This Guy is a Professional Sports Writer
I just can't help myself. This guy is a complete moron, he is a beat writer for the White Sox - a team I just can't stand, and he was not adequately torn apart by FJM, so I'll have to do it.
Hamilton has left huge footprints on the '08 season, but we can't even say he has been the biggest surprise among players. That distinction goes to White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin, whose 22 home runs and 70 RBIs lifted his team into first place in the American League Central.
Raise your hands if you saw Quentin coming.
Ooh, pick me!
No, not you, Ozzie Guillen.
No, pick me! Me!
If Guillen had foreseen the kind of force that Quentin could be, he would have started him on Opening Day.
No one ever said Guillen wasn't a crazy person.
Quentin, a .230 hitter in 138 big-league games entering the season, didn't get on the field until the third game. He drove in seven runs in the first five games and has only missed two games since then.
You didn't pick me :(
Anyone who has looked at Carlos Quentin's minor league numbers and his .953 minor league OPS is not at all surprised by his great first half. What is a surprise is that the Diamond Backs, a team with a horrible offense, traded him so that they could give big bucks to a guy who is a better announcer than baseball player and has no business being a major league left fielder. Hamilton is a bit more of a surprise, but his numbers, while good, are not as good as everyone seems to think. He's leading the league in RBIs, which is pretty much the stupidest statistic in baseball other than saves. His OBP is just .365, and OPS is only .910. A better choice for biggest surprise would be Justin Duchscherer, or Cliff Lee who have completely defied the odds after being awful last year.
For that, we're calling Quentin the Best Surprise, Player, at the All-Star break.
And I'm calling you wrong.
General manager Mark Shapiro was disappointed when he couldn't sign CC Sabathia to a contract extension in spring training but didn't think he'd be trading him on July 7. So much for the team that took Boston to seven games in last year's AL Championship Series. Injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, combined with a horrible sophomore season by Asdrubal Cabrera and Shapiro's failure to add a run-producing bat in a corner outfield spot has left the Indians ninth in the AL with 4.5 runs per game.
When you lose your 3 and 4 hitters you will probably struggle offensively. And Cleveland's offense really hasn't been the problem. It hasn't been a strength either, but they have scored more runs than the major league leading Angels, and are just 2 runs behind the "Best Surprise Team." The Indians struggles can be pointed more directly at bad luck and pitching. Betancourt has completely fallen on his face, Westbrook was lost for the season, and I think there was something else... Hmm what was it? Oh yeah, the guy who finished 4th in the Cy Young voting last year hasn't had a healthy start sing May 17th when surprise, the Indians were just 0.5 games out of first.
MVP, AL: J.D. Drew, Red Sox. There's no clear-cut choice here. Some might go with Hamilton or Kinsler based on sheer production, but you'd like your MVP to come from a team positioned for the playoffs.
I would? Wow, you must know me better than I know myself. Where does it say that the MVP must come from a team headed for the playoffs? That's stupid. The MVP should be the player who added the most wins to his team's total. To me, that's the definition of value. In other words, the MVP = the best damn player in the league. Which right now = Kinsler, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore in that order.
Drew (.302-17-55) has stepped up his production, helping Boston go 23-16 since David Ortiz went out with a wrist injury.
Drew is also 4th on his own team in VORP, plays a much easier position than Kinsler or Sizemore, and has missed more games than Chipper Jones.
You could go with Quentin almost as easily.
You could, but Dye would be a better case. So would Mauer, Morneau, Bradley, Hamilton, Youkilis, or ARod just to name a few.
The White Sox left fielder has been a better hitter on the road than home and is batting .345 with men in scoring position. Drew has been a slightly better hitter overall and is valuable in right field.
1. His Road vs. home split difference is minimal and mostly in batting average (cough luck cough) everything else is basically dead even.
2. Just luck.
3. Actually Drew's been a considerably better hitter, and neither is a great fielder, so lets not use it as a tie breaker.
MVP, NL: Pat Burrell, Phillies.
Not even close to the most valuable (or second most valuable) player on the Phillies.
How could this guy have not been an All-Star?
No argument here, he should have been an all star. Instead, guys like Tejada, Brian Wilson, and Christian Guzman were.
He has helped Philadelphia hang onto first place in the NL East.
So has Jamie Moyer. Lets give him the MVP.
While Burrell plays in a hitter's paradise, he has built his stats (.275-23-57) with better hitting on the road than at home.
So he should actually be better than he is! A lot of that probably has to do with how the Phillie fans have treated him in the past.
Atlanta's Chipper Jones and Houston's Lance Berkman are having bigger seasons but play on second-division teams.
I'm going to re-write this without changing his argument just to show how absurd it is: Atlanta's Chipper Jones, Houston's Lance Berkman, Florida's Hanley Ramirez, and St. Louis's Albert Pujols have been more valuable but play on teams not currently in first place in their division. First place in the division is a pre-requisite for the MVP because if you're team isn't in first, you are not making your teammates play at your level like an MVP should. Philadelphia's Chase Utley has been disqualified because he eats babies.
Cy Young Award, AL: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays. Halladay combines durability with the ability to dominate better than any pitcher in the game. He has gone 11-6 with a 2.71 ERA while leading the majors in complete games (seven) and innings (1461/3).
Cleveland's Cliff Lee, Oakland's Justin Duchscherer and the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez (38 saves) are best positioned to take the award away from Halladay.
1. Halladay has been great this year, but Lee and Duchscherer have been better. Much better ERAs, RAs, RA+s, and VORPS.
2. Saves are stupid.
3. Rivera has pitched much better than Rodriguez this year and any other.
Cy Young Award, NL: Edinson Volquez, Reds. Acquired from Texas for Hamilton, Volquez, 25, has gone 12-3 for a team with a 46-50 record.
He's also walked 4.33 batters per 9 and has only thrown 122 innings.
He has compiled a 2.29 ERA while making nine of his 19 starts at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Those twin feats give him a slight edge over San Francisco's Tim Lincecum, Arizona's Brandon Webb and Philadelphia's Cole Hamels.
Cole Hamels has been considerably better in a more hitter friendly park. Webb isn't even the best pitcher on his own team (that'd be Haren). Sheets at least deserves mention.
Rookie of the Year, AL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox. Ellsbury is hitting only .269 but he has stolen 35 bases and scored 60 runs. He gets a slight edge over Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria and Texas' David Murphy.
Anyone who does not pick Longoria for this award is no longer entitled to their opinion.
Manager of the Year, AL: Mike Scioscia, Angels. It's a semi-miracle that the Angels matched the Cubs' best-in-baseball record of 57-38 at the All-Star break. They've scored 409 runs, 11th in the AL, and allowed 388 runs, the fifth-best total in the AL. Scioscia seldom wastes anything you give him.
Scioscia apparently has morphed Saunders and Santana into aces and has some magical power that makes his team extra lucky. He is also the guy who keeps giving ABs to Anderson and Matthews. Joe Maddon has won this award. There is no debate here.
Manager of the Year, NL: Jerry Manuel, Mets. This is a premature call, but you've got to be impressed with the 17-9 record since Manuel replaced Willie Randolph on June 17. He has enabled an uptight clubhouse to relax and is riding a 10-game winning streak after Thursday's victory in Cincinnati. Florida's Fredi Gonzalez was looking like the choice before the Mets went on the winning streak. He has put his team into contention with a $21 million payroll, a nice little bit of sleight of hand.
KT over at FJM did a good job with this one. I will add that Piniella and Bochy deserve consideration. To already have won 40 games with the Giants is one of the most underrated accomplishments of the 2008 season.
Hamilton has left huge footprints on the '08 season, but we can't even say he has been the biggest surprise among players. That distinction goes to White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin, whose 22 home runs and 70 RBIs lifted his team into first place in the American League Central.
Raise your hands if you saw Quentin coming.
Ooh, pick me!
No, not you, Ozzie Guillen.
No, pick me! Me!
If Guillen had foreseen the kind of force that Quentin could be, he would have started him on Opening Day.
No one ever said Guillen wasn't a crazy person.
Quentin, a .230 hitter in 138 big-league games entering the season, didn't get on the field until the third game. He drove in seven runs in the first five games and has only missed two games since then.
You didn't pick me :(
Anyone who has looked at Carlos Quentin's minor league numbers and his .953 minor league OPS is not at all surprised by his great first half. What is a surprise is that the Diamond Backs, a team with a horrible offense, traded him so that they could give big bucks to a guy who is a better announcer than baseball player and has no business being a major league left fielder. Hamilton is a bit more of a surprise, but his numbers, while good, are not as good as everyone seems to think. He's leading the league in RBIs, which is pretty much the stupidest statistic in baseball other than saves. His OBP is just .365, and OPS is only .910. A better choice for biggest surprise would be Justin Duchscherer, or Cliff Lee who have completely defied the odds after being awful last year.
For that, we're calling Quentin the Best Surprise, Player, at the All-Star break.
And I'm calling you wrong.
General manager Mark Shapiro was disappointed when he couldn't sign CC Sabathia to a contract extension in spring training but didn't think he'd be trading him on July 7. So much for the team that took Boston to seven games in last year's AL Championship Series. Injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, combined with a horrible sophomore season by Asdrubal Cabrera and Shapiro's failure to add a run-producing bat in a corner outfield spot has left the Indians ninth in the AL with 4.5 runs per game.
When you lose your 3 and 4 hitters you will probably struggle offensively. And Cleveland's offense really hasn't been the problem. It hasn't been a strength either, but they have scored more runs than the major league leading Angels, and are just 2 runs behind the "Best Surprise Team." The Indians struggles can be pointed more directly at bad luck and pitching. Betancourt has completely fallen on his face, Westbrook was lost for the season, and I think there was something else... Hmm what was it? Oh yeah, the guy who finished 4th in the Cy Young voting last year hasn't had a healthy start sing May 17th when surprise, the Indians were just 0.5 games out of first.
MVP, AL: J.D. Drew, Red Sox. There's no clear-cut choice here. Some might go with Hamilton or Kinsler based on sheer production, but you'd like your MVP to come from a team positioned for the playoffs.
I would? Wow, you must know me better than I know myself. Where does it say that the MVP must come from a team headed for the playoffs? That's stupid. The MVP should be the player who added the most wins to his team's total. To me, that's the definition of value. In other words, the MVP = the best damn player in the league. Which right now = Kinsler, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore in that order.
Drew (.302-17-55) has stepped up his production, helping Boston go 23-16 since David Ortiz went out with a wrist injury.
Drew is also 4th on his own team in VORP, plays a much easier position than Kinsler or Sizemore, and has missed more games than Chipper Jones.
You could go with Quentin almost as easily.
You could, but Dye would be a better case. So would Mauer, Morneau, Bradley, Hamilton, Youkilis, or ARod just to name a few.
The White Sox left fielder has been a better hitter on the road than home and is batting .345 with men in scoring position. Drew has been a slightly better hitter overall and is valuable in right field.
1. His Road vs. home split difference is minimal and mostly in batting average (cough luck cough) everything else is basically dead even.
2. Just luck.
3. Actually Drew's been a considerably better hitter, and neither is a great fielder, so lets not use it as a tie breaker.
MVP, NL: Pat Burrell, Phillies.
Not even close to the most valuable (or second most valuable) player on the Phillies.
How could this guy have not been an All-Star?
No argument here, he should have been an all star. Instead, guys like Tejada, Brian Wilson, and Christian Guzman were.
He has helped Philadelphia hang onto first place in the NL East.
So has Jamie Moyer. Lets give him the MVP.
While Burrell plays in a hitter's paradise, he has built his stats (.275-23-57) with better hitting on the road than at home.
So he should actually be better than he is! A lot of that probably has to do with how the Phillie fans have treated him in the past.
Atlanta's Chipper Jones and Houston's Lance Berkman are having bigger seasons but play on second-division teams.
I'm going to re-write this without changing his argument just to show how absurd it is: Atlanta's Chipper Jones, Houston's Lance Berkman, Florida's Hanley Ramirez, and St. Louis's Albert Pujols have been more valuable but play on teams not currently in first place in their division. First place in the division is a pre-requisite for the MVP because if you're team isn't in first, you are not making your teammates play at your level like an MVP should. Philadelphia's Chase Utley has been disqualified because he eats babies.
Cy Young Award, AL: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays. Halladay combines durability with the ability to dominate better than any pitcher in the game. He has gone 11-6 with a 2.71 ERA while leading the majors in complete games (seven) and innings (1461/3).
Cleveland's Cliff Lee, Oakland's Justin Duchscherer and the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez (38 saves) are best positioned to take the award away from Halladay.
1. Halladay has been great this year, but Lee and Duchscherer have been better. Much better ERAs, RAs, RA+s, and VORPS.
2. Saves are stupid.
3. Rivera has pitched much better than Rodriguez this year and any other.
Cy Young Award, NL: Edinson Volquez, Reds. Acquired from Texas for Hamilton, Volquez, 25, has gone 12-3 for a team with a 46-50 record.
He's also walked 4.33 batters per 9 and has only thrown 122 innings.
He has compiled a 2.29 ERA while making nine of his 19 starts at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Those twin feats give him a slight edge over San Francisco's Tim Lincecum, Arizona's Brandon Webb and Philadelphia's Cole Hamels.
Cole Hamels has been considerably better in a more hitter friendly park. Webb isn't even the best pitcher on his own team (that'd be Haren). Sheets at least deserves mention.
Rookie of the Year, AL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox. Ellsbury is hitting only .269 but he has stolen 35 bases and scored 60 runs. He gets a slight edge over Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria and Texas' David Murphy.
Anyone who does not pick Longoria for this award is no longer entitled to their opinion.
Manager of the Year, AL: Mike Scioscia, Angels. It's a semi-miracle that the Angels matched the Cubs' best-in-baseball record of 57-38 at the All-Star break. They've scored 409 runs, 11th in the AL, and allowed 388 runs, the fifth-best total in the AL. Scioscia seldom wastes anything you give him.
Scioscia apparently has morphed Saunders and Santana into aces and has some magical power that makes his team extra lucky. He is also the guy who keeps giving ABs to Anderson and Matthews. Joe Maddon has won this award. There is no debate here.
Manager of the Year, NL: Jerry Manuel, Mets. This is a premature call, but you've got to be impressed with the 17-9 record since Manuel replaced Willie Randolph on June 17. He has enabled an uptight clubhouse to relax and is riding a 10-game winning streak after Thursday's victory in Cincinnati. Florida's Fredi Gonzalez was looking like the choice before the Mets went on the winning streak. He has put his team into contention with a $21 million payroll, a nice little bit of sleight of hand.
KT over at FJM did a good job with this one. I will add that Piniella and Bochy deserve consideration. To already have won 40 games with the Giants is one of the most underrated accomplishments of the 2008 season.
posted by Andrew Manning at
2:57 PM
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