Chris's 2012 MLB Regular Season Recap
By Chris Jackson Wednesday October 3, 2012
Surprises
· Oakland A’s:
Who would have thought the A’s would have made it to the playoffs? The odds of the
A’s winning the division according to betting places in Las Vegas was .4
percent in April. Well, that .4 percent was way off. It may have been right in
June, when the A’s were 13 games back, but not now. And many of these players
are unknown to many people, especially in New York where it’s all big names.
Manager Bob Melvin will probably be American League Manager of the
Year.
·
Baltimore Orioles:
The Orioles aren’t that much of a surprise, but they surprised a good amount of
people. Manager Buck Showalter changed the Orioles into a good team. He helped
bring good leadership and led the Orioles to the AL Wild-Card
game.
· Texas Rangers:
They were supposed to win the AL West and be arguably the best team in baseball.
Instead, they finished in second place in the American League West, behind
Oakland! Could manager Ron Washington’s job be in trouble? No, but there is
cause for concern. They were up five games on Oakland with nine games to go but
got swept by the A’s and finished and second and now have to play Baltimore in
the Wild Card game on Friday.
· Washington Nationals:
They have talent without a doubt. But they weren’t supposed to finish with the
best record in baseball (98-64). After shutting down starting pitcher Stephen
Strasburg in early September, many people thought they would skid. But they
showed that even without Strasburg that they can still win. Gio Gonzalez
finished the season with 21 wins and will probably win the National League Cy
Yound Award.
· Los Angeles Dodgers:
What happened to them? After acquiring Adrian Gonzalez from Boston, they were
supposed to catch up to the Giants. But that didn’t happen. Did getting rid of
James Loney hurt their team chemistry? Possibly, but with all the talent they
had, they should have made the playoffs. But don’t forget the injuries they had
earlier in the year to Matt Kemp and Andre
Ethier.
Top Players
· Miguel Cabrera (Detroit):
He has become the first player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown. So why isn’t he
one of the top players?
· Mike Trout (LA Angels):
An explosive outfielder that is a five tool player. Even though the Angels didn’t
make the playoffs, he is still one of the top players.
· Gio Gonzalez (Washington):
21-win
season, and probably a Cy Young. He is definitely the top pitcher. And don’t
forget, he helped lead the Nationals to the top record in baseball.
Teams in Need of Help
· Houston Astros:
The worst record in baseball, one of the worst in franchise history. They need to
fix their offense and pitching fast. How about fixing
everything?
· Chicago Cubs:
They finished with under 70 wins. But at least they finished better than the
Astros.
· Cleveland Indians:
They were leading the AL Central on June 22. But instead they finished in fourth
of the division. They need to find leadership.
· Colorado Rockies:
Their pitching was awful. They need to find talented pitchers fast. They can
keep a majority of their offense, but I’ve said this a lot already, they need
to fix their pitching.
Surprises
· Oakland A’s:
Who would have thought the A’s would have made it to the playoffs? The odds of the
A’s winning the division according to betting places in Las Vegas was .4
percent in April. Well, that .4 percent was way off. It may have been right in
June, when the A’s were 13 games back, but not now. And many of these players
are unknown to many people, especially in New York where it’s all big names.
Manager Bob Melvin will probably be American League Manager of the
Year.
·
Baltimore Orioles:
The Orioles aren’t that much of a surprise, but they surprised a good amount of
people. Manager Buck Showalter changed the Orioles into a good team. He helped
bring good leadership and led the Orioles to the AL Wild-Card
game.
· Texas Rangers:
They were supposed to win the AL West and be arguably the best team in baseball.
Instead, they finished in second place in the American League West, behind
Oakland! Could manager Ron Washington’s job be in trouble? No, but there is
cause for concern. They were up five games on Oakland with nine games to go but
got swept by the A’s and finished and second and now have to play Baltimore in
the Wild Card game on Friday.
· Washington Nationals:
They have talent without a doubt. But they weren’t supposed to finish with the
best record in baseball (98-64). After shutting down starting pitcher Stephen
Strasburg in early September, many people thought they would skid. But they
showed that even without Strasburg that they can still win. Gio Gonzalez
finished the season with 21 wins and will probably win the National League Cy
Yound Award.
· Los Angeles Dodgers:
What happened to them? After acquiring Adrian Gonzalez from Boston, they were
supposed to catch up to the Giants. But that didn’t happen. Did getting rid of
James Loney hurt their team chemistry? Possibly, but with all the talent they
had, they should have made the playoffs. But don’t forget the injuries they had
earlier in the year to Matt Kemp and Andre
Ethier.
Top Players
· Miguel Cabrera (Detroit):
He has become the first player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown. So why isn’t he
one of the top players?
· Mike Trout (LA Angels):
An explosive outfielder that is a five tool player. Even though the Angels didn’t
make the playoffs, he is still one of the top players.
· Gio Gonzalez (Washington):
21-win
season, and probably a Cy Young. He is definitely the top pitcher. And don’t
forget, he helped lead the Nationals to the top record in baseball.
Teams in Need of Help
· Houston Astros:
The worst record in baseball, one of the worst in franchise history. They need to
fix their offense and pitching fast. How about fixing
everything?
· Chicago Cubs:
They finished with under 70 wins. But at least they finished better than the
Astros.
· Cleveland Indians:
They were leading the AL Central on June 22. But instead they finished in fourth
of the division. They need to find leadership.
· Colorado Rockies:
Their pitching was awful. They need to find talented pitchers fast. They can
keep a majority of their offense, but I’ve said this a lot already, they need
to fix their pitching.
Watch Out For Baltimore
By Chris Jackson Thursday September 13, 2012
BALTIMORE-As the regular season is winding down, there is one
team that is catching everyone by surprise, and it is not the A’s-even though
they are also a team to watch out for like Baltimore; there will be an article
on the A’s on a later date.
The team is the Baltimore Orioles. They are 81-62 this year and
tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL
East.
They have won have five of their last seven and just completed a
three-game sweep of Tampa Bay (77-66).
Don’t try and always look at the numbers, but there is four
Orioles with 20+ home runs- Adam Jones (29), Chris Davis (25), J.J. Hardy (21)
and Mark Reynolds (21). Adam Jones is also a run producer as he has drove in 74
runs. Jones also leads the team with 162 hits and 32 doubles. So if there is one
player that will be key for Baltimore in October and down the final few weeks of
the season, the answer is Adam Jones.
Also watch out for Nick Markakis down the stretch-the only
problem is that he is on the DL. But if he comes back, he will be a vital piece.
In 104 games played this season, he has a .298 average, .834 OPS, and 28 doubles
(tied for 2nd most on the team- tied with J.J.
Hardy).
The pitching rotation is pretty good, but not as good as they
would like it to be in the playoffs. Pitching is the most important piece in
October.
Jason Hammel is the most consistent starter for the Orioles as
he is 8-6 in 20 games with a 3.43 ERA.
Baltimore has produced their first winning season since 1997. So
the Manager of the year award is also close between Buck Showalter (Baltimore)
and Bob Melvin (Oakland). But that is not the main concern for either squad
because both teams want to win and make it to the
postseason.
BALTIMORE-As the regular season is winding down, there is one
team that is catching everyone by surprise, and it is not the A’s-even though
they are also a team to watch out for like Baltimore; there will be an article
on the A’s on a later date.
The team is the Baltimore Orioles. They are 81-62 this year and
tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL
East.
They have won have five of their last seven and just completed a
three-game sweep of Tampa Bay (77-66).
Don’t try and always look at the numbers, but there is four
Orioles with 20+ home runs- Adam Jones (29), Chris Davis (25), J.J. Hardy (21)
and Mark Reynolds (21). Adam Jones is also a run producer as he has drove in 74
runs. Jones also leads the team with 162 hits and 32 doubles. So if there is one
player that will be key for Baltimore in October and down the final few weeks of
the season, the answer is Adam Jones.
Also watch out for Nick Markakis down the stretch-the only
problem is that he is on the DL. But if he comes back, he will be a vital piece.
In 104 games played this season, he has a .298 average, .834 OPS, and 28 doubles
(tied for 2nd most on the team- tied with J.J.
Hardy).
The pitching rotation is pretty good, but not as good as they
would like it to be in the playoffs. Pitching is the most important piece in
October.
Jason Hammel is the most consistent starter for the Orioles as
he is 8-6 in 20 games with a 3.43 ERA.
Baltimore has produced their first winning season since 1997. So
the Manager of the year award is also close between Buck Showalter (Baltimore)
and Bob Melvin (Oakland). But that is not the main concern for either squad
because both teams want to win and make it to the
postseason.