On the same day that one Kansas City athlete found out that he won’t be playing for a month or so, another Kansas City athlete found out that his return from the brink of career disaster has officially come full circle.
Royals hurler Zack Greinke was named the AL Cy Young Award winner today, beating out Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia, and Roy Halladay.
Curiously, Jose Contreras did not receive any votes.
On the same day that we got a little more information regarding the White Sox debut of Jake Peavy, a familiar face will take the mound at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time in three seasons.
First, let’s talk about Peavy.
It had been rumored that Jake Peavy might make his White Sox debut on September 3rd when the pale hose travel to the North Side for a makeup game with the Cubs. Everyone seemed excited about this because obviously we’d love to crush Cubs to win the season series 4-2 while furthering erode the North Siders’ playoff chances and bolstering our own. Â Plus, the irony of Peavy doing it would be delicious considering how much the Cubs wanted to pry him away from San Diego.
However, it’s not happening…and for good reason.
As reported this morning by Dave Van Dyck of the Tribune, the White Sox are not going to chance having Peavy bat and run the bases. Hence, he will only pitching in the safe haven of AL ballparks (possibly as soon as August 28th against the Yankees, depending on how he feels after his next rehab start) where his healing ankle can take cover in the dugout while the White Sox are up to bat.
“He’s not going to pitch over there (at Wrigley),” Sox general manager Ken Williams said. “He got hurt on the bases.”
This is a pretty easy one: I agree. Why chance it? Peavy reportedly looked great in his first rehab start at AAA Charlotte (3 innings, 43 pitches, 1 hit, 5 Ks), and will be heavily counted on down the stretch with our pitching staff looking a bit wobbly lately. Gavin Floyd and John Danks have put together some solid starts recently, but Mark Buehrle has struggled since his perfecto and Jose Contreras has just been awful.Â
And then there is the lingering question mark of who takes the ball every fifth day now that Clayton Richard is in San Diego. That’s where we get to the other half of the headline, regarding the former hero returning to the South Side.Â
Freddy Garcia, who won 40 games for the White Sox between 2004-2006, takes the ball tonight in the second game of a huge series against the Kansas City Royals. He will be opposed by Gil Meche, who is only 5-9 on the season, but has a solid career track record against the White Sox.Â
Garcia has only pitched 73 innings since leaving Chicago in 2006 after going 3-0 in the 2005 playoffs and helping bring a World Series title to the Windy City. He failed to gain traction with the Phillies or Tigers and is now back on the South Side being managed by his good friend Ozzie Guillen.
As Scott Merkin reported at chisox.com, while Garcia’s right shoulder may not quite be back to its old strength, he was hitting the low-90s on the gun in his last rehab start. Â Plus, his manager and teammates have confidence that Garcia has that “wily ‘ol vet” experience and ability to still be effective and help the club.
“I’m really glad to be back,” said Garcia, who joined the White Sox on Monday after their six-game, seven-day West Coast road trip. “It took me a long time to come back, but I’m glad to be here.”
…
With Jose Contreras struggling mightily over his past six starts, allowing 24 earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, a strong effort from Garcia could propel him into a permanent starting spot over the season’s final six weeks. Manager Ozzie Guillen will go with the hot hand, both in the field and on the mound, but cautions fans not to expect the 2005 Garcia to take the field against the Royals.
“He knows how to pitch, he knows how to get people out,” said Guillen. “I think he’ll be fine. He knows how to do stuff out there.”
“All I need to know is that he’s healthy and he’s got his arm strength to where it is at a point where he can effectively use his offspeed stuff to complement [his fastball],” said White Sox general manager Ken Williams. “His fastball doesn’t have to be 93 [mph] because of his second and third pitch.”
We know that Jake Peavy will have a spot in the rotation when he returns, and now it looks like two of the 2005 heroes will be duking it out for the 5th spot. Regardless, it will good to see Freddy Garcia back on the bump for the White Sox tonight, and I expect the Comiskey faithful to give him an appreciative hand when he takes the mound.
Hopefully he gets an ovation when he walks off the mound as well, because that would most likely mean that he has put the White Sox in a position to win. Sitting two games back, with September rapidly approaching, and a roadtrip to Boston, New York, and Minnesota on the horizon, the White Sox need to get as many as possible against the Royals and Orioles at home this week.
Here’s hoping “Big Game” Freddy can live up to the nickname his first time out.
**********
* – Jake Peavy photo credit: Bill Walker/Charlotte Knights via Knights website
* – Freddy Garcia photo credit: HotFootBlog
Much was made of the recent 6-game West Coast trip that faced the White Sox. As any Sox fan knows, we typically struggle out west, especially at Oakland. For that reason, a 3-3 split against the Mariners and A’s is actually palatable. What is frustrating is that it should have been 4-2, but the White Sox could not hold a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning yesterday after another solid pitching outing from John Danks.
But the White Sox stole one in the 9th last Tuesday against Seattle, when Alexei Ramirez cracked a three-run homer in the top of the 9th, so I guess you could say Sunday’s loss was just the road trip evening itself out.
What faces the White Sox this week is, on the surface, much less intimidating than last week’s West Coast swing and the impending road trip against Boston, New York, and Minnesota. The White Sox go back home for three against the cellar dwelling Royals, an off day, and then three more against the cellar dwelling Orioles. Sitting 2.5 games behind Detroit with 44 games left to play, this is a huge opportunity for the White Sox to quit flirting with .500 and get to six or seven games over.
Expecting anything more than a split next week is probably wishful thinking, so the White Sox need to take it upon themselves to string together some victories — and some breathing room — against teams that they should beat at home this week.
Mark Buehrle kicks off the home stand today against Brian Bannister, and Mr. Perfect needs to fulfill his role as staff ace and get us off on the right foot.Â
With the most difficult stretch of the season beginning one week from today, the White Sox cannot afford to waste this opportunity.
The calendar has flipped to July, trade rumors have intensified, and teams are preparing to start their final series before the All Star Break after getaway day on Thursday. That can only mean one thing: the Chicago Cubs are only a few months away from tacking another year of futility onto the ever-growing grand total (which you can now track on your iPhone!).
But it also means something else: it’s time to dole out some midseason awards.
Since our primary focus here at Midwest Sports Fans is, well, the Midwest, I am going to focus my award giving to just the Central divisions of the American and National League. Let’s get right to it.
NL Central 1st Half MVP: Albert Pujols, and I really don’t need to say anything else about it. His name itself is becoming hyperbole. I want to see a new version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials featuring Pujols. They could be called “The Most Dominating Presence in Baseball” and include lines like “he once struck out, just to see what it felt like” and “he’s seen less pitches than the World Cup, yet his goatee alone has hit more home runs than Ryan Ludwick.” Albert Pujols is amazing and is not just the NL Central MVP, but the MLB MVP for the first half of 2009.
AL Central 1st Half MVP: This one is not so clear cut. Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates (stats as of July 9th):
Obviously I really want to say JD, or even Scott Podsednik, and I think there is an argument to be made for them as their value has been highlighted by the injury to Carlos Quentin, but I have a hard time giving it to anyone other than Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer with the impressive stats both have racked up.
It certainly isn’t Zack Greinke, whose team becomes more irrelevant with each passing week. If his ERA was still 1.00, then maybe. But he hasn’t been as lights-out recently, which is to be expected since he isn’t the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind and all beings, as some have suggested.
While everyone is salivating over Mauer, and don’t get me wrong — he has been great since returning from injury, Morneau has been producing at a high level for 24 more games and over the span of almost 100 more ABs than Mauer. Plus, batting average is an overrated stat, so Mauer gets no bonus points from me because he’s making everyone dream about .400. Both are great candidates, and by the end of the year such a difference in games won’t be so magnified, but right now I have to go with Morneau, who has been the most consistent run producer in the division over the course of the entire first half.
NL Central 1st Half Cy Young: I see two primary contenders: Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee. Here are the stats:
Pretty damn close based on the numbers (and you could probably throw Ryan Franklin in the mix here too, who has been great as the Cardinals’ closer). My first instinct when comparing Gallardo and Wainwright is to go with the guy pitching for the team in first place, but it’s hard to use team record as a tie-breaker considering the Cardinals are only one game up on the Brewers in the standings. Or is it? With two pitchers this close, sometimes it comes right down to head-to-head battles.
Thus far in 2009, Wainwright has absolutely dominated Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in two starts against the Brewers, going 15.1 innings and giving up just a single run while striking out 18. Gallardo, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat against his team’s primary competition for the division title. Despite having a better overall ERA and WHIP than Wainwright, Gallardo is 0-1 against St. Louis. Sure, he pitched 8 innings of shutout ball while only giving up 2 hits in the teams’ May 25th battle, so you can’t blame him for the no decision there, but that game was not head-to-head against Wainwright like the July 7th game was. In that battle, Gallardo lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a 5-0 loss for the Brew Crew.
So maybe that one game difference for the Cardinals is the difference between Wainwright and Gallardo. I’m giving the 1st half Cy Young for the NL Central to Adam Wainwright.
AL Central 1st Half Cy Young: Lots of legit contenders here. Let’s list them out with stats:
If we were giving this out to the pitcher who has been the most generous to opposing hitters and teams, Fausto Carmona would win in a landslide. And yes, this is the same Fausto Carmona that went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 2007. But obviously I only listed Carmona here to throw more salt in the multitude of open wounds Cleveland’s start has given its fans. More on him later.
Back to the subject at hand. Zack Greinke obviously has the best numbers, but I just don’t believe in handing out awards to players whose teams are not in the playoff race. There is a different level of pressure when your team is expected to win and when games are meaningful. If the award were Most Outstanding Pitcher, it’s Greinke by a landslide. It’s not, and it clearly states in the fine print of my own personal Cy Young and MVP criteria that last place teams (Cleveland sucks so bad they don’t count anymore) cannot have Cy Young or MVP winners, so we’ll let Willy Wonka tell Zack Greinke what he’s won:
(By the way, credit goes to Hugging Harold Reynolds for tweeting that video yesterday. I hadn’t seen that in forever, but always loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie Bucket is a golden god.)
Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot to separate Buehrle, Verlander, and Jackson. All three have had excellent seasons. I’d give the edge to Buehrle because he owns the Tigers and Verlander sucks against the White Sox, and both have more wins than Jackson, but it’s really splitting hairs between those three.
My 1st half AL Central Cy Young goes to Joe Nathan, who has just be out-of-this-world awesome. The Twins’ pitchers (other than Nick Blackburn, who is having a very good yet under-the-radar season) have struggled this season. Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey have all dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. The one constant (throughout all the years Ray, has been baseball) has been Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen making sure that when the Twins do have a late lead, they do not surrender it.
I’m not a huge proponent of giving Cy Youngs to closers who typically pitch less than a third of the amount of innings a top-line starter does, but Joe Nathan has given up only 18 hits in 33.1 innings and is 22-24 in save opportunities. He has been beyond dominant and there is no way the Twins would be as close to first place as they are without him. It’s a competitive field, but Nathan is the choice.
NL Central Manager of the 1st Half: Tony LaRussa, and I don’t think it’s close. Ken Macha has done a nice job in Milwaukee keeping the Brewers in the race without C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets, but LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place with one legit hitter in his lineup. Yes, that hitter is the great Pujols, but look at the rest of the team’s offensive stats. Putrid. And it’s not like their pitching has been lights out. Ryan Franklin has been a revelation in the bullpen, and getting Chris Carpenter back has helped, but this is still a rotation that counts on guys like Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero, and Todd Wellemeyer. That LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place is a testament to his managerial genius (and to Pujols’ utter dominance, of course
).
AL Central Manager of the 1st Half: I really want to say Ozzie Guillen, and I think that he’s done a great job, but my vote goes to Jimmy Leyland of Detroit. It’s not just that the Tigers are in first place, it’s that they’ve been able to rebound from last season’s disappointment with a far less potent offensive attack and without the benefit of an above-average bullpen. Leyland has navigated his way through the struggles of Dontrelle Willis and Armando Gallarraga, plus had to deal with Magglio Ordonez’s sharp decline. Leyland essentially has a lineup with only three hitters who have been consistent producers (Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson), yet there the Tigers sit, a couple games up and eight games over .500.
2009 has been an excellent rebound season for Detroit, and Leyland deserves credit as the man steering the ship. He also deserves credit for having one of the most hilarious old school baseball cards ever. The hat, the mustache, the sunburned face…I’m not sure if he’s at Spring Training, a train conductor, or working at a carnival.
And with that, let’s transition into a few “alternative” awards for the first half.
NL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Milton Bradley wins this one. Signed in the offseason after putting up terrific numbers in Texas, The Angry One has only gotten 203 ABs so far this season and hasn’t done much with them. He’s hitting .236 and, even worse, is slugging only .374. Ouch. Plus, he is being his usual distracting self and getting into public pissing matches with his manager when he’s not forgetting how many outs there are in an inning. Like most things having to do with the Cubs, you just get the feeling that this is not going to end well.
AL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Fausto Carmona of the Indians. We touched on his stats above, and they really say it all. This guy has just gone straight downhill since 2007 and the Indians have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to recapture the ability that made him appear to be one of the bright young pitching stars in the big leagues. Despite a rough 2008, a lot was expected out of Carmona this year. Well, the Indians have gotten a lot out of him…it’s just all been bad.
AL/NL Central Worst Manager of the 1st Half: Hands down Eric Wedge. You need look no further than this site, where our very own AJ Kaufman calls for Wedge’s head in pretty much every article he writes. The Indians were expected to contend for the AL Central crown, yet they are 13.5 games out and 19 games under .500 already.
AL/NL Central Manager with the most potential to give his kids truly awful awesome names: Eric Wedge. If he had any sense of humor he would name his kids Orange, Potato, and Cheese. No such luck though. As it is, he and his wife named their kids Ava and Dalton Cash. Oh well.
Come to think of it though, Dalton Cash Wedge is a pretty sweet and unique name. The kid is either going be a scrappy middle infielder/#2 hitter in the majors or the lead actor in his generation’s version of Dawson’s Creek. Well done Eric. (See, we don’t always criticize you on Midwest Sports Fans.)
AL/NL Central Quote of the 1st Half: This one is easy and goes to (who else?) Ozzie Guillen. And there were a few of them, all of which were gloriously derogatory towards the team from the North Side.
“But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there. That’s just to be honest. And if Cub fans don’t like the way I talk about Wrigley Field, it’s just Wrigley Field. I don’t say anything about the fans or anything now. But Wrigley Field, they got to respect my opinion. That’s the way I feel…I don’t care if they hate me. They don’t feed my kids. If they hate me, that’s cool.”
That’s just a great quote, although the part about Ozzie not talking about Cubs fans may not be entirely true. Ozzie also had this gem:
“…our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans.”
AL/NL Central Home Run Call of the Year: Hawk Harrelson, two days ago. Hell yeah!
That’s all I’ve got. Sorry for not even mentioning your teams Reds, Astros, and Pirates fans…they’ve all been pretty uninteresting so far this year, at least as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to add your own midseason awards in the comments.
The White Sox bring out the brooms again tonight, and then play the Twins in a pivotal pre-All Star Break series. As Hawk might say, I loooove baseball.
* – Jim Leyland baseball card image credit: Vinewood Sports Cards
* – Albert Pujols photo credit: Urban Shocker
The Chicago White Sox, currently in the midst of their hottest stretch of the season, are one step closer to get their best all-around player back in the lineup. Mr. Porcelain (but also Mr. 2008 Should-Have-Been AL MVP) Carlos Quentin is in Charlotte and set to play for the Knights tonight as he recovers from plantar fasciitis. According to the Sun-Times, TCQ is set to play three innings today.
It is unfortunately important to note that just because Quentin will be taking swings in Charlotte, it is not automatic that his foot will hold up:
The 2008 MVP candidate has been on the shelf with plantar fasciitis in his left foot since May 26. He said two weeks ago that even if the tendon in the foot holds up the rest of the season, he might have surgery after the season.
If it doesn’t hold up?
”We’re aware that if a relapse happens where the tendon ruptures even more, well, that’s major,” Quentin said.
Guillen and the organization want to make sure that Quentin gets to the end of this season without any setbacks. Then they can make a decision on the next step.
”We’ll see what happens,” Guillen said. ”I’m very optimistic about his improvement. But in the meanwhile, I have to see it first, then I’ll get excited.”
Still, for White Sox fans (and especially this one, who banked a lot of pride on Quentin’s eventual healthy return) today is a positive sign. Hopefully the reports from Charlotte will be as good as the reports were from Kansas City yesterday.
The White Sox had one of their most impressive wins of the season against Zack Greinke and the fading 
Royals last night, a 5-0 shutout. A few performances in particular stood out:
Today, Gavin Floyd looks to continue his hot pitching and lead the White Sox to their 8th straight victory of the year. He will be opposed by Luke Hochevar. The White Sox are currently only 2.5 games out of first place with Minnesota and Detroit beating up on eachother this weekend. Either way, a victory for the White Sox will see them get closer to Detroit or put more distance between 2nd and 3rd place. And if Carlos Quentin has a successful first step in Charlotte, even better.
It’s not too greedy to ask for a double-dose of good news on July 4th is it? Let’s see some fireworks White Sox, and a safe, comfortable, healthy return to the field for Carlos Quentensity. (I like this name a lot better than Mr. Pocelain…)
In this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated, Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke is on the cover with the headline The Best Pitcher in Baseball.
Without question, Zack Greinke’s meteoric rise into the pantheon of top pitchers in Major League Baseball has been one of the best stories this April.
Zack Greinke’s story — falling into the abyss of social anxiety disorder and coming back from it — deserves both respect and adulation. The following passage from the SI article paints the depressing picture perfectly:
During a dreadful 2005 season in which he would finish with a 5–17 record and a 5.80 ERA, Brian Anderson remembers Greinke once suddenly announcing in the dugout, “I’m going to throw a 50-mph curveball next inning.” That was all he said.
Next inning, Greinke threw a preposterously slow curve to Detroit’s Dmitri Young, the kind that made the whole crowd shout “Oooh.” Anderson stuck his head out of the dugout to get the reading. It was precisely 50 mph.
The incident says something about Greinke’s quirkiness and a virtuoso’s feel for pitching, but it reveals more than that, too. It shows that Greinke was in trouble. He hated pitching so much that he had to invent little games to keep himself from crumbling. Everything was falling apart. He feuded with his pitching coach, Guy Hansen, who wanted him to move five inches to the left on the rubber. Never close to his teammates, he became even more distant, occasionally hostile.
The SI story about Zack Greinke, from where the above passage is taken, is written by Joe Posnanski, one of the most consistently sublime sportswriters out there. If he says that Zack Greinke is the best pitcher in
baseball, then Greinke has a pretty powerful and respectable source in his corner. (And, truth be told, Posnanski does only say that Greinke is the best pitcher in baseball “for the moment.”)
I have to say, it’s pretty hard to argue with Zack Greinke’s stat line thus far through his first four games in April:
To say that those numbers are preposterously good would be an understatement. If I was playing a video game and had a pitcher with those kind of stats I would raise the difficulty level. So it is hard to dispute that at this very moment Zack Greinke is the best pitcher in baseball. He may even be, at this very moment right now, the best player in baseball — bar none (with apologies to Albert Pujols).
But is Zack Greinke really the best pitcher in baseball?
Off the top of my head I can think of a few guys that I would certainly consider to be on Greinke’s level who are far more proven over the long haul: C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay, and Jake Peavy. Tim Lincecum, while only in his third year, has already proven that he can be dominant over the course of an entire season, which is something that Greinke has yet to do.
I can’t say off-hand whether I would take any of these guys over Zack Greinke if I was the GM of an MLB team, but I do think they would all be worthy debates.
There is one pitcher, however, for whom there would be no debate: Johan Santana — the true best pitcher in baseball.
I know that Sports Illustrated wants to go out on a limb with their cover claim in an effort to sell more magazines, and that calling Johan Santana the best pitcher in baseball has become something of a cliche, but that’s because it is true. And if SI’s cover story is any indication of the general perception of baseball writers or baseball fans, then we are not truly appreciating the consistent greatness of Johan Santana.
As insanely good as Zack Greinke’s start has been, is anyone noticing the incredible four-game start of Santana this season?
Clearly, Greinke’s start has been better. But let’s compare their numbers from last season:
Greinke was good last year, and certainly my hat is off to him for overcoming what he has overcome to rebound from his awful 2005 season, but I think SI is jumping the gun just a bit by proclaiming him the best pitcher in baseball. Johan Santana is only 3 1/2 years older than Greinke and has been producing at a high level in the majors since 2002. Greinke finally started coming into his own last season, and has followed that success up with a ridiculous start to this season, but just look at the year-by-year career stats of Johan Santana compared with the year-by-year career stats of Zack Greinke.
There really is no comparison.
If the claim was “best pitcher in baseball over the last 6 starts,” then yes Zack Greinke is your choice. But we all know that high atop the list of important characteristics for a pitcher is the ability to produce consistently over the long haul, season after season. Zack Greinke may yet prove that he can be this type of pitcher, but no one, not even the great Roy Halladay, can compete with Johan Santana in this area right now.
Besides, just by putting Zack Greinke on their cover and subjecting him to the infamous jinx, Sports Illustrated may be ensuring that he will not continue to be the “best pitcher in baseball.” Maybe from that perspective Johan Santana is happy they did not choose him. Of course, Santana has been on the SI cover before and it hasn’t seemed to bother him much.
(Update: And the SI cover jinx may have already begun. In his first start since the new SI was issued, earlier tonight against Toronto, Greinke gave up his first earned runs of the year. It wasn’t a complete jinx though, as he improved to 5-0 and struck out 8 over 7 innings. Johan Santana also pitched tonight, going 7 innings, giving up two earned, and striking out 7.)
If I was starting a team today, and I could choose any pitcher in baseball to start it with, I’m choosing Johan Santana without even a split second thought. And when I think of the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana is the first and only pitcher who comes to mind.
Sports Illustrated picked a great pitcher to profile, and Joe Posnanski was his usual proselific* self, but Zack Greinke still has a ways to go before I would even consider him as the best pitcher in baseball. Considering his personal backstory, and the underdog nature of his team, I wouldn’t mind seeing him get there though.
Kudos to Zack Greinke for beginning to fulfill his immense potential, but best pitcher in baseball is a torch that will have to be passed by Johan Santana, rather than handed out by the SI headline writers.
What do you think?
Loading ...
* – Just made that one up while typing. Pretty apt word to describe Joe Posnanski, don’t you think?
When I woke up this morning, there were two thoughts on my mind that I had to get answers to immediately:
With respect to Quentin, I feared the worst but was hoping for the best. Luckily, it appears like Quenti
n only has a bruised hand. With respect to the LA-Utah game last night, I was obviously very surprised to learn upon waking up that the Jazz had won the game — and done so in dramatic, thrilling, Kobe-like fashion.
Deron Williams, who only took 7 shots from the field all night and finished with 13 points, drained a fadeaway jumper in the final seconds to complete Utah’s Game 2 comeback and give them life in the best-of-seven first round series.
Williams, who has always been a player I’ve admired since he was at (ugh) Illinois, also had 9 assists. Carlos Boozer stepped it up last night as well, grabbing 22 rebounds and scoring 23 points as the Jazz overcame an 8-point deficit to star the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant finished 5-24 from the field for the Lakers, who only shot 36.8% from the field as a team.
And here is the footage that will make KVB cringe, but that gave Jazz fans everywhere hope that the Lakers’ advancement to the Finals my not yet be quite the foregone conclusion everyone thinks it is:
Click Here for Great Deals on NBA Playoff Tickets from StubHub
Well done Jazz, although I still think the series ends in 5 games.
Since that was a video, it doesn’t really count as a link, which means that we need to find another story for our official Link of the Day. And it wasn’t too hard because the guys over at Sharapova’s Thigh always have an interesting take on things.
Today they discuss Royals pitcher Zack Greinke who, along with White Sox lefty John Danks, is among the most underrated handful of players in the Major Leagues. In the article we will link you too, Matt looks at the attention and admiration showered upon Josh Hamilton after coming back from his drug issues and wonders why Zack Greinke does not get the same level of attention.
I think everyone knows the story of Greinke. He was a phenom prospect that made Peter G
ammons and many other analysts, as well as anyone associated with the Royals, drool. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year a year after being drafted by KC. Then he came up in 2004 and scored a 3.97 ERA in 24 starts, prompting many to anoint him as one of the great young pitchers for the future.
But then problems began, and this where we link you over to Sharapova’s Thigh so you can read more for yourself after a tasty little excerpt:
LOTD: Zack Greinke Has the Admirable Story, Not Josh Hamilton — (Sharapova’s Thigh)
However, in 2005 he struggled mightily. He won just 5 games, led the American League in losses with 17, and had an ERA of 5.80. He gave up a whopping 233 hits in 183 innings, and struck out just 114.
Something clearly wasn’t right. He was too talented to be getting hit this hard and it certainly hadn’t been a problem in his first season in the majors. The Royals couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on. There had to be more to this that wasn’t just showing up on the radar gun readings or in his mechanics.
It turned out Greinke had been battling depression and dealing with social anxiety disorder.
This is point where, according to Matt, the situations of Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke diverge: “The difference between the situations of Greinke and Hamilton is that Greinke didn’t choose for this to happen.” Hop on over to ST and read the story. I don’t want to give it all away. It’s a good read.
I think both Hamilton and Greinke have great stories that are inspriational in their own way. Their struggles have humanized them, while their incredibly unique baseball talents have allowed them to be positive examples for people struggling with similar problems. I have no problem with all of the attention being showered upon Josh Hamilton because his story can hopefully help younger athletes avoid similar mistakes. I agree that Greinke’s story deserves more attention, as it can similarly help athletes deal with issues that many times are not understood in clubhouses and locker rooms, but that are not less severe or debilitating.
And now some more links from around the sports blogosphere before I get to “real” work:
Why I hate Derrick Rose — (Josh Q. Public)
As Rondo Goes, so Go the Celtics — (Josh Q. Public)
A chart proving which baseball teams suck — (Sparty and Friends)
FOX thinks A-Rod is a liar — (Sparty and Friends)
Movie Review: Tyson — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
NBA’s Top 10 Franchise Players — (The Scores Report)
Anyone Ready For Aaron Poreda? — (Zoner Sports)
Campbell will ask for trade if Redskins draft QB — (NFL.com)
Your blog didn’t get buzzed by ESPN? Don’t sweat it — (The World According to MoonDog)
Crabtree: Boom or Bust? — (Matt Bowen at NationalFootballPost.com)
Indiana gets commitment from 2010 recruit – (Herald Times Blog)
The Next Big Thing: Gordon Beckham — (Circling the Bases)
Detroit fell hard under the expectations of MLB betting players last year, as a number of big-money moves failed to pay off. Chicago edged Minnesota in an exciting playoff game to win the Central, but sportsbook odds are backing the Tigers to recover and win their first Central title.
MLB odds have the Tigers at +125, and Detroit had no problems scoring runs last year, finishing fifth in the majors with an attack powered by Miguel Cabrera’s 37 HR and 127 RBI. 
However, Detroit allowed 857 runs, fourth-worst in all of baseball, and Justin Verlander must return to his 2007 form for the Tigers to have a chance. Jeremy Bonderman missed most of last season with a blood clot, and he has to show he’s healthy if the Tigers are to get out of the Central basement.
Cleveland is next with MLB odds of +175 to win the Central, and the Indians were inconsistent all season before ending with a .500 mark.
Cliff Lee proved a fine replacement for the traded C.C. Sabathia, winning the AL Cy Young award, but it’s also essential for Fausto Carmona, who suffered through a hip ailment in 2008, to emerge as the No.2 pitcher. Grady Sizemore is back to spearhead a potent attack that was seventh in the majors in runs scored, while Jhonny Peralta is one of the best hitting shortstops in the league.
Minnesota was on the losing end of the playoff loss to the White Sox in 2008, and the Twins have MLB odds of +240 this season.
Minnesota quietly built one of the strongest offenses in the majors, as Justin Morneau led the way with 23 HR and 129 RBI. The Twins’ pitching soldiered on without Johan Santana, coming in 16th in runs allowed, and after an 11-4 record, 27-year-old Scott Baker could be the next pitching star in the American League.
The defending champions have MLB odds of +600, and they’ll have to replace Javier Vazquez in the starting rotation. The White Sox finished right behind the Tigers in runs scored, and Carlos Quentin will be eager to come back from a freak broken wrist after being a favorite for the AL MVP for a good part of the season.
Kansas City brings up the rear with MLB odds of +800, and the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from Boston in the offseason for their outfield. The Royals were sixth-worst in runs scored and ninth-worst in runs allowed, but they should be better this year, based on a better performance in the second half.
14.5 games separated first from last in the AL Central last year, and it should be another closely contested season. On paper, Detroit should run away with it, but their pitching is a huge question mark. Minnesota is probably the most consistent, but if Lee has another Cy Young season, the Indians will be right there as well. If you’re looking for a good value pick, take Minnesota and their MLB odds.
What do you think?
Previewing the AL Central Outfielders
White Sox – Average 3.33
Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye could be the best 1-2 outfield tandem in terms of offensive production in baseball. Chicago will really be relying on either Anderson, Owens, or Wise to step up this year to fill out that 3rd spot.
Quentin (A) – MVP type season until the injury. Quentin was able to put up 36 dingers in 130 games. Can we expect that again this year? It’s tough to say – but he’d certainly find himself in the heart of the order in any major league lineup.
Dye (A) – Consistently the toughest out in the lineup, especially against the division rival Minnesota Twins. He’s put up huge numbers year in and year out and at 35 years of age, there’s still no reason to expect a decline in average.
B. Anderson (C-) – Unfortunately, rounding out this all star cast with Brian Anderson is kind of a shame. Has a little power to his bat, but a .238 average won’t last long in the majors. The White Sox may take a look at Owens sooner rather than later.
Bench Bonus .1 (Owens, Wise) – One of Minnesota’s ‘MVP’s’ last season was certainly Dwayne Wise, I don’t think I ever saw him make solid contact with the ball against the team. Expect Owens to get some looks at the leadoff position. Anything’s got to be more productive than Wise or Anderson, right?
Tigers – Average 3.13
Granderson is absolutely key to this Detroit Tigers ballclub. Another 2007 from Granderson would be a warm welcome to the city of Detroit, they’re going to need to find every once of production in order to compete with the White Sox, Twins, and Indians this year.
Ordonez (A-) – Refound his form in 2007 and hasn’t slowed down since. His age may start to become a factor, but is still one of the best outfielders in baseball
Granderson (B) – Had an off 2008 year as the bar was set very high for him. No reason he shouldn’t be better this season. Still, he put up 22 HR while batting .280, not too shabby at all.
Guillen (C+) – Production decreased last year after some on and off health problems. Should put up better totals than his .286BA – 10HR mark last season – the Tigers will need it.
Bench Bonus .1 (Thames, Raburn, Clevlen) – Thames is a solid power hitting plug whenever needed, however he just strained a muscle during a game last week. Clevlen and Raburn are some youthful options as well.
Twins – Average 3.10
A very young, talented, and defensively focused outfield. Young, Gomez, and Span have the city excited about the future as they all are in their early 20’s. Still fairly raw and undeveloped, there is still going to be a learning curve ahead, however, the talent is undeniable and I think the team is more than willing to go accept their on and off slumps.
Young (B) – Has just about as much potential as any player out there. The former #1 overall pick plays solid defense and is expected to put up double digit home runs and possibly a .300+ average, if not, he may be wearing another jersey next season. He’s started off extremely hot in spring training.
Span (B) – Another one of Minnesota’s prototypical rangy defensive players that will do anything they can to get on base. Span only played 93 games last season, but certainly proved that he has earned his starting spot for the upcoming season. Expect a fairly solid year at the plate for the Twins’ lead off man.
Cuddyer (B-) – Coming off an injury riddled season where he never really found his form, Cuddyer hopes to show that he still deserves a spot in the Twins’ outfield. If he stays healthy he should be able to put up some decent numbers surrounded by a better cast. Still, his stats last year are still enough to scare me. Also boasts one of the best arms in baseball.
Bench Bonus .2 (Gomez, Pridie) – Expect the high octane Carlos Gomez to get plenty of playing time this season. The roof is unlimited for him as long as he can figure out where the strike zone is.
Indians – Average 3.00
Baby face Grady Sizemore is still one of the class acts of major league baseball but is going to have to improve his average if the team is going to compete in 2009. Couple Sizemore with Choo (who could have a big year) and this team has some pieces in place to attempt a run at the AL Central.
Sizemore (A) – I’d like to see a higher OBP or BA out of Sizemore if he’s going to continue to lead off – I’d love to see him make the move down the order. Sure he can steal bases, but it doesn’t help if you’re either putting the ball over the fence or popping out (solo home runs don’t win championships). Still, he’s a first tier major league outfielder.
Choo (B) – Put up great numbers for a guy who only played half a season. Still, it would be interesting to see what he could do while playing over 100 games in a season, although, reports indicate that he’s already having some minor health problems playing in the WBC.
Francisco (C-) – Never been able to steal bases like he once did in the minors at the major league level. Has some pop to his bat, but his poor average always hurts. Just an average to below average major league outfielder.
Bench Bonus .1 (Delluci, Barfield) – Delluci brings some experience and pop to the lineup but can’t hit for average at all. The Indians may give Barfield some more looks in ’09.
Royals – Average 2.9
DeJesus, Guillen, and Crisp provide nothing spectacular, but should put up acceptable major league numbers. These guys will play a key role if Kansas City truly believes it can get out of the cellar.
DeJesus (B) – Puts up decent numbers for a guy who consistenly flies under the radar. A great value player for the Royals.
J. Guillen (B-) – Inconsistent BA and HR totals over his long career (he’s really only 32?). Still has some pop to him and can certainly still play at the big league level.
Crisp (B-) – A rangy outfielder who could hit .300 this year. However, his tendancy to want to hit the long ball for a guy with minimal power will dip his average as his fly ball rate increases. Still, he can steal bases and play defense very well.
Bench Bonus .1 (Teahen, Maier, Gload) – Teahen showed some signs of life last year and can fill in very well whenever needed, beyond that Maier and Gload are fairly unproven.
In preview of the upcoming season, here are my rankings for this years AL Central starting pitchers. The Twins and White Sox are the class of the league with guys like Baker, Liriano, Buehrle, and Danks leading the way. The Indians and Royals have some solid pieces in place, while the Tigers have a lot of work to do.
Minnesota Twins – Average: 3.04 (B)
The Twins have quite a young and productive rotation headed up by Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano. The rotation is very well rounded, having decent contribution from the backend. The only question remaining for this staff is: Can they pull a repeat performance in 2009?
Baker (A-) – 3.45 ERA last season was enough to become the opening day starter. Young and healthy, there is no reason to expect a decline in production this season.
Liriano (B+) – Has the potential to be an ‘A’ type performer and returned very hot to the mound last year, but the Tommy John factor is always concern for worry.
Slowey (B) – 3.99 ERA last season and a very consistent contributor to the rotation.
Blackburn (B-) – Showed great poise in pressure situations late last season, could breakout this year.
Perkins (C+) – A solid left handed contributor to the rotation. Expect some level of inconsistency here, but certainly a fine fifth starter plug.
Chicago White Sox – Average 2.7 (B-)
A great rotation from 1-3, which is exactly what you want in place when your playoff bound. You just need to get their first. Buehrle, Danks, and Floyd are excellent pieces to build this squad around, you just need to fill it out better than Richard and Colon.
Buehrle (A-) – You simply cannot beat 8 straight seasons of 200+ innings pitched – especially when you’ve broken a Sub-4 ERA in 6 of those seasons. He’s getting up there in age, but I’m not ready to give up on Buehrle.
Danks (A-) – A 3.32 ERA last season is top notch: seems to be really trying to improve on his abilities, declining playing in the WBC. Add that he’s 23 years old and a lefty and the White Sox have something special on their hands
Floyd (B) – Started off strong but slightly fizzled at the end of the season. Gave up a number of home runs last season which potentially could turn into a higher ERA in ’09, though, has looked sharp in spring training thus far.
Richard (C-) – I really just don’t see him panning out. A 6.04 ERA last season over 8 starts was rocky.
Colon (D+) – A 3.92 ERA last season is deceiving. Colon underwent surgery over the winter to remove bone chips from his right elbow. It’s a gamble that few teams wanted a part of.
Kansas City Royals – Average 2.58 (C+/B-)
Meche has quietly become a very good starting pitcher, while Greinke is just waiting to breakout (could be a candidate for the Yankees in 6 years – just needs have some shoulder problems and they’ll be ready to sign). However, Davies and Hochevar have some work to do. But all in all, a decent staff.
Meche (B+) – A second straight sub-4 ERA season coupled with a lights out finish to last year makes him a great opening day candidate for the Royals.
Greinke (B+) – Very similar to Meche except a better ERA last season and more youth. Can’t really see the downside here.
Bannister (C-) – Has had a rough spring training thus far and a 5.77 ERA last season doesn’t help.
Davies (C+) – Had a decent 2008 campaign. If he gains control of his pitches, he’ll have another fine year.
Hochevar (C) – A former number 1 pick, but a 5.51 ERA hurts. I’ll give him some benefit of the doubt because of his upside but there’s a lot of questions here.
Cleveland Indians – Average 2.56 (C+/B-)
They do boast the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, but unfortunately thats about it. They have a lot of guys needing to refind themselves before we call this squad ‘good’. The potential’s there, just big odds against them coming around all at once.
Lee (A) – 2008 AL Cy Young Winner, no reason to expect a sharp decline in production.
Carmona (B-) – Had a rough 2008 season, but has played well in winter ball and is healthy, so there’s hope.
Sowers (C-) – The one time popular fantasy pick has sputtered. A 5.58 ERA with a low K/9 ratio hurts. Don’t expect much here.
Pavano (C-) – Hasn’t really played since 2004. I guess we can’t really gauge his performance on much, but that’s more than enough reason for worry.
Reyes (B-) – Reyes’s elbow problems seem to have been mitigated this spring. He could actually have a decent year.
Detroit Tigers – Average 2.36 (C+)
Probably the most underperforming staff in baseball last season as Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson completely fell off the map. Expect Verlander to regain some form as his talent is undeniable. Beyond that, the rotation doesn’t have much promise. Galarraga could suprise some people, but don’t expect much out of Jackson and Miner.
Verlander (B+) – Had a surprisingly poor 2008 campaign after being one of the top starters in baseball in ’07.
Bonderman (C) – Never had a season of sub 4.00 ERA over his six year career. Puts up big inning numbers, but that’s about it. Also has had some shoulder issues this offseason.
Jackson (R) (C) – Still young at 25, but not quite sure where the upside is, especially with a rough finish to 2008. ERA numbers pretty high over the last two seasons.
Galarraga (B) – 3.73 ERA last season is solid for a fourth starter in the Major Leagues. He won’t strikeout many and occasionally is prone to giving up the long ball, but the goal is to minimize runs and Galarraga seemed to be able to do that last season.
Miner (D+) – Gives up more than a hit an inning, though sports a mediocre ERA. Has had some decent seasons, but don’t expect much this year.
NFL tickets are always hot, and with the Super Bowl looming, you'll be looking for Philly Eagles playoff tickets to go along with Panthers playoff tickets (or even Titans tickets). No matter who your team is, you'll want the best tickets, so get them from GoTickets!
Best of Midwest sports betting websites here, along with online casinos and games.
Find superb free sports betting information, including reviews on sportsbooks, vegas odds for sports betting, and NFL super bowl odds at NSAwins.com!
Free expert NFL picks, NBA picks and MLB picks. ATS Consultants' top-ranked handicappers make all selections using the most up to date NBA lines, NFL lines, and MLB lines.
Betting on Football? Visit Touthouse.com each day for expert football picks and football betting predictions as well as updated football odds.
