Wright and Cano should pick for the HR Derby…

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David Wright and Robinson Cano will be the captains for the HR derby, each picking three from their league to participate in this year’s Derby. In theory, they can choose whoever they want, although I wouldn’t be surprised if MLB makes some heavy suggestions and would block if Robinson Cano picked a pitcher to participate, or something.

But, anyway, who should Cano and Wright pick?

I have some ideas after the jump:

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The Not-An-Expert Q-and-A preview of the MLB Draft (2013 edition)

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Tomorrow, the MLB draft begins. As I mentioned before, College Baseball is sort of the odd man out in college sports. And, as I referred to in that post, a lot of high schoolers get drafted in the MLB draft. So, with that in mind, in most years you need a scorecard to know who the people being drafted are. So, with that in mind, I’ve done some research to get you up to speed on the draft, and who will probably get drafted, check it out underneath the jump:

(Portions of this are copied or modified from last year’s Q&A)

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The last time Jeremy Bonderman pitched…

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Jeremy Bonderman pitched for the Mariners today. The last time he pitched in the big leagues (when he was with the Tigers), it was October 1, 2010.

How long ago was that? Well…

  • 975 days have passed.
  • Five of the nine Tigers who were in the lineup that game are no longer with the team in 2013.
  • Seven of the nine Orioles who were in the lineup that game facing Bonderman are no longer with the Orioles (only Nick Markakis and Adam Jones remain).
  • The number one movie that weekend was The Social Network. The number one movie this weekend was Fast & Furious 6. The Social Network was nominated for best picture, Fast & Furious 6… won’t be.
  • The number one song that weekend was Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are. Wait, that song is that old? Wow, I guess it’s true what they say about time starting to move faster the older you get.
  • Bryce Harper had not yet made his professional debut. Neither had Matt Harvey. Manny Machado had played only nine total professional games. Kevin Gausman, who started for the Orioles today, had yet to start his first game at LSU.
  • LeBron James had yet to play his first game with the Miami Heat.
  • Edwin Rodriguez was manager of the Marlins. Since then, there have been four other managers, interim managers, or acting managers of the Marlins (Brandon Hyde, Jack McKeon, Ozzie Guillen, and Mike Redmond).

In short: It’s been awhile.

PACES! (As of May 29, 2013)

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  • Miguel Cabrera is on pace for 185 RBIs. The single-season record of 191 is held by Hack Wilson of the 1930 Chicago Cubs. The AL single-season record, held by Lou Gehrig of the 1931 Yankees, is 184.
  • Chris Davis is on pace for 53 HR. The Baltimore single-season record is 50, by Brady Anderson in 1995.
  • Jason Grilli is on pace for 65 saves. The single-season record is 62, held by Francisco Rodriguez in 2008.
  • The Miami Marlins are on pace for either 40 or 41 wins (depending on how you round it). Want to know what other team only had 40 wins? The 1962 New York Mets.

What does this mean? Well, nobody can be 100% sure, since keeping up a pace, especially one of historic significance, is hard. But it’s an interesting thing to think about…

How the Yankees are pulling it off

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As of this writing, the New York Yankees are in first place in the American League East with a 25-14 record, despite the fact that they are supposed to be old, injured and dysfunctional. I mean, that’s what everyone was saying (or at least thinking) before the season. It’s what I thought, what you thought. Heck, it’s probably what the Yankees themselves thought.

And yet, there they are, in first place. Again.

So how are they doing it?

I have four theories, and three of them are actually legitimate theories and not me trying to be funny!

1. Pitching

While injuries ravaged the lineup, the pitchers have been comparatively unscathed. Sports Illustrated noted, for example, that the starting rotation is sixth in the American League in ERA, and, of course, Mariano Rivera still exists. Seriously, that guy is not human. No guy can be that good and that classy for so long and still be human.

Anyway, if you have good pitching, sometimes it doesn’t matter what type of offense you have. And the Yankees have had good pitching.

2. The Last Stand of The Old Guys

Hey, remember when everyone was joking about the fact that the Yankees acquisition of Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells had locked up the 2006 World Series for the Yankees? Yeah, well, they are hitting a combined .276. Go figure.

3. They are winning the close ones

Much like the Orioles last season, the Yankees record is actually better than their Runs Scored vs. Runs Allowed would suggest. In fact, if they were playing to their pythagorean record of 22-17, they’d be either one game behind or would be tied with the Orioles (depending on whether you assume the Orioles would be playing to their pythagorean as well). So why do they have a better record than they “should”, anyway? It’s probably because they are 8-2 in one-run games. This fact and Mariano Rivera are probably related.

4. A Deal with the Devil

The dark truth, however, is likely more terrifying than you can imagine. You know all these injuries the Yankees have had? They actually are sacrifices to some sort of devil, demon, or other evil entity in exchange for a hot start before Jeter and friends return from the DL.

Or maybe it’s one of the first three. Yeah, probably.

Off-Topic Thursday: Summer Trailer Spectacular

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During the off-season, I occasionally had a “Off-Topic Tuesday” where I talked about stuff outside of baseball- usually something related to popular culture. Well, during the season, look for “Off-Topic Thursdays”, in which, well… you’ll see stuff that is off-topic. Like this:

Okay, so the summer slate of movies is coming, and while I have yet to see 42, it looks like it could be a fun summer with lots of interesting movies to go see. So, below the jump, I go through some of the trailers and give my thoughts. Note that I’m only going to look at traditional summer movie fare (action, adventures, maybe a comedy here and there)- if you wanted to hear my thoughts on the upcoming Great Gatsby movie, well, you’ve come to the wrong place.

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The 2013 Opening Day II Diary-Blog

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If you were foolish/devoted enough to read yesterday’s Opening Day Diary-Blog, you are sure to love today’s Opening Day II Diary-Blog, as I write about the opening games for the teams that had to wait until today to play and maybe a bit on the other teams that are playing today. Go below the jump.

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The 2013 Opening Day Diary-Blog

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Throughout Opening Day, I’ll be blogging. So check back on this thread throughout the day. Go BELOW THE JUMP, since this could get long.

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