Hello, everyone, and welcome to the debut of VAVEL USA's MLB Roundtable. We will be asking VAVEL USA's greatest baseball minds some of the biggest questions about the game today, and we may even strike some controversy. Be ready for some fun!
1) Kansas City Royals: Real Or Fluke?
Anton Joe: Real - The past couple of seasons the Royals have struggled to get over that hump in the AL Central. However, I think this season will end with them as AL Central Champions. With the rest of the division being inconsistent, I think it'll be a close finish between them and the Tigers for the AL Central crown. They've played well this season and I expect them to maintain their momentum for the rest of the season.
Karl Capen: Real - The Kansas City Royals have shown early in the year what they are capable of when all of their young talent is clicking together at once. The acquisition of James Shields has been huge for that rotation along with Wade Davis finding a second life and proving why he was so highly valued on that Tampa Bay Rays' Pennant run. Even despite their struggles since their streak ended, they showed us a glimpse of what years of top draft picks and young talent can do when hot. After finally having a plus .500 season for the first time in over a decade last year, I see the Royals hanging around the Wild Card race and nabbing that last ticket into the postseason.
Dalton Keene: Real - That's a tough one as it's only about to be July, but I would say real. Several teams have been surprisingly good this season but I really like what the Royals have. They have their struggles but for the most part they pull out some very noteworthy wins on teams that "should" beat them.
John Flesta: Real/Fake - I think they are "for real" if you are talking about an above .500 team that has a chance to sneak into the wild-card and experience the postseason. Do I think they are a legitimate contender? No. I like to see teams trend upward and progress through the playoffs over a handful of years and that seems more than plausible for the Royals.
Parker White: Real - I definitely think the Kansas City Royals are for real. They are the 3rd best pitching team in the American League, supporting a 3.73 ERA. Their starting rotation is led by “Big Game” James Shields and their bullpen is anchored by one of the best closers in baseball Greg Holland. To go along with their pitching they are one of the better defensive teams in MLB. They have young, athletic players who cover a lot of ground all over the diamond. The only knock on the Royals is their offense. They don’t hit for a lot of power and some of their young hitters they want to rely on have not produced to their capability. However, since the Royals hired their new hitting coach Dale Sveum May 29th the offense has improved and shown signs of consistency. In the month of June the Royals are hitting .278 while scoring 117 runs. This is tied with the division rival Tigers for 8th in MLB. So when you combine the improved offense with the outstanding pitching and defense, I think the Royals are for real.
Kevin Charity: Real - Funny, as I have seemingly picked the Royals as a contender for the last few seasons. Offensively, they have not been very good. Eric Hosmer has been a real disappointment, as he has regressed badly after a really good 2013. Billy Butler's power has also seem to fade, with just two homers on the year. I love their pitching staff, and Yordano Ventura is becoming one of my favorite pitchers to look. Shields, Guthrie and Vargas have been solid as well. The Royals desperately need to add a bat, and maybe two around the deadline. Guys like Seth Smith and Chris Denorfia of San Diego or Matt Joyce of Tampa Bay would be great addition to the Royals.
Ryan Somers: Real - The Kansas City Royals are for real. They may have stumbled out of the gate but they are finally starting to hit their stride. Their lineup is loaded with young talent. The numbers are not exactly eye-popping to date, but the return of Lorenzo Cain to the lineup has provided a much needed boost in recent weeks. Cain is joined by Alex Gordon and Jarrod Dyson forming arguably the best defensive outfield in the game. The Royals are also capable of trotting out four quality starting pitchers in James Shields, Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, and Danny Duffy. Jeremy Guthrie also pitched well early in the season. With that type of depth on the mound and a lineup that should continue to trend upwards, look for the Royals to battle the Tigers down to the wire in the AL Central.
Dan Schmelzer: Real - While they have not played they best ball recently, the Kansas City Royals are indeed for real, and their starting pitching is a huge reason why. Jason Vargas, James Shields and Jeremy Guthrie have given them a great veteran presence in the rotation, while also performing very well, and youngsters Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy have been incredible, flashing their very high ceilings. One through five, the Royals arguably have the best mix of talent and experience out of their rotation in baseball. On top of that, Wade Davis and Greg Holland have been outstanding out of the bullpen, while Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon and Alcedis Escobar lead things offensively. The Royals are a very complete team, who are legitimate playoff contenders
Caleb Wahlgren: Fluke - The Kansas City Royals are most definitely a fluke in the AL Central this season. Their ERA ranks third in the American League at 3.71, second to only the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. Their batting average is also third in the American League at .262, third to only the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles. Everyone knows that they had their hot stretch where they won 10 in a row in the middle of June, but other than that, the Royals have been 6-10 for June, including 3-7 in their last 10, all games played at home in Kauffman Stadium, and they were even swept by the Seattle Mariners. Depending on how well the Tigers are the rest of the season, the Royals could make the playoffs, just don’t expect much because they are a fairly average team.
2) What Is The Biggest Surprise Of The MLB Season So Far?
Joe: Astros' southpaw Dallas Keuchel. Being an Astros' fan myself, I didn't expect Keuchel to emerge as the ace of Houston's pitching staff this season. In his 15 starts this season, he's tossed three complete games - which is tied for the most in all of baseball this season - and has a 2.78 ERA. It's been a pleasant surprise to look him put together an All-Star caliber season thus far.
Capen: The biggest surprise for me this season has been the Boston Red Sox's offense. Ranking almost last in the American League in hitting, Boston has failed to do all the things right that won them the World Series last year. Grant it, Shane Victoriano, a big piece of last years run in October, has been injured all season and Mike Napoli has faced the same injury bug. Xander Bogarts has been a disappointment after some the promise he showed in the postseason last year and it is only a matter of time before we see Mookie Betts permanently replaces Jackie Bradley Jr. Early on many thought it was just a post-World Series hangover but now, almost into July, the Red Sox are fading at a rapid pace.
Keene: My biggest surprise this year would be Evan Gattis. We seen last season that he had unbeliveable potential but no one thought he would really take over a lineup like the Braves have so soon. Besides Freddie Freeman, Gattis has been a force at the plate for the Braves this year. His power is unreal.
Flesta: Right now, it has to be the Blue Jays to me. They are in one of, if not the toughest division and get no "pub" because of it. Their offense, most specifically Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, is carrying the team and I don't think their divisional lead is sustainable without getting much more from their pitching staff, particularly from the bullpen.
White: I think the biggest surprise of the MLB season is the competitive play by the Miami Marlins. At the end of Sunday’s game the Marlins are only 5 games out holding a record of 39-43. I realize they aren’t over .500 and they aren’t leading the division, but being within 5 games before the All-Star break with this young group of guys is remarkable. Not to mention the Marlins lost their “Ace” pitcher Jose Fernandez to Tommy John surgery early in the season. Now I think we can all agree that Giancarlo Stanton is a superstar, but who would have thought he could put up MVP type numbers with Casey McGee protecting him in the lineup. This is the same Casey McGee who a year ago was playing in the Japanese League. The Marlins lineup is the 3rd best lineup in the National League when it comes to runs scored. Now overall their pitching staff isn’t great but they have several electric arms in the rotation and a very underrated closer in the back end of their bullpen. I’m not saying the Marlins are going to make the playoffs, but I didn’t think they would be doing this well at this point in the season. Shows you what I thought of the Marlins heading into the season.
Charity: It has to be Toronto. Most people picked them to finish last, because of the behemoth division they play in and the fact that they seemed to be short on pitching. Edwin Encarnacion has been one of the funniest players to look in baseball, and he could hit 50 homers this year. Jose Batista is one of the most consistent hitters in the game and Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind have been good at the plate. Mark Buehrle has been the ace the team needed, but I still think they are short on pitching. However, no team has exceeded expectations more than Toronto in my opinion.
Somers: The biggest surprise in the Majors is the American League East leading Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays were picked by many to win this division last year. The season turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. This year they have managed to mash their way to the top lead by the tremendous first half being enjoyed by Edwin Encarnacion . Of course, we have seen this story with the Jays quite often in recent years. The question remains whether they can keep it going over the course of 162 games. There is very little wiggle room for the club because we have yet to see the best out of their division rivals. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles are going to offer a tough test for the Jays in the second half. It will be interesting to see how this years version of the Jays responds to adversity. Offensively, the Jays will continue to live and die by the long ball. I'm just not convinced yet that their starting rotation has the depth to win the division.
Schmelzer: The biggest surprise of the MLB season thus far has been the struggles of the Tampa Bay Rays and the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay entered the season as one of the trendiest picks to represent the American League in the World Series, but they currently have the single worst record in baseball at 34-49. Their AL East counterparts in Boston have not been much better as they sit at 37-44, and seven games behind the division leading Toronto Blue Jays. Both of these teams have obvious talent on their roster, but surprisingly things have yet to come together for them.
Wahlgren: The great play by White Sox rookie, Jose Abreu. Abreu has played in less games than the two men who he is tied with for American League home runs, with 25. He also has 64 RBI’s, which puts him tied for third with Miguel Cabrera. He leads the American League all by himself in slugging percentage at .625, which is .015 higher than Mike Trout. Jose Abreu also came over from Cuba, the biggest slugger to come over since Yasiel Puig. Even the White Sox didn’t think that he was going to be quite this good, just putting him in the major league so that he could develop against the best. But Abreu is definitely the biggest surprise of the season so far.
3) What Are Your Thoughts On The Turmoil Of The Texas Rangers?
Joe: Injuries happen. That's part of sports. However, I think Ron Washington has done a great job of keeping this club confident and motivated to go out there on a daily basis and win games. For this team to still be hovering around .500 with most of their star-power on the disabled list is quite impressive, in my opinion. Ultimately, this season has been a disappointment for the Rangers.
Capen: I had a feeling the Rangers were going to fall into a downward spiral after two straight incredible heartbreaking losses in the World Series. Losing Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and Josh Hamilton, who were all the main contributors to those World Series trips, has sent this team down a dark road. Yu Darvish has been the only ray of sunshine for this club and he is even feeling the "choke" after losing another no-hit bid in the 9th inning early in the season to the Boston Red Sox. Everything is bigger in Texas, and that most importantly goes for the pressure Ron Washington is feeling right now. If turmoil continues, Washington could be finding himself looking for another job before the season even ends.
Keene: Sometimes it's okay to just blame it on the GM. The Rangers had a great few years not very long ago. Their lineup was legendary, one bad move can result in a World Series worthy team turning into whatever the Rangers are now.
Flesta: I've been under the impression that Ron Washington would be fired at the end of the last three seasons and yet, he remains employed. It starts there with me. As an A's fan I see a lot of the Rangers and see at least one or two "questionable" moves from the manager in a 3-4 game series. Beyond Washington, you have to look at their pitching staff over the years. It must be hard to recruit costless agent pitchers down to Arlington and aside from Darvish, the starting rotation leaves a lot to be desired.
White: The Texas Rangers had a lot of expectation coming into the season. They traded for power-hitting first baseman Prince Fielder and signed outfielder Sin Soo Choo to a lucrative long-term deal. Sorry to say everything has gone wrong for the Rangers. The biggest problem has been the injury bug. These are a list of guys who are on the DL; Prince Fielder, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Martin Perez, Jurickson Profar, Alexi Ogando, Geovany Soto, and Mitch Moreland. For some of these guys they are lost for the season. Now they still have enough talent offensively to keep themselves competitive but three-fifths of their starting rotation is hurt, which is why the Rangers pitching staff holds the second-worst ERA in baseball right in front of the Colorado Rockies. Unless the Rangers can make moves to better their pitching staff they have no chance in the AL West. Even if they did make some moves they still don’t have a chance compared to the Oakland A’s who hold the best record in baseball.
Charity: From someone who doesn't follow the team exceptionally much, injuries have ravaged Texas. They lost Fielder, Profar, Harrison, Holland, Perez, and I could go on all day. They have had the most days spent on the DL in baseball. Eventually, the injuries are just too much to recover from. It is really strange to me to see Fielder go down, since he has always been considered as an "iron man" around the game. Take away the core of any team and they will collapse. Texas has good people running the organization, and ultimately they will be fine, however.
Somers: The turmoil with the Texas Rangers can be attributed to a few key factors. The biggest of which has to be the drop off in the starting rotation. After you get past Yu Darvish, the rotation gets awfully thin. Nick Tepesch has some potential but the rest of the rotation is in shambles. The Rangers have always been more of an offensive minded squad. The issue this year is that the offense has not been able to pick up the slack for the pitching staff. Of course, a big part of this problem is the neck injury suffered by Prince Fielder which ended his season. The Rangers lost Ian Kinsler in that transaction, which has made the injury to Fielder that much tougher to swallow. They are also sorely missing Nelson Cruz who is having a huge year in Baltimore. Factor those three elements into the equation and it is understandable that the offense is in trouble. It's going to be a long year for Ron Washington.
Schmelzer: At 37-43, and sitting 13 games back in the AL West, I think it is safe to say that this season has not gone according to plan for the Texas Rangers. Adrian Beltre has been the only consistent performer on the offense, as key offseason additions Shin Soo Choo and Prince Fielder (now gone for the season) have been disappointing. Yu Darvish has been incredible once again, but the rest of the pitching staff is a mess. To be fair, the Rangers have had very bad luck on the injury front, but this is a team that seems to be going nowhere this season.
Wahlgren: The Rangers were right at 28-28 at the end of May, but they have been 9-16 in the month of June. The Rangers problem has been their pitching. They have had the worst ERA in the American League in the month of June at 4.87, which is .42 higher than the next worst team in the American League, the Detroit Tigers. Their WHIP has also been high, at 1.55 for the month of June. This means that their opponents basically have an OBP of .353, which is like Brandon Moss, first baseman of the Oakland Athletics, up at every plate appearance against them. How the Rangers have been throwing this month, it’s almost a surprise that they aren’t doing any worse than 9-16 this month.
4) Will The Milwaukee Brewers Choke This Season?
Joe: No - The Brewers, as of Saturday, have a six and a half game lead in the NL Central of the St. Louis Cardinals. Milwaukee's offense has been among the best in baseball this season and their pitching has been solid as well. I expect them to keep up the great play and win the division this season.
Capen: No - The Milwaukee Brewers are on a mission. Scratch that...Ryan Braun is on a mission to right all the wrongs he has done to this team. His numbers might not show it but Braun has lit a fire under this clubhouse that has everyone playing at a high level. The Brewers' pitching staff has surpassed expectations so far this year and Carlos Gomez is still starting fights (which I think everyone expected). The Milwaukee Brewers were my dark horse pick in the beginning of the season and I am sticking to them. With St. Louis struggling to hit along with everyone else in that division, Milwaukee will find themselves back in October.
Keene: No - I don't believe that Brewers will choke. They've been really good this year when it counts. Carlos Gomez is a bit crazy at times but he's really had an oustanding year and is well deserving of an all-star selection.
Flesta: No - I don't see anyone in the division catching them unless they are hit by the injury bug. However, I don't see this team as title contender for some reason. I can't put my finger on why exactly, it is just a gut feeling. The NL always seems to be won by the hottest team that makes the playoffs, not the "best team" for the entire length of the season.
White: No - As it stands the Milwaukee Brewers hold the best record in the National League. Unless you are an optimistic Brewers fan I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I’m sure every baseball expert had the St. Louis Cardinals repeating as division champs. But when you look at this roster from top to bottom it shouldn’t be a total shock. With Ryan Braun back from suspension, the emerging superstardom of Carlos Gomez, and the most underrated catcher in baseball in Jonathan Lucroy; the Milwaukee Brewers have a very good offense. I’m sure the Brewers are comfortable trotting pitchers like Kyle Lohse, Yovanni Gallardo, and Matt Garza out every day. The biggest question for the Brewers was how they were going to close out games. The answer was Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez who has rejuvenated himself at the age of 32. This guy was supposed to be done as a closer a couple years ago. Right now they hold a 6.5 game lead on the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals and they don’t show any signs of slowing down. I don’t think they will choke but it’s hard to bet against the Cardinals who find a way to get it done year in and year out. It’s going to be an interesting 2nd half in the NL Central with all that depth.
Charity: Not Exactly - I don't know if "choke" is the appropriate word. They certainly have overachieved and I fully expect St. Louis to get hot at some point and take the NL Central. Milwaukee has five guys who could hit 20 homers and guys like Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis are unknowns who haven't played in a pennant race. Their rotation has been really good as well. I can see them winning the Wild Card, but I still think this is the Cardinals division to lose.
Somers: No - I do not expect the Milwaukee Brewers to choke in the second half. They have a healthy six game lead in the division after they got off to an incredible start. The Cardinals, Reds, and Pirates have lacked the consistency to make a serious run at the Brewers so far. With Yovani Gallardo, Matt Garza, and Kyle Lohse atop the rotation the Brewers should be able to avoid any prolonged slumps. Offensively the Brewers have a really nice mix of speed and power throughout the lineup. They should continue to play great baseball in the second half. I expect the Brewers to hold off late charges from the Cardinals and Reds to claim the National League Central title.
Schmelzer: Yes - The most surprising team on a positive note in MLB so far this season has been the Milwaukee Brewers. At 51-32, the Brewers have the best record in the National League. Last season the Brewers finished with a 74-88 record, while showing little promise of a turnaround. Unfortunately, I do not see this continuing. Jonathan LuCroy is currently hitting an incredible .336/.405/.515 on the year. While he is a great player, he simply will not continue that kind of production all season long. The same could easily be said for the .310/.375/.525 line that Carlos Gomez is putting up. Also, Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis have come from seemingly out of nowhere to put up All-Star caliber numbers. Expect their production to slip soon as well, making wins tougher to come by for the Brewers.
Wahlgren: No - The Brewers have been on fire this season, going 51-33 and having the second best record in baseball at this time, behind the 51-30 Oakland Athletics. If there is one thing I know not to do though, it’s counting out the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central race. Currently they are 6.5 back and the Cincinnati Reds are also 6 games back. The Brewers are a balanced team though, with catcher Jonathan Lucroy (.334), second baseman Scooter Gennett (.311) and Carlos Gomez (.310), all in the top 10 in the National League in batting average. Left fielder Khris Davis is leading the team with 14 home runs, and no team ever wants to be too dependant on the long ball, and Davis is only tied for 9th in the National League. Right now the Brewers have scored the second most runs in the National League with 383, second only to the Colorado Rockies. But the Rockies have given up the most runs with 429 allowed. They have given up 343 runs, which is the second highest in the division, behind the 344 given up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are 5 games ahead of their expected W-L ratio, but their pitching has been average, and if they choke, that would be the reason, because they are too hitting dependant. Kyle Lohse has been their best starter to date, going 9-2 with a 3.08 ERA. But he is joined in the 3 ERA range by starters Wily Peralta and Yovani Gallardo, so the Brewers should be able to hang on.
5) Series You Are Most Looking Forward To This Coming Week
Joe: St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants. This series should be filled with great pitching performances. In the series opener, Tim Lincecum will be making his first start for the Giants following his no-hitter, and Adam Wainwright will get the nod for the Cardinals the following day. Should be a great series (if you like pitching).
Capen: Give me some good ol' fashion baseball with the Boston Red Sox - THE Chicago Cubs at Fenway. Both teams have been struggling this year and maybe if one team can find a way to complete a sweep in the series it will get them on a roll. It will also be interesting to see how Clay Buchholz does in his second start back off from the DL. He gave a decent outing on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners and I will be intrigued to see how he performs coming back to Fenway.
Keene: This may be a bit biased but it's the upcoming Braves-Mets series. The Braves are getting a roll again. The Upton brothers are getting hot at the same time and I really want to see if Atlanta can take off and leave the Nationals behind in the NL East standings.
Flesta: This is an easy one and there are biases everywhere around the selection. The Tigers and A's faceoff again this Monday - Wednesday in Detroit. Needless to say, I can't stand the Tigers and love seeing Verlander struggle this season. There is a great pitching match-up on Monday night with Scott Kazmir facing Anibal Sanchez. The A's "need" to win two out of three in Detroit before heading home for another tough series against the Blue Jays.
White: The series I’m looking forward to next week is the Oakland A’s at the Detroit Tigers. These are the two best teams in the American League and they are both playing well both winning 8 of their last 10 games. The A’s have lost to the Tigers two years in a row in the Divisional Series and I think the A’s want to make a statement in Detroit as they split a four game series earlier in the season. There is also going to be some intriguing pitching matchups as Scott Kazmir (9-3) and Anibal Sanchez (5-2) faceoff Monday. Brad Mills (1-0) and Rick Porcello (10-4) go Tuesday and Jesse Chavez (6-4) and Justin Verlander (6-7) finish the series on Wednesday. These two teams both have great offenses so I will be interested to see which pitching staff can hold the other team’s offense down. I’m picking the A’s to take 2 of 3 because they are riding a four game winning streak and I don’t trust the Tigers bullpen to shut the A’s down. And whoever thought you would question Justin Verlander because I don’t know what to expect from him especially against a good offense like Oakland.
Charity: Tigers and A's. Two first-place teams. The A's are one of the best stories in baseball, winning despite payroll limitations. Josh Donaldson is slumping, but he still is one of the best young players in the game, Miguel Cabrera is still the best hitter in the game. It is only a two-game set, but they are my favorites to play in the ALCS. Should be fun!
Somers: The series I am looking forward to most this week is the four-game set for the Blue Jays in Oakland. A battle of division leaders and two teams are performing much better than many people predicted. The Jays have bounced back nicely from a disappointing 2013 campaign and the Athletics seem to never get the respect they deserve. This will be a great test for both of these American League contenders as we head towards the second half!
Schmelzer: The St. Louis Cardinals travel to the West Coast this week to take on the NL West leading San Francisco Giants. This three game set goes from Tuesday through Thursday, and is the series that I am most looking forward to seeing. In past four seasons, it has been either the Giants or Cardinals who have won the National League pennant. These two fantastically ran franchises are squarely in their respective divisional races, an always make for interesting baseball.
Wahlgren: It’s always exciting to look the best team in baseball. This time I will be looking them as they go on the road. The Oakland Athletics have two exciting series this week, but the one I am most excited about is their series against the Tigers on June 30th through July 2nd. There is a great pitching match up between Scott Kazmir and Anibal Sanchez. Rick Porcello has been hot lately and will be going up against lefty Brad Mills, who is only doing his third start for the Athletics. Also, I have to see if Justin Verlander is going to bounce back, because he was pathetic in June. He had a 6.82 ERA, and gave up a WHIP of 1.61. It’s difficult to see exactly what could be the issue in his game, but he simply has to do better, and could easily help the Tigers start July with a bang, before the fireworks even begin.