myworldofbaseball

Archive for the 'Blue Jays' Category

How Do You Like Me Now

Monday, April 29th, 2013

The Miami Marlins signed a number of big name free agents in an attempt to excite a Miami fan base with a new stadium and a perception of improved players. They even traded a couple journeyman players to the White Sox to bring over a flamboyant manager in Ozzie Guillen. Like bamboo growing under their fingernails, the Marlins could not win and midway through the season they cried uncle, trading away many of the players from their roster to build for the future. The majority of their free agent signings or veterans still left on the team were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the season to obtain a haul of prospects.

The Boston Red Sox felt they needed more sizzle with their players, going on a free agent spending spree with the signings of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. They had a television base to entertain and you can’t do that with vanilla players like Dustin Pedroia. They also hired a flamboyant manager in Bobby Valentin to add spice to the glitz. Bobby was just the opposite of their two time World Series manager Terry Francona. They felt Francona had lost control of the locker room. Before the season ended they would have a better definition of losing control of a locker room. By the time mid-season arrived many of their free agent signings were traded to the Dodgers as their second collapse in two years proved that last year was not the anomaly but the norm.

Now that the season is almost one month old the Toronto Blue Jays are finding out the same players who lost for the Marlins are also losing for the Blue Jays. Jose Reyes is injured for a couple months, something the New york Mets were very familiar with and Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle are not making the Jays starting rotation the juggernaut many had thought it would be. It appears some things never change no matter what laundry you pick to wear the next day. The Jays find themselves in last place with a 9-17 record, nine games behind the first place Red Sox.

The Marlins are not winning, but no one expected them to win. They picked up a number of good players in Nathan Eovaldi, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino and Adeiny Hechavarria to help them for the future. The current ownership group has burned their bridges with the fan base and it may be in the best interest of the Marlins that they sell the team before they have an opportunity to screw up this rebuilding process. They currently have the worst record in baseball at 6-19 with one of the most entertaining power hitters in baseball in Giancarlo Stanton. They claim to be spending money in other areas to help build the franchise, but they are at the bottom in signing international talent and last year they almost lost first round pick Andrew Heaney because they didn’t want to pay him the first round slot bonus money they were allocated. Myworld would like to know in what area they are spending resources to improve the team?

The Dodgers found that acquiring Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Rameriz and Josh Beckett did nothing to their team to add to the win total in 2012, but it did do a lot to make them the second highest salaried team in the major leagues. It was felt next year once the players got used to each other the wins would come. Next year has arrived and the Dodgers are no closer to winning, finding themselves just above the San Diego Padres in the NL West with a 12-12 record, 2.5 games behind the leader. If I’m spending over $200 million for my team I would want a team playing better than .500.

The Dodgers believe that when Hanley Ramirez comes back from the disabled list they will be much stronger since he will fill the shortstop hole. When Hanley Ramirez played winter ball last year the team he played for did not put him at shortstop despite the Dodgers objections. The same was true for the championship Dominican Republic WBC team. The Dodgers feel they can win with Hanley at shortstop, even though his Latin compatriots felt their teams could not win with Hanley at shortstop.

The Boston Red Sox seem to be the only team to have benefited from the roster shakedowns. Relieved of huge salary burdens by trading Crawford, Gonzalez and Beckett to the Dodgers they have been able to tinker with their roster and found that signing vanilla role players to fill their lineup can lead to victories. Vanilla players like Daniel Nava, Mike Carp and Mike Napoli have been added to the 25 man roster to play alongside their previous players of vanilla quality like Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to put the Red Sox in first place in the AL East. Myworld does not see that lasting as the season progresses, but it is better than the view they had in the standings the last couple years.

So what can be learned from these salary dumps and acquistions. To paraphrase a Martin Luther King statement, ”It is not the dollars in a contract but the content of a player’s character that will help create a winning atmoshere for a team”. Large contracts generally build complacency. You want players who are not driven by large contracts, but deserve them just the same, players who are driven by their will to win even after they earn the big bucks. And you don’t want those players who just talk about their will to win, but show it on the practice fields and the batting cages. Talk is cheap. Action is defining.

It is still early in the season and a lot can happen to change things. Time will tell if the Dodgers and Blue Jays can turn things around despite their big acquisitions.

Posted in Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Marlins 2695 | No Comments »

Astros Bomb Blue Jays Second Team

Monday, March 18th, 2013

The Blue Jays did not have a split squad game today, but the team they sent to Kissimmee did not have one player whose name will be included in the opening day starting lineup. They did have their number four starter Brandon Morrow pitch the game but the Astros treated him badly in their 11-2 rout over the Blue Jays.

Chris Carter sent two balls deep to drive in four runs and more importantly made a couple defensive plays out in left field to lead the Astros to victory. The Astros also got homeruns from Brandon Laird and Jason Castro.

Bud Norris had a solid game. He retired the Blue Jay second team pretty easily in four of the five innings he pitched. In the third he gave up a double to Mike McCoy and two sacrifice flies to allow two runs to score. The Blue Jays had closed the gap to 3-2, but the two Chris Carter 2-run homers broke the game wide open.

Erik Bedard worked the last three innings. He allowed only one runner to reach and struck out five hitters, four of them lefthanders. If he does not make the starting rotation he could be an effective pitcher in the bullpen against lefthanded hitters. Last year with the Pirates, lefthanders hit him at a .218 clip. His achilles heel was that righthanders hit him at .278.

Game Notes: Luis Jimenez got the start at first for the Blue Jays. He made his major league debut last year with the Seattle Mariners at 30 years old. He only got one hit in 17 at bats for a .059 average, but he could be used as a left handed power bat for pinch hitting purpsoses or an occasional designated hitter agaisnt righthanders…Myworld has seen three Blue Jay games and in all of them Ryan Langerhans has started in the outfield. He plays a solid defense, but is not much of a bat. It does appear the Blue Jays are giving him every opportunity to win the fourth or fifth outfielder job…Eugenio Velez showed a smooth glove and a strong arm at third base. He began his career with the Blue Jays in 2001 and after more than a decade has returned to the Blue Jays. He made his major league debut with the Giants in 2007 but will not be much more than a utility player.

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Orioles Nip Blue Jays in Dunedin

Sunday, March 17th, 2013

Myworld was in Dunedin for the second time to see the Orioles for the first time. Jake Arrieta pitched four plus innings of shutout ball to lead the Orioles to a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays. Watching the Orioles play tells me Buck Showalter will have to make some tough 25 man roster decisions before spring is done. That is always a good thing.

Lew Ford gapped two doubles in the game. He is deserving of one of those roster spots, but the Orioles outfield situation is crowded with Nate McLouth and Nolan Reimold in a platoon in left and Adam Jones and Nick Markakis taking the other two spots. The first double by Lew in the first inning gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch advanced Lew to third where he scored on a Nolan Reimold ground out.

J.A. Happ got the start for the Blue Jays. He has been squeezed out of the Blue Jay rotation with the acquisition of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero fill the two other spots. The Blue Jays were decimated with injuries to their starting rotation last year, so Happ will get his opportunity to start later in the year. He gave up two runs in three plus innings, with all four of his hits given up doubles.

In the second inning Taylor Teagarden banged a double off the left field wall. Danny Valencia followed with a double to right center. Teagarden waited halfway between second and third to see if Melkey Cabrera could run it down. It was a hope and a prayer for Melky. Emilio Bonafacio bobbled the relay throw otherwise he may have gotten the lumbering Teagarden as he chugged his way home.

The Blue Jays finally got on board in the sixth. Arrieta had limited them to just three hits, but two double plays prevented any runners from advancing to third. Arrieta was also a bit wild, walking four and increasing his pitch count to the point where he couldn’t finish the fifth inning. Daniel Schlerth walked Jose Bautista with one out in the sixth. A single by Adam Lind sent a hustling Bautista to third where he scored on a fly ball from Mark DeRosa.

Jeremy Jeffress did not help his roster spot in the eighth. He didn’t retire any of the three hitters he faced, giving up a leadoff double to Ryan Flaherty and issuing back to back walks to Nolan Reimold and Chris Dickerson to load the bases with no outs. His reputed three digit fastball has now dropped to 90-92 and a lack of command puts his effectiveness in doubt. Alex Hinshaw came on in relif to bail him out with a 1-2-3 double play and a soft fly ball to right.

The Orioles scored an insurance run in the ninth. Trayvon Robinson hit the Orioles sixth double, one hopping the wall in right field. Six of the nine Oriole hits were doubles. He scored on a Buck Britton fly ball to right.

Buck used two relievers to retire the Blue Jays in order in the ninth. Troy Patton, who pitched the eighth retired the first two hitters and Daniel McCutchen retired the last batter to complete the victory.

Game notes: The Blue Jay seats are the least comfortable of the seats in the stadiums myworld has visited. They are of the plastic variety that has no give, so making room for those moving through the row is difficult. Bring seat cushions. There are also very few shaded areas. The higher in the seating row you are the best chance you have for shade…Myworld visited the original Hooters located in Clearwater. The waitress made famous by ESPN for retrieving the fair ball and giving it to a fan works there. The food is not great but is edible. The most important thing is the waitresses are friendly…If you like old cars the place to be on Friday and Saturday night is in Oldtown Kissimmee. They have cruising of muscle cars and old jalopies on those two nights. There are also carnival rides for the kids and bungee jumps for the adults…Yamaico Navarro forgot the number of outs after catching a line drive. Fortunately for him, it was a hit and run play and the runner was standing on second so when he broke back to first Navarro was able to tag him out before he finished his trot to the third base dugout. Otherwise Yamaico played a solid defense at second…Adam Russell pitched the seventh inning and retired the side in order. He is a 29 year old relief pitcher who could provide depth to the Orioles system, something they were good at doing last year, shuffling pitchers in and out. He stands a gigantic 6′7″…For the Blue Jays the game was their fourth straight sellout and the fifth this spring. Spring training attendance is down, but for the Blue Jays, the fans are excited. A lot of Ontario fans seem to attend the game here…Jose Bautista made a nice throw behind the runner to get Steven Pearce after he had rounded first after his single. Ryan Langerhans had robbed Conor Jackson on the previous play by leaping and robbing him of a homerun.

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Blue Jays Crush Yankees

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Myworld was at Dunedin to see one of the more interesting games of the spring. The Yankees looked more like the Bad News Bears than a playoff contender losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 17-5. They were down 15-1 after two innings, with Yankee prospects now suspects Jose Ramirez and Adam Warren walking nine batters in the first two innings.

The game got off to a decent start for the Yankees when Kevin Youkilis roped a solo shot in the first inning. The game turned into a nightmare after that. Jose Ramirez walked four of the first seven hitters he faced, only retiring one batter. Adam Warren followed him and walked five, giving up eight runs on four hits. After two innings the Blue Jays had scored 15 runs on only eight hits.

Leadoff hitter Maicer Izturis had the big bat for the Blue Jays driving in five runs on two hits, plus scoring three times. Melky Cabrera got some revenge against his old teammates, driving in four runs with three hits, including two doubles.

Despite the long delays as the Blue Jays batted around in the order twice Josh Johnson pitched well, giving up only the solo homerun to Kevin Youkilus in three innings of work. The Blue Jay infielders committed two errors behind him, but with runners on second and third and one out Johnson bore down and struck out both Kevin Youkilus and Travis Hafner to end the threat. He was hitting the low 90s with his fastball.

Game Notes: There were three dropped popups in the game, one by Caleb Joseph, who has been playing some horrible defense and the other by Luis Jimenez, who had no business attempting to catch the popup with the second baseman next to him…Francisco Cervelli misjudged a foul popup hit by leadoff hitter Izturis. Jose Ramirez then walked Izturis and the slaughter had begun…Jose Pirela also dropped a pop up. Both Joseph and Pirela dropped balls playing second base with the catcher batting…A couple lines from the beer vendor - “If you can’t catch a ball catch a buzz” and Canadian beer in an American bottle made in China.”.

Posted in Yankees, Blue Jays | No Comments »

Phillies Pound Blue Jays

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Myworld was in Clearwater to watch the Phillies do battle with the Blue Jays. In previous years it was the Phillies who had the big name players that fans came to see but this year the Blue Jays can trot out some big names, many of their stars acquired from the Marlins. It didn’t matter today as the Phillies pounded the Blue Jays bullpen, winning the game 13-5.

The temperature was 51 degrees with the wind blowing hard towards right field. Myworld left after the top of the eighth with the score 10-5. The Phillies scored three more runs to win 13-5.

The Blue Jays scored first in the top of the first getting back to back singles from Anthony Gose and Melky Cabrera. Adam Lind hit a fly ball to left field to drive in Gose.

The Phillies evened the score in the bottom of the first when Kevin Fransden laid one into the right field corner, legging it out for a triple. He later scored on a wild pitch that only bounced ten feet behind Henry Blanco. Both Blanco and Ricky Romero were a bit casual about retrieving the errant pitch, or covering home and Fransden took advantage racing home with the score.

The Blue Jays had no trouble finding the barrell of the bat on the ball against Aaron Cook. Emilio started a second inning rally by bunting for a base hit, stealing second and breaking for third on the next pitch. Erik Kratz threw the ball between the third baseman and shortstop to allow Bonafacio to score. Another run scored when Yunesky Betancourt made a bad throw to first to allow Henry Blanco to score the second run of the inning.

Jose Bautista bruised one into the left field bullpen to give the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. After that it was all Phillies, except for a solo homerun from Mark DeRosa in the sixth.

Yunesky Betancourt drove in a run with an RBI single in the third. Emilio Benafacio made an error on a bad throw advancing Betancourt to third. Yunesky had a brain fart, stepping off third to be tagged out by Sergio Santos for the second out of the inning.

Dominic Brown hit a monster homerun off lefthander Aaron Loup to pull the Phillies to within one. Ryan Howard gave them the lead in the fifth with a 3-run homer off lefty Brett Cecil. The Phillies blew the game wide open in the sixth off Justin Germano scoring four runs on five consecutive hits, the last three hits being back to back to back doubles.

Game Notes: You know it is cold when the Hooter ball girls are bundled up in sweats along the first and third base line…Sea gulls are constantly diving onto the field searching for food. It is no wonder more of the birds are not hit by flying balls…Adam Lind was thrown out at home in the third on a flyout to left field. He doesn’t have a lot of speed. The out at home seemed to change the momentum of the game as the Blue Jays stopped scoring and the Phillies bats awoke for 12 runs…If you look at Henry Blanco behind the plate he looks like one tough hombre. No wonder teams continue to sign him. He’d be the type of player myworld would go to war with…Darin Ruff did not impress with an 0 for 5 day and failed to scoop up a one bounce throw to first base…Yunesky Betancourt drove in three runs and Kevin Fransden scored four runs to lead the offense.

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2013 Hot Stove - Blue Jays

Saturday, December 22nd, 2012

Moving away from the AL West we assess our first team from the AL East.

Overall Assessment: They have stocked their team, an early Christmas present from the Miami Marlins helping in that effort. They had to give up a bucketfull of prospects, three of whom now rank among the Marlins top ten prosepects to get the veterans. If they don’t make the playoffs with this team it is time to have a fire sale.

Hot Stove Season: They’ve been busy boys. First was the signing of Melky Cabrera to a bargain basement free agent contract. One has to question whether his last two seasons were chemically enhanced and can he produce in 2013 chemical free. He would be the batting title winner of 2012 in the National League if he did not forfeit that right to show amends for his chemical transgressions. They also got Mike Aviles from the Red Sox for a manager they didn’t really want, then traded him and Yan Gomes to the Cleveland Indians for bullpen help in Esmil Rogers. Esmil has a career ERA of 5.95, but last year he was at 3.06. Then the Marlins came calling, wanting to dump salary, giving the Blue Jays Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonafacio for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, Jeff Mathis and Jake Marisnick. In one trade they improved themselves at shortstop, got two starting pitchers better than the one they gave up and got a pretty good utility player who could start at second base. They then used John Buck, Noah Syndergaard, Travis d’Arnaud and Wuilmer Becerra to trade with the New York Mets for Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. They got Dickey to sign for two years. They are now set to do battle in the AL East with what appears on paper the best team in the division.

Strength: They have the potential to have one of the best offenses in baseball. Two 40 homerun hitters in Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. An NL battiing champ in Melky Cabrera. Two potentially good hitters in Colby Rasmus and Adam Lind if they can find a cure for their zombie like efforts swinging the bat. A potential superstar at third in Brett Lawrie. A potential stolen base leader in Jose Reyes. A rotation of NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey, a potential Cy Young winner until his arm injuries last year in Josh Johnson, innings eater Mark Buerle and future Cy Young winner Brandon Morrow to fill the rotation.

Weakness: Compared to the rest of the lineup the platoon of Emilio Bonafacio and free agent signee Maicer Izturis at second looks pretty weak, but when compared to the rest of the division is still pretty solid. The bullpen with closer Casey Janssen with possible injured pitcher Sergio Santos as an alternative does not strike a lot of fear in lineups. They also need Ricky Romero to show replicate his 2011 numbers and not his 2012, but they have a lot of depth and can dump him if he stumbles. There are also a lot of question marks with production, such as Sergio Santos and Josh Johnson trying to overcome injuries, Melky Cabrera coming off a drug suspension, Jose Bautista coming off an injury and Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus failing to reach their potential the last couple years. Brandon Morrow also has never given a team a complete season in the rotation. Anthony Gose waits in the background if Colby should continue his struggles.

Top Position Prospect: They’ve traded them all. Myworld will have to go with Colombian catcher A.J. Jimenez because of his combination of superb defense and potential for offense. Tommy John surgery cut his season short last year but in 2011 he hit .303. His power has yet to show and may be limited to just the gaps. As a catcher he showed pretty good speed going 28 for 34.

Top Pitching Prospect: They traded a couple pretty good pitchers to get veteran players, but they managed to keep Aaron Sanchez. He’s got three pretty good pitches, though his fastball is not yet overpowering. At 6′4″ it could gain some juice to move from the low 90s to the mid-90s. He also has some issues with command, walking 51 batters in just 90 plus innings in 2012. He’s probably still a couple years away from pitching for the Jays, but he has to harness his command issues or he will find himself in the bullpen.

Watch out for: Jeremy Jeffress. He’s had some issues with drugs of abuse which have resulted in suspensions and last year he struggled with the Royals. The Royals virtually gave him to the Jays for cash after they could not protect him on the 40 man roster. He had a 6.75 ERA in 13 bullpen appearances, but his fastball hits triple digits. It may be a bit straight and without secondary pitches he may never find success.

Rookie of the Year Prospect: This is a veteran team who has traded all their high level prospects. They seem to have too much depth in their starting rotation to give Deck McGuire an opportunity, unless they have the kind of injuries they had to their starting rotation last year. Deck will also have to pitch better than his 5-15, 5.88 ERA in AA but in 2010 he was their top prospect. That seems like such a long time ago.

Projected on Paper Finish: First place in the AL East. The Yankees are shopping at Wal Mart with the Rays, tired of paying over $200 million in luxury tax and the Orioles will find it tough to repeat that won loss record for one run games. The Red Sox sold the store last year and that only leaves the Blue Jays in the much weakened AL East.

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Loria Lunacy Continues

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

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Jeffrey Loria continues his frenetic ownership of the Marlins, perhaps enamored with what the Oakland Athletics did with their team last year. He spent wads of money signing free agents Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. All it got him was a last place finish. He also courted and failed to sign Albert Pujols and Yoennis Cespedes. Both players are probably relieved they did not sign with this ship wreck.

The Marlins jettisoned half their players and almost all their high salaried players in a trade with the Blue Jays a couple days ago. Going to the Blue Jays was Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonafacio, John Buck and $4 million in cash. The Marlins got some pretty good prospects in Cuban Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Justin Nicolino and Jake Marisnick. They also got Yunel Escobar thrown in just in case Hechavarria is not yet ready to play shortstop and a minor leaguer myworld is not too familiar with in Anthony DeSclafani.

Myworld saw Hecavarria and Marinsnick in spring training and are impressed with both. Nicolino will probably be placed in the Top 100 prospect list and Alvarez is a pitcher ready for the major league rotation. Loria is probably hoping for a season like the Athletics where they tear the team down to minimize their salary and now have the flexibility to improve their roster as free agents and trades will allow. Not too sure what free agents will be attracted to the Marlins after this debacle. Not too sure either why Bud Selig keeps Loria as an owner.

Loria has also gotten perhaps his best player on the team in Giancarlo Stanton mad. There is no protection for him around the lineup. It is hard to be the veteran voice of a team at 23 years of age. Might as well trade him since he will be jumping ship once he is eligible for free agency. That is if there is a ship to jump.

Of course, myworld criticized the Oakland Athletics after they traded all their high salaried players before the season began last year. Where did that get them? First place in the toughest division in baseball, the AL West. Maybe the Athletics have started a trend. This won’t make the union happy if all the major league teams pare their salaries to less than $50 million because that is the most economical way to winning.

Posted in Blue Jays, Marlins | No Comments »

AAAA Blue Jays Blank Orioles

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

The Blue Jays had Yunel Escobar hitting cleanup and Yan Gomes batting fifth. They had a starting pitcher Aaron Laffey, whose fastball couldn’t hit 85. It was still enough to beat the Orioles 4-0 last night.

With their punch and judy lineup they bunched together 12 singles and one double to allow four runners to cross the plate. They had four singles in the first inning to score their first run. Yan Gomes drove in the run with his single. Rajai Davis single should have been a ground ball out, but because it hit Gomes it was ruled a single and the runner was called out to end the inning.

Adeiny Hechavarria had the only extra base hit for the Blue Jays. His double in the fourth inning scored Rajai Davis from first base. The Blue Jays finished their scoring in the seventh on three singles and a botched fielding play by Manny Machado on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Anthony Gose. Colby Rasmus was thrown out at third by Chris Davis on a Edwin Encarnacion RBI single, but it was not enough to prevent the second run from scoring.

Joe Saunders got the start for the Orioles. He gave up 11 hits in six plus innings, allowing all four runs. Aaron Laffey only lasted five plus innings with his low 80s fastball. He didn’t get any strikeouts, but he did get the Orioles to hit the ball on the ground. As soon as he gave up some healthy fly ball outs he was taken out of the game. The Blue Jays used five different pitchers to finish the game, Ryan Flaherty swinging at the first pitch and flying out to center with the bases loaded to end the game.

Dylan Bundy made his Camden Yards debut in the ninth inning. He was a bit wild, walking one and running a three ball count to three of the four hitters he faced. He got a break when Colby Rasmus swung at a 3-0 pitch and grounding into a double play.

Game Notes: The Orioles had their minor league day today. There were over 30,000 in attendance. All the mascots from the various minor league organizations were in attendance. D.C. native L.J. Hoes was named player of the year and Dylan Bundy was named pitcher of the year. Both made an appearance in yesterday’s game, Hoes as a pinch runner for Jim Thome in the ninth and Bundy pitching a full inning of relief in the ninth…Bundy was only hitting 93-95 on the radar. It is possible the radar gun at Camden was a bit slow. Aaron Laffey would like to think so…Rajai Davis hit a ball just to the foul side of the foul pole in the first inning. If he had straightened it out the score would have been 4-0 after one…Colby Rasmus appears to be having a disappointing season, hitting .220 with an OBA less than .300. Anthony Gose may have his job soon if he can show he can hit.

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AL East Minor League All Stars

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

Except for the New York Penn League, each of the minor league organizaitons name a post season All Star team. These may not necessarily be the best prospects in each league, but they are the players who performed the best. Also, players who are promoted mid-season usually do not make post season All Star rosters even though the combination of their numbers may be impressive. Myworld will start with the AL East.

Baltimore Orioles

This one is easy. They are the only team of the 30 without a player named to a post season all star roster. They are not complaining with the year they are having, now tied for the New York Yankees for first place in the A.L. East. Who needs All Stars. Just win baby.

Boston Red Sox

They need some good news after the year they are having. The good news is they have a healthy collection of players named to the All Star team.

Ryan Lavarnway C - AAA (.295, 8, 43) - The backup catching job could be his next year. With the year Jarrod Saltalmacchia is having it is hard to see Ryan taking over as the starter. He is noted more for his offense than his defense.

Jose Iglesias SS - AAA (.266, 1, 23) - Another player noted more for his glove and not his bat, his 2012 major league callup shows an 0 for 16 start.

Mauro Gomez DH - AAA (.310, 24, 75) - With Adrian Gonzalez traded and David Ortiz likely gone next year he could find himself at DH or 1B. At 27 he is a bit old to be considered a prospect, but he has a big bat.

Jerry Sands OF - AAA (.296, 26, 107) - He made the list as a Dodger. The offensive numbers are a bit inflated in the desert air of Albuquerque. Has had two opportunities with the Dodgers and failed to impress. The Green Wall of Boston may be more to his liking.

Christian Vazquez C - Hi A (.269, 7, 41) - Eventually he may become the better defensive option without any sacrifice in power.

Michael Almanzar 3B - Hi A (.301, 12, 54) - The Red Sox have been waiting a long time for him. This could be a breakout year for him and still only 21.

Xander Bogaerts SS - Hi A (.301, 15, 64) - Considered one of the best prospects in baseball, but most feel he may move to right field. He has only gotten better with a promotion to AA (.326, 5, 17).

Jackie Bradley OF - Hi A (.355, 3, 33) - A 52/40 walk to whiff ratio gives him a .478 OBA. The number one supplemental pick in 2011 should be a gold glover in center field. Power should also come.

Travis Shaw DH - Hi A (.307, 16, 73) - In addition to a potent bat he was voted the best defensive firstbaseman in the Carolina League.

Keury de la Cruz OF - Low A (.308, 19, 81) - Still needs to work on his patience at the plate as his 26/101 walk to whiff ratio will attest.

Sergio Gomez RHP - Rookie (5-4, 2.83) - A teenage pitcher out of Colombia shows good control with less than two walks per nine innings.

New York Yankees

Older players tend to be plauged by injuries towards the end of the year. The Yankees are finding that out as they stumble through the 2012 season.

Kyle Roller DH - Hi A (.266, 18, 85) - At 24 years old he needs to arrive quickly to have much of an impact with the Yankees.

Nik Turley LHP - Hi A (9-5, 2.89) - A tall pitcher (6′6″) he relies more on control than velocity. The curveball is his best pitch.

Yeicok Calderon DH - Rookie (.270, 8, 22) - A Dominican signing for $650,000 in 2008 still needs some work defensively in the outfield.

Tampa Bay Rays

They keep showing the Yankees how to make the playoffs with half of their salary. They also thank the Yankees every year for their luxury tax payments which provides them resources to continue to retool their minor leagues.

Leslie Anderson OF - AAA (.309, 14, 56) - A Cuban signing he is short on power for his best defensive positions at first base or left field. At 30 he should have made the team this year.

Hak-Ju Lee SS - AA (.261, 4, 37) - Considered one of the better defensive shortstops with excellent speed. His bat is still a question and his speed doesn’t rack up huge stolen base totals (37 for 46). Not a lot of power.

Omar Luna UTL - AA (.315, 3, 57) - Lee’s double play partner will probably be a six year minor league free agent next year.

Cameron Seitzer 1B - Low A (.307, 4, 54) - A power drop off from last year but at 6′5″ that should not be a problem.

Ryan Brett 2B - Low A (.285, 6, 35) - A 50 game suspension puts a damper on a good season for the 2010 third round pick. A gap hitter who will make contact his 48 stolen bases was a career high. At 5′9″ he is more a grinder who will play beyond his tools.

Drew Vettleson OF - Low A (.275, 16, 59) - A 2010 supplemental first round pick should have the power and arm to settle in right field.

Blake Snell LHP - Rookie (5-1, 2.09) - A 2011 supplemental first round pick won pitcher of the year in Appalachian League. Relies on a sinker to get ground outs.

Ben Kline 1B - Rookie (.347, 1, 16) - At 23 a little too old for rooke league.

Toronto Blue Jays

Injuries have decimated their 2012 season. They continue to stock their farm system to address those injuries with depth in the future. Most of the talent this year was at the lower levels.

Adeiny Hechavarria SS - AAA (.312, 6, 63) - The Cuban impressed with his bat and glove during spring. He won’t hit for power but he should be a steady hitter in the .300 neighborhood. He should be ready to fight for the position next year.

Kevin Nolan SS- Hi A (.316, 5, 40) - Tools may have to settle for a utility role but did reach base in 34 straight games. It was his second year in the Florida State League and at 24 needs to make his mark now.

Dan Barnes RHP - Hi A (1-2, 1.50) - One of those 35th round draft picks used as a closer. He picked up 34 saves.

Kevin Pillar OF - Low A (.322, 5, 57) - His performance won him the MVP of the league. He was also voted the leagues best hitting prospect. His promotion to Hi A has not slowed down his bat (.323). He has stolen 51 bases at the two levels in 60 attemtps.

Justin Nicolino LHP - Low A (10-4, 2.46) - Good velocity for a lefthander, hitting low 90s but as he matures could get up to 94. The change is considered his best pitch which puts a little more zip on that fastball.

Ajay Meyer RHP - Low A (3-3, 3.67) - His 33 saves got him voted best reliever in the Midwest League, but promising pitchers at the lower levels are never the closers.

Jorge Flores SS - short season (.264, 3, 19) - Listed at 5′5″ he gets the most out of his height.

Javier Avendano RHP - short season (8-1, 1.27) - Signed as a free agent in 2012 after being signed by the Cardinals.

Jeremy Gabryszwski RHP - rookie (3-0, 2.35) - A 2011 second round pick has excellent control, walking less than a batter per nine innings. Because he was around the plate so often he gave up five jacks in just 46 innings of work.

Chuck Ghysels RHP - rookie (0-3, 3.86) - He struck out over 14 per nine innings and also picked up seven saves. Blue Jays seemed to thrive on closers drafted in the 30th round.

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At the Break - AL East

Sunday, July 8th, 2012

The East is a battle of five teams, all playing over .500. The biggest surprise has been the Baltimore Orioles, who find themselves in second place in this beast of a division. The biggest disappointment has been the Boston Red Sox, who struggle to find consistency. Watch for the Rays. They are the only team that seems to not be in a desparate search for pitching.

We show our original prediction in parenthesis. Based on trades and injuries these predictions will have changed.

New York Yankees (2) 51-33

Heros - With the injury to Mariano Rivera they needed someone to step up in the closer role. They signed Rafael Soriano with that thought in mind a couple years ago. He has come through with 20 saves and a 1.65 ERA. Derek Jeter never seems to age. At 37 he is hitting over .300. Will he continue to keep that pace in the second half.

Busts - Russell Martin had a decent year last year and the Yankees felt comfortable at the catching position with a number of young prospects coming up. This year Russell finishes the first half hitting only .179. Chris Stewart has been getting more playing time as a result. Freddy Garcia has not been able to address the holes with his starting rotation with a 5.23 ERA.

Top Rookies - Cody Eppley (2.74) has been solid in the pen, filling his role for early bullpen duties. David Phelps (3.05) has started three times but seen most of his time out of the bullpen. This is a veteran team with no rookies impacting the roster.

Hot on the Farm - The Yankees have had some disappointing seasons from their prospects. A couple veterans are looking good in AAA with Jack Cust and his 19 homeruns and Ramon Ortiz with a 2.85 ERA in 15 starts. For the Yankees it is win now baby, so they may need to make room for these players contributions on the 40 man roster. At one point Melky Mesa was considered a top prospects. At 25 that has changed, but in AA he is hitting .271 with 11 homeruns. Cody Johnson strikes out a lot (90) but he also hits his share of homeruns (16) for Trenton. Vidal Nuno was pitching in relief in Tampa. Promoted to Trenton they moved him into the starting rotation. He has a 1.22 ERA in nine starts.

Season Expectations - They are an older team so the summer months must be watched. They are surviving the loss of C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Michael Pineda pretty well. They hope to get Sabathia back but they need Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes to show consistency in the starting rotation. They already have seven players in double figures in homeruns so power is their game.

Baltimore Orioles (5) 45-40

Heroes - For the first time in ages they have three players that were named All Stars. In years past it was always difficult finding All Stars on the roster. Adam Jones (.289, 20), Matt Wieters (.247, 12) and Jim Johnson (1.21, 27 saves) are big reasons for the Orioles successful first half.

Busts - They continue to find inconsistency from a young pitching staff that a couple years ago many teams were envios of. Brian Matusz (5-10, 5.42) and Jake Arrieta (3-9, 6.13) have earned demotions to the minor leagues. Mark Reynolds (.207) plays poor defense and no longer hits for hits for power to justify his swings and misses.

Top Rookies - Wei-Yin Chen (3.93) has given the Orioles some good starts. He is a Taiwan pitcher who is a veteran from the NPB. The second half will be key to see if he fatigues under the five man rotation. In the NPB they are used to 6 man rotations and 144 game seasons.

Hot on the Farm - They have already called up Chris Tillman (3.63) but Jason Berken (3.23) is also having a good year. Both have had opportunities before and failed. Steve Johnson (2.73) also got a brief callup but never appeared in a game. The Orioles are looking to acquire a veteran starting pitcher. They would like to think these players are attractive enough to acquire a veteran pitcher.

Season Expectations - The Orioles have played well early before and folded. Dan Duquette acquired Jim Thome to give them a big bat. He would also like to get a veteran pitcher to bolster the starting rotation. When you look at the roster you don’t see playoff team. Nick Markakis is ready to return, but they might want to hug Brian Roberts goodbye.

Tampa Bay Rays (3) 45-41

Heroes - Fernando Rodney (0.93, 25 saves) has been unbelievable as the closer. The Rays hope they can still count on him in the second half. David Price (11-4, 2.82) has become the ace of the staff as many had expected he would become one day.

Busts - They need Carlos Pena (.201) and Luke Scott (.205) to move away from the Mendoza line. They provide the occasional pop but their offense has been disappointing. James Shields (4.17) was the ace last year, but has struggled this year and Matt Moore (4.42) was the favorite for rookie of the year but may have to be demoted to get his stuff back.

Top Rookies - This is a veteran team with the only rookie Matt Moore. Chris Archer has had two starts, but he needs injuries to the starting staff to fill into the rotation.

Hot on the Farm - Henry Wrigley (.333, can turn on a pitch, but he won’t be usurping Carlos Pena for the first base job. His defense is not as strong.

Season Expectations - They need to get Evan Longoria back to put a spark into their offense. James Shields and Matt Moore need to pitch to potential. They are the only team in the AL East that seem to have a surplus of pitching they can throw out there when inuries hit their rotation.

Boston Red Sox (1) 43-42

Heroes - David Ortiz (.313, 22) has had a good year but some question whether his outspokeness has poisoned the bullpen. Will Middlebrooks (.298, 10) did so well that it forced the trade of Red Sox hero Kevin Youkillus, who was having his second straight disappointing season. Jarrod Saltalmacchia has found the power stroke with 17 homeruns.

Busts - Daniel Bard (5.25) was moved into the starting rotation and found his wildness returned. They hope he can find his command so they can move him back in the bullpen. Clay Bucchholtz (8-2, 5.53) is winning games but giving runs up in bunches. Injuries have forced Alfredo Aceves (0-6, 4.43) to take over the closer role with little success.

Top Rookies - Will Middlebrooks was called up to replace and injured Kevin Youkilus and played so will that the walk king lost his job.

Hot on the Farm - Mauro Gomez (.311, 19) normally plays first, but the Red Sox need his bat in the lineup. He is playing third base while Middlebrooks recovers from hamstring issues. Mark Melancon (0.83, 11 saves) had a rough go of it at the beginning of the year, but he hopes this return will provide better results. Bryce Brentz (.294, 10) can hit for power but the outfield has a surplus now. His strikeouts (93) would be a big concern.

Season Expectation - Pitching may prevent them from making the playoffs, though they hope to get Andrew Bailey back from injury before the season ends. They paid a lot to acquire him. Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury is almost back, but shortstop is still a hole.

Toronto Blue Jays (4) 43-43

Heros - Edwin Encarnacion used to be called E-5. He seems to enjoy playing at the DH spot, hitting .295 with 23 homeruns. He and Jose Bautista could finish 1-2 in homeruns.

Busts - Ricky Romero was supposed to be their ace, but pitchers with a 5.22 ERA don’t survive as aces. Adam Lind (.206) was playing so poorly they demoted him to the minors.

Top Rookies - None

Hot on the farm - They will have to wait until next year to debut Travis d’Arnaud (.333, 16). An injury may have ended his season early. Moises Sierra (.303, 14) could fill an outfield spot. Over they years he has been one of their top prospects. Mike McDade (.294, 13) is a power hitting firstbaseman that should get an opportunity before the season is over.

Season Expectations - Injuries to sixty percent of their starting rotation puts them into a wait until next year mode. Brandon Morrow should be back after the All Star break. Closer Sergio Santos has been out for almost the whole year. He may be back soon. Drew Hutchingson and Kyle Drabek have probably seen the end of the season.

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