Glavine to DL

He's just not this young anymore.

Well, after one game, Glavine is back on the DL. I'm not surprised. I guess this also means the end of Glavine's career. When you never have an injury before this season and this is the third trip to the DL this season, I think your body's telling you it's time. The problem is that guys like Glavine and Smoltz don't want to end their careers this way. They'll want to come back next year to prove they can do it. The problem is that when they prove they can still do it, they still won't want to leave because they can still do it. If they can't do it, it will be this season all over again. I love Glavine and Smoltz, but the best thing for the Braves is for both to retire. They can't pretend to depend on them next year. They can't think they're getting the ace they need and forget to bring in Sabathia or Sheets. That hurts them next year (maybe) and in the future (definitely). They're both Hall of Famers, but they do need to shut it down permanently. It'll be hard, but it's necessary.

Hargrove Has the "Edge"

Does that look like the face of a man who lost his passion?

After astonishing all of baseball by quitting in the middle of maybe his best managing season ever, Mike Hargrove says he wants to manage again. He said last year that he did not have the passion anymore, but now, he says it's back. Something tells me it never left. First, he was in the middle of an amazing season. No one expected the Mariners to be in it, but they were. That energizes people, not the other way around. Second, look at the mess that is the Mariners now. They just fired their manager and general manager. That tells me something bad was going on. Maybe he just lost his passion to manage the Mariners. Maybe their were fights between them. Third, Ichiro. There were reports that Ichiro and Hargrove were having issues. So why pick Ichiro? It's all economics. Ichiro boosted merchandise and attendance sales when he arrived. Hargrove? Not so much. Ichiro is the face of the franchise. Hargrove? Again, not so much. I doubt Hargrove ever lost his "passion".

I hope he gets another chance somewhere and I bet he does. Where? Padres? Indians (that would be cute, no?)? Pirates? Not Seattle.

Cardinals 5, Reds 3

I was able to get the Reds game tonight. I live in Louisville, so I'm not too far away. Yet, I'm not a Reds fan, and I have nothing invested in them. It was still cool to go there. For the most part, I really like Great American Ballpark. The only problem is the seating. It's really close so if you have broad shoulders, you're in for an uncomfortable night. Also, if you have long legs, it's not good either. As for the game, it was a good one. There was a lot of offense at first with Rick Ankiel and Chris Dickerson (his first MLB home run) hitting home runs in the first inning. The first two and half innings saw runs score each half inning. After that, the bullpens did very well. Arroyo had 100 pitches by the fifth, so he didn't make it past the sixth. He got hit hard anyway as he allowed five runs in five innings. Wellemeyer pitched well, but he was taken out after 5 innings. I'm not sure why. I guess he's pitched in the bullpen too long and needs to be stretched out. The only bad play was by Jason LaRue. On a pitch-out, he threw the ball into center field letting the runner get to third. On the very next play, he failed to block the plate when the batter hit a grounder to third. Glaus made a good throw, but somehow the run scored. Things slowed after that. Chris Perez came in to close the game, so I guess he's the closer in St. Louis even though LaRussa won't admit it.

More All-Star Bull****

I was reading Buster Olney's blog when I ran past this Paul Hagen article about the All-Star Game. He focuses on how it has hurt pitchers Aaron Cook and Brad Lidge. Hold on, Lidge warming up in the bullpen hasn't caused him to be terrible in the second half. First, you're working off a small sample size with 9.1 IP against 40 from the first half. Second, Lidge was ungodly in the first half with his 1.13 ERA. Isn't it logical to think that he is just having ... can I say it ... a rough patch. With Cook, fatigue in your lower back is caused by throwing 170+ innings when you really haven't done that before (212 in 2006, but no more than 160 otherwise with the other seasons more around 100). Second, his last start before the game was July 11, which gave him three day's rest to throw 3 innings. I think it was okay. Third, his next three starts were just fine as he gave up 5 runs in 22 IP.

This blaming the All-Star Game crap needs to stop. People get injured and have tough stretches of the season. Like Shyster said, correlation does not equal causation.

Also, you all (the media and fans) brought on the problems with the All-Star Game. You booed when Selig let the game end in a tie. You criticized him. You backed him into a wall. He knew that to get you to forgive him he had to try something. He made changes. Now, you have to live with them. Blame Selig for having a weak backbone against the criticism, but it was your fault for not understanding the situation. There was nothing he could do. He had to stop the game. Sure, we don't like ties, but he couldn't bring pitchers back out there. If he had, he could have injured guys then, and then you'd be having a field day. No, stop blaming the All-Star Game. Realize the totality of playing 162 games, of throwing 200+ innings.

Everything Not Good with Bueno

After Alfonso Soriano hit and then watched a ball hit the wall before running, Francisley Bueno threw at Soriano's head during his next at-bat. The ball hit Soriano's helmet, and Bueno was ejected (appropriately). Now, Major League Baseball has suspended him for three games. Apparently, Bueno thinks he has been mistreated because he is appealing. What is he appealing? One at-bat after he shows up your team/makes an a$$ of himself, you suddenly lose your grip on a fastball directly towards his head? I doubt it, and he won't win his appeal. I agree with throwing at Soriano, but at his head? That was dumb and inexcusable. Plunk him in the back if you're going to do it. He gets the message without brain damage.

To top it all off, Bueno was sent down before the game Thursday to make room for Tom Glavine. Therefore, Bueno has to sit out three games when he returns in September. The game was also Bueno's major league debut. Well done. Well done.

Francouer Comes to Painful Realization

We all knew it. The Braves sort of knew but refused to completely acknowledge it. Now, Jeff Francoeur finally admits it. He stinks. I feel for the guy. I really do. He went from being a promising young player to outcast in a matter of months. I've continued to believe that he can turn things around, but I can't say I have been entirely patient. It's hard be patient watching your team lose because they can't consistently drive in runs and know that Francoeur is a large reason why that is. That being said, this season is not Jeff Francoeur's fault. Braves fans can't give up on him. Trading him now is just selling low. DON'T LET HIM BE JERMAINE DYE! Jeff seems to think he worked out too much and put on too much muscle in his chest. When I was the equipment manager for my high school team, a guy put on about ten pounds, and his chest showed it. The problem is that the extra muscle restricted his motion. Here's the thing I don't understand though about Francoeur. He hit 29 home runs as a 22 year old. So it stands to reason that he didn't need to add muscle to hit for power. Also, does anyone know where you should add muscle? I would think your legs and lower half would be the best, but I'm not sure. I'm not going to write him off. I refuse to. Call me optimistic. Call me illogical. But Mark (see I can have fun with my name, too) my words, Jeff Francoeur will be a very valuable major leaguer again.

Interesting note: He hit a home run tonight after he says he's been losing weight over the last few weeks.

All Good Things Come to an End

The Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire. The Hapsburg Ring. The Ming Dynasty. The Incan Civilization. And now, Brad Ziegler's scoreless streak. I commend the man for going 39 innings to start his career without giving up a run, but we couldn't expect this to go on forever, could we? Anyway, the most hated Ray in Oakland? BJ Upton for hitting the home run to end the streak. At least, it wasn't a dinky bloop into center. At least, it was an authoritative blast over the fence. I could live with making a mistake, but I'd be pissed if he hit a great pitch just over the second baseman's head to bring in the run.

Now, the question becomes where does he go from here. Does he stay dominant and act like this is a bump in the road, or does he fade into obscurity never to be heard from again?

Donate to Charities

Because it is usually a nice thing to do. Most of us are pretty fortunate to be able to just get online and talk about things that don't mean too much in the grand scheme of things, and sometimes we forget (myself included), what other people are going through. Jason* over at IIATMS posted a few charities in which he is interested, and I encourage everyone to take a look and see what you can donate. Thousands of dollars is nice, but if everyone starts donating $1-10, the total builds quickly.

Here are the direct links to the sites:

Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

American Cancer Society: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

* Jason has made it more interesting by allowing someone to post whatever they want to his site if they donate $100.

Instant Replay

Reports indicate that it could be in place by the end of the month. For what it's worth, I still think it's dumb and unnecessary, and I was hoping everyone had forgotten about it.

Fantasy Baseball

One of the most frustrating parts of the baseball season for me is fantasy baseball. Every year, I get a few teams, but I can't keep playing it through the season. What makes me think about this is that I am currently drafting a fantasy football team. I never have trouble making it through that. It's not the length of the season because I don't even make it through the first two months of baseball. Does anyone else have this problem? I think there are a few reasons.

One, fantasy baseball makes you focus every day, whereas football is only once a week. I think that's the biggie.

Second, football starts at the beginning of school when nothing's going on. Baseball starts in the hectic final month of April.

Third, there are too many baseball players to worry about. There are more positions, and then you have to worry about pitchers as well.

Fourth, I do think the length of the season has something to do with it, just not for me.

Fifth, it's not as big as football. Not as many people do fantasy baseball for reasons named above, but a lot of people play fantasy football. You can talk about it with almost anyone.

Does anyone know of a good place to do fantasy baseball? I usually try Yahoo!, but I'm open to suggestions.

In and Out of Luck

Baseball is usually about 70% skill and 30% luck. So where is the most amount of luck that a player can't control? I think it's run support for the starting pitcher. They go out there and pitch, but they have almost (or none in the AL) no control over the amount of runs their teams score for them. It has nothing to do with how they pitch. Luck comes in on who they face, how their team hits, if anyone in their lineup is injured, and how lucky the batters happen to be (do bloopers fall? line drives? etc.). They can give up one run and still lose, and with the importance of win-loss records, it makes a guy with a 3.40 ERA seem to be a bad pitcher because he has a 6-10 record (*Who is it?). Anyway, here's a list of "Criminally Abused Pitchers" and "Undeservedly Blessed Pitchers".

Criminally Abused Pitchers

Chris Volstad (FLA) - 6 starts, 4-2, 3.03 ERA, 2.70 RS
John Lannan (WAS) - 23 starts, 6-11, 3.40 ERA, 2.86 RS *
Greg Smith (OAK) - 23 starts, 5-11, 3.92 ERA, 3.01 RS
Matt Cain (SFG) - 25 starts, 7-9, 3.67 ERA, 3.33 RS
Jake Peavy (SD)- 20 starts, 8-8, 2.86 ERA, 3.67 RS

These guys have pitched well, but their win-loss records don't reflect it (except for Volstad's which could be better if the Marlins would hit with him on the mound). Peavy's numbers are Cy Young quality except for the W-L. Now, I understand why Neyer gets so angry over wins and losses. Maybe one day, the Cy Young will be chosen by who is actually the best pitcher, not that Webb and Lee are undeserving.

Undeservedly Blessed Pitchers

Kyle Kendrick (PHI) - 24 starts, 10-6, 4.74 ERA, 7.15 RS
Vicente Padilla (TEX) - 23 starts, 12-6, 4.86 ERA, 6.36 RS
Livan Hernandez (COL/MIN) - 24 starts, 10-9, 5.94 ERA, 6.20 RS
Mike Pelfrey (NYM) - 23 starts, 10-8, 4.11 ERA, 6.20 RS
Bronson Arroyo (CIN) - 25 starts, 10-9, 5.44 ERA, 6.03 RS
Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 23 starts, 10-8, 4.52 ERA, 5.54 RS

These are just a few, and there are other pitchers with better run support. The thing is some of those actually have good ERA's. This time, the win-loss record covers up how bad most of these pitchers have been. Oswalt has been terrible. Hernandez is abominable, and the Rockies still took a chance on him. Who wants to guess someone in the front office said, "But he's a winner." I can't even believe Padilla has 12 wins. It things like this that get front offices into trouble when they give out big contracts.

It makes me wonder about the 300 win plateau to get into the Hall of Fame. Should that be the criteria? With what we know about wins, isn't ERA and WHIP more of an indication of a pitcher's worth (okay, we can argue about ERA+)? They include luck but not as much as wins. Where would the ERA plataeu be? The problem becomes longevity. Wins, to some extent, indicate longevity. Yet, should longevity be a factor in Hall voting? If you pitch really well for a few years but get injured, should that influence a decision? If he's that good, shouldn't he get in?

Out in Left Field

Manny still nowhere to be found.

Manny's Teammates Amused by Misadventure

Yeah, but for how long? I'm sure the Red Sox were amused at first, too.

* I was actually amused as well, but I was also amused by him coming out of the Green Monster. I am not amused when he (and others) don't run out groundballs.

Answers

I still think he/she deserved some credit for that one.

So here are the answers you have been eagerly awaiting. However, before looking make sure you have read the hints. No cheating!

1) Pirates, Reds, Nationals, Royals and Orioles. I hope you didn't put down the Rays. That part was a little tricky ... just a little.

2) Braves (Teixeira), Pirates (Nady and Bay), Reds (Dunn)

3) Nationals. This was really meant for the Padres, but they are only the third worst.

4) Rangers. This is why Ryan wants pitching.

5-8) I'm not going to list them all, but you can check out the standings to figure it out.

9) A's. That was a gimmee. Just imagine how good they'd be with them, but then again, when you're the worst offense in the AL, maybe it wouldn't matter too much.

10) Mariners. They have to be the most disappointing team in baseball.

11) Tigers. And their 1000 run offense only has 597 at this point.

12) Indians. Another gimmee. Cleveland might be the second most disappointing team.

13) Blue Jays. Ricciardi calls out Dunn but needs a power-hitting left fielder. Lately, he said Gaston will be back next season. The question is will he.

14) Yankees and Braves. Both are suffering from the complacency, late draft picks, and "parody" that comes with winning for so long.

15) Astros. Seriously, does anyone understand what the hell Wade was thinking?

16) Giants. Just imagine. Sabean trades away both Cain and Lincecum, and he gets easily eight really good prospects. That makes six more good players than they have now. Let them play okay for the next two years and trade them for 16 good prospects. Let them play for a couple years and ... Maybe they're finally good by, oooh, 2015.

17) Rockies. Hernandez really doesn't deserve the crap he gets because of how important he was to the '97 Marlins, his durability, and his consistency. Not many pitchers over the past 10-12 years accomplished what he did.

Steinbrenner Says Injuries Are Reason Why Yankees Are Where They Are

Probably true as the Yankees have too much talent, but then again, they aren't bad anyway. In another division besides the AL East and West and the NL Central, they'd either be winning the division or close. One quote I like is "No team I've ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team." Yes, you are correct Mr. Steinbrenner about the decimation, but let me introduce you to the Braves and Cardinals. Both of them have lost a majority of their team this season. Anyway, I do have to give him credit as this is the most responsible thing he's probably said all season. They are too old and injury-prone.

Another thing, he mentions, "If we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we'll do that. We'll do whatever we need to do. Next year we'll be extremely dangerous." He's right about that, too. If they add Sabathia, which there's no reason they won't, they will be extremely dangerous. A rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Chamberlain, Moose/Pettite (I'm saying they bring back at least one), and Pettite/Moose/Hughes (maybe both) would be the answer to their biggest weakness this season. Now if they had just coughed up Kennedy for Santana things might have been different this season. Just think: Kennedy, Cabrera, and a prospect they won't use anyway could be holding the Twins down instead, and then they wouldn't have to go and fight for Sabathia this offseason.

Cyclical Nature of Life

No, this isn't the answers to the quiz, but if you want those, come back around 11 or 12. Anyway, this also is not a blog about some life changing event or "from ash you were made and to dust you shall return". It's simply about how baseball, and history for that matter, are cyclical. What started me thinking on this? Tim Lincecum wanting to go year-to-year on contracts.

For the past few years, teams have been trying to sign their young players to team-friendly, long-term contracts, and the players have usually agreed to them. Players such as James Shields, Evan Longoria, David Wright, Noah Lowry, and Ian Snell have all taken the security over breaking the bank. There has already been a reaction to this through the likes of Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez, Ryan Howard, and, now, Tim Lincecum who want to risk injuries and ineffectiveness to make more money during arbitration and reach free agency as soon as possible. Honestly, if I were on the Giants, I would try to get the hell out of Dodge, too. I still think most young players will opt for the security (Jeff Francoeur wanted one but didn't get it) over the possible dollars. But in a few years, players will start realizing all the money people have been giving up, and they will start to go year-to-year. This just makes me wonder about other things.

Will pitchers eventually go back to pitching 280+ innings? I know it seems as though it's impossible as most starters now have trouble making it through six innings a start, but is it possible? Teams are already trying to get pitchers to pitch deeper into games, one team even tried putting starters in during the third inning to finish the game to develop the "ninth inning" mindset. Most teams, however, are simply being more diligent with their pitchers' development. Instead of rushing them for this year, they are monitoring their innings even though it seems it will hurt the immediate needs of the team (ie. Clay Buchholz last season). Also, with modern technology and training techniques, isn't it possible they will find a way to make arms more durable? If this happens, will we see an end to the closer and the specialized bullpen, or will it simply be incorporated into the renewed pitching staffs? Would it increase the specialization? Fewer innings mean that managers could be more creative and go by the righty-righty and lefty-lefty matchups all the time instead of some of the time.

Will we see a return to a faster pace of baseball? The steroids scandal has brought into question everything about the power game. Will the questions and scrutiny ultimately lead to speed and contact becoming more a part of the game? If everyone questions the legitimacy of your home run, try getting singles and doubles while stealing bases. Of course, someone would have to prove it could win against modern-day play, but haven't the Angels shown it could work?

Will wooden bats finally become mandatory in Little League and college games? Maybe ash bats would be the better choice instead of maple for health reasons (but seriously, is there a bigger risk or chance of being impaled by a bat than there is to a ball cracking someone's skull? I guess if you have another option, you should go with it). It has already become an issue with colleges, and parents worry about their little kids. I would like to see it, and it would make it easier for professional teams to scout if they didn't have to worry about the effect of the aluminum. Wooden bats may break, but metal ones aren't indestructible. Yet, the wooden bats are more affordable.

Will we see a return to pitching with location and movement instead of by power? It might help the pitchers pitch more and longer. Will scouts start looking for movement and location over velocity? Even KLaw first looks at the radar gun. Guys like Moyer and Maddux have shown it's possible to pitch well without a big fastball. It might be better to have a guy who can throw 95 with good offspeed pitches and good location, but if the increased velocity causes more injuries, is it worth the risk? Do you really want to have a dominant pitcher for three to five years over a guy who uses his defense more but still has good statistics and is more durable? Has modern technology such as the video camera allowing for increased scouting reports on pitcher caused this to be impossible? Players spend more time than ever watching previous games by pitchers, so if they see a pattern to the strategy, the decrease in velocity could make it easier to hit. A harder fastball and unpredictable location could make hitting harder ("effectively wild").

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I think it's fun to think about. How will the game change? It won't stay like it is, but what future events (or even current events) will shape the game in 50 years?

Longoria to DL

I know Carl Crawford is important to the Rays, but Longoria may be more so as one of the few power threats on the team (Carlos Peña as the other). Hopefully, the Rays sunny optimism of him being back in two or three weeks isn't too optimistic as he's been placed on the DL after a JJ Putz pitch broke his wrist. If he's out for longer or the season, we might watch another epic collapse that will bring the Red Sox another division crown. Seriously, when was the last time a rookie had so much influence on the success of his team? Dontrelle Willis? David Wright? The one thing that gives me faith about this team is how they've played. They don't give up and constantly come back. They'll need that without Longoria.

Rangers Seriously After Pitching

Maybe Nolan should suit it up again to add some pitching. He can't be much worse than what they have.

We all knew the Rangers needed pitching, so we were all waiting for them to realize it themselves. Apparently, Nolan Ryan finally gets it. He wants to open Tom Hicks' wallet and buy some pitching, leading to thoughts of Sabathia and Sheets. The Rangers will make this offseason more interesting with this attitude. Yet, I somehow see them as the losers here. I don't know how much Sabathia and Sheets will want to pitch in Texas, but if the Rangers give out an A-Rod deal, it's possible. I still see the Yankees, Braves, Brewers, and Cardinals as the major players for the "Big Two", but the Rangers have placed themselves into the discussion. If they don't get Sheets or CC, do they go after Burnett? Lowe? Garland? Burnett is likely as not to get injured, but he's much worse than Sheets as far as pitching is concerned. Lowe and Garland aren't front-of-the-rotation guys. Are they going to give away the money that Millwood and Padilla stole from them for little production? It seems like a better idea to open the vault of prospects and deal them away for some pitching. Maybe get one of the young three from the Angels or Masterson from the Red Sox. The Rangers have a loaded farm system, so maybe they should use that instead of Hicks' wallet.

How to Know Your Team Is Done

1) You're the Pirates, Reds, Nationals, Royals, Orioles, or Rays at the beginning of the season. Oh wait, the Rays are good this year. Who saw their domination coming?

2) You become a "seller" and trade away your clean-up hitter.

3) You have the worst offense in baseball.

4) You have the worst pitching in baseball.

5) You are 6 games back of getting into the Wild Card or Division lead.

6) You are 5 games back and have to leap frog at least two other teams.

7) You're under .500 (disclaimer: unless you're in the NL West in which you are probably only a game or two back).

8) You reassure your fan base by saying that your future is bright. Go ahead, comb through the farm system and try to find three guys who will impact your team in the next 5 years.

9) You trade Dan Haren, Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton.

10) You fire both managers (both General and specific).

11) You spend $138 million and forget to improve your already bad bullpen.

12) You trade CC Sabathia and replace him with Anthony Reyes.

13) You call out another team's player and then realize he might be the answer to your problems.

14) Karma finally comes back to bite you for winning too damn much.

15) You trade for Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins even though you're almost 10 games out of even the Wild Card.

16) You probably should consider trading your 1 and 2 pitchers for about a gazillion prospects to rebuild your team, or build it for that matter because there is nothing there.

17) You claim Livan Hernandez off waivers and expect him to resurrect your pitching staff. Maybe literally hold them up on his shoulders, but not metaphorically.

So who am I talking about in each line? Answers tomorrow. You can skip 5, 6, 7, and 8 because they will take too long.

Rookie of the Year

We have about a month and a half left in the season, so it's time to look at who's putting themselves in position for awards at the end of the season. I think the one most people don't know much about is the Rookie of the Year Award. These guys aren't established players, so their names aren't as known. I'll go through each league to find the rookies making an impact this season.

American League

David Murphy (TEX) -> .275/.321/.465 15 HR 74 RBI 64 R 28 2B
Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS) -> .271/.333/.377 7 HR 33 RBI 68 R 37 SB
Evan Longoria (TAM) -> .278/.352/.533 22 HR 71 RBI 56 R 27 2B
Ben Francisco (CLE) -> .276/.335/.458 11 HR 42 RBI 46 R 24 2B

Armando Galarraga (DET) -> 10-4 3.22 ERA 125.1 IP 86 K
Nick Blackburn (MIN) -> 9-6 3.60 ERA 140 IP 71 K
Joba Chamberlain (NYY) -> 4-3 2.63 ERA 89 IP 12 H 104 K
Jim Johnson (BAL) -> 2-3 1.93 ERA 18 H 1 SV 60.1 IP 32 K
Jesse Carlson (TOR) -> 4-1 2.11 ERA 14 H 1 SV 42.2 IP 44 K
Jose Arrendondo (LAA) -> 4-0 0.95 ERA 12 H 38 IP 31 K
Brad Ziegler (OAK) -> 1-0 0.00 ERA 9 H 1 SV 37 IP 17 K

There are quite a few young guys making an impact for their teams. For the position players, I'll go ahead and knock it down to Murphy and Longoria, and while much more has been made of Longoria's success, Murphy actually has more run production (R + RBI). However, Longoria is the middle of the AL-leading Rays team, so I give him the nod over Murphy. Ellsbury and Francisco have played well, but they have to compete against two really good players.

For pitchers, Joba is the big name, but his injury will hurt (no pun intended) his stock. He is the most dominating of the pitchers, and had he started the entire season, he would probably be the clubhouse leader as we enter the final round. As a starter, he is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA, so while he was an absolutely dominant set-up guy, he has been an ace pitcher. Armando Galarraga somehow continues to fly under the radar, but with his numbers, he should get some serious consideration. Without him, the Tigers would be absolutely terrible instead of just mostly. Blackburn has been solid but not as good as Galarraga. Johnson has been good, but his K rate leaves a little to be desired. Carlson has been very good, but his ERA is the highest. Arrendondo has been very good and could be the closer next season for the Angels. Ziegler has become a media darling with his story, sidearm delivery, and scoreless streak. If he stretches it past Hershiser, he'll become the favorite pitcher.

National League

Kosuke Fukudome (CHC) -> .271/.372/.403 8 HR 42 RBI 67 R 22 2B
Joey Votto (CIN) -> .280/.345/.448 14 HR 53 RBI 45 R 21 2B
Geovany Soto (CHC) -> .278/.356/.488 17 HR 63 RBI 45 R 27 2B

Jair Jurrjens (ATL) -> 11-7 3.18 ERA 144.1 IP 103 K

Jorge Campillo (ATL) -> 7-4 2.83 ERA 114.1 IP 81 K
Kyle McClellan (STL) -> 2-5 2.73 ERA 26 H 1 SV 62.2 IP 51 K

There aren't so many choices in the NL that are outstanding players, which seems odd because the NL is the league considered to be the one shifting to younger players. For position players, the three up there are surprisingly close. Votto hasn't gotten much attention, but he's been very good. He and Jay Bruce will be a nice 3-4 combo in the near future. Fukudome and Soto are the big guns for Chicago. Fukudome has cooled, but the 67 R are still pretty impressive. The OBP is good, but the SLG needs to be a bit higher. Soto is probably the front-runner with his higher HR, 2B, and RBI totals, and he's no slouch in the BA and OBP areas.

For pitchers, there aren't many guys with a lot of innings who have done real well. Jurrjens is probably the front-runner, and at age 22, he is ahead of his time. Watching him has been a joy in an otherwise terrible Braves season (similar to Galarraga for Detroit). Campillo has been a pleasant surprise, but I bet you couldn't find 15 regular baseball fans who know who the hell he is. McClellan's numbers have been very good and one of the few bright spots in the St. Louis bullpen, but he hasn't been dominant enough to warrant too much consideration.

The winners ---> Evan Longoria and Geovany Soto

We love offense don't we?

Barry Bonds to Be an Astro?

Update: Wade said that Barry Bonds is not option. Smart man ... for once.
With Carlos Lee out for the season, Richard Justice thinks the Astros should sign Barry Bonds. In other words, Justice is out of his mind.

First, this would be another bizarre move from the Astros organization as they sit 12.5 out of first and 8.5 out of the Wild Card. What the hell makes you think the Astros have a chance? The Rockies? There's a reason that their run was "improbable". No one usually does it. It shouldn't give a team hope. It should tell them that it happened last year, so it definitely will not happen this year. Maybe Bonds makes them better, but that appears to be a moot point at the moment. Everyone (even the Braves right now) puts together runs at some point.

Second, why is Jeff Kent a good clubhouse guy? He gets into a fight with Barry Bonds in San Francisco. Last year, he was a problem when the Dodgers self-destructed between the "old guys who still think they're 30" and the "new guys who think they've proven themselves".

Third, one offensive player doesn't mean an automatic move up in the standings. Remember Mark Teixeira last season? He hit out of his mind for the last two months, and the Braves didn't budge.

Fourth, why do you want the entire country talking about how you're under .500 and still wasting money on a guy who will be rusty, poor defensive player, and is only playing for himself?

Fifth, Barry Bonds may be the best hitter that ever lived, but is he still that hitter? He only hit .276 last season, and his HR and RBI totals dropped from 2003 when he played in roughly the same amount of games while also hitting .341. Now, you want him to show up to the park and instantly bring you back into contention?

I'll concede that the Astros will make more money from him than they'd have lost on his salary. People would show up for games, buy hot dogs, and buy jerseys. In the long run, this does nothing to help the organization. Use the money to sign draft picks who could help the long-term health of the team. If the Rays or Red Sox wanted to sign him, I would understand, but not the Astros. At least the Rays and Red Sox have a chance to play in the postseason.