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…)
What Should Cleveland Indians Expect in Rematch With Seattle Mariners?
It’s been a rough week-and-a-half for the Cleveland Indians.
On May 3, the Indians were riding a seven-game winning game winning streak and their record stood at 20-8, good for an eight-game lead over their closest non-Kansas City division rivals. Then the Tribe’s momentum slowed as they went 3-5 against the Athletics, Angels, and Rays. The Indians (23-13) still have the best record in the American League, but they look a lot more vulnerable after their rough stretch.
The Tribe’s series rematch against the Seattle Mariners (16-22) could be just what the doctor ordered. The Indians swept the Mariners when the two teams met last month, outscoring Seattle 20-8.
To get another perspective on the Tribe’s weekend opponents, I talked to Jeff Sullivan, who writes about the Mariners for LookoutLanding.com. Jeff was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the starting pitchers the Indians will face this series, the development of some Seattle’s young stars, and the team’s chances of contending in 2011 and beyond.
Here’s what he had to say about the Mariners:
WAHOO BLUES: As of now, the Mariners are only five games out of first. Is there any chance this team can compete? When do you expect Seattle to next make the playoffs?
JEFF SULLIVAN: There’s obviously not zero chance they can compete – just last Friday, they were one game under .500 and riding a hot streak. Franklin Gutierrez is due back fairly soon. Dustin Ackley is due to be called up before long. Justin Smoak and Michael Pineda have been revelations, and Felix is still Felix and Ichiro is still Ichiro. It is possible to imagine a scenario in which the Mariners ride a strong rotation and a just-good-enough lineup to 90 wins and a division title. But none of us are counting on it. This team hasn’t hit, and it hasn’t looked like it’s about to be able to hit, and the pitching staff just isn’t good enough to pull along a lineup that struggles to score three times a game.
I’d look for the M’s to have a decent shot at the playoffs in 2012, and a strong shot at the playoffs in 2013. I don’t know what moves they’re going to make or how the other teams in the division might comport themselves, but there you go, a fearless prediction of mild success.
WB: Justin Smoak has more WAR than the entire rest of the offense combined. How good is he going to be? (more…)
Cleveland Indians Win 6-4, Complete Sweep of Seattle Mariners
The Cleveland Indians beat the Mariners, 6-4 on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep in Seattle.
It was the seventh straight victory for the Tribe, who improved to 7-2 on the season to stay in first place in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals also won today, meaning the Indians’ division lead held at one game.
The Tribe jumped on Seattle starter Erik Bedard for six runs on 10 hits in four innings, including solo home runs from Asdrubal Cabrera and Jack Hannahan. Hannahan’s fourth-inning blast gave Cleveland a 6-0 lead.
Josh Tomlin got the win for the Indians after holding Seattle to three runs on three hits in 6.2 innings, striking out four and walking three. Chris Perez got his fourth save of the season, striking out one while retiring the Mariners 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.
The Indians start a three-game series Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.
Cleveland Indians Win 12-3, Take Sole Possession of First Place
For those who missed the slaughter at Safeco Field last night, the Cleveland Indians routed Jason Vargas and the Seattle Mariners, 12-1. Fourteen batters came to the plate in the 10-run fourth inning as the Tribe humiliated former manager Eric Wedge.
But the highlight of Friday night had nothing to do with Travis Hafner’s mammoth three-run homer (seriously, it was a thing of beauty), or Matt LaPorta scoring on Miguel Olivo’s wild throw, or even Carlos Carrasco’s dominant pitching performance.
When the Rays rallied in the ninth inning to beat the White Sox, 9-7, something interesting happened to the AL Central standings:
From MLB.com
Ladies and gentlemen, the Cleveland Indians are in first place. Not just in the race or tied for the lead—the Indians are in sole possession of first place. The White Sox, Royals, Tigers, and Twins’ records are all inferior to the Tribe’s. If the playoffs started today, there would be no ambiguity about who the AL Central’s representative would be, and it would be Cleveland.
I know I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but it is Tribe Time now.
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Opposition Research: What Should Cleveland Indians Expect From Seattle Mariners?
Not many teams entered the 2011 season with lower expectations than the Cleveland Indians. Few analysts ranked the Indians higher than fourth in their division, and I saw some writers call them the worst team in baseball.
One of the few clubs whose preseason outlook might have been bleaker than the Tribe’s is the Seattle Mariners. After a major spending spree a year ago made them look like the possible favorites in the AL West, the Mariners finished 61-101, better only than the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now off to a 2-4 start, Seattle’s fortunes don’t look much brighter for 2011.
The Indians head to Seattle today to start a three-game series against the Mariners. To get another perspective on this upcoming clash of the titans, I talked to Harrison Crow, Lead Writer for Mariners blog SodoMojo.com. Here’s what he had to say about the Tribe’s weekend opponents.
WAHOO BLUES: It’s safe to say the Mariners aren’t off to a great start. Is this level of play about what you expected from them? Is there any reason to believe things will get better?
HARRISON CROW: I think it depends. Forget all the errors the Mariners got from the Athletics. They worked their pitchers hard and drew high pitch counts and got into the bullpen quickly. If they continue to do that I think it’s possible to see improvement from this offense.
Don’t let all the numbers fool you. This offense, while not great, isn’t that bad either. Bradley, Cust, Smoak and even Miguel Olivo can put runs on the board quickly. (more…)
