By: Mike Carter
We are easing into the All-Star Break this weekend. I was not working this week and used part of that time to jot down some reflections on the first half of the season. I could really get used to not working.
The one thing that always excites me about the All-Star Game is listening to the stories of guys making it to the game for the first time. I love hearing these stories. Be on the lookout for them as you watch the upcoming festivities. Here are a couple that stand out to me:
- James McCann, a career platoon guy in Detroit, the White Sox signed him to be their backup to Wellington Castillo. With Castillo hurt, McCann took on a regular workload and has helped lead the White Sox to a mildly surprising start to the year. He’s hitting well and has established himself as a leader and mentor to another All-Star, Lucas Giolito.
- Lucas Giolito has gone from the worst statistical starting pitchers in all of baseball last year to one of the best this year. He’s 11-2 with a 2.72 ERA heading into a crosstown duel with the Cubs this weekend. He was 10-13 with a whopping 6.13 ERA last year. Big difference is he is throwing his fastball harder and has moved away from his sinker for a tremendously improved change-up and a more compact delivery.
Who would have thought Pence would have been an All-Star after signing a $2 million contract in Feb? - Hunter Pence has come back from the fringes of being completely out of the game to being an All-Star again at 35. Granted, he cannot play due to injury, but did you hear or read his comments about this? Google it when you get five minutes. Pence gets it and to summarize for those with no time to check it out, that perspective on things in life is what really matters, and how the way one looks at things is a choice, and how last year at this time he didn’t even have a job. Ah, the wonders of baseball, huh? You can be on the scrap heap one minute and an All-Star the next.
- Speaking of perspective, catching many eyes and hearts this week was the death of Angels’ left-hander Tyler Skaggs. If you are on social media, you may have been appalled as I was that people were suggesting causes of death while knowing nothing about the man Skaggs seemed to be in this world. To me, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances were for him. To see his teammates speak about him was to see that he was a lively presence in their clubhouse and to all around him. He had also recently married and was just starting life outside of baseball. Perspective, like Pence said, unrelated to this. We all know someone who has been struck down without warning in this life. It is so important to spend our limited time on this earth doing things we love, with people we love, as much as possible. It can all be gone in mere moments, so live your best life as often as you can. I would like to express condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Tyler Skaggs.
- On a lighter topic, I’ve heard many fans complain over the last few years that they want the rule of each team being represented in the All-Star Game to go away. Let me remind you of one thing: since the game no longer determines home field advantage (always a DUMB idea, in my opinion), I want to see a player from each team. This is a clear marketing initiative and it should be! Raise your hand if you have seen Whit Merrifield or Austin Meadows play, or seen John Means pitch. These guys are worth your time, and none of them would be playing in the game if MLB changed the rule. Look at it as a way to see some new talent you have not seen unless you have MLB Network.
- Kelly is the biggest Dodgers fan I know and he pointed out that in my last blog, I accidentally left out Cody Bellinger off my list of the best players under 25. What he has done this year is nothing short of remarkable, hitting 30 home runs as of this writing on Friday. Get this: his OPS (on-base plus slugging is currently 1.149. That is unheard of, and would be the best season in Dodger’s history if he keeps it up. His on base percentage is .438. Think of all the past Dodger greats; none have done what he is doing right now. Bellinger is on pace for 54 home runs as well and about 130 RBI for those who still love those statistics (which I do in some ways, too).
- Do you keep track of the amount of home runs each year? As of today, there have been 3,567 home runs in MLB this year. The record is 6,105 in 2017, so we are ahead of that pace currently. Theories abound from a juiced ball with tighter wound laces (meaning pitchers can’t grip and/or spin it as usual), to more proponents of launch angles to worse pitching staffs. In June, we saw a record 1,142 home runs. In May, we saw 1,135. Two months in a row of broken records. The Yankees hit a home run in 31 consecutive games. There are thirty players who have over 20 home runs…and it is not even the All-Star Break yet. There’s something happening here…
2020 MLB All-Star Game is in Los Angeles.
Anyone care to make any predictions for the second half of the season? I have a couple I will share here. I expect the Yankees, Astros and Indians to win their divisions in the AL, and the Braves, Brewers and Dodgers to win their divisions. Wild Cards will be Tampa and Minnesota in the AL, the Cubs and Rockies in the NL. I don’t think anyone can beat the Dodgers in a series, but that remains to be seen. Leave your predictions here and we can talk about them in the coming days.