Eat, Drink and Sleep Baseball

Los Angeles Dodgers Mock Draft Database

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 10:48:00 +0000

The 2020 MLB Draft will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 10th and Thursday, June 11th.

We've been tracking MLB mock drafts from various baseball analysts, writers and bloggers via our 2020 MLB Mock Draft Database.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the 29th pick in Wednesday's draft and our Los Angeles Dodgers 2020 MLB Mock Draft Roundup compiles picks for the Dodgers in recently-updated mock drafts.

The picks listed below are sorted by when the mock draft was updated (date in parenthesis) with the most recent mocks listed first.

> MLB Tickets: 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers Tickets

MLB.com - Mayo (6/4)
Bobby Miller, RHP, Louisville

The last of the college right-handers to go in the second half of the first round. The Dodgers could also look at South Carolina righty Carmen Mlodzinski or maybe go the high school bat route with Howard.

The Athletic - Law (6/3)
CJ Van Eyk, RHP, Florida State

The Dodgers are willing to go high school, although the last time they did that was in 2018 for J.T. Ginn, who didn't sign and will probably go in the No. 20-40 range next week. Van Eyk was getting top-15 buzz in the preseason, but after Week 1 he had a few disappointing outings and never got a chance to right the ship. His stuff grades out well on TrackMan, which will appeal to several teams at the end of the round.

CBS Sports - Axisa (6/2)
RHP Bryce Jarvis, Duke

The Dodgers acquired a competitive balance pick (No. 66) in the Kenta Maeda trade and they have some bonus pool money to play with. Jarvis trained at Driveline Baseball last summer, a leading data-driven independent training facility, and showed up this spring with an extra 5-6 mph on his fastball. The added velocity plus two distinct breaking balls have put him in the first-round mix. Because he's an older college junior (22 1/2 on draft day), Jarvis figures to sign below-slot, setting the Dodgers up to something big with their extra pick.

Fangraphs - Longenhagen (5/27)
Bryce Jarvis, RHP, Duke

Here I've given the Dodgers the best remaining player on my board but they're apt to take an injured player who they think should have gone higher on talent (Freddy Zamora, maybe a J.T. Ginn sequel?) or someone with a shorter track record like Beeter (who I think has homes throughout the back half of round one) or Shuster.

MLB.com - Callis (5/27)
Slade Cecconi, RHP, Miami

We have the Dodgers hopping on the college right-hander train, but they've also been attached to several infielders such as Howard, Foscue, Loftin, Tucker and Mississippi State shortstop Jordan Westburg.

ESPN - McDaniel (5/26)
Jordan Westburg, SS, Mississippi State

I had the Dodgers taking Foscue last time, but now it looks like he won't last to No. 29. His double-play partner, Westburg, has more upside and is bigger and more athletic but also has more trouble with contact. The Dodgers have some of the best hitter development in the game, so they can afford to gamble on the upside here.

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Giancarlo Stanton (hand) to miss 4-6 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 16:48:00 +0000

Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will miss the next four to six weeks after having surgery for a hamate (hand) fracture, per MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

If there is good news, it's that there is no ligament damage, but it's obviously a huge blow for the Marlins offense.

Playing in 74 of the team's first 75 games, Stanton currently has 27 home runs with 67 runs batted in, both of which lead all of baseball. Easily on pace to shatter his previous career highs of 37 HRs and 105 RBI, Stanton has hit a home run per every 10.33 at bats this season.

Stanton's K% of 29.9 is the fourth-worst in baseball and his highest since his rookie season (31.1%), but his .341 ISO is also a career high and second-best in baseball behind Bryce Harper (.379).

As productive as Stanton has been offensively, the Marlins still rank only 24th in baseball in runs scored (277).

In addition, the Marlins rank just 20th in home runs hit (62), which means that Stanton has hit 43.5 percent of the team's home runs. First baseman Justin Bour (six HRs) is the only other Marlins hitter with at least five home runs this season.

Losers of five consecutive games and eight of their past nine games, the Marlins are 15 games below .500 and only the Brewers (.373) and Phillies (.347) have a lower winning percentage than the Marlins (.400).

2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Late-Round Targets For Your Draft

noreply@blogger.com (gryfyn1) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 01:46:00 +0000

Sleepers aren't what they used to be. The idea of grabbing a sleeper that could take your baseball league by surprise has become as outmoded as newspapers. The wealth of information available on the internet at the click of mouse means any player with a shot at a major league roster is well vetted by any diligent researcher.

Still, digging up value, especially in the later rounds of your draft, will always be the key to giving yourself a real shot at taking home your championship. Value can come in many forms on draft day, and today I want to look a few players who fall into several categories.

View image | gettyimages.com

Here are our four players to target late in your fantasy baseball drafts:

Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Belt falls into the forgotten by injury category. Last year, Belt's breakout was cut short by injuries. First a broken hand, then a concussion sustained in batting practice served to hide a transformation that had begun the previous season. From August 1, 2013 though his injury on May 9, 2014, Belt hit .300+ with 16 HR, 46 runs scored and 52 RBI across just 352 plate appearances. Entering his age 27 season and his physical prime, the projections of 20 home runs may well be selling him short. With Pablo Sandoval in Boston and Hunter Pence injured, Belt will be given every opportunity to be the focal point of the Giants offense in 2015 and accrue the counting stats needed. Last year, just six qualified first basemen managed to hit at least .270 and launch 20-plus home runs. With an ADP around 200 and as the 28th first baseman, Belt is more than likely being drafted far too low for the production he will provide.

Danny Salazar, SP, Cleveland Indians

Salazar falls into the post-hype sleeper category. Last year Salazar was touted as sleeper after coming off a fantastic finish to the 2013 season. Salazar got off to a rough start. While he piled up strikeouts in bunches (47 in 40.2 innings), his 1-4 record and 5.53 ERA were harsh enough to sour most owners and even the Indians on him. After a stint in the minors, Salazar came back and posted the numbers people thought he was due for with five wins, a 3.50 ERA and 73 Ks in 69.1 IP across 12 starts, but by that point, he was overshadowed by Cleveland's Cy Young pitcher Corey Kluber. While his first-half numbers looked ugly, they were heavily influenced by a .369 BABIP and 14.8 HR/FB ratio, two numbers that should, and did, regress in the second half. Last year's 9.82 K/9 would have ranked sixth among qualified pitchers and his 3.52 FIP was 33rd. With an ADP of 241, the 2.83 FIP he posted in the second half of last year would have ranked 11th among qualified starters and could be the sign of a big year in 2015.

Steven Souza, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Souza is the free-at-last prospect. With Bryce Harper and Jason Werth manning the corner outfield spots, Souza was finding playing time scarce in Washington despite two fantastic seasons in the high minors. With the deal that sent him to Tampa Bay, he has cleared the first hurdle to fantasy success and that is playing time. While projections don't see him maintaining the .300+ average he sported in the minors, the speed and power threat is real. Souza is projected to hit 22 HRs and steal 24 bases in 600 plate appearances, last year only four players managed to have more than 20 in each of those categories. With and ADP of 243, Souza can provide plenty value at the tail end of a roster.

Torii Hunter, OF, Detroit Tigers

Hunter is the old and boring pick. Hunter continues to to be a reliable even entering his age 39 season. There aren't a whole lot of projections, and number squinting to see what he has done. It's been a decade since he has failed to record 70 runs or 80 RBI. He's also logged at least 140 games in eight of the last nine years. Projections once again see a solid, unspectacular year from Hunter, but many times the certainty you can get by. Consistent production out of a guy with an ADP of 259 can help smooth over some misses on high-upside youngsters.

Have fantasy baseball drafts coming up? Prepare with our free fantasy baseball mock simulator.

Sergio Romo out, committee (Casilla, Affeldt) in as Giants closer

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 21:41:00 +0000

Giants reliever Sergio Romo blew another save last night; his third in his past five appearances.

Now it's unclear if, or when, he will get his next chance to close the game as he's been removed from the team's closer role and he will be replaced by a committee, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Both Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt will get the team's ninth-inning opportunities going forward.

Casilla has an ERA of 1.17 and WHIP of 0.88 while Affeldt has been nearly as effective with an 1.33 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Romo has allowed nine earned runs in his past 4 1/3 innings over his past five appearances.

It's unclear if either one will get more opportunities to close than the other, but both are widely available in fantasy leagues. At the moment (although these percentages will likely rise quickly), Casilla and Affeldt are owned in only 12 and three percent of Yahoo! leagues, respectively.

White Sox place Jose Abreu on 15-day DL

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 18 May 2014 20:55:00 +0000

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has been dealing with tendinitis in his left ankle since spring training, but that didn't slow him down in April.

In fact, Abreu became the first player in American League history to win the Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month in the first month of his MLB career.

After leaving last night's game in the seventh inning, however, Abreu was placed on the 15-day disabled list today.

Back in Chicago, Abreu will get another MRI, but general manager Rick Hahn said "it's reasonable to believe" that Abreu will be back once his 15-day stint on the DL is up.

“I dislike speculating on return timeframes. ... as of right now, it’s reasonable to believe we’ll be able to resolve this thing within the 15-day period,” Hahn said, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago.

In a corresponding move, the White Sox activated Adam Eaton from the DL.

Abreu currently leads all of baseball in home runs (15) and trails only Miami's Giancarlo Stanton in runs batted in (42).

Jose Fernandez (elbow) expected to miss the rest of the season

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 13 May 2014 04:30:00 +0000

The news is not good. In fact, it's horrible for one of the game's best young pitchers.

Per Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Marlins believe that staff ace Jose Fernandez will need Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow.

If so, Fernandez would likely be out until June 2015.

Through eight starts, Fernandez has a 4-2 record with an MLB-high 70 strikeouts and a 2.44 ERA in 51 2/3 innings. Named the NL Rookie of the Year last season, Fernandez finished 12-6 with 187 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA in 172 2/3 innings in 2013.

It's unclear who will take his spot in the rotation, but Kevin Slowey or Brad Hand could make a spot start in his place on Wednesday.

Yu Darvish (neck) doubtful for Opening Day

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 20:49:00 +0000

Whether or not staff ace Yu Darvish (neck) will be ready for Opening Day is unclear at this point.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes: "Darvish played catch on Monday but is still dealing with a stiff neck. The Rangers aren’t sure when he’ll get back on the mound and it appears more questionable if he’ll be ready for Opening Day. General manager Jon Daniels said it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Darvish gets pushed back."

The Rangers open the season with a series against the Phillies that begins on Monday, March 31st.

In his second season with the Rangers, Darvish finished second behind Max Scherzer in A.L. Cy Young voting with a 13-9 record, 2.83 ERA (fourth-best in AL) and league-best 277 strikeouts.

Darvish is ranked second in my 2014 starting pitcher fantasy baseball rankings behind only Clayton Kershaw.

Jurickson Profar (shoulder) to miss 10-12 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 00:36:00 +0000

Trading Ian Kinsler to the Tigers for first baseman Prince Fielder in the offseason opened up door for Jurickson Profar to become the Rangers' everyday second baseman.

Unfortunately, someone other than Profar will be manning second base for the Rangers for the first few months of the season.

According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Profar will be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks with a torn muscle in his shoulder although the injury won't require surgery.

Per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, Josh Wilson is the leading candidate to replace him, although they will consider other options, such as Adam Rosales, Brent Lillibridge and Kensuke Tanaka (both of whom can be recalled from the minors) and top prospect Rougned Odor.

Turning 21 years old in February, Profar was Baseball America's top prospect after the 2012 season. This spring, Profar was hitting .222 with two homers and 11 runs batted in.

Max Scherzer rejects "substantial, long-term" offer from Tigers

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 15:44:00 +0000

Detroit Tigers starter Max Scherzer rejected a "substantial, long-term contract offer" from the team, according to team's Twitter feed.

In addition, the Tigers official statement indicates there will be "no further in-season negotiations" with Scherzer, who is due to become a free agent after the 2014 season.

Tigers Statement on Max Scherzer pic.twitter.com/kTUpgtO1ZV
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) March 23, 2014

Last year, Scherzer won the A.L. Cy Young award with a 21-3 record, 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 214.1 innings. Scherzer led the league in wins and WHIP (0.970) and finished second in K/9 (10.078) behind Yu Darvish (11.890) after leading the league in 2012 with an 11.1 K/9 rate.

Scherzer is my SP7 in my 2014 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings.

Joakim Soria named Rangers' closer

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 19:02:00 +0000

The Texas Rangers have named Joakim Soria as the team's closer, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Manager Ron Washington says (via T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com) that Soria won the job due to "[h]is consistency and his … experience in closing down ballgames."

Before missing 2012 (Tommy John surgery), Soria notched 160 saves with the Royals from 2007 to 2011. In his five seasons with the Royals, Soria had a 2.40 ERA, 1.043 WHIP and struck out 341 batters in 315.1 innings pitched.

In addition to Soria being named closer, Alexi Ogando will be the set-up man and Tanner Scheppers has earned a spot in the rotation.

On the other hand, Neftali Feliz is "competing for a spot" in the Rangers' bullpen.

So far this spring, Soria has yet to allow an earned run in 7.0 innings and has allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out five batters. Meanwhile, Feliz has a 4.50 ERA and opponents are hitting .324 against him this spring.

Kris Medlen to have Tommy John surgery on Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:14:00 +0000

The early expectations (or fears) were that Braves starter Kris Medlen would need Tommy John surgery after leaving his March 9th start with what was initially described as a forearm strain.

Today, that was confirmed.

Medlen will will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

In a message to fans thanking them for their support, Medlen said that he will "approach this process with the same drive that I’ve had my entire life and will do everything I can to come back from this “thing” twice."

Meanwhile, Brandon Beachy will be evaluated further in L.A., but the expectation is that he will also need Tommy John surgery.

Braves sign Ervin Santana to one-year deal

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:53:00 +0000

Earlier this morning, the Braves annouced via Twitter that they have signed Ervin Santana to a one-year deal.

Per ESPN, the deal is worth approximately $14 million.

Especially considering the injuries to the team's rotation, adding the best available free-agent pitcher makes a ton of sense.

Kris Medlen, the expected Opening Day starter, left his last start with what could be a season-ending injury, but he is still being evaluated.

In addition, Mike Minor may also begin the season on the disabled list and Brandon Beachy left Monday's start with elbow/forearm tightness.

With the Royals last season, Santana was 9-10 with a career-best 3.24 ERA and struck out 161 batters in 211 innings pitched.

Kris Medlen (forearm) leaves start early, to have MRI Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 23:36:00 +0000

In the fourth inning of today's spring training game against the Mets, Braves starter Kris Medlen left the game early with what is being called a right forearm strain.

That said, there is the potential that it is a serious injury for Medlen, who had Tommy John surgery back in 2010.

Medlen will have an MRI and be evaluated by the team's orthopedist on Monday, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

As Bowman notes, Medlen's initial reaction today after throwing the pitch that led to the injury was similar to his reaction from 2010 before he needed Tommy John surgery.

"He wasn't in good spirits [initially]," [Braves manager Fredi] Gonzalez said. "But after he got settled down a little bit and the trainers looked at him a little bit and the Mets doctors looked at him, I think he was in better spirits."

In 43 starts since July 31, 2012, Medlen has an ERA of 2.47, which is second only to Clayton Kershaw (1.80) during that span.

Hopefully, the news for Medlen tomorrow is better than it appeared, but it looks like there is a good chance that Medlen will begin the season on the disabled list. Not only could the Braves be without Medlen to start the season, but Mike Minor is hoping to be ready by the end of the second week of the regular season.

Yankees, Brett Gardner agree to 4-year extension

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 20:32:00 +0000

The New York Yankees and outfielder Brett Gardner have agreed to a four-year extension worth $52 million, per Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News.

In addition, the Yankees have a team option at $12.5 million (with a $2 million buyout) for 2019.

Gardner hit .273 last season with an AL-high 10 triples, eight homers, 52 runs batted in, 81 runs and 24 stolen bases. In his career, Gardner has stolen 168 bases on 199 attempts for a success rate of 84 percent.

One of the faster players in baseball, Gardner will play left field this year with the Yankees signing Jacoby Ellsbury in the offseason. In addition to Ellsbury, the Yankees signed Carlos Beltran this offseason.

All three of those outfielders are under contract for at least the next three seasons: Ellsbury (2020), Gardner (2018) and Beltran (2016).

In my 2014 fantasy outfielder rankings, I currently have Ellsbury, Beltran and Gardner ranked seventh, 27th and 44th, respectively.

Closer Craig Kimbrel, Braves agree to four-year extension

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 14:55:00 +0000

The Braves and closer Craig Kimbrel have agreed to a four-year extension that includes a team option for 2018 as well, via Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

As Ken Rosenthal tweets, the extension buys out all three years of arbitration and one, possibly two (with the 2018 option), year of free agency.

Per ESPN's Jayson Stark, the deal is worth at least $42 million over those four years.

In the past three seasons as the team's closer, Kimbrel has a total of 138 saves with an ERA of 1.48, a WHIP of 0.871 and K/9 rate of 14.9 (341 strikeouts in 206.2 innings).

Without question, Kimbrel is the top fantasy reliever heading into the 2014 season.

Derek Jeter to retire after the 2014 season

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 20:55:00 +0000

One year after we saw the farewell tour for Mariano Rivera, it will be El Capitan's turn in 2014.

Earlier today, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced via his Facebook page that the 2014 season will be his final season.

While he's never won a regular-season MVP, Jeter helped lead the Yankees to five World Series titles and will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Breaking the franchise's hit record several seasons ago, Jeter currently ranks 10th on the all-time hits list with 3,316. Assuming Jeter stays healthy, which is no given after playing in only 17 games in 2013 and about to turn 40 in June, he has an excellent chance to move up to sixth all-time in hits.

With 120 hits, he will pass Cap Anson (3,435, 6th), Honus Wagner (3,420, 7th), Carl Yastrzemski (3,419, 8th) and Paul Molitor (3,319, 9th). There is little chance that he gets the 200 hits he needs to pass Tris Speaker (3,515, 5th), but Jeter did get 216 hits just two seasons ago (2012). (He's reached the 200-hit milestone eight times in his career.)

Not only does Jeter rank first among Yankees' players in hits, he ranks first in games (2,602), at-bats (10,614) and stolen bases (348). Jeter ranks third in runs scored (1,876) behind Babe Ruth (1,959) and Lou Gehrig (1,888) and sixth in runs batted in (1,261).

Phillies sign Burnett to one-year deal, Hamels won't be ready for Opening Day

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:14:00 +0000

According to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, the Phillies have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent starting pitcher A.J. Burnett and that the deal is worth $16 million.

Even though he had a losing record (10-11) last season with the Pirates, Burnett tied a previous career low in ERA (3.30) and struck out 209 batters in 191.0 innings.

Not only did Burnett's K/9 rate of 9.848 set a career best, but he ranked first in the National League in the category. Miami's Jose Fernandez (9.747) and New York's Matt Harvey (9.639) finished second and third, respectively.

In addition, his HR/9 rate of 0.518 was only slightly worse than his career-best rate of 0.517 (2005). The only N.L. pitchers that had a better rate in 2013 were Harvey (0.353), Clayton Kershaw (0.420) and Jhoulys Chacin (0.502).

Burnett will be the team's No. 3 starter behind Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. That said, Hamels (shoulder tendinitis) is currently behind in his throwing program and won't be ready for the start of the season.

NEW: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator Available

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 13:49:00 +0000

Want to learn Mandarin Chinese? Want to become a better free-throw shooter? Want to learn how to play the guitar?

All seemingly unrelated items, the one thing they share in common is that repeated practice is the means to achieving those goals. Even if practice doesn't make perfect, as the saying goes, there is no denying that practice will make you better.

So, what does this have to do with a (fantasy) baseball blog?

Well, if you want to become better at drafting your fantasy baseball team(s) in 2014, the best way to develop and hone that skill is to practice ... and then practice some more.

While it's a no-brainer to take guys like Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera at the top of the draft, you will get a better chance of how the draft will play out by completing as many mock drafts as you can. In addition, it makes sense to try out some different strategies to see how that would potentially alter the overall composition of your team.

If you're like me (or most people), you don't have the time to spend hour after hour completing mock drafts.

By using the mock draft simulator on our site (powered by FantasyPros), you can complete a full mock draft in a matter of five minutes. You will draft for your team (you can select league size and draft slot), and the computer will draft for the other slots based on the expert consensus rankings and average draft position.

Starting at some point in February, we will do and post a mock draft per day with analysis. And while that may/should be useful as well, there is nothing like you getting the hands-on practice of doing mocks yourself as opposed to reading about ours.

So, what are you waiting for? Start your fantasy baseball mock drafts now.

* DraftKings: Play Daily Fantasy Sports and get a 100-percent bonus (up to $600) on your initial deposit.

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers agree to 7-year deal

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:48:00 +0000

The Los Angeles Dodgers and their 25-year-old staff ace, Clayton Kershaw, have agreed to a seven-year deal worth $215 million, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.

Per Shelburne, the deal allows Kershaw, who would have been eligibility for free agency in 2015, to opt out of the deal after the fifth season. Easily becoming the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history, Kershaw's deal beats the extension signed last year by Detroit's Justin Verlander by $35 million.

The winner of two N.L. Cy Young awards in the past three seasons, Kershaw finished second to R.A. Dickey the year he didn't win it.

Not only does Kershaw have a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the past five seasons, he has led the N.L. in ERA for three consecutive years including a career-best 1.83 ERA last season. In addition, he has led the league in WHIP in each of the past three seasons and has 200-plus strikeouts in four consecutive seasons.

Without question, Kershaw will be the slam-dunk top fantasy pitcher when I release my initial 2014 fantasy baseball rankings later this month.

2013 World Series Prediction: Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 22:46:00 +0000

In the ultimate slap in the face to Bobby Valentine, the Red Sox are in the World Series, only a year removed winning 69 games. They'll square off against the Cardinals starting this Wednesday, and I don't see how you can bet against them.

Boston has been the most consistent team all year. They hit pretty well at every position, have a good to great top-four starting pitchers, and with Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara, the game might as well be seven innings, as both pitchers have been virtually unhittable.

The Sox made a habit of getting no-hit for about five innings/game against Detroit, but still found a way to win the Series in six games. They got shut down against Max Scherzer twice, but the bullpen gave up a grand slam in each game, and Boston won both games. They also managed only one run against Justin Verlander, who was brilliant in the postseason, and won the game 1-0. I just don't see how you combat that kind of timely hitting and never-say-die momentum that they have been carrying through the playoffs.

The Cardinals have been impressive as well. They have also had some timely hitting, and were able to avoid a collapse after holding a 3-1 lead over the Dodgers, the way they did last year against the Giants. If not for the emergence of Michael Wacha, I would be even more confident in the Red Sox to win it all, but Wacha has been even better than Adam Wainwright in the playoffs, and deservedly won the NLCS MVP.

If Wacha can continue his recent success, then the Cardinals will have a good chance to win the four games they'll need to win with Wainwright and Wacha each likely to start two if the series goes long enough.

I think these teams are similar, with the Cards having a little bit better starting pitching at the top, and the Red Sox having a little more depth to the rotation. In tight games, though, you have to have a good bullpen to either stop the bleeding or to cling to a small lead, and the Red Sox have found a winning combination there.

As a Yankees fan, I will be rooting for the Cardinals to win it all, but I just don't see it happening. I hope I'm wrong, but objectively, I'll give the nod to the Sox to win the series 4-2.

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

MLB Midseason Awards: N.L. MVP Award

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 22:16:00 +0000

The NL MVP race does not have all the pizazz of the AL race, which has two guys with 30-plus home runs and the chance for a second triple crown in a row.

My contenders to win it would be Allen Craig, who is hitting .333 with 74 RBIs, Paul Goldschmidt at .313 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs, and Michael Cuddyer, hitting .330 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs.

I'd also give an honorable mention to Jean Segura, who has cooled off a bit of late, but is still hitting .325 with 121 hits and 27 stolen bases. Segura has been killing it in fantasy, so gotta give him a mention.

Without too much conviction on my pick, I'll take Goldschmidt, who is putting up the best numbers on a team that, at the moment, is leading the division.

For other midseason awards, see below:

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

MLB Midseason Awards: N.L. Cy Young Award

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 10:36:00 +0000

The NL Cy Young has a lot of guys in the mix for the award at this juncture, with no one really standing head and shoulders above the rest.

Depending on your personal criteria, you can easily make a case for Adam Wainwright who is 12-5 with a 2.45 ERA, Matt Harvey 7-2 with a 2.35 ERA and a league-leading 147 strikeouts, Jeff Locke who is 8-2 with a 2.15 ERA, Patrick Corbin who is 11-1 with a 2.35 ERA, or Jordan Zimmerman who is 12-4 with a 2.58 ERA.

All are great choices with excellent records and ERAs. Some people will favor strikeouts, others favor wins/losses.

Personally, I'm an ERA guy. You can't control your run support, so I don't feel that wins/losses should be held against you for an individual award. While high strikeout totals do impress, I'm also not going to hold efficiency against a pitcher if he gets ground ball outs and throws fewer pitches than a power pitcher.

All that said, I'll give my midseason award to Clayton Kershaw, who is a mere 8-6 but has a 1.98 ERA.
The Dodgers started the season off poorly, and clearly Kershaw did not get a lot of run support early on. He is the only pitcher in baseball with a sub-2.00 ERA, and he has only eight wins.

If Kershaw can remain under two runs per game, it will put him in the company of guys like Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Greg Maddux, and definitely makes him worthy of the midseason Cy Young.

See A.L. choices: Cy Young leader - MVP leader

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

MLB Midseason Awards: A.L. MVP Award

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:21:00 +0000

Last year, it was a two-man race between Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout.

This year?

It's more of the same, but with one other player in the mix.

Mike Trout is not going to be mentioned in most people's midseason MVPs, but I just can't leave him out. After hitting just .261 for the month of April, Trout is up to hitting .322 with 119 hits, 15 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases.

We are slightly more than halfway through the season, but Trout is on pace to hit .322 with over 200 hits, close to 30 home runs, over 100 runs batted in, and 40 stolen bases. His season may be overshadowed by the top two contenders, but I feel Trout is worth mentioning, as a hot second half could easily put him in the discussion.

Chris Davis is leading the league in home runs with 37, and is hitting a solid .315 at the plate. He's got an OPS of 1.109, and is a huge reason why the Orioles are having the kind of success they are having. In a tough AL East, the O's are 10 games over .500, and are right in the mix, both in the division, and for a wild card spot.

Davis has been exciting to watch, and some early mutterings of 62 home runs has begun. Davis is my number two for midseason AL MVP.

Top honors has to go to Miguel Cabrera. No player in the history of baseball has ever had 30 home runs and 90 RBIs at the All Star break, until this year. Cabrera is hitting an incredible .365 with 30 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a 1.132 OPS. He is putting up video game numbers so far in the first half of the season, and has actually elevated himself after an MVP and triple-crown winning season.

If Davis cools off a bit, Cabrera may actually win back-to-back triple crowns. Color me impressed.

Also, check out: AL Midseason Cy Young Winner (Leader)

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

MLB Midseason Awards: A.L. Cy Young Award

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 23:58:00 +0000

Now that we are at the midway point (or a little past it), I will post my choices as midseason leader for Cy Young and MVP in both leagues at the All-Star Break.

The perennial choices for AL Cy Young are either Justin Verlander or Felix Hernandez, who have consistently been two of the game's top pitchers over the last several years.

A couple of other guys like David Price (last year's winner) or Jered Weaver are usually in the discussion as well, along with a surprise or two that pop up every year. Last year, Chris Sale was the guy who emerged, and was the favorite to win the award heading into the second half of last season.

This year, Bartolo Colon makes a strong case at 12-3 with an ERA of 2.70, currently third in the AL. Colon's connection with PEDs, however, may be what largely accounts for his return to the dominance of his prime at the age of 40. Nonetheless, he has not yet been suspended, and has a legitimate claim to the midseason AL Cy Young award.

I'm going to go another way, though. Max Scherzer, who is not even the best pitcher on his own team, is leading the pack at the midway point. With an ERA just a shade over three (3.19 at the moment), Scherzer is an incredible 13-1 in 19 starts. He is averaging more than a strikeout per inning (10.55 K/9), and has a WHIP under one (0.98).

I'll take Scherzer for my midseason AL Cy Young award winner/leader.

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

Jose Altuve, Astros agree to 4-year extension

noreply@blogger.com (Staff) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Per Brian McTaggert of the MLB.com, the Houston Astros and second baseman Jose Altuve have agreed to an extension.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, it is a four-year deal that runs from 2014 through 2017 worth $12.5 million. In addition, the club has options for 2018 ($6 million) and 2019 ($6.5 million).

Eligible for arbitration next year, Altuve would have been eligible for free agency after the 2016 season.

Going into the season, the Astros had a payroll of approximately $22 million with starting pitcher Bud Norris its highest-paid player with a salary of $3 million.

Altuve leads the team in batting average (.280) and stolen bases (21) with 36 runs scored, three home runs and 28 runs batted in.