Tag MLB

Why The Rangers Will Win The AL West

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

The Texas Rangers are currently 48-39 and just a game and a half behind the Angels in the AL West. Not just are the Rangers firmly in contention to win the division, but I contend that they are in fact the favorite.  Here’s why:

  1. Texas is 7-2 versus the Angels this year and have outscored them 58-43 in those games. The key is the 58 runs which is an average of over eight runs a game. The Rangers have destroyed the Angels’ pitching and have proven themselves as the better team
  2. Texas is 6-3 versus the Mariners. Third in the division at 46-42, the Mariners are in contention as well, but the Rangers have handled Seattle well this year. Overall, the Rangers are 18-8 against teams from the AL West. Half way through the season, the Rangers have proven themselves as the best team in the AL West based on games between the teams. The Angels are 11-16 and the Mariners are 16-15 against teams in their own division. Continue reading “Why The Rangers Will Win The AL West” →

2009 MLB Mid-Season Awards

Danny Vinik 1 Comment

With the 2009 MLB All Star Game tomorrow and the Home Run Derby tonight, it’s time to look at the first half of the season and hand out some hardware. Beginning in the American League:

MVP: Justin Morneau

He is tied for 4th in home runs, 2nd in RBI, tied for 7th in batting average, 10th in OBP, 4th in OPS, and 3rd in Slugging. Morneau’s stats don’t sound like those of an MVP, but the AL is so even this year that no candidate stands out. His biggest competition may be teammate Joe Mauer, but I’m giving the Morneau the edge due to HRs and RBI.

Cy Young: Zach Greinke

He has by far the best ERA in the AL, is tied for 2ndin wins, is 3rd in strikeouts with 129 in 127 1/3 innings, has just 21 walks, is tied for 1st in Quality Starts, and is 2nd in WHIP. Greinke has had a phenomenal year in every facet of his game and is the clear Cy Young award winner for the first half of the year.

Rookie of the Year: Ricky Romero

He is 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA and has 69 strikeout in 87 innings. He has a 1.26 WHIP and has been solid for Toronto all year. The AL doesn’t have any stand out rookies so Romero’s solid stats give him the award for the first half of the year. Continue reading “2009 MLB Mid-Season Awards” →

Kenshin Kawakami: Not Worth $23 Million

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

Looking through last year’s free agency, there is one player who signed a big contract who I had never heard of:

Kenshin Kawakami.

He’s a starter for the Atlanta Braves and signed a 3 year, $23 million contract with them this past offseason. Now, Kawakami is 34 years old and before this year, had never pitched in the Major Leagues. So WHY?

Why did the Braves shell out all this money for a pitchers years past his prime who has never faced big league batters?

Kawakami pitched extremely well in Japan, posting a 2.30 ERA last season while striking out 112 batters in 117 1/3 innings. But, the transition to MLB has hurt so many Japanese pitchers that shelling out all that money for a player already 34 years old just doesn’t make sense. The Red Sox put a huge amount of money into Daisuke Matsuzaka, expecting him to compete for Cy Youngs here, but instead he has struggled mightily and is 1-5 this year with an 8.23 ERA (He’s on the DL now). Remember the Yankees’ Kei Igawa? That worked out real well too. There is a history of dominant Japanese pitchers failing in the United States and those pitchers were in their prime. Kawakami isn’t. Continue reading “Kenshin Kawakami: Not Worth $23 Million” →