Pirates Jersey Gaffe

Pirates 2B Brock Holt sporting a jersey with the number on the wrong side

Steve Berthiaume was the first to notice the error and posted the above picture on Twitter. The number two should be on the opposite side of the jersey (the left hand side for the player, right hand side for those viewing it, see picture below). The Pirates are hosting the Astros this afternoon.

Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen with his number in the correct place

It's quite amazing how many players have been sent onto the field recently with jersey errors. I can think of at least four off the top of my head in the last few seasons. It's hard to believe so many mistakes are not only being made but missed.

Can you recall an NFL, NHL or NBA player suffering from this same problem? I certainly don't recall it. I mean I could be wrong but it seems to be a problem that MLB has been faced with a lot lately.

Majestic better get it together or they might find themselves no longer the official provider of MLB jerseys.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 12th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

Some change, albeit only one new team, but it causes a change in the bracket. The Tampa Bay Rays are making their first appearance on the PP's this season. They've been playing well of late and have surged into a tie for the WC lead. They're a team that was expected to compete for a playoff spot prior to the beginning of the season and now in mid-August they appear to be there. The victims of the Rays being promoted are the Angels. Two weeks ago I had the Angels in the World Series and now I don't even have them playing in the 1-game WC Playoff. Things change quick.

Just like last week I still have the Rangers representing the AL. Despite the fact they have a new opponent (the Rays as opposed to the White Sox) in the first round I still think they are the team to beat in the AL. The Yankees manage to get past the White Sox.

The A's still cling to a spot in the bracket but I fear that could change in the coming weeks.

National League

Or should I say the "Nationals League" ... haha (blank stare). Yes bad joke but that's how things are shaping up. For the first time since I created the PP's a mere 3 weeks ago the Cincinnati Reds are not the NL representative in the World Series. The Nationals strong play as of late necessitated the change.

Nothing else changed in the NL bracket however I should mention I did seriously consider swapping the Pirates and the defending Champ Cardinals. For this week I'll leave the Pirates in the second WC but I'm predicting that spot could change quite a bit over the final seven weeks of the season.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 4th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

I've been losing faith in the Angels for the last few weeks but continued to give them the benefit of the doubt. No more. My World Series representative in the AL is now going to be bounced from the playoffs in the ALDS by the Yankees. I still think the Angels will end up winning one of the two Wild Card spots and manage to secure a victory in that matchup.

It was hard for me to choose who to take in the AL after bumping the Angels. I don't think the Yankees are strong enough to make the World Series but I also fear how difficult it might be for the Rangers to make their third straight.

I left the Tigers in last week despite falling out of the lead in the AL Central. They still haven't climbed back into the lead and as such I had to bring back the White Sox as the division winners there.

National League

The National League hasn't seen any changes this week. I'm convinced the Giants and Dodgers are going to battle it out for the remainder of the season in the West. For now I will give the Giants the nod but I feel like the Dodgers will be in that spot sooner rather than later. The NL is suddenly looking like the stronger league with the likes of the Reds, Nationals and Braves all in playoff contention. Even the Pirates look like they could make noise this season.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

July 28th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

There hasn't been a whole lot of change in the Prognostications this week, except for the addition of the Oakland A's and the subtraction of the Chicago White Sox.

American League

The A's get in on the strength of their play lately (11-2 since the All-Star Break) and take over from the Pirates as the uber-sexy pick of the week.

The Tigers on the other hand move from one of the Wild Card spots last week and into the AL Central Divsion winners spot. They swept the White Sox last weekend to reclaim the division lead (a lead they've since let slip away). However the acquisition of Anibal Sanchez from the Marlins should provide a welcome boost to the starting rotation. In the long run they're just a better team than the White Sox.

I'd love to pick the A's to advance past the Angels in the 1 gamer but I can't. The Angels were a better team before acquiring Greinke on Friday night, now they're even tougher. Both of those teams in the West are putting serious pressure on the Rangers up top. The Rangers lead has shrunk to 4 games.

National League

On the senior circuit the bracket looks the exact same. Kudos to the Reds for playing such great baseball without Joey Votto (and kudos to me for putting them into the World Series last week). The Reds have won 8 straight games and are suddenly tied with the Nationals for the best record in the NL (and only one game back of the Yankees for best record in baseball).

The Dodgers, although they didn't make the list this week could soon find themselves changing places with the Giants. It really depends on how well the Hanley Ramirez trade works out. The Dodgers would be in an even greater position to leapfrog the Giants if they got Ryan Dempster in the coming days. For now though the Giants remain the winners of the West.

Pirates Acquire Wandy Rodriguez from Astros

It seems as though every day the Houston Astros are trading another piece off their Major League roster. The Majors worst team is at it once again this time trading Wandy Rodriguez to their division rival Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rodriguez was signed to a 3-year deal before the 2011 season and has a player option for the 2014 season. As a part of the deal the Pirates could recoup as much as $17.7 million from the Astros. Houston will pay half of the $3.4 million Rodriguez is owed this season and $8.5 of the $13 million he's owed in 2013. Should Rodriguez exercise his $14 million player option in 2014, something that seems highly likely at this point, the Astros would pay $7.5 million of it.

It seems like an awful lot of money to hand to the Pirates over a pitcher they could have likely dealt to another team without having to throw in so much money.

It's a very similar move to the one the Pirates made in March to acquire A.J. Burnett from the Yankees. At the time Burnett has two years remaining on his deal and was owed $33 million. The Yankees agreed to ship Burnett to the Pirates along with $20 million to help pay for his New York exit.

It seems teams are really interested in paying the Pirates to take players off their hands. The Pirates couldn't be happier. They're getting talented players at well below market value. It's helping them push the Reds in the NL Central and a host of other teams in the Wild Card as the Pirates look to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

In return the Astros will receive minor league pitchers Rudy Owen and Colton Cain, as well as outfielder Robbie Grossman.

It's likely the Astros were willing to send so much cash to the Pirates because of these prospects. All three rank among the Top 20 Prospects in the Pirates system, however none of them rank among the Top 100 Prospects in Baseball.

It's a good move for the Pirates simply because they did not have to part with Top Prospects Jameson Taillon or Geritt Cole. Trade rumors suggested that the Pirates would need to part with one of them in order to acquire pitching at this years deadline.

Wandy Rodriguez doesn't possess the best arm of the available pitchers however acquiring him didn't force the Pirates to mortgage their future as well. A solid move all around for both the Pirates and Astros.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

July 21st - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

Each week leading up to the MLB Playoffs we'll predict who will advance just to see how much things change over the course of the season. There is no method to the madness just sheer, extremely early, predictions.

American League

The best two teams right now are the Yankees and the Rangers. I don't see that changing much throughout the rest of the season. I think both of those teams will finish 1-2 in the American League. However I worry they'll slip up once there. The Yankees are an old team and the rigors of a 162 game schedule will begin to wear upon them. The Rangers however are still strong enough to advance to the ALCS. Making three straight World Series' though, seems nearly impossible in this day and age. The White Sox will hold off the Tigers in the Central, although that could change very soon. The Tigers will take one of the two Wildcards but lose the one game playoff to the Angels. I like the Angels very much this season. With some additions at the deadline I think they could be the teams to beat this season in the AL. Hence I have them advancing to the World Series.

I would have loved to include both the Red Sox and A's but I just couldn't bring myself to putting either of them in over the likes of the Angels and Tigers. 

National League

The Nationals better figure out something with Stephen Strasburg. Cutting him off at 160 IP will mean his season will be over at the beginning of September (ish). I understand you don't want to risk long-term injury to their ace but imagine making the playoffs and telling him he can't pitch? It's going to be tough. They do have enough pitching to win the division though and should secure the top spot in the NL. I think the Giants and Reds will survive battles within their respective divisions. The Braves are starting to play really well and look like they could provide the Nationals a serious threat in the East. I like the Pirates too much to not pick them to make the playoffs. However it will be as one of the Wildcards and they'll lose to the stronger Braves. I don't really see a strong team in the NL like I do in the AL. The Nationals would be my World Series pick if Strasburg was available. I think it becomes a real toss up. For now I'll take the Reds to advance to the World Series, but they could definitely use some pitching help.

The Dodgers are just not good enough to beat the Giants. Tim Lincecum has started to turn things around and that makes the Giants even more formidable. I don't think many other teams have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

All-Star Break Awards

Alright so there won't be any meaningful baseball for 5 days (don't try to feed me the "All-Star game has meaning" speech, who are you, Bud Selig?). As we've reached the mid-ish point of the season let's look back on the first half and give out some hardware, shall we?

AL Rookie of the Year

L.A Angels OF Mike Trout

Mike Trout, OF L.A. Angels. Plain and simple. Since the 20 year old was called up from AAA Salt Lake on April 28th all he's done is hit and all the Angels have done is win. Since Trout's arrival the Angels are 42-24 (they were 6-14 before). Some might argue that the Angels rise also coincided with Albert Pujols finding his stride at the plate and while that may also be true you can't take anything away from Trout. He leads all qualified MLB Rookies in, virtually, every major category. He's been the Angels lead-off hitter in all but one game and has done everything you could possibly ask for. He is 3rd in all of baseball with a 9.12 Runs Created/27 outs (behind only Joey Votto and Andrew McCutcheon). He owns an OBP of nearly .400 (.397) and ranks 2nd in all of MLB with 26 SB (and has only been caught 3 times). Before Trout's promotion the great Albert Pujols had only driven in 4 runs, yes 4, in 20 games. Since that time Pujols has driven in 47 runs in 65 games. Is Mike Trout the only reason the Angels are winning games? No. Is he a large part of it? Absolutely.

Runner-up: Yu Darvish, SP Texas Rangers

NL Rookie of the Year

Arizona SP Wade Miley

Wade Miley, SP Arizona Diamondbacks. Many people will likely tab Bryce Harper for this award which makes a lot of sense. The Nationals are currently a playoff team and the DBacks are not. Harper is getting a ton of media attention and Miley is not. However the Nationals were winning baseball games before the arrival of the phenom Harper. Whereas Miley has been the most consistent and best starting pitcher on a .500 team. He has more wins, has a lower ERA, WHIP and BAA than any of the other starters for the DBacks and that list includes Ian Kennedy who finished 4th in Cy Young voting in 2011. Miley started the season in the bullpen but after making his first start of the season on April 23rd has pitched into the 6th inning in 13 of 14 starts. He's allowed 3 runs or less in 10 of his 14 starts including a stretch of 4 straight starts only allowing 1 run. The Diamondbacks find themselves a mere 4 games out in the NL West. If Miley can have a strong 2nd Half and push them towards the playoffs he'll get much greater consideration for this award.

Runner-up: Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals

AL Cy Young

L.A. Angels SP Jered Weaver

This is a tough one. Through the first half of the season the AL has seen a number of pitchers lay an early claim to this award. The candidate that stands out the most though is another L.A. Angel in Jered Weaver. Despite missing nearly a month of the season Weaver continues to pace MLB in ERA (1.96) and WHIP (0.90). Weaver also has a no-hitter to his name this season after accomplishing the feat against the Minnesota Twins on May 2. In almost half of his starts (7 of 15) Weaver hasn't allowed a run (earned or unearned). In 10 of 15 starts he's only allowed 1 run or less. He's the ace of the Angels pitching staff and holds a 10-1 record. It's not difficult to see why his record is so good as Weaver doesn't rely on run support to get his victories, he does the job himself.

Runner up: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

NL Cy Young

Giants SP Matt Cain

Again just like the AL the NL has seen a number of worthy performances through the first half. It's a difficult choice but the NL Cy Young for the first half goes to Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants. Just like Weaver in the AL Matt Cain has a no-hitter to his name this season (although his was a Perfect Game). It was the first Perfect Game in Giants history (129 years) and only the 22nd in MLB history. Cain has been masterful all season when the Giants pitching staff has needed him most. Tim Lincecum has struggled horrendously and Cain has picked up the slack posting a 9-3 record with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He's struck out 118 batters in 120.1 IP while only walking 24. Currently he ranks 6th in the NL in ERA, 2nd in WHIP, 4th in BAA, 4th in Ks and 2nd in IP. He trails 8 different pitchers in the NL for the lead in wins. Which begs the question why is Matt Cain the Cy Young winner in the first half? Because R.A. Dickey is the only other pitcher who can claim he's in the Top 5 of those stats. It really is a toss up between the two. Their teams hold an identical 46-40 heading into the break. The Perfect Game is really the difference right now.

Runner-up: R.A. Dickey, N.Y. Mets

AL Most Valuable Player

Rangers OF Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton ensures all the big AL Awards stay in the AL West. Hamilton takes the award on the strength of his bat. In 2010 he was the AL MVP after hitting .359/32/100 in 133 games. That season he posted an OPS of 1.044. In 2012 Hamilton has already eclipsed his HR total from 2011 (by 2) and is 5 shy of his 2010 season total. His OPS is a few points lower than his 2010 season (1.016). Barring any further injuries Hamilton once again has a realistic shot at a Triple Crown as he already leads in RBI and is tied for the lead in HR. He's clubbing a HR a MLB best once every 11.1 ABs for the two-time defending AL Champions. In May he became only the 16th player in MLB history to hit 4 HRs in one game. He does trail Mike Trout and David Ortiz in RC27 but his power totals should be enough to sway voters.

Runner-up: Mike Trout, OF L.A. Angels

NL Most Valuable Player

Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen

The 25 year old McCutchen's star continues to rise in relative obscurity in Pittsburgh. Although the Pirates strong season could change that very soon. McCutchen is the driving force of their offence leading the team in every important category. Like Josh Hamilton before him he could have a reasonable chance at a Triple Crown run. He leads the NL in AVG, and is third in RBI (5 behind). His HR total could be what holds him back as he is currently 6 behind 2011 MVP and NL leader Ryan Braun (who has 24). McCutchen trails only Joey Votto in RC27 in all of MLB (10.74-9.75). Without him its hard to imagine the Pirates would hold a one game lead over Votto's Reds in the NL Central at this point in the season. The surprising Pirates will need McCutchen to continue his strong season if they have hopes of making the playoffs. If he does and they do he'll be holding up an MVP trophy come the off-season.

Top Stories of the First Half

With the final weekend of baseball before the All-Star break upon us let's look back at the five most interesting stories to sweep through baseball, so far, in 2012.

R.A. Dickey

How could this man not be included? In October he will turn 38 and all he's done this season is dominate the NL like he's never done before. This is a guy who a few seasons ago not only couldn't hold down a job in a rotation but struggled to say in the Majors. He bounced between franchises (Texas, Seattle and Minnesota) before the Mets finally gave him a chance at being a full-time starter in 2010. His knuckleball seems to be mystifying hitters and has allowed him to notch, an MLB leading, 12 wins. He ranks third in ERA (2.40) and first in Ks (123) in the NL. He has more strikeouts than names like Kershaw, Strasburg and Cain. His WHIP sits at a very pretty 0.93 and leads all of baseball. On June 13th and 18th he tossed back-to-back 1 hitters. He's an early favorite for the NL Cy Young. Oh and before the season even began he released a book titled Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball. In the book he spoke about how he was sexually abused as a child. The man's overcome a lot to have, without a doubt, the best season of his career.

 No-Hitters, Perfect Games and Cycles

These feats are impressive during any season but 2012 has already seen its fair share of them. Chicago White Sox Phil Humber started us off by tossing a Perfect Game at Safeco Field versus the Seattle Mariners on April 21. Eleven days later on May 2nd Jered Weaver tossed a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. Just about a month after that (June 1) Johan Santana tossed the first ever no-hitter in the 50 year history of the N.Y. Mets. Exactly a week later six Seattle Mariners combined to no-hit the L.A. Dodgers. Then only 5 days later Matt Cain tossed the second perfect game of the season versus the Giants. 

Hitters haven't been outdone though as less than a week after Humber tossed his perfect game Scott Hairston of the Mets hit for the cycle. Then in June when there was a break from pitching feats Aaron Hill accomplished one of the more remarkable feats in MLB history. On June 18th Hill hit for the cycle against the Mariners (Seattle has been involved in a lot this season already). Twelve short days later Hill was at it again hitting for the cycle against the Milwaukee Brewers becoming only the 4th player in MLB history to hit two cycles in one season, the second since 1900 and the first since 1931. If Hill were to hit another cycle in the remaining three months of the season he'd not only become the first player ever to do it but he'd also be tied atop the list of career cycles (3). 

Cycles now outnumber no-hitters 293-272. What a season we're having already. 

Washington Nationals Rotation  

First things first the Nationals have only used 6 starters all season with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Edwin Jackson all making at least 16 starts (Ross Detwiler has made 12). Not only has the rotation stayed healthy though they've all performed. All five starters have an ERA that is lower than 3.74. Four of the five have WHIPs less than 1.16. If they continue at this pace it would be hard to imagine the Nationals not winning the NL East. They could use another bat or two in the lineup and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do at the deadline. Additionally the Nationals plan to limit Ace Stephen Strasburg's innings to 160. Hard to imagine how they'll accomplish that if the Nationals are in a playoff race. 

Here are all the starters numbers:
(W-L, ERA, WHIP, BAA, K, BB)
Strasburg - 9-4  2.82  1.10  .225  128  28
Gonzalez - 11-3  3.01  1.12  .195  112  39
Zimmerman - 5-6  2.70  1.15  .252  72  20
Jackson - 5-4  3.73  1.13  .228  76  30
Detwiler - 4-3  3.43  1.27  .249  55  26 

I'll take a 5th starter with a 3.43 ERA any day. 

Rookies  

The performance of various rookies all across MLB have caught the attention of fans and media alike. Angels Mike Trout is being hailed as the AL MVP by many. Rangers Yu Darvish hasn't been a complete flop as an import from the Japanese League and recently won the last chance vote for the AL All-Star team. Red Sox Will Middlebrooks has performed so well Boston was forced to trade fan favourite Kevin Youkilis to keep him on the field. Nationals Bryce Harper is one of the most highly touted prospects in years and at age 19 is having a solid season for the NL East leaders. Anthony Rizzo was just recently called up by the Cubs and has hit in virtually every game. Lance Lynn has moved from the Cardinals World Series winning bullpen to the rotation and all he's done is win 11 games. 

Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles

Isn't it nice to see someone else atop of the standings, especially two franchises that have struggled for so long. The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1997 while the Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 1992. 

The Orioles started out the season strong and have held their own in the AL East all season. Right now they sit at 45-38. That's good enough for 2nd place in the East 6 games back of the Yankees. 

The Pirates on the other hand have played well as of late and have surged into 1st in the NL Central. They currently sit at 46-37 and hold a 1 game lead over the Reds. 

With the added Wildcard this season both franchises will have a realistic chance at the playoffs if they can continue their strong play. It would be nice for baseball to have an infusion of new teams into the playoffs. At first I was against the additional Wildcard but it has certainly done its job. So many teams are in contention that normally wouldn't be. I'm glad to see Baltimore and Pittsburgh are two of those franchises. 

Imagine they faced off in the World Series? I bet no one would have predicted that in Spring. 

That's almost it for the first half, let's hope the second half is just as interesting.

Youkilis Trade Appears Imminent

Kevin Youkilis' days in a Red Sox uniform are dwindling and a number of teams appear to have some degree of interest in acquiring his services.

Most reports have narrowed the teams interested in Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox and Pirates appear to be the two most serious suitors.

Youkilis has been made expendable by the performance of rookie Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks has homered in 3 of his last 4 games and has 9 total for the season (Youkilis has 4). The Red Sox are 17-1 in games that Middlebrooks has recorded an RBI.

Youkilis has struggled in recent seasons with a multitude of injuries and numerous trips to the DL. His performance on the field has dipped and he doesn't appear to be the same player that hit 29 and 24 HRs in 2008 and 2009.

Youkilis is owed $12 million for 2012 and his contract runs out at the end of the season (the Red Sox do have a $13 million option that they are certain to decline, at a cost of $1 million). Any trade will almost certainly require the Red Sox to eat a large portion of what is owed to him.

The White Sox seem to be the most interested and the most logical destination for Youkilis. Brent Morel, their starting 3B, is on the DL. Prior to injuring his back he was hitting .177. Fill-in Orlando Hudson hasn't been much better, hitting .160 with the White Sox. Even though Youkilis isn't playing particularly well he'd almost certainly be an upgrade for a team that is 0.5 games out of the lead in the AL Central.

The Pirates also seem to have a serious interest in Youkilis. The Pirates are once again having a solid season and could use an additional veteran presence in their clubhouse. Their current 25 man roster has 8 infielders listed who have a combined 24 years of Major League service. A veteran like Youkilis might help the Pirates young roster from collapsing like they did in 2011. The Pirates were tied for their division lead on July 25th last season before collapsing and finishing 24 games out in the NL Central. The Pirates have shown a willingness to take on slumping veterans with expensive contracts, providing the team they are leaving pays a large chunk of that contract. In February the Pirates acquired AJ Burnett from the Yankees. Burnett was owed $31.1 million over two seasons. The Pirates managed to get $18.1 million of that off Yankees. Burnett is 8-2 for the Pirates.

The Indians, Braves and Dodgers have all contacted the Red Sox but do not seem to be seriously interested.