As MLB teams approach the midway point of the season (no, the All-Star Game is not the midway point of the season), it’s time to get judgmental:
American League
Best Team – Houston Astros
While I wanted to write the Yankees in ⇑, they simply aren’t the best team in the American League. When push comes to shove, especially in the postseason, great pitching beats great hitting. While Dallas Keuchel has regressed BIG TIME, he’s still light years better than every other #5 starter on the planet. If, and when, the Yankees acquire a good starting pitcher, they’ll assuredly leap frog the Astros.
Biggest Surprise – Seattle Mariners
This is the biggest surprise in MLB this season. It’s not even close. The Mariners, despite losing arguably their best player, Robinson Cano (suspension), have the 4th best record in baseball (50-31). If you can name five players on the Mariners, I’ll give you a cookie. Go ahead….
I didn’t think so.
Behind the performances of Nelson Cruz (20 home runs), Dee Gordon (21 steals), Ryon Healy (15 home runs), Edwin Diaz (30 saves), and Mike Leake (8 wins), the Mariners are quietly having one of the more impressive seasons in MLB.
MVP – Mike Trout
While there are other worthy candidates for AL MVP (Mookie Betts and JD Martinez), Mike Trout is the best baseball player in the world. He has been for six years. Having played exactly half of the season, Trout is on pace for his most home runs in a season (46), to go along with 26 steals, while hitting .323. The man is not a man at all. He is a machine. An MVP machine.
CY Young – Luis Severino
Luis Severino is the best pitcher in the American League. I’m aware of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Chris Sale’s accomplishments, but Severino is outperforming them all. With the most pitches of 99 m.p.h. or more in all of baseball, Severino’s stuff is electric. He’s also singlehandedly holding the Yankees’ pitching staff up with one hand, while throwing absolute, unhittable gas with the other.
Check back with DaveTalksSports tomorrow for your National League mid-season report!!
National Bring Your Kid To Work Day. National Siblings Day. National Pizza Day. The list goes on, and on, and on.
Well, no one told me Wednesday was National Hit Multiple Home Runs Day.
I must have missed that memo.
Four gentleman took to the streets with their baseball bats and decided one wasn’t enough. It’s like a slice of pizza. One is NEVER enough!
Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday after a four day hiatus. Betts tweaked his hamstring during Saturday’s game, and the Red Sox, as always, were extra cautious with their star outfielder. Betts wasted no time reinserting himself into the AL MVP conversation. Betts cranked not one, not two, but three home runs against the Kansas City Royals. The Red Sox would need every last home run, as they eked out a 5-4 victory, remaining atop the AL East.
Edwin Encarnacion
Edwin Encarnacion has gotten off to an extremely slow start this season. Prior to Wednesday’s matinee, Encarnacion was hitting a pathetic .171. After Wednesday’s three home run, six rbi performance, Encarnacion is finally heading in the right direction. Encarnacion accounted for half of his teams runs, as the Cleveland Indians routed the Texas Rangers 12-4. Speaking of slumping power hitters, Wednesday’s power surge couldn’t have come at a better time for the newest member of the New York Yankees….
Giancarlo Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton may be under the most pressure of any athlete in New York. While donning pinstripes is the ultimate baseball honor, Yankee Nation can become a player’s worst nightmare in a hurry. Stanton found that out in his FIRST game at Yankee Stadium, carrying ‘boo birds’ back to the dugout. Yankee fans are already tired of watching Stanton swing and miss. With 47 strikeouts in just 121 at bats, Yankee fans have been anxiously awaiting the reigning NL MVP to step up to the plate. Well, ask, and you shall receive. Stanton went 3-for-4, mashing home runs in consecutive at bats Wednesday night. He accounted for all of the Yankees’ runs, en route to another 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros.
Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado and slump don’t often collide in the same sentence. And this season is no different. At this point, Arenado should change his middle name to ‘The RBI Man’. Over the past three seasons (combined), Arenado has 48 more rbi than the next closest run producer, Edwin Encarnacion (393-345). That’s impressive! And Wednesday, he did what he does. Two home runs, and five rbi, leading his team to an 11-2 whoopin’ of the Chicago Cubs.
Do you, like chicks, dig the long ball???? If you do, tell me about your home run obsession in the comment section below.
You can find me on the Radio as well. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’m on live, every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. Each show is also broadcast on Facebook Live via: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.
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Teams off to a ‘hot’ start will regress, and teams who can’t buy a win will do just that. It’s baseball. It’s 162 games. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The instantaneous reaction generation can’t handle these moments.
On Monday, the Yankees could be the best team in MLB history.
And on Tuesday, they could be the biggest disappointment the world has ever seen.
Of course, a 14-1 loss, to a division rival, is never beneficial, but game 1 of 19 between the Red Sox and Yankees doesn’t determine the AL East.
Seriously though, letting the Red Sox drop a 9-spot in the 6th inning is not a recipe for success. Neither is starting Shane Robinson in centerfield, but that’s a different story….
Red Sox
Subjectively, I hate their guts. Objectively, they’re a really solid team. Those who wrote the Red Sox off, and crowned the Yankees AL East champs in March, were sorely mistaken. The Red Sox have been a well run organization since forever. Despite most Yankee fans’ distorted memories, the Red Sox have won the AL East the past 2 years (and 3 out of the last 5). This division will be hard fought all season (especially if David Price’s early season resurrection is real).
Yankees
Yes, I’m a Yankee fan. I want them to win every game. However, I don’t fit in with the typical Yankee fan. While I’ve been spoiled with their success throughout my life (I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s), I understand baseball. I understand reality.
They aren’t going to go 162-0. They may not play November baseball. And they aren’t the best lineup ever constructed. They will, however, level out. They’ll get healthy. They’ll win approximately 90 games. And they’ll make the playoffs.
The folklore of ‘Sister Jean’ continues. After famously assisting Loyola-Chicago’s men’s basketball team to the Final Four, she’s moved on to baseball. Sister Jean was invited to throw out the 1st pitch at Tuesday’s, Chicago Cubs’ home-opener.
Not bad Sister Jean, not bad.
Unfortunately, the Cubs weren’t able to harness Sister Jean’s winning power, as they fell 8-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have gotten off to a red hot start (8-2), while the Cubs have struggled (5-5). The Pirates have scored 66 runs through their 1st 10 games, the most since 1923. The Cubs, however, played their 1st 9 games on the road, and are without all-star, 1st baseman, Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo landed on the 10-day DL Tuesday with back tightness.
Expect the Pirates to cool off and the Cubs to grab hold of the division in the near future.
What are your thoughts on the MLB season so far?? Post your genius in the comment section below.
You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.
Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!
J.D. Martinez, come on down! You’re the next contestant on the Price Is Righ….
No no, the price is wrong. Yes, Martinez has a lot more money today than he did two days ago, but he accepted a deal significantly less than he was seeking. For months, J.D. Martinez and his agent, Satan (ahem), I mean Scott Boras, played hardball. They stood tall and said they wouldn’t take less than 7 years, $210 million. They claimed they’d be willing to sit out the season to garner a “fair” contract.
Someone should explain the meaning of a standoff to Boras and Martinez.
Martinez, who hit a career best 45 home runs with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks last season, signed a 5-year, $110 million contract with the Boston Red Sox Monday afternoon.
One of these numbers is not like the other….
The deal is front-loaded, so Martinez will earn $50 million over the first two years. The deal also includes an opt-out clause for Martinez after two years. With a full outfield in Boston, Martinez will serve as the primary DH, granting an occasional day off for Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, or Jackie Bradley Jr.
On the exterior, I graciously doled out a golf clap for the Red Sox, while the Yankees’ fan in me considered smashing a vase against the wall. Martinez is a solid run producer. If he’s afforded an opportunity as the full-time DH, glaring at the “Green Monster”, he’ll duplicate his 40 home run season.
Speed Kills
Upon losing Martinez to free agency, the Diamondbacks wasted little time finding a new outfielder. Monday night, they signed Jarrod Dyson to a 2-year, $7.5 million deal. Despite never exceeding 350 at-bats in a season, Dyson has stolen at least 25 bases in 6 consecutive seasons. He’ll likely serve in a platoon with Yasmany Tomas in left field.
“The Freak” Is Back!!
Tim Lincecum, “The Freak”, is making a comeback!! After holding a pitching showcase for a handful of MLB teams (he hit 93 m.p.h. on the radar gun), Lincecum has reportedly received a guaranteed offer to return to the mound in 2018. No team has been named in the report, however, the San Francisco Giants reportedly aren’t the winners of the Lincecum sweepstakes.
Lincecum’s last stint in MLB didn’t go smoothly, as he sported a 9.16 e.r.a. in 9 starts in 2016. In fact, he hasn’t pitched a season with a sub 4.00 e.r.a. since 2011. At 33 years old, “The Freak” has his work cut out for him, but we want to wish he and his mystery team the best of luck.
What do you think of these free agent signings?? Post your opinion in the comment section below.
You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.
Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!
I don’t like you. No seriously, I really don’t like you. You keep winning when we want you to lose. And you continue to have fun while you win. How dare you?! This isn’t supposed to be fun!! This is baseball.
The Boston Red Sox have had a successful season — so far. They currently stand 3 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East division. They clinched a playoff berth on Wednesday night after a combination of a win against the Baltimore Orioles (9-0), and an Angels loss (6-5). Also, Chris Sale (he’s good) became the 1st Red Sox pitcher to record 300 strikeouts in a season since Pedro Martinez (1999).
Even though Dustin Pedroia is still hanging around, the Red Sox have a new look. They’ve transitioned from the Pedro Martinez’ to the David Ortiz’ to the Mookie Betts’ of the world. They’re in the midst of a youth movement. And they’ve created their own version of the ‘Killer B’s’:
Betts (24)
Benintendi (23)
Bogaerts (24)
Bradley Jr. (27)
Only time will tell if this group will be as good as Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, and Bell. I’m going to say Naaaaa, considering that group has 2 Hall of Famers in it. But these young players have had a great season. What’s most impressive is their resolve this late in the season. While their arch nemesis Yankees have won 14 of their last 18 games, the Red Sox have managed to win 11 of their last 14.
Did I mention I strongly dislike the Red Sox?!
It’s not that the Red Sox are winning, it’s how they’re winning. Over this stretch, they have won 4 games in extra innings (11, 11, 15, and 19 innings!). If those games had gone the other way, the AL East would be a completely different animal right now. As a Yankees’ fan, I’ve come to terms with not winning the division, but the Yankees are getting hot at the right time.
The Red Sox don’t want a piece of US right now.
Nobody does. When the Yankees’ lineup is firing on all cylinders, it is as dangerous as they come. Once they handle their business in the Wild Card Game against either the Twins or Angels, they can set their sites on the rest of the American League. And, who knows, maybe they’ll meet up with these pesky little Red Sox down the road. Betts and Benintendi are nice players, but my money’s on Judge, Sanchez, and company.
Who has a better young core of players, the Yankees, or the Red Sox??
Answer me in the comment section below.
You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page.
Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel called DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!
Dave Talks Sports 