2011 Postseason Predictions

After quite possibly the most exciting night in baseball history, it's time for the postseason to provide a decent follow-up act (if possible)! Let's take a look at each series, and how I think they will unfold. First, the National League.


National League Division Series: Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (96-66)

The Brewers cruised to the NL Central crown with a rock solid bullpen, a frightening offense, and a decent starting rotation that is light years better than they were in 2010. This enabled them to win their first ever division crown since 1982, when they were still in the AL East. In addition to this, they won a franchise record 96 games, breaking the old record of 95 set in 1979 and 1982.

Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy has been one of
the best (and most underrated) starters in baseball this year.

The Diamondbacks however, became only the third team in baseball history to reach the postseason after losing 97 games the previous year (the 1991 Braves and the 1999 Diamondbacks are the other two). They raced to the division crown featuring a decent offense and a very underrated pitching staff, led by Ian Kennedy, who finished with a ridiculous 21-4 record with a 2.88 ERA.

My prediction: Diamondbacks 3 games to 1. I believe that Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson will be on top of their game, stalling Milwaukee's offense along the way. Arizona's offense will find just enough pop to get by Milwaukee, and that will help lead them to their first NLCS appearance since 2007.

National League Division Series: St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (102-60)
The Redbirds were huge underdogs in the NL Central heading into 2011, as many prognosticators believed the Reds and Brewers were better teams (myself included). Honestly, for the first five months, this definitely appeared to be the case, as St. Louis was a whopping 10.5 games behind Atlanta in the Wild Card race as late as August 25. The Cards caught fire after that day, going 22-9 the rest of the way, while the Braves went a dismal 10-20 to miss the playoffs in one of the biggest collapses of all-time.

Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay may not no-hit the Cardinals,
but he'll help lead Philly to the NLCS for the fourth straight year.

The Phillies were just the Phillies, winning their fifth consecutive division title with a franchise-record 102 victories. They did this with the best rotation in baseball leading the way, which masked the fact that their aging, injury-prone offense wasn't much to write home about. However, the Phils slumped toward the end of the season, going on an eight-game losing streak just days after clinching.

My prediction: Phillies 3 games to 2. The Cardinals are a team on fire right now, and they will ride that momentum going into the postseason. St. Louis has also given Philly fits this year, going 6-3 against them in the regular-season. Nonetheless, the Phillies will hang on only because their rotation will be just strong enough for them to extinguish the Cards.

American League Division Series: Detroit Tigers (95-67) vs. New York Yankees (97-65)

Justin Verlander will have a lot on his
hands dealing with New York's potent offense.

The Tigers rode to their first division title since 1987 mainly behind the efforts of starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who has a terrific shot at becoming the first pitcher to win the MVP since 1992. The Tigers also have a solid offense, with AL batting champion Miguel Cabrera leading the way. Also, once you give the ball to closer Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde, it's game over; Valverde went a perfect 49 for 49 in saves this year.

The Yankees, as always, are riding on the heels of their intimidating offense into October, but the guy leading the wasn't Jeter, A-Rod or Teixeira. It was former Tiger Curtis Granderson, who hit an unprecedented 41 homers and drove in 119. The Yanks also stayed afloat with a piecemeal rotation behind ace C.C. Sabathia, as White Sox castoffs Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have come through big for them this year.

My prediction: Yankees 3 games to 1. The Tigers will steal game one behind Verlander, but the lack of depth in their rotation will do them in against New York's mighty offense.

American League Division Series: Tampa Bay Rays (91-71) vs. Texas Rangers (96-66)

The Rangers will need for C.J. Wilson to
be on top of his game all throughout
the postseason.

Tampa Bay made their third postseason appearance in four years behind a comeback for the ages (and a collapse for the ages from the Red Sox). However, this should not mask the fact that they have one of the best rotations in the game, and all of their starters are under 30! Their team ERA of 3.58 was the second-best in the American League, only trailing the Angels' 3.57. Their offense isn't much to write home about, but then again, it wasn't last year, and they still managed to win 96 games. Simply put, their hitters know how to drive people in when it counts.

The Rangers theoretically are still the team to beat in the American League. After all, they are the defending American League champions and they are back in the playoffs. They reached the postseason again behind some decent pitching and an intimidating offense. As a team, the Rangers hit an AL-best .283.

My prediction: Rangers 3 games to 2. The Rays are on fire right now, but Texas will certainly cool them off behind their blistering offense and solid pitching. Like last year, the Rangers will need all five games to take out the Rays.

The Rest of the Postseason:
ALCS: Rangers over Yankees, 4 games to 2.
NLCS: Phillies over Diamondbacks, 4 games to 2.
World Series: Rangers over Phillies, 4 games to 3.

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Now, for my other award predictions:
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays
NL Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks

Also, for your reading pleasure, here's Tom Verducci's brilliant recap of last night's drama. (Sports Illustrated)

That's all for now. Take care, and enjoy the playoffs tomorrow!

My Top Five AL MVP Candidates

Yesterday we looked at who I think should be the top five National League MVP candidates. Although Ryan Braun added to his credentials last night with a three-run homer that helped Milwaukee clinch the NL Central, my position still stands. Even if Matt Kemp does not achieve the Triple Crown, he will still finish close enough for me to garner the MVP.

Today, it's time to look at who I believe should be the top five candidates to win the American League MVP.

Fifth-place vote: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Through September 24: .336 BA, 27 HRs, 100 RBIs, .443 OBP, .566 SLG
Cabrera is having another terrific year for the Detroit Tigers as the anchor in their lineup. He's currently third in the American League in batting average, second in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging. However, his home run total is lacking a bit this year (he's tied for 14th in the AL) and he put up better numbers last year on a team that finished with a worse record.

Fourth-place vote: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
Through September 24: .319 BA, 28 HRs, 98 RBIs, .374 OBP, .539 SLG, 37 steals
Ellsbury has been a major catalyst in Boston's lineup this year, as he is on the brink becoming the first 30/30 player in Red Sox history. While his .319 average is impressive for a leadoff hitter, his 28 home runs and 37 stolen bases makes him an all-around threat, along with his defense in center field.

Third-place vote: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Through September 24: .303 BA, 42 HRs, 101 RBIs, 128 BBs, .447 OBP, .611 SLG, 1.058 OPS
"Joey Bats" is proving that last year was no fluke, as his batting average is significantly higher than it was last year. He currently leads the AL in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and walks. Oh, and he's also in the top ten in batting average. Make no mistake about it, Bautista looks like he's here to stay as one of the elite hitters in the American League. Only his team's sub-par performance will keep him from winning the award.

Second-place vote: Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
Through September 24: .277 BA, 41 HRs, 119 RBIs, .372 OBP, .572 SLG, 24 steals
Granderson is having the kind of breakout season that Bautista had during 2010. While his average is lacking (.277), he easily makes up for it in home runs (second in the AL) and RBIs (first in the AL). Even though the Yankees would still be a very good team without Granderson, he is the guy that has them in first place instead of third in the AL East.





First-place vote: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Through September 24: 24-5 record, 2.29 ERA, 244 Ks, 244.0 IP, 0.91 WHIP
Throw out the fact that he is a pitcher and not a position player and think of him in terms of overall value to his team. The award is called the Most Valuable Player, right? Well, who has been more valuable to his team than Justin Verlander this year? Let's face it, the Tigers are a significantly weaker team without him, and the AL Central would be a race between the Indians and White Sox if it weren't for Verlander's outstanding season for Detroit. The fact that he goes deep into ballgames lessens the workload of the bullpen, and when you look at the other pitchers in Detroit's starting rotation (Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Brad Penny, etc.), this team would be lost without Verlander. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's leading the AL in wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and innings pitched.

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 28- New York Yankees

My glacial look at all thirty teams continues, in spite of the fact that it has been well over thirty days!

New York Yankees
Record: 95-67 (Second place in AL East, one game behind Tampa Bay. AL Wild Card Champions).

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Robinson Cano (.319)
Home Runs: Mark Teixeira (33)
RBIs: Alex Rodriguez (125)
On-base Percentage: Brett Gardner (.383)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: CC Sabathia (21)
Strikeouts: CC Sabathia (197)
Innings Pitched: CC Sabathia (237.2)
ERA: CC Sabathia (3.18). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (1.80)
WHIP: CC Sabathia (1.19). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (0.83)
Saves: Mariano Rivera (33)

Highlight of the Year: Sweeping the Twins for the second year in a row in the Division Series on October 9, as they would defeat Minnesota 6-1 in front of the home crowd at Yankee Stadium.
Lowlight of the Year: Almost two weeks later, the Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers 6-1 in Game Six of the ALCS, which ended their quest to repeat as World Champions.

The Lowdown:
The Yankees entered the 2010 season with reason to believe that they could repeat as World Champions. After all, they had the best team in baseball by a wide margin, and there wasn't any reason to believe that their pitching would regress. Even if it did, they still had a phenomenal lineup to fall back on to bail their pitching staff out in times of trouble. Once the season began, the Yankees were back at it again, bludgeoning opponents with their mighty offense, even when their starting rotation was largely mediocre behind CC Sabathia. However, the Yankees were challenged once again by the pesky Tampa Bay Rays, who were able to keep pace with New York all season long. With Boston as a non-factor in the AL East race, New York and Tampa duked it out until the season's end, when the Yankees fell short of Tampa Bay by one game in the East, capturing the Wild Card instead.

In spite of being the Wild Card, the Yankees still had the look of a dangerous team entering the playoffs, and they laid waste to the Twins in the first round yet again to make it back to the ALCS. Surprisingly enough, their opponent would not be the Rays, but the Texas Rangers, a very formidable adversary. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they ran out of gas in the ALCS, as the Rangers made fairly easy work of the Bronx Bombers to reach the World Series. While many teams in baseball look at a trip to the LCS as an accomplishment, the Yankees have a much different standard for evaluation, and coming up short in the playoffs last year was no doubt a tremendous failure for a team with the expectation to win it all.

Offense:
Strength was the key to the Yankees' offense yet again, as they would finish first in MLB in runs (859) and on-base percentage (.350), while finishing third in slugging (.436) and home runs (211). They had a plethora of weapons at their disposal, including Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez. Between those five players was a great balance of speed, contact and power.

Cano for all intents and purposes was probably the best overall hitter on this team, as the MVP-candidate hit .319, with 29 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a solid OBP of .381. Those numbers would be great for a player at any position, but the fact that he's a second baseman putting up these numbers is simply phenomenal. Mark Teixiera continued to provide a sufficient amount of power at the plate, leading the team in home runs with 33, while driving in 108. Along with Teixieira, Alex Rodriguez continued to be a significant threat at the plate, hitting 30 home runs once again while driving in a team-best 125. Nick Swisher provided a nice balance of contact and power at the plate, hitting .288 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs, while Brett Gardner was outstanding in the lead-off spot, getting on base at a team-best .383 while stealing 47 bases, good for third in the American League.

With all of the strengths the Yankees have in their lineup with those aforementioned five, you can easily get away with some weak spots in the lineup, even if one of them happens to be team captain Derek Jeter.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
What was one of their strengths in 2009 ended up being a weakness last year, as the Yankees finished 15th in ERA (4.06), 13th in walks (540) and third in home runs allowed (179). CC Sabathia was immune to any struggles though, as he put up a Cy Young-caliber season, going 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 197 strikeouts while facing some of the toughest lineups in baseball on a regular basis within his division. Behind him was a great deal of mediocrity however, as A.J. Burnett regressed significantly from 2009, going 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA while Javier Vazquez wasn't much better, going 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA. Phil Hughes had a nice record of 18-8, but his suspect 4.19 ERA meant that he was the beneficiary of a great offense helping him out even when he wasn't at his best.

Andy Pettitte was solid in his final MLB season, going 11-2 with a 3.28 ERA. His numbers would have likely been better had he not missed two months in the second half with a groin injury. While there are a plethora of factors one could look to as to why New York didn't win the division, Pettitte's injury in the second half certainly had to be a major contributor. His final career start was a gutsy one, going seven strong innings in Game Three of the ALCS while giving up only two earned runs. Unfortunately he wouldn't get the win, as the bullpen blew up in the final two innings, surrendering six runs.

The Yankees' bullpen was decent last year, finishing seventh in ERA at 3.47, no doubt influenced by the seemingly-ageless Mariano Rivera closing out ballgames. He was fantastic yet again at the ripe old age of 40, recording a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 0.83 while closing out 33 games last year. He had two other solid relievers around him, as Boone Logan and David Robertson were serviceable, finishing with ERAs of 2.93 and 3.82 respectively in 50-plus appearances. Most of the other relievers were either average or below, including Joba Chamberlain, who made the most appearances on the staff (73) in spite of his high ERA (4.40).

When you have an offense as good as theirs, you can easily get away with having an average pitching staff, and collectively that's what they Yankees were last year.
Final Grade: B-

Wild Card: Derek Jeter
The team captain obviously leads by example on the field and off of it, but Jeter wasn't leading anybody in offense last year, as he had the worst statistical year of his career, hitting only .270 with 10 home runs, 67 RBIs and a miserable OBP of .340. He won the Gold Glove at short last year, but as we all know, the Gold Glove is a farce that's only awarded based on reputation and not by actual on-field performance in a given season. While Jeter is 36 and still has a few years left in him, one has to wonder how those years will be, especially since most major league players begin their decline after 35.
Final Grade: D-

Overall:
Hey, you can't fault them for reaching the postseason once again, even if it was through the Wild Card. However, the expectations for the Yankees are usually so high to the point where if they don't even reach the World Series, their year is a failure. I don't think they were a failure obviously, but with the talent they have, they probably should have made it again.
Final Grade: A

Check back soon for the report card on the Tampa Bay Rays!

AL Cy Young Award candidates: who gets your vote?

We continue our look at the potential award winners of 2010 by taking a glance at the candidates for the American League Cy Young Award.

Stats are as of September 20:


3.) Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
12-11, 2.35 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.07 WHIP

You might be wondering why you're seeing Felix Hernandez in this list. You might even be saying to yourself, "why is a pitcher with a record barely over .500 being considered for the Cy Young?" Well, this is indicative of the changing voting trends among the writers. They no longer look at just part of the package in wins and losses, rather, they look at the pitcher's entire body of work, regardless of his team's place in the standings. The precedent was set with Zack Greinke winning the award last year for the last place-Royals, despite his modest win total of 16.

Nobody disputed the fact that Greinke was the best pitcher in the AL last year, and this year, you can almost make the same case for Hernandez, who is putting together a spectacular year for the last place-Mariners. He is currently leading the AL in ERA with a mark of 2.35, and he is also the league leader in innings pitched (233.2) and strikeouts (222). His walks and hits per innings pitched (aka WHIP) is third in the AL at a spectacular 1.07.

So what's the deal with Hernandez? Why isn't he getting the same amount of publicity that Greinke received in Kansas City last year? Well, as unfair as it might sound, Hernandez did not get off to the blistering start that Greinke got off to last year. Greinke went his first four starts before giving up a single earned run. He also went into July before seeing his ERA rise above two. Hernandez, on the other hand, saw his ERA peak around four in early May, and it has never fallen below two all year. While Hernandez's year is fantastic, it doesn't quite match up to Greinke's dominance in '09, even if "King Felix" is the league leader in several major statistical categories.


2.) David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
17-6, 2.79 ERA, 172 Ks, 1.19 WHIP

In just his second full big league season, David Price is starting to reach the potential that everybody predicted he would get to. He is quickly becoming the ace of the Rays' loaded pitching staff, as he is third in the AL in wins (17), third in ERA (2.79), and is tied for tenth in WHIP with a 1.19 mark. With the season he's having, and with Tampa Bay essentially being assured of a playoff spot, Price has the chance to become the first player in team history to win the Cy Young Award.


1.) CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
20-6, 3.05 ERA, 183 Ks, 1.18 WHIP

Sabathia, in my opinion, has been the top pitcher in the American League this year, and I believe that he will wind up becoming the Yankees' first Cy Young winner in nine years. He reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in his career in his last start against Baltimore back on September 18, and that win also gave him the major-league lead. He is also second in the AL in innings pitched (224.0), sixth in strikeouts (183), sixth in ERA (3.05) and ninth in WHIP (1.18). While Felix Hernandez has him beat in all of the aforementioned categories except for wins, some credit has to be given to Sabathia for putting up comparable numbers in the thick of a pennant race. Sabathia has also had a greater percentage of starts against tougher opponents in the cutthroat American League East, where he had to take on the likes of the Rays, Red Sox, and even the Toronto Blue Jays, who lead the AL in home runs by a whopping 29 over the next best team. While it is not Hernandez's fault that his team is terrible and that his division is sub-par (sans Texas), Sabathia should not be penalized for putting up comparable numbers in the toughest division in baseball.

Check back soon for the NL Cy Young Award candidates!

Another day, another loss

I suppose the Sox really do need Manny Ramirez now. After watching them lose two close games in a row to the Yankees, I sat and wondered, "What if the Sox had Manny right now? Would we win both of those games, and pull off a sweep of the Yankees? Would the DH hole finally be solved and we can mash our way to the postseason?" While that answer is not for certain, one thing is: the Sox need Manny Ramirez right now, and desperately.

Some of you who are reading this may remember me explicitly stating that the Sox do NOT need Manny back around the trade deadline. You might even remember me saying that Manny would be a distraction that the Sox don't need. Well, I suppose anybody can change their mind, and desperate times call for desperate measures. I was wrong to think that the Sox don't need Manny. However, I did not think things would get so bleak for the Sox at that point in the season, though. Right now, this team needs a desperate boost. Having Manny even for just a few weeks as the DH is a hell of a lot better than seeing Mark Kotsay, Andruw Jones or Mark Teahen taking up that same lineup spot. He may not be quite as good as he once was, but he is still far better than the aforementioned three.

While the Sox may need some bullpen help more than anything, they probably aren't going to get the quality help they're looking for through the waiver wire at this point. With J.J. Putz, Matt Thornton, and Erick Threets all on the DL, they'll have to piece together what they have at this point to make it through September. Their best shot of making the postseason now is to survive with the battered arms in the bullpen, and just slug their way to the playoffs, a la 2000. It can still be done. Being 4.5 games out entering August 30 is not the end of the world. Unfortunately, the Twins have saved their best baseball for when they needed it, and they have been playing out of their minds since the All-Star break. The Sox need to make a statement by picking up Ramirez to send a message to the Twins and the rest of the American League that the Sox aren't dead just yet. Let's hope that Kenny Williams can get a deal done by Tuesday.

The 30 Day/30 Team Report Cards: Day 30- New York Yankees

Alas, we have reached our final report card of 2009 (even though it is 2010). Today's final team will be the World Champions, the New York Yankees. Let's take a look at the Bronx Bombers of 2009:

New York Yankees:
Record: 103-59 (AL East Champions, World Series Champions).

Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Derek Jeter (.334)
Home Runs: Mark Teixeira (39)
RBIs: Mark Teixeira (122)
On-base Percentage: Derek Jeter (.406)

Pitching Leaders:
Wins: CC Sabathia (19)
ERA: CC Saabathia (3.37). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (1.76).
Strikeouts: CC Sabathia (197)
Innings Pitched: CC Sabathia (230)
WHIP: Mariano Rivera (0.90). Starters- CC Sabathia (1.15)
Saves: Mariano Rivera (44)

Highlight of the Season: Winning their 27th World Championship on November 4, over the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Duh!

Lowlight of the Season: Tie between getting clobbered by the Indians at home, 22-4 on April 18, and losing two out of three at home to the lowly Nationals on June 16-18.

The Lowdown:
At long last, after years of spending and even more spending, the Yankees were finally World Champions again, giving their long-suffering fans happiness and a reason for excitement once again. Of course, I was only being facetious with that previous statement, but the Yankees seemed to finally find that right mix of talent to carry them to the promised land in October for the 27th time. After years of bulking up their offense, and spending millions of ill-advised dollars on flukish or mediocre-to-terrible pitchers (does Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown or Kei Igawa ring a bell for anyone?), the Yanks finally found their front-of-the-rotation pitching aces that would carry them to October, and they would be in the form of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. However, it doesn't hurt to beef up your offense when you have the opportunity, and the Yankees did just that, as they were able to land Mark Teixeira as a free agent during the '08-'09 offseason. He would end up joining an already potent lineup that featured Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Hideki Matsui, among others.

The dawn of the 2009 season also marked the first time since 1922 that the Yankees would not be playing in "The House that Ruth built," as they moved across the street to the shiny, expensive, brand-spanking-new Yankee Stadium, that ended being even more of a haven for power-hitters than its predecessor. Home runs flew out of the new ballpark at an alarming rate last year, which no doubt made the Yankees' lineup all the more intimidating. However, they still had to have effective pitching to quell the offensive explosion at the new ballpark, and their staff, as a whole, was up to the task. When you combine one of the best offenses in baseball with some of the best pitching in baseball, it comes as no surprise that the Yankees finished atop the baseball world in 2009.

Offense:
Thanks to their homer-happy new ballpark, and to Mark Teixeira, the Yankees' offense was as explosive as ever in 2009. Their lineup featured a remarkable seven people who hit at least 20 home runs in 2009, and Teixeira led the way for them, as he drilled 39 in his first season in the Big Apple. It goes without saying that he put up a very MVP-worthy season, as he had a robust 122 RBIs, .292 batting average and .383 on-base percentage to go along with his 39 homers. However, he lost out in the MVP race to Minnesota's Joe Mauer, who put up an equally fantastic season behind the plate.

The other major power threat in New York's lineup was obviously, Alex Rodriguez. Despite missing some time due to injury, A-Rod still put up solid numbers, as he hit .286, with 30 homers and 100 RBIs, to go along with a robust .402 on-base percentage. Nonetheless, the aforementioned stats will not be what Yankees fans will remember about A-Rod in '09, as he was able to finally shake the postseason monkey off his back in October. He would end up leading the Yankees in all four major offensive categories during the play-offs, as he hit .365, with six home runs, 18 RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage. In fact, the only debate that you will find about A-Rod among Yankees fans is which of his home runs during the play-offs was bigger: his game-tying two-run homer off of Twins' closer Joe Nathan in Game Two of the Division Series, or his game-tying home run in the 11th inning of Game Two of the LCS against the Angels? Both home runs came in games in which the Yankees would eventually win. I'll let you be the judge.

Two other major contributors in the Yankees' lineup were the double-play tandem of Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Jeter was simply Jeter once again in 2009, as he hit for an outstanding .334 average, to go along with 18 home runs and a fantastic .406 on-base percentage. He also reached a major milestone during the season, as he passed Lou Gehrig for the Yankees' all-time hits record with his 2,722nd hit against the Orioles on September 11. His partner up the middle, Robinson Cano, also put together a fantastic season of his own, as he hit .320, with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs. It goes without saying that these are some excellent numbers for a second baseman, but despite this, his season was largely overshadowed by his other higher-profile teammates.

Overall, the Yankees would finish first in MLB in runs scored (915) home runs (244), on-base percentage (.362), and would tie with the Angels for first in hits (1,604). They would also finish second in batting average (.283), third in doubles (325) and first in total bases (2,703). While other lineups around baseball appeared to be just as potent on paper, the Yankees, by far and away, featured the best lineup in baseball in 2009.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
The biggest reason for the Yankees' success in 2009 lies not within their lineup, but within the pitching rotation. For the first time in several years, the Yankees had a solid rotation, and not one that could be considered "shaky, at best." Pitching was the key formula to their three consecutive championships from 1998-2000, and the Yanks found it again this year with a great rotation that featured CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain making up the bulk of the starts. Sabathia picked right up where he left off in his stellar '08 campaign, as he finished 19-8 this year, with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Innings also were not a problem for the big lefty either, as he gobbled up 230 of them on the rubber last year. He certainly silenced the prognosticators at the beginning of the season who said that he was due to regress in '09, and he would have definitely received more consideration for the Cy Young last season if it weren't for Zack Greinke's monster year in Kansas City.

Backing him up in the number two slot was A.J. Burnett, who finally put together back-to-back 200 inning seasons for the first time in his career. While he did not receive as many wins last year as he did in Toronto in '08 (when he went 18-10), he was still solid in the Yankees rotation, going 13-9 last year, with a 4.04 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 207 innings pitched. While many around baseball knew that a dominant Sabathia would be a big key to the Yankees success, many also knew that if they were going to go deeper into the play-offs than in recent years, Burnett had to be healthy and producing, too. The once injury-prone Burnett proved that he was healthy once again in '09, and that he was definitely up to the task.

In the number three spot was a familiar face, and that was Andy Pettitte. In his third season back with the Yankees after a brief sojourn to Houston, Pettitte continued to be the wise and experienced presence on the staff, as he was one of the remaining left-overs from the Yankees' glory years of 1996-2000. He would continue to prove to everybody that he still had something left in the tank, as he went 14-8 last year, with a 4.16 ERA in 194.2 innings. While he is no longer a front-of-the-rotation starter, he is still quite adequate as a number three starter, and he is still a guy the Yankees have no problem handing the ball to in big games.

Rounding out the major four starters for the Yankees is Joba Chamberlain. While he was certainly serviceable as a number four starter (finishing 9-6, with a 4.75 ERA in 31 starts), his season could have certainly been better, considering how much talent he has. However, 2009 marked his first full season as a starter in the bigs, so I'll cut him some slack. Plus, it seems that the Yankees have finally found out what they wanted to do with him, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he improved substantially in 2010. As long as they don't keep threatening to shuffle him off to the bullpen, he will be fine.

Speaking of the bullpen, the Yankees had a very youthful crew coming into ballgames in '09, as Phil Coke, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, Brian Bruney and Alfredo Aceves were all 27 or younger during the season. This young bunch would be backed up by the sage-like presence of the great Mariano Rivera closing out games, who no doubt had to be a big influence on the rest of the 'pen this year. While the youngsters were effective during the season (four out of the five aforementioned pitchers would finish with ERAs under four except for Coke), it was Rivera who was the best of them all in the 'pen once again, finishing with 44 saves in 46 chances, a 1.76 ERA and a ridiculous WHIP of 0.90. Rivera- who was 39 during the season- seems to be like a fine wine; he just continues to get better and better with age.

Overall, the Yankees rotation definitely held their own amongst all of the teams in MLB, as they tied for 11th in ERA (4.26), finished 17th in runs allowed (753), 13th in walks (574), fourth in strikeouts (1,260) and fifth in "batting average against" (.251). While they weren't in the same category of pitching excellence as the Giants and Dodgers, they were still better than most teams in MLB.
Final Grade: A-

Wild Card: Homegrown Talent
Yeah, that's right, I said it. The Yankees have much more homegrown talent than most people realize. These weren't just marginal players either who contributed very little to the team's success. These were major players, guys who made a difference to the team this year, who, without them, the Yankees would not have achieved the level of success they earned this year. Here is a list of the major contributors on the Yankees in 2009 who came out of their farm system at some point:
Derek Jeter
Andy Pettitte
Jorge Posada
Mariano Rivera
Robinson Cano
Phil Coke
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain
Brett Gardner
Melky Cabrera
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves

By my count, that is twelve people, which is damn near half of their team. I might have still left out some people, but those were the guys who came to mind for me. While the Yankees do spend a lot of money (the last team to have a higher opening day payroll than them was the 1998 Baltimore Orioles), they also have a great eye for finding talent as well. The only difference is that they have the money to lock them up once contract time comes. You can rip the Yankees all you want for spending big bucks for free agents, but don't accuse them of not being able to develop their own talent, because clearly, they have.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
Don't let the Phillies' acquisition of Roy Halladay fool you, the Yankees are still the team to beat coming into 2010. They are the best team in baseball right now.
Final Grade: A+

Well everybody, that will do it for our "Report Cards" series. I would like to thank each and every one of you that decided to take time out of your day to come on to my little website to read about baseball! We had the opportunity to learn about the some of the best and worst baseball had to offer in 2009, and some of the surprising stars and unsung heroes of many teams as well. With that, I bring the "009 Report Cards"series to a close. Make sure to stay posted for updates on the White Sox and MLB right here on "Miracle on 35th Street!"

Ugh. Start spreading the news....

The New York Yankees have won their 27th World Championship. Just in case you were keeping track, that is 17 more than the next closest team (the St. Louis Cardinals have 10 titles). Even though I would much rather see the Yankees win it all as opposed to Boston or Minnesota, I think I'm still going to take a day off to stew over this. I have homework I need to finish, anyway. I'll come back tomorrow with something more thoughtful to say. Congratulations to the Yankees, and may my beloved White Sox destroy you and your overpaid team next year.

Keep up the good work, Ozzie!

If you were watching the World Series during last night's one hour and twenty minute rain delay, you got a big dose of Ozzie Guillen and his thoughts on the World Series so far. Even though the Series is not over yet, I have to commend Ozzie on the great job he has done on Fox's panel. He has given thoughtful analysis on players from both teams, and has provided outstanding insight into the world of managing during the World Series as well. Also, he has managed to make it to Game 4 without letting a cuss word slip, so I have to give him props for that as well.

There was one moment that I particularly enjoyed during last night's rain delay. It was when Chris Rose, Eric Karros, Mark Grace and Ozzie were all talking about how the World Series gives players the opportunity to live out part of their childhood dreams, or something of that nature. While they were talking, the camera proceeded to show pictures of Mark Grace and Eric Karros when they were twelve years old. When they were doing this, I was licking my chops in anticipation of the moment when they would show a little Ozzie on there, so I, along with the rest of the nation, could kindheartedly ridicule Ozzie on his youthful appearance. Once it got to the moment when you thought they would show Ozzie's picture, they did not show it. Ozzie, keeping the humor at an all-time high on there, would say that his family did not have a camera when he was that young, and that they did not even have uniforms for him when he was that young. If those words came out of the mouth of anybody else, it would have been depressing. However, since it came out of Ozzie's mouth, it was comedic gold.

Things became more hilarious after this. After explaining why there was not any pictures of him as a child featured on there, Ozzie would end up ridiculing Chris Rose. Ozzie set the whole stage up by telling Rose, "Chris, buddy, I have something for you to see." The cameras then revealed the picture of a dorky-looking, 12 year old Chris Rose in all of its awkward glory. Guillen, Karros and Grace would all end up taking their shots at Rose because of this.

Ozzie's decision to appear on Fox's pre-game and post-game panel has been a great one so far, and the viewers at home are benefitting from this. ¡Viva Ozzie Guillen y viva su leyenda!

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In other affairs, the Yankees won 8-5 last night to take a 2-1 Series lead. The Phillies would now have to send the Series back to New York for them to have a chance of winning it all. They are also going to need the bats of Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez to wake up if they want to have a chance of winning it all, too. The two have combined to hit 5-25 in the Series ("good" for a .200 batting average), with no home runs and three RBIs. The pitcher that they will have to face will be no walk in the park, either, as CC Sabathia is slated to toe the rubber for the Yanks in Game 4. The Phillies will counter by sending Joe Blanton out to the hill. Both pitchers are making their second career World Series start. The Phillies better hope that Ibanez and Howard can wake up, and that Blanton can come through big with a good start, or else this series will be over faster than they can realize.

The Sound of Philadelphia

Well, we are just hours away from the start of Game 3 of the World Series between the Phillies and Yankees. Cole Hamels is slated to toe the rubber for the Fightin' Phils against Andy Pettitte, who is pretty used to starting games in the World Series. Even though this is Pettitte's first start in a World Series game since 2005, he is 3-4 all-time in World Series starts (he's made 11 of them) with a pretty solid 3.82 ERA in 66 innings pitched. I think it is ridiculous that he has had the opportunity to have 66 innings pitched in the World Series, but I digress. Pettitte should not be fazed about starting today since he's pretty used to this kind of thing. What about Hamels, though?

Hamels had an absolutely fantastic postseason last year, which culminated with him taking home the World Series MVP for his performance against Tampa Bay. However, Hamels has been anything but fantastic this postseason. His ERA in the play-offs so far has risen nearly six full runs up to 6.75 this year. Hamels' regular season statistics have not been much better, as he finished with a pedestrian 10-11 record with a 4.32 ERA. Is his arm simply fatigued from last year, when he threw for the most innings in his professional career to date? Could Hamels just be a shooting star, who shines bright for just a short period of time, only to burn out quickly? We will have to see how he does for the next couple of seasons to be certain.

Nonetheless, there is one thing that I am certain of: Hamels needs to come through big for the Phillies tonight. Either that, or the offense just needs to come big for him. Ahhh, I've talked too much at this point. I'll just let the game do the talking. See you tomorrow!

Oh yes, and the title of my thread would be inappropriate if I did not include the actual song (and former "Soul Train" theme), "The Sound of Philadelphia." Have fun, and happy Halloween!



Oh yes, and since this is Halloween, please treat yourself to at least one more rendition of "Thriller."

Mo, Mo, Mo! How do you like me? How do you like me?

The New York Yankees, behind the dominant pitching performances of A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera, took Game 2 of the World Series by a score of 3-1. With that win, the 1990 Reds can sleep easy, because they will remain the last NL team to sweep the World Series for at least one more year.

In all seriousness though, even though the Yankees took Game 2 yesterday, I still believe that they have an uphill climb ahead of them to win it all. This is because of two reasons:

1.) The Yankees are in Philadelphia for Games 3-5. This is pretty self-explanatory.

and

2.) Prior history is going against them. Yes, I know, some of you might say that history does not mean a damn thing right now. Dig this though: in the last 20 World Series that were played prior to this year, the team that won Game 1 won 17 out of the 20 titles. The only three teams who won Game 1 and failed to win it all were the 1992 Braves, 1996 Braves and the 2002 Giants.

Also, you do not have to look any farther than last year to see how prior history could go against the Yankees. In last year's World Series, the Phillies split two games in Tampa, with Philly taking Game 1 (much like this year). When the series shifted to Philadelphia for Games 3-5, the Phillies won all three to take the title, outscoring the Rays by a combined 19-9 in the process.

Of course this is just speculation on my part. This is only because I really do not want to see the Yankees win the World Series (along with a good portion of baseball fans in North America). However, if the Yanks manage to steal a game in Philly, the momentum could easily shift in their favor.

Cliff Notes: How to do work on the Yankees

Well, just in case you were under a rock yesterday, Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee was doing work on the Yankees. What is "doing work," the un-hip, uneducated observer of this blog might ask? Well one definition of it could be when you throw a complete game, strike out 10 and walk no one in Game 1 of the World Series. Lee became the first pitcher to record 10 strikeouts with no walks in a World Series game since 1949, when Don Newcombe accomplished the feat in Game 1 against none other than the New York Yankees.

Lee never seemed to break a sweat during any point of the game. He dazzled the mighty Yankees line-up with an array of well placed changeups, fastballs, and curveballs. He ended up making accomplished hitters such as Mark Teixeira look foolish and Alex Rodriguez look feeble. Even his basket catch of Johnny Damon's pop-up in the sixth inning of yesterday's game seemed effortless. It seemed like Lee could do no wrong, and despite the fact that he surrendered one run in the ninth inning (albeit unearned), he had 'em all the way.

My recap of Game 1 would not be complete without giving props to Chase Utley, who lit up CC Sabathia for two solo home runs. Utley became the first left handed hitter to hit two home runs in a World Series game off a left-handed pitcher since Babe Ruth in 1928. Now that is some mighty fine company, there.

Now that the Phillies have solved CC Sabathia, it is time for them to try to take down A.J. Burnett in Game 2. He has a pretty pedestrian 4.42 ERA this postseason. The Phillies will counter with Pedro Martinez, who is making only his second start this postseason. Martinez did well in his only postseason start in Los Angeles during the NLCS, giving up only two hits with no walks over the course of seven strong innings. Will the Phillies take a convincing 2-0 lead in the World Series, or will the Yankees fight back to split the homestand? One thing is for sure: it should be a lot of fun finding out. Off to Game 2!

The 2009 World Series- Philadelphia Phillies versus New York Yankees

Well, the end of October has come, and with it, the World Series. This year's edition of the Fall Classic is set to start on Wednesday, October 28, which will be the latest date a World Series has ever started (you can thank your loyal friend and MLB commish Bud Selig for that). Anyway this series really has the potential to be great. Not great as in "oh, this should go six games" great, but clash of the titans, you're-going-to-remember-where you-were-when-Game-Seven-went-down kind of great. It's featuring a re-vamped New York Yankees team that won 103 games during the regular season, and the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who are hell-bent on repeating as World Champions. This series will be featuring a cavalcade of stars from both teams, from Ryan Howard to Alex Rodriguez and from Derek Jeter to Chase Utley. The two starting pitchers for Game 1 on Wednesday, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, used to be teammates on the Cleveland Indians. With those storylines, how can you not be excited to watch the World Series this year?


Many casual fans of baseball will likely give you the same cookie-cutter, tepid response as to why they will not watch the World Series. "It's the same teams in it every year," or "my team is not in it, so why should I watch," or my favorite: "I'm sick of baseball, the season is too long." The people who say these things will usually watch a regular-season NFL game over watching the World Series. I am sorry, but if you are watching Sunday Night Football over Game 4 of the World Series, it is your loss.


Even though the ratings for the World Series have been poor over the last several years, that should be no reason for you to not give this year's World Series a chance. This year's Fall Classic could have the makings for an epic showdown for all of the reasons above, despite the fact that the Yankees are in it once again. Besides, baseball is due for an exciting World Series again. We have not seen a seven-game series since 2002 and we have not seen a six-game series since 2003. We could finally have another true classic this year.


Call me old fashioned if you want, but once Wednesday rolls around, I'm going to be in front of my TV watching the 105th edition of the Fall Classic. Feel free to join me, if you wish.