Yu Darvish has been unbelievable. With 105 strikeouts in only 74.1 innings pitched, Darvish is on pace to reach the 300 K plateau. No pitcher has done that since 2002 (Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson). He's been truly unbelievable, and almost pitched a perfect game against the Astros (8.2 Perfect Innings). Darvish has been almost as commanding as the 2010 Roy Halladay where we compare their stats:

2010 Roy Halladay: 21-10, 2.44 ERA, 219 SO/250.2 IP, 7.9 SO/9, 7.30 SO/BB  
2013 Yu Darvish (on pace for): 21-6, 3.03 ERA, 315 SO/223 IP, 12.7 SO/9, 4.77 SO/BB

Halladay truly had a great season, leading him to the 2010 NL Cy Young. But, Darvish looks like he could be on pace to have a BETTER season than Doc, which would be hard to believe. 

He's almost a lock for an All-Star, and may be the 2013 AL Cy Young. But, remember what happened to Ubaldo Jimenez? He fell apart after the All-Star break, after almost being a "lock" for the Cy Young. 

Jimenez, though, was pitching in Colorado, where the ball flies out of. Obviously, Texas can have the same effect during the summer, but Darvish seems so commanding, which will help him along the way. 

At this point, Yu would have my vote for the Cy Young. He may even get to 300 SOs. 

Domonic Brown has been on a tear in May, hitting .287 with 10 HR and 21 RBI in only 27 games, thus far. He is now second in the NL in homers and 12th in RBI. If you compare his season outputs from this season (196 PAs) and last season (208 PAs), you see almost an entire different player.

2013: .262/.298/.519 three stat line, 13 HR, 32 RBI, 3 SB, 9 BB, 49 H, 97 TB, 23 RS, 35 SO
2012: .235/.316/.396 three stat line, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 0 SB, 21 BB, 44 H, 74 TB, 21 RS, 34 SO

In these two years, you see a totally different player. And, even though they have almost the exact same PAs (196 and 208 PAs), there are totally different outcomes.

Last year, Domonic Brown was a more patient hitter, taking 21 walks, and having a higher on-base percentage by only 18 points. But, this year, Brown has driven the ball and has been more aggressive as he has boosted his slugging percentage by 123 points, but striking out once more.

I think the change was for the better, as Brown's average has improved, and the RBIs, TB, and HRs have all greatly improved as well. He's accounted for 55 runs this season (RBI + RS) compared to his 47 last year.   

Brown's aggressiveness has improved his overall numbers, and his OBP has not has a horrible decrease from years past. So, this Domonic Brown is the one who was regarded as the #4 overall prospect in 2011 by Baseball America. He is driving the ball out of the yard like Ryan Howard once did, who really needs to improve HIS aggressiveness, and is becoming a more exciting player to watch as time goes by. 

Hopefully, Dom will continue his tear and maybe be an All Star for the first time in his career. He is such an exciting player.   

Jason Grilli has been truly amazing as the Pirates closer, a role which he has never been in before in his MLB career. But, now on May 29th, Grilli has 21 saves in 21 opportunities, with an ERA of 1.14. He also has 37 strikeouts in only 23.2 innings of work. Grilli, who has been in the league since 2000, has never had an ERA below 2.48. But, last year, Grilli burst onto the scene as a setup man (2.91 ERA, 90 K/58.2 IP) and has looked up from there.

But, will Grilli be able to take down the saves record? If he doesn't record another save this month, Grilli will be on pace for 63 saves, just one more than the record of 62. This looks like a very improbable assignment, but the way everything is working out it may just happen.

Remember, Grilli may blow a save at some point, which makes it even harder to accomplish the "unbreakable" record. He also has to average 10.5 saves a month the rest of the way to break it. If the Pirates only play 25 games in a month, Grilli has to save nearly half the games to stay on pace for the record.

I'm rooting for history here, and hoping that Grilli can do the unbelieveable. But, numbers to come into play and the record of 62 saves seems so much further away than it might be. I think Grilli won't break the saves record, but may just be the second closer to surprass 60 saves in a season.

For now, Grilli needs to stay perfect. I hope he does.

This is my first edition to my MLB Mock Draft, with the Draft coming upon us within the next two weeks. The way my mock will work is the first fifteen clubs will have write-ups written about the player I am predicting them to choose. Those following will have just the player. And, this also excludes compensatory selections. I hope you enjoy the first edition of my mock draft! 

1) Houston Astros: Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma
The Astros need a lot to help their team, as pitching and hitting are major problems. Gray has a shot to be a MLB superstar, while the Astros are in complete rebuild mode. It seems to be a very good fit for both the club and player.  

2) Chicago Cubs: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford
The Cubs will take whatever they can get here, especially since they desperately need a pitcher. If Gray is gone, they'll choose Appel. If Appel is gone, they'll choose Gray. Pretty much a win-win here. 
 
3) Colorado Rockies: Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego
The Rockies would like to take a college bat here, even though they have a reliable third baseman. And, the top two college prospects are third basemen. But, Bryant does have experience in the outfield and does seem like the top bat in college.  


4) Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pruis X HS (Texas)
The Twins are in need of a pitcher, and I feel that Stewart fits their need best. He'll take a few years to develop, but I think the Twins are willing to wait. Maybe they could acquire a few prospects to bring up with him. 


5) Cleveland Indians: Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina
Moran is a good bat and a reliable third basemen, who could be placed at first. He is almost a "sure thing" as he is a very polished hitter, which the Indians could use. He is also very solid defensively, which is always a good thing to have. 


6) Miami Marlins: Hunter Renfroe, OF, Mississippi State
The Marlins are also in rebuild mode, and would like a bat that can make a major league impact within the next few years. I think Renfroe has a huge upside, which the Marlins desperately need.


7) Boston Red Sox: Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada
The Red Sox would love Shipley here, because they need some pitching that could make an impact. He's talented and has plenty of tools, and the Red Sox need some pitching talent.


8) Kansas City Royals: Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State
In the big leagues, pitching dominates above all. With a fairly young lineup, I see the Royals going pitcher here, which they could use to back their run support.


9) Pittsburgh Pirates: Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas
The Pirates are another team in need of a pitcher, and Stanek will, in their eyes, fill their need. With a lineup that'll take them far, they could use a quality starter.


10) Toronto Blue Jays: Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville HS (Georgia)
Frazier shows power potential, and could be the top high school bat of his class. The Blue Jays need a bat, and Frazier could eventaully fill their need someday.


11) New York Mets: Austin Meadows, OF, Grayson HS (Georgia)
The interesting part is that, Meadows goes to high school in the same town as Clint Frazier. He's still a heck of a player, and could turn out to be very fine outfielder.


12) Seattle Mariners: Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood HS (Washington)
With Montero already behind the dish, the Mariners could opt out of taking McGuire. But, he may be able to learn a new position, or possibly play DH. Overall, he's too talented to pass up at this point.


13) San Diego Padres: J.P. Crawford, SS, Lakewood HS (California)
The Padres could use a bat, and the middle of their infield isn't the best. Crawford makes the most sense here, as he has the tools to play short in the bigs.


14) Pittsburgh Pirates: Domonic Smith, 1B, Serra HS (California)
With two mid-aged first basemen on their current 40 man roster, I think the Pirates will add to their depth by picking Smith. A good player who knows the game very well, Smith could be the man in Pittsburgh.


15) Arizona Diamondbacks: D.J. Peterson, 3B/1B, New Mexico
As much as the D-Backs would've wanted Smith here, they'll have to settle for Peterson, a good third and first baseman out of New Mexico.


16) Philadelphia Phillies: Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford


17) Chicago White Sox: Trey Ball, LHP, New Castle HS (Indiana)


18) LA Dodgers: Ian Clarkin, LHP, Madison HS (California)


19) St. Louis Cardinals: Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville


20) Detroit Tigers: Robert Kaminsky, LHP, St. Joesph Regional HS (New Jersey)


21) Tampa Bay Rays: Marco Gonalez, LHP, Gonzaga


22) Baltimore Orioles: Andy McGuire, SS, Madison HS (Virginia)


23) Texas Rangers: Tim Anderson, SS, East Cental Mississippi Junior College


24) Oakland A's: Matt Krook, LHP, St. Ignatius HS (California)

25) San Francisco Giants: Michael Lorenzen, OF/RHP, Cal State Fullerton


26) New York Yankees: Jon Denney, C, Yukon HS (Oklahoma)


27) Cincinnati Reds: Jonathon Crawford, RHP, Florida

Well, this season is the first where a interleague series will be happening daily, following the move of the Astros from the NL Central to the AL West.

Now, we are in a midst of a stretch where every team is playing interleague, in a 2 home and 2 away series. This features the Subway Series, D.C.-Baltimore Series, L.A. Series, Ohio Series, Missouri Series, Bay Area Series, and Chicago Series. These intriguing matchups will be fun for fans and hopefully keep baseball's attendence on the rise.

Interleague was implimented so that fans could get to see other teams play their favorite National or American League teams. This provides an interesting twist on the MLB's season. But, is this really a good thing to be playing everyday?

During August and September, in the beginnings of interleague play, teams wouldn't be playing any teams in the other league. This kept them playing teams in their own league, keeping them in the hunt for maybe a playoff spot. But, this year, in August and September, there still will be interleague, maybe making it harder to chase big leads in the Wild Card and Division races.

So, what do I think of all-year interleague? Well, I like the fact that there are more series of interleague then ever before, but I think in mid-August and September, there shouldn't be any interleague, because of the postseason races.

But, right now? Just enjoy watching your favorite team play some interleague baseball.