Guest Post from my Dad, Tim Hartsell about Managers from the past and his views on them

I would like to talk today about different Managers in Major League Baseball. Managers today are far different than in the past. I love the old Managers of the days gone by. Tommy Lasorda ( he was the Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers) was probably the best Manager I have ever seen. It pains me to say that because I hate the Dodgers and always will. He coached the game and taught players to play better instead of throwing them out in a position and letting them go. You see that alot in todays Managers because they made it to the big show they should be able to play. Everybody needs to be showed how to play better. Lasorda was the coach who would put  a glove on a show a player how to play. Also when he fought for his players which meant he got kicked out of alot of ballgames.

Tommy Lasorda

To bring it up to todays coaches he was alot like Bobby Cox. Cox was the Manager of the Atlanta Braves through the 90's and retired in 2010. He was the only Manager Atlanta had they lead them to a World Series win in 1995. He also was one who fought for his players being kicked out of more games than any other Manager in baseball. A record other Managers don't want to break! Coach Cox put together one of the best pitching staff in baseball.

Bobby Cox

Another Manager that people didn't know he was the Manager of the Braves as well was Joe Torre. Coach Torre lead the Braves to a Division Title in 1983. Shortly there after he had a fallen out with the owner Ted Turner and left the Braves. He went to other teams before ending up with the New York Yankees. (ps I hate them worse than LA) There he won several Championships and still again didn't get along with the owner. The only difference here is the owner of the Yankees knew he had a great Manager and wasn't about to let him go. The owners name was George Steinbrenner. You either hated him or loved him, but he knew how to be a good owner. He was not scared to buy a winner!!!

Joe Torre

These are just 3 Managers of a long, long line of great Managers in the game. From Earl Weaver of the Baltimore Orioles to today's Manager. They have all played or grownup loving the game. Same as I have. Managers can either make or break a team, but players will always be what makes the game. 

Earl Weaver

AL All Star Voting Update

On Saturday the update of the results for 2013 All Star Game for the AL team came out. The Voting has changed for a starting position. Also a record for amount of votes given to a single player may get broken.

Catcher
At the Catcher position Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins continues to pace the voting there with 2,127,175 votes. In second place Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles continues to trail in the voting with 1,615,625 votes. These two players are the best at their position in the American League and they should finish this way when the voting is finally over. Joe Mauer is the face of the Twins and he is arguably the best Catcher in baseball but he definitely is the best in the American League.

First Base
At the First Base position Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles is still leading the voting for the First Base Position with 2,999, 094 votes. Chris Davis continues to have a career year because he is leading Major League Baseball in home runs with 22. In second place for the First Base position is Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers with 1,980,129 votes. Voters have so far got this position right and hopefully they will keep it this way because Chris Davis deserves to start at First Base after a career year so far.

Second Base
At the Second Base position Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees continues to lead the voting in his position with 2,409,512 votes. Robinson Cano is a really good player and he continues to play really good this season and he is also the best player at his position in the American League. In second place for the American League at the Second Base is Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox with 1,635,674 votes. Dustin Pedroia is a really good player for the Boston Red Sox but he should not beat Robinson Cano for the starting position at Second Base because Cano is the best in the American League.

Third Base
At the Third Base position Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers continues to lead the voting for his position with 3,277,890 votes. Miguel Cabrera is on pace to set a record for most votes for a single player for All Star game voting because last year current Angels and former Rangers Outfielder Josh Hamilton set a record with 11,073,744 votes and if Cabrera keeps this pace he could break it. Miguel Cabrera currently leads the American League in Batting Average and Runs Batted In and he is in second place in Home Runs. In Second Place in voting for the Third Base Position is Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles with 1,626,209 votes. If Manny Machado keeps playing well like he has, he will start an All Star game at some point but for now Miguel Cabrera deserves to be the starter.

Shortstop
At the Shortstop position J.J. Hardy of the Baltimore Orioles continues to lead with 1,871,010 votes. J.J. Hardy is a good player and he has had a good season so far. J.J. Hardy plays every play hard and he just someone that many people would love have playing for them, which is the biggest complement you can give any player. In second place in the voting for the Shortstop position is Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers with 1,358,412 votes. Elvis Andrus was originally leading the voting for the Shortstop position when the first results for voting came out and as I said in my previous post about the voting results, this one will come down to the end.

Outfield
The Outfield position has stayed the same with the top two vote getters to get to start in the Outfield being Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles with 2,740,505 votes and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels with 2,710,115 votes. These players are both very good players and they both deserve to be the top two leading vote getters and they should be starting the All Star game for the American League. The voting for the third and final starting Outfield spot has changed as Torii Hunter of the Detroit Tigers has been passed in the voting by another Outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, Nick Markakis is now third with 1,463,392 votes and Torii Hunter is now in fourth with 1,425,571 votes. This voting for the third Outfielder should come down to the end of voting and it will be interesting to see who will start in the Outfield for the American League.

Designated Hitter
As I said in my last post the Designated Hitter position is unique to the American League. The Designated Hitter will hit instead of the Pitcher in the American League, however, in the National League the Pitcher bats and they do not have a Designated Hitter. The current leader in the voting for the Designated Hitter position has not changed as it is the face of the Boston Red Sox organization as it is David Ortiz with 2,488,451 votes. In second place is Lance Berkman of the Texas Rangers with 1,239,521 votes. This vote is not really that close and I don't expect the results to change because David Ortiz is the best Designated Hitter in the American League.

For More Information on the second release of the AL team all star game voting go to the MLB webpage for more and you can also check out my previous opinions on the first results and the previous results on the voting

This is Miguel Cabrera, the Third Basemen of the Detroit Tigers and he is currently the leader of most votes for the American League Team and he is on pace to break Josh Hamilton's voting record.

AL Central Standings Updated

Detroit Tigers (36-28)
The Detroit Tigers are still currently the AL Central division leader. The Tigers still continue to play the best baseball in this division. Miguel Cabrera still is playing good and hitting well and he is the leading vote getter in the latest results for Third Base for the American League all star team. Prince Fielder is playing better but as always you could always play better. The Tigers best Starting Pitcher Justin Verlander has been pitching well so far this season. The best outfielder for the Tigers, Torii Hunter was in the top three for the Outfield position for the AL team for the all star game.  

Cleveland Indians (32-33)
The Cleveland Indians continue to play hard every day and they still have a good mix of veteran players on their team. The veteran player for the Indians, Jason Giambi has been playing very well lately, hitting the ball. They reflect their manager's personality really well and that has helped them because their manger is very hard nosed and the players have really reflected that this season and that has been important for them so far.  

Kansas City Royals (31-33)
The Kansas City Royals have been playing better recently and have been hitting better. They hired hall of fame player George Brett to be their interim hitting coach and it has payed off for them. They have played better of late and they find themselves only two games under .500  and 5 1/2 games out of the division lead. The Royals making George Brett the interim hitting coach was one of the smartest things that the organization could do because he is one best hitters ever. If the Royals continue to play better then they could compete for a playoff spot.

Minnesota Twins (29-34)
The Minnesota Twins are still where many experts predicted them to be when the season started. They are one position better right now in the standings then many thought they would be. If the Twins continue to lose they could trade some players at the trade deadline, including first basemen Justin Morneau. Justin Morneau is had a good season so far because he has stayed healthy unlike other seasons when has spent time on the disabled list because of different injuries.

Chicago White Sox (28-35)
The Chicago White Sox have played bad baseball lately and it shows as they have dropped to last in the standings. They are under .500 in their last 10 games as they have gone 4-6. They may get back on the winning track as they are starting a series against the second worst team in baseball, the Houston Astros tonight. The White Sox can start being a better team if they start hitting because they have struggled lately hitting and it has cost them and that is why they are currently last in the division standings and 7 1/2 games out of first. It is not to late for them to turn it around but they need to start turning it around tonight in Houston.

This is Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Justin Verlander, who has pitched very well for the Tigers this season.

 

NL East Standings Updated

Atlanta Braves (39-27)
 The Atlanta Braves are still the current division leader in the National League East. The Atlanta Braves continue to play well in and be the division leader in the division that has been a serious let down in terms of what experts thought the competition would be. Evan Gattis continues to have a remarkable rookie season and the Starting Pitching has been really good, the best has been left handed pitcher, Mike Minor. Right Fielder Jason Heyward and First Basemen Freddie Freeman have been playing really well within the past week and it has been interesting despite the Braves having been swept in their most recent series by the San Diego Padres.

Washington Nationals (32-32)
The Nationals have continued to falter and be a bad team despite winning this division last season and making to the playoffs. Last season's rookie sensation Bryce Harper is still injured and he has not came back since. They have also struggled in the Starting Pitching department and it did not help when their best Starting Pitcher Stephen Strasburg got injured and just came off of the disabled list today. The Nationals had big expectations to start the season and they have not lived up to them because of injuries and many other things.   

Philadelphia Phillies (31-35)
The Philadelphia Phillies have continued to struggle as the season goes on. Their star Second Basemen Chase Utley has had his struggles this season and he is currently on the disabled list. The biggest bright spot on this Phillies team is young Outfielder, Domonic Brown. Domonic Brown has really been having a good spot of this season by hitting really well and giving the only bright spot to this Phillies team. The Phillies are struggling but the great thing for Phillies fans is that they play hard every night and never give up.  

New York Mets (24-36)
The New York Mets are still not hitting the ball in key situations and they sent down their starting First Basemen Ike Davis down to the Minor Leagues and the Triple A Mets affiliate. The Third Basemen David Wright is still playing good baseball and should be playing in the all star game for the National League team. He is currently second in voting for National League Third Basemen and he should continue to impress. The Mets are playing to the best of the talent that is on their team.

Miami Marlins (19-46)
The Miami Marlins have continued to play really bad baseball and their current record reflects that. They recently got back their star Outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton off of the 15 day disabled list. A player that continues to impress for the Marlins is Derek Dietrich, a Second Basemen that has recently been playing well after being promoted. He is been a really big bright spot for a team that is not good.

This is Jason Heyward, the Right Fielder for the Atlanta Braves who has started hitting better of late.

NL All Star Voting Results Updated

On Sunday the updated results for 2013 All Star Game for the NL team came out. The starters for the NL team changed at one position but the other positions stayed the same but the positioning in terms of voting changed.

Catcher
At the Catcher position Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants continues to lead with 1,961,861 votes. Buster Posey is currently the highest vote getter overall for the National League team. In second place in voting for the Catcher position is Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals with 1,684,700 votes. As a wrote in my initial post on the NL all star team voting, I think Buster Posey is a good pick for the Catcher position but I think the Catcher for the Atlanta Braves Evan Gattis should be competing for the starting spot. I talked about Evan Gattis on my Monday post.


First Base
At the First Base position Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds continues to the lead the voting with 1,569,477 votes. As was written in my original post I thought that Joey Votto should be leading the voting for the First Base position. Second in voting for the First Base position is Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks with 928,647 votes. This is a better decision than the previous vote because Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants was in second. Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves should be contending but he is not because he is only in fifth position with 704,578 votes.

Second Base
At the Second Base Position Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds continues to lead the voting with 1,541,720 votes. Brandon Phillips is the best Second Basemen in the National League and he deserves to be first in voting. In second place at the Second Base position is Marco Scutaro of the San Francisco Giants with 1,285,076 votes. Marco Scutaro is a good Second Basemen and should be competing for the starting job for the All Star game. This vote could come down to the end of the voting period and it should be interesting.

Shortstop
At the Shortstop position Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies continues to lead the voting with 1,691,262 votes. Troy Tulowitzki has had a good season this year so far after he was injured a lot last season. Troy Tulowitzki continues to hit the ball well and living up to the reputation of the best hitting Shortstop in the National League. Second in the voting for the National League for the Shortstop position continues to be Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants with 1,015,633 votes. The young Shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, Jean Segura should be second in the voting and many experts believe that he should be competing for the starting position. Jean Segura is currently third in the voting with 835,329 votes. Segura is a very good defensive player and it just depends on if your preference is a good hitter like Tulowitzki or a good fielder like Segura.

Third Base
At the Third Base position Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants continues to lead at the Third Base position with 1,674,157 votes. Pablo Sandoval went on the disabled list yesterday for an injury and will not be playing for a little bit of time. The big question is Pablo Sandoval going to be healthy enough to start for the National League team. In second place in the voting for the Third Base position is David Wright of the New York Mets with 1,473,381 votes. David Wright is the best Third Basemen in the game and maybe by the end of the voting period maybe he will be the leading vote getter at the Third Base position. Chris Johnson of the Atlanta Braves has fallen in the voting to fourth place with 635,138 votes and has been passed by the Third Basemen for the St. Louis Cardinals David Freese with 720,939 votes.

Outfield
In the Outfield which is the most unique of any of the positions because of the top three voting outfielders get to start, Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves continues to lead the voting for the Outfield with 1,666,026 votes. Justin Upton has played really well this season and he deserves to continue leading the Outfield in most votes. Second in voting for the Outfield continues to be young outfielder Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals with 1,616,784 votes. Bryce Harper is a good player but he has been injured this season and has had a stint on the disabled list this season for playing really hard and injuring himself after hitting the outfield wall. Third in the voting for the Outfield has changed and now in third place with 1,550,844 votes is Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals. Carlos Beltran is a veteran and a very good right fielder for the Cardinals. Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and who had been third in the voting is now fourth with 1,283,103 votes. I wonder if the recent PED report that came out affected where he was in the voting.  

For More Information on the second release of the NL team all star game voting go to the MLB webpage for more and if you want to see a earlier release of the votes and my opinion on the votes, check out my Early NL All Star Voting Results post.

This is Buster Posey, the Catcher for the San Francisco Giants and currently the leading vote getter at the Catcher position and the overall leader in votes for the National League.

AL All Star Voting Results Updated

On Saturday the updated results for 2013 All Star Game for the AL team came out. The starters for the AL team stayed the same but the positions in voting changed.

Catcher
At the Catcher position Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins continues to lead the voting with 1,492,396 votes. Matt Wieters, the Catcher from the Baltimore Orioles continues to be in second place with 1,153,795 votes. As I said when I wrote my original post on the AL team's all star game voting results, these two players are the best players in the American League at their position and they both deserve to be where they are at in the voting right now.

First Base
At the First Base position Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles continues to lead the voting with 2,084,274 votes. As I wrote in my original post on the AL team's all star voting results, Chris Davis deserves to be leading the voting results so far because he has had a really nice first half of the season so far. Second in voting for the First Base position is Detroit Tigers first basemen Prince Fielder. Prince Fielder has a total of 1,469,537 votes. This is still the same as the last time and if the voters get it right, this will stay the same.

Second Base
At the Second Base position Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees continues to lead the voting with 1,851,371 votes. Robinson Cano still continues to be a good hitter and continues to be one of the faces of the Yankees since Derek Jeter is still out with an injury. The Second leading vote getter for the Second Base position has changed and it is Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox with 1,106,949 votes. Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox is a really good player but the votes are still right with the Second Base position because Robinson Cano is the best in the game at the position.

Third Base
At Third Base the leading vote getter is still the obvious choice at this position and he continues to be the leading vote getter with 2,355,128 votes. He has almost gained 1 million votes since the early voting numbers came out. Miguel Cabrera is a very good player and he deserves to be first at third base because he has had an MVP caliber season so far and he is trying to defend his triple crown title from last season. In second place in the voting is Baltimore Orioles Third Basemen Manny Machado with 1,170,108 votes. Manny Machado is a very good young third basemen for the Orioles and he plays for a long time he will get to start the all star game at some point.

Shortstop
At the Shortstop position the leading vote getter has changed and it is now J.J. Hardy of the Baltimore Orioles leading with 1,231,843 votes. J.J. Hardy is a hard nosed player and the fans of Baltimore enjoy watching him play and that is why he is probably first in the voting now. In second place in the voting is Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers with 1,045,855 votes. Elvis Andrus was leading the voting for the Shortstop position when the first voting results came out. This race is really close and will come down to the end of the voting period.

Outfield 
The Outfield players are still the same but the amount of votes and the order has changed. The leading vote getter for the Outfield is now Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Adam Jones with 1,944,450 votes. Adam Jones is a really good player and it is no surprise that he has this many votes and is now leading the votes for the Outfield. In second for the Outfield is good, young Outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout with 1,939,486 votes. Mike Trout had a good rookie season and he continues with a good sophomore season. In third and the final starting position for the Outfield is Torii Hunter of the Detroit Tigers with 1,067,973 votes. The results for the outfield are different because the top three vote getters in the Outfield get to start the all star so that is why the top three vote getters matter so much.

Designated Hitter
The Designated Hitter position is unique to the American League. The Designated Hitter will hit instead of the Pitcher in the American League, however, in the National League the Pitcher bats and they do not have a Designated Hitter. The voting for the Designated Hitter position has not changed and the face of the Boston Red Sox David Ortiz is still leading the voting with 1,716,410 votes. In second place for the Designated Hitter position is Lance Berkman of the Texas Rangers with 957,618 votes.

For More Information on the second release of the AL team all star game voting go to the MLB webpage for more and if you want to see a earlier release of the votes and my opinion on the votes, check out my Early AL All Star Voting results post.

The Remarkable Journey and Rookie Season of Evan Gattis

Evan Gattis has had a remarkable journey in his rookie season playing for the Atlanta Braves. He also has a remarkable story of how he came to be where he is today. Evan Gattis' journey to where he is today is similar to Los Angeles Angels player Josh Hamilton's journey back to baseball. Evan Gattis committed to play baseball for Texas A&M out of high school. Evan Gattis became scared at the idea of failing at the game of baseball at a higher level. He turned to alcohol and marijuana for his anxiety issues because of his fear of failing at a higher level.

Evan Gattis did not go to college but instead he went to a rehab center to try and deal with his problems that he had. After he got out of rehab, he went to a junior college in Oklahoma, where he played for a half of season and got burned out on the game of baseball. He took many odd jobs to earn money after being burned out on the game of baseball. Some of the odd jobs that Evan Gattis had was being a janitor and he was a ski lift operator, he even worked at Yellowstone National Park.

Evan Gattis made his baseball return in 2010 and played with his step brother on his college baseball team. Later that year the Atlanta Braves selected Evan Gattis in the 23rd round of 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. Evan Gattis had a hard time in his seasons of pro ball. Many experts predicted that Evan Gattis would never make the Atlanta Braves roster because the Braves have all star catcher Brian McCann and that was his position in the minor leagues. Evan Gattis decided to switch to left field because he knew that he was blocked in his journey to the Major Leagues by McCann at catcher.

Then this season after playing in the Winter Baseball League in Venezuela, the Braves were impressed enough with the way Gattis played to give him a chance in Spring Training to make the Opening Day roster. Evan Gattis played really well in Spring Training and he got his chance in the Major Leagues as a catcher when Braves starting catcher Brian McCann had off-season shoulder surgery and started the season on the disabled list. Evan Gattis impressed the Braves coaches so much during Spring Training that he got to start at catcher in just the second game of the Braves season.

Evan Gattis has been such an inspiration to many people that thought he would never reach his dream of playing pro baseball. He has also been an inspiration to people on not giving up on your dreams. Evan Gattis is a real contender so far for the National League Rookie of the Year as he as arguably been the best rookie in baseball this season. According to Baseball Reference, Evan Gattis has a batting average of .263 and he has 13 home runs. He is nicknamed "El Oso Blanco," which means white bear in spanish. Evan Gattis got his nickname in Venezuela Winter League because of his home run power. Evan Gattis' journey to the Major Leagues  has been really remarkable and that is why he is a feel good story. Being a an Atlanta Braves fan, I hope that Gattis continues his success and wins the National League Rookie of the Year.

 

Here is a picture of the Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis, catching during his remarkable season so far.

   

Steroid/ Performance Enhancing Drugs Controversy

There has been many opinions on a report that surfaced this week, when a report from ESPN's Outside the Lines reported that Major League Baseball was looking to suspend players that were connected to a Miami area clinic and Tony Bosch. The report stated that players such as Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, Melky Cabrera of the Toronto Blue Jays and many more players were involved in a Miami based biogenesis clinic that provided Performance Enhancing Drugs to many players. It causes a black eye for baseball because the stats that these three players mentioned in the report put up are all tainted.
          
The report stated that Major League Baseball is thinking about suspending the players involved for 100 games. One of the players involved, Melky Cabrera has already been suspended once for 50 games last season for testing positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs while playing for the San Francisco Giants. If he is found guilty in this investigation by Major League Baseball then I believe he should be banned for life from the game of baseball. This problem is hurting the integrity of the game of baseball and should not be hurting America's pastime so bad. I believe the only way that you will be able to restore the integrity of the game is by suspending players 100 games for their first offense because by doing that the player caught using Performance Enhancing Drugs would be missing critical time for their team and then if the player still decides to use Performance Enhancing Drugs then they should be banned from the game of baseball for life.
         
This is just as bad if not worse than the Pete Rose situation where he  was betting on baseball because you are still cheating the game of baseball but it is just in a different form. Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers was going to be suspended last season for testing positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs but he appealed the penalties and was found not guilty because the person that was supposed to check his sample did not keep the contents right and he won the appeal and was not suspended any games. I wrote a little about Braun in my NL Central Standings post yesterday.
        
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees had an interview with ESPN a couple of years ago where he admitted using Steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs but since he never tested positive for them, Major League Baseball could not Suspend him. Alex Rodriguez issued a statement on Thursday about the investigation. My opinion is that if you can't stay off of the Steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs then you should not be allow to play such a great game like baseball even if it is at the highest playing level.

This is one of the players involved in the scandal, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

This is another player involved in the scandal, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.

This is the other big player in the scandal and this the player that has already been suspended last season for Performance Enhancing Drugs, Melky Cabrera of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Here is a clip from YouTube where Alex Rodriguez admits to using Performance Enhancing Drugs.

NL Central Standings

St. Louis Cardinals (40-21)
The St. Louis Cardinals are very good and they are a veteran team with a lot of playoff experience. They have really good hitters on their team as well that are veterans. One of the veterans they have is outfielder Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran is a switch hitter, which means he can hit from both sides of the plate. Being a switch hitter is very rare because learning the concept of hitting from both sides is very hard. The thing that makes the Cardinals such a good team is that they have an experienced catcher behind the plate in veteran Yadier Molina, who is competing for votes to be the starting catcher for the all star game for the NL team. The Cardinals are overall a good team and they should be a contender come October and the postseason. 

Cincinnati Reds (36-25)
The Cincinnati Reds are the defending champions of the National League Central division. They also have many good players that play for them. The face of their franchise is Joey Votto, which is their first basemen and he is currently the leader in voting for the all star game to be the starter at first base for the National League Team. The Cincinnati Reds also have a great second basemen in Brandon Phillips, who is also leading voting for the National League Team for the all star game at his position. They acquired a really good outfielder from the Cleveland Indians in Shin-Soo Choo. They also have some of the best relief pitching in baseball in Jonathan Broxton and closer Aroldis Chapman. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (36-25)
The Pittsburgh Pirates always start the beginning of the season off fast and win many of their games. The biggest problem that the Pirates have is that they can't finish the season the way the start as they always fall short of the playoffs. They have really good pitching this season with veteran starter A.J. Burnett and they also have a really good young starter in Jeff Locke who has an ERA under 3, which is really good for an earned run average in baseball. They have a really fast and talented outfielder in Andrew McCutchen. The biggest free agent signing the Pirates made was signing veteran catcher Russell Martin. 

Chicago Cubs (24-34)
The Chicago Cubs are the loveable loser of all of baseball. They have not won a World Series since 1908. They have had many good seasons since then but just cannot convert in the playoffs. This season's Cubs team are very young and it shows by their record but they play every game hard which is commendable. They have a really good young nucleus in shortstop Starlin Castro, first basemen Anthony Rizzo, and second basemen Darwin Barney, who plays really hard and who any coach would love to have on their team because of his heart and effort. They also have a really good pitcher in Jeff Samardzija, who also is famous for being a really good wide receiver in college at Notre Dame. The Cubs will be a good team next season if they continue to improve. 

Milwaukee Brewers (23-37)
The Milwaukee Brewers are a really young team mixed in with some veteran players. The best young player they have is Shortstop Jean Segura who I talked about in my NL all star voting post. The face of the Brewers franchise, Ryan Braun has been under some scrutiny this week after a report surfaced from ESPN about him buying Performance Enhancing Drugs from a clinic in Florida. Where the Brewers are in the standings was expected for this season because they are young and young teams usually do not play well. The Brewers will be a better team when their younger players start playing better but the problem is that may take a long time for them to develop but the best way is to get them playing experience. 

Here is a Picture of Cubs Pitcher Jeff Samardzija playing wide receiver for Notre Dame.

Here is a Picture of Jeff Samardzija playing baseball, Pitching for the Chicago Cubs.

AL West Standings

Texas Rangers (36-23)
The Texas Rangers had a very interesting off-season when they let their star player Josh Hamilton leave in free agency and sign in their own division with the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers have been consistent this season with good pitching and good hitting. They have had a nice surprise this season at the designated hitter position in Lance Berkman, who thought he would never play again after having a season ending injury but the "Big Puma" as he is nicknamed has played well this season. They also have good players at second base in Ian Kinsler, at shortstop in Elvis Andrus, and at third base in veteran Adrian Beltre. Their pitching has been outstanding this season led by Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish who was an all star last season. They have many players that are contending for a starting position in the all star game for the AL team.   

Oakland Athletics (37-25)
The Oakland Athletics continue to impress with their moneyball ways. Their General Manager Billy Beane continues to impress with the players that he brings in with limited funding. Billy Beane's way of moneyball has payed off for the Athletics because they have some really good veterans in Center Fielder Coco Crisp and in young players Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick. They have a really good infielder in Jed Lowrie. They are the defending American League West division champions and so far the way they have been playing they have lived up to the way they played last season. Their starting pitching and relief pitching continue to be good despite having many unknown names pitching.

Los Angeles Angels (26-34)
The Los Angeles Angels have been the biggest disappointments so far this season despite making a splash in free agency by signing power hitting outfielder Josh Hamilton. They have the most talent in the division but just can not seem to put it together. They have many good players on their team including the best pure hitter in baseball in first baseman Albert Pujols. They also have a good young player that emerged last season in Mike Trout. They recently got their ace pitcher, Jared Weaver back last week after he had been on the disabled list with an injury. If the Angels play like they are capable of playing they can emerge to the top of the division but if not it will just be another team that overspent in the off-season, similar to other teams like the Blue Jays and the other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers. 

Seattle Mariners (26-35)
The Seattle Mariners are not that great of a team and they are forced to have a good draft and develop players because they do not have the money to spend that other teams do and it cost them on the field. There have been a couple of bright spots this season for the Mariners as there have a couple of veterans who have been able to resurrect their careers in Seattle such as Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez. There is also a local tie to the Seattle Mariners as their third basemen Kyle Seager is from North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina and he is from the Charlotte area, he is from Concord. He has been a very good player for the Mariners this season.  

Houston Astros (22-39)
The Houston Astros are making history this season as they moved from being a National League team to being an American League team. The Houston Astros are a very young team and they are very bad with a couple of bright spots on their team. One of their bright spots is Starting Pitcher Bud Norris who is very good and he might be a player that is traded to a contending team that needs Starting Pitching at the trade deadline. Bud Norris could really help a contending team because he is very good. The Astros will be competing with the Marlins for the worst team in the Major Leagues if they do not improve the way they are playing currently.  

This is local product Kyle Seager who plays for the Seattle Mariners. He is from Concord, NC.

NL West Standings

Arizona Diamondbacks (34-25)
The Arizona Diamondbacks made a lot of news during the off-season when they traded one of their best players to the Atlanta Braves, Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks acquired super utility player Martin Prado from the Atlanta Braves for Justin Upton. So far the trade has payed off more for the Braves as Justin Upton has put up MVP caliber numbers to start the season. The Diamondbacks have taken the mentality of their manager Kirk Gibson, which is gritty and a tough minded team which is why they are probably leading the division. They have many veterans but they also have a good rookie player who is in the running for Rookie of the Year in Didi Gregorius.   

Colorado Rockies (32-28)
The Colorado Rockies have been the surprising team in this division so far this season because they have been playing really good baseball lately. Last night Carlos Gonzalez hit three home runs to give the Rockies the win. Troy Tulowitzki is back after being injured last season and he playing at an all star level and that is why he is leading the current standings for the shortstop position for the NL team for the all star game. If the Rockies continue to play as well as they have up until this point they could be contenders come time to make the postseason.

San Francisco Giants (31-28)
The San Francisco Giants have started the season in typical Giants fashion, in that they have been consistent but not fast in wins or losses. The Giants have a great catcher in all star vote leader for the NL team at the catcher position in Buster Posey. They also have many of their players from last year's World Series team back and they continue to get good pitching out of their ace Matt Cain. The Giants also have a local product from Hickory North, Carolina in Madison Bumgarner. Madison Bumgarner is turning out to be a really good pro pitcher.  

San Diego Padres (27-32)
The San Diego Padres are exactly where many experts projected them to be before the season started. They have some good players, they just do not know how to play well on a consistent basis. They have a good third basemen in Chase Headley, but the problem is that one good player can not win games just like any team sport. The Padres have been a different team when playing in front of the home crowd this season but you still have to win on the road to be a good team and that has been the Padres achilles heel this season and they just can not do it.  

Los Angeles Dodgers (25-33)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll in the whole division but yet they are last in the division. They are similar to what the Toronto Blue Jays did this off-season as I talked about yesterday.  The Dodgers had high hopes coming into this season but so far, those hopes have not held up. The Dodgers have great pitching in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who they signed as a free agent this season. Greinke has been out for awhile because he was injured after getting into a brawl earlier in the season against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers also have more injury problems as their MVP player, Matt Kemp recently got injured and was placed on disabled list. The Dodgers did get a boost when they promoted talented Cuban player Yasiel Puig. Yasiel Puig has had a big debut for the Dodgers so far this week and he has given a boost the team and if he keeps up this production the Dodgers will have to find a permanent spot for him on the roster.

This is Madison Bumgarner a Starting Pitcher from the San Francisco Giants and he is also from Hickory North, Carolina.

AL East Standings

Boston Red Sox (36-23)
The Boston Red Sox are currently the leader of the American League East. They just finished a weekend series with their hated rival, the New York Yankees where they won 2 out of 3 games of the series. The Boston Red Sox have a lot of veterans on their team and they are leading a division that they were expected to finish mid pack in. They signed some key veterans in the off-season, some of the veterans are first basemen Mike Napoli, veteran catcher David Ross and they still have their leader in the clubhouse David Ortiz and second basemen Dustin Pedroia. They also have had a stellar pitching season from Clay Buchholz. 

New York Yankees (34-25)
The New York Yankees have started out having spectacular results to the season despite not having their captain on the field in Derek Jeter. They have had big contributions from Robinson Cano who continues to be a great second basemen. They also have had contributions from Kevin Youkilis who used to play for the hated rival Boston. They continue to get good pitching and they are going to have to keep getting good hitting to stay where they currently are. 

Baltimore Orioles (33-25)
The Baltimore Orioles are coming off of a spectacular last season and they are looking to continue to keep their good stretch of playing going. They have many unknown players on their team or players that failed to produce in their previous spots that they played in their careers. They do have one good player who is the face of the franchise in center fielder Adam Jones but the surprise continues to be from the production of outfielder Nate McLouth. They also have a great catcher in Matt Wieters who continues to play at a all star caliber way. The Orioles should continue to compete for a playoff spot if they play the way they have been.

Tampa Bay Rays (31-26)
The Tampa Bay Rays started off their season slow. Their Cy Young award winning pitcher David Price has started off his season slow and could be better but he has been better lately. They still continue to impress despite having a small budget to work with from season to season. They have one great player in third basemen Evan Longoria who is a great player and always plays at an all star level. They also have a good number two pitcher in Matt Moore who has been consistent in the big leagues ever since he debuted.

Toronto Blue Jays (24-34)
The Toronto Blue Jays have been the biggest disappointment based on what kind of moves they made in the off-season. The Blue Jays traded for many all star caliber players but they have lived up to the expectations. The player that has not lived up to expectations the most is defending NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey, who they acquired from the New York Mets during the off-season. They also have had many injuries to players that they acquired from Miami Marlins, such as pitcher Josh Johnson and shortstop Jose Reyes. There is a lot of baseball to be played and the Blue Jays can turn the season around but it is going to take a lot of hard work. They are similar to last years' Miami Marlins team but as I wrote in the NL East standings last week they are one of the worst teams in baseball so just because you win the off-season does not mean it translates to the field.  

This is David Ortiz, the Designated Hitter of the Division leading Boston Red Sox

Early NL All Star Voting Results

The early voting numbers for the 2013 All Star Game for the NL team were posted today. Some of the votes at the positions were interesting.

Catcher
At the Catcher position Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants led the way with 1,275,956 votes. Buster Posey was followed by Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals with 938,911. The player that should be competing for this spot on the NL All Star team along with Buster Posey is Evan Gattis of the Atlanta Braves because he has had a spectacular first half of his first pro season. I talked a little about Evan Gattis last week when I talked about the NL East standings. The only reason that Gattis is not in the ballot results is simple, his name was not on the ballot because only a select number of players are on the ballot for each position. Buster Posey is a good decision but Gattis should be competing with him for the spot.

First Base
At the First Base position Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds is leading the voting with 1,044,742 votes. He is followed by Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants with 513,371 votes. This just proves that the voting for the All Star game is a popularity contest because Brandon Belt is not the second best First Basemen in the league because the second best is Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves. Freeman is currently fifth in voting among First Basemen with 438,868 votes. The first basemen voting is partly right with Joey Votto leading the votes but Freddie Freeman should not be that far behind him in the voting.

Second Base
At the Second Base position it is probably the only position other than the outfield voting that is right in the way that votes have gone so far. At the Second Base position Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds is leading the voting with 1,019,240 votes. In second is Marco Scutaro of the San Francisco Giants with 801,754. These players are the right choice for this position because Brandon Phillips is the best Second Basemen in the National League hands down and after the World Series performance the Marco Scutaro had last year he has been the second best Second Basemen hands down.

Shortstop
At the Shortstop position Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies is first in the voting with 1,025,844. Second in voting is Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants with 668,140. I agree with who is first in the voting right now with Troy Tulowitzki because he is the best hitting Shortstop in the National League. Brandon Crawford is an alright choice for second in the voting but you could go many other Shortstops for second in voting such as the the current third and fourth place vote getters in the NL which is Jean Segura of the Milwaukee Brewers with 554,403 votes and Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves with 372,844 votes. Segura and Simmons are very good defensive players at the Shortstop position and both deserve to be ahead of Brandon Crawford of the Giants.

Third Base
At the Third Base position Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants is the leading vote getter with 1,094,475 votes. The second leading vote getter is David Wright of the New York Mets with 967,299 votes. The votes are right about David Wright in that he arguably the best Third Basemen in not only the NL but in all of baseball. David Wright should be ahead of Pablo Sandoval of the Giants. Sandoval is a very good player but he is not as good as David Wright. Also I don't even think that Sandoval should even be in the top two vote getters at the position because I think that Chris Johnson of the Atlanta Braves should be ahead of Sandoval because Chris Johnson led the NL at one point this season with the best batting average. Chris Johnson is in third place with 386,811 of the votes.

Outfield
The Outfield is the most unique of all the positions in that the top three vote getters get to start the All Star Game. In the National League the top three vote getters are Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves with 1,184,249 votes. Justin Upton has started out his first season with Atlanta Braves as an MVP caliber campaign. He has 14 home runs and he is a very talented good young player. Second in voting for the Outfield is Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals with 1,182,532. Bryce Harper is a good young player and he is on his second season with the Washington Nationals after having a stellar rookie season. Third in voting for the Outfield is Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers with 945,665 votes. Ryan Braun is a very good hitter and he is a veteran but he is still young as he is only 29 years old. The Outfield will be very good for the National League if these votes hold up.

For More Information on the National League Voting, go to the MLB webpage.    

Early AL All Star Voting Results

The Early Voting Numbers for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game for the AL team were posted today. Some of the Numbers for Each Player and Positions were interesting.

Catcher
At the Catcher Position Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins was the leading vote getter with 863,450 votes and he was followed by Matt Wieters, the good young Catcher from the Baltimore Orioles with 715,055. These are probably the best two Catchers in the American League and either Catcher could start the All Star game for the American League Team.

First Base
At the First Base Position it was a surprising name that was the leading vote getter because it is not a familiar name but Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles who is having a monster year at the plate with home runs is the leading vote getter with 1,176,016 votes, and he is followed by a familiar name at the First Base Position, Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers with 1,059,300. Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles is the best story in the American League this year and he deserves to be the leading vote getter at First Base to this point.

Second Base
At Second Base, one of the best hitters in the American League is the leading vote getter in Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees with 1,235,230. Robinson Cano is an impressive fielder and he also an impressive hitter. He has been the face of the Yankees this season since Derek Jeter has been out due to an ankle injury. The second leader vote getter at Second Base for the American League is Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers with 656,827. Ian Kinsler is a hard nose player that any coach would want to play for them. Robinson Cano is the best Second Basemen in not only the American League but all of baseball so the votes are right on this one.

Third Base
At Third Base the leading vote getter is an obvious choice in Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. The amount of votes that Cabrera has is 1,500,165. It is deserving after the post I wrote on the AL Central last week talked about the Tigers and Cabrera. The second leading vote getter is Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles with 723,943. Manny Machado is a very good young Third Basemen for the Orioles. The voters are right on this position because Cabrera is having another triple crown worthy season and he is carrying the Tigers right now.

Shortstop
At Shortstop the leading vote getter is Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers with 727,555. He is a very good shortstop. The second leading vote getter is J.J. Hardy of the Baltimore Orioles with 717,103. These are two really talented shortstops and with Derek Jeter being out so far this season with an injury these are probably the best choices for the shortstop position.

Outfield
The Outfield is the most unique of all the positions in that the top three vote getters get to start the All Star Game. The top three are Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels with 1,190,676. Mike Trout is a very good young outfielder for the Angels. The second highest vote getter is Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles with 1,181,875. Adam Jones is the face of the Orioles franchise and he is very good. The third highest vote getter is Torii Hunter of the Detroit Tigers with 761,937. Torii Hunter is in his first year with the Tigers, but he is veteran in the league because he has played in the American League his whole career.

Designated Hitter
The leading vote getter for designated hitter is David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox with 1,045,283 votes and second is Lance Berkman of the Texas Rangers with 672,547. David Ortiz is the face of the Boston Red Sox and he is right choice for the Designated Hitter position.

For more information on the votes go to the MLB webpage.