NL MVP?

The MVP award is often given to the best player from the one of the best teams in a given league each year.  Voted on by the Baseball Writers of America Association, the award is usually given to a player who has carried his team into the post season.  The problem is that this year, the NL’s best statistical player Albert Pujols has currently carried his team to a tie for the seventh best record in the NL.  The NL MVP race is muddled even more by the fact that the NL playoff teams all seem to lack a clear cut team MVP.  Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (Phillies), David Wright and Jose Reyes (Mets), Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder (Brewers),  and Manny Ramirez has only been in the NL since the trade deadline.

This leaves the NL’s best team, the Chicago Cubs, who have the NL’s most potent line-up.  Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto immediately come to mind as MVP candidates. Mark DeRosa’s career year at the plate and versitility in the field make him arguably the most valuable Cub, but his numbers are not quite good enough to draw the BBWA attention.  While Rammi, Soto, and the Dr., have all had great seasons Alfonso Soriano should be considered both this teams and the NL’s MVP.

Soriano, will most likely not be considered for the award because he missed 47 games to injury this year; however that time away from the field is the best evidence that he should be given the award.  The Cubs are currently sitting at 91-58, a win percentage of .611.  While Soriano was sidelined for his two Disabled List stints this year the Cubs were 25-22 for a win percentage of .531, which would be good for only the fifth best record in the NL and third best in their division.   When Soriano is healthy the Cubs have been winning games at a .647 clip, projected over a full season that would be a 105 win team, whereas their .531 winning percentage without him projects to 86 wins over a full 162 game slate.  The Cubs win more than 11.6% more of the games Soriano plays than they do when he does not and that will be the difference between a third place finish in their division and having the best record in the National League and potentially all of baseball.

Why do the Cubs seem to win so much more when Soriano is in the lineup you ask? How can one player have such an impact? Well besides accumulating some pretty damn good numbers of his own, The Fonze,  sets the table for the guys behind him in the order and gets the Cubs hitters at the bottom of the lineup some good pitches to hit.   As of today Soriano is hitting .291, has an On-Base of .351, and is slugging .561.  Besides having strong percentage stats he has hit 29 homers, 26 doubles, driven in 72 runs, and stolen 19 bases while only being caught twice.  With almost two weeks still in the season it is very possible that Soriano will finish the year with 30 homers, 30 doubles, 80 RBI, and 20 steals at a 90% success rate; and he will have done this missing almost a third of the season.  Because Soriano is such a threat with the bat opposing pitching staffs can not take the rick of pitching around the lower third of the Cubs order.  The result has been the Cubs 7-9 hitters (not including at-bats taken by pitchers) hitting .294 and on-basing at .363.  The lower third of the Cubs order has been significantly better than the rest of the NL which has hit .248 and on-based .321.  Sure some of the credit has to go to having some truly skilled players hitting at the bottom of thier lineup; but is it simply a coincidence that Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds are having a resurgent years while DeRosa is having a career one.  Lastly just for icing on the cake Soriano is tied for 8th in outfield assists this year with 8, a number that surely would have been high if he A.) had not missed so much time and B.) teams had learned from last year not to run on him when he threw out 19 runners from left field.

Alfonso Soriano has a complete resume for NL MVP.  Impressive individual numbers and a massive effect on the NL’s best team should translate into hardware for the Fonze.  Unfortunately, the Baseball Writers of America will most likely give the award to Albert Pujols, because without him the St. Louis Cardinals would end up watching the ’08 playoffs on T.V..

I-94 Arms Race

The Chicago Cubs immediately answered the Brewers pick up of C.C. Sabathia by aquiring Oakland A’s ace Rich Harden.  Harden comes to Chicago along righty reliever Chad Gaudin who will add some depth to the bullpen.  Gaudin is also capable of starting.  The Cubs gave up Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and catching prospect Josh Donaldson.

Harden, when healthy, is one of the best pitchers in baseball.  He has 92 strikeouts over his 77 innings to go with a 2.34 E.R.A.  The problem for Harden has been staying healthy.  He spent a month on the DL this year and pitched only 72.3 innings from 2006-2007.  Harden brings a 3-0 record with a 0.63 against the National League this season and if he stays healthy will give the Cubs one of the deepest staffs in baseball.  Carlos Zambrano (9-3, 2.96) and Ryan Dempster (10-3, 3.24) are All-Stars this season and Ted Lilly (9-5, 105 K) becomes the best fourth starter in the NL if not all of baseball.

The other player aquired in the trade however could be just as important in putting and end to the 100 year drought.  Gaudin who has pitched in 26 games on the year (including 6 starts) can be a valuabe swing man.  He has an ERA of 3.59 and has only 3.38 ERA as a reliever giving up only 2 homers over his 20 relief appearences.

The Cubs significantly improved their team with this deal.  Harden is a much better pitcher than Gallagher, and the other players they gave up were not going to be in the teams short or long term plans.  Murton is solely a corner outfielder and with Alfonso Soriano in the second year of a seven year deal and Kosuke Fukudome in the first of four.  Eric Patterson would be stuck behind Ryan Theriot, Mark DeRosa, and Mike Fontenot, and with Geovany Soto looking like the rookie of the year behind the plate it is unlikely that Donaldson would have been able to beat him out for playing time.

Walk Off Winner is Windy City Classic

Aramis Ramirez played hero as the Cubs returned home off the heels of their first three game losing streak of the year, belting a pair of home runs. The first in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at 3 and the second, a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth, sent the Wrigley faithful home happy.

The Cubs took the lead in the first inning when Derrek Lee followed a pair of singles by Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theroit with a double play ball driving home a run.  Jermaine Dye the White Sox right fielder tied the game in the second with a solo home run.  The White Sox then took the lead when Cub killer A.J. Pierzynski hit a two run homer making the score 3-1.  Pitching and defense were the story until the bottom of the seventh when Lee and Ramirez went back-to-back off of Octavio Dotel to tie the game.  Ramirez then came to the plate to lead off the ninth and sent a Scott Linebrink offering over the center field wall to end the game.

Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for the Cubs to get the win; and with his strike out of Pierzynski to end the inning moved into third place all-time for K’s in Cub history.  Wood moved passed Rick Reuchel’s 1367 strike outs, and now sits 64 K’s behind Charlie Root for second all time.  Fergie Jenkins is the Cubs’ all-time leader with 2038 or 670 ahead of Wood.

Wait and See

Starting August 1st, Major League Baseball will most likely begin using instant replay to review so called boundry calls.  The decision comes on the heals of several blown home run calls over the course of the still relatively young baseball season.  While at first glance the move appears to be a rare quick step in the right direction for baseball, I believe it is a big mistake. 

Don’t get me wrong I love the idea of replay in baseball.  The more often that the reight call is made the more fair and therefore better the game is.  What I do not like is the idea of changing the rules mid-season.  One year ago today the Cubs were 6.5 games out of first place in their division.  Using that as a guideline as of the start of play today 18 of the 30 MLB teams are still in contention.  With replay not entering until after two-thirds of the season has been played you are unfairly punishing teams who were unfortunate enough to have calls go against them early in the year as opposed to down the stretch.  A blown call against team X early in the year coupled with a corrected call in favor of the club that team X is chasing creates a two game swing.  Five teams finsihed within two games of their division leader last season (two of them did claim wild card births).  Six times since the 2000 season there has been at least one team that finished only one game behind their division’s leader.  Therefore changing the rules midseason and potentially changing the outcome of one game could have an impact on the playoffs; just ask last year’s Padres. 

The baseball season is a marathon, and you cannot change the rules mid-race.  If baseball does activate replay on August 1st, not only will the teams that benefit from it have had a fair advantage, but not every team will have played the same number of games.  The only fair way to instate instant replay is to wait for next season.

Cubs get bad break: Soriano out 6 weeks

Cubs left fielder and leadoff man Alfonso Soriano will miss at least six weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand during Wednesday night’s game against the Braves.

The injury occurred in the second inning of the Cubs’ 7-2 win at Wrigley Field when Soriano was hit in the hand by a pitch from Braves starter Jeff Bennett. After hitting his hand, the ball ricocheted up and struck Soriano in the face.

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, x-rays revealed that Soriano had a “minimally displaced fracture of the left fourth metacarpal, located just under the fourth finger on his left hand.”

The report also said that Soriano’s hand will be in a splint for three weeks.

After the game, the Cubs called up outfielder Micah Hoffpauir from Triple-A Iowa.

With Soriano unavailable, expect to see Hoffpauir, Reed Johnson, Jim Edmonds platoon in left and center fields, with Koskue Fukudome maintaining his post in right. To add more depth, the Cubs could use second baseman Mark DeRosa in left field occasionally. DeRosa played that position earlier this season when Soriano was on the disabled list due to a strained calf.

If the Cubs are looking to add even more depth, they could call up Matt Murton from Triple-A Iowa. In 2006, Murton played in 144 games for the Cubs, mostly in left field. The Cubs could also consider mixing up the entire outfield by shifting Fukudome to center, a position he played in Japan.

It’s unclear that the impact of Soriano’s injury will be. Soriano got off to a slow start, but was returning to his old self as of late. Going into Wednesday’s game, Soriano was hitting .283 with 15 HR, 40 RBI and a .332 on-base percentage.

When Soriano was on the 15-day disabled list earlier this season due to the calf injury, the Cubs were 9-5 and averaged more than seven runs per game in his absence.

Image credit: http://z.about.com/d/baseball/1/7/g/4/-/-/cubs5.jpg

Uber-dee-duper Wrigleyville Bar

Quick, name the first Wriglyville bar you think of.  Okay, now name another one.  If this were a game of Family Feud, you wouldn’t be surprised to see John Barleycorn, Cubby Bear, or Harry Carey’s at the top of the “survey says” list.  And those are some of the big names right around the field.  But a different style pub is starting to generate quite the buzz.  And no you wont catch the customers pounding Old Style or taking Fukudome Bombs.  But you can get quality brew at a decent price and get hammered with their new amenity, Shotskis.  I’m talking about the Stein, Uberstein Bar on Clark, just north of Newport and West of Sheffield.

It’s a German bar that offers a tap selection of strictly German beer.  The Hofbrau brand is their staple.  I recommend the original HB if your looking to get some work done, or the HB hefe-weizen if your mouth desires a little more zest.

Don’t leave without taking a Shotski with three of your buddies.  It’s really one of those things you need to see it to really understand.  It’s a rapid consumption tactic in the category of beer bong, shotgun, and keg stand, but delivers hard alcohol shooters in the most unique way.  Imagine a snowboard with four equidistant shotglass bolstered tightly to the surface.  You and three friends each claim one of the shots and hover over them while simultaneously balancing the board.  On three, you collaborate in flipping the board smoothly and rip the shot.  It’s not a bad deal either:  4 shots of Svedka Vodka for 10 bucks.

Uberstein gets pretty crowded after home games, but not to the capacity of counterparts Barleycorn and Cubbie Bear.  I had no problem getting a table, Shotski and stein last week after a Cub’s win. 

So, if you’re looking for an alternative to the standard Cubs bars, check this place out and make sure to yell “Prosit!” before you leave.  You’ll find out quickly it means business.

Where did they get these guys?

By: Chris Salzman, feature writer

What do Ian Kinsler, Nate McLouth, Carlos Quentin, Milton Bradley, and Ryan Ludwick have in common?  Wait who?  Oh those guys.  You know, the guys among the Yahoo roto top 15 fantasy hitters.  The guys contributing to the difference between a good fantasy team and a great fantasy team.  And the guys you may have never heard of prior to this season.

I will concede to the immediate argument that it could have been predicted that Kinsler would have this much fantasy impact.  When he first surfaced as a rookie in 2006, there was an instantaneous buzz amidst the fantasy round tables, and many foresaw Kinsler lusciously contributing to the second-base department.  Fine.  Kinsler was supposed to be good.  But this good?  Top-5 good?  17 pre-break swipes good?  I don’t think so.

And as for the other four underrated fantasy beasts?  You are a liar if you saw this coming.  Maybe some of you hardcore fantasy maniacs knew about these guys, maybe even a few of you drafted the likes of McLouth or Quentin and maybe took a gamble on Bradley.  But come on.  Could you really anticipate a Pittsburgh Pirate in 2008 other than possibly Jason Bay putting up a .300-plus average, 14 dongs and 45 RBI in 60 games? (Bay by the way is having himself quite the comeback year.  See my previous article).  Not a chance.  Look, I picked up McLouth before the start of the season because I needed stolen base help, and I knew he had won the job in center.  My intentions were to stash him on the bench, see what he’s got, and MAYBE snag a guy who could hover around .270 and MAYBE get me 30 bags for the year.  Now he’s a guy that forces me to bench Ryan Howard or Pat Burrell, because he is putting up better numbers than both.  And I have too many great OFs.

Okay I’m going to breakdown the profiles of all five of these surprising stars and find out exactly how this happened.  Try to find out exactly how and why Carlos Quentin is making Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko seem irrelevant.  And why Ryan Ludwick, in about 60 less plate appearances, has nearly identical numbers to Albert Pujols.  Seriously, where did these guys come from?

Ian Kinsler (Tex, 2B)  Yahoo Hitter Rank: 5

Currently with .307 8HR 36RBI, Kinsler is more than on pace to eclipse his last year’s .263 20 and 61.  But the most remarkable statistic that has really given his 2008 campaign a boost, is his perfect basepath record.  Kinsler is 17 for 17 in stolen bases, just 6 stolen bases shy of his 2007 mark.  This has been the difference between top-25 and top-5.  As I previously alluded to, the fantasy population probably anticipated an increase in Kinsler’s production.  This is his third full year in the bigs and he is part of a solid Texas lineup.  But no way we could have guessed an increase to this degree.  Along with Chase Utley, Dan Uggla, and Brandon Phillips, Ian Kinsler has created opportunity at the 2nd base, a position that has been fantasy-static the past several years.

Nate McLouth (Pit, Of)  Yahoo Hitter Rank: 6

Hey I know I’ve already spent a lot of time demonstrating my immense man-crush on this where the hell did they get this guy, should-be-an-allstar centerfielder, but a couple more words please.  I hope McLouth can sustain this.  I hope, not just for the sake of my own fantasy team, but for the welfare of baseball.  The MLB and especially Pittsburgh needs more Nate McLouth stories.  It is great to see a hardnosed, 25th round draft pick blindside the league and drop huge, unsuspecting numbers on the fantasy world.  Nate McLouth is the reason we fantasy fanatics play the game.  Yo, and this guy IS this good.  I’ve gotten to see him play a lot against the Cubs.  And he just doesn’t care.  He will step up to the dish, hit a game winning homer then go 3-4 the next day like nothing happened.  He is pure.  Let’s see if he can keep it going.

Carlos Quentin (OF, ChiSox)  Yahoo Hitter Rank: 10

I live in Chicago, so it’s hard not to know what’s going on the Southside.  But I’ll tell you, I missed this one.  I didn’t even know the Sox acquired this guy in the off-season, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t know what they acquired either.  Besides this past week when Joe Crede decided to absolutely destroy every pitch, the Sox pitching staff and Carlos Quentin are the reasons this team leads the AL central.  A 2003 first round draftee by the D-Backs, Quentin never got the chance to showcase his skill-set consistently in Arizona.  Now in Chicago, he is handling a full-time workload and not letting anyone down.  His team high 16 bombs (already more than his entire career) and 53 RBI has provided the Sox with the much needed consistency lacking from their big guns Jim Thome, Konerko, and Dye.  Quentin and his Jose Canseco replica batting stance is hitting for a relatively high average (.283) and has even stolen 4 bases, only adding to his case that he should represent the White Sox at the Mid-Summer Classic.  Quentin is another one of those stories that baseball desperately needs.

Milton Bradley (LAD, OF)  Yahoo Hitter Rank: 11

Instead of recklessly arguing calls with umpires and shamefully shedding his knee ligaments, Milton Bradley has taken a different approach in his professional career:  hit a lot of homers and drive in a lot of runs.  And he is doing it consistently.  Never really living up to the hype or to his 5.2 million-a-year contract, Bradley hasn’t even reached the 20 home run 70 RBI plateau once in his career.  So why is he still getting millions from pro ballclubs?  Here’s why:  Bradley has cracked 14 longballs and driven home 43 runs, while maintaining a .338 average.  And the hot-headed veteran should continue to produce while infused in a potent Texas line-up with crazy insane Josh Hamilton, already mentioned Kinsler, and experienced stick Michael Young.  When Hank Blalock gets off the DL, watch out for the Rangers.  But for some reason they are still a game under .500.  That’s because they have to pitch too.

Ryan Ludwick (StL, OF) Yahoo Hitter Rank: 13

Ludwick has had a tough, tough road to the show, and he has the scars to prove it.  ESPN the Mag reports that Ludwick was plagued with injuries throughout his minor league career, to the point where he was ready to call it quits.  His fiancee convinced him not to give up, and after extensive rehab and a decent showing for the Cards last season, Ludwick was awarded a starting gig in the St. Louis outfield.  The management has no regrets.  Ludwick has contributed 14 yardballs and 46 RBI in only 56 games while at the same time keeping a .310 average.  Not bad for a guy who makes just a little more than the league minimum.  And definitely not bad for the owners who picked him up.

You got to love seeing players come from out of nowhere and post all-star numbers, especially when many of the big names are struggling.  Owners who effectively monitored the waiver wire and scooped up one or two of these guys early on should be experiencing an unexpected lift toward the top of their division.

Cubs banking on Cashner

Andrew Cashner is a Cub again.

The Cubs selected the 6-foot-6-inch right-handed pitcher out of Texas Christian University with their first pick in yesterday’s First-Year Player Draft. The Cubs had drafted Casher in the 29th round of last year’s Draft, but the tall Texan opted to attend TCU. This year, the Cubs took Cashner with the 19th overall selection.

Pitching at TCU was probably a good move for Cashner. According to a report on the Cubs’ Web site, Cashner pitched in both relief and closer roles for the Horned Frogs, routinely hitting 96-98 mph on the radar gun.

After a stint as a general relief pitcher, Cashner was soon moved to the closer’s role at TCU where he posted a 9-4 record with nine saves in 30 relief appearances. During this time, he limited opponents to a meager .122 batting average while striking out 80 over 54.1 innings – a rate of over 13 strikeouts per nine innings.

According to the report, Cubs scouting director Tom Wilken said Casher could move into either a starter or closer role with the North Siders.

The 30-round Draft, held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL, will continue today. Check back for a full list of Cubs’ prospects.

Here’s a run-down of the Cubs’ first five selections:

Pick	POS	Name	School
19.	RHP	Andrew Cashner	Texas Christian U
41.	SS	Ryan Flaherty	Vanderbilt U
65.	RHP	Aaron Shafer	Wichita St U
97.	RHP	Christopher Carpenter	Kent St U
131.	SS	Matthew Cerda	Oceanside HS (Calif.)

Image and table credits:
Image: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/2008/06/05/T6d2D7Wr.jpg
Table: http://tinyurl.com/4baxjo

Here come the Hawks?

It appears that the Madhouse on Madison may be transplanted to the Friendly Confines, if only for a day, next January.

Late Wednesday night, Comcast SportsNet and WGN-TV reported that the Blackhawks brass and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman are set to announce that the Hawks will host the second annual Winter Classic next January at Wrigley Field. A number of other news organizations are also now reporting the story.

An official announcement could come as early as Friday when Blackhawks legends Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull will sing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” at Wrigley Field.

The NHL will look to capitalize on the immense success of the first Winter Classic. On Jan. 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabers 2-1 in a shootout before more than 71,000 fans at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium.

It had been rumored that the Blackhawks were in contention to host the game for several months. Initially, the New York Rangers were the top choice to hold the game at Yankee Stadium, which will close following the baseball season. However, the Hawks’ chances increased dramatically earlier this month when Bettman told Newsday that there were a “variety of issues” associated with holding the game at the 85-year-old ballpark.

The Blackhawks will most likely face the rival Detroit Red Wings. If the Hawks take on the Red Wings, it will be the first Original Six matchup in outdoor game history. Aside from the first Winter Classic, there has been one other outdoor game in recent NHL history. The Edmonton Oilers took on the Montreal Canadians in front of 57,167 fans during a game called the “Heritage Classic” in 2003.

Once it appeared that the game may be held in Chicago, the Blackhawks and the NHL had a variety of venues to choose from. However, it appears that historic Wrigley Field beat out both Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, and U.S. Cellular Field, where the Chicago White Sox play.

The Blackhawks have a strong connection to the Cubs. Hawks president John McDonough joined the team last November after spending 24 years in the Cubs front office. Also, Jay Blunk, the Blackhawks’ s senior vice president of business operations joined the Blackhawks in January after working for the Cubs for 22 years.

Image credits

http://www.thethirdmanin.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/webassets/Chicago.gif

http://www.crownaudio.com/pressart/pr149_hz-3.jpg

Everybody Take a Deep Breath

I had the good luck to attend most of last night’s game.  I did not intend to go, however I was offered a $60 ticket for $5 while waiting for a bus about a block North of Wrigley just after the third inning.  By the time I got to my seat up in section 431 Big Z had walked in a run and the Cubs were leading off their half of the fourth inning.  The seat was great (except for the girl with the terrible laugh a couple seats over) and the Cubs won a thriller in the bottom of the tenth.  It really was the best $5 I’ve ever spent, and I went alone.

Everyone should attend a baseball game by themselves at least once in their lives, it is a vastly different experience than attending with friends or family.  I have done this a handful of times over the last few years and enjoyed it every time.  It is like watching the game at home on the ultimate Hi-Def set.  When you’re alone at the game you don’t have to entertain anyone; you can immerse yourself in the ballpark and the game.  I imagine that experience is a lot like hiking is for nature people.  Only the trees are people and the walking is sitting; which is much better for someone with my allergies.  If you are not sure that you would enjoy it do what I did and by your ticket a few innings into the game, you’ll pay a lot less and then not feel bad if you don’t enjoy it.  But I think you will.

The best part of attending alone is that I also had the chance to study the crowd.  There has been much discussion of Cubs fans since Marty Brennaman blasted us a few weeks ago; for the most part, he was wrong.  I did however notice something else about my Cubs fan brethren: we are way too high strung.  By this I don’t mean that we need to stop cheering, or booing (even the people in left); I mean that we need to not live and die by the result of every pitch.  I don’t miss the days when Wrigley was a picnic or a beer garden where baseball happened to be played.  I love that people actually care about what happens to this team.  But there has to be a happy medium right? aren’t we rooting for the Cubbies to help us relax?  Most importantly baseball is a game of failure.  Even if you win 100 games, which is a great season, you are going to lose 62 times; the batting champion every year fails almost two-thirds of the time.  In 1927 the year Babe Ruth became the first player to hit 60 home runs (he also hit .356) he was thrown out 354 times, 89 of those were strikeouts.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think people were yelling “Hey, Babe, YOU SUCK!” after a third inning strikeout in May.

We are watching a very good baseball team.  Yes, it has some flaws, and no, not every player is a Hall of Famer or even an All-Star.  But it is May 29th, no team in baseball has won more games than the 32 the Cubs have, the Cubs have scored more runs than anyone, and are tied for the 4th best E.R.A. in baseball (tops in the N.L.).  So go ahead and boo a bad play; but after you do, take a deep breath and remember that this team is good enough to overcome, and that player (unless it is Edmonds or Pie) you’re booing will probably be a big reason why.