Episode 10: Popa's Baseball First Half Report

Popa is back with an all new blog filled with goodies for people of all shapes, sizes, and ages! Today I will go through what I feel should be the awards of the first half of the baseball season. SO HOLLA AND TAKE A LOOK NUKKA

Popa's AL All Star Rosters:

Starting Lineup:

C- Joe Mauer, Min
1B- David Ortiz, Bos
2B- Tadahito Iguchi, CWS
3B- Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS- Derek Jeter, NYY
OF- Ichiro Suzuki, Sea
OF- Jermaine Dye, CWS
OF- Manny Ramierez, Bos
SP- Francisco Liriano, Min

Bench:

C-Victor Martinez, Cle
1B- Travis Hafner, Cle
1B- Jim Thome, CWS
SS- Michael Young, Tex
SS- Miguel Tejada, Bal
3B- Troy Glaus, Tor
OF- Carl Crawford, TB
OF- Vladimir Guerrero, Ana
OF- Vernon Wells, Tor
OF- Magglio Ordonez, Det

SP- Johan Santana, Min
SP- Jose Contreras, CWS
SP- Justin Verlander, Det
SP- Roy Halladay, Tor
SP- Scott Kazmir, TB
SP- Jeremy Bonderman, Det
SP- Curt Schilling, Bos
SP- Barry Zito, Oak
RP- Jon Papelbon, Bos
RP- Mariano Rivera, NYY
RP- BJ Ryan, Tor
RP- Bobby Jenks, CWS
RP- Joe Nathan, Min

Comments:

It is tough as hell leaving off players like Paul Konerko, Francisco Rodriguez, Raul Ibanez, Mike Mussina, Ramon Hernandez, and, to a lesser degree, Pudge. It just shows you how stacked the Junior Circuit is. Every team is represented except Kansas City and I'm sure no one feels bad about that. Let's face it, KC is where baseball players go to rot away and die. If any of my friends had players from KC on their fantasy rosters, I'd make fun of them mercilessly. Mark Redman? BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH, worst rule ever. I know KC got a couple of players coming up in Alex Gordon and Butler who are supposed to be pretty good hitters but who are we kidding? Kansas City is officially just a football town. What's up with this talk of Gary Matthews being an All Star or even an MVP candidate?!?!?! Matthews is a good player but is every analyst on Baseball tonight and SI on LSD and didn't tell anyone yet? ITS GARY MATTHEWS JUNIOR GUYS!!!!! JUST WANTED TO LET YOU IN ON THAT LITTLE FACT!!!! BTW, There are no second basemen in the American League.

Popa's NL ALL Star Rosters:

Starting Lineup:

C-Johnny Estrada, Ari
1B- Albert Pujols, STL
2B- Chase Utley, Phi
3B- David Wright, NYM
SS- Jose Reyes, NYM
OF- Carlos Lee, Mil
OF- Carlos Beltran, NYM
OF- Alfonso Soriano, Was
SP- Brandon Webb, Ari

Bench:

C- Brian McCann, Atl
1B- Ryan Howard, Phi
1B/OF- Lance Berkman, Hou
2B- Dan Uggla, Fla
3B- Miguel Cabrera, Fla
3B- Scott Rolen, STL
OF- Jason Bay, Pitt
OF- Matt Holliday, Col
OF- Andruw Jones, Atl
Utility- Nomar Garciaparra, LAD

SP- Jason Schmidt, SF
SP- Pedro Martinez, NYM
SP- Tom Glavine, NYM
SP- Carlos Zambrano, CHC
SP- Brad Penny, LAD
SP- Bronson Arroyo, Cin
SP- Chris Capuano, Mil
SP- Chris Carpenter, STL
RP- Billy Wagner, NYM
RP- Trevor Hoffman, SD
RP- Tom Gordon, PHI
RP- Jason Isringhausen, STL
RP- Brian Fuentes, Col

Comments: The NL talent pool is depleted. I had a surplus of players that were All Star caliber in the AL. I had trouble finding players to fill my all star roster in the NL. WTF AT THESE NL CATCHERS?!?! They can't be serious. I was forced to put Izzy and Fuentes on the all star roster. They are solid closers but does anyone actually feel that they played like All Stars this year? Look at the AL bench compared to the NL bench. Not even a contest. The pitching in the NL isn't even that deep. Look at the castoffs from the AL who are no pitching in the NL and are now conisdered aces. Arroyo. Chris Young. They are going to make themselves alot of money just because they are pitching in a suckier league. Now look at guys like Beckett and Pavano from last year. Let me remind everyone that i've been saying that the AL was the better league by far since the beginning of the year. Peep my baseball preview for further evidence.

AL Comeback Player of the Year- Jim Thome, CWS

Comments: Not even a contest here. Who in the AL has come back stronger then Toemay? Curt Schilling? Probably but I'd still vote for Thome confidently over Schilling.

NL Comeback Player of the Year- Carlos Beltran, NYM

Comments: Nomar could easily get anyones vote here. However, no one expected anything from Nomar. Not only did no one expect anything from Beltran but fans booed him mercilessly at the beginning of the year. It was almost at "A-rod at yankee stadium after he ends an inning with a double play with a runner on third" levels. He came back in a pressure packed situation. That earns him a few more points imo.

AL Manager of the Year-
1. Jim Leyland, Det
2. Joe Torre, NYY
3. Ozzie Guillen, CWS

Comments: I didn't think Torre would have a better job managing a team then last year but he's topped that so far this year. However, Leyland has one upped him. He seems to be pushing all the right buttons in Detroit right now. Gotta hand it to him. Dude's been out of baseball for a couple years and didn't seem to miss a beat.

NL Manager of the Year-
1. Willie Randolph, NYM
2. Clint Hurdle, Col
3. Grady Little, LAD

Comments: Everything Randolph is doing seems to work out. Plugging in Jose Valentin (are you fucking kidding me? When is this guy gonna start to strike out every other at bat?) at second, and even subbing in endy chavez and chris woodward in certain games. I don't have a single clue how Hurdle is keeping his team over .500 and in the NL West race. He deserves some props for this here. It's funny seeing Grady Little's name in a Manager of the Year discussion. Isn't it even funnier that he's still managing Nomar and Derek Lowe?

AL Rookie of the Year-
1. Francisco Liriano, Min
2. Jonathan Papelbon, Bos
3. Justin Verlander, Det
4. Kenji Johjima, Sea
5. Jered Weaver, Ana

Preaseason pick for AL ROY- Francisco Liriano

Comments: Paps and Liriano can easily be flip flopped. I went with Liriano. Paps is showing signs of getting hit lately while Liri has STILL looked dominant. The back end of the contenders are all very good players with good futures. Except for maybe Johjima. I think he's something like 31. Ian Kinsler deserves an honorable mention. He's been playing fairly solid for texas at second base.

NL Rookie of the Year-
1. Dan Uggla, Fla
2. Prince Fielder, Mil
3. Josh Johnson, Fla
4. Ryan Zimmerman, Was
5. Hanley Ramirez, Fla

Preaseason pick for NL ROY- Prince Fielder

Comments: Uggla has come out of nowhere and has become arguably one of the better second basemen in the league right now. He is putting up Bret Boone numbers right now. Not bad. I still think when all is said and done, Prince will end up taking this award at the end of the year however. Florida is chock full of young talent. At the end of the year, the Marlin rookies will all take votes away from each other.

AL Cy Young:
1. Francisco Liriano, Min
2. Jonathan Papelbon, Bos
3. Johan Santana, Min
4. Roy Halladay, Tor
5. BJ Ryan, Tor

Preaseason pick for AL Cy Young- Johan Santana

Comments: The top two look eerily familiar to my AL ROY top two. They were both defenitely the best two pitchers in the AL during the first half of the season. However, don't dismiss what BJ ryan has been doing in Toronto. If there was no Paps, we'd all probably be salivating over BJ (should i No homo this?).

NL CY Young:
1. Brandon Webb, Ari
2. Bronson Arroyo, Cin
3. Pedro Martinez, NYM
4. Jason Schmidt, SF
5. Trevor Hoffman, SD

Preaseason pick for NL Cy Young- Roy Oswalt

Comments: Webb has pitched lights out so far. Easily winning this first half award. Alot of people seem to hate on Trevor Hoffman but he's been fucking stellar so far this year.

AL MVP:
1. David Ortiz, Bos
2. Derek Jeter, NYY
3. Jim Thome, CWS
4. Vernon Wells, Tor
5. Jon Papelbon, Bos

Preaseason pick for AL MVP- Derek Jeter

Comments: I hate picking DHs for MVP but Ortiz is having a monster year. Again. Big Papi is the scariest left handed hitter in baseball. Bar none. Disgusting. Jeter (even though many of you hate him) has been leading the patchwork yankees through a difficult stretch.

NL MVP:
1. Albert Pujols, STL
2. David Wright, NYM
3. Lance Berkman, Hou
4. Carlos Lee, Mil
5. Carlos Beltran, NYM

Preaseason Pick for NL MVP- David Wright

Comments: As much as I want to give Wright the first half award, Pujols has been more important to his team then David Wright has. Albert was on a Ruthian pace at the beginning of the year too. Don't be suprised if he goes back on a similar tear once he's gotten back to the swing of things. Berkman has BEEN the offense for the Astros. So has Carlos Lee. At the end of the year, Beltran might be the reason why Wright doesn't win MVP. They'll both share some votes.