New Beasts of the East

By: Mike Wagenman

The consensus around the MLB over the past few years is that the American League East is the strongest division in baseball. And why not? They have had three different teams reach the World Series (Red Sox, Rays, Yankees), two different teams win the World Series (Red Sox, Yankees), and three different teams finish in first place (Red Sox, Rays, Yankees) since 2007. That is strong, hard-nosed, bitter inter-division competition. That competition has only been found in one place recently, the AL East. Granted, other divisions have had heated races, such as the AL Central competition between Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota. But, it is nothing like the AL East, where the Yanks, Sox, and Rays always seem to be not only three of the best teams in their division or league, but in baseball as well.

However, it is beginning to seem like their may be a power shift in baseball approaching. The American League East may have some upcoming competition from another division on their side of the map for the title of strongest division in baseball, the National League East.

For the five teams in the NL East, the future is looking bright, and the sky is the limit. Obviously, the Philadelphia Phillies are the powerhouse, and do not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The Phils have won one of the last three World Series, 2 of the past 3 NL pennants, and all of the last 3 NL East Titles. With one of the best pitching staffs ever assembled, the Phillies are destined for greatness this season. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are two proven aces who are both in their prime, even though they are both over the age of 30. Cole Hamels has pitched like the ace that Philadelphia had hoped he would be, and he is still young and getting even better. The fact that Roy Oswalt is much less effective and much more banged up than he was in his Houston days opened the door for Vance Worley to step up, and he has pitched to a 7-1 record with a 2.02 ERA at the age of 23. That four-man rotation seems nearly unbeatable, and could be unbeatable for the next few years. Also, the Phillies top prospect Domonic Brown has become the full-time right fielder, and although some of the Phillies position players are a bit older, their farm system is surprisingly strong, so many players are prepared to step in. Incredible pitching, veteran leadership, and solid prospects will keep the Phillies in the hunt for the NL East title for years to come.

The Atlanta Braves are another NL East team that is producing right here and now. They, like the Phillies, have an incredible pitching staff. The Braves also have an advantage that most teams cannot seem to perfect; a lockdown bullpen. Closer Craig Kimbrel has already set the Braves rookie record in saves with 30 and made the NL All-Star squad, all at the age of 23. Eric O'Flaherty has a 0.92 ERA in 48.2 innings as a 26 year old, and fellow 26 year old Jonny Venters has a 1.30 ERA and an All-Star selection. The youth and effectiveness of the Braves bullpen, plus Cy Young candidate Jair Jurrjens and starter Tommy Hanson will keep the Braves in contention for the NL East crown for a long time to come. Also, rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman and second year right fielder Jason Heyward will help the league's best catcher in Brian McCann and power hitting second baseman Dan Uggla anchor the lineup for the future.

The New York Mets are often the laughingstock of baseball because of their high payroll and lack of success, but that is about to change. The Mets just unloaded Carlos Beltran to the Giants and got back their top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, who, if he gets his control down pat, has the potential to be a true ace. His mid-to-upper 90s fastball got him drafted 6^th overall out of high school in 2009 by the Giants, so he is still very young. The Mets already have young pitchers in the big leagues getting better by the start. Dillon Gee started this season winning his first seven decisions, plus Jonathon Niese and Mike Pelfrey have plus-stuff and big league experience. The Mets youngsters in the bullpen also bode well for them moving forward. Pedro Beato started his career with 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings, and flame throwing Bobby Parnell is the developing closer. Plus, Johan Santana is rehabbing and is a proven ace. The fact that the Mets position players usually get injured actually helps them in this scenario. In a year that they have little chance to make the playoffs, many young talents have emerged as staples in their lineup. Justin Turner came from nowhere and is now the second baseman of the future, Ruben Tejada defied his critics and proved that at the young age of 21, he is ready for the big stage, and Josh Thole, Lucas Duda, and Jason Pridie, although not putting up eye-popping stats, have been solid fill-ins and have collected valuable experience in the majors. They could become key role players in years to come for New York. Also, don't forget Fernando Martinez is still in the minors, and Ike Davis and David Wright will be healthy next season. Add all of that with Jose Reyes' electrifying play (if the Mets can keep him), and you have a force to be reckoned with in the National League.

The Florida Marlins are always exciting. They have tons and tons of young, talented players that light it up year after year. However, the fact that some high schools draw more fans than the Marlins often causes them to trade away their stars for prospects, because they cannot afford them. In 2012, this problem may be solved. The Marlins are moving into a new, beautiful, state-of-the-art stadium in Miami which is sure to draw much more fans than their current ballpark. This will generate revenue, and will allow the Marlins to re-sign and lock up their stars for the future. Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison, Hanley Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez; the list can go on and on. These players are middle-of-the-lineup caliber players who the Fish must keep around for the future. Think about it, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Derek Lee, Alex Gonzalez, Edgar Renteria, Dan Uggla, Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Carl Pavano, Andrew Miller, Brad Penny, Mike Lowell; that list can go on and on as well. Those are just some of the players that played for Florida in their prime or younger years that the team just could not hold on to because of financial reasons. The Marlins current pitching staff is young and effective, with Anibal Sanchez, Chris Volstad, and Ricky Nolasco as starters and Leo Nunez closing out games. If the Marlins can pay their players and keep them around, they may be able to win themselves a third World Championship.

The Washington Nationals, the usual bottomfeeders of the NL East, have an exciting future ahead of them. Ryan Zimmerman is the face of the franchise, and soon enough, he will have a supporting cast. Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond are two young middle infielders who are producing at the big league level already. Couple that with the world's top prospect Bryce Harper, who is slated to arrive in the MLB sometime in 2012. Wil Ramos is a young, stud catcher who is learning from Pudge Rodriguez, and Jayson Werth will be the power bat in the middle of the lineup for the next seven years. Pitching has been a bit suspect, although reliever Tyler Clippard was an All-Star and closer Drew Storen is young and lethal. But, 2009 top pick Stephen Strasburg will be back to lead the rotation next year with his blazing heat and knee-buckling curveball. If Jason Marquis sticks around and John Lannan pitches to his ability, the Nationals may be a young team who will rapidly improve.

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. 

"Ack" Attack

A feature on Mariners 2B Dustin Ackley


By: Mike Wagenman

The Seattle Mariners are a young, up-and-coming baseball team with their sights set on long term success. Their roster is filled with young players who possess worlds of potential, and who are showing how good they can really be when given the chance. Ace “King” Felix Hernandez has won a Cy Young Award at the age of 25; right-handed rookie starting pitcher Michael Pineda has a 2.68 ERA at age 22; first baseman Justin Smoak is anchoring the middle of the lineup at the age of 24; and left fielder Carlos Peguero is rapidly improving, also at age 24. For the Mariners, one other young man is about to join the party.

Standing at 6'1”, and just 182 lbs., Dustin Ackley is not as physically imposing as one might expect from a 2^nd overall draft pick. Former Mariners great and future first ballot Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. said of Ackley after he was drafted, “we finally found someone skinnier than Ichiro!” However, 23 year old Ackley, despite his slightly slender stature, sure knows how to hit a baseball as well as anyone most scouts have ever seen.

Ackley stormed through the Mariners farm system carrying much hype, leaving the Mariner faithful with much anticipation. In fact, the Mariners official Twitter page was bombarded over the past few weeks with begs and pleas from fans to call up Ackley to strengthen the 29^th ranked offense in baseball. Finally, on June 17^th, after hitting .303 in Triple-A, the fans got their wish, as Seattle officially promoted the lanky second baseman to “the show”.

Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Dustin Ackley attended North Forsyth High School followed by South Stokes High School. Ackley led South Stokes to back-to-back state championships in 2003 and 2004, shattering school and state records along the way. His utter dominance of opponents earned him Louisville Slugger All-American honors for his senior year. For Ackley, the decision as to which college to attend was simple; he stayed in his own backyard and picked the University of North Carolina.

While at UNC, Ackley was a 3-year starter, before leaving for the draft after his junior campaign. He hit over .400, recorded over 110 hits, and had an OPS over 1.000 in all three years. During his junior year, Ackley hit .417 with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, 18 doubles, 4 triples, and an incredible on-base percentage of .517. He finished second in the Golden Spikes Award race (best player in college baseball) to Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State. His mind-blowing statistics and ability to lead his team to three consecutive College World Series appearances (all while making first team All-CWS) left Seattle salivating. Ackley's versatility (starting games at 1B, CF, LF, 2B, and SS for UNC and playing the majority of his games at 3B as a high schooler) was just icing on the cake for the Mariners.

It all came full circle for Ackley in his first major league at-bat against Roy Oswalt as he ripped his first career single. The next game, in his fifth at-bat, Ackley hit his first career home run, followed the next day by his first ever triple. Through just three games, Ackley is hitting .273, and is in the lineup and playing second base tonight against the Washington Nationals. For Ackley and the Mariners, the sky is the limit, the future is nothing but bright, and much success (both individual and team) is on the horizon.