2013 MLB Postseason Preview

It was another crazy finish as the last American League Wild Card spot went down to the last day of the season. That then in turn resulted in a 163rd game for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers. Alas the Rays won and they will be facing a red hot Cleveland team that won 10 straight games to clinch a playoff spot. The Reds will do battle with the Pirates in what will be their 7th game in 12 days against one another. Let October baseball begin.

National League Wild Card

Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

There wasn’t any doubt that the Reds were going to make it to the postseason. The only doubt was whether they would stay ahead or keep pace with their division foes, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cincinnati is a little banged up heading into this game with 2B Brandon Phillips having fouled a ball off his shin in the second to last game of the season. Their starting pitcher Mat Latos is also unavailable for this game and if they move on to the Division Series he might be out then too. Either way the Reds will need to go all in for this one. 1B Joey Votto and OF Shin-Soo Choo had good Septembers and with the call-up of speedster OF Billy Hamilton the Reds know they won’t be out of any game any time soon. Johnny Cueto will be starting this game. He’ll have to pitch the best game of his career against a Pirates team that has beaten the Reds 4 out of their last 6 meetings at the end of the season.

They are the feel good story of the baseball season. Twenty years of not finishing above .500 and no postseason baseball in the Steel City. No more as these Pirates look to erase any memories of the Barry Bonds era and the promise of what could have been. The Pirates August acquisitions of OF Marlon Byrd from the Mets and 1B Justin Morneau from the Twins have paid off in the final stretch run of the season. Both had solid Septembers and with the NL MVP favorite in CF Andrew McCutchen the Pirates are flying high. Pittsburgh’s starting pitcher for the Wild Card game, Francisco Liriano struggled in September, but his stats at PNC Park at incredible with a 1.47 ERA in 11 starts this season. If he plays like that the Pirates will move on to play the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pirates win

American League Wild Card

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians

Once again the Tampa Bay Rays have shocked most by making another Postseason appearance when it wasn’t expected. This will be the Rays fourth Postseason appearance in the last six years. They hope to make another trip to the World Series with the current group they have. The Rays don’t have the most prolific offense in baseball, but they have a few key pieces that have helped them a lot this season. 3B Evan Longoria is the leader and for the first time since 2010 he has played in at least 150 games. This season he played in 160. He has had help along the way with 1B James Loney and 2B Ben Zobrist being good run producers behind Longoria. The biggest help came when AL Rookie of the Year candidate OF Wil Myers was called up and drove in 53 runs in his 88 games played this season. The Rays claim to fame though has been their pitching. They have one of the deepest and most talented starting rotations in all of baseball and their starter for this Wild Card game, Alex Cobb is a big part of that. He had a solid September with 3 wins in his five starts. His 2.70 road ERA is solid. The scary thing about Tampa Bay this year is that they would rather play on the road than at home if that makes any sense.

The Cleveland Indians are back in the Postseason for the first time since 2007. They hope this next go round is a lot more memorable than that one when they had a 3-1 series lead over the eventual World Series champions the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland is happy to host this one game Wild Card matchup as they had one of the best home records in baseball at 51-30. The Rays won’t be easy to beat, but the Indians have a lineup that caught fire in September. One of those players that caught fire was 1B Nick Swisher who is the emotional leader of this team. His 7 HR and 17 RBI were a big lift down the stretch and OF Michael Brantley has had a career year with 73 RBI for the season. Their All-Star 2B Jason Kipnis has been a clutch performer for them all year both on offense and defense. Cleveland’s starter for the Wild Card game, Danny Salazar is a lesser known name than Ubaldo Jimenez or Justin Masterson, but Salazar was solid in September with a 2.52 ERA in five starts. His home ERA is 3.13 in four starts for the season, but his strikeout to walk ratio of 33-5 is an encouraging sign going into this important game.

Indians win

MLB Recap – August

Best Hitter – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.356 AVG 11 HR 31 RBI) Detroit Tigers

Best Pitcher – Jose Fernandez (3-1, 1.15 ERA) Miami Marlins

Best Team – Atlanta Braves 83-52 (49-18 home record)

Division Leaders

American League

Boston Red Sox 81-56

Best Player – OF Shane Victorino (.328 AVG 7 HR 22 RBI)

Detroit Tigers 80-56

Best Player – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.356 AVG 11 HR 31 RBI)

Texas Rangers 79-56

Best Player – 3B Adrian Beltre (.381 AVG 5 HR 21 RBI)

National League

Atlanta Braves 83-52

Best Player – P Alex Wood (2-0, 0.90 ERA)

Pittsburgh Pirates 79-56

Best Player – OF Andrew McCutchen (.384 AVG 2 HR 15 RBI)

Los Angeles Dodgers 80-55

Best Player – P Zach Greinke (5-0, 1.23 ERA)

Wild Card Teams

American League

Tampa Bay Rays 75-59

Best Player – OF Matt Joyce (.350 AVG 3 HR 11 RBI)

Baltimore Orioles 71-63

Best Player – 1B Chris Davis (.287 AVG 9 HR 23 RBI)

Cleveland Indians 71-64

Best Player – C Carlos Santana (.240 AVG 5 HR 12 RBI)

Oakland Athletics 77-58

Best Player – 1B Brandon Moss (.288 AVG 8 HR 19 RBI)

New York Yankees 72-63

Best Player – OF Alfonso Soriano (.257 AVG 11 HR 31 RBI)

Kansas City Royals 69-66

Best Player – 1B Eric Hosmer (.323 AVG 4 HR 20 RBI)

National League

St. Louis Cardinals 78-57

Best Player – OF Carlos Beltran (.366 AVG 4 HR 15 RBI)

Cincinnati Reds 76-60

Best Player – 2B Brandon Phillips (.304 AVG 4 HR 17 RBI)

Arizona Diamondbacks 69-65

Best Player – 3B Martin Prado (.374 AVG 4 HR 30 RBI)

Washington Nationals 68-67

Best Player – OF Jayson Werth (.380 AVG 6 HR 21 RBI)

Outside Looking In

American League

Seattle Mariners 62-73

Best Player – OF Dustin Ackley (.390 AVG 2 HR 10 RBI)

Toronto Blue Jays 62-74

Best Player – P Mark Buehrle (4-0, 2.70 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels 62-72

Best Player – OF Mike Trout (.337 AVG 6 HR 16 RBI)

Minnesota Twins 58-76

Best Player – 1B Justin Morneau (.250 AVG 9 HR 21 RBI)

Chicago White Sox 56-78

Best Player – OF Avisail Garcia (.354 AVG 2 HR 11 RBI)

Houston Astros 44-91

Best Player – C Jason Castro (.338 AVG 5 HR 14 RBI)

National League

Colorado Rockies 64-73

Best Player – C Wilin Rosario (.351 AVG 5 HR 20 RBI)

Philadelphia Phillies 62-74

Best Player – P Cole Hamels (2-0, 2.00 ERA)

New York Mets 62-72

Best Player – P Jon Niese (3-0, 1.93 ERA)

San Diego Padres 60-75

Best Player – OF Will Venable (.367 AVG 8 HR 15 RBI)

Chicago Cubs 57-78

Best Player – 3B Donnie Murphy (.282 AVG 8 HR 15 RBI)

San Francisco Giants 60-75

Best Player – 1B Brandon Belt (.350 AVG 5 HR 13 RBI)

Milwaukee Brewers 59-76

Best Player – 2B Scooter Gennett (.423 AVG 4 HR 9 RBI)

Miami Marlins 49-85

Best Player – P Jose Fernandez (3-1, 1.15 ERA)

The Face of PED Users

I never thought I would see the day that someone else would take the place of Barry Bonds as the most hated baseball player of the steroid era.

With that said, I will take a very limited approach with this post. I will not be discussing the outcome of Alex Rodriguez’s contract situation with the New York Yankees. As far as I’m concerned the bridge has been burned and it will be an uglier mess than Rodriguez’s fight with MLB on his suspension.

The other twelve players that were suspended with Alex Rodriguez have all accepted their 50 game suspensions. Ryan Braun would be number fourteen with his suspension a few weeks earlier for 65 games. Those players gave in and accepted their fate. Whether some like Texas Rangers OF Nelson Cruz and Detroit Tigers SS Jhonny Peralta, both of whom are free agents after this season actually get significant contract offers in the offseason is yet to be determined.

Alex Rodriguez has taken his own road. One that will be filled with many opinions, facts, misconceptions and lawyers to boot.

It has been a very telling road for baseball as they have tried to wipe away any sense that they didn’t care about players using steroids. Some have questioned the way in which they went about investigating the players that were suspended in the Biogenesis investigation. By coercing a man by the name of Tony Bosch, who ran this clinic in Miami, Florida to help baseball with threats of lawsuits and criminal prosecution.

My take with that is how else was baseball supposed to go about it? The fiasco that the federal government of the United States went through to prosecute Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens for lying under oath about their steroid use were absolute failures. Baseball did not want to go down that road. The evidence was there for everyone to see, not just baseball. The Miami New Times newspaper broke the story and showed the evidence they had for the whole world to see.

With that they began to launch into action and came out with one of the most damning steroid rings this country has seen. Balco is by far the worst, but with Biogenesis there is alleged evidence that one of the games best players, Alex Rodriguez, was a ringer for the dealer, Tony Bosch.

Just that alone if true is the most damning thing against A-Rod. To my point about what should be done about PED users (Time to Face Facts) is that they should be shamed and told that youngsters have died doing what they did, but in the case of Alex Rodriguez I don’t know if that will affect him.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement that reads:

“Rodriguez’s discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years. Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.”

With that statement and what is alleged to have taken place with Alex Rodriguez if true will have sealed his fate among baseball lore. He will appeal and try to have his suspension reduced or overturned. The suspension handed down to him is for the rest of the 2013 and the entire 2014 season.

Most players today are adamant that they want the sport cleaned up. Either harsher suspensions, cash penalties or both. It’s an encouraging sign as the sport is taking the lead, along with its players to clean it up. Yet I can’t help but wonder if they had been more pro-active to clean up the sport sooner would there have been places like Balco or Biogenesis?

MLB Recap – July

Best Hitter – OF Andrew McCutchen (.327 AVG 6 HR 17 RBI) Pittsburgh Pirates

Best Pitcher – David Price (5-1, 1.68 ERA) Tampa Bay Rays

Best Team – Pittsburgh Pirates 65-42 (36-18 home record)

Division Leaders

American League

Boston Red Sox 65-44

Best Player – DH David Ortiz (.344 AVG 4 HR 11 RBI)

Detroit Tigers 61-45

Best Player – OF Torii Hunter (.374 AVG 7 HR 22 RBI)

Oakland Athletics 63-45

Best Player – P Bartolo Colon (3-1, 1.74 ERA)

National League

Atlanta Braves 63-45

Best Player – C Brian McCann (.337 AVG 6 HR 17 RBI)

Pittsburgh Pirates 65-42

Best Player – OF Andrew McCutchen (.327 AVG 6 HR 17 RBI)

Los Angeles Dodgers 57-49

Best Player – P Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 1.34 ERA)

Wild Card Teams

American League

Tampa Bay Rays 64-44

Best Player – P David Price (5-1, 1.68 ERA)

Baltimore Orioles 59-49

Best Player – OF Adam Jones (.286 AVG 7 HR 17 RBI)

Cleveland Indians 59-48

Best Player – OF Michael Brantley (.318 AVG 2 HR 13 RBI)

Texas Rangers 59-49

Best Player – 3B Adrian Beltre (.369 AVG 9 HR 19 RBI)

New York Yankees 56-51

Best Player – 2B Robinson Cano (.330 AVG 4 HR 22 RBI)

Kansas City Royals 53-51

Best Player – P Greg Holland (11 SV, 0.82 ERA)

National League

St. Louis Cardinals 62-44

Best Player – 1B Allen Craig (.311 AVG 1 HR 16 RBI)

Cincinnati Reds 60-49

Best Player – OF Jay Bruce (.280 AVG 4 HR 18 RBI)

Arizona Diamondbacks 55-52

Best Player – P Wade Miley (4-1, 1.59 ERA)

Washington Nationals 52-56

Best Player – OF Jayson Werth (.367 AVG 7 HR 22 RBI)

Colorado Rockies 51-58

Best Player – OF Carlos Gonzalez (.338 AVG 4 HR 10 RBI)

Philadelphia Phillies 50-57

Best Player – 3B Michael Young (.265 AVG 3 HR 13 RBI)

Outside Looking In

American League

Seattle Mariners 50-57

Best Player – 3B Kyle Seager (.396 AVG 6 HR 14 RBI)

Toronto Blue Jays 50-57

Best Player – DH Edwin Encarnacion (.305 AVG 6 HR 18 RBI)

Los Angeles Angels 48-58

Best Player – OF Mike Trout (.379 AVG 4 HR 14 RBI)

Minnesota Twins 45-59

Best Player – C Joe Mauer (.360 AVG 0 HR 9 RBI)

Chicago White Sox 40-65

Best Player – OF Alex Rios (.282 AVG 1 HR 14 RBI)

Houston Astros 36-70

Best Player – 1B Brett Wallace (.273 AVG 5 HR 14 RBI)

National League

New York Mets 48-57

Best Player – OF Marlon Byrd (.336 AVG 5 HR 20 RBI)

San Diego Padres 50-59

Best Player – OF Carlos Quentin (.286 AVG 4 HR 20 RBI)

Chicago Cubs 49-58

Best Player – P Edwin Jackson (3-1, 1.83 ERA)

San Francisco Giants 47-59

Best Player – P Madison Bumgarner (2-1, 1.55 ERA)

Milwaukee Brewers 46-62

Best Player – P Kyle Lohse (4-1, 2.25 ERA)

Miami Marlins 41-65

Best Player – P Jose Fernandez (3-1, 2.06 ERA)

MLB Trade Deadline Recap

Not the most dramatic deadline as in years past, but there were some subtle moves made by contenders this year. Most teams kept their top prospects out of any trade conversations which begs the question, have most teams abandoned the idea of trading their best prospects mid-season for top tier players? Only time will tell, but for now here is a recap of the biggest moves made before and during the deadline’s wee-hours.

July 22

Chicago Cubs

P Matt Garza

traded to

Texas Rangers
1B Mike Olt
P Justin Grimm
P C.J. Edwards
1 or 2 players to be named later

This was the deal that kicked off the race to the deadline as Matt Garza was dealt to Texas. He is in the final year of his current contract and it appears likely that the Rangers will only be using him in their push to clinch a playoff spot this year and not for the future. Chicago was able to get a good prospect in Mike Olt from the Rangers. Chicago is set with Anthony Rizzo at first base, but Olt has played third base in the minors so that is his potential landing spot unless he settles for a corner outfield spot. Justin Grimm is a decent pitcher, but might be better suited in a relief role rather than a starter. The other players Chicago received are low end prospects with no high expectations.

July 23

Milwaukee Brewers
P Francisco Rodriguez

traded to

Baltimore Orioles
3B Nick Delmonico

In a rare one for one trade at this time of year, the Brewers got what they desperately needed in a future power bat at either third or first base. For Delmonico it will most likely be third since his fielding prowess is more experienced there. He likely won’t see the majors until 2015 at the soonest, but he has promise. Baltimore gets some extra help for their over worked bullpen. Francisco ‘K-Rod’ Rodriguez won’t see much action as a closer, but he will absolutely be a big help in crucial situations in the ultra competitive AL East. Losing Delmonico isn’t a huge blow as the Orioles have Manny Machado holding down the fort at third.

July 26

Chicago Cubs
OF Alfonso Soriano

traded to

New York Yankees
P Corey Black
cash

In a classic case of a ‘salary dump’ the Cubs found a suitor for Soriano in the Yankees. They’ll get to have him for the rest of this season and next. Chicago will be paying most of Soriano’s salary in the process so it’s a win-win for the suddenly penny pinching Yankees. If you remember Soriano was once a mainstay at second base for New York before he was dealt for Alex Rodriguez. Since then he has remained a productive player for the most part, but no where near where he could have been had he not been traded to Texas.

July 29

Los Angeles Angels
P Scott Downs

traded to

Atlanta Braves
P Cory Rasmus

This isn’t looked at as the most glamorous trade, but an effective one for Atlanta. They definitely could use another arm to shore up an already elite bullpen and Downs, being in the final year of his deal will get a chance to prove he’s worth another lengthy extension with his play in a pennant race. The Angels didn’t get a big return, but they hope Rasmus, who has a decent repertoire can give them a glimpse during a stint in the bullpen down the stretch.

July 30

Los Angeles Angels
3B Alberto Callaspo

traded to

Oakland Athletics
2B Grant Green

You don’t see most teams trade within their own division, but the Angels made an exception. Callaspo was a productive player. His numbers didn’t translate as an everyday third basemen, but he remained a productive player. Oakland had a depth problem on the infield should one of their regular starters go down to an injury and they went searching for help. The Angels see Grant Green as an everyday second basemen, but the problem is they already have one in Howie Kendrick. It sets up the idea that the Angels with this cost cutting move of trading Callaspo (under contract through 2014) might try to trade Kendrick after this season.

July 30

Detroit Tigers
OF Avisail Garcia (White Sox)
P Brayan Villarreal (Red Sox)

Boston Red Sox
SS Jose Iglesias (Tigers)
P J.B. Wendelken (White Sox)
P Francelis Montas (White Sox)
INF Cleuluis Rondon (White Sox)

Chicago White Sox
P Jake Peavy (Red Sox)

The most talked about trade of the deadline happened just before deadline day. Some say the White Sox didn’t get enough for Jake Peavy and others will say that the Tigers shouldn’t have gotten involved. Well, the way it all boils down to is that all teams involved did what they had to. Sure, Chicago didn’t get enough on paper, but if one of those two pitchers turns into a decent reliever or even the next White Sox closer (which they need one) to go along with the sure hitting of Avisail Garcia. That would be a good return. Peavy isn’t just a rental. He’ll be around next year as well. If Boston makes the postseason this year he will be a very good number two or three starter for them. And putting him with a healthy Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz for a full season will only help the Red Sox stay in contention next year. Detroit did give up a potentially great hitter in Garcia, but they received an excellent defensive shortstop in Iglesias. His bat has been good this year, but he will need some fine tuning. As of now everyone has a chance to say they won this trade.

July 31

Arizona Diamondbacks
P Ian Kennedy

traded to

San Diego Padres
P Joe Thatcher
P Matt Stites
Competitive Balance pick

Another trade involving division rivals, but this one seems to be more about the future rather than the present. Kennedy has had a dismal season compared to his last two in Arizona. They felt he wouldn’t be worth a hefty raise in arbitration so they took the chance to deal him. The Padres are willing to take a chance with their pitcher friendly ballpark to help Kennedy along. San Diego didn’t give up a lot to get a potential top of the rotation starter either so to them it’s little risk. The Diamondbacks are still in a postseason race and they have enough young arms to offset Kennedy’s departure and Thatcher will be a big help to their dreadful bullpen. Matt Stites has potential and could see action as early as next year.

July 31

Houston Astros
P Bud Norris

traded to

Baltimore Orioles
OF L.J. Hoes
P Josh Hader
Competitive Balance pick

It’s a sad state when the biggest prize of the deadline is the Houston Astros number one starting pitcher. But he hasn’t had a terrible season considering he has been playing for perhaps the worst team in baseball this year. The Orioles certainly could use some help for their rotation with the way the Tampa Bay Rays have been playing and the recent addition of Jake Peavy to the Red Sox. The Astros did come away with a good hitter in Hoes who was hitting .304 this year at AAA Norfolk for the Orioles. Hader has good stuff for a left-hander and could rise through the Astros farm system in a hurry if he continues to improve on his potential. Houston received max value for a player that is at best a number three starter for a contender.