All-Star Break; a look back at the first half

As we stand on July 13th 2016 the day after the All-Star game, I’d like to take a look back on the first half of the season. A lot has happened since April 3rd, Opening Day. There has been injuries, a no hitter, a 20 strike out game, PED bust, unexpected teams on top, expected teams on top, players hitting milestones and home runs, lots of home runs.  I’d like to look at some of my favorite moments and favorite storylines of the year so far.

1. There have been 4 pitchers in the history of the game that have thrown a 20 strike out game, Roger Clemens threw two with the Red Sox, Randy Johnson with the D’Backs,  Kerry Wood with the Cubs and now they have some company. Max Scherzer against his old team threw a 20 strike out game. This is unbelievable to me and depending on your view of the other three, those are some great names to be next to. I know we were all thinking, could he have broken the record if Rendon just let the ball get through?  Come on, I know you thought about it! But the game was too close for errors.

2. Jake Arrieta. We all know that name by now. Jake Arrieta went on a historic run after the All-Star break last year.  The last game he lost before this year was against Cole Hamels and the Phillies when Hamels threw a no hitter, that was July 26, 2015. Until, June 5th of this year he has either won or had the no decision. In that span, he had a 1.14 ERA and 2 no-hitters. Pretty outstanding, huh? Now that he has lost a game, he has came back down to earth a little. Still striking out the majority of his outs, he has now lost 4 and can barely get out of the 5th inning. Batters are starting to make him pitch and get to him. Right now, he still makes the cut on my list for story lines of the first half.

3. The Cleveland Indians. Now I predicted the AL Central to be pretty tough this year with the defending World Series Champs Kansas City Royals, the Tigers adding Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmerman and Cameron Maybin, the White Sox adding Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, the Minnesota Twins with Park coming to the states and the Indians with their prospect Francisco Lindor starting his sophomore year. The season started off as most expected, head to head with the exception of the Twins. Not winning their first game until April 15th. The Royals, Tigers, White Sox and Indians were all on each other’s heels for first place. The Indians went on a winning streak of 14 games. The franchise’s new record and now lead the Central by 6.5 games. The division is nowhere near locked up, but if you’re an Indians fan you have to be feeling pretty good.

4. “YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD, YEAH!” What in the world are we feeding our favorite players these days? The long ball has gone up significantly in the past year. Is there something going on with the ball? I don’t know about all of that but it is an interesting topic. I feel like the average and everyday baseball fan wants to see the home runs and high scoring games while others might enjoy a pitchers duel. Today’s game is all about the long ball, chick’s dig it..right? 17 major league players right now have 20 or more home runs with Mr. Trumbo one of my fantasy sleeper picks leading at 28. Followed by Frazier (25) Bryant (25) Donaldson along with 4 others tied at (23) Carter (22) along with 2 others Rizzo (21) along with 3 others and finally Stanton and Lamb (20). That is at least 17 players on pace for 40 or more home runs by the end of this year. Two years ago there was only one player to hit 40 and that was Nelson Cruz (40).

5. MLB the new WWE? Baseball has always been a gritty sport. There has been some pretty intense moments when players emotions get flared up and the benches clear. A couple examples, who can forget Roger Clemens throwing a broken bag at Mike Piazza during a World Series game? A tight division race between the Reds and Cardinals, some comments from one superstar to another leads to the benches clearing and fist flying. Oh, I can’t leave out a Red Sox/Yankees fight. Remember that one time Jason Varitek punched Alex Rodriguez in the face? That was enjoyable. Now, I will save the best for last but I can start my present bad blood by saying we all know Yordano Ventura is… a shit disturber to say the least? If you look back to last season, him and the Orioles haven’t really gotten along and that didn’t seem to change this year when Ventura hit Manny Machado leading Machado to charge the mound and left Ventura jiggling like jello to the ground and benches clearing. That could be a fun re-match in the playoffs come this October! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ladies and gentlemen,  the main event! We all knew when Jose Batista hit that dramatic, awesome bat flipping home run against the Rangers in the ALDS last year, there would be a chance that it would carry over into the new season. Well, it did and I think I can speak for everyone that they enjoyed watching Roughned Odor punch Batista in the face repeatedly all over social media after a “dangerous slide” (silly rule) into second. Sadly, the two teams won’t meet up again this year unless they square off in the playoffs again. We can only hope!

There have been many story lines in the first half.  A couple I left out: David Ortiz historic career coming to an end, the Cubs historic start, the Phillies not being contenders but have still improved, the large amount of talent from the age 25 and younger and let’s not forget… it is an even year for the San Francisco Giants!

Tell me what your favorite storylines are so far this year. You can’t be wrong!

– Jo Bovaconti

CY Young Voting

The Cy Young award the last couple of years have gone to the face of that teams franchise. Think about it, Clayton Kershaw has won 3 in the last 5 years than you have Jake Arrieta, Felix “King” Hernandez, Max Scherzer, David Price and more big names that lead their team. 

This year may be a little different. There are candidates this year that are considered 3,4,5 starters in the rotation. People who have been shadows to the rest of the staff and they are now showing how dominate they can be. 

I am going to list three contenders from both the American League and National League along with others who will still get some votes. Chime in and give me your top 3!

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Corey Kluber: 

Kluber has won a Cy Young Award in 2014, with a 2.44 ERA (Earn run average) an 18-9 win/lose record and a 1.09 WHIP. (Walks and hits per inning). This year with his team in first place in the Central, his numbers are leading his team to their first division title since 2007. With still a month of baseball to play,  he will have to continue his ride this year to playoff berth. Kluber has a 14-8 win/lose record in 26 games  with a 3.07 ERA. And is mirroring his 2014 WHIP with a 1.05 today. 

Micheal Fulmer:

Michael Fulmer will be getting more than just Rookie of the Year votes this year. Fulmer has made his mark in the Tigers rotation and has had heads turning since his debut. He has a 10-5 win/lose record with a 2.69 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. I guess the Tigers know the recipe to good young pitching. 

Cole Hamels:

Am I the only one who thinks that this man deserves the AL CY Young award? Cole Hamels had put up Cy Young numbers since opening day this year and his only flaw? Playing at home in a park that is one of the most home run friendly parks in the game. Even saying that, he still has a winning record at home (5-2). Hamels has a 14-4 win/lose record with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He is doing exactly what the Rangers got him to do, be an ace and pitch them into the playoffs. 
NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Max Scherzer:

Cy Young is no new term for Nationals starter Max Scherzer. He has won the award once with his former team the Detroit Tigers in 2013. It feels like just about every start Scherzer has, you could look at the box score and see that he has a no hitter going into the 5th or the 6th inning, or he has a perfect game in the making, or his newest addition in his back pocket,  a 20 strike out game. Max will be in the talks again for his second Cy Young award this year, he has a 15-7 win/lose record with a 2.89 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Not to mention the 238 strike outs he has. 

Madison Bumgarner:

Bumgarner very well could have a couple Cy Young awards under his belt but there was always a rival snatching them from him, Clayton Kershaw. Bumgarner has been a horse ever since he debuted briefly in 2009. Helped the Giants to 3 World Series titles and he is pretty good in the batters box too. Madison has a 13-8 win/lose record with a 2.49 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. What’s something Bumgarner doesn’t have? A Cy Young and that would make his trophy room alot cozier.  There might be one other guy in his way though that is not named Kershaw. 

Kyle Hendricks:

 The Cubs 5th starter?  Yes. You read that name correctly. Hendricks came in before this year a game better than .500 and now he is making some of the most feared hitters in the National League look silly at the plate. Last year, John Lester was supposed to be the ace of the Cubs and than Jake (from State Farm) Arrieta showed up, this year Jake Arrieta was supposed to be the ace of the Cubs and than Kyle Hendricks showed up. Hendricks doesn’t have much power behind his pitches, meaning he tops out at 90 mph. Other than that it is simple,  85-88 mph. Hendricks is 13-7 this year with a Major League leading 2.09 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

 The National League is a little tougher for me to chose and will be a decision the day the votes are turned in but Hendricks as of now has my vote. 
Others that will get some votes are: 

• J.A. Happ 
• Aaron Sanchez 
• Justin Verlander
• Chris Sale
• Danny Duffy
• Steven Wright
• Jose Fernandez
• Jake Arrieta 
• Carlos Martinez 
• Jacob Degrom
• Stephen Strasburg 

 Also, let me know what you think about relief/closers for the Cy Young Award. I know others have said it is like giving a DH the MVP award or a pitcher winning the MVP award. Zach Britton is a perfect 39-39 in save opportunities a 0.67 ERA, 0.81 WHIP

MVP race(s)

This is the time of year where people start talking about who should win the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season. 2016 will make it hard for the writers that are voting. There are at least 4-5 very strong contenders who could very well win this award. Brendan and I were joking around the other night that they could split the National League and American League trophy into fours.  So let’s dive in and take a look at every single nominee.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Josh Donaldson; last year’s MVP is putting up those MVP numbers again in the AL East. Last year Donaldson batted a .297 with 41 home runs,  123 runs batted in, 122 runs scored, .568 slugging and a .939 on base plus slugging. Pretty insane numbers, right? He is making a case of repeating this year so far batting a .294, 34 home runs, 92 runs batted in, 106 runs scored and a .990 on base plus slugging. With 5-6 weeks left to go in the season and on a very hot streak right now, can Donaldson wrap up two consecutive MVP titles?

Mike Trout;

The games best player all around, Mr. Trout is yet again putting up MVP numbers on a team with Albert Pujols as his only protection in the lineup. With that being said, Trout is batting a .316 with 100 runs scored, 84 runs batted in, 25 home runs and a .991 on base plus slugging. He may get over looked because of the team he plays for but never count out Mike Trout in the AL MVP race. 

Manny Machado;

Every year, Machado is getting more and more recognition and very deserving.  Manny has always wowed us with his defense at third base or even shortstop at times and should go on to win his third gold glove of his young career. But have you seen his offensive numbers? He is batting a .306 with 91 runs scored, 31 home runs, 81 runs batted in and a .918 on base plus slugging. If the Orioles go onto to play in October, this man is a very big reason. 

Jose Altuve;

Yes, Jose Altuve. He has always gone under the radar in his young career until 2015 because of the team he plays for. This year, people are starting to understand just how good of a player he is. Altuve standing in at whopping 5 foot 6 inches and is one of the best in the game. I may be a little biased because I love the Houston Astros. Or I might actually be speaking the truth. Altuve is batting a leagues best .354 with his career best 22 home runs, 93 runs scored, 88 runs batted in and a .983 on base plus slugging with 26 stolen bags. He could be the Astros first MVP since Jeff Bagwell in 1994. But, there might be one other guy infront of him to win this year’s AL MVP…

Mookie Betts;

Mookie is in his third season with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 23 and he is putting up MVP numbers. You can argue that the Red Sox have the best core of young kids and just about every single one of them was an All-Star this year. Mookie might be the face of the franchise after this season being Ortiz last. Betts is batting a .322 with 30 home runs, 102 runs scored, 96 runs batted in and a .927 on base plus slugging.  He can also burn you with his wheels with 21 stolen bases this year. 

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Nolan Arenado;

Now we can all agree that Arenado very well could have won the MVP last year, but three things came in the middle of that. Bryce Harper, he wasn’t on a playoff team and Coors Field. All good reasons as to why he didn’t win. Harper had an unbelievable year. This year two of those three could get in the way again. Arenado is batting a .293 with 96 runs, 112 runs batted in, 35 home runs and a .939 on base plus slugging. We can say that his splits are the main reason he won’t win, but looking at them this year he only has 5 more home runs at home than on the road. 

Daniel Murphy;

Remember when Daniel Murphy was the Mets unsung hero last October and we all thought he would cool off this year? Yeah, well we were all wrong. He has carried that October over into 2016 and is now having the best year of his career. Murphy had never hit more than 15 home runs in his career and now has 25 with a little more than a month to go. Murphy is batting a .345 with 80 runs scored, 98 runs batted in and a .994 on base plus slugging. 

Corey Seager;

Seager had a small taste of the Majors last season playing in 27 games and from what we seen we knew he was special. Seager is having a terrific rookie year and could go home with more than just some Rookie of the Year hardware. Seager is the future for the Dodgers and is showing that he can keep up with big brother Kyle. Corey is batting a .320 with 23 home runs, 87 runs scored, 62 runs batted in and a .920 on base plus slugging. 

Anthony Rizzo;

Anthony Rizzo is and has been the face of the Cubs ever since he has arrived there in 2012. He is known as the young veteran. Rizzo has definitely found a home in Chicago and has always found his name in the NL MVP talk. He consistently puts up great numbers and this year has not changed. He is batting a .295 with 77 runs scored, 25 home runs, 91 runs batted in and a .939 on base plus slugging. Chances are, you will have numbers like that with the guy next on my list is batting ahead of you in the lineup. 

Kris Bryant;

Kris Bryant, the chosen one the Cubs fans have been waiting for since he was drafted by the Cubs in 2013. Bryant definitely made an impact in the Cubs playoff push last year in his rookie year and this year with a full season is showing how dangerous he really is. Bryant is batting a .305 with 109 runs scored, 35 home runs, 89 runs batted in and a .988 on base plus slugging. He is constantly on base. For me, Bryant wins the MVP and has my vote… if I did get a vote. 

Others that I think could make a case but won’t stand a chance against these 10 would be;

David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor for the American League and Christian Yelich, Wilson Ramos, DJ LeMahieu, and Starling Marte for the National League. 

Place your thoughts and let me know who you think will or should win the AL & NL Most Valuable Player Award. 

2016 Homerun Derby at Petco!

Back back back back back back back back GONE!!!!!!!  The All-star Break is here & you know what that means, it’s the 2016 Homerun Derby!  This year’s Derby, All-star game is hosted by San Diego, at beautiful Petco Park tonight, Monday July 11th & Tuesday July 12th!

Contestants participating in this year’s derby include bracket matchups of Mark Trumbo vs. Corey Seager, Robinson Cano vs. Giancarlo Stanton, Adam Duvall vs. host Wil Myers & last year’s rainy champ Todd “father” Frazier, vs. Carlos Gonzalez.    

No secret here to my Homerun Derby champion selection, Giancarlo Stanton!  

Who is yours?

  

                                              – Ben Marty

All-Star Game: Why it shouldn’t be a fan vote!

The Allstar game is a mid-season classic. It gives the players a break from their normal everyday practices/games but still gives the fans their baseball fix. And let’s also remember it’s a huge revenue booster for the League and their owners!

For anyone that knows me, they know how much I can’t stand that the roster is set by a fan vote. Well at least the majority of it is. But yet, they also want the game to count as something to keep fans interested in it. So the winner between the AL and NL decides home field advantage for the world series. Which makes absolutely no sense at all if it’s a fan vote! If MLB wants the game to matter where it decides home field advantage, shouldn’t each team have the best players at each position. That would be the logical option I would think. 

Now let’s take a look at the starters for each league. For the American League you have Salvador Perez (catcher), Eric Hosmer (1B), Jose Altuve (2B), Manny Machado (3B), Xander Bogaerts  (SS), Mookie Betts (OF), Jackie Bradley Jr (OF), Mike Trout (OF) and David Ortiz (DH).

And for the National League you have Buster Posey (catcher), Anthony Rizzo (1B), Ben Zobrist (2B), Kris Bryant (3B), Addison Russell (SS), Yoenis Cespedes (OF), Dexter Fowler (OF), and Bryce Harper (OF). 

Now as for most of these I do not have a problem because most are having great years. Where my issue comes in is that there are players that are having just ridiculous years so far and are set as reserves or some not even on it! 

If you go by most productive seasons a couple of these starters shouldn’t be starting. Now I know the starters will play 2 maybe 3 innings and then be taken out. I get that. But if you are trying to win the game, because that’s what MLB wants is a meaningful game then shouldn’t you have your best players playing a majority of the time? I would think so. And with the fan vote it will never be like that. You have a player like Ian Kinsler that didn’t make the all star game. Yet he leads all second baseman in runs scored. He’s third in the MLB in rbis behind Robinson  Cano and Daniel Murphy. And to add to that he has 16 homeruns. That’s on pace for 30 homeruns this year! And somehow he’s not even an all star? Addison Russell is batting a .242 with 11 homers. While he does have 48 rbis which is 4th among NL shortstops. There’s a couple of other players that deserve the starting spot. Corey Seager is batting a .304 with 17 homers, 41 rbis and 58 runs. You can also add to that his 21 doubles which is 5th in the MLB amongst shortstops and his .362 OBP which ranks 6th in MLB and 4th in the NL. 

Those are just a couple of players that are deserving of a starting spot or even a spot on the all star roster. You can make a case for Wilson Ramos, Daniel Murphy, Marcell Ozuna to be starters. And missing the whole roster completely are players like Aledmys Diaz, Ryan Braun, and Aaron Sanchez. 

If this is going to be a fan vote so everyone can see their favorite players then the game shouldn’t count. And as for another reason this game shouldnt count. Let’s put something into perspective. Say a player hits a walkoff homerun to win the game for the NL. But the player that hit that homerun is on a team that didn’t even make the playoffs. Home field advantage was decided by a player that didn’t even play a game in October. Home field advantage should be determined by the better record of the two teams that meet in the World Series. And if they want it to count so bad, make it a game of the best players. Not a fan vote. 

-Brendan-

Who is the biggest All-star snub?

Top 10 MLB Positional Players/Starting Pitchers!

As we had a family gathering this past Monday, the 4th, with all of the family’s biggest avid baseball fans, to say the very least, you knew baseball was going to be the main topic of discussion for the evening.

Here with the season in full swing, no pun intended & the 2016 All-star game looming, season projections & paces some players are on was that always fun, juicy topic.  The likes of Kris Bryant, Jose Altuve, Nolan Arenado etc were some of the names being thrown around. Conservation then led to top ten players in the game, positional players that is.  It might have even been myself to bring it up.  While taking to my cousin Luke, I had listed Jose Altuve to be one of the top 10 players in game.  Again, just strictly bats.  If you know my cousin Luke well, you may regretfully so know how he reacts to something he doesn’t agree with.  Well, he in this case was absolutely beside himself that I’d have Altuve in my top 10.  It was at this point I knew I had messed up (chuckle).  I wasn’t going to hear the end of it.

Don’t want to bore or ramble on too much about our 4th family barbeque, but the jist of the evening could be summarize in that Luke, although acknowledging the second basemen is surely indeed one of the games best, however felt there are at least 10-15 players he could name that are better & or would draft before Altuve to start a team.  I would say majority of the family there had sided & concurred with Altuve as a top 10 player, although a few did not.

This intrigued me as many good points were made in deciding this elite group, that I’m curious to know who would you place in your top 10 in the MLB right now.  I’d like to see the different perspectives one may have when considering their list.

However, I did say “right now” so before doing so we need to clarify what right now entails.  I believe that for this list it is a steady balance of consistency or at least a pinch of proven track record or as one may say “larger sample size” mixed in with 1-2+ monster seasons & trending upward.  An example could be a player such as Miggy.  Due to being hurt, his season last year was deflated to Miggy standards that is, but given his track record he don’t skip a beat & is still in my top 10.  The other side of the spectrum would be a Kris Bryant where he’s had an awesome season & a half in the big leagues to open his career, however it’s just 1.5 seasons, right?  Well we know Bryant’s the real deal & is not going anywhere any time soon.  He is one of games best players no doubt & arguably top 10 worthy!  An example of someone not quite top 10 worthy to me would be a Corey Seager or maybe a Francisco Lindor due to the fact they’re awesome & presumably so will be on list soon, yet we couldn’t pencil them in over such guys that have done it maybe a little less last couple seasons nonetheless a lot longer.

Being a blog I consider or intend anyways for “real fans” & not the casual unknowledgeable fan, (chuckle) I know you’s know what I mean by a balance between track record & ridiculous enough numbers for at least a season plus.  For me track record consist of at least 3+ seasons.

So in saying all of this, I like this as a good All-star break, mid season debate! Let this serve as a survey to see who the baseball world believes to be the best in game!  I’ll leave this post as an open ended question & feel free to flood the blog with your Top 10 MLB Positional players, as well as your Top 10 Starting pitchers!

Here is my Top 10 MLB Positional Players..

Mike Trout

Nolan Arenado

Bryce Harper

Manny Machado

Joshua Donaldson

Paul Goldschmidt

Miguel Cabrera

Jose Altuve

Buster Posey

Anthony Rizzo

Players to just miss cut at 11-20 range.. No particular order..

Kris Bryant, Yoenis Cespedes, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Mccutchen, Eric Hosmer, Robinson Cano, Giancarlo Stanton, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Starling Marte, Nelson Cruz..  & few others..

Top 10 Starting Pitchers..

Clayton Kershaw

Jose Fernández

Chris Sale

Jake Arrieta

Max Scherzer

Felix Hernández

David Price

Zack Greinke

Madison Bumgarner

Jacob DeGrom

Pitchers who just miss the cut..

Noah Syndaguard, Johnny Cueto, John Lester, Stephan Strasburg, Gerrit Cole, Cole Hamels, Adam Wainwright, Matt Harvey, Carlos Martinez, Danny Salazar, Sonny Gray, Carlos Corrasco

 

-Ben Marty

Real MLB Talk

Welcome! You have managed to stumble your way to a blog hosted by a couple of people that consider themselves more than just a casual fan. Yes, we do have our favorite team we root for. Yes, we have certain players we love. But the point of this blog is to bring topics of discussion between many baseball fans around; being the most unbiased as possible.

My name is Brendan Bovaconti and I am one of 3 writers that will be contributing to “MLB Real Talk.” Joined by me will be Jo Bovaconti and Ben Marty, both avid fans of the great game. Our goal is to give whoever wants to read our articles entertaining topics to discuss among friends, family, co-workers or other bloggers such as ourselves. I hope each and everyone that reads what we write and contributes enjoys it. This is Real MLB Talk.

-Brendan-