Which players do you think deserve to win the Rookie of the Year awards this year in both the American League and National League? I’ve got an opinion on this subject. I’ll go ahead and share it.
Okay, over in the American League, I think it’s a foregone conclusion that Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays is going to top rookie honors in the Junior Circuit. Longoria is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound third baseman who was listed No. 1 among Tampa Bay prospects this year in Baseball America. He started the year with the bang before breaking his wrist in August - which shelved him for about a month.
But, now he’s back for Tampa Bay’s run at the AL East championship and a playoff berth. Longoria is hitting .282 at the moment with 22 home runs and 74 RBI - totals that would probably be even higher had he not gotten injured and placed on the disabled list.
Nevertheless, Longoria seems to be the safe - and obvious - pick for AL Rookie of the Year. I think Chris Davis of the Texas Rangers may get some attention from voters since he’s hitting a solid .271 with 15 homers and 46 ribbies at the moment. But, if I had a vote, I’d cast it for Longoria.
In the National League, pitcher Edinson Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds would get the nod from me. Volquez was part of the deal which brought slugger Josh Hamilton to the Rangers. Volquez was the top pick for Texas in the draft in 2006 and was listed No. 3 in 2007 among Ranger prospects according to Baseball America.
Volquez (like San Diego’s Chris Young, Chisox pitcher John Danks, and Detroit’s Armando Galarraga) is a former Ranger prospect that could have helped Texas tremendously. But, now he’s with the Reds and he is 16-5 with 184 strikeouts. Both his win and strikeout totals are among the NL leaders. He may even garner consideration for this year’s NL Cy Young Award. We’ll wait an see.
Jay Bruce of the Reds along with Chicago Cub teammates Geovany Soto and Kosuke Fukudome should get some consideration for the NL award this year. Bruce (listed No. 1 before this season in Baseball America as the Reds’ top minor league prospect) was called up about mid-year and has been sensational - both on the field and (from what I’ve seen and heard on TV) among the ladies, too!
Soto and Fukudome both started in the All-Star Game this year - quite an accomplishment for a couple of rookies. But, again, if I had a vote (which I don’t but wish I did), I would cast my ballot for Mr. Volquez and his stout showing on the mound for Cincy.
While I’m at it, let me just throw in a few more things - my votes for MVPs and Cy Young Award winners. In the NL, I think Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, Ryan Howard of the Phillies, and Chipper Jones of the Braves have a chance for the MVP - but I would vote for shortstop Jose Reyes of the New York Mets. He has 101 runs scored, 187 hits, 49 stolen bases, and 18 triples from the leadoff spot and has helped keep the Mets in contention for the NL East flag.
In the AL, I like Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. He’s hitting .328 with 112 runs scored and has helped keep Boston in the thick of things. Catcher Joe Mauer of the Twins provides solid hitting and defense behind the plate and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers is having a monster year - but Pedroia has been the most valuable in my opinion.
Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians and Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants would be my Cy Young Award winners. Lee is 22-2 with a 2.36 ERA. Lincecum is 16-3 with 225 strikeouts. Francisco Rodriquez ought to get some heavy consideration for the AL Cy Young; afterall, he did set a MLB record this year with 58 saves and counting. But, Lee and Lincecum would get my votes.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Texas League News/Wrapup (by Todd Newville)
The Double-A Texas League completed its regular season on Sept. 1st and the playoffs commenced on Sept. 4th. The league is divided into two divisions – the North and the South – and into first and second halves. The Frisco Rough Riders won both the first and second halves of the South division.
The Riders played the San Antonio Missions for the right to advance to the Texas League championship series - and swept the series in three games. The Missions had the next best overall record along with the Midland Rockhounds. But, San Antonio had the better head-to-head record against Midland, so they got the playoff nod against Frisco.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Arkansas Travelers met as the respective first and second-half winners of the North division. Even though Springfield had the best overall season record for the season, they were left out in the cold as far as playoff implications go. Too bad, but that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes. With that, the Travelers swept the Naturals in three tilts.
So, it will be the Frisco Rough Riders taking on the Arkansas Travelers for the Texas League championship - starting at Arkansas on Sept. 9th. As far as individuals go, the Texas League sported a bunch of prospects who proved their worth over the course of the regular season. As the unofficial “Texas League correspondent” for MILB radio, I thought I would give you a quick rundown on some of the fantastic players I had the opportunity to interview this summer at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.
First, the Riders already have seen Chris Davis, Matt Harrison, Taylor Teagarden, and Max Ramirez make an impact at the major league level with the parent Texas Rangers. Through Sept. 7th, Davis was hitting .279 with 14 homers, 42 runs scored, 18 doubles and 42 RBI. Harrison (who threw the first no-hitter ever at Dr. Pepper Ballpark earlier this year) was 7-3 with a 5.76 ERA. His inflated ERA is due to a couple of bad outings several days ago, but he beat the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 6th for the Rangers‘ first win this season over Beantown. Harrison has certainly given the Rangers some quality starts as of late and the “big club” has all the confidence in the world in him.
Teagarden had three hits in 11 trips to the plate at Texas through Sept. 7th. He started the year at Frisco and followed that up with a trip up to Oklahoma City. Two hits for the Rangers so far have been home runs - and he has a bronze medal to show off around the clubhouse in Arlington thanks to being part of the USA squad that just finished a trip to Beijing, China, for the Olympics.
Plus, Teagarden has proven to be a very quality signal caller for the Rangers. He has been behind the plate for the last two 1-0 wins for the Rangers - and there have only been three in the last decade for the franchise. Ramirez has a .233 average with two homers and nine ribbies with the big club. On Sept. 6th, he hit a grand slam against Iowa in the Pacific Coast League playoffs to help the Oklahoma Redhawks win an important playoff game 9-6 and keep their hopes alive. Ramirez has bounced around from Frisco to OKC to Texas all summer long - and still has time to find a way to help each club along the way.
Okay, enough about the Rangers. How ‘bout other Texas League phenoms?! As an esteemed and privileged contributor to MILB Radio from time to time, I thought it might be pertinent to catch you up on others who I’ve interviewed over the last summer. First, Jon Zeringue of the the Midland Rockhounds finished tied for third in the circuit with 23 homers (along with Tulsa’s Tony Blanco) and was third in RBI with 89.
Tommy Everidge of Midland led the Texas League with a whopping 115 ribbies, followed by Kyle Blanks of San Anotonio (107). Blanks (who hit 20 round-trippers this year) also finished third in the league in batting average, hitting the horsehide at robust .325 clip. Drew Sutton (another MILB Radio guest) was 5th in the league in hitting at .318 as he also clouted 20 homers with a league leading 101 runs scored.
Switch-hitting Dexter Fowler of the Tulsa Drillers (who like Teagarden was an Olympian this summer) was second among Texas League batters at .332 and scored 90 runs. He also had a league-leading 58 stolen bases along with a .429 on-base percentage. Dan Cortes of the Naturals was 10-4 this year while Andrew Carignan had 24 saves for Midland - second only to Fernando Salas’ 25 saves for the Springfield Cardinals.
Yes, it was certainly a good summer for many Texas League performers and MILB Radio guests. We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about these players on the show this season. Look for more next season. In the meantime, stay tuned and we’ll keep you informed on what’s happening in the world of minor league baseball.
The Riders played the San Antonio Missions for the right to advance to the Texas League championship series - and swept the series in three games. The Missions had the next best overall record along with the Midland Rockhounds. But, San Antonio had the better head-to-head record against Midland, so they got the playoff nod against Frisco.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Arkansas Travelers met as the respective first and second-half winners of the North division. Even though Springfield had the best overall season record for the season, they were left out in the cold as far as playoff implications go. Too bad, but that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes. With that, the Travelers swept the Naturals in three tilts.
So, it will be the Frisco Rough Riders taking on the Arkansas Travelers for the Texas League championship - starting at Arkansas on Sept. 9th. As far as individuals go, the Texas League sported a bunch of prospects who proved their worth over the course of the regular season. As the unofficial “Texas League correspondent” for MILB radio, I thought I would give you a quick rundown on some of the fantastic players I had the opportunity to interview this summer at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.
First, the Riders already have seen Chris Davis, Matt Harrison, Taylor Teagarden, and Max Ramirez make an impact at the major league level with the parent Texas Rangers. Through Sept. 7th, Davis was hitting .279 with 14 homers, 42 runs scored, 18 doubles and 42 RBI. Harrison (who threw the first no-hitter ever at Dr. Pepper Ballpark earlier this year) was 7-3 with a 5.76 ERA. His inflated ERA is due to a couple of bad outings several days ago, but he beat the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 6th for the Rangers‘ first win this season over Beantown. Harrison has certainly given the Rangers some quality starts as of late and the “big club” has all the confidence in the world in him.
Teagarden had three hits in 11 trips to the plate at Texas through Sept. 7th. He started the year at Frisco and followed that up with a trip up to Oklahoma City. Two hits for the Rangers so far have been home runs - and he has a bronze medal to show off around the clubhouse in Arlington thanks to being part of the USA squad that just finished a trip to Beijing, China, for the Olympics.
Plus, Teagarden has proven to be a very quality signal caller for the Rangers. He has been behind the plate for the last two 1-0 wins for the Rangers - and there have only been three in the last decade for the franchise. Ramirez has a .233 average with two homers and nine ribbies with the big club. On Sept. 6th, he hit a grand slam against Iowa in the Pacific Coast League playoffs to help the Oklahoma Redhawks win an important playoff game 9-6 and keep their hopes alive. Ramirez has bounced around from Frisco to OKC to Texas all summer long - and still has time to find a way to help each club along the way.
Okay, enough about the Rangers. How ‘bout other Texas League phenoms?! As an esteemed and privileged contributor to MILB Radio from time to time, I thought it might be pertinent to catch you up on others who I’ve interviewed over the last summer. First, Jon Zeringue of the the Midland Rockhounds finished tied for third in the circuit with 23 homers (along with Tulsa’s Tony Blanco) and was third in RBI with 89.
Tommy Everidge of Midland led the Texas League with a whopping 115 ribbies, followed by Kyle Blanks of San Anotonio (107). Blanks (who hit 20 round-trippers this year) also finished third in the league in batting average, hitting the horsehide at robust .325 clip. Drew Sutton (another MILB Radio guest) was 5th in the league in hitting at .318 as he also clouted 20 homers with a league leading 101 runs scored.
Switch-hitting Dexter Fowler of the Tulsa Drillers (who like Teagarden was an Olympian this summer) was second among Texas League batters at .332 and scored 90 runs. He also had a league-leading 58 stolen bases along with a .429 on-base percentage. Dan Cortes of the Naturals was 10-4 this year while Andrew Carignan had 24 saves for Midland - second only to Fernando Salas’ 25 saves for the Springfield Cardinals.
Yes, it was certainly a good summer for many Texas League performers and MILB Radio guests. We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about these players on the show this season. Look for more next season. In the meantime, stay tuned and we’ll keep you informed on what’s happening in the world of minor league baseball.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Covering Teams
This year, I had the chance to see about 20 different minor league teams live. Two of them I saw more than any.
The Kane County Cougars are 10 min from my house. This is where I base my operation to cover the Midwest League. In addition, I had the chance to call to game for the South Bend Silver Hawks. I am always objective when discussing these teams and the players associated with them but it is only natural to wish them well. I was disappointed to see the Kane County Cougars lose last night in the Midwest League playoffs not only because it gives me more game to cover, but it would have been nice to see them do well. On the flip side, I am very happy to see the South Bend Silver Hawks advance to the Division Finals. Midwest League Manager of the year Mark Haley is one of the most class acts I have ever met so to see him and his team do well is great.
The Kane County Cougars are 10 min from my house. This is where I base my operation to cover the Midwest League. In addition, I had the chance to call to game for the South Bend Silver Hawks. I am always objective when discussing these teams and the players associated with them but it is only natural to wish them well. I was disappointed to see the Kane County Cougars lose last night in the Midwest League playoffs not only because it gives me more game to cover, but it would have been nice to see them do well. On the flip side, I am very happy to see the South Bend Silver Hawks advance to the Division Finals. Midwest League Manager of the year Mark Haley is one of the most class acts I have ever met so to see him and his team do well is great.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Midwest League Expands
The Midwest League officially announced the other day that Lake County, OH (Cleveland) and and the new Bowling Green (Tampa) club will be leaving the South Atlanitc League and joining the Midwest League. I will not happen until 2010 but when it does, it will give Midwest League cities the chance to see 2 more organizaitons. I am sure prospects from both teams will not mind playing infront of 15 thousand plus on nights in Dayton or in Kane County.
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