Archive for mlb
MLB Playoffs: Living on the Edge
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing nail-biting finishes on Monday to Games 3 and 4 in the ALCS and NLCS, respectively, all I have to say is: “That’s why they play the games.” No one could have predicted the outcomes of these battles – from the Angels’ improbable game-winning double delivered by backup catcher Jeff Mathis in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Yankees, to Jimmy Rollins clutch, two-out blast to the gap in right-center in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz with the tying and winning runs for the Phillies.
The MLB playoffs are made for this kind of theater and, thankfully, the teams and their players are delivering on all counts. Following a pair of lopsided sweeps in divisional play – both the Cardinals and my beloved Red Sox were ousted in three straight games by the Dodgers and Angels, respectively – the MLB playoffs are heating up in cold October.
Last night’s pair of thrillers raised many questions. Should Yankees closer Mariano Rivera have stayed in for more than three outs and 17 pitches beyond the 10th inning? Absolutely, but hindsight is always 20-20. New York Manager Joe Girardi certainly thought Alfredo Aceves would hold the Halos scoreless for one inning. But it just didn’t happen.
And over in the Dodgers/Phillies contest, L.A. Manager Joe Torre must be scratching his head big-time wondering what he has to do to beat the damn Phillies. His team has now dropped seven of eight games to Philadelphia in the postseason, which includes getting swept in last year’s best-of-seven NLCS. And last night – with a 4-3 lead and his rock-solid closer, Jonathan Broxton, on the mound – he had to like his chances But no-o-o-o-o-o! It just wasn’t meant to be.
Personally, I didn’t see the defending World Series champs returning to the Fall Classic this year, but I suspect that’s how things will pan out over the next two games of the NLCS. Then again, I didn’t expect the Red Sox to get swept into an early round of golf by the Angels either. But that happened quicker than you can say “Big Poopi,” which is exactly what David Ortiz’s role as Boston’s DH (1-for 12 with four K’s) turned out to be.
Let’s just see how the Angels fare tonight against Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia, who’s working on just three days rest. Maybe the Halos will get to him early. Maybe he’ll start mowing ‘em down just like he did in Game 1. You just never know. The same goes for the Dodgers tomorrow night against the Phils. Down three-games-to-one with zero room for error, the boys in blue need a miracle. Hey, is Kirk Gibson still available to pinch-hit?
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Golf Anyone?
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2009 MLB season came to a crashing halt for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. A stunning, 7-6, loss at the hands of the visiting Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was the final blow to the Bosox, who were swept in three straight games by the Halos in their A.L. Divisional Series
Winners of the American League Wild Card this year (Boston “won” the berth by losing six of their last seven games of the regular season), the Red Sox meandered into the postseason to face the high-flying A.L. West Champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Granted the Bosox won 95 games this year, but something wasn’t quite right in Beantown. The Fenway Faithful watched this season as the rival New York Yankees secured the A.L. East flag with a MLB-leading 103-59 record and a barrage of home run power not seen since the days of Ruth, Gehrig and Murderer’s Row. Boston had earned its sixth playoff nod in seven years, but the mood of the team and its fans was almost ho-hum.
The Angels, meanwhile, seemed to be on a mission. Winners of 97 games during the regular season, the Anaheim gang seemed ready to tackle the big, bad Bosox this time around. Having lost 11 of their previous 12 postseason meetings against Boston, the Angels had nothing to lose. And they played like it. Their pitching rose to the top and silenced the Boston bats like nobody’s business. And Anaheim’s near-season-long dedication and tribute to rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart – killed by a drunk driver in April – seemed to give the Halos even more incentive to win this time around. To win in dramatic fashion in the clinching Game 3 in Boston only made it all the sweeter for the Angels and their fans.
Trailing two games to none in the ALDS, the Red Sox finally found a few fastballs they liked in Game 3. In fact, when all the dust had settled, Boston’s biggest batsmen – Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Jason Bay – combined to go 3-for-32 for the series. But lo and behold, they actually built a 5-2 lead through seven innings and seemed poised to take the best-of-five series to a fourth game. In the top of the ninth, with a two-run (6-4) lead, two outs and nobody on, Boston relief ace Jonathan Papelbon simply forgot how to close the door. He gave up a crisp single to Erik Aybar to keep the Angels alive, and then walked Chone Figgins on a 3-2 pitch. Still two outs, mind you. But the pressure was mounting. Up strode former Yankee and newly christened Red Sox killer Bobby Abreu. Abreu sliced a looping line drive to left which careened off the Green Monster for a double, bringing in Aybar to make the score, 6-5. The tide was turning and Papelbon seemed overwhelmed by what was transpiring.
Up walked Torii Hunter to the plate. Dangerous to say the least, Boston’s pitching brain trust decided to walk Hunter to load the bases and take their chances with aging cleanup hitter Vladimir Guerrero. Vlad, the 2004 AL MVP, had not delivered an extra-base hit in his previous 69 postseason at-bats. But guess what? He delivered this time around.
On Papelbon’s first pitch to him – a knee-high fastball – Guerrero took a sweeping hack and drilled it into center field, dropping just in front of sprinting center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to bring in both Figgins and Abreu. The Angels led, 7-6, and Fenway Park became deathly quiet. You could hear a pin drop. The 38,704 fans at Fenway stood in disbelief. They could see that destiny, at least this time around, was not going to be on their side. Maybe the Fenway ghosts from the 2004 and ‘07 campaigns – when the Red Sox won their sixth and seventh World Series titles – had used up all their black magic.
The Red Sox went down in order in the bottom half of the inning. They seemed ready for the winter break. And maybe it was only fitting that second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the reigning AL MVP, made the last out. He lofted a pop-up to Aybar at short to bring Boston’s 2009 season to an abrupt end. You might as well go out with your feistiest player, right?
Who’s up for a round of 18? Maybe Papelbon.
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Fearless 2009 MLB Playoff Predictions
Posted by: | CommentsLiving in San Diego, we get used to spectacular weather. So it sounds a bit odd to say this, but I probably enjoy the fall out here more than any season. The warmth dies down just a bit, and I can wear my hoodie and/or leather jacket around for a few months. It’s just cool enough to make things cozy, but never cold enough that you’re freezing. So I trade in my shorts for jeans, drive around with the top down a bit less, and most importantly, enjoy postseason baseball.
Following yesterday’s Game 163 between the Tigers and Twins, it’s hard not to get excited. If you weren’t tuned in you missed an absolute classic, a game that showcased baseball at its best: everything on the line, a passionate and loud stadium, and a back-and-forth battle that went extra innings. Hopefully the rest of the fall can live up to that one game: given the outlook, I think we’re in for some great baseball over the next few weeks.
Here’s a overview of what we have lined up, and of course, my predictions.
NLDS: Rockies vs. Phillies
The Rockies started the season looking like not much of a threat at all, especially when you consider how the Dodgers came screaming out the gate. So go figure, you trade in Clint Hurdle for Jim Tracy, and suddenly it’s 2007 all over again: not quite the same ridiculous run, but enough of a sharp turnaround to warrant attention.
Comparing this year’s version to the 2007 National League pennant winners, I’d say they’ve made some major upgrades where position players are concerned. Chris Ianetta brings some slugging to the table (and a decent OBP for his position), Carlos Gonzalez is realizing his potential, and Dexter Fowler brings an added dynamic of speed to the team. You really have to give the Rockies credit: they scout and develop players exceptionally well. Troy Tulowitzki in particular may be the most underrated player in the game today, as he plays spectacular defense at shortstop, takes walks, and hits for plenty of power.
The Phillies are improved from last year’s World Championship version, with the exception of the bullpen. Their lineup offers very little breathing room, and is the only offense out of the four National League teams that can really match up with the American League juggernauts where slugging is concerned. But most importantly, the deadline acquisition of Cliff Lee gives the team a bonafide ace to put in front of Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.
This series will really come down to two elements: the Rockies rotation, and the Phillies bullpen. Ubaldo Jimenez continues to evolve into a front line starter, and has the strikeout rate you want to see from a Game 1 playoff pitcher. Jorge De La Rosa would be the other strikeout specialist on the Rockies, but he’s out for the series with a groin injury. This is a huge blow to the Rockies’ chances, as they’ll probably need to slot Jason Marquis and Jason Hammel for games two and three.
Compared to Hamels, Happ and Blanton, you absolutely have to give the edge to the Phillies. Marquis and Hammel do not strike out a lot of batters, and their WHIPs are well in the 1.37 range. The Phillies will take their walks and hit the ball, which means that often enough, it’s heading out of the park to put some numbers on the board.
Yes, Brad Lidge has had his issues this year, but the rest of the Phillies bullpen is capable of picking up the slack. The Phillies are actually in the enviable position of having too many starters, so the bullpen will have plenty of guys who can throw multiple innings. Specifically, it looks like J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez will come on in relief for this five game series. Ryan Madson may not have the closer reputation necessarily, but he’s capable of shutting the door, at least for this series.
Prediction: Phillies in four.
NLDS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
If not for some risky moves by the Cardinals front office to shore up the offense, this series would look much different. Luckily for St. Louis fans, Holliday is now backing up Pujols, providing some much needed protection. On paper, the lineup for the red birds should be solid, but recent production tells a different story. Julio Lugo hit .242 in September, and in the last twenty games Ludwick has hit .229, DeRosa .189, and Holliday only has one home run.
Compare to the Dodgers bats, and I think you need to give Los Angeles the edge. Yes, they don’t have Albert Pujols (no one else does, to be fair), but they scored 50 more runs this season. Pujols and Holliday are both better hitters than anyone the Dodgers have (save Manny, if he gets going), but the Dodgers have a more capable 1-through-8 batting order.
Of course, the key to this series isn’t the bats, but the Cardinals’ monster 1-2 punch of Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They represent two of the National League’s best pitchers, and both already have a championship ring from 2006: so don’t expect either to be intimidated. In a short series, while I do think the Dodgers offense is better, it’s just going to be too difficult to put up three victories against this rotation.
Given the daunting task ahead of them, the Dodgers’ chance for success rests on Clayton Kershaw’s shoulders. The 21 year old has the strikeout talent to dominate in the postseason, but he’s had some poor starts as the regular season came to a close. He’s thrown 60+ innings more than last year, so you’re left to wonder how much he’ll have left in the tank at his age.
But if the endurance is there, he could potentially outduel Wainwright in Game 2, giving the Dodgers a chance to go after groundball specialist Joel Pinero in Game 3. And who knows, maybe the Cardinals bats will be stagnant for Game 1 against Randy Wolf. I still have to give the edge to the Cardinals, but Dodgers fans have some hope here.
Prediction: Cardinals in four.
ALDS: Yankees vs. Twins
Last night’s game was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and was a prime example of why baseball is such a great sport.
That being said, count me in with the rest of North America when I say there’s no way the Twins can beat the Yankees after that. They’re exhausted after playing 12 innings, and will get very little sleep before heading to the Bronx. The new Yankee Stadium is a friendly place for home run hitters, which is bad news for a team like the Twins with very little power. Even if the stadium plays short, I don’t expect the likes of Matt Tolbert, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris or Denard Span to be able to take advantage of this environment. If the Twins had Justin Morneau in the lineup I’d give them a chance, but they’ll be forced to play a different brand of baseball in New York, one they can’t compete at.
The Yankees however, will eat up the Twins starting rotation, hit plenty of home runs, and their bullpen will protect the leads. It’s been a great, inspiring run by Minnesota, but they are clearly overmatched here.
Prediction: Yankees in three.
ALDS: Angels vs. Red Sox
This series is becoming a rivalry of its own, with the Sox seemingly always getting the best of the Angels. Both teams have changed a bit in terms of strengths and weaknesses over the last few years, but the Sox have retained their dominant pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. As has become standard under the Theo regime, this will be what Red Sox Nation hangs its hopes on.
And to be fair, when you’re gunning for your third World Series championship of the decade, there are worse places to put your bets than on the arms of Lester, Beckett, Buccholz, Dice-K and Papelbon. The talent is still there but health is a bit of a question mark, with Beckett and Dice-K struggling through their share this year. But then again, both have earned a reputation as “big game” pitchers, and most fans expect they’ll ramp it up now that October is here.
The weakness of the Red Sox in this series has been highly publicized: the running game. Mike Scioscia loves to push aggression on the basepaths, and with Varitek and V-Mart tasked with throwing them out, the green light will be on like never before. Look for Figgins, Abreu and Hunter to steal early and often, while middle infielders Kendrick and Aybar will swipe their share as needed. But unlike Angels lineups of years past, this one has more than one dimension, and can hit home runs and take walks to go with the speed.
Lackey, Weaver and Kazmir are lined up to pitch for the Angels. Aside from Lackey’s age 23 run with the 2002 World Championship team, none of these Angels have the intimidating championship pedigree Lester and Beckett bring to the table. The Angels rotation actually comes into this series healthier and with less question marks, while the Sox come in with the potential for their guys to dominate. But, there’s also more potential for the Sox rotation to put up a bad start, especially with Beckett’s back issues. His Game 2 start will really be the key in this series. I expect all three Angels pitchers will give their team a chance to win, while there’s a lot more variance with what can happen to the Sox rotation, between good and bad extremes.
The big difference in this series will likely turn out to be the bullpen. This is not the lockdown Angels bullpen you’ve grown to fear, with leads confidently handed off to capable middle relievers, before the ball gets to Scot Shields and K-Rod. Brian Fuentes has 48 saves on the year, but also has a 1.40 WHIP. These late innings will be crucial, and if I’m an Angels fan, I’m biting my nails until that last out. In contrast, the Sox bullpen continues to be a major strength, and should be able to put away the game if given a lead.
It’ll be a very entertaining series, especially with the new dynamic of the Angels offense. Game 2 is going to be absolutely crucial, as a victory against Beckett will be needed to at least keep the series even headed back to Boston. If that happens, the Halos have a chance. But a strong bullpen is so important if you want to win a championship, and the difference between the teams is huge in that regard.
Prediction: Red Sox in four.
NLCS: Phillies vs. Cardinals
Once we expand to a seven game series, the 1-2 punch at the top of the Cardinals rotation becomes less dominant, as St. Louis will need to rely on their other starters. You still need to give the Cardinals the edge where the front of the rotation is concerned, but really, with Cliff Lee in the mix, it’s not a huge gap between the two teams. Speaking to the offense, again, Pujols and Holliday are great, but the rest leaves something to be desired. The Phillies leave very little room to breathe, and Cardinals pitchers will have their hands full.
The Cardinals need to win every game that Carpenter and Wainwright pitch. If the Phillies can win at least one of those, they’ll be headed to the World Series with a chance to repeat. Given a 1-in-4 chance, I like those odds.
Prediction: Phillies in seven.
ALCS: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Here we go again! Honestly, all I care about this postseason is seeing this rivalry once more to close out the decade: this time around, it’ll be spectacular. Yes, the drama of The Curse is gone, but that evens the playing field a bit, and actually puts a bit more pressure on the Yankees. After all the spending in the winter and the dominance in the regular season, it’s up to them to get the job done and even out the decade a bit following 2004 and 2007. It won’t be about curses or grandpappy seeing the Sox win it all just once, but rather, which team is better at baseball. Period. The level of talent on the field and the battle that’ll take place between both teams is all the drama I’ll need, personally.
I know, I’m sounding like an ESPN or FOX executive, or some of the mainstream press who seem to think baseball doesn’t exist outside New York and Boston. But I just love how these teams line up in 2009. The Sox probably have a better rotation, but who knows what Beckett will bring to the table? Will the back spasms do him in, or does he continue to be a Yankee killer? Can Dice-K return to form, or can Buccholz handle the pressure of the big stage? And it’s not like Sabathia, Burnett or even Pettitte are a sure thing on any given night. I honestly think it’s safe to say that in a 2009 Sox vs. Yankees ALCS, the rotations are structured in a way where any team can win on any given night: there’s no one dominant performer (say, Pedro of years gone by, or Schilling at his peak), and most of these starters are equally likely to craft a gem, or succumb to the opposing team’s offense.
Where bats are concerned, the Yankees obviously have the edge. With Teixeira at first, Abreu’s terrible range out of right field, Cano’s continued improvements and even Jeter doing much better with the glove, the Yankees are well equipped to play both sides of the field for a change. Both teams have good bullpens this year, but you still have to give the edge there to the Red Sox.
It’ll be an entertaining series if it happens, one that’ll slow down work productivity in the Northeast for a week or two. In the end, I think the Yankees offense is too much to handle, and for once, their pitching can hold up their end of things. Sure, Sabathia, Burnett, Joba and Pettitte are all capable of having a terrible start, but I don’t expect it’ll happen to all of them. And even in case of disaster, the Yankees are capable of digging themselves out of an early hole with their power, especially at home.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
World Series: Phillies vs. Yankees
Most Mets fans (myself included) will likely cheer for the Yankees in this scenario, and that’s saying something.
More seriously, both teams mirror each other a bit. They both have incredibly strong lineups, play in bandboxes, and have rotations that are strong, but can still be knocked around on a bad night. The Phillies would probably have the best starter in the series in Cliff Lee, who also has plenty of experience pitching against American League teams. For the Phillies to have a chance, they’d need to win both of Lee’s starts.
Rotations and defense are fairly comparable, but the Yankees have a better offense and a better bullpen. The Phillies are used to being able to bring the thunder and outslug their opponents when all else fails, but that’s a game the Yankees would be happy to play. Given the nature of both stadiums, you’d expect lots of home runs and big scoring games.
In the end, the Yankees are just too good. They could probably benefit from a bit more reliability in the rotation, but that’s really nitpicking considering their other strengths. If it comes down to Yankees and Phillies, the American League team will overmatch their National League counterpart, and beat them in a slugfest.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
What are your predictions? Comment here, or post yours to our Facebook page! I’m eager to hear your thoughts, as this is just one man’s opinion.
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The ABC’s of Card Handling OCD
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I was growing up, all the adults in my family made it very clear to me that cards were not supposed to be “played with”. Cards were not “toys”, they did not get left lying around to get dinged corners or creases, they certainly did not go in my bicycle wheels, and I was not supposed to flip them. So you can imagine that over the years these lessons have stuck with me, and I am very, very meticulous about how I handle cards.
When I open packs, the cards immediately get put into numerical order unless it’s a player I collect (in which case he gets logged in, and put into his respective binder). Autographs and relic cards get scanned to show off, then go into penny sleeves and either a snap case or toploader depending on who it is. I was also told to be very careful when trading cards so that I didn’t end up getting hosed.
If you were to look at my binders, they may not necessarily be in chronological order (most are) but they are mint. When I see other people’s binders and they have cards in them with creases or white corners it drives me bananas. I don’t know why, it just does. I also don’t like handling my cards once they are put into the binder or cases as the case may be. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking through my cards but I just don’t need to touch them and potentially damage them. I don’t have an answer as to why I’m so crazy about my cards . . . I just have issues I guess.
I learned about trading cards with friends at a very young age. My mom’s friend had a son who was a year or two younger than me, so when we would go to their house I would always bring my binder so we could trade. We would run upstairs and carefully show off what we got since the last time we saw each other, and then we would make trades. It was the early to mid 90’s and all he wanted was Griffey Jr’s or Gary Sheffield, and I wanted Yankees: it did not matter who they were. Had I known that a heap of Kevin Maas and Matt Nokes would end up as kindling for a fire, I may have held onto some of my Griffey’s. But don’t worry, I never traded rookie cards of anyone, and I am still reluctant to do so. I always had to inspect our trades and make sure there were no creases or fingerprints (pet peeve) on any of them, then we traded and put our new acquisitions into our binders. My friend was also very careful with his cards, so this usually worked out well.
As a kid, Christmas always involved baseball cards. My brother and I always got a complete set for the year, and some Yankees in our stockings. The year Derek Jeter came up I got a whole bunch of his cards including one of my favorites, the Foundations card. By the way, the one Jeter card I really want to own eventually is the SP rookie. They are hard to find in good condition ungraded.
As I got older it seemed that less and less people were collecting cards, and I’m talking like 5th or 6th grade through high school. At that time I started selling cards I didn’t want so I could go to the hobby shop and buy Yankees and new packs. It seems as though I had the mind of a little entrepreneur as a kid and was always looking to turn unwanted cards into new stuff.
I know that many people out there have a warped perception of what types of people collect trading cards as adults, not to mention those who blog about it (like me). Trust me, they are almost always the complete opposite of the stereotype. But honestly, if it wasn’t for crazy people like me who had learned lessons as children about cards, there might not be many people buying them anymore. I have been blogging about cards for about two years now, and I have met so many people that I trade with and even talk to on a regular basis. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much fun it is. I have acquired hundreds of Yankee Stadium Legacy cards for my collection either via trade, or people just send them my way because they don’t want them. My Pujols collection has also been boosted by fellow collectors’ trading cards, and buying singles online.
Any cards I don’t want now go up for trade on my personal blog, or I try and flip them on eBay in order to get new cards. Some things just don’t change: either you have a passion for collecting or you don’t. Collecting cards is one of the few things you can continue to do from childhood and is a great hobby.
I would love to hear if there are any other people out there that are super anal retentive about how they handle their cards and store them. If you are crazier than I am, I would love to hear that, too. I always find it interesting how people have quirks about handling and storage. I know I have my family very well trained when I show them a card or pack of cards: they handle them super gently and usually hold just the sides for fear of scratching them or putting (gasp!) a fingerprint on them.
Marie co-writes the blog A Cardboard Problem in addition to being a season ticket holder for the Yankees and an all around baseball fan. Marie is an avid card collector and welcomes comments, questions, and e-mails.
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2009 NL MVP: Pujols vs. Hanley
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, I made a case for Mauer deserving the AL MVP more than Derek Jeter. Judging by responses on our blog and the Upper Deck Facebook page, I’d say most of you agree with this. For the National League, things seem to be even more straightforward; after all, Albert Pujols is a monster, and widely acclaimed as the best player in the game right now.
And let’s be honest, it’s hard to argue against that. Pujols leads the league in runs, home runs, RBI, walks, OBP, slugging, OPS and total bases. He’s also doing this with a fear factor attached to him we haven’t seen since the glory days of Barry Bonds earlier in the decade. No one wants to challenge him, so he’ll probably only see one good pitch per at bat . . . which he’ll crush often enough. He plays very good defense, and has even stolen 14 bases this year. Any praise I heap onto Pujols is pure redundancy at this point, as we all know he’s the best player of this generation.
The only way I can possibly make an argument against Pujols is position scarcity. This is a concept you’ll be familiar with if you’re ever played fantasy baseball, even if you’ve never thought about it directly in these terms.
In a fantasy baseball draft, getting great players at premium positions like shortstop or second base is a huge advantage. For example, if I draft Chase Utley in the first round, as long as he stays healthy I know I can count on 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs from my second baseman. That’s something no one else will have, and while I won’t have Pujols on my team, I can still draft a good first baseman who will put up big numbers like Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder.
Of course, real baseball is not fantasy baseball, so this doesn’t translate perfectly to the real world. But it does illustrate a point that should be considered: when you get great production out of a position on the diamond that usually doesn’t generate that kind of offense, you’ve got a significant edge.
This is what makes Hanley Ramirez so great. He’s hitting .352 with an OBP of .416, 23 home runs, almost 40 doubles, and 26 stolen bases, all while playing shortstop (his defense, while not great, has shown improvement). What other shortstop can match up to this level of production? I can’t think of any in the league. He’s the kind of player any fan would love to have on their team, in some cases more so than Pujols. To frame this a bit better, I’d say the gap in talent between a contending team’s shortshop and Hanley Ramirez is going to be greater, more often than not, than the gap between their first baseman and Pujols.
But even considering this small detail, Pujols still deserves the MVP. He’s approaching 50 home runs and has an OBP of .447: which, by the way, is incredible. When you’re more or less coin-flipping to see if you get on base, you’re an extraordinary player (when he comes to the plate, he’s only making an out 55.3% of the time).
Most notable is that this will be Pujols’ third MVP (and could have very well been his fourth, as Ryan Howard barely edged him out in 2006). This marks his ninth season in the league, he’s put up monster numbers each year, and he’s remained healthy (634 plate appearances is his lowest career total). In other words, he’s already made a strong case for being a Hall of Famer before turning 30 years old. With no signs of slowing down, I’m sure he’ll continue to add to his resume.
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