Baseball Analysis...
It looks as if there's a bit of a race in the AL Central, mainly because the Indians keep winning and the ChiSox keep losing. Although it's difficult to pinpoint an exact reason for why this is occurring, I'd like to think that the reason lies in the fact that a) Chicago's pitching was overrated, and b) Cleveland's hitters were underperforming.
Look at the Cy Young candidates of the AL, and you can pretty much rule out Mark Buehrle in favor of Bartolo Colon. The same should actually be said for Jon Garland, but his win-loss record is still very good. Both candidates have tapored off in the second half, and this is part of the reason why the White Sox haven't clinched yet. Their problems also lie in the fact that they can't escape playing both the Tribe and the Twins, who are still capable of winning games despite the fact that their season is pretty much done...
Cleveland's hitters, meanwhile, have been fantastic. Peralta, Martinez, Sizemore and Hafner are all future stars, and even Casey Blake has been good in the second half. There aren't any free outs in the Indians' lineup, and that could be the difference down the stretch.
I'd also like to bust out my MVP and Cy Young votes for the AL...
MVP:
1) David Ortiz- He's been monstrous of late, and it's time that this whole "DHs are second-class baseball players" crap has to stop. Although I'm always a proponent of giving Manny Ramirez the "best in breed" for the Red Sox, Ortiz has been, well, the second coming of Mo Vaughn, who was an MVP in 1995.
2) Alex Rodriguez- He's only in second because the Yankees have all hit this year, and it's difficult to pin down one guy, no matter how awesome, for their success.
3) Vladimir Guerrero- The Angels can't really win without this guy. That's the definition of an MVP.
4) Paul Konerko- I'm going off the board here, but he really is the most dangerous hitter in that lineup, and the Sox would be in bad shape without him.
5) Manny Ramirez- Come on, he does have 122 RBI. He must be doing something right.
Others: 6) Sheffield, 7) Tejada, 8) Travis Hafner, 9) Chavez, 10) H. Matsui.
CY Young...
1) Bartolo Colon. He has recovered from an awful 2004 campaign, and he has the most wins. It's kind of a "he who has the most toys wins" situation with Cy Young voters and wins, and Colon's got more toys than the other kids. Arguably, he may not be the best pitcher on his team this year, as John Lackey is putting together a pretty awesome year.
2) Jon Garland. You sort of have to think that a White Sox pitcher will finish runner-up, because we've had to hear about their staff the whole frickin' year. So let's give Garland the nod here, mainly because he's been better than Buehrle the second half.
3) Johan Santana. He's been the best pitcher of the second half, and it really hasn't been close. But he's stuck with only 13 wins and he's on a third-place team, so he might get the shaft here. Back-to-back Cy Youngs would really put him in elite company, though.
4) Mark Buehrle. This was a slam dunk at the All-Star game. Buehrle would take his place among the game's elite, and validate an underrated career with a deserved Cy Young. Unfortunately, he had to pitch in the second half, and he's been sort of average. So I'm willing to go halfway- he's in the elite, but he won't get to validate his career with the trophy. Next year is a new year, anyway.
5) Cliff Lee. He is 16-4, with a 3.60 ERA. Plus, he's been way more consistent than the Cliff Lee who pitched last year, and his team could probably win the wild card.
On a side note, Cliff Lee is the quintessential example of the risk/reward that is trading prospects for stars in a pennant race. In 2002, Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee were dealt by the Montreal Expos (and they weren't the keys to the deal!) to the Cleveland Indians for a half season of Bartolo Colon. The Expos hung around, and Colon pitched great. But look at that trade now... it's really pretty lopsided. And this is with Colon being as great as he is.
6) Mariano Rivera. I actually think he could get voted much higher, and he probably should be. It would be a really nice sort of lifetime achievement award, and since none of the pitchers have really taken the lead, you couldn't really argue with it. But he is a closer and the discussion seems to be centered away from him. Plus, the Yankees may not make the playoffs, in which case nobody will vote for a Yank to win the Cy Young.
7) Zito, 8) Lackey, 9) Hermanson, 10) Freddy Garcia.
Look at the Cy Young candidates of the AL, and you can pretty much rule out Mark Buehrle in favor of Bartolo Colon. The same should actually be said for Jon Garland, but his win-loss record is still very good. Both candidates have tapored off in the second half, and this is part of the reason why the White Sox haven't clinched yet. Their problems also lie in the fact that they can't escape playing both the Tribe and the Twins, who are still capable of winning games despite the fact that their season is pretty much done...
Cleveland's hitters, meanwhile, have been fantastic. Peralta, Martinez, Sizemore and Hafner are all future stars, and even Casey Blake has been good in the second half. There aren't any free outs in the Indians' lineup, and that could be the difference down the stretch.
I'd also like to bust out my MVP and Cy Young votes for the AL...
MVP:
1) David Ortiz- He's been monstrous of late, and it's time that this whole "DHs are second-class baseball players" crap has to stop. Although I'm always a proponent of giving Manny Ramirez the "best in breed" for the Red Sox, Ortiz has been, well, the second coming of Mo Vaughn, who was an MVP in 1995.
2) Alex Rodriguez- He's only in second because the Yankees have all hit this year, and it's difficult to pin down one guy, no matter how awesome, for their success.
3) Vladimir Guerrero- The Angels can't really win without this guy. That's the definition of an MVP.
4) Paul Konerko- I'm going off the board here, but he really is the most dangerous hitter in that lineup, and the Sox would be in bad shape without him.
5) Manny Ramirez- Come on, he does have 122 RBI. He must be doing something right.
Others: 6) Sheffield, 7) Tejada, 8) Travis Hafner, 9) Chavez, 10) H. Matsui.
CY Young...
1) Bartolo Colon. He has recovered from an awful 2004 campaign, and he has the most wins. It's kind of a "he who has the most toys wins" situation with Cy Young voters and wins, and Colon's got more toys than the other kids. Arguably, he may not be the best pitcher on his team this year, as John Lackey is putting together a pretty awesome year.
2) Jon Garland. You sort of have to think that a White Sox pitcher will finish runner-up, because we've had to hear about their staff the whole frickin' year. So let's give Garland the nod here, mainly because he's been better than Buehrle the second half.
3) Johan Santana. He's been the best pitcher of the second half, and it really hasn't been close. But he's stuck with only 13 wins and he's on a third-place team, so he might get the shaft here. Back-to-back Cy Youngs would really put him in elite company, though.
4) Mark Buehrle. This was a slam dunk at the All-Star game. Buehrle would take his place among the game's elite, and validate an underrated career with a deserved Cy Young. Unfortunately, he had to pitch in the second half, and he's been sort of average. So I'm willing to go halfway- he's in the elite, but he won't get to validate his career with the trophy. Next year is a new year, anyway.
5) Cliff Lee. He is 16-4, with a 3.60 ERA. Plus, he's been way more consistent than the Cliff Lee who pitched last year, and his team could probably win the wild card.
On a side note, Cliff Lee is the quintessential example of the risk/reward that is trading prospects for stars in a pennant race. In 2002, Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee were dealt by the Montreal Expos (and they weren't the keys to the deal!) to the Cleveland Indians for a half season of Bartolo Colon. The Expos hung around, and Colon pitched great. But look at that trade now... it's really pretty lopsided. And this is with Colon being as great as he is.
6) Mariano Rivera. I actually think he could get voted much higher, and he probably should be. It would be a really nice sort of lifetime achievement award, and since none of the pitchers have really taken the lead, you couldn't really argue with it. But he is a closer and the discussion seems to be centered away from him. Plus, the Yankees may not make the playoffs, in which case nobody will vote for a Yank to win the Cy Young.
7) Zito, 8) Lackey, 9) Hermanson, 10) Freddy Garcia.
posted by mike at 7:02 PM
2 Comments:
Don't overlook Ortiz's defensive skills.
True. Somebody has to protect the on-deck circle.
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