The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Brett Jackson

The Chicago Cubs young 24 year old center fielder, Brett Jackson, made his major league debut, and didn’t  let the club down. Jackson went 2-4 including a walk and a strikeout. Jackson was batting .256 with 106 hits, 22 doubles, 12 triples, 15 homers, 47 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. Jackson was one of two players to be called up for Sunday’s game vs the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Anthony Rizzo

The Chicago Cubs rookie first baseman, Anthony Rizzo had 2 hits in Sunday’s 6-7 loss to the Dodgers. Rizzo went 2-4 with a single and a game tying homer in the 9th inning to make it 6-6 at the time. Rizzo now has 5 homers, 12 hits, and 13 RBIs in his last 10 games. Rizzo is now batting .310 on the year and was named N.L. Rookie of the Month for July.

Neil Walker

In the Pirates 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Neil Walker contributed with a big blast of his own. Walker went 2-4 with a single and a homer in the 2nd inning to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead, and they never looked back from there. Walker is batting .292 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs on the season for the Pirates.

A.J. Burnett

The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher, A.J. Burnett, got his 4th win in a row Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Burnett went 8.2 innings giving up just 2 runs off 3 hits. Burnett is now 14-3 on the season, which ties him for 1st in the N.L. in wins on the season. Burnett has given up just 5 runs over his last 4 starts, including a complete game 1 hit shutout against the Cubs. Burnett is now 8-1 over his last 10 starts and has lowered his ERA from 3.52 to 3.19.

Stephen Strasburg

The Washington Nationals starting pitcher lit it up from both sides of the plate in a 4-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. Strasburg went 6 innings giving up 3 hits while striking out 6. Strasburg also went 1-2 at the plate with 2 RBIs to help himself get his 12th victory of the season. Strasburg is now 12-5 with a 2.97 ERA, and 160 strikeouts, which is first in the N.L.

Hunter Pence

The San Francisco Giants newly acquired right fielder, Hunter Pence, had his first multi-hit game with his new clubs. Pence went 2-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored. Pence is now batting .267 on the season with 64 RBI.

Yonder Alonso

The San Diego Padres first baseman, Yonder Alonso, continued his hot streak behind the plate Sunday against the New York Mets. Alonso went 2-4 including a double, a homer, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI.  Alonso now has 16 hits over his last 10 games, and has improved his average to .270 on the season.

Kyle Lohse

The St.Louis Cardinals starting pitcher, Kyle Lohse, got his 6th straight start in a row against the Milwaukee Brewers. Lohse went 6 innings giving up no runs off 4 hits while striking out 6. Lohse improved to 12-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.79

The Bad

Ryan Braun

The Brewers left fielder, Ryan Braun, went 0-4 in the Brewers 0-3 loss to the St.Louis Cardinals. Braun is now 0-7 in his last two games with 4 strikeouts. Braun is now batting 3.11 on the season after the small 2 game skid.

Matt Harvey

The New York Mets starting pitcher, Matt Harvey, got his 2nd loss in a row Sunday against the San Diego Padres. Harvey managed just 5 innings while giving up 8 hits and 5 earned runs. Harvey is now 1-2 on the season with a 3.86 ERA.

John Buck

The Miami Marlins catcher, John Buck, continued to struggle behind the plate Sunday against the Washington Nationals. Buck went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts and is now batting just .172 on the season. Over his last 10 games Buck has just 4 hits with 12 strikeouts.

Homer Bailey

The Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, Homer Bailey, couldn’t keep the Reds hot streak alive. Bailey could manage just 4.2 innings giving up 4 earned runs off 9 hits. Bailey is now 9-7 on the season with a 3.98 ERA

The Ugly

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have now lost 5 games in a row after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs have given up 29 runs during this 5 game skid.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are by far on the worst streak of any team in the MLB this season. The Astros have loss 30 of their last 34 games and are now 36-73 on the season making them the worst team in all of baseball.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are battling the Houston Astros for the worst record in baseball after losing 30 of their last 43. The Rockies are now 38-68 on the season and are in last place in the N.L. West.

Cubs Trade Deadline Haul

The Chicago Cubs made three moves over the last 24 hours. Out went Ryan Dempster, Geovany Soto, Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson. In comes, well, let’s find out…

Ryan Dempster To Texas Haul

Kyle Hendricks, Starting Pitcher

ESPN’s Keith Law calls Hendricks an “organizational starter,” a backhanded compliment best translated to “career minor league player.” Take it easy, Keith. Hendricks’ cut fastball may sit around 88 mph, but look at the stats! Over 130.2 IP in A+ Myrtle Beach, Hendricks owns an amazing 7.47 K/BB. That’s right, 112 Ks to 15 walks. While his 7.7 K/9 in low minor league play tempers expectations, Hendricks is a strike thrower and the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher has a 2.65 lifetime ERA over 166.1 IP. An 8th round pick in 2011, Hendricks could be a sleeper acquisition.

Christian Villanueva, Third Baseman

Villanueva is 21-years old and entered this season as Baseball America’s #100 prospect. The Guadalajara, Mexico native was a teammate of Hendricks’ in Myrtle Beach, where he held a .285/.356/.421 line. At 5’10”, 160 pounds, Villanueva possesses surprising power, with 10 home runs in 375 at-bats. Villanueva has been adding muscle since entering the Rangers farm system as an 18-year-old and hit 17 home runs with 84 RBI in Class A Hickory in 2011. Villanueva went 32-38 in stolen base attempts in 2011 but is down to 9-18 in 2012.

Geovany Soto To Texas Haul

Jacob Brigham, Starting Pitcher

Brigham, 24, currently plays for the AA Frisco RoughRiders where he has a 4.28 ERA over 124 IP. Brigham is a starting pitcher but could become a reliever in the majors, considering his 8.4 K/9. Brigham owns a 1.355 WHIP. Unlike the two form Ranger prospects listed above, the right-hander does appear to be, in Keith Law parlance, an “organizational pitcher.”

Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to Atlanta Haul

Arodys Vizcaino, Starting Pitcher

Vizcaino is the jewel of the deadline haul. The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher has been clocked at 101 mph. Oh, he is also coming off of Tommy John surgery. Cubs General Manager Jed Hoyer addressed the unusual nature of trading for an injured player but said the Cubs medical staff examined Vizcaino’s medical records and felt comfortable acquiring him. Vizcaino has serious stuff and was ranked as the Braves number two prospect entering the season. In 2011 he rocketed from A+ ball to a cup of coffee in the bigs. His 2011 minor league numbers: 97 IP, 3.06 ERA, 100 K, 1.134 WHIP, 3.57 K/BB. Top prospect numbers. In 17 IP for the Braves, the then 20-year-old threw 17.1 IP with 17 K and a 4.67 ERA. Tommy John has become the norm for pitchers. One year off and the kids can throw fire again. Let’s hope this is the case for Vizcaino.

Jaye Chapman, Relief Pitcher

The 25-year-old righty is in his seventh minor league season. Chapman owned a 3.52 ERA over 53.2 IP in AAA Gwinnett before the trade. Chapman throws an major league changeup and averaged 10.1 K/9 last year as well as this year. Chapman is not the prospect that Vizcaino is, but he could be a future member of the Chicago Cubs bullpen.

Overall

The Cubs acquired three starting pitchers, one relief pitcher and one third baseman. Read: they addressed system needs. Vizcaino and Villanueva have the best chances to become Chicago Cubs and Chapman and Hendricks both project as potential bullpen members. The Cubs dealt a catcher hitting below the Mendoza line, a fan favorite outfielder who will be 37-years old before the Cubs seriously contend, an over-performing 35-year-old pitcher and a pretty good left-handed starter. The trades fit the rebuilding process and brought talent into a feeble farm system.

The Big Guy

Meet Andrelton Simmons

Sometimes there is not enough limelight to go around. Rookies throughout major league baseball are stealing headlines from veterans. The 19-year-old outfield sensation in Washington, D.C. known as Bryce Harper has received more attention for nine home runs and 29 RBI than perhaps any player, anywhere, ever.

Former Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis was chased out of Boston for a combination of declining play and a rift with manager Bobby Valentine; however, Red Sox Nation’s angst has been eased by the cool play of Will Middlebrooks at the hot corner.

The first-place Cincinnati Reds have been fueled by 2010 MVP Joey Votto, but also have Zach Cozart’s glove and Todd Frazier’s bat to thank.

Major League Baseball is awash with young talent. One side effect of this embarrassment of riches is that some deserving names find themselves left out of the mix. Names like Andrelton Simmons.

Drafted in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Western Oklahoma State College, Simmons is a native of Curacao. The southern Caribbean island also produced former Braves great Andruw Jones and current starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens.

Simmons began his Braves career in rookie ball, where he batted .276 with a .340 on-base percentage. The Braves promoted Simmons to A+ ball in 2011. The prospect flourished. Simmons batted .311 with 35 doubles and 26 stolen bases in 131 games.

Simmons started 2012 in AA. In 200 plate appearances he batted .292 with a .372 on-base percentage that was aided by 20 walks to only 20 strikeouts. On May 30, 2012 Simmons was called up to the bigs.

The 22-year-old took the majors by storm in his first month. Simmon’s recorded 3 home runs, 14 RBI with a .333 batting average and .365 on-base percentage. The combination of Simmon’s hot bat and cool glove at short earned him NL Rookie of the Month. However, an exciting rookie campaign was derailed on July 8 when Simmons fractured his right pinky while sliding into second base.

Simmons currently occupies the 15-day disabled list and may not return until September. At 57-44, the Braves are second in the NL East and the owners of the second Wild Card. The likes of Paul Janish will not open many eyes at shortstop in Atlanta and Simmons will undoubtedly reclaim the starting gig the day his health returns.

The 6’2″, 170 pound Simmons’ big league record may be abbreviated, but Braves fans will be writing ballads of appreciation if the young man can return in time to send Atlanta to the postseason.

The Big Guy

Dempster to Braves

The Chicago Cubs sent starting pitcher Ryan Dempster to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for 22-year-old starting pitcher Randall Delgado.

The Braves land a 35-year-old right-handed starter who is pitching at the peak of his abilities right now. Dempster sports a 2.11 ERA with a 5-5 record. He recently lost a 33 consecutive scoreless innings streak.

As for the Cubs, Delgado represents an instant upgrade in their greatest area of need. The right-handed Delgado owns a 4.42 ERA with a 4-9 record this season. A member of the Atlanta system since he was 17, Delgado blossomed in 2012 when he posted a 3.30 ERA in A+ and AA. Delgado followed that up in 2011 with a 3.88 ERA while pitching in AA and AAA before earning seven late season starts in the bigs. As a 21-year-old, Delgado finished the season with a 2.83 ERA over 35 IP.

The 6’3″, 200 pound Delgado has a live arm and averages 7.2 K/9 IP this year. Delgado throws a fastball, curveball and changeup. His fastball averages 92 MPH, his curve 79 MPH and his changeup 83 MPH. He averages about 4 BB/9 IP and most recently allowed 2 ER over 6 IP against the Washington Nationals on July 21. Delgado’s WHIP is 1.43 this season. The Panamanian was the Braves #3 prospect entering the 2012 season, according to Baseball America.

This trade works well for both clubs as Atlanta (52-43) picks up a quality starter to help them down the stretch and Chicago (38-56) picks up a young arm to develop for the future.

The Big Guy

Look At Me Now!!!

Meet Craig Kimbrel, the 24-year-old second year closer for the Atlanta Braves. Kimbrel owns a 1.27 ERA over 38.0 innings pitched. The  96th player taken in the 2008 draft has struck out 64 batters, giving him a 15.2 K/9.

Kimbrel mad it through the minors in just 4 years. in the 4 seasons with the Braves A, A+, AA, and AAA teams. In 4 seasons Kimbrel had 242 strike outs in just 151 innings pitched giving him a 14.4 K/9 over the the 4 seasons. To note at the age 0f 21, Kimbrel has already proven his control of the strike zone with a 2.44 SO/BB(strikeout to walk) ratio.

2011 was the Kimbrel’s rookie season with the Braves as their full time closer. Kimbrel ended the season tied for 1st in saves with 48, and had just 8 blown saves on the year as a 23 year old. Kimbrel finished the season with a 2.12 ERA and had a 14.8 K/9 and a 3.97 SO/BB. Kimbrel would win NL Rookie of the Year for 2011

This season, Kimbrel has proven that he is the closer of the future. Kimbrel currently is leading the NL in saves with 28, and is just 2 behind the MLB leader Jim Johnson. The 24 year old blew his last save, but saved 20 consecutive games in a row for the Atlanta Braves.  Kimbrel has a 2.17 ERA and has given up just 17 hits in his 38 innings pitched. Kimbrel is showing us the signs of becoming the next best closer in the league, but could it be to early to tell?

Coach Tom