Yankees, Red Sox Fans Hurting Themselves with All-Star Votes
Everyone knows Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star vote is a popularity contest.
People don’t vote for the most deserving names on the ballot—they punch in for their favorite players or the stars they recognize. As a result, the starting lineups for the Midsummer Classic say more about the fans and media than the accomplishments of the players.
As is to be expected, it’s usually the biggest-market teams who dominate the voting—the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers have had some of the most inflated vote totals over the last couple years in the AL, while the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals get some of the most blind ballots in the NL. And, of course, there’s the most evil recognizable sports franchise in the universe: the New York Yankees.
Looking at the latest voting updates, this season’s balloting looks just as screwed up as (if not more than) usual. Current projected starters Lance Berkman, Troy Tulowitzki, Brandon Phillips, and Russell Martin would be good (or at least defensible) choices for reserve spots, but they’re definitely not the best at their positions. And a number of voting leaders—Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton, and Albert Pujols—are completely undeserving of All-Star appearances. And that’s just among the No. 1 vote-getters at each position.
Moving down the lists in the AL, Mark Teixeira is somehow ahead of Miguel Cabrera and Mitch Moreland is inexplicably beating Adam Lind. Orlando Cabrera has more votes than Ben Zobrist and Howie Kendrick. Ichiro Suzuki, Carl Crawford, Nelson Cruz, and Nick Swisher, who have combined for 1.7 WAR, are among the Top 8 outfielders. And Jorge Posada, the DH with an 88 wRC+, is in third place.
Things are just as bad in the NL. Ryan Howard has nearly 1.5 million votes even though, at 1.1 WAR, he’s been roughly a league-average player. Dan Uggla is hitting .178 and has topped a million votes, while Chase Utley is nearing 2 million despite having missed nearly two months of the season. And Yuniesky Betancourt has been well below replacement value (-0.6 WAR) at least 860,163 people say he’s better than Jose Reyes.
I realize there’s no way All-Star voting can ever be objective. I understand and appreciate homerism—I’m guilty of it myself. But the striking thing is that these results betray the voters’ complete unawareness of the consequences of their actions—the fans who are affected most by the outcome of the Midsummer Classic are the ones who are putting the least thought into their selections. (more…)
Are the Cleveland Indians Really Clutch Hitters?
The Cleveland Indians did it again last night.
Up 2-1 with two outs in the eighth inning, the Boston Red Sox were playing for a rainout—Clay Buchholz was taking his sweet time on the mound, and threw what felt like at least a half-dozen pickoff throws while Adam Everett was barely off first base.
Then Michael Brantley lined a 97-mph fastball to right field to score Adam Everett and tie the game. Asdrubal Cabrera followed that up with an off-the-wall double to put the Indians ahead. Half an inning later, the game was over and the Indians had won, 3-2.
Brantley and Cabrera’s key hits were just another example of the Tribe’s trademark clutch hitting. Seems like every game, someone else (most often Cabrera, though) comes through with a big hit in the clutch to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Losing in the late innings isn’t cause for concern—it’s a cue to get excited about what’s to come.
There’s no doubt the Tribe has been good—you don’t get to 30-15 without some mad skills. But has Cleveland really been “clutch”? Even accepting the idea that coming through when it counts is a talent or skill, a look at the numbers suggests that, while they have certainly had their big moments, the Indians really aren’t a particularly “clutch” team. (more…)
Boston Red Sox Come to Cleveland: What Should Indians Expect in Rematch?
The Boston Red Sox didn’t get off to a very good start this year.
The last time the Cleveland Indians saw the Red Sox, it was the first week of the season and the Tribe pummeled Boston in a three-game sweep. The losses dropped Boston to 0-6—not a good start for a team that had entered the season as the favorite to win the AL pennant.
But as the Red Sox prepare to take the field tonight to kick off another three-game set with the Tribe, they will do so as a completely different team. Boston has been scorching hot of late; the Red Sox now sit just a half-game behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, and they’ll be looking to make up some ground at Progressive Field over the next three days.
To get some more perspectives on the Tribe’s guests, I talked to not one, not two, but three Red Sox writers from around the blogosphere: SB Nation Boston‘s Gethin Coolbaugh of, Fenway Faithful Report‘s Alastair Ingram, and Matt Sullivan from Over the Monster. Here’s what they had to say about
WAHOO BLUES: The sky was falling in Boston earlier this year, but now the Sox are just a half-game out in the AL East and Baseball Prospectus gives them 87.7% odds of making the playoffs. How do you see the rest of the year playing out for the Red Sox?
GETHIN COOLBAUGH: Based on their recent success, very well. The Red Sox surprised many by losing their first six games (three against your Indians) and getting off to a 2-12 start. Ever since, they are 23-11. Adrian Gonzalez described it best, saying that he was never worried about this team because their roster is just loaded with talent.
While I think the Red Sox will continue in their winning ways for the remainder of the season, there is still one major obstacle – the New York Yankees. As long as these two teams are in the same division, they will always be locked in a battle for first. In the end, we all know the likely result – one wins the AL East, the other grabs the wild card. Right now, I’d say that the Red Sox are still in solid position to win the division, but you can never count out the Yankees.
ALASTAIR INGRAM: On paper, there’s no question that the Red Sox should win the AL East. The Yankees have a lot of question marks in their starting rotation and the Rays may not have the horses to sustain their success. Boston’s three-headed monster atop the rotation of Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester is among the best in baseball, and the Sox’ success hinges on those three arms. The lineup (with the exception of Carl Crawford) is finally starting to hit the way it should and the bats can win a lot of games on their own. If the back end of the bullpen (Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard) holds up, then the Sox don’t have any glaring weaknesses.
MATT SULLIVAN: When things were going really terrible early on it was easy to see why. Guys like Youk, Crawford and Gonzalez were playing way below the level you expect from them and with the exception of Josh Beckett, our pitching was just awful. It was hard to watch, but I don’t think too many intelligent fans really thought it would last. There were some bad breaks, some tough losses, but the team just looked rusty and unprepared for the start of the season.
Since May, things have turned around completely. This is the team we thought we had all along. Our top pitchers can all take over a game the way Beckett has done several times, but every starter on the club can give the team a chance to win with the lineup we have. The depth Theo has assembled is impressive and we are starting to see it really factor into the AL East race. Going forward, I think we are in great shape. No team goes through 162 games without struggles and Boston has already put some behind them. I think they will be well equipped to handle a very tough, three team race for the AL East and the Wild card spot.
WB: Carl Crawford has been awful, and it’s not just his .254 BABIP—he looks worse at every aspect of the game. What’s going on there? Is this a small sample size or is it time to be genuinely concerned? (more…)
Headline Malfunction: Providence Journal Reports on Jon Lester’s Sex Life?
It’s been a heck of a season for Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester. In six starts over the first month of the season, the 27-year-old southpaw is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA. Disappointing though Boston been this year (13-15), Lester is a big reason the Red Sox have enjoyed what little success they’ve had.
It’s only natural that, after he threw eight innings of two-run ball against the Orioles on Thursday, the Providence Journal would feature Lester and his hot start in its game recap Friday. Unfortunately,a couple editors didn’t have their hearts in it Thursday night, because somehow the top headline in the sports section the next day was:
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Do MLB Coaches Really Not Understand Baserunning?
I love Sports Weekly. I got a subscription as a birthday present before I started grade school and made it a tradition to pore over the box scores as soon as it arrived in my mailbox every week. While it’s no longer my primary source for baseball stats and commentary, it still holds a special place in my heart.
But when I started flipping through this week’s edition yesterday, I came upon an article that made me question my sanity.
The lead story in this issue was a piece by Seth Livingstone about the resurgence of base-stealing in today’s game. It was interesting and well-written—worth a read if you’re into that kind of thing.
The trouble comes when Livingstone talks to coaches and managers around the league about their baserunning philosophies. They’re people who are close to the game, work with the game, and affect how people play the game. And yet they don’t seem to understand baseball strategy.
Here’s an example of the kind of quote that should make fans nervous: (more…)
