Kuzul

Well, the "Boys of Summer" have faded into the sunset, and we are now almost three months removed from the Midsummer Classic. With a lot of water under the bridge and the award season discussion already in full swing, I thought I'd release my 68 picks if the All-Star Game were held today instead of in JulyBegin Slideshow

After Shane Victorino was benched Sunday, there are numerous rumors that he'll soon be off the team, with the Dodgers reportedly interested in reacquiring a player who started his career in their organization.This is part of the crisis mood ensuing because of the Phillies' returning to "use Lifebouy soap...and they still stink" status in the standings.  Below average in both hitting and pitching, the Phillies appear to be cleaning house.Despite his .245 batting average this season, .680 OPS, 23 extra-base hits and 0.7 WAR, I think the Phillies should hold on to Victorino. Here's why. Batting ills not the problemHonestly, batting isn't the Phillies' problem.  They're only slightly below average despite Ryan Howard and Chase Utley being injured for long stretches, and Jimmy Rollins having a horrendous start to the season. What they should be worrying about is their bullpen, which has ceded a 4.76 ERA, .757 OPS and 16 defeats in ...

In the offseason, with Ryan Howard out for an extended period of time, the Philadelphia Phillies grabbed Jim Thome for $1.25 million.  That experiment has run its course, and it’s time for the club to part ways with the aging bat. Here are six reasons why:  1.  He’s hurt Thome has been on the DL all month with a bad back. In the past, he’s had troubles with his elbow and his legs. Even if comes back in a week or two, whether he will be 100 percent is doubtful.   2.  He can’t field to save his life Thome has 137 career errors, and career is 31 total-zone, total-fielding runs below average. He has a career -17.1 defensive wins-above-replacement and has 13 seasons of a dWAR of -0.5 or worse.   Also, did I mention he has no legs? 3.  Nor can he hit anymore This season with the ...

If you're a fantasy player, you're probably well aware that the Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz is one of the only players in the game with no positional eligibility: he can only play designated hitter at a utility slot.He's one of the few DHs so designated: others are designated third basemen (Edwin Encarnacion, Chris Davis), outfielders (Raul Ibanez, Kendrys Morales) or even catchers (Jesus Montero).Since Ortiz only plays DH, that means he sits in interleague games played in National League parks. In last night's game in Philadelphia, he only had one plate appearance, as a pinch hitter.With more interleague games coming next season, the Sox could be potentially losing Ortiz's bat for a large number of games.Boston needs Ortiz's bat: He's currently leading the Red Sox in average, homers, OBP, OPS, hits and bases on balls.  Ortiz has hit at least 28 homers every season he's been with the Sox, ...

Catcher is perhaps the hardest position to draft.  This year is perhaps one of the worst, with many of the big names having problems with injuries (Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Buster Posey) or stretches of mediocrity (Mauer again, Carlos Santana, Geovany Soto). As a primer for drafting catchers, here are the three starting catchers, two bench catchers and a watch list catcher for your consideration.  As for the other 25, don't bother with them.Begin Slideshow

With the American League Championship Series under way and the National League's edition starting up next week, some of the best-hitting teams in the league are squaring off against each other. So I thought I'd look at ten players who are likely to make an impact on the batting side of things.Three things are looked at in this: traditional performance, 2011 Regular Season performance, and 2011 Division Series performance.Begin Slideshow

With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, there are rumors flying left and right, some of which involve all of the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals being traded to other teams.  And there is one team that needs to make a move right now.That team is the Detroit Tigers. Yes, I am fully aware that they play in a medium-sized market and a city in decline, and they probably won’t fare well in the free-agent market. Other sportswriters have claimed that the move the Tigers need to make is for Jose Reyes. I think that is wrong for four reasons:1. The price would be too high, as they would be trading for Reyes at the apex of his success.2. The Mets would be daft to give up Reyes—they could contend this season or next once they get Wright and Santana back.3. If the Mets do give ...