ADBL All-Stars/Mid-Season Awards

Well with the first half almost over, it's time to announce the American and National League representatives for the ADBL All-Star team. Thanks to all those that voted in the polls. After a couple of weeks of voting, here are the results:

American League Starting Line-Up:
Manager: Brian Kandell (DET) - The Tigers Skipper earns the right to manage the AL Squad after taking his Tigers to the ADBL Championship game last season.


Catcher: Alex Avila (NYY) - The Yankee catcher has been one of the season's most pleasant surprises through the first half of the season. He comes into the week hitting a cool .298 with 10 HRs and 46 RBIs along with a very respectable .375 OBP. He edged out Detroit's Victor Martinez to earn the starting honors.

First Base: Mark Teixeira (BOS) - Tex has been among the league leaders in Home Runs (25) and RBIs (65) all season and it is no surprise that he is representing the AL at 1B at this year's Midsummer Classic. Despite the low BA, Tex edged out Tampa's Miguel Cabrera and Detroit's Albert Pujols.


Second Base: Robinson Cano (NYY) - In one of the more lopsided voting results, Robinson Cano received all of the votes and earns the starting nod at 2B for the AL squad. Cano has consistently been among the league leaders at his position all year.


Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki (NYY) - Tulo gets the starting gig at SS for the AL, edging out Asdrubal Cabrera and Alexei Ramirez.


Third Base: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) - In one of the closer races, A-Rod will start at 3B, beating out the Tigers' Third baseman Adrian Beltre.


Outfield: Matt Kemp (TB), Ryan Braun (BOS), Curtis Granderson (BOS) - The AL boasts a trio of outfielders that can flat out hit the baseball. Kemp, Braun, and Granderson all have a very good mix of power and speed.


Pitchers:
Josh Beckett (BOS)
James Shields (NYY)
Jair Jurrjens (CHW)
Dan Haren (DET)
Felix Hernandez (DET)
Ian Kennedy (LAA)
CJ Wilson (TEX)
Jhoulys Chacin (KC)
David Price (TB)
Joel Hanrahan (CHW)
Brian Wilson (BOS)
Francisco Cordero (CHW)

Reserves:
C/DH Victor Martinez (DET)
1B Miguel Cabrera (TB)
1B Paul Konerko (CHW)
2B Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
SS Asdrubal Cabrera (LAA)
3B Adrian Beltre (DET)
OF Lance Berkman (NYY)
OF Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
OF Matt Joyce (TB)
OF Matt Holliday (TEX)

National League Starting Line-Up:
Manager: Archie Adams (COL) - As the Manager of the ADBL champion Rockies, Archie earns the honor of managing the NL ADBL All-Stars.


Catcher: Brian McCann (ATL) - The Braves catcher has been one of the best offensive catchers in baseball this season, coming in as the top rated catcher at his position according to ESPN's Player Rater. No surprise here, although he barely edged out Cincinnati's Miguel Montero, who has had a really nice season thus far.


First Base: Prince Fielder (COL) - The Prince is King among first baseman in the NL, as he edges out Adrian Gonzalez (ATL) and Joey Votto (CIN). Tough to go wrong with any of those guys at first.


Second Base: Rickie Weeks (LAD) - Everyone knows Weeks has got the talent to be a really special player, but he has failed to stay on the field this last couple of seasons. So far however, the Dodgers 2B has stayed healthy and is putting up really good numbers at second base, easily earning the nod over Brandon Phillips of the Reds.


Shortstop: Jose Reyes (SF) - The speedy shortstop earns the nod over Starlin Castro of the D-Backs. Reyes has had a MVP caliber first half, putting up ridiculous numbers including 15 triples. However, Reyes will now have to deal with a hamstring pull. Hopefully, it is nothing to serious for the Giants' SS.



Third Base: Evan Longoria (CIN) - Despite missing a large chunk of the first half, Longoria earns the nod in what has become a terribly shallow position in baseball.


Outfield: Jose Bautista (PHI), Jay Bruce (LAD), Andrew McCutchen (CIN) - Another star studded outfield here in the NL. I felt I had to give the starting job to McCutchen to somehow make up for the MLB snubbing him off the All-Star team.


Pitchers:
Justin Verlander (CIN)
Tim Lincecum (CIN)
Clayton Kershaw (COL)
Roy Halladay (ATL)
Cliff Lee (ATL)
Cole Hamels (PHI)
CC Sabathia (SF)
Jered Weaver (LAD)
Gio Gonzalez (LAD)
Craig Kimbrel (PHI)
Heath Bell (CIN)
Mariano Rivera (COL)


Reserves:
C Miguel Montero (CIN)
1B Adrian Gonzalez (ATL)
1B Joey Votto (CIN)
2B Brandon Phillips (CIN)
SS Starlin Castro (ARI)
3B Chipper Jones (ATL)
OF Carlos Gonzalez (LAD)
OF Justin Upton (ARI)
OF Josh Hamilton (PHI)
OF Chris Young (ARI)

Mid-season Awards
AL Manager of the Year - Bob Boye (BOS) - The Red Sox have gotten off to a really good start this season, sitting atop the AL East. The Red Sox also have the best record in the ADBL with an 11-1-1 mark.
NL Manager of the Year - Jason Senior (PHI) - The Phillies have been the class of the NL for most of this season, and are doing it with a really balanced approach.
AL MVP - Ryan Braun (BOS) - As the best player on the best team so far this year, Braun has to be the first half favorite to win the MVP award in the AL. However, there are a lot of candidates that can make some noise in the second half of the season. At this point, the race is wide open, but Braun gets a slight edge at this point because of his team's current position in the standings.
NL MVP: Jose Bautista (PHI) - Again, the NL MVP race is wide open, but Bautista's ridiculous stat line and the Phillies seat atop the NL East gives him the edge over the rest of the field.
AL Cy Young: James Shields (NYY) - I'm going to give the slight edge at this point to James Shields because of his consistency this year. He has pitched really well and is among the league leaders in many of the most important pitching statistics. He also leads the AL in complete games with 6. I had a hard time choosing between Shields, Beckett, and Jurrjens, and it really is a toss up at this point. The second half of the season will determine who walks away with the AL CY.
NL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (CIN) - Verlander has been straight up filthy this year. He leads the league in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and has a ridiculous 0.86 WHIP and a equally shiny 2.32 ERA. However, don't count out Halladay, Lee, Hamels, CC, and Weaver. The NL boast some of the best pitchers in the game at this point.
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson (BOS) - J-Hell is the early favorite to win the AL ROY, as he is among the league leaders in many of the pitching categories among rookie pitchers. Keep an eye on Angels 1B Eric Hosmer in the ROY race as well.
NL Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda (COL) - While Hellickson may be among the rookie leaders in many of the pitching stats, Pineda leads most rookie pitchers in a lot of the important statistical components. However, it will be interesting to see how this voting turns out with Craig Kimbrel on his heels.

Mid-Season Wrap-Up

As we near the half-way point of the 2011 ADBL season, teams are taking a hard look at their prospects for the playoffs and their prospects for a championship. With each team in a different situation, let's go team by team as we check the pulse of each team in the ADBL.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels (8-4-0):

How have they climbed up to first? By being competent to good in each category. They're middle of the pack in virtually every offensive category, and, while their starting pitching hasn't been great, their relief pitching has been fantastic, as they lead the league in saves with 85 (20 more than the second place team, the Reds). With the Detroit Tigers only a game out of first after their win over the Angels, I suspect some deals to be done especially for their starting pitching. A guy like Gavin Floyd, who's been made available by Arizona, could be a cheap target for them.

Detroit Tigers (7-5-0):

The Tigers started out fast, racing out to a 3-0-0 start, but have gone about .500 since. Their offense has been a key part in their resurgence, but what looks to be their strength going forward is their starting pitching. Perhaps no team in the league has had a more consistent starting rotation so far this season being near the top in every category with the exception of wins, a category that their pitchers have often little say in. The staff got even stronger when the Tigers traded for star pitcher Dan Haren from Arizona for prospects Christian Freidrich and Cory Luebke, as well as relief pitcher Jonny Venters. The Tigers look to be dominating the pitching side of the ball as they throw out Haren, Felix Hernandez, Chris Carpenter, Colby Lewis, Shaun Marcum, and Jason Vargas. They should be strong contenders.

Texas Rangers (5-7-0):

The Rangers are stuck in the awkward spot in the standings. While they aren't out of it (they're only 3 games back of the Angels), no one would blame them for selling some of their parts. The outlook isn't bright for them, however. Texas is in the bottom of third in nearly every category, *the one exception being Holds, where they're middle of the pack) and their roster doesn't seem to be made for contention. It might be time to start getting ready for 2012, Rangers.

Kansas City Royals (1-11-0):

The Royals have been downright awful. Their owner seems content to not set their lineup, and it's reflecting in the standings. The Royals will be sellers, looking to start a rebuilding process that could be long and painful.

AL East

Boston Red Sox (11-0-1):

The only undefeated team left in the ADBL, the Red Sox have been a pleasant surprise. Their offense, more specifically, their slugging has been a revelation and they lead the league in homers and OPS. Their offense has been complemented by a fantastic starting rotation which leads the ADBL in K's, Quality Starts, and Wins. If the Red Sox do have any holes, it's their lack of depth on the relief front. They currently have 3 relievers on the DL, and that may be a focus of trades as transactions begin to heat up.

Tampa Bay Rays (6-6-0):

The Rays have done surprisingly well considering the way their team was built last year. The Rays, one of the best regular season teams last year, had a slew of 1-year contracts, which resulted in them losing some key players. And with the Red Sox doing as well as they have, it's been tough for the Rays to make any headway in the AL East. Depending on how their owner feels about the team, they could decide to be either buyers or sellers, but I think this team has a chance for the wild card with their good pitching. What they could use is some help in their bullpen. Another closer like a Kevin Gregg type could really help this team win a valuable saves category.

New York Yankees (5-6-1):

This team has strong talent all over their roster, which makes a sub-.500 first half very perplexing. I don't think this team needs any tinkering asides from some relief help, because there are enough playmakers on both the offensive and pitching side of the ball to win games at a higher clip.

Chicago White Sox (4-8-0):

The White Sox have struggled this season, and it looks like they have already begun trying to unload some valuable players. Both of their strong first basemen (Ryan Howard and Paul Konerko) are being shopped, and could be dealt for some strong value. They could use some starting pitching help, and that could certainly be a focus as returns for the slugging first basemen.

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies (10-2-0):

The leader of what many call the best division in the ADBL, the Phillies have been great so far this season. With a strong offensive game led by Jose Bautista that's second in total bases and homers, they have been able to be the leaders of the National League so far. They look to be one of the main contenders for a championship, but aren't without a flaw. Their starting pitching is very weak, and not indicative of a team that has what it needs to win some key pitching categories. They could be players for cheap starting pitching.

Cincinnati Reds (9-3-0):

While the Phillies have been dominating, the Reds have quietly put themselves in position to take the NL East. We know they have strong hitting, but their starting pitching has been even better at times, and their bullpen is nothing to scoff at either. What the Reds could use, however, is some help figuring out a way to get relievers not on the Oakland A's.

Atlanta Braves (7-5-0):

Unfortunately, being the NL East makes life tough for a team like the Braves who could be winning the NL West, and be in position to win the AL West. With their fantastic pitching, the Braves should be in a better place right now (instead of hovering above .500) but poor

contributions from guys like Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, and injuries to key players such as Rafael Furcal, Derek Jeter, and Martin Prado have derailed them from what seemed to be a breakout year. There's still time to get healthy and start hitting, but they will have to beat out teams like the Reds and Phillies if they want to improve their playoff seeding.

New York Mets (1-11-0):

The outlook is bleak for the "other" team in New York. This team has pieces to move, such as B.J. Upton and Todd Helton, but many of their moveable pieces have either lost value, or lose value every day. The Mets do have some good things on the way, however, with Bryce Harper mashing in the minors, and Gerrit Cole just selected in this year's First Year Player Draft.

NL West

San Francisco Giants (6-5-1):

The Giants, surprise leaders of the very weak NL West, have done this basically without hitting home runs, and with one of the worst OPS ratings in the league. What the have done to counteract this lack of extra-base hits is gotten on base a lot, stolen a lot of bases, and won some key pitching categories. The Giants could be players in the trade market if they want to be, but this could be a roster that makes few changes.

Los Angeles Dodgers (6-6-0):

At an even .500 the Dodgers somehow find themselves half a game back of the NL West lead. While the Giants have done their damage with pitching and singles, the Dodgers have done their's with homers, and lots of them. The Dodgers are currently tied for second for the league lead in homers with 101, and their roster seems clearly tailored for power, so look for that trend to continue. While their pitching hasn't been great, the Dodgers pitchers have gone deep enough into games to give themselves chances to get wins and rack of strikeouts, a couple of categories the Dodgers have relied on to win matchups.

Arizona Diamondbacks (4-7-1):

So far the big movers and shakers, the Diamondbacks saw their surprising early NL West lead disintegrate as their pitchers stopped getting wins and their hitters stopped hitting. The Diamondbacks, however, could have the youngest roster in the league with virtually every player on the team called up either last year or this year, meaning they could be a team on the rise. They're only 2 games out, so don't completely rule them out as buyers, even though their recent activity suggests otherwise.

Colorado Rockies (3-7-2):

How the mighty have fallen, right? The defending ADBL champs have never gotten in a groove and have stumbled all season long, never really recapturing the playoff form and taking the next step we all expected them to take. They haven't gotten enough from guys like Dan Uggla and Rick Porcello, but even bad performances from those guys alone isn't enough to take a whole team down. The Rockies just doesn't seem to have it this year.

Week 10 Review/News & Notes

Well, it's been a while between posts, but we're back. Last week, we restarted Divisional Play, so teams that may have hit the skids a little have a shot to get back into their respective division races. Entering Week 11, we're just about halfway through the season. As of right now, the playoff races are very close, but a few teams have jumped out to the head of the pack. The Red Sox have the largest divisional lead of the 4 division leaders, holding a 3.5 game lead over the Rays and a 4 game lead over the Yankees. Still, there is a lot of divisional play left, so anything can happen. The Phillies remain out in front in the NL East holding a 2 game lead over the Reds and a 3 game lead over the Braves. The two West divisions have been extremely unpredictable, with changes in the division standings almost every week. As of right now, the Angels, the ADBL surprise team of the first half, lead the AL West, but the Tigers are just 1 game out. In the NL West, the Dodgers and Giants are tied atop the division at 5-5 with the Rockies and D-Backs just 1.5 games out, despite their 3-6-1 records.

According to the current playoff teams from the AL are the Red Sox, Angels, Rays, and Tigers, but the Yankees are still very much alive, just a 1/2 game back of the two Wild Card teams. As of right now, it looks like some combination of these 5 teams will be fighting for a shot at representing the AL in the ADBL Championship game. As for the NL, the Phillies, Reds, Braves, and Dodgers/Giants would be the playoff teams, but the NL West looks like it will come down to the wire. All 4 teams will be in it until the end. Just a few weeks ago, the Diamondbacks were leading the division and the Dodgers were in the basement, so anything can happen out there. As for the East, it looks like they will send 3 teams to the playoffs, unless a couple teams out West get hot down the stretch here. Should be an interesting summer as teams try to jockey for position.

Taking a quick look at the scores as of right now for this week's match-ups, there are a lot of tight match-ups. Starting in the NL, the Reds have jumped out to an early lead over the Braves. The offense for the Reds has started hot and the pitching has always been there in Cincy. The Braves bats need to wake up to try and make this thing a little closer. The Mets and Phillies are currently locked in a tight one, as Cory's team continues to play better than their 1-9 record indicates. Early on here, the Phillies pitching has let him done. Keep a close eye on this match-up, because if the Phillies lose and Matt wins, he'll pull to within a game out East. In the NL West, it's been more of the same: unpredictable. The guys tied at the top of the division are both currently trailing, but both match-ups are tightly contested. The Diamondbacks are holding on to a slim lead over the Dodgers, while the Rockies have snuck out to an early lead over the Giants.

In the AL, the Yankees have jumped out to a pretty comfortable lead over the Red Sox, but it's early right now, so anything can happen. I'm pretty sure last time I played the Sox, the same thing happened, and he managed to come back to force a tie. The Rays and White Sox are locked in a close one, but the Rays currently hold a one category lead over the ChiSox. The Angels and Royals are knotted up, while the Tigers have fallen behind to the Rangers early on here. However, the Rangers have yet to register a start yet, so their lead over the Tigers in ERA and WHIP may be short-lived.

We'll probably be looking at another shake-up for the playoff picture when all is said and done this week.

In other  news, our draft is well underway. We're currently in the Second Round. The First Round went pretty much as expected, however there were a few surprises. The Dodgers went with Rendon first overall, Cole went to the Mets at number two, while the Rockies took the HS outfielder Bubba Starling third. The Angels took probably the best high school arm in the draft with Dylan Bundy at number four. The Rockies rounded out the Top 5 with the second pick in the draft, taking Trevor Bauer. Not a bad haul for Archie, just 5 picks into the draft. Heck, he had two of the first five picks, and I have yet to make one selection 30 something picks into the draft. I'm pretty sure Archie will have a videocast for more draft coverage so stay tuned for that. Live up-to-the minute draft results can be found at out league site.

We've had a little more trade activity as teams try to deal with injuries, or try to sell to stock up the farm. The most recent trade involved the Red Sox and Dodgers, two teams that are expected to be Buyers as the deadline approaches. The Red Sox picked up SF Closer Brian Wilson, who has just a year left on his deal, in exchange for a couple of relievers in Kenley Jansen and Joaquin Benoit, as well as the 17th pick overall in this year's draft. Definitely an interesting trade. For the Red Sox, it addresses a major need for them, as they get one of the best closers in the game for a couple of holds guys. Obviously the Dodgers wanted that draft pick, as they look to continue to stock up the farm after taking Rendon this year number 1 overall. That pick turned into another stud hitting 3B in Javier Baez. However, the deal is pretty balanced considering that the Red Sox address a huge need, while the Dodgers continue to stockpile picks and players as they look to rebound from their disappointing showing last year, while continuing their promising start this year.

Another trade made recently involved the Rockies and Braves. Again, these two teams expect to be in the race for the playoffs as we enter the heart of the season. The Rockies sent Ricky Nolasco, one of their many arms, and and Fabio Mesa of the Angels to the Braves in exchange for a couple of prospects in Drew Pomeranz and Edward Salcedo. Plus the Rockies love their draft picks, getting a first rounder in the 2012 draft. Again, another trade that addressed needs for both teams. The Braves got a starter to help solidify their rotation, while the Rockies continue to build an already strong farm team. Plus, we all know how much Archie values his draft picks. Another solid trade here.

Finally, there was one other trade of note that went down recently. The Yankees sent Dellin Betances to Arizona for 1B Mitch Moreland. This trade was made primarily out of necessity on my part, than actually wanting to deal Betances. I needed to pick up another bat with Wells and LaRoche on the Disabled List. So, I dealt one of my better prospects to Arizona for Moreland. Definitely a trade, that is balanced on both sides. The Diamondbacks had plenty of 1B/OF types, while the Yankees needed a guy to bolster the offense with a couple of guys banged up.

League Recap

Since I missed last week's blog entry, I decided to switch things up for this week's blog. I'll just give a quick recap of what has happened in the last two weeks and then give a quick run-down of the playoff races as we come to the last full week of baseball in May.

After 7 weeks of baseball, the ADBL Division leaders are the Red Sox (6-0-1) in the AL East, the Tigers and Angels are tied (4-3) atop the AL West, the Phillies remain undefeated (7-0) out in the NL East, and the Dodgers and Giants find themselves deadlocked atop the NL West (3-4). Last week, the Angels knocked off the Yankees, the Reds beat the Giants, the Braves continued to roll defeating the D-Backs, Phillies knocked off the Rockies, the Mets fell to the Dodgers, and the Rays and Red Sox were victorious. This week, we saw the Reds fall to the Dodgers, the Yankees topped the Rangers, the Giants took care of business against the Mets, the Rockies snapped their skid against the Braves, the Phillies remained perfect against the D-Backs, the White Sox finally got their second win of the season against the Royals, the Angels continued their hot streak beating the Rays, and the Red Sox took care of business against the Tigers.

The playoff race in the AL and NL look like this:

1.) Boston Red Sox (5-0-1) [AL East Leader]
2.) Detroit Tigers (4-3) [AL West Leader]
3.) New York Yankees (4-2-1) [First Wild Card]
4.) Los Angeles Angels (4-3) [Second Wild Card/Tied for AL West Lead]
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4.) Tampa Bay Rays (4-3)
6.) Texas Rangers (2-5)
6.) Chicago White Sox (2-5)
8.) Kansas City Royals (1-6)

The Red Sox hold on to the best record in the American League, and have a comfortable lead over the rest of the League when it comes to the race for the best record. However, the rest of the pack remains very bunched together. At this point, the Red Sox and Yankees are the only teams in the AL that are multiple games over .500. The rest of the playoff picture is extremely unsettled. The Tigers and Angels are deadlocked atop the AL West at 4-3, but I have the Tigers ahead of them in the standings because the Tigers have beat them in their only meeting this year. The Rays also find themselves at 4-3 after 7 weeks and deadlocked with the Angels/Tigers for the final playoff spot. Outside the playoff picture right now are the Rangers, White Sox, and Royals who have a ton of ground to make up.

1.) Philadelphia Phillies (7-0) [NL East Leader]
2.) San Francisco Giants (3-4) [NL West]
3.) Atlanta Braves (5-2) [First NL Wild Card]
4.) Cincinnati Reds (4-3) [Second NL Wild Card]
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5.) Los Angeles Dodgers (3-4)
6.) Colorado Rockies (2-4-1)
6.) Arizona Diamondbacks (2-4-1)
8.) New York Mets (1-6)

The NL is home to the team with the best record, the Philadelphia Phillies, who remain undefeated through 7. The Dodgers and Giants are tied atop the NL West despite both teams being under .500. Rounding out the top 4 in the NL are a pair of NL East teams, the Braves and Reds. It's going to be tough for the teams outside the top 4 to catch these guys, because they're so far ahead of the pack at this point. You've got to think that the only way an NL West team is making the playoffs at this point is with a division title. Right now the NL West is looking a lot like the NFC West.

News and Notes from Around the League:

• Half the league is at or above .500 through 7 weeks, and 14 of the 16 teams have multiple wins.
• The NL West has 4 teams under .500, but any one of the 4 can take the division. 
• A couple of trades went down since the last blog post. One involved the Red Sox/Rangers and the other Tigers/Angels.
• The Rangers/Red Sox deal featured the teams swapping a pair of high profile Outfielders and some draft picks. The Rangers sent Nelson Cruz, Alexei Ogando, minor leaguer Nick Franklin, and pick 17 to the Red Sox for Shin-Soo Choo, Aramis Ramirez, and Pick 61. Definitely an interesting trade here. The Red Sox get a big bopper in Cruz and a guy with a live arm in Ogando. Plus they get a nice minor league SS in Franklin, along with the first pick in the 2nd Round. The Rangers get a good hitter in Choo and address their 3B need with A-Ram. They also pick up a draft pick. Both teams address needs, but I like the Red Sox side of this trade a little more. I really don't think there is that much of a difference between Cruz and Choo, especially with the injury history of Cruz, but what tips the deal in the Red Sox favor is the inclusion of the promising Franklin and a really high draft pick.
• The second trade had the Angels receiving a pair of MiLB players in LHP Mike Montgomery and 3B Jedd Gyorko, along with 31st and 46th picks in the draft, while the Angels get Gordon Beckham and the 59th and 75th picks in the draft. The Tigers get Beckham, who they can insert into the starting line-up to replace the injured Brian Roberts. Meanwhile, the Angels stockpile draft picks and get a couple of top level prospects in the process. Good trade for both teams.
• After one go-around of the East/West showdown, the East took the crown in both leagues. In both leagues, the East went 11-5 during the 4 week showdown.

ADBL Week 5 Review

Baseball in the ADBL is in full swing as we just finished our first week of match-ups in the month of May. Division races have taken shapes and contenders are starting to pull ahead of the pack. After 5 weeks, the Phillies remain the lone 'true' undefeated left, but Boston has yet to register a loss at 4-0-1. The league has been extremely competitive once again, as every team has picked up a win through 5 weeks. After 5 weeks the division leaders are Boston (AL East), Detroit (AL West), Arizona (NL West), and Philadelphia (NL East).

Arizona Diamondbacks (2-2-1) @ Cincinnati Reds (3-2): 4-9-1

The Reds continue to charge back from a tough start picking up their second straight victory with a win over the NL West leading Diamondbacks. The Reds were dominant on offense, outperforming the D-Backs in most of the categories. Cincy also held their own on the pitching front, pulling out the close victory. Despite the win, the Reds don't make up any ground in the tough NL East, remaining 2 games back of the Phillies. However, the Reds hold on to the final NL Wild Card spot. Arizona remains in first in the NL West. 

MVP: Justin Verlander had a week to remember for the Reds. The hard throwing righty managed to pick up the 2nd no-hitter of his career and 2 QS. He struck out 12 batters in 15 innings, posting a 1.80 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP.

Goat: Tough week for Starlin Castro. The young shortstop hit a putrid .095 with a .190 OPS, failing to score or drive in a run. He had just 2 hits in 21 ABs, and watched his average fall to a shade over .300 for the season. After a sizzling start to the season, Castro has cooled down considerably.

Colorado Rockies (1-3-1) @ New York Mets (1-4): 5-6-3

The Mets finally got a win and it couldn't have come any sooner. Unfortunately for the Rockies, the defending champs fall again, and have dropped two in a row. Despite the win, the Mets remain in the basement of the very tough NL East. The Rockies are in 3rd place in a shaken up NL West. Their start to the season has to be one of the bigger surprises this season.

MVP: Ryan Dempster bounced back from an atrocious week last week to pitch a pair of gems this week for the Mets. In 14 innings, the veteran righty allowed just 3 runs striking out 9 and picking up a pair of quality starts. He posted a 1.93 ERA with an equally minuscule 0.93 WHIP. 

Goat: The Rockies desperately need their offense to wake-up and Prince Fielder's terrible offensive showing this week did not help their cause. Fielder had just 2 hits in in 24 ABs, good for a .083 average and a .362 OPS. Despite hitting a home run, Fielder's showing this week hurt the Rockies more than it helped them.

Philadelphia Phillies (5-0) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (1-4): 9-3-2

The Phillies roll again and keep the perfect streak intact with a route of the LA Dodgers, who continue to struggle mightily this season. The Dodgers have lost 4 in a row, as these 2 teams are heading in completely opposite directions. With the win, the Phillies maintain a slim one game lead over the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers, on the other hand, remain in the cellar out West.

MVP: Cole Hamels continues to impose his will out there on the mound. The Phillies southpaw tossed two gems this past week racking up 14 K's in 14.2 IP. ****

Goat: Ryan Raburn had a tough week for the Dodgers, hitting just .105 with 2 hits in 19 ABs. Despite scoring 3 runs, Raburn did little else to help the Dodgers offensively.

Atlanta Braves (4-1) @ San Francisco Giants (2-3): 11-2-1

The Braves continue their hot start to the season with a dominant showing against the San Francisco Giants. Atlanta keeps pace with the undefeated Phillies out East, while the Giants fall to second in the wild West. The balanced Braves effort proved to be too much for the Giants, as they rolled in most of the categories this week.

MVP: The Braves rotation led by Halladay, Lee, Gallardo, Hudson, and Lowe dominated on the mound for the Braves. It's hard to believe they have all these guys on one team, but the Braves managed to do it. The starting staff racked up the K's, kept the ERA's and WHIP's down, and managed to dominate the opposition.

Goat: Tough week for the youngster Buster Posey. He managed just 2 hits in 21 ABs hitting under .100 for the week and posting an OPS under .400. The Giants catcher has had an off sophomore campaign to start the season, but hopefully he turns things around as the weather gets warmer. 

New York Yankees (3-1-1) @ Detroit Tigers (3-2): 8-3-3

After an undefeated start to the season, the Tigers have dropped two straight, as the Yankees come into town and take care of business. The Yankees make it 3 in a row in the win column, picking up solid contributions from the offense and pitching staffs. Despite the loss, the Tigers remain in first place in the AL West, while the Yankees remain in 2nd place out in the East.

MVP: The trio of Shields, Billingsley, and Wandy continued to hold down the fort while the Yankees get all their pitchers back. With Greinke back in the fold now, the pitching staff has gotten a shot in the arm. The trio all pitched into the 7th and posted low ERAs and WHIPs, combining for 3 QS and 2 W's.

Goat: Michael Bourn had a terrible week, managing just 1 hit in 17 ABs. He failed to swipe a base, but scored 3 runs. However, the .059 AVG and .217 OPS were enough to earn him the dubious honor of the Goat of the Week in this match-up.

Kansas City Royals (1-4) @ Tampa Bay Rays (3-2): 1-13-0

Tampa continues to play solid ball this season, laying an absolute beating on the Kansas City Royals. Despite only hitting one home run all week, Tampa Bay took care of business in all the other categories. The Royals have now dropped 3 in a row and find themselves in the cellar of the AL West, while the Rays have now won 2 straight and find themselves in a position to make some noise as we enter the heart of the season.

MVP: Huge week for the young lefty Madison Bumgarner. Despite not picking up a win, Bumgarner had 2 QS, giving up just 1 ER in 13 innings of work. The southpaw whiffed 12 batters, walking just 3, adding up to a 0.69 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. The Rays are hoping this version of Bumgarner is here to stay.

Goat: Livan Hernandez had a week to forget for the Royals. The veteran right hander had a 7.94 ERA and a ugly WHIP of 2.12. He allowed 10 runs and 18 hits in 11.1 IP. He also had 6 BBs, while striking out just 5. His pair of outings certainly did not help the Royals this past week.

Texas Rangers (2-3) @ Boston Red Sox (4-0-1): 3-10-1

The Red Sox continue their resurgence this season after a down year last year. They pounded the Texas Rangers for their third straight win, while setting the league record for staff ERA this past week. Boston has yet to lose a game, and remain one of only two teams remaining without a registered loss in the ADBL. After a win last week, Texas falls one game under .500 with the loss, but remain in striking distance of the Detroit Tigers for first out West.

MVP: This award has to go collectively to all the Red Sox pitchers. Whenever you have a historic week in the league as a team, it is hard to give the MVP award to any one individual. As a staff, no Red Sox pitcher allowed more than 2 ERs. Also, only one pitcher had a WHIP over 1.33. 

Goat: Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy had a tough week, collecting just 2 hits in 17 ABs with just 1 RBI. For the week, Lucroy hit .118 with an OPS of .229. It's tough to win many games when you're basically playing one man down, if one of your starters doesn't produce. 

Chicago White Sox (1-4) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2-3): 6-7-1

The Angels get back on the winning track and keep themselves from falling too far out of the playoff chase here early on. On the flip side of things, the White Sox find themselves in a similar position as they were in this time last year. Chicago started off slow last year, but finished the year on a massive winning streak to sneak into the playoffs. The White Sox have to hope this year brings similar things. This past week, the Angels took advantage of an underachieving team, and came away with a win.

MVP: Great week for the Angels' young third baseman Danny Valencia. Valencia hit .333 for the week posting an OPS of 1.035. He provided an extremely balanced effort for the Angels hitting a home run, driving in 5, scoring 3, and even swiping a bag. 

Goat: Hisanori Takahashi was terrible for the White Sox out of the pen. In 2.2 innings of work, he gave up 5 runs, 6 hits, and a walk. When all was said and done, the Japanese southpaw posted an ugly 16.88 ERA and a WHIP of 2.63.

News and Notes from Around the League:

• After 5 Weeks, the ADBL Power Rankings has the Phillies, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, and Tigers in the Top 5.
• Every team in the ADBL has now registered at least one win, and almost 75% of the league has multiple wins.
• This past week the Boston Red Sox shattered the Team ERA record for a week, posting a staff ERA of 1.246. The previous record was held by the 2010 Phillies (1.508).
• The Rays made a pair of interesting moves this past week. Here's a breakdown of both.
• In the first trade, the Rays sent ace Josh Johnson and the 30th pick in the draft to the Rockies for a boatload of outfielders (Julio Borbon, Dexter Fowler, Travis Snider), C Nick Hundley, and the 53rd pick in the draft.
• In the 2nd trade, the Rays sent struggling OF Carl Crawford to the Tigers for a pair of relievers, Kameron Loe and Leo Nunez. 
• At first glance, you'd probably think the Rays are crazy for trading two All-Star caliber players and getting a bunch of mid-tier talent in return. But to properly assess these trades, I think they must be looked at side-by-side. A glaring weakness for the Rays this season was their lack of bullpen depth. A big strength for the Rays is their abundance of starting pitching. Also, the Rays had a surplus of OF talent with Kemp, Markakis, Crawford, and Joyce. With Crawford struggling, it probably wasn't the best time to trade him. Especially, not for a pair of relievers that aren't even in the top 10 amongst closers. However, with the Johnson deal, the Rays got 3 OF's, 2 of which (Fowler and Borbon), who provide similar statistical contributions as Crawford. The Rays must be banking on Fowler and Borbon to collectively contribute like Crawford. I don't quite understand trading Josh Johnson for relievers, but his salary is ridiculously high at this point, so maybe salary was a factor. But if he was going to trade a starter for a reliever why not trade one of your lesser ones. I'm not knocking the Rays, I just think he could've got a lot more for two All-Star caliber players. 
• The Eastern divisions have dominated play thus far against their competitors from the West. This past week the AL East won 3 of the 4 match-ups, while the NL East won all 4 match-ups against their Western counterparts. Overall, the East is 13-3 against the West this season.

ADBL Week 4 Review

Well, the first month of the baseball season has come to a close here in the ADBL. I just wanted to start off by saying thank you to all of the guys over in the ADBL for reading my blog and giving me positive feedback. If there's anything else you guys want to see in the blog, feel free to let me know. I look forward to another great year in the league. After one month we definitely had our fair share of surprises. Here's a look at how each team finished April.

Tampa Bay Rays (2-2) @ Detroit Tigers (3-1): 8-5-1
Tampa Bay finishes April with a huge win over the Detroit Tigers, who entered the week undefeated. After breezing through the AL West, Detroit falls to one of the AL powerhouses. Tampa dominated the offensive categories, sneaking in a lead in the Holds category to pull the upset over the Tigers. Despite the loss, the Tigers hold on to division lead as April closes. With the win, Tampa ends the month in 3rd place in an extremely tight AL East.
MVP: Matt Joyce had a huge week for the Rays. He hit .526 posting an OPS of 1.486. On top of the ridiculous peripheral numbers, Joyce drilled 2 HRs knocking in 6 and scoring 7 runs.
Goat: It was a rough week for Adrian Beltre, who had just 6 hits in 27 ABs. That's good for a .222 AVG. He didn't homer for the week and drove in just 2 runs. Tough week for the former All-Star.

Kansas City Royals (1-3) @ New York Yankees (2-1-1): 5-8-1
Yankees make it two in a row after starting the year with a loss. They managed to get a balanced effort from their offense and pitching in route to a close victory over the Royals. Kansas City's pitching really failed them this week, as they were neck and neck with the Bronx Bombers in the offensive categories. If they had gotten better pitching, they might have been able to win this week.
MVP: What a week for Lance Berkman. The Yankees recently picked him up via Free Agency and he paid immediate dividends with a vintage performance. Collecting 11 Hits in 24 ABs, posting a .453 BA along with a 1.313 OPS, Berkman hit 2 round trippers, while knocking in 8 and collecting 20 TBs.
Goat: It was a week to forget for Jose Tabata, who just collected one hit for the whole week in 18 ABs. He also had just one run scored and one RBI. Tabata also pulled a hammy this week and his status is a little iffy at this point. The Royals can ill-afford to lose the talented Tabata for an extended period of time. Hopefully, he can avoid a DL-stint.

Boston Red Sox (3-0-1) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1-3): 8-6-0
The Red Sox are technically one of the last undefeated teams left in the league after Detroit fell to Tampa. The Red Sox took care of business despite a sub-par performance across the board. The Angels were extremely strong on the pitching front, but couldn't overcome an anemic offensive effort, allowing Boston to sneak by with a win.
MVP: Justin Masterson continues to pitch well this season, surprising many with his break-out performance. This week was no exception, as the righty tossed 13.2 innings, allowing just 5 runs and striking out 14. When all was said, he posted a 3.29 ERA and a very respectable 1.17 WHIP.
Goat: Second baseman Kelly Johnsons had a dismal showing for the Angels this week. He had just 3 hits in 22 at-bats. That's a .136 average and an equally unimpressive .406 OPS. He did swipe 2 bags and score 3 runs, but had just 3 total bases, and did little else for the Angels. His struggles at the plate continue this season, after a nice break-out year last season.

Texas Rangers (2-2) @ Chicago White Sox (1-3): 9-4-1
The Rangers have posted back to back wins after starting the week 0-2. They manage to get back to .500 with a nice win over the White Sox, who lost their second straight game and remain in the basement of the AL East. With the win, the Rangers find themselves back in the thick of things out West, just one game back of the Detroit Tigers.
MVP: Matt Holliday was red-hot all week for the Rangers, hitting over .450 and posting an OPS of 1.244. He collected 17 TBs with one home run, 7 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. Holliday's balanced effort helped power the Rangers to a much-needed victory over the White Sox.
Goat: Bobby Jenks and Matt Thornton were utterly atrocious for the White Sox this week. The two combined for 3 IP, 6 ER, 7 hits allowed, and 6 walks. They definitely didn't help the White Sox cause this week.

Colorado Rockies (1-2-1) @ Cincinnati Reds (2-2): 5-8-1
The Reds get back to .500 this week with a nice win over the defending Champs who fall below .500 for the second time this year. The Rockies offense continues to sputter out of the gates, and the Reds capitalized on this. The Rockies pitching also posted uncharacteristically high ERAs and WHIPs for the week. The Rockies have dug themselves an early hole to dig out of this year. It will be interesting to see how the NL West race shapes up as the year goes on.
MVP: Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips showed again this week why he ranks among the league's best at his position. He hit .375 for the week and posted an OPS of 1.173 with a pair of home runs. He also drove in 7 runs and scored 5 runs. Good week for the Reds second baseman.
Goat: After a hot start to the year, Sam Fuld came back down to earth this week. He had just 1 hit in 19 ABs, good for a .053 average and a .355 OPS. Somehow, he scored 4 runs. Still, it was a terrible week for Fuld and the Rockies offense on the whole.

New York Mets (0-4) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (2-1-1): 2-10-2
Two teams heading in completely different directions this season met this week. The Mets' struggles continued this week, as they remain the only team in the league without a victory. The Diamondbacks on the other hand, continue their resurgence with a convincing win. With this victory, the Diamondbacks find themselves back in first place out in the NL West going into May.
MVP: Dustin Moseley and Dan Haren had almost indentical stat lines this week for the Diamondbacks. They each threw 7 shutout innings for the D-Backs, and helped offset some sub-par performances from their teammates. The duo also 11 K's and 2 QS, while giving up just 6 hits and 4 walks in 14 IP.
Goat: Can a pitching line get any worse than Ryan Dempster's this past week? He gave up 7 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, only managing to record one out. That adds up to an ugly ERA of 189.00 and a WHIP of 24.00. Yikes.

San Francisco Giants (2-2) @ Philadelphia Phillies (4-0): 5-7-2
The Phillies remain the only team in the ADBL to win every game this year. The Fightin' Phils finish a perfect April with a close win over a tough NL West opponent, the San Francisco Giants. The Phillies offense was on fire for much of the week posting absurd totals, and the pitching was equally as effective. If the Phillies continue to play like this, they will be very tough to beat. They have to be the early favorite to win the league at this point.
MVP: Like much of the offense, Adam Lind was on an absolute tear this week for the Phillies. The slugger hit .429 for the week and hit 4 HRs while driving in 10. Throw in 24 TBs and 7 runs scored, and the 1B/DH reminded everyone why he was one of the most feared hitters in baseball just 2 seasons ago.
Goat: Tough week for rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman. The promising young gun mustered only 1 hit in 15 ABs this past week, good for only 2 TBs and 2 runs scored. The .067 avg sure didn't help the Giants keep pace with the Phillies juggernaut this past week.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1-3) @ Atlanta Braves (3-1): 4-9-1
The Braves continue their hot start to the season, handing the struggling Dodgers their third straight loss. The Braves got an extremely balanced effort from their offense and pitching, and have quietly cruised to one of the best records in the ADBL.
MVP: Ben Zobrist might have had one of the best single-day fantasy performances in recent history, even if he played in a double header. That day he knocked in 10 runs, giving him 13 for the week and 2 HRs. He hit .440 for the week and posted a blistering 1.404 OPS. All in a days work for the Rays super-utility man.
Goat: Carlos Gonzalez's rough season continued this past week. The Dodgers outfielder managed just 4 hits in 16 ABs, failing to hit a HR, and drove in just 1 run all week. The Dodgers are going to need CarGo to produce if they want to turn their season around.

News & Notes from Around the League:

• With April coming to a close, the 4 division leaders are the Philadelphia Phillies (NL East), Arizona Diamondbacks (NL West), Detroit Tigers (AL West), and Boston Red Sox (AL East).
• Philadelphia is the lone undefeated team remaining, although the Red Sox have yet to register a loss this year (one tie).
• The Weekly Power Rankings have the Phillies, Red Sox, Tigers, Braves, and D-Backs in the Top 5.
• Another trade just went down today involving the Rockies and Tigers. The Rockies sent Jonny Venters and the 31st pick in the draft to the Giants in return for highly touted prospect Zack Wheeler and the 16th pick in the draft.
• Overall, this trade is pretty balanced. The Giants address some bullpen problems by bringing in Venters and moved down 15 spots in the draft. The Rockies continue to build through the farm and draft, getting another top pitching prospect and another first rounder. Can't argue with this trade for either team. Both managers take care of things they consider to be priorities.
• AL Player of the Month -Ryan Braun (BOS) is off to an absolutely torrid start to the season. The Red Sox Outfielder posted absurd numbers in the month of April collecting 10 Homers, 23 RBIs, and scoring 24 runs, all while hitting a scalding .356. Braun is a big reason why the Red Sox have the best record in the AL and lead the AL East through the first month of the season.
• AL Pitcher of the Month - Josh Johnson (TB) posted video game like numbers here in April. The big righty posted a miniscule 0.88 ERA and an equally impressive 0.71 WHIP. He picked up 3 wins along the way and fanned 39 batters in 41 innings of work. Johnson gave up just 4 ER in the month of April, 2 came in his first start. He's been an absolute beast.
• NL Player of the Month - Jose Bautista (PHI) is proving his 2010 campaign was no fluke. The Phillies outfielder hit a robust .357 for the month of April, scoring 25 runs, hitting 9 round-trippers, and knocking  in 16 runs. He even stole 4 bases. Is there anything he can't do? If Bautista and the Phils can keep their seasons up, he will definitely be garnering some league MVP votes.
• NL Pitcher of the Month - Jered Weaver (LAD) had one of the most dominating starts to the season in recent history. After a breakout year last season, Weaver has picked up where he left off, collecting 6 wins, while posting 1.39 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. Weaver is striking out more than a batter an inning with 55 K's in 51.2 IP. Weaver had not given up more than 2 ERs in any start before his last start today, where he gave up 3 after a bout with the stomach virus.

ADBL Week 3 Review

As Week 3 in the ADBL comes to a close, so do the inter divisional match-ups. With the first round of inter-divisional match-ups over with, the divisional races have started to take shape. After 3 weeks, the division leaders are the Tigers in the AL West, the Red Sox in the AL East, the the Giants in the NL West, and the Phillies out in the NL East. There are just two undefeated teams left (Tigers and Phillies), and just the Mets enter Week 4 without a win. Let's take a look back to see how we got to where we are now.

Cincinnati Reds (1-2) @ Philadelphia Phillies (3-0): 4-9-1
Well, who saw this one coming? Preseason favorite Cincinnati falls for the second straight week as the Philadelphia Phillies continue their scorching start to the season. The Phillies did it with a strong balanced effort from their offense and pitching staff, and continue to be one of the more consistent teams in the ADBL this season. Right now the Phillies are a true definition of a team, as their players may not stand out on paper, but when they are put together, they really excel and make-up this powerhouse team in the NL East.
MVP: I said it last week, and I'll say it again. The trio of Wade Davis, Cole Hamels, and Scott Baker were absolutely dominating this past week. The trio combined for 22 IP, 19 K's, just 1 ER allowed, and 3 wins. These 3 continue to power a dominant Phillies rotation and have helped catapult the Phillies to the best record in NL through the first 3 weeks of the season.
Goat: Tough week for Miguel Montero with just 1 hit in 15 plate appearances. His .067 average and .192 OPS. No that's not a typo, he had a .192 OPS. It can't get much worse than this and this might be the worst single player performance I have seen early on in this young season.

Atlanta Braves (2-1) @ New York Mets (0-3): 11-2-1
The Braves find themselves in a good position after knocking after Cincinnati last week, Atlanta knocks off the lowly Mets, who are the league's lone win-less team this season. The Braves cruised to a pretty easy victory, overpowering the Mets with better offensive and pitching performances. It has been a tough go for the Mets so far this year, but hopefully as some of their younger players get called up, they can make some noise in the league.
MVP: Ichiro Suzuki had an absolutely torrid week for the Braves. He hit over .430 with a .918 OPS, sprinkling in 4 SBs, 3 RBIs, and and 4 runs scored. His balanced effort definitely helped lead the Braves to a convincing win against the Mets.
Goat: Alex Gonzalez laid a stinker this week for the Mets, collecting just 3 hits in 26 ABs. That adds up to a .115 BA and a .332 OPS. Just 4 TBs, and 1 RBI didn't help the Mets' cause this week, as they could've used every ounce of offense they could've mustered. It's a tough road for the Mets, especially without their best offensive player, Joe Mauer.

Colorado Rockies (1-1-1) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (1-2): 10-4-0
The defending champs finally get rid of that 0 in the win column, notching their first win of the season against NL West rival Los Angeles. The Dodgers have lost two straight after starting the season with a win and now find themselves at the bottom of what looks like a very tough NL West. On the flip side, the Rockies bounce back from a rough loss to the Giants and manage to come out of the first round of Divisional play with a 1-1-1 record.
MVP: Brett Anderson couldn't have been much better than he was for the Rockies this week. The young lefty proved once again that when he's healthy he is definitely one of the best starters in the bigs. With 2 starts this past week, the southpaw surrendered just 1 run over 15 innings, striking out 14 while walking just 2. He displayed impeccable control and managed to collect 2 Wins in the process. 
Goat: Carlos Gonzalez's tough start to the season continued this past week, and the Dodgers offense continues to under-perform early on here. CarGo had just 1 hit in 20 ABs and had just 1 RBI for the whole week, posting a measly OPS of .217 and an equally unimpressive BA of .050.

San Francisco Giants (2-1) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (1-1-1): 8-5-1
The Giants follow up an impressive win over the defending champs by knocking off the league's surprise team of the 2011 season. With their most recent victory, the Giants now find themselves atop the NL West early on in the season. Meanwhile, Arizona falls for the first time this season, but have no reason to scoff at their most recent performance, as they were competitive in most of the categories. Expect more classic match-ups like this one from these two as the season goes on.
MVP: Journeyman Juan Uribe provided the Giants with a Pujols-esque performance this past week. The do-everything infielder hit 2 round-trippers this past week while knocking in 5 runs and crossing the plate 5 more times. Throw in a .375 average and an equally impressive 1.139 OPS and it's easy to see why he's the clear choice for this game's MVP.
Goat: Rough week for the D-Backs' Chris Young, as the young outfielder hit a putrid .080 for the week, managing only 2 hits in 27 plate appearances. His homer and 2 RBI's didn't do much for his OPS, as that stood at a low .360. Tough week for the D-Backs, but look for them to bounce back.

New York Yankees (1-1-1) @ Chicago White Sox (1-2): 8-4-2
The defending AL East champs finally notch their first win with a nail biter this past week. They knock off the South Siders, who couldn't follow up an impressive win over the Rays with another win. The Yankees climb from the basement of the AL East into the second spot in the division, while the White Sox join the Rays at the bottom of the division.
MVP: Big Game James lived up to his nickname this past week throwing not one, but two complete games for the Yankees, as their starting rotation started to come out of their early season funk. Shields allowed just one run, fanning 16 batters. When all was said and done, that comes out to a 0.50 ERA and a miniscule WHIP of 0.61.
Goat: Carlos Ruiz did the unthinkable. He went a whole week without registering a hit for the South Siders. He had a whopping 0 Hits in 14 ABs, however he did score a run. Definitely a week to forget for the White Sox catcher.

Tampa Bay Rays (1-2) @ Boston Red Sox (2-0-1): 3-10-1
Boston has jumped out to a heck of a start in the tough AL East. They finish the first go around through the division undefeated at 2-0-1. The Rays, on the other hand, have dropped their last 2 games after a nice opening week victory against the Yankees. It was a closer match-up than the score indicated, as many of the categories could've gone either way, but the Red Sox did just enough to get a tough victory. Definitely a huge win for the Red Sox as they hold on to the top spot in the division for another week.
MVP: Ryan Braun was an absolute beast this week, hitting a shade under .500 and posting an OPS of 1.373. He had a video-game like week knocking 3 balls out of the park, while driving in 9 and collecting 21 TBs and crossing home plate 9 times. Definitely a clutch performance from the Hebrew Hammer, as his production was much needed for the BoSox to get by the talented Rays.
Goat: Nick Markakis had a very rough week for the Rays, and it couldn't have come at a worse time with Scott Rolen heading to the disabled list. Markakis had just 4 hits in 23 ABs. All 4 hits were singles and the Rays Outfielder drove in a whopping 0 runs, while scoring just 2. His performance at the plate definitely did not help the Rays in a very critical game here early on in the season. The Rays are going to need Markakis to step up in the absence of Rolen.

Kansas City Royals (1-2) @ Texas Rangers (1-2): 3-9-2
The Texas Rangers finally get a win, and it couldn't have come any earlier. No team wants to start 0-3, as it is almost impossible to make a playoff push with such a huge hole to dig out of. Texas got an incredible week of starting pitching, and did just enough offensively to sneak by the Royals this week and earn their first victory of the 2011 season.
MVP: We have a Dice-K siting, as the under-achieving righty posted a dominant stat-line this week, allowing 0 runs over 15 innings, walking just 4 batters. With Dice-K, control is always a key to how successful he can be, and it comes as no surprise that when he limits his walks, he can be successful in this league. His big time performances this week helped propel the Rangers to their first win of the season.
Goat: Aubrey Huff had a rough week at the dish for the Royals, hitting just .167 for the week. With just 4 hits in 24 ABs, he just didn't produce consistently at the plate to make any noise for the Royals this week. Even with the 1 homer and 3 RBIs, he just didn't connect often enough to help the Royals this week.

Detroit Tigers (3-0) @ Los Angeles Angels (1-2): 9-4-1
The Tigers continue to cruise through the AL West early on here, and are the clear class of the AL West, if not the whole American League. Although the Angels put up a good effort this week, the Tigers were just overpowering in almost every category. These other AL West teams have their work cut out for them as they try to catch the Tigers.
MVP: How about the week Randy Wolf had for the Tigers...The veteran lefty tossed 14 superb innings, allowing just 1 ER, collecting 2 wins and posting an identical ERA and WHIP of 0.64. How often does that happen, if ever? Nonetheless, a dominant performance from the savvy vet.
Goat: This has to be the first week in the ADBL where guys with double digit ABs managed to go hitless. Mark Trumbo joins the White Sox Carlos Ruiz as they take home the dubious honor. Trumbo went 0 for 14 at the dish and didn't even manage to reach base once. Talk about a rough week. For the Angels sake, you got to hope he can connect on a few this week. At least he can't possibly be any worse this upcoming week.

News and Notes from around the League:

• The Tigers find themselves atop the League's Weekly Power Rankings for the second straight week. The Phillies and Red Sox round out the top 3 in that order for the second straight week as well. The Braves and Giants round out the top 5.
• The League has just two undefeated teams left after 3 weeks, one from each league. The Tigers and Phillies both sit at a perfect 3-0. Boston has also yet to lose a game as they stand at a cool 2-0-1.
• The Mets are the league's lone winless team at 0-3. On the bright side, they get to play games outside their division this week, so maybe their fortunes will turn around against the NL West.
• The league was pretty active on the trade front these past couple of days. Here's a rundown of a few big ones:
• The Angels dealt some of their bullpen depth sending promising lefty Chris Sale and righty David Hernandez to the desert, while receiving lefty Brad Hand,a top Marlins pitching prospect, and a couple draft picks (2nd and 3rd rounders). 
• Definitely a good trade for both teams, as the Angels dealt from a position of strength to bolster an already strong farm system, while the D-Backs needed some bullpen help if they want to compete long-term in the NL West.
• The Angels didn't stop there as they then shipped one of their 2nd rounders to the Dodgers for hard throwing lefty Bud Norris.
• As the Angels look to compete out West, they needed some pitching help, especially with Wainwright out for the year, so once again, the Angels GM deals from a position of strength to address an area of need. Smart trade for both teams, as the Dodgers get another draft pick to help stock up the farm.
• Today had a couple of huge trades, involving some big time names. The first one involved the Braves and Giants, two potential playoff teams. The Braves acquired 2B/OF Martin Prado, while sending rookie 1B Freddie Freeman and utility infielder Omar Infante back to San Francisco.
• This is certainly an interesting trade for both teams. For the Braves, they certainly can use Prado's flexibility and bat in their line-up. With Adrian Gonzalez and Adam Dunn already on their roster, there was no place to play Freeman, and Infante didn't really fit in either with the surplus of OF's and he wasn't going to see much time in the infield over Jeter or Chipper. Plus, Prado is a big upgrade over Infante, as they both qualify at similar positions. For the Giants, they get a huge boost at first-base with the arrival of Freeman. Derek Lee has done nothing for them at 1B and Belt was demoted back to the minors. With Infante, they lose a little production downgrading from Prado, but with the hot start Kung Fu Panda is off to and a healthy start from Reyes, they've got to hope the upgrade at first can offset the downgrade from Prado to Infante. He's going to be nothing more than a utility player who gets time on off-days for the Giants. Even trade for both teams, addressing areas of need.
• The other trade involved the Angels again, this time hooking up with the Rockies in a pretty big deal. The Rockies got the biggest name in the deal, acquiring Cardinals OF Colby Rasmus along with a 3rd Round pick. The Angels get flamethrower Edwin Jackson along with a first rounder (9th overall) and a pair of 2nd rounders. 
• The Angels continue to stockpile draft picks, while bolstering their starting rotation. The Rockies get a huge boost with the arrival of Rasmus. He helps sure up an outfield that had some question marks (Sizemore's health/Fuld's production). The Rockies had a ton of picks to begin with so losing a couple certainly doesn't hurt. Either way a good trade for both teams. We'll see how this one turns out as the season progresses. The only possible negative here is how the Angels offense holds up with Rasmus gone. He was their best OF option and their offense was not very strong with him. Now they are left with Maybin, Gordon, Young, and Adam Jones as outfield options. There is certainly talent there, but a lot of underachieving as well.
• This week marks the end of Divisional match-ups and the start of the East vs. West match-ups. The AL West squares off against the AL East, while the NL East squares off against the NL West. Stay tuned to find out which division claims the majority of match-ups as the weeks go on.
• The AL West is the only division in the league without multiple teams at or above .500. Definitely something to watch as the year progresses. On the other hand, the NL West is the only division with 3 teams at or above .500.

Week 2 Review

Week 2 in the ADBL was marked by a ton of surprises. As we move into the third week of play, a couple of early favorites find themselves struggling out of the gates, while some teams have come out of no where to jump to the front of the pack. Here's a game by game analysis of what happened last week in the ADBL:

Boston Red Sox (1-0-1) @ New York Yankees (0-1-1) - 6-6-2
In a showdown of two AL East rivals, both teams come away having to settle for a tie. Although not the most desirable outcome, it is certainly better than taking a loss, especially for the Yankees, who could ill afford to start the year 0-2. The Yankees pitching continues to struggle and was the major reason they were unable to come away with a win this week. Their bats definitely outplayed Boston, but the Red Sox got outstanding efforts from almost all of their starters. Despite the draw, Boston finds themselves atop the AL-East, while the Yankees find themselves in the cellar very early on here.
MVP: Troy Tulowitzki was on an absolute tear last week, and it's a pity his efforts couldn't have led the Yankees to a win. He hit a robust .519 with a video-game like OPS of 1.680. Sprinkle in 4 HRs, 8 RBIs, 7 runs, and 29 TBs and it's easy to see how the Yanks managed to claim most of the offensive categories.
Goat: The Yankees starting staff have to collectively share this dubious award, as they were absolutely atrocious. With the exceptions of Chad Billingsley and James Shields, the rest of the rotation pitched to double digit ERAs and WHIPs north of 2. I'm talking to you Guthrie, Garland, Nova, and Hughes.

Tampa Bay Rays (1-1-0) @ Chicago White Sox (1-1-0): 5-7-2
Well, the AL East continues to prove why this is going to be an extremely tough division to win. The Rays, victorious last week against the Yanks, fall on the road to the White Sox, who bounced back nicely from a opening week loss to the BoSox. In what was a close match-up throughout, the White Sox were able to ride a balanced effort from their offense and pitching to claim their first victory here in 2011.
MVP: Do everything infielder Michael Young had an absolutely scorching week at the plate hitting over .500 with an OPS of 1.239. Despite not hitting a HR, he did drive in 6 runs, while crossing the plate 5 times. Throw in 17 TBs, Young's play helped offset the early season struggles of Stanton and Figgins.
Goat: Chris Tillman went just 1.2 innings, yet managed to give up 6 runs and 9 hits. In case you were wondering, that translates to an ERA of 32.40 and a WHIP of 6.00. Definitely not what the Rays had in mind when they played him.

Los Angeles Angels (1-1-0) @ Kansas City Royals (1-1-0): 3-10-1
Utter domination from the Royals this week against the Halos. The Royals pitching was the story this week, as they dominated the hill, powering the Royals to their first win this season. The Angels will look to bounce back from this disappointing performance against the undefeated Tigers.
MVP: Livan Hernandez turned back the clock this week and pitched two gems for the Royals. He gave up just 2 runs in 13+ IP, pitching to the tune of a 1.32 ERA and a miniscule WHIP of 0.95. The 2 Wins and 2 QS were just extra frosting on the cake for the Royals.
Goat: Ian Kennedy had a start to forget when he took the mound against the Cardinals. He was rocked for 9 runs all earned in just 3 innings of work, while striking out just one batter. He just couldn't get anyone out. After two great outings to start the year, Kennedy suffered his first major blow, but there's no reason to expect this to become the norm from the young righty.

Detroit Tigers (2-0-0) @ Texas Rangers (0-2-0): 11-1-2
Talk about lopsided, the Tigers took care of business pretty easily against the struggling Rangers. These two teams are heading in totally opposite directions early on this year, but hopefully the Rangers manage to turn things around. The Tigers dominated almost all the categories, losing out only in RBIs.
MVP: Welcome back Albert Pujols. The Machine hit a bit of a rough patch coming out of the gates, but he turned things up big time this past week posting a cool .344 average with a typical Pujols OPS of 1.020. He scored 10 Runs and hit 3 round trippers this week. Back to business as usual for Pujols.
Goat: Nelson Cruz cooled down considerably this week, but his lack of production really hurt the Rangers this week. He hit just .190 and had an OPS under .500. He had just one more hit than Pujols had HRs. That just goes to show how tough a week Cruz had. Look for him to bounce back.

Atlanta Braves (1-1-0) @ Cincinnati Reds (1-1-0): 8-5-1
Huge win for the Braves this week, as they take down the division champs and early season favorite Cincinnati. The Reds just couldn't hit the ball this week, and the Braves took advantage of this subpar performance, walking away with their first victory of the season.
MVP: Cliff Lee was as close to perfect as you can get without throwing a perfect game. He threw a complete game shutout whiffing 12 and allowing just 3 hits. When all was said and done, that equals 0.44 WHIP.
Goat: Carlos Santana struggled mightily this week and has really gotten off to a slow start. The promising young Catcher hit under .100 with just 1 Hit in 17 Plate Appearances. The Reds hitters on a whole were off this week, as they only hit .192 as a team. Definitely an off week from a talented bunch.

Philadelphia Phillies (2-0-0) @ New York Mets (0-2-0): 9-4-1
The Phillies take a pretty closely contested match-up, as the Mets lose 2 tough games here out of the gate. Nevertheless, the Phillies are 2-0 and continue to play good baseball. The Mets are much better than their 0-2 record as they were competitive in all the categories barely losing in many of them.
MVP: The trio of Wade Davis, Cole Hamels, and Scott Baker helped fuel the Phillies to a very successful week and their second consecutive win. All three went 7 innings and had a combined 14 K's, while pitching to low ERA's and WHIPs.
Goat: Josh Willingham had a terrible week at the plate hitting just .174, collecting just 4 hits in 23 ABs all week. Throw in the lack of RBIs, runs, and even a single homer, Willingham did more damage to his own team, than the opposition this week.

San Francisco Giants (1-1-0) @ Colorado Rockies (0-1-1): 9-4-1
It's been a rough start for the defending league champs, as they fail to get their first win yet again, this time falling to the upstart Giants. The Rockies offense continues to sputter out of the gates, and not even the solid pitching could compensate for the offensive deficiencies. Solid win for the Giants this week, as they get rid of the doughnut in the win column.
MVP: Young gun Buster Posey had a really good week for the Giants as he hit over .300 and posted an OPS just under 1.000 to go along with his 2 dingers and 6 RBIs.
Goat: Miguel Tejada was absolutely terrible for the Rockies, as his struggles at SS definitely contributed to the Rockies overall hitting woes. Collecting just 4 hits all week, and hitting under the Mendoza Line, it was a week to forget for the former AL MVP.

Arizona Diamondbacks (1-0-1) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (1-1-0): 8-4-2
Talk about a huge win for the Diamondbacks. It has definitely been a great start for the guys from Arizona. With a surprising tie against the defending champs and a win against a tough divisional foe, the Diamondbacks are starting to turn heads in the ADBL.
MVP: Starlin Castro continues to collect hits left and right, while posting absurd Batting Average numbers. The young shortstop hit an absurd .536 and posted an OPS north of 1.200. Sprinkle in 5 RBIs, 2 SBs, 20 TBs, and 5 runs scored and Castro provided the D-Backs with a well rounded effort this week.
Goat: Bobby Abreu had a tough weak, hitting just .150 and collecting just 3 hits in 20 ABs for the Dodgers. He also failed to drive in or score runs, since he was hardly ever on base. Definitely a week to forget for the Dodgers Outfielder.

League Notes after 2 Weeks:

• There are 4 undefeated teams left, but just two of them have posted wins in both games. (Tigers and Phillies). There are 4 win less teams, but just two teams have lost both match-ups this year (Rangers and Mets).
• The final leg of the first inter-divisional games wraps up this week. Look for the division races to start to take shape after this week.
• Through two weeks, the division leaders are Arizona, Boston, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Week 1 Review

With the first week of the season over, let's take a look back at what was a very good week and a half of baseball here in the ADBL.


Cincinnati Reds @ New York Mets - 12-2-0
Well, no surprise here. The Reds roll in their season opener, but things were closer than they actually appeared. The Mets put up quite a fight in the offensive categories, but the Reds superior pitching tipped the scales. All in all, this was a heck of a start for the Reds, and the Mets come away with some positives on the offensive side of the ball, but need to get that pitching staff in order.
MVP: Joey Votto had an absolutely monstrous Opening Week. He hit .455 with an OPS of 1.275 and 2 HRs. The 2010 MVP starts 2011 with a bang and helped lead the Reds to a big first win.
Goat: Mike Pelfrey was, to put it lightly, pretty darn awful for the Mets this week. In 2 starts, he pitched to a gaudy ERA of 15.63 and a WHIP over 2.60. Talk about awful. He barely managed to pitch over 6 innings combined in his two starts. To put this in perspective, the Reds RP Drew Storen pitched more innings out of the bullpen during the whole Opening Week. Go figure.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves - 8-6-0
Chalk up a huge road win for the Fightin' Phils. In what was a close matchup throughout, the Phillies managed to edge by the Braves in their opening match-up. The Phillies managed to take most of the major offensive categories, losing just SBs and RBIs, and managed to sneak out the 2 deciding cats with victories in Saves, Holds, and K's.
MVP: The Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino gets the nod in this match-up. Hitting over .400 for the week and scoring 8 runs, while swiping 2 bags will do that for you. Sprinkle in 7 RBIs and 21 TBs and the Flyin' Hawaiian really lived up to his nickname for the Phils this week.
Goat: The trio of Derek Jeter, Ben Zobrist, and Alex Rios had a combined 1 HR and 8 RBIs (one more than Victorino). They also just had 29 TBs (8 more than Victorino) and each hit barely over .200 (Zobrist hit under .200) and had OPS's in the .500 range. The Braves need better production out of this bunch if they want to compete weekly in the offensive categories.

Colorado Rockies @ Arizona Diamondbacks - 7-7-0
One week into the season, and we've already got our first tie. The Diamondbacks pulled out a nice little upset here even though they didn't win, playing to a draw with the defending league champs. Arizona took most of the offensive cats, and managed to sneak out the Wins and Holds cats to get by with the tie.
MVP: Although Dan Haren and Clayton Kershaw were both filthy, I got to go with Jeff Francis here. He definitely pitched like it was 2007 and helped solidify the Rockies hold on the pitching categories, pitching to the tune of a 1.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP and 2 QS.
Goat: Matt Wieters had a terrible Opening Week here in the ADBL hitting under .200 and barely posting an OPS over .500. Wieters had just 5 hits and 2 RBIs with no dingers. Definitely a disappointing start to the year for the Arizona catcher.

San Francisco Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers - 3-10-1
Finally a home team comes away with a victory here. The Dodgers were the lone NL team to come away with a win during the ADBL's Opening Week. It's not that the Giants played poorly, but the Dodgers started the year off on an absolute tear, and probably would've beat just about anyone here in the ADBL.
MVP: Jered Weaver was an absolute stud here in his first couple of starts. He chalked up 27 K's in just 20 IP. His ERA was just 0.87 and his WHIP was the exact same miniscule 0.87. The man was an absolute beast.
Goat: After a breakout campaign last year, Casey McGehee had a terrible start to the 2011 season. With an average barely above the Mendoza line and an OPS under .500, the Giants 3B definitely would like to forget his start to the season. He had just 7 hits and 1 run scored.

New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays - 1-12-1
Tampa starts off the year with a rather easy win in week 1, as the Yankees struggled to get going out of the gate. The Rays were red hot, and their pitching was absolutely outstanding. The Yankees fell behind early and were unable to dig themselves out of their early hole. Definitely, a convincing win for the Rays and they will be a force to be reckoned with come 2011.
MVP: Matt Kemp came out like a man on a mission hitting a robust .438 and posting an OPS of 1.170, swiping 7 bags and collecting 21 TBs.
Goat: The Yankees starting rotation was absolutely atrocious, especially Phil Hughes. In two starts, the righty allowed 11 ER in just 6 IP posting an ugly ERA of 16.50 and a generous 2.67 WHIP.

Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox - 7-6-1
In another quality match-up pitting two evenly matched AL East teams, the Red Sox squeak by the White Sox by a hair. This game could've gone either way, but the Red Sox managed to get by because of a dominating performance in the pitching categories.
MVP: Welcome back Josh Beckett. The Boston righty posted a miniscule 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, including a dominating effort against the Yankees. The Texan whiffed 14 hitters in just 13 innings, while allowing just 12 base-runners in two starts.
Goat: Chone Figgins got off to terrible start last year, and this year is no different. Hitting below the Mendoza line and posting an OPS barely over .420 with just 5 hits.

Kansas City Royals @ Detroit Tigers - 3-11-0
An early season favorite comes away with a pretty solid victory in Week 1, as the Tigers squeal by the Royals. Even though they came away with a resounding victory on paper, a closer look at the numbers show that the Royals put up a pretty good fight, as most of the categories were very closely contested. The Tigers will have to play better than they did in this opening week if they want to come away with more victories in the future.
MVP: It was more of the same for Chris Carpenter, as the veteran righty continues to pitch extremely well for the Tigers. he posted an ERA just over 2 and a WHIP under 1 in his first 2 starts of the season, both of which were quality starts.
Goat: Can the real Scott Kazmir please stand up? What has happened to this once promising lefty? In just 1.2 IP, he managed to allow 5 runs, 5 hits, 2 BBs, and strikeout a whopping 0 batters. When all's said and done, that is an ERA of 27.00 and a WHIP that is equal to the price of gas 4.20. At least, he can't hurt the Royals staff any longer, he's now on the 15-Day DL with a 'back' injury. Carpenter on the other hand, had 2 walks in 13 IP and King Felix had 3 in 16 IP. Go figure.

Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers - 8-6-0
Total domination by the Angels in the offensive categories coupled with 15 Saves helped power the Angels to a nice opening week victory. Despite a good showing from the Rangers pitching staff, the Angels offense managed to sneak by in all of the hitting categories and get them by for a win.
MVP: Billy Butler got off to one heck of a 2011 campaign posting an average just a tick under .400 and an OPS of 1.179. Couple that with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and 7 runs scored, on top of 22 TBs, and it's easy to see why the Angels took the offensive cats.
Goat: No one was really that terrible in this game, but Alcides Escobar gets the dubious honor of being dubbed this game's Goat collecting just 6 hits in 30 ABs, and scoring just 2 runs. It's easy to see why the Rangers offense struggled to keep up with the Halos when their burner on the base paths struggled to get on.

Intersting Tid-Bits from Week 1:

• Road Teams took half of the match-ups and had the advantage going into week 1 if you throw in the tie between the Rockies and D-Backs.
• The Angels had more saves (15) than any other teams had in their match-ups combined.
• The Rockies scored the fewest runs (28), the Giants, D-Backs, and Braves had the fewest HRs (5), Rockies also had the fewest TBs (102), Royals had the fewest number of RBIs with 32, Red Sox had the fewest SBs with 2, and the Rockies also had the lowest team AVG and OPS
• The Yankees had the worst team ERA and the Phillies had the worst WHIP.

As the weeks go on, I will keep track of Season Highs for Teams in some Cats, as well as individual highs.

Pre-Season All-Stars

Well with the 2011 Season set to get under way this week and a ton of down time, why not hand out some pre-season awards. Like College Basketball has their Pre-Season All Americans, why not have Pre-Season All Stars. So without further ado, here are the Pre-Season All-Stars from each division.

NL East All-Stars:

C: Joe Mauer (NYM)
1B: Joey Votto (CIN)
2B: Chase Utley (PHI)
SS: Elvis Andrus (CIN)
3B: Evan Longoria (CIN)
OF: Josh Hamilton (PHI), Jason Heyward (ATL), Andrew McCutchen (CIN)

Starting Rotation:
Roy Halladay (ATL)
Cliff Lee (ATL)
Tim Lincecum (CIN)
Justin Verlander (CIN)
Cole Hamels (PHI)

Closer: Joakim Soria (NYM)

NL West All-Stars:

C: Buster Posey (SF)
1B: Prince Fielder (COL)
2B: Dan Uggla (COL)
SS: Jose Reyes (SF)
3B: Casey McGehee (SF)
OF: Carlos Gonzalez (LAD), Jay Bruce (LAD), Justin Upton (ARI)

Starting Rotation:
CC Sabathia (SF)
Ubaldo Jimenez (LAD)
Clayton Kershaw (COL)
Jered Weaver (LAD)
Clay Buchholz (ARI)

Closer: Mariano Rivera (COL)

AL East All-Stars:

C: Mike Napoli (BOS)
1B: Miguel Cabrera (TB)
2B: Robinson Cano (NYY)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki (NYY)
3B: Alex Rodriguez (NYY)
OF: Ryan Braun (BOS), Carl Crawford (TB), Shin-Soo Choo (BOS)
DH: Mark Teixeira (BOS)


Starting Rotation:
Josh Johnson (TB)
David Price (TB)
Jon Lester (BOS)
Francisco Liriano (CHW)
Max Scherzer (BOS)

Closer: Jonathan Papelbon (BOS)

AL West All-Stars:

C: Victor Martinez (DET)
1B: Albert Pujols (DET)
2B: Gordon Beckham (LAA)
SS: Hanley Ramirez (DET)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman (LAA)
OF: Nelson Cruz (TEX), Matt Holliday (TEX), Delmon Young (LAA)
DH: Andre Ethier (DET)


Starting Rotation:
Felix Hernandez (DET)
Mat Latos (LAA)
Dan Hudson (TEX)
Chris Carpenter (DET)
Jhoulys Chacin (KC)

Closer: Neftali Feliz (TEX)


Well, there are my thoughts on who are the best of the best at their positions from each of the four divisions in the ADBL. Vote in the poll on who you think has the best Roster of the four All-Star teams. Honestly, all four are really good, but some are straight up stacked.

Opening Week Preview

With the start of the regular season right around the corner, let's take a look at the 2011 Opening Week Games in the ADBL. All 8 Opening Week Games feature match-ups between divisional opponents, meaning whoever wins their Week 1 game will have a nice kick-off to their 2011 campaigns.

Cincinnati Reds (0-0-0) @ New York Mets (0-0-0)

Preview: The defending NL East Champs kick off their 2011 season with a game against scrappy New York Mets, who look to pull the upset. On paper, the Reds seem to be an overwhelming favorite, but that is why you play the games. If some of the Mets bats can get off to a hot start, you never know. Plus, it might be best to play the Reds early on in the year, when some of his players may still need to shake off some of that left-over Spring Training rust.

Match-Ups: Gotta give both the pitching and hitting edge to Cincinnati here. No disrespect to the Mets, but anytime you've got Votto, Longoria, C. Santana, and McCutchen in the same offense you know your set-up. Plus a rotation headlined by Lincecum and Verlander is nothing short of outstanding. 

X-Factor: The X-Factor in this match-up has got to be BJ Upton. If this kid can play up to his potential, the Mets can surprise a lot of people in 2011. He's been hitting pretty well this spring, hitting a little over .300 with 2 HRs and 6 RBI. His production could make or break the Mets offensive statistics this week.

Injury Report: No major injury news on the offensive front for the Reds, but Cincy is already filling the effects of the injury bug out in the bullpen. Thankfully, the arm troubles for Andrew Bailey don't seem as serious as first indicated, but still, his status for Opening Day are up in the air. More certain is the fact that the Reds will be without lefty set-up man Scott Downs, who fractured his toe playing catch with his kids. Go figure. He'll start the season on the DL and likely miss a week or so.

For the Mets, they just can't seem to catch a break out there. Starting third baseman Casey Blake may miss the start of the season, as he is dealing with a pretty bad case of sore ribs. Expect Chase Headley to see some time if Blake has to start the year on the DL. However on a more positive note, All-Star Catcher Joe Mauer (knee) and lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano (triceps tightness) both appear as if they will appear ready for the start of the season.

Last Word: All things considered, both teams look like they made it out of the Spring with their mainstays in tack. It should be a good match-up if the Mets hitters can get off to a hot start. However, with the Reds sending 3 studs to the mound on Opening Day (Verlander, Lincecum, and Volquez), things may prove to be rather difficult for the Mets. Edge: Reds

Philadelphia Phillies (0-0-0) @ Atlanta Braves (0-0-0)

Preview: Talk about starting the season off with a bang. Opening Week has two perennial NL East powers colliding when the Phillies travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves. The winner of this match-up will definitely have an upper leg on the loser when it comes to the end of the season standings.

Match-Ups: Offensively both teams match up quite evenly, but I'm going to give the slight edge to the Braves just because of the uncertainty surrounding Phillies Second Baseman Chase Utley. If he goes, then its a coin flip as to whose offense is better. Pitching wise I think the Braves have got a very slight edge here again. On paper, looking at a rotation consisting of Halladay, Lee, Gallardo, Hanson, and Hudson, I just feel that one through five his guys are a little bit better than the guys for the Phils, However this can all change in the blink of an eye with a bad outing from one of the Braves guys.

X-Factor: Well in this case, there are 2 X-Factors: the Phillies Middle Infield. IF Utley is able to go, and that is a huge if, it will provide a huge boost for this team offensively, especially out the 2B position. Secondly, J-Roll has got to get off to a good start this year to silence the doubters. If he can get a little production from either of these guys, it will help close the very slim gap between the two offenses.

Injury Report: Phillies Second Baseman Chase Utley knee troubles have already been well-documented, so I'm not going to go any more in-depth there. Phils have also got some concerns over OF Michael Cuddyer and his sore foot that kept him out of his last Spring Training game. Still, expect him to be ready for Opening Day. Reliever Octavio Dotel has also been hampered by a hammy strain that hopefully will subside by the time Opening Day rolls around. Both Morneau (concussion) and Lidge (biceps inflammation) should be ready to go.

The Braves have to be relatively happy with the health of their team coming out of the Spring. Reliever LaTroy Hawkins, still recovering from shoulder surgery, appears to be well on his way to returning. Still, the Brewers may err on the side of caution and have him start the year on the DL. Also, 3B Chipper Jones appears like he has fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury, and he should be ready to man the hot-corner come Opening Day.

Last Word: This match-up is a toss-up that can go either way. It really will come down to which team comes out of the gates hotter. You just have to hope that an early season loss like this doesn't hurt the loser of this match-up and send them spiraling into a mini-slide. Edge by the slimmest of margins: Braves

Colorado Rockies (0-0-0) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (0-0-0)

Preview: The defending ADBL champs start of their 2011 Title defense with a trip to Arizona to take on the D-Backs. In the NL West version of David vs. Goliath, can the D-Backs pull the upset?

Match-ups: Both teams stack up well on offense with a slight edge going to the Rockies. They have a little more depth and talent around the diamond than the D-Backs, who still have some holes anemic spots in their order. Rockies once again have a slight edge with the pitching because they are a little deeper. The D-Backs are going to surprise some people this year, especially if some of their younger players produce like they are capable of.

X-Factor: I'll give you a pair of X-Factors this time, one from each team. For the D-Backs, which Aaron Hill is going to show up in 2011? The 2010 or 2009 version. The D-Backs have to be hoping for the 2009 Hill. As for the Rockies, is this the year Grady Sizemore bounces back from all those knee surgeries. It's really sad to see such a talented player struggle to stay healthy and get some at-bats. You can only imagine what could've been had he not had to have those major knee operations. If he can bounce back to 75% of what he was, the Rockies have got a special player. 

  

Injury Report: The aforementioned Sizemore will start the year on the DL as he tries to make his way back from knee surgery (again). Expect him to be back around mid-to-late April. Also, Dexter Fowler has had some trouble with tightness in his quad, leaving his last game. He's listed as day-to-day, so it shouldn't be anything too serious.

The D-Backs already have a couple of players on the DL before the season even kicks off. Hard throwing reliever Joel Zumaya will start the year on the DL and OF Kyle Blanks will join him, as both battle elbow issues. 

Final Word: The Rockies will have their hands full with a much improved D-Backs team, but on paper, I got to go with the defending champs. They're just too deep. Edge: Rockies

San Francisco Giants (0-0-0) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (0-0-0)

Preview: Two teams with big time expectations to contend in the new look NL West collide when the Giants travel to LA to take on their interstate rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both teams will look to show the rest of the ADBL that they are serious contenders this season, and will look to topple the Rockies from their spot atop the ADBL.


Match-ups: Both teams have a nice mix of youth and talent on the offensive side of the ball. I'm going to give the slight edge to the Giants, just because he has a little more balance in terms of average, power, speed, and plate discipline, but this can really go either way. The pitching staffs for both teams are also extremely evenly matched. I'm going to give a slight edge to the Dodgers just because they've got a deeper rotation and a few more proven commodities. 


X-Factor: Carlos Zambrano. The big Cubs right-hander is going to have to pitch well in his start when he takes the mound for the Giants. As long as he pitches like he did the 2nd half of last season, Big Z will be fine and the Giants will definitely have a chance to win this week.


Injury Report: Luckily for the Giants, they got out of Spring Training without any injuries. Joe Nathan, recovering from Tommy John, looks like he's set and D-Lee's wrist looks like it's fully healed.

The Dodgers will probably be without first baseman Kendry Morales for the first week or two, as he continues to recover from last year's freak injury. They also have some nagging injuries to some of their other star players. Closer Brian Wilson may miss the start of the regular with an oblique strain and Brandon Webb, still recovering from shoulder surgery, is set to return in mid-April.

Last Word: Both of these teams are very evenly matched. The Dodgers have got some injuries that may hinder them out of them gate, but they should be back to full strength by mid-April. The winner of this game will be off to a fast start and challenge the Rockies for the NL West title. Edge: Giants


New York Yankees (0-0-0) @ Tampa Bay Rays (0-0-0)

Preview: The defending AL East Champion New York Yankees travel to Tampa Bay to take on their AL East rivals. In a showdown of two American League powerhouses, one of these two teams will start the year off on a good note, while the other will have some early ground to make up.

Match-ups: Offensively these two teams are about as even as you can get. It really is a coin flip or a matter of preference as to which is better than the other. As far as pitching goes, the Rays get a slight edge because of  their extremely deep starting rotation. Plus, the Yankees will be without their ace Zack Greinke for the first few weeks of the season.


X-Factor: Both of these teams are fielding a pair of young catchers in JP Arencibia and Alex Avila. Whichever of the two plays better during the opening week will certainly help determine who wins this tightly contested match-up.


Injury Report: The Yankees will be without their Ace Zack Greinke, who fractured a rib playing pick-up basketball (Thanks a lot Greinke). Lefty Wandy Rodriguez is also dealing with a shoulder problem and his status for the start of the season is up in the air. Reliever Joba Chamberlain is also being bothered by an oblique strain. Both Wandy and Joba should be ready for the start of the season, barring any set-backs in their respective side sessions.


The Rays really have no injury concerns at this point, but they should monitor RHP Matt Garza's hamstring very closely. He reported some hamstring tightness in his last spring outing. However, it does not appear to be anything serious at this time.


Last Word: This match-up is extremely close and almost impossible to predict. The AL East is going to be a dog fight this year and the winner of this match-up will get a much needed leg up on the competition. Push

Boston Red Sox (0-0-0) @ Chicago White Sox (0-0-0)

Preview: To kick off the 2011 Season, the Red Sox travel to Chicago to take on another AL East rival, the White Sox. In another pairing of AL East powers, this match-up should be every bit as good as the other AL East showdown. The Red Sox will look to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2010, as they look to knock off one of last year's playoff teams.

Match-ups: Again, both of these teams are extremely talented offensively, but I'm going to give the slight edge to the Red Sox. They've got an enormous amount of firepower, especially in their outfield. The Red Sox again get a slight edge in the pitching match-up because of their huge stock of starters. Still, this match-up can go either way, as both teams match up extremely well.

X-Factor: There are a lot of guys that have questions surrounding them for both teams. But the guy that can probably have the biggest impact on how this series goes is Mark Teixeira. A notoriously slow starter, if he can do anything for the BoSox this week, they will definitely be in better position than if he gives him his usual .100 avg in the month of April. 

Injury Report: The Red Sox will have to monitor the situation with their starting catcher Miguel Olivo. He has been hampered by a groin injury and it looks like there may be a chance he might start the season on the DL. Reliever JJ Putz has also reported some problems with back spasms, but he is listed as day-to-day, so it is nothing too serious. 


Good news for the White Sox. They have absolutely no injuries to worry about at this point (knock on wood).


Last Word: Another coin flip here, as these two teams are as evenly matched as they come. These AL East match-ups will be extremely hard to predict, and will really come down to which team is hotter at the time the games are played. Push


Kansas City Royals (0-0-0) @ Detroit Tigers (0-0-0)


Preview: The Tigers and Royals kick off their first season in the AL West with a showdown in Detroit. The Tigers look to kick off 2011 on the right note and get one step closer to getting back to the World Series. The Royals are hoping this season finishes better than last year's last place finish in the NL East.


Match-Ups: Both teams have a lot of firepower on offense, but the Tigers are just a little bit better. They've got two of the best hitters in the game in Pujols and Han-Ram, and an outfield that has been bolstered by the addition of Andre Ethier. Look for the offensive categories to be very tightly contested. Detroit and Kansas City also have a ton of depth on the pitching front, but the number of big stars on the Tigers staff certainly gives them the edge. Whichever of the pair of aces (Felix/Carpenter or Myers/Chacin) performs better will definitely have the edge in the pitching categories.


X-Factor: The X-Factor in this series has got to be the Royals DH Manny Ramirez. When he's on, he's one of the best hitters in the game and could definitely help close the gap between these two offenses. The Royals are hoping the move back to the AL East injects some new life in his once thunderous bat.


Injury Report: The main concern for the Tigers has to be the health of Carlos Beltran. He is still trying to recover from knee surgery and although he has taken part in a number of running drills this spring, his status for Opening Day is still up in the air. Expect the Tigers to monitor this situation closely.


The Royals don't have any major injury concerns at this time.


Last Word: In one of the few match-ups this week that has a clear favorite, expect Detroit to look to come away with a win in this one with his star studded line-up and solid pitching staff. Edge: Tigers


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (0-0-0) @ Texas Rangers (0-0-0)

Preview: The final match-up in the Opening Week for the ADBL has the LA Angels traveling down to Arlington to take on the Rangers. Will this be another Texas Slugfest?

Match-Ups: Both teams have a nice group of hitters assembled, but the Angels definitely have the edge here. They've got a ton of depth and have more proven commodities at every position. They definitely have more firepower in the infield. Pitching wise both teams have some shortcomings, and the Angels have a few bigger names, I'm going to give the edge to the Rangers. They have more depth and can probably overcome a bad start more gracefully than the Angels.  


X-Factor: With Adam Wainwright probably done for the season, Mat Latos has got to deliver the goods when he takes the mound for the Angels. If he can give him a typical good outing, then the Angels may sneak a win out of this match-up, but if he lays an egg the Angels will have a tough time picking up the slack with the currently constructed rotation.

Injury Report: The Rangers have got some troubling news with some of the recent reports out of Spring Training. Joel Pineiro left his last start with tightness under his shoulder blade and his status for the start of the season is uncertain at this point. Other than that, it's all systems go for the Rangers coming out of spring training.

The Angels have probably been hit hardest by the injury bug out of all the teams in the ADBL. They are already two men down in the starting rotation, and both injuries to Adam Wainwright and Dustin McGowan will have them out for significant chunks of the season. On a more positive note, it looks like Catcher Russel Martin has recovered from his knee surgery and will be ready to start the season with the big club.


Last Word: Both teams are going to have their work cut out for them in a very tough American League and they will have to play well week in and week out if they want to compete. A win for either team this week will be a huge statement and help them start off the 2011 season on the right foot. I'm going to give a slight edge to the Angels, but this match-up will go down to the wire. Edge: Angels

Well there you have it. Opening Week in the ADBL should have no shortage of great match-ups this week, and every week thereafter. All the teams are extremely evenly matched and it should be a great year for the league. Good luck to all the teams out there.