Category: MLB (Page 348 of 448)

      Jeter overrated? Numbers say otherwise

      June 29, 2008 /

      Mike Harrington of THE BUFFALO NEWS is baffled at one of SI.com’s latest polls, which asked: Who is the game’s most overrated player? Derek Jeter was the answer, but Harrington says look at the numbers.

      Come on. We’re only talking about perhaps the finest all-around shortstop of a generation and a player who will finish his career with more hits than any New York Yankee in history. More than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio. All of them.

      Now, you can certainly make the case this season has not been a vintage Jeter year, especially April and May. And he turned 34 on Thursday — 34! — so his range at shortstop is not what it once was.

      But according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeter’s team has the highest winning percentage among all active players who have appeared in at least 1,000 games (.601). That counts pretty high in my book.

      No coincidence the Yankees’ new dynasty began in 1996, Jeter’s rookie year. And while the Yankees have been a postseason flop since blowing the 2004 ALCS, they keep going back. You get that perspective when you spend three days in a city with a team like the Pirates, who haven’t even been above .500 since 1992.

      While the Yankees’ June resurgence is largely credited to the return from the disabled list of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, Jeter’s play has been a pretty big boost too. Jeter entered Saturday’s game with the Mets with mundane numbers for the season (.285 average, .345 on-base, .397 slugging) but he’s really turned it on of late. He was on a 15-game hitting streak and his June numbers were .316/.391/.459.

      People either hate Jeter because he plays for the Yankees or the fact that he’s often referred to of the golden child of baseball. Calling him overrated is laughable. He might not hit a ton of home runs and his RBI numbers are usually low because of where he bats in the order, but the guy gives himself up on every play in every game. He’s also one of the most clutch players this generation has ever seen and I’d take his leadership in the clubhouse any day. Stat freaks like to hammer him, but watch Jeter play on a regular basis and then tell me he’s overrated.

      MLB

      If The Baseball Season Ended Today…..

      June 29, 2008 /

      It’s always fun to look at the baseball standings at different points during the season and project those to the postseason. Especially when teams like the Tampa Bay Rays are in contention. But this isn’t the beginning of May. In fact, this is almost the beginning of July, meaning the halfway point is near, or here, for each team. So the chance that these eight teams could wind up in the race for the World Series is not far-fetched. Here are the projected match ups…..

      Tampa Bay Rays (48-32) vs. Los Angeles Angels (48-33)
      The Rays are the surprise of the season. Everyone knew this team had the bats, but their pitching has been stellar, with a team ERA (3.71) ranking them fourth in the majors. Naturally, Tampa has no postseason experience and the Angels seem to be there or almost there every year, but don’t think the surprise season would end for the Rays in early October — this team is for real. As for the Angels,
      there is a ton of talent on that roster, but they haven’t reached the World Series since winning it all in 2002.

      Chicago White Sox (45-35) vs. Boston Red Sox (50-33)
      Did anyone think the White Sox were going to contend this season outside of the South Side of town?
      Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are struggling, but Jermaine Dye (18 homers, 49 RBI, .306) is quietly having an MVP type season and Javier Vasquez has 104 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are trying to fend off the Rays, and of course the Yankees are never far behind (currently five games out). But Boston has the bats (Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell) and the pitching (Beckett, Dice-K, Papelbon) to win it all again.

      St. Louis Cardinals (46-36) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (44-38)
      The fact that the Cardinals, currently as the wild card, have a better record than the NL East leading Phillies is mind-boggling. Tony LaRussa really does know how to get the best out of his roster, and this season he’s proved that more than ever. The Phillies have a Murderer’s Row type lineup (their 110 home runs as a team is second in the majors) and a solid bullpen, but can they go the distance with the Marlins, Mets and Braves nipping at their heels?

      Arizona Diamondbacks (41-40) vs. Chicago Cubs (49-32)
      The D-backs jumped out to a huge lead but have been floundering lately. The Cubs, meanwhile, have the best winning percentage in baseball and are struggling this weekend against the crosstown White Sox, who they just may meet in the Fall Classic. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Cubs are just as talented as last season, when they wound up getting swept by this same Arizona team. Will history repeat itself?

      Projected AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
      Projected NL MVP: Lance Berkman, Houston
      Projected AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
      Projected NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
      Projected AL Rookie: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
      Projected NL Rookie: Joey Votto, Cincinnati
      Projected AL Manager: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
      Projected NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Top 10 Active Players in Home Run Frequency

      June 28, 2008 /

      Some players rack up a lot of home runs every season, and some of those players have been consistent doing that throughout their entire careers. Here we take a look at current active players, and who has the most at-bats per home run. These are the guys who hit one home run about every three or four games. If you think about that, and how hard it is to not only make contact, but to hit the ball over the fence, and it’s pretty insane. Here we go….

      1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (13.60)—Okay, Barry Bonds, with a 12.90 mark, hasn’t officially retired, but you’re kidding yourself if you think he’ll play again. Meanwhile, Jim Thome has maintained a torrid pace since breaking in with the Indians in 1991. What’s most baffling about Jim Thome though, is how a guy with 521 lifetime homers has never won an MVP Award. Thome’s 2002 season (52 homers, 118 RBI, .304 batting average) was good for seventh place in AL MVP voting. Huh?

      2. Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds (14.10)—Some day, Adam Dunn is going to hit a ball further than anyone has ever hit a ball. The guy is only 28, and he’s hit 40 or more homers the last four seasons and is on pace to do it again. He’s also built like a football player at 6’6” and 275 lbs.

      3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (14.20)—If anything sums up A-Rod’s career, it’s this. Here he ranks third on the active list, hitting a home run every 14 times up or so. In the postseason, that number jumps to 21, putting A-Rod in Scott Rolen/Shawn Green/Brian Giles territory.

      4. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (14.40)—If Albert stays healthy, he’s a lock for 600 homers. Dude is two shy of 300 at the age of 28. Think about that.

      5. Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox (14.50)—Remember that grand slam Manny hit against Dennis Eckersley in 1994? The one where Eckersley was captured in video as saying “Wow?” Well, ol’ Manny has been doing that now for 16 seasons.

      6. Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati Reds (15.10)—It’s too bad Griffey couldn’t stay healthy during his time with the Reds, because if he did, Big Head Barry would not be the all-time home run king. Griffey might still pass Bonds, but he’s 38 and losing just a bit of bat speed.

      7. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (15.50)—During a nine-year stretch between 1998 and 2006, Carlos did not have less than 32 homers in a single season. That’s nine seasons, and that’s damn consistent. And did anyone see what this guy did yesterday? Two homers and nine RBI, the latter being a Mets’ record for one game.

      8. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (15.60)—You don’t get the nickname “The Big Hurt” because you bunt your way on for a hit. Thomas may have lost a bit of his power stroke, but he’s still one of the most imposing figures at home plate.

      9. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (15.90)—Can anyone tell me how the Twins let Big Papi go? Amazingly, here’s another guy never to win an MVP, but look at his last four seasons’ homer-RBI-average output: 2004 (41-139-.301), 2005 (47-148-.300), 2006 (54-137-.287) and 2007 (35-117-.332).

      10. Jason Giambi, New York Yankees (16.00)—Is it safe to take away 50 of Giambi’s 381 career homers? If so, he goes from being Jason Giambi to being Alfonso Soriano or Paul Konerko. Is that worth $23 million a season?

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Top 10 Bizarre Baseball Injuries of All-Time

      June 27, 2008 /

      In the wake of Brandon Inge pulling an oblique muscle while, get this, adjusting a pillow, UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS have compiled the top 10 most bizarre baseball injuries of all time.

      8. John Smoltz
      John Smoltz is among the best pitchers of his generation. Still, he isn’t above an odd (and preventable) injury. You see, Smoltz’s shirt was wrinkled. Why not iron the thing? That’s what Smoltz did, but he forgot to take off the shirt. He scalded himself with the iron.

      4. Kevin Mitchell
      Former slugger Kevin Mitchell has a long history with the bizarre injury. On one occasion, Mitchell was placed on the disabled list after apparently straining rib muscles while vomiting. Later, Mitchell was four days late for 1990 spring training when he was hurt eating an overcooked microwaved donut, leading to a root canal.

      2. Marty Cordova
      Most baseball players tan naturally by spending many summer hours under the sun. Others choose to get their tan a different way. Not Marty Cordova. A visit to a California tanning salon provided baseball with one of its more bizarre injuries. Marty Cordova burned his face under some tanning lamps. The Orioles outfielder was ordered by doctors to stay out of direct sunlight for a couple of days. I’m sure he didn’t get too much heat from his teammates for that.

      1. Glenallen Hill
      Nightmares can induce emotional and psychological stress. For Blue Jays outfielder Glenallen Hill, bad dreams brought on a more physical pain. Hill fell out of bed and crashed into a glass table while having a nightmare about being covered in spiders. Hill sustained several cuts in the process, leading to baseball’s most bizarre injury.

      Is it wrong to laugh when thinking about Glenallen Hill throwing himself through a glass table while trying to shake off imaginary spiders? And how about Smoltz – one of the smartest pitchers the game has ever seen by the way – ironing his shirt while he was still in it? That deserves to be ranked higher than No. 8, but overall, this was a great list.

      General Sports, MLB

      Friday Morning Headliners: Garza throws complete game one-hitter

      June 27, 2008 /

      – Rays’ starter Matt Garza threw a complete game one-hitter against the Marlins Thursday, fanning 10 and only allowing one run in Tampa’s 6-1 victory. Apparently Garza must work better with a catcher that doesn’t get in his face on the mound if he shakes him off. (Garza remember almost threw down with catcher Dioner Navarro a couple weeks ago. But backup Shawn Riggans caught the game yesterday.)

      – Rich Harden almost trumped Garza’s performance, striking out 11 and yielding no runs on just two hits in eight innings of work. The A’s shutout the Phillies 5-0.

      – The Cubs lost back to back games at home for the first time this season as the Orioles gorilla-smacked Chicago 11-4 at Wrigley. Even though he’s 6-4 on the year, Cubs’ starter Jason Marquis has been a weak spot in the starting rotation and rumors persist that the club will pursue Indians’ ace C.C. Sabathia.

      – The Twins won their ninth straight game, knocking off the Padres 4-3 behind Justin Morneau’s 12th dinger of the year. Minnesota can claim first place in the AL Central with a win and a White Sox loss.

      – Tribe starter Cliff Lee was awfully impressive in a 4-1 win against the Giants, striking out 11 in eight innings. Lee has been simply outstanding this year, compiling a 11-1 record and a 2.34 ERA.

      MLB

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