MLB Playoff Preview 2016: The Beauty of October #PostSeason

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy


At long last the 6 month marathon of Baseball’s Regular Season has finally come to a close and the Playoffs are about to start.  In a season that was full of surprises, disappointments, close races and sadly tragedy, October Baseball has arrived.  Already numerous writers have made their predictions and it would only be fitting that I chime in.  Going back as early as 2001, I’ve been able to predict multiple World Series winners and surprise runs.  The way I’ve always predicted is simple, which team is the closest unit and which team wants it more.

It’s never been about the talent for me, as we’ve seen that you can have all the talent you want, it won’t necessarily mean you will win a World Series.  It’s not even about which team is hot down the stretch as we’ve seen the Yankees of 2000 have a horrible September, yet won the World Series and the 2013 Indians win their last 10 game to get in, only to lose 4-0 to the Rays in the Wild Card game.  What’s great about the playoff teams we have now is that all of them are so different.  From the nitty gritty teams like the Indians and Giants to the uber talented teams like the Red Sox and Cubs, we’ve got almost every kind of team in the playoffs this year.  So with that said, let’s go into my predictions for the MLB Playoffs.



AL Wild Card Game- Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles

This is a phenomenal matchup of two divisional foes with fairly similar teams.  Both are led by outstanding offensive lineups and very good bullpens.  The big potential mismatch could be in the starting rotation.  The Blue Jays went with their ace SP Aaron Sanchez in the Regular Season finale against Boston and will probably rely on veteran Francisco Liriano (who was brought over in a shrewd MLB Trade Deadline move).  Baltimore is a different story.  As noted from the beginning of the year, the Orioles have a boom or bust rotation.  The question is who goes in this one game playoff?  I think they’ll go with Ubaldo Jimenez or Chris Tillman.  As long as Baltimore can shut down the Blue Jays bats into the 8th and 9th, Baltimore will go to Cy Young candidate closer Zach Britton to finish them off.  But, the reality is a boom or bust rotation never works in a 1 game playoff.  Toronto was forced to beat Boston in the last series to get here and will have the home field advantage.  With Manager John Gibbons potentially fighting for his job, the Blue Jays will come out ready to go to a loud Toronto crowd.  Jose Bautista comes through in the clutch in the middle innings to put Toronto over the top and advance.

Pick- Toronto Blue Jays


NL Wild Card Game- New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants

This matchup was made for the NL Wild Card Game.  As it stands, it looks like Madison Bumgarner vs. Noah Syndergaard…WOW.  The Mets a month ago looked to be on the outside looking in, but have played their way into this game.  As for the Giants…well it’s an even year, we all know what that means.  If Bumgarner is going for the Giants, I would give a distinct advantage to the Giants for his previous big game performances.  The Giants don’t have one big time bat like the Mets do with Yoenis Cespedes, but they have a balanced and efficient offensive attack that plays against the Mets.  On top of that, the Giants have a very effective bullpen that seemingly always gets the job done.  As tempting as it is to go with the defending NL Champions, their defense of their pennant ends against the Giants.

Pick- San Francisco Giants


AL Division Series

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox

So everyone is just pegging the Red Sox and writing off Cleveland?  Doesn’t this sound awfully familiar to Cleveland?  To these “analysts” they forget the one most important thing about Playoff Baseball…THROW REGULAR SEASON STATS OUT THE WINDOW.  All I’ve heard is Rick Porcello and David Price’s career records vs. Indians.  I’m sorry was that in the Playoffs?  The Indians are a team that has faced so much adversity and haters that they’ve become the one team everyone hates to face…the team that won’t die.  When the Indians are on offensively, all the need to do is get into the 7th/8th inning and it’s over. 

We can talk about the Carrasco and Salazar hurt, but we are missing that Josh Tomlin has returned to form ending the year strong, Kluber will be fine and most importantly the Indians Game One starter is Trevor Bauer, a man who lives for the moment.  Do National analysts want to see David Ortiz’s fairytale ending?  Do the Red Sox have more playoff experience and offensive “star power”? Probably, but the Indians are being overlooked by so many, they’re going to shock everyone.  I’ll say it again, throw everything out the window from Regular Season, the most dangerous team is the overlooked team that doesn’t know when to quit.

Pick- Indians in 5

Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

I’m gonna be honest here, I’m torn who I’d pick for this series.  The offenses are almost evenly matched up and honestly, the Blue Jays may be a very bad matchup once again for the Rangers.  While some may give the Rangers the bullpen edge, I’m giving it to the Blue Jays due to experience and the ability to move others like an Aaron Sanchez into the bullpen if needed.  The main question for the Blue Jays would be if they can crack Cole Hamels or Yu Darvish early in the series.  If they can beat one of them, or even both the Rangers will be in a very bad spot.  The Blue Jays will have Liriano, Sanchez, J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada to choose from.  The key will be whose rotation can go deep enough to let their back end of the bullpen shut the door.  The Rangers would have revenge on their minds for last year, but there was a reason why the Blue Jays prevailed.  If this was Baltimore, I’d give the Rangers a sweep, but the Blue Jays will be a battle, and one that I can see the Blue Jays winning.

Pick- Blue Jays in 4


NL Division Series

Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants

Can we please just have this as the NLCS instead?  This could be a classic 7 game series, but instead will be in the division series.  The Championship pedigree of the Giants really benefits them against what is the early World Series favorite for most.  The rotation matchup would make for some extremely competitive and low scoring games.  The difference would be in the bullpen and offense.  This is where the Cubs talent jumps off the charts.  With Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant clearly trumping the offensive talent that the Giants have, it gives them that advantage.  When it comes to the bullpens, as efficient as the Giants have been over the years, their relievers aren’t guy who aren’t overly dominant.  The Cubs have multiple relievers that can get batters out in a variety of ways.  The Cubs clearly have the advantage in both offense and bullpen over the Giants.  This should go 5 games with some great pitching performances and great moments along the way, but the Cubs survive and go to the NLCS.

Pick- Cubs in 5

Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

A week ago, this looked a potential war between two extremely talented teams and then the Nationals lost Wilson Ramos with a torn ACL.  One of the worst injuries a team can get for the playoffs is losing your catcher.  While Max Scherzer probably won’t need to worry, outside of Scherzer I worry about him.  On top of that the Nationals really don’t have the bullpen to get the job done.  The Dodgers have consistently been bounced out early from the playoffs, especially with Clayton Kershaw struggling.  That ends this year as the offense has come alive and the team has really come together under Dave Roberts.  The Dodgers might hit a roadblock in the series, but I see them moving on to face the Cubs.

Pick- Dodgers in 4

American League Championship Series

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians

After Terry Francona eliminated his good friend John Farrell in the ALDS, the Indians will face off against former President/GM Mark Shapiro’s Toronto Blue Jays.  While once again, the Blue Jays will have the advantage on the offensive side, the Indians hold the big X-Factor in SP Danny Salazar.  While the Indians are contemplating Salazar coming out of the bullpen in the ALDS, I don’t think they’re going to use him until the ALCS when they return him to the starting rotation.  The Indians rotation will finally be back to it’s almost dominant form and will only need to get to the 7th inning until they hand it over to their outstanding bullpen.  The Indians aggressiveness on the bases will be a major factor for their success scoring runs.  This series will also mark the emergence on the National stage for Francisco Lindor becoming one of baseball’s brightest young stars as he takes home ALCS MVP honors as the Indians advance to the World Series for the first time since 1997.

Pick- Indians in 6


National League Championship Series

Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

As much as people may think this could be a potential sweep, I have my doubts on that.  The Dodgers could be a potential threat for the Cubs, especially if Rich Hill and Clayton Kershaw are healthy and on their game.  The Dodgers may not have the depth in the rotation, but those two have stuff that baffles all hitters.  The question would be whether or not the Dodgers have the bullpen to finish games?  They got the offense, 2 dominant starters, but do they have the relievers?  That’s where I’m having a problem taking them in a 7 game series.  The Cubs are a complete team that will be battle tested and ready to go as they finally return to the World Series to set up the matchup that will end a Franchise’s World Series drought.

Pick- Cubs in 5


World Series

Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago Cubs

A drought will end…either the Indians end their 68 year drought or the Cubs will finally end their 108 year drought.  Let’s be honest…WHO DOESN’T WANT THIS?  I mean these are two of the most tortured Baseball fanbases and someone is going to end their misery.  On paper, this isn’t a contest the Cubs are by far the superior team in terms of overall talent.  But when it comes to heart and determination, the Indians have that beat.  From the beginning of the playoffs, everyone wrote off the Tribe, yet they get to the World Series.  That’s something that defines a great team.  This World Series would remind me a little bit of the classic 1941 World Series between the Red Sox and Cardinals, one the Cardinals would shock the Baseball world and beat Ted Williams and the extremely talented Red Sox because of their mentality of refusing to die.  This is the series where Francisco Lindor cements himself as one of the games most talented players as I see if he gets here, he’ll have a monster offensive series and win the World Series MVP.  I’m trying extremely hard to not pick the Indians, but this team doesn’t quit.  They’ve been scrapping and crawling all year long and that’s something as we’ve seen translate into the playoffs.  All the Indians need is a couple of players offensively to step up and have their starters go 7 innings and they got a chance.  A lot like how the Royals won the World Series last year, against all odds the Indians will be celebrating its first World Championship since 1948.

Pick- Indians in 6


Understand my pick is not one of personal bias, it’s one of the belief of the Indians will want it more than anyone.  Since Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote his article pretty much writing off any chances the Indians have to win anything, this team has taken the mentality to shut the doubters up.  By pure talent, the Cubs are the favorite in the NL and the Red Sox in the AL.  But as we’ve seen so many times in recent years in the playoffs, it’s not about the talent, it’s about the heart.  Whatever your teams record or stats were in the Regular Season, throw that out the window now.  Everyone is back at the same record of 0-0.  This month will be full of twists and turns and moments that we’ll remember for some time.  It’s the beauty of the MLB Playoffs and this playoff season is one we’re going to remember for some time.

This Week In The Show 8.2.16: MLB Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

Now The Race Is On!
By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

As the clock passed 4pm Monday afternoon, it signaled the end of what turned out to be one of the best trade deadlines in recent history.  It was full of blockbusters and a lot of controversy.  Unlike previous years deadlines with a lot of anti-climatic movement at the deadline, the rumors that were swirling before the deadline gave us a lot of fun and now it’s time find out who the big winners and losers were.  Now let’s be honest in a few years, this could all look different about who won and lost at the deadline.  But in terms of right now for quite a few teams, the future looks bright and for some others, lost opportunity.

Winners

New York Yankees- For the 1st time since 1989, the Yankees went into full blown rebuild mode and they came out as huge winners at the deadline.  It started with the trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs as the Yankees acquired SS Glyber Torres along with other prospects including OF Billy McKinney.  Then in a shocker, the Yankees acquired OF Clint Frazier and SP Justus Sheffield along with 2 other prospects in exchange for RP Andrew Miller.  Then before the deadline buzzer Monday traded Carlos Beltran to the Rangers in a deal centered around former Top 5 draft pick SP Dillon Tate.  The Yankees made a bold move to rebuild and Brian Cashman did an outstanding job getting great value in every trade he made.  More importantly, most of the prospects they got could help the Yankees in the next 2 years to start a quick turnaround in the Bronx.

Texas Rangers- The Rangers really went for it at the deadline, starting by acquiring OF Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, giving up SP Dillon Tate and then following that up with a bombshell, acquiring C Jonathan Lucroy and RP Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers giving up a package centered around SP Luis Ortiz and OF Lewis Brinson.  Immediately the Rangers have fortified their lineup to be a scary one from 1 through 9.  Adding Jeffress gives them another strong reliever for a bullpen that needed another arm in there.  The only downside was not acquiring a SP, while the Rangers do have Cole Hamels and potentially Yu Darvish leading the rotation in the playoffs, after them, they really are lacking there.  That could be a problem down the stretch.

Chicago Cubs- The Cubs looked to make big changes in their bullpen and really did an outstanding job by first acquiring RP Mike Montgomery from the Mariners, an effective lefty reliever for them in the 7th/8th innings.  Then the Cubs made their big blockbuster trade by acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees.  While the Cubs have Hector Rendon as their closer, Joe Maddon will have more of a “spot closer” role for both and choose who to close by who is hitting in the 9th.  Then to top everything, the Cubs got sidearm specialist Joe Smith from the Angels to give them a completely different look in the bullpen which really makes their bullpen one of the more intriguing bullpen in terms of depth and styles to choose from.

Milwaukee Brewers- For a team that was one of the bigger sellers, they made out pretty well.  While their original deal with the Indians had a solid return for Jonathan Lucroy, they made out better with Texas getting Luis Ortiz and Lewis Brinson, who are ranked #2 and #3 in Texas’ farm system respectively.  While they probably should’ve gotten Joey Gallo, they still got a good haul for Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy.  They also moved RP Will Smith to the Giants and acquired the Giants 2015 1st Round draft pick SP Phil Pickford and C Andrew Susac, a great replacement for losing Jonathan Lucroy.  They’re laying a good foundation for the future and the next step will probably be trading Ryan Braun in the offseason.

Honorable Mention- Washington Nationals, Oakland A’s


Losers

Miami Marlins- You talk about the most dysfunctional franchise in all of sports, the Marlins gotta rank up there with another disastrous trade deadline.  Their big move was acquiring from San Diego centered around SPs Andrew Cashner and Collin Rea, but Rea hurt himself in his first start with the Marlins and before Monday’s deadline, was traded back to San Diego for one of the prospects the Marlins originally dealt.  Once again the Marlins showing their continued dysfunction and why they are a joke of an organization.  Cashier was a solid upgrade, but not one worth trading multiple top prospects for, including their 2015 1st Round pick 1B Josh Naylor.  Marlins better make the playoffs or else changes in player personnel might be needed in the offseason.

Boston Red Sox- Quite possibly the biggest loser at the deadline, the Red Sox made numerous small moves to help fortify the team, then traded Anderson Espinoza to San Diego for Drew Pomeranz, who is struggling with his new team.  The Red Sox continued to scour the pitching market, then centered in on White Sox ace Chris Sale.  The White Sox asking price was way too high and the Red Sox seemingly continued to try to land him until the end of the deadline.  That backfired on them as they walked away with no other trades after the Pomeranz one.  The Red Sox seemingly valued their top prospects very highly and wouldn’t budge on them to blow away the White Sox to make a deal.  Their consistent activity on Chris Sale cost them big down the stretch at the deadline and might be a big difference on where they end up at the end of the year.

Detroit Tigers- Only 4.5 GB of the Indians and 1 GB of the Wild Card, I’m stunned the Tigers did nothing.  While the Tigers have an offense that’s coming alive and JD Martinez returning just around the corner, I thought the Tigers would go after a SP.  Nothing really materialized and the Tigers didn’t make any deal.  While the Tigers have Michael Fulmer and Justin Verlander, they really needed to find an upgrade for the middle/back end of the rotation.  I felt that Phillies SP Jeremy Hellickson made perfect sense, but obviously a deal couldn’t be reached.  Not making a deal for another starter might come back to bite them.

Los Angeles Angels/Minnesota Twins- I’m talking about in this area the confusing trade made at the last moments before the deadline.  The Angels traded struggling SP Hector Santiago, who actually was drawing interest from multiple teams including Texas and instead flipped him to Minnesota for SPs Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer.  What were these teams thinking?  I mean it’s great for Twins to get rid of Nolasco’s contract, but Meyer is an intriguing arm who just hasn’t figured it out yet.  The Twins might be looking towards 2017 with this move but the trade for both teams is extremely confusing and is an F for both teams.

Honorable Mention- Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros


Hard to Grade

Cleveland Indians- Yes, the Cleveland Indians vastly improved their back end of the bullpen by adding Andrew Miller.  But let’s remind ourselves the Indians traded OF Clint Frazier to get him.  Frazier will be a star in NYY and fans will one day complain about this deal, but the Indians decided to contend right now so to a degree, I understand it.  But the Jonathan Lucroy debacle makes their deadline hard to grade.  Honestly I have no idea how this went down and maybe we won’t ever know, but to lose him and watch him go to Texas while not upgrading the Catcher is a bit of a question mark.  Indians could’ve used another bat and were in on Carlos Beltran and losing out to the Rangers.

  The Indians eventually settled on Rays OF Brandon Guyer, who mashes lefty pitching.  The Indians used this opportunity to finally DFA Juan Uribe and move Jose Ramirez to 3B for what looks to be an every day role.  The Indians do have Brantley returning, but he’s an unknown still coming back from his shoulder injury.  I expect Indians to be active in August Waiver Trade Deadline to find another bat and probably then I’ll feel much better with the Indians activity.

Arizona Diamondbacks- So the most active team at the Winter Meetings goes quiet at the deadline, especially a team that has played not up to expectations.  They sent down SP Shelby Miller, didn’t move him and also couldn’t move Daniel Hudson even though there was plenty of interest.  They moved Tyler Clippard to the Yankees for a minor leaguer which that even confused me.  They’ve continued to struggle this year in almost every aspect with the exception of Paul Goldschmidt.  There really seems to be no direction with this franchise and it leaves a lot of questions to be answered down the line.

Los Angeles Dodgers- Ok I love the fact that they added Rich Hill, although he’s injured and they didn’t trade their top prospects.  But what I didn’t understand is adding Josh Reddick to create a serious log jam in the OF, leaving Yasiel Puig as the odd man out.  Reddick may be an upgrade compared to Puig, but the presence of Puig and his unpredictable attitude could be toxic to the clubhouse.  The Dodgers at the same time to create this log jam paid a pretty good price to get Hill and Reddick, again this is an upgrade that on the field is great, but off the field could be a disaster.  Don’t be stunned if Puig is put up on August Waivers.

Honorable Mention- San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves


Now remember these are initial reactions and all of these will probably change in time.  There were some very good trades that under the radar will be steals of the future and I’ll go over those here in the coming days.  While the Trade Deadline has passed, we now look toward the August Waiver Trading Deadline.  In a simplified explanation, teams must put a player through waivers, then they must clear waivers in order for them to be traded.  We’ve seen trades like the monster trade of Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers and for Indians fans, the trade that brought back Jim Thome.  I would expect with some teams not as active at the deadline, there will be activity before that deadline passes as well.  But for now, we’re now into the last 2 months of this 6 month marathon.  It’s not time for the teams that made the investment to win now, to take the next step and start to position themselves as a team for a long postseason run.  Races are far from over and because of the deadline, some division races could either change in the coming weeks or a team can start to run away.  Only time will tell, but as for the trading deadline that now has passed, for the first time in a few years, it didn’t disappoint.

The Stars Shine In San Diego #MLBAllStarGame #AllStarGame

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

It’s that time of year again when the American and National League All-Stars are announced for the MLB All-Star Game.  After last year’s debacle of watching Kansas City Royals fans stuffing the ballots, I realized that there really should be an unbiased opinion giving their own take on the All-Star Game.  So instead of writing about the Indians and their trade options, we’re going to go through my choices for the American and National League All-Stars.  This will include my starting choices and my selections for the reserves.  I decided to do this after the announcement of the All-Star Rosters to compare to see how a Baseball fan like myself compared with how the Fans voted.  I’m pretty sure I’m not going to agree with everything the fans did.  This is a completely unbiased opinion of my choices for the 2016 Mid Summer Classic.


National League

Catcher- Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals- First off, how can anyone vote Yadier Molina who is past his prime and the numbers clearly show it.  Ramos is having a career year hitting .340 with 13 HR and 46 RBIs.  Most people honestly have no idea who Ramos is and the fact he is a very good hitter.  Ramos has been a big part of the Nationals this year and currently is in 3rd place behind Yadier Molina and Buster Posey.  Compared to those two ahead of him, Ramos is the starter and its not even close.

First Base- Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs- This isn’t much of a debate here.  The leader of the Cubs who is once again having a big year with 20 HRs and 61 RBIs.  This was a tough call because Paul Goldschmidt is just as deserving as Rizzo.  What really was the deciding factor as the numbers in their own rights were equally as impressive was the fact that Rizzo is playing for the Cubs, the best team in baseball.  So in a way by default Rizzo for me would get the nod.  But again for the record, Paul Goldschmidt is just as deserving.

Second Base- Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals- A .347 average, 14 HRs, and 56 RBIs, Washington really looks smart for paying Murphy the money they did to get him.  While I can understand the support for Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist, but the debate isn’t even close.  I’m surprised especially after his October stretch last year from a national standpoint that more people aren’t voting for him.  He should be the starter here over Zobrist.

Shortstop- Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers- First off…HOW IS ADDISON RUSSELL AN ALL-STAR?  That’s a joke, the guy is hitting barely over .240 right now!  Corey Seager in his first full year has clearly lived up to the hype.  He has 17 HRs, is hitting around the .300 level and guys, this kid is for real.  What’s more alarming was Seager was behind Trevor Story and Addison Russell in the voting.  This is a joke if Russell starts.  You cannot deny Seager is the best SS in the NL right now.

Third Base- Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies- I get it Cubs fans…you’re stuffing the ballots this year but once again there’s another player whose numbers are far better than your player.  America meet Nolan Arenado, the 2015 NL HR and RBI leader and your current NL RBI leader.  Nobody knows about him most likely because he plays for the Rockies, but he’s the most talented 3B in baseball today.  He plays great defense and although he plays in Coors Field, he really is that good of a hitter.  I know Kris Bryant is having a good year as well, but if the 2015 NL HR and RBI leader is following up with another strong year like Arenado, he must start.

Outfielder #1- Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals- This doesn’t deserve much explanation at all.  Unanimous 2015 NL MVP, and while he isn’t have a strong year, this is the most talked about player in baseball, for the sake of the game he has to start.  Also…Bryce be in the HR Derby please.

Outfielder #2- Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies- Carlos Gonzalez is somehow 7th in the voting for NL Outfielder behind the entire Cubs outfield and that’s a crime.  CarGo is hitting .317 with 18 HRs and 51 RBIs…how is this not as good as anyone in the Cubs outfield?  Reality is this guy should be in the starting lineup without question, yet again fans are too biased to be allowed to vote.  CarGo is a proven MLB star who deserves the respect of fans everywhere as one of the games best.  It’s not his fault people he’s played in Colorado all these years.

Outfielder #3- Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets- As it stands Yoenis Cespedes and Bryce Harper seem to be locks on the current balloting to start for the NL and at least we got 2 of the 3 outfielders right.  Cespedes has followed up his MVP level 2nd Half with the Mets last year and had it carry over this year.  He has 20 HRs, 50 RBIs and has his average at the .300 mark.  There’s no question that the Mets offense revolves around his stellar performance.  He’s earned his spot on the NL Starting lineup.

Starting Pitcher- Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs- Does this really warrant an explanation now that Clayton Kershaw won’t be available for the All-Star Game?  No it doesn’t.  Arrieta has continued his 2nd Half dominance from last year into this year so yeah I’m starting him.

NL Reserves

C Buster Posey SF
C Jonathan Lucroy MIL
1B Paul Goldschmidt ARI
1B Wil Myers SD
2B Ben Zobrist CHC
2B Neil Walker NYM
SS Aledmys Diaz STL
3B Kris Bryant CHC
OF Starling Marte PIT
OF Marcel Ozuna MIA
OF Obdel Herrera PHI
OF Jay Bruce CIN

NL Pitchers

SP- Julio Teheran ATL
SP- Madison Bumgarner SF
SP- Jon Lester CHC
SP- Noah Synergaard NYM
SP- Jose Fernandez MIA
CP- Jeurys Familia NYM
CP- Kenley Jensen LAD
CP- Mark Melacon PIT
CP- AJ Ramos MIA



American League

Catcher- Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals- Arguably the heart and soul of the defending champion Royals has continued his stellar play in 2016 and looking at really the rest of his competition in the AL, this is a no-brainer.  The next choice would be Matt Wieters, but Perez’s stats clearly top Wieters offensively and its arguable the two are equal defensively.  By where their respective teams stand, Wieters’ Orioles are in 1st in the AL East, while Perez and the Royals are in 2nd in the AL Central.  My theory is if the stats are equal, team record is the tiebreaker.  In this case, Perez’s stats surpass Wieters and gets the nod from me.

First Base- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers- Who else am I going to choose?  Chris Davis has shown great power this year, but his average has dropped.  Eric Hosmer might be a good selection as well, but like the case of Perez over Wieters, Miggy’s stats top Hosmer.  Besides who else in the AL should start at 1B?  As long as Miggy is having a, “Miggy” type season, he needs to start.  With a .300 avg, 18 HRs and 51 RBIs, Miguel Cabrera edges Hosmer and gets my selection to start at 1B.

Second Base- Jose Altuve, Houston Astros- This position was extremely hard for me to vote on.  Robinson Cano has had an outstanding first half, looking like the Yankees Robinson Cano who was an offensive force to be reckoned with.  The problem is…Jose Altuve is that damn good now.  Altuve is hitting .353 leading the MLB.  On top of that, Altuve has had a power explosion in the first half with 14 HRs so far (his career high is 15 last year).  Add to that he’s at the top of the AL in steals with 21, Altuve might be a leading candidate in the AL for AL MVP.  At the end of the day, love the bounce back year by Cano, but it’s not enough.

Shortstop- Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians- To the National Fans of Major League Baseball…stop hating on Francisco Lindor.  First off, the Writers Association ROBBED Francisco Lindor of the AL Rookie of the Year last year.  Now because Carlos Correa got all that publicity, nobody knows who Lindor is and it’s shown in the voting for AL Starting SS.  This is not even a debate.  Yes, Xander Bogaerts is having a great year, but Lindor matches him offensively, far surpasses him defensively (can I see seriously Altuve and Lindor turn a double play in this game?)  The National Media is going to rob the fans of last year’s Gold Glove 2B turning two with this year’s Gold Glove SS.  While Bogaerts beats Lindor out in average, the rest of the stats are somewhat the same.  So that tiebreaker comes into play, Indians are in 1st in AL Central, Red Sox are in 2nd in AL East.  Therefore Lindor wins in my book.

Third Base- Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles- We all talk about Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper as these big name hitters in the game, but where’s the Manny Machado love?  Well I’ll admit people are starting to notice the talent he has.  After a great season last year quietly hitting 35 HRs and had 20 steals, he’s followed it up with 18 HRs and 50 RBIs this year.  Although he doesn’t have any steals this year, his average has jumped from a .286 avg to right now a .330 avg on the year.  Honestly if I had to vote for the AL MVP today, it’s going to be Manny Machado.

Outfielder #1- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels- Well the Angels might be in last place in the AL West, but it’s not because of Mike Trout.  Once again Trout is the one bright spot in the Angels season so far as nothing has gone right for them this year.  After socking 41 HRs last year, he’s followed it up with 17 HRs so far and is back to hitting over .300 on the year.  If he only was on a better team that made it so he didn’t have to carry the load and just play his game…the numbers he’d put up.

Outfielder #2- Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox- My MLB Preview dark horse pick to be the AL MVP hasn’t disappointed me at all.  Mookie has made a major jump from his first full MLB season into his second full season.  While his average is around the same area it was last year (.296 avg.), he’s already hit 18 HRs and has 57 RBIs and 13 steals.  Betts will probably have a 25-25 season when its all said and done, but for right now to put Mookie Betts in the same outfield as Mike Trout is a treat for every MLB fan in the All Star Game.

Outfielder #3- Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers- Yes I’m going out of the box in a way with my 3rd AL Outfielder selection.  Remember last year when Ian Desmond was the SS for the Washington Nationals?  Now he’s the CF for the Texas Rangers and has done an outstanding job with the defensive transition and not letting the change in position and jump to the AL effect his offense.  It’s arguable that he’s better than what he was offensively last year.  Currently he’s hitting a career-high .321 with 15 HRs, 52 RBIs and 14 steals as well.  So basically he’s on pace for a 30-30 season, which basically is Mike Trout/Mookie Betts territory, bottom line…he deserves to start with them.

Starting Pitcher- Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians- This was a tough call between Chris Sale and Danny Salazar.  Ironically, Sale was my preseason AL Cy Young pick, while Salazar was my dark horse pick.  As of now I’d give the nod to Salazar over Sale.  Right now Salazar leads the AL in ERA at 2.22 with a 10-3 record, while getting June AL Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record, with a 1.91 ERA.  Everyone is talking about how historically great the Indians rotation is and as long as Salazar keeps it up, because of how good the Indians rotation has been, Salazar must get the nod.

AL Reserves

C- Matt Wieters BAL
1B- Eric Hosmer KC
2B- Brian Dozier MIN
2B- Robinson Cano SEA
SS- Xander Bogaerts BOS
3B- Danny Valencia OAK
3B- Evan Longoria TB
OF- Jackie Bradley Jr BOS
OF- Carlos Beltran NYY
OF- Mark Trumbo BAL
DH- David Ortiz BOS
UTIL- Jose Ramirez CLE

AL Pitchers

SP- Chris Sale CWS
SP- Josh Tomlin CLE
SP- Cole Hamels TEX
SP- Steven Wright TEX
SP- Marco Estrada TOR
RP- Andrew Miller NYY
CP- Wade Davis KC
CP- Zach Britton BAL
CP- Craig Kimbrel BOS
CP- Alex Colome TB


Now I’m not going to compare pick for pick with what the real MLB All-Star Game rosters are like.  This was my unbiased view of the players who thought should go to San Diego.  It really is a shame that the players couldn’t get the right players in front the teams at the bottom of the division.  For example Adam Duvall who is having a great season for Cincinnati got the nod over teammate Jay Bruce.  In my opinion, Bruce should’ve been the choice.  I also think the Indians were disrespected by the league with only 2 All-Star players.  Everyone keeps talking about how great the Indians rotation is and while Corey Kluber ruined it for himself in Toronto, Josh Tomlin deserved an All-Star appearance.

In the end when it comes to All-Star Starters, fans need to do their homework.  In no way should Cubs SS Addison Russell be a starter.  Over the past 2 years, we had the Royals fans almost vote 2B Omar Infante as an All-Star (who is now a FA), and now Cubs fans picked their entire Infield.  Fans need to know the longer this kind of voting occurs, the more likely that in the future, you might lose your power to vote for All-Stars.


Fans must remember, the Winner of the All-Star Game determines Home Field Advantage for the World Series.  So for next year, make sure your vote is counted.  The All-Star Game is normally a fun and competitive game to watch so enjoy the game because after the All-Star Game, the fun is just beginning…

TV Tonight 5.26

By @nevaRWilliams

NBA PLAYOFFS
NBA Tip-Off (TNT, 8pm)
Hawks @ Cavaliers, Game 4, Cavs Lead 3-0 (TNT, 8:30pm)

NHL PLAYOFFS
Rangers @ Lightning, Game6, Lightning Lead 3-2 (NBC Sports, 8pm)

MLB
Rangers @ Indians (STO, 7pm)
Nationals @ Cubs (ESPN, 7pm)
Braves @ Dodgers (ESPN, 10pm)

OTHER SPORTS
College Baseball: Big Ten Tournament Final (Big Ten, 7:30pm)
College Track And Field: NCAA Men's & Women's Indoor Championship (ESPNU, 6pm)
College Track And Field: SEC Outdoor Championship (ESPNU, 8pm)

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America's Got Talent SEASON PREMIERE (NBC, 8pm)
500 Questions (ABC, 8pm)
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? SEASON PREMIERE (FOX, 8pm)

iZombie (The CW, 9pm)
Extreme Weight Loss (ABC, 9pm)
Hell's Kitchen (FOX, 9pm)
Nellyville (BET, 9pm)

Finding Carter (MTV, 10pm)
Chopped, All-Stars Tournament Grand Finale (Food Network, 10pm)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central, 10pm)
Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central, 10:30pm)

TV Tonight 5.24

By @nevaRWilliams

NBA PLAYOFFS
NBA Tip-Off (TNT, 8pm)
Hawks @ Cavaliers (TNT, 8:30pm)

NHL PLAYOFFS
Lightning @ Rangers, Game 5, Tied 2-2 (NBC Sports, 8pm)

MLB
Rangers @ Yankees (ESPN, 8pm)

NASCAR & RACING
Sprint Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600 (FOX, 6pm)
NHRA Drag Racing: Kansas Nationals (ESPN 2, 10pm)

SOCCER
Orlando City SC @ San Jose Earthquakes (FOX Sports 1, 7pm)

OTHER SPORTS
College Softball: LSU vs. Arizona, Super Regional, Game 2 (ESPN, 5pm)

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500 Questions (ABC, 8pm)

Game Of Thrones (HBO, 9pm)
Nurse Jackie (Showtime, 9pm)
State Fair Foods (Travel, 9pm)
A.D. The Bible Continues (NBC, 9pm)
Happyish (Showtime, 9:30pm)

Penny Dreadful (Showtime, 10pm)
Silicon Valley (HBO, 10pm)
Greatest Steaks Of America (Travel, 10pm)
Salem (WGN America, 10pm)
American Odyssey (NBC, 10pm)
Battle Creek SERIES FINALE (CBS, 10pm)