Due to his recent batting and his obvious skill as a fielder and base runner, Billy Hamilton is a hot topic for trade talks. Now that he’s started to hit well, he could be an extremely valuable asset to a playoff contender, but the Reds might keep him if they become one of those contenders. With one of the best offenses in baseball, they seem like a team that should easily lock up the National League Central, but because their pitching has been abysmal, they’re stuck fighting to stay out of last place!
If Tyler Mahle and Sal Romano can jumpstart this Cincinnati rotation into pitching as good as they should, not only could they keep Raisel Iglesias for a postseason run, but they could keep their Gold Glove candidate, Hamilton. #6 is an absolute demon on the basepaths and he makes the ESPN Top Ten almost weekly with his outstanding outfield diving grabs. A team like the Atlanta Braves would really benefit from gaining him. Their center fielder, Ender Inciarte, is batting .333, with five strikeouts, and no stolen bases in his last seven games. His play is declining (He’s hitting .252 on the year.) and he is nowhere near as valuable as BH in the outfield. The Washington Nationals should look into Hamilton. Adam Eaton, their CF, is batting .346, with five strikeouts, and no stolen bases in the last seven games (In fact, Eaton hasn’t stolen a single base all year, so Washington could definitely use Hamilton’s speed.). His Defensive Wins Above Replacement is a terrible -0.5, 0.9 below Hamilton’s +0.4. The Milwaukee Brewers could use Hamilton because he and Lorenzo Cain, their center fielder, are similar players, but Hamilton is five years younger and in much better shape. Cain is batting .400, with four Ks, and four stolen bases in his last seven. Hamilton however, is a better fielder and is much, much faster. Hamilton is batting .409, with only three Ks, and 4 stolen bases in just the last seven games. During these games, the Reds have gone 5-2. They are in the midst of a four game win streak, as well, so things are looking up for the Reds. Luis Castillo, Romano, and Mahle all have unimpressive Earned Run Averages, Mahle’s being the lowest at 3.89, Romano at 5.18, Castillo at 5.77. Mahle leads the team in wins as he is 6-6, Romano is 4-7, and Castillo is 4-8. Mahle and castillo have struckout 76 each and Romano 56. These stats are not impressive by any means, but in the last month Castillo is 0-3 in incredibly close games, Romano is 1-1, but Mahle is 3-0. In the last month, Romano has a 2.70 ERA, Castillo has a 6.89 ERA, and Mahle has a 1.61 ERA. During June, Romano struckout 14, Castillo struckout 15, and Mahle struckout 20. If the Cincy starting pitching continues to improve and Hamilton’s bat becomes better, the Reds would have to keep him, so he can finally fulfill his destiny to be great for the Reds. Hamilton’s bat has improved of late (and the Reds really only need him to bunt it down the third base line because he’ll almost always beat the throw to first and then he’ll steal second and third with ease.), so teams are now seeing him as the major asset that he is. If the Reds don’t have a shot at the postseason, they’ll likely trade BHam to a playoff contender for some younger prospects, tough. The Reds are 17th in baseball in runs, tenth in hits, and ninth in batting average, so it’s evident that pitching is the problem. Thankfully their pitching has improved of late, so if they can keep their momentum they’ll be a postseason team and Billy Hamilton will stay in the plain red and white of the Queen City. Jesse A. Cook “Reds’ Good Pitching Keeps Hamilton” June 22, 2018
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Philadelphia is not the greatest city to live in for sports fans, but the Phillies are about to change that. With the recent success of rookie left fielder and first baseman Rhys Hoskins, hitting 18 home runs in 47 games (he started out on a streak of 11 homers in 18 games), Philadelphia is excited for their chances next season in the 2018 year.
No, Philly won’t come close to reaching the playoffs in this 2017 season, in fact they have a 64-95 record, are 32 games out of first place in the National League East Division, are the second-worst team in the National League, just ahead of the San Francisco Giants, and are the third worst team in all of baseball, ahead of San Fran and the Detroit Tigers. What part of this dictates that they’ll even come at all close to the second Wild Card team? Well, they’ve got some exciting young players. Hoskins, for one, not only has the best bat, the best attitude to how to treat the game as he said in late August, “You’re just trying to win a game to start a series.” That’s what players learn from a young age; that the game is not about one good player, it’s about every player playing the best they can to help their team win, something the Phillies will be doing a lot of starting next year. Shortstop J.P. Crawford and catcher Jorge Alfaro have already been in the Majors for the team, Mickey Moniak is the top outfielder in their farm system and Sixto Sanchez is the rising star who will undoubtedly be the spark this dismal Major League pitching staff needs in their ranks. That’s just a few of the young players who, without a doubt, will be the answers to this Philadelphia baseball dilemma. Crawford made exactly zero errors in his time in the Majors. With the strong batting that the Phillies have, they need that type of player in the outfield. Alfaro is the far better batsman; he batted .304 in the Majors, 13 runs batted in, four home runs and 31 hits. A good-hitting catcher always was a rarity in baseball history and Alfaro has proved himself to be that. Moniak is listed as the number one prospect for the Phillies by MLB.com and advanced two Classes in less than half a season. The Phillies are in desperate need of players who can advance, adapt, learn and improve quickly because if they want to be good again, and soon, they want those guys in the Major Leagues. Lastly, the main problem that has helped destroy the standings of Philly is their pitching staff. By the same list of prospects, Sanchez is ranked as the best pitching prospect in their organization. On the same team as Moniak, the Lakewood BlueClaws, Sanchez went 5-3 in 13 starts, had a 2.41 earned run average, gave up only one home run, had an 0.817 walks and hits per innings pitched average and struck out 64 batters. Jesse A. Cook “Philadelphia Phillies Freedom” September 29, 2017 The last 50 years have given us some great Mid-Summer Classics, but what are the best moments? There are many fantastic instances, but to fit in as many as possible, a few have to be combined.
Don’t be alarmed if your favorite moment is missed: plays like Chipper Jones’ last hit won’t be included because incredible players retire every year, and in Chipper’s case, he got aboard on Ian Kinsler letting a ground ball get by him for a “hit.” If you really feel as if a moment that should’ve been here wasn’t, remember that this is only a review of the last 50 All-Star Games, from the 38th in 1967 in Anaheim to last year’s 87th in San Diego. If you still feel left out, feel free to leave a comment about it and there will either be a response in the comments, or, provided there are enough requests, they will be responded to in another article. 5: Torii Hunter robs Barry Bonds 2002 in Milwaukee In the 7-7 tie, the Minnesota Twins’ Torii Hunter was to take part of the blame for the draw. If it were not for his first inning play, robbing the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds of a solo shot, the game would have ended in a National League victory. Of course, in the 2013 American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox David Ortiz and bullpen cop, Steve Horgan, made Hunter’s robbing a home run look like a fevered dream. 4: Randy Johnson vs. John Kruk and Larry Walker 1993 and ‘97 in Baltimore and Cleveland These two count as one because both involved the Seattle Mariners’ Big Unit, Randy Johnson, embarrassing a National League left-handed star. In ‘93, the Philadelphia Phillies’ John Kruk took the stand and after Johnson fired one over his head, Kruk’s one hope was to not get killed at Camden Yards that day. The next few pitches, which led to a strikeout, involved spinning, twirling, and, yes, even some dancing as after he thankfully “swung” at strike three he promptly and joyfully tossed his bat and helmet aside with a major grin spread across his face. It was a similar case with the Colorado Rockies’ Larry Walker in ‘97 when Johnson threw one over his head in Cleveland, only Walker took a different stance… literally. Walker, a lefty, took initiative and went to the right handed batter’s box. Walker only spent one pitch with his helmet backwards on the right side of the plate before going back, but thankfully for him, Johnson walked him. 3: Cal Ripken Jr. Homers In Final ASG 2001 in Seattle Under different circumstances, such an occasion as a hit in a player’s final ASG would not be mentioned, but the Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. went out in pretty historic fashion. The first pitch from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park looked good enough, and Ripken sent it into the left field stands. Ripken’s third inning shot stands above Hunter’s home run robbing grab and Randy Johnson making Kruk and Walker look silly at number 3. 2: Pedro Martinez Fans Five And The All-Century Team 1999 in Boston The two great events at historic Fenway Park are combined into one unbelievable moment for this list. The pregame began with Red Sox’ Hall of Famer Ted Williams touring the field that he played on just over 50 years before and shaking the hands of all the all-stars on either team and with the present members of baseball’s “All-Century Team.” It was an incredible sight to see the greatest players in the world congregate around the then greatest living player inside baseball’s greatest ballpark. Sox future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez started the game by doing the seemingly impossible: with the first four batters in the NL lineup being future Hall of Famers (in order) the Cincinnati Reds’ Barry Larkin, the Rockies’ Walker, the Chicago Cubs’ steroid age power hitter, Sammy Sosa, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ steroid age power hitter, Mark McGwire, getting through even a small portion of the lineup without a scratch looked to be a daunting task for Pedro. Pedro amazingly cut down Larkin, caught Walker looking, pushed another K past Sosa, and started off the second by making McGwire look like a Little Leaguer. While the next batter, the Arizona Diamondbacks Matt Williams reached base when the second baseman, the Cleveland Indians’ Roberto Alomar, made an error, Pedro lucked out when Williams was caught stealing second and the next batter, the Houston Astros’ Jeff Bagwell, struck out; an inning-ending double play. 1: Pete Rose Collides With Ray Fosse 1970 in Cincinnati Imagine, if you will, you’re set and ready to receive the throw from the Kansas City Royals’ Amos Otis in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Cincinnati Reds’ Pete Rose barrels around third. You’re the Cleveland Indians’ catcher, and friend of Rose, Ray Fosse, and just as you’re about to put your glove on the ball to get ready to tag Charlie Hustle, he trucks you and steps on home plate as the walk-off, winning run while you topple backwards, doubled-over in pain. The hometown Cincinnati crowd was excited to see their beloved Rose hustle his way to the winning run for the NL over the AL in the 1970 All-Star Game at Riverfront Stadium, but concern quickly arose after seeing Fosse be hurled backwards. Fortunately, he played another nine seasons, so he turned out to be okay, but every baseball fan knows about this historic moment. Rose’s collision with Fosse to win the ‘70 ASG in extra innings is not only the greatest and most famous All-Star Game play from the last 50 years, but perhaps the greatest and most famous All-Star Game play of all-time. There have been many, many incredible plays, events, and moments in MLB ASG history and these are the top five from just the last 50 years; the first 37 All-Star Games aren’t even represented, here. Keeping that fact in mind, if you feel that an important moment was left out, please make yourself heard in the comments! Your feedback will be appreciated. The next Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Who knows, maybe there will be something from the game twelve days from now to report on net year’s list… Jesse A. Cook “The Five Greatest MLB ASG Moments In The Last 50 Years” July 1, 2017 At this point, it’s tough to tell who will win the next World Series Championship and whoever wins has quite the task ahead of them. Not only will they have to overcome the best team in the opposite league and 14 others in their own, but they will have to top the Chicago Cubs coming back from being down three games to one and go to the 10th inning in Game 7 to break their 108 year curse. So who will become the 2017 Major League Baseball World Series Champions? It will be the-wait for it…
The Cincinnati Reds. Think about it; they’re outfield has been fantastic, they’re on a roll, and their pitching staff hasn’t been terrible for the first time since 2013. Sure, Jesse Winker struck out on four pitches to end his first game, but he’s had a great minor league career: he had a .296 batting average, 54 home runs, and 279 runs batted in. At this point in baseball, now, a great deal of the ballplayers will be former MiLB opponents. Currently, he’s back in the minors, but soon, the Cincinnati outfield will have the speedster who’s started to hit in center in Billy Hamilton, the power hitter in left in Adam Duvall, and eventually the five-tool player in right in rookie Winker. Hamilton has struggled in the past, but he has improved lately: his on-base percentage is up around .280 and he already has nine steals! The more he gets on base, the more opportunities he’ll have to steal. When Hamilton is hot, the Reds are on fire. Because of his insane playing of late, Cincinnati is just half a game behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central division. Duvall is another story for the Redlegs, but with a similar theme: he already has five homers and an almost .290 OBP! Duvall is looking at yet another all-star season, but so are many other Reds! With this amount of star athletes, there is no way that the Reds do not make the postseason. It’s pretty clear that Duvall is going to continue to hit and get on base, and so is Hamilton, so what’s keeping the Cincinnati ballclub from the playoffs? The answer is their starting rotation. None of their pitchers who have started a game have an Earned Run Average below 2.70 and the majority of them lie around 4 and 5. Cincinnati’s Scott Feldman, Brandon Finnegan, Bronson Arroyo, Rookie Davis, Tim Adleman, and Amir Garrett need to step up their playing. Garrett started the year off strong, but has faltered of late: the 3-2 starter only gave up four runs in his first three starts combined, but in his last three, he has given up all of 14 runs! Unless Garrett and his fellow starters can pick up their play by the month of June, the Hunt For Red October will be over before it started. When Winker is called back up to the Big Leagues, after having figured out how to hit better, the Cincinnati offense will have the added boost that they so desperately need to bring them to a sixth World Series banner. Hamilton has been hitting, Duvall has been crushing the ball beyond the fences, as is usual for him, so all the team needs to win, is a powerful Winker and a functioning starting rotation. Once these are taken care of, the Cincinnati Reds will be your 2017 Major League Baseball World Series Champions. Jesse A. Cook May 16, 2017 “The World Series Champions Will Be The- Wait For It...” |
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