In today’s edition of the Three Strikes Roundtable, we look at eagerly anticipated, season-ending storylines, races and awards that need to still be decided, and seasons that have been great, but you haven’t been paying any attention to.
1) What storyline are you most interested in over the final three weeks of the season?
Garrett Wilson: I’m obviously biased, but the AL West race. First off, it is the only race left worth caring about. Beyond that though is that it is just a good story because the Angels are inferior to Texas talent-wise but they still keep nipping at their heels. What I really like about this is that it continues to foster a nice rivalry between these two clubs that should only get more and more contentious since both franchises are set up to be contending for the next three to five years.
Matt Lindner: You mean besides the budding friendship between Ochocinco and Tony Plush? I think the AL West IS the only storyline and even then, it’s going to take a Texas-sized collapse from the Rangers heading down the stretch to put Anaheim back in the postseason. Otherwise, there’s the final few days of Mike Quade’s tenure as Cubs manager, which Brewer is going to be crowned NL MVP, if John Axford’s mustache belongs in the Hall of Fame (I say yes) and whether or not John Lackey can finish with an ERA below 6.00 (I’ll take the over on that, by the way).
Mark Smith: The debate about whether or not pitchers can win MVP Awards. Justin Verlander (and really Doc Halladay’s moreso) has had an amazing season, and his performance has brought the issue up yet again. It will be interesting to see the path the voters take, and it will be even more interesting when someone asks how Verlander got way more consideration than Halladay when Halladay was relatively better than his competition.
Brian Packey: As much as I am enamored by the Justin Verlander/MVP debate (despite the fact I’m not even convinced he’s the Tigers’ MVP right now, let alone a league MVP), regardless of the results over the next three weeks, we can debate it until we’re blue in the face through the World Series when the results are finally revealed.
Over the final few weeks of the season, I’ve got the Cardinals, who are thinking about starting a stupid run for the Wild Card in my peripheral, but my focus is on how the American League playoff picture will shake out. As it stands now, the Tigers will host the Red Sox and the Yankees will host the Rangers, but that could all change over the next three weeks. For starters, the Rangers could find themselves on the outside looking in by October. They’re 9-10 in their last 19 games, which has allowed the Angels to pick up 3.5 games over their last 18 (12-18) and sit within striking distance (2.5 games).
It seems the Rangers have been so concerned with the Angels breathing down their necks, the Tigers snuck up and erased a 6.5 game difference over their last 20 games (16-4), taking a half game lead for home field in the ALDS.
As if focusing on the Rangers and Angels do battle for a division while simultaneously fending off the Tigers for home field advantage won’t be fun enough, the Red Sox trail the Yankees by just 2.5 games for the AL East. It’s a beautiful time of the year.
Daniel Moroz: I suppose I’m personally most interested in seeing if the Orioles can not suck so much for a couple weeks. And any discussion about who the next GM of the team will be.
2) Do you feel that there are any playoff or awards races left to be decided, and if so, which ones?
Garrett Wilson: After the AL West race, there is nothing because nobody cares which of the Yankees and Red Sox win the division or end up in the wild card. As for as awards go, I think there are a lot that are undecided. There are favorites in most races, but I would hardly consider either MVP award to have a consensus winner already. I think the only awards that have been decided are AL Cy Young (Verlander), NL MOY (Gibson) and NL ROY (Kimbrel). After that, we won’t know until that ballots are in. What sucks though is that there isn’t likely to be any major shifts in the award voting since there is only the AL West race remaining. A lot of awards have been won thanks to clutch play during the September playoff races, but that won’t be the case this year.
Matt Lindner: The NL MVP still remains to be seen, but right now it’s looking like it’s Ryan Braun’s to lose. As stated above, everything else has already more or less been decided.
Mark Smith: The Angels keep staying around in the AL West, and with three weeks left, 3.5 games isn’t insurmountable. As for the awards, the MVPs are still up for grabs, and there’s still a chance the NL Cy Young has a serious debate headed its way. The ROY awards are also unclear, and you never really can guess with those.
Brian Packey: See answer 1. I don’t think it’ll happen, but I feel like the Cardinals will make things a little too interesting in the NL Wild Card for the Braves liking. After three with the Braves, the Cards finish their season with series against the Bucs, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, and Astros. One of those is unlike the others. The Braves don’t finish with any tougher of a schedule, but they’ve lost 8 of their last 12 while the Cardinals have won 9 of their last 13.
As for the awards, I think they’re all up for grabs/debate still except for the AL Cy Young, which could be lost if Verlander decides to pitch like 2006-2010 April Verlander in his final few starts.
Daniel Moroz: I think the play-offs are more or less set, though the awards are largely still up in the air. A hot/cold streak could easily sway who the winners could be.
3) Which player in the majors do you feel has been most under the radar this year? That is, a player having a great year that doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of love.
Garrett Wilson: Felix Hernandez. I think everyone wore themselves out championing King Felix for Cy Young last season that they don’t have any energy left to laud his efforts this year. His ERA is almost a full run higher than last year at 3.15 (which is still really good, by the way), but his FIP and xFIP are almost identical to his 2010 campaign. Plus, he is actually striking out more batters per nine innings at a career-high rate of 8.74. Basically, he is having the same season but with a bit less luck, yet nobody seems to care because the Mariners are horrible. I don’t think he deserves the Cy Young again, I just think it is a shame that he is getting almost no credit for being very, very, very good.
Matt Lindner: Ryan Braun and Nyjer Morgan get all the headlines in the Brewers outfield but Corey Hart has been quietly doing some solid work in right. While he hasn’t driven in as many runs this year (54) as he did last year, he has hit .282 with 23 HR while playing stellar defense. He has been as much a part of the Brewers’ renaissance as anyone, something that should pay off handsomely here shortly
Mark Smith: Gosh, do I have to pick just one? Ian Kinsler and Alex Gordon stick out on the position player side, and Justin Masterson, Brandon McCarthy, and Doug Fister all stick out on the pitching side. Wow, all those are AL guys. Hmm.
Brian Packey: Strasburg. I don’t think people talk about Strasburg enough.
Okay, seriously, most under the radar? For sure, Alex Gordon. Every time the Tigers play the Royals, his plate appearances and put outs in the field are the only times I ever hear/read his name. He’s arguably a top 20 player this season, but because he plays for the Royals, he’s easy to overlook.
I also feel like Jhonny Peralta doesn’t get any love and I’m a Detroit fan, so I’m always on the lookout for it. Unfortunately for Peralta, he’s been overshadowed by the likes of Verlander, Cabrera, Martinez, and Avila, despite the fact he’s having a career year at the plate, in the field, and rocks the team’s 3rd highest WAR behind Verlander and Cabrera (Hell, even Cabrera is being taken for granted in Detroit and is flying unfairly under the radar in MVP talks).
Daniel Moroz: Alex Gordon is a good one. He got some attention for his hot start, but has kept it up. If the Royals were actually good this year he might have gotten some MVP votes.
