Results tagged ‘ AL ’
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)
Bryce Harper & Mike Trout: New Season, Different Start
When Bryce Harper and Mike Trout were called up to the Major Leagues last season, both, coincidently, on the same day (April 28th), Trout started off his season tearing it up out of the gate, while Harper struggled a bit before finding his groove to finish out the season s
trong.
Both would go on to win the 2012 Rookie of the Year, however, this season around, it’s Harper who is making some noise to start the year, while Trout is off to somewhat of a rough start. Things are certainly not playing out like I had expected.
Bryce Harper blasted two home runs on Opening Day, and now sits at five home runs for the season. Harper also currently holds a .372 batting average, including 10 RBI’s, through eleven games played. Mike Trout, on the other hand, has a mere batting average of .245, with no home runs and only one RBI, through the same number of games played. While there’s still plenty of time left in the season, in which either Harper or Trout could continue on their current paths or have things turn around, it’s something worth noting, nonetheless.
Which leads me to my main question, of if Harper will keep up his hot start and if Trout will continue to struggle. For both, I say no.
Harper is going to have an incredible year, but he’s by no means going to hit for a near .400 average all season long, as well as keeping on his current pace to blast 80 home runs and 160 RBI’s. I see Harper slowing things down in the coming weeks, to lower his stats back down to a realistic level. Even so, I’m predicting him to finish the season with even better stats than last year, with a .315 batting average, to go along with 32 home runs and 98 RBI’s. (But as with most predictions, this is all merely speculative.)
As far as Trout goes, he’s bound to bounce back to being his normal superstar self, increasing his batting average and squaring up the baseball more often. Trout’s just in a bit of a slump that he’s sure to pull out of before too long. If I had to make a prediction for how he’ll finish the year statistically, I could see Trout slugging 26 homers and batting in 80 runs. Slightly down from the monster numbers he put up last season, but the poor start he’s off to is sure to have an effect on his long-term stats.
In the end, however, both Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are likely to have stellar seasons.
That’s almost a sure bet.
Who will have the better 2013 season: Harper and Trout? Will either win MVP? Leave a comment below.
Top 10 Story Lines I’m Planning to Watch In 2013
We’re just over 48 hours away from the start of the 2013 MLB regular season, and I couldn’t be more excited. Baseball fans everywhere are making final predictions as to how they feel things will play out, as players are making their final preparations for the long 162 game season. As my last blog post until the season begins, I wanted to do a brief overview of the top story lines I’m planning to keep an eye on in 2013. They may differ slightly from yours, but I feel I covered nearly all of the major topics:
1. How the Astros will fare in the American League:
Having lost 107 games in the National League in 2012, I’m watching the Astros, not for how good they’ll do, but for how bad they’ll do. Sorry to any Astros fans reading this post, but there’s no denying that the odds are against the Astros going into the 2013 season. Playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, with the newly revamped Angels, they’re likely to have just as bad of a season as last year, if not slightly worse. I’d say it would be considered a good year for the Astros if they finish with less than 100 losses.
2. If Bryce Harper and Mike Trout can keep up their 2012 R.O.Y. seasons:
Posting some incredible stats, leading to one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history, I’m going to keep a closer eye on Mike Trout than I am Bryce Harper, but I’m planning to watch Harper nonetheless. Both won the Rookie of the Year award in 2012, for their respective leagues, and it should be interesting to see if their amazing rookie years will transfer into the 2013 season. I’m predicting Trout will once again have a 30/30 season, with Harper possibly recording the first 30 home run season of his career.
3. Who will hit the most home runs in 2013:
The 2012 home run leaders consisted of Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson and Josh Hamilton, as the 1-2-3 guys, and if it wasn’t for an injured Granderson, I could see all three being near the top of the rankings again in 2013. However, with Granderson out with an injury for the first portion of the year–while I see Cabrera once again leading all players in homers, with Hamilton coming in a close second–it will likely be a new face who will round out the top three. Maybe it’ll be a guy like Adam Dunn, who’s a free-swinger? Or maybe a guy no one saw coming, who will have a breakout season? It will certainly be fun to keep track of.
4. If A-Rod comes back healthy, if at all:
While it’s 100 percent certain that Alex Rodriguez won’t return to the Yankees’ lineup until late July, there is the slight chance that he could miss the entire season. However, if A-Rod is able to work his way back this season, after having hip surgery in January, it should be very interesting to see if he can become a decent player once again. While Rodriguez will never be the great player he once was, if healthy, he has the ability to make an impact for the Yankees. Although I’m not the biggest fan of A-Rod, I still hope he comes back healthy. But I find it very unlikely that he will ever again play at a competitive level.
5. How the rookies, such as Wil Myers, will impact their teams in 2013:
I discussed this a couple months ago, in my blog post on the Top 100 prospects going into the 2013 season, but this time around I’m only focusing my attention on a handful of rookies who I feel will have the biggest impact for their team this season. Wil Myers is the number one guy on my radar, with Shelby Miller, Jurickson Profar and Billy Hamilton being the other three main rookies I plan on keeping track of. Myers was the minor league player of the year, in 2012, and I fully see him posting more of the same stats, as he begins the the year with AAA Durham. Of the four, Miller is the only player that is starting in the majors to begin the year, but they should all make it to the big leagues at some point this season, and are sure to each play a key role in their teams’ success.
6. How the Upton bro’s do for the Atlanta Braves:
You could argue that, with the addition of both Justin Upton and B.J. Upton to roam the outfield with Jason Heyward, the Braves have the best all-around outfield in all of baseball. All three players have great range, giving them the ability to make plays on balls that other outfielders couldn’t get to, but furthermore, they all have the talent to impact their team offensively as well. Both Upton’s, as well as Heyward, have the ability to blast 25+ home runs and 85+ RBI’s, as well as steal a good amount of bases. If they can perform to their potential this season, combined with the great lineup and pitching rotation they already had, the Braves could be an outstanding team.
7. What kind of a year players who ended 2012 injured will have in 2013:
The reason A-Rod had his own category, and wasn’t included in this one, is merely because his return is uncertain. All of the players in this category didn’t play at all after their injury in 2012, and will make a guaranteed comeback, within at least the first few weeks of the season. With that said, the most impactful players to end last season with an injury, that I’ll be watching in 2013, include Derek Jeter, Troy Tulowitzki and Mariano Rivera.
Mariano Rivera tore his ACL in May, while Derek Jeter fractured his ankle in October, with neither playing any more games for the remainder of the year. Rivera is expected to be ready to go Opening Day, though a slight setback for Jeter will force him onto the disable list to begin the year. In my opinion, the 2013 performances of both Jeter and Rivera will be the deciding factor for what kind of season the Yankees have. If Jeter can return quickly, and Rivera can post his usual stellar numbers, I see the Yankees being just fine.
Troy Tulowitzki injured his groin in May of last season, and although it appeared he would return towards the end of the year, he remained sidelined for the remainder of the season. A healthy Tulowitzki can impact the Rockies more than nearly any other player in all of baseball, though he hasn’t been able to stay healthy for the majority of his career. While I can’t see the Rockies finishing any better than last in their division, I’m planning to watch “Tulo” nonetheless, to see if he can finally have a successful, fully healthy season.
8. How the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Angels perform with their new additions:
The Blue Jays, Dodgers and Angels made the biggest splashes of nearly every other team in all of baseball this past offseason; at least of the teams that stand a chance of competing. Many have the Blue Jays going the distance, and winning it all, with the key additions of Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, to name a few, though I don’t see it happening. I find myself siding more with the opinions of those who are betting on the Dodgers and Angels to have a great season.
The Angels’ major addition of the offseason was undoubtedly Josh Hamilton, who, with the help of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, has the ability to transform the Angels into an extremely competitive team. Hamilton might end up being the piece the Angels were missing last season, that will help them make the playoffs in 2013.
The number one addition of the offseason for the Dodgers was Zack Greinke, though they also acquired Hyun-Jin Ryu, the highly praised LHP from Korea. Adding them both, to go along with their already deep pitching rotation, could end up making the Dodgers a team to be reckoned with in 2013.
9. Whether or not the Nationals make it to the World Series:
Last season, Nationals’ manager, Davey Johnson, made the bold statement that he should be fired if the Nat’s didn’t make the playoffs in 2012. Luckily for Johnson, they did, for the first time since 1933. This season, however, it’s “World Series or bust” for the Nationals, and although I was a bit skeptical last year, I’m not putting it past them to make it all the way to the World Series this season, for what would be the first time in Nationals’ franchise history. With a fantastic lineup, as well as one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, they should go far in the coming season, though they’ll have to make it past the favorited Braves, who many (myself included) have winning the division.
10. Which team(s) will have an unexpected breakout season:
Every season, it seems, there is a team or two that unexpectedly takes the baseball world by storm. On paper, they shouldn’t be winning, but yet they come together as a team and are able to do amazing things. The 2012 example would be the Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles, as the majority of baseball fans, going into the 2012 season, didn’t see the O’s and A’s exploding the way they did. Truly showing that baseball is extremely unpredictable. Any team has the chance to defy the odds, which is part of what makes baseball so great. Anything can happen.
Which story line from above are you most looking forward to? Leave a comment below.
Jeter & Rivera Make 2013 Debuts; Rivera to Retire
The baseball world spent most of Saturday focused on the New York Yankees; more specifically, on Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Both played in their first official games since being injured last season–Jeter with a broken ankle, Rivera with a torn ACL–and, not all that shockingly, both had great Spring Training debuts. A good sign for the Yankees. 
But the big news of the day wasn’t the debuts of two veteran Yankees, but rather the announcement by all time saves leader, Mariano Rivera, that the 2013 season would be his last.
“Now is the time”, stated the 43-year-old Rivera, in an early morning press conference. “I have given everything, and the time is almost ending. The thing that I have, the little gas I have left is everything for this year. After that, I’ll empty everything. There’s nothing left. I did everything, and I’m proud of it. That’s why it’s time.”
The time would have come at the end of the 2012 season, had Rivera not have suffered from a torn ACL. An injury which occurred while Rivera was shagging fly balls–his normal pregame routine–during batting practice in Kansas City. But, as expected, Rivera didn’t want to go out like that.
No, not Mariano Rivera. Wanting to go out on his own terms, he has far greater plans.
“The last game, I hope, will be throwing the last pitch in the World Series”, said Rivera. “That’s how I envision to be my last game of my last pitch on the mound. Winning the World Series, that would be my ambition.”
A great ambition indeed, but one that will be somewhat hard to pull off, in my opinion. As although I foresee the Yankees barely making the playoffs this year, with all of the injuries the team currently suffers, I’m not so sure they can make a deep playoff run.
For Mariano Rivera’s sake, I sure hope I’m wrong.
Having already broken a number of MLB records in his 18 seasons, all spent with the Yankees, the 12-time All-Star already has a resume to go out as one of the games’ greats, but a sixth World Series ring would obviously be icing on the cake.
It would truly make for a storybook ending to a storybook career.
2013 Durham Bulls Fan Fest
About a year ago, I made the statement that I’d love to take batting practice and play catch on a professional baseball field, should the opportunity ever present itself. Little did I know that there was a way to make my wish a reality, as the local Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Durham Bulls, hold a fan fest twice a year, giving fans the chance to participate in both of the activities I was looking to take part in.
When I first learned that there was such a thing as fan fest, in October of last year, I already had a vacation planned with my family, so I unfortunately couldn’t attend. Therefore, when it was announced that they were holding another one in March, I made sure to mark the date on my calendar.
I wasn’t going to miss it this time around.
Accompanied by my dad, I arrived at fan fest at 12:30, right at an hour and a half after the gates first opened:
The line you see extending from the batting cage is (obviously) the line of fans waiting for their chance to hit.
With the line being so long (continuing further out of the frame in the picture above), we decided to go ahead and play catch first. So we made our way down the steps, and into the outfield:
All of the balls were being used when we first arrived–we weren’t told to bring our own, though I think most people did–however, a couple of kids were nice enough to let the both of us play catch with them, in a square formation, of sorts.
After the four of us played catch for around 30 minutes, the plan was to head to the batting cage, to take some hacks, but after watching a few people take their turn, it came to my attention that you only received five swings. Knowing that I would more than likely swing and miss on every pitch, I figured it wasn’t worth it. So after a stop in the Bulls’ dugout….
….I decided to take a trek around the outfield warning track:
Here’s what it looked like from straight away center field:
From where I was standing, it’s exactly 400 feet to home plate.
I continued my walk, ending up over by the blue monster….
….where I had my picture taken, just before my dad and I made our way out of the ballpark:
I had a great time at Bulls fan fest. It’s something I’d recommend to anyone, if you’re ever in the area when they hold it. But then again, it’s hard not to have fun anytime baseball is involved.
All of the pictures were taken on my phone, so if they seem a bit blurry, that’s why.
Matt Huddleston
