The 2013 UN-Star Team

Tonight, the best baseball players of the year thus far will be celebrated. However, there is also a group of players that have had just as much impact on the year, albeit in adverse way. They are the group of players that you would usually look to revere this time of the year, however they haven’t had the time of season that helps the cause. Rather, they are the reason why the summer hasn’t panned out the way it may have seemed in game 1. Yes, they are the Un-Stars; the players who have to do more, if it is not too late already.

So with no further delay, here is the squad that has left a lot to be imagined thus far on the year…

Catcher

Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks— He’s quietly been one of the most productive catchers in baseball over the past few years, and finished fifth in the NL in on-base percentage a year ago, and has driven in 87 runs on average over the past two years.

At the break, Montero’s average sits at a career-low .224. The rise of Paul Goldschmidt, along with the acquisition of Martin Prado has eased the blow of it, but D’Backs will not be able to hold off the Dodgers and Rockies without a much bigger second half from him.

First Base

Nick Swisher, Indians— The big money signing that was “most likely to not play up to contract level” has lived up to his billing. While he has shuffled between first and right field, his production has not picked up regardless of where his glove is filled out in the lineup. His average his pit stopped in the middle of the .240’s, and he’s on pace to hit only 15 home runs and drive in just over 50 runs. Not much bang for the $11 million bucks he’s bringing in.

Second Base

Dan Uggla, Braves— The great paradox continues. Uggla is leading all NL second basemen, well as the Braves, in home runs with 18, but is once again scraping by hitting .200 and reaching base only 31% of the time. Not to mention he’s still playing his tradition lead glove defense, and the reasons for the Braves offensive struggles become clear: they have many captains of industry in the All Feast or Famine squad, and Uggla’s the Admiral of it.

Third Base

Chase Headley, Padres— The Padres may have sat on him for too long, as one of the off season’s hottest commodity’s has come back to Earth, meteor style. A year after leading the NL in RBI with 115, hitting 31 home runs and snagging a Gold Glove, Headley sits with a .230 average and just 31 runs driven in at the break.

The bright side is that he only had 8 long balls at this point last season, before taking off with his huge second half, but there is also the stark truth that before 2012, he’d hit 36 homers, total. Whatever the numbers are, a quick trade of him would help the Padres save some of the top tier market value he built up last fall.

Shortstop

Starlin Castro, Cubs— The tendency in recent years has been to pay young guys early to lock up their pre-prime years at good price without any interruption from arbitration or agents. The Cubs gave Castro $60 million over eight years at the ripe young age of 22 so they could lock in what was supposed to be the cornerstone they would rebuild around.

Smart logic at the time, but so far in 2013 it has seemed like they may have fed the Baby Bear too soon. He’s struggled with his effort all year, which has also not so ironically impacted his results as well. He’s hitting a bleak .243 on the year and was even benched in mid-June for both lacking hustle on the bases and focus in the field. It’s too early to write him off, but some signs of life would be nice to see.

Hamilton has not delivered on the promise that he brought to the Angels line and the hopes for a turnaround season via the former MVP and division rival.

Outfield

Ryan Braun, Brewers— For the first time in his career, he has looked mortal, and the Brewers have suffered because of it. Braun hits the break coming off a first half where he took his first trip to the disabled list, then was brought back up on a second round of PED controversy with the Biogenesis investigation and ended the half on the bereavement list just a few games after returning from injury. Along the way, he’s still managed to hit .304 with nine home runs, but for a team that is without much of its offensive core already; it was the worst possible time for Braun’s fall to begin.

Matt Kemp, Dodgers— He was once baseball’s iron man, but in the last two years Kemp hasn’t been able to hold himself together. 2013 has been pinnacle of his ongoing struggle to rise back up, as even when he has been healthy, he’s been a shell of his true self. He hits the break with a .254 average, only 4 home runs and over a month of time missed already between two stints on the disabled list. Probably his greatest highlight of the season was his vendetta trip to track down Carlos Quentin after he broke Zack Greinke’s collarbone.

Even when he has been active, he’s been limited and the Dodgers struggled to get mobile until Yaisel Puig arrived and provided the spark that had previously been Kemp’s to light up. It remains to be seen if LA can reach its summit while its greatest asset is still down.

Josh Hamilton, Angels— Two years, two big offseason adds in Anaheim, and two questionable (at best) returns. Hamilton has been stuck in a summer-long slump since landing with the Halos, and is carrying a .224 average into the break. By the month on the season, he has hit .204 in April, then .237 in May, back down to .231 in June and thus far .233 in July. Perhaps for the Rangers less (as in player, contract and roster boulder) is more with Hamilton plugging up a spot in LA instead of Arlington.

Pitchers

Matt Cain, Giants— It is hard to say why the Giants’ ace is down in the dumps, but one thing is for certain, he’s been the biggest enigma in one of the least impressive championship defenses in many years. His ERA is just north of 5.00 across his first 19 starts. April was particularly brutal, seeing him post an 0-2 record, with a 6.49 ERA and the Giants lose his first five starts.

R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays— The biggest name addition to the Jays run for the pennant this season has failed to find the form that made him the story of last summer. At the halfway point, he has already taken 10 losses, which is four more than his total all year with the Mets and has an ERA at 4.69. He has had seven starts where he has surrendered at least six earned runs, and has been responsible for the decision in all but two of his 20 starts thus far.

For more on these potential turnaround stories, or the fallout that will continue to be, follow me on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

Catching Up in the Cheap Seats

Hello all. It’s the busy season for me around these parts. Between keeping up with the end of the first half of baseball, all of the All-Star events, trade moves and the game itself, I haven’t been able to get everything in here as quick as I’ve put it out. But have no fear, I haven’t left you in the dust. Here’s a few previews and paths to my latest stuff. Afterwards hang around and I’ll let you know what will be coming out overall, as well as some new joints debuting exclusively here in the Cheap Seats.

But first, the view from The Cheap Seats at The Sports Fan Journal:

“Live Or Let Die: The Plight of the Phillies”

It’s the end of the first half of baseball season, but it’s starting to seem like both a whole lot more and a whole lot less all at once in Philadelphia. See, the Phillies have been bad; no other way to say it. By the lofty standards of the most consistent club in baseball over the last half-decade has set, it’s been a loud fall back to Earth. One that has seemingly come out of nowhere, but by looking a bit closer, the Phillies have been prone for this to happen.

Answers haven’t been easy to come by for Cliff Lee and the Phillies. Let me see what I can do help figure this out…

More than any other team in the game, the Phillies have lived in the moment the last few years. They smelled blood before they won their first World Series in over 25 years back in 2008, and ever since their return to the Series and subsequent defeat a year later, they’ve been out for it with every move they’ve made. In 2010 and ’11, they added the best pitcher in the world at the time, Roy Halladay, and the twice acquired ex-Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, locked up Ryan Howard to the biggest deal in the history of his position, and tacked on the brightest bricks on a crumbling Houston Astros club in Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence. All of these were big-money, win-now moves, and the results were in line with what should have been: They dominated seasons on end and won, a lot. All of that adds up to being on the right track, right? Well, you would think so …

But then the reality of this method kicked in full-speed this season, and it became abundantly clear: There was a lot less time left for the Phils than assumed coming into the year….

For the rest of this, including whether the Phils should roll the dice or cash in what’s left, head to TSFJ here: http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com/columns/live-or-let-die-the-plight-of-phillies/

“The All-Time, Dead or Alive Home Run Derby”

Major League Baseball’s All-Star week is upon us again, and with it comes the greatest skill exhibition in pro sports as well, the Home Run Derby. The annual gathering of each league’s best at attacking the boundaries set by outfield walls displays some of the most awe-inspiring moments of the season. In a few hours, Robinson Cano will look to keep Matt Kemp, Jose Bautista and Price Fielder, among others, off his heels as he looks to defend his title from last summer. While that’s no group to sneeze at, it could get a whole deeper if a few more contestants were made available.

If you could send any player ever to the Home Run Derby, would you take either of these guys? Keep digging to see my squad.

Now it may take a trip that only a DeLorean and Michael J. Fox can deliver to make it happen, but consider what a Home Run Derby would look like with EVERYBODY that ever made the long ball his business? Who would you want to see take their hacks against each other? More than that, who would be the last man standing? Today, we’re taking our hacks at settling at least half of that debate by proposing a few of the many candidates that would make the Ultimate, All-Time Home Run Derby an event to remember.

So what we did here today is got the debate started early, with some picks from myself, followed by the rest of the good folks here at TSFJ. Take a look at the case for each, and cast a vote on who’s got the best chance of taking the all-time crown below. And if you don’t see the best horse for the race, submit your own candidate for the crown. There’s no shortage of candidates qualified for the title…

To see who I picked as my choices for my dream Derby, as well as the rest of the staff over at TSFJ, follow this link here: http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com/sports/baseball/the-all-time-dead-or-alive-home-run-derby/

 

As for what’s to come? Today at St. Louis Sports 360, I’m covering who are the best options for the Cardinals make a trade deadline splash with. And towards the end of the week, I’ll be dropping my picks for first half MLB Awards, with a few shockers that show the baseball landscape is moving towards a brand new day about 100 mph…

As for what will be truly new in the OG Cheap Seats here, it’s time to make my long gone return to the NBA soon, and clear the air on what’s kept me away and what’s been the same and what’s looking new. Also, it’s about time to bring out this year’s summer history project. One that’s sure to spike debate in a brand new direction…

And if that’s not enough, we’ll talk about A day in the life of me that led me to cross paths with three Hall of Famers at once during the All-Star Game festivities in Kansas City and the question I posed that stopped the show…while hopefully bringing it forward.

 

Business is picking up in the Cheap Seats, but in between, follow me on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

CSP’s Top Ten All-Snubs of ’12

There’s always a lot of talk about who deserves to make the All-Star Game, and then it is always followed by even more about who should have made it that didn’t. Even with the expanded All-Star rosters and vote after the vote campaigns put into the motion over the last few years, there will always be far too many Stars and not enough spaces.

Even after the enormous rosters become even bigger, and injuries help to even the honors out (thus why the exiting Chipper Jones won’t be mentioned below), the initial roster still says the most about the regard that guy’s season holds. While it can never been exact science, there are still those victims of happenstance that never make sense. And with that, I bring to you the CHEAP SEATS top 10 All-Snubs of 2012.

10. Michael Bourn: He’s bringing it all together this year. The shock isn’t that he’s back close to the top of the NL in steals again, it’s that he’s doing it hitting over .300 (he’s a career .274 hitter) and is hitting the ball over the fence as well (he’s hit 7 of his 20 career homers in the first half of this year). He’s been the best day-to-day hitter in the Braves lineup this year, including ASG starter Dan Uggla.

9. Scott Downs: The most effective, shutdown closer that nobody is paying attention to this year. After a brief fill in as closer, he moved back to full-time set up man and still was shutdown material. His total runs surrendered through his shifting? One; good for a 0.36 ERA.

8. Johnny Cuerto: He wasn’t picked for the team and hasn’t been bashful about attributing this to a bias from his potential manager to be in the game. But of the NL starter snubs, his is pretty resounding. His 2.26 ERA is the second lowest of healthy, eligible starters. If only he hadn’t bit, or kicked, the hand he needed to feed him this year.

7. Matt Holliday: It’s an amazing year for NL outfielders, but he should have still made his way in the mix. His 51 RBI are the most of any player not headed to the game, and followed up a .340 May average with a .363 June. He’s raised his average nearly 50 points in the last two weeks, and has more RBI than games played over that time span.

6. David Freese: Current biggest star in St. Louis has made it his business to show that last October was far from a fluke. Pushed out of the game by the fan vote for Pablo Sandoval, he’s second in home runs (13), RBI (48) and batting average (.286) out of all NL third basemen.

Freese is leading the Final Vote in the NL currently, but the fact he’s even a candidate is a crime.

5. Jason Kipnis: The Indians second year, second baseman may very well be the best player not named Cano at second base in the AL. Not only has he popped out 11 home runs, he’s added 20 steals as well. Ian Kinsler benefitted strongly from having his guy picking the team, because that’s the only way he’s headed to KC over Kipnis.

4. Aaron Hill: If all was even to performance and impact, Hill would be the starter at second base. He leads NL second basemen in average and home runs after hitting .370 in June, and completing the cycle twice during the span. More importantly, he’s pull the D’Backs back in to mix in the West.

3. Tyler Clippard: Washington’s closer of the moment has long been the most effective and versatile reliever in the game, and made an All-Star appearance last year. However, a year later his finest performance goes unrewarded. After the Nationals tried seemingly 25 different closers this year, they finally turned to Clippard who responded with 13 saves after building up 10 holds in front his predecesors already. He’s been a huge reason why the Nats have been able to hold their position at the top of the East.

2. A.J. Pierzynski: The intangibles have always been there, and the numbers are better than ever for him this year as well. The White Sox backstop leads all AL catchers in home runs and RBI. What’s the worst thing about this omission is that no less than two other backups were taken over him. All of this is caused because of the fact that the fan vote sent the fourth best catcher in the league to answer the starting call, but Matt Wieters should have been made to miss out, not AJ.

1. Zack Grienke: This is an oversight simply because of the caliber of season that is being had by seemingly unnoticed by one of the best players in the game. Despite the Brewers turning down, and trade waters running up on his shores, Greinke is turning in his best performance since his Cy Young season three years ago. He has 106 strikeouts while winning nine games with a 3.06 ERA.

 

Something tells me that he’s first on the waiting list for when the inevitable pitching replacement comes down over the next week, but there’s something to be said for making it on the first call. And then there is something to be said for it not happening as well. But at least he’s not alone in this notion.

 

For more on the injustices being made right and the road to the best All-Star break of em all, follow me on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.