Dodger Blues.

    The LA Dodgers are a team full of talent but somehow remain in last place in the NL West. Last year during the trade deadline the Dodgers acquired shortstop Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins to fill their shortstop needs. If you thought they were done well a few weeks later the Dodgers then traded for pitcher Josh Beckett, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and left fielder Carl Crawford from the Boston Red Sox. Now these were all the right moves for the Dodgers to do at the time to help them get to the postseason, but somehow it back fired and the Dodgers missed the playoffs in 2012. As we know the Giants won the NL West division title and went on to win their 2nd World Series title in 3 years. During the 2012 winter meetings the Dodgers made a big splash in signing one of the big free agent pitchers on the market in Zack Greinke for 6 years/$147 million dollars. Putting Greinke right behind the games best pitcher Clayton Kershaw. With adding Greinke it would make the Dodgers pitching staff one of the best in National League with already having Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, and Ted Lilly. The sky's would be the limit for the Dodgers in 2013.

Zack Greinke
signing his 6 year/$147 million dollar deal

As the 2013 season was under way so were the Dodgers. They started off really slow and poor and could never really find their way back. With players already on the DL such as Crawl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez, this team was already missing big pieces to this team. They were also lacking leadership from outfielders Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Kemp who batted over .300 last year was on a really slow start and at one point was batting .220. Ethier hasn't been much better this year. The Dodgers pitching staff has not lived up to hype as it should be.  Pitcher Chad Billingsley started out the year but then was put on the DL. It appeared that he would miss the rest of the 2013 season and some part of the 2014 season due to having Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm, so he was done for the year. Josh Beckett was getting knocked around and soon found himself on the 15 day DL with a broken finger. Beckett before going on the DL was spotting an ERA of 5.19. Also their big free agent signing Zack Greinke was put on the DL after getting into a brawl fight with the San Diego Padres, Greinke popped his shoulder and would be placed on the 15 day DL. As the season has gone on center fielder Matt Kemp was placed on the 15 day DL when he pulled his hamstring. The captain of this team would be out for a month or so. So as the season started this team was already heading for rock bottom with players hurt and underperforming.  

Matt Kemp hurt

      In baseball it's a long season, a lot of ups and a lot of down. If it's one thing the Dodgers have done is stayed in the hunt. Yes they are in last place in the NL West but only out by 7.5 game and its the beginning of June. The Dodgers in the past few weeks have gotten a few key player back from the DL as in Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, and Hanley Ramirez. But they one big reason why this team is still within 7.5 games of the division is because of CY Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw so far this year has been the pitcher they need and has been for the past 3 years. Now he doesn't get much run support but does his part and tries to win this team ball games that they need. When he is called to do his part, he does it well. Kershaw so far this has an ERA of 1.93 a record of 5-4 and 91 strikeouts. They have also found a little surprise player in right fielder Yasiel Puig. With Ethier having an off year and the Dodgers being short on outfielders they called Puig up. The 22 year old from Cuba has been the little spark plug the Dodgers have been looking for all year long and has helped them win a few games. Not only can Puig hit the ball, but he has speed and a good rang in the outfield. I don't know to much about this rookie but what I have seen from him so far is pretty good.

Yasiel Puig

He is a five tool player, hits for power and average, has speed, good arm, and can track down fly balls. Since he has been called up he is hitting .421, 4 HR, and 10 RBI's. Not to bad for just being called up. Puig is showing he is ready for big leagues. A few days ago the Dodgers got word on center fielder Matt Kemp that he will be making a few rehab starts down in the minors before returning to the Dodgers. The other day manager Don Mattingly was asked about Carl Crawford's injury and Mattingly characterized Crawford's hamstring as "fairly significant".



    So far this year the Dodgers have 6 key players on the DL and with players going off and on the DL it been really hard to get anything really going for this team. They sit at a record of 27-33 still remaining last in the division. Arizona is leading the way in the division with the Giants and Rockies right behind them. Then you have the Padres sitting 6.0 games out and then the Dodgers at 7.5. So really with it only being June 8th, it's still anyone's division. It's all about what team gets healthy and gets hot at the right time. The Dodgers have a lot of talent on this team, maybe to much talent? But whatever it has been this team just doesn't look like a winning team right now. Yes they have had a few high moments this year, but all and all it has been a down season so far. If they can get Kemp and Crawford back heathy and have them play the way that they do they should be just fine. If they can also get back Josh Beckett heathy and pitch like the 3 time World Series champion he has been before that would be a key pitcher for them down the road. As of right now with the Dodger, is what see is what you get. 

DL Players for the Dodgers:

SP: Josh Beckett - ERA 5.19, 0-5, 41 SO. 15 Day DL (Finger)

SP: Chad Billingsley - ERA 3.00, 1-0, 6 SO. 60 Day DL (Tommy John)

SP: Chris Capuano - ERA 5.45, 1-4, 24 SO. 15 Day DL (Triceps)

LF: Carl Crawford - AVG .301, 5 HR, 13 RBI's. 15 Day DL (Hamstring)

C: A.J. Ellis - AVG .262, 2 HR, 12 RBI's. 15 Day DL (Oblique)

CF: Matt Kemp - AVG .251, 2 HR, 17 RBI's. 15 Day DL (Hamstring)

Miller Time

    The St. Louis Cardinals this year have been one of the best teams in National League with a record of 39-21 and that has a lot to do with their pitching. But not by pitchers you would think of, with a lot of St. Louis's big guns on the DL as in Chris Carpenter, Jamie Garica, and Jake Westbrook. The one pitcher that stands out the most for the Red Birds this year has been Shelby Miller. The 22 year old from Houston Tx, won his 7 game last night beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-8. Miller last night went 6.0 strong innings, striking out 9 batter, and giving up two earn runs. Miller also helped out his own caused by going deep in the bottom of the 5th inning hitting his first career home run.


    Shelby Miller this year has really been of one the best pitchers in the NL so far through the first half of season. Miller has number one stuff and could someday be the ace of this team but with guys like Adam Wainwright and Lance Lyons in front of him, right now Miller is just playing his part as the Red Birds number three pitcher in the rotation. The one thing I like about Miller is he a gamer, really strong arm. Getting his fast ball up around 93-94 MPH and his off-speed pitches are really nasty. He has a great curveball that drops and fools batters very nicely. For a 22 year old kid, he has stuff like a 10 year old veteran pitcher. I expect big things from Miller in the future and hopefully see him in this year All-Star game. Keep it up kid!

Shelby Miller
ERA 1.91, 7-3, 81 SO

I'm Seth Lempert and this is Beyond Baseball.

What Can "Brown" Do For You?

   Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Domonic Brown has been one of the hottest hitters in National League leading the league in home runs with 18. Brown has won NL player of week and NL player of the month. That is a great honor for the 25 year old who in the past 3 years, being in the bigs has struggled a lot. Whether it's been injuries holding him back or him just not living up to the level of play, he's had a lot of issues. The question now remains is, is this a fluke or is this the real Dom Brown the Phillies and the fans have been waiting to see? If Brown keeps up the pace he is on he could easily hit about 25-30 home runs and close to 85-95 RBI's which would be a career high numbers for him. So far this year Brown is hitting .284, 18 HR, and 44 RBI's which are career number for him right now. The Phillies through the first 60 games are 30-30 so far, it has been a season of ups and downs. The team would win 3 or 4 straight and then drop the next 3 or 4 games. With Halladay, Utley, and other players on the DL the Phillies have been depending a lot on Ryan Howard to carry this team on his back like he has been doing for the past 6 years. But it has been the other way around with a little surprise out of nowhere with Domonic Brown putting this team on his back and carrying them to the .500 mark. If Brown can keep it up you could possibly see him in this years 2013 MLB All-Star game at Citi Field in New York. It would be the first All-Star apprentice for Brown.

 

Domonic Brown 

     Now like I said before everyone wants to know if Brown will keep this up? My answer is probably not. Now I'm not saying he isn't a good player but every player goes through hot streaks and cold streaks. Now I do think this is the player that fans and the Phillies has been waiting to see for a very long time. But it's only a matter of time before pitchers figure him out. Brown, I think still needs help with fielding and improving that part of his game. He still doesn't read fly balls well and still doesn't catch the ball that well. He has dropped a few balls this year and has misjudged a few fly balls that could have been caught. But on the other side of that he has a rocket for an arm! Brown can make a beautiful throw to any base on the line. Another question has came into play, will the Phillies think about trading Brown come trade dead line in July or will they hold on to him? Now Brown since he has been hot does now have some value on the market for teams trying to make that extra playoff push or like the Phillies should do, build around him. But I'm really not sure if they are willing to trade him. If so it's going to be for cash and prospects I would have to assume. But trading Brown will not help the future for this club. If I were Ruben I would hold on to him only because right now he is the future of this team and the only player really doing anything. He is 25 years old and still in the prime of his career. You have to build this team around a player like Brown, because in 2 or 3 years he will be only Phillies on this team besides Hamels, Howard, and Papelbon who has been in the postseason. Younger players will look up to him almost as a leader on this team. Once again it's still very early to tell if he will keep up this kind of pace all year long. I think if Brown can keep an average around .270 or .285 that is just what this team is looking for. A guy who can drive in runs and also hit the long ball when needed. The only thing I fear about Brown is his strikeouts. If he can somehow cut down on his strikeouts he will be just fine at the plate. If Brown can keep it up it will be one hell of a ride for the 25 year old and who knows what the future will hold for him.

I'm Seth Lempert, and this is Beyond Baseball


Here are Domonic Brown Career number for the first 3 years
2010 - AVG .210, HR 2, and 13 RBI's - 35 GP
2011 - AVG .245, HR 5, and 19 RBI's - 56 GP
2012 - AVG .235, HR 5, and 26 RBI's - 56 GP

Top 5 Best Right Fielders Right Now.

As we get closer and closer to opening day I am still doing my countdown list on who are the best of the best in Right Field. There may be a few surprises on my list but these five players I have choice had an outstanding year in 2010. This list is about the players who have done well in the past and what they are expected to do in the future.



1. Seattle Mariners - Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro is known to be one of the best right fielders in all of baseball and has been the face of the Mariners for 10 going on 11 years and although his team has never won a World Series and has been in last place for the past 5 to 6 years he has been faith full to this team. Ichiro in 2004 hit 262 hits and set a new major league baseball record for the most hits in one season and that might be a record that will never be broken again. He is one of the most impact players in baseball; he doesn't strikeout a lot and gets on base almost every time. It's unlikely to see Ichiro ever go 0 for 3 in a game. In June of 2009 Ichiro hit 44 hits and that would set his 20th career month with 40 or more hits. Also forgot to add that before Ichiro played major league baseball he played 8 years in the Japan league. So really Ichiro has played 20 years of baseball and has had to do more than any other baseball player. Ichiro in 2010 had somewhat of an off year but still played his role batting .315, hit 5 home runs, and drove in 42 RBI's. His career batting average is .331 and slugging percentage is .430. In his career he has won 10 AL Gold Glove awards, 3 AL Silver Slugger awards, won the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP award. Second player in baseball history since Fred Lynn to receive both awards since 1975, he has also won the 2007 All-Star MVP award. Also his postseason number aren't too bad batting .421, 0 home runs, and driving in 3 RBI's. Ichiro is getting up there in age but still shows that he can still play and when he hangs it up he will find himself in the baseball Hall of Fame and to be the first ever Japanese baseball player to be induced to the baseball Hall of Fame. One of the game’s greatest outfielder's we have ever seen.



2. Los Angeles Dodgers - Andre Ethier

Now some people may not agree with Ethier being number two on my list but when you look at his number in the past few years he has been one of the best right fielders in the National League. He has helped the Dodgers win two NL West division titles, and has gotten them to the NLSC in 2008 and 2009 but lost to the Phillies in both years. Ethier in 2010 was injured a few times and that might have been a reason why he had an off year but nonetheless when he is healthy he is a big force and has a great arm in right field. Last season when Ethier played he batted .292, hit 23 home runs, and drove in 82 RBI's. Ethier's postseason number look like this - .266 batting average hit 3 home runs, and drove in 6 RBI's. His numbers are expected to be a lot better now that he is healthy. Also his life time batting average is .291 and slugging percentage is .491. Ethier also in 2009 won the NL Silver Slugger award. Expect big things from him in 2011 if he stays healthy.



3. Milwaukee Brewers - Corey Hart

Now Hart has been in the league for a few years and in 2010 he finally had that break out season that everyone has been waiting for and I think he is ready to show that he is for real. Playing for not such a great team Hart proved to be one of the better known right fielders now some would argue the Jayson Werth should be ahead of Hart, but the only reason Hart is ahead of Werth is because look at what team Hart plays for and the team that Werth played for. Hart in 2010 drove in over 100 RBI's, hit 31 home runs, and batted .283. Now his average may be a little bit lower but he is still a good player and will be for years to come. Hart's career batting average is .273 and his slugging percentage is .483. Hart when he played in postseason in 2008 he batted .231, 0 home runs, and 0 RBI's. In 2011 expect the Brewers to have a better year and maybe win the NL Central and if they do expect Hart to have a huge role in their success.



4. Washington Nationals - Jayson Werth

In the offseason the Nats landed big time power hitter in right fielder Jayson Werth. Werth who was a long time member of the Phillies decide his time in Philly was up wanted to go somewhere to settle down. I respect that I mean he won a World Series in 2008 and had good years with the Phillies and wanted to get paid but I thing is I don't understand is why would you want to leave a winning team to go to a building team? The Nationals right now aren't the best team in baseball but in 4 to 5 years they will be but by the time that happens, Werth will be close to 36 or 37 years old. Now Werth is a great power hitter on any team and the Nationals will be happy they picked him up. He can teach a lot of the younger guys and it’s surprising that Werth has not yet won a Gold Glove in the outfield. He has a great arm and knows how to play the field well. In 2010 with in his last year as a Phillie he had the second highest batting average batting .298, with 27 home runs, and driving in 85 RBI's. Now Werth has been in the postseason with the Dodgers and Phillies but he's done most of his work with the Phillies batting .268, hitting 13 home runs, and driving in 26 RBI's, the Phillies are going to miss that in the postseason. Also his career average is .272 and his slugging percentage is .481. Expect Werth to have somewhat of a in between year, his number could go down a few but not that much, mainly in the RBI total.



5. Toronto Blue Jays - Jose Bautista

Now some people may disagree with Bautista being on this list only because he has only had one good year but after the year he had in 2010 why shouldn't he be on this list? He hit 54 home runs, drove in 124 RBI's and his average was kind of low at .260 but this guy changed his swing up big time. This was a guy at one time who only 13 home runs, and drove in 40 RBI's. Now a lot people are asking could have steroids played part in this? Now in today's game that impossible because they check that all the time now and nothing was found. He just found that natural ability that he never knew he had. Now Bautista is listed under at third base but I think he will find his way back to the outfield because this guy also has a rocket arm. If he keeps having seasons like he did in 2010 he will be a better known power hitter. He just has to work on hitting for average and that's the only reason why he didn't win the 2010 AL MVP award because when hear someone hit 54 home runs, and drove in 124 RBI's and didn't win the MVP award there has to be a reason he didn't win it and like I said before his average was really low. Bautista also won the 2010 AL Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron awards. His career batting average is .244 and slugging percentage is .453. Expect him to have another great year, not as great as 2010 but he will still be an impact player.





Players who missed the list.

6. Houston Astors - Hunter Pence 2010 - BA .282, 25 home runs, and 92 RBI's
7. New York Yankees - Nick Swisher 2010 - BA .288, 29 home runs, and 88 RBI's
8. Cincinnati Reds - Jay Bruce 2010 - BA .281, 25 home runs, and 70 RBI's
9. Baltimore Orioles - Nick Markakis 2010 - BA .297, 12 home runs, and 60 RBI's
10. Arizona Diamondbacks - Justin Upton 2010 - BA .273, 17 home runs, and 69 RBI's.

Angels In The Outfield.

The Los Angeles Angels in 2010 fell off the map and failed to win another American League West Division Title and despite having a bad year in 2010, this year in 2011 they are going to look to try to win back their division title. In the offseason of 2009 the Angels lost a key pitcher that won the Angles 5 AL West Division titles and a World Series back in 2002 in John Lackey and that might have been the main reason they didn't win anything in 2010. But in the offseason this year they might have found something to win back this division.



In 2010 the Angles pitching staff wasn't all that bad and it wasn't all that great either but somehow they figured a way to win ball games. I think this year the Angels have the most underrated pitching staff in the AL; they have 3 starting pitchers that could be aces on any other teams in baseball. After the lost of ace pitcher John Lackey they replaced him with new ace Jered Weaver who did a great job filling in this role. Weaver in 2010 led the league in strikeouts with 233 and pitched 224.1 innings. Now his numbers might not be all that great but I think when everything is said and done he might be the last guy smiling.

He throws a good live fastball and knows how to control this off-speed breaking pitches, Weaver in 2010 posted a 3.01 ERA, with 13 wins, 12 losses, and like I said before he threw 233 strikeouts. Next is long time pitcher who has been with the Angles his whole career as in Ervin Santana. Now Santana in his career has gone through a few bumps but in 2010 he really turned it on and when he's on he's on. I think if his team can get back into that winning momentum then I think that could help him in the long run. Santana is another guy who throws a good fastball in the mid 90's and has some really good breaking pitches. Now he can either be used as a number one or two starting pitcher in a rotation and in 2010 Santana posted a 3.92 ERA, with 17 wins, 10 losses, and 169 strikeouts. Third guy in this rotation is the guy they picked up during the trade deadline in Dan Haren who came over from the D-Backs last year. Now Haren when he came over didn't do as well as everyone thought he would after being used to pitching in this division years ago pitching for the Oakland A's a few years back. But when Haren is on top of his game he is lights out on the mound and I think with a full season with the Angels he will do just fine.

Haren when he joined the Angels he went 5 and 4, with 69 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.87 and Haren's overall record for the 2010 season looked like this - 3.91 ERA, 12 wins, 12 losses, and 216 strikeouts. The Angles number four starter is a guy who really hasn't proved that he all he can be in Joel Pineiro. Pineiro is one of those guys who will give you a good outing and the next outing won't even last a good 6 innings. Now if he can get his head put on right I think he can win close to 15 games in 2011 like he did in 2009 with the Cardinals. Pineiro is a not a bad pitcher nonetheless and gives the Angles good innings but just has to learn how to keep that same momentum every time he takes the mound. In 2010 Pineiro posted a 3.84 ERA, with 10 wins, 7 losses, and 92 strikeouts. The number five hole in the Angels pitching staff is really up for grabs in pitchers Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Kazmir. Now Takahashi in 2010 really had a good year stepping in for Kazmir who was injured in 2010. Takahashi in 2010 had a 3.61 ERA, 10 wins, 6 losses, and 114 strikeouts. As for Kazmir through his whole career he really has never pulled it together and his career has really reached that point where people know he isn’t going to be a good pitcher someday. Kazmir is only 27 years old and he still has some time to turn things around but if he hasn't done it before than I think he will never get it done. Kazmir has also been battling injures throughout his career and that is also a big reason why he has never pulled it together. In 2010 Kazmir had a 5.94 ERA, 9 wins, 15 losses, and 93 strikeouts.



As for the Angles bullpen it really isn't the best in the AL and as we know good bullpens save a lot of close games and the Angels are going to need a few guys in the pen to step up. But name that do come to mind are new closer Scott Downs who came over from the Blue Jays, set-up man Kevin Jepsen, and Jordan Walden. I start off with Scott Downs who has never been a closer in his career so it's going to fun to see how this plays out, it could either go good or a bad and the Angles hope it goes a good way.

For a second to last place in the Blue Jays last year Downs didn't pitch all that bad as a set-up man where he posted a 2.64 ERA, 26 HLD, and had 48 strikeouts. Let’s hope he can do the same thing with the Angles and evenbetter. Next is set-up man in Kevin Jepsen, who could also be the Angles closer as well but I still think he will be used as a set-up man in the 7th or 8th inning. The reason I think he will stay there is because I think the Angles don't want to mess with his head and keep his mind set on as being the set-up man. In 2010 he posted a 3.97 ERA, 27 HLD, and had 61 strikeouts. Last guy is young kid Jordan Walden who is only 23 years old (Rookie) and really doesn't know what his role will be yet, middle relief or set-up guy. Either one I think he will get better has he goes along and understands the game more. At 23 years old he still has a lot to learn and last season he did okay when he was used posting a 2.35 ERA, 6 HLD, and struck out 23 batters.



Now the Angles line-up in 2011 has gotten somewhat better, it will definitely be better than the 2010 line-up with adding outfielder Veron Wells who was traded by the Blue Jays during the offseason. Now that Wells is part of this team I think he will do great things knowing he has a chance to reach the postseason for the first time in this big league career. Wells has speed and a lot pop in his bat. Wells was definitely a nice pick up for the Angels, another good power bat in the line-up is just what they need.

With the Blue Jays in 2010 he batted .273, hit 31 home runs, and drove in 88 RBI's, expect a lot better numbers in 2011 now that he is with a winning team. Next is shortstop in Erick Aybar who has been battling knee injuries and is not 100% yet ready to go and I think the only way this team will be good is if he gets on base and makes things happen. He is their speed man on the bases and they need him to be healthy this year. When Aybar played in 2010 he batted .253, hit 5 home runs, drove in 29 RBI's and stole 22 bases. Next is a guy they are happy to have back in first baseman Kendry Morales who as we all remember broke his ankle after celebrating a walk-off home run. He would miss the whole 2010 season after starting off pretty hot in the beginning of the season. They will be happy to put him in the 5th or 6th hole in the line-up. When Morales played before he broke his ankle he batted .290, hit 11 home runs, and drove 39 RBI's. Over at second base they have a kid who they really think will step it up in 2011 is Howard Kendrick who really replaced that 5th hole last year after Morales went down. Now Kendrick has been around this game for a few years and this year like I said the Angles expect him to have a lot better year considering he had a pretty good year in 2010. Now his numbers have dropped a little bit in his average but expect him to do a lot better. In 2010 he batted .279, hit 10 home runs, and drove in 75 RBI's. Next is DH and outfielder in Bobby Abreu who really had a good year in 2010, his average wasn't all that great but he still came through when they needed him to and brought power in the line-up they needed. In 2011 it’s clear that he will be used as a DH now that he getting a little bit older and isn't really able to move that well in the outfield. Abreu in 2010 hit .255, hit 20 home runs, and drove in 78 RBI's. Next is rookie outfielder in Peter Bourjos who the Angles really don't know where they will put him. In 2010 he did play a little bit of right field but he is too fast to be playing right field, he is more like a center or left fielder but whatever they use him for he will be a huge impact. As a hitter he has a little bit of pop in his bat and it's going to be fun to watch this kid hit and see how well he does at this level playing full season with the Angles. In 2010 when he was called up he batted .204, hit 6 home runs, and drove in 15 RBI's. Last player on this list who has been in this game for 14 going on 15 year is long time veteran outfielder Torii Hunter,

now Hunter joined the Angles in 2008 and has been the leader of this team ever since. He is a great teacher in the club house and is a good impact player. Now he has gotten a lot older at the age of 35 but still shows that he knows how to play this game. The last two years have really been the best years in his career; it seems like as he gets older he gets better. Now the Angles don't know if he will be used as a left, center, or right fielder but where ever he plays he will do the best he can and give it his all. In 2010 he really proved that he's not ready to step down yet as he batted .281, hit 23 home runs, and drove in 90 RBI's.



So the Angles in 2011 look like they could win another division title but they are still missing a few keys, either way I think this will be a tight race all the way through in 2011 season as the Rangers and A's have gotten better. But if you were to ask me I think the Angles will win this division, but it won't come easy I'll usurer you that. For once the 2011 American League West will be fun to watch this year.

West Coast Wonder: The San Diego Padres.

In recent memory the San Diego Padres were one of the worst teams in baseball in the National League West and they were considered a joke team but in the late 90's and mid 2000's they have gotten better over the years and after the breakdown season they had in 2010, 2011 doesn't seem like they will be a team to really worry about, than again everyone said the same thing last year. The Padres in 1996 and 1998 won the NL West division title and in 1998 they would win their first ever National League Pennant and head into their first ever

World Series match-up where they would have to face the American League team of the 90's, the New York Yankees. The Padres got swept by the Yanks in four games and since then that would be their trip the Fall Classic. In 2005 and 2006 they Pads would win back to back NL West Division titles but they would fail to move past the NLDS. The 2010 season everyone had picked the Dodgers or the Rockies to win the NL West division title but no one picked the Pads or the Giants to that matter to do anything. The whole season the Padres would lead their division until the final game of the 2010 season where the underdog Giants would beat them to knock them out of the postseason, the Padres playoff hopes had come to an end. A team that were up 6 games ahead of the Giants in the division on August 18th chocked and it just shows you that in this game you have to 162 games of baseball when it comes down to a playoff race. In the 2010 offseason the Padres lost one of their impact players in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez who signed with the Boston Red Sox. A-Gon was the face of this team and was really their only good power hitter and in 2011 they haven't really found that guy to replace him, 2011 will be a "Wonder" year for the Pads.



Now for the Padres pitching they only have two really good pitchers in Mat Latos and Clayton Richard and after those two guys there are a lot question marks in this rotation and if you want to win a division title you’re going to need more than two front line pitchers. We have seen in the past few years pitching wins you ball games and division titles. I start off with Mat Latos, here's a guy that no one in the NL didn't even know about because they year before he was very wild and had no control over his pitches and in 2009 he was just a rookie but boy what a turnaround he has made for himself and his team.

He has proved in one year that he will be a really good ace for this west coast wonder team. He throws his fastball really nice in the mid to high 90's and if breaking pitches are really nice when everything is working. In 2010 Latos in his second year of pro ball he posed a 2.92 ERA, 14 wins, 10 losses, and 189 strikeouts. The future for this 23 year young stud looks very promising in years to come. Expect him to have a good year. The Pads number two starter in Clayton Richard isn't too bad but there is going to be a lot stress on this guy because if Latos has a off game they are going to depend on him to close the door when needed and in a 3 or 4 game series with a good team they are to need to win at least the two games. Richard who is 6'5 at 240 pounds is a good left handed pitcher and is able to go deep into ball games and in 2010 Richard posted a 3.75 ERA, 14 wins, 9 losses, and 153 strikeouts. After these two guys the rest of this staff is up for grabs for the three, four, and five hole. They have Wade LeBlance who posed a 4.25 ERA with 8 wins, 12 losses, and 110 strikeouts, they have Aaron Harang who they picked up from the Reds who in 2010 posted a 5.25 ERA with 6 wins, 7 losses, and 82 strikeouts, they have Dustin Moselely who in 2010 posted a 4.96 ERA with 4 wins, 4 losses, and 33 strikeouts, and last on this list they have rookie pitcher Cory Luebke who when he pitched had a 4.08 ERA, 1 win, 1 loss, and 18 strikeouts. Like I said this rotation isn't to promising on getting the job done, but somehow last year they did.



The best thing about this Padres team is their bullpen, it is one of the strongest in the NL and that was really the success of this team last year. Their closer and set-up men really held a lot of close ball games. I'm going to start off with one of the Pads set-up guys in Mike Adams who really stepped up in 2010 and was their go to guy down the road. He could easily be an everyday closer on another team that's how good he is. He has a good power fastball at 94 MPH and in 2010 he posted a 1.73 ERA with 38 HLD and 73 strikeouts in the pen. Next is Luke Gregerson who is mainly used as a set-up man in the 6th or 7th inning at times but he is also another good pitcher out of the pen. He's not mainly used in the 8th inning but he is a guy they do call on when they need a big out. In 2010 Gregerson posted a 3.22 ERA with 40 HLD and 89 strikeouts. Now the Pads did pick up a new bullpen man in Chad Qualls who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays and his numbers weren't that great with a 7.32 ERA, 12 saves, and 49 strikeouts. Now Qualls's number don't look all that great but in 2009 with the D-Backs he did have 24 saves with a 3.63 ERA still not all that great but if he can do what he did then I think he will be okay. I think they are going to use Qualls as a middle relief pitcher. Last guy in the pen is closer Heath Bell, and boy this guy is good. He might be the second best closer in the NL behind Giants closer Brain Wilson.

Bell is a power pitcher who comes right after hitters with the fastball and when he uses his breaking pitches they set up hitter very nicely. Bell in the last two years has really turned it on, at point in his career he wasn't even used as a closer. It's very hard making that transaction from middle relief, to set-up man, to the closer. There's a lot more stress as a closer and we all know getting those last 3 final outs are the hardest part about baseball and he has done a great job of doing that. In 2010 Bell finished with 42 saves, 86 strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.93.



Now the last part about this Padres team that has gotten a little weaker is the lost of Adrian Gonzalez. The Padres really don't have that power house hitting threat and during the offseason they did pick up a few players but no one like A-Gon. At shortstop they did pick up Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays and Bartlett isn't a bad hitter to have on your team. He helped a last place losing team win 2 AL East Division titles in 2008 and 2010. But his numbers have dropped by a lot, in 2009 he hit 14 home runs, drove in 66 RBI's and his batting average was .320 where in 2010 everything dropped. He hit 4 home runs, drove in 47 RBI's and his batting average dropped a tone down to .254. His play was really off in 2010 and in 2011 they are going to need that 2009 Jason Bartlett back in action. Over at third base they picked up Jorge Cantu from the Florida Marlins. Now I think Cantu will be the Padres replacement player at first base. In the past Cantu has played first base so it’s really nothing new for him but his power isn't going to replace A-Gon's in the line-up. Cantu is another guy they hope will be the player he used to be. In 2008 Cantu hit 20 home runs, drove 95 RBI's and batted .277, if they get that same player in back then I think A-Gon will be a lost memory. In 2010 Cantu batted .256, hit 11 home runs, and drove in 56 RBI's. Next is first baseman they picked up in Brad Hawpe who also came over from the Tampa Bay Rays, he is another guy who's play really went downhill.

From 2006 to 2009 he hit 20 or more home runs, drove in 80 more RBI's, and had a batting average of .280 or higher, talk about a great player. If he can get back to his old ways he will be their key power hitter and Hawpe knows this division well playing with the Colorado Rockies for 6 years. In 2010 Hawpe batted .245, hit 9 home runs, and drove in 44 RBI's. Next is third base star in Chase Headley who is now the face of this team. Headley who came up with the Pads in 2007 is still a guy who hasn't lived up the hype. He is a great fielder but when it comes to batting he just doesn't cut it. He's a good player but their really going to need him to step up. Headley is still young at 26 years old, but he's been in the league for four going on five years now. Last season Headley hit .264, hit 11 home runs, and drove in 58 RBI's. The last two players on this Padres team are where they are really going to need power out of and that is right fielder Ryan Ludwick and left fielder Will Venable. I start with Ludwick who came over to this team last year during the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals where he hit 11 home runs, drove in 43 RBI's and batted .281. When he came over to the Padres he only hit 6 home runs, drove 26 RBI's, and had a .211 batting average, not really what they expected from this guy when they traded for him and 2011 they are expecting bigger things from Ludwick to be that new power house hitting player. They are looking for that Ludwick player of 2008 and 2009, where in 2008 he hit 37 home runs, drove in 113 RBI's, and batted .299 and in 2009 he hit 22 home runs, drove in 97 RBI's, and batted .269.

In 2010 Ludwick batted .251 allover, hit 17 home runs overall, and drove in 69 RBI's overall. Luckwick is a good player but he is going to have to work on his strikeouts. He struck out 121 times in 2010 but that's not even his career high. His career high was back in 2008 when he had the best season of his career with 147 strikeouts, so if he can cut down on his strikeouts he is going to be a force player in 2011. As for Will Venable he had a pretty good season and I would say he improved on some things but he still hasn't improved in his strikeouts as well. He had 128 strikeouts last year and for a kid at 28 that isn't a good sign. They are going to have to work with him of his plate discipline. He has a chance to be a .280 hitter with 20 home runs and driving in 85 RBI's it's just the matter of learning. We all know he is a great outfielder with speed and a good arm. Last year he stole 29 bases and could have a chance at stealing 35-40 bases a year. He is still young but he is going to have to show the Padres a little more improvement or otherwise he could be going back down to playing Triple-A ball. In 2010 Venable batted .245, hit 13 home runs, and drove in 51 RBI's.



Now what you see is what you get with this 2011 San Diego Padres team, a lot of "WONDER", wondering if their pitching staff is enough and if their line-up is strong enough. As you can see on this Padre line-up there isn’t a player who batted .265 or higher, hit 20 home runs or more, or drove in 70 or more RBI’s. We know they have a power house bullpen but the bullpen can't do everything for this team and that might have been the main reason they lost the NL West Division title, the bullpen players rain out of gas at the end. They were used way too much and that really took a toile on their bullpen and the uses were just way too much, mainly for set-up guys in Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson. In 2011 like I said before it's going to be a "WONDER YEAR" for the Pads.

Top 5 Best Shortstops Right Now.

This countdown is about the best shortstops in the game right now, and it has to do with awards, stats, postseason stats, and even some rookie stats in 2010. It’s the countdown of the top 5 right now heading into opening day 2011.



1. Florida Marlins - Hanley Ramirez

Whenever you hear news line about the Florida Marlins most of the time it's about Hanley Ramirez wealthier it's about him not running after a ball or hitting a monster home run for the Fish, either way the spot light is always on this kid. Ramirez was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and a year later he was traded to the Marlins for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowe and this trade really paid off in both ways. Beckett and Lowe won a World Series in 2007 and Ramirez well his team has yet to make it to the postseason but he has been the main reason fans in Florida still come out to the ball park to see this kid play. Ramirez can do it all, he can run, hit, he can throw a ball a mile long, and is a great impact player. I think if he were to play on a better team he would be an even better player and might even be considered an MVP vote in the NL or AL and if he were to be in the postseason and he were at the plate for a key moment he would the man you would want in the spot light. His career batting average is .313 and career slugging percentage is .520. Not too bad for a shortstop who is on a losing team every year, but I think in 2011 the Fish will have a somewhat better year with a lot of young talent on the way and some really good pitching. In 2010 Hanley had another good solid year after missing a few game being injured batting .300, hitting 21 home runs, driving in 76 RBI's, and in his career he was won the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year award, and has won the 2008 - 2009 NL Silver Slugger award.



2. Colorado Rockies - Troy Tulowitzki

Talk about a player anyone would love to have on their team this guy would be it! In the 2010 season Tulo missed most of the season and I really think this might be the main reason why the Rockies missed the postseason in 2010 because when he is healthy he is a monster player. When Tulo came off the DL he hit 15 home runs and 40 RBI's in one mouth of baseball and can you imagine if he were healthy the whole year what he could have done? I think if he did stay healthy he might have won the NL MVP award. But as an overall player he has it all, he is a great fielder and he is a great leader in the club house and knows when it's crunch time. He has also helped the Rockies make it to the postseason in 2007 and 2009 as the wild card team. In 2007 the Rockies would make it to their first ever World Series match up against the Boston Red Sox but got swept in 4 straight games and in the 2009 postseason they fell short in the NLDS to the Philadelphia Phillies in 4 games. Tulo’s career batting average with the Rockies is .290 with a slugger percentage of .495 and he is just going to get better as he gets older at the age of 26 years old. In 2010 after missing a good two months of the season he batted .315, hit 27 home runs, and drove in 95 RBI's. Also in 2010 Tulo won his first NL Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award. Now I did say the Rockies made it to the postseason twice and when Tulo was in the bright lights of October his numbers weren't too bad batting .211, hit 1 home run and drove 6 RBI's.



3. New York Yankees - Derek Jeter

When you hear the name "Mr. November" you automatically think the captain of the New York Yankees Derek Jeter as he was the first player in major league history to hit a home run in November of the 2001 World Series, not only that but it was a game winning home run. This is a player who will someday find himself in the baseball Hall of Fame and his jersey number, #2 will be retire just like the Yankee players that came before him. Derek has played for the Yankees his whole career and he said when he was a kid "I wanna play for the New York Yankees". Little did he know at the time but that dream had come true and if he could have seen his career before it had happened I don't think he would have believed it. As of right now he has the most hits as a Yankee and that's pretty hard to believe considering the players that came before like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle and so on. At one point Lou Gehrig was the only Yankees player to have the most hits and in 2009 Derek Jeter broke that record. As of today Jeter has 2,926 career hits and is well on his way to be the first ever Yankee player to hit 3,000 hits. Besides him being a great hitter he is one of the best fielders of all time. I can't recall about how many times he has been on the top 10 plays on ESPN or top 10 greatest plays of all time on the MLB Network. Derek Jeter is like the Michael Jordan of baseball and as of right now he is bigger than the game. Over the year Jeter's numbers have fell a little bit and that is the only reason he is number three on my list but if I were to name the greatest shortstop of all time he would be number one. I also forgot about how many postseason games this guy has been in, he has been in 15 postseason games and he has won 11 American League East Division titles and 5 of them have been World Series titles. His postseason numbers are the best at shortstop with a .309 batting average, hitting 20 home runs, and driving in 57 RBI's. Jeter's career batting average with the Yankees is a .314 average with a .452 career slugging percentage. He has also won 5 AL Gold Gloves awards, 4 AL Silver Slugger awards, 2 AL Hank Aaron awards; won the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year award, won the 2000 World Series MVP award, and has won the 2002 ESPY Play of the Year award. As you can see Jeter has more awards at spot more than any other player. In 2010 he had somewhat of a down year but nonetheless is still an impact player at the age of 36, he hit .270, hit 10 home runs, and drove in 67 RBI's. One of the best shortstops you will ever see again in this game.



4. Chicago White Sox - Alexei Ramirez

Now this shortstop to me is one of the most underrated in game only because he has only been in the league for 3 years. But in those 3 years he has done a lot of things. Now he is mainly overlooked at shortstop in the American League because of Derek Jeter but I think when Jeter's time comes to an end Ramirez will win a lot more awards in the AL. Ramirez who is fairly getting a little bit older at 29 years old is still a big part of this White Sox team. Now he has only been in the postseason once in his big league career only batting .250 with 2 RBI's but I think if the White Sox can make it to the postseason more while this guy is still on their team he will do big things. But during the season he is a key player and in 2010 he really proved that he is a big time player batting .282, hitting 18 home runs, and driving in 70 RBI's in 2010. Also in 2010 Ramirez won the 2010 AL Silver Slugger award. Now that Ramirez has only been the league for three going on four years his career batting average is .283 with a .430 slugging percentage, not to bad at all.




5. Chicago Cubs - Starlin Castro

Now some people may think this is being too nice by putting a rookie ahead of a few other players but if I were to tell you that this rookie player had a better year than most veteran players did then why doesn't he deserve to be ahead of some of the older players? Castro has showed in one year that he will be the future of the Cubs and in the National League at shortstop. The only issue with Castro is he has some trouble throwing the ball to first base but I think it's a small problem that he can easily fix during spring training. Last season in his first year he batted .300, hitting 4 home runs, and driving in 41 RBI's. Now tell me that this kid doesn't deserve this spot and he also already has a .408 slugger percentage in one year of baseball. This kid is the for real and he will only get better as he goes along, expect big things from this young talented shortstop.




Players who just missed the list.

6. New York Mets - Jose Reyes 2010 - BA .282, 11 home runs, 54 RBI's.
7. Boston Red Sox - Marco Scutaro 2010 - BA .275, 11 home runs, 56 RBI's.
8. Washington Nationals - Ian Desmond 2010 - BA .269, 10 home runs, 65 RBI's.
9. Texas Rangers - Elvis Andrus 2010 - BA .265, 0 home runs, 35 RBI's.
10. Philadelphia Phillies - Jimmy Rollins 2010 - BA .243, 8 home runs, 41 RBI's.