Whit Merrifield breaks out as Royals return to contention

Whit Merrifield emerges as productive second baseman

When the Kansas City Royals opened play for the 2017 MLB season, very few prognosticators picked them to be a contender.

The Royals captured back-to-back American League pennants in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. And in 2015, they won the second-ever World Series crown in franchise history. That isn’t all that long ago.

But fortunes of big league mini-dynasties can turn around in a hurry these days. The Royals slipped to a .500 finish a year ago. With the Cleveland Indians on the rise in the AL Central Division, and with an aging homegrown core, the Royals looked like yesterday’s news.

Flash forward a few months, and here we are in the Dog Days of summer. Heading into play on Tuesday, August 8, Kansas City is tied for one of the two American League Wildcard playoff berths. The club also sits just three games behind the Indians in the division.

As the season was set to open back in late March, Royals skipper Ned Yostannounced that then 21-year old Raul Mondesi Jr had won an open battle for the team’s second base position.

The losers in that battle, Whit Merrifield, Christian Colon, and Cheslor Cuthbert, were left to battle for bench roles with the club in the final days of spring training.

Surprising Jason Vargas leads starting rotation of resurgent Royals

Vargas has been a surprise rotation leader for KC

The Kansas City Royals were contenders in the AL Central Division each season from 2013-15. In 2015, the Royals not only captured that division crown, they also won the World Series.

Last year, Kansas City slipped to a third place .500 finish. The club struggled through the first couple months of this season, and as late as June 9 the Royals were still buried at 26-34.

Since that time, the Royals have gotten hot, winning nine of their last 11 games. The winning stretch has pulled the team back within a game of the .500 mark. They are now 3.5 games behind the first place Cleveland Indians, and just two games out in the AL Wildcard race.

One of the key factors in the Royals ability to stay in the race this season has been the strong performance of pitcher Jason Vargas. The 34-year old lefty is 10-3 with a 2.27 ERA and 1.134 WHIP, and has allowed just 79 hits over 87.1 innings.

Vargas 10 victories has him leading the American League in that category, tied with Clayton Kershaw for the MLB lead. The ERA mark is second-best in the AL, his WHIP mark ranks 8th in the league. His .243 Batting Average Against is 12th in the American League.

In short, Vargas has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season. During this recent hot stretch the Royals have won both of his starts. In fact, Vargas has registered a victory in each of his last five outings. Vargas has allowed just six total runs over his last four starting assignments.

Twins have tough decision with top pick in 2017 MLB Draft

At some point before 7:00pm EDT on Monday night, the Minnesota Twins brain trust will make a difficult decision. 

That decision is likely to have a big impact on the organization during the decade of the 2020’s.

Both general manager Thad Levine and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey are in their first seasons in those roles. The future of the organization is now in their hands. On Monday night, they begin putting their stamp on that future.

After earning the worst record in Major League Baseball a year ago, the Twins hold the top pick in the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft.

John Shipley had a Q&A with Falvey published at winonadailynews.com recently. Falvey stated the following in relation to the draft process.

“…the lifeblood of an organization like ours — for any organization, for that matter, but particularly for small and mid-size market teams — is that you need to build through the draft and through development. So, I look at it as, whether we’re picking first, fifth, 10th, 20th doesn’t matter; it’s important for us to get a lot of value out of each draft. It doesn’t just come with Pick 1. We need to be thinking about how we can accumulate as much value as possible.”

The draft will begin tomorrow night, with pre-draft coverage and then the complete first round being broadcast on the MLB Network beginning at 6:00pm EDT.

Chisox plummet as new skipper Rick Renteria struggles

With eight losses in their last nine games, the Chicago White Sox are on more than a losing skid. 

The total collapse over the last week and a half has plummeted the Chisox right out of the race.

Following Friday night’s 7-3 defeat to the division-rival Cleveland Indians, the White Sox are in last place in the AL Central Division. 

Chicago is now 25-34, and has fallen seven games off the pace being set by the division-leading Minnesota Twins.

The primary culprit has been the pitching staff. While losing eight of their last nine games, the Chisox have surrendered at least seven runs on six separate occasions. Three times they have allowed the opposition to score in double digits.

The collapse is particularly difficult to swallow for fans, as well as for manager Rick Renteria and the team itself. Chicago began the season strong in April.

After winning six straight towards the end of the opening month, the White Sox sat at 13-9. But since reaching 15-12 on May 4, Chicago has gone just 10-22 to fall out of the race.

Justin Verlander Born Again Hard

It appeared during the 2015 season that fans of the Detroit Tigers just might be witnessing the beginning of the end of the brilliant career of ace starting pitcher Justin Verlander.

Verlander had won the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year Award and the 2011 AL Cy Young Award. He had also been a six-time American League All-Star at that point.

He was a key member of the rotation in that rookie 2016 season as the Tigers won their first American League Pennant in nearly two decades. In 2012, Verlander was the ace of the staff as Detroit won another AL Pennant.

The Tigers have either won the AL Central Division or finished second in nine of 12 seasons since Verlander fully joined the rotation.

In 2015, Verlander opened the season on the Disabled List. It was the first-ever appearance on the DL in his Major League Baseball career. A right triceps strain put an end to seven consecutive seasons as the Opening Day starter for the Tigers.

Finally able to return in mid-June, Verlander pitched well over the remainder of the season. But the Tigers finished in last place, just the second time in his career that had happened.

Verlander had seen his ERA rise from a 2.64 mark in 2012, a year in which he finished as the runner-up in the AL Cy voting, to 3.46 in 2013. It then rose again to the 4.54 mark in 2014. His strikeout numbers, K/9, and K:BB ratio dropped each year.

Indians Shortstop Francisco Lindor Taps Superstar Potential

The box score for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series reveals that Francisco Lindor produced nothing in five plate appearances for the Cleveland Indians.

The collar that was hung around the Tribe’s three-hole hitter in that decisive game of the Fall Classic by the Chicago Cubs pitching staff certainly stings.

Lindor did reach on an error with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the first inning. That would prove his personal offensive highlight of the night.

In the bottom of the third inning, Lindor came to bat with two runners on base and one out. He flew out to left field against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks with Cleveland trailing 3-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Lindor was at the plate against Jon Lester when the Cubs lefty uncorked a wild pitch that allowed two runners to score.

That play cut the Indians deficit at that time to a 5-3 margin. But Lindor then struck out on a full count pitch to end the inning.

Trailing by 6-3 in the bottom of the eight inning, the Indians would rally to dramatically tie the game on Rajai Davis‘ two-out, two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman. But Lindor wasn’t involved in the rally. He had accounted for one of the outs, grounding weakly to short to lead things off.

With two out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, the game still knotted at 6-6, Lindor flew out to right against Chapman.

That would be Lindor’s final chance to affect the outcome. The Cubs would score twice in the top of the 10th. The Tribe would respond with one in the bottom, and put the tying run on base, but their rally and title hopes would fall just short.

White Sox to Retire Mark Buehrle's Number

The Chicago White Sox announced that they will retire the jersey #56 in a special ceremony this June. The jersey number is being retired in honor of longtime pitcher Mark Buehrle.

Buehrle was the ChiSox’s 38th round pick in the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft out of Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

He shot through the club’s minor league system, making his big league debut on July 16, 2000, with an inning of relief against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comiskey Park.

Just three days later, Buehrle drew his first starting assignment at the Metrodome against the host Minnesota Twins.

In what would become a typically efficient Buehrle outing, he earned the win that night. The lefty lasted seven innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out five and walking just one batter.

It was the beginning of a fantastic career. Buehrle would pitch out of the White Sox rotation for the next 11 seasons. He made the AL All-Star team four times during the period, and won a pair of Gold Glove Awards.

Bradley Zimmer Set to Crack Tribe Lineup

The Cleveland Indians had a magical 2016 season, one that fell just one victory short of baseball’s ultimate prize. Cleveland won the American League Central Division crown by eight games. 

The Indians then bounced a pair of AL East heavyweights, the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, out of the playoffs.

Advancing to the World Series for the first time in nearly two decades, Cleveland bolted out to a lead of 3-1 against the heavily favored Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs rallied, and tied the Fall Classic, sending it to an epic Game Seven. That final game went down to a rare “Golden Pitch” twice. Either club had a chance to win the World Series based on the outcome of that pitch.

In the end, Mike Montgomery induced Michael Martinez to ground weakly to third base, and the Cubs had ended their 108-year World Series drought.

It is now the Indians who are left to carry the weight of the longest such drought. Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948.

2016 Winter Meetings: Detroit Tigers

There are few teams in as interesting a position as the Detroit Tigers find themselves in during this off-season. 

Al Avila, the EVP of Baseball Operations and the team’s GM has to decide whether to rebuild, or retool for another big 2017 run.

The Tigers were just short this past season, finishing at 86-75. That record left the club eight games in back of the division-winning Cleveland Indians. But Detroit was only 2.5 games off the AL Wildcard pace.

This is a club with most of its key performers already past age 30, a few well into those 30’s. The decision to be made is whether to cash in on those players while they still have real value, or add to that core and make another playoff push.

There are heavy rumors that Detroit is looking to slash payroll. The club has been big spenders and steady contenders for years. While they would like to keep contending while also getting rid of some big salaries, that usually proves a difficult tightrope to walk.

White Sox Potential Winter Meetings Deals

The Chicago White Sox are almost certain to be among the most popular and influential players as the 2016 MLB Winter Meetings unfold in National Harbor, Maryland.

The White Sox went an extremely disappointing 78-84 this past season. That resulted in a fourth place finish in the AL Central Division.

It was a fourth consecutive losing season on the South Side of Chicago. This followed a long run of contention that had spanned the better part of two decades.

Now the White Sox also have to contend for the hearts and attention of fans in a two-team city. The other franchise is, or course, the young and exciting new World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox were legitimate division crown contenders in the majority of seasons between 1990 and 2012. They won the AL Central five times in that span, and were the 2005 World Series champions.

In the eyes of most industry talent evaluators, the Chisox minor league talent is among the bottom five in the game. So there is not much help coming from within the organization.

Four of the last five AL pennant winners have come from the division. This includes the defending champion Cleveland Indians. But the AL Central could become very competitive in the next few years.

It is the job of general manager Rich Hahn and VP Ken Williams to make sure that Chicago gets back to that regular contending status. To that end, they are going to have to start replenishing the young talent in the organization.

Can the Royals Bounce Back and Contend in 2017?

The Kansas City Royals and their fans suffered through nine straight losing campaigns and 17 of 18 dating back to the 1994 strike season.

Then in the early part of this decade, the club began to build up one of the top farm systems in the game.

It all came together for them at the big league level with back to back AL pennants in 2014 and 2015, and a World Series championship in 2015.

But this year the Royals slid back to the .500 mark, finishing in third place in the American League Central Division. They were 13.5 games behind the division-winning Cleveland Indians, and eight games behind the AL Wildcard pace.

It was a frustrating summer for the defending champs. But that eight game difference between themselves and the playoff teams is not insurmountable.

The Royals plan to return to that postseason contention in 2017, but is that a reasonable goal? With a few tweaks, some breaks, and not unreasonable improve performances, the club can indeed reach the postseason once again.

White Sox 2016 POY: Adam Eaton

The Chicago White Sox entered the 2016 season with hopes of reaching the postseason. The club bolted out to an 8-2 start, and reached 23-10 in early May when they held a six game lead in the AL Central Division.

But over the next six weeks the Chisox collapsed, going 10-26 and failing to win three games in a row again until mid-June.

In the end, the South Siders finished at 78-84 and in fourth place in the division, a distant 16.5 games in back of the eventual AL pennant-winning Cleveland Indians.

To make matters worse, they have effectively ceded the hearts of much of the city to their crosstown rivals over on the North Side, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox received a strong power season from new third baseman Todd Frazier. The trade acquisition from the Cincinnati Reds switched leagues and banged a team-high 40 homers. He also drove in 98 runs, scored 89, and stole 15 bags.

First baseman Jose Abreu hit for .293/.353/.468 with 25 homers and 100 RBI. Left fielder Melky Cabrera hit for a .296 average with 86 RBI.

On the mound, ace lefty Chris Sale is the subject of numerous trade rumors. He went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.037 WHIP. Sale produced a 233/45 K:BB ratio while allowing just 190 hits in 226.2 innings over 32 starts. He was an AL All-Star for a fifth time.

Indians 2016 POY: Corey Kluber

The Cleveland Indians had a dream season in 2016, capturing the AL Central Division by eight games and then rolling to the American League pennant.

The dream ended in something of a nightmarish fashion, however. The club took a 3-1 lead in the World Series, only to watch as the Chicago Cubs came roaring back to capture the next three games and win the Fall Classic after a dramatic Game Seven in Cleveland.

In the regular season they recorded the most wins by a Tribe team since the 1997 team, which also lost the World Series in an agonizing Game Seven. As you can imagine, there were many outstanding players this year for manager Terry Francona‘s 94-67 squad. 

INDIANS 2016 OFFENSIVE STATS LEADERS

The middle infield keystone combo led the lineup. Second baseman Jason Kipnisbanged 23 homers and 41 doubles, and had 82 RBI and 91 runs scored.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor hit .301 with 15 homers, 30 doubles, 78 RBI, 99 runs, and 19 stolen bases. The 22-year old Lindor was an AL All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner for the first time.

Power was provided by first baseman Mike Napoli with 34 homers, 101 RBI, and 92 runs scored. DH Carlos Santanaripped 34 homers and 31 doubles, with 87 RBI and 89 runs scored.

Rookie center fielder Tyler Naquinbecame an AL Rookie of the Year Award finalist by hitting for a .296/.372/.514 slash with 14 homers, 43 RBI, and 52 runs over 116 games.

Another quiet key in the lineup was third baseman Jose Ramirez. He hit for a .312/.363/.462 slash line with 76 RBI, 82 runs scored, 46 doubles, 11 homers, and 22 stolen bases.

Tigers 2016 POY: Justin Verlander

For the Detroit Tigers, the 2016 season was one of near misses. The club finished at 86-75, and fell a bit short in both the AL Central and American League Wild Card playoff races. 

In the division, the Tigers were as close as just two games out as late as the start of August. They were still just 4.5 games back in early September.

But an 11-13 finish doomed the club. They finished eight games behind the eventual AL champion Cleveland Indians in the division race, just 2.5 back of the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays for a Wild Card berth.

Tigers Statistical Leaders

The leader of the offensive attack was, as usual, first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Miggy hit for a .316/.393/.563 slash line with 38 home runs, 31 doubles, 108 RBI, and 92 runs scored.

The surefire future Hall of Famer made his seventh straight AL All-Star team, his 11th overall MLB All-Star nod. He also won his seventh career Silver Slugger Award.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler hit .288 with 28 homers, 29 doubles, 83 RBI, 14 steals, and a team-high 117 runs scored. He led the club’s position players with a 6.1 WAR mark, and was just awarded his first career Gold Glove Award.

Fulmer credited Verlander with much of his success during the former’s Rookie of the Year campaign. In winning the honors, Fulmer became the first Tiger to take the AL ROY since Verlander did it back in 2006.

Royals 2016 POY: Danny Duffy

For the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals, the 2016 season proved to be one of major disappointment.

After three straight winning seasons, including back-to-back American League pennants, manager Ned Yost‘s squad finished exactly at the .500 mark with an 81-81 record. It was good enough for just third place in the AL Central Division.

Royals 2016 Statistical Leaders

DH Kendrys Morales paced the team with 30 homers, and his 93 RBI were second on the club. Leading in that RBI category was first baseman Eric Hosmer with 104. He also led the club with 80 runs scored, and banged 25 homers while making the AL All-Star team.

Catcher Salvador Perez produced 22 home runs and 64 RBI, was an AL All-Star, and took home both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove Award.

Right fielder Paulo Orlando for a team-high .302 average, while 27-year old rookie second baseman Whit Merrifield hit .283 with 44 runs scored in what amounted to a half-season of work.

Twins 2016 POY: Brian Dozier

The Minnesota Twins suffered through four straight losing seasons from 2011-14. But the club showed incremental improvement in the standings, and had some solid young prospects coming. It all seemed to be adding up to real overall improvement on the field when they put together a winning 83-79 campaign in 2015.

However, it all collapsed this season. The Twins finished not only in last place in the American League Central Division, but their 59-103 record was the worst in all of baseball. 

It was the first time since 1982 that the club had lost more than 100 games. It was also the highest loss total for the franchise since the 1949 Washington Senators lost 104 games.

Manager Paul Molitor is a Hall of Fame player and a beloved native son from St. Paul, but he is squarely on the hot seat for 2017. The team would appear to have nowhere to go but up at this point.

Tigers' Michael Fulmer Should Be the AL Rookie of the Year

A pitcher with the Detroit Tigers has been one of the top rookies in the American League this season, and should be the AL’s Rookie of the Year Award winner.

It has been a full decade since the last Detroit Tigers player won the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

That year, 23-year old right-handed starting pitcher Justin Verlander went 17-9 over 30 starts with a 3.63 ERA to take the voting by a comfortable margin over the Boston Red Sox 25-year old reliever Jonathan Papelbon.

Verlander has gone on to a fantastic career with the Tigers over the last dozen seasons. He won 24 games and the 2011 Cy Young Award as part of 173 career victories. This season, Verlander is again a leading Cy Young favorite.

Now a decade later, the Tigers again have a right-handed starting pitcher up for the award. In my opinion, he deserves to be the winner.

Michael Fulmer turned 23-years old back in spring training, the same age as Verlander when he won the top rookie honors.

Fulmer was the New York Mets pick during the supplemental first round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft at 44th overall out of a Oklahoma high school. He then went to Detroit in a 2015 trade deadline deal for Yoenis Cespedes.

Called up by the Tigers at the end of April, Fulmer won seven of his first eight decisions and was 9-2 by the MLB All-Star break.

Though he only won twice more over the balance of the regular season, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Fulmer tossed eight Quality Starts over 13 outings in the season’s final two and a half months.

MLB 2016 Predictions: AL Central Division

Our annual process of polling the staff here at TBOH as to their predictions for the coming season has been completed, and so we’re rolling out those picks in a series of pieces.

The TBOH staff will reveal our cumulative staff choice, as well as our individual picks, for the order of finish in each of Major League Baseball’s six divisions, the two Wildcard teams from each league, and our World Series favorites.

To determine the staff cumulative pick for each division, I took the predicted order of finish from each of our writers and assigned a numerical value. 

Teams picked for first place received one point, teams picked to finish in fifth received five points. 

Thus, the lower your overall total points, the higher your predicted finish. The total points are listed next to each team name.

We’ll also be revealing our staffers picks for the Most Valuable Player Award in both the National and American Leagues, as well as the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year Award winners in both leagues.

Finally, our staffers have chosen their MLB manager who is most likely to become the first casualty of the season, the first to be fired this year.

Enjoy our picks, and we would love to hear your own. Please feel free to leave your choices in a comment. We’ll be sure to read them.