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In 2009, the Milwaukee Brewers’ second baseman Rickie Weeks missed all but 37 games of the Brew-Crew’s season.  It was the fifth straight injury-shortened season of Weeks’ career–out of five career seasons–and at the age of 26 it was beginning to look as though Weeks may never arrive.

Fast forward to 2010 and a shocking change has occurred.  Weeks has missed only one game, leads the National League in plate appearances and at-bats, and is on pace to hit 30 home runs after never having hit more than 16 in any previous season.

What’s more, through 118 games, Weeks league-leading PA’s and AB’s also represent career highs.  But it gets better: With 11 more games played and nine more runs scored, Weeks will have set career records in games, PA’s, AB’s, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and total bases.

And oh by the way, he’s done all of this while also leading the league in being hit by a pitch.  Pretty sturdy for an ordinarily injury proned guy.

With the season Weeks is having in mind, let’s have a look at the Top 10 Most Shocking Statistics from the 2010 Season.

So far.

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After years of power hitting and home runs, pitching has finally won out in the MLB this season.  There has been five no-hitters this year and numerous other close calls.  So who has been the best pitcher this season in the MLB?

Here is a list of the top five pitchers in the MLB this year.

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The Yankees struck out 17 times in last night’s game.

Javier Vazquez only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits, six earned runs, and two walks—making that two shaky starts in a row for Vazquez.

Not to mention that the Yankees were down 6-1 to one of the best pitchers in baseball, Cliff Lee.

Being down by even one run against Lee is a task within itself.  But down by five?  Good luck.

Lee was in total control in the first six innings.  It looked as if the Yankees were going to be in for a long night.  But don’t tell that to this Yankee team.

After being shut down for the most part of the game, the Yankees finally got to Lee and his 11 strikeouts in the seventh inning, putting up two runs to reduce their deficit to 6-4.  Lee’s final line was 6.1 innings pitched, allowing eight hits, four earned runs, and striking out 11.

In the eighth, the Yankees got one run back from Frank Francisco on a mammoth home run from Marcus Thames, making the score 6-5.

The Yankees capped their comeback in the ninth, getting two runs from young Texas fireballer Neftali Feliz on a game-tying single by Derek Jeter and then a go-ahead single by Thames.

Having mounted an impressive comeback, the Yankees were primed to win this game with Mariano Rivera coming in to close the door.  But it looked like Mariano was going to struggle for the second straight night.

Rivera allowed a triple by Elvis Andrus to begin the ninth, pumping up the Rangers and the fans in Arlington.  But Rivera being Rivera, he wasn’t flustered one bit.  He ended up getting it done in typical Rivera fashion.

This was a big game for the Yankees.  They gained a game on the Tampa Bay Rays, increasing their lead in the AL East to two games.  But the big story was what happened during this game.

Just missing their second three-game losing streak in the young month of August, the Yankees did what they were known for last season: coming from behind.

The gutty, gritty Yankees of 2009 made a return.  They fought back in typical Yankee fashion, a theme that hasn’t been seen much in the 2010 season.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, the Yankees need to ride this game into Kansas City, and do what they need to do against the Royals.

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Check out Steve Henn’s Yankee blog, The Experience

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Let’s call the American League West for what it is, over. Pull out the white flag, hook it up, and raise it to the top of the flag pole and let it fly proudly.

That’s the note that I would write to the front office of both the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It’s time for these two teams to call it a season, pack it in, and start planning their off season capabilities.

So, let it be known, on this 10th day of August 2010, that the AL West was declared for the Texas Rangers (insert the sound of crickets here). Where is everybody? Where is the champagne, where is the celebration?

Oh wait, the fans here in Dallas are waiting for one of the most monumental collapses in sports. They’re waiting for the Rangers to fall on their face like they’ve done so many times before.

Let me soothe you Ranger fans. Let me put your fear at ease. The AL West is a wrap. At no time has a Texas Ranger team held an eight game lead two weeks into the month of August, the second to last month of the regular season.

This is not the team that has fallen in seasons past. These are not the same players that have quit on each other because they didn’t know how to handle a division lead, or a divisional race for that matter.

While the Ranger fans work their way out of hiding, I’ll talk to the other baseball fans whose teams wish they had an eight game lead in their division. They would love to be breathing a little easier at this point, just ask the fans of the White Sox and Twins who are in a dead heat in the AL Central. Ask the fans of those two teams if they wouldn’t love to have that kind of lead and be able to call their division, over.

The Rangers are doing all this despite Vladimir Guerrero hitting .232 after the All-Star break with just a single home run after hitting 11 prior to the break. During the first half of the season, Guerrero struck out just 30 times in 323 at bats.

So far, through just 82 at bats, he has almost half that number (13).

The first three months of his time with the Rangers, it looked as if they had gotten a diamond when all the Angels saw was a guy past his prime. He hit .333, .330, and .356 from April to June respectively. However, those numbers took a huge fall as Vlad hit just .210 in the month of July and had his second highest number of strikeouts (12) that same month.

Not only has Vlad struggled, but they’ve been without second baseman Ian Kinsler who was put on the disabled list on July 28th with a left groin strain.

One guy that they have been getting production from is outfielder Nelson Cruz. Prior to the All-Star break, Cruz was hitting .299 with 11 home runs and 41 runs batted in through 174 at bats. Since the break, Cruz is hitting .344 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in.

However, that’s not the most telling stat. Cruz had struck out 44 times in those 172 at bats but has just 15 in 90 at bats. If he keeps that up, he would have cut down on his strikeouts considerably.

The hottest Ranger of them all since the All-Star break, a guy who’s making one heck of a case for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award, is outfielder Josh Hamilton. While his numbers in the first half of the season were more than respectable, hitting .346 with 22 home runs and 64 runs batted in, his numbers post All-Star break have been nothing short of astounding. Hamilton is hitting .395 with a .457 on base percentage not to mention hitting .454 in June and .418 in July.

Two players can not carry this team, especially if they hope to make a serious run through the playoffs. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz can’t carry this offense on their own.

Michael Young (.247), Elvis Andrus (.258), and Benjie Molina (.232) are all guys that they need to step up as the team reaches October, each of three haven’t exactly been impressive since the All-Star break.

However, it’s not the hitting that will make or break this team in the next two months, it’s their pitching. Rich Harden, just this past weekend, showed just how much the team can’t trust him as a starter down the stretch. His five walks and one hit batter through two and a third innings was not what manager Ron Washington was hoping to see.

The best move the Rangers made prior to the trade deadline all but guaranteed them a playoff spot. That move was landing left-hander Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners, a guy that most thought was about to be traded to the New York Yankees.

Since his arrival to the Rangers, Lee is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA. While he’s going to be instrumental for this team over the last few months, his previous playoff experience will prove to be exactly what will help this team come October. There’s no substitute for having a guy anchoring your rotation that knows what it’s like to get to the World Series. Not only that, but he knows what it’s like to pitch in those games.

Outside of Lee, the Rangers have been getting big performances in their rotation from Tommy Hunter (9-1, 3.01) and C.J. Wilson (10-5, 3.30) not to mention Colby Lewis (9-8, 3.37). Aside from those four, when the starters can turn the ball over to their bullpen and not worry about a lead getting squandered, it helps their confidence that much more. Darren Oliver (2.33), Darren O’Day (1.18), and Alexi Ogando (1.19) have been nothing short of solid when they get the ball in the late innings. Though Oliver has struggled of late, giving up six earned runs in his last five appearances (4 1/3 IP).

What every team needs is a guy that can come in to the game in the ninth and shut the door. The Rangers have that guy in young right-handed flame thrower Neftali Feliz who has racked up 29 saves this season and has blown just two save opportunities all year.

So, for all you Ranger fans who are afraid to come out of the woodwork and believe that this team has it wrapped up, you can come out of hiding and wear your Ranger colors proudly. Sure the Cowboys are almost a month away from kicking off, but there’s another team in Arlington that might have their best shot at a championship this year.

Doubt all you want, question if you must, but admit that this is not the same team or the same players that have let the fans down in the past. This is a team that is gearing up for October.

So, as Brian Dalgin says so well…Let’s go!

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I have witnessed Cliff Lee torment my New York Yankees at the Stadium while he was a Cleveland Indian, a Philadelphia Phillie in the 2009 World Series, and recently a Seattle Mariner.

Now Lee is a Texas Ranger, but his uniform is irrelevant because most Yankees fans have no problem identifying Lee on the mound. I still remember our first encounter, like it was yesterday.

It was May 7, 2008 and I was bringing one of my best friends to her first Yankees game at the Old Stadium. Bringing a virgin is always a treat because the Yankees usually impress newbies.

Not that day, as the Yankees went hitless. More precisely, the bats made contact with the ball about three times, just grazing the wood.

My mouth dropped and the Yankees looked just as shocked.

To make a long story short, my virgin-fan-friend was bored and she hadn’t been back to another game with me until two days ago.

Cliff Lee is a pitcher that teams fear because he can dominate batting lineups and makes it look almost too easy at times.

A perfect example is Game One of the 2009 World Series, when he caught a pop-up by just holding his glove out, not moving more than his wrist. The Yankee hitters’ career numbers against Lee look a lot better because a majority of the players did better while on other teams.

Lee has brutalized the Bombers in his last three seasons, regardless of where Lee was playing. Lee in pinstripes seems like a pipe dream, as Yankee Universe has drooled over this possibility for some time now. Lee seems to just go play on teams that the Yankees could face in October.

The Rangers are no different, as they are almost a lock to win the AL West, with no real competition, and they did get Lee at the trade deadline. Lee won the Cy Young in 2008, when he played with Yankees’ ace C.C. Sabathia in Cleveland and won a whooping 22 games.

In 2010, Lee has already pitched seven complete games and one shutout. His record is 10-5, but that is because he spent the majority of the season with the awful Mariners, who could never back Lee’s performances on the mound by scoring runs. Lee has only given up only nine home runs and nine walks total this season.

In his six starts as a Ranger, Lee has faced 195 batters, walking only three, striking out 37, allowing 15 earned runs in 51.1 innings pitched, and sporting a 2.62 ERA. Lee has pitched at least eight innings in each start.

In Lee’s last game against the Oakland A’s, Lee allowed one earned run, struck out eight, and walked zero batters. Expect Lee to shut down the Yankees lineup because he thrives in the spotlight, as the pressure never seems to faze his talent.

In a sense, if Lee wants to be a Yankee, then any start against the Bombers adds another zero to his paycheck.

Yankees starter Javier Vazquez will face off against Lee on Wednesday night. Vazquez had trouble in his last start against the Red Sox, but has otherwise been solid. Vazquez has to presume that he will get zero run support from Yankee bats, so he better wake up that dead arm and be lights-out.

READ MORE AT……LADY LOVES PINSTRIPES

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While most of the media attention is going towards Ubaldo Jimenez’s quest for 25 wins and Josh Johnson’s goal of a sub-2 ERA, everyone is overlooking the historic year Cliff Lee is having.

Lee’s season is easy to overlook, especially in the “Year of the Pitcher.” The lefty only has 10 wins, which is well behind the league leaders.

Lee didn’t start his 2010 campaign ideally, as he started the year on the 15-day DL due to an abdominal strain. His time with the Mariners was limited and on July 9 the Texas Rangers traded for the ace.

He has a rock solid 2.44 ERA, but that number isn’t as eye popping as Josh Johnson’s 1.96 nor Adam Wainwright’s 2.07.

Lee’s 126 strikeouts is impressive considering he missed a month, but he is barely in the top 10 in the AL.

So, what makes Cliff Lee’s season so special?

To start things off, the former Cy Young winner has pitched seven complete games. In addition, he has two games where he has pitched nine innings, but due to lack of run support, the games ended in extras. In his 19 starts, Lee has pitched 155 innings. If you do the math, that is more than eight innings per start.

Let’s put that stat in perspective. CC Sabathia, who has a reputation of being a workhorse, averages 6.2 innings per start. Let that sink in for a while. The Rangers bullpen basically gets every 5th day off. In my opinion the workload that Lee is enduring this year deserves not only Cy Young consideration, but also MVP consideration.

Lee is also leading the majors in WHIP, with a microscopic .916. If he keeps up his historic pace, his WHIP would be ranked 9th all time for a lefty in a single season. Four of the marks ahead of him happened before 1915.

Now, here is a mind blowing number.

Lee’s walks per nine innings is a microscopic .5. Yes, you read that right, .5. Now, I’m not a math major, but that means he gives up a walk every 18 innings. His .5 walks per nine innings is the second lowest since 1880! Ironically, the only other play to beat him over that span is Carlos Silva, who in 2004 walked .4 batters per nine innings. He currently ranks first all time among lefties in that category.

As you can see, Lee has had historic control over the strike zone this season. He has also been striking out batters at a respectable rate of 6.9 per nine innings. So, where does his strikeouts per walk rank him in the history books?

Well, let’s just say his strikeouts per walk ratio is as impressive as Barry Bonds’s 73 home run season (minus the performance enhancers).

Lee strikes out fourteen batters per walk. Let’s put that stat in perspective. The record in a single season is 11. Only two other pitchers have had their ratio in the double digits. So, not only will Lee set the record, he would demolish it.

While there is still plenty of baseball left to be played, Lee is on pace to have one of the best seasons by a left-handed pitcher in baseball history. A couple of bad outings can easily destroy his quest for history, but let’s just keep in perspective what Cliff Lee is doing this season. 

This article also appears on:

 http://www.sportshaze.com/why-cliff-lee-not-ubaldo-jimenez-or-josh-johnston-is-having-a-season-to-remember/

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All day yesterday, the attention of Texas Rangers fans was set on a courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas, where the auction of their team was about to take place.

On one hand, you had a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg going up against a group headed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane.

There were fireworks inside and outside of the courtroom—even a very heated confrontation between attorneys for both sides.

As the hours dragged on, so did the delays and recesses, as both sides tried to jockey for position. It was a chess match, with each trying to figure out what move their opponent would make next.

When the smoke cleared, it was Thursday at one o’clock in the morning, and it was finally over. The bidding had ceased, and it was the Greenberg-Ryan camp that came out victorious. Even in defeat, Mark Cuban was gracious, congratulating both Greenberg and Ryan, saying “Go Rangers” on Twitter early Thursday morning.

With the auction finally coming to a close, the focus of the Rangers’ front office can finally turn back to the team—a team that is currently in first place in the American League’s Western Division.

Not only will the focus now change to where it should have been all along—on a ball club that is headed for a probable run to the World Series—but also to the beginning of internal conversations about whether or not they can bring back two big pieces of their team for the next few years. One is outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, the other, left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels chatted with fans on ESPN Tuesday afternoon and was asked about the aforementioned players as well as the re-signing of outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Daniels said he has notified the agents for both Guerrero and Lee to let them know that they are interested in re-signing their clients. Those conversations, however, will not take place until after the 2010 season is over.

As for Hamilton, who isn’t eligible for free agency until 2012, he was offered a four-year, $24 million extension back in 2009 but turned it down, according to SI.com’s Jon Heyman.

Ryan, during his testimony early on, told the court that the Rangers might have a hard time re-signing Hamilton, especially if he won the AL MVP Award. He testified that the contract total could go well over $35 million when the team began negotiations of a contract extension.

While it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Rangers to bring back both Guerrero and Lee for next season and beyond, most think that Lee will test free agency after the 2010 season is complete. His agent told ESPN’s Buster Olney back in May, “We’re five months away from free agency, so I think that’s the most likely scenario at this point.”

The trade that brought the left-hander to Texas was done right under the nose of the defending World Series champion New York Yankees. Normally, what the Yankees go after, they get.

To be defeated, especially for a guy like Lee, isn’t going to leave the Bronx Bombers with a good taste in their mouths. They want the left-hander in pinstripes; there’s no question about that. When it looked like he was headed to the Yankees a few weeks ago, Lee and his wife actually met with Yankees pitcher and former Cleveland teammate CC Sabathia and his wife to look at where they might end up living.

The Rangers do have one thing in their corner: an ace in their back pocket, and his name is Nolan Ryan. He’s a guy the players respect, not only because he is a Hall of Famer, but also because he’s a former player and knows what the game is like. While he shouldn’t be given complete credit for the turnaround of the former joke of the AL West, he is a big part of the team’s success so far this season.

If you’re a guy like Lee and you know you’re going to be playing for a guy like Ryan, it would make any pitcher think twice about playing anywhere else. Make no mistake—I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear that Ryan stayed in touch with Lee after this season comes to a close and made it clear to him just how much they want him back in a Rangers uniform.

I talked to CBS 11’s Melissa Newton via Twitter who told me, “Chuck Greenberg told me last night, ‘we still have money, and we’re still going to go after Cliff Lee.'”

If the Rangers want to get a long-term deal done with the left-hander, they are going to need to include a no-trade clause in his contract—something Lee says he’s going to require. “I’m going to do everything I can to have that in there,” Lee told the media during his introductory press conference with the Rangers. “I want to have some control of my life.”

During that same press conference, Lee was asked about free agency: “I don’t know…there are so many ifs and buts. There’s no telling who is going to be out there trying to sign me. There are so many variables and unknowns to give you a really good answer.”

The Rangers are a better team with both of these guys in the mix. They were good before Lee was traded here to Texas, but they’re that much better with him in the fold, and Nolan Ryan, Jon Daniels, and the rest of the front office have to know that.

All Rangers fans—and players—can do is speculate at this point. No one knows where Lee is going to sign or even what he prefers at this point. All they need to be concerned with is making a push through the playoffs to their first ever trip to the World Series.

After that, Daniels and Ryan will do everything they can to bring both Guerrero and Lee back, and I don’t believe the Rangers will have a single problem with giving Lee the no-trade clause for which he’ll be asking.

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There were quite a few trades made at this year’s non-waiver deadline, but not as many moves as I thought there would. With so many equally talented, but non-impact players available after the big guns—Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt—were gone, it became a buyer’s market.

Some teams, like the Toronto Blue Jays, would not trade any of their valuable commodities (Scott Downs, Jose Bautista, Jason Frasor) unless they received top dollar and/or equal return back.

Second-tier prospects do not make a good team better, and many teams knew that. Many teams also valued their young players much higher (and thus cheaper in cost) than the buying teams.

Of all the trades, however, the most important one was the first one—Cliff Lee to the Texas Rangers.

This is important for many reasons.

First, it gives the Rangers a legitimate No. 1 ace starter for the first time as a playoff contending team. They never had an ace in the late 1990s when they made the playoffs three times, nor any of the decent teams they had scattered throughout the 1970s and ’80s.

Please do not confuse guys who had a decent year or two like Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, Ken Hill, and Bobby Witt with the term ace.

Lee is a true ace, a pitcher who will go up against the best. He has stacked up against some of the best teams so far, including the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox, and pitched well.

His performance in last year’s playoff push and postseason classified Lee as an ace.

Second, an ace on top of the rotation takes a team to different heights, pushing them to play better and feel more confident. For example, when your team’s ace is starting, don’t you feel better about that particular game?

So do the players playing behind him.

I remember when Ron Guidry was pitching in 1978, and every time his turn came up in the rotation, you just knew the Yankees would win. And they usually did.

I specifically remember one day a group of us were playing stick ball and someone asked who was pitching for the Yankees that night. Another kid said “Guidry” and I said out loud, “Well, that’s another win for the Yankees.” After all, Guidry was 13-0 at that point in early July.

Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Brewers beat up on Louisiana Lightning , and handed Guidry his first loss. While the Yankee starter was mentioned, no one bother to say that Yankee-killer Mike Caldwell was pitching for the Brewers that night.

I might not have proclaimed a Yankee victory that quickly.

Steve Carlton had that same knack with his teams to playing better behind him. How can you explain that his 1972 Philadelphia Phillies team, with 59 total wins, but won 27 of his starts that season?

When pitchers throw strikes and work quickly, they keep their fielders in the game. And when fielders are happy and not bored in the field, they usually perform better.

Despite Lee only being 1-2 in his five Rangers starts, the team has picked up 3.5 games on the second place Angels since Lee’s arrival. The arrival of Lee has set a different tone for this franchise and its players.

They have more overall confidence and know they are a true contender.

Third, the Rangers made this move FOR the playoffs, not to get to the playoffs. Although they have increased their lead with Lee in the fold, I still believe the Rangers would win the AL West regardless if they acquired Lee or not.

This trade is similar to when the Angels traded with the Atlanta Braves for Mark Teixeira prior to the 2008 trading deadline. The Angels has a great lead that year, but wanted to bolster their lineup for the potential matchup against one of the behemoths from the AL East. 

The Lee trade will work out much better than the Teixeira deal did for the Angels. As a proven dominant ace, Lee will have a more influencing force upon a playoff series than does a single hitter in a lineup.

Lee has already shown he can dominate a World Series-winning lineup like he did last season against the New York Yankees. Overall, in four postseason starts, Lee was 4-0, with a 1.56 ERA and 0.818 WHIP, including two victories over the Yankees.

Lee will start two games in the first round, and depending how the games play out, could go three games in each of the seven-game series rounds.

If he pitches like he is capable (and why even doubt it?), an opponent has to pretty much guarantee it will win all the other games Lee does NOT pitch.

And with Lee in the No. 1 spot, all the other good Rangers pitchers slide down into the No. 2 and No. 3 rolls.

Yankee fans? Do you feel confident with AJ Burnett going up against Rangers young 8-1, 3.31 ERA dynamo Tommy Hunter * with a Lee win already in the pocket? How about the rejuvenated C.J. Wilson firing BB’s against the lefty suspect Yankee lineup?

New Yankee Austin Kearns better have a great night that game on National TV! No, I don’t believe he is up for that challenge.

*Hunter is a pretty darned good pitcher who breezed through the Rangers minor leagues . He was the ace at the University of Alabama when David Robertson was the Crimson Tide closer.

In fact, K-Rob blew the Super Regional against North Carolina in the ninth inning of a game which Hunter started and somewhat outdueled Daniel Bard .

Like when a good hitter acquired lengthens an already good lineup, Lee lengthens a pretty good starting rotation the Rangers already had.

That is trouble for the opposition.

Fourth, as an economical pitcher who throws strikes, Lee regularly will pitch into the eighth and mostly the ninth innings. For example, last year in his four postseason games, Lee threw two complete games, reached the ninth inning one start, and into the eighth in the fourth.

This means that in the other games Lee does not start, the Rangers will have a rested bullpen. And this side of the San Diego Padres, the Rangers have perhaps the best bullpen in the major leagues.

Lastly, Cliff Lee wants the damn ball.

He will not be babied by Ron Washington like a young hurler on an innings limit or pitch count. The Rangers know this is their window to the World Series, as Lee will likely not re-sign with Texas after this season.

And he will not ask out of a playoff game like Johan Santana did as a member of the Minnesota Twins back in 2004 against the Yankees. An elimination game, no less!

You might have to pry the ball out of Lee’s hands in this postseason.

And what about coming to the Rangers in the July 9 deal?

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Now that the trade deadline has passed, the final two months of the season begin to take their course. Now that the All-Star break has passed, it’s interesting to see if any frontrunners have fallen or any new faces have made shocking gains.

Except for Ubaldo Jimenez, this is not really the case. The NL frontrunners remain the same top four as it has been all season, though the rankings of the AL may be a surprise. Who finishes below Lee as the obvious frontrunner?

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Cliff Lee, Lance Berkman , Jorge Cantu, Austin Kearns , Bengie Molina, Kerry Wood, Cristian Guzman. All players that are now wearing either a Texas Rangers Jersey or Yankee pinstripes now, as the smell of October baseball grows stronger with each passing day.

The perennial American League juggernaut Yankees was active as usual this year at the trade deadline, acquiring first baseman Lance Berkman , outfielder Austin Kearns , and reliever Kerry Wood to shore up some holes in the lineup, bullpen, and bench.

However, it was the Rangers who made it clear to everyone in the Majors that they are for real this year.

They started by snatching Cliff Lee from the jaws of the Yankees early on in July, then they got a solid catcher who can handle the rotation well, and they picked up a pair of bench pieces with Jorge Cantu and Cristian Guzman.

Adding those players to a team that is in total command of first place in the AL West, brings them into the conversation of the top three teams in the league, joining the AL East powers.

The playoffs are still two months away and anything can happen. But if things were to stay the way they are right now, then the Yankees would meet up with the AL Central leading White Sox , while the Wild Card Rays and AL West leading Rangers would lock horns.

I think that the Yankees would probably beat the White Sox, and that the Rangers would over power the Rays, thus settng up an ALCS between New York and Texas, East meets West.

With power pitching and power hitting on both teams, this would be one of the most intriguing postseason matchups in years, not to mention a re-match from the late 90’s playoff series between the Rangers and Yanks.

A series between these two teams would feature another heavyweight pitching bout between CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter and Elvis Andrus the top two shortstops in the league, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira playing against their former team, and so many more story lines to follow.

There are no guarentees that either team will make it to the ALCS, but it wouldn’t be for lack of effort, and you have to admit that it would be an interesting playoff matchup to watch.

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