Month: June 2008 (Page 36 of 40)

      Baseball’s top young position players Vol. II

      June 5, 2008 /

      (Last week, Anthony ranked baseball’s best young pitchers under 24 years of age.. This week, he takes a look baseball’s top young position players.)

      Maybe it’s because the pressure to start rookies in the NFL and NBA is greater, but doesn’t it seem more exciting to watch young players develop into stars in baseball than any other sport? There’s just something about watching a 23 or 24-year-old make his debut on the diamond that’s more exciting than when a rookie makes his first start on the gridiron or hardwood.

      Granted, it’s still fun to watch rookies play in football and basketball, but young baseball players don’t seem to get the same kind of hype. It takes youngsters in MLB months of strong production to get media attention and that in itself should make fans have an appreciation for how hard it is for baseball players to succeed at a young age.

      It may seem strange, but there isn’t a bevy of young, superstar talent in MLB. Most of the “young” stars like Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Matt Holliday are all closer to 30 than they are 25. That said, who are baseball’s top young players at each position?

      Below is a list of eight players that are already stars or quickly becoming ones. The age cutoff was 24, so as with any list or ranking, there were some snubs. It was hard to leave off players like Russell Martin (25), Miguel Cabrera (25) and Hunter Pence (25), but what are you going to do? There has to be some cutoff.

      As always, feel free to argue the hell out of which players I snubbed.

      Catcher: Brian McCann, 24, Atlanta Braves
      With Russell Martin missing the cut at 25 years of age, McCann gets the nod as baseball’s top young catcher. And based on his numbers so far this season, McCann might have gotten the nod over Martin anyway. He’s tied with the Cubs’ Geovany Soto for most home runs (10) among catchers this season and he’s hitting an impressive .315. He’s also leading the league in doubles with 16 and even though he’s been overshadowed by teammate Chipper Jones’ amazing season, McCann has been one of the NL’s best hitters this year.

      First Base: Prince Fielder, 24, Milwaukee Brewers
      There’s simply no other choice for first base: Prince is King (ah, you get what I mean). Even though he got off to a slow start in April and early May, Fielder is starting to heat up this season. He’s currently batting .282 with 10 dingers and 32 RBI and while he might not blast 50 home runs again like he did a year ago, he has the best pop of any young hitter in the game. Although, with the way he’s hit recently, the Reds’ Joey Votto at least deserves mention here, too.

      Second base: Dustin Pedroia, 24, Boston Red Sox
      The two-bagger doesn’t offer a lot in terms of young talent, but Pedroia is the best of the bunch. He emerged as an everyday player in the BoSox’ championship run last year and has remained consistent both at the plate and defensively this season. He’s currently hitting .276, which certainly isn’t anything to brag about, but he does offer a little pop (four home runs this season) and can steal a base from time to time (six). He’s also easy to root for with the way he plays the game hard.

      Third base: Ryan Braun, 24, Milwaukee Brewers
      Say what? He’s a regular in the Brewers outfield now? Well, he proved last year that he can play the hot corner, so I’m going to bend the rules to fit him here. Anyone who thought Braun’s rookie year would turn out to be a fluke is sadly mistaken. Thus far Braun is hitting .296, has knocked in 44 RBI and has blasted 16 long balls. The former 2005 first round pick is quickly becoming one of the best young hitters in the game and has the potential to become a superstar. His average might dip, but if he continues to hit as well as he has thus far, Braun will easily top the 34 home runs and 97 RBI that he produced last year. If I wasn’t a cheater, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Evan Longoria or even Mark Reynolds could have gotten a look at third base, too.

      Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, 24, Florida Marlins
      This position haunted me last year and it’s going to do so again this year. Both Ramirez and the Mets’ Jose Reyes are five-tool players who can hit for average, steal bases and score runs. But Ramirez has a little more pop and his defense is also better, giving him the slight edge. Reyes already has 10 errors thus far this year, which is incredibly high considering it’s not even the All-Star break yet. Both players are excellent young talents, however, and it’s too bad I can only choose one shortstop for this team.

      Outfield: B.J. Upton, 23, Tampa Bay Rays
      Just like all the outfielders that made this list, Upton is a fantastic young prospect. While his power numbers are down from a year ago (he only has three home runs this year compared to the 24 he hit in 2007), his .307 average and 18 stolen bases are solid. He’s also made a nice transition from middle infielder to centerfielder, has added a great deal of speed to the club’s outfield and has been a huge contributor to the surprising first-place Rays. It’s amazing to think Upton is still at least four years away from reaching his prime potential.

      Outfield: Nick Markakis, 24, Baltimore Orioles
      The Stros’ Hunter Pence might have gotten the nod here, but he just misses the cut at 25. Markakis started the year like a bat out of hell, hitting .345 midway through April, but has since tapered off and is now only averaging .262. He’s one of the games best young defensive players, however, and is incredibly well rounded. He’s hit just shy of 10 home runs with nine, has swiped seven bags and he can get on base at a decent clip, too (.813 OPS). He also has shown great range in the outfield and has one of the stronger arms in the game. By the end of the year, his average should creep back up to around .295 and if he keeps up the current pace, he might top the career-best 23 home runs he had last year.

      Outfield: Chris Young, 24, Arizona Diamondbacks
      Young is in the midst of a nasty slump (his batting average has dipped to .239), but a blind field mouse could see the kid’s potential. He already has 12 home runs, 31 RBI and 42 runs on the year, plus his stolen base production should increase once he starts getting on base again. He also plays a great centerfield and once the D-Backs shake the current funk they’re in, Young’s numbers should start to improve. The Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury also deserves mention here, although his at bats are low in comparison to the rest of the 24 and younger outfielders.

      MLB

      Convicted steroids dealer David Jacobs found dead

      June 5, 2008 /

      David Jacobs, a convicted steroids dealer who just agreed to share information with the NFL about which players received banned substances, was found dead in his Plano, Texas home Thursday morning. A woman named Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell was also found dead; police are not saying whether the deaths were a murder-suicide.

      On May 21, Mr. Jacobs met with NFL security officials to share information about steroids use and their football players.

      Mr. Jacobs has publicly accused ex-Dallas Cowboys lineman Matt Lehr of buying large quantities of banned substances, but has never for the record named other football players who received the steroids he manufactured.

      Mr. Hockeimer said this of the meeting at the time:

      “The general topic was his knowledge of steroid and human growth hormone use by current and former players. They were thorough in their questioning. David provided them with documents corroborating what he was telling them.”

      Mr. Hockeimer would not say which players were discussed. But he said Mr. Jacobs provided documentary evidence of claims he was making.

      Let’s hope the media doesn’t immediately draw comparisons with the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide and start assuming things before facts are released. The whole steroids issue is an incredibly touchy subject in America and the media has way of immediately linking the drug to why people act in violent ways. As soon as the Benoit story broke, the media assumed he murdered his wife and young child because he was on steroids. Everyone should let the facts come out before drawing any conclusions.

      NFL

      The Onion: Pau Gasol googles ‘Lakers’ + ‘Celtics’ + ‘Rivalry’

      June 5, 2008 /

      Man, I love The Onion…

      LOS ANGELES—Claiming he was unaware of the existence of a Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics rivalry until numerous media outlets suggested their 2008 Finals matchup would revive it, curious Lakers center Pau Gasol researched the topic Wednesday by entering “Lakers + Celtics + Rivalry” into the Internet search engine Google.

      The All-Star center expressed surprise upon finding that search results yielded nearly 75,000 websites about the topic, including a Wikipedia entry devoted solely to the Celtics-Lakers matchup.

      “I guess these teams go way back,” Gasol told reporters, adding that he was also intrigued to learn that the Lakers themselves have a history that precedes their 1996 signing of Shaquille O’Neal. “Apparently, before I was born, the Lakers and Celtics used to play each other all the time, and the games were intense. It seems to have been a really big deal.”

      “Listen to this,” the visibly impressed Gasol said before reading from a printout of the Wikipedia page. “‘The rivalry originated in the 1960s, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers six times in eight years to claim the championship. The classic matchup featured greats such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy for Boston, and Elgin Baylor, Joe Montana, and Jerry West for Los Angeles.'”

      “Man,” Gasol added, “I wish those guys were still alive. I would love to talk to them about it.”

      Gasol’s Internet search history confirmed that the information gleaned from the initial Wikipedia page spawned a number of related Google searches, including those for “Kevin McHale,” “Magic Johnson,” “Bill Russell,” “Red Auerbach,” “Kobe Bryant + sexual assault,” and “Pau Gasol.”

      “I don’t remember this because it was years before I was born, but I was reading that at one time the Lakers had guys with crazy names like Kareem and Magic,” said Gasol, adding that the player photo of the latter reminded him of a thinner “Mr. Johnson,” an eccentric local movie-theater owner who often hovers around the Lakers locker room, tells the team “good job,” and always offers advice. “He’s a nice guy and doesn’t mean any harm, so we let him stay.”

      That last bit about “Mr. Johnson” is classic.

      (Read the rest of the article after the jump.)

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Oh Jeff Garcia, you make me laugh

      June 5, 2008 /

      According to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Jeff Garcia is threatening to walk away from the game if he doesn’t receive a new contract.

      Garcia said on Sirius NFL Radio Wednesday that he “will seriously think about what my alternate options may be (if the Bucs don’t give him a raise)…And it may come to not playing football anymore.” Garcia feels “mistreated” and “taken advantage of,” but did admit that walking away would be hard. It is highly doubtful that Garcia would go through with retiring. He can’t even bear to stay away from voluntary work.

      Is this a joke? Garcia is 38 years old and can only be effective in a West Coast offense (see his years in Cleveland and Detroit if you disagree). What does he have to complain about? Furthermore, who is he to threaten any team?

      He’s had a nice year and a half. But he’s fooling himself if he thinks he should be making truckloads of cash. If Donovan McNabb doesn’t go down two years ago, Garcia isn’t even a starter in the NFL. The two-year, $7 million contract he signed with Tampa last offseason is more than fair. Excuse Tampa if they want to see how he plays one more year before signing a 38-year old quarterback to an extension.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Highlights from the Wednesday that was

      June 5, 2008 /

      Red Wings are Stanley Cup Champions after defeating the Penguins 3-2 in Game 6. How great was Chris Osgood’s save with six seconds left in the 3rd? If that puck goes in and the Wings lose in overtime again, Pittsburgh might have beaten Detroit in Game 7 on momentum alone. What a great series.

      MLB Musings:

      Red Sox 5, Rays 1. J.D. Drew comes up big on consecutive nights, finishing the night 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Boston has now taken the lead in the AL East – think they’ll give it back anytime soon? Doubtful – even with Big Papi out.

      Reds 2, Phillies 0. Is there anything more frustrating to a pitcher than to pitch great and still get the loss? Brett Myers takes a no-no into the seventh inning, only to receive zero run support and his seventh loss on the year. How good has Edinson Volquez (8-2, 1.32 ERA, 91 K’s) been this year? What a nice surprise he’s been for the Reds. Joey Votto continued his tear too, hitting two doubles and driving in two RBI.

      Padres 2, Cubs 1. Chicago’s streak ends at the hands of a great Greg Maddux outing (7.0, 3 hits, 1 ER, 4 K’s). The Cubs won nine straight and still only lead the Cardinals by three games in the NL Central. Who would have thought that division would be so good this year?

      Brewers 10, Diamondbacks 1. Arizona is an absolute mess after starting the first month and a half as the best club in baseball. They can’t pitch, hit or play defense. (Three errors yesterday afternoon in Milwaukee.)

      Here’s John Smoltz on the decision to end his season due to shoulder surgery:

      General Sports, MLB, NHL

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