Team Rankings- Top 15 for 1st Half

1. Oakland 56-39
2. St. Louis 57-36
3. Boston 58-39
4. Texas 54-41
5. Atlanta 54-41
6. Pittsburgh 56-37
7. Tampa Bay 55-41
8. Detroit 52-42
9. Baltimore 53-43
10. Cincinnati 53-42
11. New York Yankees 51-44
12. Arizona 50-45
13. Cleveland 51-44
14. Washington 48-47
15. Philadelphia 48-48

A Tribute to Mo

Rivera's career has been one that will be deservingly remembered. Here are some photos and videos commemorating his 5 greatest career moments.

5. May 17th, 1996: Rivera's First Save



4. October 21st, 1998: Rivera's First World Series Title as Closer



3. September 19th, 2011: Mo Breaks Save Record



2. July 16th, 2013: Final All Star Game

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=28929249&topic_id=vtp_asg_sponsor&query=2013%2Ball%2Bstar%2Bgame

1. ?????
With all the great moments he has had it is impossible and unfair to pick a best.

All Star Game

Here is the starting lineup for the AL and NL rosters, along with my prediction.

AL Starters:

1. Mike Trout, LF

2. Robinson Cano, 2B

3. Miguel Cabrea, 3B

4. Chris Davis, 1B

5. Jose Bautista, RF

6. David Ortiz, DH

7. Adam Jones, CF

8. Joe Mauer, C

9. J.J. Hardy, SS

SP: Max Sherzer

NL Starters:

1. Brandon Phillips, 2B

2. Carlos Beltran, RF

3. Joey Votto, 1B

4. David Wright, 3B

5. Carlos Gonzalez, LF

6. Yardier Molina, C

7. Troy Tulowitzki, SS

8. Michael Cuddyer, DH

9. Bryce Harper, CF

SP: Matt Harvey

Prediction: NL 8-3

HR Derby- My Picks

1. Robinson Cano

2. Chris Davis

3. Prince Fielder

4. Bryce Harper

5. David Wright

6. Pedro Alvarez

7. Michael Cuddyer

8. Yoenis Cespedes

Top 10 Prospects

With the Futures Game coming up I decided to count down basesball's top prospects.

10. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland, SS

.306 AVG, 1 HR, 27 RBI

Positives: Contact, Defence, Speed

Negatives: Power

Scouting Report: Lindor is considered to be the best defensive shortstop in the minors. He not only has a very good arm but also has great instincts at his position. He also is a capable contact hitter with above-average speed and great base running instincts that have allowed him to steal 20 bases in 83 games this year.

9. Miguel Sano, Minnesota, 3B

.293 AVG, 22 HR, 66 RBI

Positives: Power

Negatives: Contact, Speed

Scouting Report: Sano has extreme power to all fields, but is too often a free swinger with 91 K in 84 games. He does walk a fair amount with 43 BB. Sano has enough power to make it into the MLB on that alone, but he will need to stop free swinging if he wants to have a successful major league career.

8. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati, OF

.243 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI

Positives: Speed

Negatives: Contact

Scouting: Watching Hamilton run is something special, last season he stole a record 155 bases. He continues to develop as a hitter and will probably have the hitting ability to make it into the big leagues and be a starter. His real ability is finding ways to get on base, he can bunt, get infield singles, and has 28 BB.

7. Zack Wheeler, New York Mets, RHP

3.93 ERA, 4-2, 1.28 WHIP

Positives: Great Velocity, Good Command, Good Curveball

Negatives: Poor Changeup

Scouting Report: Wheeler has great command with 27 BB/ 73 K to go along with a WHIP of 1.28. In 13 starts this year he has managed and ERA just under 4 with 4 wins and has a fastball that Dan get up to 98 MPH.

6. Byron Buxton, Minnesota, OF

.333 AVG, 9 HR, 63 RBI

Positives: Contact, Speed, Defence

Negatives: Discipline 

Scouting Report: Buxton could us a little plate discipline, he has 49 BB/ 68 K, but is a solid all-round player. He isn't expected to play for the MLB Twins until 2016, he's only 19, but I think he is going to be one of the best and most talented when he does make it.

5. Danny Hultzen, Seattle, LHP

2.14 ERA, 5-1, 0.86 WHIP

Positives: Velocity, Above- Average Breaking Balls

Negatives: Control

Scouting Report: He is the best (and only) LHP on this list. His fastball often hits 93. Last year though he lost his control greatly with 5.4 BB/ 9 innings after he moved up to AAA, but this year it has been a completely different story with 7 BB/ 39 K. 

4. Wil Myers, Tampa Bay, OF

.286 AVG, 14 HR, 57 RBI

Positives: Contact, Power

Negatives: Discipline

Scouting Report: His time with Rays this year has given us a good idea of his abilities. He can hit for power and contact to all fields. He has however got just 29 BB/ 71 K.

3. Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh, RHP

2.91 ERA, 5-3, 1.06 WHIP

Positives: Velocity, Great Fastball, Good Command, Solid Breaking Balls

Negatives: No Real Weakness

Scouting Report: He has incredible velocity with his fastball that has reached triple-digits, and easily gets up to 98. He has good command with 28 BB/ 47 K. He collects a lot of Ks thanks to his great slider with big movement that creates lots of swings and misses. He also has a good curveball, but it isn't as effective as his slider.

2. Taijuan Walker, Seattle, RHP

2.16 ERA, 6-7, 1.04 WHIP

Positives: Great Fastball and Curveball

Negatives: Poor Control

Scouting Report: Walker's control can often desert him allowing 35 BB, but he makes up for it with his ability to get SO, he has 112 this year. He has a developing changeup, that along with his curveball compliments his superior fastball.

1. Oscar Taveras, St. Louis, OF

.306 AVG, 5 HR, 32 RBI

Positives: Hitting

Negatives: No Real Weakness

Scouting Report: He is considered by many to be considered the best pure hitters in the minors today. He is a rare type of talent that could be compared to Robinson Cano if he comes a bit more powerful. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the middle of the Cardinals lineup soon.

 

Lincecum Throws No-Hitter

     A perfect game: it is the pinnacle of perfection. No walks, no hits, no errors. No men reach base. But no-hitters are great accomplishments that are often overlooked. In fact when Homer Bailey threw his no-hitter he was asked if he was disappointed with his result because it wasn't a perfect game.

     Last night Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter against the Padres that included 4 walks, and like any no-hitter or perfect game featured a few saving moments. I couldn't get the link working though, but you can see those videos at mlb.com. 

Cosart's Gem

How about a no-hitter to start your major league career? That is almost what Jared Cosart did last night as he took a no-hitter into the 7th. That was part of his gem last night against the Rays. He went on to allow two hits in the Astros 2-1 victory. He could of even got a complete game shutout if it weren't for allowing a walk in the bottom of the ninth. 

 

San Francisco's Struggles

They haven't exactly been playing well these last two months. So far they have a league worst .208 AVG this month to follow up their 7th best .267 AVG in June. Don't worry though Giants- haters, their pitchers went a 29th ranked 10-17 record in June. July? 2-8, 4.94 ERA. The Giants overall record this season is 41-50. They are 6.5 games out of their division and are going to have some work to do to even get a chance to defend their World Series championship. 

Freeman and Delabar Win Final Vote

Steve Delabar and Freddie Freeman won a spot in the 2013 all-star game via the final vote. You can see where I ranked the players before the vote in one of my previous entries.

Details on Deadline Day

There are a lot of questions going into trade deadline day, what teams will be sellers and what teams will be buyers, who will be the winners and who will be the losers, and most importantly what players will be moving.

Buyers: Boston, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, New York Yankees, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Oakland, Texas, LA Angels, Atlanta, Washington, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Francisco

Sellers: Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago White Sox, Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Miami, Milwaukee, Chicago Cubs, Colorado, San Diego

Players Who Could Move-Rankings:

Starting Pitchers:

1. Cliff Lee 2.86 ERA,10-3, 1.00 WHIP

Possible Fits: Baltimore, Cleveland, LA Angels

Role: Great pitcher capable of filling #1 spot in almost any teams rotation, but a high salary will scare away most teams.

2. Matt Garza 3.22 ERA, 5-1, 1.07 WHIP

Possible Fits: Boston, Baltimore, Toronto, Cleveland, Texas, Washington, San Francisco, San Diego

Role: Could fill a spot in the middle of the rotation nicely, maybe even a number 2 spot.

3. Bud Norris 3.63 ERA, 6-8, 1.41 WHIP

Possible Fits: Cleveland, San Francisco

Role: His WHIP is far too high be high in the rotation, but can provide good depth at a number 4 or 5 spot.

4. Yovani Gallardo 4.85 ERA, 7-8, 1.46 WHIP

Possible Fits: Arizona, Toronto

Role: Could fill a 4 or 5 spot in the rotation quite nicely, and could benefit from getting away from Milwaukee.

Relief Pitchers:

1. Luke Gregerson 2.61 ERA, 12 HLD, 1.00 WHIP

Possible Fits: Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis

Role: Is a good, solid reliever. He is mainly a setup man but he could be a good middle-reliever too.

2. Glen Perkins 1.93 ERA, 20 SV, 0.77 WHIP

Possible Fits: Baltimore, St. Louis, Oakland, Atlanta

Role: He has proven that he is capable of being a closer, but he could also make up a good setup man.

Hitters:

1. Chase Utley, 2B .275 AVG, 11 HR, 30 RBI, .976 FPCT

Possible Fits: Toronto, LA Angels

Role: He can play a starting second baseman, or come in as a pinch hitter, good for teams need leadership and an offensive spark. 

2. Michael Young, 3B .289 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI, .969 FPCT

Possible Fits: New York Yankees

Role: He can play solid third base while providing good offence, but could also make a good utility player, he can play any infield position.

3. Alfonso Soriano, OF .264 AVG, 15 HR, 47 RBI

Possible Fits: New York Yankees, San Francisco, Texas

Role: He is a good outfielder that can hit for power.

4. Andre Ethier, OF 273 AVG, 5 HR, 27 RBI, .994 FPCT

Possible Fits: Texas, New York Yankees

Role: Is a good defender that can provide good offence at the 5 or 6 spot.

Player Rankings

Catcher
1. Buster Posey .316 AVG, 13 HR, 50 RBI
2. Yadier Molina .343 AVG, 6 HR, 45 RBI 
3. Joe Mauer .316 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI

1B
1. Chris Davis .310 AVG, 33 HR, 85 RBI
2. Allen Craig .327 AVG, 10 HR, 71 RBI
3. Paul Goldschmidt .311 AVG, 21 HR, 76 RBI

2B
1. Robinson Cano .299 AVG, 21 HR, 62 RBI
2. Brandon Phillips .264 AVG, 12 HR, 67 RBI
3. Dustin Pedroia .318 AVG, 6 HR, 53 RBI

3B
1. Miguel Cabrera .366 AVG, 29 HR, 93 RBI
2. Pedro Alvarez .253 AVG, 23 HR, 60 RBI
3. Adrian Beltre .318 AVG, 20 HR, 53 RBI

SS
1. Troy Tulowitzki .347 AVG, 16 HR, 51 RBI
2. Ian Desmond .280 AVG, 15 HR, 49 RBI
3. Jean Segura .319 AVG, 11 HR, 36 RBI

OF
1. Mike Trout .320 AVG, 15 HR, 58 RBI
2. Nelson Cruz .276 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI
3. Carlos Gonzalez .302 AVG, 24 HR, 63 RBI

SP
1. Adam Wainwright 12-5, 2.30 ERA, 0.99 WHIP
2. Clayton Kershaw 8-5, 1.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
3. Max Sherzer 13-0, 3.06 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

CP
1. Joe Nathan 30 SV, 1.36 ERA, 0.76 WHIP
2. Mariano Rivera 29 SV, 1.89 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
3. Jim Johnson 30 SV, 3.92 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

The Captain is Back

The New York Yankees are going to get some much needed help as Derek Jeter will return to MLB action for the first time since he broke his ankle in game 1 of last year's ALCS. The name Derek Jeter will be written on a New York Yankees card for the first time since October 13th, 2012 when they play their afternoon game vs. the Royals.

 

All-Star Game Final Vote: Player Preview

With the deadline for the final vote coming up soon, I rank the possible players.
American League
1. Koji Uehara, Boston
Stats: 38.1 IP, 53 SO, 1.88 ERA, 0.81 WHIP
Reason: Uehara ranks 1st in WHIP and 2nd in SO out of the final vote, but the real reason I picked him is because he has a rare and very well-developed special talent: as a RHP he has held lefties to just 9 H in 74 AB. That earns him a .122 BAA. He also is better than most RHP against righties too, he has a .219 BAA. In total his BAA is at just .167. I think anyone who can handle any matchup out of the bullpen has a chance, but anyone who can do it like that shouldn't have been in the final vote because he should have already made it. Uehara got my vote, even as a Yankees fan I have to pick him over Robertson.

2. Joaquin Benoit, Detroit
Stats: 36.1 IP, 46 SO, 1.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
Reason: My 2nd choice goes to Benoit, he has the lowest ERA out of the final five. Benoit has begun to settle in to the closer position on the team that most needed it, and he has thrived. Over his last 10 games he has allowed just 1 ER, and picked up 5 saves, so he's been red hot, but he has still had a great season., it hasn't been confined to 10 games. Overall he has allowed just 7 ER in 36.1 IP, an ERA of 1.73. I ranked him second mainly because his WHIP is higher than Uehara's.

3. Steve Delabar, Toronto
Stats: 41.0 IP, 57 SO, 1.76 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
Reason: My 3rd choice goes to Delabar, who much unlike Puig has silently put up very respectable numbers. His WHIP may be the highest of the final five, but he is a very close 2nd in ERA. Delabar has actually had a bit of a weird season statistically, his WHIP is up from his career average of 1.16, but his ERA is well down from his career average of 3.00. That doesn't really matter though, what matters are the great stats this year that have earned him a chance to get into the all-star game. Delabar has been a big steal for Toronto this season, they're paying the 29-year-old just $498,900. Delabar has been a great, but quiet story for the Jays, but I rank him 3rd because his stats just aren't comparable to Uehara's and Benoit's.

4. Tanner Scheppers, Texas
Stats: 44 IP, 29 SO, 1.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP
Reason: Scheppers has proven to be a great set-up man this year for Texas, as him and Joe Nathan have made a fine back-end to the Rangers' bullpen. This year Scheppers has 18 holds, good for 4th in the AL. Scheppers is an absolute righty killer, they hit only .167. He has allowed just 9 ER and has a BAA of .201, and at the age of 26 he will certainly be an all-star in the future, but I don't think it will be this year because just like most all-stars you need a second good season to prove yourself. He wouldn't be a bad choice though.

5. David Robertson, New York Yankees
Stats: 36.1 IP, 46 SO, 2.23 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
Reason: David Robertson has had a career year for the Yankees, low ERA and WHIP, high SO total, and he ranks 2nd in the AL with 21 holds. He may be having a career year but I not going to go very in depth into his chances because compared to the other 4 choices his ERA is in the stratosphere.

National League
I'm not including Puig because I already posted another blog on why he shouldn't make the NL all-star team.

1. Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angelas Dodgers
Stats: .298 AVG, 13 HR, 57 RBI
Reason: Gonzalez is on pace for a solid 104 RBI season, and provides great power vs. RHP. 12 of his 13 HR have come against righties, or 92.3%, and 31 of his 57 RBI have come against righties, or 54.4%. He still is solid against LHP, with a respectable .286 AVG, but it's .304 vs. RHP. He could provide a great situational bat on the bench for the NL, and with home-field advantage at the world series on the line that's why he gets my vote.

2. Ian Desmond, Washington
Stats: .278 AVG, 15 HR, 49 RBI
Reason: Desmond is a very solid, all-round player. He has quite a bit of power, he's on pace for a solid 27 HR this year and 41 doubles. He has good speed, he's projected to have 18 SB. He hits lefties and righties well at .272 and .280 respective. Finally, he has hit well lately with a .308 AVG during the last 7 days. Overall I think he deserves to get ranked 2nd.

3. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta
Stats: .305 AVG, 9 HR, 56 RBI
Reason: Freeman is a great clutch hitter, hitting .389 with RISP, and is 5-for-6 with the bases loaded with 12 RBI. Freeman though just doesn't have the power to compete with Desmond and Gonzalez, so I ranked him 3rd.

4. Yasiel Puig, Los Angelas Dodgers

5. Hunter Pence, San Francisco
Stats: .267 AVG, 13 HR, 43 RBI
Reason: He may have a bit of power, but I don't think a .267 AVG should even be considered.

Surprises of the Season

AL East:

-Boston

It may be a bit biased to say that I didn't expect much out of the Red Sox after their indescribably poor 2012 season as I am a Yankees fan, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one. So far this season Boston has dominated baseball's toughest division, leading by 3.5 games with a 54-37 record.

-NY Yankees

With how long their injury list was (and still is) it is amazing that they are only 1.5 games out of a playoff position.

AL Central:

No teams in the AL Central have really out-preformed their expectations.

AL West:

-Oakland

The A's are always a surprise, but who could have predicted that Josh Donaldson would be hitting .319, or Grant Balfour's ERA would be 1.77.

NL East:

-Philadelphia 

Howard may only have a combined 25 HR over the last 2 seasons, but the Phillies have been a pleasant surprise, even if they're a couple games below .500.

NL Central:

-Pittsburgh

The other Pennsylvanian team could stop being the best example of imbalance in sports. They are well on their way to stopping their consecutive below-.500 seasons streak at 20, the longest in MLB history.

NL West:

No teams in the NL West have really out-preformed their expectations.

My Opinion on AL All-Stars

American League

Starting Catcher: Joe Mauer

My Pick: Joe Mauer

Stats: .309 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI

Starting 1B: Chris Davis

My Pick: Chris Davis

Stats: .316 AVG, 33 HR, 85 RBI

Starting 2B: Robinson Cano

My Pick: Robinson Cano

Stats: .293 AVG, 20 HR, 58 RBI

Starting SS: JJ Hardy .254 AVG, 15 HR, 46 RBI

My Pick: Jhonny Peralta .304 AVG, 7 HR, 42 RBI

Starting 3B: Miguel Cabrera

My Pick: Miguel Cabrera 

Stats: .364 AVG, 28 HR, 90 RBI

Starting OF: 

-Mike Trout .315 AVG, 15 HR, 57 RBI

-Adam Jones .291 AVG, 16 HR, 61 RBI

-Jose Bautista .265 AVG, 20 HR, 52 RBI

My Picks:

-Torii Hunter .304 AVG, 6 HR, 42 RBI

-Nelson Cruz .275 AVG, 22 HR, 67 RBI

-Mike Trout

Starting DH: David Ortiz

My Pick: David Ortiz

Stats: .318 AVG, 17 HR, 61 RBI

Yasiel Puig- Should he be an NL All-Star

     Puig got of to an incredible start to his career. In his first 132 AB he got 54 hits, 8 HR and 19 RBI. He shocked the baseball world and became an instant Dodgers fan favourite. If he had of played all season he would have been making a first all-star appearance, but he hasn't. But, do his incredible stats deserve an appearance despite just playing 33 games?

     I know the fans want him in, and the all-star game is about the fans, he doesn't deserve a spot for one reason: one player on the final vote who has worked hard all year to earn a spot won't get it because someone had a good month.