No Video, but Final NL Award Predictions

MVP

Justin Upton- The obvious choices would be Braun or Kemp. However, it’s hard to overlook what Upton did for the D-Backs in 2011. Of all NL candidates Upton was the only one who played defense, with a 7.7 UZR.  His offense held Arizona’s lineup together all season; and, he was the biggest reason his club made it to the playoffs (besides maybe Kirk Gibson).

Cy-Young

Clayton Kershaw- Kershaw is taking home the 2011 NL Triple Crown, with 248 strikeouts, a 2.28 ERA, and 21 wins. He also led the NL in WHIP at 0.977. Kershaw dominated all season (he was 4-0 against Tim Lincecum) and it would be a travesty for him to not take home the Cy-Young in 2011.

ROY

Craig Kimbrel- NL rookies put together strong seasons in 2011, but the voters like saves. Kimbrel had a lot of them, so much so that he led the National League with 46. He also had a 2.10 ERA. An absurd 127 strikeouts, in 77.0 innings (a 14.8 K/9), tops out the list of strong peripherals.

MOY

Kirk Gibson- No manager had a bigger impact on their club in 2011. Did anyone expect the D-Backs to compete? Gibson molded his team of misfits into a competitive powerhouse that was one hit away from an NLCS bid.

2011 World Series

Now that I've got my AL and NL playoff previews up you can see I'm predicting a Milwaukee vs. Detroit World Series. This isn't too far from my preseason predictions (had Detroit losing to the Red Sox in the ALCS; predicted Milwaukee in the World Series).

As for a World Series prediction, I'm going with Milwaukee. The Brew Crew come in with the hot hand (which San Fran had last season) and they are the most complete team out of any in the playoffs. The pitching is strong, and the offense has huge punch. I just don't see anyone beating them. Plus, with this probably being Fielder's last season in Milwaukee (I put it at 85%) then I'm sure there's a sense of urgency to get this done. They've played as a strong team all season long, no reason to stop now.

Streamlining the NL

I want to get this up before the NL gets too far in the playoffs so my predictions seem legit and not based on what's already happened. So, that means it will be more a summary and less stats; and it will be written and not video (don't worry, I'm not done with the videos). Starting from worst chance to best here's my predictions:

4. St. Louis Cardinals
Offense: They've got Pujols, what more do you need? The lineup has a strong middle of Pujols/Berkman/Holliday, but the rest of the lineup is filled with good average guys who don't add a lot in the power or speed department.
Pitching: Lackluster rotation that was hurt a lot when Wainwright went down before the season even started. Dave Duncan keeps these guys going, but don't be fooled by their lucky numbers. Lack of an ace hurts.
Summary: The Cards capitalized on a stagnate Atlanta club to get into this postseason, but don't be fooled. They really have no chance and their lack of strong pitching makes them an easy elimination, for the well armed Phillies, in round 1.
Key Player: Any starting pitcher- someone has to stop these great staffs in the NL.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks
Offense: Not amazing, but decent. Everyone contributes in their own way. Justin Upton is having a fantastic season and don't count out the clout of Miguel Montero. Outside of those two they look average, but if you underestimate them it'll hurt.
Pitching: Really strong underrated rotation. Kennedy had an amazing season, Hudson is a strong number 2, and Saunders had a solid bounce back season. The 'pen is very strong too.
Summary: I love these guys, they really surprised me this season. I think it's a great group and I'd love to see big things, but I just don't think it'll happen this year. The pitching is great and the offense good, but they face the hot hand of the Brewers in round 1 and they're just better.
Key Player: Kirk Gibson- the manager has held this team together all season long and he can't sleep on it now.

2. Philadelphia Phillies
Offense: If their name isn't Victorino or Howard you can relax. They could use a boost from Chase Utley, but he's seemed on his last leg all season. They really aren't too threatening, and rely on power. OBP and speed is lackluster.
Pitching: Do I need to say anything? Their rotation is probably the best out of all playoff teams. The 'pen can be shaky early on, but the 8/9 guys are dominant.
Summary: The pitching is stellar, but the offense is old and lagging. San Francisco proved last October that Halladay isn't immortal and you can beat these guys. Philadelphia will have to power up the bats if they want to return to the World Series.
Key Player: Chase Utley- the pitching is awesome, but they need more contributions on offense. All these rotations are good and they can't rely on low scoring games; Utley has to get his bat back to snuff and put runs on the board.

1. Milwaukee Brewers
Offense: The best of the bunch. They can hurt you 1-9. Braun and Fielder are the best 3/4 combo amongst playoff teams and they will hurt you anyway they can. They have a little bit of everything in the lineup (OBP, speed, power, average); you just can't relax on these guys.
Pitching: I think this rotation can easily go toe-to-toe with the Phils. Gallardo, Greinke, and Marcum have all had good seasons; and, they were at their best down the stretch. The 8/9 combo of K-Rod and Axeford is stifling. They're underrated and a lack of proper preparation will get your lineup mowed down.
Summary: I find Milwaukee the class of the NL. They do everything well. The NL is a pitchers league, but you always need at least 1 run to win a game. Milwaukee is the only team that effectively combines hitting and pitching to create a dynamic and explosive ball club.
Key Player: Rickie Weeks- I honestly think he is the most important guy on this club. His play really sets the tone for the team, whether it's hitting a leadoff home run or turning a critical double play. They need him playing at full tilt to bring out their explosiveness on both sides of the ball.

Take us to October: Double AL Video Post!

Awwwwwww yeeeeah! You read it correctly! Today we're doing a double video post. One will be a break down of October predictions in the AL (who's going to be there, and who's going to the World Series); the second is a video about award predictions in the AL. I'll be filming my NL videos in the next couple days and we'll have them up soon. Thanks everyone!

 

Amendment: in my video I incorrectly say that Jose Bautista is the WAR leader in the MLB. However, it's actually Jacoby Ellsbury. So, I might remake this video. It's hard to say A-Gon is a leader in the MVP race, and not Ellsbury or Pedroia, but then if all three are MVPs on their team how can they really be an MVP? Yes, I know that was confusing. It breaks down to: really there are a lot of great MVP candidates in the AL besides the three I listed and I think it really could go any direction.

Take us to October: AL Standings

VLOGGING!

Hey Everyone! Obviously, I didn't make too well on my promise to start blogging again after the All-Star Break. This summer has been crazy and I think I underestimated that when I went into this. However, I've discovered a new method to help push this thing along. I think I'm going to try and do a lot more vlogging. What's that you might say. Well VIDEO+BLOGGING=VLOGGING! I've discovered it's a lot easier to nab some stats off the 'net and just ramble on about them than it is to write out a piece.

I'll be uploading my videos on here, but also if you're a youtube member you can subscribe to my channel. I'm going to try and keep up a steady pace, so we'll just see where things go. I will also be writing pieces from time to time, just not as often.

Thanks everyone for your continued support and for sticking with me and dealing with my flaky blogging-ness.

My Hiatus

Hey everyone. I know I have not posted in a long time. Things have been crazy with school, and taking two, four week, summer classes has not helped. The hiatus will probably continue for a little while, but I hope to get back into the swing of things by the All-Star game. At that point my summer classes will be over and I'll be able to plow forward through the rest of the season. As a final pre-hiatus post I'd like to touch on the All-Star voting. It's absolutely ridiculous. Ballots, for starters, close Friday and there are going to be some big snuffs. I've touched on some below and I hope if you haven't voted, you do so, and give these unappreciated players some love. 

AL: 
Snuff 1: Russel Martin over Alex Avila

Martin started off hot, but since then has dramatically cooled down. He's batting .229/.336/.398 with 9 homers. The .336 OBP is kind of impressive when put in perspective with his .229 batting average; but a .398 SLG is putrid. Meanwhile, Avila is hitting .303/.373/.406 with 10 bombs and an impressive 52 walks. 

Snuff 2: Derek Jeter over Asdrubal Cabrera
Could be the biggest All-Star snuff this season. Jeter is at the bottom of the barrel for shortstops right now, batting a horrid .259/.324/.324, with only 2 home runs. It's pretty bad when your OBP is equal to your SLG. Meanwhile Cabrera has been a refreshing change at the position, batting .292/.344/.488 with 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He doesn't draw too many walks, but he makes great contact, has power/speed, and plays some really good defense. He deserves to be starting. 

NL: 
Snuff 1: Albert Pujols over Prince Fielder
I know, Pujols is the best hitter in baseball... but, this season he has not proved that. He got to a really slow start and only back up to hitting .278/.355/.500 with 17 home runs and only 45 RBIs. Meanwhile, Fielder (.305/.425/.610, 21 home runs, 68 RBIs) has been a beast for Milwaukee and much more deserving of starting honors. Pujols plays better D, that's for sure, but Fielder's bat is more than enough of a resume.

Snuff 2: Brandon Phillips over Rickie Weeks
Weeks is making progress in the voters polls, but how this one even came to be flabbergasts me. Phillips is having a pretty good season (.290/.345/.405), but his power and speed have been lacking (6 homers, 4 bags). Weeks has a better slash line (.290/.359/.498), but Phillips plays better defense so maybe he deserves the edge. HOWEVER, Weeks has 14 bombs, and 7 stolen bases, much better than Phillips.

Snuff 3: Troy Tulowitzki over Jose Reyes
What is it with shortstops that the voters just can't get it right? I like Tulo, a lot, and his offense has been pretty solid (.272/.334/.488). His 14 bombs well outpace Reyes' 3. As far as defense goes, both play a very good shortstop, with Tulo getting a bit of an edge. However, the real difference is overall offense. Reyes is on top of the NL in batting average and having a hell of a year (.341/.385/.513) with 28 bags, and an astonishing 14 triples. Tulo has more homers, but Reyes is outpacing him in SLG and just about every other offensive category.

As far as outfield goes for both divisions there are some spots that could go either way so I don't see them as snuffs. I know these are just votes for starters, and all of these guys will probably make the team, but some players deserve that honor of being a starter and being noticed by the fans. It's a shame that the voting is so team biased and I wish they could develop a better system to give fans full knowledge of how good some of these guys are. Below are my picks for who I'd love to see start these games. 

AL:
C- Alex Avila (Detroit Tigers)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez (Boston Red Sox)
2B- Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)
SS- Asdrubal Cabrera (Cleveland Indians)
3B- Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees)
OF- Jose Bautista (Toronto Blue Jays)
OF- Curtis Granderson (New York Yankees)
OF- Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox)
SP- Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers) 

NL:
C- Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)
1B- Prince Fielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
2B- Rickie Weeks (Milwaukee Brewers)
SS- Jose Reyes (New York Mets)
3B- Placido Polanco (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF- Matt Kemp (LA Dodgers)
OF- Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers)
OF- Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks)
SP- Roy Halladay (Philadelphia Phillies)