Tuesday, July 04, 2017
Holy Smoak!
The All Star
Break is just around the corner for Major league Baseball. The
Toronto Blue Jays have had a dismal June, and July has been even
worse. Players have an opportunity to heal some wounds, relieve
aching muscles, and rethink their game during the break.
One of the
Jays will not have much chance to relax during the break. That would
be Justin Smoak, because he was selected, by the fans, to play first
base for the American League All Stars. It is an honour, and well
deserved, as he is in the midst of his finest season in baseball.
Smoak began
his career in 2010 with the Texas Rangers. The following year he
became a Seattle Mariner, and he played for the Mariners until 2015,
when he joined the Jays. He was a part-time player for the Jays in
his first year, but managed to hit 18 home runs in less than 300 at
bats. This indicated that he had a power stroke, and he is a
switch-hitter. On July 1st that year, he hit home runs
from both sides of the plate!
He will be
joined by the rest of the American League All Stars when they take
the field in Miami.
Behind the
plate, Salvador Perez, the lumbering receiver from the Kansas City
Royals. At second base is the diminuitive Jose Altuve, from the
Houston Astros. His batting average is currently .327, one of the
highest in the league. At shortstop is his teammate Carlos Correa.
Outfielder George Springer also plays for the Astros. It is no
surprise, considering that they have three all stars on the squad,
that the Astros are faring well this year. They currently lead the
American League West division by 15 games over the Angels, a lead
that they most likely will maintain for the rest of the season.
At third
base is Jose Ramirez from the Cleveland Indians. Outfielders are Mike
Trout, (currently on the disabled list), and the remarkable Aaron
Judge from the Yankees. Judge is a giant, even among some very large
baseball players. He stands 6' 7”, and weighs almost 300 pounds. He
is a “shoe in” as Rookie of the Year, and may well be selected as
the Most Valuable Player. Corey Dickerson of the Rays rounds out the
AL All Stars as the Designated Hitter.
Buster Posey
from the San Francisco Giants will start his fifth All Star game. The
Washington Nationals have three starters who have been selected: Ryan
Zimmerman at 1st base, Daniel Murphy at 2nd
base, and Bryce Harper in the outfield.
Nolan
Arenado has 27 doubles so far this year, and leads the league in that
category. He represents the Colorado Rockies, playing 3rd
base. The Rockies' Charlie Blackmon leads the NL with 104 hits, and
10 triples, and will play the outfield. The other outfielder is
Marcel Ozuna, certainly a favourite as he represents the Marlins. The
game will be played on his home field in Miami.
Starting at
short stop for the Senior League is Zack Cozart from the Reds.
The Boston
Red Sox lead the AL East, and the Jays trail by ten games. They are 5
games behind in the Wild Card chase. Perish those statistics, as it
is far too soon to focus on them. Management of all teams will give
them some consideration as they plan for the rest of the season. If
the Jays front office fails to see much light at the end of the
tunnel, you will likely see major changes in the next few weeks. You
may have your heart broken.
The
Washington Nationals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Los Angeles
Dodgers all lead their divisions in the National League. But the
season is not yet half finished, with more than 80 games to play. No
one is turning out the lights, not even here in Canada.
Happy 150th,
by the way!!
James Hurst
July 4, 2017
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:12 PM 
