Aroldis Chapman: Mr. Untouchable

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Reds relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The Reds are looking for a much needed pitcher to fill out their rotation, because after Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo, there isn't much left. The current Reds rotation has a combined ERA of 3.98 which is weighs down their team ERA of 3.27, 4th best in the National League. The eight pitchers who have thrown in relief for the Reds have combined for 4 of the Reds' 14 losses, while the starting lineup attributes for 10 (9 coming from the 3,4,5 starters). So what should the Reds do with Aroldis Chapman? In my (and Adam's) opinion, they should make Chapman the closer.

For those who are unfamiliar with Aroldis Chapman, he is a 24 year-old, left-handed relief pitcher, who left it all behind in Cuba so he could come to the United States to play baseball. Chapman holds the Major League record for fastest ball thrown at 105 mph, which he has almost broken his own record several times. This season Aroldis has pitched 14 2/3 innings with 2 wins, 25 strikeouts, and an ERA of "0.00." After losing Ryan Madson as their official closer, the Reds are now in a position where they are struggling to find a definite closer, but have one right in front of their eyes. Chapman! Not many players can hit a 100 mph fastball, a dirty slider, and then a 82 mph changeup leaves hitters scratching their heads.

If the Reds put Chapman in the starting rotation, they're asking for a lot of trouble. This season there has been some success in the relief pitcher to starter transition. Pitchers like Neftali Feliz, Lance Lynn, and Chris Sale are all adjusting well into the new role, but success stories aren't always the case. Jeff Samardzija and Daniel Bard are struggling in their new roles, but when you play for the Cubs and Red Sox respectively, your managers really might not have a choice. My favorite example of the untouchable middle-relief pitcher to starter was Joba Chamberlain who has a lifetime 1.94 ERA as a relief pitcher, and a 4.58 ERA as a starter. Ouch. But if the Reds do decide to place Chapman in the starting lineup, he'll probably strain something in the first three innings. Starting pitchers don't throw their fastball 100 mph consistently, not since the "Big Unit" did in the Kingdome back in the '90s. So if the Reds front office ends up reading this: Make. Chapman. The. Closer.

Lets Go O's!

The Baltimore Orioles are the best team in baseball. Let me reiterate that, the Baltimore Orioles are the best team in baseball. During the offseason, a lot of big names were being tossed around like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and many more, but none of which were signed by the Orioles. The O's are starting the same great players they have been for the past few years like Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Matt Wieters, but now their is something in the water down by the inner harbor that has the Orioles winning games. This past weekend, the Orioles played a total of 13 hours of baseball against the Boston Red Sox. Those 13 hours split between three games resulted in 3 Orioles wins, in 39 innings. The Orioles bullpen were the true stars of the weekend, especially Friday, only giving up 3 hits while executing the last 24 outs of the 13-inning game. Adam Jones was the hero of this weekends games with 2 homeruns, one of which was today's game winning with a 3 run shot. His other blast of the weekend was a rocket that went over the Green Monster, out of the ballpark, and into the parking lot. At the end of tonight's marathon game of 17-innings, designated hitter Chris Davis was the winner of tonight's game. He pitched two scoreless innings, with 2 hits and 2 walks. He might not have the best WHIP in baseball, but he has a better record than Red Sox outfielder/pitcher Darnell McDonald who gave up tonight's final runs. 

So is it the Orioles success or Red Sox failure that leads to this sweep? Bobby Valentine has lead the Red Sox to a 11-16 record, and about 2 weeks ago I had a dream of how to turn the Red Sox around, and if you're reading this Bobby, hit me up on my cell. The Orioles have an AL best 2.76 ERA, are 2nd in double plays turned, but 1st in errors committed, if they can clean up their fielding, they might have a few more wins under their belt. The Orioles are tired of being the AL East's doormat and are now commanding the division with an iron fist. Buck Showalter is now who has over 1,000 wins in his career as a manager, has lead the Orioles to a .679 winning percentage. This is the first time since June 10-12th, 1994 that the Orioles have swept the Red Sox in Fenway. This is also the first time that a player has gone 0-8 and wound up as the winning pitcher, when Rube Waddell did it on July 4th, 1905. What does this all mean? The Orioles have been the butt of many jokes throughout the past few years, but now they are laughing at the top of the division. 

Mariano Rivera tears ACL

The greatest closer of all time has been sidelined due to an unfortunate injury during batting practice today. Apparently Mariano Rivera likes to shag balls during batting practice so that he can stretch all of his muscles playfully. He also jokes with manager Joe Girardi that someday he hopes to play in the outfield. Rivera was racing back to catch a ball near the warning track, when he crumpled to the ground grasping his right knee. An MRI tonight has confirmed that he has a tear in his right ACL. Rivera is 42 years old and possibly in his last season of baseball with the Yankees, and hoped to have a successful year without any problems. Unfortunately, that will not be the case. The all time saves leader with 608, hoped to continue increasing that number for the rest of the season, but as of right now, there is no timeline for his return. The 5 time World Series Winner, 12 time All-Star, and record holder will be sure to come back. More news to come later, but I hope the Sandman has not fallen to sleep.

Roy Halladay Leaves the Phillies

Roy Halladay has reportedly left the Phillies to go back to home attend to a family matter, but should return when the Phils go to DC against the Nationals. Apparently Halladay spoke to Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee on Tuesday that he needed to leave, but Manuel still had him pitch on Wednesday. Before last night Roy Halladay was 107-0 when his team gives him a 4 run lead, and after last night, he's now 107-1. Halladay was 42-4 in 50 starts when the Phillies give him the lead, before last night's start. So now we step back and look and see what exactly was going on with Roy Halladay. What is the pressing matter with his family that he had to return home for and asked to do so Tuesday? Obviously, his head was not in last night's game and he was thinking about his family's well-being rather than pitching. That's hard to comprehend because Phillies fans know that Halladay is a perfectionist when it comes to pitching and always puts his best stuff out there. Last night was only the second time in his career that he gave up 12 or more hits and 8 or more earned runs. Something must be wrong with Doc. Pressure at home and pressure on the field must finally be getting to Roy Halladay because the Phillies' offensive struggles are still being put on the pitching. Last night the Phil's offense was amazing, but the pitching faltered. As the ace of a team trying to compete in the tight race for the National League East, Roy Halladay has to pick up the slack, especially since Cliff Lee was placed on the DL. The story following Halladay's family matter is still developing and hopefully everything is ok with the Doc and his loved ones. He is expected to come back Friday, but nothing is guaranteed.

Weaver Throws No-Hitter

No clever title today, I've seen enough puns and witty titles about Jered Weaver's no-hitter, all of which take away from the greatness of a no-hitter. There have been 274 no-hitters in Major League history, which includes 21 perfect games. Within the past 10 years, 22 no-hitters have been pitched, 5 of which were perfect games, and of those 22 no-hitters, 10 were pitched within the last 2 years. So call it what you may, but the past few seasons have been the Year(s) of the Pitcher. We've seen every kind of perfect game/no-hitter in which "nobodies" like Phil Humber and Dallas Braden pitch perfect games, but we also see the aces come out like Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, and now Jered Weaver. Weaver threw 9 innings of no-hit ball, with 121 pitches, 9 strikeouts, and 1 walk, the no-hitter was complete. There was a chance of a perfect game until there was one out in the 7th inning where Weaver issued a walk. But there was only one thing on Jered Weaver's mind when getting ready to go out to the mound in the 9th inning: using the men's room. So, he went, came back, and got the last three outs. Weaver had enough on his mind, let alone adding his pressing bladder to the situation. With this win, the struggling Angels swept the Twins for their first three game winning streak of the year.

Newcomer CJ Wilson told Weaver a week before after Phil Humber's perfect game that it was time for him to throw his no-hitter, to which Weaver replied, "No chance." Weaver's no-hitter is the 10th in Angels franchise history, 4 of which belong to Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The last no-hitter for the Angels was pitched by Ervin Santana, who still plays for the Angels, last year on July 27th. If you can remember, Santana's no-hitter was not a shutout of the Cleveland Indians, but The Indians scored a run in the game in the first inning as a result of an error, a stolen base and a wild pitch. It was an unbelievable night for the fans, for the Angels, and for Jered Weaver. Last year Weaver resigned with the Angels for less money so he could pitch for his hometown team, and the fact that he pitched his no-hitter at home was truly remarkable. Congratulations Jered Weaver.

But on a funny note:

Albert Pujols Homer-less in April

It's May 2nd, and I was hoping by the end of April, the Philadelphia Phillies would have a record of .500 or better, but one city is hoping for something more. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed Albert Pujols to a 10-year $240 million contract this off season, hoping for a chance at having one of the greatest players of all time on their team. But as of right now, it looks like the Angels spent a lot of money for little return. Albert Pujols' trophy room has 3 MVP awards, 2 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, a Rookie of the Year award, and 2 World Series rings. He is a man who has 6.88% of all MVP shares, to which the only two people ahead of him are Stan Musial and Barry Bonds. Pujols has 445 homeruns, 80 of which were hit in the month of April, meaning that 17.9% of his homeruns are in April. If you still do not know what I am talking about, or have not been following baseball, Albert Pujols has not hit a homerun! With very little production, the Angels are now 9-15 in the AL West, and to put things in perspective: if you're team is below both the Athletics and the Mariners, you're in trouble. Pujols has been given a lot of attention due his lack of hitting the long ball, and is putting pressure on Prince Albert. I even made a bet during an at-bat that Albert would hit a homerun, and he was walked, saving me $50. Across the city of Los Angeles, Matt Kemp has hit 12 homeruns and only makes $7 million a year, while Pujols is making much more, maybe the money is slowing his swing down. Albert is hitting .208 this season in 96 at-bats with 8 doubles, and 5 RBIs. Half way across the country, Pujols' main replacement Carlos Beltran has already hit 5 homers, are Cardinals fans happy? I would think so, especially since they are still salty about losing Pujols in the first place, and are looking for some form of sweet revenge. I for one know not to underestimate Pujols because he can hit, he is Albert Pujols for crying out loud! I'm not writing him off, but he certainly needs to start producing if the Angels want a chance in the AL West.

#BeastMode

The term "Beast Mode" is thrown around Major League Baseball quite often now, and older fans may not understand the whole idea of Beast Mode or what a hashtag is. Well here you go #Beastmode. Following baseball players on Twitter offers a lot of insight to what happens off the field. Most players are just like you and me, they have kids, go to church, go shopping, and strive to win. Many players post about the day's game, like Andrew McCutchen posted the other day about how upset he was with his error that cost the Pirates the game. But back to my main point of Beast Mode. In 2011, the National League MVP award went to Ryan Braun with Matt Kemp finishing in 2nd. But after the off season, there were rumors of Ryan Braun taking performance enhancing drugs. After clearing his name, Braun went back to baseball, and Matt Kemp started a journey that the hopes to finish at the end of this season. Kemp wants that award. And as of right now, Matt Kemp is leading the Majors in batting average .417, homeruns - 12, RBIs - 25, and runs scored - 24. He is in BEAST MODE, he is the epitome of beast mode, and through 23 games, Kemp is leading the blazing hot Dodgers to a 16-7 record. Where is Ryan Braun? Well, through 22 games, Braun has 7 HRs, 2 3Bs, 5 2Bs, 3 SBs, and a .294 batting average. Those are still great numbers, but after losing Prince Fielder in Milwaukee, Braun has lost someone to bring him home, to help that lineup win games. So who will finish the season with better numbers? I can't say that. I can't even say that Kemp will win the NL MVP, but as of right now, he has my vote, and I do not see him slowing down any time soon. Rumors have been going around that Kemp could be the first player to be in the 50-50 club, hitting 50 homeruns and stealing 50 bases. I love Ryan Braun, that's a fact. As for Matt Kemp, I think that he is a standup player, who has been increasing his numbers every year, and hopes to continue that. A few years ago it used to be Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp battling for who would be the Dodgers #1 outfielder, and in recent years, Kemp has won. Right now, the only person to come close to touching Matt Kemp is Josh Hamilton, who will be out for a couple days with back problems, and with that, I think Kemp will try to cushion his RBI totals and continue his warpath against the Rockies. Good luck to Matt Kemp in attempting his MVP campaign and 50-50 club, and good luck to Ryan Braun on posting his incredible numbers like he always has.

Bryce Harper: The "Lebron" of Baseball

Bryce Harper has been referred to as many names, but the first time I read about him, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headlines, "The 'Lebron' of Baseball" and that title stuck with me. Now, let's consider what has happened between now and then, Harper dropped out of high school to pursue his career in the Majors. When Harper was 17, he was being scouted at a New York Yankees training camp, where he pitched, caught, and played outfield. Harper was a natural catcher, but we all know too well that most catchers career's are cut short due to problems with their knees deteriorating. Bryce was then drafted as a second pick by the Washington Nationals and converted to a full-time outfielder, he now predominately plays left field, but also is able to play center (right field being taken by Jayson Werth). In his debut at-bat, nothing special happened, Harper hit a soft grounder back to the mound and was forced out at first. His second at-bat was a slamming double to straight-away center, and was only a few feet short of a homerun. In his last at-bat of the game, Harper hit a sacrifice fly for his first RBI of his MLB career. He also flashed his glove in Sunday's game by making a great catch off a hard hit ball from Juan Uribe, slammed into the outfield wall, and still remained in the game. Right now Bryce is the youngest player in the National League at the age of 19, and is the first position player of the MLB 2010 draft to play. So what will happen with Bryce Harper? In my opinion, he will probably stay on the Nationals roster the entire season, but possibly could come back full-time in September. Who knows? The Nationals could keep him on the entire season and he could become Rookie of the Year, and the Nationals will have him help to winning their first NL East Pennant. I don't know if all of that will happen, but I do know Harper's track record. He once hit a 570 ft homerun, something that sluggers now have never done. One thing I do like about Bryce Harper is that he comes from a Christian family, and Harper is not cocky about hist talent, but modest and puts God in front of everything, which I find to be admirable. I wish Bryce Harper luck in the rest of the MLB career and hope that he lives up to all the hype that people give him.

Age is just a Number

My dearest apologies blog followers, but I haven't been posting for approximately one week due to my recent trip to Baton Rouge. I was following my other love of bowling rather than posting about baseball, and in my absence a perfect game has been pitched, and that's about it. Phil Humber is his name and his start after the perfect game, he was Rocked! But as I have been looking more and more into baseball I keep seeing these names come back time and time again. I look at MLB Trade Rumors and all of a sudden, a familiar name has been signed to a one-year deal with another ball club. Favorite of mine, Vladimir Guerrero (age 37) is now working out for the Diamondbacks, hoping to make a deal sometime soon. Hideki Matsui signed with the Rays as of yesterday, Matsui is 37. Recently, Johnny Damon has signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians. Damon is now 38. Jamey Carroll signed a one year deal with the Twins, Carroll is 38. Manny Ramirez is serving his suspension with the Oakland A's, but once he returns he will be 40. Jim Thome is now playing with the Phillies, Thome is 41. Omar Vizquel is playing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Vizquel is 45. Last but certainly not least, Jamie Moyer made the team with the Colorado Rockies at the ripe old age of 49. Those names are the names of All-Stars, World Series Winners, an MVP, Silver Slugger winners, Gold Glove winners, and various MLB records and recognition. Who are these men? They are ballplayers and that is what they love to do, want to continue to do, and will until they are told they have to stop. Their numbers may have dropped off slightly, but they are making the team, and ensuring that their roster spot is still there at the end of the season so that they have a chance for glory once more. Some people wrote off Jamie Moyer in his 20s, but he has more wins in his 40s than in his 20s. Moyer has set the record for the oldest pitcher to win a game, and continues to set that record as the season goes on. Vladimir Guerrero gained an All-Star position and won a Silver Slugger at the age of 35. Omar Vizquel has been playing since 1989, and still manages to play first base, second base, and outfield at the age of 45. How many people can say that they can still get out there in such a demanding sport at the age of 45? Jamie Moyer is the oldest player in the Majors right now at the age of 49, and has 10 years to go if he wants to break the record Satchel Paige, who stopped playing in 1965 at the age of 59. Wrapping up this blog I know it was not what it normally is of stats, facts, and recaps of current news, but more of a hommage to the "elderly" players in the Majors. I hope they succeed in their new teams and hope these veterans can set an example for the rookies.

Cy Young Contender: Bartolo Colon

You may laugh at me as you read this blog, as I write about how I think that Bartolo Colon is once more a Cy Young contender, but I feel as though Bartolo is back in business. The two time All-Star and Cy Young winner has gone through a career that has had the highest of pinnacles to the lowest troughs. Now, he is back on the rise in Oakland and has a somewhat viable offense to back him up. But after being with Yankees last year, you would have thought that Colon would have won more games, give him a break! He was coming back from a year plagued with surgeries repairing his torn rotator cuff and many other shoulder problems. Now Colon is 3-1 with the A's and gave a great performance in Japan against the Mariners. His one loss is when pitching against "King" Felix Hernandez, but I would just like to think that Colon was still jet-lagged from the flight back from Japan. In his second start in the US, Colon faced Hernandez again, and then beat the pants off him only giving up 3 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings pitched. But last night's game could have been Colon's hardest outing, but he went out with his best stuff, blanking the Angels to only 4 hits in 8 innings pitched. Bartolo was pitching against Ervin Santana, who entered the day with 13 wins and a 2.00 ERA in 23 career games (21 starts) against the A's. So the Athletics were in a position where it didn't look good, but Colon looked past the numbers and threw 82 strikes, with 38 in a row! Bartolo Colon threw strikes from the first pitch in the 5th inning into the 8thing inning. Throwing strikes against a lineup that is full of powerful hitters means nothing to Colon, he was unfazed. He also did all of this under the team in which he won his 1st and only Cy Young award with, the Angels. Another story developing with the Bartolo Colon triumph is the power behind the bat of Yoenis Cespedes, who hit his 4th homerun of the season to give the A's an early 3-0 lead. As of right now, Colon has a 2.63 ER, a WHIP of 0.80, leads the MLB in innings pitched with 27 1/3 innings, and ties Roy Halladay in MLB with 3 wins. I really think he can pull through for another Cy Young award if he keeps up this pace, what do you think?

Those Crazy Marylanders*

Is there something in the Chesapeake? 13 games into the season, who would have thought that the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals would still be leading their respective divisions. Looking at the Orioles who are 7-5, they lead the division by 0.5 games over the Toronto Blue Jays. What exactly is leading to their success? To start off the season the O's swept the Twins, but then got swept by the Yankees. The Orioles are ranked 2nd in homeruns in the American League with 20, and without any from Mark Reynolds! But Reynolds is certainly contributing to their #1 ranking in strikeouts with 100 Ks.   Offense hasn't been the Orioles biggest problem in the past few years, it's been their lack of pitching. This year they are ranked 5th in the American League in ERA with 3.65 and are leading the American League in saves with 5. Who would have thought that Jim Johnson would have 5 saves with a 0.00 ERA through 5 2/3 innings pitched? Last night the Orioles pitched got hurt by the sluggers of the Chicago White Sox, and they need to learn how to rework some pitching placement against big bats, especially with being in the AL East. With all of that falling into place, the Orioles are still 2 games over .500, and for the team and O's fans everywhere, I hope they stay there.

Even though the Orioles appear as though they are unfortunately on the decline, the Washington Nationals are just starting. The Nationals are a National League best with a 10-3 record, only behind the Texas Rangers in all of MLB. The Nats are just unstoppable. It's just amazing how much they have improved with having Stephen Strasburg back and a Jayson Werth who is actually contributing. New faces to the Nats like Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are pitching like there is no tomorrow, and old faces like Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann, and Rick Ankiel are contributing to more win games. In their last 10 games, the Nats are 8-2, only losing to the Cubs, Mets, and Reds all this season. But still leading the NL East by 2.5 games? That is something that I never thought I would see this far into the season, but the NL East is nothing of what I thought it would be as of now. In power rankings, the Nationals are ranked 12th by the professionals, and 7th by the fans, giving them a power ranking of 11th out of 15. But after losing Mike Morse to injury, and still not having pitcher Drew Storen until the All-Star break, the Nationals are working to fulfill those gaps in the lineup. As a baseball fan I love to see the Nationals succeed, but as a Phillies fan, I'll keep that opinion to myself.

*Washing D.C. I understand is not technically in Maryland

Pudge Rodriguez Calls it a Career

Thumbs Up from Pudge!

After 21 seasons in the Majors, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is retiring. Out of those 21 seasons, 12 (and some change in 2009) were spent in Texas with the Rangers from 1991 to 2002, one year with the Marlins in 2003, 4 years with the Tigers 2004-2008, some time with the Yankees in 2008, one year with the Astros in 2009, and lastly two years with the Nationals from 2010-2011. Wow, talk about some serious playing some with true contenders. Pudge played in two World Series, his first in 2003 with the Marlins against the Yankees to win his first ring, and then lost to the Cardinals in 2006 with the Tigers. He is a lifetime .296 hitter, with .255 batting average in the playoffs. The funny thing about his batting average in the playoffs is that Pudge played the Yankees in every single post season, so realistically, 5/9 of that average is from Yankees pitching, which isn't that bad. If you don't think Ivan Rodriguez is an amazing catcher, well then you apparently haven't seen his stats. Yes I understand that in his later years with the Astros and Nationals his numbers faded, but he's been catching longer than I've been alive, and a 40 year old catcher is nothing to shake a stick at. I mean those knees must be tired! "I-Rod" has racked up 13 Gold Gloves (10 with the Rangers), 7 Silver Sluggers, 14 All-Star games, and one MVP award. Of active players, Rodriguez leads all of MLB in doubles with 527, which greatly outnumbers such players as Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Chipper Jones. Pudge also leads all of Major League Baseball history with 2,427 games started as a defensive catcher, which outnumbers the next highest catcher (Carlton Fisk) by over 200 games. Other things Rodriguez leads all of MLB history in is: Putouts as a catcher, caught stealing as a catcher, caught stealing %, assists as a catcher, and total zone runs as a catcher. Phew! Those are Hall of Fame statistics in my book, and hopefully he will make it there some day. Pudge has decided to retire with the team that he was most successful with and made a name for himself with, and the Rangers have not made a formal announcement, but should do so soon. What a great career Ivan, I'm glad I was there to see possibly the greatest catcher of Major League Baseball play during my lifetime.

"The Freak" in Trouble

Tim Lincecum is a 2 time NL Cy Young Winner, a 4 time NL All-Star, and a World Series Champion, but what's wrong with him? After three very poor outings, Giants fans everywhere are wondering exactly what is wrong with their ace pitcher? I was able to watch Lincecum's first outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he got rocked. He did two things that he did not do in all of the 2011 season which was give up two homeruns in the same inning, and give up a homerun in the first. Lincecum got the lost that day after pitching 5 1/3 innings, with 6 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and an ending ERA of 8.44. His next start was not much better after the entire Colorado Rockies had his number. Lincecum only pitched 2 1/3 innings with 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 runs, and a rising ERA of 12.96. Last night against the Phillies, Lincecum's struggles continued as he "dueled" against Doc Halladay. In his longest outing of 6 innings pitched, Lincecum gave up 8 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and lowered his ERA to 10.54. Now Lincecum is 0-2 and since 2007, he has never allowed at least five runs in more than two straight games. He has allowed a total of 16 runs this year, marking that the first time he has given up that many runs in a three-game span. Who knows what is going on with "The Freak" but apparently neither does he. After his start against the Rockies and before last night's game against the Phillies, Lincecum cut off a considerable amount of his hair, maybe to remedy his poor starts. In 2011, Tim finished 13-14, but with an ERA of 2.74, the reason behind his poor win-loss record can be attributed to the Giants lack of offensive power, finishing 2nd to last in the National League. Now the Giants are facing more problems losing closer Brain Wilson to Tommy John surgery, his second of his lifetime. Two years after winning the World Series, the Giants are scratching their heads trying to find out what they did wrong. Was it getting rid of Pat Burrell? Or is it that Tim Lincecum is smoking too much marijuana? Who knows, but in my opinion, it's getting harder to compete in the NL West with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks starting off the season red-hot. I know that I say this often, but I remember going to Tim Lincecum's Major League debut back in 2007 against the Phillies. I remember him looking goofy and also looked like he was 12 at the time, but I never knew that he would become a 2 time Cy Young winner. I really don't mind Tim Lincecum and even think that he is an amazing pitcher, especially for his size, but I hope "The Freak" can regain his former stature.

Freddy!

Freddy Galvis' name has been tossed around for the past year or so, debating whether or not he could fulfill shortstop if Jimmy Rollins did not sign with the Phillies, but after it was apparent that Chase Utley would not be available to start the season, it's all about Freddy. Galvis started off the season going 0-12 and finally notched his first Major League hit last Monday with a 2-run double off Anibal Sanchez. Freddy was quoted saying, "As soon as I got to second, I could breathe. I was feeling much better. After the second game, I was like, 'Wow, when am I going to get it?'" That double was the only offense for the Phillies on their home opener, but Galvis' bat didn't quiet down after that. On Wednesday night's game against the Marlins, Josh Johnson on the mound, Freddy's name was being chanted by the fans at Citizen's Bank Park, and Freddy ripped a double into right field, giving him his second hit, 3rd and 4th RBIs, and the love of Philadelphia. "Freddy! Freddy! Freddy!" is what they were chanting, to which Roy Halladay said he was jealous because no one has ever chanted his name like that. Maybe someday soon Roy. But Freddy is now batting .226 going 7-19 after his 0-12 stretch, so as of last Monday, Galvis is batting .368. His offense isn't the only thing that is turning heads, but his defense is impecable. Many have been speculating that Galvis is turning plays that a healthy Chase Utley could not make, and saying that would mean that Galvis' defense is better than a 5 time NL All-Star. So far, Galvis has committed one error, but that in my mind is debatable because the ball took an awkward hop at the last second, causing Galvis to misread the ball. Is that an error? I don't know. Let's hope that Freddy moves up in the Phillies lineup, allowing him to get more at-bats and hopefully more RBIs and runs scored. Ending on a happy note, Freddy Galvis had his first home run on Friday against the Mets off R.A. Dickey in the 3rd inning in front of Phillies fans at CBP. After receiving the standard "freeze-out" by his teammates, he was welcomed into the dugout with high-fives, hugs, and congratulating pats on the back. Good luck Freddy and keep up the good work.

Are the Phillies Back?

10 runs in two games? The Phillies didn't have 10 runs in their first 4 games! The Fightin' Phils offense may be back in the city of Brotherly Love, but will it hold? In the past two games, strong outings from Roy Halladay and Joe Blanton have given the Phillies an edge over the Marlins. Roy Halladay dished out his best stuff against Josh Johnson, whom he normally struggles with. Before the two met on Wednesday, Halladay was 1-2, that one victory being his perfect game, but now the pitchers are 2-2. Joe Blanton who had his first official start as a Phillies pitcher this year, only gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and one run to the Marlins, while Mark Buehrle gave up 3 runs across 6 1/3 innings. Maybe the Phils just needed to get back to Citizens Bank Park to really have the bats come alive. Hunter Pence has been the glue that holds the lineup together, so far hitting .391, with 1 homerun and 4 RBI. Close behind him is the man behind the plate, Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz had an outstanding Spring Training and keeping that momentum going by hitting .375, with 1 homerun, and 2 RBI. Last's game was all about Shane Victorino and Ty Wigginton, who had their first blasts of the season, Shane's in the 4th inning, and Wigginton had his in the 7th to give the Phils some breathing room to make it 3-1. But are the bats really back? I and the city of Philadelphia certainly hope so. Without Chase Utley at second, Freddy Galvis has been outstanding at second base, but he as of now lacks the offensive power that Utley brings to the team. Utley is an All-Star, and possible Hall of Famer, Galvis is a rookie, so he certainly has time to make a name for himeself. I personally am waiting for Jimmy Rollins to step up his game and validate his new contract. Other than that, Juan Pierre, Ty Wigginton, and Jim Thome are fitting into place in Philadelphia, and Jonathan Papelbon is doing great with his two recorded saves for the season. I look forward to the rest of the season and this upcoming series against the Mets at CBP.

Vlad Guerrero a Criminal?

"Me? Nah I didn't fight anybody"

What do players do when they haven't been signed by a Major League team? I'd imagine if you were to check in on Johnny Damon or Derrek Lee, they're probably practicing somewhere or out relaxing with their families. But if you head down to the Dominican Republic, in the city of Bani and look for Vladimir Guerrero you might not find him relaxing. He'll be out dancing at the disco El Punto, and possibly fighting and assaulting police officers. What?! That doesn't sound like our Vlad! That night, Vlad presented himself to the jail, and then in the morning to the arresting officers who were there that night. The police were looking for Guerrero and his two bodyguards after they allegedly left one person injured at the disco. Community leaders and Guerrero's brother spoke out to reporters the morning where Vlad surrendered himself to the authorities, defending the ballplayer's integrity. Vladimir told the press after he presented himself to the police that he had nothing to do with the injury of anyone at the club and came out because he had nothing to hide. But as of an hour ago (6:30pm EST), Guerrero's lawyer spoke out and stated that Vlad will not be charged with anything. It has been speculated that he had nothing to do with the fight that broke out at the disco, nor did his bodyguards. Phew! Thankfully Vladimir Guerrero can come back to MLB in the United States so none of this will happen again. And let's also hope that the only hitting that Vlad is dishing out, comes from in the batter's box.

Ozzie Guillen Suspended

Ozzie Guillen has said a lot of things throughout his 9 year tenure as a Major League manager, but has apologized for very little of it. If you follow MLB or watch ESPN Ozzie Guillen's antics are always under constant monitoring, he's always quick to start a fight with an umpire, or get vulgar with reporters in news conferences, but that's just Ozzie being himself. After an interview with Time Magazine, Ozzie said, "I respect Fidel Castro, you know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here." Now some people may not understand why this would be such a big deal, and they must look at the current situation Guillen is in. Ozzie now manages the Miami Marlins, which the city of Miami has a large Cuban population. He must now realize that he has offended these Cubans because some of them have fled Cuba during Fidel's reign and came to Florida seeking refuge. To put it in perspective, "It's like going to New York's Jewish district and saying, 'Hitler wasn't so bad. He managed to stay in power for a few years,'" veteran Spanish-language baseball announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, who left Cuba at age 17. In a live press conference today, Ozzie apologized once more as he did not mean to offend anyone and didn't mean anything behind the comment. Cuban baseball players around the league feel as though Ozzie should be accepted, especially since he is sincerely upset with himself more making such comments. After today, Guillen will be receiving a 5-game suspension, which he will not appear, for he wants to make it up to the city of Miami by doing all that he can. Ozzie lives in Miami, he now works in Miami, and is willing to do everything in his power along with the power of the Marlins to help the Cuban community, and the Latino community within the city of Miami. He will not say whether or not he agrees with the decision of the suspension, but as of right now he'll respect their decision, because he is in no place to complain. Honestly, I think Ozzie did make a mistake in saying such comments, especially with managing in Miami, but he needs to realize that he is always in the spotlight and will always be under the cameras. Unfortunately, we live in a time where people can always take offense to any sort of comment due to sensitivity, but for statements about political dictators, maybe we should keep those comments to ourselves, or at least away from reporters.

Yuuuuuuuuuu!

Most of us younger baseball fans can remember the song "Soulja Boy" where it starts out saying "Youuuuuuu" followed by the beats of a steel drum, this is exactly what I think of when I read Yu Darvish's name in print. If you are unaware of who Yu Darvish is, he is a Japanese pitcher who made his Major League debut last night in Texas. Darvish came over from Japan after the Texas Rangers made a $51.7 million bid offer to him this off season. Then the Rangers had to make actual deal with Yu, which he received a 6-year $60 million contract with them. Darvish has been referred to as "Daisuke (pronounced Dice-k) on Steroids" and as one of the best, if not the best, pitcher in Japan. So for a pitcher who has a total of $111.7 million invested in him, how did he do? Well, he gave up 4 runs in the first inning and then another run in the second. But after some serious offensive firepower, the Rangers tied up and then went ahead thanks to homeruns from Nelson Cruz, Mitch Moreland, and Josh Hamilton. With that, Darvish was on course to gain the win for Texas after only 5 innings, which he only pitched 5 2/3 innings with 111 pitches. Darvish left with a 7.94 ERA and gave up 8 hits, 4 walks, and had 5 strikeouts. Not the most impressive outing for such a hyped-up pitcher, but there is some adjusting coming from Japanese baseball to American baseball. Rangers pitching coaches have been trying to "Americanize" Darvish's pitching to get him ready for the season to start, but still have some kinks to work out. Yu Darvish is the first pitcher in over 100 years in his major league debut to win after giving up 4 runs in the first inning. Manager Ron Washington stated that he wasn't going to take Darvish out after the first inning but was going to let him battle through, find his groove, and work from there, which he did. I feel as though Yu did a great job for his first start, but still has some work to do to become a $111 million pitcher.

What a Weekend...

Cepedes watching his 465 ft. bomb!

Who would've thought that the Mets would be 3-0 and the Yankees would be 0-3? Seriously? Is this some sort of sick dream where New York baseball is completely flipped over? No, definitely not, because the last time the Bronx Bombers lost their first 3 games was 1998, where they went on to win 114 games and also the World Series. The last time the Mets won their first 3 games was 2007, and I think we all know what happened there *Motions for high-five*.  So if the World Series was tomorrow, it would be the Orioles vs. the Mets, or the Tigers vs. the Diamondbacks, but luckily for everyone, there are not 3 games in the season but 159 left to play. Wrapping up this weekend in one blog would be hard, but I'll certainly try my best.

NL East: 1. NYM 2. WSH 3. PHI 4. MIA 5. ATL As stated above, the Mets are 3-0 and that's about it for them, but in other news:

• The Phillies lost 2/3 games to the Pirates in their opening series, once in extra innings, and today in the bottom of the 9th. The Phillies have only had one winning series against the Pirates in PNC Park since 2001, and that was in 2008 when they went on to win the World Series. The bats need to come alive, and Charlie Manuel needs to take David Herndon out.
• The hot, new Miami Marlins are making a "splash" by only wearing new uniforms. Unfortunately those feisty fish from South Beach aren't quite producing the numbers they hoped to have. After being no-hit into the 7th on Opening Night, the Marlins look to bounce back tomorrow in Philadelphia.

NL Central: 1. STL 2. CIN 3. HOU 4. PIT 5. CHC 6. MIL The division with the most teams isn't quite where I'd imagined it to be after the opening weekend:

• The Cardinals won the World Series in 2011 and aren't looking back. They lost Albert Pujols and now are saying, "Who?" Yes the Cardinals are hot right now, but coming down the stretch, you just might need a 3-time NL MVP to come through for you to win some games. Especially when Matt Holiday starts to slump or Lance Berkman possibly gets hurt.
• The BrewCrew. Where to start? Let's start with Prince Fielder hitting homeruns and RBIs for the Tigers, and then bam, we are here at a 1-2 record. Yiovani Gallardo lost to the Cardinals, and the bats are there, but just one big bat shy.

NL West: 1. ARI 2. LAD 3. COL 4. SD 5. SF In my opinion, I'd say, yeah that's about right:

• The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to reclaim their 2011 title as the NL West division champions and with a stunning performance against the Giants, I don't think they will have any problem doing so. The Diamondbacks have the full package of starting pitching, a solid bullpen, and an offense that drives in runs. I see the D'backs at the top of the NL West at the end of the 2012 season.
• On the other side of the Diamondbacks success was the Giants failure. Tim Lincecum got ROCKED by the D'backs, doing things that he didn't do in all of 2011. He gave up two homeruns in one inning, and gave up a homerun in the first inning. The Giants finished 2nd to last in runs scored, and they need to step up their game especially if their prized rotation is not producing like before. Side note: Buster Posey is back!

AL West: 1. SEA 2. TEX 3. LAA 4. OAK The AL West certainly has possibilities for exciting baseball this year, especially with some pretty big newcomers:

• The Seattle Mariners are atop the AL West at the current moment after playing the Oakland A's for 4 games, two of which were played in Japan. Yoenis Cepedes has already hit 3 homeruns against the Mariners pitching, and yesterday's was a monster shot that traveled 465 ft. With this in mind, the Mariners will have to hope to solidify their lineup that has Ichiro now batting third.
• The Angels are off to a somewhat slow start, especially after having Jered Weaver already pitch and Albert Pujols only having 1 hit in 7 at-bats. When asked about his slow start, Albert replied that he's gone 0-3 before, and probably will do it again at some point in his career, so everyone should get off his back.

AL Central 1. DET 2. KC 3. CHW 4. CLE 5. MIN With these standings, who knows:

• With the way the Tigers are playing right now, I wouldn't be surprised if they won the World Series this year. After a blown save by Valverde on Thursday, the Tigers came back and won. After Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder both hit 2 homeruns on Saturday, the Tigers shut out the Red Sox and won. And after Miguel Cabrera tied up the game in the 9th today with a homerun, and Alex Avila hit a homer in the 11th, the Tigers won. Winning is the theme here. 
• The Twins were looking to bounce back after a subpar 2011 season. And starting off the season getting swept by the Orioles really isn't the best way to do so. What has happened to a team that has an All-Star catcher like Joe Mauer and still manages to get almost no-hit by the Orioles?

AL East 1. BAL 2. TB 3. TOR 4. BOS 5. NYY The AL East certainly has people watching but let's examine a little bit closer:

• The Orioles are notorious for starting off the season strong and then unfortunately tailing off midway through the season, or towards the end of April. This is sad to see but after sweeping the Twins, the Orioles have the bats and stellar pitching from Jason Hammel who no-hit the Twins into the 7th really shows that the Orioles have potential this year.
• The Boston Red Sox start off the season 0-3 for the second straight year. Two walk-off losses in Detroit, both of which done by poor closers has Red Sox fans wondering if they should have kept Papelbon. Bobby V is staying hopeful for the team, as is the rest of Boston, but Yankee fans everywhere are hoping for a repeat of last year's collapse. 

Well blog readers, thank you for reading all of that if you did. I put a lot of effort into it and hope that you enjoyed! Please pass on the good news of the blog, and if you would like press the Google+ button at the top or side. :)

Jamie Moyer looks to break the record

Jamie Moyer is 49 years young. To put things into perspective, Jamie Moyer was pitching before the Rockies were a franchise within Major League Baseball, and as of right now, he's been pitching longer than players have been alive. Moyer will take the mound for the Colorado Rockies tonight against the Houston Astros and if he wins, he will break the record for oldest pitcher in MLB to record a win. Lucas Harrell will be pitching for the Astros tonight, Harrell was only 13 months old when Moyer made his Major League Debut. Tonight's game is a big night for Moyer, not only can he break the record, but this will be the first time he's pitched in a regular season game since pitching for the Phillies on July 20, 2010. Moyer also will be proving himself against a former manager Chad Mills. When Moyer was pitching for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, Mills cut Moyer from the team, Moyer instructed him that he'd be back, and he certainly is. To really understand what Jamie Moyer has been through would be hard, especially after having Tommy John surgery at the age of 48. Tonight would be win number 268 for Moyer if he wins, a pitcher who has recorded more wins in his 40s than in his 20s, a pitcher who has beaten every single team in baseball, something only 5 other pitchers have done, and lastly a stand up guy whose love for the game has brought him back time and time again. Jamie Moyer's fastball normally hits around 80 mph on a good night, which can hurt him as a pitcher, but his 2.50 ERA this spring has scouts wondering what he will do throughout the rest of the season. Its hard to think that there is a pitcher out there who is old enough to by my father, yet pitches against people who are younger than me. I wish him luck tonight against the Astros and hopes he gets his win.

Opening Day 2012

Today is "Opening Day" in Major League Baseball, although three regulation games have already been played. There was the "Opening Series" in Japan between the Mariners and Athletics last week, and there was "Opening Night" last night between the Marlins and Cardinals, but today is the true Opening Day. Why you ask? Because today is the day that Cincinnati Reds play. It may look foolish to read, but the Cincinnati Reds start every Opening Day at home, making today the true Opening Day. Since 1876 the Reds have been granted the privilege to open every game at home and they have done just that. Opening Day brings something to the table, there is electricity in the air, and everyone can feel it. As the old cliche says, "Everyone starts at the same spot" and everyone has the ability to start their trip to the World Series on Opening Day. So what is the appropriate response to Opening Day? Excitement, hope, and the chance at winning 162 games! So today we see a lot of different changes, some old faces brought into new positions. AL MVP and AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, newly acquired first baseman Prince Fielder take on the Boston Red Sox, now managed by Bobby Valentine. Johan Santana returns to the mound for the Mets, the first time since 2010. Stephen Strasburg returns to the "beefed up" Nationals hoping to get them above the .500 mark for the first time. After suffering a loss to the Cardinals last night, the Miami Marlins look to rebound in Cincinnati, placing new pitcher Mark Buehrle on the mound. NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw looks to take the Dodgers to the playoffs, and after the $2 billion purchase of the Dodgers by a group led by Magic Johnson, maybe the Dodgers can regain their former glory. Last and certainly not least, the Philadelphia Phillies look to take a lineup, tattered by injuries, into the City of Bridges against those ruthless Pittsburgh Pirates. A team that won 102 games and the NL East last year will hope to reclaim that title and maintain it without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for an unforeseen amount of time. Unfortunately for the Phillies, in the past 5 years, they are 6-10 versus the Pirates, and the Pirates had their best year since 2004 last year, and are still improving. So what will happen today on this Opening Day? Last year the Phillies had a walk-off win and the Texas Rangers had their own homerun derby. This year, who knows?

Ubaldo Jimenez: Public Enemy #1

I've seen a lot intentional throws at players throughout my baseball watching "career," but for some reason, this throw just seems to be even more cowardly then any other. Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez intentionally threw at Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki the other day in a Spring Training game at Salt River Fields. The pitch hit Tulo square in the back with a pitch that ended in a benches clearing incident. When looking at it, Jimenez states that Tulowitzki is a a good hitter, he was trying to get the ball inside, and it got away from him when he was releasing it. But if that were true Ubaldo, then why did you immediately look at the plate, then throw your glove down looking for a fight? In my opinion, and obviously in MLB's opinion, the pitch was intentional because Jimenez has been suspended for 5 games for the incident. Just look at the body language of the situation, Jimenez was looking to start something. Many will say that Ubaldo Jimenez still resents the fact that Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez received large contract extensions last year and he did not, which is why he went to the Indians. Jimenez was their best pitcher at the time, so why not lock him up until 2017 like they did with the other two? The fact is that many Rockies stated that Ubaldo's body language was no longer with the team in 2011, and he was just waiting to be moved to another team. In his mind, Cleveland was a Godsend. I don't know why anyone would think that, but I guess that's just how baseball works. Indians manager Manny Acta is furious with Major League Baseball for their decision to suspend Jimenez for 5 games, but he is happy that there will be an appeal. With the appeal going through, that means that Ubaldo Jimenez will be able to start on Saturday versus the Blue Jays. In my mind, I just keep thinking about how stupid Ubaldo looks right now, everyone saw him throw down his glove and look for a fight, challenging Tulowitzki to come at him. Grow up Ubaldo Jimenez.

Orioles with a Winning Season

Day in and day out, I spend my time with Orioles fans, and if you have recently looked at my Facebook, you will notice that I am also a fan. Now I know, "Taylor, you like the Phillies." True, but I am a Phillies fan raised by my parents who are a Phillies fan and an Orioles fan. My first baseball game that I can remember was at Camden Yards, and I have always had a love for the Orioles as far as I can remember. Are the Orioles a fan of me? Do the Orioles care about my wants and needs? My wants and needs as an Orioles fan is that I want them to succeed, I want them to have a winning season, and I want them to move out of the "cellar" of the American League East. But the front office of the Orioles keeps going against that dream, they keep making trades that help other teams, but not their own. What am I supposed to think when the Orioles are shopping around for offers for both Mark Reynolds and Kevin Gregg. The team cannot be based around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Mark Reynolds. That's not a strong enough core of players, but hopefully with the return of an always ailing Brian Roberts, and a strong season from Nolan Reimold might help out the O's cause. With the addition of Chris Davis at first, and J.J. Hardy returning at shortstop, the Orioles are still in a desperate need for pitching. Find me one pitcher on the Orioles starting rotation that is the "ace" or find me a definite closer on the team. ERA's are through the roof on that team and in the AL East, there's probably a good reason way.

It's hard to succeed in a division that has the competing rivalry of the Yankees and Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays have been strong ever since 2008, and the Blue Jays want to become contenders. Last year, the Yankees had 97 wins, the Rays 91, the Red Sox 90, and the Blue Jays finished at .500 with 81 wins. The Orioles need to step up their game, and having Buck Showalter as a manager certainly does help, but the absolutely need, need, need to obtain some serious pitching both in the rotation and in the bullpen. I for one am willing to have Cal Ripken Jr. come back as a coach, as a manager, as a consultant, and if the "Iron Man" is willing to, get onto the field and play. The last time the Orioles had a winning season was in 1997 and their best player was Mike Mussina. Ouch. So now, it is time to take back Camden Yards from all the New Yorkers and Bostonians that flock down to Baltimore! It is time to make a stand with the Orioles front office to force them to make the team succeed! And it is certainly time to see the Orioles win the American League East because: THIS IS BIRDLAND!

The Mexicutioner in Trouble

Many know the nickname, "The Mexicutioner" being Manny Pacquiao, but in Kansas City, Missouri, that nickname belongs to closer Joakim Soria. Soria just returned from a visit in Los Angeles to see a specialist and was told the he has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. What exactly does that mean? It means that Soria's biggest option to return to baseball is Tommy John surgery. The right-handed pitcher stated that he would speak to his family in Arizona before ultimately deciding what to do, but surgery is most likely the answer. With Tommy John surgery, Soria would be knocked out of the entire 2012 season just as he missed the 2003 season with the same surgery. How exactly do you have Tommy John surgery twice? Well apparently the same problem arises and once again the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) needs to be repaired. Losing Soria would be a great loss to the Royal's bullpen, mainly because he has been known to be such a great leader to a relatively young group a pitchers. And without him, the Royals will be forced to have a "closer by committee" set up in which Jonathan Broxton, Greg Holland, and Aaron Crow will be the frontrunners for the job. People don't realize just how important Joakim Soria is, the 27 year-old closer averages 37 saves a season, those numbers are similar to closers like Jonathan Papelbon and Brian Wilson. Soria unfortunately had one of the worst seasons this year in terms of saves with only 28, with missing time in May and also the last two and a half weeks of the season. In the 2012 season, "The Mexicutioner" had 43 saves, and the Royals had 67 wins, meaning that Soria saved 65% of the Royals wins. He finished second in saves that year, only behind Rafael Soriano with 45. Hopefully Joakim Soria can recover from his almost inevitable Tommy John surgery and come back healthy in the 2013 season. But as of right now, the Royals are just waiting to see what Soria wants to do.

Eye on the Ball Miguel

Ouch.

Sorry for the pun, but I simply could not resist. And that is right blog followers, it's a special "Two Blog Tuesday" in which I post two blogs about whatever I want! I debated talking about Joakim Soria's possible need for Tommy John surgery, Derek Holland's contract extension with the Rangers, but I feel as though Miguel Cabrera is a personal, and fan favorite. One of the best first/third baseman on the field right now will be taking a week off because of a non-displaced fracture of the orbital floor in his right eye. This came from a ground ball off hit by Hunter Pence in the Tigers loss against the Phillies on Monday. Apparently the ground was exceptionally hard that day because the hopper came up and struck Miguel Cabrera's sunglasses which possibly saved his eye. Cabrera was bleeding immediately because the ball hit his sunglasses which then cut into the area around his eye. His sunglasses even had an imprint of the ball's stitches on them. It must have been fate that Monday was the first day that Cabrera decided to wear sunglasses on the field. One could question whether or not that it was Cabrera's fault due to poor fielding, but he has only committed one error all Spring Training. The first person to come up to Miguel was pitcher Max Scherzer, who first made sure he could see, and then told him, "You're OK!" He said this to make sure that Cabrera didn't freak out because of the blood that was coming from his face. Cabrera was always on his feet, but was clearly dazed by the impact of the ball, and hopefully he will not have to start the season on the DL. Since Opening Day is two and a half weeks away for the Tigers, they hope Miguel will be ok and won't have any serious damage to his eye. Manager Jim Leyland stated that, "It was swelling up pretty quick. Basically, he looked like a fighter that needed a cut man and wasn't doing too good in the fight." Hopefully Miguel can keep up the good fight and have a speedy recovery.

Chase Utley you are the Man

Phillies fans are getting worried. Chase Utley is not doing as well as we would have hoped he would be at this point. With a chronic knee problem in both knees, Utley has left Phillies camp to go to an unknown specialist in an unknown location to have them looked at. With that being said, Utley will most likely start the season on the disabled list, just like last year. The Phillies are at a loss with Utley out of the lineup, the longterm 3-hole hitter, who is a .911 OPS hitter from 2005-2010. It's difficult to see Utley in a position where he was in 2011 where he only hit .259 with 11 homeruns. The 5 time All-Star had/has a Hall of Fame career behind him and he hopes to further that career after dealing with his knees. People have stated that Utley is possibly one of the best offensive second baseman of all time, but there are red flags rising. Chase has not appeared in one Grapefruit League game this Spring Training, and manager Charlie Manuel is worried. Many of the Phillies fear that Chase's problem is not going away and also fear that he may never be 100%. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has stated that Utley has his a plateau in his progress, and he is not where the team would like him to be. Phillies fans know that Chase Utley is not where he would like to be, mainly because Utley is one of the hardest working players out there, he has worked through this pain before. Surgery is one thing that has not really been discussed and it is hard to say because Utley has not discussed the matter publicly. In terms of temporarily replacing Utley, Freddy Galvis has been impressing the front office and coaching staff this Spring Training, and has been unofficially named the Opening Day second baseman. But looking at the lefthand side of the Phillies infield, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are now gone. Two All-Stars, two players who hit 3rd and 4th for the lineup since 2005/2006, the two players that have arguably contributed to the Phillies the most in the past 5 seasons, and key to their success in the National League East. Chase Utley is a fan favorite in Philadelphia, a player who gives 100% even when his body is only willing to give 50. He is a player who will never be booed by Phillies fans, which is saying something, because Chase Utley is a class act, and in the words of the late Harry Kalas, "Chase Utley, you are the man."

Those "Amazin" Mets

What happens when you are a team owner and you invest your money in a "legitimate business" to make a quick dollar? Well ask Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz and they'll tell you that it costs approximately $162 million in payoffs to victims of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme. 162? That's a number that sounds awfully familiar to a baseball fan, oh wait! It's the amount of baseball games in a season, which means that the Mets owners will being paying exactly One Million Dollars per baseball game. That's money that they could have invested into Jose Reyes' contract, or the future contract of David Wright. Maybe the Mets could have signed Prince Fielder, or Albert Pujols, but no, they have to pay off money which was issued by the United States Government. Wilpon, an owner since 1980, stated, "The first order of business and the first priority will be getting down to Florida tomorrow, getting to the Spring Training camp, and trying to bring the New York Mets back to the prominence that our fans deserve and the city of New York deserves." HAH! I will certainly laugh about that one later. If New York fans want to look a team that is successful and prominent, they should look 20 minutes across the city at Yankee Stadium to see a real team play. Or at least a team that fans and the city of New York deserves. Apparently Mets fans are supposed to "stick with us." But to be honest, if I were a Mets fan, I would have stopped being a Mets fan in 2007 when their "Amazin" collapse happened. I know that this blog post may be biased with me being a Phillies fan, but you have to look at this at a standpoint of a Mets fan. How dumb could your owner be to invest in something like Bernie Madoff's "Company" which MLB restrictions go against? That is money that could be spent towards free agents, towards new contracts for great players, and hopefully towards a World Series Championship! But meanwhile, ticket prices will most likely go up, players will not sign large contracts, and prospects will be traded away. Sorry Mets fans, but things are not looking too good for your team. Talk about a great 50th Anniversary...

Answering the Call of Duty: Jim Thome

For the first time since 2007, Jim Thome played first base on Monday's Minor League Spring Training Game. Thome played 4-innings at first for the first time since 2007 where he played a total of 8 innings at first for the Chicago White Sox. After the game he was questioned, "Just like riding a bike, right?" To which Thome replied, "Oh no. No, no." Many don't realize that Jim Thome is 41 years old, he's been in the Majors since 1991, which as of this season is 21 seasons ago. Plagued by back problems, old age (by baseball standards), and overall rust, Thome will have some trouble playing at first. In the Spring Training game, a ball went right by him, to which he replied, "The ball always finds you when you haven't been out there in a while." With Ryan Howard gone, who will play first? Or who will fill the void of RBIs and homeruns? Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, John Mayberry, Domonic Brown, and Jim Thome all can't play at once to fill the void. So what is Charlie Manuel to do while Howard out on injury? He hopes to have Thome there to play at first and is banking on around 200 at-bats. Unfortunately if Thome only pinch-hits and plays as the DH in Interleague Play, that means that he will still only have around 115 at-bats. (Most at bats of a pinch-hitter was Lenny Harris who had 83 in 2001 with the Mets). But Phillies fans aren't going to forget what Jim Thome has done for the city, hitting 47 homeruns in 2003 in the last season of Veterans Stadium. Thome is in the top 6 of homerun hitters in the past 10 years that isn't linked to steroids. He hit his 600th with the Indians in the 2011 season (finished with 604) and he hopes to have many more with the Phillies in 2012. There are some things that Thome has to re-learn at first, and he's hoping to get his mitt back into shape. I wish Thome luck in the 2012 season, and hope that he can play first at the best of his abilities. 

What Has Third Base Become?

A-Rod Steals Third on Adrian Beltre in Texas
(Ironic, I know)

The "Hot Corner" has become a position is looked at now almost more than any other position. Why you ask? Well I'll try to inform you. Third has now become a position where you have to field like a shortstop and hit like a first baseman. Before this off season (the year of the closer/first baseman), recent years have shown that third baseman are become more and more coveted by teams. Let's look at some of the recent trends at third. Who plays third base as of right now? Starting off the 2012 season, new third baseman, Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez will now take over third for the Miami Marlins thanks to Jose Reyes filling the shortstop position this off season. The defense on the left side of the field will not be as good as it was in '03 when they won the World Series, but it surely will be an improvement. But wait, who was that guy at third for the Marlins in 2003? Oh right, Miguel Cabrera. Since Prince Fielder has now taken over first for the Detroit Tigers, Cabrera is back to his original position in MLB at third. Want to know something remarkable about Cabrera? He's gained in the realm of 50 lbs from when he left the Marlins in '07. Playing third keeps you agile, and playing first, well look at Fielder. You can get big and still have great defense. So "Miggy" will certainly have to lose some weight to regain some agility and make sure he is able to field the ball well at third. Unfortunately for him, the 2012 Fielding Bible expects him to make plenty of errors throughout the season. So how does the average third baseman stack up to these power figures shifting to third? Unfortunately, he doesn't. How does the Chicago Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart stack up against A-Rod? He doesn't. How does Juan Uribe of the Dodgers compare to Ryan Zimmerman? He doesn't. The idea of a third baseman that can only field is out the door. Mark Reynolds of the Orioles does not have the greatest fielding percentage, but can hit 30 homers in a season. That's what the Orioles wanted, power! After signing Adrian Gonzalez to first base, the Red Sox were forced to move Kevin Youkilis back to third, which his defense lacked, but he still could drive in runs. Phillies fans can remember a time after Scott Rolen, when there was a platooning of David Bell (my favorite, seriously), Abraham Nunez, Wes Helms, and Greg Dobbs. In closing, I just hope that third base can become a position where baseball players can succeed, whether they are amazing fielders or power hitters, third base simply amazes me. In my opinion, there's almost nothing better than an "around the horn" double-play ball.

Brett Myers: A Closer Once More

For the first time since 2007, Brett Myers is once more a closer in the National League. The Houston Astros have formally announced Brett Myers as their new closer for the 2012 season after many delegations. This raises many questions of what will happen with the Astros rotation. In the past two seasons, Myers has started 67 games for the Astros with a record of 21-22, and ERA of 3.79, and 439 2/3 innings. In the National League Myers has the 5th most innings pitched as a starter, so how do the Astros easily move him only into the 9th inning? Well they have many young arms to take his place in the rotation, those arms being: Livan Hernandez, Zach Duke, J.A. Happ, Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris, Jordan Lyles, Lucas Harrell, Henry Sosa, and Kyle Weiland. Let's just say they have their fair share of minor league pitchers to choose from if one doesn't work out. So let's just say that the Astros are "set" in their rotation, but how does Myers stack up as a closer? In 2007, Myers went 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA with 21 saves. Not too bad, but compared to last year's closer Mark Melancon, who had 20 saves in the 2011 season, Myers could be a large improvement. But what do the Astros need to do to compete in the only division that has six teams? What do they need to do to win more than 56 games? My guess would be that they need to fix their team batting average of .258 and their team ERA of 4.51. While increasing one, and decreasing the other, there is no reason that the Astros should at least finish above the Cubs(?). Myers will have five weeks of Spring Training to get his arm ready to be a closer once more, I wish him luck in the 2012 season and hope he is a successful closer for the Astros.

Oh Those Crazy Nationals...

Screech!

By "popular demand" my resurgence of my blog is starting with the Washington Nationals and their silly antics in our nation's capital. Since the rebirth of a franchise in Washington D.C., the Nationals have had a goal of finishing at .500, which they did in their inaugural season of 2005, and almost completed this amazing feat at the end of this season, coming up one game short (80-81). Due to a rained out game with the Dodgers that they never made up, the Nats now think because they finished third, they are what we call "contenders." Now don't get me wrong, I never want to see anybody finish with 59 wins in a season, or constantly be in the cellar of a division, but I don't see it happening this season. As stated in previous blogs, the Miami Marlins are a new force not to be reckoned with, the Phillies are still dominant in pitching and are looking to reclaim the NL East for the 6th strait year, and the Braves are still trying to figure out what they did wrong at the end of last season (I purposely left out the Mets because they care more about rhinoplasty than baseball Nice Nose Niese). What exactly are the Nationals up to? For starters, the Nationals have recently signed a 6-year, $100 million contract extension with third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals traded for Gio Gonzalez earlier this off season with the Athletics and make him a dominant pitcher in the rotation. Stephen Strasburg is coming back this season after surgery, and Bryce Harper is said to probably make the team this season. A personal favorite of mine, Tyler Clippard is still on the team, and the Nats added Brad Lidge to their arsenal of bullpen arms. On a side note, the Nationals are trying a new campaign this season called, "Take Back the Park," which is supposed to stop Phillies fans from going to Nationals Park. Good luck with that, because Citizens Bank Park South is certainly a Philly fan favorite. So what are the Nationals going to do this season? I don't know, but what I do know is that the NL East is the division to watch this upcoming 2012 season because there certainly will plenty of surprises.