MLB at All-Star break!

[Bonhomme]

So, the All-Star break is upon us, and the major league baseball season has been full of surprises.

Being a Detroiter, I'm obviously pleased to see the Tigers on pace with their best teams of all time, and apparently improving as the season goes on.

In inter-league play, AL teams have won something like 60% of the games. It's still a hitter's game, with only the Tigers (!) having an ERA below 4.00 in the AL.

Thoughts?

At this time, who do you think will win it all?

Poll choices are from a combination of Mike Greenfield's computer rankings (of which the Mets are the only NL team in the top 10) and current standings.

Right now I'm giving just about even odds for the White Sox, Red Sox, and Tigers, and give a slight edge to the White Sox because they've been there, and I think they're a little bit better than the Red Sox. But again, those young Tigers seem to be improving ~~~

 

[MetalFortress]

I'm going out on a limb here and saying the Padres. They have been shaky, but ever since rehiring 1998 hitting coach Merv Rettenmund, the offense has stepped it up, and Khalil Greene is one of the best clutch hitters in the entire game today. He's already pulled off something like 10 wins for us this year. All that we need right now is a third-baseman and another starter.

 

[doctoroxygen]

THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Actually, the White Sox are probably the best team, in terms of roster preparedness for the playoffs. They're just as good as last year, but now with Vasquez and Thome (!). They are better across the board than any team, I think, except maybe in the bullpen.

How good are Detroit going to be in a few years? With Bonderman, Verlander, and Andrew Miller in the rotation, and Zumaya in the bullpen? That's some scary drafting. Those are three potential perennial 20-game winners, and an overpowering closer-in-the-making. I'm glad the Mariners aren't in the AL Central.

 

[Bonhomme]

... not to mention Zach Miner, who the Tigers just brought up from the minors, and is 6-1, with an ERA of 2.57.

Correction: the Padres also have an ERA under 4 (about 3.86), though the Tigers' ERA is way down at 3.46, and none of their starters are over 4.
Bonderman has about 110 strikeouts and has given up only about 30 walks. Amazing ...

 

[Cowhead418]

I am a completely biased White Sox fan so I have to say they will win it again. The Tigers have been a surprise but I'd rather have a close race to keep the Sox on their toes. It's nice to be in the best division in baseball instead of the worst (as the ALC was a few years ago). The offense for the Sox has been a lot better than last year, and has helped bail out Contreras many times to keep his streak intact.

As for the bullpen, it has been much better in the past month or two with the exception of Cliff Politte, who needs to be cut ASAP. Thornton, Cotts, Jenks, Riske, and McCarthy have shown they can be reliable. My biggest concern, as a Sox fan, is the starting pitching. I was spoiled by how good it was last year. Contreras, though undefeated, has struggled recently, and Buehrle has pitched like **** his last two starts and shouldn't be an all-star. Garcia needs to get velocity back and stop showing up his teammates. Though Garland has an ERA over 5.00, he has been pitching a lot better lately and is probably the only starter I have confidence in right now. Vazquez is a *****y pitcher and he should get demoted to the pen.

As for the Tigers, I can see their starting pitchers getting tired as the season drags on (especially Verlander) but they should win between 95-100 games and will be in the postseason.

The Red Sox have to get their starting rotation fixed as does Toronto and Chicago, the Yankees have loads of pitching problems, and the Twins have stopped playing the NL. The other teams are in the NL so I'm not going to worry about them too much.

 

[Bonhomme]

The funny thing is when Mike Maroth returns next month, the Tigers may be able to rotate 6 starting pitchers with ERAs in the 2s and 3s, if Maroth comes back in good form. Currently they're working with 5 of them, and have a lot of good mid-relievers and several closers to platoon. If any team's pitching staff is least likely to burn out, it's the Tigers.

Still, the Tigers have not been able to hit good pitching worth a damn. And the White Sox have the edge in experience.

 

[dannowillbookem]

i wanted the marlins to win, but that was more of a habit than a realistic vision. now im rooting for the twins, but knowing my luck...

 

[IsiMan84]

Da Braves.

 

[Tomatoes]

Where is the option "I dont care because Baseball has to be the most boring sport on earth"

There is a reason why sports like that only stay in the US. Everyone else finds them boring and annoying!

Play proper sports like Football.....oh wait....i mean "Soccer". Although American "Football" is just a puffs disgrace of Rugby and has no right to be called FOOTball when you care the ball.....Duh!

Rant Over.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

Where is the option "I dont care because Baseball has to be the most boring sport on earth"

There is a reason why sports like that only stay in the US. Everyone else finds them boring and annoying!

Play proper sports like Football.....oh wait....i mean "Soccer". Although American "Football" is just a puffs disgrace of Rugby and has no right to be called FOOTball when you care the ball.....Duh!

Rant Over.

Go B*tch somewhere else like in the WORLD CUP SECTION that's where you belong noone cares if you like baseball or not this is a thread for MLB don't bring your lame sh*t here. Soccer is lame that's why noone in the states like the sport it's just panzy kicking balls at each other and chasing after it sounds really gay to me. The truth is more ppl play basketball than soccer if you think this is BS search it on google.

Anyways back to the thread I think either the Red Sox or White Sox will win this year cuz Red Sox can actually beat the White Sox but it'll def be close.

 

[doctoroxygen]

Where is the option "I dont care because Baseball has to be the most boring sport on earth"

There is a reason why sports like that only stay in the US. Everyone else finds them boring and annoying!

YEAH THAT'S WHY ONLY AMERICANS PLAY BASEBALL! BUT MAKE SURE YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE IN CHINA, KOREA, CANADA, THE NETHERLANDS, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, TAIWAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, PANAMA, MEXICO, VENEZUELA, SOUTH AFRICA, ITALY, OR ECUADOR!

This entire half of the world, plus some, plays baseball, idiot.

 

[seanchai]

Play proper sports like Football.....oh wait....i mean "Soccer". Although American "Football" is just a puffs disgrace of Rugby and has no right to be called FOOTball when you care the ball.....Duh!

You really ought to watch some American football before you call them puffs. In a tackles contest I'd take any second-rate Division 1 college football program (like the University of Washington!) and pit them against European champions Munster and the UW would kick their sh¡t. Because all American football players are on steroids, and because they tackle to INJURE, not STOP FORWARD PLAY.

American football was nearly declared illegal in the early 1900s because of all the deaths on the field... this was well before useful pads and steroids. There's a reason they suit up like they do.

 

[IsiMan84]

Soccer is lame that's why noone in the states like the sport it's just panzy kicking balls at each other and chasing after it sounds really gay to me. The truth is more ppl play basketball than soccer if you think this is BS search it on google.

It's only 'lame' to people because they suck at it and know nothing, you included. The only reason the basketball stat is true is because of China with Yao Ming, and even then it still doesn't mean soccer isn't the most popular and followed sport in the world. Playing for fun doesn't necessarily = following.

YEAH THAT'S WHY ONLY AMERICANS PLAY BASEBALL! BUT MAKE SURE YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE IN CHINA, KOREA, CANADA, THE NETHERLANDS, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, TAIWAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, PANAMA, MEXICO, VENEZUELA, SOUTH AFRICA, ITALY, OR ECUADOR!

This entire half of the world, plus some, plays baseball, idiot.

Not defending Tomatoes, but baseball's popularity is basically limited to the U.S., Caribbean, and the area around Japan. The facts tend to agree with me and disagree with you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_sport

There's a reason they suit up like they do.

Only because people play like idiots, and like you said try to hurt or maim, which is why the fines are flying left and right for inappropriate hits. But if you think about it, if it were a real man's sport then the guys should know what they got coming to them. American football players have focused on the hits and big plays rather than the object of the game, which is basically what they're getting paid to do. If rugby were televised here and the players were getting millions a game to entertain people, I'm sure they would start doing the same thing too.

 

[Cowhead418]

I don't mind Soccer but I hate the 'fake injuries' and the totally exaggerated falls on even the slightest hits more than I hate the flopping in pro basketball. These players are supposed to be 'tough' but two minutes into the game the player is writhing around on the ground in seemingly excruciating pain.

 

[supajsilver2]

Aaaaaanyways, about the topic, you know...


Also a Detroiter here. It's like there's a whole new sport in town, something worth watching for once. Now that the Red Wings (maybe even Pistons with the loss of Big Ben) seem to be going in the sh*tter, glad we have the Tigers coming up. Gotta root for my Tigers to win it all.


Still 2 games up, all you south siders.

 

[doctoroxygen]

Isiman, the "national sport" is not the only sport popular in each country. A better indicator of the popularity of baseball would be to look at the teams in the Little League World Series. They're from the Netherlands, Japan (the area around Japan is a continent called "Asia"), as well as the Caribbean and US. Baseball is a lot more international than the Wikipedia article indicates.

 

[MetalFortress]

How good are Detroit going to be in a few years? With Bonderman, Verlander, and Andrew Miller in the rotation, and Zumaya in the bullpen? That's some scary drafting. Those are three potential perennial 20-game winners, and an overpowering closer-in-the-making. I'm glad the Mariners aren't in the AL Central.

Yea, and it burns because the Padres picked that idiot Matt Bush one pick before Verlander was taken. We could have a rotation containing Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Verlander right now if San Diego wasn't so damn cheap.

 

[doctoroxygen]

I know what you mean, Metal. Andrew Miller fell to my Mariners at 5th this year, inexplicably, and we passed on him for Brandon Morrow More power to Detroit though. They're smart and they deserve it.

 

[IsiMan84]

Isiman, the "national sport" is not the only sport popular in each country. A better indicator of the popularity of baseball would be to look at the teams in the Little League World Series. They're from the Netherlands, Japan (the area around Japan is a continent called "Asia"), as well as the Caribbean and US. Baseball is a lot more international than the Wikipedia article indicates.

Yes, I understand that, but just because a country has a few organizations for a sport doesn't mean it's necessarily popular. It's just something else for people to do. The U.S. gets ridiculed about its pitiful lack of interest in soccer, yet we still have a team in the World Cup.

As far as baseball goes, the U.S. introduced the sport to Japan over 100 years ago, and basically every country that has it was given it to them by us at some point. The reason it's so big in Cuba recently is because of the influence on Castro to stick it to the U.S. And when I said the area around Japan, I meant the area around Japan. Last time I checked, Korea and Taiwan were not all of Asia. More people play cricket.

 

[seanchai]

Last time I checked, Korea and Taiwan were not all of Asia. More people play cricket.

Like where? The only Test nations in Asia are Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Next to no one outside of those countries play cricket.