Week Two Points and Highlights

Week two of the MLB season is in the books here are a few things that stood out to me:

- Kris Bryant Gets The Call Up
Chicago Cubs phenom Kris Bryant finally got the callup to the big league team on April 17th (which happens to be the anniversary of Mickey Mantle's debut in 1951) and proceeds to go 0-4 in with three strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. What does that mean? Not a damn thing. Chalk his debut to nerves. Bryant finished the weekend batting .300 with three hits including a double. He showed plate discipline by walking three times and only striking out four times, with three of those in the first game he played in. I think Bryant will be fine as long as people realize that he is indeed only 23-years of age.

The expectations by the Cubs faithful need to stay realistic. Winning will take time with the young team they have. They need to do things taking baby steps at first and then developing into a winning team. That takes time and patience. I mean the Cubs haven't won a World Series in over 100-years. What's waiting a few more to get it done right.

- Red Sox’s Rusney Castillo Sidelined Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury
While the buzz is high in Chicago with the promotion of prospect Kris Bryant, the buzz is down with Boston's phenom Rusney Castillo. The word on Castillo wasn't if he was getting called up but when. To the point that on a recent ESPN broadcast, the analysts were debating on which current Boston Red Sox outfielder would become the odd-man out when the eventual call-up was made.

Now the word from Beantown is that Castillo has been shut down due to a shoulder injury. According to the article Red Sox’s Rusney Castillo Sidelined Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury by Ricky Doyle from NESN dated April 14, 2015, Castillo's had an An MRI which revealed only inflammation and no structural damage in Castillo’s right shoulder.

Unlike the aforementioned Bryant who is under contractual control by the Cubs at a bargain rookie rate, Castillo is not. Castillo was signed last August by the Red Sox as a free agent at the tune of seven-year, $72.5 million dollars. While I'm sure there are many a member of the Boston faithful wondering if the Bosox will get their money's worth from Castillo, patience needs to be shown. This injury didn't come through negligence. It came while on the field.

- Alex Rodriguez's Performance
I had a brief discussion about this early last week. It really is hard to root for Alex Rodriguez. For years I rooted for him. I felt that he had hit rock bottom with his admission of PED use in 2009 and that he a reached redemption with his performance coming back from injury and helping the Yankees win the 2009 World Series. But the shenanigans from the last few years including those that led to a circus of a hearing which led to a year long suspension really soured me on him. The joke among Yankees fans was that Derek Jeter was retiring to avoid the A-Rod media circus that would start upon his reinstatement for the 2015 season. But I have to admit, throughout Spring Training and in the first two weeks of the season, A-Rod has been an exemplary and productive member of the team.

He's played everywhere manager Joe Girardi has asked him to play and he has been very productive at the plate, showing flashes of plate discipline and the powerful swing that propelled him to the superstar level in MLB. A-Rod finished this weekend with a slash line of .316/.447/.711 with 12 hits in 38 at-bats including three doubles and four home runs. He does have 15 strikeouts but also 9 walks so he is showing discipline at the plate.

Perhaps A-Rod has gotten tired of the media circus and the drama that he seems to bring upon himself. Maybe he can redeem himself with a productive end to his illustrious and disappointing career, walking off into the sunset with his head held high.

- Defending Champs Losing Ways
Giants' fans are wondering what has happened to their three time World Series Champions. The Gigantes have had a bit of a rough stretch in terms of both injuries to vital players and in games lost. Its best to have a losing streak in April rather than one in September. I know many like to invoke the "Odd Year Curse" for the Giants. In case you don't know what that is, since 2010, the Giants have won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with a second place 86-76 season in 2011 and a fourth place 76-86 season in 2013. Both odd year seasons resulted in no post-season appearance for the Gigantes. Now if you believe in that sort of thing, then you might as well stop watching now. Even thought the NL West is reloaded for bear this season, the 2015 campaign is only two weeks in. So climb off the ledge fans of the Gigantes and have faith in your team.

- Mike Trout becomes the youngest player to 100 homers and 100 stolen bases
Trout reached the 100 homers/100 stolen base plateau this past Friday night. In doing so, he became the youngest player to do so. at 23-years and 251-days old, he eclipsed the aforementioned Alex Rodriguez who was the prior fastest to 100 homers/100 stolen bases. Rodriguez did so at 23-years 309-days old in 1999. According to Alden Gonzalez in his article Trout Smashes 100th Career Home Run from MLB.com dated April 17, 2015, Trout is the second player in Angels history with triple digits in homers and steals. The other Angel is Darren Erstad who had 114 homers and 170 stolen bases.

Trout had a 30/30 season in 2012 with 30 homers/49 stolen bases and narrowly missed another 30/30 season in 2013 with 27 homers/33 stolen bases. Last season Trout's stolen base production dropped significantly as he became a major run producer. He had 36 homers with only 16 stolen bases. Will Trout utilize his speed more this season to try and steal more bases or will he just focus on driving in runs with his power. That will remain to be seen.

- The Kansas City Royals Finally Lose
And in the most surprising news of the fledgling 2015 season, the American League Champion Kansas City Royals had their hopes for a 162-0 season dashed in a loss against the Minnesota Twins. The same way I tell Giants fans to just chill out about their team losing, I need to tell the same thing to those jumping off the Royals bandwagon after not only losing one game against the Twins, but losing two games and the series to the Twinkies.

Its good that the Royals are feisty (having a bench clearing incident against Mike Trout and the Angels) and are winning games but let's be honest. Its only two weeks in. Historically, how many teams have gone undefeated in the first week or two of the season and not make the playoffs. Probably quite a few. I'm not saying this is what will happen to the Royals. But eight straight wins is only roughly 5% of the games played in the season. There are WAY too many games to be played to stress out. They are playing good ball. Enjoy it!!! We'll check back and see where they are in June.

I know some Mets' fans will take me to task for not mentioning their current run. I don't want to jinx the Metropolitanos. I promise to mention them in the post for the third week of the Major League season.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Five Players to Hit 100 Homers With Three Different Teams

Last night Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre became the fifth player in MLB history to hit at least 100 homers with three different teams. In seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2004), Beltre hit 147 homers. In five season with the Seattle Mariners (2005-2009), he hit 103 homers. In his fourth season with the Rangers (2011-2014), he's reached the 100 homerun plateau.

So who are the other four players. Here goes.

- Darrell Evans
In 21 seasons, Evans blasted 414 homeruns with three different teams. In nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves (1969-1974), Evans hit 131 homeruns. In eight seasons with the San Francisco Giants (1974-1983) he would hit 142 homers. In five season with the Detroit Tigers (1984-1989), Evans would hit 141 homeruns.

- Reggie Jackson 
The only Hall of Famer on this list, Reggie hit a total of 563 homeruns in 21 seasons. In ten seasons with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1967-1975), Reggie hit a total of 269 homers. In five seasons with the New York Yankees (1977-1981), he would hit 144 homeruns. In five seasons with the California Angels (1982-1987), Reggie would hit 123 homeruns.

- Alex Rodriguez
The only other active player on this list (aside from Beltre), Rodriguez leads the group with 654 homeruns in 20 seasons played. In seven seasons with the Seattle Mariners (1994-2000), Rodriguez would hit 189 homeruns. In three seasons with the Texas Rangers (2001-2003), he would hit 156 homeruns. In ten seasons with the New York Yankees (2004-2013), Rodriguez would hit 309 homeruns.

- Jim Thome 
In 22 seasons, Thome hit 617 homeruns making him the player with the second most career homeruns after Alex Rodriguez (654). In thirteen seasons with the Cleveland Indians (1991-2002), Thome would hit 337 homeruns. In four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (2003-2005/2012), he would hit 101 homeruns. In four seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2006-2009), Thome would hit 134 homeruns.

So there you have the list of the five players to hit at least 100 homers with three different major league teams.

For the next couple of posts, I have some interesting trivia questions that have come up in recent Yankees' telecasts that I want to touch upon. So keep your eyes open for them.

Until Then Play Ball,

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access Adrian Beltre's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Darrell Evans' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Reggie Jackson's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Alex Rodriguez's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Jim Thome's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Frustration From A Lifelong Yankees Fan aka "What did A-Rod do today"

Frustrated doesn't even come close to describing how I feel. Now from day one of the 2013 season I knew that they Yankees wouldn't be making the postseason. I can accept that. I want the team to rebuild through youth and I know that growing pains coupled with losing seasons come with rebuilding. So my frustration doesn't stem from that. It stems from all the other bullshit that seems to be surrounding the team these days. I'm sorry to resort to profanity but I'm not feeling very cheery.

Hours can't seem to go by without one new report on how Alex Rodriguez did this or paid someone off or how the Yankees tried to sabotage his surgery and treatment. Add to that statements made in the media by numerous attorneys and Yankees brass turning this into a real shitshow that has eclipsed what the team does on the field and would make George Steinbrenner blush with embarrasement. For example, during last night's game we had customers ask "What did A-Rod do today". And while he had a productive game at the plate, all they cared about was the drama. There are 23 other players on this team who are doing their best to win games, players who are trying to keep their jobs for not only this season and for next season and all people care about is "What did A-Rod do today". The Yankees win a seesaw 9-6 game against the Boston Red Sox and all people seem to care about is "What did A-Rod do today". Plus the franchise isn't totally innocent in this drama as well. This whole public comment crusade by Yankee President Randy Levine is just bringing this down to a level that no administrator should. Its downright embarrassing. This drama has officially overshadowed the game. Threatening to become bigger than the game (if it isn't already). And undoubtedly it'll get uglier in the days to come.

On a side note, another conversation with a customer centered on the idea of rooting for A-Rod. I personally can't do it. A bit of personal disclosure here. I have two children who I try to instill in them that doing drugs are a bad thing. So how would it look if I rooted for a player while I'm at a game with them who is currently appealing a 211-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs AFTER publicly admitting in 2009 that he did steroids. I take this stance not from a "Holier than thou" point of view. I'm definitely not a teetotaler. I work in a bar and I drink and I'm not a saint but I don't believe in doing drugs. What people do to themselves is on them but it's not something that I do. But back to A-Rod. 

I'll admit that I rooted for him after his admission. I believe in giving someone a second chance. People make mistakes and I believe that you can atone for them. That you deserve the chance to do so since none of us are perfect and can all make mistakes. I believe that his admission caused him to become humbled, broken down and like in a storybook he was able to redeem himself with his performance post surgery and rehab during the 2009 season. His performance during the postseason culminated in his being a pivotal part in a World Series championship for the team and redemption for himself. But his actions since then have cast a negative light on the second chance I gave him to the point that I can't root for him any longer. Doing so would make me a hypocrite. Doing so would send my kids mixed signals. Like the old adage says "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

I'm not being fooled again. 

To a second point of last night's conversation "well McGwire, Giambi, Pettitte and others admitted but aren't being persecuted like A-Rod". Here's the difference. Those three made their admissions and as far as I know have taken themselves away from PEDs unlike A-Rod. Maybe they haven't stopped taking them and are smarter than A-Rod has been in covering their tracks. Who truly knows. As far as I know they've earned their second chance and haven't done anything to risk losing it. If the same thing happened to Giambi and/or Pettitte where they were involved in something like the Biogenesis scandal, I'd feel the same way. You had you second chance and threw it away as I believe A-Rod has. And here's one more point from last night "well how about those players who were caught and are still playing". My second chance rule still applies. They served their penalty and deserve a second chance. The only difference is that I don't object to their playing in the league since the players voted and approved the "Three Strikes" rule of 50, 100, and Lifetime ban for those who fail PED tests. Those are the rules. 

The real shame is that I have to become an objective observer of the 2013 Baseball season much sooner than I thought I would. I hate to feel that I'm turning my back on the Yankees but I can't root on blind faith. It's not the kind of fan I am. I know the team is flawed. I know the foundation is crumbling and want it to be rebuilt. I love my team now as much as I did when I was 10-years old. Its that love that has me saying "I can't root for A-Rod while all this bullshit is going on" instead of saying "What did A-Rod do today".

Maybe I've been fooled again after all...

Sisco Kid

My POV on Alex Rodriguez

There have been those out there in the media and those people who I have spoken about that have said that Alex Rodriguez might be a somewhat sympathetic figure in what some are saying is a witch-hunt by Major League Baseball. One such article is William C. Rhoden's article Baseball’s Bullying Makes It Tempting to Root for Rodriguez from the New York Times dated August 1, 2013. In the article Rhoden says:

Funny how Major League Baseball can make you root for the villain.Commissioner Bud Selig’s heavy-handed approach to the investigation of Alex Rodriguez has almost turned Rodriguez into a sympathetic figure. And that’s difficult....The aggressive pursuit of Rodriguez fits into baseball’s recent patterns of demonizing unpopular players and casting them as the faces of the P.E.D. epidemic.

I disagree with this. Ryan Braun, who flat out lied was not an unpopular player. When the news broke that he failed a test, there wasn't the same type of outcry by the fans and media compared to a potential posititve test by someone like Bonds or Rodriguez. Why? Braun was a player people liked and rooted for. He got votes of support from many different people including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now everyone is left with egg on their face because of it. Braun wasn't demonized in the least. This brings me to Rodriguez.

I can't sympathize with him. He brought this all on himself. Rodriguez got away with his first admission of steroids usage in 2009. He was humbled, broken down put all his sins out in the open and came back to redeem himself with his performance during that season and in the Postseason. The A-Rod haters won't admit it but the Yankees don't win the World Series without his hitting. Had he never gotten another post-season hit it would not have taken away from that performance and proverbial rising like a Phoenix from a perceived burning bonfire of a career. But his return to find some miracle performance enhancing whatever has tarnished that and he's the only one to blame for that.

The rules are clear. He could have met with authorized medical practitioners who work within the rules to try and find a way to help him if he felt he couldn't better himself as he aged. But he didn't. He chose to do things differently and he's going to end up paying for it now but also in the end whether he gets 100 games, a year or a lifetime ban. He might play Baseball again, but it'll be for naught. His career is over. His dreams of being the best player ever are over and he will never get into the Hall of Fame. It really is quite sad.

Sisco Kid

Things Are About To Come Full Circle For Alfonso Soriano

Rumors are stating that the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are close to a trade that would bring back Alfonso Soriano to the Bronx. Now whether or not this is a good move for the Yankees is not the point for this post. What I want to look at is how this move closes the circle on the February 16, 2004 traded that sent Soriano and Joaquin Arias to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez. Why is Soriano's return closing the circle?

It would seem that with Ryan Braun's suspension yesterday due to his involvement in the Biogenesis PED investigation it is almost a matter of time that Alex Rodriguez gets his due in the form of a suspension (or even worse for him a ban) from Baseball. Nine years removed from that trade we can potentially see a lineup that includes Soriano but no Rodriguez. It really is funny how things like this work in Baseball.

My friend Melvin asked me why the Yankees keep trading for half-ass players. Here was my response:

I'm not totally sure. I think they need to reassure the fan base that they are doing something to salvage the season. Plus they aren't willing to trade for an expensive piece in terms of giving up top tier prospects. Soriano is a salary dump for the Cubs. They'll take something minimal from the Yankees to be rid of him.

My friend Steven added another important layer to my comment by stating that some fans need a "name" and the illusion that the team is adding offense.

Whether or not Soriano can make a difference remains to be seen. I do believe that his bat behind Robinson Cano is an upgrade from Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner. Maybe a trade back to the city that saw his career start might give him a jump start to break from the ennui that he possibly felt in Chicago. Plus his contract runs into 2014 which would leave the Yankees with a potential signed outfield of Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner with Wells and possibly Curtis Granderson (if they chose to resign him). I'm not sure if the AA Trenton Thunder trio of Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin and Ramon Flores are ready to play next season in the Bronx. But if they aren't I guess Soriano, Ichiro and Gardner will have to do.

We'll see how it plays out in the next day or so.

Sisco Kid

The 3000-Hit Club Post Derek Jeter

I read an interesting article in today's New York Times written by Neil Payne entitled After Jeter Reaches 3,000 Hits, Who's Likely Next?. In the article, Payne describes who might be the next players to reach the lofty 3,000 hit plateau after Derek Jeter (who is currently at 2,990 hits). The method in which Payne reaches his conclusion is based on Bill James' theory called the Favorite Toy. As per Payne:

the Favorite Toy, a simple means of projecting performance based on a player’s age and most recent career trends.

The formula essentially asks and answers three questions:

1. How far is a player from the milestone in question?
2. How quickly is he approaching the milestone?
3. How much time does he have left to attain the milestone?

So based on the model, the next three players who have the highest probability of reaching 3,000 hits are Alex Rodriguez (2,731), Johnny Damon (2,637) and Albert Pujols (1,969). Time is on the side of these players, especially Pujols. Both Rodriguez and Damon are in their mid to late 30's and I believe will continue to be productive players. Pujols is truly amazing to me since at the age of 31 he is only 31 hits away from 2,000 hits and 78 homeruns from 500. If based on his average of 197 hits per season (his highest of of 212 in 2003 and lowest of 177 in 2006) he's on pace to hit 3,000 hits during the 2017 season. God knows how many homeruns he'll have at that point. Like I said before: truly amazing.

A name that I find surprising that is missing from the top of the list is that of Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Payne says the following about Ichiro:

Even for a great hitter like Ichiro Suzuki, the trends are pointing down. He ranks 11th among active players, but he is 37, needs 690 hits to reach 3,000 and has fallen off this season

So the man in 37 and is currently having himself an "Un-Ichiro" type season. Keep in mind that even though he currently has 2,310 hits in 11 Major League Baseball season, this is a man that also has 1,285 hits while playing in Japan for the Orix Blue Wave of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. So his total hit figure is 3,595. His track record has proven that he is a consistent hit machine. He has averaged 224 hits a season since his debut in the Majors in 2001 (his highest was 262 in 2004 and his lowest was 206 in 2005) and until he shows me in more than half a year that his skills are in decline, I am going to expect him to live up to his prior production. I'm not saying that age doesn't play a role in the diminishing of skills it does, but I just don't think that metrics of any kind can quantify a man's desire and motivation to achieve personal goals. I think that Ichiro will be the first Japanese ballplayer to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown regardless if he reaches the 3,000 hit plateau but how better to nail down his legacy by getting to 3,000. Whether he gets there playing with the Mariners or not is another story for another day.

I do agree with Payne when he says it might be difficult for Ivan Rodriguez (2,835) and Omar Vizquel (2,823) to reach 3,000. Both players have become utility players and getting over 175 hits to reach 3,000 in that role makes it difficult. The necessary at-bats are just not there. An intriguing player is Vladimir Guerrero.

At 2,494 hits, he will reach the 2,500 hit mark within the next week or two. Based on last year's resurgent season with the Texas Rangers, Guerrero can still be a productive player though he can pretty much only do so in the DH position. I'm not sure if the lack of interest in Guerrero during last season's off-season is a reflection of Guerrero's skills but will the at-bats be there for Guerrero to get the necessary 500 hits to reach 3,000.

As it stand today, the 3,000 hit club only has 27 members. After Jeter makes it 28 within a few weeks and possibly 32 with the potential addition of Damon, Pujols, Suzuki and Rodriguez I think that there will be a period of time where no one will reach 3,000 hits making membership in that club as exclusive as the 300 win club.

Any opinions? Additions and/or subtractions? Let me know.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for an interactive exhibit on the 3,000 Hit club presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown website

The Albert Pujols Contract Saga

I heard the news yesterday on the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols not being able to reach an agreement on a new contract for the 2012 season and beyond. Since they were not able to reach consensus on a new contract, Pujols will not negotiate with the team during the season. Pujols says that he doesn't want his contract status to be a distraction to his teammates during this season. I don't know about you, but if I declined to sign the reported 8-year $200-million dollar deal ($25-million per year) I think that would be something of a distraction.

To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand on this. Like Justin and I spoke about yesterday. Alex Rodriguez's contract with the New York Yankees in 2007 was for 10-years $275-million dollars and the fact that Albert Pujols is (IMHO) the best player in the game, it stands to reason that he would want a contract either on par with A-Rod's if not better. On the other hand, $25-million a year isn't a shabby piece of cash. In the end, we're all debating amounts of money, that unless we are extremely lucky, will never see in our lifetimes. Does it mean Pujols is wrong?

As I said with the Derek Jeter contract situation a few months ago, there's nothing wrong with wanting to get paid what you are feel you are worth. We all do it when we ask for a raise and if we don't get said raise, we leave our job for a newer higher paying job. Granted the amounts between us and Pujols are astronomical but the basic idea is the same. At the same time, can the St. Louis Cardinals pay Pujols $30-million per year and be able to put a competitive team around him on a yearly basis? As it is they are in the hole for $17-million per year through 2016 (with a team option for 2017). Add to the mix that ace Adam Wainright is entering free agency after this season (the club holds a $9-million option for 2012 and a $12-million option for 2013). What do the Cardinals do. If the Cardinals don't resign their franchise player, who can.

Rob Neyer of SBNation reports in his post On Trading Albert Pujols For Another Slugging First Baseman on Ken Rosenthal's suggestion that the Cardinals can trade Pujols to the Yankees for their first baseman Mark Teixeira since the Yankees may be the one of the only teams that can pay Pujols the 10-years $30-million dollars that apparently he is looking for. Aside from the simple pleasure I would gain from hearing the Boston Red Sox fans moan about this move, it is an amazing scenario from a Yankee fan's perspective.

Rosenthal also mentions Ryan Howard as a potential trade chip for Pujols. The baseball world was put on it's ear with the rumor of a potential trade last Spring Training between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals of Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols, one for one. I compared both players against each other in a post from last season Pujols vs. Howard and I stand by my same point of view from last season. If I'm Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., I make the deal without hesitation. Knowing now how much of a shrewd negotiator Amaro is with his signing of Cliff Lee this past offeason, anything is possible. But realistically, can the Phillies sign Pujols for $30-million a year.

Pujols was quoted as saying "I want to be a Cardinal forever. That's my goal." I believe he is sincere in his statements and I think the Cardinals and Pujols get a deal done. I believe both sides need each other. Pujols will go down as one of the all-time greats of the game and deserves to be side by side in the Cardinals pantheon of greats alongside Stan Musial, only if he plays his remaining days in St. Louis.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Jayson Stark's article Albert Pujols Speaks dated February 17, 2011 from ESPN.com
- Click Here to access Rob Neyer's article On Trading Albert Pujols For Another Slugging First Baseman dated January 15, 2011 from SBNation.com

A Few Baseball Milestones

In the last few weeks a number of Baseball milestones have been reached by various players throughout the league and I just wanted to highlight a few of them for you. Here goes:

- Dan Uggla
The Florida Marlins' second baseman for the became the first second baseman in the history of Major League Baseball to have four consecutive seasons of 30 homeruns. Uggla is also the first second baseman to have three consecutive 30 homerun seasons. I find that truly impressive since power hitting second basemen such as Jeff Kent, Chase Utley and Alfonso Soriano have put plenty of balls into the seats while playing second, through Kent and Soriano also played other positions. Michael Jong in his article named Dan Uggla Reaches Another Milestone HR on the MarlinManiac.com webpage compares Uggla to other players that have been homerun hitters at the second base position. Congrats to Dan Uggla on his continued success in Florida.

- Evan Longoria
Since I was in the sunshine state I decided to move north to Tampa-St. Petersburg to highlight the milestone of the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. On Sunday September 5th in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, Longoria hit his 20th homerun of the season. This achievement couples with his 30 doubles has made Longoria the fifth player to achieve this accomplishment within their first three seasons in the league. Who are the other four players: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Orlando Cepeda and Albert Pujols. Longoria is definitely keep up with some impressive Major Leaguers and I doubt he'll let up in the least.

- Alex Rodriguez
In a truly off year for the New York Yankees third baseman, Rodriguez has become the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to have fourteen seasons of 100 or more runs batted in. Of these fourteen seasons of 100 or more RBI's, thirteen of them have come consecutively. In doing so, Rodriguez passed Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Babe Ruth, who each drove in at least 100 in 13 seasons. Rodriguez also tied Gehrig and Foxx with his thirteenth consecutive 100-RBI season. Even though A-Rod is at only 23 homers for this season, his RBI totals show that he has been able to adapt his hitting style from pure power to contact hitting. Tine will tell if this is truly an off year for Rodriguez or if his career is in a decline.

- Derek Jeter
Staying in New York City and profiling another Yankees player who is an off year, shortstop Derek Jeter continues his climb up the baseball hit list. During this past weekend's series against the Texas Rangers, Derek Jeter hit his 2,900th his. This places Jeter in thirty-sixth place behind Al Simmons (2,927 hits). Currently at 2,903 hits, Jeter's detractors (and some supporters) are starting to call this season as the beginning of the end. My thing is this, isn't someone allowed to have a bad year? Sure, Jeter is 36-years old and batting 50 points under his career batting average but damn, give them man credit for what he has done. Let's not send him out to pasture just yet. I still stand by my claim that Derek Jeter has the best chance to catch Pete Rose among current Major leaguers. Whether he does or not, only time will tell. But don't sleep on the Yankees captain. October is right around the corner.

- Albert Pujols
Pujols is currently in the thick of the NL Triple Crown and MVP races. While doing so, he's finding time to hit milestones. Pujols became the seventh player in Major League history with at least nine seasons of 30 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. This is truly amazing since he has only been in the league for TEN years. Barring any major slump during the last two weeks of the season, Pujols will become the fifth player in history with nine seasons hitting .300 with 30 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Truly amazing.

So you folks don't think that I am biased toward batting, here are some pitching milestones.

-Trevor Hoffman

Last week, Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Hoffman reached the 600 save plateau. He is currently the only pitcher with 600 saves though Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera is right behind him with 556 saves. Though Mariano will go down as the best closer in the history of the game, I've always said that Trevor Hoffman was severly underrated. Had he played his career in such venues as Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston or New York instead of San Diego and Milwaukee he'd be seen in a better light. As it is he is almost an after thought when talking about the best closers in the game.

- Derek Lowe
With his victory over the Washington Nationals this past week, Derek Lowe struck out his 1,500th batter. This ties him Paul Derringer in 175th place on the career strikeout list. Congrats to Derek Lowe on this achievement.

Ok folks, I'm wiped out. Have fun watching the pennant races. I know I am.
FH

More Latino Milestones

Keeping with the theme of a few of the last posts, here are a few Latino milestones of note in MLB.

- Ivan Rodriguez Joins the 300 Homerun Club for Catchers

With his second homer of the season coming against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park, Ivan Rodriguez joined a select club. In registering his 300th career homerun as a catcher, Rodriguez joins Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra and future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

Rodriguez currently has a career .298 batting average with 2783 hits (563 2B 51 3B 307 HR) and 1294 RBI. Rodriguez has a career .802 OPS (.353 OBP% .468 SLG%). He has 1422 K's, 497 BB and 127 stolen bases. This doesn't even take into account that Rodriguez is one of the best defensive catchers of not only our generation but of all time.

During a current 20-year career, Rodriguez has caught 2358 games while playing a total of only 8 games at both 1st and 2nd bases. He is prolific at throwing runners out that try to steal on him by throwing out an amazing 46% of all runners (754 allowed 638 caught stealing). By comparison, Bench threw out 44% of runners (610 allowed 444 caught stealing), Fisk threw out 34% (1302 allowed 665 caught stealing) and Berra threw out 47% (428 allowed 384 caught stealing).

I believe that it is only a matter of time before Ivan Rodriguez joins his fellow 300 homerun club in Cooperstown.

- Alex Rodriguez Joins the 600 Homerun Club

Alex Rodriguez with his 1st inning homerun off of Shawn Marcum of the Toronto Blue Jays became the 7th member of the 600 homerun club. In doing so, he became the youngest player to do so (at the age of 35) and is the second Latino to reach the milestone (Sammy Sosa 609) . Rodriguez joins the following players in the club:

Barry Bonds 762
Hank Aaron 755 (HOF)
Babe Ruth 714 (HOF)
Willie Mays 660 (HOF)
Ken Griffey Jr. 630
Sammy Sosa 609

Under normal circumstances A-Rod's achievement would be considered a free pass into Cooperstown but his admission to using performance enhancing drugs (PED's) during the 2001-2003 seasons puts his enshrinement in jeopardy. No doubt many baseball writers, who hold the power of enshrinement into Cooperstown with their vote, will vote to keep Rodriguez out. But I believe that a telling aspect to his career will be how current Hall of Famers see his accomplishment.

Hank Aaron, who some believe is still the Home Run King of MLB , had the following to say about Rodriguez's 600th homerun:

"When you reach that plateau, no matter where it is, whether you're playing in the Majors or the Minors, it's a tremendous accomplishment," Aaron said. "It means an awful lot to whoever reaches this achievement."

When asked about Rodriguez's achievement in the era of PED's, smaller parks and diluted pitching staffs due to expansion, Aaron had the following statements:

"It really doesn't matter what kind of asterisk you put by it -- 600 homers is something special," Aaron said. "It's been so long since I reached that mark, I really don't remember how I felt. But I'm sure I was excited, probably even more than Alex because there weren't as many people who had done it before."

Others were not as positive towards Rodriguez as Aaron is. Here are a few more comments from Ryne Sandberg, Ozzie Smith, and Gary Carter:

Sandberg: "That's a lot of home runs," Ryne Sandberg said. "It's really something for anybody who does that. It's a small group. And he joins that group. But that's all I've got to say about it."

Smith: "Basically, there will always be questions, always be doubts, whether the home runs were legitimate," Ozzie Smith said. "That's it in a nutshell. He came up in an era when everyone used. So it's very questionable."

Carter: "I think it's great, but obviously, he'll always have hanging over his head the allegations about the drugs he took," Gary Carter said. "In any event, he's one of those kids who had the tag of 'superstar' on him when he was drafted, and he became a superstar. So he'll always be recognized as a great player. But 600, that's an incredible milestone. Not too many players have gotten there. And if he stays healthy, there's a chance he might one day be the all-time home run guy. We'll see."

Time will tell how Alex Rodriguez is seen five years from the time he takes his last at-bat. Being under contract to the New York Yankees until 2017 that puts him eligible for the Hall of Fame in the year 2022. Who knows how the steroid era will be seen by then. Like I said, only time will tell.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here for Mark Bowman's article named Aaron Impressed by A-Rod's Milestone from MLB.com
- Click Here for Barry M. Bloom's article named Hall of Famers Weigh in on A-Rod from MLB.com
- Click Here for an Interactive Timeline Amanda Cox and Kevin Quealy on the seven members of the 600-Homerun club from The New York Times.com

The NL Wins the 81st Mid-Summer Classic

Amid the pall surrounding the death of "The Boss" George Steinbrenner, the National League won their first All-Star game since 1996 with dominating pitching, timely hitting and alert defense. The final score was 3-1 thanks in part to a bases clearing double by Atlanta Braves Catcher Brian McCann. McCann drove in three runs with his rope into the left field corner against White Sox reliever Matt Thornton. The NL pitching kept the AL powerful offense to only one run while striking out eight. The AL also ran themselves out of potential runs with Elvis Andrus over-sliding second base on a steal attempt and with David Ortiz being thrown out at second base by Left fielder Marlon Byrd in the bottom of the ninth. It is at this point that some controversy may develop.

AL Manager Joe Girardi had one player left on the bench. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was available to play and could have either pinch-ran for Ortiz or pinch-hit for Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler who eventually lined out to Centerfielder Chris Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But in the end, A-Rod watched with the rest of his All-Star teammates as the NL broke the AL's 13-year win streak. Already the internet is buzzing with criticism of Girardi's decision to not play A-Rod. I have to admit that I sat there watching wondering why Kinsler was still batting instead of A-Rod.

A-Rod said after the game that he was fine physically, but just didn't get the call from New York manager Joe Girardi. Here is what he said:

"I sat there for about three hours, but I was loose and I was ready to go in the eighth and ninth," Rodriguez said. "We had a couple of situations where I could have gone in, but it was up to him on which situation to put me in. But it's not my first. Thank God everything's good and I'm ready to go on Friday."

Joe Girardi had the following to say when asked about why he didn't use A-Rod in the ninth inning:

"If the situation arose, you get extra innings, he probably would be my DH," Girardi said of A-Rod. "We were talking about pinch-running him in a situation. We also had a little issue with [Adrian] Beltre, and we were concerned about his hamstring. So if we get the tying run on, Al was going to pinch-run and then go in."

I have to say that I am proud of A-Rod for his comments. A few years ago he may have been slighted by Girardi's decision to not use him causing terrible damage to his frayed psyche and made comments that would have destroyed the team's chemistry. A-Rod admitted that he missed not being at the All-Star game last year in St. Louis and cherished being given the chance to be at the game this year. I guess last year's admission of his steroid use, his subsequent humbling and the achievement of his longtime goal of becoming a World Champion has changed A-Rod for the better. It also seems as if he hold no ill will towards his manager. Hopefully for the Yankees that this is the case. In terms of the home field advantage won by that National League for the World Series, we'll find out in October if it is truly an advantage or not.

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for Lyle Spenser's article on MLB.com on the All-Star game and postgame comments made by Girardi and Rodriguez
- Click Here for Mark Feinsand's article on NYDailyNews.com concerning A-Rod's feelings on returning to the All-Star game