The baseball season has been full of pleasant surprises thus far. Not only are teams like San Diego surprising fans, but many players, good and bad, are shocking spectators to the bone.
Young and old players alike are playing above and beyond expectations.
This slideshow is dedicated to the veteran oldies that have made an end-of-career surge.
The following five players are the biggest surprises of this season, with Vlad being No. 1.
Once again, the White Sox will not be sending a large delegation to the Mid-summer classic. A few were worthy, but Matt Thornton is the only South Sider headed to Anaheim for the festivities.
Yes, Paul Konerko is up for the “Final Vote” but disregard that- the Chi Sox have gotten the shaft once again when it comes to the All-Star game.
This year’s Sox snubs: Alex Rios and Konerko. Let’s look at just what the AL will be missing.
We’ll start with Rios. He struggled after coming over from Toronto last season but has really found his groove on the South Side this season. He has been the total package for the Sox, posting a stat line of .303 13 HR 45 RBI’s, and 22 stolen bases. He is top three on the team in all of those categories. He has also played strong in the outfield for Ozzie. There is no excuse for him to be left off the roster, especially when you consider some of the players that got the nod over him.
Jose Bautista may have 21 HR and 52 RBI’s, but he is hitting a measly .236. He is by no means a demon on the base-paths either, stealing only three bags so far. It should take more than hitting a few longballs to make the All-Star team.
Vernon Wells is the second Blue Jay outfielder to make it over Rios. His totals of .274 19 HR 48 RBI’s and four steals is better than Bautista, but still is not more All-Star worthy than his ex-mate in Toronto.
Sure every player on the roster can state their case for why they were selected, but the bottom line is simple-no way should both Bautista and Wells been selected over Rios.
Now for Paulie, the face of the franchise and quiet leader of the clubhouse that has held this team together for years. Konerko is having a career type season in this his contract year. He is hitting .296 with 20 HR and 57 RBI’s so far this year.
Anyone with stats like that ought to be an All-Star, especially when they’re the face of a franchise like #14 is.
So who got in instead of the Sox leader? Someone whose star started burning out a few years ago; Red Sox DH David Ortiz. Sure “Big Papi” may be a much bigger celebrity than Konerko ever will, but he was not voted in, but rather selected by AL Manager Joe Girardi, making Paulie’s snub even more ridiculous.
Ortiz is hitting just .259 with 17 HR and 54 RBI. Paulie’s numbers trump those in each category.
Paulie could very well still make it to Anaheim if he wins the “Final Vote” but it shouldn’t have come to this in the first place. Konerko and Rios both deserve to be going.
Fix the system, Bud.
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The White Sox have won ten games in a row, which is their longest winning streak since 1976. When I wrote my article just over a month ago, I was about to give up on the White Sox, but they have proved me wrong and I will now react to my past article .
Five Reason to Give Up
Still in the sophomore slump, even though it seems like he is having good at-bats. Beckham will most likely be platooned with Omar Vizquel at second once Mark Teahan comes off the disabled list. Not a reason to give up, but the freshman phenom needs to work out his issues.
2. Bench Players
Vizquel is coming around, hitting over .350 during the current winning streak and the 43-year-old is playing like he is ten years younger. Ramon Castro has done his job as the backup catcher. Newcomer Dayan Viciedo is showing some promise, but as we know from the past, it is only a matter of time before opposing teams figure him out. Brent Lillbridge is back in the bigs with Jayson Nix being picked up by the Indians off waivers, but he has yet to make an impact. Mark Kotsay is starting to come around, but he has not solidified the DH spot that he held on Opening Day. Andruw Jones has been in and out of the lineup and has been struggling lately. No reason to give up because they have done their job especially since the injury to Teahan.
3. Inconsistent Starting Pitching
Not an issue anymore. Starting pitching has given the Sox a chance to win, with all of the starters going at least six innings each start. Enough said. Pitching has gone as was expected before the season started.
4. Lead-off Hitter
Juan Pierre has come around to be the best lead-off hitter since Scott Podsednik for the Sox. He has done his job and even the experiment with Jones leading off for the first time since 1988 may have lit a fire under Pierre. Still a weak spot, but Pierre is doing his best to make it stand out less.
5. Bobby Jenks
Converted the last 12 save opportunities and has been a workhorse. No need for Sox fans to cry for J.J. Putz .
Five Reasons to Be Hopeful
1. Speed
Sixty-eight stolen bases through mid-June, including Pierre leading baseball with 27 stolen bases, the runners have been more aggressive on the base paths, and A.J. Pierzynski has been throwing out runners better this year. Still a strength.
2. Paul Konerko
Has raised his average over .300 for the first time this season. He might have only four home runs in the past month, but he has also had key RBI and hits.
3. Andruw Jones
Jones has hit a slump, which has given him scattered starts and has transitioned to more of a situational pinch hitter, but he needs to prove himself to get back in the everyday lineup. May not be a hopeful point much more, but I could see him turning it around.
4. Alex Rios
.313 BA, 13 HR, 38 RBI, 20 SB, .546 SLG. He has been the most consistent player in the lineup. Enough said.
5. Bullpen
Jenks is back to closer form. Sergio Santos , Tony Pena , Matt Thornton , and Putz are all going strong. Still the best group for the Sox this year.
The Sox are in a good streak, so let’s see what happens when division play continues.
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With half of the Crosstown Classic played, it is almost as traditional to pick the best of the two clubs as to play the series.
To the disdain of the North and South sides of Chicago, both the Cubs and White Sox are less than stellar this year, combining for a record of 56-69 before action on Tuesday. Despite the lack of pizazz in this year’s series and the addition of the BP Cup, fans still come out in droves to watch.
The basics determine who gets the nod at each position (hitting, defense, etc.), but looking at how a certain player is performing may get him the nod over a player with better statistics.
This is the list, for better or for worst…
Reminder: All stats are from before play on Tuesday.
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.
It was definitely a big week for the league’s corner infielders. The names of Youkilis, Glaus, Konerko, Rolen, Kouzmanoff, and Cabrera were on the tops of all the statistics. The guardians of the baselines spoke with their bats, and ruled the diamond.
Martinez, Gardner, Rasmus and Suzuki spent last week blasting the hardball. Injuries and rest days couldn’t put out their fire.
It was definitely a big week for the league’s corner infielders. The names of Youkilis, Glaus, Konerko, Rolen, Kouzmanoff, and Cabrera were on the tops of all the statistics. The guardians of the baseline spoke with their bats and ruled the diamond.
Martinez, Gardner, Rasmus and Suzuki spent last week blasting the hardball. Injuries and rest days couldn’t put out their fire.
1) C Victor Martinez Bos
The Red Sox catcher was 12-for-20 with one home run, five RBI, and finished last week with a league best .600 AVG.
V-Mart had a few days off this past week to rest a sore toe. However, the injury didn’t keep Martinez from having a phenomenal week.
Martinez had a career best four doubles with two RBIs and went 5-for-5 on June 1.
2) OF Colby Rasmus StL
The Cardinals outfielder was 11-for-22 with three home runs, knocked in nine runners, a stolen base, touched the plate himself eight times, and finished last week with a .500 AVG.
Rasmus has benefited from taking swings after Pujols and Holliday.
After having a slump of a month in May, he looks like he found the magic he had at the start of the season. An injury this past Sunday may throw a roadblock on his hot streak.
3) 3B/1B Troy Glaus Atl
The Braves corner infielder was 8-for-26 with four homeruns, sent ten teammates across the dish, touched the plate eight times himself, and finished last week with a .308 AVG.
Glaus had the most homeruns and RBIs this past week.
Fantasy owner might be taking a second look at the once injury plagued Glaus and consider him on their squads.
4) 3B/1B Kevin Youkilis Bos
The Red Sox corner infielder was 12-for-26 with two homeruns, nine RBI, and finished last week with a .462 AVG.
The “Greek God of Walks” did more than take free passes to first base this past week.
Youkilis had a fantastic game on June 5, hitting a homer and earning two doubles. Add that to his five-game hitting streak and I can assure you that Red Sox Nation couldn’t be happier.
5) 1B Paul Konerko CWS
The White Sox first baseman was 6-for-16 with three home runs, eight RBI, and finished last week with a .375 AVG.
Konerko has been battling Jose Bautista for the top spot in home runs recently. The three bombs he let loose this week keeps him in the running.
6) OF Brett Gardner NYY
The Yankees outfielder was 9-for-17 with one home run, three RBIs, and finished last week with a .529 AVG.
Usually falling back on the ninth spot isn’t a good thing. Gardner however is especially productive at the bottom of the order.
When Gardner took the second spot he had a terrible May. The month of June is already looking better.
7) OF Ichiro Suzuki Sea
The Mariners outfielder was 13-for-27 and drove in five teammates, four stolen bases, and finished last week with a .481 AVG.
On June 3, he found his wheels and stole three bases.
Suzuki stepped on the dish for his 1,000 run of his career this past Sunday.
8) 3B Scott Rolen Cin
The Reds third baseman was 12-for-26 with two homeruns, nine RBIs, and finished last week with a .462 AVG.
Rolen had a big day on June 1, going 3-for-5 and blasting two into the stands.
9) 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff Oak
The Athletics third baseman was 10-for-25 with three homeruns, six RBIs, and finished last week with a .400 AVG.
The “Crushin’ Russian” came back in a big way after slumping the last two weeks of May.
10) 1B Miguel Cabrera Det
The Tigers first baseman was 9-for-26 with three homeruns, touched the plate seven times, and finished last week with a .346 AVG.
Cabrera has been all over this week’s highlights for the controversial call costing his teammate a perfect game.
What wasn’t in the highlights was Cabrera’s outstanding performance at the plate. He could take a stab at the Triple Crown if he can continue his blazing streak.
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Paul Konerko has had his bags packed to head to the Los Angeles Angels on more than one occasion.
Now, however, it seems as though Konerko could actually be getting on the plane.
With Kendry Morales celebrating a walk-off grand slam by breaking his leg, the Angels could use another first baseman.
With the White Sox “grinder”/Ozzie ball/don’t score runs and have awful defense experiment putting the team in a battle for third place in the American League Central division, it could be time for the White Sox to look toward 2011…or maybe 2012.
Konerko is currently batting .262 with 14 home runs, 33 RBI, and a .366 OBP.
What it comes down to is the non-contending White Sox having a 34-year-old soon to be free agent who can still produce and play a solid first base and the contending Angels in the wide-open American League West having a vacant spot at first base.
The White Sox also have prospects Tyler Flowers and Dayan Viciedo waiting in the wings for a chance at first base/DH.
Seems like an easy decision, although the real question is whether or not White Sox fans trust GM Kenny Williams making trades anymore.
Remember Gio Gonzalez? He’s starting in Oakland with a 5-3 record, a 3.54 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP at the tender age of 25.
At least Williams got Nick Swisher for Gonzalez…for a year.
After a tough season with the White Sox where Swisher led MLB in the non-grinder, boring stat pitches per plate appearance, Swisher was shipped to the Yankees, where he is currently batting .318 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, 34 runs, and a .397 OBP.
But at least Williams was able to steal Wilson Betemit and Jeffrey Marquez from New York for Swisher. A who cares and a who.
Remember John Ely? The 24-year-old is starting for the Los Angeles Dodgers, sitting at 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, striking out 32 batters and walking six in his first 39 innings pitched in the big leagues.
At least Williams got Juan Pierre for Ely. The 33-year-old Pierre has a whopping .245 batting average and a .304 OBP so far this season.
And then there’s Jake Peavy. Peavy, who anyone with eyes could see lived and died by PETCO Park and the National League, is currently sporting a 6.23 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.
Clayton Richard, who wasn’t even the biggest piece of the trade with the San Diego Padres for Peavy, is 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 63 innings as a starter for the Padres at the old age of 27.
Wait until the Padres start using the 23-year-old left-hander Aaron Poreda. Then White Sox fans may realize how much this trade hurt.
Mix these trades with multi-year deals to mediocre players like Mark Teahen, Scott Linebrink, and Tony Pena, and fans may be asking themselves if Williams can be traded instead of Konerko.
For the White Sox, however, it looks as though the team will need to move cornerstones Konerko and Mark Buehrle, who Williams did not acquire, along with Bobby Jenks and the contract of Gavin Floyd, if the team wants a chance to go after someone like Cliff Lee in free agency next year.
But the White Sox will probably just fire Ozzie Guillen and continue trading young talent for mediocre older players instead.
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