American League Wild Card Series
3. Houston Astros vs. 6. Detroit Tigers
Continue readingFor the 94th year of the Midsummer Classic, baseball goes to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The last time the mid-summer classic was played in Arlington was in 1995. Now every year there is always a lot of discussion and some of it a little dated about how the teams are put together. No system will ever be perfect. Fans don’t always get it right and managers won’t either, nor the commissioner’s office. The fact that the players are able to vote for participants was a great choice and they know who is deserving. Regardless of who should or shouldn’t be in the game lets just accept that the best players will always be involved one way or another. Here are my all-stars keeping with the rules that every team be represented and a total of 32 players for each league.
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves
BAA – Batting Average Against
WHIP – Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched
K – Strikeouts
Stats are accurate as of July 13th
* – asterisk indicates starter
Continue reading* – indicates new to team
+ – indicates injury
1. Chicago Cubs
While they faltered at the end last season, it was an encouraging sign that they were trending in the right direction.
2. Cincinnati Reds
The youth movement is in full swing and now is the time for them to capitalize on it with a weak division.
3. St. Louis Cardinals
Getting Sonny Gray puts the top of their rotation in a stable setting, but will they be able to get production out of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado once again?
4. Milwaukee Brewers
Their pitching staff as a whole has taken a hit and not having Craig Counsell as their manager could put this franchise in a state of flux for a while.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
Like their counterparts in Cincinnati, there is a fair amount of prospects ready to take the leap into the majors. Time to see if it clicks for Pittsburgh.
Player to Watch: OF Cody Bellinger – Chicago Cubs
Best Acquisition: P Sonny Gray – St. Louis Cardinals
New Kid on the Block: OF Jackson Chourio – Milwaukee Brewers
Continue readingFor the 93rd year of the Midsummer Classic, baseball goes to T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. The last time the mid-summer classic was played in Seattle was in 2001. Now every year there is always a lot of discussion and some of it a little dated about how the teams are put together. No system will ever be perfect. Fans don’t always get it right and managers won’t either, nor the commissioner’s office. The fact that the players are able to vote for participants was a great choice and they know who is deserving. Regardless of who should or shouldn’t be in the game lets just accept that the best players will always be involved one way or another. Here are my all-stars keeping with the rules that every team be represented and a total of 32 players for each league.
Continue reading