The Kansas City Royals are facing off against the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series. Who would have thought that, at the beginning of the year, these two teams would be here. Who would have thought that, at the beginning of this postseason, that these two teams would be here.
Well, they are. And both of of them are taking an incredible ride right into baseball's biggest stage. The Royals have knocked off the Athletics, Angels (who boasted the best record), and Orioles on the way to their eight game playoff winning streak. You read that right. The Royals have yet to lose this postseason. The Giants' run has been just as good. They had to knock off the Pirates, Nationals, and Cardinals to get here, and while their run hasn't been as flawless as the Royals, they have a pretty formidable 8-2 thus far in the 2014 postseason and now are going to their third Fall Classic in five seasons. The slates are wiped clean. Now, the first team to win four games will be our champion of baseball. Will it be the red-hot Royals? Or, will it be the World Series regulars Giants? It's hard to pick against Kansas City right now. The Royals are having a historic postseason. First, they haven't been in the postseason in 1985, when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. But they are playing so well that I am going to pick them to defeat the Giants in six games. Kansas City's pitching has been good all season, but they have been very solid this postseason. While James Shields hasn't been exactly a stud, the rest of their staff -- Jeremy Guthrie, Jason Vargas, and Yordano Ventura -- has been very clutch. Their bullpen allowed just two runs over 16 innings during the ALCS. The Royals pitching has carried them and they are playing as well as anyone. The make-or-break factor for the Royals is if their offense can live up to the challenge. Everyone has stepped up this postseason. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorezno Cain, Nori Aoki, Jarrod Dyson, Billy Butler, and almost everyone on this offense has made a contribution to the Royals success. However, the Giants' experience on the big stage might be too much for the Royals to handle. Their veteran pitching staff includes the likes of Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong, some of the toughest pitching that the Royals will have to face. Peavy is a former World Series Champion and so is Vogelsong and Bumgarner. They know what it's like to be in the Fall Classic. The Giants offense is great, too. Buster Posey leads a Giants offense that is so clutch, something that is extremely hard to measure. For instance, Travis Ishikawa (!!!) hit a walk-off home run to clinch the Giants' NL pennant. Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval also just turn their games to another level when the calendar flips to October. The Giants' experience could be enough in itself to win the series. With all that said, I'm just going to enjoy watching this series. I love the heart and hustle that both of these teams supply and know that this is going to be a very fun World Series. Good luck to both the Giants and Royals as they look to write themselves into baseball history. --Devan F.
0 Comments
As the 2014 regular season comes to a close, here are Devan's season awards.
American League Most Valuable Player - Mike Trout Mike Trout is the best player in the American League. He was snubbed out of the past two MVP awards to Miguel Cabrera and Miguel Cabrera, respectively. This year, he hasn't been nearly as good, hitting "only" a slash line of .287/.377/.561 with 36 home runs and a league-leading 111 runs batted in. However, he has struck out 184 times, which is a red flag for Trout's future. But then again, there has been nobody better than Trout and his fWAR leads all of baseball. Nobody's been more valuable than Mike. Cy Young Award - Felix Hernandez Felix Hernandez absolutely dominated this year. Only someone by the same of Clayton Kershaw has been better than he has, as his 15-6 record with his 2.29 ERA is good enough to win the award itself. But for good measure, he has struck out 248 hitters as compared to only 46 walks over his 236 innings pitched. His 2.56 FIP and 2.51 xFIP both suggest that Hernandez has been helped by some good luck this year. Hernandez has a 5.9 WAR, which ranks fourth in the AL. But his dominance deserves the Cy Young award overall. He's been absolutely fantastic. Manager of the Year - Lloyd McClendon Lloyd McClendon took over a Mariners team that hasn't had a winning season since 2009 and almost took them to the postseason. A Mariners win and an Athletics loss would have done the trick, but Seattle fans were let down on the final day of the season when Oakland beat the Texas Ranger 6-0 to clinch the final American League playoff spot. But the Mariners have a young pitching staff, young lineup, and $200 million man Robinson Cano may be able to take them to October next year. Rookie of the Year - Jose Abreu Jose Abreu was fantastic at the beginning of the season, but cooled down greatly as the season went on. He hit 36 home runs, drove in 107, and posted a .317 batting average. If there has been any rookie better than Abreu, let me know. As for the Sabermetrics, Abreu has a 165 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) and a 5.2 WAR, well ahead of any rookie in either league, let alone the American League. I would expect Abreu to finish in the top-10 in the MVP voting and wrap up the Rookie of the Year award easily, perhaps even unanimously. The future is bright for the young power hitter. Comeback Player of the Year - Wade Davis Just last season, Wade Davis was one of the worst players in the Royals pitching staff, going 8-11 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.677 WHIP. He posted a 78 ERA+, meaning that his ERA was 22% worse than the average pitcher, including park factors. This season, Davis was converted to a back end of the bullpen relief pitcher, going 9-2 with a 1.00 ERA and a 0.847 WHIP. He has a 109 to 23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 72 innings pitched. His ERA+? A whopping 399. That is basically saying that Davis' ERA is 299 percent better than the average pitcher. This comeback was astronomical. Defender of the Year - Alex Gordon You have to give some recognition to the best defenders. Alex Gordon has been lights-out in center for Kansas City. He has 27 defensive runs saved and has posted a 21.9 UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), which measures the outfield arm runs above average, double play runs above average, range runs above average, and error runs above average and combines them. Gordon's range and arm has been fantastic this year and has made a lot of tough plays in the outfield, including a whopping 17.6% of "remote" plays (as determined by scouts) made, which generally is between 1-10%. National League Most Valuable Player - Clayton Kershaw Nobody in the National League has been better than Clayton Kershaw has this season. Let me repeat: nobody. Not Giancarlo Stanton, nor anyone else. Sure, some people may be against giving pitchers MVP awards, but Clayton Kershaw's 2014 season has been the best pitching season (in terms of ERA below 1.80) since Pedro Martinez's 2000 campaign. Kershaw's numbers are unbelievable; he's 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, 1.81 FIP, and 2.07 xFIP in just 27 starts due to injury. He's struck out 239 and only walked 31. His season is better than Justin Verlander's 2011 MVP season. He's the best of the best in the NL. Cy Young Award - Clayton Kershaw If Kershaw is the MVP, there is absolutely no reason as to why he shouldn't be the Cy Young award winner. That's my logic. Manager of the Year - Bruce Bochy Bruce Bochy has had to battle injuries to his offense and pitching staff and the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, but has still been able to bring the San Francisco Giants back to the playoffs with a Wild Card birth. Bochy is a managerial wizard, and he definitely proved that this season. Even with all the woes, he led the team to an 12 win improvement last season and will be leading them to their third postseason under him. The result of the first two? World Series championships. Rookie of the Year - Jacob deGrom I recently wrote an article on why Jacob deGrom should win the National League Rookie of the Year over Billy Hamilton. Hamilton hasn't done anything to change my mind on that, so deGrom is still my pick to win the award. On the year, he is 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA, 2.67 FIP, and 3.03 xFIP on the season in 22 starts with the New York Mets. His 3.0 fWAR ranks fourth among rookie starters and tops in the National League. Hamilton's low OBP and high caught stealing rate really sealed the deal for deGrom. Comeback Player of the Year - Edinson Volquez Edinson Volquez signed a one-year, $5 million "prove it" deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to this season and boy did he prove it. Volquez, fresh off a season where he posted a 5.71 ERA, has gone 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 4.20 xFIP in 192 2/3 innings pitched. He has struck out 140 and walked 71, as compared to a 142 to 77 ratio last year in 22 1/3 less innings. Now he is headed to the postseason, where he will start the National League Wild Card game. Defender of the Year - Jason Heyward Jason Heyward continually made outstanding catches and unbelievable throws in right field for the Atlanta Braves. His UZR is the highest in baseball with a 25.3 mark. His range runs above average is tops in the majors as well, 5.7 runs above better than the next highest defender (Chase Headley). In terms of Inside Edge Fielding, Heyward has made 62.5% of "unlikely" plays, which is generally in the 10-40% range. Heyward has been the best defender of anyone this season. --Devan F. Yesterday, the Kansas City Royals announced their first round of September call-ups, as the rosters will be expanding from 25 players to 40 players. One of the Royals' call-ups is left-hander Brandon Finnegan, their 2014 First Round Pick. Let that sink in. The 21-year-old Finnegan was pitching for Texas Christian University (TCU) earlier this season, was drafted in June, a mere three months ago, and now will be called up to pitch for Kansas City, although just eight of his thirteen professional appearances have come in Double-A. Is now too soon to be calling Brandon Finnegan to the major leagues? Looking at the stats, Finnegan has been nothing short of superb this season. Despite his 0-4 record, Finnegan has a 1.33 ERA and a 0.889 WHIP, along with a 26 to 4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings pitched. In his junior season with TCU, which came earlier this year, Finnegan had a 9-3 record in 17 starts, posting a 2.04 ERA in 105 2/3 innings pitched, fanning 134. Let's face it, who are the Royals going to find in their system that has struck out 160 batters in 132 2/3 innings pitched this season. Kansas City is in the postseason chase? They need help in their bullpen. Why not call up the guy who is dominating minor league hitters to help you out? I am looking at the situation as an outsider. I am not within the Royals organization. They know things that we just do not know, and could see something in Finnegan that we are missing. With that said, if he is used properly, I am all for calling up Brandon Finnegan if you truly believe that he will help this team down the stretch. I think it is a great time to get Finnegan some major league experience, plus he may get some opportunities to perhaps pitch in high pressure situations. While it looks like it could be a mistake from the surface, the Royals did something remarkable, they called up their 2014 First Round Pick at just the right time. Congratulations to Brandon Finnegan on making the major leagues, and deservedly so. The 2014 MLB All-Star Game is almost here. With only 17 days to the All-Star Game, I have decided to vote for the National and American Leagues' squads. Without further ado, here are my 2014 MLB All-Star Game rosters and why I have selected them.
National League First Base -- Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks Goldschmidt is the best first baseman in the National League. He leads National League first baseman with an .918 OPS, helped by his fourth-highest on-base percentage and the league-lead slugging percentage. Goldschmidt, known as "Goldy," has the highest WAR of any National League first baseman with a 3.0 mark and has posted a 149 wRC+, good for fourth. Not to mention, he is a class act off the field, as he spent a good ten minutes talking baseball with me when I ran into him in New York last year. Second Base -- Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies Utley is enduring one of his best seasons in a long time, and deserves an All-Star appearance to cap it off. His batting average, which was over .300 on June 21, has dipped to .295, but Utley's stats are too good to not net him his sixth All-Star selection. Utley leads all National League second baseman with a 2.6 WAR, has hit a third-highest six home runs, posted the third-highest wRC+, and has the second lowest strikeout percentage. The Phillies second baseman is playing as well as anybody. Shortstop -- Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies This one is a no-brainer. Tulowitzki has been the first-half's National League MVP, if there was such an award. Forget where he stands against the National League shortstops, Tulowitzki has the highest batting average in the major leagues. His OPS is just as good, as his 1.060 mark leads everyone. Even with the Coors Field effect, Tulowitzki's OPS+ (which is known to take the ballpark effects out of a player) ranks behind only Mike Trout, posting a 176 mark. If Tulowitzki is not voted in as shortstop in the National League, I have no idea why. Third Base -- Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds Todd Frazier is the best third baseman in the National League. His .284 (5th among NL third baseman)/.350 (4th)/.508 (1st) slash line might not be the best of National League third baseman, but Frazier has done enough to make him worthy of an All-Star nod. How can the leader in National League OPS of third baseman not crack the top five in the voting (as of June 23)? Frazier's strikeout rate is extremely high, but he still has provided the most WAR of any third baseman in the NL and has the highest wRC+. Vote Todd Frazier to the All-Star Game. Catcher -- Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers I have really enjoyed watching Lucroy tear up any pitching this season. This season, Lucroy has been the best catcher in the National League, hands down. He has a 3.7 WAR (1st among NL catchers) and a 156 wRC+ (1st). His defense is highly underrated. While he might not be Yadier Molina behind the plate, Lucroy has been absolutely invaluable to Brewers' pitching. His .336 batting average alone should be enough to earn him All-Star status, but for good measure he also leads all NL catchers in on-base percentage, and is second to only Evan Gattis in slugging percentage. Outfield -- Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is the best in the National League. There is no doubt in my mind. Besides his fantastic power numbers (21 home runs, .596 slugging percentage; both first among National League outfielders), Stanton is a very underrated all around hitter. His .316 batting average is also tops among NL outfielders, and his on-base percentage is only behind Andrew McCutchen. He actually plays average defense and his overall WAR ranks first in the National League. As of the last update, Stanton ranked fourth among outfielders. That is unacceptable. Outfield -- Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers Carlos Gomez is another class act off the field. While he has started some scuffles on the field, I truly believe that is because he is passionate about his job and what he does. Gomez reads my website, and has followed me on Twitter for a long time. Not to mention, he is on my fantasy team. Before bias takes the best of me, look at Gomez's numbers. They are definitely All-Star caliber. He has a .310/.375/.525 triple-slash line, while posting the second-highest WAR, behind only Giancarlo Stanton, among National League outfielders. Gomez is a very good defender and is the cornerstone in the Milwaukee Brewers offense. He is as deserving as anyone for an All-Star appearance. Outfield -- Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates Andrew McCutchen continues to provide MVP-type numbers in Pittsburgh. His .943 OPS is second among NL outfielders, along with his 167 wRC+. His WAR is good for third, but his UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating; measures how many runs a player is worth on defense) on defense ranks second to last. That could be what really hurts McCutchen's stock and might make the fans choose Yasiel Puig, but I am still a fan of what McCutchen brings to the table every day, and what he has brought to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as a whole. Nearly single-handedly, he has turned them into a winning organization, which I absolutely applaud. American League First Base -- Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox How hard is it to come from a foreign country to the United States and then thrown into a game where as many as 40,000 fans show up to watch you play? That has been the story of Jose Abreu, who has taken the majors by storm. Abreu, 27, was given $68 million to come to the United States and play for the Chicago White Sox and already he has paid dividends. Abreu, even after sitting on the DL for some time, leads the American League (not just first baseman) with 25 home runs and is fourth with a .959 OPS (second among AL first baseman). He strikes out a lot, but as long as he keeps his power numbers high and continues to get on base, there is nobody more deserving than Abreu. Second Base -- Jose Altuve, Houston Astros Jose Altuve has the most hits in the major leagues, with 113. He is behind only Troy Tulowitzki in batting average, but leads all American Leaguers with a .343 mark. The 5'6" Altuve does not provide top-notch power numbers, as he has only homered twice, but, according to Moneyball, what is most important of any major leaguer? To get on base. With a .383 on-base percentage, Altuve does exactly that. He also leads the American League in stolen bases with 34 to cap it off. Since being signed as an amateur free agent in 2007, Altuve has, and will be, the leader on the Astros. Shortstop -- Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox Just because Derek Jeter is retiring this season does not automatically make him an All-Star. He is batting just .272/.329/.330 this season. Alexei Ramirez, without Jeter in the running, would be the starting shortstop for the American League team, which is why I am voting for him. He has a .295 (1st among AL shortstops)/.327 (4th)/.422 (1st) slash line with eight home runs and 39 RBI. While Jeter has barely stretched 0.5 in the WAR department (he has a 0.6), Ramirez is second in the pack with a 2.0 WAR. Of deserving shortstops for the All-Star Game, Ramirez is number one. Third Base -- Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics I am so happy that Donaldson has a sizable lead for the All-Star Game. As I wrote not too long ago, Donaldson is the most underrated player in baseball, let alone American League third baseman. He has a good lead in nearly every metric of American League third baseman, including a 3.6 WAR. His wRC+ ranks third at 125. His defense, however, may be his most underrated of all his attributes. His UZR is 11.8, which ranks first over Manny Machado by 7.6 points! That is just, well, fantastic. Donaldson is the best third baseman in the American League, if not in the major leagues. Catcher -- Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals If Matt Wieters was not hurt, he would be my selection here. But he is, and I believe that Salvador Perez is the best all-around catcher in the American League. His combination of offense and defense is excellent, all while helping to lead the Royals into second place in the American League Central. He has posted a .785 OPS, which ranks third among AL catchers. His 117 wRC+ also ranks third. But it is his defense that truly separates himself. In the overall defense metric, Perez ranks above Yadier Molina for first in the major leagues. That is what sets him apart and what gives him the nod at starting catcher in the American League. Designated Hitter -- Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers People love the power that Nelson Cruz supplies, but how is Martinez third in the AL designated hitter voting? While Cruz has homered 25 times, Martinez is a close second, with 20 bombs. He also has a .323/.383/.592 triple slash line, which he ranks first in all three categories. Martinez has one of the lowest strikeout percentages in the major leagues, behind only Jose Altuve. He has a 160 wRC+, nine points better than Neslon Cruz's 151. With all these fantastic stats, why is Martinez not leading the voting? Vote for him now and put him as the starting designated hitter. Outfield -- Mike Trout, Los Angles Angels of Anaheim Mike Trout is the best outfielder in all of baseball. That's enough said. Regardless, I will continue with the stats. He is atop all outfielders with 18 homers and leads them with a .611 slugging percentage. He is second in both on-base percentage and batting average, but is nearly an entire WAR point ahead of second place Alex Gordon. He also leads all American League outfielders with a 182 wRC+. Trout does not really need a description to show why he is an All-Star, he does that enough on all the highlight reels we see on MLB.com and on ESPN. Trout is a fantastic player and deserves to go to his third consecutive All-Star game. Outfield -- Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays Most people think of Jose Bautista as the guy that homered 54 times back in 2010, but he has completely evolved his game since. He still has power (Bautista has homered 18 times this season thus far.), but Bautista gets on base a lot more than he did, posting an AL-leading .433 on-base percentage. How did he do it? He has brought his strikeout percentage down and his walk percentage up. In 2010, Bautista stuck out in 17% of his plate appearances and walked in just 14.6%. Now, they have practically reversed roles, as he walks in 17.5% of his plate appearances and strikes out in 14.2%. Bautista continues to make adjustments, making himself a better hitter. That is a true All-Star. Outfield -- Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics Cespedes' throw of the year sold me for voting for him. Cespedes' UZR ranks 11th in the American League with a 2.7 mark, but his ARM (runs saved via a throw) ranks second with a 6.3 mark. And that is just his defense. Cespedes is one of the primer power hitters in the American League, showing us what he could do in the Home Run Derby last year. Cespedes has 14 home runs this season, which ranks seventh in the AL among outfielders and has a .502 slugging percentage which ranks sixth. His OPS of .827 is also sixth. Cespedes is one of the best pure power hitters in the American League and deserves his first ever All-Star nod. Move over Detroit Tigers. There is a new sheriff in town. And there is only room for one. The Kansas City Royals are hot. After beating the Detroit Tigers again today, the Royals have won 10 games in a row. They lead the American League Central by 1.5 games and look determined to make a postseason run for the first time in nearly 30 years. It seemed like just yesterday when people were making fun of Jose Abreu having more home runs than the entire Royals team. It practically was. In the Royals first 61 games, they hit 26 home runs. In their past nine, however, they have 12. On Friday, June 6, the Royals were a respectable 29-31. They were sitting five games out of the then first-place Tigers, who were 32-25. The Royals were in last place. Since June 6, the Royals have leapfrogged everyone (quite literally). On June 18, merely 12 days later, the Royals lead the American League Central by 1.5 games. This has been quite a run. The one thing that had been haunting the Royals has finally coming alive. Their position players have provided nearly an entire fWAR point ahead of the second-highest team, providing 3.1 wins over the past week (coming into today's game). Their wOBA (weighted on-base average) is sitting at .400, 17 points ahead over the second-place team. The Royals have scored 48 runs and have posted a .351/.403/.516 triple-slash line. This torrid pace is just amazing, and the Royals are getting ready to make a run. While I keep praising the Royals' hitting, their pitching has made huge strides over the past couple of weeks or so. During the beginning of the season, their pitching was just keeping the Royals alive and near contention, but now it has thrived. In that same seven day span, the Royals ERA ranks sixth-best in baseball, while still allowing the seventh-highest BABIP. They did it by keeping the ball down in the zone and getting ground-ball outs, posting the fifth-highest ground-ball percentage in the majors. The Royals offense has taken a big step. A giant step. A humongous step. But, can it keep up this pace? Or even a pace similar to this? Using advanced metrics, the only alarming thing about the Royals run is that a ton of balls in play are falling for hits. Just over 38% of balls put into play are falling for hits for the Royals team, far above the 30% that is considered average, or normal. They, in short, are ridiculously lucky right now. But at the pace they are playing at, it is expected. Their hottest hitter right now is by far Billy Butler, although he is having an overall down season. But over the past week, Butler is on fire, just like the rest of the Royals, posting a .455/.536/.682 line with one homer and eight runs batted in. Butler has a wRC+ of 234, 46 points higher than his teammate Alcides Escobar, who has "only" a 188 wRC+. When Butler has a hit, the Royals are 32-15, when he doesn't, the Royals are 6-17. If he can play well for the rest of the season, the Royals may just be able to take the American League Central crown. The Royals recorded a record better than .500 for the first time last season. They wanted to take that momentum into a postseason appearance this season. While there still is a long way away from making the playoffs, the Royals are on fire, and should enjoy their moment in the spotlight. Because right now, they are the only sheriff in town, leading the American League Central. **All stats through June 17, 2014.** |