Stanton on the Move

With all the swirling rumors of super star slugger Giancarlo Stanton I decided I would write a review on the most logical move that could happen involving Stanton. With Stanton coming off the best season of his 3 year career his value could be higher than ever and now is the time for the Miami Marlins to make the move and get a huge haul. In 2012 Stanton blew up and hit .290 with 37 homers and 86 RBIs. More impressive though was his .361 OBP and his league leading .608 slugging percentage at the age of only 22.
The most logical option is viewed by many as a joke but the most likely team that could get Stanton would be the Detroit Tigers. Many say the Tigers don't have the talent to make such a major move but if you look deeper they could make a splash by moving the farm to win a title now. The deal would have to include corner block prospects Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia who many consider to be future all-stars. Garcia was a huge boost late in the 2012 season to push the Detroit Tigers into the playoffs by hitting .319 with a OBP of .373 in 51 plate appearances. The Tigers would obviously need to add more to the package but could fill the needs of the Marlins by tossing in pitcher Drew Smyly and another highly projected prospect in outfielder Tyler Collins. We all know the Marlins trade away all their players once they get to make enough money and while Stanton doesn't hit free agency til 2017 he is up for arbitration soon and will most likely be given a minimum of $6-8 million. It's also clear that Stanton wants out of Miami and will do whatever it takes to leave, this being said we also know Detroit has a deep history of trading with the Marlins. Just last year Detroit made a mid-season move with the Marlins by acquiring Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez in return for Jacob Turner and other prospects. The Tigers have also made major moves with the Marlins such as when Detroit sent prospects Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin to the Marlins in exchange for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. People think the Marlins would never trade Stanton but dont forget Cabrera and Willis were thought to be untouchable and impossible to move when the trade was made also. Another argument is the Tigers wont have the money to pay Stanton but management has made it clear they will do anything and everything to win a championship now from the Anibal Sanchez trade and Prince Fielder signing. The entire MLB could soon be in fear of a 3-4-5 combo of Cabrera-Fielder-Stanton.

HarBowl

The date and time is set for the biggest showdown in NFL history. We all know the impact and indications brought to us in the Super Bowl every season but this could be arguably the most intriguing and anticipated one of all. In a battle of brothers as coaches with Jim and John Harbaugh we see more than just a title game at line, a battle of childhood. We all competed with siblings, if you had them, and what bigger stage than this? As we anticipate this match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco let’s take a deeper look. Neither team has ever lost a Super Bowl with the Ravens coming in with a 1-0 record and the 49ers at 5-0. The last three match-ups between these teams have been won by the Ravens including a 16-6 victory in 2011. The quarterback battle in this game is also something we should be watching very closely as we have 2 up and coming guys in the league going against each other. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco currently has 8 TDs and 0 INT in this post season, the only players to have 9 or more TDs with 0 INT in a single postseason are Joe Montana and Steve Young. It also doesn’t hurt that the Ravens have a record of 42-5 when Flacco doesn’t throw an interception. On the other side of the field we got 2^nd year guy Colin Kaepernick who already broke an NFL record this postseason when he rushed for 181 yards, the most ever in a single game by a quarterback. The speed of Kaepernick could be deadly in this game. On defense we have arguably the 2 best line backers in the NFL playing each other in Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis. In his last season we will see one last stand by one of the greatest NFL players and motivators in history with Ray Lewis, a man who changed the game as we see it. Patrick Willis on the other hand could be the guy who could take the NFL by storm over the next years and build a legacy comparable to Lewis. Two old school linebackers will give this game some excitement. We are in for one of the greatest games in history and I see it being a thrilling 24-21 win by the Ravens.

Fun Facts:

Ray Lewis had his 1^st career sack on Jim Harbaugh

The 49ers will tie the Steelers for most Super Bowl wins with a victory

This will be the 1^st time in 5 years neither QB has Super Bowl experience

The Ravens have outscored 49ers 69-19 in last 3 meetings

The 2000 Ravens that won a Super Bowl were a 4 seed, so is this team bringing them a 7-1 record as 4 seed

The NFC has won the previous 3 Super Bowls

5 QBs have thrown 8+ TDs and 0 INT in a postseason, all won the Super Bowl

The Ravens 13-7 playoff record is best of any franchise

AFC Championship Preview

Ravens at Patriots: After knocking off the Denver Broncos in a stunning double overtime win the Ravens now look ahead to yet another Conference Championship game against the New England Patriots, but this game has a different feel to it. The Ravens were only 31 seconds from being eliminated when all of a sudden the deep ball from Joe Flacco connected with wide-out Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown to send the game into overtime. The Ravens would cap that off with a field goal in double overtime to seal its fate. The Patriots seemed to have no problem in its first playoff match-up though as they smothered the Houston Texans in a 41-28 blowout. The Ravens and Patriots met once during the regular season and it was a 31-30 win for the Baltimore Ravens. This wasn’t the same outcome though last postseason when the Patriots knocked out the Ravens in a 23-20 game that included a dropped pass by Lee Evans and a missed field goal from 32 yards out by Billy Cundiff in the last minute. This year the Ravens have more to play for though coming into this game knowing it could be the last game ever played by the great Ray Lewis. We all know Lewis isn’t going to lay down to end his career, he will be doing everything humanly possible to win this game. Two major injuries will also plague this meeting with Patriots without tight end Rob Gronkowski and the Ravens without cornerback Lardarius Webb. This meeting also brings in 2 new players not seen in their week 3 match-up with the Patriots having Aqib Talib and the Ravens bringing back a healthier Terrell Suggs. The Patriots can dominate on offense and have proved it from the past few weeks with a newly found running game in rookie Steven Ridley but the Ravens have the experience on defense to match this high powered offense. If the Ravens are going to win this game they need to use the big plays on offense and jam the wide receivers off the line early to give their defensive line time to get to Brady. The Patriots on the other hand are going to need Aqib Talib to be able to cover the speedy wide receiver Torrey Smith and stop him from being the deep threat. I’m predicting we see the opposite outcome this year and the ravens make the field goal to send them to the Super Bowl in a 31-28 win over the Patriots.

1 more shot

As we see a year of shutout in the MLB Hall of Fame we seem to overshadow the fact that one of the greatest pitchers in history is being held out of the hall. This pitcher would be Jack Morris, now I know you’re thinking this is crazy talk but is it? Sure his 3.90 ERA isn’t the greatest but what about his 254 career wins and 2,478 strikeouts? That makes him one of only 22 pitchers in MLB history to have 250+ wins to go with at least 2,400 strikeouts. During the 1980s Morris went on to be the most dominant pitcher of his era by leading the entire league in wins for the decade. During the 1980s Jack Morris won 162 games, 2^nd most was 140 by Dave Steib. He also had an amazing 175 career complete games and 28 shutouts, but this is all overlooked due to the media output he received for not interviewing with them. Morris was a different breed of pitcher than we see today. If it was a close game, he would shut it down. If it was a blowout he would give up a few runs and close it out and still get the win, which is why his ERA is inflated. Point is Morris was a WINNER and wasn’t a statistics guy, personally I would rather have a pitcher win 20 games with a 3.90 ERA than a pitcher who wins 12 games with a 2.80 ERA. Wins are what gives you championships and statistics win you awards. Look at his 4 rings coming from 3 different teams and you can see that. A player shouldn’t be punished for not caring about stats and going out there and getting his team to win multiple championships. We shun Morris yet we let in pitchers like Rube Marquard, Ted Lyons, Clark Griffith and Waite Hoyt? Jack Morris may not have been the flashiest player in the league but he was the best pitcher of his decade and should be recognized for it, he is a true Hall of Fame player.

The Chase

The city of Detroit may not be going to the playoffs this year, yet they are still going to be watching every play of the Lions last 2 games as they prepare and hope to see history. In 1995 we saw Jerry Rice have one of the greatest seasons for a wide-out in NFL history as he raked up 1,848 receiving yards, the current NFL record (another fun fact is that 1995 was also the season Herman Moore set the franchise record with 1,686 yards receiving yards). Heading into the final 2 weeks of the season Calvin Johnson is at 1,667 yards, where was Jerry Rice with 2 games remaining in 1995? 1,406 yards. This leaves Calvin 181 yards away from breaking the record, he averages 119 yards a game and has only totaled less then 91 yards(the average he needs) in a game 3 times this season. Those games were in weeks 4, 7 and 8. Calvin suffered nerve damage in his hand against Minnesota week 4 when he got hit on a helmet to helmet play by linebacker Chad Greenway and was also playing with a left knee injury, which could have slowed him down. The remaining games for Detroit will be against the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears who can both shut down the pass. In week 7 Calvin was held to only 3 receptions and 34 yards against the Bears in his worst performance of the season. In 10 career games versing the Bears Calvin has compiled an average of 72.9 yards per game, against the Falcons he has an average of 111 yards a game in 2 meetings. If Calvin can manage to meet his average against each team he would end with 184 yards over the last 2 games, bringing his total to 1,851. If your team isn't in the playoff race or you have nothing else to do, tune in to the Lions games as history is on the verge in Detroit.

The Time has Come

Nothing reminds us more about the golden age of baseball than the playoffs. Dramatic finishes and heartbreak throughout the nation, all to accomplish one thing. Now its time to see who will come out on top. The Detroit Tigers and the San Fransisco Giants will face off Wednesday to start off the World Series. We don't know who will get the crown yet, but we do know it wont be given to either team without a fight. Both teams have the potential, but what needs to be done for them to accomplish greatness?
Giants - The main goals for the Giants should be to get ahead of the count against the Tigers pitching, strike early and shut down Delmon. The Tigers pitching has been phenomenal so the Giants are going to need to change that, the easiest way to do that would be to get ahead in the count, and knowing the Detroit staff scoring early is the best option to success. Both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have shown all year they are nearly unhittable after the third inning, before that is when they have some vulnerability. The other thing that must be done if the Giants want to win it all is they must shut down Delmon Young. Everyone knows the damage Cabrera is capable of but Delmon is one of the best players in the postseason in the MLB and if he gets to you, it could be over early.
Tigers - For the Tigers they need to keep the momentum and  secure the lead. After sweeping the Yankees and sitting for almost a week the Tigers could lose their momentum and come to a slow start, yet if this momentum is kept it would be easy to see a sweep in the World Series. With one of the greatest team starting pitching performances in a single postseason ever the Tigers still had a major problem, closing the game. It doesn't matter how good the starters for Detroit are if they cant find an answer to the closer spot, obviously Valverde isn't the answer. With as much as the Giants have been coming back in this postseason a weak bullpen could be all the comeback kids need to bring another title to San Fransisco.

The MVP has been Crowned

It's official, the impossible has been accomplished. How many times have you herd sport fans say "we will never see another Triple Crown winner"? Every year a player goes on a run and then it gets mentioned, could it be done? Every year we have the disappointment of it not happening, until now. It's been 45 years since the great Carl Yastremski accomplished the feat in 1967. Now it's time to give the credit to Miguel Cabrera who finished the 2012 season with a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs to make him the first Latino-born player to do so. While this is an unbelievable story the talk has seemed to lead to the "Trout for MVP" campaign, almost as if to try to disregard the work it took for Cabrera to have such a great season. In reality there isn't a debate for MVP, it goes to Miguel. Need some reasoning? I will pick apart every argument for Mike Trout while adding in statistics to prove my points.

1. WAR? - Wins above replacement? This is the most ridiculous of all stats I have ever herd of, and the center of the Trout campaign. According to these numbers Trout is worth 10.7 more wins than an average replacement while Cabrera is worth only 6.8 wins. So according to this the discussion should be over, right? Wrong, this takes into consideration alot but where does it rank your teammates? How do we calculate the numbers increased by Prince Fielder due to Cabrera? Should this be completely ignored? To say that how a player effects his team, or in other words how VALUABLE he is to his team, doesn't play a role in being the MVP is complete nonsense. I can guarantee you right now that the Tigers would have lost at least 20 games more this season without Miguel Cabrera. I don't need some silly calculations to tell me otherwise.

2. Stolen Bases - Countless people are raving at the fact that Trout led the league with 49 SBs, is this suppose to impress everyone? When Rickey Henderson stole 130 bases in 1982 he finished 10th in MVP voting. Henderson would have three career seasons with at least 100 stolen bases, finishing no better than 10th in MVP voting in any of them seasons. Now lets talk Ron Leflore, who stole 97 bases in 1980. He would finish 22nd in MVP voting. One last name to mention is Lou Brock. In 1974 Brock stole 118 bases to see his name fall 2nd in the MVP voting. So for all who say Trout has this speed that can't be matched on the base paths, you need to look back to see true speed. Trout is fast yes, but if 130 stolen bases isn't enough to win MVP then how is 49 impressive?

3. Fielding - From every one's perspective you would think that Miguel Cabrera would be dead last in the majors when it comes to fielding percentage, this is false. Cabrera owns a .966 fielding percentage at third base, which puts him as the 3rd highest in the category in the American league and only .001 away from 2nd. Mike Trout finished with a fielding percentage of .993, which while it seems better than Cabrera's is not. That put Trout as the 5th highest amongst American league center fielders. Want to use another way to show coverage area? Let's use the range factor calculation. Trout has a range factor of 2.42, also the 5th highest amongst American league center fielders. Cabrera on the other hand is at a 2.40 on the range factor scale, putting him in 3rd at his position. Truth is that Cabrera is a better fielder than given credit for.

4. RBIs and average are pointless - Believe it or not, this is a true argument by many Trout supporters. We will start with the RBIs. The main reason people want to discredit Cabrera and his RBIs is by saying it takes base runners to get RBIs and Cabrera has had more base runners than Trout has. True, but when people argue that Trout has more runs scored than Cabrera shouldn't we discredit it since you have to have help just like you do for RBIs? You can't disregard this for that reason alone, otherwise you have to take away Trouts runs scored. Another stat that we would have to take away is the double plays each has grounded into, since Cabrera grounds into more double plays it should be disregarded right? According to this theory it should, but once again, that is an unrealistic way to calculate value. Now on to average. I'm not too sure how to even counter this claim due to the stupidity behind it. Average calculates how many hits you get per at bat, which leads to run production. Without average we would be looking at players like Carlos Pena or Mark Reynolds as some of the leagues elite batters right now.

5. Home runs don't tell a batters power - Ive herd alot of talk about how Trout has shown just as much power as Cabrera. This has no statistically proof at all. Lets look deeper into it. Obviously Cabrera beats out Trout at home runs with 44 compared to 30, and remember Cabrera plays in one of the deepest ball parks in the league. When we compare doubles Cabrera leads with 40 to Trout's 27. Triples goes to Trout with his 8 compared to 0 from Cabrera. That means Cabrera had 84 extra base hits while Trout had only 65. That 65 doesn't even lead the Angels, teammate Albert Pujols has 15 more extra base hits than Trout. Now lets take the slugging percentage of both players and see how it stacks up. Cabrera is sitting high with a .606 slugging percentage compared to .564 by Trout.

6. Clutch - When I think of an MVP I think of someone who helps his team in crunch time. So when is it that a team would want its player to perform its best? I would say its the final months without a doubt. So August and September are the months we will look at. In August Cabrera hit .357 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs, Trout hit .284 with 7 home runs and 26 runs scored. In September Cabrera hit .308 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs, Trout hit .257 with 5 home runs and 21 runs scored. Clutch goes to Miguel.


7. Strikeouts - A great ball player puts the ball in play. When you see a batter strike out with runners on and no outs it really hurts the team. This year Cabrera struck out 98 times compared to being walked 66 times. Trout on the other hand struck out 139 times this year, 17th most in the AL, compared to being walked 67 times. No one ever mentions it but Mike Trout is a strikeout machine, and it hurt his teams chance to produce runs.

The debate will continue but true fans across the globe are aware that there is already an MVP and voting won't change that. Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown and definitely had the best season in the majors. Take your crown Cabrera, as you are the 2012 American League MVP!