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Today begins the nearly week-long, year end Baseball Writers of America Awards celebration and starting tonight at 6 p.m. EST, MLB Network will be airing nightly programs to present those awards. The first honor will be for the Rookie of the Year.

American League Candidates

In the American League it’s an all-Western affair where the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels are represented.

First up, we have Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics. Cespedes, the 27-year-old (as of October) rookie from Cuba had a stellar first year for Oakland batting .292/.356/.505/.861 with 23 home runs and 82 RBI in 129 games all while helping the A’s to a surprise AL West Division title.

Cespedes was an interesting case of a guy who started off slowly – he batted .236/.309/.418/.727 in the first two months of the season, was able to make adjustments and go on to have a great season overall.

Cespedes favored playing at home batting .319/.406/.531/.937 in Oakland compared to .268/.308/.483/.791 on the road but there was a place which houses a team in his Division where Cespedes seemed to be very comfortable playing. He had a .324/.343/.647/.990 line in the Ballpark in Arlington which just so happens to be the home of our next Rookie of the Year candidate…

» Continue reading “Looking At The Rookie Of The Year Candidates”

Author’s Note: This post was written prior to the Rangers/Angels game on Thursday night. I don’t do 9 p.m. start times. Sorry, kids…

Texas Rangers

With a little less than 2 weeks left in the regular season, the Texas Rangers are pretty much where they have been the entire season, a top the AL West standings. Overall, not much has changed with the Rangers.  Over the last couple of weeks, they have gone 11-7, winning 2 series against the Indians, another against the Royals, and another against the Mariners.  The Derek Holland we all saw the second half of the 2011 season seems to emerged over the past few weeks which would help this team close things out over the next week or so.  That said, an injury to Adrian Beltre is certainly something to watch as they wind down the season.

The Rangers’ magic number is 11.

For more on the Texas Rangers, visit Big Game Claws.

» Continue reading “AL West Recap: Going Down To The Wire”

Since we last caught up with the AL West, a lot as changed, yet it’s stayed mostly the same …

Texas Rangers

Well, the Rangers seem to be chugging along, currently holding the AL’s best record.  Their offensive struggles seem to be a thing of the past as Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton have started to heat back up and David Murphy continues on his tear.  Despite that, starting pitching remains a question mark.  With a Yu Darvish quad injury, it looks like Roy Oswalt will be back in the line up for a bit longer.

For more on the Texas Rangers, visit Big Game Claws.

Oakland Athletics

Strong offensive performances and solid starting pitching have certainly been the story of this unexpected playoff contender.  However, the Bartolo Colon PED suspension is definitely a big blow for this wild card hopeful.  Over the past 2 weeks, the A’s have played .500 ball, but have still been able to hang in there in the Wild Card standings, currently tied with Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Detroit.  With a series coming up against the Rays this weekend, they’ll be looking to get a few games up in the WC standings.

For more on the Oakland Athletics, visit The Oaktown Breakdown. 

Los Angeles Angels

This team just can’t seem to get things together.  Despite an MVP-esque season from rookie Mike Trout, the Angels just can seem to find their stride, and a Pujols injury (who left early during Wednesday’s game) certainly won’t help things.  The Angels are currently sitting 9 games behing the Rangers and 3 games back in the wild card.  With a weekend series against the Tigers, they’ll be hoping to gain some ground in the WC.

For more on the Los Angeles Angels, visit Light Up The Halo. 

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners have definitely the story of the past week or so, topped off with Felix Hernandez’s perfect game against the Rays on Aug. 15.  Oh and over the past 2 weeks, they’ve only won 10 of 12.  They are definitely a long shot to make the post season, currently 6.5 games back in the Wild Card, but if they can keep up their winning ways, maybe they can make a run.

For more on the Seattle Mariners, visit Needle Ball. 

Raise your hand if you had the A’s as buyers and not sellers at the trade deadline …  Liar.

Honestly, did anyone really think that the AL West could potentially field THREE teams in the playoffs this year?  I guess people were too concerned about the AL East, huh?

Texas Rangers

Since the All-Star break, the Rangers have won series against the Mariners and the Red Sox, but lost 2 of 3 to the Angels.  Not a lot seems to be going right for the Rangers, whose pitching staff has been bit by the injury bug and offense is just puttering along.  Well, not a lot except that they some how seem to keep a 5+ game lead in their division.

The Rangers’ pitching staff also just recently took a big blow when their Opening Day starter, Colby Lewis, would be returning to the DL with a forearm injury that would require season ending surgery.  Roy Oswalt, who was signed with the Rangers back in May, was skipped from his most recent scheduled start due to lower back stiffness.  However, Derek Holland, in his 4th outing since returning from the DL, had a great night against the Red Sox, pitching 7 2/3 innings and striking out 7.  If Holland can somehow replicated his 2011 2nd half numbers, it would greatly help out this depleted pitching staff.

» Continue reading “AL West Recap: WHAT Is Going On?”

And not much has changed …

Texas Rangers

To say that the injury bug has hit the Rangers would be an understatement.  In just 2 weeks (OK, 2 weeks and a day), the Rangers have lost 4 of their key pitchers to injuries: starter Neftali Feliz (60-day DL, sprained ligament in left elbow), starter Derek Holland (15-day DL, shoulder fatigue), reliever-turned-starter Alexi Ogando (15-day DL, right groin strain), and the newest member relief pitcher Koji Uehara (15-day  DL, strained right lat muscle).

Despite the injuries, the Rangers are still hold on to their lead in the West, but seeing that lead diminish from 5.5 games 2 weeks ago to only a 3-game lead today.  At least the Rangers offense is still intact, though a bit lackluster these past couple of weeks.  That lineup, when on, can make up for most pitching deficiencies.

» Continue reading “AL West Recap: Injuries, Hot Streaks & Rollercoasters”

The Los Angeles Angels announced shortly after their 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics that they have fired hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. They promoted hitting coach Jim Eppard from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace Hatcher, who had been with the Angels since 2000. Hatcher was their hitting coach when they won their only World Series title in 2002.

The Angels have been pretty abysmal so far this season only scoring 134 runs in 37 games and they have been shut out eight times.

Of course, the biggest story of the young season for the Angels is newcomer Albert Pujols who has been a huge disappointment. Pujols is batting .212 and only has one home run so far.

Earlier this week a story came out that suggested Pujols was not happy with Hatcher. They both dismissed it as ridiculous but it is awfully interesting timing for Hatcher to be fired, right?

Angels ace Jered Weaver threw the tenth no-hitter in franchise history this evening, in a 9-0 victory over the Twins.

He was actually just two baserunners away from a perfect game. Chris Parmelee reached base on a dropped third strike by catcher Chris Iannetta in the second, and Josh Willingham drew a walk in the seventh. Otherwise, Weaver dominated the Minnesota lineup, striking out nine.

Weaver got some help from his teammates, both on defense and in the form of a pair of home runs from Kendrys Morales and Howie Kendrick.

Congratulations to Weaver on his first career no-hitter, and to Angels fans!

Spring Training is just about finished for the year. Final cuts are being made, lineups are being determined, position battles are being won … all because the start of the season is just days away. Of course, that means massive discussions — debates, even — over who is ready for what. This week, too, there was plenty of front office drama around the Major Leagues! We’ll get to it all in this week’s Wrap Up.

Angels

Good news, Halos fans — Kendrys Morales is cleared for take off! He’s back from a broken left ankle, and finally ready for Major League action. Just in time!

With Morales’s progress … what happens to Mark Trumbo? He’s had a solid enough season at third base that it’s making the decision to take him out of the starting lineup more difficult.

Brewers

Nyger Morgan isn’t a guy well known for good behavior and random acts of kindness. Nevertheless, he’s using his … “fame” for good in a new PETA ad encouraging people to adopt pets. After all, his cat Slick Willie is his best friend!

Earning attention in a different way is teammate Rickie Weeks. Despite his injuries and the challenge he’s had getting back to 100%, Weeks proved his toughness and earned great respect.  » Continue reading “Weekly Wrap Up: Injury Updates And Front Office Drama”

Baseball is back! Baseball is back!

Excuse my exuberance but, well, never mind. I’m sure you understand! Since our last Wrap Up, pitchers and catchers reported, and in most cases, so have position players. What that means (other than the fact that the universe has righted itself, of course) is that there’s a lot of news to get to. So, we’re going with some quick hits to get you all caught up.

Angels

• Not everyone in LA is thrilled with the Angels’ 2012 situation. Word is, Bobby Abreu wants out, specifically to be traded to a place where he’ll play every day. Manager Mike Scioscia countered by saying there’s plenty of chances for slugger to contribute.
• After some visa drama, reliever Francisco Rodriguez finally arrived at camp. Does four days count as “fashionably late”?
• Speaking of pitching, closer Jordan Walden is upping the ninth-inning ante by adding a third pitch to his arsenal. Don’t be surprised by how often he throws a changeup this year. Also, reliever Kevin Jepsen seems to be on track early — a good sign, since last year’s early troubles never ended.
• Albert Pujols now has a familiar face at Spring Training. Former teammate closer Jason Isringhausen is taking his talents to So Cal.

Brewers

• Did you hear? Ryan Braun’s 50-game suspension is no more. Read more from yesterday’s Around the Horn post. Or here. His teammates are thrilled to have him back on board, but it’s not all sunshine and roses from here on out. He has some ‘splainin’ yet to do!
• Meanwhile, Zack Greinke has a contract issue to work out. Only, he has no agent to work on his behalf. The Brewers, though, say there’s no reason to worry. Discussions will continue uninhibited.
• Rickie Weeks, who suffered an ankle injury in July, still doesn’t feel 100%. Ron Roenicke isn’t surprised, or particularly concerned. It’s simply a matter of learning to deal with the stiffness. » Continue reading “Weekly Wrap Up: Stay Healthy, Kids”