Every Team’s 2017 Regular Season MVP… Because Why Not?

Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale

New York Yankees: Aaron Judge

Baltimore Orioles: Jonathan Schoop

Tampa Bay Rays: Steven Souza Jr.

Toronto Blue Jays: Justin Smoak

Cleveland Indians: Corey Kluber (could have been one of many players though)

Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier

Detroit Tigers: Michael Fulmer, because Justin Upton was traded

Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer

Chicago White Sox: Jose Abreu

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Mike Trout

Texas Rangers: Elvis Andrus

Houston Astros: Jose Altuve

Seattle Mariners: Nelson Cruz

Oakland Athletics: Khris Davis

New York Mets: Jacob deGrom

Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon

Atlanta Braves: Freddie Freeman, as a first baseman or a third baseman.

Miami Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton

Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Nola

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant

Milwaukee Brewers: Eric Thames because I feel bad giving it to Travis Shaw for half a season

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen

St. Louis Cardinals: Tommy Pham, potential Rookie of the Year if it weren’t for Cody Bellinger

Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger

San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey

Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt

San Diego Padres: Brad Hand, because who else would it be?

Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon

Leave your thoughts, gripes and disagreements below in the comments section. This was all for fun though, treat is as such. Thank you in advance!

All-Star Game Snubs: The Offense Edition

Widespread change has come to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in 2017 including a reduction of roster size from 34 players to 32 players and the elimination of the game determining home-field advantage in the 2017 World Series. With the changes and the reduced number of players attending the game and representing their team and their league the amount of snubs that undoubtedly happen every season are up. Here are a few of the snubs I feel should have made the game, if I missed any or if you disagree please leave them below in the comments section. Thank you.

Kris Bryant was thought to be a shoe-in at the beginning of the season for an All-Star selection one would think, even if he was deserving it or not. The Chicago Cubs fans came out in droves last season electing seven of their own including the entire infield at the 2016 All-Star Game but this season despite strong numbers Bryant was not voted or selected to the All-Star Game. At the time the vote was announced Bryant had an OPS of .901 with 16 home runs and 53 walks. Third base is a stacked position for the NL right now but wow, leaving Kris Bryant off is a tough pill to swallow for me.

Another National League third baseman that, as of the time of the roster announcements anyway, won’t be making the trip to Miami for the 2017 All-Star Game is the Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon. Rendon has a higher OPS than Bryant at .951 and has posted a 3.7 WAR already this season which leads qualified third baseman in the National League. Rendon is also Top 5 in major statistics like RBI, home runs, hits and runs.

A final National League third baseman that won’t be making the trip to Miami as of the time of the roster announcements over the weekend is the Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. Turner’s biggest issue this season is the fact that at the time of the roster announcements the right-hander was not qualified for the National League batting title after having just 212 at-bats. If Turner were to qualify for the batting title, and assuming health he easily should, Turner would lead all NL third baseman with a 1.029 OPS and a .381 batting average.

*All three of Rendon, Bryant and Turner are on the final vote ballot just as an FYI so conceivably one, or all three, can still make the game.

One final third baseman, I promise, that I believe got snubbed comes from the American League this time and the Kansas City Royals, Mike Moustakas. Moustakas led all AL third baseman at the time of the roster announcement with 22 home runs which puts the right-hander on pace to hit more home runs in a single season than any player in Kansas City Royals history. More than George Brett, too much pine tar and all. More than anyone. Moustakas also had 78 hits and a .853 OPS at the time of the announcement which were both third best among AL third baseman this season.

Robinson Cano was leading all American League second baseman with 60 RBI and 17 home runs at the time of the roster announcement but that was not good enough to be named to the American League’s roster, not even as a reserve. Cano is having a Cano-esque season as he hasn’t been striking out, has been taking his walks, has hit for power and extra-base hits and has played a smooth second base defensively all season long. I’m not quite sure I get this one, but okay.

What if I told you that Andrelton Simmons had the second highest WAR among all American League shortstops at the time the 2017 All-Star Game rosters were announced behind only the starter for the Houston Astros, Carlos Correa. Would you believe that? Well believe it because his 3.5 WAR thus far this season makes it true. Simmons is a defensive wizard and has been an on-base machine this season but the big names of Correa, Francisco Lindor and AL Final Vote candidate Didi Gregorius will continue to outshine Simmons at least for now.

The final offensive snub of the 2017 may be Logan Morrison of the Tampa Bay Rays. Morrison is currently leading all of the American League first baseman in WAR with a 2.7 WAR. Morrison is also leading all AL first baseman in walks (47), home runs (24) and RBI (57) leading many to wonder why he wasn’t added to the roster. This one was a real head scratcher in my opinion and possibly the biggest of all the snubs.

So it Seems the Yankees Could Have Had Clay Bellinger

Could you imagine a lineup that had some combination of the Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger and the Yankees stars Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge hitting in the middle of it? Talk about that being the dream. Well according to a new report that was released this week that could have been a reality for the Yankees as the organization had a chance to draft Bellinger, son of former Yankee Clay Bellinger, during the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft.

Before the 2013 MLB Draft the Yankees had Bellinger inside Yankee Stadium after inviting him to a pre-draft workout for some of the top amateur players. During the workout they had a game for the players and Bellinger hit a three-run home run to right field, the first home run Bellinger would ever hit inside of a big league park. The Yankees instead took LHP Ian Clarkin and Aaron Judge with their pair of first round picks in that draft passing on Bellinger. Instead the Dodgers took Bellinger in the fourth round with the 124^th overall pick with what might soon be the steal of the draft.

All told the Yankees drafted Clarkin, Judge, Eric Jagielo who is still in Double-A within the Cincinnati Reds organization at last check, center fielder Michael O’Neill and second baseman Gosuke Katoh. Yeah, looking at that list hurts when you see what Bellinger has done thus far for the Dodgers in 2017.

In the Yankees defense every team passed over Bellinger at least three times, sometimes four times, during that draft and for good reason. Bellinger had just one home run during his senior season and didn’t show the pop that he has at the big league level. As a first baseman with little-to-no power you can see why teams would be weary of using an early draft pick on him. The Dodgers took the chance and the Dodgers caught lightning in a bottle. Say what you will about the Dodgers scouts and system being better than the Yankees, and it very well may be but not because they drafted Bellinger, but any team that drafted Bellinger did not expect him to be lighting the world on fire and being among the league leaders in home runs before the All-Star Break. Nobody.

One last thing before we go. Kris Bryant was also drafted in that draft class, ahead of Bellinger obviously, leading me to wonder if that draft class may go down as one of the best in recent memory when all the dust settles and when this trio stops hitting home runs. Food for thought on this Thursday. 

Peter Gammons Says Yankees Will Land Bryce Harper

And water is STILL wet and the sky is, you guessed it, STILL blue.

MLB Insider Peter Gammons was talking about Bryce Harper and his potential landing spots when he hits free agency after the 2018 season and two teams were specifically named, the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees. Gammons, who gave an interview to Rich Eisen on his show, was quoted as saying the following about the possibility of Harper going to the Cubs:

"That was very simplified; it was a Reader's Digest version of the interview," Gammons said Monday on the "Rich Eisen Show." "The interview was about Kris Bryant. ... [Harper] and Bryant grew up in Las Vegas so they know one another, they're both great guys. And people say 'Well, he would love to play for the Cubs,' but I said they're not going to be able to afford both guys, so probably it'll never happen. But somehow that went into I said he wanted to play for the [Cubs]."

Then Gammons speculated where he thought Harper would ultimately land since the Cubs couldn’t “afford” Harper:

"If I were to guess one place, it would be the Yankees," Gammons said. "Because they're going to have so much money to spend at the time he's out there. And there's no doubt in my mind that Bryce could take the pressure of playing in New York. I mean, this guy was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16, was made out to be a divisive figure by the time he would have been a freshman in college--which, he wasn't a divisive figure, but that's the image, because he's brash.

"But I think that he can handle New York, and I think that they would pay huge money. And by the time he would get there ... I think two years from now when Gleyber Torres is there and a couple more kids come along, I think they're going to be an absolute monster powerhouse for years. And add Harper to that, it could really be something. It's a great investment because they could own the city, and we know that all the television ratings and attendance go with it. I think it would be a great pick." 

Why share this? It is Peter Gammons, why not? When he is wrong it makes it all the more sweeter to say I told you so. Even though, obviously, this time I hope the blind squirrel finally finds a nut. 

Quick Hit: Most Popular Jersey Sales & Gary Sanchez

The most popular jersey’s to be sold in Major League Baseball have been released from the league recently and the New York Yankees have a player in the Top 10. In less than a year Gary Sanchez has gone from a prospect to the leader of the Yankees which has equated to his #24 jersey being the ninth most popular jersey sold in all of Major League Baseball and the highest selling jersey in all of the American League. Congratulations to him.

Here is the complete Top 10 List:

Kris Bryant, Cubs

Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Javier Baez, Cubs

Kyle Schwarber, Cubs

Noah Syndergaard, Mets

Corey Seager, Dodgers

Buster Posey, Giants

Gary Sanchez, Yankees

Mike Trout, Angels

The Devil You Know vs. the Devil You Don’t featuring Miguel Andujar and Manny Machado

You know the old saying “the devil you know vs. the devil you don’t” well that sometimes applies to Major League Baseball as well as your regular, everyday life. This is especially true when you consider teams who play in huge media markets like the New York Yankees. Sometimes the devil you know, the player who may be average or a solid player but can handle the bright lights and big city, can be the better choice than the devil you don’t know, or the player who lets the media circus and the fans constant cheering and boos affect them. We’ve seen it far too many times, see Randy Johnson as an example of someone who buckled under the pressure while we have players like Alfonso Soriano and Brandon McCarthy who seemingly flourished in the Bronx, and we may see it again here in a few seasons when the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado hit the free agency market. For the sake of this post we will focus on the latter and not the former and ask the question, by the 2019 season will the Yankees have the devil they “know” in prospect Miguel Andujar as their third baseman or the devil they don’t in Machado on Opening Day? 

Over the last two seasons Machado has put up an average triple slash of .290/.351/.518 with 36 home runs, 91 RBI, 35 doubles and 104 runs scored. That’s an average… not the total. Only Mike Trout the 2016 AL MVP Award winner, Josh Donaldson and Kris Bryant the 2016 NL MVP Award winner have had a higher WAR in that same span according to Fangraphs. In a nutshell Machado has been amazing over the past two seasons and he is somehow still just 24-years old. Any team would love to have a Gold Glove winner at shortstop that is capable of playing shortstop in a pinch and any team would love to have another big bopper in the middle of their lineup, which is going to make him extremely expensive. Would New York dip their foot into the deep end of the free agent market again for Machado in the winter before the 2019 season or would they simply see what they have in Andujar and continue their youth movement? 

Andujar had a pretty good 2016 campaign himself, albeit while splitting time between the High-A Tampa Yankees and the Double-A Trenton Thunder but still, putting up a .273/.332/.410 triple slash with 12 home runs and 83 RBI in his age-21 season. Andujar, who enters his age-22 season in 2017, did enough to warrant the Yankees adding him to their 40 man roster as the organization now sees him as the third basemen of the future. Maybe. I say maybe because Andujar is still considered raw by many accounts but almost every one of the Yankees scouts have had nothing but exciting things to say about his untapped potential and his attitude towards the game. Projections state that Andujar, much like we see now with Machado, will hit for average, hit for power and use the whole field when he reaches the Major Leagues and reaches his full potential. 

It is impossible to say with any certainty what the Yankees are going to do two seasons from now as a lot can happen between then and now and a lot can change as well. If the past is any indicator of the future though it seems like Hal Steinbrenner and his fiscally responsible ways will be quite confident with having Andujar, and not an extremely expensive Machado, at the hot corner on Opening Day 2019. Just a hunch though. 

This Has Truly Become a Young Man’s Sports Again

When I look around the free agent market every single season and offseason I think to myself more and more than Major League Baseball is once again becoming a young man’s sport again. What do I mean? I can remember growing up a Yankees fan in the mid-2000’s where New York always had that one or two veteran players on the roster in the twilight of their career’s that filled important roles for the club. Then I watched as the Core Four aged and the Yankees were considered the old men of baseball. Now I watch the second youth movement in the Bronx during my lifetime and I see the invigoration of youth and it makes me notice the youth movement not only inside Yankee Stadium but around baseball as well… which is not a good thing for certain veterans who still find themselves looking for work despite the fact that spring training games have already begun.

The list of 30-year olds or older still on the free agent market is staggering when you think about it. Names like Pedro Alvarez, Joe Blanton, Billy Butler, Marlon Byrd, Chris Capuano, Coco Crisp, Doug Fister, Jeff Francouer, Sam Fuld, Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Tim Lincecum, Kelly Johnson, Justin Morneau, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, AJ Pierzynski and CJ Wilson to name a few still appear on the free agency market while many players have simply walked off into the sunset and retired. Now when I look at this list I don’t see many that will turn a non-contender into an immediate World Series contender but there are still some very helpful free agents out there on the market that can be had for simply money.

Blanton, for example, sported a 2.48 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 80 strikeouts in 80 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year leaving me to wonder how with 30 teams vying for bullpen supremacy how the 36-year old is still looking for work.

At one point in the not-so-distant past you were just in your prime when you hit 30-years old but now in a league where the NL MVP Kris Bryant is just 24-years old and Mike Trout just won his second AL MVP Award at age 25 you just may be considered “old” at 30.

Ladies and gentleman this is truly becoming a young man’s sport again and you can tell it by looking at the MLB Trade Rumors free agent tracker. There is still good players out there on the market to be had but they aren’t signed because of their age. None of the aforementioned players would command huge salaries with maybe the exception being Papelbon so it almost has to be the age factor. When you also look at the number of veterans who simply took minor league deals with invitations to spring training the trend just gets scarier and scarier for veteran players. Will it change? Or will it simply get worse before it gets better? Stay tuned. 

IBWAA SELECTS TROUT, BRYANT IN MVP VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS TROUT, BRYANT IN MVP VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Most Valuable Player category Thursday, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Mike Trout winning the group’s American League award, and Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.

Trout received 109 first-place votes (61.93%) and 1981 points while being named on 171 of 176 ballots (96.61%). Others receiving first-place votes include Mookie Betts (42), Jose Altuve (11), David Ortiz (10) and Josh Donaldson (2).

Bryant received 145 first-place votes (81.92%) and 2293 points while being named on 176 of 177 (99.44%) ballots. Others receiving first-place votes include Daniel Murphy (14), Nolan Arenado (10), Anthony Rizzo (4) and Corey Seager (3).

Election results are as follows:

AL MVP

1st Place: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1981 points
2nd Place : Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox – 1686
3rd Place : Jose Altuve, Houston Astros – 1350
4th Place: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays – 1027
5th Place: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles – 768
6th Place: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox – 733
7th Place: Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners – 481
8th Place: Adrian Beltre , Texas Rangers – 447
9th Place: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – 327
10th Place: Brian Dozier, Minnesota Twins – 260

NL MVP

1st Place: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 2293 points
2nd Place: Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals – 1269
3rd Place: Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers – 1258
4th Place: Nolan Arenado , Colorado Rockies – 1106
5th Place: Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs – 1079
6th Place: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves – 776
7th Place: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – 536
8th Place: Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets – 249
9th Place: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers – 215
10th Place: Paul Goldschmidt , Arizona Diamondbacks – 214

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

Among approximately 460 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball; Danny Knobler, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Jesse Spector, Sporting News, and Bill Arnold.

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a lifetime fee of $75. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

Reminder: The IBWAA is distinct from the BBWAA, which will announce the official MVP winners on the MLB Network at 3:00 p.m. PT today.

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Predicting the AL & NL MVP Award Winner

We’re back ladies and gentleman and the biggest ticket on the menu for today is the American League and National League MVP awards being announced on MLB Network. The Baseball Writers Association of America picked these players before the end of the regular season so keep in mind that, and not that they need it whatsoever, the heroics of the postseason for players like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo were not a factor in these votes. Before these votes and winners are announced I wanted to take a stab at predicting who I thought would win the award, not necessarily who I think should and shouldn’t win the award mind you.

American League Finalists
Jose Altuve, Astros
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Mike Trout, Angels

In the American League this is, has been and looks like it will be the Mike Trout show for the foreseeable future. I believe Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox will give Trout a run for his money in another close vote but I think Trout takes it home for the last place Angels.

National League Finalists
Kris Bryant, Cubs
Daniel Murphy, Nationals
Corey Seager, Dodgers

In a not-so-close vote in the National League the Chicago Cubs will have another MVP and his name is Kris Bryant. Bryant is one of the best players on the planet right now and he will be seen with his World Series ring in one hand and MVP trophy in the other tonight on MLB Network. Stay tuned. 

Arizona Fall League MVP’s and the Future

Earlier this morning I discussed the possibility of the New York Yankees having a second MVP award winner from the Arizona Fall League in the last three seasons as Gleyber Torres seems to be the early candidate for the award in 2016. Greg Bird won the award in 2014 with a monster fall and we all watched as he burst onto the scene in 2015 in a big way with the big league club, could we be seeing that soon with Torres? Also, is there a direct correlation, at least lately, with Arizona Fall league success and success at the Major League level shortly thereafter?

To discuss this we have to see the list of recent AFL MVP’s. For simplicity sake we will go back to the last ten seasons of the Arizona Fall League and look at who won the MVP Award and what they did the following season to see if there is a pattern emerging.

2015 – Adam Engel

Reached AAA in 2016. Should make his MLB debut in 2017.

2014 – Greg Bird

We all watched as Bird burst onto the scene and became the “Birdman of New York” in 2015 taking over for the injured Mark Teixeira. His defense was good, his power was great and his poised was unmatched by anyone as a rookie since some kid named Derek Sanderson Jeter came up through the system. He was truly impressive in his short tenure before a shoulder injury derailed his 2016 campaign.

2013 – Kris Bryant

Can you say burst onto the scene in a big way, again? Bryant has been nothing but spectacular since reaching the Major Leagues and will likely have an MVP Award to sit beside his World Series trophy tomorrow night when the major awards are announced.

2012 – Chris McGuiness

2011 – Nolan Arenado

Arenado may be one of the best, if not the best, offensive third baseman in all of Major League Baseball right now. Sure he plays 81 games inside of Coors Field year in and year out but his splits are impressive on the road as well. Arenado should probably be a perennial MVP candidate in the National League for the foreseeable future.

2010 – Dustin Ackley

Ackley was a solid player in Seattle although he never shared the same successes as Arenado and Bryant. Ackley was doing well as a Yankee before another shoulder injury derailed his 2016 campaign as well. Ackley can still be a super utility player on any MLB team right now assuming the health of that shoulder.

2009 – Grant Desme

2008 – Tommy Hanson

Hanson pitched well for the Atlanta Braves before meeting an untimely demise as a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Hanson was never an ace but he was a solid pitcher in Atlanta that had his entire career ahead of him before the injury bug hit him.

2007 – Sam Fuld

2006 – Chip Cannon

MLB Award Finalists & the New York Yankees

Major League Baseball has announced the finalists for the major awards in the league and a member of the New York Yankees showed up on the list. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the top three vote-getters in each category on Monday and here they are.

Nov. 14

AL ROY
Michael Fulmer, Tigers
Tyler Naquin, Indians
Gary Sanchez, Yankees

NL ROY
Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
Cory Seager, Dodgers
Trea Turner, Nationals

Nov. 15

AL Manager of the Year

Jeff Banister, Rangers
Terry Francona, Indians
Buck Showalter, Orioles

NL Manager of the Year

Dusty Baker, Nationals
Joe Maddon, Cubs
Dave Roberts, Dodgers

Nov. 16

AL Cy Young
Corey Kluber, Indians
Rick Porcello, Red Sox
Justin Verlander, Tigers

NL Cy Young
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Jon Lester, Cubs
Max Scherzer, Nationals

AL MVP
Jose Altuve, Astros
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Mike Trout, Angels    

NL MVP
Kris Bryant, Cubs
Daniel Murphy, Nationals
Corey Seager, Dodgers

The awards will be handed out next week on MLB Network. 

World Series 2016: Corey Kluber vs. Cubs Offense

Jon Lester and the Cleveland offense had their fair share of trash talking this morning when we looked at what Michael Brantley and company had done against Lester in their career's so it's only fair that we take a look at what Corey Kluber has been able to muster up in a small sample size against the explosive offense of the Chicago Cubs. All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.

Position by Position Breakdown for the 2016 World Series

It’s the World Series Game One day so we’re going to focus a lot on the head-to-head matchups and comparisons between these two teams before the game tonight. I wanted to take the opportunity of a slow news day in Yankee land and take advantage of the beginning of the World Series to take a position-by-position look at these two teams to see who, in my opinion, gets the edge at every position. All this and 15 bucks can get you a beer tonight inside Progressive Field but it’s still fun to look at anyway. Let’s get to it.

Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Indians

First Base:

Anthony Rizzo vs. Mike Napoli

Second Base:

Ben Zobrist vs. Jason Kipnis

Shortstop:

Addison Russel vs. Francisco Lindor

Third Base:

Kris Bryant vs. Jose Ramirez

Left Field:

Jorge Soler vs. Rajai Davis 

Center Field:

Dexter Fowler vs. Tyler Naquin

Right Field:

Jason Heyward vs. Lonnie Chisenhall

Catcher:

Miguel Montero vs. Roberto Perez

Bench:

Chris Coghlan, Albert Almora Jr., Javier Baez, Tommy La Stella, David Ross and Wilson Contreras 

vs.

Brandon Guyer, Coco Crisp, Michael Martinez, Carlos Santana, Chris Gimenez and Yan Gomes. 

(Can I say push? Both are pretty solid in my opinion but Javier Baez is the tiebreaker for me)

Starting Pitching:

John Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey 

vs. 

Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger

Bullpen:

Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Aroldis Chapman, Justin Grimm, Travis Wood and Mike Montgomery

vs. 

Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw, Dan Otero, Jeff Manship, Cody Allen and some guy named Andrew Miller.

BOLDED player gets advantage in my opinion *

My 2016 IBWAA End of Season Awards Ballot

The 2016 regular season is just about in the books and while some teams and their fans have the postseason to focus on unfortunately it looks like the Yankees and their fans do not. Math still says it could happen, and until it doesn’t I’ll still continue to root for it to happen, but you’ll have to excuse me if I’m looking ahead to the offseason just a bit. This season has been draining, hasn’t it? All-in-all though it has been a great season and there is a lot of good things to look back on when it does end either in October or early November for the Yankees.

Once the season is over though the focus turns from the games to the post-season awards and I, as a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, get to vote on these awards. I share my ballot with you this morning in hopes of creating a discussion. Leave it below in the comments section and/or drop us a line on twitter by tweeting @GreedyStripes.

Congratulations to all. 

Join Us on Tap Sports 2016

Every year around this time we come out offering a free iOS app to play with us here at The Greedy Pinstripes and this year is no different. We are returning to the Tap Sports franchise for our third year in a row and we are now set up and ready to play “Tap Sports Baseball 2016.” Will you join us? It’s free!

Username: GreedyPinstripes

We don’t receive anything if you sign up or download the app, there isn’t a refer code and there isn’t any sort of incentive for us. We truly just want to interact with you guys and play a pretty damn awesome iOS baseball game at the same time. There’s a chat and some awesome gameplay, so join us?

Fantasy Sports Trade Association Holds First Fantasy Baseball Draft of 2016

Fantasy Sports Trade Association and their experts conducted the first official fantasy draft for the 2016 season thus kicking off the fantasy baseball season. The FSTA put together a 13-team league and drafted their respective teams this week at the fantasy industry’s annual winter conference. At the conference were representatives from Scout Fantasy, Rotowire, USA Today Sports, Fanastistics, Baseball HQ, Sirius XM Radio, Fantasy Alarm and a few other companies and websites.

With the first pick in the FSTA Fantasy Draft Dr. Roto of Scout Fantasy selected Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following Goldschmidt was Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Nolan Arenado, Carlos Correa, Josh Donaldson, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Cabrera, Andrew McCutchen, Manny Machado and Edwin Encarnacion in successive order.

The first closer to come off the board was Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals who went also to Dr. Roto in the 6^th round. This gives you an idea about how the experts rank these particular players and maybe it can help you at the beginning of your fantasy draft. 

Fantasy Baseball: Who Are the Chicago Cubs?

Fantasy Baseball is just around the corner and it’s never too early to start doing your homework on your league and your team specifically. We went over a team already that I personally thought many wouldn’t know in the Atlanta Braves so I wanted to go back into your comfort zone with today’s team, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs added a few key pieces to an already young and stacked team as they look to not only compete in the National League Central Division but as they look to break that Curse of the Billy Goat. 

You know the names of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist and what they bring to the table but what about the rest of the team? There’s plenty of talent on this Cubs team that you may want to draft but one pitcher you may want to stay away from, at least early on, is John Lackey. Lackey pitched brilliantly in St. Louis last season posting a 2.77 ERA with the Cardinals but the peripherals and other stats paint a different story. Lackey left an amazing 82.6 percent of his batters on base last season and is not likely to duplicate that in 2016, especially with the smaller dimensions inside Wrigley Field and especially with the wind blowing out during all those day games. Lackey also posted the lowest strikeout rate in his last three seasons in 2015 and will be entering his age 37 season in 2016. Stay clear unless it’s late. 

Addison Russell took over for Starlin Castro last season and will have the starting shortstop job until he loses it in 2016. Russell is just 22-years old and has a long way to go in his development but he did show signs of life in the second half of 2015 posting a .259 average with seven home runs in August and September alone. Russell has the potentially, maybe not necessarily in 2016 but soon, to his 30 home runs and steal a ton of bases. Who wouldn’t want that on your fantasy team, especially at the second base position? 

Adam Warren should get a ton of opportunities in Chicago both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever but how will he stack up in fantasy? Well he was easily the Yankees most consistent starter last season outside of Luis Severino and will presumably finally get a shot at a starting gig all season in 2016. For that reason alone Warren should see an uptick in his stats as he struggled in both the bullpen and rotation the first couple appearances after switching from the other. The Yankees tinkered with a pitcher and hurt his value in doing so? Joba, say it ain’t so. 

The final piece to the Cubs piece of the puzzle is right fielder Jorge Soler. Soler is not going to steal you 30 bases a season nor is he going to hit for a .300 average and knock in 120 RBI. He does have the power to hit 30 home runs though as he has shown an ability to hit the ball far when he makes contact. Soler won’t go in the first 10-15 rounds in my opinion unless it’s a pretty deep league so it might be useful to add his occasional power to the end of your draft to boost your team and power your way to another league victory. 

Those are the Chicago Cubs in all their glory. Can they help your team? Absolutely, just be smart about it though and don’t reach for the Soler’s, the Lackey’s or the Javier Baez’s too awful early and you should be just fine.  

Top Rookie Disappointments in 2015

Major League Baseball's 2015 season was quickly donned as the Year of the Rookie and the rookies that were called up did not disappoint. From Carlos Correa to Kris Bryant down to the 18 rookies that made their Major League debut in 2015 for the New York Yankees every rookie had an impact, some impacts a ton bigger than others. This is great for baseball, the future of the brand and the future of the game. Not every prospect made the immediate impact that they would have hoped and not every prospect, especially in the Yankees system, had a great 2015 season. The most disappointing prospect seasons are detailed here below.

Tyler Austin had the biggest disappointing season. Austin was thought to be knocking on the door to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and instead ended the season being demoted to Double-A with the Trenton Thunder. Austin did turn heads back in his direction with a strong Arizona Fall League showing but that all came after he was designated for assignment and went unclaimed after being sent off the 4 man roster.

Dante Bichette Jr. was another big draft signing for the New York Yankees and the team has not been rewarded for their patience with Bichette Jr. as of yet. Bichette finished with a .226 batting average and just three home runs in 112 games. Bichette finished in Trenton alongside Austin.

Angel Aguilar (SS) had a great 2014 season with the club hitting .311 with seven home runs in the GCL but injuries hampered much of his 2015 season. Aguilar did not make his debut until April and was forced to learn new positions, second base and third base specifically, which along with the injuries may have led to his .229 batting average in 2015.

Juan De Leon was one of those big international free agent signings out of the Dominican Republic and he did not immediately live up to the hype. It was his first professional season but he did hit just .226 in the Dominican Summer League. De Leon was signed as a "polished" hitter and looked anything but that in 2015. The good news for him though, and the Yankees, is that he's just 18-years old.

IBWAA vs. BBWAA Awards

Award season is officially over around Major League Baseball and all the major hardware has been handed out. Many people watched nightly on MLB Network as the Baseball Writers Association of America announced their awards nightly while others checked their email in anticipation of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America’s awards announcements. Some may have seen both sets, some may have only seen one or the other so today I bring you both neatly tied up in a bow together right here on the blog.

In years past there have been some differences, but mostly similarities, between the two sets of awards but this season there was no controversy. No changes, nothing different. Business as usual. Carry on. 

IBWAA SELECTS CORREA, BRYANT IN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Rookie of the Year category Monday, with the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa winning the group’s American League award, and Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.

 

Correa received 105 first-place votes (58.66%) and 711 points while being named on 171 of 180 ballots (95%). Others receiving first-place votes include Francisco Lindor (57), Miguel Sano (7) and Billy Burns (4).

 

Bryant received 167 first-place votes (92.78%) and 864 points while being named on 178 of 180 ballots (98.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Matt Duffy (8), Jung Ho Kang (3), Joc Pederson (1) and Noah Syndergaard (1).

 

Election results are as follows:

 

AL ROY:

 

1^st Place:                  Carlos Correa, Houston Astros – 711 points
2^nd Place:                 Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians – 511 
3^rd Place:                  Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins – 172

 

NL ROY:

 

1^st Place:                  Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 864 points
2^nd Place:                 Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants – 368 
3^rd Place:                  Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates – 166

 

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

 

In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.

 

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:

 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com