Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Your Team has been Eclipsed!

MARCO' S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: “YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN ECLIPSED!”

PART ONE: TOTALITY

It's horrible. The eclipse coursed diagonally across the United States and wherever it's shadow fell, there another baseball team's fortunes collapsed!

If the eclipse is total over your home park, you are doomed this season. (If you have a domed stadium then you are doomed in your dome. Dome-doomed.) And the closer your team was to the path of superstitious obliteration symbolically represented by this astronomical phenomenon, the stronger the negative effect.

Therefore: The following teams can say goodbye to their playoff hopes …

Kansas City, St. Louis, and Atlanta. Doom! Doom ! (And Atlanta was a shoo-in, right?)

Seattle, Denver, Chicago (both teams!) and Cincinnati? You're too close...better make some last minute trades if you want to counteract the Bad Juju.

You can't fight Totality.

PART TWO: THE FICKLE FINGER OF FORTUNE DEPARTMENT

You know what I hate? I hate it when star baseball players get hurt right before the stretch run for the Playoffs.

I want to see what Yu Darvish could do for the Dodgers. The Yankees need a healthy Tanaka. Boston likewise with David Price and Pomeranz. It looked like Arenado might miss significant time with Colorado but he healed up fast from a pitch on his wrist. I don't want Houston to play without Correa….I want Carlos pounding the ball right behind Jose Altuve. Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana and Andrew Miller are all recent injuries for Cleveland, a franchise that deserves a break if any team ever has.

But the worst hit was on the Washington Nationals.

The Nats could have had this lineup all season if it wasn't for their rotten, rotten injury luck:

Tre Turner ss

Adam Eaton lf

Bryce Harper rf

Ryan Zimmerman 1b

Danny Murphy 2b

Anthony Rendon 3b

Matt Weiters c

Michael Taylor cf

….and Jason Werth to platoon in the outfield or DH in American League parks.

They have four guys currently in the top fifteen for batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS...and who knows what kind of stats Eaton would have put up with this lineup batting him in. He'd of probably scored 130 runs this year.

I wanted to see them go up against Kershaw and the Dodgers again with that lineup. How about against Houston with their powerful hitters? It would have been fun...but...

Right now Harper has a bad knee (hurt when he slipped on a wet Danger-base, which I have damned here often...MLB has listened and is considering ideas for soft bases! Memory foam, MLB!)

Werth Might be back from a broken foot in September. Trea Turner Might be back in September from a broken wrist. Eaton is out for the season with a torn ACL (yep...stepped on a base and wham!)

No, I'm not a Nats fan. But that lineup could have been one of the best since the Big Red Machine or the mid 90's Cleveland Indians. I regret not seeing them in the Playoffs at their best. They're still formidible but if they had remained uninjured and their hitters had delivered at the level they had maintained that would have been something.

PART THREE: BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

Almost all good MLB teams have a few basic things in common. “Good” being defined as teams that play at least .500 ball and are therefore Playoff contenders. Let me sketch it out briefly:

Offensively a good team will have…

1/a good leadoff man

2/at least two good hitters (for average) in the top 5 of the batting order

3/at least two power hitters in the middle of the order

Defensively…

1/average or better fielders at catcher, short, second base and center field (not just competent...every team in baseball has competent fielders at these positions. If you can't play shortstop they move you or let you go. Maybe if you're a super hitter like Danny Murphy of the Nats you can stay at second base even if you are Manos de Piedra (yep...that's you Danny) as a fielder. Bad catchers don't stay at catcher except in emergencies...good catchers stay in the lineup even if they hit .190)

2/an Ace starter and at least one other better than average starter

3/a good closer and at least 3 other competent relievers with a good mix of righties and lefties

Leadership…

1/an inspirational team leader

2/at least one gritty, hard-nosed player who leads by example

3/a very large Beast-who-Walks to back everybody up in a rhubarb

4/A Team Clown to keep everybody loose

Now, a World Series contender ups the ante at two or more of these slots. Offensively, that leadoff hitter might also lead the league in steals. Maybe one of those average hitters is somebody like Stan Musial or Wade Boggs. Maybe they have good hitters in the top 7 spots of the order like Washington did before the injuries. Instead of two power hitters in the middle of the lineup they have 4 and one of them is a Giancarlo Stanton who hits 50+ bombs. (sidenote: Mattingly's decision to bat Stanton second in the order just behind Gordon and in front of Yelich and Ozuna was a stroke of genius.)

Defensively, one of those up the middle fielders is a gold Glove finalist. One Ozzie

Smith or Yadi Molina type can make a hell of a difference to a team. Maybe your Ace is a Kershaw, a Scherzer or a Sale. Your closer is Mariano, say...or you have 3 guys in a row like the Nasty Boys of the 1990 Reds.

What if your inspirational team leader is Cal Ripken, Willie Stargell or David Ortiz? And your hard-nose is Pete Rose. Think Pete didn't set an example to every team he was ever on? What was it like to have Don Baylor come out to a melee in the infield and just stand there looking at the other team?

Team clowns are important too. They help even out the stress. Remember the stories about Rizzo doing his little naked cheerleading dance on the table in the Cub's locker room?

As an example, I looked at the 1975 Red Sox (cause I know them pretty well )

Red Sox:

leadoff: a problem spot all year. Juan Beniquez was leadoff for opening day. He got hurt and they tried Bernie Carbo and Cecil Cooper.

good average hitters in Lynn and Rice and Cooper.

Power from Lynn, Yaz, Rice and Evans. Pretty impressive. A deep lineup.

Better than average up the middle with Lynn in center winning the gold glove that year. Fisk, Burleson, Evans, Yaz and even Beniquez all won gold gloves in their careers. I guess the Sox had pretty good D!

Ace: Luis Tiant with Bill Lee, Rick Wise and Reggie Cleveland all pitching well behind him.

Closer and pen: Dick Drago closed with Roger Moret and Jim Burton the key lefties. Underwhelming.

Inspirational team leader: Yaz...the Hall of Famer

Grit-Meister: Carlton Fisk, Yaz

Beast who Walks: Jim Rice

Clown: Tiant and Bill Lee

That's just one example, but if you study your history, you'll find that this blueprint holds true for the very top teams. When a team doesn't match up with the classic format, it's usually because either their ballpark changes the nature of the game for that team or else they are so overwhelmingly good in one or two categories that it doesn't matter what else they have. Examples:

The L.A. Dodgers of the 1960s were a terrible hitting team because of Dodger Stadium. They made up for it with great starting pitchers and a running game.

The Kansas City Royals of the last few years had no big hitting stats. (Again...ballpark) They won with defense, speed and a lights out bullpen.

Now let's look at the main contenders this season:

Boston Red Sox:

They can't bat Betts leadoff and in the third slot at the same time, can they? So they're confused at leadoff.

They have Pedroia, Betts, Benitendi and Bogaerts all hitting for pretty high average and that's their strength. Much less power than a normal winner and that will haunt them when they face top Aces and can't string together 4 or 5 hits for rallies anymore. That's when you need a walk-and-a-homer type offense to beat those power pitchers.

Their defense is awesome in the outfield...Jackie Bradley Jr. is one of the very best in center and Betts likewise in right. Bogaerts and Pedroia both above average at the keystone, and solid defensive catchers.

Sale the consummate Ace but injuries have weakened the other starting slots. If Porcello can keep it together they'll have a much better chance. The bullpen is weak except for closer, where Kimbrel has been awesome. They don't have good lefties to neutralize the best leftie hitters.

Leader: Pedroia

Grit: Pedroia

Beast: nobody now that Papi is gone. Hanley Ramirez has the body but not the mindset of an “enforcer”.

Clown: Betts...his name is Mookie for God's sakes.

The Sox have the Blueprint in high average hitters, defense, Ace and Closer. They have a good leader in Pedroia when he's healthy. I think they're lacking at leadoff, power bats (unless that Devers kid keeps hitting taters) starters after Sale and the bullpen in general. No good leftie! Also, when Pedroia is out they miss his leadership with such a young team.

Cleveland Indians:

Lindor has been leading off. His OBP is low but he has some pop and can run. He should probably hit second. Brantley and Ramirez have hit for average this year. Encarnacion, Santana and recent acquisition Jay Bruce are all good power bats. They are pretty strong 1 through 6 in the order.

Defense great with Lindor and Zimmer at short and center. Kluber is a true Ace and Carrasco a great number 2. Bullpen a major strength...especially when Andrew Miller is healthy.

Leader: Lindor, Kluber

Grit: Jason Kipnis

Beast: Encarnacion. He's only 6'1” 230 lbs but he's solid and strong and just looks formidable. Andrew Miller is 6'7” put pitchers are notorious wussies in fights 'cause they're afraid of breaking their hands or hurting their shoulders or getting a hangnail. Don't count on a pitcher in a fight. (Except for Nolan Ryan...last of the Western Heroes!)

Clown: Lonnie Chisenhall...he drove the bus to the hotel after a clutch hit.

I think the Indians exceed the Blueprint norms in every department except maybe leadoff.

Houston Astros:

Leadoff: Springer. Not your typical leadoff guy. But he's got 28 homers, 79 ribbies and his on-base is ..378. Who's gonna complain about that?

Hitting: Altuve and Correa both hit for average and Jose will likely win the title. Power? 11 guys are going to hit close to twenty homers!!! Strongest lineup 1 through 9 in the AL. Only Washington at full strength tops them in MLB.

Defense: great keystone combo in Correa and Altuve. Strong outfield too. They need McCann back at catcher. Keuchel is the Ace but his injury bothers me. It lasted a long, long time and he's just throwing well again. I don't think Brad Peacock or Charlie Morton scare anybody as a number 2 starter and McCullers is on the DL. McHugh just off. Trouble! Bullpen is flat out bad after Ken Giles and Chris Devenski.

Leader: Altuve

Grit: Altuve

Beast: Evan Gattis

Clown: Altuve

I'd say Altuve is the key to their success in so many ways. (He's also stolen 26 bases) What a player! But trouble with the pitching staff could undo the Astros.

Washington Nationals: (I kind of covered them above)

Leadoff: Trea Turner when healthy... otherwise by committee

Hitting: 5 good ones as mentioned above. Four good power bats too. Deep and dangerous lineup.

Defense: without Turner at short they are suspect up the middle. A great Ace in Scherzer and backup in Strassburg (if healthy) and Gio Gonzalez. Recent additions Blanton, Kinzler and Doolittle give them something to work with in the bullpen but they have a lot to prove there.

Leader: Zimmerman

Grit: Murphy and Harper

Beast: Matt Weiters and Werth

Clown: Scherzer (the Nats are a serious team with a lots of egos and headcases. Scherzer has s screw loose and likes to get strange liquids poured over his head after throwing no-hitters. Manager Dusty Baker is also pretty loose)

Their hitting and their Ace make up for their deficiencies in the Bullpen and in the infield. If they get healthy for the playoffs I rank them number two likeliest to win it all.

Chicago Adorables:

Leadoff: I think this and the loss of retired catcher David Ross jinxed the Cubbies this season. They lost their leadoff man in Dexter Fowler and never replaced him. They've tried four or five players there and nobody fits. Lester hasn't been the same pitcher without Ross.

Hitters: the Cubs don't have any high batting average hitters. Bryant (.289) is getting hotter after the break, but Zobrist is still batting .226. Schwarber? Don't ask! They have a lot of home run potential in Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, Ian Happ, Wilson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. This also gives them a more dangerous lineup than their batting averages and on base percentages would indicate.

Defense: one of the best infields in baseball and good enough elsewhere. But...shortstop Addison Russell has the dreaded plantar fascitis. If Contreras stays hurt, they need help at catcher. (They traded for Avila from the Tigers but he's been injured a lot too.) Their Ace at this time is Arrieta. Lester got hurt and Stork Hendricks just got back from the DL. Lackey too. They traded for Jose Quintana who might save them in the rotation. Closer Wade Davis has serviceable but not stellar backup in the pen.

Leader: Rizzo

Grit: Heyward….the man came back from a fastball to the face and saved them in the Series by quietly reminding them how good they were during a rain delay movie moment.

Beast: He's a nice beast. He's a cute beast. But he's scary strong. Kris Bryant!

Clown: Rizzo and Manager Joe Maddon

The Adorables are hard to figure this year. They've had the best record in baseball since the All Star break, so maybe they've shaken off the cobwebs. However, they only lead the Central by 2 games.

They are truly messed up at leadoff and the offense has been bad all year despite their ability to hit four-baggers. Despite their troubles at short and catcher the Cubs are a top defensive team. Arrieta is looking good in the second half and Wade Davis was an All Star. I think their pitching is still well above average. Also, the Cubs have that fighting spirit they earned in their storybook 2016 season. They are still a team to contend with...but they are a team with holes.

Los Angeles Dodgers:

The team that forgot how to lose. What a resurrection! From a bunch of headcases spitting at each other behind their backs they've become a loose bunch of winners under the Love Guru Dave Roberts. (Exhibit number 1….Yasiel Puig) They have a perfect mix of young lions and old gunners and deep, deep pitching. They are 55-14 since June 1!

Leadoff: Chris Taylor has been a find.

Hitters: Justin Turner .355, Corey Seager .300, Taylor .311.

Those three plus Cody Bellinger, Yasmani Grandal, Adrian Gonzalez (now that Joc Peterson is sent down) and Yasiel Puig give them at least a seven stud lineup every night. 6 guys will hit over 20 dings.

Defense: plenty good up the middle and Puig has one of the best arms ever in right. When Kershaw gets back they have him, Alex Wood, Maeda and now Yu Darvish to start. The Dodgers are loaded.

Kenly Jansen is one of the best closers and Luis Avilan is the key leftie in the pen. They can use their extra starters out there too.

Leader: Dave Roberts

Grit: Chase Utley

Beast: Kenley Jansen is 6'5” 275 if he can get from the bullpen to the infield fast enough to clobber somebody. He's a pitcher but he's also Dutch and he just looks like he could break you in half.

Clown: It was Scott Van Slyke for years but they traded him. I bet now they're sorry. I guess Puig has to be the clown now.

The Dodgers are Destiny's Darlings this year. They have no real holes and their many strengths are extra strong. They are the run away favorites to win it all this year. I give Washington a slugger's chance if Scherzer rises to the occasion, but I think the Dodgers will be facing the Cleveland Indians in the 2017 World Series.

LAST LICKS:

There was a great “This Day in Baseball” item in today's Austin paper. I quote:

“1886: Cincinnati outfielder Abner Powell was literally brought down by the dog days of summer. Chicken Wolf of the Louisville Colonels hit a deep drive and Powell took off after it, joined by a dog that had been sleeping by the outfield fence. The dog bit Powell's leg before the outfielder could get to the ball and wouldn't let go as Wolf scored on a game-winning inside-the-park homer.”

Could we please get New York to take a look at the replay on that?

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Bulletin from 30,000 feet

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BULLET POINTS FROM 30,000 FEET

That's right, I'm way above your heads, flying into New Mexico for a little Rand r relief from the Texas heat. If any of you are in Taos and want to talk baseball, I can meet you at the Taos Inn for lemonade and guacamole.

But you still want a coherent appraisal of the pennant races and I know my duty is to blog from out of the sky, so here goes:

*the winning team this year will have to have two strong starters.

*The Dodgers are the Uber-Meisters of the National League and just picked up Yu Daarvish for the stretch. That gives them some insurance in the rotation but still won't help replace Kershaw if his back doesn't heal fast. Also, the Dodgers are leading by 14 ½ over Colorado right now, but I predict they will only win by about 7 games by season's end. This is because the Dodgeheads have been playing a lot of home games...60 to be exact, against only 46 road games so far. This has to even up so the Dodgers will be on the road heavily from now on.

*Nolan Arenado is getting scary good for the Rocks. He's taken over the lead in the MVP race from Goldschmidt and the Nationals' stars.

*Chicago's pick up of Quintana from the cross-towner White Sox was one of the best gets from the trading deadline. It fills a hole for the Cubs as they slowly take over in the Central. Now they gotta hit! I like Schwarber to lead them now that Rizzo and Bryant have settled into mediocre production this year. The Brewers are doing their usual second half disappearing act.

*Washington got what they needed for their bullpen. That bodes ill for their playoff match-ups cause the Nats haven't stopped hitting all year. They need Strassburg to be healthy. Scherzer and GG Gonzalez look solid.

*The AL leading Houston Astros somehow screwed up the trade deadline and did not pick up the strong starter they needed. Their bullpen needed more than Liriano from the Blue Jays. What they really need is Correa and Springer back healthy but that isn't happening anytime soon.

*Altuve is the AL MVP and is looking like the type of player who wins the batting title every year ala Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Carew in his prime etc. etc. Heady company.

*Bow down to Frank Cashman in Yankee-land. He shored up the bullpen and got the best starter available in Sonny Gray without giving up the best Yankee prospects. I have to favor them over the Red Sox now that Price is injured ...maybe for the rest of the season. Tanaka's elbow has to last and CC Sabathia keep it going, but the Yanks have enough to lift them.

*The Red Sox miss the magic. They keep getting hurt...Pedroia, Bogaerts, Benitendi, Price. And their supreme closer Kimbrel has been giving up late bombs and losing leads for them. They got bullpen help at the deadline. Also, the kerfuffle with Price yelling at TV color man Eckersley is not the sort of thing that teams of destiny go through late in a pennant race.

*Watch out for Tampa Bay in the East….they have hitting and the best starters and could slip up on everybody.

*The Central is a horse race now that KC is back and picked up Melky Steroid for old time's sake. He started with them all those years ago. Gordon was pulling down their whole lineup in left.

*Cleveland is still my pick in the Central but they need more starter consistency. They also need Encarnacion and Lindor to get hot at the same time.

*This is the anniversary of Satchel Paige's first start as a major leaguer….for the Cleveland Indians in 1948. This is after over a thousand starts in the Negro Leagues, the Mexican Leagues, the Cuban Leagues etc. He went 7 innings and beat the Senators in front of the biggest crowd in Municipal Stadium history. Everybody wanted to see old Satch pitch, and he didn't disappoint them. Greatest pitcher ever? For one season I might take Sandy Koufax , Grover Alexander the year he threw 16 shut-outs, Bob Gibson's big year, Ron Guidry., Pedro,.....But for a career as a whole...Warren Spahn, Walter Johnson, Cy Young...but I'll still take Satchel.

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Baseball...Even Better than Team Handball!!

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BASEBALL...EVEN BETTER THAN TEAM HANDBALL!

I've been in Europe for two weeks with the Mizziz. We had a lovely time cruising down the Danube in one of those Viking boats you see on PBS all the time. Must admit, it was cushy, tasty and relaxing. We loved Budapest, the Austrian countryside and the Czech wine country.

After our Central European sojourn we stopped off in Iceland for a little midnight sun action...(it never goes down in the summer) and were entertained by all of my wife's Icelandic relatives. Ten minutes from Reykjavik you can see geysers, waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes. They say you can see elves too but I didn't. I looked though. If you could see that country you'd believe in mythical creatures too….it's truly awe inspiring.

One misfortune on our trip: no baseball! My cell phone died a mysterious and hideous death somewhere in Slovakia and never recovered. No scores! I was reduced to watching Team Handball on the tele with my Iceland in-laws. They were quite excited by this spectacle. It seemed like basketball with unlimited fouling to me, but I am not quite initiated of course.

So anyway, we get back to the States and I am curious as to what has transpired baseball-wise in my beloved country. Hah! I was gratified to see that all my predictions were coming true! Well...not really…

NL East:

We knew that Philly and Atlanta would be rebuilding and the field should be clear for Washington and New York to duke it out. But New York had already folded by May and they sure look bad now. Harvey, Syndergaard, Matz, and Familia all hurt or indicted. Team ERA 5.00. So much for competition in the East. The Mets have been reduced to sending Yoenis Cespedes out to beg Yasiel Puig not to show them up by strutting after he homers. What?...Reggie wasn't available?

Florida has some hitters but no pitching. Maybe if Jeter buys that team the Marlins will somehow rally. I can't help but think that they should have just let Florida have Spring Training instead of basing major league teams there. Tampa and Miami don't deserve major league baseball the way they haven't supported their teams.

Atlanta has really improved and has gotten lucky with acquisitions like Brandon Phillips and Matt Adams. Inciarte has been a shocking surprise as a hitter with 102 knocks. They lost Freddie Freeman for awhile but have maintained. Looks like the Braves will be able to contend soon if their young pitchers cooperate.

Philly has gone backwards...all the young hitters who looked so promising last year are barely hitting and even loafing (Franco). The minor league pitchers are a disaster too. What happened? Fire somebody, Philly.

Washington finally has all their hitters hot at the same time. Their lineup of Trea Turner, Harper, Zimmerman, Murphy and Rendon is chewing up pitching staffs. Led by Scherzer, the pitching is great too, except in the bullpen. If they get a closer they could win it all.

Ooops! Tre Turner just got his wrist broken. That's too bad because he was starting to dominate games just with his speed. Very exciting player. No matter...the Nats will cruise to the division title.

NL Central:

What happened, Cubbies? Too much adoration, probably. You started to think your armpits smell like honeydew or something after your storybook 2016. Somebody forgot to set the alarm clock for this season. They're a .500 team with inconsistent pitching and no real offense. Schwarber went to the minors trying to remember how to hit. That poor guy really got screwed up. He's got to get back to just meeting the ball and hitting to all fields. And check his eyesight. He's missing some of those pitches badly. I guess the kid is so great in the clubhouse that his teammates wanted him back anyway. That's kind of heart-warming.

Funny thing is, the Central is just laying there waiting for the Cubs to take it back. They're only four games out! One hot streak away. If they get Zobrist, Heyward, Hendricks and Brett Anderson back and Schwarber recovers his mojo they could still dominate this division. Currently, however, you have to rate them as the fold-job of the year.

St. Louis is even more wretched than the Cubs. What the hell is happening down there? I know they've won 7 of 8 lately, but how have they managed to remain below .500 in that weak division?

You can't expect anything out of Cincinnati with that pitching staff and Scooter Gennett ain't gonna hit 4 homers in every game! (I even heard about that in Slovakia!)

Pittsburgh is just waiting to see who wants to take their stars off their hands. Since Starling Marte betrayed them with PEDS, he should be first to go.

Milwaukee is a surprise, I grant you, but they are hardly a juggernaut. I like that guy Eric Thames who learned to hit curve balls in the Korean League, though. Good story, that. But after an historic start, he's batting .169 in June.

NL West:

Finally! Some excellence! Three teams playing over .600 ball! The Rockies have shown they are a force. They are 26-21 on the road! That's really incredible for a Rockies team that is always better at Coors Field. Nolan Arenado is a strong MVP candidate. And Mark Reynolds has been epic and among the league leaders in homers and ribbies. Even more amazing...he's batting .295! This from a guy who only once hit over .230 in 8 full seasons in the majors. (He did a little better in a couple of half seasons.) The Mark Reynolds who led the league in striking out 4 years in a row from 2008 to 2011, including the all time record of 223 in 2009! The wonders of Coors Field, I guess. However, the Rockheads have picked a bad time to go sour...losing the last 8 games while Los Angeles has reeled off 10 straight wins. Still a strong wild card position though.

Arizona is Diamondhumping the shit out of the ball! Finally Goldschmidt (my MVP favorite) has some guys hitting in front of and behind him and they are a solid second place team. Greinke is back as a staff Ace. They'd be the favorites if it weren't for…

The Dodgers! My prediction that this is their year is looking better all the time. Even though they lost Adrian Gonzalez and Andrew Toles for a long spell, they have Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger (he's Aaron Judge with a slim Hollywood body!) to plug in. And this guy Bellinger. That beautiful swing! (Of course Joey Gallo has the same swing and he bats .190 and strikes out 300 times a year.) Bellinger is channeling Ted Williams or something with that splendid splintery uppercut from his heels. They just got Justin Turner (.390!) back from an injury and lost Seager for a little while but the Dodgers look really strong. They always seem to step on the gas about this time of the year and durn me if they're not doing it again. They should win the West by plenty, even with Arizona and Colorado playing so much better.

All three of those teams are feeding on the rotting carcasses of the San Diego Pudrigs and the...(hurts to say it) Giants.

It's a shame that Buster Posey is having his best year when the Giants are in last place IN A DIVISION WITH SAN DIEGO IN IT!

AL East:

Okay Aaron Judge...I know I belittled him recently, saying he was the second coming of Shane Spencer. (You remember...Spencer of the 10 homers in 67 at bats in a September Yankee call up many ages ago) but Judge has now finished the first half and is leading the league in homers, ribbies, runs and is even second in batting average! I guess we will be reevaluating Mr. Judge.

In deeply scientific mode I watched reruns of every homer that Judge has hit. I learned this:

1/There are some really bad pitchers in the American League. Almost every homer was hit on a BAD mistake...most of them on balls up in the zone while the catcher was waiting for a breaking pitch on the lower outside corner.

2/His swing is short and contained. No Joey Gallo or Hanley Ramirez type swings where he totally sells out.

3/He likes Yankee Stadium. Only a third of his 30 dings have been hit on the road (9). Since the Yanks have only played 37 games at home vs. 43 on the road, expect a few more long balls out of His Honor.

4/As a probable result of number 3, Judge uses the whole field. He's so strong that he can take pitches out over the plate into the center/right bleachers, no problem. 14 out of 30 homers are to center or right. This makes him a problem to pitch to.

Conclusion: The pitchers of the American League will start giving Judge the Bryce Harper treatment and not throw him anything good at all. Walks be damned. Then we'll see if he's patient enough to compile an on base percentage of

.500+ and help his team win that way. If he expands the zone trying to live up to his press releases he's dead.

Good sign: Judge resisted joining the home run derby at first because he wanted to concentrate on the regular season. I think MLB squeezed him a little bit on that and now he and fellow Yankee bopper Sanchez are both in it. Should be a great showdown with Giancarlo Stanton in Miami...but don't count on homers to right in that Yellowstone Park!

Final word: Aaron Judge is just what baseball needs...a big (real big!), sweet natured, slightly self-deprecating Man Child in the Promised Land that kids love and Yankee announcers lose bladder control over.

The Yankees as a team are one of the surprises of MLB as the first half ends. They slumped recently to give up the top position to Boston but their young everyday players are pretty good, they're getting contributions from enigmas like Ellsbury and Gardner and they have won some games late to build fan interest. Unfortunately their starting staff is eroding fast and their bullpen is getting tired.

The Red Sox have been losing key players to the DL all season but are still somehow in first place. They don't hit homers but peck out singles and take walks and keep players on base all the time. They picked up Doug Fister of all people to be the fifth starter while they wait for Eduardo Rodriguez to heal...(they always seem to be waiting for Eduardo to heal). The Sox have one distinct advantage in this division: They have the dominant starter in Chris Sale and the dominant closer in Craig Kimbrel. Both should get heavy Cy Young consideration. Kimbrel's WHIP is 0.518...unheard of. He's only allowed 14 hits and 5 walks in 36 innings and has struck out 65 men. And that, my friends, is a CLOSER.

Here's another of my predictions that is looking pretty shaky: I picked Tampa Bay to finish last in the East. Instead, they might be the big competition for Boston to win it. AS usual, the Rays have a good rotation led by Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and Jake Odorizzi. The bullpen is weak, but they've finally got Evan Longoria some offensive help with Logan Morrison, Steve Souza and Corey Dickerson all hitting long balls. The Rays have a 3-game set coming up with Boston just before the All-Star break that might be very interesting.

Baltimore was a boutique pick to win the East in some quarters but I said they didn't have enough starting pitching. So far, I was right.

And Toronto can't get to .500 after their execrable April. They lost too many starters and without Edwin Encarnacion their offense has crumbled. They're at the bottom of the League in every important offensive category. Only Justin Smoak is having an outstanding season. Sometimes one player can make a huge difference in a team's morale. Big Papi Ortiz was that kind of guy for Boston and I think the Sox are still looking around the dugout for him when they need a big hit. I think Encarnacion was that player for Toronto.

AL Central:

...And Edwin Encarnacion is plying his clutchness over in Cleveland. As usual, he flopped around looking terrible all Spring while the weather was cold and as soon as it warmed up he started raking. Cleveland has a balanced offense with Chisenhall, Santana, Brantley and 24 year old third baseman Jose Ramirez all performing. Lindor looked like the offensive leader early and has a surprising 14 homers. But I think the homers went to his head and he's slumped to

.248 and only a .309 on base percentage. Cleveland has by far the best pitching in the division, led by starters Kluber and Carrasco and reliever Andrew Miller.

It's a shocker that Cleveland hasn't pulled away yet. Kansas City and Minnesota have kept pace and are only 3 games out, even with .500 records.

Minnesota, I think, has played over its head. They've allowed a lot more runs than they've scored, and that fact should prove out in the second half.

Kansas City started so slow that just getting to .500 has been a major achievement. Pride will keep the front office from selling off the stars, but free agent inevitability will soon decimate the Royals. Facts of Life. They're surging now so maybe they have one more party in 'em before they break up the old gang. I love the guys on that team and it's been too short.

The Chicago White Sox got screwed by the schedule makers. They played 44 road games vs. only 34 home games through the end of June. No wonder they're in last place. No other team has had to exhaust themselves on the road as much as the White Sox and they have a legitimate complaint with the league.

The Detroit Tigers. As usual their pitching went south on them. Especially the bullpen. Verlander is only too mortal. They cut KRod. And this year their offense hasn't been potent enough to compensate. Sad to watch.

AL West:

Last year the Astros had the second most strikeouts in the league with 1452. They were 9^th in homers with 198. This year they have the fewest Ks in the league with 588 and the most homers with 142. That's a stunning reversal for their offense. In addition to Altuve, Correa and Springer having awesome seasons, (which you kind of anticipated) their new guys at third (Bregman) and first (Gurriel) have really come through and Marisnick's new upper cut swing has him hitting with power. Marwin Gonzalez has been a wonder as a utility guy, hitting .313 with 15 taters and 51 ribbs. So that batting order is now deep, deep. The Astros are first in runs, hits, doubles, homers, ribbies, average, on-base percentage, slugging...you get the picture. Welcome to the fun house, rest of the AL.

If the hitting wasn't enough to turn it around, the pitching is good. Kuechel started looking Cy Youngish again until he got hurt. They have the luxury of keeping him out until he's good and healed. McCullers and Morton have been strong starters and Devenski and Will Harris are hellacious in the bullpen. They'll even get McHugh back for the last month or so. Houston...(Oh My God! Houston!) ...could win 110 games!

I had Texas and Seattle real close to Houston for the division but I really didn't think Houston could be this good. And I really thought Seattle would be better. Their pitching staff got assassinated and they've rolled over and played dead ever since.

There are a lot of Zombie teams on the West Coast all of a sudden...Seattle and San Francisco have joined Oakland and San Diego as walking deaders. And the Angels are on the brink of joining the marching groaners.

Texas just doesn't have the pitching to make a run at Houston. They have 8 guys with double-figure homers. The Rangers are 2^nd in the league to Houston in that and 3^rd in runs scored. But they're way down the list in everything else...especially pitching.

Like I said, the Angels are not a good team, but they're in second place by default...albeit 16 games back!

And Oakland. What can I say about Oakland? Well...they're 20 and a half games behind Houston. There. Is that enough?

Who will they trade Sonny Gray to? That's the only interesting thing about the A's.

So at the break, betting money should be on either the Dodgers or the Nationals in the NL with only Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Colorado and Arizona challenging. Of those last five, I think only Arizona could really do something.

The AL has Houston way above every other team with Boston and Cleveland maybe rising to the occasion. I think New York, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Kansas City are all good Wild Card contenders and of those I'd bet on Kansas City being the most dangerous.

Enjoy the all Star game and I'll be back when the second half gets going.

Marco

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: DANGER- BASE AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS

1/ DANGER-BASE!...the ridiculous prehistoric attachment to hard bases.

Mike Trout just tore his thumb ligament sliding headfirst into second base. The Alpha-Star of the game is sidelined for two months. Earlier this year, Adam Eaton, newly acquired by the Washington Nationals, was severely injured when his ankle turned as he raced down the line and planted his foot sideways on an unforgiving first base bag, tearing his ankle and knee ligaments and threatening his career.

These are just two of the innumerable injuries past and present and future that have been and will continue to be sustained in base path accidents caused by runners and fielders attempting to transfer momentum from a flat dirt base path to a huge lump of cloth and plastic incongruously secured to a no-give base clamp and planted like a land mine in various strategic places around our beloved baseball diamond.

This carnage must end! Our players shouldn't be expected to risk dismemberment just for trying to record an out or be called safe when they are moving with maximum effort on their appointed rounds.

Well I am here to tell you...FEAR NOT BASEBALL FANS! I CAN FIX THIS!

Very simply, replace the hard square base of baseball tradition with new, safer technology. Go to any toy store and pick up something made of the space age material called “memory foam”. It's that squishy stuff they make toys out of that you get for your grandkids so they can squeeze it in a pleasing, psychotically obsessive manner.

From Science Magazine:

“In the early 1960s, an aeronautical engineer named Charles Yost worked on technology designed to make sure that the Apollo command module and its astronauts could be recovered safely after landing. That experience came in handy four years later, when Yost was tapped to help NASA's Ames Research Center develop airplane *seating that could absorb the energy of crashes and increase passengers' chances of survival. Yost created a special type of plastic foam that had the seemingly miraculous ability to deform and absorb tremendous pressure, then return to its original shape.

Researchers discovered that the "slow springback foam," as it was called initially, not only made passengers safer, it also made sitting for hours on long flights more comfortable because it allowed for a more even distribution of body weight.”

(*bold italics are mine)

Hey! If it's good enough for John Glenn...right? Thank you Charles Yost! Thank you NASA!

Take the memory foam and sew it up in a square sack made of something FLEXIBLE but tough that will resist being torn up by baseball spikes landing on it's surface. Attach it to the same base clamps currently in use set into the middle of the base and secured at the bottom.

Now practice sliding into it. Ram into it with your extended foot. Go headfirst and hit it with your hand. Now practice running down the baseline and planting your foot on it. Hit it at an angle as you turn for the next base. Pretend you are a fielder and stab at it with your toe as you try to record an out by beating the runner to the base.

In all these experiments, I predict you will discover that the bag will give in such a way that you won't jam your appendages in the same way that a hard base will when suddenly retarding your momentum, thus sparing you from serious injury.

And after you remove your finger or foot or shin or knee or neck from the base, it will rapidly recover its original shape and docility, awaiting the next collision with its cohesive and pleasantly receptive squishiness. Voila! Base Path Salvation!

(applause...applause...Thank You! Thank You!)

So now let me hear from all you hard-headed baseball traditionalists who think it will somehow desecrate the game by making bases out of something new. You guys that think it's somehow good for the game for players to have to step on what is essentially a big rock with all their weight as they bravely try to do their sacred baseball duty and touch the base in the prescribed manner.

I pity you!

And let me hear from you, Mike Trout and Adam Eaton! Think you'd still have some working ligaments if you had hit a memory foam base? And keep hustling, by the way….you guys are great. (Send me your autographs, please…)

DEATH TO THE DANGER-BASE!!!

2/RADAR GUNS... and the Great Phony Fastball Conspiracy.

If modern radar guns are to be believed, about 50% of current major league pitchers can throw the ball at least 95 mph. That's faster than all but the greatest superstar pitchers of yesteryear. Only guys like Walter Johnson, Rube Waddell, Smoky Joe Wood, Lefty Grove, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Jim Maloney, Sudden Sam McDowell and Nolan Ryan were purported to reach such velocities in the former generations of pitchers. Most pitching staffs featured a few men who could bring it at 90mph or above, but only two or three guys in the league could reasonably claim to throw the ball at upwards of 98 before the current era. Now it seems that dozens can and nobody gets excited at velocities below 95. There must be 15 pitchers in the majors who hit 100mph regularly. It's' not even news anymore.

Well. Are we to believe that modern training techniques, diet and Evolution have upgraded baseball arms? Has scouting improved that dramatically? Is everyone on PEDS again?

To the first four conjectures I answer a resounding “YES”. (I really don't think that many pitchers are currently using PEDS...at least I sure hope not.)

Training techniques are much better. Diet has improved and humans are taller and stronger.

Scouting is better and talent is recognized and hunted down much better.

Evolution is certainly having an effect. In most sports we see a dramatic improvement in physical performance. Dash times in Track and Field, swimming records...almost everywhere you look you find hard evidence that we are bigger, faster and stronger. Why not baseball pitchers? (Although there may be evidence of diminishing returns as increased musculature puts strain on ligaments which haven't correspondingly adapted in their ability to absorb torque. Thus the prevalence of Tommy John and shoulder problems amongst our Mound Marvels.)

The truth is, pitchers today are actually throwing as fast as the radar guns say...95,98,103mph. It's a Resounding “Wow.”

The radar guns are right. Aroldis Chapman's fastball is moving at up to105mph as he releases the ball which is measured by the radar gun 6 feet from his pitching hand.

Whoops! What was that again?

That's right….modern radar guns measure the ball at a point about 6 feet from it's point of release. At that point Chapman's fastball can occasionally be perceived to be moving at 105mph . By the time that same pitch reaches home plate, however, it is only moving at about 98mph. Still very fast, but not a world record.

“So what?” you say. Well ...this what.

In the early days of radar guns, the gun picked the ball up at about the moment it crossed home plate. Various models timed the pitches at various points on the way to the plate and thus recorded slower times than the pitches currently being timed by the modern radar guns at their fastest point of velocity just as they leave the pitcher's hand. And of course, in pre-radar days they tried to time pitches by matching bob Feller's pitch with speeding motorcycles and other cumbersome techniques. Feller's fastball was measured at 98.6 AS IT CROSSED HOME PLATE at the same moment that a motorcycle traveling at that speed crossed the same point. This was after Feller tried about 100 pitches to get the synchronization the day after he pitched a complete game. That puts him at about 104 (at least) if the modern radar gun had been in use.

So modern pitchers are getting about 6 to 8mph added to their fastball velocities with the modern radar gun as opposed to pitchers of the past. That's how much a pitch will slow from the time it leaves a pitchers hand until it gets to the plate.

The simple truth is that although there are undoubtedly more pitchers today who can “bring it” as opposed to past generations, the best of the famous Old Timers were throwing it just as fast or faster.

If you doubt me, I suggest you watch the documentary “Fastball” (available on Netflix) for more data.

According to that film, Nolan Ryan was timed with an older radar gun model back in the day when he was pitching for the Angels. They didn't get a clean reading of the ball until his last of 159 pitches during a complete game he was pitching in Anaheim. The ball was measured at about ten feet in front of the plate traveling at 100.8mph. That means the pitch was traveling at approximately 108 mph as it left his hand.

Nolan….you will always rule!

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BEANBALLS AND HAMSTRINGS

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BEANBALLS AND HAMSTRINGS

1/BEANBALLS:

It started early in April when Phillies pitcher Edubray Ramos threw a bullet just over and behind the head of Asdrubal Cabrera of the Mets. This was a leftover revenge killing from last year when Asdrubal hit a game winner off Ramos and not so politely threw his bat at the Phillies dugout before throwing his hands up triumphantly as he rounded the bases in celebratory fashion. This was just a bit much and I don't blame Ramos for wanting to punish him for his insolence. Cabrera had it coming.

But Cabrera didn't deserve to be killed for bat flipping.

Any “purpose pitch” thrown above the shoulders should be outlawed and especially one thrown behind a batter's head. A batter is trained to fall back from an inside pitch, but if that pitch keeps on going inside the batter is actually putting his head in its way.

Too many players have been seriously injured by pitches exactly like this. One was killed...Ray Chapman in 1920. Don Zimmer was in a coma for 13 days after a beaning. Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane never recovered from a beaning in mid-career. Tony Conigliaro, one of the best young power hitters in baseball, never really got over a ball to the face. Paul Blair, centerfielder for the Orioles, never was the same after a beanball. The Astro's Dickie Thon was one of the most promising shortstops of all time before he took one to the face. Giancarlo Stanton and Jason Heyward of the Cubs took balls to the face. I could go on, but these were just a few of the players who suffered from a dangerous pitch up high.

I realize that mistakes happen and balls get away from pitchers. That can't be helped. But any pitch that the powers that be think was an intentional purpose pitch up high should result in a severe suspension and fine...at least a month and a maximum fine. If the player hit is injured, the pitcher should have to stay out as long as the guy he hit and pay the medical bill.

And yet I'm not saying Ramos shouldn't have thrown at Cabrera.

But what he should have done is put that -Drubal in his Ass.

Almost at the same time as the Ramos incident we had Buster Posey beaned by Taijuan Walker of the Diamondbacks. It took Buster a week to shake it off. This apparently was not intentional...they just tried to pitch Posey high and tight. Still, the next time Goldschmidt...the Snakes best hitter...came to the plate, Samardzija nailed him in the posterior. Goldy was expecting it and never even looked at Samardzija. He just set his bat down carefully and ran to first. As far as I know, that was the end of the incident.

Now that's how to remind the other team that they better be careful or they can expect retaliation. Message received...play ball.

And pitchers...JUST HIT 'EM IN THE ASS!

The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, went completely batshit about Baltimore's Manny Machado oversliding and accidently spiking Pedroia. Yes, his foot was high, but Pedroia knew he wasn't trying to intentionally hurt anybody and said so. Machado tried to help Pedey up even. But 2 games later, Matt Barnes decided to be the enforcer all on his own and threw one behind Manny's head. This set off a long running controversy that Pedroia disowned right away. If he was okay with Machado, why the hell was Barnes making trouble...especially with a killing pitch?

Shouldn't that have ended the flak? Especially since Machado and Pedroia seemed to be good and had expressed sentiments of mutual respect? Nah...let's have a war!

So Dylan Bundy, (That's Dylan, not serial killer Ted Bundy you Boston over-reactors!)clinging to a 2 run lead late in the next game throws an inside fastball on a 2-1 count that hits Mookie Betts in the hip. Not sure that's an ideal time to revenge hit somebody. Isn't winning the game kind of the best revenge? Anyway, it certainly wasn't clear that that was a purpose pitch since Betts is a “diver” and with the quickest hands in the league you have to keep it tight inside to keep him from turning on it and hitting it fair off or over the wall.

Well no matter. Just in case, the Sox started up the war again when Sales threw behind Machado's legs soon after. That was definitely a purpose pitch even though manager Farrell lied through his teeth about it “getting away” from Sale, who has impeccable control. That ball was 4 feet inside!

Eventually Machado got sick of the static and took a few extra minutes touring the bases of Fenway after a big payback home run off Sale. (He also made about 4 terrific fielding plays so you can see how intimidated he was.)

Meanwhile, some Boston fans turned Neanderthal and started making racial attacks on Adam Jones out in center field. Oh yeah, that is so classy you stupid jerks! Whatever, man...get over it Boston!

Next game in the second inning Baltimore's Gausman throws a curve ball that bounces off Bogaert's leg at about 60 mph and the brain dead umpire throws him out of the game! Idiocy all around in this series!

Now they have to play another game and Torre has called the owners and managers and told them cease and desist. I hope somebody on one of these teams exhibits some basic baseball sportsmanship real soon to remind everybody that this is a more beautiful game when fellow millionaires aren't trying to kill each other.

2/HAMSTRINGS (and other injured body parts):

For all of you who, like me, enjoy making predictions about the future and who will win what and who will absolutely for sure make the playoffs, you might as well forget it.

Ball players are too damn fragile to count on anything.

This year it seems like big stars essential to their team's fortunes are going down like turkeys on Thanksgiving.

The Mets have been totally discombobulated by early season injuries. Cespedes pulled his latest hamstring so he's out. And of course he is their one essential hitter. Their one essential pitcher, Noah Syndergaard, is lat torn and probably out til after the All Star game, if even by then he heals. Duda and Matz are both out.

The Mets have lost a lot of games with their special offensive philosophy: put together a lineup of all or nothing home run hitters, make sure everybody has a terrible on base percentage so all those homers are solo jobs and then put them in a ball park that hates home runs. Voila! Second worst offense in baseball!

And just for fun...have a terrible defense!

They won 2 games from the Nationals to show some life and then gave up 23 runs in a defeat. Last place in a division with rebuilders like Philly and Atlanta!

The aforementioned Nationals lost Adam Eaton for the season on an ankle turn at first base that tore his knee up as well. So much for trading your entire minor league pitcher A-list for him.

But the Nationals look great because their lineup has gotten hot all at once...Trea Turner, Harper, Murphy, Zimmerman...and Rendon came up with a 6 for 6 10rbi gem of a game. Zimmerman has been resurrected, revived, reincarnated...some kind of Magic Mojo. The guy is hitting .430 or something!

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers had all the injuries last year. This year it's the Giants who felt the pain when Madison Bumgarner checked his brain back at the hotel and went joy riding on his dirt bike. Thud! Have a nice little shoulder injury that could easily have been career ending Madbum! You just killed your team's slim playoff hopes. (Unless they overcome like the Dodgers did with Kershaw's injury last year). Cueto and an improved Matt Cain are hoping to take up slack. The Gigantes also lost Aaron Hill, Denard Span and Brandon Crawford for various amounts of time.

The Diamondbacks did lose Shelby Miller for the season, but he was pitching so badly this season and last that he was actually doing them a favor by removing himself from consideration. That sounds harsh I know and I wish him well....maybe he can get his thing together while recuperating.

The Dodgers have 10 guys on the DL, including starters Peterson, Forsyth, Riu, Kazmir and Rich Hill. S-N-A-F-U.

In the AL the Red Sox have suffered flu bugs and cold weather-type pulled knees and hammies as they limp to a .500 record. Panda out. Replacement at third Hernandez now also out. Steven Wright knee out (maybe for the season) Brock Holt out. Bradley Jr. out for awhile, now back. Latest big trade set-up stud Thornburg out with a bad shoulder, keeping up the tradition of hotshot new Red Sox relievers getting injured. They need David Price to come back strong if they are to salvage my prediction that they would win the East.

Baltimore lost their Number One starter when Tillman started the season hurt and Miracle Closer Zach Britton went down but they've kicked ass anyway.

Toronto? You already know that sad story but they aren't the same without Encarnacion and now Donaldson. For good measure Troy Tulowitzski and J. Happ are out. And their top pitcher Vasquez hasn't played because of a bad finger. (Badfinger!...“I remember finding out about Yoooouuuuu!”)

The Yankees have been the best story in the game so far, even though last year's phenom, catcher Gary Sanchez has been AWOL. But who needs him when you've got... Aaron Judge! On pace for 81 homers this year. Nice kid and fun to watch a big guy like that get a-holt of one (or twelve!) But he has yet to complete one circuit around the league. Pitchers aren't really dumb enough to keep throwing him fastballs in the zone. They'll eventually find a hole. (“He's Judge and Jury..and it's Judgement Day!” Non-Yankee fans just love John Sterling's radio rap, don't we?)

Anybody remember Shane Spencer? Stocky, baby-faced outfielder for the Yanks in '98? Hit 10 homers in a September call-up in only 67 at bats? 3 grand slams? Whatever happened to that guy? Well, he lasted as a role player for about three years. Enjoy it Aaron...it may not be a permanent condition.

Tigers: Miggy down for awhile...came back with a homer.

Indians lose Kluber to a back strain.

The Cardinals lost 4 pitchers and Jhonny Peralta for time.

The Los Angeles Angels have 8 pitchers on the DL!

The Rangers lost Cole Hamels with a 2 month hurt to his oblique. He joins Adrian Beltre who has barely played this year because of calf problems. The Strangers were already in trouble....Houston is even beating up on them.

Houston has 4 guys on the 10-day DL including pitcher Colin McHugh but they have been pretty healthy and are playing well.

Seattle's King Felix? Shoulder...out indefinitely. I hope he gets better because he's been one of the great gamers in this sport.

And who wins the Good Health Mojo Medal for having Nobody on the DL? The World Champs! Chicago Cubs! Keep glowing with health you Adorable Baby Bears!

Hasta La Vista!