Mid-season Review

 

1. AL East Race
 There has been a fight in the American League East this season. Coming into the season the Baltimore Orioles were expected to win the division with the questions surrounding Boston and New York. Baltimore is in the thick of the race with sluggers Manny Machado and Chris Davis playing at an elite level. New York is probably the most surprising team in the hunt for the AL East. The Yanks have won 50 games while missing stars like Mark Texeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez. Each of them is expected to return some time after the All-Star break which can impact the division’s race. Divisional foe Boston is leading the division by one game; new manager John Farrell has been praised for helping get the franchise back on track. The strong play by aces Clay Buccholz and Jon Lester is certainly a luxury for the ball club. Also, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, and Dustin Pedroia have also restored Boston’s supremacy in the AL East. Tampa Bay is one game behind Boston; Matt Moore has been the catapult for the Rays success tied first in the MLB with 12 wins. All-Star Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria have the Rays riding an eight game win streak. The AL East race has the potential to be one of the best finishes in MLB history due to the superb level of play each team is bringing to the ball park daily, pushing for that so elusive play off spot.

2. Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals have one of the most talented rosters in the MLB and are expected to make a championship run. The Nationals possess every quality of a great team such as: great pitchers, good defense, the ability to score runs, and a good manager. Although the Nationals are 47-44, they are within striking distance in the NL East sitting five games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves. Washington is struggling while playing with a target on there back. Bryce Harper has struggled in his sophomore season batting .274 while missing 37 games. Star pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Rafael Soriano have been the primary reason why the Nationals are in the hunt for the division title. Zimmerman is leading the MLB, with the aforementioned Moore, with 12 wins and is maintaining a 2.57 ERA. Soriano is one of the top closers in the NL with 24 saves. Along with Harper, Stephen Strasburg has struggled this season. Strasburg has a staggering 2.45 ERA, but he is 5-6. Strasburg seems to be struggling with controlling his pitches. If Harper and Strasburg do not find their groove the Nationals might not make back-to-back postseason appearances.

  



3. Los Angeles Dodgers 
Since late last season, the Dodgers front office has been preparing its club to make a run toward the postseason. They traded for players like Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford. Also, the Dodgers signed ace Zack Greinke to bolster their pitching staff. Early on, LA struggled and was considered one of the worst teams in the MLB. Many had written them off while assuming the Dodgers manager, Don Mattingly, would be fired. No longer worrying about the front office, Mattingly benched star outfielder Andre Ethier and started the highly touted rookie Yasiel Puig. Mattingly was scrutinized for making this decision and many thought he did it to upset the front office. Puig started his first game with a bang and took LA by storm like Mike Trout during his rookie campaign. In 35 games Puig is batting .394 with 8 homeruns and 19 RBIs while playing phenomenal defense. Adrian Gonzalez has played at an All-Star level with 14 homeruns and 58 RBIs. Star pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu have improved their production as well. The Dodgers have made it back to .500 and have the talent to win the NL West. This would be the first playoff appearance while under the ownership of Magic Johnson.
 







4. All-Star Snubs
Every year there is an unlucky group of players that miss the All-Star team roster. The fans vote for most of the All-Stars while the MLB players vote for the final spot. For the most part the fans got it right this year, but there are a few players more deserving. Jacoby Ellsbury is considered one of, if not the biggest All-Star snub. Ellsbury is leading the MLB with 36 stolen bases, batting .306, and playing superb defense as an outfielder. Alex Gordon got the nod over Ellsbury, but he is on the Kansas City Royals who are struggling this season. Also, Edwin Encarnacion was named to his first All-Star appearance. Like Gordon, Encarnacion is playing for the Toronto Blue Jays who are also struggling. I believe if you take Gordon and Encarnacion off of their respected clubs, the clubs would remain struggling. Evan Longoria was certainly deserving of being nominated as an All-Star. Longoria is batting .284 with 15 homeruns and 51 RBIs while leading the Tampa Rays as one of the top clubs in the American League. Two players worth mentioning are Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays, and Yasiel Puig, LA Dodgers. Moore has an ERA lower than Justin Verlander while racking up more wins than the Detroit ace. Although limited in games played, Yasiel Puig has been just as effective as any outfielder on the National League All-Star roster. Unfortunately, every player having a great season cannot be named an All-Star.