The "Best Pitcher Award"

Any baseball fan knows that the best pitcher at the end of another glorious baseball season is awarded the Cy Young Award for his efforts. Denton True "Cyclone" Young was a pitcher at the turn of the century whose pitching style would appall strength and conditioning coaches and athletic trainers of today, throwing an average of 291 innings a year throughout his 22-year career (he pitched from age 23 to 44; 1890-1911). 

I'm going to be honest: Cy Young wasn't that great of a pitcher. He is great, but I think he is a little blown out of proportion. I always take the turn-of-the-century pitchers with a grain of salt because all that exists about their arsenal is word of mouth and folklore that's been passed down through the years. We have no way of comparing Aroldis Chapman's 104 MPH fastball to Walter Johnson's supposed smoke. There's no denying that Johnson and Young are some of the best pitchers in the way that they handled batters (Cy Young still has a 2.63 career ERA, 15th best of the Hall of Fame pitchers and far from the 2.97 HOF average - but Hoyt Wilhelm is the only pitcher past 1930 of the 22 pitchers in the HOF who have a career ERA of 2.75 or better), but because of their noodle-armed-ness (ability to throw 400+ innings a year), how hard were they really throwing? For example, Smoky Joe Wood, a young boy from Kansas City, earned his nickname from throwing such smoke. Satchel Paige is quoted saying no one can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood, but again, I would prefer a radar gun reading his blazing fastball before I can conclude that he threw 98. 

I beg that you would forgive my skepticism for some of the greats but in today's game of power pitching versus finesse pitching versus hybrid pitching, I think our generation is accustomed to being glued to stats and analytics instead of another player's praise. 

That's neither here nor there. Cy Young leads the all-time MLB in wins, losses, games started, complete games, innings pitched, hits, earned runs, and batters faced. Now that his career is over with, he can boast over 7,000 innings pitched (only pitcher ever over 7K, one of 2 over 6K, one of 13 over 5K), over 29,000 batters faced (only one ever over 29K, one of 2 over 25K, one of 17 over 20K).  But a lot of those aren't because he was that good or that bad, it's just because he threw so many innings. The award for the best pitcher at the end of the season should be named the Walter Johnson Award, not the Cy Young Award.

Truth be told, Walter Johnson was a better pitcher. He pitched 21 seasons in the major leagues (1907-1927), so there was a little bit of overlap (1901-1911) between he and Cy Young, although Young's Cleveland and St. Louis clubs were in the National League - he joined the AL Boston Americans in 1901. 

In those 21 seasons, he pitched almost as many innings (5,914 to Young's 7,356), and threw more shutouts, allowed over 2,000 fewer hits and 700 fewer earned runs. Johnson also led the league in wins 6 times, strikeouts 12 times, complete games 6 times, ERA 5 times, WHIP 6 times, and K/BB ratio 9 times. In 1913, Johnson led the league in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts, batters faced, WHIP, hits/9, walks/9, Ks/9, and K/BB. 

Young led the league in wins 5 times, ERA twice, complete games 3 times, shutouts 7 times, innings pitched twice, strikeouts twice, WHIP 7 times, and K/BB ratio 11 times. That's amazing for any pitcher, but not as good as Johnson (although Young has a small leg up on WHIP and K/BB).

Let's look at the major factors of a quality pitcher and who has the advantage.
Wins: Cy Young, 511 to Johnson's 2nd all-time 417
Shutouts: Johnson, 110 to Young's 4th all-time 76
ERA: Johnson, 2.17 career to Young's 2.63 (half a run difference over that many innings says a lot)
Strikeouts: Johnson: 3,509 in 1,400 fewer innings to Young's 2,803 (disclaimer: that isn't so much a sign of a better pitcher as it is the type of pitcher they are, but Johnson's efficiency wins)
WHIP: Johnson: 1.061 to Young's 1.130

Johnson wins in virtually every category other than wins. But here's the kicker: the teams Cy Young pitched on (Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos, Boston Americans, Cleveland Naps, Boston Red Sox) went 1709-1580. He was on good teams, including the winners of the first ever World Series in 1903. Walter Johnson's Washington Senators went 1559-1606 through the 20 years he pitched for them, including two AL pennants and a World Series in 1924. They had some bad teams. And some good teams. But mostly bad. Which makes it all the more impressive to me that Walter Johnson was as good as he was - or as good as he needed to be. 

See for yourself: look at all the bold/black on Johnson's Baseball Reference page versus Young's page. Johnson was an all around better pitcher in terms of power (more strikeouts) and finesse (lower career WHIP, ERA).  

Johnson's stats.

Young's stats. 

See, doesn't he look disappointed that he doesn't get more love?

Big Train Johnson was just a better pitcher, there's no getting around it. Kershaw should be winning Walter Johnson Awards, not Cy Young Awards.

But there's a reason for everything. Thanks for reading. 

My Social Media Brain at Work

Hi friends! I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile; I moved into a new house and haven't gotten the wifi working until today, so I will do my best to post as often as possible soon to get my rep back up.

I had a bit of a random question the other day. On Twitter, I follow all 30 MLB teams and went through to look a little at their profiles, bios, followers, etc. So in my mind, I began to wonder...

Is there a specific correlation between Twitter followers and attendance? 

There are a lot of moving factors into finding a legitimate answer. In 2013, Forbes listed the Yankees as the third most valuable sports team in the world behind Manchester United and Real Madrid (European soccer teams). Obviously, the Yankees are not only the first baseball team to appear on this prestigious list (Dodgers come in at #6) but the first American team, showing the powerful international stretch that the famous Bronx Bombers have. So, they could have many Twitter followers from around the world that know the Yankees but have never been to a Yankees game. 

Following a team on Twitter is obviously a lot easier than taking the time to find a free date, order tickets, commute to the game, enjoy the actual game, and then go home (not to mention the cost of an endeavor like that). Any average fan can give their team a follow but it takes a seriously dedicated fan to take that type of time. 

And then there are people like me who follow every team. I want to stay connected as much as possible, and so do other journalists, fans, businesspeople, promotors, etc. Of course that would balloon everybody's followers so it wouldn't really matter. But here we go!

The top 5 teams in attendance this year (entering play on 8/25):
1) LA Dodgers, 3,094,307
2) St. Louis Cardinals, 2,826,831
3) New York Yankees, 2,708,255
4) San Francisco Giants, 2,665,190
5) Boston Red Sox 2,519,680

Here are there Twitter followers...(numbers are not exact)
1) LA 559,000
2) Cards 491,000
3) Yankees 1.2 million
4) Giants 633,000
5) Sawx 841,000

How about the bottom 5?
26) Kansas City Royals, 1,431,303
27) Houston Astros 1,427,160
28) Chicago White Sox 1,316,075
29) Cleveland Indians 1,178,791
30) Tampa Bay Rays 1,177,816

and their Twitter followers 
26) KC 205K
27) Houston 158K
28) White Sox 213K
29) Indians 232K
30) Rays 183K

Sure, there seems to be a correlation, but I don't think it's so much attendance as it is the market. All of those teams (except Chicago) would probably be considered small market teams (although the White Sox have to share the Windy City). What I do think is interesting is that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason between attendance/Twitter followers and team success. For example, the first place Kansas City Royals rank 26th in attendance and have just over 200,000 followers, less than half their population. The same goes for Oakland, though they recently relinquished first place in the West to the hotter-than-sin Angels, they rank 24th in attendance. The A's are highest scoring team in the AL but can only must just over 1.5 million fans almost into September? Give Billy Beane some love!

Compare this to St. Louis, for example, who rank second in the MLB in attendance and have half a million Twitter followers while their population is just a shade over 300,000. Or here's another random anomaly: Milwaukee leads the NL Central (which I did not see coming), is 7th in total attendance, but they only have 211,000 Twitter followers? But the Packers have 706,000? 

Here's a list of division leaders and their Twitter followers:
AL East: Orioles, 241,000 followers, 19th in attendance
AL Central: Royals, 205,000, 26th in attendance
AL West: Angels, 204,000, 6th in attendance
NL East: Nationals, 201,000, 11th in attendance
NL Central: Brewers, 211,000, 7th in attendance
NL West: Dodgers, 559,000, 1st in attendance

I have no idea what to think anymore. I'm convinced it's just the market/city the team happens to play in. I could get into average age of fans and how likely they are to be on Twitter, etc, etc. but I don't have the resources to go through that type of demographic.

Well this was fun, wasn't it? At least it was for me. Thanks for reading.

PS - if you are ever bored, look through each team's Twitter header (the big picture at the top of their Twitter page). The photos are beautiful. 

EPL Meets the MLB?

I think what makes baseball so interesting and compelling is the expansive minor leagues. AAA, AA, A+, A, A-, and rookie leagues - for a single organization. It takes the average draft pick between 4-6 years to move up the minor league system and eventually get called up. Last week, the Tigers called up Buck Farmer, a pitcher who began his season at Single A West Michigan. After two starts at AA Erie, he was called up to the majors to make a spot start with the injuries to starters Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez. His progression through the minors set a record for the shortest amount of time it took a former Whitecap to make the big leagues, but isn't it crazy that there are 6 rounds of training grounds for young players? That means for 30 Major League teams, there are 180 minor league baseball teams throughout the country - wow.

Before I sat down to write this post, I was watching Manchester City and Newcastle square off in the opening weekend of the English Premier League and it got me thinking about how these teams prep their young players. Sure there are training grounds, U21, and U18 teams, but its not to the same extent as the Majors. 

But this got me thinking again. What if the MLB instituted the EPL's relegation system?

Okay real quick: The EPL has 20 teams. The three worst teams are relegated to the Football League Championship, essentially a minor league not for individual players, but for whole teams. In the 2013-2014 season, Cardiff City, Fulham, and Norwich City were relegated for the lower division, though they are still technically in the Premier League. Leicester City, Burnley, and Queens Park were promoted back to the first division. It's a compelling feature of the league that gives even the worst teams a fire to win. Unlike the NFL where teams will tank the rest of their games to get a better draft pick and start fresh next season, the EPL teams will do whatever it takes not to get relegated.

The MLB will never consider this. I'm not asking it to either, because given the expansive system of minor league baseball that I discussed before, it just wouldn't make sense. There is so much research that goes into prospects and scouting that teams would lose a major part of their organization. Remember the post I did a few weeks ago about the Cubs and their farm system? Guys like Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Addison Russell, and Billy McKinney would no longer be Cubs, they would be independent players just waiting for their team to get promoted. The Cubs, having a disappointing season, wouldn't have these guys to look forward to. They are planning their entire future around these players, but with the relegation system, they would be just another bad team. 

If the 2014 season were to end today, the Astros, Rangers, and Rockies would be relegated to AAA. Crazy to think because guys like Adrian Beltre, Yu Darvish, and Jose Altuve would still be on those teams, but not in the Major Leagues. The Sacramento River Cats, Las Vegas 51s and Syracuse Chiefs would be promoted to the Majors. 

On the other side of the coin, in the EPL, the top 4 teams qualify for the UEFA Champions League, which is a Europe-wide tournament of the best club teams in Europe. All of the major soccer leagues in Europe (EPL, Italian Serie A, Spain's La Liga, as well as French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, and Turkish leagues) send their four best teams to the year-long tournament (the first stage of group play begins in September and the finals are in May). How cool would it be to have the actual World Series? Sure, the Red Sox won the MLB's championship, but how will they fair against the Fukoka SoftBank Hawks, the current leaders of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball? How about the Perth Heat, the Australian league leaders? Or the Mexican league frontrunners Diablos Rojos del Mexico? Baseball isn't much of an international sport because the best players filter to the United States. Not like soccer where the best players have an option to play in dozens of countries if they so choose. Sure there is the World Baseball Classic, but it's nowhere near the level of showmanship and global stage of the World Cup. There are tons of factors that go into why the World Baseball Classic is an underwhelming tournament, but that's a discussion for a different day. I think it would be so interesting to have those teams all face off. International exposure without forming a national team. Food for thought. 

Thanks for reading. 

The Current NL MVP Race

I got a text from a close friend/Marlins fan this morning about my thoughts on the NL MVP race and lucky for him, I must have rapid fired at least 10 texts back about my thoughts.

At the beginning of the year, I picked Diamondbacks first basemen Paul Goldschmidt to win the MVP. Unfortunately, Goldy fell on a bit of bad luck recently, breaking his hand and being forced to spend the rest of the season on the DL. Goldschmidt was hitting an even .300, started for the NL All-Star team, and still is leading the majors in doubles despite being out of the lineup for the better part of a week. He would have been a compelling choice for most valuable player, but let's be honest, the award rarely goes to a player on a non-contender let alone a team that was the worst team in the league for the first half. The D'backs were in 5th in the NL West for every single day until June 28th and are now in 4th. Since his departure, Arizona is 3-6 (when I began writing), showing that he was a very valuable component to the success in the desert. 

The defending MVP Andrew McCutchen is also suffering from injury (a friend described his injury to me as if you're tearing the meat off the rib when eating a full slab of baby-backs), and is almost back to last season's form, hitting .311 and on pace for more steals, home runs, and RBIs. With this injury, he'll have to have a historic run when he comes back to get into the conversation. His numbers are good, but not MVP worthy as they sit. 

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki started hot, stayed hot, and is still hot. As the NL starting shortstop for the All-Star Game, Tulo has been turning heads this season, leading the MLB in average, on-base, slugging, and OPS, which is becoming the most accurate representation of a hitter's productivity. But he has the Goldschmidt syndrome (or does Goldy have the Tulo syndrome?) where he plays for the worst team. Tulo's Rockies are in last place in the NL West and entering play yesterday, have the worst record in the majors and are 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Rockies aren't good because of Tulo, so I can't help but question his value. Not questioning his talent and production this year, but I am questioning his value. Now that he needs hip surgery and is out for the remainder of the year, we'll see if anyone can overcome his average and other offensive numbers. Between his team's performance and missing the final 40-45 games of the year, I don't think he'll be this year's winner. 

So here are our two finalists (at least for me): Giancarlo Stanton and Clayton Kershaw. If this were last year then I would say Stanton had a case of the Tulos or Goldys but the Marlins are 2 games below .500 and a game back of the Braves entering play yesterday. They are not completely out of the hunt but they aren't a playoff lock, either (can you imagine if Fernandez were still pitching?). However, a major part of the team's success is because of Stanton. Stanton is currently tied for first in the majors with 31 home runs (alone at the top in the NL by 4; the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo is 2nd with 27) and is 7th overall in RBIs, but again first in the NL with 82 (Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez is 2nd with 80). With a .288 average, Stanton had turned a corner in terms of hitting for contact. Stanton is a career .270 hitter, and he only hit .249 last year (though he hit .290 in 2012). Combine that with his bombs for home runs (https://twitter.com/mlbgifs/status/498988723933945856) and you have a dynamic player who is offensive threat no matter what: with runners in scoring position and 2 outs, he is batting .297. When the Marlins are trailing, he is batting .306. He's also batting .288 with 9 home runs against divisional opponents (when it matters). Having Jose out for the year was a debilitating blow - can you imagine if Stanton were out too? 

Now it has already been proven that Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw is not a human and he may in fact not even be from this galaxy. He is that good. As I write this, he is 14-2 with a 1.78 ERA, a .85 WHIP, 5 complete games, 2 shutouts (including a no-hitter), a 8.58 strikeout to walk ratio and 10.8 strikeouts per 9 (stats in bold lead the NL). He leads the NL (and the MLB in a few) in almost every major stat except for strikeouts, but that's not his type of pitching. He's a shoo-in for the Cy Young Award, but what about MVP?

We haven't seen a pitcher win an MVP award since Justin Verlander in 2011, when he went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, 4 complete games (2 shutouts), 250 K's, and a .920 WHIP. Kershaw has him beaten in nearly every stat except for strikeouts, but again, that's not Kershaw's game. 

Let's look at some splits to show how dominant he is: he gets better and better as the game goes on. In innings 1-3, Kershaw has a 2.59 ERA; 4-6 1.36; and 7-9 an ERA of .98. As the game goes on, he only gets better and better. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is an electric closer, but unlike Kershaw, he's only human. He's pitched in 52 games this year, which is a lot for a reliever (9 behind the MLB leader). Regardless of Jansen's efficiency, ERA, saves, whatever, the ability for Kershaw to be that dominant late in games is so helpful to the Dodgers that it will give the bullpen a rest and other starters a leg to stand on. 

Kershaw is also 7-1 (2.09 ERA) against opponents in the NL West, a huge advantage for the Dodgers on strengthening their divisional lead. In addition, he has a 1.64 ERA on 4 days rest - again, incredibly valuable for the pitching staff and come playoff time. 

If I were making the choice, I would pick Kershaw. He has been that good, and that valuable to his team - and the league in terms of bringing PR to showcase his talent. 

Thanks for reading. 

Post WWII

We always joke around in my household that my mother has a PhD in World War II history with a focus in the Holocaust because she is always (I'm not kidding when I say always) reading some sort of World War II book. That may seem a very random fact for the most part but I guess it runs in the family, because I think one of the most interesting times in baseball would be post World War II. There are 36 players who served in World War II and went on to be Hall of Famers - I have always been absolutely fascinated by that - Ted Williams dropped his game after the 1942 season when he hit .356 and led the MLB in virtually every offensive category (runs, home runs, RBIs, walks, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, total bases, and was the runner up in the MVP race (to the Yankees' Joe Gordon). He then valiantly served in the Air Force for three years and then came back to have an even better season. In 1946 upon his return, though his average was lower and had fewer hits, he had one more home run, one more run, 3 more triples, 13 more walks, and 5 more stolen bases on his way to his first of 2 career MVPs.

This photo is Ted Williams' Baseball Reference page - I just wanted to share the love for Ted Williams and how amazing it is for someone to play the game at an elite level, take three years off, AND PLAY AT AN EVEN ELITER LEVEL (eliter is now a word).

Now that I have had my daily dose of holy-cow-these-guys-are-good, I pose all of you a question: it's 1946. The Second World War is over and you are the GM of an expansion team. You have one player to pick to start your team around - who would you pick? 

It's an age old question, that of who you would build your team around. We talk about it all the time at work for the current era of players. But for World War II, the Golden Age that has produced more Hall of Famers than any other time in baseball, who would you pick? 

Knowing what we know now, it would be very difficult to pick between Williams and Musial - both won the MVP in their respective years, but you are the GM before 1946. You're taking a new franchise to Indianapolis and need to start a team. 

Give me Bob Feller. 

Don't get me wrong, it's hard to pass up the guy who led the league in hits (Musial) and it's almost harder to pass up the guy who led the league in on-base percentage (Williams), but it's been proven that defense wins championships. Offense wins games but defense wins championships. Especially when you have Bob Feller at the helm. 

First, he eats up a ton of innings. Last year, the league leader in innings pitched was Adam Wainwright with 241 innings. In fact, the last pitcher to throw 300 innings was Steve Carlton in 1980, so it goes to show how the value of a workhorse as diminished. Even if our proverbial new bullpen isn't the greatest, the fact that Feller throws, throws, and oh yeah, throws some more will really help take some stress off. In 1946, he threw 371.1 innings. Wow. The two seasons before that (1940, 1941 - he served for three years) he threw 320 and 343 innings, respectively. 

With throwing that many innings, some bad things can indeed happen. Feller led the league in hits allowed 3 times and walks 4 seasons. BUT Feller also led the league in strikeouts 7 seasons in a row (minus 1945 when he only pitched in 9 games). He must have an arm of German engineering. Combine both his gross numbers of walks and hits with his even grosser number of innings pitched and that makes for an excellent WHIP (career 1.31, 1.15 in 1946). 

Truth be told, Feller didn't have a great track record against Ted Williams (.378 avg, 9 home runs, only 8 K's) or other Hall of Famers but that doesn't mean he didn't back down. In his pitching career, Feller was surprisingly on his best game when he got the least run support. This will be perfect considering we are a new franchise and probably won't score many runs. In 454 qualifying starts, Feller had the best ERA and WHIP when his team scored between 0-2 runs. Granted he had a 35-89 record but it's hard to win 35 games when your team scores 0-2 runs. When the team scores 6 or more runs, Feller's ERA shoots up to 3.61 - not a huge jump but enough of one that makes you think that he takes his foot off the gas pedal just a bit. It's interesting that Feller threw his best stuff with his back against the wall. A lot like King Felix now when he won his Cy Young in 2010 with a 13-12 record (his ERA was 2.76 for when the Mariners scored 0-2 runs and 3.53 when they scored 6+).

Feller never won a Cy Young Award. Because the award didn't exist yet. 

Bob Feller and I thank you for reading. 

The Career of Jim Thome

Earlier this week, slugger Jim Thome called it quits officially after a 21 year career and waiting patiently on the free agent list for a few years for possibly another place to play. Thome, now at the age of 43, jumped around a lot in his career with a lot of different teams. He will officially retire as a Cleveland Indian as a sense of tribute; he played for the Tribe from his rookie year in 1991 to 2002 and then again briefly in 2011 at the age of 40. He also spent time in Minnesota, Philadelphia, Chicago (White Sox), and Baltimore. 

Thome hit the cover off the ball. That's what he'll be remembered for, plain and simple. His 612 career home runs rank 7th all time and he is one of 8 people to ever hit 600 professional home runs. Think about that: there have been almost 20,000 baseball players (18,334 according to BBR this morning) to ever suit up and play, from Julio Franco who played from 1982 to 2007 to Moonlight Graham who played one game in 1905 and didn't even register an at-bat (yes, the same Moonlight Graham as in Field of Dreams), and only 8 of them have ever hit 600 home runs. That's a small number.

But is it enough for the Hall of Fame?

The case for Jim Thome: 

• 612 home runs, 7th all-time, currently 4th out of Hall of Famers (5th once Griffey is inducted)
• .402 on-base percentage, would be 26th out of Hall of Famers, tied with Joe Kelley, and 26 points higher than the HOF average of .376
• .554 slugging percentage, would be 14th out of Hall of Famers, just behind Hank Aaron's .555, almost 100 points higher than the HOF average of .462
• .956 OPS, would be 12th out of Hall of Famers, just behind Johnny Mize's .959, 118 points higher than the Hall of Fame average
• 1,699 RBIs is 24th all time
• 1,747 walks is 7th all time
• His 162 game average of .276, 39 home runs, and 108 RBIs is on par with Frank Thomas (except for the average) and a bevy of other Hall of Famers
• 5 All-Star selections
• One of the nicest people to ever play the game

The case against Jim Thome:

• He struck out almost exactly once a game: 2,543 games played, 2,548 strikeouts (led the league 3 times)
• 2,328 hits would be between Barry Larkin and Eddie Mathews for 82nd in the Hall of Fame (and Thome didn't have as good of defense as they did)
• .276 average would be on par with Cal Ripken, Roy Campanella, and Harry Wright for 130th in the HOF, 27 points behind the HOF average
• Only 5 All-Star selections (yes it's on both lists, I can't decide where to put it)
• No MVPs, 1 Silver Slugger, no World Series rings 
• The upcoming crowded ballots.

Let Thome in! I think he's got the numbers. Sure he struck out a lot, but he was a home run hitter, that's what they do! He jumped all around the league and still slugged the cover off the ball. He hit 42 home runs at the age of 35 for the White Sox. I almost break my ankles getting out of bed every morning at 22, I can't imagine slapping 42 home runs 13 years from now.

Back to the crowded ballot: 

Thome will be eligible for the 2018 ballot, along with other stars like Chipper Jones, Johan Santana, Scott Rolen, and Andruw Jones - and if for some reason these guys don't get in their first time: Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey, Ivan Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, then he'll have to fight them off too. Between the witch hunt for steroid users/sluggers in the era, a crowded ballot, and a shorter eligibility list (only 10 years on the ballot), it may be tough.

But 612 home runs! Plus the biggest home run at Progressive Field you'll ever see!

Let Thome in! 

How can you not let this pretty swing in?

Thanks for reading. 

2018 World Series Champs

It's kind of weird to think that we're four years away, but the 2018 World Series is already locked up. 

Yesterday on my lunch break I caught a glimpse of MLB Network's Top 50 Prospects and there was name that kept coming up: Cubs. 

Under new management of Rick Renteria, the Cubs are having a less-than-stellar year, sitting in last place of the NL Central at 48-64. Don't get it twisted, though: just because the Cubs are in last place does not mean they are a bad team at all. The NL Central is easily the toughest division in baseball; they sent three teams to the playoffs last year and the top 4 are separated by 4.5 games. Realistically, it is anyone's division; with Yadier Molina out, it has been tough for the Cardinals to make up ground. Same goes for the Steel City - with 2013 MVP Andrew McCutchen sidelined with a broken rib (ouch) for a few weeks, things might plateau for a bit in the midwest. 

I'm obviously joking when I say that the 2018 World Series belongs to the Cubs, but if the future ends being as bright as it is supposed to be, then they will be heavy favorites. 

Regardless of the current standings, General Manager extraordinaire Theo Epstein has made some moves this year to bolster the younger Cubs. According to ESPN, the Cubs are the 6th-youngest team in the MLB this year with an average age 26.6 years young (they are also the 3rd lightest at 203 avg. lbs, fun fact), and in the next few years that will probably drop. Before I get an existential crisis about being older than some of their stars, let's see if I can pound out what the Cubs have to look forward to. 

Of the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects, the Cubs have boast 8 prospects. 8 out of 100 isn't bad, but they have 3 in the top 10 (Kris Bryant, 3B; Javy Baez, 2B/SS; Addison Russell, SS). My Tigers don't have a single player in the top 100, just to give you a reference. The Cubs are no stranger to having highly touted prospects, either. Starlin Castro, the slugging shortstop was ranked the 16th best prospect by Baseball America before 2010, his rookie year (oh, he also skipped AAA). On the other side of the diamond, Anthony Rizzo was the #47 prospect by Baseball America and #37 by MLB.com (the source I used above). Both were All-Stars this year and are having solid years; Rizzo is 2nd in the NL in homers and Castro is in the top 20 in the MLB in hits. No impressed yet? Castro is 24 and Rizzo turns 25 tomorrow. 

Some of the future has already started to come in to play, now its just waiting for the rest to catch up. With Emilio Bonifacio sent to the Braves, the every day second base position has been something of a revolving door, so both Arismendy Alcantara (#36) and Javier Baez (#5) have made their Major League debuts this summer at that position. Alcantara is essentially a recreated Jose Reyes, a short quick bat and blazing speed down the line. Alcantara won't hit for much power but he puts the ball in play and will make it an average ground ball a panicky play for any infielder. Baez made his debut on Tuesday in Colorado, hitting the game winning home run for his first big league hit in the 12th inning. He also went 3-4 with 2 more dingers today. Yikes. 

So a few have been playing for a few years, a few have debuted this year, and a few more will come in the coming years. I suspect that we'll see a few of these studs, namely Bryant and outfielder Alberto Almora, as the year begins to dwindle into October. But here's what the Cubs have to look forward to in a few years when all their prospects are no longer prospects but bonafide every day big league mashers:

1st base: Rizzo
2nd base: Baez (who had more RBI's today by himself than the Tigers did the last two games)
Shortstop: Castro, or Addison Russell if Castro is traded. Russell was acquired from the A's before the All-Star break for Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija, and is still a top 10 prospect by nearly every major prospect source. 
3rd base: Bryant (he is who I am most excited to see)
Outfield: Jorge Soler (#53 prospect), Alberto Almora (#40), and Alcantara (he has been playing some centerfield already given the log jam of greatness at the middle infield)
Catcher: Kyle Schwarber (#78 prospect, 4th overall pick in the 2014 draft) 

But wait, where's the pitching? Oh, sorry. I forgot CJ Edwards, the flamethrowing righty who has a career 2.43 ERA in the minors so far. Drafted in the 48th round in 2011, this guy must have some serious talent to jump all the way to the top 100 prospects (#59 to be exact) in 3 years. 

Now. Don't think of me as Debbie Downer here, more like Realistic Rick: some prospects won't pan out - ever seen Moneyball? Billy Beane, now hailed as a genius of a GM and creator of a dynasty out in Oakland, was a 1st round pick and hit a career .219 in 6 seasons in the bigs. Sure, they have all been killing minor league pitching, but for that exact reason: it's minor league pitching. Kris Bryant can hit 30 home runs a year anywhere, but it might be a little different when he has to face Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto every other week. But, given the depth and strength of the Cubs farm system, if one doesn't pan out, there is another prospect eagerly awaiting for his own shot. 

All of the guys I listed above are projected to debut by 2016 (Schwarber being the latest). One may win Rookie of the Year, but I think it will take a few years for them to mesh and to adjust to Major League pitching before they are really a dominant offensive force. I'll be honest, I haven't really done a lot of research on team prospects before I began working at a minor league stadium, but regardless of my own research, the fact that Cubs can almost field an entire team with Top 100 prospects is impressive and I don't think that happens very often. Old McDonald has quite the farm. 

The 2018 World Series is not a lock. But for the Cubs who have waited so patiently for their next World Series title, I think it could be the year. They certainly will be young, free swingers, but after they all have a few years under their respective belts, I think they could really turn some heads and bring some glory back to the Friendly Confines. 

Torii Hunter

As I woke up this morning and was browsing the old Instagram, I've started to notice the Tigers dedication to high quality and tailored suits. Go through any of the players' feeds and somewhere in the distance you'll hear Tim Gunn applauding. 

Last Thursday, the day of the trade deadline and the infamous day when David Price became a Tiger (sorry Rays fans), JD Martinez posted a video of Austin Jackson (you're welcome Mariners fans) showing off his new suit with superhero comic strips lining the inside, and just this morning David Price tweeted that the Tigers locker room looks like the red carpet of the ESPYs. 

The Rays have their own fun getaway days with their goofy themes. Joe Maddon brought a snake into the clubhouse last year and other times the Rays will do team dress-up days. They have theirs, the Tigers have theirs. 

Hunter and Tigers' pitcher Justin Verlander have an ongoing competition for who looks better on travel days. Hunter began the contest two weeks ago today when the Tigers traveled from Detroit to Arizona for their last west coast swing of the year with a photo of him leaving Comerica Park with the hashtag #lookbetterthanJustinVerlanderDay.

Despite the length of this hashtag, Hunter has consistently posted nothing but his nice suits since then to show his competitiveness with the former Cy Young winner. 

Let me say, I love this and I think it's absolutely hilarious. That's who Torii Hunter is, though. He makes the game exactly that: a game. Sure, it's his fulltime job and baseball is indeed a business, but he keeps it light. Instagram and nice suits are all fun to look at, but at the end of the day, they aren't as important as the play between the foul poles. Aside from his infectious smile and lighthearted play, Torii Hunter is a terrific player who I think has been overlooked throughout his career. 

Now a fresh 39 years young, Hunter has played for only 3 teams in his 17 year career; the Twins, Angels, and Tigers. He's been an All-Star at least once with all of those teams (very spread out too, first in 2002 and most recently in 2013) and has played alongside some of the bigger names of our generation: Big Papi in Minnesota from 1997 to 2002 and Mike Trout 2011 and 2012 and now Miguel Cabrera and his fashion rival Justin Verlander. He's been on some big teams, but has never won a ring.

Hunter's first big league appearance came in 1997 - it is the absolutely definition of a cup of coffee. Hunter came on in an August 22nd game when the Twins were fighting a losing battle to the Orioles (down 3-1 in the 9th inning) and a losing battle to the 1997 season (Twins were 52-74). Hall of Famer and current Twins hitting coach Paul Molitor flew out to center to lead off the 9th. After a Scott Stahoviak walk and Terry Steinbach single, O's starter Scott Erickson was removed from the game to make way for closer Randy Myers, who would eventually retire the next two batters - but a young 21 year old pinch runner Torii Hunter came on and didn't leave first base for the game. He didn't see playing time the rest of the season. 

Hunter would not break rookie status for another two years in 1999 when he hit .255 with 9 home runs and 10 steals. An aggressively average season, and certainly an experience from which he has learned, considering he is now a .279 hitter with a career .466 slugging %, 9 Gold Gloves, and over 2200 hits. 

I reference Mike Trout earlier. Trout is obviously one of the biggest names in the game today, yet referred to Hunter as his mentor. Coming from Trout, who has led the galaxy in WAR the last three years and will have a bevy of MVPs in his future, that is high praise for Hunter. Angels columnist Alden Gonzalez has a full write up here. 

That's what makes Hunter so great. He's great to have on the field, but he's great off the field. Not just from his nice watches and suits, but because he makes the other players around him so much better. I'm not saying Big Papi owes all of his success to Hunter or that Trout should share his awards with Hunter but considering the similarities in their mindset: humility, gratitude, thankfulness to coaches, etc., it is obvious that he rubs off on a lot of young players. I'd be willing to bet that when Austin Jackson's career is said and done, he'll tribute some of his success to Hunter too. We'll see.

Hunter is a great player and an even better person. Here's some of my favorite tidbits:

• His postgame interview last summer when the Tigers and White Sox game got a little chippy.
• In his first All-Star Game, 26-year old Hunter robbing Barry Bonds of a home run after Bonds set the single season home run record.
• His interview with Jim Rome after LeBron James left Game 1 of the NBA Finals this year (warning: colorful material).

Here's to you, TNutts. 

Thanks for reading.