Dodgers, Dodgers, Dodgers....Yet it's the Giants in the lead. 1st half MVP= Kershaw although pitchers never win this. 1st half LVP=Carl Crawford 1st half ROY=Corey Seager. 1st half CY =Kershaw http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/16966011/jayson-stark-2016-mlb-midseason-awards
:idea: Frisco will be hard to catch. So much depends on the Dodgers getting back all their pitchers off the DL. McCarthy and Ryu both had starts before the All-Star break, so that helps, and they obtained Bud Norris from Atlanta. Watch for a big trade before the trading deadline. The Dodgers need a starting pitcher and a power hitter and they have a lot to trade. Obvious players on the trading block are OFs Yasiel Puig, rookie Andrew Toles, and Scott Van Slyke. They also have tons of pitching to trade both in LA and in the minors, with unlimited amounts of cash to speed things along...
Astro's win the sweepstakes for Cuban Yulieski Gurriel , who is a veteran of the Cuban National Team and apparently has had an outstanding career. He plays 3rd base and 2nd base. Nobody here can figure out what we will do with him though. Jose Altuve is not going to be moved off of 2nd base and we have a hot hitting Louise Valbeuna at 3rd base and our hottest minor league prospect is also targeted to 3rd base. He says of course he'll play anywhere. He is 32 y/o and who knows what his real age is, it's not like you can trust the ages of the players from the Caribbean. He's going to Astro's training center in Fla for awhile and then maybe a trip to AA or AAA to tune up before making the move to the big club by early August. Maybe they will use Valbuena as trade bait as we could use another starting pitcher for the stretch run.
Astros are now only 2.5 games behind the faltering Rangers. But we are still 3rd in the wild card standings.
Tim Lincecum might be done, Astros hammered him early and often yesterday on the way to a sweep of the Angels. Astros also announced that they are going to bring up their top minor league prospect in Alex Bregman. He's the first position player from the 2015 draft to make the Majors. Also the Cubs are reported to be getting bullpen help from the Yankees, Chapman, for a top minor league prospect.
JO'Co, Corey...is it hard to stretch out an SS arm to get him able to make the throws from deep left field? I have to assume since most SS are very athletic that the move per se to the outfield isn't that big a deal. Catching fly balls is catching fly balls..but making longer throws has to take some time to build up the strength with out injuring your arm would take some work.
Terry, Jim and Corey may contradict me, which would be OK by me, but my understanding of arm strength is, you either have it or you don't. Some guys are blessed with a strong arm, some aren't. Also, re: catching fly balls: Some have speed and range to catch more fly balls than others. Who is the SS you are thinking of?
Bobda, last Sunday (17th), I traveled to Detroit with my son and twin 9 yr. old grandsons for a sold-out, SRO game between the Tigers and the Royals. Great ballpark. We had a terrific time. We even got to see a walkoff HR in the bottom of the 9th for the Tigers win.
:idea: re: SS arms Sid is right. If a young SS has an inadequate arm, you move him to 2B. That's where middle IF with poor arms go...
Comerica is a really nice park, Sid. Hope you get a chance to visit Miller Park when the Cubs visit. Cubby fans have turned it into North Wrigley Field the past two years.
Sid I'm talking about the Astros Alex Bregman, we brought him up from the minors yesterday and he's a natural shortstop but is blocked at the MLB level by Carlos Correa. So the talk has been that he would play 3rd base, but then recently the Astros signed a Cuban player who is a 3rd baseman and he is expected to be with the big club pretty soon (has to get a work visa). So while Bregman started at 3rd last night he's likely to play LF for the Astros and maybe some DH as well. I was just wondering because I know that with pitchers who are moving from bullpen to the starting rotation they talk about stretching out their arms and having them toss the ball a lot in the outfield as a drill, each day throwing the ball further. I wondered if infielders who moved to the outfield had the same issue. Bregman could also play 2nd base but there is some guy named Jose who is a fixture at that spot as well!
Terry, the OF often is where players like Bregman go when the team can't find a place for them in the INF but want their bat in the lineup. I can't speak for the Astros, but if I'm a manager, I look for "decent" arm strength (which he should have if SS is his primary position) and speed. Last season, the Cubs played Kyle Schwarber in LF to get his bat in the lineup. His natural position is C, but he did a good job defensively in the OF. If I like my CF, I'm thinking he can get to the LF-CF gap quickly enough that my LF doesn't need blazing speed. If Bregman is a competitor, he'll play wherever they want him to play and be thankful that he's in the "show". I'm guessing that he is (a competitor).
:idea: Frisco has the worst record in baseball (2-9) since the All-Star break. Oh the humanity! Dodgers are 2 1/2 out. The trade deadline is two days away and the team wants two starters from Tampa Bay; Sale from the White Sox; and they want to dump Puig on somebody else... Note: they haven't played Puig in a week. He was faking an injury, because he didn't want to be traded, so they just sat him down. He's a .300 hitter, but he's also a royal pain in the arse...
8) Oh the humanity (Part 14) Frisco lost again. The Dodgers are now only one game out and the lights are going out all over the Bay Area. They may not be lit again in our lifetime... Picture this: the Nationals were beating the Giants 4-1 in the 8th inning, but Frisco loaded the bases with nobody out. The batter hits a line drive at the first baseman who steps on first base, then throws across the infield to third base for the ONLY 3-3-5 TRIPLE PLAY in the history of baseball! Oh MY! Every little kid in No-Cal went to bed crying tonight. God help me....but I do love it so... Roberts brought in Kenley in the 8th inning against last place Arizona tonight to make sure of the victory. The pennant race begins now!
The inter-league trade deadline is 1:00 O'Clock tomorrow. The Dodgers are after Jay Bruce of the Reds and two pitchers from Tampa Bay: Chris Archer and Matt Moore. Dodger pitcher Bud Norris went down with an injury today, so the need for starting pitchers is critical. The Dodgers are also rumored to be after the Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and pitcher Chris Sale of the White Sox, but those are long shots. The White Sox want teenage phenom Julio Urias, who is seen as the new Fernando here, so that seems unlikely. Puig was in the lineup today, so he may not be moved. We're hoping to unload that knucklehead somewhere... Jay Bruce was scratched from the Reds lineup today... The Dodgers AA minors team the Tulsa Drillers scratched their two best players from the lineup today. They're 1B Cody Bellinger and CF Alex Verdugo. Both of them are desired by every team in baseball, so they figure to be trade bait...
I guess the Astros are going to stay on the sidelines with impact trades at the deadline. We have needs for sure, but I'd rather they not give up young talent to get a player for this years pennant run. Even if it means we miss out on the playoffs.