And finally, the big one. The award that every player,
pitcher or positional player, dreams of winning. The Most Valuable Player
Award. Who will be the most outstanding, and subsequently the most valuable,
player in each league in 2019? Well, if you’re using my predictions as a gauge,
I can tell you that this is your first mistake, but even a blind squirrel
eventually finds a nut. At least I hope, anyway.
If I am going to be wrong anyway at least I will be able to
say looking back on these predictions that I was bold. The easy pick to win the
American League MVP Award is to pick Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo
Stanton, etc., but that’s not me. I am picking Houston Astros infielder Alex
Bregman. Bregman quietly had a great season in 2018 and is still only 24-years
old, he turns 25-years old later this month. Bregman is just not ENTERING his
prime and is still putting up the .286/.394/.532/.926 slash with 31 home runs
and 103 RBI that he put up in 2018. The sky is the limit for this guy, folks,
and I think that sky peaks this season with an AL MVP Award. Plus, he hates
Boston possibly as much as I do… which isn’t nothing.
If I go bold in the AL, I have to go bold in the National
League as well, right? I mean, it’s only fair, so with my National League pick
I am going to go with a right-handed hitting first baseman out of the
Philadelphia Phillies organization. His name is Rhys Hoskins, and not only will
he win the NL MVP Award, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that he
wins the 2019 State Farm Home Run Derby as well. Book it, it’s happening. Hoskins
turns 26-years old this month and is coming off a season where he hit .246/.354/.496/.850
with 34 home runs and 96 RBI. Now he has Andrew McCutchen and others protecting
him and getting on base in front of him, so look out for him here in 2019.
Those are your MVP Award winner predictions, and I guess
they could go down as bold predictions as well. Check back with me in November
or so to see how well, or not-so-well, I did. Enjoy!
Alex Rodriguez. What more can be said by us that hasn’t already been said a million times throughout his career and especially over the last week. With Alex retiring rather than harping on one thing here or one thing there why don’t we just bring you his entire career timeline and let us battle it all out in the comments section or on Twitter? Sounds like a good idea to me so here we go, the Alex Rodriguez career timeline.
- Alex was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners on June 3, 1993 and decides to sign rather than attend the University of Miami on a full baseball scholarship.
- Alex was not long for the minor leagues as he made his MLB debut on July 8, 1994 at shortstop against the Boston Red Sox inside Fenway Park. He was 18-years old. The very next day he would record his first hit finishing the game 2-for-4.
- It would take almost a full calendar year before Alex recorded his first home run and it came on June 12, 1995 against Kansas City Royals hurler Tom Gordon. It would another two calendar year’s later that Alex recorded his first ever cycle on June 5, 1997. Alex was the fifth youngest to ever do it and he did so at the expense of the Detroit Tigers.
- Alex went from fan favorite to villain on Dec, 11 2000 after leaving Seattle via free agency for the Texas Rangers on a 10-year deal worth $252 million. This is easily the largest contract at the time in all of professional sports.
- Four years later he went from being hated to being reviled after accepting a trade to the New York Yankees on February 16, 2004 for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later. Texas agreed to pay $67 million of the $179 million still remaining on his contract thus beginning his Yankees tenure.
- On April 26, 2005 Alex Rodriguez went off on Bartolo Colon and the Los Angeles Angels to the tune of three home runs and 10 RBI in a single game. A Rod also joined the 400 home run club on June 8th and won his second AL MVP Award in November after slugging 48 home runs.
- On August 4, 2007 Alex joins the 500 home run club against the Kansas City Royals. Alex is the youngest member to do so and only the 22nd in MLB history. Alex would win his third AL MVP in 2007 after slugging 54 home runs and knocking in 156 RBI but not before opting out of his deal during the World Series leaving $72 million on the table. Alex would sign a new deal with the Yankees on Dec, 17 2007 worth $275 million over 10 years just a day after going on 60 Minutes and telling the world that he has never used steroids or human growth hormones. The Mitchell Report, which was released on December 13, says otherwise.
- Bombshell. On February 7, 2009 Sports Illustrated announced that Alex had tested positive for steroids back in 2003 and days later Rodriguez admitted it on national television while being interviewed by Peter Gammons. Alex was out with a hip injury at the time and would miss the beginning of the 2009 regular season.
- Alex broke out in a big way in 2009 during the postseason including his Game 2 game-tying home run in the ninth inning against Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan eventually giving the Yankees a victory. In 15 playoff games that postseason Alex hit .365 with six home runs and 18 RBI leading the Yankees to the World Series.
- Another year, another drug scandal for Alex. This time it came on February 28, 2010 when Alex was linked to Tony Galea, a Canadian doctor facing charges for smuggling drugs into the United States, according to the New York Daily News. No charges were filed and no suspensions were levied. Later that season Alex joined the 600 home run club on August 4th joining six other players to do so.
- On December 3, 2012 it was announced that Alex would have to have his other hip surgically repaired and he did not return to the field until well into the 2013 season. He did not return before Jun 4, 2013 when ESPN broke the news that 20 players were linked to an anti-aging clinic down in Florida known as Biogenesis. Alex was one of those players, of course he was. On August 5th of that year it was announced that Rodriguez would be suspended 211 games, Alex immediately appealed and continued to play in the next Yankees game.
- A few nights later on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball the Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster intentionally threw behind and at Alex four different times before Alex got his revenge hitting a home run off the Boston righty later in the contest. Alex mocked David Ortiz’s home run trot and pose at home plate rubbing salt in the wound.
- On September 20, 2013 Alex set a Major League record when he broke a tie with Yankees great Lou Gehrig when he hit his 24th grand slam of his MLB career.
- 2015 was Alex’s last hurrah as he not only recorded his 3000th hit on June 19, a solo home run off Justin Verlander, but he also hit his 660th and 661st home runs of his MLB career tying and eventually passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list.
- 2016 was a different season and has been a different story for the Yankees DH though and on August 7th, 2016 he announced that today, August 12th, would be his final game in his MLB career after 22 MLB seasons. Alex finishes his career just a few home runs away from 700 home runs in his career.
There were so many more things and events that I could have touched on but there was just not enough time in the day and enough space on the blog. That’s how you know you’ve put up great stats and had a great career. It’s had its ups and downs and boy was it full of controversy for a long, long time but time heals all and time can begin the healing process now. Alex is done. Career over. Alex wins.
Alex Rodriguez. What more can be said by us that hasn’t
already been said a million times throughout his career and especially over the
last week. With Alex retiring rather than harping on one thing here or one
thing there why don’t we just bring you his entire career timeline and let us
battle it all out in the comments section or on Twitter? Sounds like a good
idea to me so here we go, the Alex Rodriguez career timeline.
-Alex was drafted first overall by the Seattle
Mariners on June 3, 1993 and decides to sign rather than attend the University
of Miami on a full baseball scholarship.
-Alex was not long for the minor leagues as he
made his MLB debut on July 8, 1994 at shortstop against the Boston Red Sox
inside Fenway Park. He was 18-years old. The very next day he would record his
first hit finishing the game 2-for-4.
-It would take almost a full calendar year before
Alex recorded his first home run and it came on June 12, 1995 against Kansas
City Royals hurler Tom Gordon. It would another two calendar year’s later that
Alex recorded his first ever cycle on June 5, 1997. Alex was the fifth youngest
to ever do it and he did so at the expense of the Detroit Tigers.
-Alex went from fan favorite to villain on Dec,
11 2000 after leaving Seattle via free agency for the Texas Rangers on a
10-year deal worth $252 million. This is easily the largest contract at the
time in all of professional sports.
-Four years later he went from being hated to
being reviled after accepting a trade to the New York Yankees on February 16,
2004 for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later. Texas agreed to pay
$67 million of the $179 million still remaining on his contract thus beginning
his Yankees tenure.
-On April 26, 2005 Alex Rodriguez went off on
Bartolo Colon and the Los Angeles Angels to the tune of three home runs and 10
RBI in a single game. A Rod also joined the 400 home run club on June 8th
and won his second AL MVP Award in November after slugging 48 home runs.
-On August 4, 2007 Alex joins the 500
home run club against the Kansas City Royals. Alex is the youngest member to do
so and only the 22nd in MLB history. Alex would win his third AL MVP
in 2007 after slugging 54 home runs and knocking in 156 RBI but not before
opting out of his deal during the World Series leaving $72 million on the
table. Alex would sign a new deal with the Yankees on Dec, 17 2007 worth $275
million over 10 years just a day after going on 60 Minutes and telling the
world that he has never used steroids or human growth hormones. The Mitchell
Report, which was released on December 13, says otherwise.
-Bombshell. On February 7, 2009 Sports
Illustrated announced that Alex had tested positive for steroids back in 2003
and days later Rodriguez admitted it on national television while being
interviewed by Peter Gammons. Alex was out with a hip injury at the time and
would miss the beginning of the 2009 regular season.
-Alex broke out in a big way in 2009 during the
postseason including his Game 2 game-tying home run in the ninth inning against
Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan eventually giving the Yankees a victory. In
15 playoff games that postseason Alex hit .365 with six home runs and 18 RBI
leading the Yankees to the World Series.
-Another year, another drug scandal for Alex.
This time it came on February 28, 2010 when Alex was linked to Tony Galea, a
Canadian doctor facing charges for smuggling drugs into the United States,
according to the New York Daily News. No charges were filed and no suspensions
were levied. Later that season Alex joined the 600 home run club on August 4th
joining six other players to do so.
-On December 3, 2012 it was announced that Alex
would have to have his other hip surgically repaired and he did not return to
the field until well into the 2013 season. He did not return before Jun 4, 2013
when ESPN broke the news that 20 players were linked to an anti-aging clinic
down in Florida known as Biogenesis. Alex was one of those players, of course
he was. On August 5th of that year it was announced that Rodriguez
would be suspended 211 games, Alex immediately appealed and continued to play
in the next Yankees game.
-A few nights later on ESPN’s Sunday Night
Baseball the Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster intentionally threw behind
and at Alex four different times before Alex got his revenge hitting a home run
off the Boston righty later in the contest. Alex mocked David Ortiz’s home run
trot and pose at home plate rubbing salt in the wound.
-On September 20, 2013 Alex set a Major League
record when he broke a tie with Yankees great Lou Gehrig when he hit his 24th
grand slam of his MLB career.
-2015 was Alex’s last hurrah as he not only
recorded his 3000th hit on June 19, a solo home run off Justin
Verlander, but he also hit his 660th and 661st home runs
of his MLB career tying and eventually passing Willie Mays on the all-time home
run list.
-2016 was a different season and has been a
different story for the Yankees DH though and on August 7th, 2016 he
announced that today, August 12th, would be his final game in his
MLB career after 22 MLB seasons. Alex finishes his career just a few home runs
away from 700 home runs in his career.
There were so many more things and events that I could have
touched on but there was just not enough time in the day and enough space on
the blog. That’s how you know you’ve put up great stats and had a great career.
It’s had its ups and downs and boy was it full of controversy for a long, long
time but time heals all and time can begin the healing process now. Alex is
done. Career over. Alex wins.
