I do, however, come baring good news and it comes in the form of baseball. In case you haven’t noticed, we are almost a third of the way through the regular season and major storylines and pennant races are already heating up. So without further ado, I present to you a look into the current state of Major League Baseball.
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
National League: Prince Fielder - Milwaukee Brewers
Prince Fielder turned out to be many experts’ pick for the rookie of the year last year and he has managed to pick up right where he left off from last year. The hefty first baseman is hitting a solid .296 and has also managed to drive in 43 runs this season. Perhaps his most eye-opening stat is that of his league leading 19 home runs and when you match this with his solid play at first base, it’s easy to see why this big bundle of joy is my National League MVP.American League: Alex Rodriguez - New York Yankees
Putting on possibly the second best April hitting performance of all time, Alex Rodriguez has separated himself from the rest of the AL players to this point. A-Rod couldn’t have asked for a better start and is distinguishing himself once again as most probably the best player in Major League Baseball. His statistics include a .292 batting average with 45 RBI’s and a modest 19 homeruns. Lets see if he can do it in October – scratch that—lets see if the Yankees can even make it to the all-star break.Cy Young (Best Pitcher)
National League: Jake Peavy - San Diego Padres
Was there even a question as to whom I would name the NL Cy Young? All Jake has managed to do is go 7-1 with a ridiculous ERA of 1.47. Peavy has managed to mow down batters this season in embarrassing fashion racking up a league-leading 85 strikeouts, 16 of which came in one game. Oh yea, Peavy has only given up 12 – yea I said 12—earned runs this season in his 73 innings of work.American League: Dan Harden - Oakland Athletics
Although his numbers aren’t quite as appealing as Peavy’s, Dan Harden has more than held his own this year while sporting those sexy uniforms out in Oakland. Harden sports a 6-2 record with an ERA of 1.64 and has only given up 15 earned runs this season. I’m not hating on Josh Beckett or everyone’s beloved Boston Red Sox, but Harden has a better ERA and is winning games with Jason Kendall and Shannon Stewart, not Manny Ramirez and Big Papi. Comeback Player Award
National League: Josh Hamilton - Cincinnati Reds
Perhaps the only bright spot for the horrific Cincinnati Reds this year is the emergence of Josh Hamilton. The former number-one overall pick has been through it all. From drugs to alcohol to property crimes, Hamilton has battled his way back into the majors and away from a life of drugs and crime. The kid has amazing batting skills and can turn the bat at the blink of an eye; furthermore, he can field with the best of them. Hamilton’s resume in his first real year of major league baseball consists of a .261 batting average, 18 RBI’s, and 8 homers in only 119 at-bats due to a nagging injury. Keep your eye on Mr. Hamilton. American League: Sammy Sosa - Texas Rangers
I’ll be the first one to admit my hatred for the steroid pumping, bat corking, liar that is Sammy Sosa, but I’ll also give the man a bit of props for what he has accomplished during his comeback season with the Rangers. Consistent with his career average, Sosa is batting .251 but has managed to crank out 39 RBI’s and 10 homeruns – not bad considering the fact that the only team that would give him a chance was the Texas Rangers’ farm squad. That’s about all the praise Sammy “I suddenly don’t know English while sitting on Capitol Hill” Sosa is going to get from me. Surprising Teams
National League: Arizona Diamondbacks
Did anyone honestly think that D-Backs would be doing this well? I didn’t and I’ll be the first to admit it. Winners of their last seven, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a three-way tie for first place in what is always a competitive NL West. Sitting at 32-23, Arizona has gotten solid pitching from Brandon Webb and old timer Randy Johnson while getting offensive help from the very reliable Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson. Will the D-Backs keep up in a tight NL West race?
American League: Cleveland Indians
Simply put, the Cleveland Indians hammer the ball. I mean they completely destroy the ball each and every night. Leading the league with an astounding 7 plus runs a game, the Indians don’t need to worry about their pitching. When a team scores 7 runs a night they have a pretty good chance of winning. Now to some people the Indians aren’t a surprise team and I’ll agree on some aspects. We all knew that the Indians would be knocking the cover off the ball. We all knew that they had pretty solid pitching and arguably the best farm system in the league. What we did not know, however, is that the Indians would be able to keep up in the toughest Division in baseball: the AL Central. The Tigers, Twins, White Sox, and Indians all in one division? I feel sorry for the Kansas City Royals.
Disappointing Teams
National League: Cincinnati Reds
Although no one was expecting the Reds to be the best in the NL, not many people would have picked them to be dead last in the National League. Cincinnati seemed to be on the rise with three solid starting pitchers and a sound offensive game, but things have gone terribly wrong this year for the Reds. With arguably the worst bullpen in all of baseball, no lead is safe and it has cost Cincinnati dearly so far this season. If it’s not the bullpen then it’s the lack of offense. More times than not, the Reds’ batting is almost too embarrassing watch. Again, I’m not saying I was expecting the Reds to be in first place in the NL Central, but too carry the crown the worst team in the National League is something completely unexpected.
American League: New York Yankees
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the Yankees are the most disappointing team in baseball. You have the biggest payroll in all of baseball and all you can manage is a 22-29 record? Take a look at the Yankees’ lineup just in case you’ve forgotten what kind of players they have: Jeter, A-Rod, Giambi, Abreu, Posada, Damon, and Matsui. I know that the Yankees’ reign as the powerhouse of baseball is a few years behind them, but to be tied for last place in the NL East with over a 200 million dollar payroll is simply mind-blowing. While I see the addition of Roger Clemens as a good one, I don’t see it being enough to get the Yankees into the postseason this year. In fact, I think you’re off your rocker if you think that Roger Clemens, a pitcher who will only step onto the field once every four or five games, will save your season this year.
What to Keep an Eye On
American League:
I refuse to succumb to everything that is Boston vs. New York; I’m sick of it. Instead, I’ll be watching the Cleveland Indians to see if they can hold off a hard charging AL Central comprised of the Tigers, Twins, and White Sox. My prediction is that the Tigers will come on strong at the end to take over first place and the Indians will fall back into second which will still be good enough to claim the AL Wild Card.
National League:
A division race that is very fun to watch right now is out on the west coast. Los Angeles, San Diego, and Arizona are in a three-way tie for first place as of right now and I don’t see this race cooling off anytime soon. It will be interesting to see if Arizona can keep up their shocking play as of late because as will definitely need it if they are going to stick around in the NL West. My prediction is for the Dodgers to run away with the division late in the season. Neither San Diego nor Arizona will attain the NL Wild Card spot; the Wild Card will go to the Atlanta Braves.
One last thing to watch for is Barry Bonds and his run for the record books. Bonds came storming out of the gates early this season but as of late looks sluggish and in pain. Although Bonds doesn’t need many more home runs to take over first place all-time, he is in quite the slump and seems to be dealing with some pain throughout his knees once again. It will be interesting to see if Bonds will painfully obtain the record by way of hitting 2 home runs a month for the rest of the season, or if he will bounce out of his slump and return to his early season form.
Joshua Silcox is a freelance writer and can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
