League Divisional Series Preview #2

Hello everyone,

Today I'm gonna briefly look at two of League Divisional Series.

First,

Baltimore Orioles (93-69) vs. New York Yankees (95-67)

The Baltimore Orioles have had a magical season under Buck Showalter making the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Unfortunately, they have to play the New York Yankees juggernaut offense. The Yankees led the American League in home runs, total bases, slugging, and were second in runs scored.

While Baltimore's pitching staff has done an exceelent job, they are in the middle of the pack in just about every category. That said, there seems to be something special about this Oriole team. They may not be as intimidating as the Yankees, but the play with a grittiness that makes you want to root for them.

Who will win? My heart wants to say Baltimore will beat Yankees in five, but my brains is telling me that the Yankees are going to take the series in three.

I pick the Yankees to win in five because I think the rugged determination of the Orioles will push the Yankees, but in the end, the Yankees will be too strong.

St. Louis Cardinals (88-74) vs. Washington Nationals (98-64)

The Washington Nationals possess the best record in the majors this season. They have done this with a balance of excellent pitching, great defense, and great leadership under Davey Johnson. While the Nats have had a great season, it seems as though it has occurred under the radar somewhat. But, make no mistake about it, the Nats are a great team. The one concern that I have with the Nats is that they are missing their best pitcher for the postseason because they chose to shut down Stephen Starsburg. It may not cost them in this round, but if they get past the Cards, they may not get by either the Reds or Giants . . . both of which have deep pitching staffs.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been an enigma all season. They have a great pitching staff and the second best offense in the National League, but have not put a serious run of wins together all season until the last month.

Make no mistake about it, the Cardinals may be the most dangerous team in the National League. They are healthy for the first time all season with the return of Chris Carpenter, and they have solidified their bullpen with the trade for Edward Mujica, and the promotion of power arms Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal who both throw in the high 90's.

The big question: Do the Cardinals still have that postseason magic? Who knows. It's hard to bet against a team like the Cards, but the Nats have had a tremendous and consistent season.

Who wins? This is difficult for me to be unbiased because I am a Cardinal fan, so I choose the Cards in five. What?! What kind of fan would I be if I chose the Nats?

Anyway, who do you think will win?
Let me know in either the comments below or on my Facebook page.

As always, thanks for reading!

Marty Sabin

League Divisional Series Preview #1

Hello everyone,

Today I'm gonna briefly look at two of League Divisional Series.

First,

San Francisco Giants (94-68) vs. Cincinnati Reds (97-65)

My first impression of the series is that this is a pretty even series. In a short five game series, anything can happen for sure. My gut tells me that the Giants are gonna take this series.

Here is why: Bruce Bochy is one of the best managers in baseball while Dusty Baker may be the most overrated in the history of the game. I believe that tis series comes down to who plays the better game of chess between these two, and I find it difficult to believe that Bochy loses. Plus, Baker will find a way to lose the series for his team. I say this because Baker is the kind of manager that has to tinker with everything in order to put his stamp on the game.

However, the Reds have a great bullpen anchored by the amazing Aroldis Chapman. If the Reds can get the game into the ninth with a lead, I like the Red's chances.

I look for Buster Posey to have a tremendous series against the Reds. He has been on an incredible hitting run over the last few months, and I suspect that it will continue into the postseason.

I think the Giants win in four.

Oakland Athletics (94-69) vs. Detroit Tigers (88-74)

The Oakland Athletics have had a surprising, but amazing season thus far. However, they have to play the Detroit Tigers in a short series.

I think the combination of Verlander and Scherzer will be untouchable especially considering they have to play the first two games in Detroit. At home, Verlander is 9-2 holding opponents to a .187 batting average against. Scherzer has had his breakout season this year coming in second in strikeouts (to Verlander) while winning 16 games. While Oakland's pitching staff has been a surprise, they are young, and I look for Detroit's lineup to take advantage of the youth factor.

I look for Miguel Cabrera to continue to prove that he is the best hitter in baseball with a huge postseason.

I think that Detroit wins in four.

Who do you think will win? Let me know in either the comments section of on Facebook.

Thanks for reading,
Marty Sabin

2012 Baseball FAN-A-TIX National League All Rookie Team

Hello everyone,

I know that this post is a deviation from the given formula of debating the top candidates for each of the major baseball awards. That said, it is a given that Bryce Harper will unanimously win the National League Rookie of the Year. Despite the landslide victory for Harper, there have been many good young players who have made their MLB debuts in 2012.

Here is the first annual 2012 Baseball FAN-A-TIX National League All-Rookie Team.

Manager: Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals

Like Robin Ventura for the Chicago White Sox, Mike Matheny had never managed at any level before 2012. The St. Louis Cardinals were betting that the leadership that Matheny exhibited as a player and special spring training instructor would translate into wins, and their gamble payed off. In his first season as the Cards' skipper, Matheny has led them to the postseason. This cannot be seen as anything but a successful hire by Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak.





Catcher: Wilin Rosario, Colorado Rockies

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.270       106         28       71        4      .846       1.9




 

First base: Yonder Alonso, San Diego Padres

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.273       149          9        61        3       .740      1.1





 


Second base: Stephen Lombardozzi, Washington Nationals

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.274       105         3         27        5      .673       0.3







 
Third base: Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.273       115        19        67        3      .831       1.9





 

Shortstop: Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.247       138        15        35        4      .689       2.5






 
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.270       144         22       59        18    .817       5.0




 


Outfield: Norichika Aoki, Milwaukee Brewers

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.289       149         10       50       30     .791       3.2






 
Outfield/Infield: Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.295         86          6        45        1      .832       1.0








 


Starting Pitcher 1: Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.33     16-11    194.2          144             0       1.182








  Starting Pitcher 2: Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.76     11-11     193.2         140             0        1.358







  Starting Pitcher 3: Mike Fiers, Milwaukee Brewers

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.74      9-10      127.2        135              0        1.261






  Relief Pitcher 1: Dale Thayer, San Diego Padres

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.49       2-2        56.2          47               7       1.147






 

Relief Pitcher 2: Joe Kelly, St. Louis Cardinals

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.53      5-7        107.0        75                0        1.383








Thanks for reading!
Marty Sabin

2012 Baseball FAN-A-TIX American League All-Rookie Team

Hello everyone,

I know that this post is a deviation from the given formula of debating the top candidates for each of the major baseball awards. That said, it is a given that Mike Trout will unanimously win the American League Rookie of the Year. Despite the landslide victory for Trout, there have been many good young players who have made their MLB debuts in 2012.

Here is the first annual 2012 Baseball FAN-A-TIX American League All-Rookie Team.

Manager: Robin Ventura, Chicago White Sox

Like Mike Matheny for the St. Louis Cardinals, Robin Ventura had never managed at any level before 2012. The Chicago White Sox were betting that the leadership that Ventura exhibited as a player would translate, and their gamble payed off. While it appears that the White Sox are going to come up short for the postseason, Ventura first season cannot be seen as anything other than a huge success.






Catcher: Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.257       129        15       58         0      .679     -0.4







First base: Chris Carter, Oakland Athletics

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.240        52         16        39        0      .865       0.9







Second base: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.255       147        14        75       31     .707       3.6







Third base: Will Middlebrooks, Boston Red Sox

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.288        77         15        54        4      .835       1.1







Shortstop: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.272         50          7        26        2      .759        1.5










Outfield: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.322       175        30        80       48     .953      10.4







Outfield: Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.291       139        23        82       16     .862       3.1







Outfield: Anthony Gose, Toronto Blue Jays

AVG     HITS     HR     RBI     SB    OPS     WAR
.222       35           1         10        15    .603       0.4







Starting Pitcher 1: Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.90     16-9        191.1       221            0        1.28







Starting Pitcher 2: Scott Diamond, Minnesota Twins

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
3.43     12-8      168.0       87                 0       1.24







Starting Pitcher 3: Jarrod Parker, Oakland Athletics

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV     WHIP
3.44     12-8      175.1        134              0        1.26







Relief Pitcher 1: Addison Reed, Chicago White Sox

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
4.75     3-2        55.0         54                29      1.36







Relief Pitcher 2: Ryan Cook, Oakland Athletics

ERA    W-L     Innings   Strikeouts    SV    WHIP
2.18     6-2        70.1          77               14      0.95








As always, thank you for reading,
Marty Sabin

2012 American League Cy Young Award Debate

Hello everyone,

Today I am going to examine the 2012 American League Cy Young Award candidates, and determine who should win the award. This race for the AL Cy Young Award, like all of the other major awards, is a close call. So . . . let's look at the candidates.

The Candidates:

1. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

PROS: Justin Verlander is having another stellar season. He is 16-8 while leading the league in strikeouts (231), innings pitched (231.1), complete games (6), WAR (7.2), he is second in WHIP (1.06) and ERA (2.72), and has served as one of the main reasons that Detroit is in the hunt to win the American League Central title.

CONS: While he is having a tremendous season, it appears that it is a down year considering what he achieved last season winning not only the Cy Young Award, but the MVP as well.

I believe that Verlander has a legitimate shot at repeating as the Cy Young Award winner for a few reasons. First, his won-loss record is deceiving, because he is getting less run support than last season. Second, other than won-loss record, he isn't too far off from last season's numbers.

2. Jared Weaver, Anaheim Angels

PROS: Simply put, Jared Weaver is dealing. He is currently leading the American League in wins (19-4), WHIP (1.002), and Hits per 9 innings (7.0). He is also third in ERA (2.74). He is an ace in every sense of the word.
CONS: There are many issues factoring against Weaver winning this award. He has had durability issues this season. He has only logged 180.2 innings while his strikeout numbers are pretty low (136). For all of the sabermetric geeks out there, his 3.5 WAR will essentially lose any of their votes
All in all, I would say that Jared Weaver is a long-shot to win this award . . . at best.

3. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

PROS: "King" Felix had one of the most dominant pitching performances of the year when he pitched a perfect game against Tampa on August 15th. He also leads the American League in shutouts with 5.
CONS: While his overall numbers are as impressive as ever, he doesn't quite stack up against the best candidates.
If Felix Hernandez can win the Cy Young Award in 2010 with a 13-12 record, then why not in 2012 with a 13-8 record? In 2010 he was a much more dominant pitcher than in 2012. I think that it would be an enormous surprise if "King" Felix ended up with the award this season.


4. David Price, Tampa Rays

PROS: David Price is having the best season in his short major league career. He is leading the league in wins (19-5), ERA (2.56), he is second in WAR (6.2), and third in WHIP (1.10). He is also from Murfreesboro, Tennessee which definitely doesn't hurt his chances.
CONS: The only con against Price that I can think of is that he may not make the postseason this year, but that should not deprive him of any votes.
I think that Price is the primary threat to Verlander repeating as the AL Cy Young Award winner.

5. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

PROS: In his first year as a starting pitcher, Chris Sale has overachieved in every sense of the term. There is no way that the White Sox expected this kind of season from this kid. He is 17-7 with 185 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA. He is third in WHIP (1.10) and WAR (6.1). He has been a major reason why the White Sox have been in contention this season.
CONS: While he is having a great season, he overall numbers do not match up quite as well as Justin Verlander and David Price, but I imagine that he will get some consideration for the award.
I believe that Chris Sale is a huge underdog to win this award despite the nice job that he has done.

WHO WILL WIN?

Here is how I see the vote play out.

1. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
2. David Price, Tampa Rays
3. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
4. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
5. Jared Weaver, Los Angeles Angels

Who do you think will win?

Thanks for reading,
Marty Sabin

2012 National League Cy Young Award Debate

Hello everyone,

Today I am going to examine the 2012 National League Cy Young Award candidates, and determine who should win this award. The race for the NL Cy Young Award, like the NL MVP, is a close one. So, let's look at the candidates.

1. R. A. Dickey, New York Mets

To say that R. A. Dickey is having a career year, that would be the understatement of the baseball season. He has bested every pitching statistic from every previous season by a landslide. That stated, Dickey is a serious candidate for this award.

PROS: He leads the NL with 2.67 ERA, 5 complete games, three shut outs, and 212 innings pitched. He is also 18-5 with 205 strike outs with a 1.04 WHIP. He has been a stabilizing force behind a young, and improving Met's pitching staff.

CONS: While he has been extremely durable all season, this is typically the case for all knuckle-ball pitchers. He is also pitching for a terrible team that are going nowhere, so his games are in a stress-free environment.

While I think that Dickey has a shot to win this, I believe that he is a long shot due his success being on a lousy team.


2. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

The trade that sent Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics to the Washington Nationals has to be considered the trade of the year in Major League Baseball. The Nationals received a legitimate ace for four young players (which has also worked very well for the A's).

PROS: Gio Gonzalez is leading the NL with a 19-8 record while pitching for the best team in the league. He also has a 2.95 ERA with 195 strikeouts and 1.14 WHIP which puts him in the top ten in each of those categories.

CONS: While Gonzalez is having a stellar season, he isn't even considered the best pitcher on his own team. By most accounts, Stephen Strasburg was having a better season before being shut down due to strain from his come back from Tommy John surgery.

While I consider Gonzalez to be another long shot, I believe that he has a shot at winning this award especially if he ends up with over twenty wins.

3. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Simply put, Craig Kimbrel's 2012 season has been the most dominant season that any closer has ever had.

PROS: Kimbrel has the highest strikeout rate in major league history with 105 in 57 1/3 innings (16.5/9), the .128 average against is the lowest since 1900, his WHIP of 0.68 is the lowest since 1900, he has stuck out 49.5% of all batters face which is the lowest in the live ball era, and his 105 strikeouts compared to 25 hits is the greatest strikeouts-to-hits ratio of all-time. He also is tied for the league lead with 38 saves.

CONS: He is a relief pitcher. The last relief pitcher to win was when Eric Gagne juiced his way to the award in 2003. Essentially, relief pitchers do not normally win this award.

Despite the rarity of relievers winning the award, I would argue that Kimbrel is the best choice in 2012, and should receive plenty of support.

4. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds

If there was a vote for first half the NL Cy Young award, Chapman would have been a serious front-runner. He was dominant!

PROS: Other than Craig Kimbrel, Chapman has been the most dominant pitcher in the National League. He has struck out 119 batters in just 67 2/3 innings while limiting hitters ti a .143 batting average. He also has a 1.60 ERA with 35 saves. What's interesting is that he wasn't even going to be the Red's closer this season!

CONS: See Craig Kimbrel.

In my humble opinion, I can see two relief pitchers finishing one and two in the final ballot. Unfortunately, Chapman is competing against Craig Kimbrel who is having an epic season.

5. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw may be the dark horse candidate for this award.

PROS: Despite some injury issues, Kershaw has had an incredible 2012 season. While only possessing a record of 12-9, he leads the National League with 206 strike outs, and a 1.016 WHIP. While not as dominant as last season, he is arguably the most dominant starting pitcher in 2012.

CONS: He has suffered from poor run support all season, and may end up missing the rest of the year due to a serious hip injury. For baseball purists, his twelve wins is rather low for a Cy Young caliber pitcher.

Also due some consideration: Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals; Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds; Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants.

Results:

Here is how I see the votes playing out.

1. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
2. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
3. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
4. R. A. Dickey, New York Mets
5. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Who do you think will/should win?

Thanks for reading!
Marty Sabin

2012 American League MVP Debate

Hello everyone,

Today I. gonna look at the 2012 American League MVP debate.

Here are the top three candidates:

PLAYER 1
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
146  567  100  189  38    0      40      129       4      60      88     .333    .396      .612    1.008    

PLAYER 2
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
138  520   98   149  27    2       42      123      7      58     144    .287     .358     .588    .947    

PLAYER 3
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
125  507   118 166  24     6      27      77       46     57     121    .327     .396     .558    .900    

As you can clearly see, all three candidates are having stellar seasons.
Player 1 seems to have the best overall numbers. He leads the American League in batting average, runs batted in, on base percentage, slugging, OPS, second in home runs, and second in runs scored. This player is a legitimate threat to win the triple crown-THIS YEAR! In addition, his team is in the hunt for a postseason birth, but probably need a strong finish to make it.

Player 2 has had a nice season, but has been extremely streaky. He leads the majors in home runs, second in runs batted in, third in runs scored, second in slugging, and fourth in OPS. He is having an excellent season, but probably a long shot. Also, his team is in first place of his division and WILL be in the postseason.

Player 3 seems to be the popular pick due to his "saber" stats . . . whatever they mean. He is having a great season by any standard, but let's examine his offensive numbers. He leads the league in runs scored and stolen bases, and is second in batting average. His other numbers are excellent, but do not rank in the top five. His team is in the hunt for a postseason spot, but the are on the outside looking in at the moment. Along with Bryce Harper, he  is one of the most hyped young players in the majors right now.

Can you guess who these players are?

1. Miguel Cabrera, Third Base, Detroit Tigers

2. Josh Hamilton, Outfielder, Texas Rangers

3. Mike Trout, Outfielder, Los Angeles Angels 

My Take:  While I believe that all three are strong candidates to win the award, I would argue that Miguel Cabrera has had the best season of them all. He has a legitimate chance to win the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski achieved it in 1967. If he takes the Triple Crown, the other guys have no chance at all.

However, Mike Trout seems to be the darling of the saber-metric world. To be honest with everyone, I am not completely on board with this new wave of baseball statistics, It seems as though the traditional means of determining a players worth has worked well so far. Anyway, I think Trout is a lock to win the Rookie of the Year award by a landslide, but I am not sure if the MVP is in the cards quite yet, but I can see him finishing second.

Josh Hamilton is having a monster season, but I think that his two month slump in the middle of the year may hurt his chances. I think that he will finish third despite being the only player locked for a postseason appearance.

Who do you think will win the American League MVP?
Let me know either in the comments spot below or on Facebook!

As always, thanks for reading!

Marty Sabin