All-Star Break and Mid-Season Grades

You can close the books on the first half of the MLB season and you’ve seen some players have excellent halves, horrible halves, and teams climb their way out of the cellar. We are nearing the trade deadline (end of July) and there may be some big trades to move stars to teams that are contenders.

The 2013 All-Star Game was played last night where American League pitching completely shut down the National League All-Stars, holding the NL to just 3 hits. The highlight of the game was when Mariano Rivera (pictured above) entered the game in the 8th. He was the only player to take the field to his familiar intro “Enter Sandman”. Fans of all MLB teams in the stands, his AL All-Star teammates, and NL All-Star peers gave him a standing ovation. Well deserved. For a guy that has been in the biggest situations year after year, he still got choked up, which shows he is human after all, not just the greatest closer of all-time. Out of his 18 seasons, Rivera has been an all-star 13 times. His first being in 1997 and his last being this season, 2013. He’s pitched in 9 of those games, where he has given up no earned runs and only 5 hits. Not so surprising when you take a look at his overall stats, which I will be sure to break down when the season comes to an end.

The first half of the season had memorable moments such as Homer Bailey throwing his 2nd career no-hitter against the Giants and not even 2 weeks later, Tim Lincecum of the Giants threw his own no-hitter against the Padres. Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles is hitting .315 with 70 runs, 35 home runs, and 93 RBIs, while last year’s triple crown winner, Miguel Cabrera is hitting .365 with 73 runs, 30 home runs, and 95 RBIs. We’re in for another great half of the season, which will be filled with individual milestones, trades, and most importantly, the race to the post season. Here are my grades from the first half!

{The standings below reflect my predictions from the beginning of the season}
[Numbers in brackets and bold reflect where the team is in the standings now]

NL East
1) Atlanta Braves                [1]   B+
2) Washington Nationals     [2]    C-
3) Philadelphia Phillies        [3]    C 
4) New York Mets               [4]    D+
5) Miami Marlins                 [5]    D-

Analysis: If Atlanta was healthier, they would be running away with this division. Most would say they already are, but the type of players Washington has in the rotation and in their lineup, they can always make a run. This is a 2 team race for the division, but there is also a good chance Washington makes a run for the Wild Card. The Phillies made it to .500 on the last day of the first half, but I feel like with Howard getting hurt, they may be looking to trade away some pieces. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them give up Utley and possibly Ruiz to get some prospects in return and look into the future. The Braves have a lot of upside when they get Beachy back and if BJ Upton and Dan Uggla ever get their batting average above .250.

NL Central
1) Cincinnati Reds        [3]   B+
2) St. Louis Cardinals   [1]   A+
3) Pittsburgh Pirates     [2]   A
4) Milwaukee Brewers  [5]   F
5) Chicago Cubs           [4]   C

Analysis: I give the Reds a B+ because even though they are sitting in 3rd, the top 3 teams in this division may still make the playoffs. The Reds would be in 2nd place or maybe even first place if they were in other division. They just need to be a little more effective on the road. Pittsburgh is the team to talk about because everything is clicking for them. They have solid starting pitching, bullpen, and hitting. I expect to see them make a move or two to bulk up their rotation so they can compete with St. Louis down the stretch. Just a few things to look for, the Brewers and Cubs are basically out of it, so watch for them to move some of their players, such as Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano, and they may be on contenders by August.

NL West
1) San Francisco Giants     [4]   D+
2) Los Angeles Dodgers     [2]   A-
3) San Diego Padres          [5]   D-
4) Arizona Diamondbacks  [1]   B+
5) Colorado Rockies           [3]   C

Analysis: So this division is just confusing and jumbled from what I originally thought. I wouldn’t count San Francisco out of it yet, but they REALLY need some hitting. I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked to trade Lincecum for some hitting in return. Also, they have a solid bullpen guy, Javier Lopez that can probably be used as a closer elsewhere. Detroit would love a guy like that. The Dodgers have really picked it up since they promoted Puig to the majors and really gave them some life. They made a deal to bring Nolasco to help the starters and I don’t think they are done. Getting Matt Kemp back healthy would be like trading for an upgrade also. Arizona is hanging onto first for dear life, but I still think they will drop out of the playoff hunt, but probably not 4th like I originally predicted.

AL East
1) Tampa Bay Rays      [2]    A
2) Toronto Blue Jays    [5]     D
3) Boston Red Sox       [1]    A
4) New York Yankees   [4]    B-
5) Baltimore Orioles      [3]    B+

Analysis: So I was completely wrong about Toronto and Baltimore, but that’s okay. I still think Tampa will take the division and they are only 2.5 games out of first to start the second half. They always seem to make a second half run and they are better mid-season this year than they have been in the past. I like Baltimore’s team especially if Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and the rest of their lineup can keep up the pace, but they won’t be able to do it without another starter. Maybe Matt Garza is in their future. Boston is hanging in there and still has a great chance to make the playoffs, but the end of their bullpen has had injury issues and Clay Bucholtz needs to come back healthy as Jon Lester has been struggling. The Yankees should get Derek Jeter back soon and possibly A-Rod, but I still don’t think they have much of a chance this season.

AL Central
1) Detroit Tigers             [1]   A
2) Cleveland Indians      [2]   B+
3) Chicago White Sox    [5]   D-
4) Kansas City Royals    [3]   B
5) Minnesota Twins        [4]   D

Analysis: The Tigers will look to improve their team for the playoffs because they will definitely be getting in. Miguel Cabrera is having another incredible season and their pitching staff has been impressive as well. Many didn’t think Cleveland would be hanging around as long as they have, but I liked their team to start the season, but can they hang on? Aside from the last week, KC had brought themselves back up and is making it a race somewhat. A young team that is starting to put it together and they have a bright future, but probably not this season.

AL West
1) Los Angeles Angels  [3]    D
2) Oakland Athletics     [1]    A+
3) Seattle Mariners       [4]    C
4) Texas Rangers        [2]    B+
5) Houston Astros        [5]    F

Analysis: The Oakland Athletics are the most enjoyable team to watch in the AL, and quite possibly the league. They have a ton of likable guys and a lot of talent. I foresee them making moves at the trade deadline and may be a good destination for Chase Utley or Carlos Ruiz. The Angels are one of those teams that had high expectations yet again going into this season and is just not performing. They have high priced guys like Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, and Albert Pujols that just aren’t putting up great numbers and may be making too much to trade away. Texas has been one of the most consistent teams in the majors over the last 5 seasons and they continue to do it with both pitching and hitting. They are a shoe in for the playoffs, its just a matter of beating out Oakland for home field and NOT the wild card.

National League Grade Book: May

NL East
1) Atlanta Braves              (C)
2) Washington Nationals   (C-)
3) Philadelphia Phillies      (D)
4) New York Mets             (D-)
5) Miami Marlins               (F)

Analysis: First of all I’ll say, what is up with this division. If you saw the numbers from the month of May, you would think Atlanta should be running away with the division as early as it is. Before I touch on the rest of the division, maybe I’m a little critical of Atlanta since they had such a great first month and I still believe they’ll take it all the way to the World Series. They scored over 120 runs, but gave up 110. Not the ratio you would want, but makes sense they went 15-13 for the month. They still have B.J. Upton struggling with the bat and their pitching wasn’t as good (but still good) for the month. They were unable to capitalize on the poor month the rest of the division had. The grade was purely given based on unable to take advantage of the rest of the division’s piss poor play.

The rest of the division didn’t even score over 100 runs, which also means the rest of the division gave up more runs overall than what they scored. Now wonder why Atlanta is only up by 4.5 games in the division. Washington would be the only other team making a run at them and their offense is stinking it up to say it lightly. Stratsburg hasn’t been great, Gio Gonzalez dropped off and Dan Haren has gotten better, but is still inconsistent. They also went 15-13 for the month, so they should be satisfied they aren’t too far down in the standings.

It only gets worse from here folks. The Phillies went 14-14 for the month, but they only scored 92 runs and gave up 120. Yikes. Cole Hamels is on a massive decline, Roy Halladay may not just be out for the season, but for his career, and Cliff Lee is not the ace he used to be. Maybe it’s time to revamp this team completely.

The New York Mets got a B+ from me last month, but this month not so much. They also struggled with the bat and also in their rotation. They went 12-15 (which includes a sweep of the NY Yankees) and they scored a measly 88 runs and gave up 126 runs. Double yikes. This is probably what was expected more along the lines of what they had in April. Not sure if there will be much improving, but sweeping the other New York team is a good start.

Oh it does get worse from here when the team I thought would be the worst in the league and possibly worst ever is in this division. I’m talking about the Miami Marlins. They went 6-22 for the month and the only surprising part of that is they TIED for the worst in the league for the month of May. They managed to score 79 runs and gave up 121, which isn’t a shock when they don’t have anyone to drive in runs. Giancarlo Stanton would be the only one that could do it and he’s sitting on the DL. It’s sad to watch, but if you get a laugh over a sad team, then they would be the one to watch.

NL Central
1) Cincinnati Reds        (A)
2) St. Louis Cardinals   (A+)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates     (A)
4) Milwaukee Brewers  (F)
5) Chicago Cubs           (C+)

Analysis: This division is the complete opposite of what I spoke about in the NL East. Like I thought when I first predicted these standings above, any of those top 3 teams can finish in first and they always seem to switch their positioning. The Reds get an A for this month and that’s after going 19-8, scoring 136 runs while giving up 93 runs. Out of all of that they are tied for 2nd place at the end of May. Seriously? Yeah, it gets better from here. The Reds offense is in full stride and their starting pitching down to their bullpen and closer is excellent. A fully fundamental team to watch.

So how are the Reds an A and the Cardinals get an A+? Well at the moment they are sitting in first place after going 20-7 in the month of May. Purely dominating. They scored 133 runs and gave up 85. The more impressive part for me which earned them the A+ is that they ALWAYS seem to struggle with guys getting injured, but it doesn’t mean they struggle in performing. They have injuries in the infield and also in their starting pitching AND bullpen. They just have guys that fill in and step up to the plate (no pun intended). Rookie pitcher Shelby Miller has acted as an ace and they will continue to improve as the season progresses.

The Penguins aren’t the only good team in Pittsburgh right now. The Pirates are sitting tied for 2nd at the end of May with the Reds after going 19-9. The runs scored surely drops with the Pirates and as I mentioned for the month of April, I think they can use another big bat in the lineup. But they are that type of scrappy team that can win games 1-0, because their pitching only gave up 76 runs for the whole month of May. What an incredible top 3 teams in this division, it would be a shame if any of these teams miss out on the playoffs.

So I hope you enjoyed the stats for the first 3 teams I mentioned because it gets a ton worse from here. I mentioned earlier that the Miami Marlins tied with the worst record in May with a team and that team happens to be Milwaukee. Who thought that would be the team? A team that has Ryan Braun swinging the bat and Gallardo on the mound, you would think they’d have more than 6 wins in a month, right? Wrong. They went 6-22, and who is looking forward to the Marlins vs. Brewers series? They’ve given up a whopping 148 runs while only scoring 98. There’s only one place to go from here and that’s up…for their sake.

I gave the Cubs a C+ and that’s a little deceiving maybe. They are under .500 by 7 games, but they finished the month on a 5 game winning streak. They also got Matt Garza back from the DL, which adds a consistent starter to the rotation. The hitting has started to pick it up, including Rizzo who got on a hot streak in the beginning of the month. They finished the month with a 13-14 record, but they scored 129 runs and gave up 99 runs. They definitely improved and maybe they will continue to do so, but still shouldn’t compete with the big 3 in this division.

NL West
1) San Francisco Giants     (C-)
2) Los Angeles Dodgers     (F)
3) San Diego Padres          (C+)
4) Arizona Diamondbacks  (B+)
5) Colorado Rockies          (D)

Analysis: So I guess the Central is the only good division in the National League for the month of May. I still believe the Giants will take the division, but they have looked mediocre as of late. They currently sit in 2nd place only 1 game behind 1st and even though they finished going 14-13 for the month, I believe they hung in there because they win games that matter. What I mean by that is they win games within their division. Their pitching has struggled over the last month with Cain giving up too many long balls, Lincecum hasn’t found his groove, and Zito lost his mojo from April. This team is way too talented to fall off, so I think they will have a very good June.

Unlike the other team in LA, the Dodgers have not improved. They are also dealing with tons of injuries from the pitching staff to their infield and outfield, with the latest victim being Matt Kemp. In all reality, Matt Kemp wasn’t putting up stellar numbers anyway, so what are they missing from this? Don Mattingly seemed to stir up the pot after sitting Ethier for “not trying” and they just don’t have an identity in their lineup when players are always getting a day off. I still don’t know what their lineup really looks like. They need more than Kershaw to make progress in this division. I think they need to make a coaching staff in order for this team to put something together. They finished May by going 10-17 and scoring under 100 runs. The amount of money spent on their offense, that is clearly unacceptable.

The Padres get a C+ even thought they finished May by going 14-13, which actually happens to be 2nd best in their division. They’ve played in tight games all month and they aren’t a push over. Do I still think they’ll finish the division in 3rd? Not really, but they have so many young players that may not have much to play for towards the end of the year, they may play spoilers. I’ll still keep my eye on them.

Before the season I definitely thought Arizona was going through a major facelift by trading Justin Upton and they just have too many outfielders in knowing what to do with them, but the refreshing part about the D-Backs is their pitching rotation, and I’m not even talking about Ian Kennedy. They have been getting great performances from Corbin and Miley for the first 2 months of the season. The pitching staff is where it happens for this team and as long as they have that they’ll compete for division.

I didn’t give Colorado any credit leading up into the season and they got a good grade from me last month, but this month they dropped down as I expected. They scored 120 and gave up 120, so they are just about average right now. Their pitching staff came back down to Earth and I see a steady decline from them starting June 1st.

National League Grade Book: April

NL East

1) Atlanta Braves           (A+)
2) Washington Nationals    (C)
3) Philadelphia Phillies       (D)
4) New York Mets               (B+)
5) Miami Marlins                 (F)

Analysis: Atlanta is right where I thought they would be. They are clearly the strongest team not just in the offensive side, but also in pitching. They have a strong rotation, bullpen, and probably the strongest to close it out with Kimbrell. They are at around a +40 runs for/against differential with one month down and they can win both at home and on the road. Justin Upton is tearing it up in his new uniform and can you imagine how they will be when BJ Upton breaks his slump and they get Brian McCann and Beachy back from the DL. They are on track for my World Series prediction.

Washington gets an average grade from me. They have not looked great at all and really in the pitching department. When they played Atlanta at home, Atlanta crushed them in the 3-game series. Strasburg has looked beatable, not to mention Gio Gonzalez’s stuff has looked soft. Bryce Harper has gotten off to a great start, but not much help elsewhere with Ryan Zimmerman hitting the DL already. I think they’ll climb out of it, but I don’t see them as a sinking ship just yet.

Philadelphia I expected more out of. Ryan Howard has been hitting decently, but not with power. Actually, Philadelphia as a whole hasn’t been hitting with much power at all. Their pitching has been spotty so far especially from Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. The question is will they break the slump, will they give prospects a chance, or will they trade for help. A little too early to tell just yet.

New York has looked like a good team, but the worry is will they stay healthy. If recent years tell you anything then the answer is no. Matt Harvey has looked outstanding to start the season and their offense is another team where you may not recognize a lot of names, but they are putting up lots of runs in the early going.

Miami’s section I’ll keep to a minimum, just like their run production. They may be the worst team in the league or at least compete hard for that role. They don’t enjoy scoring runs or really even getting on base. Giancarlo Stanton was out for about a week with an injury, but managed to stay of the DL. He started slow last year as well and got hot in May. The problem with that is, if he gets hot in May, look to see the Marlins ship him out of Miami and really take a nose dive.

NL Central
1) Cincinnati Reds        (B+)
2) St. Louis Cardinals   (A-)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates     (B)
4) Milwaukee Brewers  (C)
5) Chicago Cubs           (D)

Analysis: Cincinnati only gets a B+ from me. I know, I know. Why so harsh for a team who has already scored over 110 runs after the first month. Mainly because it was expected that they would be doing something like that. The only quirk I have with the Reds right now is they had a very heavy home schedule for the first month and have dominated with it. They had a light road schedule and struggled with it so far. I expect that to change over time.

St. Louis is always near the top aren’t they? They get an A- because they are not only scoring runs, but they aren’t giving up a lot either. They aren’t a pretty team, but they always seem to get the job done. It’s that scrappy type of team that wins games with hit and runs, stealing bases, and bunting the runners over. They’ll compete with Cincinnati all year and should be enjoyable.

Pittsburgh also gets a good grade from even though they have been struggling with run production, but their pitching has kept them in games. They are about even with runs for/against and I think in this division they have the opportunity to finish middle of the pack. If they hang in there long enough, maybe they’ll make some trades to boost up that pitching staff.

Milwaukee gets an average grade from me, but that’s not a bad thing. They’ve performed a lot better than I had expected they would be, but again it’s still early into the year. They have been performing much like Pittsburgh has, but they’ve scored more runs, but also given up more. I think the lack of pitching will catch up with them in no time.

Chicago is not a surprise to be stuck in the cellar this early in the year. Truthfully, they haven’t looked much better than the Marlins. Rizzo leads the club in homers, but he’s hitting under .200. They are still without Matt Garza and they keep giving Carlos Marmol opportunities to close out games. Why wouldn’t this club give Sandberg a chance to manage? I’d look to see them continue to drop out of contention and probably trade away Soriano to a team looking for a bat. Gotta feel bad for those Cubs fans.

NL West
1) San Francisco Giants     (B-)
2) Los Angeles Dodgers     (F)
3) San Diego Padres          (F)
4) Arizona Diamondbacks   (B)
5) Colorado Rockies           (A)

Analysis: First of all, this division is crazy to start the season and not at all as I expected. The San Francisco Giants gets a pretty good grade to start the season, which are lead by Buster Posey. Their strong part of their team always remains their pitching staff led by Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, but Barry Zito has gotten off to a nice impressive start and Madison Bumgarner is continuing to show his skill. I think the Giants are in a good spot and will only improve.

I’m going to be harsh with the Los Angeles Dodgers because they are my home team and get to follow them a lot. There’s a lot of things I can say, but I’ll keep it G rated and say they are just lame. They struggle with scoring runs and knocking in runners in scoring position. They have a ton of injuries including Greinke and Billingsley. The bright spot has been Carl Crawford and Clayton Kershaw. Adrian Gonzalez has also looked sharp, but the problem is the lineup in general and the lack of runs being scored. (No mention of Matt Kemp is intentional). They are in the same situation as the Angels as I’m concerned. If they don’t figure it out soon, expect some firings.

San Diego also gets an F and that probably shouldn’t be a surprise. I did pick them to finish 3rd in this division, but I expected growing pains. I thought they would make more of a run toward the end of the year when they start bringing up prospects. As bad as they have been, they are around the same run differential as the Dodgers. Ouch.

Arizona has shown great offense in the first month of the season. Their pitching has been average as well and I expect them to keep it up. I think they have a high ceiling for their success this season especially if Adam Eaton gets healthy and they bring him up to the Majors around the All-Star break. They are also enjoyable to watch and a greatly managed team.

Colorado has been a shock to me. I picked them to finish last and there is still a chance for that, but they had a great first month to the season. They are among the tops of runs scored in the National League and they have been great at home, where runs are obviously scored. They have had strong offensive production from CarGo, Tulo, Helton and Fowler. The problem is I don’t know many of their pitchers. Actually, I know one. De La Rosa is their ace and the rest of their starters are: Garland, Nicasio, and Francis. Can the starters keep up the good work? We’ll see where they end up next month.

MLB Review: Dodger Stadium

My second post on reviewing MLB ballparks is for the new hometown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. This may be the best time to do a review on the 3rd oldest MLB ballpark (behind Fenway and Wrigley) in the country. As of May 28, 2012, the Dodgers are sporting the best record and the largest divisional lead in the majors. The picture above was taken on May 26, 2012 when the Dodgers played the Houston Astros. 

Exterior
From the outside, Dodger Stadium looks its age. Not that there is anything wrong with that at all. Dodger Stadium opened up in 1962 and the exterior of the stadium looks exactly like it did from the 60’s. There is nothing special about the outside of the stadium, much like Tropicana Field (posted on May 16, 2012). For the old timers, this may not bother them, but to the new fan, it lacks the excitement that a newer stadium may bring. 

Interior
The interior of Dodger Stadium also looks exactly what you would think a stadium would look like if it were built in the 1960’s. The seating and view to the field are top of the line. I have sat in every region of the stadium and never had a bad viewing experience. In right field, the Dodgers have promotional bleacher seating for, all you can eat. The lower level on the first and third base lines have separated seats with a table in front of you for all the food and drinks you may buy throughout the night. The second level is so low to the first level, it feels as though you are just as close. If you sit behind home plate, you have a perfect view of the entire field with no obstructive views and also a nice scenic view of the San Gabriel mountains beyond the outfield. If you are high enough behind home plate, you can look behind you and will see a great scenic view of Downtown LA. 

Fan Experience
The fan experience has some work to do. It has gotten better from the time I went this past weekend over the last few years of going. I’m mainly talking about the giant elephant in the room that has been well known in the news that Dodger Stadium is unsafe place to go. I’m a believer that “it takes two to tango”, but it is rare that something of a brutal fight would happen, but it DOES happen at sporting events, regardless of the location. On top of Dodger Stadium being unsafe, the parking lot is very large and after night games (pictured below), it tends to be very low lit and not a lot of security. This past weekend, I drove to the stadium with a couple of friends and we were looking for a numbered sign as to what area we parked in. There was no number anywhere near where we parked. To the right, about 300-400 yards away was a #5. To the left, about 300-400 yards away was a #4. So my guess was we were parking in 4.5. The Dodgers could do a much better job in the parking lot. As for the fan experience within the stadium, its mediocre. The Dodgers do not have a mascot for the kids to enjoy, but do play games on the videotron in between half innings like most other parks. Also, when you go to Dodger Stadium, make sure you grab a Dodger Dog which is one of the best “speciality” foods by ballpark. 

Surrounding Location
There are plenty of things to do around Dodger Stadium for the tourists. However, it is LA and that means a lot of traffic. The great thing about the location of Dodger Stadium is that it has access to the 5 Freeway, 110 Freeway, and the 101 Freeway. Places of close proximity to the stadium is Hollywood, Burbank, and Downtown LA depending on what freeway you decide to take. The “great” thing about LA fans are is that they are notorious for leaving Dodger games early, because of the heavy freeway traffic. If you’re a fan that enjoys staying until the end of the game, traffic leaving the stadium isn’t horrendous unless you are attending a big interleague game against the Yankees or a playoff game.

Things to See in LA if on vacation:
– Rodeo Drive
– Hollywood Blvd.. Kodak Theatre, Chinese Theatre, a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, Runyon Canyon
– Burbank (Movie studios)… Take some tours of the lots or see a taping of a TV show/late night show
– Staples Center/LA Live
– Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade/Pier
– Griffith Observatory 

Rating of Dodger Stadium – 6 out of 10