Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 792 of 1503)

      SI.com’s MLB 2009 midseason awards

      July 6, 2009 /

      Jon Heyman of SI.com hands out his 2009 midseason awards as baseball’s All-State Game approaches.

      AL MVP
      1. Joe Mauer, Twins. Looks like it’ll be three times for an AL catcher winning a batting title, with the previous two winners also being Mauer. Superb pick by former GM Terry Ryan and those great Twins scouts taking Mauer over the higher-priced Mark Prior. Terrific defender. On a level by himself.

      NL MVP
      1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals. No contest here. His numbers (33, 82, .336) are crazy, even for him. The absolute best.

      AL Cy Young
      1. Zack Greinke, Royals. He doesn’t have that sub-Gibby ERA anymore (now there’s an breakable record), but he has generally been the best pitcher in the league. How else to win 10 games with that offense?

      NL Cy Young
      1. Tim Lincecum, Giants. What happened to that slow start? He’s 9-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 141 strikeouts. The Giants have to get off their duff and try to lock this guy up.

      AL Rookie of the Year

      1. Ricky Romero, Blue Jays. Toronto was ripped for taking the left-hander a spot ahead of Troy Tulowitzki, but he’s 6-3 with 2.85 ERA.

      NL Rookie of the Year
      1. Colby Rasmus, Cardinals. After a poor spring he’s showing the talent that everyone saw in him last spring (10, 32, .282).

      You can check out the rest of Heyman’s awards here.

      Heyman’s awards are littered with young players, which is great for the game of baseball as it tries to shed its steroid image. Players like Mauer, Greinke and Lincecum (just to name a few) are helping turn around baseball and make the game fun to watch again. It seems like more teams are playing small ball these days and it’s making for tighter games and more exciting finishes.

      Baseball seems fun again.

      MLB

      Firesale to continue? Pirates exploring trades for Sanchez, LaRoche

      July 6, 2009 /

      In recent weeks, the last place Pirates have already traded away popular centerfielder Nate McLouth to the Braves, and speedy outfielder Nyjer Morgan, backup fielder Eric Hinske and reliever Sean Burnett to the Nationals. And despite some Bucs players (ahem, Jack Wilson) being critical of the front office’s shrewd moves, more might be coming.

      According to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates and Giants have had trade talks involving second baseman Freddy Sanchez and first baseman Adam LaRoche. Although both players are being discussed, Sanchez appears to be the Giants’ main target of interest because they prefer a right-handed first basemen and LaRoche is a lefty.

      San Fran is currently 1.5 games up on Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card lead and desperately needs offense despite recently feasting on Houston pitching over the weekend (the Giants scored 23 runs in three games). They currently have a gaping hole at second base, where Emmanuel Burriss, Matt Downs, Kevin Frandsen and Juan Uribe have all split time this season.

      Sanchez, who currently leads the Pirates in average (.316) and on-base percentage (.832), would be an excellent fit for a Giants team that has a postseason berth in their sights but also doesn’t want to give up future prospects in the process. A deal including 26-year old lefty starter Jonathan Sanchez and a prospect or two would probably net Freddy Sanchez, all while allowing San Fran to hang onto top farm players Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, Angel Villalona and Buster Posey.

      While moving either Sanchez or LaRoche (or both) would cause another ripple affect on the Pirates’ clubhouse and their fan base, both players can be free agents next year and obviously aren’t in Pittsburgh’s future plans. Much like their prior deals involving McLouth and Morgan, the Bucs are probably hoping to get young players in return in an attempt (however feeble it may be) to compete down the line.

      Jonathan Sanchez has struggled mightily this year, but he was viewed as a potential No. 3 starter as early as this year and he has excellent stuff. He has major control issues that need to be ironed out, but at 26 years old he still has a ton of potential and is a high strikeout pitcher.

      We’ll see if the Pirates and Giants eventually pull the trigger on a deal.

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Police ruling McNair’s death a homicide

      July 6, 2009 /

      Authorities are officially ruling Steve McNair’s death a homicide, but wouldn’t say whether or not it was a murder-suicide.

      McNair, 36, had been dating Saleh Kazemi for several months, and Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Sunday that a semiautomatic pistol was found under her body. She was shot in the head. He was discovered in a seated position on a sofa in the living room.

      McNair, who was married with four sons, had a permit to carry a handgun in Tennessee, and he was arrested once before with a 9mm weapon although charges in the case were dropped. Police said they had not yet determined who owned the gun found at the scene.

      Investigators weren’t looking for a suspect but were questioning friends of the couple as well as Kazemi’s ex-boyfriend. They were also waiting for results of drug and other laboratory tests before deciding whether McNair was killed in a lovers’ quarrel.

      “That’s a very important part of the investigation as we work to ultimately classify Miss Kazemi’s death,” Aaron said.

      Considering authorities aren’t looking for any suspects and the woman was only shot once in the head with the gun laying nearby, it’s easy to speculate that this was a murder-suicide. But until more details are released, that’s all it is – speculation.

      It’s sad to think that McNair was having an affair with a wife and four kids at home, but hey, nobody is perfect. Plus we don’t know what else was going on and there is always more to a story than what is perceived. The situation seemingly could have been avoided, but then again, a lot of tragedies usually are when you look back on it.

      I feel bad for McNair’s wife. I can only imagine the hell she has gone through the past two days.

      NFL

      Braun calls out Brewers’ pitching staff

      July 6, 2009 /

      Following the Brewers’ 8-2 loss to the punch less Cubs on Sunday, Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun called out his pitching staff and said that he hoped the club would make a move to acquire more help.

      “Their starting pitching is a lot better than ours,” Braun said after the Brewers were beaten 8-2 Sunday. “They threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did. Clearly they were the better team. It’s nice to get the one win but they clearly outplayed us and outperformed us all series.”

      “No matter who is in there, we have to find a way to throw the ball better for us to have success,” said Braun. “I think when you’re constantly behind in games, it’s not easy and it’s not fun. Their starting pitcher was clearly better than ours this series.”

      The Brewers host St. Louis for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday and Braun is hoping Brewers general manager Doug Melvin makes a move soon to improve the Brewers.
      “I wish I got to make decisions like that. But I know he’s trying to make our ballclub better,” Braun said. “I know he understands the significance of making a move and making it soon.”

      Considering Braun is hitting .326 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI, he’s certainly doing his part to help the Brew Crew win. He’s also entitled to vent his frustrations after Milwaukee’s pitching staff gave up 21 runs in four games to a Chicago team that couldn’t itself out of a wet paper bag the past couple of weeks.

      Braun’s right – the pitching staff has been brutal lately, but him calling out his teammates is a slippery slope. As long as his ‘mates respect Braun as a leader (which is totally different than respecting him as a player), then his comments will probably inspire. But if they view him as a star shooting off his mouth, then the backlash isn’t going to help the Brewers in the long run.

      Who knows, maybe Braun’s comments are exactly what the pitching staff needed to hear to get their act together. We’ll see if what he said has a positive or negative (or neutral) affect on the club.

      MLB

      Hairston traded to A’s, is Holliday the next to be moved?

      July 6, 2009 /

      On Sunday, the Padres traded outfielder Scott Hairston to the A’s in exchange for minor league pitchers Ryan Webb and Craig Italiano, in addition to a player to be named later.

      MLB FANHOUSE discusses the possibility of the A’s acquiring Hairston as a precursor to a Matt Holliday trade:

      For the A’s, they already have Ryan Sweeney and Matt Holliday in the outfield. Hairston gives them the ability to play Sweeney in right field instead of either Travis Buck or Jack Cust. Digging deeper, though, the A’s could easily be preparing to trade Holliday, who is in his walk year, certainly won’t be re-signing in Oakland and would likely be a hot commodity in the trade market. According to a source close to the A’s, Hairston will initially split time in center field with Rajai Davis, but they are looking at him as a corner outfielder in the long term. There’s no real word from Oakland about Holliday specifically, but it certainly looks like a precursor-type move — especially with the news that Hairston will begin in center and eventually shift to a corner.

      At this point, it seems inevitable that Oakland will move Holliday. Trade wizard Billy Beane isn’t going to accept just anything in a deal, but he’s going to get something in return for Holliday, especially after giving up multiple pieces to acquire him from Colorado last winter.

      The Cardinals, Giants and Reds have all been linked to Holliday, although nobody should ever count out the Yankees making a move.

      MLB

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