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Day: May 20, 2016
Jacoby Nolnaho
Jacoby Nolnaho is the lead writer of The Bleacher Creature. He writes all his articles all by himself. Make sure to check The Bleacher Creature for his work and much more.
David Ortiz says Goodbye
In the offseason, David Ortiz announced that 2016 would be his final season. He is climbing up history during his farewell tour.
Daniel Murphy returns to Queens
Daniel Murphy made his return to Citi Field. He got a standing ovation. Murphy is leading Major League Baseball in batting average.
Buster Posey and Yadier Molina
The two best catchers in the game are Yadier Molina of the Cardinals and Buster Posey of the Giants. Buster Posey has won three World Series in five years and Yadier has eight Gold Gloves through his first 12 seasons in the Major Leagues.
Michael Brantley Headed back to the DL
The Cleveland Indians suffered a major loss. Michael Brantley, who in the offseason had surgery, is headed backto the disabled list. In 2015, Michael had 45 doubles. He had a breakout season in 2014 hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bases. The Indians can only hope for the best for their superstar.
Wave of Young Shortstops
Young shortstops have taken over the game of baseball. The all-around youngsters are leading their respective leagues in many categories. With the shortstop position flourishing with youth, the talent of the position has matched the success of previous groups.
The Human Specimen
‘’Honey! Honey! Get in the car!’’ shouted David McDonaldson to his wife Maureen. It was the day which their baby was due to come into the world. David wanted to make sure that the baby was born okay. At the hospital, Maureen asked David if she would be okay. ‘’You will be okay honey. Don’t worry about it.’’ David acknowledged Maureen. This was a big event for the whole McDonaldson family. All the family was there. ‘’ Maureen McDonaldson! Your room is ready!’’ exclaimed the nurse. ‘’I love you.’’ Whispered David into his wife’s ear.
‘’David! The baby has been born! It’s a boy!’’ shouted all the medical staff in joy. ‘’May I see him?’’ said an enthusiac David. ‘’Well of course.’’ said the nurse in charge. When he walked into the hospital room, he suddenly gasped. ‘’Maureen, our baby is HUGE!’’ exclaimed David with the little air he had. ‘’What should we name him?’’ said Maureen. ‘’How about Tim?’’ David told his wife. ‘’I like that name.’’ replied Maureen. ‘’I think he would fit the perfect frame of a baseball player.’’ Said David as he thought out loud. ‘’I highly doubt that, Dave. I will not let Tim do anything that may risk his health. From this day on, I promise to protect Tom for whatever life throws his way.’’ vowed Maureen. ‘’Me too.’’ piped in David.
Five years had gone by since the birth of their son Tim. Tim had incredibly grown to an amazing height of 5’1 and weighed 95 pounds of pure muscle. He also took a particulary intrest in baseball and loved playing Wiffle ball with his family. Maureen once told David that, ‘’This kid is burning out our pockets, David. Every time he hits home runs that get stuck in the neighbors roof.’’ One day Tim came home from fourth grade really sad.’’ What’s the matter?’’ Tim asked. ‘’The bully said that I’m fat because I’m 150 pounds.’’ Tim told his upset father. Five years had gone by since Tim was five. Ever since Tim had been exposed to other kids, he had trouble making. He had to wear adult shirts all the time because his muscles broke through his other shirts. Kids also made fun of him because he had trouble eating his lunch. He couldn’t eat because he was out of breath. Since he was so good at baseball the kids wouldn’t let him play. He would usually sit by himself until the girls would chase him to get a piece of his shirt because he was extremely attractive. ‘’Dad, I’ve had enough of this. Nobody is my friend, and everybody is mean to me. So, can we move to a different town?’’ said a very disappointed Tim. ‘’Son, if you really feel that way, we can,’’ replied David.
A new town meant new opportunities. Maureen and David chose very carefully. They found a town tucked in under the border of Canada and Washington. After visiting twice before, the couple had seen the strength and size of the citizens. As they brought Tim for the first time, he looked out and made an instant conclusion as he looked at the local school house. He had become the smallest kid compared to everybody else. Looking out, he mumbled, “This is a whole new ball game…”
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw is more than a name. He is more than a baseball player. He is more than a pitcher.
Clayton Edward Kershaw was born March 13, 1988 in Dallas Texas. Eighteen years later, Clayton Kershaw would be drafted by his current team the Los Angeles Dodgers. A couple of years after being drafted, he made his debut in Dodger Blue. Nobody knew that this young star would become the most dominating pitcher in all of baseball.
Clayton Kershaw is every hitter’s worst nightmare. He has over 200 strikeouts over the last five individual years. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in 2014. A no-hitter is where you don’t give up any hits but a runner reaches base either on an error or walk. The only baserunner to reach base in that game only got on because the shortstop Hanley Ramirez made a silly error. Besides the error, Clayton struck out 15 other Rockies. This could be due to his original pitching mechanics.
Clayton Kershaw has one of the most original pitching stances in all of baseball. He picks his foot up with the glove in front of his head. He holds it there for a split second, leans back, and fires it to the catcher. He throws some pretty good pitches out of that stance. He throws a fastball, a slider, a 12/6 curveball, and a deadly changeup. People think that Clayton is a flame thrower like Yordano Ventura or Felix Hernandez, but the truth is he isn’t. His average fastball velocity (speed) on pitch f/x is 94 miles per hour according to Brooks Baseball.
Since Clayton Kershaw was so good, he took home a lot of awards. One of his most famous awards that he received in 2014 was the National League Most Valuable Player. He is one of the only pitchers to win that award. The others are Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Justin Verlander. He had to beat out some of baseball’s best hitters for the award. He had to beat out the mighty Giancarlo Stanton and the great Andrew McCutchen. It was also no surprise when he won the Cy Young award, too. In 2014, Kershaw put up monster numbers. He went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA. He also had 6 complete games with 2 shutouts. This wasn’t the first time that Clayton Kershaw won a Cy Young award. He also won it in 2011 and 2013. He also collected multiple Gibby awards, too.
When you have a pitcher that is this overpowering, you can’t buy it for cheap money. Back in the offseason of 2013, Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a record setting 7 year, $215 million dollar contract. Hopefully, Clayton can do what he did this year for the next 6 years.
Clayton Kershaw is also surprisingly good at everything else in baseball. This is different because he is a pitcher. Pitchers normally aren’t that good at fielding and are horrible at hitting. He made a couple of diving plays and had amazing batting statistics for a pitcher. In 2014, Clayton got 11 hits in 63 at-bats. He got one triple and posted a .175 batting average. Once again, that is bad for any other regular everyday player but is great for a pitcher. He also got walked four times.
This pitcher seems to be the invincible pitcher that doesn’t have any weaknesses at all. That is not true. He has one weakness that is really bad. In 2014, he got his team the Los Angeles Dodgers into the postseason. Everybody thought that the Dodgers would dominate any other team that stood in their way for a World Series title. But Clayton fell apart going 0-2 in the 2014 postseason. That would bring his career postseason record to a horrible 1-5.
The upcoming 2015 season is looking like a good one. His Cy Young and MVP awards make him look more intimidating than he has ever been. It still is pretty clear that he is going to be the ace again next year. He is going to have to get used to Josh Beckett not being there and Brandon McCarthy replacing him. But all in all, we hope Clayton has another MVP type year this season.
Career Stats
Record: 98-49
ERA: 2.48
Innings: 1378.1
Strikeouts: 1445
Complete Games: 17
Shutouts: 9
Walks: 424
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Bibliography
‘’Pitch Repertoire At-A-Glance.’’ Brooks Baseball. Web. 12/29/14.
www.brooksbaseball.net/landing.php?player=477132
‘’Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers agree to record $215M Deal.’’ USA Today. Web. 12/29/14.
ESPN. Web. 12/29/14. espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/28963/clayton-kershaw
Mike Trout
Mike Trout is one of the best baseball players today. He can hit home runs, steal bases, make diving catches, and sometimes hit over .300. He can do all that and he isn’t even thirty! One thing that stands out is how he is the youngest player to hit for the cycle. The cycle is when you hit a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game!
In his first full season in 2012, Mike’s talent was really there. He was so good that season that he won the Rookie of the Year award. In his award winning season, Trout hit 30 home runs, drove in 83 RBIs and hit .326. He even led the league in runs (129), stolen bases (49), and WAR (10.7). WAR stands for Wins above Replacement. In 2012 Mike Trout would also win a Louisville Silver Slugger award and would finish runner up in votes for the MVP award behind Miguel Cabrera.
Since then, Trout hasn’t slowed down. In the 2013 season prior to the great breakout one, Trout would put up similar numbers which would once again put him behind Miguel Cabrera for the MVP award. He hit 27 home runs and stole 33 bases in addition to driving in 97 RBIs and a .323 average. He would lead the American League in walks (110), WAR (9.2), and runs (109). He would win the Louisville Silver Slugger again.
Mike Trout’s 2014 season is arguably his best. That year he won the American League MVP award with yet another Silver Slugger! That season, he hit 36 home runs, 16 stolen bases, a .287 batting average, and 39 doubles. He would lead the league in runs (115), RBIs (111), and WAR (7.9).
Although he is so good, he needs to cut down on his strikeouts. In 2014, he led all of baseball with 184 strikeouts. Each of his full seasons, he has more than 125 strikeouts. Even though he strikes out a lot, he is still one of the best offensive players in MLB.
Mike Trout is also one of the best defenders in MLB, too. He is known for making spectacular diving catches and robbing home runs. One time, he jumped up and robbed Prince Fielder of a home run. In his career (as of 2014), Mike Trout has thrown out 7 runners. That is really good for a center fielder. Also, in his rookie year in 2012, he had a 6.6 DWAR.
Since Mike Trout is so good, he is a regular at the all-star game. In the 2014, Mike drove in Derek Jeter and scored on a Miguel Cabrera home run. He would finish the night with a .667 batting average, 2 RBIs, 2 hits, a double, a triple, and a run scored. He was named the all-star game MVP.
As you can see, Mike Trout is arguably one of the best all-around players in Major League Baseball. This MVP might be on his way to the Hall of Fame.
Birth: August 7, 1991 Birthplace: Vineland, New Jersey Height: 6-2 Weight: 230 lbs.
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Stats*
Games: 503
Home Runs: 101
RBIs: 316
Runs: 382
Stolen Bases: 104
Batting Average: .308
Doubles: 113
Triples: 26
Walks: 274
Strikeouts: 496
*Stats as of April 17, 2015.*
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.