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AL EAST

(49-32) Evan Longoria has taken the lead in the AL Rookie of the Year race.  In the last three weeks (18 games), he has hit .338 with 9 doubles and 7 homers.

(50-34)  Boston has slipped to second place.  How long can they survive without David Ortiz?  He hasn’t played since May 31 and has missed 30 of the team’s 84 games in 2008.

(44-38)  Joba Chamberlain’s first win as a starter (6.2 innings, 0 runs) couldn’t have come in a more important time for the Yankees.

(41-39)  Eighty games into the season Baltimore is above .500 because of their strong bullpen.  Righty reliever Matt Albers is now faced with the option of surgery or rehabilitation for an ailing shoulder.  His loss will hurt the strength of this squad.

(40-43)  Joe Inglett has played five positions in 50 games for Toronto this season.  His versatility defensively keeps his hot bat in the lineup.  He is hitting .315/.384/.468 in 2008. 

AL CENTRAL

(46-35)  23-year-olds aren’t supposed to have a road ERA of 1.48, but John Danks does in 48.2 innings away from his home stadium.

(45-37)  The Twins have been on fire of late.  Kevin Slowey’s complete game shutout yesterday lowered his ERA to 3.47. 

(41-40)  The Tigers are surging and are over .500 for the first time in 2008.  Joel Zumaya and Gary Sheffield have returned from the disabled list.

(37-45)  Grady Sizemore looks poised to set career highs in homeruns and stolen bases in 2008.  Currently he has 19 of each.

(37-45)  Closer Joakim Soria has 8 saves in his last 8 appearances, allowing only four base runners and striking out nine.

AL WEST

(49-33)  Jered Weaver allowed no hits in six innings on Saturday, but took the loss anyway.  He has yet to breakout as the Angels expected, but this latest outing could mean the right-hander is on his way.

(44-37)  Greg Smith is a soft-tossing lefty starter who was a minor part of the Dan Haren trade, but Smith has allowed just 78 hits in 90.3 innings and has a 3.69 ERA.

(42-41)  Max Ramirez and Chris Davis began the year in together in Class AA and hit their first MLB homeruns this week.  In fact, Davis has already hit his second.  Watch out because he will be this year’s version of Ryan Braun.

(31-50)  Before the season, Seattle extended the contract of Kenji Johjima by three years and $24 million, but the catcher is hitting just .233/.274/.321 in 2008.

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NL EAST

(44-39)  Is Brett Myers (3-9, 5.84 ERA) in jeopardy of losing his spot in the Phillies’ rotation?

(42-39)  Dan Uggla is having a monster year (.289/.375/.620), but will miss at least one series with a sprained ankle.

(40-41)  Mike Pelfrey has a 3.06 ERA in 8 home starts, but is only 2-4;  he has a 6.38 ERA in 7 road starts, but he’s 3-2, another example of how a starting pitcher’s record can be misleading.

(40-43)  Mike Gonzalez is the Braves’ newest in a long line of attempted closers for the 2008 season.  He has two saves in two opportunities so far.

(33-50)  Cristian Guzman may be the Nationals’ lone All-Star representative.  He currently leads the National League with 110 hits.

NL CENTRAL

(49-33)  Alfonso Soriano’s 15 homeruns is tied with Derrek Lee for the team lead.  However, Soriano has played in 30 less games due to two stints on the disabled list.

(47-36)  Albert Pujols went 4-4 with a walk in his first game off the DL last Thursday.  He hit his first homer since returning yesterday.

(44-37)  Russell Branyan has always been known for his power surges.  He’s hit 11 homeruns for the Brewers in just 86 at bats in 2008.

(39-43)  Journeyman Brian Moehler has filled in nicely for the Astros, compiling a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts since joining the rotation.

(38-43)  Zach Duke has thrown well lately, going 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in five June starts.

(38-45)  Bronson Arroyo is having an awful 2008 season.  His opponents are hitting .316/.374/.539 against him.

NL WEST

(41-41)  Dan Haren is having an excellent first season in Arizona, leading the National League in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.05-1) and WHIP (0.967).

(38-43)  Chad Billingsley is only 7-7, but the 23-year-old is much better than his record indicates.  He has a 3.38 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 96 innings for the 2008 season.

(36-46)  Omar Vizquel began the season injured and now he is struggling mightily, hitting just .156/.234/.180.  It may be time for the 41-year-old to call it a career.

(32-50)  Brad Hawpe had a monster month of June, hitting .319/.417/.681, including 7 homeruns.

(32-51)  Adrian Gonzalez already has 21 homeruns in 83 games this season, making it a near lock that he breaks his career high of 30 set in 2007.

   Curt Schilling is a loudmouth.  He has a blog.  He is so opinionated and polarizing that even many of his own Boston Red Sox fans dislike him.  But he is also a Hall of Famer.

The Baseball Writers Association of America has made many questionable decisions over the years in electing players to the Hall of Fame.  Perception, popularity, tradition, and a misinterpretation of statistics are the catalysts that cause humans to skew the results of baseball’s highest honor.  Remember that this is the same group of people who have never selected any player to the Hall as a unanimous choice–not even Babe Ruth–so that when an obvious selection like Cal Ripken, Jr., comes along, someone always votes against the new candidate out of spite.  This is the same group that did not vote Joe DiMaggio a Hall of Famer until his third try on the ballot.

Recently some writers have claimed Curt Schilling will not be elected into the Hall of Fame because he currently only has 216 career victories.  This is exactly the fouled logic that creates problems in gauging statistics for baseball.  Anyone who has ever enjoyed a baseball game knows that a pitcher could be the loser in a 2-1 game or the winner in a 10-9 game.  In a complex team sport where the defense actually controlls the ball and features an one-on-one matchup between the pitcher and a batter, a pitcher actually has less control of whether or not he receives the victory than one might think at first glance.  Put Sandy Koufax in his prime on a college team and he would certainly shut down the Yankees, but his performance would not garner a win unless his team could score.

Only recently has Curt Schilling played on winning ballclubs.  In 1992 in his first year as a starter, the 25-year-old Schilling posted a fantastic breakout season by throwing 226.3 innings with a 2.35 ERA and a 0.990 WHIP.  He led the National League in WHIP and placed fourth in ERA, but did not receive one vote on the NL Cy Young ballot that year.  He only went 14-11 because his 1992 Philadelphia Phillies went 70-92, finishing dead last in the NL East.

Tom Glavine has won 305 games and two NL Cy Young Awards.  He is certainly a Hall of Famer.  But look at his career numbers compared to Schilling’s. 

Remember the organization Tom Glavine played for won 14 consecutive division titles.  Schilling pitched the Phillies to the NL Pennant in 1993, but did not play on another winning team until he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000.   Schilling has struck out a little over 500 more batters than Glavine, but he’s walked half as many.  Schilling’s WHIP and ERA are better also, doing so in a situation where the average ERA was higher than Glavine’s (due to Schilling’s time in the American League).

Now look at Schilling’s career compared to one of the most famous pitchers in Major League Baseball history, Nolan Ryan.

Again, the wins are there for Ryan.  However, he threw in parts of 27 seasons and four decades.  How many Cy Young Awards did Nolan Ryan win?  The same number as Schilling.  Zero.  Ryan is, of course, the all-time leader in strikeouts and leads Schilling by nearly 2,600.  However, Ryan also has allowed more bases on balls and thrown more wild pitches than anyone in MLB history.  While Ryan’s ERA is better than Schilling’s, the average ERA of each pitcher’s era indicates that Schilling–who pitched in the steroid era–was actually better in this regard.  Besides the 324 wins for Ryan, he also lost 292 games which is the most in the modern era.  Yet the Baseball Writers Association of America voted Ryan into the Hall of Fame with an astouding percentage of 98.2% saying “yes” to his worth, only six votes short of unanimous.

Schilling’s 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second all-time, trailing only Tommy Bond, whose name may not be familiar since his final season was in 1884.  But Schilling has also struck out enough batters to rank 14th all-time on that respective list.  He may be the rarest combination of power and control of his generation.  His numbers in 2002 are staggering:  he struck out 316 batters and walked only 33.  That 9.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the 2nd-best individual season ever in that regard with only Bret Saberhagen’s 1994 season mark of 143/13 (11 ratio) better, though he made only 24 starts because of the strike. 

While he has struck out more and walked less than the likes of John Smoltz, Mike Mussina, and Pedro Martinez, writers argue that Curt Schilling has never won a Cy Young award.  But oftentimes those awards are not exact barometers of a player’s career.  Sometimes chance is a factor.  Sadly, name recognition also plays a role.

Take another look at Curt Schilling’s 2002 season and think of what numbers are deserving of a Cy Young award. 

20 wins?  Check.  300 strikeouts?  Check.  Under 1.00 WHIP?  Check.  Add in an ERA more than a run better than the league average and well over 200 innings pitched.  This is an incredible season, coming in the middle of the steroid era, one year after Barry Bonds hit 73 homers.  But get this:  Curt Schilling did not even receive one first-place vote for the 2002 NL Cy Young Award.  His teammate Randy Johnson won unanimously, his fourth straight NL Cy Young.  Schilling has finished 2nd in the Cy Young three times.  His 1.85 Cy Young shares rank 16th of all time and are the most of any pitcher to never win the award.

Take a look at what happened in the American League in deciding the 2001 Cy Young award winner.

Player A’s team won 102 games while Player B’s team won 95.  The numbers are close, but easily in favor of Player A.  While Player B did record more strikeouts, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is slightly worse than than his counterpart’s.  Somehow, Player B won the award–probably because Player B was Roger Clemens and Player A was second-year player named Mark Mulder.  Player B played for the New York Yankees and Player A played for the Oakland Athletics, also a probably factor.  In fact, of the top six finishers in that year’s vote, Clemens had the worst ERA and WHIP of the group. 

Roger Clemens has had a better career than Curt Schilling, but it’s not because Clemens has seven Cy Young Awards and Schilling has none.  In fact, Schilling’s best seasons compare quite nicely to Clemens’ best seasons.  For instance, Schilling has recorded 300+ strikeouts in a season three times, while Clemens never accomplished the feat.  Also, Schilling’s two seasons recording a sub-1.00 WHIP Clemens’ one.  Here is each pitcher’s arguably best five seasons:

The Boston Red Sox championship season in 2004 was obviously one of the most important sporting events in years.  They have since won another, but the first never happens without Curt Schilling.  Nobody would remember the bloody sock had Schilling not gone seven innings, allowing four hits and one run on the road in Yankee Stadium in an elimination game.  Obviously Schilling’s postseason prowess is one of his strengths, but 133.3 innings is a small sample size.  He is 10-2 with 120 strikeouts, 25 walks, and a 2.23 ERA in 19 career postseason starts. 

Schilling should not be in the Hall of Fame simply for his postseason numbers, but they must be noted.  Look at Schilling’s numbers versus his contemporaries.  There are not many starters better than he has been through the course of his career.  Remember win totals are a product of a starting pitcher’s environment and that while Curt Schilling played on some awful teams in Philadelphia, he still put up an incredible career, a career worthy of the Hall of Fame.  The Baseball Writers Association of America has made mistakes in the past, but it would shame to not include Schilling among the all time greats.  Even if he is a loudmouth.

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  When Cito Gaston began his second tour of duty as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays last week, he immediately tied for second place among active managers with World Series titles.  His two World Series victories ties him with Tony LaRussa and Terry Francona.  Joe Torre’s four World Series wins leads all active managers.

Gaston’s Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.  The Blue Jays were off to an atrocious start in 1989, only winning a third of their games (12-24 record) when they fired manager Jimy Williams and replaced him with Cito Gaston.  All Gaston did was take his squad from 12 games under .500 to division champs in that 1989 season, going 77-49 under his management. 

When an aging and overpaid and post-World Series Blue Jays roster played sub-.500 baseball in 1997, the organization fired Gaston as manager.  However, he has stayed in the organization, most recently in an advisory role for the club.

But why hasn’t a man with two World Series titles even been whispered in consideration for an available managerial position over the last decade?

Gaston has won one more title–make that twice as many–than the likes of Bobby Cox, Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella, Ozzie Guillen, and Mike Scioscia.

But each of those esteemed managers following Gaston would have another management position waiting for them should they lose their current roles.  Willie Randolph and Joe Girardi were considered prodigies and they each hand-picked their jobs.  Before Randolph, the Mets signed Art Howe to be their manager at the price of $9 million over four years.  Of course, they fired him before the contract expired.  Yet he had never even won a pennant. 

Dusty Baker wasn’t out of work long when the Cincinnati Reds made him their manager for 2008.  Baker has won three National League Manager of the Year Awards, but is probably the reason Barry Bonds never won a World Series.  Cito Gaston never won his league’s Manager of the Year Award.  The media usually gives General Manager Pat Gillick the credit for the Blue Jays’ back-to-back titles, as he was the guy who amassed the championship roster.  So then why is Joe Torre’s voice one of the most revered in sports when Gene Michael was the guy who built the Yankees’ championship roster of the late-1990s?  Torre himself was fired in St. Louis before becoming the manager in the Bronx.

Terry Francona is now an icon in Boston and is now one of the most important managers in baseball history.  However, it is curious that the Red Sox opted for Francona when he was fired his previous managing gig after going 65-97 in 2000 for the Philadelphia Phillies.  At least Francona had experience managing at the Major League level.  Beginning in 2007, ten managers–Ron Washington, Dave Trembly, John Russell, John McLaren, Trey Hillman, Fredi Gonzalez, Bob Geren, Cecil Cooper, Bud Black, and Manny Acta–have been named without ever previously managing at baseball’s highest level! 

Gaston has been placed into a difficult situation in Toronto and that brutal American League Eastern Division, but he has been through the fire before.  It’s confusing why there is a decade-long gap in his managerial career, but the Blue Jays definitely hired the man with best resumè available.  Cito Gaston is back in the dugout where he belongs.

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AL EAST

(47-31) J.D. Drew’s career has been somewhat of a disappointment, as he’s never been an All-Star, never won a Silver Slugger, and placed in the MVP voting just once.  However, his recent hot streak (10 homeruns, .394 batting in June) has his OPS at 1.017 for the year.

(44-31)  Troy Percival has three saves in as many opportunities since returning from the disabled list.

(41-35) With Chien-Ming Wang, Ian Kennedy, and Phil Hughes out, journeyman Dan Giese made an important start for the Yanks on Saturday, going 6.2 IP and allowing no earned runs, but taking the loss nonetheless.

(38-36)  Brian Roberts has now collected at least 20 stolen bases in six consecutive years.

(36-41)  Adam Lind is only a .253 hitter at the Major League level in 400 plate appearances, but he has a .318 average in his minor league career.  He’s only 24, so Toronto must leave him in the lineup and see if he is really a MLB talent or just a AAAA player.

AL CENTRAL

(41-34)  It’s a shame Josh Fields is toiling in AAA the season after hitting 23 homers in his rookie year.

(40-36)  The Twins have an ace in the hole for the second half waiting at AAA.  Francisco Liriano was demoted to work on his command and rumor has it that he is close to returning to the Major Leagues. 

(36-39) Congratulations to Edgar Renteria, who collected his 2,000th career hit this week.

(35-41)  C.C. Sabathia has had a disappointing 2008 season compared to his Cy Young campaign in ‘07, but he is still productive.  He is currently leading the American League in strikeouts (107) and is second in innings pitched (106.3).

(33-43)  The Royals were getting no offensive production from opening day shortstop Tony Pena, Jr. (batting .159), so they gave Mike Aviles a shot.  Aviles is hitting .328/.353/.625 in 17 games.

AL WEST

(46-30) Vladimir Guerrero is finally getting loose in the 2008 season.  He’s hitting .468 with 5 homers in the past two weeks.

(41-34)  Did you know that Justin Duchscherer is leading the American League in ERA (1.99) and WHIP (0.974).

(39-38)  Milton Bradley continues to lead the AL in OPS with a 1.079 mark, but a quad injury has him sidelined.  Injuries have always been a problem for Bradley.  He’s only played in over 100 games twice, and not since 2004.

(26-49) At one point in last Tuesday night’s start against the Marlins, Felix Hernandez struck out six straight hitters on just 20 pitches. He’s been in the league since 2005 so it is easy to not realize that Hernandez is the fourth-youngest player in the American League.

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NL EAST

(42-35)  What’s wrong with Chase Utley?  He’s hitting just .229 with seven extra base hits in June.

(40-35)  Outfielder Cody Ross is hitting just .218, but he is slugging .491 because 20 of his 36 hits have been for extra bases.

(37-37)  Minor offseason acquisition Ryan Church is still the only hitter in this supposed powerful Mets lineup hitting over .300 and slugging over .500, but he hasn’t even played in two and a half weeks due to a concussion.

(38-39)  Chipper Jones is finally hitting below .400, but .393 is not too shabby.  His switch-hitting partner Mark Teixeira had his second career three homer game on Sunday.

(30-47)  Jesus Flores is only 22 and hitting .306/.370/.516 and will soon put Paul LoDuca out of a job.

NL CENTRAL

(48-28)  Aramis Ramirez hit four homers this weekend in a sweep of their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox.  Ramirez is one of the most underrated hitters in the game having posted four consecutive seasons with an OPS over .900.  He is well on his way for a fifth, as he currently is at .934.

(44-33)  Troy Glaus has popped seven homers in June.  St. Louis will need him to drive in runs in Albert Pujols‘ absence.

(41-34)  Milwaukee is going to be in this thing for the long haul.  Well, as long as Ben Sheets can stay healthy.  He’s 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 2008 for the Brew Crew.

(36-40)  Opening day starter Tom Gorzelanny had a 3.88 ERA in 201.7 innings in 2007, but so far in 2008 he’s been nearly three runs worse with a 6.59 ERA.

(35-41)  The Astros have decided to move struggling Shawn Chacon (2-3, 5.04 ERA) to the bullpen.

(35-42)  Jay Bruce has struggled a bit since his amazing start, hitting only .176 in the last two weeks.

NL WEST

(39-37)  Since winning his first nine starts, Brandon Webb is just 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA in seven games.

(35-40)  The Los Angeles Dodgers could hang around and win the NL West, but they won’t do it without shortstop Rafael Furcal, who hasn’t played since May 5 because of an injured him.  Look for him to come back in the second half and for the Dodgers to accordingly make a push for the playoffs.

(32-44)  Effectively wild:  Tim Lincecum leads the National League in wild pitches (10) and is second in strikeouts (103).

(32-44)  After missing nearly two months, Troy Tulowitzki is back in the Rockies’ lineup.  He had three hits on the weekend and should quickly improve his dismal .162 batting average.

(32-45)  Jake Peavy was lights out in his first start back from the DL, throwing six shutout innings in a home start versus the Dodgers.  He wasn’t so good in his first career start in Yankee Stadium, giving up three earned runs in four innings and taking the loss.

  It shouldn’t be that surprising that the New York Mets waited until the conclusion of Monday night’s game in Anaheim to fire manager Willie Randolph.  The announcement came when the majority of the country was asleep, but the Mets did hold a press conference the following day:  again, in Anaheim and avoiding the oftentimes brutal press corps of New York City.  The Mets actually won Randolph’s final game Monday night and the decision regarding his employment was one that had been in question for weeks.  So when exactly did General Manager Omar Minaya realize he had had enough?  Maybe the timing of firing Randolph while on a west coast road trip was not coincidental.

Owner Fred Wilpon said on an ESPN Radio affiliate that the decision was Minaya’s.

Since Randolph took the Mets’ managerial position in 2005, there have been questions on who was in control:  Randolph, a prodigy of Joe Torre who waited to choose a job that he could succeed at; Omar Minaya, one of the highest-profile GMs in the game; or owner Fred Wilpon.

The New York Mets have quickly become one of the most dysfunctional organizations in baseball.

The classic defense of managers is a good one for Randolph as he made no errors, allowed no homers, and never struck out. 

It was Jose Reyes who hit .205 last September when the Mets blew the division lead to the Phillies. 

Carlos Delgado is aging drastically.  In his prime, he was one of the most-feared left-handed hitters alive, but in 2008 he’s not even hitting his weight (.238 batting average and listed at 265 lbs.).

Moises Alou began 2008 on the disabled list after hernia surgery.  He returned to the lineup and suffered a calf strain that caused him to miss 19 games.  In his first game back, he injured the calf again and has returned to the DL.

Carlos Beltran is a heck of a player, but certainly not a $119 million type of player.  His first year with the Mets was his worst MLB since his injury-shortened second full season back in 2000.  Beltran rebounded to collect back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in ‘06 and ‘07, but there will not be another in 2008 as he is hitting just .270/.372/.475 this season. 

Pedro Martinez chose the Mets over Boston because New York offered a fourth season in their contract.  In his first season with the Mets, he showed the Red Sox what they missed out on by recording his sixth season with a WHIP under 1.00.  That year he made 31 starts, but has only made 32 starts in the three years since, showing why Boston didn’t offer that fourth year.

David Wright had a monster 2007 season, going 30-30, winning a Silver Slugger, winning a Gold Glove, and finishing 4th in the NL MVP voting, but so far in 2008, he’s having his worst MLB season. 

Johan Santana has been good, but not spectacular in his debut season in the National League.

Oddly enough, it seems closer Billy Wagner is the team’s spokesman.  But the fact that he is a pitcher–and a reliever at that–is a problem.  Wagner himself knows that problem as he recently blasted reporters for asking him questions about a loss in which he did not play, instead referring them to those players who did participate in the questioned game.

Speaking of Wagner, reporters questioned Randolph’s tactics in bringing in the Mets’ closer in the middle of the 9th inning in the game on June 11.  Mike Pelfrey convinced his skipper to let him try for a complete game, although he had thrown 111 pitches through 8 innings.  Pelfrey gave up a hit to lead off the 9th inning and Randolph brought in Wagner.  If the Arizona Diamondbacks go three up three down in the 9th, Ranolph is viewed as a players’ manager.  Instead Wagner came in and blew his second consecutive save opportunity (and would also blow his next chance).

Jerry Manuel has taken over as Mets manager.  While he is obviously compotent for the job, it is interesting to note that when Jose Reyes limped in the first inning of Manuel’s first game the new manager removed the star shortstop from the game and Reyes was visably unhappy with Manuel’s decision.

Willie Randolph is certainly not free from all blame.  The Mets have clearly underperformed under his reign.  The stakes were high, of course, but that just goes with the territory with a high-priced roster in New York City.  The Mets paid their players $120,900,000 in 2007 for 88 wins while NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies won the division spending around $30 million less.  As for 2008, the Florida Marlins will probably end up with MLB’s lowest payroll but are currently beating the Mets by 3.5 games in the NL East standings.

Clearly a change was necessary.  The clubhouse seemed on the brink of mutiny or worse a civil war, so maybe Randolph’s departure will help the Mets players.

So whose team is the New York Mets?  There have been reports that Minaya’s job is in jeopardy as well, so maybe the ousting of Randolph was a self-preservation move by Minaya to avoid Wilpon’s wrath.  As for the clubhouse, which of the mix of up-and-coming and aging stars can provide the leadership necessary to guide this club through the grind of a 162-game season to a division title?

The reality is that if Omar Minaya believes the 2008 New York Mets is a championship-caliber roster, he is wrong.  While it is a roster full of great players, most are well past their primes.   The New York Mets’ farm system–also Minaya’s responsibility–is well below average.

They did not know it at the time, but Yadier Molina’s tie-breaking homerun in the top of the 9th inning of game 7 of the 2006 NLCS off Aaron Heilman to propel a mediocre Cardinals team to a World Series title was more than just an ending to the Mets’ season.  It also marked the end of a window of opportunity for this franchise. 

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AL EAST

(44-28)  Daisuke Matsuzaka is still undefeated in 2008 (8-0), but is on the disabled list with a sore shoulder.  He will make a rehab start in AAA today (Monday) and throw about 80 pitches.

(40-29)  Will Ken Griffey, Jr. waive his no-trade clause to join Tampa Bay’s first playoff chase?  However, the real ace in the hole for this Ray’s team is top prospect David Price.  They could call up the lefty in time to be on the playoff roster.

(37-33)  Jason Giambi is returning to the player he once was and having an excellent 2008 season.  He has more walks (35) than strikeouts (33) and his OPS is .961.

(34-34)  Adam Jones has had a disappointing year for Baltimore.  The centerpiece in return for Erik Bedard is hitting just .252/.291/.376 on the year. 

(35-36)  Toronto signed A.J. Burnett to a five-year, $55 million deal before the 2006 season.  He’s never won more than 12 games in a season and he’s just 6-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 2008.

AL CENTRAL

(38-31)  Joe Crede is a streaky player, and he’s hot right now.  The 2006 AL Silver Slugger at third base is hitting .318/.412/.705 for the month of June, including five homers.

(34-36)  Joe Mauer isn’t hitting for much power this season, but he’s getting on base over 40% of the time.  And check out his incredible strikeout to walk ratio.  He’s walked nearly twice as much (34) as he’s struck out (18).

(33-37)  Asdrubal Cabrera was apparently playing over his head in the Indians’ playoff run a year ago.  He was hitting .184 in 2008 before the Indians sent him down in favor of Josh Barfield, who immediately was injured.  Now journeyman Jamey Carroll will get the nod at second base.

(32-37)  The Tigers have sent Dontrelle Willis to Class High A to work out his problems.  If he can’t, the Tigers will be paying a 3-year, $29 million contract to a minor leaguer.

(28-42)  David DeJesus hit his first career grand slam on Sunday and is hitting .304/.357/.458.

AL WEST

(42-28)  Joe Saunders doesn’t have electric stuff as evidence by only 46 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched, but he walked no one in 6.3 innings last night and has just 23 walks on the year as well a 10-3 record.

(38-31)  The Athletics received Joey Devine from the Braves for Mark Kotsay.  The right-handed reliever is having a fantastic year.  He is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 22 innings.

(35-36)  Ian Kinsler went 20-20 in 2007, but is having a much better 2008.  He’s currently hitting .305/.354/.486 with 10 homeruns and 17 stolen bases.

(24-45)  With J.J. Putz down with a sore arm, Brandon Morrow has taken over as closer.  Is this a rehearsal for the hard-throwing right-hander’s future role?

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NL EAST

(41-30)  Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell have a combined 57 homers and 166 runs batted in in Philadelphia’s 71 games.

(37-32)  Jorge Cantu had to earn his roster spot in spring training, but he has played well for the Marlins, hitting .288/.336/.509 in 2008.

(34-36)  Brandon Jones (ranked as the Braves’ 4th-best prospect coming into 2008) is getting a shot in the Big Leagues and playing well in his first week, going 6 for 13 with a homer.

(33-35)  Billy Wagner’s save yesterday broke an awful streak of three blown saves in three consecutive appearances.

(29-42)  Elijah Dukes is only 24 and still has plenty of tools, but his character continues to be a major problem.  He’s had several opportunities and even a change of scenery, but he’s hitting just .235/.360/.353 in 2008 and went nose to nose with manager Manny Acta this week.

NL CENTRAL

(45-25)  Ryan Theriot is a tough out.  His on-base percentage is .388 and he’s walked more times (32) than he’s struck out (23).

  (42-29)  The next month is key for the St. Louis Cardinals:  can they stay afloat or will they faulter while Albert Pujols heals?

(36-33)  Journeyman reliever Solomon Torres is 4-1 and has eight saves for the Brewers as the team’s new closer.

(34-36)  Ryan Doumit (1.006), Jason Bay (.932), and Nate McLouth (.952) all have an OPS over .900.

(33-37)  Carlos Lee is a solid slugger and having a solid year, hitting .273/.318/.504, but he’s definitely not a 6-year, $100 million player the Astros made him before the 2007 season.

(33-38)  Jerry Hairston, Jr., a third-generation Major Leaguer is a having a nice season as a part-time outfielder, hitting .336/.382/.480 with 12 stolen bases.

NL WEST

(37-33)  After a career year in 2007, Eric Byrnes is hitting just .219/.285/.388 with only 4 steals (he had 50 in 2007).

(31-38)  Andy LaRoche was supposed to push Nomar Garciaparra for the third base job before his spring training injury.  Now that he’s back in the lineup, what will the Dodgers do with Blake Dewitt?

(31-40)  The Padres have finally called up top prospect Chase Headley.

(30-40)  Little-known Japanese import Keiichi Yabu is having a nice season as a reliever.  He has a 1.93 ERA in 37.3 innings pitched.

(28-41)  Matt Holliday returned to the lineup this week and went 6 for 22, but will the last place Rockies trade their star hitter?

  Several years ago, Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons said, “there are a lot of 8-, 9-, and 10-year-old kids who don’t know how good Ken Griffey, Jr. was.”

Therein lies the tragedy of Ken Griffey, Jr.’s career.

Last night, Junior became the sixth player to ever hit 600 homeruns when he took Mark Hendrickson deep in the first inning of the Reds’ victory over the Florida Marlins.  Yet when we reflect on his illustrious career, the superlatives will be subtle and the questions will take center stage.  That question, of course, is, “what if?”.

The memory of Ken Griffey, Jr.’s first major injury is a vivid image in the minds of the baseball community.  On May 26, 1995, Orioles outfielder Kevin Bass drove a Randy Johnson pitch deep to right-centerfield and Junior made a specatcular play:  and broke his wrist in the process.

The Kid was a natural, hitting his first of 600 homeruns as a teenager and immediately becoming the face of Major League Baseball.  Posters featuring his backwards cap and smile were on a generation of kids’ bedroom walls.  Those kids mimicked his sweet left-handed swing and his popularity grew to where he even appeared in the movie “Little Big League”.

Junior saved baseball in the rainy town of Seattle, creating the excitement and subsequent revenue to convince the city to not only keep the Mariners, but to build Safeco Field.  That excitment began in the 1995 season when Griffey hit a homer and then scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning of game five of the ALDS versus the New York Yankees.

Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 16 homeruns and stole 16 bases in his rookie season, playing the entire year as a 19-year-old.  In 1990, he and his father homered in the same game, a moment that even today seems unfathomable.  That season, Junior won the first of ten consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.  That is the entire decade of the 1990s.  With Griffey’s combination of range, speed, arm strength, and instincts, he was more than likely the best defensive centerfielder since Willie Mays.  It wasn’t until his third MLB season that Griffey won his first Louisville Silver Slugger Award as a 21-year-old American League outfielder.  It was the first of seven Silver Sluggers in the 1990s for Junior.

But Ken Griffey, Jr. was supposed to be the one to hit 756 homeruns, not the anti-hero, Barry Bonds. 

Griffey’s career has become reminiscent of another great centerfield from an earlier generation. 

When people talk about the career of Mickey Mantle, they talk about the injuries, the women, and the booze, but the switch-hitting centerfielder is still a top 30 player to ever play baseball.  Although Bill James’ Historical Baseball Abstract was published in 1986, his point on Mantle continues to relevant.  In terms of career value for a centerfielder, James ranks Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, and Tris Speaker all ahead of Mantle.  But in absolute peak value, James writes that The Mick is the greatest centerfielder ever.

Similarly, Ken Griffey, Jr. may be the greatest player of his generation in terms of absolute peak value.  Look at his 1997 and 1998 seasons.  He hit 56 homeruns each year and drove in 147 runs in ‘97 and 146 runs in ‘98.  Those cookie cutter seasons in back-to-back years weren’t by a brawny first baseman, however.  They were by a player who also doubled as the best defensive centerfielder in the game.

Junior’s lone MVP season came in the 1997 campaign when he hit .304/.382/.646 including those 56 homers, but also 15 stolen bases and, of course, Gold Glove centerfield defense.

In reflecting on Ken Griffey, Jr.’s career, think about his staggering offensive prowess in the American League during the 1990s.  He finished top 10 in the American League in slugging percentage nine times.  Make it nine times also for total bases, extra base hits, and intentional walks that Griffey placed in the top 10 in the AL in the ’90s.  Eight times, he placed in the top-1o in on-base plus slugging (OPS) in this period.  Seven times he placed in runs, homeruns, and runs batted in. 

Remember also that one season would be added to all these totals had a broken wrist not taken two months from his 1995 season.

There it is again.   What if?

But wondering “what if” is a waste of time.  Ken Griffey, Jr.’s career is remarkable regardless.  He will never hit 700 homeruns, but do not forget that he is still one of the great talents the game has ever seen.