Results tagged ‘ Rockies ’
6 Divisions in 6 Days, Day 5 …
Leading up to Opening Day, I’ll roll out an All-Star team for each of the six divisions in baseball — that includes a manager, a starting nine (with a DH also for the National League), three starters and two relievers. One catch: Each team must have at least one representative, and the skipper doesn’t count. Feel free to submit your own lineups below. I’d love to see how yours differ.
Tim Lincecum, SFG
Matt Cain, SFG
Rockies 6, Angels 2 (Jerome Williams fine) …
Recap
In Tempe, Garrett Richards was hit around a bit, Kendrys Morales stayed hot and the Angels snapped a five-game winning streak.
In Phoenix, Jerome Williams had a solid return to the mound.
The good
Morales, who took a day off Sunday after three straight games, picked up three singles in four at-bats while batting in the No. 6 spot and is now 8-for-13 with a home run in Cactus League play. The best part: All those hits came from the right side of the plate — a side that would be toughest on the switch-hitting Morales’ recovering left ankle and a side he doesn’t get to hit from as often.
Williams, out since March 2 with a strained left hamstring, was sharp in a scoreless three-inning outing against the Triple-A Athletics, hurling three shutout innings, giving up only a single and a walk, striking out four, shattering a couple bats and not allowing any hard-hit balls. He threw 41 pitches and will next pitch in a Minor League game Saturday. The fifth-starter race, as they say, is on.
Jordan Walden pitched a perfect ninth inning and has now given up just one hit in two appearances since that dreadful four-run, one-out outing against the Royals last week.
The bad
Bobby Abreu‘s horrid spring continued. He made an error while dropping a fly ball under the sun in left field and finished 0-for-3 to bring his Cactus League batting average to .100. That’s 4-for-40, if you’re scoring at home.
Richards wasn’t his usually sharp self, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander has a 3.73 ERA in 19 1/3 innings this spring if you count his Minor League outing.
Daily Albert Pujols update: 0-for-3. He poped out, grounded out and reached on an error — all to third base — and is batting .310 this spring.
Best quote
Williams: “I am on track. It is a big relief for me. I’m happy that I’m back where, hopefully, I need to be, moving forward. Hopefully I’ll be there at Yankee Stadium [on April 15].”
Best play (that I actually didn’t see)
Thank goodness for MLB.com video highlights, eh? I didn’t watch it live, but I did see a replay of this ridiculous Erick Aybar play.
– Alden
Game 24: Rockies-Angels …
Rockies (12-10-1)
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dexter Fowler, CF
Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Jason Giambi, DH
Michael Cuddyer, 1B
Jordan Pacheco, 3B
Wilin Rosario, C
Tyler Colvin, RF
Brandon Wood, 2B
SP: LH Drew Pomeranz
Angels (14-8-1)
Erick Aybar, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Torii Hunter, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Kendrys Morales, DH
Bobby Abreu, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Chris Iannetta, C
SP: RH Garrett Richards
Others pitching: Hisanori Takahashi, Jordan Walden. … Jerome Williams will make spring debut in AAA game at the Athletics’ facility in Phoenix. … There will also be a Minor League intrasquad game later tonight at Tempe Diablo.
Some notes from this morning …
- Mike Trout (shoulder tendinitis) was cleared by doctors to start throwing again. He lightly tossed this morning and will DH in a Minor League game, but is 10 days to two weeks away from playing the outfield.
- Bobby Cassevah (slight labrum tear) will throw a 30-minute bullpen session today and hopes to get in a sim game later in the week. He’s still hoping to avoid a DL stint to start the year.
- Michael Kohn, who had thrown five scoreless innings so far this spring, has some tenderness in his forearm and will be shut down for a couple of days.
- Monday was Brad Mills‘ day to throw, but he was pushed back a day, just for scheduling purposes. He’ll start against the Giants in Scottsdale, with Jered Weaver pitching in a Minor League game.
Some links from Sunday …
- Wells ready to live up to high expectations
- Pujols’ homers foreshadows AL West race
- Kendrys feels strong after three straight starts
- Trumbo comfortable while bouncing around
- Jason Isringhausenhits rough patch vs Rangers
- Pujols, Jorge Cantu go deep as Angels beat Rangers
Some AL West links …
- Yu Darvish increases pitch count in intrasquad game
- A’s see 2012 as beginning of steady rise
- Back home, Ichiro Suzuki‘s presence looms large
And the Heat lost a tough one to the Thunder on Sunday, in what can very well be an NBA Finals matchup — 103-87.
– Alden
Rockies 4, Angels 3 …
Recap
Ervin Santana was sharp in his first start since taking a liner off his right shoulder and Howie Kendrick blasted a three-run homer, but Francisco Rodriguez surrendered two runs in the ninth and the Rockies wound up with a walk-off win.
The good
Santana was asked what was the one thing he took away from his start. The answer came easy. “My shoulder was healthy,” he said with a smile. The right-hander was hit by an Alexei Ramirez comebacker on Wednesday, but you could hardly tell when he took his regular turn against the Rockies on Monday. Using mostly his patented fastball-slider combo, Santana hurled four scoreless innings, giving up just two singles and one walk while striking out four against the Rockies’ everyday lineup.
Kendrick, once again hitting in front of Albert Pujols as the No. 2 hitter, continued his hot spring with the homer to left-center field. He’s now hitting .467 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in Cactus League play.
Veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins threw a perfect fifth inning in his fourth appearance.
The bad
Rodriguez, looking to bounce back from shoulder woes to win a spot in the bullpen, had hurled five scoreless innings coming into Monday, then got shelled for three runs in 1 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Peter Bourjos went 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts.
Jason Isringhausen gave up a walk, two hits and a run in his lone inning of work while making his second appearance.
Daily Pujols update: 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout; now batting .423 this spring.
Best quote
Mike Scioscia, on Rodriguez’s first shaky outing: “He had been pitching well for us, but he didn’t look like he was finishing his pitches, getting the extension. [He was] guiding the ball a little bit. They hit a couple balls that found holes, but he wasn’t quite as sharp this outing as he had been this spring.”
Best play (that I saw)
Non-roster invitee Ryan Langerhans had a rough time defensively in the early part of spring, but he made a nice diving catch to his right in left field to take away extra bases in the eighth.
– Alden
Game 17: Angels-Rockies …
Angels (9-6-1)
Erick Aybar, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Torii Hunter, RF
Vernon Wells, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Peter Bourjos, CF
Bobby Wilson, C
Ervin Santana, SP
Also pitching: LaTroy Hawkins, Jason Isringhausen, Kevin Jepsen, Francisco Rodriguez
Rockies (8-7)
Dexter Fowler, CF
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Troy Tulowitzki, SS
Todd Helton, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Ramon Hernandez, C
Casey Blake, 3B
Juan Nicasio, SP
Also pitching: Esmil Rogers, Josh Roenicke, Carlos Torres, Zach Putnam
Some notes from Mike Scioscia‘s morning meeting with reporters …
- Jeremy Moore‘s hip hasn’t recovered to the level he expected, and now the likely scenario is surgery that should put him out 3-5 months — Scioscia said nothing has been decided yet. I’ll have more on that soon.
- Mike Trout (virus/shoulder tendinitis), Kendrys Morales (left ankle) and Maicer Izturis (right leg) will play in a Minor League game while the team is in Salt River Fields today. Mark Trumbo will do defense only at the Angels’ facility.
- Here’s what Scioscia said about how Morales looked facing velocity for the first time a few days ago: “He had no problem with velocity. I mean, he laid off some pitches that were close. I think there were some sliders under his swing that he laid off of. Right now, with pitchers trying to get their command fine-tuned, as far as the Major League pitchers, guys are going to be hitting their spots more, and I think that’s what Kendrys needs. He’s going to have probably 13, 14 at-bats under his belt from camp games and he’ll play with us tomorrow. There’s only so much you’re going to get from facing Minor League pitching. You have to face Major League pitching, and even in Spring Training, these guys in the back end of spring are really starting to fine tune some stuff. Just like a player who’s on rehab — rehab serves a purpose, but the only way to get acclimated to Major League pitching is to hit Major League pitching. So you can take 50 rehab at-bats, and there’s still things you’re going to have to work through at the Major League level. With Kendrys, right now, he’s swung the bat, has had no problem hitting from either side, seeing velocity. The next step is going to be getting into a Major League environment in a Spring Training game and going from there.”
- Jerome Williams (left hamstring) is expected to get off the mound mid-week, as he indicated Sunday.
- Bobby Cassevah (right shoulder) is expected to get into Cactus League games for the first time in the next couple days.
- The Angels have their scheduled off day on Wednesday, so some guys will be playing in a Minor League game at the Tempe Diablo Stadium complex. Garrett Richards will start, Brad Mills will probably pitch and some position players will see action.
Some Angels links from Sunday …
- Aybar, Jean Segura have Angels sitting pretty at short
- Injury update on Santana, Izturis and several others
- Kendrys, Trout working way back to lineup
- Dan Haren looked sharp again in his third spring start
- Game at Camelback Ranch called with a 1-1 tie
Some AL West links …
- It’s a new beginning for Neftali Feliz
- Heard of Tom Wilhemsen? He’ll probably be the Mariners’ setup man. And they like him.
- A’s reliever Joey Devine will start the season on the DL
And the Heat pulled away from the Magic late on Sunday to win their 13th straight at home. This time, Dwyane Wade was the closer.
– Alden
Where will the top free agents sign? Here’s a guess …
Two things about the free-agent market this offseason: It sure is thin, and it sure is top heavy. If you’re looking for a lights-out closer, there are many. If you’re looking for a front-line starter, there are little. And if you want a premier slugger, you better be prepared to pay up.
Without further ado, here’s my guess (with emphasis on the word “guess”) at the destination of who I consider to be the top five free agents …
Albert Pujols: Cardinals
The notion that Tony La Russa‘s retirement somehow has some relevance with regards to Pujols’ situation is silly. Pujols is signing a deal that could reach 10 years. And even if La Russa, at 67, did come back, he’d only manage for another, what, two years? Pujols knows this. And this may just be me falling victim to the moment, but I can’t see Pujols signing with a different organization just because he’ll be making a few extra millions. With the Cardinals, Pujols goes to a city where he’s revered, an organization where he basically makes the rules and a team that consistently has a chance to win. The Cardinals’ contract offers may not have been lucrative enough before, but they got some extra money with a World Series run, restructuring Chris Carpenter‘s contract and signing Lance Berkman to a rather bargain deal. Plus, if they make third-base coach (and Pujols’ buddy) Jose Oquendo the manager, their chances of him staying are even greater. It’ll be a long, drama-filled battle. But in the end, I’ve got the Redbirds. … Perhaps it’s just that part of me that wants to believe a star player can stay with one franchise.
Other options: Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Marlins, Blue Jays, Nationals
Prince Fielder: Dodgers
I can’t see Fielder picking his team until Pujols signs first and, thus, sets the market for him. And though Brewers owner Mark Attansio expressed his team would “be in the game” for Fielder, it’s long been considered a foregone conclusion that the 2011 season was Fielder’s last in Milwaukee. The West coast seems to be the logical landing spot for the big vegetarian. It’s a big market, Prince and Matt Kemp are pals, the Dodgers badly want to improve their offense, and general manager Ned Colletti is expected to have $25 million to spend on free agents this offseason. Of course, a lot of this will hinge on how quickly the sale of the Dodgers goes through and who buys them. But if this gets done quickly, and MLB proclaims it will be, the Dodgers and Prince look like a great match.
Other options: Brewers, Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Marlins, Blue Jays, Nationals
Jose Reyes: Tigers
The Tigers are right there. They just need to improve their defense and get some sort of consistency out of the top of their order. Hello, Jose Reyes. The Tigers’ biggest deficiency in 2011 was third base, but that can easily be solved by moving the defensively-inept Jhonny Peralta — signed through next year, with a team option for 2013 — over to his more comfortable position of third base and obtaining Reyes, who would allow Austin Jackson and his .317 on-base percentage to move lower in the order. Two things that may stand in the way: GM Dave Dombrowski has said he prefers to keep Peralta at shortstop, and the Tigers already have two players making $20-plus million a year in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. But owner Mike Ilitch has shown he’ll do what it takes to build a championship-contending club, and the Tigers may be a Reyes away from that. The Mets will give it a valiant effort, but barring significant payroll-shedding moves, they don’t have the capital to keep up.
Other options: Mets, Marlins, Red Sox, Cardinals (if no Pujols)
C.J. Wilson: Marlins
The Marlins have money to spend, and they keep telling everybody they’re going to be in play for the major free agents. That includes Wilson, who would give Florida something it badly needs headed into its new ballpark: A frontline starting pitcher, particularly a left-hander. The price for Wilson will be high, considering he’s clearly the best of what’s a shallow free-agent pool of starters and plays a position that’s always coveted. Projections have him attaining something in the range of the five-year, $82.5 million deals A.J. Burnett and John Lackey previously signed in free agency. But he may get an ever bigger deal. Regardless, the Marlins want to prioritize the rotation and, for one of the rare times in franchise history, have the means to do it. Wilson would give them a solid No. 2 behind Josh Johnson.
Other options: Rangers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals, Red Sox, Twins, Orioles, Rockies, Royals
Yu Darvish: Yankees
The Yankees are prioritizing the rotation once again, but reports say they don’t want to go all-in on Wilson. If he’s posted, the Japanese Darvish seems like the perfect answer for general manager Brian Cashman, who continues to put a premium on accumulating young starting pitching (something he showed while refusing to trade his top prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez at the non-waiver Trade Deadline). Darvish will have a much cheaper contract than Wilson because he’s only 25, but because of the posting fee that would come with him — remember, Daisuke Matsuzaka required a $52 million posting fee, and that was five years ago — he won’t be much cheaper. The Yanks will face a lot of competition for Darvish, but when it comes down to dollars, they usually win if they have enough desire. And they definitely desire another rotation piece.
Other options: Rangers, Blue Jays, Nationals, Red Sox, Mariners, Twins, Orioles, Rockies, Royals (and probably a bunch of others)
* Filed this week: The Cardinals will be fine, even without Albert Pujols; a look at the curious free agent case of one C.J. Wilson.
** Photo courtesy of The Associated Press.
– Alden
A week of moves — and non-moves
At 2 p.m. ET, as I sat in my seat just before a 2 1/2-hour flight from New York to Chicago (I’ll be covering the Yankees in the South Side this week), I shut off my phone and immediately started thinking about what would await me once I had service again. The non-waiver Trade Deadline was only two hours away. Where would Heath Bell go? What will the Yankees do? Who will land B.J. Upton? Then I touched down at O’Hare Airport, and realized all of that was a non-story.
Bell was the guy that was sure to be pitching elsewhere the rest of this season, the Yankees — as is their custom — were sure to make some sort of splash, and Upton was sure to be dealt after having his name in rumors for so many years. But none of that happened, Hiroki Kuroda didn’t waive his no-trade clause, James Shields stayed put in Tampa Bay, and the White Sox held on to Carlos Quentin.
That’s right, the biggest thing I’m taking away from the Deadline is what actually didn’t occur.
Now, on to the obligatory post-Deadline-winners-and-losers story. I know that in trades there really aren’t supposed to be any “winners” or “losers” (Neither side makes a deal if they don’t feel they’re “winning,” too, right?), but certain teams simply make out better than others.
Here are the three biggest winners and three biggest losers among the contending teams. And as always, we’ll get the bad news out of the way first …
Losers
Yankees: As MLBTradeRumors.com pointed out, this was the first time since 1999 that the Yankees went through an entire July without making a trade. And even though they’re 22 games above .500 and nurse a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League Wild Card race, they needed to add two pieces that they didn’t get: A starter and a lefty reliever.
Perhaps J.C. Romero, currently pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, will work out for them, and veteran relievers can usually be had in August. But I was in the minority in thinking they should’ve dealt their prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez, who they were reportedly in on. I would’ve given up two of either Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, and one of either Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Whether or not that would’ve been enough to get the deal done, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem the Yankees were willing to come anywhere close to doing that.
The Yankees’ hope is that just one of those three arms becomes the quality of starter Ubaldo currently is, and if you have a chance to get an arm like that now — when he’s expandable, when he’s under club control for a while and when he’s extremely affordable — you do it. Right now, the Yankees have the great CC Sabathia, and then four guys they don’t know what they’ll get out of on a nightly basis. Not good enough.
Diamondbacks: The D-backs have a real shot at winning the National League West, but they didn’t do enough to get it done. Jason Marquis and Brad Ziegler were nice and necessary additions to their rotation and bullpen, respectively, but they needed to upgrade their offense to somehow shorten the gap separating them from the Giants. Instead, San Francisco added a bat, and Arizona didn’t.
I get that the D-backs didn’t expect to compete this year and they prefer to hold on to their top prospects. But had they gone after a big bat, they would’ve had a good shot at superseding the Giants. Now? I can’t see it happening.
Tigers: I understand their hesitancy to give up a prospect like Jacob Turner, but frankly, I would’ve liked to see the Tigers do more for their rotation than just Doug Fister. Maybe one more mid-level starter like that for a team that ranks 14th in the AL in starting-pitcher ERA.
Winners
Cardinals: Fans didn’t seem too happy that they dealt an asset like Colby Rasmus and didn’t really get any long-term pieces in return. And I get that. But I give general manager John Mozeliak a lot of credit for going all in on this season — a year that could be the final one with Albert Pujols at first base and Tony La Russa as manager.
They got a necessary arm in their rotation in Edwin Jackson, who’s an impending free agent who won’t clog up their payroll and, thus, hurt their chances of resigning Pujols; they got righty Octavio Dotel and lefty Marc Rzepczynski for a needy bullpen; and they were able to pluck away from a position where they have a suitable replacement in Jon Jay.
Perhaps they could’ve waited to deal Rasmus — a guy who definitely needed a change of scenery — when his stock rose again, but then they wouldn’t look this good right now. And right now, they look like the best team in the NL Central. The Rafael Furcal acquisition is fine; I’m just not sure how much he has left.
Phillies: There was no more perfect fit for the Phillies than Hunter Pence. With him, their offense now looks on par with that vaunted rotation because they have that right-handed bat that was so critical to their production in years past. This past offseason, the Phillies added Cliff Lee to give them a ridiculous starting staff, but they lost Jayson Werth to the Nationals and missed that right-handed bat to hit behind lefties Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
Now, they have that right-handed bat again in Pence, and they have him in the books until 2013. Pence is having a fine season, and he came into Philadelphia with an .865 OPS. He’ll get plenty more chances with runners in scoring position now. And Phillies fans will love his energy. The Phils had to part ways with their two biggest prospects, but Domonic Brown and Vance Worley stayed put. That’s another positive.
Indians: Yeah, they did give up a big chunk of their farm system to get Ubaldo. But I just love the spirit of this trade, especially from a team that has so far only been known for parting with aces — from Lee to CC. This has been a magical season in Cleveland, and somehow they’re still in it despite a shaky rotation. It doesn’t look so shaky anymore.
The others
Braves: Michael Bourn is the perfect fit for that team; gives them their first leadoff hitter since Furcal.
Brewers: Francisco Rodriguez was a big pickup, and they got some insurance at second base. But they’re crossing their fingers that Rickie Weeks returns to full health soon.
Pirates: They got a couple of bats in Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee – two guys who know the NL Central well — and didn’t give up much.
Reds: Was surprised they were in on some of the big guys, but they have a rather large deficit, and that may have played a part in them standing pat.
Giants: Zack Wheeler is a good prospect, but Carlos Beltran is a good middle-of-the-order bat that should fit in perfectly in due time.
Red Sox: They got a nice rotation arm in Erik Bedard and a utility man in Mike Aviles; not flashy, but effective.
White Sox: I’m just glad they didn’t sell off all their pieces; they still have a shot.
Angels: Did nothing, which was pretty surprising.
Rangers: Got two big pieces for the back end of their bullpen in Koji Uehara and Mike Adams.
– Alden
** Filed this week: Pence trade fills Phils’ need for a righty slugger; Cards, Giants take on win-now modes with deals.
Too many All-Star no-shows? …
PHOENIX – All-Star Game managers Ron Washington and Bruce Bochy took on a tall order leading up to the Midsummer Classic, and it didn’t end when they submitted their roster selections more than a week ago.
The need for a wide array of substitutions has provided quite the juggling act.
In the week since Major League Baseball announced the players who would make up the National League and American League squads for Tuesday’s 82nd All-Star Game at Chase Field, 17 replacements have been named – 10 in the AL and seven in the NL – including five for the starting lineups.
A lot of those who bowed out of the All-Star Game did so because they pitched on Sunday and were thus ineligible (like Justin Verlander, James Shields, Felix Hernandez, Matt Cain and Cole Hamels); and others are either on the disabled list or sporting serious injuries that have kept them out (like Jose Reyes, Ryan Braun, Shane Victorino, Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Placido Polanco).
Then there are others like David Price, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter – nursing current or past ailments, but not the type that have necessarily put them on the shelf in recent days.
“It’s kind of sad, especially since over the last couple of years it’s been known that this game is going to dictate home-field advantage in the World Series,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, who was selected by Washington to be one of the AL’s coaches. “I can’t speak for people, only they know their own situations, but the fan voting and the player voting, I think it’s very important, and it’s kind of, in a way, disappointing not to see some of those guys. But, again, I can’t speak for those guys that are hurt.”
One of Acta’s players benefited from an absence, as Asdrubal Cabrera was able to get the start at shortstop with Jeter out. With the left side of both teams’ infield dropping out, Adrian Beltre, Scott Rolen and Troy Tulowitzki also got starting nods in place of players the fans voted in.
For the most part, players feel fans just need to accept the fact that last-minute things happen.
“The biggest responsibility for the player is to the teammate he’s playing for,” Rangers DH Michael Young said. “Obviously they have a great responsibility to the fans, but I’m sure they’re taking their fans and their cities under consideration when they make decisions.”
“There are factors right at the end that force them to not come,” White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko added. “People just have to understand that.”
Few players seem to soak in the spotlight of the All-Star Game more than David Ortiz, who will captain the AL squad in the State Farm Home Run Derby and is usually in a playful mood at this time of year. No matter how many times he takes part in this event, the All-Star Game never seems to get old for “Big Papi.”
With black sunglasses, a sharp-looking suit and what seemed like a permanent smile, Ortiz said he believes all his peers share those sentiments.
“Everybody likes to come to the All-Star Game,” he proclaimed. “There’s not one player who wouldn’t like to be here. This is something that every player is looking forward to do. So I’m pretty sure that those guys who have dropped out, they have a reason. It could be injuries, or personal problems. This is like a family thing right now. Everybody wants to bring their family around here, their kids to hang around the players, to put a good show for the fans because the fans spend tons of time voting for you.”
– Alden
* Filed this week: A look at who could be next to 3,000 hits; Thornburg aims to make impact on Brewers; Astros prospect Altuve not short on talent;
My AL & NL lineups differ from yours …
… But only slightly.
See, I never expect perfection when so many fans from so many different places and with so many different biases vote so many times. But, I gotta say, the 32.5 million of you who voted this year didn’t do half-bad. Of course, I would’ve made a few changes.
Here’s my lineup …
American League
Catcher- Alex Avila, Tigers: Easy choice. Joe Mauer has barely played, Carlos Santana has struggled, and Russell Martin‘s production at the plate went south after a hot start.
First base- Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: Another no-brainer. He’s fitting in perfectly at Fenway, and if not for a man named Bautista, he’s the best hitter going.
Second base- Robinson Cano, Yankees: Something tells me he’ll be dominating this position for years to come.
Third base- Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: Solid, healthy year — and you can’t say the same about Evan Longoria.
Shortstop- Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: I’m sorry, but you can’t pick Derek Jeter (pictured above by The Associated Press). I could understand if this was his final year and you want to send him out a la Cal Ripken Jr. But Cabrera has been an offensive and defensive key for the thriving Indians.
Outfield- Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: Um, yeah, he’s good.
Outfield- Curtis Granderson, Yankees: Off to one of his best starts while looking very good in that 2 hole.
Outfield- Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: He’s providing what Boston needs from him — getting on base, stealing bases and serving as a steady presence at the top of the order — while putting up power numbers to boot.
Designated hitter- David Ortiz, Red Sox: “Big Papi” needed a good start in his walk year, and he has it.
National League
Catcher- Brian McCann, Braves: Unreal that he’s made it to six straight All-Star Games and hadn’t started one until this year. Glad that will change.
First base- Joey Votto, Reds: He’s the reigning NL MVP and is off to another great start even if the power numbers aren’t where they were at this point last year. (I know what you’re thinking, but keep reading.)
Second base- Rickie Weeks, Brewers: All-around solid year, and Chase Utley is still working his way back.
Third base- Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Having a solid year, and for some reason very few realize it.
Shortstop- Jose Reyes, Mets: No doubt about this one. Not sure why it took him so long to pass Troy Tulowitzki.
Outfield- Ryan Braun, Brewers: One of baseball’s best keeps getting better.
Outfield- Matt Kemp, Dodgers: He’s the first half’s NL MVP if not for a guy named Reyes. Looks like a change in managers has done him well, for whatever reason.
Outfield- Lance Berkman, Cardinals: Didn’t expect him to have the first half he’s had, but glad to see I was wrong.
Designated hitter- Prince Fielder, Brewers: Not fair? Hey, it’s my lineup!
– Alden
** What I wrote this week: Fielder at ease in his walk year; Yankees haven’t stopped winning since being swept by the Red Sox.
Alden Gonzalez
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