With the midpoint of the 2010 Major League Baseball season right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at midseason reports.
In this particular instance, we’re going to be examining how to determine if your team is a buyer—or a seller—at the halfway mark of the 2010 campaign.
So, what are the Top Ten ways to know you’re a seller in MLB at midseason?
Let’s begin with No. 10…
Good day to all of you baseball fans. We still have a little more than a month before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, and the rumors are flowing hot and heavily.
Not only are players moving, but you have Fredi Gonzalez getting fired in Florida because apparently no one is really good enough to manage the Marlins.
A few days ago we found out that the Texas Rangers were all but taken out of the Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee sweepstakes because a judge’s ruling in court over the bankruptcy proceedings.
There’s a ton going on, a lot of rumors to cover, players on the move, and so much more.
Who’s going, who’s staying, who’s going to make the biggest splash, who will be winners and losers, and who will shock us all?
Let’s get to it…
As Major League Baseball inches closer and closer to the trade deadline, the trade rumors will become more of a hot button topic among all baseball fans.
The two biggest names on the market right now are Houston’s Roy Oswalt and Seattle’s Cliff Lee.
When you break down the possibilities of each team that will be chasing both of these pitchers, you’ll find different problems that each team will have to face if they want to get a deal done.
We’ll cover those problems, the teams in the running, and several other rumors making the rounds. We’ll also talk about who the biggest movers and shakers will be at the deadline and perhaps a few surprise moves either at or before the trade deadline.
Ready? Let’s get it…
The 2010 MLB All Star weekend voting deadline is on the horizon. So this morning, I logged onto the Internet and compiled a ballot of my own.
When it comes to fan voting, I have to admit that I am a believer in the system. I obviously hate when a popular player makes the starting lineup who is either having an off year or who has been injured. With that said, it’s nice to have the fans make their case heard and have their players begin the game.
After looking over the ballot, I have selected my players to create what should be the starting lineup for this year’s festivities. My votes are based around what players have done throughout this season at this point in time. I will also compare my votes to the current vote leaders in the respective positions.
American League
Catcher: Joe Mauer
Mauer currently leads the American League in votes at any position. He has had a solid year, is the best catcher in his league, and deserves to be starting behind the plate. Mauer was hurt during the beginning part of the season and has yet to catch up to his stellar pace from last season. With that said, I believe Mauer will heat up and compile another very strong season.
1b: Miguel Cabrera
The Detroit Tigers first baseman is having one of the best years of any player in the league. He hits for a high average and leads the American League in both home runs and RBI’s. With a little luck, Cabrera has a shot at competing for the triple crown. Justin Morneau is the current vote leader and is having a very good year. His numbers are close to Cabrera’s and he does deserve a spot on the AL roster.
2b: Robinson Cano
The second base position is a very obvious selection. At this point in time, Robinson Cano is the best player in the league and the MVP so far. He is hitting above .370 and has really found his power stroke to all places of the field. He is the current leading vote getter at his position and will be the starting 2b for his squad.
3b: Evan Longoria
Another obvious selection is the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, Evan Longoria. He is having a truly unbelievable year while being able to mix power with speed. He is the face of his franchise and will represent them while in Los Angeles this year. He will win the position and become this year’s third base starter.
SS: Derek Jeter
Jeter currently has the second most votes of any player at any position in the American League. He is having a solid year, and as one of the most popular players in the league, he will become this year’s starter. He deserves this honor, as he is having the most complete year of any player at his position.
Outfield
This is the most difficult decision when it comes to picking the three most deserving players to fill the outfield. The current vote leaders are Ichiro, Carl Crawford, and Nelson Cruz. All three are having stellar years, and Cruz has put together unbelievable numbers considering he has been to the disabled list twice during the season.
However, none of the three leaders get my vote. The best outfielder in the league right now happens to be Vladimir Guerrero. His stats have been completely out of this world, and he is playing like the Vlad of five years ago. He is near the top in almost all of the offensive categories and should be a starter.
My second outfielder happens to come from the same team. Josh Hamilton has turned his play up to a whole new level and has compiled an unbelievable month. He has great stats at this point and is the second best outfielder at this point in time.
My third choice was difficult, as I like both candidates. Crawford and Alex Rios are both having extremely strong seasons. Rios happens to be having a better one. After a few lackluster seasons, Rios has found his place in Chicago and also deserves to be a starting all star.
The voting will end soon, so get out there and vote for the players that most deserve this honor. This year’s All Star weekend should be another fun and eventful time for baseball.
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In the flavor of Father’s Day this weekend, we take a look back some of the most important and productive fathers of big leaguers in baseball history. The 10 duos make up some of the most famous pairs in baseball history. In some cases the son outperformed the father, others the father was the standard-bearer in the family.
In this list, however, we take a look specifically at the dads. For these sons could never had their careers if not for their fathers paving the way. There have been more than 10 dads who have fathered future big leaguers, but this is a look at the 10 BEST fathers who later watched their sons suit up in Major League Baseball.
The ’90s were an interesting time for baseball. We saw the first Canadian world champion and a strike that devastated the game.
We saw the reemergence of the Evil Empire and one of the classiest men in baseball break the consecutive games started streak, and we saw a home run chase that made baseball America’s pastime once again.
This was all fueled by the players themselves. I made this list based on many factors including stats, accolades, impact on the game and my own opinion among other things.
Who are the 10 toughest players in Major League Baseball today?
While many have been quick to limp to the disabled list, others such as Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, and numerous catchers across the league take their nicks and keep moving forward.
What names belong on my top 10 list?
Let’s begin with an honorable mention…
The beauty of watching a baseball game is that there is always the chance that you could see something that has never been done before, or that may never be done again.
What follows are what I feel are the 10 most shocking game day moments in baseball history. That is not to say that these are the 10 most impressive moments, but instead the 10 moments that made people say “wow, I can’t believe that just happened”.
There may be no better demonstration of someone being shocked than the expression on George Brett’s face in the accompanying picture, but the pine tar incident is not No. 1.
My list almost certainly has excluded some “wow” moments, so I encourage you to suggest anything and everything I may have left off.
As we inch closer and closer to Major League Baseball’s trade deadline at the end of July, the rumors will start flying fast and furious.
There have already been a few rumors shot down in the last few weeks, including one that was about to send an ace to a team that wouldn’t have any way of picking up his remaining salary because of their financial trouble.
Why some of these rumors get started is beyond me, but that’s what makes baseball, and the trade deadline, fun. We can talk about players, possible moves that our teams should or shouldn’t make, and how those potential trades could affect said team in the playoff race.
So who are the hot names making the rounds on the rumor sheets right now?
I’m glad you asked, let’s get to it.
Currently, the Minnesota Twins are one of two Major League teams who boast a roster with two MVP winners.
Joe Mauer (MVP-2009) and Justin Morneau (MVP-2006) have led the Minnesota Twins to three AL Central Division Titles over the past five years.
Mauer already has three batting titles and two gold gloves, while Morneau has been leading the league in hitting for most of the season so far in 2010.
Where would this “Dynamic Duo” rank amongst some of the best in baseball history?
I looked back over the past 50 years of Major League baseball and ranked over 60 pairs of teammates.
In order to be considered, duos had to have at least five seasons together on the same team and achieved either a World Series Championship or a league MVP award.
The following criteria was used to rank the duos (in order of importance):
The ranking system does favor teammates with a longer tenure playing together.
The top 10…
10: Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek – 11 seasons, 437 home runs, 1889 RBI, 3555 hits, .299 batting average.
Puckett and Hrbek played their entire careers for the Twins from 1981 to 1994.
They led the Minnesota Twins to World Series Championships in 1987 and 1991.
Puckett, the more decorated of the two, was a 10-time All-Star, earning six Gold Gloves as the Twins’ centerfielder from 1986 to 1992 and a batting title in 1989.
Hrbek was the local boy who grew up in the shadow of Metropolitan Stadium. The soft-handed first baseman had the unfortunate luck of playing at the same time as perennial Gold Glove first baseman Don Mattingly. He was the AL MVP runner-up in 1984 and an All-Star in 1982.
Nine: Robin Yount and Paul Molitor – 15 seasons, 386 home runs, 1964 RBI, 4736 hits, .298 batting average.
Yount and Molitor’s 15 seasons together playing for the Milwaukee Brewers ranks third most among all of the duos in this ranking.
Both players career spanned at least 20 seasons, with each exceeding 2,000 hits.
In 1982 they anchored the left side of the Brewers’ infield all the way to the AL Championship. They eventually lost in the World Series to St. Louis, four games to three.
1982 was a banner year for Yount, who was voted AL MVP and awarded a Gold Glove for his play at shortstop. That same year, Molitor led the league in runs scored (136) and plate appearances (751). Yount also won the MVP in 1989.
Eight: Alan Trammell and Lou Whittaker – 19 seasons, 428 home runs, 2071 RBI, 4689 hits, .282 batting average.
The double-play combination of Trammell and Whittaker lasted longer than any other duo in the rankings. They played their entire careers for the Tigers.
Trammell and Whittaker led the team to a wire-to-wire World Series Championship in 1984. The team sprinted out to a 35-5 record to open the season, and finished 104-58 to win the AL East by 15 games.
In the postseason, they only lost one game in the first two rounds against Kansas City and San Diego.
Although Trammell and Whittaker were never named league MVP, they did combine to win seven Gold Gloves for the Tigers, while playing over 2,000 games together.
Seven: Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi – 9 seasons, 352 home runs, 1161 RBI, 2065 hits, .271 batting average.
Jackson and Rudi played together from 1967-1975, leading a dominate Oakland A’s squad to three consecutive World Series Championships in ’72, ’73, and ’74.
Had Jackson not left the A’s following the ’75 season, this duo would have ranked much higher. Known as “Mr. October,” Jackson won the American League MVP award in 1973.
Although not as famous as Jackson, Rudi earned three Gold Gloves and finished second in the MVP balloting in 1972 and 1974.
Six: Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones – 12 seasons, 731 home runs, 2330 RBI, 3659 hits, .286 batting average.
Chipper and Andruw are two of the three active players in the rankings.
They played together from 1996-2007, leading the Atlanta Braves to ten consecutive division titles and two World Series appearances.
Although Chipper Jones won the league MVP in 1999, Andruw was the more decorated player in the field, earning 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1998-2007 for his play in center.
***
The rankings for five through 10 were extremely close; tweaking the importance of any of the statistics can easily shuffle the order.
The top five…
Five: George Brett and Frank White – 18 seasons, 441 home runs, 2284 RBI, 4713 hits, .283 batting average.
Only Trammell and Whittaker played together longer than the dynamic duo of Brett and White.
From 1973 to 1990, they anchored the Kansas City infield, leading the Royals to two World Series appearances, including a victory over inter-state rival St. Louis in 1985.
Brett won the league MVP in 1980, while White won the ALCS MVP en route to their first World Series appearance.
Brett had the better offensive statistics. White earned eight Gold Gloves playing second base for the Royals.
Perhaps the most infamous event during their tenure was the “Pine Tar Incident” in 1983 when New York manager Billy Martin protested Brett’s bat after hitting a go-ahead two run home run at Yankee Stadium. Brett had to be restrained by coaches and teammates after rookie umpire Tim McClelland called him when the umpire crew determined his bat had too much pine tar.
The call was eventually overturned by commissioner Lee McPhail.
Four: Willie Mays and Willie McCovey – 13 seasons, 800 home runs, 2306 RBI, 3558 hits, .291 batting average.
Only the fact that Mays and McCovey never won a World Series Championship kept them from cracking the top three.
Their combined 800 home runs are the most of any duo over the past 50 years. Playing together for the San Francisco Giants from 1959 to 1971, they led the National League in home runs in six of the eight seasons between ’62 to ’69.
Over his career, Mays would win 11 of his 12 consecutive Gold Gloves roaming the outfield for the Giants.
In 1962 Mays and McCovey led San Francisco to the only World Series appearance for the duo, eventually losing to AL MVP Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees.
In 1965, Mays was named the NL MVP, his second overall and first with the Giants. McCovey, the league MVP runner-up in ’58 and ’62, would eventually win the award in 1969.
Three: Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle – Seven seasons, 419 home runs, 1107 RBI, 1609 hits, .280 batting average.
The M&M Boys , Maris and Mantle only played together for just seven seasons and made the most of them, leading the New York Yankees to five consecutive World Series appearances from 1960 to 1964 and two championships in ’61 and ’62.
They won the American League MVP award three straight years; Maris in ’60 and ’61 and Mantle in ’62.
In 1961, Maris hit a record 61 home runs, a record that would stand for 37 seasons before being broken in 1998 by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.
Mantle played his entire 18-year career for the Yankees, while Maris only played seven of his 12 season with the Bronx Bombers.
Two: Mike Schmidt and Garry Maddox – 12 seasons, 526 home runs, 1791 RBI, 3055 hits, .276 batting average.
Schmidt and Maddox played together for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1975 to 1986, leading them to two World Series appearances and a championship in 1980.
Schmidt was voted the NL MVP in 1980 and ’81. Over his 18 seasons, he earned ten consecutive Gold Gloves as the Phillie’s third baseman and appeared in 12 All-Star games.
Maddox, known as the “Secretary of Defense,” won eight consecutive Gold Gloves from 1975 to 1982 and led the league in outfield assists in ’75 and ’76 as the Phillie’s center fielder.
One: Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams— 12 seasons, 438 home runs, 1932 RBI, 4067 hits, .311 batting average.
This was not even close!
With six World Series appearances and four World Championships, no other pair was even close to the top rated Dynamic Duo of Major League Baseball over the past 50 years.
Jeter and Williams played together on the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2006, leading them to four titles in five years from 1996 to 2000.
Incredibly, Jeter has never won the AL MVP award. The closest he finished was second in 1996 behind Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers.
In 16 seasons together, Williams and Jeter each won four Gold Gloves. Williams earned MVP honors in the 1996 ALCS, while Jeter was name World Series MVP in 2000.
Other notable duos:
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