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 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* – indicates new to team
+ – indicates injury
1. Atlanta Braves
A stellar lineup that gets bolstered with the addition of Sean Murphy and a deep pitching staff bodes well for them in October.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
Losing Rhys Hoskins for the season will be noticeable, but adding Trea Turner should help offset that injury.
3. New York Mets
If their closer Edwin Diaz did not have a season ending injury in the World Baseball Classic, they would be a contender for the division. A Wild Card spot is still within reach with this group they’ve assembled.
4. Miami Marlins
Outside of Sandy Alcantara, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Luis Arraez, there ins’t much here in terms of being contenders.
5. Washington Nationals
Yes, the return they got for Juan Soto at last years trade deadline was good, but this is going to be a rough year for this franchise.
Player to Watch: P Sandy Alcantara – Miami Marlins
Best Acquisition: SS Trea Turner – Philadelphia Phillies
New Kid on the Block: C Francisco Alvarez – New York Mets
Continue readingAmerican League Wild Card Series
3. Cleveland Guardians vs. 6. Tampa Bay Rays
The one constant for the Rays the past decade has been a pitching staff that has plenty of depth and is the main reason they are Postseason participants. That is no different this year as their rotation is as strong as its ever been with Shane McClanahan as their ace. Tyler Glasnow has returned from Tommy John surgery and could be that extra spark to make a deep run. Jason Adam has been a force in the bullpen this year and with the return of Pete Fairbanks that only adds to their arsenal. Randy Arozarena had a fantastic run in September and his Postseason heroics of 2020 weren’t that long ago. Expect him to make some noise again. There needs to be more from the lineup if they want to play in the Division Series. Could that be Wander Franco with his return from injury?
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