Miguel Cabrera On Pace for Triple Crown….Again
Homering three times in Sunday night’s game versus the Texas Rangers–increasing his season stats to 11 homers and 47 RBI’s, to go along with a .387 batting average–there’s no denying that Miguel Cabrera is currently the best hitter in all of baseball. Having won the Triple Crown last season–the first player to do so since Carl Yastrezemski, in 1967–Cabrera is currently on a good pace to do so again, as he’s already ahead of his 
stats from last year; some by a fairly good margin.
Through 43 games played, Cabrera is batting 83 points higher, with three more home runs and thirteen more RBI’s than he had through the same number of games last season, in which he won the Triple Crown. If Cabrera can continue his hot pace, he stands a good chance of becoming just the third player in the history of Major League Baseball to win two Triple Crown awards in their career–Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby being the other players. (No player has ever accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons.)
As is to be expected with a player as good as Cabrera, many are beginning to form comparisons of his stats to other players’, such as HOFer Hank Aaron, as well as star players, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez. ESPN even went as far as to say that Miguel Cabrera is the Babe Ruth of our generation, in a tweet after Cabrera’s three home run performance Sunday night. While I strongly disagree with that statement, I do agree that Cabrera is one of the best hitters the game has ever seen.
Therefore, although there’s still a lot of the season left, in which anything can happen, Miguel Cabrera is a player you need to be keeping an eye on. Regardless of if he wins his second straight Triple Crown award, you’re watching a player that will inevitably go down as one of the games all-time greats, once all is said and done. That alone is reason enough to take the time to appreciate just how good Miguel Cabrera is while he’s still around.
My Thoughts On More Replay In Major League Baseball
There’s been more talk lately about expanding instant replay in baseball than there ever has been in the history of the game. This coming due to advancing technology, and with that technology comes concerns that more needs to be done to get the calls right every time. (Something that truly can’t be done.)
But the topic of increasing what’s reviewable and what isn’t is controversial among many. Some feel that things need to be left just the way they are, sighting the human error element that’s always been part of the game, however, others are saying that as long as you have the technology, you should use it.
I stand somewhere in between.
I love the idea of getting every call right, but at the same time, I don’t see how that would be possible, and I somewhat enjoy the human element to the game. If you lose that, it’s not the same game anymore. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don’t. That’s the way it works. But I understand wanting to get the call right more often than not.
The main complaint that comes from those who oppose further replay is that it would lengthen games, which have historically increased in length over the past few decades. If you begin reviewing everything, a game which already takes roughly three hours to complete, could begin taking closer to four, depending on the events of any given day.
The only thing I see as being “unreviewable” is balls and strikes. While there’s no denying that umpires blow a few calls of the strike zone every game, there’s also no denying that reviewing every single close strike call isn’t a realistic option. There’s absolutely no need to do so, nor is there the time to do so. Other than that, everything is discussable for possible replay, in my mind.
But while everything other than balls and strikes is worthy of replay discussion, not every close play needs to be reviewed. Some things will have to be left off the list of reviewable plays or it’ll turn into a big joke of reviewing every single close call. I would hate to see that happen. But this is where it gets complicated: What should be reviewable and what shouldn’t? And why choose some things and not others?
My thoughts, looking at all of the possible controversial plays that can take place in a game, are that the major plays worth reviewing are the ones in which runs are scored; be it a questionable home run, trapped/caught ball in the outfield in which a run does or doesn’t score, fan interference that would’ve scored a run, and close plays at the plate. If it could be argued one way or another, it should be reviewed. As far as everything else, it doesn’t involve a run scoring, and I feel the umpires do a decent job of those type of plays for the most part.
So, to sum everything up as best I can, I’m for more replay in baseball, to an extent. You’ll never be able to get every single call right, but if you can increase the chance that the outcome of the game doesn’t turn out differently than it should have because of a blown call, by reviewing certain run scoring plays, why not make an attempt to try?
What do you think: Should there be more replay in baseball?
How Much Better Can the New York Yankees Get?
When I made the bold prediction a couple months ago that the New York Yankees would have a great season despite all of the injuries to their lineup, going as far as to say they’ll make the playoffs, I didn’t have many people behind me, agreeing with my opinion. And that’s fine, I’m used to it. But now I get the pleasure of early-season bragging rights, as the Yankees have hung in there, sitting atop the American League East.
Though there’s still a lot of the season left, I think things will only go up from here.
Let me point out that while I predicted a playoff run, I was going more on a wild card spot, rather than a division title, getting them in. I never saw them above second or third place throughout the season. But now, with them sitting in first place, combined with Curtis Granderson expected to return any day, I could see the Yankees extending their lead even further; especially once Mark Teixeira returns next month.
What it’s come down to for the Yankees is the stepping up of every single player in the lineup. Not just the key fixtures, in Robinson Cano, Ichiro Suzuki and even Brett Gardner, but the newcomers in Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Travis Hafner. Everyone up and down the lineup has been doing a great job of not worrying about who they’re missing and just going out and playing great baseball–going 16-0 when they score first, so far this season.
The Yankees are certainly being helped out by the other teams in the division, which have been playing fairly poorly as of late–the Red Sox are 4-8 this month–but that’s not to take anything away from them. They’ve been surprisingly good for a surprising long period of time.
But just how good can the Yankees become?
If you ask me, the first month of the season is a sign of things to come. Once the Yankees get back their big bats in Granderson and Teixeira, they’ll get even better, which may seem impossible with the way they’re currently playing. If their pitching rotation can keep on the same pace, though it could always be better, I can fully see the Yankees making the playoffs, as I originally predicted.
R.A. Dickey and David Price On Pace for Rare Feat
Normally when you’re talking about a couple of former Cy Young award winners having a rare season, it’s a good thing, but in this case, it’s just the opposite. Both R.A. Dickey and David Price, who won the Cy Young last year, are off to poor starts this season, putting them with in line to join elite company.
Just five times since 1967, when the Cy Young award began to be given out to a pitcher in each league, have two first-time winners in the same season gone on to have poor seasons the next year–the award originated in 1956, but was given out to just one pitcher each season until 1967.
The select group of players who won their first Cy Young awards only to go on to have poor next seasons include: Jim Lonborg and Mike McCormick, in 1967; Hall of Famers, Steve Carlton and Gaylord Perry, in 1972; John Denny and LaMarr Hoyt, in 1983; Willie Hernandez and Rick Sutcliffe, in 1984; as well as Bob Welsh and Doug Drabek, in 1990.
While it’s looking like Price and Dickey may join them, it’s still far too early to count them out just yet. They’ve proven to be too good of pitchers. But it’s something worth looking at, nonetheless.
R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win the Cy Young award, last year, when he went 20-6, with a 2.73 ERA, however, so far this season he’s experiencing far less success, going 2-5, with a 5.06 ERA, through his first eight games pitched. The one thing that’s most noticeable for Dickey this season is that his knuckleball doesn’t have the late, drastic movement it had last year. Unless he finds a way to get back on track, I don’t see Dickey having a very good season, as the knuckleball doesn’t leave much room for error.
David Price became the first Rays pitcher to win the Cy Young award, in 2012, going 20-5, with a 2.56 ERA, but he’s been struggling this year, having gone 1-3, with a 4.78 ERA, over his first eight games of the season. Price had a decent start his last time out, but his command just doesn’t seem to be there this season, for one reason or another. I could see Price having a better overall season than Dickey, however, if he doesn’t figure things out, Price is likely to still have a disappointing 2013.
Whether or not R.A. Dickey and David Price can turn things around is something that only time will tell. If the first month of the season is any indication, it’s not looking all that promising, but these kind of things are unpredictable; part of what makes baseball such a great sport.
David Ortiz Extends Hit Streak: Worth Watching Yet?
David Ortiz didn’t waste any time extending his hit streak to 27 straight games in Tuesday’s game versus the Twins, singling in his first at-bat of the game. Given, only 15 of the games in Ortiz’s streak have come this year, with the remaining 12 carrying over from last season, but it’s still an
impressive streak, nonetheless. Which begs the question: When do you need to start paying attention to a hit streak?
To me, a hit streak doesn’t become worthwhile until a player passes the 30 game mark. Up until then, it’s not all that rare of a feat. But once a player begins to climb up through the thirties, as a baseball fan, you generally begin to pay attention–speculating how far the particular player can take it.
Of course, the all-time hit streak is held by Joe DiMaggio, who hit in an unbelievable stretch of 56 straight games, from May 15, 1941 through July 16, 1941. A record which many believe will never be broken–the ultimate feat for a baseball player.
But while it’s a long-shot that Ortiz will go on to pass Joe DiMaggio–if he does, playing in every game, the record breaking hit will take place on June 8th in Boston–many are disputing over whether it should count as a streak at all; saying that a true hit streak is one that takes place over the course of a single season. I somewhat agree, but at the same time, I’d love to see a guy like David Ortiz be the one to break the record. He’s one of those guys who you can’t help but root for.
David Ortiz sits 12 games shy of the all-time hit streak for a designated hitter, and 29 games back of the all-time hit streak in the history of Major League Baseball.
UPDATE
David Ortiz went hitless in his next game, ending his streak at 27 games.
2013 All-Star Game Ballot: The Players I Voted For
It seems a bit too early to be thinking about the 2013 All-Star game, which doesn’t take place until July 16th, but the ballots have already been released, allowing fans all across the 
country to cast their votes for who they want to see participate. Therefore, I figured I’d take the time to type up a blog post discussing who I voted for, and why I voted for them.
Keep in mind, with it being so early, I voted for players I felt would be the best at their position around the All-Star break; given their current stats and past history–there might be a little bit of favoritism thrown in their as well. The All-Star ballot is mostly a popularity vote, anyway. (If you’d like to cast your own vote, up to 25 times, CLICK HERE. But no hurry; you have until July 4th to do so.)
So, with all of that said, here’s my 2013 All-Star Game ballot:
FIRST BASE–Prince Fielder (AL) Joey Votto (NL)
For my American League vote, it came down to Prince Fielder and Mike Napoli. Normally, I would’ve voted for Fielder without a second thought, but Napoli has really been performing well this year, so I had to at least consider him. But in the end, I decided on Fielder, for his overall track record and defensive skills at first.
My vote also came down to two players in the National League: Joey Votto and Ryan Howard. Both are having good seasons so far, and both have great gloves at first base, but I voted for Votto, just because I feel he’s the better player at the current moment, and will probably be so in July.
SECOND BASE–Robinson Cano (AL) Brandon Phillips (NL)
I glanced at Dustin Pedroia’s stats for a few minutes, but for me, the AL portion of this vote is a no brainer. There’s no other second basemen in all of baseball with a better combination of power, range and overall defensive abilities than Robinson Cano. Thus, I voted for Cano, who should see himself taking part in his fourth straight All-Star game.
It would’ve been easy to pick Chase Utley for NL second basemen, with him having a great comeback season, but I couldn’t overlook Brandon Phillips. Though he doesn’t supply the same amount of power as Utley, Phillips still has some pop, but I picked him for his glove alone. Other than Cano, Phillips is the smoothest-looking second basemen in baseball.
SHORT STOP–Jed Lowrie (AL) Troy Tulowitzki (NL)
As much as I wanted to, and almost did anyway (why not?), I couldn’t vote for Derek Jeter to play short stop in this year’s All-Star game, for the AL. With the further setback to his ankle, there’s doubt that Jeter will even be back by then, thus he wouldn’t be able to participate. So I ended up settling on Jed Lowrie. He’s having a fairly good season thus far.
The National Leauge portion of the short stop position was far more difficult to decide. When you have guys like Starlin Castro, Troy Tulowitzki and Andrelton Simmons to choose from, it makes things difficult. But in the end, I went with Troy Tulowitzki, who, if he can keep up his hot start, should be a front-runner for comeback player of the year.
THIRD BASE–Miguel Cabrera (AL) David Wright (NL)
Choosing between guys like Miguel Cabrera, Manny Machado and Evan Longoria, the AL third basemen position took me the longest of them all to decide on, but I went with Miguel Cabrera. Having won the Triple Crown in 2012, and currently sitting just back of the leaders in average and RBI’s, Cabrera stands just above the rest.
I nearly went with Ryan Zimmerman for the NL third basemen, but I changed my vote to David Wright. Wright is one of the best defensive third basemen in all of baseball, and his ability to hit for average as well as power is unmatchable. Wright should easily make the cut to take part in his seventh career All-Star game.
CATCHER–J.P. Arencibia (AL) Buster Posey (NL)
Joe Mauer is having a better season so far than J.P. Arencibia, in terms of batting average, but I decided to vote for Arencibia, nonetheless. Arencibia has never participated in an All-Star game, in his three full season career, but I hope this year things turn out differently. He certainly has the talent, but it’s going to take continued success to make it.
This could’ve been somewhat of a difficult decision, having to choose between Brian McCann and Buster Posey, but given that McCann is yet to play in a game this season, I went with the obvious choice of Posey. On pace to have the best season of his career, Posey is sure to be behind the plate for his second straight All-Star game.
DESIGNATED HITTER–David Ortiz
Designated hitters, Travis Hafner, David Ortiz and Mark Trumbo are all having fantastic seasons so far, but going off of who is performing the best at the current moment, there’s no argument that it’s Ortiz. Considering the fact that he’s on a 23-game hit streak, dating back to last season, I’d say there’s no other DH who deserves a vote more than Ortiz.
OUTFIELD
It’s never easy to narrow down 47 players to just three, especially when you could make a strong case for a dozen of the outfield choices for each league, but it’s a requirement when casting a vote. So while I voted for the players who I felt were All-Star caliber players, there are a few more I would’ve liked to vote for, but couldn’t. Keep that in mind when reading the outfielders I selected for the AL and NL:
Mike Trout, Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Morse (AL)
There’s no doubt that both Mike Trout and Yoenis Cespedes are worthy of the All-Star game, however, Michael Morse is somewhat debatable. Even so, I voted for Morse to participate. I feel that although he doesn’t hit for a high average, nor does he make gold glove caliber plays, Morse is deserving of his first career All-Star game.
Bryce Harper, Justin Upton, Ryan Braun (NL)
Voting for Bryce Harper, Justin Upton and Ryan Braun meant leaving out players such as Matt Kemp, but I feel these three are most deserving of the All-Star game. All are off to great starts so far this season, each leading their team in home runs and RBI’s, and therefore, I felt each was worthy of my vote.
So there you have it: My 2013 All-Star game ballot. I might end up regretting a few of the players I voted for, as their stats might fall short of where I’m predicting them to be in July, however, it is what it is. I’d be happy with whoever participates.
Latest MLB Leaders (March 31st-April 30th)
With the first full month of the 2013 MLB season in the books, I thought I’d take the first day of the new month to recap the season thus far. It’s been exciting, as well as disappointing, depending on how you look at it, and who you’re rooting for.
Instead of talking about the events that have taken place so far this year, I decided to make a list of different categories and beside them name the player(s) that lead that particular category. I did the same thing last year, and it was so well-received that I wanted to do it again this season. I’m planning on posting an entry like this on the first day of each month. (That would make 5 more of these if you’re keeping score at home.)
The following lists are categorized into hitting and pitching, but NOT AL or NL:
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- HITTING
Most Games Played-Five tied for most. (28)
Most At-Bats-Jay Bruce, Manny Machado and Martin Prado. (115)
Most Hits-Four tied for most. (37)
Highest Average-Carlos Santana (.389)
Highest OBP-Shin-Soo Choo (.477)
Highest SLG-Justin Upton (.734)
Most Runs-Austin Jackson (25)
Most Doubles-Mike Napoli (13)
Most Triples-Four tied for most. (3)
Most Home Runs-Justin Upton (12)
Most RBI’s-Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis. (28)
Most Base On Balls-Joey Votto (26)
Most Strikeouts-Chris Carter (46)
Most Stolen Bases-Jacoby Ellsbury (11)
Most Caught Stealing-Gerardo Parra and Eric Young. (4)
Most Intentional Base On Balls-Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun. (6)
Most Hit By Pitch-Shin-Soo Choo (10)
Most Sacrifice Flies-Miguel Montero (4)
Most Total Bases-Justin Upton (69)
Most Extra Base Hits-Mike Napoli (18)
Most Grounded Into Double Plays-Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Kendrys Morales. (7)
Most Ground Outs-Ben Revere (55)
Most Number Of Pitches Faced-Joey Votto (542)
Most Plate Appearances-Joey Votto (132)
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- PITCHING
Most Wins-Clay Buchholz, Yu Darvish and Matt Moore. (5)
Most Losses-Philip Humber (6)
Best ERA-Jake Westbrook (0.98)
Most Games Started-48 tied for most.
Most Games Pitched-Brad Ziegler (17)
Most Saves-Four tied for most. (10)
Most Innings Pitched-Adam Wainwright (44.1)
Most Hits Allowed-Joe Blanton (47)
Most Runs Allowed-Edwin Jackson (28)
Most Earned Runs Allowed-Matt Cain and Philip Humber. (25)
Most Home Runs Allowed-Brett Myers and Marco Estrada. (10)
Most Strikeouts-Yu Darvish (58)
Most Walks-James McDonald (20)
Most Complete Games-Jordan Zimmermann (2)
Most Shutouts-Eight tied for most. (1)
Best Opponent Avg.-Matt Moore (.121)
Most Games Finished-Sergio Romo (13)
Most Double Plays Achieved-Lucas Harrell (10)
Most Wild Pitches-Jeff Samardzija (6)
Most Balks-Alfredo Aceves and Shawn Camp. (2)
Most Stolen Bases Allowed-Edinson Volquez (9)
Most Pickoffs-Julio Teheran, Clayton Kershaw and John Lannan. (2)
Most Batters Faced-C.C. Sabathia (177)
Most Pitches Thrown-Justin Verlander (649)
Stanton Heating Up: Still Bound For A Subpar Season?
After failing to hit a home run in his first 17 games of the season, Giancarlo Stanton has started to heat up lately, as he’s blasted (and I do mean blasted) three home runs in his past two games. But while this is certainly great for both Stanton and the Marlins, you have to question whether 
it will actually play out over the remainder of the season.
If Stanton continues to tear it up at the plate, it’s likely he’ll find himself getting walked more and more, as there’s really no one in the Marlins’ lineup that can hurt a team as much as Stanton.
If Stanton can’t swing the bat, he can’t hit home runs.
Taking a look at Stanton’s stats so far this season, the additional walks are already taking place. Having only been walked 46 times last year, in which he hit 37 homers, Stanton is on pace to reach base via walk 78 times; that’s going off him playing 123 games like last year.
Assuming Stanton stays healthy for most of the season, resulting in more games played, it’s not all that hard to imagine him getting walked over 100 times. If he still continues to rake, perhaps even more than that.
So where does that leave Giancarlo Stanton?
The absolute best thing that can happen to Stanton is for him to get traded. A big blockbuster trade would be beneficial to both Stanton, helping him to somewhat salvage what’s sure to be a non-Stanton season, as well as the Marlins, gaining them some key pieces that will help them win more games down the road.
Stanton alone, while he’s an incredibly talented player, isn’t going to win the Marlins games. Maybe a few, here and there, but not enough to affect the outcome of a season. They need more than just one guy.
Therefore, sitting just four home runs shy of the 100th for his career, while Giancarlo Stanton will undoubtedly reach the milestone sometime within the next week or two, I see it being the last milestone he’ll achieve in a Marlins uniform.
4/24/13 Durham Bulls Vs. Toledo Mud Hens
I hadn’t been planning on attending this game–under normal circumstances I probably wouldn’t have–but I was trying to accomplish what I was unable to do the last time I was at the ballpark: Get an autograph from Rays’ number one prospect, Wil Myers. That was my main reason for being there, on what turned out to be a fantastic day for a ballgame: 
I figured with it being a day game there wouldn’t be as many people at the ballpark, making it easier to get autographs. I was partially right, as while there was a decent amount of people at the game, there were fewer than usual autograph seekers. But in the end, fewer people didn’t do much good, as just like the first Bulls game I had attended, a couple weeks ago, Wil Myers didn’t sign for me. It was very frustrating.
But I didn’t let it bring me down, as the game itself was far more exciting. With there being fewer fans than usual, you could basically sit wherever you wanted, and I ended up sitting in the fourth or fifth row to start the game. The close proximity to the field made the game all that more enjoyable. (Not that I don’t always have a great time at the ballpark.)
Bulls’ starting pitcher for the game, Jake Odorizzi….: 
….didn’t do as well as I had expected him to (though he would get the win) giving up a solo-shot to the third batter of the game, Nick Castellanos, who would go 3-3 for the game.
The home run was a very big deal for me because (for those of you who don’t know) Castellanos is the Tigers’ number one prospect, and baseball’s 21st overall prospect. My heart literally skipped a beat when he crushed the ball out onto the center field grass and I was still seated in the infield. I looked on for a few minutes, fully expecting someone to run out there and grab it, but to my surprise, no one did. A few people went over to have a look, but no one grabbed it. I couldn’t stand to just sit there, so I decided to see if I could make it over in time to get the home run ball.
Now, something you have to realize, at the Durham Bulls ballpark, it’s not a mere walk to the outfield. There’s a big flight of stairs you have to climb before you can make the trek over. During that climb, I had my eye off of the center field grass for nearly half a minute, and I was worried that during that short period of time, someone had gone out to get the ball. But thankfully, when I finally made it to the outfield, in what must’ve been record time, I saw a little white speck over in the grass. I patiently waited for three outs to be recorded before I jumped the short fence, and trotted over to grab the ball: 
This was Nick Castellanos’ second home run of the season, and just the 19th of his career.
After grabbing the ball, I decided to stay seated in the outfield for a few more innings, just in case anyone blasted a home run onto the grass, but looking back, that was a dumb decision. I ended up getting sunburnt, and as I sit here typing this, my arms tingle with every keystroke. (Perhaps not wearing sunscreen was the dumb decision?)
Anyway, when it became apparent that no one was going to hit a home run in my direction, and that my arms were turning red, I gave up my outfield view, for my original seat, where I had begun the game: 
I know it doesn’t appear to be, but the seat I was in had just fallen into the shade. It felt good to not have my skin roasting anymore.
Since I had been in the outfield for the majority of the game up until this point, I had missed Wil Myers’ first two at-bats. Therefore, I ended up taking roughly 30 pictures of Myers (I won’t share them all, don’t worry) beginning with his third at-bat of the game….: 
….and continuing with him above the dugout….: 
….in the on-deck circle….: 
….and ending with him on first base, after singling in his final at-bat: 
I went a little Myer’s-crazy. I know. I admit it. But hey, it’s Wil Myers.
The Bulls would go on to win the game, 9-8, despite an attempted comeback from the Mud Hens, who scored four runs in the top of the eight inning. I failed, yet again, in getting Myers to sign for me after the game, but I was able to get Mike Fontenot to autograph a card for me. So it wasn’t a total loss for the day, autograph-wise.
It remains a top priority for me to get an auto from Wil Myers, and although I won’t be able to attend tonight or tomorrow night’s game, if he’s still with the Bulls when they return home from an 8-game road trip, on May 6th, I plan on going back. It’s certainly a challenge to get an autograph from Wil Myers, but I generally enjoy challenges, and refuse to give up.
Top MiLB Prospects Ready To Make MLB Impact
There are numerous top prospects set to make an impact in the major leagues this season, as I wrote about a few months ago, but for this particular post, I’m only focusing on the players who are ready right now to get a callup to the big leauges; but are yet to, for one reason or another. Keep in mind, as you’re reading through my list, the players (in no particular order) I’ve included are yet to play a single game in the majors:
The first player I feel is major league ready is Wil Myers. I’ve done a few blog posts on him in the past, about how I felt Myers has been ready for awhile, and I really don’t see the point of leaving him down in the minors. Batting .304, with a homer and 12 RBI’s, so far this season, Myers is one of those players who I could see thriving at the next level. The Rays need to give him a shot, in my opinion.
Bruce Rondon is off to another great start, so far this season. Through seven innings pitched, Rondon hasn’t allowed any runs, while limiting the offense to a .179 batting average. Having been clocked at over 100 miles per hour in the past, combined with the closer role for the Tigers still a weak point, I’d say it’s time for Rondon to be called up, and just see how he performs.
A guy who’s not on everyone’s radar, but has the ability to make a big impact in the major leagues is Donnie Joseph. Limiting the opposing batters to a .125 average, including a 1.35 ERA and 12 strikeouts, through 6.2 innings pitched, so far this season, Joseph is ready, in my mind, to show off his stellar stuff in the majors, with the Kansas City Royals.
Though I’m not quite jumping onboard with the thoughts of others that Mark Montgomery will be the next Mariano Rivera for the Yankees, I do agree with many of them, that Montgomery is going to be a star at the major league level. Though he’s still young, at age 22, having only pitched in just over 100 innings, his career 1.61 ERA goes to show just how good Montgomery really is, and in my mind, how ready he is.
Mike Zunino is the last player on my list of players ready for the major leagues, but as the saying goes, he’s certainly not least. If anything, Zunino is near the top of the list, having hit 5 home runs and batted in 21, in just 13 games so far this season. These stats fall in line with his 13 homers and 43 RBI’s in just 44 games last season, and lead me to believe that he’s ready to face big league pitching.
Some honorable mentions, of player who are getting close to being major league ready, but aren’t quite, include: Bryce Brentz, Kyle Gibson, George Springer, Sonny Gray, Nick Franklin, Jarred Cosart, Michael Choice, Christian Bethancourt, Zack Wheeler, Wilmer Flores, Danny Hultzen and Nolan Arenado.
All are showing tons of major league potential, and the majority of those players should see time in the major leagues at some point in the second half of this season. The remaining few will get their first glimpse of the majors in the early part of 2014.
Matt Huddleston
