Greg Maddux Deserves To Be A Unanimous Hall of Famer

In the history of America's national pastime, no player has ever been unanimously selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just mull over and contemplate the implications of that ridiculous and absurd statement for a brief moment. To this date, there has never been a single player to receive every vote for acceptance into Cooperstown. Names that are in baseball lore and are widely accepted as the greatest to ever play the game have not been universally recognized by the baseball writers for perfect entry into the Hall. The fact that some voters have disregarded and neglected the legacy of those who have been the cornerstone of the game and whose careers exemplify as close to excellence as has been seen in the history of the sport is just plain ignorant and ludicrous. The long list of ballplayers who have been unable to crack the unanimous barrier are not equivocal or puzzling to anybody that has watched or followed baseball even fairly closely, which makes it so baffling how some voters could be so futile as to note vote in obvious Hall of Famers on their first ballot. The sense of bewilderment that fans feel towards some of the recalcitrant voters has always been present and this feeling of disdain has only intensified over the past decade with writers leaving names like Ripken and Gwynn off some of their ballots.

It is almost laughable how a variety of the inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were not selected by some of the so-called baseball experts. Who were the 23 voters that did not elect Stan Musial to their ballot in 1969, the second best left-handed hitter to ever play behind Ted Williams? How can anybody truthfully explain how the greatest all-around baseball player who ever lived, Willie Mays, did not even appear on 23 ballots in 1979? Did 30 people in 1983 really not vote for the best defensive player to ever step on a diamond in Brooks Robinson? How could 19 writers in 1994 honestly make a claim that Steve Carlton, the second best left-handed pitcher since the 1970's behind Randy Johnson, was not a sure fire Hall of Famer? I would like to know the 28 voters that decided not to put Rickey Henderson on their ballot in 2009, the greatest lead-off hitter in baseball history? How can 16 writers possibly justify leaving the best catcher to ever play the game, Johnny Bench, off their ballot in 1989? Babe Ruth was even left off 11 ballots in 1936, a guy that was so good that his ghost hung over an entire organization for 86 whole years. The thought that baseball immortals like Cobb, Aaron, Wagner, Yastrzemski, Brett, Schmidt, Seaver, Ryan, Gibson, Mathewson, Feller, and Ryan (the list goes on and on) are not recognized as such by some narcissistic voters is nothing short of preposterous.

Obviously, no player goes through their entire baseball career in a perfect manner, as the game is simply a sport of failure. In fact, Mickey Mantle said in 1970, "During my 18 years I came to bat 10,000 times (9,907 to be exact]. I struck out 1,700 times [1,710 precisely] and walked maybe 1,800 times [1,733 to be accurate]. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season [Mantle averaged a little more than 550 per year in his career]. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball." Even the most periodic hitters in baseball history fail more than they succeed. However, Mantle and so many other ballplayers have played at such an extraordinarily high level that it is impossible for anybody to rationally assert that they should not be put into the Hall right away. Often times, writers refuse to vote for historic players because of their own agendas, their dislike towards a player professionally (Ted Williams didn't get some votes because of some troublesome relationships with the media), or some sort of egotism that no guy should go into Cooperstown with a completely unblemished record. However, with Greg Maddux on the ballot in 2014, undoubtedly one of the best five pitchers to ever take the mound, baseball writers have the chance to make up for their past failures and unanimously vote in a player that is universally accepted as one of the greatest of all-time and a no doubt Hall of Famer.

It needs to be remembered that Greg Maddux pitched in a time period where hitting numbers were at an all-time high. The mad dog, who took the major league mound from 1986 to 2008 with the Cubs (1986-1992, 2004-2006), Braves (1993-2003), Dodgers (2006, 2008), and Padres (2007-2008), spent the entirety of his career in the steroid era and pitched to a generation of supposed stars whose performance was being radically enhanced by synthetic drugs. Even aside from steroids, which is a major reason for the increase in runs in the MLB over the past several years, a surge in analytical analysis, tape on every pitch a pitcher has ever thrown, more restrictions on pitchers innings and pitchers, lowering the pitching mound, livening up the baseballs, and decreasing the size of the strike zone has made it ever so difficult for starting pitchers nowadays to be as dominate as those that preceded them.

Let's take a look at Bob Gibson, another pitcher widely recognize as one of the greatest of all-time, for a brief comparison on just how much baseball has changed over the ages. While Gibson is unquestionably one of the best pitchers to have ever lived, he pitched in an era where low ERA's and little run production were the norm rather than the exception. Gibson's 1968 season is certainly astounding by any measure, no matter what time period. Heck, having a 1.12 ERA over an entire season (the fourth lowest all-time behind Tim Keef's 0.86 ERA in 1890, Dutch Leonard's 0.96 ERA in 1914, and Mordecai Brown's 1.04 ERA in 1906) and pitching in 24 games where the opponent scored one run or fewer would be impressive against a team from Eagle, Alaska, not to say major league ball clubs.

However, it cannot be overlooked that in that same season, six other pitchers (Luis Tiant, Sam McDowell, Dave McNally, Denny McLain, Tommy John, and Bobby Bolin) also had an ERA under two. To put just how high that number is in perspective, in the 45 years since 1968, only 19 times have pitchers ever finished with an ERA under two and just four pitchers did so during Maddux's entire career (Maddux in 1994 and 1995, Kevin Brown in 1996, Pedro Martinez in 1997 and 2000, and Roger Clemens in 1990 and 2005). In fact, the .237 batting average of the American and National League that year was the lowest in the history of the game. Meanwhile, Maddux pitched in a completely different time period, where the National League's batting average of .268 in 1999 was the highest for the league since 1939 when guys like Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Mel Ott, and Hank Greenberg were dominating baseball. While in 1968 the NL scored 5,577 runs, in 2000, the National League tallied up an astonishing 12,976 runs, the most ever scored by a league in a single-season in baseball history. You want more examples? In Gibson's historic 1968 season, just 1.623 percentage of at-bats ended in home runs in the NL, the lowest rate since 1946, but in 2000, there were home runs every 3.386 times a hitter came to the plate in the National League, the highest percentage ever. In fact, although Frank Howard was the only guy in 1968 to hit at least 40 home runs, 16 different ballplayer reached the plateau in 2000. In 1968, the major league slugging percentage of .340 was the lowest since 1918 while in 2000 it was .437, the highest in MLB history.

Nonetheless, when looking at Maddux's numbers, they still stack up very favorably with the greatest players who have ever stepped on a mound to pitch in the major leagues. This is why the time period that Maddux pitched in needs to be considered when looking at just how amazing he was in his career. While everybody around him was having difficulties pitching in an age of high run scoring, Maddux was throwing as if it were the 1960's or 1970's, which makes his career that much more impressive. It was as if Maddux was an anachronism, pitching at levels they were only seen in baseball's stone ages before the game was geared towards an increase in run production. Just look in the next few paragraphs at some of the unprecedented numbers that Maddux put up in his 23-year career despite the ridiculous scoring rates in the majors in the 1990's and 2000's.

Greg Maddux was not a pitcher that would overpower hitters with his velocity, as his fastball only topped out at around the 93 mph mark even in his younger years with the Cubs and in the prime of his career with Atlanta. In fact, Maddux routinely threw fastballs in the mid to high 80's for the majority of his illustrious career. Since the mad dog was not anything close to a power pitcher like a Randy Johnson or a Steve Carlton, he did not strikeout too many opposing hitters, as he only had one season with more than 200 k's (1998). To put that in perspective, Nolan Ryan had 15 seasons with at least 200 strikeouts, Tom Seaver had 10 seasons where he fanned more than 200 batters, and Walter Johnson had 7 consecutive seasons with more than 200 k's from 1911 to 1916.

While Maddux did not have a propensity for strikeouts, he was able to put hitters on their bat foot by always thinking a step ahead, as he was the best cat-and-mouse pitcher anybody has ever seen with his diligent pitching approach. Maddux was a baseball genius and one of the most tactically advanced pitchers to ever step on a big league diamond. There has never been another pitcher in baseball history to have the same accuracy and ability to paint all the corners of the plate as Greg Maddux. His incredible control of the baseball was truly unprecedented, as he out-smarted and out-manipulated so many hitters by changing speeds, being deceptive with his pitch selections, and putting the ball in the exact position he wanted it to go. Maddux's true precision on the mound can be seen in the paucity of walks that he allowed in his career. In the last 80 years dating back to 1933, Maddux's career BB/9 rate of 1.8 ranks in the top 10 all-time (minimum 1,500 innings pitched for starters), only behind Hall of Famers like Robin Roberts and Carl Hubbell. His BB% of 4.9 is also amongst the top 10 lowest in the last 70 years since 1943 (minimum 1,500 innings pitched for starters). Although Maddux did pitch to contact, as he rarely walked opposing batters but also got few strikeouts, he was a ground ball pitcher with his slider and change-up and scarcely got exploited for home run balls. In the last 30 years since 1983, Maddux's HR/9 ratio of 0.63 is the fifth best amongst starting pitchers (minimum 1,500 innings pitched for starters). In fact, in a six year stretch from 1992 to 1997, despite pitching nearly 1,425 innings, the mad dog allowed just 53 home runs in 192 starts or roughly just one home run for every three and a half starts. In 1994, for example, Maddux pitched 202 innings and allowed just 4 home runs the entire season, the last pitcher to have at least those numbers was Marino Pieretti, who did so 68 years ago in 1945 with the Washington Senators when he pitched 233.1 innings and allowed just 3 home runs.

There are a lot of pitchers in the Hall of Fame who had very steady, consistent careers in the major leagues for several years. While Bert Blyleven only had one season with at least 20 wins, just one year with a WHIP under 1.060 (outside of the top 500 for a single-season), and never finished in the top two of the Cy Young in a particular season, he did have an ERA of at least 3.03 in 11 different years in the big leagues and had eight seasons with more than 205 strikeouts. Similarly, Don Sutton, only exceeded 20 wins once in his 23 years in baseball and never had a season with a pitching WAR above 6.6, but he did have 20 years with more than 200 innings pitched and 10 seasons with an ERA of at least 3.06. On the other hand, many pitchers in Cooperstown had a few seasons in the big leagues that were exceedingly brilliant but then did little beyond their great few years. Sandy Koufax is the prime example of this. The left-hander had the greatest six-year stretch in baseball history that included four seasons with an ERA of 2.04 or lower, at least 20 complete games in three separate years, a H/9 of at least 6.5 in four seasons, three seasons with more than 300 innings pitched along with more than 300 strikeouts, and four no-hitters (including a perfect game). However, Koufax only had 165 wins and a career WAR of 53.2 (Cy Young's career WAR was 170.3) because he only pitched 12 seasons due to arm injuries.

However, Maddux had the best of both worlds, as he was a very dependable starter that also had a few historic and unparalleled seasons that will go down as some of the greatest of all-time. The mad dog had a very long and consistent 23-year MLB career. He won 355 games in his time in the big leagues (the 8th most ever by a pitcher and the 2nd most since the 1930's, only behind Warren Spahn) and chewed up innings with 5,008.1 over his career (the 13th most all-time and the 6th most since the 1930's). His adjusted pitching wins of 57.75, win probability added of 59.44 (2nd best behind Roger Clemens), and adjusted pitching runs of 531 are all in the top 6 all-time for a career and his WAR of 104.6 is also the 8th best ever and only behind Roger Clemens and Tom Seaver since the 1930's. Maddux had 7 seasons with a WHIP under 1.050, which has only been bettered by Walter Johnson's 10 seasons under the mark (Johnson had an WHIP under 1.000 9 times in fact). Additionally, Maddux had a seven-year stretch from 1992 to 1998 that included some of the greatest single-seasons that baseball has ever seen from a pitcher. In that span, Maddux went 127-53 with a 2.15 ERA, a 190 ERA+, and a 0.968 WHIP. In 1994 and 1995, Maddux's ERA was below 1.632, which only two pitchers have ever done once since 1918 (Bob Gibson and Luis Tiant in 1968). In fact, Sandy Koufax is the only pitcher aside from Maddux to have two seasons with an ERA under 1.90 since 1918. Maddux also had a ERA+ of at least 260 in both of those seasons, which puts both of them in the top 5 all-time and puts him as the only pitcher along with Walter Johnson and Pedro Martinez to have two seasons with an ERA+ of more than 222. In that 1995 season as well, Maddux's WHIP of 0.811 was the 6th best ever in a single season and the 2nd best since 1913 only behind Pedro Martinez. The mad dog's pitching feats over this historic stretch were recognized, as he won four straight Cy Young awards from 1992 to 1995 (Randy Johnson, who won four consecutive Cy Young awards from 1999 to 2002, is the only other pitcher to win more than 2 in a row). While year-after-year Maddux was amongst the steadiest pitchers in the big league, his amazing stretch in the prime of his career sets him apart from almost any other pitcher of the last four decades.

One of the many things that often gets overlooked in the Hall of Fame process is a player's role in the context of a team or in relation to the success or failure of a ball club, particularly his play in the postseason. Obviously, the Hall is an individual accomplishment for a ballplayer's performance on the field (and off it thanks to betting on games [Pete Rose] and steroids [too long of a list to even begin]). However, while it is rather overt, the point of baseball is to in fact win games and championships and not just accumulate and compile impressive numbers in meaningless innings in order for consideration into Cooperstown. Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, for example, pitched in 864 games (the four most by a starting pitcher all-time behind Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, and Walter Johnson) and won 318 games, but he was never apart of a single playoff victory in his entire 24-year career. While it would not be equitable to claim that it was Niekro's doing that his teams were always below par, it does mean something extra when guys like Maddux build a team up to a title contender. Granted, Maddux did have a Atlanta ball club made up of guys like Javy Lopez, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Mark Wohlers, Tom Glavine, and John Smolz, but a Hall of Fame career should at least be somewhat predicated on a player's ability to improve his team in a way that manifests itself into putting the club in position for victories. Thus, while team success should not be used as a deterrent for players who were on poor MLB clubs, the accomplishments of a team should be seen as a added boost for players' Hall of Fame candidacy.

Maddux was a key figure in the Braves' stretch from 1995 to 2003 in which the team won 9 straight NL East crowns (only the Yankees from 1998 to 2003 have ever won more than 5 division championships in a row), which included three trips to the World Series (1995, 1996, and 1999) and a MLB title in 1995. Maddux's triumphs in the postseason should be like a weighted GPA in school, as you should get more Hall of Fame credit for pitching well in big postseason games, which in this rather odd metaphor, would be like honors classes. In the Braves three World Series appearances, Maddux was the prime reason behind the team's success, as he had a 2.27 ERA in the postseason in 95, 96, and 99 and only had 1 start out of 14 where he didn't last at least 7 innings. Maddux proved clutch time and time again in the postseason with Atlanta, highlighted by his start in game 1 of the 1995 World Series against the Indians, where Maddux threw 9 innings and allowed 2 hits, no walks, and no earner runs in just the Braves 7th World Series since the 1900's. While baseball is not an individual based sport like basketball, where the best players in the world automatically put their team in a title position, the fact that Maddux was the catalysts behind a strong ball club certainly enhances his already loaded Hall of Fame resume.

Maddux's exact place in history can and will be debated for the rest of time. In my estimation, the mad dog is the 2nd best pitcher the majors has seen since the 1940's and is in the number 5 spot all-time behind Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, and Tom Seaver. However, one thing that can not be contested is that Maddux is more than deserving of a first-ballot nomination in the Hall and as one of the best pitchers in the history of the sport by all accounts, it would take a really foolish and incompetent voter to not select him. If voters are so stuck up in their ways that they refuse to chose a player not because he isn't worthy of selection but because they believe nobody should be a unanimous pick, than some real changes need to be considered for the Hall of Fame voting.

My American League All-Star Ballot

With the MLB All-Star Game just over 2 weeks away, it's time that we start to look at what the All-Star starting line-up should look like for the American League. The AL should have some nice fan support at the Midsummer Classic, as the game is being held in Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, which recently had a large scale renovation and was thereby promised the All-Star game by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

In the 82 MLB All-Star games played since 1933, the AL has a losing record of 38-42-2. However, the American League has been dominate in the game in the past 24 years. Since 1988, the AL has had a record of 18-5-1 in the game and they were unbeaten in the Midsummer Classic from 1997 to 2009. Here are my selections from the American League All-Star team:

AL Catching Front-Runner: A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox

AL Catching Contenders: Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers

With none of the American League catchers having great seasons, A.J. Pierzynski is a solid choice to represent the AL behind the plate on July 10th. The 14-year veteran catcher has shown how effective he can be at the dish when he remains healthy and off the DL. Pierzynski, who leads all MLB catchers with 41 RBI's, has been one of the main cogs in the middle of the White Sox line-up and is a big reason that the team is 7th in the MLB in run scoring.

In all offensive categories, Pierzynski is having a career year. He already has 12 home runs, which is tied for the 2nd most amongst MLB catchers, and he is on pace to smash his previous season home run high, which he set in 2005 when he hit 18 long balls with the White Sox. A.J. is also 2nd in the MLB amongst catchers in slugging percentage at .493, which is 29 points higher than his previous season best mark in the category, which he set in 2003 with the Minnesota Twins when he had a slugging percentage of .464.

As always, A.J. has been very good defensively for the South Chicago team as well. He has started in 59 of the White Sox 73 games and has made just 2 errors all season, which is tied for the fewest amongst AL catchers. 

Joe Mauer is also having a pretty good season behind the plate with the Minnesota Twins but his power numbers are way down this year. Although Mauer is batting an impressive .323, he has hit just 3 home runs all season, which is tied for the 2nd least amongst the 21 MLB catchers that have had at least 150 at-bats on the year.

It has been the opposite story for Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli. Although Napoli has hit 12 home runs, he leads all MLB catchers with 74 strikeouts and his average, which was a career high .320 last year, has dipped way down to .245.

Pierzynski is obviously not a run away chose to start the All-Star game, but his production has been good enough to get a nod for the AL. If Pierzynski is selected for the All-Star game, it would be his 3rd appearance (2002, 2006). It would be Mauer's 5th All-Star Game appearance (2006, 2008-2010) if he were picked for the AL. If Napoli is selected to the prestigious game, it would be his first Midsummer Classic.

AL First Base Front-Runner: Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox
AL First Base Contender: Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers

After finishing 4 games under .500 last season, the Chicago White Sox should be well represented in this year's All-Star game. Like the aging A.J. Pierzynski, Paul Konerko is on pace to have the best year of his career in his 16th year in the league.

Konerko, whose .337 batting average is the 2nd best in the American League, has shown that he is not yet out of his prime. In an age with a ton of quality AL first basemen like Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Justin Morneau, Adrian Gonzelez, and Prince Fielder, the 36-year old Konerko is showing no signs of slowing down. The White Sox slugger is 2nd in the AL with a .415 on base percentage and his .979 OPS is the 4th best in the AL. Despite the fact that Konerko has had fewer at-bats than most other first basemen due to the fact that he needs some more rests than younger guys like Pujols and Gonzalez, who both have had more than 280 at-bats compared to Konerko's 243, the White Sox captain leads all AL first basemen in home runs with 13.

Although Mark Teixeira has his batting average up 6 points from when it was .248 last season, the only other real threat for the AL first base spot is Prince Fielder. Fielder, who signed a 9-year, 214 million dollar contract with the Tigers during the off-season, is having another very impressive year. He leads all AL first basemen in RBI's with 46 and is the only first basemen other than Konerko in the AL that is batting above .300. It is really splitting hairs between selecting Konerko and Fielder for the first base spot in the All-Star Game.

Konerko, who is having another great season, has been an underrated star ever since he came to the White Sox 13 years ago in 1999, but his really impressive season this year should not go without an All-Star Game nod. If Konerko is selected as an All-Star, it would be his 6th appearance in the Midsummer Classic (2002, 2005-2006, 2010-2011) and his 3rd straight year appearing in the game. Prince Fielder is aiming to make his 4th All-Star Game appearance (2007, 2009, 2011) and his 1st representing the American League.

AL Second Base Front-Runner: Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees
AL Second Base Contenders: Jason Kipnis of the Cleveland Indians

As a Red Sox fan, the guy that I have feared the most in the Yankee line-up for years has been the smooth left handed swinging Robinson Cano. Although Cano has really struggled this year in terms of driving guys in with runners in scoring position, he is still hitting for a lot of power. Cano, who has hit at least 25 home runs for the past three seasons, has been using the long ball to pace the Yankee offense. Cano leads all second basemen with 17 home runs and his 40 extra base hits are the 2nd most in the MLB. Although Cano has had so much success with the long ball, which has always impressed me about him is that he still gets on base a lot and he is not a big hit or miss guy. Cano leads all AL second basemen with a .302 batting average and his .369 on base percentage is also the best among AL second basemen.

Jason Kipnis, the Indians 2010 Minor League Player of the Year, is not yet a household commodity, but the everyday Indians second baseman has been very good this year. Although Cano is having another solid year, the Indians youngster should not be overlooked. Kipnis leads all AL second basemen with 42 RBI's and he has also cased havoc on the base paths, as he has stolen 17 bases and only been caught stealing one.

If Cano is selected to the All-Star Game, it would be his 4th All-Star appearance (2006, 2010-2011) and the 3rd straight year that he would be starting at 2nd base for the AL. Kipnis is aiming to become the first Indians second basemen to appear in the All-Star game since Ronnie Belliard participated in the 2004 Midsummer Classic.

AL Shortstop Front-Runner: Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers
AL Shortstop Contender: Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians

Don't get me wrong, Derek Jeter has been unbelievable this season for the Bronx Bombers. The 38-year old shortstop, who batted .270 in 2010 and hit just 6 home runs last season, both of which were the lowest of his career (not including 1995 when he played just 15 games), has turned it around in his 18th year in the league. The Yankee captain leads all MLB shortstops with a .304 average and leads the entire American League with 93 hits.

Although the beloved Jeter is probably going to get the most votes of any AL shortstop, Elvis Andrus  deserves to start the game at short for the American League. The Texas Rangers offense has been the most dominate attack in baseball, as the team leads the league in run scoring (388), hits (732), average (.282), on base percentage (.343), slugging percentage (.456), and on base plus slugging percentage (.800). Much of the attention surrounding the Rangers line-up goes to the middle of their order, where Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli are all big time power hitters.

However, Elvis Andrus should get a ton of credit for the Rangers offensive explosion this year because game after game he is the table setter for the teams big bats. Andrus is 1 of only 4 shortstops that is batting at least .300 and he has the 2nd highest on base percentage among middle infielders. Andrus has constantly been getting on base for the Rangers and he is a big reason for their offensive success.

We can't go through the American League shortstops without mentioning Asdrubal Cabrera. The Cleveland Indians young star, who emerged last year after 4 straight mediocre seasons, is showing once again this year why he is the next up and coming shortstop. Cabrera leads all AL shortstops with a .486 slugging percentage and a .869 on base plus slugging percentage. Despite being a shortstop, Cabrera can hit for power and he has shown that once again this year.

Andrus is looking to make his second All-Star appearance (2010) and Cabrera is attempting to appear in his 2nd straight Midsummer Classic (2011). If Derek Jeter, an All-Star regular, is selected to the game, he would be making his 13th All-Star appearance (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-2011) and his 6th straight.

AL Third Base Front-Runner: Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers
AL Third Base Contender: Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels

Of all the choices for the American League All-Star starters, the decision between Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, and Mark Trumbo at third base is by fair the toughest. To look at the pure numbers that these three guys have put up so far this year is incredible. Beltre is 3rd in the AL with a .328 batting average, while Trumbo ranks 6th in the AL with a .316 average. Miguel Cabrera is no slouch either, as he is the only other AL 3rd basemen batting over .300. Cabrera is 2nd in the league with 59 RBI's, while Trumbo and Beltre are the only other MLB 3rd basemen with at least 46 RBI's.

Cabrera, who has batted at least. 290 with at least 25 home runs and 100 RBI's in his last 8 seasons, is once again on pace for another fabulous season with those type of numbers. The Tigers slugger, who has finished in the top 5 of MVP voting 5 times since 2005, has made the transition over to third base much better than people expected as well. His .963 fielding percentage is the best among all AL third basemen. Despite the fact that Trumbo has been getting most of his starts for the Angels in the outfield at right or left field, he is qualified on the All-Star ballot as a third basemen.

Although Cabrera and Trumbo are having phenomenal years, Beltre should have the slightest of edges to start at third base for the American League. Along with Josh Hamilton, Beltre has been the biggest threat on the best line-up in the majors. The three-time Gold Glover and three-time Silver Slugger is killing right handed pitching, as he is batting .361 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI's against righties.

If Beltre is selected to the All-Star Game, he would be playing in the Midsummer Classic for a third straight time (2010-2011). Miguel Cabrera is hoping to make his 7th All-Star Game (2004-2007, 2010-2011) and his 3rd straight. Trumbo is looking to make his first ever All-Star appearance.

AL Outfield Front-Runners: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays
AL Outfield Contenders: Josh Reddick of the Oakland Athletics, Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees, Josh Willingham of the Minnesota Twins

The easiest choice in the entire All-Star Game is selecting Josh Hamilton as one of the three outfielders for the American League. Hamilton, who has received over 7.3 million votes, which is already just shy of the record for the most votes for a player in a single year that was set by Jose Bautista last year, has been on a torrid pace this year.

Hamilton is tied for 2nd in the league with 23 home runs and leads the MLB with 66 RBI's and that includes an 8 game stretch in May where he hit 9 home runs and had 19 RBI's. With his unbelievably light hands, Josh has been able to maintain the 5th best average in the AL at .318. Although Hamilton has cooled off a little bit in the month of June, his slugging percentage is still tremendously high as he leads the league in the category. If Hamilton keeps up his pace, he would become just the 10th player in the last 10 years since 2003 to have a single-season slugging percentage of at least. 650.

The other two choices for the outfield spots were obviously much harder to pick, but the slight nods should go to Adam Jones and Jose Bautista.

In an offense that doesn't really have a lot of weapons, Adam Jones has been one of the most consistent contributors in the entire American League, as he is batting .300, has hit 19 home runs, and has driven in 40 runs. Jones, whose 6-year, 85.5 million dollar contract extension was the largest in Orioles history, is on pace to become the 2nd Orioles player and first since Frank Robinson in 1966 to hit at least 40 home runs and bat at least .300 in a season.

After two straight years of 40 plus home runs and 100 plus RBI's, Jose Bautista began the 2012 season very slowly. His numbers at the end of April were a .181 batting average to go along with just 3 home run and 10 RBI's.

However, since his early season slump, Joey Bats has returned to his normal power hitting self. Bautista has hit 12 home runs in his last 21 games in June and he now leads the league with 24 long balls and is in top three with 57 RBI's. Although Bautista is obviously a big time power guy, he  has stuck out just 49 times, while other power hitters like Curtis Granderson, Nelson Cruz, and Josh Willingham have all stuck out at least 69 times. In fact, Bautista has batted above .255 in the last two months and has gotten his average up to a little under .240.

The other three guys that I think are in the mix for the outfield spots, Reddick, Granderson, and Willingham, have all had solid years, but none of them have been up to the standard of Hamilton, Jones, and Bautista.

After being a part-time outfielder last year with the Boston Red Sox, Josh Reddick has been a really nice pleasant surprise for the Oakland A's. Reddick, who has already had more at-bats this season than he did all of last year, is showing big time power, as he has hit 17 home runs including a 21 game stretch in May when he hit 10 long balls. However, Reddick's 70 strikeouts are the 3rd most in the AL and his .344 on base percentage doesn't even rank inside the top 60 in the league.

Although Curtis Granderson is just 6-1 and 185 pounds, his numbers look like that of a typical power hitter. The Grandy Man is in the top 4 in the league in home runs with 21 and his isolated power ranks 10th in the AL, but his batting average is just .243 including .230 against right-handed pitchers.

Finally, Josh Willingham, who has hit at least 20 home runs 4 times in the last 6 years, has shown his power once again this season, and he is also getting on base much more often this year. Willingham, like Adam Jones, has been really consistent across the board, as he is batting .275 to go along with 15 home runs and 49 RBI's.

Josh Hamilton is vying to make his 5th straight All-Star Game (2008-2011), while Jose Bautista is trying to appear in his 3rd straight Midsummer Classic (2010-2011). Adam Jones hopes to make his 2nd All-Star Game (2009) and become the first Orioles outfielder since Brady Anderson (1992, 1996-1997) to appear multiple times in the prestigious game.

If Curtis Granderson is selected to the game, he would be making his 3rd All-Star appearance (2009, 2011). Josh Reddick and Josh Willingham are both vying to appear in their first ever Midsummer Classic. If Reddick is selected to the game, he would be the first A's All-Star outfielder in 14 years since Ben Grieve in 1998.

AL Designated Hitter Front-Runner: David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox
AL Designated Hitter Contender: Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays

Remember back in 2008 and 2009 when David Ortiz began both years awfully slowly and people left and right were wondering if the Red Sox slugger's career was coming to an end? Well, that seems like a distant memory now because Big Papi is on pace to have one of the best years of his career in his 16th year in the league at the age of 36.

The Sox designated hitter ranks in the top 3 in the league in runs scored, 6th in the AL with 20 home runs, 8th in the AL with 52 RBI's, 5th in the AL in OBS, 3rd in the league in slugging, and 4th in the MLB in OPS. Ortiz doesn't look like he is slowing down anytime soon and he has been the only consistent bat in a line-up without Jacoby Ellisbury and Carl Crawford due to injury and where perennial All-Stars Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez have mightily struggled. Papi is seeing the ball so well right now and he is hitting anything in the strike zone. Ortiz is now just 2 long balls away from 400 home runs, and if he continues his current pace, he will become the first Red Sox to ever hit 40 home runs after the age of 36.

Although Ortiz should definitely get the nod at the DH spot for the AL, Edwin Encarnacion's impressive season should not go without notice. Encarnacion, who could not play another game for the rest of the year and still have the best numbers of his entire 8-year career, has been on a tare up in Toronto. The Blue Jays DH is in the top 4 in the league with 21 home runs and he has accounted for 51 RBI's. His .575 slugging percentage is the 4th best in the AL as well.

Ortiz is looking to make his 8th All-Star game at the DH position for the AL (2004-2008, 2010-2011). If Encarnacion is selected to the Midsummer Classic, he would become the 4th ever Blue Jay to appear in the prestigious game as a DH joining Paul Molitor (1993-1994) and Shea Hillenbrand (2005).

No-Hitters Are Becoming Much Less Special in Today's Game

Pitching a no-hitter has always been one of the most ionic achievements in baseball, and the no-hit club is a group that every pitcher wants to be apart of. More than any other sport, baseball is a numbers game and it cherishes its past history and stats. There is no other club in sports, like the no-hit club, where a player from 1876 will always have a connection to a player in today's modern game. Another component that makes a no-hitter so special is the fact that it can happen on any given day that a pitcher steps to the mound, and history has shown that no-hitters can come from the most unlikely of places. In 1999 for example, Jose Jimenez threw a no-hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite the fact that entering the game Jimenez had just 5 career wins and was 3-7 during the year with a 6.69 ERA. Finally, the atmosphere around a park with a no-hitter in progress is a unique electric nervousness, and an amazing sight to see.

Although no-hitters have always been treasured, they are becoming less and less valued today because of their increase in frequency. With more and more no-hitters being thrown, no-hit outings are becoming less special by the month.

We all remember the power surge that took place in the MLB during the 1990's and much of the 2000's. Who can forget Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's home run battles during the 1998 and 1999 seasons when McGwire knocked out 65 and 70 homers in the two years respectively, while Sosa was not far behind with 63 home runs of his own in 1998 and 66 the following year in 1999. How bout 2001 when Barry Bonds hit an MLB record 73 home runs, and Sosa hit 64 in the same year, while Rafael Palmeiro's 47 home runs were only the 8th most in the league. To put that in perspective, last year Jose Bautista led the league with 43 home runs, and in 2009 the most home runs by any AL player was 39 by Carlos Pena and Mark Teixeira.

But that era was tainted by steroid usage, and now that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has made it his personal mission to have the toughest drug testing in all of sports in order to attempt to ensure that steroids will no longer be present in baseball, run scoring has gone way down.

In 1999, the Cleveland Indians led the MLB with 1,009 runs scored, while in 2010 the Yankees led the league but their run total was all the way down to 859 over the course of the year. Also, in 1999, the Twins were dead last in the MLB in runs scored as they produced just 686 runs over the 162 game season, while two years ago 12 teams scored less than 686 runs and last year 14 teams scored less than 686 runs including 9 of the 16 teams from the National League. In fact, in 1999, every team in the playoffs scored at least 820 runs, while the Giants made the playoffs in 2010 after scoring just 697 runs over the course of the year.

Times have obviously changed since the early 2000's and the league has totally shifted from being dominated by big time power hitters like Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez to pitchers such as Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia. With the increasing effectiveness of pitchers, there has be a rapid rise in no-hitters, which are making no-no's much more common and therefore they are losing a little bit of their luster.

Just this year alone, we have already seen 5 no-hitters and there is still almost a month until the All-Star Game. The 5 no-hitters before the All-Star break are the most no-no's before the Midsummer's Classic since 22 years ago in 1990. And the scary part is, we could be in store for a few more no-hitters even before we get to the All-Star Game, as in the last 13 days alone we have witnessed a no-hitter by Johan Santana, a combined no-hitter by 6 Seattle Mariners pitchers, and a perfect game by Matt Cain.

Pitchers throwing no-hitters right after each other has been a trend for the past couple of years. In 2009, Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter for the Giants on July 10th and thirteen days later Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game for the White Sox. Last year, Francisco Liriano threw a no-hitter for the Twins on May 3rd and four days later Justin Verlander threw a no-no for the Tigers.

A perfect game, were a pitcher doesn't allow a base runner all outing, is obviously admired by all baseball fans. But often times after a pitcher has allowed a base runner in some form other than a hit and the perfect game is shattered, the no-hitter doesn't always look as pretty. Many detractors think that numerous walks and base runners take away from a no-hitter.

For example, the beauty of a no-hitter is lost when A.J. Burnett doesn't allow a hit for the Marlins, but still walks 9 Padres batters. The elegance is no longer present when Erving Santana no-hits the Cleveland Indians but the Indians still manage to score a run.

However, the bigger problem has to do with the pure rise in no-hitters in today's game. In the last three years dating back to 2010, there have been a total of 14 no-hitters thrown. The 14 no-no's are the most over a three year span since there were 15 no-hitters thrown from 1990 to 1992. In fact, in the last 6 years since 2007, pitchers have thrown 21 no-hitters. To put in perspective the extreme increase in no-no's, in a 6 year span from 1984 to 1989, there was a total of just 5 no-hitters.

Obviously in a literal sense, there is no difference between Eddie Cicotte's no-hitter for the White Sox in 1917 and Jered Weaver's no-no last year for the Angels, as both pitchers didn't surround a hit all game. However, with the barrage of no-hitters in today's game, the significance of Weaver's no-hitter was much different than what it would have be if no-hitters were still a very rare feat.

Throwing a no-hitter will always be a great accomplishment, but no-no's lack the meaning and specialness that they one had in the past.

Jim Thome Is A First Ballot Hall Of Famer

After hitting his 599th home run over the porch in left-center field in the 6th inning, Jim Thome wasted little time to join the exclusive club of 600 home run hitters. With a 2-1 count, and Daniel Schlereth on the mound, Thome got a breaking ball on the outside corner and crushed it over the fence in left to become the 8th player in major league history to hit 600 home runs. Thome has now joined the 600 homer club, but that is not the last club he should be joining. He should also be recognized as one of the greatest baseball players of all-time and enter Cooperstown as a first ballot hall of famer.

Only 7 other players aside from Thome have hit at least 600 home runs in their career. From April 27, 1971 until August 9, 2002, a span of over 30 years, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays stood as the only three players in MLB history to have hit 600 homers. Although Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa joined Aaron, Ruth, and Mays in the 600 home run club, all three have had connections with performance enhancing drugs. Baseball numbers, like 600 home runs, are sacred and the numbers that Bonds, Rodriguez, and Sosa have put up are tainted and inflated. In contrast, Jim Thome has never failed a steroid test and he has, by all indications, never used performance enhancing drugs. Therefore, if you take out guys like Bonds, Rodriguez, and Sosa, Thome is just the 5th player in MLB history to have hit 600 home runs. It should be noted that Ken Griffey also hit 600 homers, so he would be the fourth man to have accomplished the milestone. If you think about all the great power hitters that have played in the big leagues such as Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, and Willie McCovey, none of them hit 600 home runs in their career, and all of them were first ballot hall of famers.

Although Thome's lifetime batting average is just under .280, he had 8 seasons where he batted over .280, including three seasons where he has batted over .300. His career average has dropped a few points as he has gotten older, but when he was in his prime, he hit for power and average. In 2002 he hit 52 home runs and had a batting average of .304. There have been many other first ballot hall of famers with similar averages as Thome. Willie McCovey was a career .270 hitter and never batted over .280 in his final 10 seasons. Johnny Bench had a .267 lifetime batting average, Joe Morgan had a .271 lifetime batting average, and Ernie Banks had a career .274 batting average. 

Thome is not a very fast guy by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a run-scoring-machine. He scored over 100 runs 8 times during his career, including 2002 when he scored over 100 runs on an Indians team that was 74-88 and finished more than 20 games out of first place. Thome's 1,553 runs scored are more than first ballot hall of famers and speedsters Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith, and Jackie Robinson. 

Thome has also been very productive at driving guys in. He has had 9 seasons where he has driven in over 100 RBIs, including a career high of 131 in 2003. Here is an unbelievable stat - if you combine the 100 RBI years of Jackie Robinson, Kirby Puckett, Robin Yount, and Paul Molitor, it equals the amount of 100 RBI years of Jim Thome. His 1,662 RBIs are good for 27th all-time, ahead of guys like George Brett, Mike Schmidt, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Tony Gwynn, and Rod Carew. Thome's on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging percentage have always been at the top of the league. His on-base percentage was in the top 5 of his league six times, with his career high at .450. Thome's career on-base percentage of .4033 is better than first ballot hall of famers Carl Yastrzemski, Willie Mays, and Frank Robinson. His ability to be very patient at the plate and take his walks has really helped his on-base percentage. He led the AL in walks three times and is eighth all-time in career walks. He led the AL in slugging in 2002 and his .558 slugging percentage is good for 20th all-time. His on-base plus slugging percentage for his career is .961, which is 17th all-time and better than hall of famers like Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, and Carl Yastrzemski.

Thome's productivity and longevity shows that he deserves to be a first ballot hall of famer. This is Thome's 21st season in the big leagues, and he has had season after season of solid hitting. From 1994 to 2010, that's 17 years, he's had more than 20 home runs every year except for 2005, when he missed over 100 games with an injury. He's had 12 seasons of 30 or more home runs, including one as recently as 2008 with the White Sox. It's pretty impressive that a guy who began his MLB career in 1991 can hit 34 home runs at the age of 37. He's also had six 40 home run seasons, the most recent in 2006, also as a member of the White Sox. To put how good Thome has been for an extended period of time in perspective, in Willie McCovey's final 10 seasons in the big leagues, he never hit more than 30 home runs and had less than 20 homers 6 times. In Brooks Robinson's final 6 seasons, he never hit more than 10 home runs and never scored more than 53 runs. The ability of Thome to be productive and consistent for more than 20 seasons, through the age of 39, is something very special. Only a very few ball players can lay claim to his accomplishments over the course of 20-plus seasons.

Some people argue that Thome shouldn't be a first ballot hall of famer because he never won an MVP. That is ridiculous! Thome has been a consistent MVP candidate although he has never won the award. In 2002 he hit 52 home runs, but finished 7th in the AL MVP voting because his Indians team finished more than 20 games out of first place in the AL Central. The next year he finished in fourth place in the NL MVP voting after he hit 47 home runs and drove in 131 runs in his first year with the Phillies. Thome was unlucky because that same year, Gary Sheffield, Albert Pujols, and Barry Bonds all hit at least 39 home runs. Barry "Steriod" Bonds won the MVP that year. Of the last 9 batters that were first ballot hall of famers, seven of them, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield, and Kirby Puckett never won an MVP. All-time greats and first ballot hall of famers Al Kaline and Lou Brock never won an MVP during their careers as well. Others argue that Thome made just 5 all-star games in his career. Robin Yount made just three all-star games and was a first ballot hall of famer. Lou Brock, Willie McCovey, and Jackie Robinson made just one more all-star game than Thome and were all first ballot hall of famers. 

To keep in perspective what a prolific home run hitter Jim Thome has been, over 17,000 people have played major league baseball, and only 8 guys have hit 600 homers!

Minnesota Twins Season Preview

Last year on April 7th, Justin Morneau was accidentally kneed in the head, as he was trying to break up a double play against the Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said about Morneau after the game, "He was a little dizzy out there. We got him out of the ball game. He said he had to come out. We'll see how he is tomorrow." The Twins were very concerned with their former AL MVP Morneau said, "If you get a second concussion before the first one has healed, then it can get even worse.'' Morneau didn't return to the field in 2010 and missed the Twins last 78 games with a concussion. Justin's first regular season game back since the horrible injury will ironical be at the same field where he suffered the concussion when the Twins play the Blue Jays on opening day. Morneau said about his return, "It's not like it's my first game of the year. I'm usually more nervous about the first game of spring training than opening day. But it's exciting to play on Opening Day, with the butterflies and all that comes with it." His return to the Twins in their first game is so surprising because Morneau had an abbreviated spring training, as he didn't play in the first half of the Twins games. When Justin was playing, he struggled only batting .192 with just 1 RBI. With the uncertainty of Morneau returning to his huge numbers with his health, there will be a lot of added pressure on Delmon Young. Young had the best season of his career last year when he nearly batted .300, hit 21 home runs, and added 112 RBI's. Young will have the opportunity to drive a lot of guys in again this season when he is batting fifth behind the M&M boys.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Denard Span, CF

2. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B

3. Joe Mauer, C

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Delmon Young, LF

6. Joe Thome, DH

7. Michael Cuddyer, RF

8. Danny Velencia, 3B

9. Alexi Casilla, SS

The top of the rotation will be the key for the Twins. Francisco Liriano, who went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006, missed the 2007 season after he received Tommy John Surgery during the off-season. Although Liriano struggled in 2008 and 2009, he looked much better last season posting a 3.62 ERA and having a record of 14-10. Gardenhire said, "He's one of the best starting pitchers. He's one of those top-of-the-line guys that has some pitches that blow people away. That's always valuable. That's why we signed him... He's getting better and better. Now it's just about keeping him healthy." There is no doubt that Liriano has a fastball in the mid 90's and a slider that has a hard bite, but the question will be if Liriano can stay off the DL, as he has already missed time during spring training due to a sore shoulder. Carl Pavano, at the age of 35, will also be relied on heavily to perform well. Yankee fans remember this name well, as he only pitched 9 games with the Bronx Bombers in his last two seasons in New York. However, Pavano had a spectacular season last year when he won his most games since 2004 at 17 and had his best ERA since 2004 at 3.75. 

Projected starting rotation:

1. Carl Pavano

2. Francisco Liriano

3. Nick Blackburn

4. Scott Baker

5. Brian Duensing

Projected closer:

Joe Nathan