Coming up to the All-Star Break

60. Yasmani Grandal is one of the most dependable catchers that modern baseball has ever seen. Power, contact, a great defensive catcher, a perfect arm, everything you can ask for. His 15 homers already are 1st in the NL, 2nd in all of baseball for catchers. His power is great for the Brewers because more fire power is always good. His hits are second in baseball for catchers, only two behind in fact. He has 59 defensive runs saved as a catcher in his career, which just proves that he is a perfect catcher. Adding a little speed is always good and that’s what he’s doing, 3 bags in his pocket this year, that’s tied for second among catchers this year, second to a candidate you would never expect, Yadier Molina. If he could strike out 5% less (right now his SO% is 20%). I don’t know a single guy who has fewer runs than walks, that’s how good Grandal’s batter eye is. He needs help with this extra base hits, 62 hits with 120 total bases, that’s just not an appealing ratio. I think he’s good where he is.

59. Tommy Pham has too much hype surrounding him all over. The Rays pretty much think that he’s worthy of the MVP award and more. Last year when he went to Tampa he went off with 7 homers, 22 RBIs and 5 stolen bases in 39 games. This year, he doesn’t get extra base hits this year, only 116 total bases with 73 hits and 21 XBHs. This guy has amazing hustle as he knows he’s in his thirties, most guys in their thirties just absolutely don’t care, dinger or nothing. Pham has just a normal batter’s eye, a normal centerfielder, with a little more speed. He strikes out in about 18% of his plate appearances, if he could make it 15% that would make him arguably the best player on the Rays. He plays very aggressively on the bases, 31 runs, 2 triples and 6 bags. He’s never won a Gold Glove and I don’t think he will, I mean, you know, Mike Trout is right there. He has 6 errors and 13 defensive runs saved in his whole career. I think he’s not horrible but he’s a really good, solid player that brings charisma to his team along with talent. I think he’s good where he is.

58. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani started last year. I think he’s a lot worse than the hype that was around him in the beginning of the 2018 season. He’s a much better hitter than pitcher. He’s not horrible, 4-2, 63 Ks, 3.31 ERA. But hitting is just much better: 22 HRs, 21 doubles, 93 hits, 10 SBs and a .285 average. He was injured in the beginning of the year and he’s played 36 games, with 9 homers and 30 RBIs, that’s some players’ stats even when they’ve played 70 or so games. The Japanese rookie can also put on the jets and aggressive base running into play with 10 steals last year and 2 steals and 1 triple this year. The Rookie of the Year won’t have a chance against the big, power hitting DHs in the league to get an All-Star selection. He has a trained batter’s eye, great want to be the best on the Angels and to try to hit the ball as far as he can. Ohtani strikes out a lot, ¼ of his at-bats are Ks. He gets an extra base hit in 28% of his hits. I think he should go up to the high 40s.

57. Andrew Benintendi is really underrated, the Red Sox needed someone in the outfield in late 2016 and they called him up, not a lot of hype around him, didn’t produce, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and a nice .295 average. In, 2017, kills it, 20 homers, 20 doubles and 20 stolen bases, 90 RBIs and 155 hits and finishes second in Rookie of the Year voting. I think he is a sure All-Star and should be for every season up until he starts hitting only 40 hits a season and playing 100 games. Every good MLB writer knows that he has a bunch of pop, but speed is the factor that sooooo many people overlook. He has gap power, he has homer power, he’s a great contact hitter, he can get on base, and he’s like the player everyone wished for. His only rough spot is that he has as many hits as strikeouts, which really sucks. I think if he could fix that up and get a .300 average he could be one of or not the best overall player on the Red Sox. I think he should be in the high 30s.

56. James Paxton is a lethal southpaw, who makes his pitches dance and fool batters like absolutely nobody’s business. He’s not really showed himself this year, 4-3, a 3.93 ERA, 71 Ks, but the Yanks wanted him for more. In Seattle, he was really good, especially last season, 11-6, 3.76 ERA and 208 Ks, the cherry on top to that season was a no-hitter. He gave up about a hit per inning, 0.83 to be exact, which is actually a lot. He strikes out about 30% of his batters faced, walks only 9% and gives up a hit to 21% of his batter’s faced. He never had an All-Star appearances (Snubbed!), didn’t finish anywhere in Cy-Young voting, this man is really underrated. He isn’t a very faulty defender, no errors this year and only 6 errors in his 7 seasons. Last season would probably be his best season, 11-6, career highs in everything except ERA (3.76), his most innings pitched, 160.1, 208 hits, 134 hits and only, only 67 runs and all of them were earned. I don’t think he has a neon colored flaw in his performance but if I were to ask, then I would say he needs to go a little farther into games, he does pitch a lot, but for a pitcher of his caliber, he has to deeper into games. I think that he should be moved up 5 spots.

Can anyone stop Pete Alonso? Should Barry Bonds think about giving up his crown? He’s already broken the Mets rookie homerun record (26, set by Darryl Strawberry, Pete has 27). I think Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds should have something keeping them up at night. The Mets have done pretty much the impossible, they played a 4-game series against the NL Central leading Cubs and won three, I think after the Mets get Brandon Nimmo and Jed Lowrie back the Mets will have a big chance at the division.

Christian Yelich is just ripping the cover off the ball lately. I don’t even know how he has 29 homers and a .345 average, he has speed, a great glove and he deserves the All-Star start more than anyone in the NL outfield. I just don’t know how Pete Alonso didn’t get the All-Star selection, he has the second-most homers in MLB, that’s just crazy, Pete Alonso is better at every major batting stat except average and OBP, and Pete has .001 less than him in average and .023 in OBP. I think Fernando Tatis Jr. should totally make it to the All- Star Game, his hustle/speed is his strong suit, I absolutely love his passion for the game, I think any team needs this guy. I heard that the Mets are toying with the idea of putting Amed Rosario in center, so, with the empty shortstop hole, I think maybe Tatis could fit in there. Tatis has 8 homers, 9 SBs, a .318 batting average with 50 hits. Another amazing piece on his resume is that he literally tagged up and scored on a pop up to second base, SECOND BASE! Ronald Acuna Jr. really hit the ground running after the Braves put him in the leadoff spot in May, he has 17 dingers, 49 RBIs, 52 runs and a .288 batting average. Albert Pujols had some very special moments when he came back to St. Louis after getting traded 7 years ago, a standing ovation in his first at-bat, greeting with all his former teammates. He had 9 All-Star appearances, 6 Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, Rookie of the Year, 3 MVPs and 2 World Series. He had 445 dingers, 2073 hits, 455 doubles and led baseball twice in homers. He’s a great fielder, ranging from the outfield to first base, he only committed 107 errors in his 19 seasons, but everyone knows him for his hitting. It is really surprising that Tommy La Stella is making a case for an All-Star appearance because just 5 years ago, Tommy played 93 games and hit only 1 HR, 31 RBIs with a .251 BA, this season he played 71 games and hit 15 homers, 41 RBIs and a .295 BA. The Yankees have homered in 26 straight games, which rushes past their record, set in 1941. I think Nomar Mazara broke StatCast, he smokes the ball 505 into the last row of the upper deck, this isn’t the first time, he’s done this, and he’s done it a few times. Javier Baez, Cubs shortstop, the Cubs shortstop who can do it all, hits a go ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th inning on a 0-2 count, against, it hurts me to say this, the Mets, but I just had to include it. Mariano Rivera hit an inside the park home run on Old Timer’s Day, it was really cool, a reliever hit an inside the park homer, WOW. 

Mets Still Struggling in MLB Season 2019

65. Nelson Cruz has had a great power hitting career, in Texas, he was a consistent hitter, hitting .268 and 773 hits, his average home run total in those seasons was 20 homers in 100 games played on average, when he got traded to Baltimore, he played 159 games and hit a major league leading 40 homers, a 100% increase. I don’t know why the Rangers traded him away, he was a good piece, but then Baltimore traded him away. In Seattle, he continued his hot hitting and hit even more homers than the year before but didn’t get the home run crown. Cruz has never had a great glove nor ever ran well but his hitting keeps him from being bad. I think he’s a really good piece for the Twins because that just adds more fire power to the Twins organization who already have great power hitters. He pretty much only goes for XBHs, doubles and homers, this year about 46% of his hits are doubles or triples. I think he should be where he is now.

64. Travis Shaw is that stereotypical utility men, really inconsistent, has power, some speed, his batter’s eye is good, his contact is OK and he could play every single position on the field except center and short. This season is horrible for him, 5 homers, 11 RBIs and 15 runs. Only 26 hits with a .167batting average, his WAR is disgusting for a player on the Brewers, -0.7. Last season was a really nice season for him, 32 dingers, 86 RBIs and 73 runs. His contact sucked, .241 average and his OBP and SLG% are .281 and .290 respectively. Only 46 total bases this season, now that just hurts, I think I have more total bases in 16 games in Little League than he has 46 games. He has 59 Ks, like, that’s really high and he struck out in about 33% of his plate appearances, it’s likes he plays for his opponent every time.  I have no idea what happened this year, he just crashed and burned this year. I think all die-hard baseball fans are cheering against the Al Capone of the NL (The Brewers), so if Travis Shaw turns it up, the NL is done. I think he should go all the way up maybe to the low 70s because he just sucks this year but his past backs him up a lot.

63. Here’s a player that I think shouldn’t even be on this list, Patrick Corbin is worse than a lot of the players behind him, he’s one of the 13 starting pitchers to throw 200 IP, which would be elite company in my book. He threw about 6 innings per start but his ERA last year wasn’t amazing, 3.15 ERA, his stamina is really good because even if he gets beat up, he could still go a few more innings. While playing on one of the most mediocre teams in NL, the Diamondbacks, it’s hard to pitch in the tough NL West while having little to no run support. Now, pitching on the Nationals, who are struggling not to fall into the pit of doom, 5^th place in the NL East. Corbin strikes out a lot of players, already has 94 Ks. He only gave up 75 hits in 85.1 innings. If he brings his run and homer total down, then he will qualify for last in the elite pitcher club in baseball. I think he should go down a few spots because of his run total.

62. Jean Segura was one of the best shortstops in the AL. I really like this guy, he’s exactly like the old type of shortstop, speedy, great glove with pretty much no power, but the good thing is, Segura has the power. His contact is great, his batter’s eye is good and his power isn’t the best but for shortstops, it’s good. He makes a great addition to the Phils. He only strikes out in 11.7% of his plate appearances and he hit an extra base hit in about 37.3% of his hits. He’s not a leadoff hitter, he’s more of a 2 hitter, getting a double or a single. His batting average led all shortstops last year, 11^th this year. His SLG% is in the middle of all shortstops in MLB. He’s never won a Gold Glove because there’s always been Andrelton Simmons and Francisco Lindor in his way. He doesn’t touch the plate a whole lot, only 41 runs this year, but in his whole career he only has one season with more than 100 runs (which was his best season) and he only had 102 runs that season. I think he’s good where he is.

61. Rhys Hoskins is only second to Pete Alonso among first basemen that make huge impacts in the first months of their career. Two years ago he came into the show with a quick 18 dingers in 50 games and having a .618 SLG% and a .259 BA, not great and hitting for average. The next year he exploded helping the struggling Phillies as much he can, 34 homers and 96 RBIs in 153 games. His speed isn’t horrible for a first baseman, 8 SBs in his career, speed never hurt anyone. He doesn’t go for singles, he’s more of an XBH hitter, 44% of his hits are doubles, triples or round-trippers. He’s one of the most modern hitter ever, double, homer or punched out. He’s the four hitter and he’s the only four hitter on the team. His OBP is improving every year and he’s already leading the NL in walks. He has 125 total bases which is isn’t a whole lot but now MLB hitters are getting a lot more than that. I think that he should move up into the high 40s.

The Mets are getting gradually better but still struggling. They’re not as bad as getting swept by the Marlins but not as good as sweeping the Yanks. The Mets are also battling injuries and they’re not playing bad teams, so they’ve been clutching out. I don’t know why Pete Alonso isn’t at least 3^rd on the list of NL first basemen, c’mon, he’s tied for second in the home run total for MLB. The Mets farm system isn’t that bad, their pitching is where they focus on for some reason but Brett Baty is on the MLB Draft Prospect lineup and they got him. They need to focus on more hitting and getting a good, young outfield. Wilson Contreras is definitely going to get the All-Star selection unless someone like Brian McCan or JT Realmuto are going to hit 6 homers every game and get a double cycle every game until the All-Star break. I’m really surprised Wilson Ramos is still getting votes, heh-heh. Josh Bell is the equivalent of Iron Man who just drank two shots of tequila. He’s an absolute god, in his past 30 games, he has 9 homers and 27 RBIs. He also looks like Iron Man. Anthony Rizzo and Max Muncy aren’t doing much this year which is really pathetic because they’re 2 and 4 in the voting. I guess all baseball fans just care about last year, maybe the Ghost of Baseball Past visited them, at this point anything works. I think every team wants Ozzie Albies or some guy like him, a power hitting speed burner who was great hustle and want to get a homer. He himself is like a gallon of Death Wish Coffee (The Most caffeinated coffee ever). Mike Moustakas is new in this category and he’s already killing it, he’s a power hitter with no speed and little to no contact outside of making Bernie Brewer slide down his slide. Now, this one I’m really excited about, NL third basemen, it’s crazy, Arenado has taken a very commanding lead, Kris Bryant and he hasn’t been tearing the cover off the ball lately, he’s not being full Bryant, only 14 homers and 37 RBIs. Arenado has been a little more Arenado with 17 homers and 57 RBIs. In the shortstop category we all know who’s going to win, c’mon, it’s Javier Baez. He’s leading by almost 600,000 votes, then there’s Dansby Swanson who’s put on an offensive show for his team this year, 13 homers (It’s not a lot for Barry Bonds, but it’s a lot for Dansby Swanson). Javy has 17 homer and 46 RBIs with only two SBs, he’s supposed to bring a little more charisma to his team. Cody Bellinger has gotten more votes than Christian Yelich who’s obviously been the better player this year. Bellinger focuses on speed, raw power and nice BA hitting with 22 homers, 7 bags and a baseball leading .358 BA. Yelich focuses on those three also but he adds in nice alley hitting in addition to a crazy good glove.  Harper is not going to get the selection because he’s just not lived up to regular Harper, what the Phillies wanted him to play like or his mega contract, just 11 homers and 46 RBIs. The Braves are going to get quite a few guys in for his All-Star Game, I think four guys, McCann, Swanson, Freeman and Acuna Jr. In the AL, Sanchez is going to get the selection with an AL leading 20 dingers. For first basemen, Luke Voit of the Yankees is in a heavily contested first, the next two guys, Jose Abreu and CJ Cron are within 107K of the lead. I want Cron to get the selection because he’s just been so good lately. AL second basemen is a completely rigged race, Jose Altuve will come out on top but in the last ballot update, Tommy La Stella of the Angels, this time, I know the Ghost of Cannabis came to visit all 487K baseball fans that voted for La Stella. Alex Bregman is the obvious favorite in this year’s third baseman race, he’s just too much for any third baseman in the AL. The shortstop race is gonna come down to a photo finish, Jorge Polanco is gonna make it one way or another but the rest of these guys are shaky, like Carlos Correa and Gleyber Torres are going to have to fight it out, don’t sleep on Tim Anderson either. It’s gonna be crazy. Mike Trout is obviously the best player in the AL, so, he’s going to make it. George Springer is 2^nd on the list but all he has is a nice bat with no running speed and pretty much no great glove or arm. Austin Meadows is showing himself in the big leagues, exploding with base hits and an occasional XBH. In other news, Shohei Ohtani is the first Japanese born player to hit for the cycle. Zack Greinke almost had a no-no in his back pocket and then in the seventh inning he gives up a single to Trea Turner. While Wilson Ramos was waiting on deck in the fourth inning against the Cardinals, what an ingenious idea by his wife Yely.  Brodie Van Waganen is flirting with the idea of trading Noah Syndergaard, I mean, he’s hasn’t been at his best this year, but I’m on the fence with this idea, it depends for who they get him, but, they can’t get a few trash minor leaguers, they need a decent to MVP quality player for him.

It’s only a Shallow Ditch

Mets fans are again suffering abandonment as the Amazins are losing more than winning and have dropped out of second place in their division. But have no fear, I think it’s not a slump but rather a shallow ditch. They’ll be back. But first …

70. Gleyber Torres gave the AL a shock last season when he came mid-season and put on a clinic with 24 homers and 77 RBIs in 123 games. He’s not exactly a speed burner on the base paths, with only 6 steals. He got the All-Star appearance but not Rookie of the Year. He had 42 walks, 207 total bases with 122 SOs. He managed to get 14 homers in 54 games this year, 31 RBIs, 3 SBs and 13 walks. He made a huge improvement in his power, his speed and his base hits. He has 60 hits, so that’s more than a hit a game; he has 16 doubles last year and 12 doubles already this year. He has a .545 SLG, .329 OBP and a .287 batting average. He’s showing improvement at shortstop for the Yanks, but they have Didi Gregorius there, now that Didi’s injured, he’s playing short but usually he’s playing second base. I think he should be around 50 because of his offensive explosion in his first season.

69. Marcell Ozuna was on the Marlins for a long time and he was playing really well there, especially in his last season, 37 homers, 124 RBIs, 93 runs and a .312 batting average. Then he got traded to the Cardinals. He’s still a big piece for the up-and-coming St. Louis team. He’s a great five-tool player, a key for any team that gets him. In Miami, he was improving every year, but in St. Louis, he just went all the way down. He’s better this year, hitting homers and getting on base, his strikeouts are low, he has as many hits as strikeouts, which is really ugly and his average isn’t good. He’s only a left fielder now, no more switching around the outfield. He’s the definition of a stereotypical left fielder, big and bulky, doesn’t run but hits bombs. I think he is perfect where he is.

68. Josh Donaldson is not good anymore. He was good, a power hitter, in six years, 173 homers. He was supposed to be something like a David Wright in his prime except slower. Again, he was good, he scored 122 runs, he got 123 RBIs, he hit 41 homers he won MVP. He was always a good fielder but right now, at 33, I think he should only pinch hit or if Brian Snitker is really feeling kind, he’ll let him play left, but that’s where Acuna is so I think Josh should be a pinch hitter because Austin Riley is tearing it up in the field and at the plate. He strikes out a lot and his OBP isn’t that good, he’s just too old, all good things have to come to an end. He was the cornerstone of the Blue Jays for a long time, everyone was afraid of him but now he’s just a guy that is just there. I think he should be moved back into the high 80s, low 90s.

67. Starling Marte probably had the peak of his career last year, 20 homers, 72 RBIs, 81 runs and 33 SBs. A .277/.327/.460 slash line, that’s pretty nice. He looks not that fast of a guy, but then the Pirates play you and he steals one or two bags and absolutely rakes. His eye is good, he’s a good fielder, I think that last year was the peak because he only has 9 stolen bases this year and a .307 OBP isn’t showing the Starling Marte we know. 36.5% of his hits are extra base hits, the only reason that is like it is because he only has 52 hits and 19 extra base hits. He struck out in 18.8% of his plate appearances, if you think about it, that’s good. His WAR isn’t good this year, but that’s not like other teams where they five or six outfielders, no, the Pirates have four!! They need to have him there even if he’s not performing because it’s either him or inexperienced outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who’s not playing well. I think he should go up to the mid-50s.

66. Mitch Haniger is one of those raw power guys that really help the struggling Mariners to get some quick runs. He’s not a fielder, he’s sort of a runner and he loves hitting. Last season he had 13 homers, he’s on pace for more homers this season than last. 38 doubles last year, 93 RBIs, 68 XBHs and 294 XBHs, he’s a hitter. He has a good eye, walking 70 times last year and 27 walks this year. After getting off to an amazing start in the beginning of the year, the Mariners have sank all the way down to the bottom of the AL West, from beginning 13-2, they’re now at 25-35, in 10 of the 12 wins that they’ve had since the 13-2 start, Mitch Haniger has gotten a run or an RBI, that’s a nice fact Haniger can brag and a fact you can use in your small talk with friends. I think he’s should go up to the high 50s.

The Mets have a hit a what I believe is a shallow ditch, losing a lot of games, but then coming back and winning a few. Let me say that Edwin Diaz needs to be more consistent, he’s lights out and then he gives up five runs. A closer shouldn’t have a 1-3 record, that’s just un-aesthetic. Pete Alonso tied the rookie home run total for June with 19, sharing the post with Mark McGwire. He’s on pace for 57 homers, which would be more than Aaron Judge, which would break the rookie homer record. I love Brodie Van Waganen because he’s not afraid to make moves and be aggressive in getting players and DFAing players and everything in between.

It’s crazy that a team hasn’t signed Craig Kimbrel or Dallas Keuchel. The Mets could use Dallas and there are so many teams that could sign Kimbrel because they need bullpen depth and a solid closer. Vlad Guerro Jr. is tearing it up in the bigs, (not as much as Alonso, but for someone who’s 20, that’s good) he has six homers, 27 hits and 11 XBHs. Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson, Mike, really defended this grandfather’s name yesterday, a triple and then a homer. Trevor Story had a huge night 5/31. Three hits, two homers, four runs and seven RBIs, so that means that he contributed 85% of the team’s runs yesterday, big game for him. One of the strangest things happened yesterday in college baseball (yes, I watch the students play ball when there are no MLB games on TV): Adley Rutschman got intentionally walked with the bases loaded as the Oregon State University Beavers were losing 5-2. It walked in a run to make it 5-3. If you don’t know, Adley is the best pure hitter in the MLB Draft. Barry Bonds was also walked May 28, 1998, and about 21 years later Rutchsman was walked with the bases loaded. The MLB draft is happening June 3, so you guys gotta watch the new pack of young, great players get drafted. The All Star Game is also creeping up on us, July 9, and you can already vote for All-Stars on mlb.com.