This week in baseball blogs:
- The Sports Tank says Red Sox ace Chris Sale deserves AL MVP consideration.
- Big Three Sports analyzes Astros ace Dallas Keuchel’s recent struggles.
- Pinstriped Prospects doesn’t expect the Yankees to pursue Shohei Otani in the offseason.
- BP Toronto wants the Blue Jays to get rid of Kendrys Morales.
- The Point of Pittsburgh compares Pirates first baseman Josh Bell to ex-Buc Pedro Alvarez.
- Mets Daddy calls the club “petty” and “small-minded” for not making deals with the crosstown rival Yankees.
- TheIntrepidSTL considers Cardinals lefty Tyler Lyons one of the premier relievers in baseball this season.
- The 3rd Man In ranks the 10 best prospects in the 2018 draft.
- Notes From The Sally lists the top five power hitters in the South Atlantic League.
- The K Zone shares an offseason interview with just-promoted Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins.
- Camden Depot sees Orioles starters Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman as legitimate building blocks.
- Inside the ’Zona takes a look at Diamondbacks rookie left-hander Anthony Banda’s early career performance.
- Clutchlings speaks with first-year Blue Jays director of scouting Steve Sanders about his initial draft with the organization.
- Padres Prospectus looks back at the Craig Kimbrel trade the Padres and Red Sox made in 2015.
- District On Deck isn’t overly worried about Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper’s looming trip to free agency.
- Pirates Breakdown searches for the causes of Bucs closer Felipe Rivero’s slump.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) examines the Athletics’ deadline pickups, wonders about Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s job security and examines the Astros’ nicknames as Players Weekend approaches.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2) focuses on the Phillies’ expectations for the upcoming offseason and shares a five-part interview with Driveline Baseball research associate Michael O’Connell.
- DiNardo’s Dugout (podcast) discusses the Dodgers with Michael Duarte of NBC LA.
- Jays Journal believes Toronto pitching prospect and first-round pick Nate Pearson is a superstar in the making.
- Outfield Fly Rule projects the Braves’ top starting pitching prospects.
- North Shore Nine was on hand for Pirates pitching prospect Mitch Keller’s Double-A debut.
- Elite Sports NY talks to a big league scout who’s skeptical over whether Yankees prospect Chance Adams’ will be a major league starter.
- Reviewing The Brew argues that Milwaukee should summon second base prospect Mauricio Dubon to the majors.
- Everything Bluebirds is concerned about the Blue Jays’ lack of pitching depth.
- A’s Farm offers a progress report on the team’s top 11 draft picks of 2017.
- Sports Talk Philly remembers Phillies legend Darren Daulton.
- Chris Zantow revisits Don Baylor’s tenure as the Brewers’ hitting coach.
- Rotisserie Duck names the best players of the 1950s and ’60s.
- Jays From The Couch points out that Toronto prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are two of the most productive teenage prospects of all-time.
- MetsMind regards outfielder Michael Conforto as a franchise cornerstone.
- Extra Innings chats with Jiandido Tromp, an Aruban all-star in the Phillies’ system.
- Puckett’s Pond writes about players the Twins should evaluate for the rest of the season.
Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com.
Not buying it. Every team will gauge Otani’s interest in coming to their club to some extent.
I said it in 2011 and I’ll say it again, I just don’t think the MVP award should go to a pitcher. For those of you who think I’m being a Red Sox fan boy who wanted Ellsbury to win in 2011, I thought Bautista should have won and this year right now it’s between Judge and Altuve.
Judge turned half a season of MVP play. Let’s go with someone who played well all year.
Well that’s why I said right now. If Judge has a good month and a half it’s his. Otherwise it should go to Altuve.
MVPs don’t come out of the all star game on a contending team and post the lowest BA and most K’s in the league over a month. That doesn’t mean he’s had a bad year – he’s a rookie and this is what happens over a long season with pitchers forever making adjustments. Give him the ROY and a huge round of applause. And give the MVP to a more deserving candidate, like Altuve. But not Sale – pitchers don’t get the MVP, especially when he may not win 20 games. (Wow, I’ve got lots of rules and regulations, don’t I?)
That’s why they made hank Aaron award similar to the Cy young award. With MVP going to the best player in the whole league. It’s like football, you have the offensive and defensive player award then the MVP. I’m a Yankees fan but love baseball but I thought miggy or ells should have won that award over verlander. But baustista is like Ryan Howard and mark Reynolds, they have the power and rbis but can’t hit a decent avg for the year.
This year yes, but in 2011 Bautista was batting over .300. Besides, I tend to find talking about batting average alone without looking at other stats to be pointless.
That’s an awful comparison for prime Bautista. He had elite obp and power
I’m pretty sure Judge wrapped up the MVP at the Allstar break.
He did yukongold, but as a Yankee fan hard not to be scared of Altuve surpassing him for MVP. I Hope Judge wins it, but I’m realistic If Altuve and Astros keep doing what they’re doing and judge keeps his .169/.342/,348 5HR Post All Star break (in 113 PA)
I hope he wins ROY, and MVP tho!
ROY is pretty much in the bag for Judge. It’s the MVP award that might be an issue. If the season ended at the beginning of August it would have bet set, but Altuve right now is back in the argument.
He may have wrapped it up at the Allstar break, but he has tried his best to give it up since then. I’d lean Altuve right now.
Heck, I’d still be tempted to give it to Trout.
His BABIP before the break was over .400 (I think, if not it was really close). While nobody could’ve predicted this kind of breakdown, he was bound to have some extreme regression. I would never have said prebreak that he had anything more than ROY in the bag.
Judge won’t win MVP. It’ll probably be Altuve. Justin Smoak also has a better case for MVP than Judge, and on one is really talking about him. m.mlb.com/player/475253/justin-smoak
I REALLY wish that MetsDaddy wasn’t the “go to” baseball blog for the Mets on this site.
A petty and small minded blogger calling the Mets “petty” and “small minded” is a bit silly.
Especially since they tried with the Yankees this year and the Yankees were the ones who backed out
Otani will look his best in a Rangers uniform.
This Chris Sale on meth picture again?
MLBTR really loves that image
You have to be an absolute moron to compare Josh Bell to Pedro Alvarez.
Bell is decent to below average at first. Pedro was unusable. Horrendous.
Pedro was worthless against LHP. Bell is on pace to break Eddie Murray’s record for HR by a rookie switch hitter.
Pedro couldn’t hit a breaking ball to save his life. Bell has excellent plate vision and discipline and can take the ball to all fields.
Pedro had echoes in between his ears. Bell is a smart kid and a fast learner.
Pedro is in AAA where he’s been all season. Bell would be a strong NL ROY candidate in a normal (no Bellinger) year.
I’m starting to think that Kevin Creagh (the guy who wanted Neal Huntingdon fired for not reading his blog and following the blueprint he laid out for him) is actually a brilliant satirist doing a parody of the no-nothing loud mouth blogger.
Yeah, I couldn’t even read any “article” that even attempts to somehow compare Josh Bell and Pedro Alvarez….
They are simply night and day with their approaches at the plate, defensively, all-around, etc..
The ONLY comparison I can think of is that they were both once highly-rated prospects in the Pirates system…That is pretty much where the comparisons stop…Please, anyone, if I am wrong, I’m definitely willing to listen…
You both are right on. Pedro is half of a half of a player. DH against only RHP. Some seem to think that his last year in the Burgh was his only year of poor defensive play. If only. Bell is so much more of a complete player than Alvarez that only a blind man or Madden can not see it. Constant comparisons to Stargell were not only silly but insulting to the late great Willie.
MVP has to go to Altuve…According to Baseball Reference, he’s 3rd in overall WAR, .1 Points behind Scherzer and Andrelton Simmons at 6.2, with Judge at 5.5. He is #1 in Offensive WAR, The #1 power/speed combination threat, #1 in Adjusted OPS+, Adjusted Batting Runs, Adjusted Batting Wins, 4th in Runs Created, #1 in Batting Average, #5 in SB, and he’s in the top 10 of almost every single advanced statistic or counting Stat available…
Plus, he isn’t 2nd in Strikeouts, like Judge, which is typically the worst possible outcome of an at-bat…2nd to only GIDP, LIDP, or the random, ohh so common, stumble upon a triple play scenario…
If Mike Trout was healthy, it is his award to win every single season, hands down. Mike Trout is simply the best all-around baseball player walking this Earth. Simce, he isn’t healthy, the guy having the next best all-around season, while contributing to his team’s success, is simply Jose Altuve…
Judge is a beast, no one can even question that statement is a fact!! However, he is probably the best offensive player, even if he does strike out too much for my liking…
Altuve just puts more of a stamp on the game as a whole more than Judge, and he is the better, all-around player, in my opinion…So, for MVP, I have to go with Altuve…Judge for O-MVP….
And there’s just no way I could ever legitimately consider a starting pitcher for MVP….Only if they had close to a record setting year, would I ever consider a starting pitcher for MVP…
I will ask who do you guys think has had the better pitching season thus far Chris Sale or Mad Max?? To me, if you had to pick one, that would by far be the toughest call!!
So why not Simmons? If you’re using WAR why give it to the 2nd highest position player and not the first?