Stats

This is the fifth report card I have given out to the starting players for the Cincinnati Reds.

I started it by giving first baseman Joey Votto an A, followed by Brandon Phillips, whom I graded a solid B.

Next up was shortstop Paul Janish, who inherited the starting role when Alex Gonzalez was sent to the Boston Red Sox. Janish barely made muster as he received a disappointing D+ due to his anemic bat.

In discussing the Cy Young award, the debate is hindered by the question of what, exactly, the voters are judging the players on.

As a fan, I’m a believer. For this reason, I have been stressing that Mets fans should not overreact to what has happened since the playoff run in 2006.

The Mets collapsed in September two years in a row, then in mid-June the next, but the fact of the matter is, they still retain one of the strongest and most talented cores in baseball with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana.

I think any general manager in the league would take those four if they were starting a team.

I lied in the headline.  Statistics are in fact, well, a fact.  But my point is that the way people use stats are opinionated.  I'll use the hotly debated Cy Young award as an example.

Here's a statement that is false:  "Stats are stats.  Lincecum's stats are just better. It's a fact."

Why is that false?  Well, the three pitchers are three different types of players.  Lincecum is dominant, Wainwright is a workhorse and Carpenter is just efficient. 

The 2010 MLB free agent market has many players including many former New York Mets.  Here is an in-depth look at the fielders.  This is Part 1.  There will be a pitchers one in the near future.

Catchers

Ramon Castro—Castro was a member of the Mets from 2005 to the middle of this season when he was traded to the White Sox for Lance Broadway.  In 2007, Castro had his best year as a Met, playing in 52 games and batting .285 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs.

From Plato to Voltaire, the Republic has been the government of choice for intellectuals for millennia.

Dismissive of people’s ability to rule themselves, yet similarly wary of totalitarianism, they champion a government run exclusively by the most enlightened members of society.

Tim Lincecum has joined an elite group of hurlers by capturing his second consecutive Cy Young award on Thursday.

The Giants had only one Cy Young to their credit (Mike McCormick, 1967) until 2007, and Timmy has brought home the trophy for two consecutive seasons and put himself at the forefront of the pitching world on the senior circuit.

The last time a pitcher won multiple Cy Young awards in a row was when Randy Johnson earned four straight from 1999-2002 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The National League Cy Young Award will be announced early Thursday afternoon, and there are a trio of pitchers with viable claims to the trophy.

Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Tim Lincecum are the front runners to win, but one of the main things to keep in mind as the results are announced is that it is rare to see two pitchers from the same team vying for the Cy Young.

For this reason, I see Carpenter and Wainwright splitting votes and weakening the chances of either to take home the honor. 

The final votes are tallied, and Zack Greinke is your overwhelming winner for the American League Cy Young award. 

The baby-faced right-hander from powerhouse Apopka High School in Orlando received 25 first place votes and finished well ahead of runner up Felix Hernandez. 

Overcoming his off the field personal issues, the 26-year old sprinted out of the gates to a herculean April start and never looked back.He notched a victory in all of his first six decisions while allowing just two earned runs over a 45-inning span.

Let’s be honest; Moneyball hasn’t quite worked out over the last few years.

The Oakland Athletics had gone 457-353 under Billy Beane’s leadership when Moneyball was published after the 2002 season. They continued their success for the next four years, going 368-280, but have gone just 226-260 since 2007.