Could Clayton Kershaw Become the First $200 Million Pitcher?

The Dodgers hope to lock up Kershaw for a long time.

 

 

     Is this really hard to believe? Kershaw already has a Cy Young under his belt. He has a career record of 66-40 with a 2.71 ERA. He also already has three 200+ strikeout seasons in his young career. The 25-year-old southpaw has already developed a fantastic career and should be in for a big payday in his future. But are his numbers really worth a $200 million dollar contract?

 

 

     Trust me, the Dodgers believe so. And we all know they aren't afraid to give that kind of money to him. Currently, Kershaw has 2 years still left on his deal, but is eligible for arbitration next year, so the chances of him getting the aforementioned deal will be sometime next year.

 

 

      I think he deserves the money. Not only because of his numbers, but because he is the clear cut number 1 in this starting rotation. Yes they have Zack Greinke, and yes they have Hyun-Jin Ryu, but neither of them are Clayton Kershaw. 

 

     Kershaw is just now entering his prime believe it or not, so it is the Dodgers job to make sure his best seasons occur in a Dodger Uniform. They can't afford to lose him to free agency, and chances are they won't let it happen.

 

     So how many years should he get? King Felix got 7 and Verlander got 5, but both are older than Clayton.

 

     My bet is on a 8 year deal that will be worth between $200 and $210 million.

 

     And will be worth money well spent. 

 

 

     What do you think? Leave your comments and opinions below!

Domonic Brown Emerging as Best Phillies Bat?

     Brown was recently named NL player of the week.

     The Phillies certainly have had their struggles on offense this season. Injuries have also played a role as Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz have all spent time on the sidelines. Despite the early struggles for an offense that is averaging less than 3.5 runs per game, the Phillies have discovered the improved bat of 25 year old outfielder Domonic Brown. 

     Brown is currently hitting .257 with 11 homers and 30 RBI's (both leading the club). His bat has come alive of late, hitting .348 with two doubles, a triple, two homers, and seven RBI's in his last 6 games. This feat earned him NL player of the week and raised many eyebrows, making many believe his potential is finally showing. 

   Why is Brown's potential starting to show all of a sudden? He has been given the chance to earn his spot in the majors during parts of the last three seasons. So why now? Manager Charlie Manuel has finally given him the chance to just go out there and play. The past three seasons consisted of Brown not knowing when he entered the ballpark if he was going to play or not, which most likely had an effect on the mindset of the young prospect. However, 2013 has been a different story as Brown has played in all but one game this season, and clearly it has led to some production that many thought he could reach at this point in his career.

     At this point, Brown is carrying this offense and could possibly be moved up

In the lineup. Charlie Manuel recently stated that he will "tell me through his play when he is ready to make that move". Dom also commented, stating that "guys like Utley and Howard earned their way into the middle of the lineup early in their careers. For me I'm just trying to do the same".

If he continues his high quality play, he could see that aforementioned move in the near future, and he may also start to be considered the best bat in the Phillies lineup at this point.

MLB Quarterly Awards

 

 

Possible Award Winners when 2013 is all said and done.

 

     These are my award winners up to this point in the 2013 regular season. This is based on what they are doing right NOW.

 

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera -Without question the best hitter in the league right now. He is on pace to put up better numbers this year than what he did in his triple crown season last year. Watch this reigning MVP whenever you can because he is truly a gifted hitter sitting in the middle of his prime right now.

 

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt - Like I previously stated in one of my posts, this guy is an emerging superstar. He has a tremendous amount of power (12 HR and 35 RBI), and hits lefties as good as anyone in the league. He has been the centerpiece to the D-Backs success so far this season.

 

AL Cy Young: Matt Moore - Moore has dominated just about every start he has made this season. That's why he is off to an 8-0 start and most likely on his way to his first all-star game come July. This was a toss up with Clay Buchholz, but I went with Moore since Buchholz has more of a potent offense to work with.    

 

NL Cy Young: Jordan Zimmerman - When you think about Nationals starting pitching, the names that would come to most minds first would be Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. So far, Jordan Zimmerman has been better than both. He has a hard fastball that can top 95 mph, and he can keep you off balance with that nasty hook he has. That's why he is 7-1 and keeping the so far disappointing Nats above .500. 

 

AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell - Many expect the Red Sox to have a disappointing year because of the whole Bobby-V fiasco last year and the lack of strong starting pitching, most notably Lester and Buchholz, who have struggled the past couple years. Well, that hasn't been the case as the Sox have one of the best records in baseball led by the unbeaten starters Lester and Buchholz (both 6-0). Think former pitching coach/new manager John Farrell had something to do with that? 

 

NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle - The Pirates are 8 games over .500 to start the year, led mostly by their strong bullpen and star hitter Andrew Mccutchen, who is having another stellar season. However, it seems like the Pirates have gotten off to these great starts the last couple years, only to crumble near the finish line. Let's see if Hurdle can keep his team focused for a full 162 this season.

 

     Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave your comments, opinions, and disagreements below!

Phillies Walkoff; Win 2 of 3 in Series Against Reds

 

 

Freddy Galvis sends the Phillies fans home happy Sunday.

 

     It looked like the Phillies were in for another long day at the plate. They couldn't get anything going yesterday because of Bronson Arroyo's dominating performance and failed to get to Homer Bailey today, as he pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball.

 

     The Reds would get on the board early today with Jay Bruce's 5th homer to dead center to make it 1-0. They would tack on to the lead in the 6th with Todd Frazier's right field double to drive in Joey Votto.

 

     That would be all the Reds could get off of Jonathan Pettibone, who was very effective today, but failed to receive any run support. Pettibone posted 7 innings of two run baseball, allowing seven hits and striking out four batters.

 

     The game was certainly looking like it was in the hands of Cincinnati in the 8th with a 2-0 lead and that strong bullpen filled with many power arms. However, the Phillies would battle back with a clutch two out hit in the 8th frame by Chase Utley to score Ben Revere, cutting the lead to 2-1.

 

     But the Reds wouldn't blow the game in the 9th with Aroldis Chapman in for the save opportunity right? Right? After walking Delmon Young to start the inning, pinch runner Cliff Lee would come in to pinch run. However, he would get picked off to make the first out of the inning. It looked like a rally was now out of hand for a Phillies offense that went 16 innings without a run until the later frames of this game.

 

     Then came the improbable. Erik Kratz lined a 3-2 fastball pitch into the seats to tie the game at 2. Next batter up was Freddy Galvis, who would serve the next pitch down the left field foul pole line to give the Phillies the win in walk-off fashion.

 

     Hopefully this exciting win can give the Phils some momentum to get back to .500 on the year.

 

    As for the Reds, they will look to get back on track tomorrow night when they open up a three game set with the New York Mets.      

 

 

     

Sunday Power Rankings: The Top 10 Teams as of May 19th

 

 

MLB Power Rankings

 

 

The Rangers Lead the Majors with 28 Wins as of Sunday.

 

     

     1) Rangers (28-15)- They have won 8 of their last 10 games and are 13-5 at home this season. The offense is not missing Josh Hamilton so far, averaging almost 5 runs per game. Yu Darvish could be in line for a 20 win season with all that support.

 

     2) Cardinals (27-15)- Their pitching over the last couple of weeks has led them to one of the best records in baseball. They did have to place SP Jaime Garcia on the DL Saturday (5-2; 3.58 ERA), but the rest of the staff is still throwing well, which includes Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and Shelby Miller, all with 5+ wins.

 

     3) Yankees (27-16)- This is what big market teams do. They go out and fill holes due to injuries to star players. It has worked out for the Yankees, as they went out and got guys like Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, and Lyle Overbay, who were given an opportunity to succeed and have so far. Watch out for the Yankees as their notable players inch back to returning to the field later in the season.

 

     4) Indians (24-17)- After a slow start, Francona has the team rolling. They have scored a lot of runs in their recent wins, led by hot batters Jason Kipnis, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Raburn, and Carlos Santana. However, their upcoming schedule is tough with their next three series against the Tigers, Red Sox and Reds. Let's see if they can keep it rolling. 

 

     5) Reds (26-17)- This just might be the best offense in the league. It seems like Choo and Votto are always on base, both top 5 in OBP, and Brandon Phillips gets them in, as he leads the National League with 36 RBI's. Adding Jay Bruce into that mix when he has it going makes this lineup even scarier. The game is also most likely over when Aroldis Chapman gets in. He. Is. Filthy. 

 

     6) Red Sox (26-17)- Have won their last 4 after a little rough patch. Big Papi has brought a huge boost to the lineup since his return from the DL. Buchholz and Lester are both throwing the ball well and are still undefeated to this point.

 

     7) Diamondbacks (25-18)- Also winners of their last 4, the D-backs have gotten the job done so far mostly with solid pitching. A name you will want to get familiar with is Paul Goldschmidt. He is an emerging superstar (.335/12 HR/35 RBI).

 

     8) Giants (24-19)- Hard to believe the defending champs actually have this many wins. Starters Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have struggled to start the year, but this team just seems to always find a way to win. They take professional at-bats and work hard to win ballgames. Expect their starting pitching to pick it up.  

 

     9) Braves (24-18)- After a strong start, the Braves have certainly cooled off. They will most likely be a streaky team this year, due to their hit- or- miss offense. They are going to hit their homers and put runs on the board, but they will also strikeout and go into cold spells. The pitching will have to step up to avoid some of those long losing streaks later in the season. 

 

     10) Pirates (25-18)- The offense has been steady for the most part led by star hitter Andrew Mccutchen and breakout second year player Starling Marte, who are both off to stellar starts. Their bullpen has been outstanding, which features Mark Melancon, who has an ERA under 1.00 in 22 appearances, and closer Jason Grilli, who has converted all 16 of his save opportunities.