MLB Fantasy Team - With A Twist

By: Corey Donetz

I'm a lover of the game of baseball, and a fantasy draft enthusiast. All of this led to the idea of crafting a Major League Baseball team entirely out of players 23 years of age or younger. The team I constructed includes players only 23 or younger (to date). I used a mixture of stats (hard stats and sabermetrics) and the all important eye-test.

First off, we'll get to the position players. The majority of the players are right-handed, with the exception of the first basemen and two outfielders.

(Name/Age/Team/Handedness)

Designated Hitter:

Jesus Montero (22) Seattle Mariners (R) 

Montero is off to a slow start in his first full year, but like the rest of these players he's very young and has an extremely high ceiling of potential. He has played a lot of DH, but can also play first base and catcher.

Catcher:

Salvador Perez (22) Kansas City Royals (R)

Wilin Rosario (23) Colorado Rockies (R)

Perez was injured prior to the start of the season, but he is no doubt a professional hitter. In limited time due to getting hurt, Perez has shown how good of a hitter he is. Even at the young age of 22, he is already one of the best offensive catchers in the league. 

First Base:

Eric Hosmer (22) Kansas City Royals (L)

Freddie Freeman (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Freeman's numbers are better than Hosmer's numbers so far this season, but I believe that Hosmer is the better player and he will turn it around this year. Both players are very well-rounded, but their offense is their meat and potatoes.

Second Base:

Brett Lawrie (22) Toronto Blue Jays (R)

The Jays struck gold when acquiring Lawrie from the Brewers, and although he is very hot-headed, there is no doubting his skills on the field. He can hit for average, and has some pop in his bat. Lawrie has played mostly 3B with Toronto, but he can also play other spots in the infield including second base.

Third Base:

Will Middlebrooks (23) Boston Red Sox (R) 

Mike Moustakas (23) Kansas City Royals (R)

Moustakas has show spurts of how good he can be, but has been consistently inconsistent. Middlebrooks is among the leaders in almost every offensive category among rookies, and has a very respectable glove at the hot corner.

Shortstop:

Starlin Castro (22) Chicago Cubs (R)

Elvis Andrus (23) Texas Rangers (R)

Starlin Castro is an amazing talent, a career .300 hitter, and is arguably the best shortstop in baseball (top 3 in my opinion). Andrus is no slouch either, but when put on a team with Castro he'd have to be the second option. 

----------------------------

The outfield gets a little tricky. My heart wants me to start Jason Heyward, but his defense of late has been lackluster, and has been very inconsistent at the plate. However, he and Harper can be switched pretty easily at this point and time. 

Left Field:

Bryce Harper (19) Washington Nationals (L) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Harper has tremendous arm strength, is hitting just under .300 since being called up to the big leagues and has an OBP of .372. At the incredibly young age of 19, you really can't ask much more than that. The power numbers will increase as he plays more.

Center Field:

Mike Trout (20) Los Angeles Angels (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Mike Trout has speed that is rarely possessed by anybody to play baseball. He can cover a lot of ground in the outfield, hit for average, steal bases, and has pop in his bat as well. If Trout can stay healthy he has the ability to be one of the most complete players to ever play.

Right Field:

Giancarlo Stanton (22) Miami Marlins (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Power. Stanton has a lot of it. He hits homeruns that only a few can even try to mimic. His average in 2012 is just under .300; if he can keep his average up, while still having the same power numbers, it could be very scary for opponents. He also has a canon in the outfield to go with the offense.

----------------------------

Now for the pitching. There were two starting pitchers that got cut from the rotation and moved to the bullpen. Those two are Rick Porcello and Chris Sale. Porcello has struggled and would be the long relief option, while on the contrary, Chris Sale has been outstanding for the White Sox as a starter this year. Sale has great stuff and saw time in the pen before becoming a starter for the Sox this season. With lack of lefty options for the bullpen, Sale could bring a lot to this team in a set-up man role.

Starting Pitcher:

Stephen Strasburg (23) Washington Nationals (R)

Madison Bumgarner (22) San Francisco Giants (L)

Jarrod Parker (23) Oakland Athletics (R)

Matt Moore (22) Tampa Bay Rays (L)

Michael Pineda (23) New York Yankees (R)

For all of these pitchers the main key is staying healthy. Strasburg and Pineda have both already encountered major injuries. Strasburg has recovered and returned with great stuff, Pineda will try and do the same once he is healthy again. 

 Closer:

Addison Reed (23) White Sox (R) 

Relief Pitcher:

Rick Porcello (23) Detroit Tigers (R)

Julio Teheren (21) Atlanta Braves (R)

Drew Smyly (22) Tigers (L)

Kelvin Herrera (22) (R)

Chris Sale (23) White Sox (L)

----------------------------

Lineup:

1. Mike Trout CF (R)

2. Starlin Castro SS (R)

3. Bryce Harper LF (L)

4. Giancarlo Stanton RF (R)

5. Jesus Montero DH (R)

6. Eric Hosmer 1B (L)

7. Will Middlebrooks 3B (R)

8. Salvador Perez C (R)

9. Brett Lawrie 2B (R)

SP: Stephen Stasburg (R)

With the lack of lefties Harper and Hosmer were split up to balance the lineup. The lineup has decent speed throughout, with a lot in the top. Lawrie at the bottom helps turn the lineup over well, an of course the power in the middle of the lineup.

For a team of players all 23 and younger, this would certainly be a team to be reckoned with.

Follow me on Twitter: @TheFutureIs_Now

----------------------------

*Photo Credits: ESPN.com

Sources: 

ESPN.com

FanGraphs.com

BaseballReference.com

MLB.com

Affiliates of MLB.com

Twitter.com

The Tales of 8 Sluggers

By: Corey Donetz and Mike Wagenman

With the All Star Break upon us, The writers of The Tales Of 2 Cities have decided to have a little fun and participate in our own version of the Home Run Derby. The Derby teams were picked by two team captains, so we decided to divide the 8 participants and have a draft of our own to see who could pick the best team. We did a fixed order draft, Mike Wagenman (Team Wags) receiving the first pick via coin toss, and Corey Donetz receiving the 2nd pick (Team Danyaz).

The way it will work is simple; we will simply add the total of the homeruns per player, and add them up. The team with the most homeruns gets the victory and wins bragging rights on the other. Following the All Star Game tomorrow (Tuesday), we will have a recap of All Star weekend. Below are

The Draft went as follows:

1^st Round: Prince Fielder (Wags); David Ortiz (Danyaz)

2^nd Round: Jose Bautista (Wags); Matt Kemp (Danyaz)

3^rd Round: Robinson Cano (Wags); Adrian Gonzalez (Danyaz)

4^th Round: Matt Holliday (Wags); Rickie Weeks (Danyaz)

1^st Round Pick: Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (N.L. Captain)

With the first pick in the Home Run derby draft, I took the player who swings harder than almost anyone in the game today. The deciding factor between home run machines Jose Bautista and Prince Fielder at the first overall pick was the fact that Prince Fielder has Home Run Derby experience. Although Prince had just three dingers in 2007 leading to a first round exit, he took the Derby crown in 2009, blasting 23 bombs to defeat the Rangers' Nelson Cruz. His onslaught of not only power, but distance on his towering home run blasts has earned him the honor of being the National League captain in the new Home Run Derby format. Fielder will not have as much trouble as some other players might have hitting the ball out of Chase Field consistently, since he hits the ball so hard and far. He is a lock to put on a show and not disappoint. In just over six MLB seasons, Fielder already has 214 homers, including 50 in 2007. Prince has already unloaded 22 home runs this season as well, tied for fifth best in the majors. Fielder should be one of the main contenders to take home this year's title.

1^st Round Pick: David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox (A.L. Captain)

The only player to record over 300 homeruns as a designated hitter, Ortiz looks to defend his 2010 Homerun Derby crown in 2011. This will be Ortiz’s fifth appearance in the Derby, making him the most experienced participant. Ortiz also has the most MLB experience as well as most career homeruns out of the Derby pack. He has played very well in the first half of the 2011 season, leading the Red Sox with 19 long balls. The experience and well known ability to hit the ball out of the yard give Ortiz a great chance to repeat as champion, and is why I chose him with my first pick.

2^nd Round Pick: Jose Bautista, RF/3B, Toronto Blue Jays (A.L.)

At the third overall pick, I was contemplating between one of two Red Sox: David Ortiz or Adrian Gonzalez. When Bautista fell into my lap, I had no choice but to pick him. Last year's regular season home run king, with 54, is off to another rapid start in 2011. He leads the major leagues with 31 home runs at the All-Star break, 6 more than his closest competitor, Curtis Granderson (25). Bautista is another hard swinger, something that is very high-risk, high-reward in a home run derby. It can generate much success in the first round or two, but come the end of round two or the final round, fatigue may start to set in. However, Bautista has become such a consistent and complete professional hitter that he should not have much problem with fatigue. “Joey Bats” has no home run derby experience, but has shown enough power over the last season and a half to give fans a reason to believe that he could contend for the title.

2^nd Round Pick: Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.)

Matt Kemp has arguably been the most consistent well-rounded player in the big leagues this season. Kemp leads the Dodgers in homeruns with 22, along with leading the team in batting average, runs scored, RBI, and stolen bases. Kemp uses his power all around the field, and in my opinion was the best right-handed power option available once Bautista was taken by my counterpart a pick earlier. This will be Kemp’s first appearance in the Derby, and he is also the best athlete in the Derby, so if he makes it into the later rounds, he will have more stamina than the other contestants. I believe Kemp is one of the favorites to make it to the finals.

3^rd Round Pick: Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees (A.L.)

With the fifth pick, I decided to take a bit of a chance on Cano. He has one of the sweetest swings since Ken Griffey Jr., but really is not a true power hitter. He is definitely capable of hitting his share of home runs (29 last season; 130 career), but he is more of a line drive hitter who can spray the ball anywhere between the white lines. With 15 home runs already this year, Cano certainly is not leaving fans scratching their heads as to why he was asked to participate. He was also asked to participate in 2009, but minor nagging injuries and the decision to not chance the Derby ruining his swing kept him out of the competition. At Chase Field, though, Cano may have a bit of a tough time getting enough air under the ball, seeing as it is a larger ballpark. His line drive style of hitting may not bode well for him in this competition, but if he gets rolling he will have a chance of advancing past round one. He is a wild card pick in this Derby, and a pick that ensures me two hitters from each side of the plate.

3^rd Round Pick: Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox (A.L.)

Adrian Gonzalez has been the total package for Boston this season; he has hit the ball out of the park, driven runs in, hit for an outstanding average, and played Gold Glove caliber first base. However, when Gonzalez participated in the 2009 Homerun Derby he had 24 homeruns leading into the break with San Diego, but was eliminated after the first round after only hitting two homeruns in the first round of the Derby. Gonzalez is often regarded as a doubles hitter , which is probably why he fell to the 3^rd round,

but the potential the left handed slugger brings to the table was too much to pass on. He has gone deep 17 times this season, and will look to avenge his disappointing performance in 2009. Also, by selecting Gonzalez I was guaranteed to finish with 2 batters from each side of the plate.

4^th Round Pick: Matt Holliday, LF, St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.)

With my final selection, I had the choice between Holliday, and the Brewers' Rickie Weeks. Again, as was the case with my first pick, it came down to experience. Matt Holliday is participating in his third Derby, and this will be Weeks' first as a pro. Holliday finished in third place in 2007, followed by a fifth place finish in 2010. He has a very pure swing, which may not be made to blast baseballs out of Chase Field by the bunch, but is smooth enough to earn Holliday his share of longballs. With 14 home runs this season, and 194 for his career Holliday has shown a consistent ability to hit the ball out of the park. With the last pick, it could be much worse given the fields in past contests. Don't be surprised to see Holliday moving on to round two, although it may be a bit of a long shot.

4^th Round Pick: Rickie Weeks, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (N.L.)

Weeks was selected to the N.L. team by his teammate Prince Fielder. Weeks is one of the best power hitting second basemen in the game, and provides power from the right side of the plate. Weeks will be making his first appearance in the Homerun Derby, bringing his 17 homeruns this season with him. Although I didn’t really have a choice in the 4^th round as Weeks was basically given to me, I believe Weeks could be a sleeper in the Derby, often being overlooked due to the other big name participants. If he can pull the ball consistently and drive it over the shortest part in Chase Field, the left field corner, he has a good chance to be crowned Home Run King.

Prince Fielder, after his 2009 Home Run Derby title.

David Ortiz, after winning the 2010 Home Run Derby

Angels' Top Fish Ascends To Majors

By: Corey Donetz

Mike Trout has officially been called up to the major leagues. Trout has dominated every level of the minor leagues, and will now get a shot to perform at the big league level.

The 19-year-old New Jersey native, who has spent the majority of 2011 in double-A, has skipped triple-A to replace the injured Peter Bourjos in the Angels' outfield. The 6’1’’ phenom hit .324 while hitting nine homeruns, 11 triples, 12 doubles, and stealing 28 bases in 75 games in double-A will get the starting nod in centerfield for the Angels tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

Trout was drafted 25^th overall in the 2009 amateur draft, which was certainly a steal for Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as the top prospect in the minor leagues (some say Bryce Harper is), but most people wouldn’t have expected him to make it to the major’s so soon. Harper is just over a year younger then Trout, as Trout will turn 20 in 30 days, while Harper wont turn 19 until October.  Trout and Harper have similar playing styles since Harper made the switch to play in the outfield. Harper is believed to have a little more power, but Trout provides more range in the outfield, and is thought to be more matured as a player on and off the field.

At the young age of 19, Trout is the first teenager to reach the MLB level since Justin Upton of Arizona in 2007. It is unclear how much time Trout will get in the major leagues, with a lot of that depending on Bourjos’ health, but it is definitely good for him to get his feet wet. If Trout performs anywhere near as well as he did in the minors, it will be hard to send him back down regardless of Bourjos’ health. Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have youth around the outfield with Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, and Bobby Abreu, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Angels front office handles Trout. There is only one thing that I know for sure, and that is that Trout can certainly play at a high level, and is certainly fun to watch. Stay tuned. 

MLB Surprises

Top 5 surprises of the 1^st half of the MLB Season

By: Corey Donetz

5: Jose Reyes; .354 AVG (1^st) , 124 hits (1^st), 22 doubles, 15 triples (1^st), 32 RBI, 30 stolen bases (2^nd).

Reyes couldn’t have picked a better time to have an MVP type season. In a contract year, Reyes leads the Major Leagues in batting average, triples, and hits, while ranking second in stolen bases and third in runs scored. Reyes has led the Mets to an above .500 record, and is widely regarded as the best/most exciting player in the league this year. Good play from Reyes isn’t a surprise, but not many could’ve predicted these types of numbers from Reyes.

4: Josh Beckett; 7-3, 106 IP, 2.12 ERA (2^nd), 0.906 WHIP (2^nd), 91 K’s.

If I were to tell you Beckett would have the 2^nd best ERA on his own team before the season started, you probably wouldn’t have believed me, let alone have the 2^nd best ERA in the American League. Beckett has allowed just 5.5 hits per nine, which ranks best in the American League.  He has been the constant for the shaky Boston rotation so far. Beckett’s play has kept the Red Sox within striking distance of the New York Yankees for 1^st place in the A.L. East, and to lead the Wild Card race. He was named to the 2011 All-Star team for his play. Beckett has relied heavily on his 2-seam fastball, which has been a key to the strikeout totals, and limiting base runners, allowing less than one per inning (0.906 WHIP). Staying healthy will be key for Beckett as the season continues following the all-star break.

3: Freddy Garcia/Bartolo Colon;

Garcia: 7-6, 92 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.271 WHIP, 57 K’s.

Colon: 6-3, 84.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.055 WHIP, 78 K’s.

Coming into the season one of the biggest question marks for the New York Yankees was the back end of their rotation. Colon and Garcia have combined to go 13-9, with more consistency than anyone could’ve imagined. The two pitchers have found the fountain of youth and have given the Yankees a solidified rotation behind ace C.C. Sabathia leading them to a first place record. Aside from a short D.L stint from Colon, the two have stayed healthy for the most part, which is another added surprise to Yankees fans. If Colon and Garcia can keep this up, along with stellar play the Yankees have gotten around the diamond, a 1^st place finish seems pretty evident for New York.

2: Cleveland Indians; 1^st Place, 45-39, 25-15 (Home), 20-24 (Road).

The Tribe has led the A.L. Central for essentially the entire season thus far, and has succeeded greatly and appears to be a playoff contender during a time when many thought the team would be rebuilding. Cleveland’s offense is anchored by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and the resurgence of DH Travis Hafner. Cabrera is hitting .292 and leads the team with 14 homeruns, 49 RBI, 100 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, and 12 stolen bases. The MVP caliber season led to Cabrera being named to the A.L All-Star team. Cleveland’s bullpen has been a pleasant surprise as well; led by closer Chris Perez who is 20 for 21 in save opportunities posting an impressive 2.30 ERA. Josh Tomlin leads the tribe with ten wins, while Justin Masterson has a 2.85 ERA, going 6-6 through season’s 1^st half. Cleveland has a slim lead over Detroit in the A.L Central, it will be interesting to see if they can keep it up after the all-star break and close out the division as the season winds down.

1: Pittsburgh Pirates; 2^nd Place, 45-41, 21-20 (Home), 24-21 (Road).

The Pirates are led by a plethora of young talent, with the spotlight on centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has a .291 average, 12 homeruns, 46 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He leads the team in average, homeruns, runs scored, stolen bases, and is second in RBI. Perhaps the biggest surprise within the Pirates has been their pitching as a whole. All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan has gone 25 for 25 in save opportunities, posting an incredible 0.93 ERA. Jeff Karstens has gone 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA, while Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton have won 11 and 7 games, respectively. Pittsburgh is 45-41, just 1.5 games behind the Cardinals for 1^st place. It’s been quite some time since the Pirates were relevant, and with the N.L Central still wide open, they have a chance at winning the division if their young players can keep winning. The second half story for the Pirates will be if their pitching can remain as consistent as it was in the first half of the season.

Fish Out Of Water

By: Corey Donetz

The 2-1 loss handed to the Marlins by in-state rival Tampa Bay extended the struggling Fish’s losing streak to 10 straight losses. Florida has only one win in June, posting an abysmal 1-18 record this month. The team has had losses off the field as well with the departures of hitting coach John Mallee and manager Edwin Rodriguez. The executives of the Marlins decided to hire former ESPN analyst and former big leaguer Eduardo Perez as new hitting coach, and to re-hire 80-year old Jack McKeon. For those who are unaware, McKeon was the manager of the 2003 Marlins team that won the World Series; he was named Manager of the Year for his efforts.

The exodus of Edwin Rodriguez wasn’t taken well in the Marlin’s clubhouse as shortstop and one of the faces of franchise, Hanley Ramirez, was not happy to say the least. Ramirez wasn’t shy about standing up for his now ex-manager, but even he wasn’t enough to keep Rodriguez around. The Chicago Tribune caught up with Ramirez to speak on the matter, "When we do good, people look at us,'' Ramirez said. "It's like Ozzie [Guillen] says, 'Yeah, when the team is winning you have to give credit to the players and when they're losing they want to fire me.' No, that's not how it [should be].”

Although they are over 12 games out of 1^st place behind the Phillies in the N.L. East, playoff hopes remain alive, as they are only 7 ½ games behind in the Wild Card race despite the team’s dreadful June. With playoff hopes still in reach, a change was definitely needed, regardless as to who is at fault for the bad play. The injury bug has obviously affected the team’s play, but injuries affect every team’s play so that can never be used as an excuse. To put it simply, a baseball executive cannot sit back and watch their team win one game in a month, lose 10 straight (It wasn’t at 10 when Rodriguez was let go, but just for the sake of being current), and not do anything about it; especially when said team is already a bottom dweller as far as game attendance goes.

However, what’s done is done, so Ramirez and the rest of his teammates will have to move on and play under the helm of McKeon. McKeon is not your typical 80 year old, he is said to have the energy of a 25 year old and the heavily respected two-time NL Manager of the Year will bring that energy back to Florida along with his 1011 career wins and his ’03 World Series ring as he hopes to bring the Fish back to their winning ways. He has a ton of young talent to work with, and although it doesn’t seem likely that his team will contend this season, there is still hope in sunshine state.

The Fightin’ Fish will have to finish the season strong, and once ace Josh Johnson comes off of the disabled list we can get a feel of what McKeon’s Marlins can do. If there is one thing that baseball has taught us (especially as far as standings in the N.L. East are concerned), anything is possible. Just ask the Mets.