Day: May 14, 2016

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Young Superstars

Every player in MLB history has once been a rookie at some time.  We will now look at the greatest youngsters of all time.

             Mike Trout

Mike Trout is obviously the best youngster of all-time.  Some people even say that he is the next Mickey Mantle.  In his rookie campaign, he hit thirty home runs and stole 49 bases.  He is one of the only people of all time to be in the 30-30 club in his rookie season.  Don’t forget his impossible plays.  It was then no surprise when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed him to a contract that would last until the end of 2020.

           Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw is the Mike Trout of pitching.  He does everything right.  He has multiple Cy Young Awards.  He also pitched a no-hitter.  The Dodgers signed him to a ten year deal for a record $215 million dollars!!!  That is a really big deal.  Most announcers say that ”Kershaw does it all!”  That is true.  He made a diving stop, hits multiple doubles, and let’s not forget to mention his super human pitching performances.  Whenever Kershaw is pitching, you expect him to win. 90% of the time you’re right.

Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton is a super slugger for the Miami Marlins.  He slugs home runs whenever he can.  He is still really young.  2014 would be a breakout season for Stanton until it was cut short due to getting a ball to the face.

            Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper is the youngest baseball player.  At the age of 19 he hit 22 home runs.    He also attended the 2013 Home Run Derby at Citi Field.  He is also a regular at the all-star game.  Although his 2014 season was short because of injuries, he still has a bright future.

Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon is one of the best speedsters of the game.  He is a younger version of fellow teammates Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez.  He steals bases like there is no tomorrow.  The Dodgers are a really lucky team with all their young superstars.

          Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton is the Dee Gordon of the Reds.  He also is a stealing machine.  He is the only player of all time to steal 4 bases in his first major league start.  He is also one of the best outfielders of the game today.  He always   makes a diving stop.  So next time you go to a Reds game, don’t be surprised if you see Billy Hamilton steal!

            Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig is the best outfielder at throwing people out.  Whenever he ruins someone’s day, he gives his signature finger wag.   But you can’t forget his skills at the plate.  In his debut month of July, he got  second place in the record books for most  hits in a debut month with 44. He also participated  in the 2014 Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field.  That won’t be the only time he will be in a All-Star game.

               Jose Altuve

Whenever you think of a superstar,  you think of a big and strong frame.  You think a superstar has to be 6’5 or 230 pounds of pure muscle.  If you think that’s true, you would be wrong.  A 5’6 superstar would debut in 2013 like any average player.  He didn’t know that in 2014 he would lead the majors in hits and stolen bases.  He might not have been a superstar because of his small frame.  In the Astros training camp, he got kicked out because of his height.  He was really sad.  His dad told him to go the next day and that is what he did.  The Astros signed him and they didn’t make a mistake doing so. As you can see, you should never judge a book by its cover, or in this case, by a player’s frame.

           Masahiro Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka was the only thing going around the air during the winter season.  A superstar from Japan signed a seven year deal to Tanaka.  They didn’t end up regretting it.  The youngster  instantly fanned 100 batters.  He was also leading all of baseball with 12 wins.  His dominance would continue until before the All-Star break when he would get a slight tear in the UCL.  Although he was injured, he still made the All-Star game. He hopefully looks for a better season in 2015.

Manny Machado

Manny Machado is one of the best third basemen of the game.  He is also amazing with the bat.  He can also make impossible plays like there’s nothing to it.  He also has one problem… he can’t control his temper.  In his backswing he purposely hit the catcher in the head twice.  He got in trouble for that.  What really flared up Machado was when Josh Reddick was mad at him.  Then he purposely flung the bat at Josh Reddick.  Thankfully it missed and stopped being airborne before it hit the umpire.  He would get suspended for a week for doing so.  As you can see,  Manny Machado is one of the most fiery players in all of b   Jose Abreu

Jose Abreu is a Cuban born superstar.  In his first at bat as an American rookie, he would belt a home run.  The White Sox first baseman would take over the position that veteran legendary superstars Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko would call home: first base.               The All-Star Rookie would obviously become the American League Rookie of the Year.

          Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances is the Yankees greatest relief pitcher.  He one time struck out the side twice.  He gives the Yankees the best bullpen.  The Yankees have the most strikeouts in the bullpen courtesy of Dellin.  He was trying to be the fifth starter in Spring Training.  Now he is glad that he didn’t make it because he is the best bullpen pitcher.  This All-Star set up man will hopefully get the closer role if David Roberson doesn’t resign again in 2015.

         Matt Harvey

Matt Harvey is the Mets ace.  He strikes out a lot of batters and wins a lot.  He looks to return in 2015 after recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

          Jose Fernandez

This star studded Rookie of the Year pitcher has been held back due to Tommy John Surgery.  He strikes out a lot of batters.

  Buster Posey

Buster Posey is one of the best catchers in the game.  He has a great amount of power.  He is often lost in the shadows of Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Yadier Molina, and Giancarlo Stanton.  Posey is one of the youngest baseball players.  Not to mention that he has two World Series, caught a no-hitter, won the 2010 rookie of the year award, and was the 2012 National League MVP.

 Craig Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel is the new Mariano Rivera.  Craig is like Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera combined.  At a young age, Kimbrel is the Braves franchise saves leader.  In the picture you see Craig ”Kimbreling”.  This is what he does while looking for the sign from the catcher.

Epilogue

As you can see, all baseball players were once youngsters.  I hope this guide gave you a favorite young player.

             Bibliography

MLB Resources. MLB Superstars. USA:

Major League Baseball Properties Inc., 2014. Print.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Who’s a Better Center Fielder: Mike Trout or Jacoby Ellsbury

Mike Trout and Jacoby Ellsbury are both probably the best defensive center fielders in the game.  They both own a gold glove.  Now let’s look at their ups and downs.

            Mike Trout

Mike Trout is the younger one and maybe the better one.  He won the rookie of the year award.  He really isn’t the fastest, but gets sudden speed surges that can help him steal bases and make impossible catches. He is also the best in the game in robbing hits, especially home runs. But what’s more impressive than Mike Trout’s glove?  His bat. Mike Trout has plenty of power.  That means he hits a lot of home runs.  But one thing is he strikes out a lot.  The speed that he has will probably never lead the league in steals like Jacoby Ellsbury.  Mike Trout is still more likely to make more all star appearances than Jacoby Ellsbury.  Also, Mike Trout has more home runs and definitely at good times.  He has a lot of walk-off hits.  A lot of them are home runs! Trout is also known for his great plays and home runs.  But what about the bad things?  What about his strikeouts?  He always strikes out.  Just like Mickey Mantle, he has an all or nothing swing.   Even his dad admitted that he strikes out way too much and has to work on his swing.  You can’t be a contact hitter if you’re always down on strikes.  The only thing stopping this headliner guy from making the Hall of Fame is his strikeout ratio.  Do you see Jacoby Ellsbury striking out all the time?  He only gets the occasional strikeout.   If I had one thing to change about Mike Trout, it would be his strikeouts. Besides his strikeouts, he is a perfect combination of speed, power, contact, glove, and can steal.  So, he is a five tool player and at a very young age.

  Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury is one of the best defensive center fielders in the game.  He uses his speed to his own advantage.  Besides stealing all those bases, he also uses his speed to make impossible catches that match Mike Trout’s.  But one thing holds Jacoby Ellsbury back, injuries.  They basically come every season to him from making diving catches or from stealing bases.  He also isn’t the youngest.  He was amazing with the Red Sox and now he is the star center fielder for the Yankees.

Jacoby definitely has more speed than Mike Trout.  He has led the league in stolen bases three times with the Red Sox. Jacoby has 241 stolen bases with Boston.  He also knows the Green Monster center field territory better than anybody else in baseball.  That can be explained by his seven years as a Boston center fielder.

He also owns a gold glove from Boston.  Jacoby Ellsbury is already used to the Yankee Stadium features of the field.  He continues to use his magic glove.  But Jacoby is a different story when you talk about his bat.  Jacoby Ellsbury has had recent power surges in hitting home runs.  In 2011, Jacoby got a career high 32 home runs.  But then again,  in 2013, playing 134 games, only got nine homers. Maybe it’s because of the Little Monster in right field. But Jacoby Ellsbury does make good contact with the ball.  He has 885 hits in his career with Boston.  So pretty much, Jacoby Ellsbury has a good bat and even better speed.  He is probably the best speedster and base thief in baseball right now.  But Jacoby Ellsbury doesn’t strike out that much.  He only gets an occasional strikeout.  Also, Jacoby has a lot of pressure on him in the Red Sox/Yankee rivalry.   It is hard for Ellsbury going up against his former team.  But all in all, he is a good player.

Who’s better?

It all comes down to this.  Who is the best center fielder in the game today?  Is it Ellsbury with his super human speed and his unbelievable glove?  Or is it Trout with his slugger bat and his nearly impossible putouts?  Is it Mike Trout who strikes out a lot, or the speedster Jacoby Ellsbury?  Or is it Jacoby Ellsbury with his over powering speed which Trout lacks?  The answer is Mike Trout.

                  Celebrate!

Why?  He is a five tool, gold glove slugging center fielder.  Making impossible catches every day, he is obviously the best in baseball.  He is still very young, and has a bright future ahead of him, like making a stop and staying at Cooperstown.  Mike Trout is just the best in baseball right now.  Even though he strikes out a lot, he doesn’t have to  worry about joining Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson on the all time strikeout list.  But, he might join them on the Hall of Fame list.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Top Ten Best Catchers

The backstops have the roughest position on the baseball diamond. The gloved hand getting pounded all day with the ball and throwing with all their might to get the baserunner out. Don’t even get me started on the old collisions.  We now rank the top ten catchers.

  1. Carlos Ruiz

Being in the city of brotherly love, Carlos Ruiz has never left the Philles. In Philly, Carlos caught a perfect game and made multiple World Series appearances.

  1. Brian McCann

Picked up by the New York Yankees in the 2013 offseason, Brian did some surprising things. Taking advantage of the small left field wall, Brian socked 23 home runs. He also had a good percentage of thrown out base stealers.

  1. Carlos Santana

Alternating between first base and the catcher, Carlos has proved to be a great power hitter for the Cleveland Indians.

7. Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki is a really good catcher who plays for the Minnesota Twins. He took over for Joe Mauer once he moved to first base. Kurt did a good job as the backstop making the all-star team as the backup catcher for the American League.

  1. Matt Wieters

Matt Wieters had a great arm for throwing out baserunners until he was shut down by Tommy John Surgery. He made the all-star team as a starter only playing in 26 games in 2014.

5. Devin Mesoraco

Devin Mesoraco, the all-star catcher for the National League, led all of baseball for home runs by a catcher. Devin socked 25 of them. Devin also caught the famous Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman.

  1. Russell Martin

Russell Martin is one of the best catchers in the game. He won a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award for backstops in 2014. In 2014, Russell had monster on base percentage with the Pirates. He also hit 11 home runs in 111 games. It was no surprise when the Blue Jays signed Russell Martin in the offseason for 3 years.

3. Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez had a great breakout year in 2014. Salvador already had a Gold Glove under his belt to start the 2014 season. By the end of the season, Sal had two. Salvador Perez had 17 home runs also in 2014. He would be the all-star starting catcher due to Matt Wieters injury. Salvador Perez helped lead the Kansas City Royals to their first World Series appearance in 29 years.

  1. Buster Posey

Buster Posey is the heart and soul of the San Francisco Giants. He is also the face of the franchise. Back in 2011, he had a monster collision which left him with a broken leg, a broken ankle, and a concussion. Besides that tragic collision, Buster Posey helped lead the Giants to three World Series in five years. He won the Rookie of the Year award for the National League in 2010 and also won the 2012 NL MVP award, too.

All these catchers are great but aren’t great enough than number one. This catcher has a great glove and an even better arm. The number one catcher in all of baseball is…

  1. Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina is the best catcher in Major League Baseball. Yadier has 7 Gold Glove awards in his trophy room. One of those Gold Gloves came in 2014. Also in 2014, Yadier Molina won the Platinum Award. The Platinum Glove is awarded to the best defender of all the positions. Yadi’s best season came in 2012 where he hit 22 home runs. People said that is going in history as one of the best hitting catcher seasons. On top of that, Yadi has a pair of World Series rings. Yadi has a really good shot of going into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Top Ten Best Speedsters

There are the power hitters and power pitchers in baseball. There are also the contact hitters and defenders who make diving plays every day. One thing nobody really breaks down is the speedsters. Whether they are speedy outfielders or players that are just on the base paths, they are still some of the best speedsters. In this article we break down the top ten speedsters.

         Top Ten Speedsters

  1. Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki played the 2014 season with the New York Yankees. Primarily used as a utility outfielder, Ichiro got quite a few chances to play right and center field when Jacoby Ellsbury or Carlos Beltran got injured. In 143 games, Ichiro stole 15 bases. Earlier in his career Ichiro won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves thanks to his amazing fielding.

  1. Lorenzo Cain

Lorenzo Cain is the speedy center fielder of the Kansas City Royals. In the 2014 postseason, Lorenzo robbed many batters of hits with his diving plays. Along with that, he stole a base every now and then. During the regular season in 2014, he stole 28 bases. His speedy skills would earn him the 2014 ALDS MVP award.

  1. Carl Crawford

Not having the speed he used to have, Carl can still light up the base paths. He used to be able to steal 50-60 stolen bases a season. This left fielder used to have some power in him, too. Back in 2010, Crawford hit a career high 19 home runs. In 2014, Carl Crawford stole 23 bases in 105 games.

  1. Brett Gardner

Brett Gardner is the star studded left fielder of the New York Yankees. In 2014, Brett had a breakout year in power numbers. In 148 games, Brett socked a career high 17 home runs. Those power numbers didn’t stop him for stealing. He also stole 21 bases that year. In 2011 he tied the league lead in stolen bases with 49.

  1. Jarrod Dyson

Jarrod Dyson was a big part of the Kansas City Royals run in 2014. He helped them win the Wild Card Game with his speed. During the regular season, Dyson stole 36 bags. That one stolen base would be the only one during the 2014 Postseason.

5. Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury used to be a Red Sox but in the offseason of 2013, he signed a huge contract with the New York Yankees. In his first year with the Bronx Bombers, Jacoby stole 39 bases in 44 attempts. In back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, Jacoby really proved to be the speedster he really is. In 2008 he stole 50 bases in 61 attempts and in ’09 he stole 70 bases in 82 attempts. He also has one World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2007.

  1. Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve is the second baseman for the Houston Astros. He broke the Astros’ all time record for hits in a single season with 225. He also stole 56 bases that year, too. On top of that, he was one of the defensive second basemen in the game and had a .341 batting average.

3. Mike Trout

Maybe the best in baseball ranks number 3 on the top ten speedster list. Although his stolen base numbers have dramatically declined over the years, he still shows off his speed in the outfield. Mike Trout robs home runs on a daily basis making it look it easy. It takes speed to get to the wall. He also makes diving catches courtesy of his speed. He also has his skills at the plate which gets him on base for stolen base opportunities. The past three years Mike Trout has lead the American League in runs. In his brief 4 year career (as of 2014), Trout scored 373 times, has 26 triples, and has 102 stolen bases. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 2014 after finishing up behind Miguel Cabrera for the previous couple of years. He also led the American League in stolen bases in 2012 with 49.

2. Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton is the speedy young center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Billy made his debut in the Majors in 2013 as a 23 year old rookie. He even stole four bases in one game! In the 13 games he played in, he averaged a stolen base per night. In 2014, it was his time to shine. He was an official rookie. In his first full season, Billy stole 56 bases! The bad thing is he got caught stealing 23 times. Besides that, Billy got driven in 72 times thanks to the rest of the Reds lineup. He would be a candidate for the rookie of the year award.

All of these players are fast but aren’t speedy enough to catch the number one speedster on this list. He is very aggressive on the base paths and most of the time slides in safe. He helped his team in lots of ways. Without further ado, the number one speedster in all of baseball is…

1. Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon has proven to be the best speedster in baseball the past couple of years. This young superstar was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 but was traded to the Miami Marlins in the offseason of that year. In 2014, Dee Gordon led all of MLB in stolen bases in 2014. His total stolen base number was an outstanding 64. He was caught stealing 19 times in search for 83 stolen bags on the year. The young second baseman was great at turning two with the shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Dee Gordon was in 84 double plays at 144 games at second base. He only got 12 errors on the year. He all did this in 148 games. Gordon also scored 92 times in 2014, too. The 2014 season brought Dee’s career stolen base total to 130. As you can see, Dee Gordon is the best speedster in the game we call baseball.

         Acknowledgments

All the statistical numbers are courtesy of ESPN’s wide selection of stats. I found both fielding and batting stats off of this wonderful website.

ESPN.COM

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Top Ten Pitchers in MLB

There are a lot of pitchers in MLB. The pitchers decide if the batter is good or bad. This top ten ranking is based on the best pitchers in MLB.

            Top Ten Pitchers

  1. Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver is the famed ace of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This pitcher has led the league in wins multiple times and also led the American League in strikeouts in 2010.

  1. James Shield

James Shields has proved to be a workhorse over the last seven years. Pitching over 200 innings in each, he is really durable. Being the ace of the Royals in 2014 helped them go to the World Series.

  1. Jon Lester

Jon Lester isn’t the shutdown ace he used to be. Traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2014, he didn’t really do much. Jon struck out 220 batters in 219.2 innings. He also got 16 wins. Back in 2008, Jon pitched a no-hitter.

7. David Price

David Price was very good in 2014. The Rays traded him to the Tigers so they wouldn’t have to pay him. That would be a mistake because he would lead the American League in strikeouts with 271.

  1. Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg had an amazing year striking out 242 batters. The young pitcher hopes to become a Cy Young Award winner someday.

 Adam Wainwright

Adam Wainwright is a regular 20 game winner. He is more of a ground ball pitcher than a strikeout pitcher. With Yadier Molina behind the plate, they make a great combo.

  1. Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez is a shutdown pitcher who plays for the Seattle Mariners. Back in 2010, Felix won the American League Cy Young award. He also is one of the only pitchers to pitch a perfect game.

 

  1. Johnny Cueto

Johnny Cueto had an amazing year as the ace of the Cincinnati Reds. He went 20-9 with 242 strikeouts. He pitched multiple complete games and did many other great things for the Reds.

  1. Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer was the famed ace of Detroit Tigers in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, Max Sherzer won the Cy Young Award for the American League going 21-3 with 240 strikeouts. In 2014 Max tied the American League leaders with 18 wins.

All these players are good but not good enough to beat the most dominant pitcher who ranks number one. This pitcher worked hard to achieve this goal. The number one pitcher in all of baseball is…

1. Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw is obviously the best pitcher in the game. In 2014, he went 21-3 with 239 strikeouts. That was good enough to get him the NL Cy Young award and the MVP award. He also won numerous Gibby awards, too. He also won the Cy Young award 2 other times in 2011 and 2013. In 2014, he pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies with 15 strikeouts. All that helped him get his team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, to the postseason.

          Notable Runner Ups

We couldn’t fit all the good pitchers in just ten places. The runners up are Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Jose Fernandez.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Baseball Card Collecting

As long as baseballs been around, so have cards.  Baseball cards first appeared in cigarette packs.  In this article, you will learn about cards and  how to take care of them.

What’s a Baseball Card?  

A baseball card is a piece of cardboard with a picture of a player and his position on the front.  On the back of the card are the stats and birthday of the player.

 Golden Rule of Card Collecting

If you want to be an expert card collector, follow the Golden Rule.  The Golden Rule is never get rid of any rookie cards or draft picks.  A lot of parents and grandparents got rid of their baseball cards thinking  they were worth nothing.  People might have gotten rid of a Mickey Mantle Rookie card thinking nothing was good about.  But really they just trashed or traded over 500,000 dollars!  Draft pick cards are even more valuable.  A Derek Jeter draft pick card could send you to every single bleacher seat Yankee game for about 20 years!( Not including Derek Jeter Day.)

The Two Terrible T’s

In card collecting, there are the two terrible t’s.  They stand for trash and trade.  Never trade baseball cards unless the player took steroids, you have a double card, or the player is a backup player.  If you don’t want to trade, then you would think to trash it.  But you should change your mind.  As the saying goes, ”One man’s trash could be another man’s treasure.”  Try giving it to your little brother or a friend.  Baseball cards aren’t exactly cheap these days.  Today,  you have to pay three bucks for ten cards while in the old days you could buy fifteen cards and a pack of bubble gum for a quarter.  Plus, if you are an inexperienced collector, you may not know who this is or what it’s worth.

Baseball Card Companies

Today, there are a lot of card companies.  I recommend getting Topps or Upper Deck.  Bowman used to be the best one until the rival company Topps bought it. Topps is the most common card company.  Plus, Topps offers more relics such as parts of bats and jerseys.

Cash Cards

Everybody wants to know what the most valuable card is. The answer is a 1909 Honus Wagner card.  It was found in a box of cigarettes.  Only 43 were ever made.  The stopped the production of them because Wagner didn’t give them permission to use him.   It is worth over 2 million dollars!!!

Tips from a Collector

As a collector myself, I know a few tricks to preserve your cards.

  1. Never trash baseball cards.
  2. Keep your cards away from pets.
  3. Never show your cards to someone you don’t trust.
  4. Keep your cards out of direct light. Doing so could fade them or even catch fire.
  5. Don’t put cards in your pocket. They could get folded or go in the washing machine.
  6. Try not to keep buying cards from the same series. You could end up with triplets.
  7. Buy team packs when you stop buying random packs. You might get a double.
  8. Organize your cards.
  9. Keep Rookie Cards.
  10. Keep draft pick cards.

Greatest Question: Shoe Box or binder?

One of the greatest card collecting questions: Where do I put them? Everybody says,” Put them in a shoebox with rubber bands.”  Do not listen to that.  The binder is the way to go.  In shoe boxes, they get tumbled around.  Also, when you put the rubber bands on, the cards start to crease.  If you leave them in the sun, the rubber bands might melt while nothing happens to them in a binder.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Michael Kay

Michael Kay is the lead play-by-play broadcaster of the New York Yankees. Michael Kay started out as a newspaper writer. He then would step up to broadcast alongside Jon Sterling on the radio. The YES network noticed him and asked him to do the interview show Centerstage. Centerstage is a show where Michael Kay interviews famous people, including former baseball players, singers, and movie stars. Since Michael Kay is an unbelievable interviewer, he ended up winning an Emmy from doing that show.

Michael didn’t stop there. He also took over for Mike Francesa when he left YES. Michael Kay now has the Michael Kay Show, too. It is a really interesting show where Michael and Don Lagreca talk about New York sports. It includes interviews, live look-ins, and lots of opinions. It can be heard on ESPN radio and on the YES Network.

Michael Kay is most famous for being the lead play-by-play broadcaster at YES. His iconic ‘’See Ya’’ call is in the heads of all Yankees’ fans. He has passion for the game with a sense of humor. He also delivers a well-developed speech either when somebody retires or when somebody gets inducted to Monument Park. As you can see, Michael Kay is one of the best interviewers and broadcasters around the league.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

The Bleacher Creature

Stay tuned with The Bleacher Creature for the entire baseball season. Enjoy articles about your favorite player or most hated team. Learn facts you never knew before. Kick back and relax with head-to-head comparison articles with two of the best players. Learn SABR metrics, Statcast, and the old school traditional values. Though not associated/approved by Major League Baseball or the Players Association, the source is credible and entertaining. The Bleacher Creature is a website made by a fan for many fans. The Bleacher Creature, the unofficial site for official fans!

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Ichiro

Ichiro Suzuki is one of the most historic hitters in baseball history. We now look into his legacy.

Ichiro Suzuki is a player with some of the most valuable back ground ever. Since he left Japan, he has gotten lots of hits and stolen bases. In his first year in the States, he signed with the Seattle Mariners. He had an unbelievable rookie year with them. Since he was so good, he won the American League Rookie of the Year award, the MVP award, and the Gold Glove for right fielders in the American League. That wasn’t it for his accomplishments. A couple years later he would do something that no other players had done before. After his rookie campaign, Ichiro went on to break the record for the most hits in a single season. Ichiro has the most hits in a single season. Ichiro also used to be really good on the base paths but he has slowed down a little the past couple years. A couple of years ago the Seattle Mariners traded Ichiro to the New York Yankees. With the Yankees he got his 4000th hit combined in the Major leagues and Japan. All the Ichiro fans went to see him at the game. As you can see, Ichiro Suzuki is one of the most historic players in baseball history.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Nelson Cruz

Nelson Cruz is a great designated hitter. We now look into this great slugger.

Nelson Cruz is one of the great sluggers who played with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. He was the Orioles key to success. Cruz has always been a great power hitter in the past. He used to be fast and had a mind blowing average. It looked like he would have a great Hall of Fame career until he ruined it. Back in his days with the Texas Rangers, he was often lost in the shadows of Josh Hamilton during his glory days. But really Nelson was the best all-around player on the team. He stole bases, slugged home runs, and even had a great average. He played with the Texas Rangers until the Biogenesis scandal news started flying around the air. On the suspension list was Cruz’s name. He would be suspended from playing Major League Baseball for fifty games. With a few exceptions, most of the players on that list would leave their teams including Nelson Cruz. Nelson Cruz would leave the Texas Rangers and sign with the Baltimore Orioles. He would be a superstar with the Orioles. Nelson Cruz was almost always on most highlight shows for his great home run skills. With Cruz, the Orioles were able to pull of the most home runs for any team in all of baseball. Nelson’s grand total of home runs in the 2014 season was 40. So people start to question if he was back to taking steroids again. It looked kind of suspicious that he was suspended the year before and hit 40 home runs the very next year. Did he take steroids again? That is a question we will never know for sure.