Tag / Nationals

by admin

Back To The Postseason

2016centralchampsFor the second consecutive year, the Cubs are heading to the postseason after clinching their first division title since 2008 with last night’s Cardinals loss to the Giants.  Their next target is to clinch home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs, where they hold a 6 game lead in the loss column over the Nationals with 15 games left to play.  The Cubs hope to avenge last year’s sweep in the NLCS at the hands of the Mets.

The downside to clinching his early is that the next important game the Cubs play will be 3 weeks from today when the NLDS kicks off.  Hopefully they will be able to kick off the rust as they attempt to end their 108 year championship drought.

by admin

All Time Team Records

baseballs3Another exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended.  Despite disparate seasons on the two sides of town last season, both the White Sox and the Cubs saw their overall winning percentage drop.  The 2016 season looks to be hopeful for both teams, so this trend should reverse itself.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1
Arizone Diamondbacks 13 2 0.866666666666667
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652173913043478
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 12 8 0.6
New York Yankees 12 9 0.571428571428571
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538461538461538
Los Angeles Angels 15 13 0.535714285714286
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533333333333333
Chicago White Sox 250 222 0.529661016949153
Chicago Cubs 197 177 0.526737967914439
Detroit Tigers Continue reading →
by admin

2016 Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe 2016 baseball season is scheduled to kick off today, with 3 games scheduled for the first time.  For the sixth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Central: Indians

West: Rangers

Wild Cards: Red Sox, White Sox

AL Champion: Blue Jays

Cy Young: Chris Sale

MVP: Mike Trout

National League

Continue reading →

by admin

#108 – Dayan Viciedo

IMG_0892

Name: Dayan Viciedo

Rank: 108

Position: LF

Years With White Sox: 2010-2014

Dayan Viciedo signed a 4-year deal with the White Sox in November of 2008, mere months after defecting from Cuba.  He spent the 2009 season in Double A Birmingham and moved to Triple A Charlotte for 2010.  He spent some time with the big league club in 2010, making his major league debut on June 20 against the Nationals.

He returned to Triple A in 2011, until Carlos Quentin went down with an injury in late August. Viciedo returned to Chicago, this time to stay. He became the everyday left fielder in 2012, putting up decent, if underwhelming numbers. Viciedo became a bit of a conundrum in 2013, as his average improved slightly, but his power numbers decreased.

Viciedo was slated for a platoon role with Alejandro de Aza in 2014, until Avisail Garcia’s shoulder injury opened up a spot for him. By the time Garcia returned, de Aza was in Baltimore and Viciedo had left field all to himself. He was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, though, as his average and OBP fell to a career lows.

Viciedo appeared to be the odd man out that offseason, with Melky Cabrera signed to play left field and Adam LaRoche on board as DH.  With spring training 2015 about to begin and no takers on the trade market, the White Sox cut bait and released Viciedo on February 5th.  Viciedo re-signed with the White Sox organization on a minor league deal on August 1st and became a free agent following the season.

Viciedo’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

by admin

#109 – Edwin Jackson

ejax

Name: Edwin Jackson

Rank: 109

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Edwin Jackson came to the White Sox on July 30, 2010 in a trade with the Diamondbacks for David Holmberg and Daniel Hudson.  Word on the street was that the White Sox acquired Jackson in order to flip him to the Nationals for Adam Dunn, but another move was not in the cards.  With Jake Peavy out for the remainder of the season, Jackson moved in to the starting rotation, going 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts as the White Sox finished in second place, 6 games behind the Twins.

Jackson returned for the 2011 season.  As the White Sox hovered around .500, Jackson put up a 7-7 record, with a slightly inflated 3.92 ERA.  With the team failing to make a run and with Jake Peavy back from his injury the year before, the White Sox moved Jackson, along with Mark Teahen, to the Blue Jays in exchange for Jason Frasor and Zack Stewart, ending Jackson’s White Sox career almost a year to the day after it began.

Jackson’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

by admin

He (Nearly) Gone

Ken-HarrelsonBack in October, the White Sox announced that Ken Harrelson, the play by play man for White Sox television broadcasts since 1990, will be cutting back his role this year, working road games, the home opener, and the Cubs series.  The 74 year old Harrelson, who has a 100 mile commute each way from his home in Indiana to US Cellular Field, had hinted at reducing his schedule prior to last season, but changed his mind after the team’s off-season moves offered the promise of an exciting summer.

Yesterday, the White Sox made the move official and announced the hiring of Jason Benetti, a 32-year old Homewood native who cut his professional broadcasting teeth with the Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple A affiliate of the Nationals.  Benetti becomes the first actual broadcaster hired by the White Sox since John Rooney in 1988.  The White Sox also announced that Harrelson and Steve Stone have signed multi-year extensions, settling the television booth for years to come.

I’ve never heard Benetti’s work (he also does college basketball on ESPN), but am looking forward to a younger and competent voice joining the broadcast booth.  An improved team and an improved broadcast booth should lead to an enjoyable summer.

by jim

2015 BBWAA Award Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season.  It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate.  Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.

American League

Most Valuable Player: Lorenzo Cain, Josh Donaldson, Mike Trout

Mike Trout, who won last year’s award, was my pre-season selection to win again this year. While I think Josh Donaldson will get plenty of support, I’m going to stick with Trout to win.

Cy Young Award: Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel, David Price

Well, the one year I didn’t pick David Price as my pre-season pick, he makes his way into the top 3.  That said, I’m thinking Dallas Keuchel, of the upstart Astros, will take home the award.

Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, A.J. Hinch, Paul Molitor

Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  The three nominees all lead surprising teams into contention for most of the year.  My guess is A.J. Hinch wins the award for leading the Astros to the post-season for the first time since 2005.

Rookie of the Year: Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Miguel Sano

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  This one should be a no-brainer, with Carlos Correa taking home the award.

National League

Continue reading →

by admin

Nationals All Time Leaders – Through 2015

nationalsWith 5 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  We continue today with the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals began life in 1969 as the Montreal Expos.  When the Expos missed out on their best opportunity to win a World Series due to the work stoppage of 1994, followed by years of alleged mismanagement, fan support dropped away, and the team moved to Washington in 2005.  I’ve seen them play 13 times, 5 as the Expos and 8 as the Nationals, most recently on April 7, 2012.

Home Runs

Name Total
Danny Espinosa 2
Terrmel Sledge 2
3 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Maicer Izturis 6
Endy Chavez 5
Ian Desmond 5
Ryan Zimmerman 5

Runs

Name Total
Maicer Izturis 3
Ian Desmond 3
Juan Rivera 3
Nyjer Morgan 3
Brad Wilkerson 3

RBI

Name Total
Terrmel Sledge 5
Danny Espinosa 3
Brian Schneider 3
Tony Batista 3

Doubles

Name Total
Juan Rivera 2
11 tied with 1

Triples Continue reading →

by admin

2015 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.

Central: Indians

Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year.  Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.

West: Angels

It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.

Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners

I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations.  The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

MVP: Mike Trout

Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award.  The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.

National League

Continue reading →

by admin

Moving On To Next Year

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersMajor League Baseball released their tentative 2016 schedule yesterday and, with little more to be concerned with for this season, let’s take a look at what’s on tap for next summer for the South Siders.

The White Sox open the season with a 4 game set on the road against the A’s on Monday, April 4.  The home season begins that Friday, when the Indians come to town for a 3 game tilt.

This year’s inter-league slate is against the NL East, with the Nationals, Braves, and Phillies making trips to US Cellular Field, while the Sox hit the road to visit the Mets, Marlins, and Phillies.  A 2 and 2 set with the Cubs occurs the last week of July.

The White Sox finish the 2016 season at home against the Rays and Twins, with 23 of their final 29 games coming against the Central Division.  Should make for a great pennant race if the team can be in contention.