THE SECOND HALF
The part of the season that matters the most is upon us. The deadline trades, the waiver deals, the chase for the two wild-card slots and the postseason clinchers are all what makes baseball so exciting.
The situation in each division
AL EAST
The Boston Red Sox have a two and a half game lead. However, Tampa Bay and Baltimore are not that far behind. This division will be a three team horse race to the finish unless the Yankees get themselves together (with the return of AROD and Jeter). The Blue Jays, practically the pre-season darling pick, can get into the mix if they play outstanding ball in the second half
AL CENTRAL
All I can say is this: the Detroit Tigers will determine who will win this division. The Indians don't plan to go away anytime soon.
AL WEST
This is once again an Oakland vs. Texas battle. Anaheim can still find a way to get into this, by means of getting their pitching together because their hitting can show up. This will go down to the wire.
NL EAST
Looks like Atlanta is potentially in cruise control in this one unless their pitching falls apart. Thus this has become a Washington vs. Philadelphia showdown for the battle for second place and one of the wild-card births. The key will be Philly's health and consistency. As for Washington, it has been all about consistency as they tend to struggle at times.
NL CENTRAL
The Pirates are for REAL folks so they don't plan to falter away unlike last season. The Cards are playing their ball as usual but the Pirates are just lurking to take over first place again. The Reds are still in it but they may settle for a wild-card slot; they have been plagued with inconsistency and cold streaks at times from their key players. In addition, their best pitcher has had an injury riddled season. So. expect this division to go down to the wire.
NL WEST
Despite the records reflecting on performance in play, this is the most tightest division in baseball. The rise of the Dodgers was given thanks to the other teams poor play in the last few weeks and the arrival of Cuban phenom Yasiel Puig. 8 and a half games is the difference between first place and last place. This can still be anybody's division so hold on tight and let's watch how the second half unfolds.
THIRTY THINGS TO WATCH (MLB.COM)
ANGELS: Outfielder Mike Trout. The debate of 2012 was whether Trout or Miguel Cabrera would win the American League MVP Award. There was no debate about Trout winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and this year there's no discussion about a sophomore jinx. He is leading the Angels with a .322 average, second-best in the AL, and fourth in the AL in on-base percentage (.399) and stolen bases (21). He also has 59 RBIs and 15 home runs.
ASTROS: Second baseman Jose Altuve. The organization is on a pace that will result in the club's third consecutive 100-loss season, the third in franchise history. But it's all part of the growing pains for a major overhaul undertaken by general manager Jeff Luhnow, who is in his second season. And Altuve is the face of the franchise's future, having celebrated the All-Star break by signing a four-year deal that guarantees $12.5 million for 2014-17 and has club options for 2018-19.
ATHLETICS: Pitcher Bartolo Colon. Colon went into the All-Star break with a 12-3 record and 2.70 ERA. Impressive? Definitely, particularly in light of the fact he turned 40 on May 24. He is nine wins shy of the record for wins in a season for a 40 year old, shared by Grover Cleveland Alexander, Jamie Moyer, Phil Niekro, Warren Spahn and Cy Young. Four more wins and he'll rank in the top 10 for his age group. His 2.70 ERA ranks as the 10th lowest for a 40-year-old. His .800 winning percentage ranks second for the 40-year-old set, 1.113 WHIP ranks fifth, and 4.667 strikeouts/walk ratio is third.
BLUE JAYS: General manager Alex Anthopoulos. The Jays underwent a major offseason overhaul, which included adding National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson to strengthen the rotation. He acquired shortstop Jose Reyes and signed free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera to add to the lineup. Anthopoulos also brought back former manager John Gibbons. The Jays, however, went into the All-Star break as the only AL East team without a winning record (45-49). How the Jays' management deals with the disappointment will be an ongoing saga.
BRAVES: Second baseman Dan Uggla. He has always been a high-power, low-average hitter, and this year he could become just the sixth player to hit 20 home runs with an average below .200. Uggla went into the break with 18 home runs and a .200 average. The five others? Mark Reynolds (32, .198), Mark McGwire (29, .187), Carlos Pena (28, .196), Rob Deer (25, .179) and Ruben Rivera (23, .195).
BREWERS: Shortstop Jean Segura. Only 23, Segura was at the Double-A level with the Angels a year ago and targeted to play second base. A change of scenery worked wonders. Part of the package the Angels gave up to acquire pitcher Zack Greinke, Segura hasn't simply emerged as the Brewers' everyday shortstop, but after hitting .325 with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs before the break he was a first-time All-Star selection. The Brewers are counting on him to build off his start to the rookie season.
CARDINALS: Pitcher Chris Carpenter. General manager John Mozeliak admits he is an X-factor in any stretch of moves the Cardinals make, even if he has been sidelined with back and shoulder problems since starting three games last year. He began a rehab assignment at Double-A Springfield on Monday, hitting 94 mph on the radar gun, striking out five and throwing 54 pitches in 2 2/3 innings. It's never wise to give up on Carpenter, seeing as he doesn't give up on himself. Toronto wrote him off after the 2002 season, with Carpenter eventually signing with St. Louis. He rehabbed in 2003 and was a three-time All-Star, won a NL Cy Young Award and finished in the top three two other times with the Cardinals. And the Cards need rotation help. The rotation had a 2.49 ERA on June 1, but 4.65 since, 5.29 in 30 starts made by pitchers other than Adam Wainwright.
CUBS: General manager Theo Epstein. The retooling of the Cubs continues. It's time to slice payroll. Already dealt this season have been pitcher Scott Feldman to Baltimore and utility man Scott Hairston to Washington. Right-hander Matt Garza most likely will go next, and the Cubs would still like to find a new home for outfielder Alfonso Soriano and right-hander Edwin Jackson. First baseman/outfielder Nate Schierholtz is also being dangled.
DIAMONDBACKS: First baseman Paul Goldschmidt. He was never considered a can't-miss prospect and had to earn every promotion on his way to the big leagues. Mission accomplished. In late spring, headed into only his second full big league season, Goldschmidt signed a five-year, $32 million deal. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .313 with 21 home runs and a NL-leading 77 RBIs.
DODGERS: Outfielder Yaisel Puig. The Cuban defector signed a year ago to a seven-year, $42 million deal. Puig didn't make his big league debut until June 3, but he made a big enough impression that last Sunday the Dodgers had Yaisel Puig T-Shirt Day. He drew comparisons to Bo Jackson and put up first-month numbers that hadn't been seen since Joe DiMaggio debuted.
GIANTS: Pitcher Tim Lincecum. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner is 15-24 with a 4.82 ERA since the start of the 2012 season, but finished off the first half of the season with a no-hitter at San Diego on Saturday. Can that provide a spark for the defending World Series champions? A team that went into the break just two games ahead of NL West cellar-dwelling San Diego. Can the Giants avoid becoming only the 13th defending champions to have a losing record? And avoid joining the 1997-98 Marlins as the only teams to go from champions to a last-place finish?
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THE MVP AND CY YOUNG AWARDS RACE
Every season, early candidates show up of who may win the MVP and CY Young Awards. Based on what we are seeing, either there are clear candidates or there is still a cloudy picture
AL MVP: This is becoming clear this award will come down between usual favorite Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis.
AL CY YOUNG: Have to say this is Max Scherzer's to lose. Who expected this guy to be pitching this good without being inconsistent.
NL MVP: This has to be the most wide open race as you have a number of players that are playing so good that it could come down to the last few weeks of the season.
NL CY YOUNG: Wainwright, Harvey, Lee, Zimmerman. The NL has produced a nice collection of arms this season so this will either go to Wainwright or a pitcher that has pitched outstanding down the stretch.
MORE SECOND HALF PREVIEW
Early Candidates Emerge For Top Rookie Honors
Your Postseason Teams Will Be...........
Second Half To Be Full Of Surprises
These Will Be The Best Players Of 2013 By Season's End
TRADE DEADLINE COVERAGE
As we start this second half of the thread, expect a flurry of trade rumor talk as trade deadline season heats up. A few deals have already been done. Names have been flying all over the place so be tuned to links shared and posted.
The smell of baseball is back in the air but it is the part of the season that counts
GOOD LUCK TO YOUR TEAM AND PLAY BALL!!!
