The Rebirth of Tyler Colvin

The left-handed power bat the Chicago Cubs long wished for finally arrived. The 24-year-old right fielder belted 20 homers his rookie season. His .316 on-base percentage left something to be desired, but power has a way of easing developmental worries.

That was 2010 and Tyler Colvin was full of promise. The 2011 season would be the year the 2006 first-rounder would cement his big league status….oops.

In 206 at-bats, Colvin batted .150. His .204 on-base percentage barely surpassed the Mendoza Line. In 35 at-bats against lefties, he recorded two hits. He found reprieve against righties, posting a .170 batting average. His 58 strikeouts are not shocking, considering the 100 Ks he tallied his rookie year. He hit six home runs, but his anemic batting average left management with no choice but to bench him.

The Colorado Rockies had their own Tyler Colvin. The 10th pick of the 2003 MLB Draft, Ian Stewart never realized the promise Colorado management saw in him as a senior at La Quinta High School in California. In 2009 as a 24-year-old, Stewart blasted 25 home runs while batting .228. In 2010 he improved to .256 with 18 home runs. However, right when things looked good, Stewart collapsed in 2011. He batted .156 in 122 at-bats without a single home run— in Colorado.

Newly named President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein saw two players in need of a location change. On December 8, 2011, the Cubs sent Colvin and second baseman DJ LeMahieu to Colorado for Stewart and pitcher Casey Weathers (another failed first-rounder).

Colorado fit Colvin well. The 26-year-old currently owns a .290/.329/.551 line. Seven of his 14 home runs left road ballparks. In 62 at-bats against leftied, he is batting .274. His 1.3 oWAR matches his 2010 number. His eight triples and seven steals are career-highs. He is on pace to set career-highs in doubles, RBIs and batting average. He is benefiting from playing in Coors Field, but he is a .272 batter on the road this year.

While the trade reinvigorated Colvin’s career, the same cannot be said for Stewart. The Chicago Cubs Opening Day third baseman, Stewart was hitting .201 with five home runs in 55 games before landing on the 60-day disabled list with a wrist injury.

Baseball can be a mental game. Some players find a change of scenery the difference between success and failure. In other cases, the game beats you. The league learns your holes and the ball is always one step ahead, no matter what park you call home.

The Big Guy

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.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Joel Hanrahan-

The pirates closer got his 20th save of the year in a 5-4 victory vs. the Phillies Thursday night. Thursday’s save gave Hanrahan his 5th save in a row, and has blown just 2 saves all year, in which the Pirates still got the victories in both. Harahan is 3rd in the N.L in saves this year with 20. Hanrahan is   3-0 with 35 strikeouts in just 30 innings pitched, and has a 2.10 ERA on the season now.

Bryce Harper

The Nationals outfielder went 2-6 in Thursday’s loss over the Colorado Rockies. Harper had a single, a homer, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs improving his average to .282 on the season. Harper’s 8th homer of the season came in fashion of the game tying homer to lead off the 9th inning. Harper had 7 hits in the 4 game series and is on his way to a rookie of the year award at age of just 19.

Tyler Colvin

The Rockies center fielder improved his average to .307 on the year after a 4-6 game vs. the Washington Nationals in Thursday’s 11-10 victory. Colvin had 2 singles, a triple, a homer, leaving him just a double shy of the cycle, and 5 RBIs on the night. Colvin’s 5 RBI night was a career high  and the triple was just his 12th of his career.

Chris Young

The Diamondbacks center fielder only went 1-4 on the night, but his one hit got him on the good list for just one reason. Young’s homer came in the 9th inning with 1 out when the game was tied 3-3 at the time. Young’s 7th homer of the season ended up being the game winning run in Thursday’s 4-3 victory over the Braves. Young’s homer gave the Braves closer, Craig Kimbrel his first blown save on the season.

Alexi Amarista

The Padres 2nd baseman went 1-1 in a pinch hit roll Thursday night in a 11-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Amarista had a career day in just one swing giving him his 1st career homer, grandslam, and most RBIs in a game at 4. Amarista is hitting just .233 on the season.

Andrew Cashner

The Padres starting pitcher got a no decision despite throwing a no-hitter into the 7th inning. Cashner went 6.1 innings while giving up 2 runs on just 2 hits and striking out 9. Thursday’s outing was Cashner’s first role in the starting spot on the season and he now has a 3.63 ERA on the year.

David Wright

The Mets 3rd basemen went 2-3 in the Mets 3-2 victory over the Dodgers. Wright had a single, a homer, 1 runs scored, and 2 RBIs Thursday. Wright is now batting .361 with with 9 homers and 49 RBIs on the year.

Madison Bumgarner

The Giants starter improved to 10-4 on the season in Thursday’s 5-0 victory over the Reds. Bumgarner went 9 innings giving up no runs off just 1 hit and striking out 9.  This was Bumgarner’s best start of the season and now has a 2.85 ERA with 92 strikeouts on the season.

The Bad

Todd Frazier

The Reds 3rd baseman went 0-3 in a 5-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Frazier dropped his average to .258 after a 3 strikeout game Thursday night. Frazier has just 5 hits over his last 10 games and has lowered his average by 20 points during that stand.

Clinton Barmes

Despite the victory for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Barmes average dropped to .196 on the season. The Pirates shortstop went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts Thursday vs. the Phillies. Barmes is just 7-32 over his last 10 games which has actually raised his average 8 points.

Nationals and Rockies pitching

In the Nationals and Rockies 11-10 game there were 34 totals hits and 22 runs. Lets start with the Nationals. Edwin Jackson went just 3 innings giving up 8 runs off 10 hits. Tom Gorzelanny went 2 innings giving up 2 runs off 3 hits. Now the Rockies pitching. Josh Outman went 3 innings giving up 5 runs off 5 hits. Josh Roenicke went 3 innings giving up 4 runs off 4 hits.

Dan Uggla

The Braves 2nd baseman went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts in the Braves 4-3 loss. Uggla is now 0-10 over the last 3 games dropping his average to .235 on the season.

The Ugly

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are now 43-34 on the season after dropping their 5th in a row and their 9th of their last 10th. The Dodgers were sitting in first place before their lossing ways and now sit 1 game behind the soaring Giants. The Dodgers have scored just 15 runs over their last 10 games while giving up 41 runs.

Coach Tom

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Martin Prado- The Braves left fielder improved his average to .313 on the season going 3-5. Prado hit a homer, a double, 3RBIs, and scored 2 runs in Atlanta’s 10-5 victory over the Yankees. Wednesday’s game was just Prado’s 6th 3 hit ball game of the season.

Jason Heyward- The young right fielder went deep twice in Wednesday’s ball game going 2-4 on the night. Heyward’s multi homer game was just his 2nd on the season and he now has 10 on the season.

Jake Westbrook- The Cardinals starting pitcher had his best start by far of the season against the Detroit Tigers. Westbrook went the distance going 9 innings while giving up just 1 run off 5 hits and fanning 5. Westbrook is now 6-6 on the season and has now won his last 2 starts.

Ryan Braun- The reigning MVP went 3-4 including a homer, a double, 2 RBIs, and a run scored in the Brewers 8-3 win vs. the Blue Jays. Braun is now hitting .321 on the season with 20 homers.

Miguel Montero- The Diamondbacks catcher went 3-4 improving his average .10 points to .265 on the season. Montero had a homer to go along with 4 RBIs in the Diamondbacks 14-10 victory over the Mariners.

Stephen Strasburg- The Nationals starting pitcher improved to 9-1 on the season with a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Strasburg went 7 innings giving up just 2 runs off 5 hits while striking out 10.

David Wright- The Mets 3rd baseman went 3-5 in the Mets sweep of the Orioles improving his average to .358 on the season.

The Bad

Alex White- The Rockies starting pitcher could only manage 3.2 innings in Wednesday’s 6-7 loss to the Phillies. White gave up 5 earned runs off 5 hits while walking 2 on the day. White’s record is now 2-5 on the season with a 6.06 ERA

Rickie Weeks- The Brewers 2nd baseman went 0-4 despite the Brewers victory over the Royals. Weeks is hitting just .181 on the season with 5 homers.

Mike Zagurski- The Diamondbacks relief pitcher had his worse outing of the season giving up 4 runs off just 3 hits. Zagurski’s ERA is now 6.02 on the season.

The Ugly

Colorado Rockies- The Colorado Rockies are currently 25-42 and have won just 1 game over their last 15 games played. The Rockies pitching staff has also given up 97 runs during this 15 game skid and are looking to be the worst team in all of baseball. The Rockies desperately need help on the mound with another year of the pitcher on the way.

Coach Tom

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Brandon Phillips- 2nd baseman of the Reds went 3-4 with 2 runs, 2 rbis, and a double in a 10-3 win vs the Colorado Rockies.

Kyle Kendrick- Starting pitcher of the Philadelphia Phillies threw a 4 hit shutout against the St.Louis Cardinals. Kendrick won his first game of the year after 4 starts and it was the first time Kendrick went past the 7th inning all year long.

A.J. Ellis- The Dodgers catcher only had one hit Saturday, yet that hit was a a 3-run walk off homerun to give the Dodgers a 3-run win vs. the Astros.

Gerardo Parra- The center fielder for the Diamondbacks went 4-4 with 2 runs scored Saturday in a wictory against Milwaukee, givving him his first multi-hit gameover his last 10 games.

 The Bad

Michael Bourn- Bourn went  1-5 with 4 strikeouts in Sundays lose vs. the Nationals. Bourn has just 1 hit and 5 strikeouts in his last 10 plate appearances.

Zack Cozart- Despite every other starter having at least 1 hit, Cozart managed to go 0-5 in Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. Cozart is hitting 245 this season with just 1 hit in his last 10 at bats.

Zack Greinke- The Brewers starting pitcher could only go two and a third innings againgst the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup Saturday night giving up seven earned run offf ten hits. Saturday nights outing was Zack Greinke’s worst start of the year.

The Ugly

Chicago Cubs- The Chicago Cubs continued their woes with their 11th straight loss against the Pittsburgs Pitrates. Saturdays night loss came from a hit by pitch in the 9th inning by closer Rafael Dolis. This loss continues the longest losing street in over a decade.

Colorado Rockies- THe Colorado Rockies continued to keep pace with the games as the biggest losers of the seaon with their 8th loss in 10 games.

Coach Tom