Would the Triple Crown Award have Helped J.D. Martinez Win the MVP-Award?

     After the Boston Red Sox signed J.D. Martinez last offseason, the team’s offense went from last in the American League in home runs, second-to-last in slugging percentage and 11^th out of 15 teams in on-base plus slugging (OPS) to first in batting average, slugging, OPS, runs and sixth in home runs. The addition of Martinez, the only major addition to the team’s lineup who also produced 43 home runs and 130 RBI along with a stat line of .330/.402/.629, led many to believe that Martinez had revitalized the Red Sox lineup and brought them from worst to first in most major categories. Although Mookie Betts, who eventually won the American League Most Valuable Player award, led the league in runs, batting average, slugging and finished second in on-base percentage, one can perfectly validate that the addition of Martinez put the Red Sox over the hump. The addition of Martinez was like the addition of Curt Schilling back in 2004. The Red Sox had Pedro Martinez, an ace, but a significant upgrade to their No. 2 starter ultimately put the team over the threshold and into the title of World Series Champions.

            This left fans and I in outcry when they found out Martinez, who many thought would win the MVP award, was not even a finalist for the award. 

JD Martinez not being a finalist for AL MVP is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in my life

— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) November 5, 2018

Ok so let me get this straight. JD Martinez was left off the ballot for the 3 finalists for AL MVP. Jose Ramirez made it over him

JD Martinez:
BA: .330
HR: 43
RBI's: 130

Jose Ramirez:
BA: .270
HR: 39
RBI's: 105

Does anyone else see the issue here? FIX THIS ISSUE

— Willie J. (@wvizoso411) November 6, 2018

In the era of shifts, launch angles and “home run or bust” mentality, Martinez bucks the trend. An all-around hitter, the Red Sox hadn’t seen a player hit at least 40 home runs, 100 RBIs and .300 in a season since Manny Ramirez did so back in 2004. Even after an historic performance in an era of baseball founded on this “home run or bust” mentality, and after finishing second in two out of three triple crown categories while finishing first in the third, Martinez finished fourth in the AL MVP voting.

            Martinez deserves applause for finishing second in two triple crown categories and first in the third. But what if Martinez had finished first in all three categories, making him the first player to win the triple crown since Miguel Cabrera did so in 2012. Would that have made a difference in the voting, ultimately propelling Martinez into first place?

            Out of 12 major league players that have won the triple crown award, seven have won the MVP award for their respective league. Sixty-three percent of triple crown winners have won the MVP award for that season when factoring in the 1922 season when the national league had no MVP honored but had Rogers Hornsby win the triple crown award. Every player since 1956 that has won the triple crown also won the MVP award for their respective league. The voting wasn’t even close in each of those cases either.

            In 2012, Cabrera took home 22 out of 28 first place votes and finished 81 points higher than second-place finisher Mike Trout. The separation gets more and more going down the list. In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski took home all but one first place vote and out-paced second-place finisher Harmon Killebrew by 114 points. In 1996, triple crown winner Frank Robinson earned all 20 first-place votes with a 127-point gap between first and second place. In 1956, triple crown winner Mickey Mantle earned all 24 first-place votes and finished 150 points higher than second-place finisher and teammate Yogi Berra. Yes, I worked backwards which means that the gap is closing between triple crown winners and MVP winners, but winning the triple crown, after leading all three categories at one point during the season, would have helped Martinez. But would it have mattered?

            In the last 10 years, within the American League, the player that ranked highest in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) has won the award six out of 10 times, or 60 percent of the time. This makes sense because, if WAR measures the value of a player over another, then the leader in the category should win the award. For people that believe in statistics only, they preach this approach and it shows. Since 2013, the year where many analysts and voters argued between Miguel Cabrera, the league’s best all-around hitter and Mike Trout, the American League’s WAR leader winning the award because of that argument, the American League WAR-leader has won the award four-out-of-five times. The only one to win the MVP-award during that time and not lead the league in WAR was Josh Donaldson, who had almost identical offensive numbers to WAR-leader Mike Trout. Trout had a better WAR because of his defense. He went the entire season without committing an error while Donaldson committed 18 errors in 2015.

            Martinez might be baseball’s best overall hitter. In an era of baseball centered around the idea that hitters must hit a home run to get the ball by the defensive shift, Martinez played the role of all-around hitter, like Manny Ramirez did in 2004, or like Mantle in the 50s and 60s, or even (dare I say) Barry Bonds of the 90s. If Martinez won the triple crown, would he have won the MVP award as well? If the WAR statistic is around, no one will know.

NFL Pick 'em: Week Four

Short week last week led my to posting my picks without any explanations. In the end, I did just alright, going 10-6 which brings me to 26-21-2 on the year. As an expert on the Pick ‘em, this record requires me to step it up in week four. With a couple different bye weeks, I’m expecting this week to be my best yet. If you follow along, you too, should reap the rewards. Onto the picks (side note: I started the week off 1-0 thanks to picking the Rams over the Vikings):

Cincinnati at Atlanta

The Bengals (or are they the Bungles?) will play without Joe Mixon and a possibly hurt A.J. Green. This Bengals team has multiple questions marks while the Falcons have multiple offensive weapons in Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and the emergence of Calvin Ridley and Tevin Coleman. Even without Freeman, this team has shown explosive offensive power.

Pick: Atlanta

Tampa Bay at Chicago:

We don’t know what we will get from this game. While Ryan Fitzpatrick has been an offensive powerhouse, he has also gone from four touchdowns in one week to five interceptions the next week. So I always approach his performance wearily. The Bears have a potent defensive rush and can bring on the sacks. I expect the pressure to get to Fitzpatrick.

Pick: Chicago

Detroit at Dallas:

Both teams have less than stellar rosters this year, but the Lions are coming off of an impressive win against the New England Patriots while the Cowboys are coming off of a loss where they scored only 13 points. This will leave many thinking the Lions will win this game. But make no mistake, the Lions team has had numerous problems outside of the one game where they dominated the Patriots’ biggest weakness.

Pick: Dallas

Buffalo at Green Bay

The Minnesota Vikings’ poor play last week left many thinking the Bills have the ability to take down top opponents. Again, watch that game. It was more about Kirk Cousins and his inability to complete a pass while also committing what seems like one hundred mistakes. Aaron Rodgers should roll into this one and stomp on the Bills.

Pick: Green Bay

Philadelphia at Tennessee

This might be the hardest game to predict. The Eagles will have virtually no run game in this one, while the Titans had an impressive win over Jacksonville last week. This will come down to if Carson Wentz can beat the Titan’s secondary.

Pick: Philadelphia

Houston at Indianapolis

At this point, I’ve overrated the Colts. I think I have picked them every week so far. Still, the train keeps rolling. Andrew Luck faces questions based on his arm strength while Deshaun Watson’s question marks are in his comeback from an ACL injury. I’ll take arm strength over an ACL injury in this one.

Pick: Indianapolis

Miami at New England

We’re living in an upside down world. New England is 1-2 and the Dolphins are 3-0. Surely, the Patriots won’t start off 1-3 while the Dolphins remain undefeated, right?

Pick: New England

New York Jets at Jacksonville

Blake Bortles is terrible. The Jets had a good showing last week on Thursday night football. But then again, that was against the Cleveland Browns and they still lost. This Jets team has a lot of problems right now.

Pick: Jacksonville

Cleveland at Oakland

This game will have a lot of eyes. Between Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and the Browns’ offense against Jon Gruden trying to get his first win, I like this matchup. I think Gruden finds a way to get a win against this Browns team.

Pick: Oakland

Seattle at Arizona

Everybody predicted the Seahawks to fall this season. But with this game, I think the Seahawks find a way to defeat an Arizona team with a lot of offensive problems.

Pick: Seattle

New Orleans at New York Giants

This game will probably end in a shootout with both running backs putting up massive yards. Even though I think the Giants have a better team than last year, I can’t see them taking down the Saints’ attack.

Pick: New Orleans

San Francisco at Los Angeles Chargers

The Giants are without Jimmy G in this one and the rest of the season. The Chargers have an underrated offense between Phillip Rivers and Melvin Gordon. I expect Gordon to rush for over 100 yards and a couple touchdowns and lift the Chargers to victory

Pick: Los Angeles Chargers

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

While the Steelers have been dysfunctional this season, they found a way to defeat Tampa Bay. Baltimore is a similar team to Tampa Bay. Plus, this is a divisional game, a rivalry and the Steelers are at home.

Pick: Pittsburgh

Kansas City at Denver

Andy Reid is doing what he normally does. His team is off to the best start in the NFL under their quarterback of the future, Patrick Mahomes. Although Kansas City won’t keep this pace up all season, they should continue to keep pace against the Broncos.

Pick: Kansas City

High School Picks: Week Three

Photo via Google.com

In week two, I improved upon my 11-8 record and I came four points shy of predicting the final score of Northampton-Smith Voc. (I had 42-10 Northampton. The final score was 42-6). Onto week three.

Last week’s record: 12-4

Overall record: 23-12

Putnam 18, South Hadley 8

Putnam has played some of the best all-around defense this season. While South Hadley isn’t as bad as their 0-2 record and eight total points, I think Putnam’s defense will prevail in this matchup.

Frontier 21, Palmer 18

Frontier proved themselves when they defeated Greenfield last week. I think Frontier still has what it takes to win their conference and make the playoffs, so I’m going with them over Palmer.

Mount Greylock 21, Belchertown 18

I think this could go either way. I’m picking Mount Greylock because they have Michael Wellspeak, who has proven to be quite the quarterback this year. Although the numbers might not be the best, Wellspeak knows how to run this team.

Easthampton 26, Franklin Tech 14

Expect more of the Easthampton team that defeated Mahar last week than the one that lost to Taconic in week one. Easthampton might have the best receiver in the area in Quentin Baker-Cisero. Surely that’s a stretch, but you get my point.

East Longmeadow 26, Agawam 14

East Longmeadow defeated Pittsfield 27-6 last week and are one of the better teams in western Mass. They should take care of Agawam.

Weston 35, Monument Mountain 12

Monument Mountain faces north football’s Weston this week and it won’t end up pretty for them.

Central 50, West Springfield 34

Central scored 61 points against St. John’s last week. Sixty-one points. Six. Zero. That’s a lot against arguably the best team in Mass.

Amherst 28, Ludlow 20

Amherst shut out Belchertown last week, a better team than Ludlow.

Wahconah 42, Chicopee 18

Wahconah shut out a Taconic team that scored 74 points in week one. They also average 44.5 points per game. Connor Noyes should run all over Chicopee in this game.

Athol 26, Mahar 20

Athol has a freshman at quarterback, but they have a better team than Mahar. Overall, I like Athol’s offense in this one.

Lee 25, Drury 6

Drury has really played well this season, which I didn’t expect. But Lee has been the better team these first two weeks, so I think Lee finds a way to defeat Drury.

Longmeadow 31, Northampton 27

Northampton had a commanding win last week. But Longmeadow defeated a strong West Springfield team, 43-20.  Longmeadow is proving themselves as one of the best teams in western Mass. so far this season.

Westfield 28, Commerce 16

I like Westfield’s run game. They have several good options to hand the ball off too, which has led to a 2-0 start. I like Westfield in this game.

Holyoke 25, Pittsfield 22

I like the fight in this year’s Holyoke team. They came back and defeated Putnam in week one and then scored 40 points against Chicopee. They might end up as the most underrated team this season.

Hoosac Valley 22, Chicopee Comp 20

I like Hoosac Valley’s defense. Even though they have played well this season, I find it hard to pick them over Chicopee Comp’s Nathaniel LePage, who has thrown for 513 yards and seven touchdowns in two games. I think Hoosac Valley finds a way on Friday though. One player can’t win it all for his team.

Minnechaug 38, Taconic 26

I like Minnechaug to take western Mass. this season and Taconic won’t stop that this week. MInnechaug in a landslide.

Greenfield 26, Turners Fall 20

If you like running backs, you will like this game. I would set the over/under on touches for this game at 50. Greenfield has the better run game.

Mohawk 24, Smith Voc. 20

Smith Voc. has had tough luck in each of their first two games this season. I think Mohawk has a little more talent than Smith Voc., which should show late in the game when these two teams are tied. Mohawk should come away with the win if that scenario plays out.

Weston 35, Monument Mountain 12

Monument Mountain faces north football’s Weston this week and it won’t end up pretty for them.

Pathfinder 26, Ware 20

I have found these teams two of the hardest picks each week. I really feel that both of their games can go either way each week. Ware had a good week last week, so I’m assuming that that comes down this week.

Bonus pick: Due to obligations this weekend, I need to get my NFL picks earlier than Sunday morning. Last week I went 7-8-1. Ouch. That brings me to 16-14-2 on the year. I had Cleveland last night (ballsy I know). For the rest of my picks, I’m going Atlanta over New Orleans, Kansas City over San Francisco, Miami over Oakland, Minnesota over Buffalo, Indianapolis over Philadelphia, Green Bay over Washington, Carolina over Cincinnati, Jacksonville over Tennessee, Denver over Baltimore, NY Giants over Houston, Los Angeles Rams over Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago over Arizona, Seattle over Dallas, New England over Detroit and Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay.

NFL Pick 'em: Week Two

Tyreek Hill

I started off slow in week one, predicting only nine games right. With a surprise tie, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprise win and a terrible showing by the Detroit Lions, I can validate myself, right?

I also started off the week 0-1 thanks to a 34-23 smacking by the Cincinnati Bengals on the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night (yup, had the Ravens winning that one). Not the best start to my season, but I’m still getting warmed up and ready for the long haul. The season is a race not a sprint. I’ll cash out this week.

            Last week’s record: 9-6-1

            Overall record: 9-6-1

Carolina at Atlanta

Atlanta enters this matchup as the better team. Still, I think Cam Newton is the better quarterback. Both teams face multiple injuries and Newton’s ability to move the ball should worry the Falcons. Plus, the Panthers aren’t all that bad on defense.

Pick: Carolina

Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo

You know, I don’t think the Bills will have as bad of an outing as they had in week one in this matchup. Still, the Chargers have more talent, a better defense and the better quarterback. I picture the Chargers giving the Bills a hard time at the front line.

Pick: Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota at Green Bay

My pick for this game rests more in an injured Aaron Rodgers than the Vikings’ ability to defeat the Packers on the road. If Rodgers plays hurt in this game, and even more so if he doesn’t play at all, then the team has to rely on its running backs. I can’t picture the Packers defeating the Vikings with their ground game.

Pick: Minnesota

If only this came in purple

Houston at Tennessee

This game might end up as the closest affair when it comes to the scoreboard. Two mobile quarterbacks face-off against one-another. Marcus Mariota seems like he is fading, Deshaun Watson seems poised to perform better than he did last week. I expect Watson do get the job done late in the game because of that.

Pick: Houston

Cleveland at New Orleans

The Browns are better than they were one year ago. Even after getting better and tying the Pittsburgh Steelers in week one (still not a win), I think the Saints will dominate this game. The Saints had a bad week and they should fix that for their matchup on Sunday.

Pick: New Orleans

Miami at New York Jets

I am going to take the Jets in this game, not because of their 48-17 win over the Detroit Lions in week one however. Realistically, these two teams are pretty much the same. If this game featured the Dolphins as the home team, I would have taken them.

Pick: New York Jets

Kansas City at Pittsburgh

I picked the Chiefs in week one because of their ability to win in week one. This matchup could end up a shootout because of the two team’s play styles. I couldn’t decide on this game without going back-and-forth, so I’m picking the Chiefs because they tend to start their season off with some kind of winning streak.

Pick: Kansas City

This man prevails again

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s win over the New Orleans Saints in week one. Then again, Fitzpatrick also threw six interceptions against the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2016.

Pick: Philadelphia

Indianapolis at Washington

We witnessed the rebirth of Adrian Peterson last week as he rushed for 96 yards and one touchdown in week one. The Colts were the seventh worst team against the run in 2017. Joe Mixon found a way to run against this defense in week one. To go along with Washington’s new toy at quarterback, the Redskins should take this home game.

Pick: Washington

Arizona at Los Angeles Rams

The Cardinals will play better in week two. Last week was the aberration to their team’s skill. Still, the Cardinals have their struggle while the Rams might end up as the best team in the NFC this season.

Pick: Los Angeles Rams

Detroit at San Francisco

Matt Patricia did not look good in his head coaching debut, losing to the Jets, 48-17. This game comes down to Matthew Stafford vs Jimmy Garoppolo. I think this game will surprise people on how close it ends up, but I like the home team to win.

Pick: San Francisco

Oakland at Denver

Case Keenum looked good in week one, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns despite throwing for three interceptions. Expect the Raiders to run the ball, but against Von Miller, I don’t like those odds for the Raiders. Too bad Jon Gruden might start his season off 0-2.

Pick: Denver

New England at Jacksonville

Everybody loves the Jaguars in this game. I understand why, the Patriots don’t do well against running backs like Leonard Fournette. This team, in 2017, held a 20-10 lead during the AFC championship over the Patriots. People want to hate the Patriots in this one, but I expect Bill Belichick to find a way to get it done on Sunday.

Pick: New England

New York Giants at Dallas

I picked the Giants to defeat Jacksonville in week one. I came close, but no cigar. Really wish I got that one. But anyway, I like the Saquan Barkley vs. Ezekiel Elliot narrative. The Giants like to pressure the front line, so Dak Prescott might throw a little more than usual. I’m taking the Cowboys in this one because I think they have a little more confidence. They should find a way in this one.

Pick: Dallas

Seattle at Chicago

The Bears gave Green Bay a scare in week one, plus they also have a solid mix of potentially potent players. They have Khalil Mack now, which has people drooling. Mitch Trubinsky looked decent and they have a couple good running backs. But is this team really going to take down Russell Wilson and company?

Pick: Seattle

High School Football Week Two Picks

            

Photo via Google.com

High school football’s week one saw Minnechaug take down Longmeadow for the first time in 16 years, Taconic defeat Easthampton 74-0 (ouch) and Belchertown come on strong and defeat Ware 29-0. In week two, we have several good matchups in Central taking on St. John’s, West Springfield taking on Longmeadow and more, so let’s get to the picks.

            Last week’s record: 11-8 (Have to step this up)

            Overall record: 11-8

Minnechaug 36, Chicopee Comp. 27

Minnechaug might end up as the best team in western Mass. this season. That makes it hard to pick against Minnechaug in week two.

Lee 24, Franklin Tech 22

Franklin Tech, to me, is an underrated team. So, I expect them to give Lee some fits in this matchup. But Lee should still take down Franklin Tech.

Amherst 24, Belchertown 20

Belchertown shut out Ware in week one, but I’m still not convinced in this team that won only three games in 2017. Amherst has the better quarterback in this matchup as well, so the edge goes to Amherst.

Agawam 20, Putnam 16

Agawam played a tough Wahconah team in week one and lost 46-20. Agawam is better than their week one performance though and they should have enough to win in week two.

Easthampton 35, Mahar 6

Mahar struggled in week one, failing to score a point. Easthampton defeated Mahar 52-0 in this matchup last season.

Chicopee 16, Holyoke 12

I’m not sure what to think about this matchup. Holyoke stunk in week one albeit a late drive that secured their win. Abington, a northern Mass. opponent, blew out Chicopee. So I think Chicopee is a little better than their week one loss and I think they will use that to win this week.

Monument Mountain 18, Ludlow 12

Westfield shut out Ludlow in week one while Monument Mountain scored 39 points against Pathfinder. While Monument Mountain let up 26 points against a below average Pathfinder team, which doesn’t look good against Ludlow, but I think Monument Mountain finds a way to win this game.

Greenfield 28, Frontier 26

A great matchup, but I’m a big fan of RJ Byrd and I will continue to ride the Byrd-train in this matchup. Expect a good game but expect Byrd to win this one for Greenfield.

Saint John’s 32, Central 28

I love me some Saint John’s football. Call me biased, but I think central Mass. football reigns over western Mass. So I’m taking Saint John’s to take this matchup.

Mount Greylock 35, Drury 30

Michael Wellspeak will lead Mount Greylock over Drury in this one. Wellspeak is probably the best athlete on the field come Friday night when the two teams face off.

East Longmeadow 30, Pittsfield 12

East Longmeadow started off slow but still shutout South Hadley. I think East Longmeadow is the better team in this matchup as well.

Longmeadow 31, West Springfield 28

I fully expect this game to come down to the final drive and I think Longmeadow finds a way to win, whether they score a touchdown, safety or defensive stop, I think Longmeadow wins this matchup.

Mashpee 34, South Hadley 18

Mashpee won the division VII super bowl last year. They should continue their dominance and win this game.

Turners Falls 26, Athol 20

Turners Falls has a good quarterback with good game sense and a good throwing arm. Athol has a freshman at the helm, so I’ll take the experience and skill in this one.

Northampton 42, Smith Voc. 10

Northampton’s Braeden Turdyn ran for 135 yards in week one. He should run for even more against this Smith Voc. team.

Westfield 26, Leominster 20

Normally, I’ll take any team outside of western Mass. over a western Mass. team. Even though Leominster has had some very good teams in the past, I think Westfield has what it takes to win this game.

Pathfinder 16, Mohawk 14

Both teams struggled on the defensive side of the ball in week one. Offensively, even though both teams scored points, didn’t look much better. I’m going with Pathfinder because they scored the more points in week one.

Public Safety Academy 26, Commerce 16

Public Safety Academy shut out Commerce the last time the two schools faced off. I don’t think Public Safety Academy will shut out Commerce this time, but I think they get the win.

Wahconah 36, Taconic 28

Wahconah might have the best offense in western Mass. If not, then probably the second best. I’ll take their offense this week.

South Hadley Community School 20, Ware 16

I over estimated Ware in week one. I won’t make the same mistake in week two.

Palmer 21, McCann Tech 14

Both teams had a less than stellar week one. Although Tech schools seem rather strong this season, I don’t think McCann Tech has what it takes to take down Palmer.

Bonus Pick: Wachusett 28, Tantasqua 21. Shout out to Michael Daly on this pick.

NFL Pick 'em: Week one

Alvin Kamara

New season, new NFL betting odds. You have to love that.

Every week, I’ll be making picks for each NFL game straight-up. No spreads, no over/under, just straight-up winners. I’ll try to post my picks every Sunday morning before the games begin and recap my Thursday night pick here as well. I will post those predictions to Twitter, so catch Thursday night games there. On Thursday, I had Philadelphia over Atlanta, so starting off the season undefeated. Nice!

Now for the picks:

Buffalo @ Baltimore

The Bills were one of the worst teams during the preseason. They had trouble generating offense, which doesn’t bode well against a Baltimore defense that finished sixth in points allowed in 2017.

Pick: Baltimore

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis

Statistically, the Colts were one of the worst teams in 2017. The Bengals weren’t any better offensively and ranked 30^th in rushing yards per game against. As long as Andrew Luck starts for the Colts, I’m taking the Colts in this tight matchup.

Pick: Indianapolis

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland

The Browns were winless in 2017. They’ve lost, what, 25 games in a row? I don’t see this streak coming to an end against Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.

Pick: Pittsburgh

Tennessee @ Miami

To me, Tennessee seems overhyped. I have them winning somewhere between 7-9 games this season. This game seems like a perfect trap game too, but the Dolphins struggle to generate offense.

Pick: Tennessee

San Francisco @ Minnesota

Both teams have a new (well somewhat new) weapon at quarterback. Even with Jimmy Garoppolo, I don’t think San Fran has a chance against Minnesota’s defense.

Pick: Minnesota

Houston @ New England

Another vulnerable trap game. After the Patriots lost on opening night last year, a lot of people want to see the Patriots lose this game. They struggled against Houston last season, but still won. They’ll do the same in this one.

Pick: New England

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans

The Buccaneers are still trying to figure out their run game. The Saints also bolstered their defensive unit in the draft. Hard to pick against an established team that tried to improve upon its weaknesses in the offseason.

Pick: New Orleans

Jacksonville @ NY Giants

Jacksonville’s defense improved immensely last season, finishing second in sacks, second in interceptions and generating eight total touchdowns. Call me crazy, but I just can’t get behind the Jaguars. I’m too focused on the possibility that this defense was a fluke in 2017.

Pick: NY Giants

Everyone when they see the Jaguars lose

Kansas City @ Los Angeles Chargers

Andy Reid starts every season off with a long win streak and fades at the end of the season. The Chargers are the better team in this game in probably every way. But something tells me that Reid will find a way to win in week one and start the season off strong, like he has done every year with the Chiefs.

Pick: Kansas City

Yes. I am picking this man to win a football game

Dallas @ Carolina

The Cowboys have a bunch of average receivers without a clear role. The Panthers have numerous offensive threats in Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, Greg Olsen and co.

Pick: Carolina

Seattle @ Denver

Both teams struggled in 2017. The Broncos brought in a new quarterback in Case Keenum. The Seahawks brought in new defensive toys, one being Dion Jordan. This will be a close game, but I’m taking the home team in this one.

Pick: Denver

Washington @ Arizona

The Redskins seemingly worsened with the loss of Kirk Cousins. They were average in 2017, playing to a 7-9 record. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have David Johnson going against the 32^nd ranked team against the rush in 2017.

Pick: Arizona

Chicago @ Green Bay

Whoever watches this game will most likely watch because of Khalil Mack. Even though Mack was a nifty pickup for the Bears, Mack isn’t enough to put the Bears on top.

Pick: Green Bay

NY Jets @ Detroit

Another game where, if people watch this one, everyone’s eyes will be on Sam Darnold. Darnold has had flashes of brilliance, but week one won’t be when he leads the Jets to victory.

Pick: Detroit

Los Angeles Rams @ Oakland

I’m excited for this game because of Jon Gruden. But outside of Gruden, the Rams have the better all-around team. Expect Todd Gurley and Marshawn Lynch to battle it out on the ground. Unfortunately for Lynch and his Raiders, the Rams have a better defense.

Pick: Los Angeles Rams

High School Football Week one picks

Frontier Football
Photo via Google

The High School football season has arrived and I can honestly say I will miss covering Friday Night Lights. Fortunately, we have blogs. So even though I won’t be at a game every Friday night (and sometimes Saturday), it won’t stop our coverage of High School sports. In week one, the western Massachusetts high school football scene has some intriguing matches this week. We break down our predictions for each matchup here:

Greenfield 30, Woodstock Academy, 26

The only thing I have to say about this game: RJ Byrd. Byrd ran for 1,571 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior for Greenfield in 2017. He’s back for his senior season and should lead Greenfield over Woodstock Academy.

West Springfield 24, Commerce 6

West Springfield graduated 20 players. Naturally, this would make anybody shy away. But West Springfield still has a strong team that should take down a Commerce team that finished 2017 with a 0-8-1 record.

Easthampton 27, Taconic 17

Easthampton is the better team. Nick Pellegrini and Quintin Baker-Cisero should continue to lead Easthampton this season.

Hoosac Valley 28, Mount Greylock 6

Hoosac Valley has one of the best quarterbacks in Michael Wellspeak. Wellspeak should lift Hoosac Valley over Mount Greylock, it becomes about Mount Greylock staying in this game. I don’t think Mount Greylock has what it takes this season.

Chicopee Comp 26, Plymouth South 24

Chicopee Comp’s Nathaniel LePage threw for 1,285 yards and seven touchdowns last year, while Isaias Gomez ran for five touchdowns. The duo is back this year and should help Chicopee Comp defeat Plymouth South.

Ware 18, Belchertown 6

Ware graduated a heavy senior class, which makes it seem possible that Belchertown takes this game. In what could be a toss-up, Ware played to a 10-1 record in 2017, while Belchertown played to a 3-8 record. Ware continues its 2017 success into week one.

Minnechaug 24, Longmeadow 22

This game is so close, it wouldn’t surprise me if either team won. Minnechaug made it to the western Massachusetts Division III finals against Central last year and return its starting quarterback Anthony Izzo. I give this one to Minnechaug because of that.

Northampton 18, Amherst 16

Both teams have a strong defense this season, but like most of the picks I’ve made, I have relied on the team’s offense. Northampton has the better quarterback in Tom Jacques, so Northampton gets the nod over Amherst.

Lincoln-Sudbury 34, Central 28

Central is probably the best team in western Massachusetts again this season after making it to the Division III state semi-final game in 2017. But North football tends to be the best football in Massachusetts and Lincoln-Sudbury should take this one.

Athol 24 Narragansett 22

Athol is the better team in this matchup, even though Narragansett defeated Athol 34-0 in the 2017 opener. Athol defeated Greenfield and Amherst in the second-half of 2017, which shows they overcame their struggles in the early stages of the season. Mason Barrieau should run the Red Raiders to victory.

Palmer 26, Quaboag 21

Palmer’s trio of Jeff Pardo, Joe Lombardi and Dan Ladue should take care of Quaboag on both sides of the ball.

Franklin Tech 24, Mohawk Trail 12

Franklin Tech had the better team in 2017 and will have the better team this season as well.

Abington 21, Central 20

This could end up the closest score of the weekend. Central seems like the better team, but like I said, the North tends to reign football.

Holyoke 20, Putnam 13

Holyoke returns several key players, which makes me believe they will defeat Putnam in this matchup.

Mahar 24, McCann Tech 12

Mahar has a lot of question marks this season, but they have the right week one matchup to start the season with a win. I predict Jon Gariepy to have four touchdowns in this game.

Lee 38, Turners Falls 34

Both teams have above average offenses, but Lee has the better quarterback in Homer Winston (1,068 yards, 15 touchdowns), which gives the edge to Lee.

Westfield 24, Ludlow 20

Westfield was much better than their 2-8 record in 2017. How much better? Enough to beat Ludlow in week one.

Frontier 24, Pittsfield 20

You never know what you will get from Berkshire County. Pittsfield played some close games last year, but I think Frontier has what it takes to defeat Pittsfield in week one.

Monument Mountain 28, Pathfinder 0

Not much to say expect that Monument Mountain should defeat Pathfinder.

Wahconah 35, Agawam 16

Agawam has a sneaky-good team, but Wahconah was one of the best teams in western Massachusetts in 2017, making it to the state semi-finals in 2017. They return all their offensive weapons, which gives the edge to Wahconah in week one.

East Longmeadow 26, South Hadley 22

East Longmeadow lost both of its top running backs, which will make the start of the season interesting for them, but I still think East Longmeadow is one of the better teams in western Massachusetts. I think they will find a way to defeat South Hadley in week one.

Smith Voc. 16, Drury 6

Drury wasn’t known for its football and will likely start its season off with a loss to Smith Voc.

Bonus pick:

Tyngsborough 21, Gardner 6. Gardner is my home town. Have to add them here.

Tracking how much Red Sox players have made per game so far this season

A topic on 98.5 the Sports Hub's midday show, Zolak and Bertrand sparked an interest in me.

The two co-hosts, Scott Zolak and a voice filling in for Mark Bertrand whose voice I couldn’t figure out and didn’t stay long enough to hear their name, talked about Major League Baseball attracting more players to its Home Run Derby by offering $1 million to its winner. The show’s producer, Jim Louth, introduced the topic, which eventually turned into Zolak shooting the idea down. When Louth stated that the winner would make $1 million for two hours of work, Zolak stated that players make that anyway. Louth quickly shot that notion down.

Obviously, Zolak was wrong. Anybody can do the math in their head to prove that if a player makes as much at $30 million, and because teams expect positional players to play in 150 games or so, a positional player will play between 450-600 hours of baseball per year. That’s $50,000 an hour for someone making $30 million per year and less, obviously, for someone that makes less. Pitchers don’t make much more or less.

The topic made me wonder though: How much does each Red Sox player really make per hour or per game?

Well, I did the math out. Some numbers initially surprised me, such as Andrew Benintendi making $4,125.30 per game played as well as David Price making $955,263.16 per game played. 

I performed the math for each Red Sox player on the 25 man roster as well as important players currently on the disabled list (Christian Vazquez, Dustin Pedroia, Drew Pomeranz, etc.).

Before I share with you how much each Red Sox player made per game played, I have to share with you how I figured each number and some aberrations to the formula.

So, to get dollars earned per game played, I factored that 98 games played is 60 percent of the season. Therefore, each player will have received 60.5 percent of their salary and thus, is divided amongst each game played. Here is an example.

Andrew Benintendi will earn $605,000 this season according to spotrac.com. 60.5 percent of that number becomes $375,402.50. Benintendi has played in 91 games this season, therefore $375,402.50 gets spread across 91 games, which equates to $4,125.30 per game played. In math terms:

$605,500 x .605 / 91 = $4,125.30.

Of course, some aberrations occur, such as Ryan Brazier earning $82,431.25 per game played. It’s unrealistic because Brazier earns a portion of his $545,000 only when he is on the Major League roster. Brazier has been on the Red Sox 25 man roster for only 10 days and has appeared in four games. So of course his salary per game is crooked and not reflective of his actual salary. Also, pitchers appear in less games than positional players and starting pitchers even less than relievers. If a pitcher and batter both make $1 million and the pitcher pitches in 50 games and the batter plays in 150 games, of course the batter will make less per game even though they make the same amount of money and most likely spent the same amount of time on the 25 man roster. So it is not an exact science, but it’s pretty darn close. I created this spreadsheet for your enjoyment, which depicts how much each Red Sox player has earned per game played. Salaries are based on spotrac.com and rounded to the nearest hundredth.
You can access the spreadsheet here

OOTP: May brings DFA of Ramirez, Sale struggles and draft class revealed

April showers bring May flowers, but what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.  Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all night!

Now that I’ve got the joke out of the way, May is a rather down time in baseball. As far as trades and player movement goes, not much happens. Players generally know their role, the closer carousel figures itself out and the surprises of the season become the norm at this point.

It wasn’t surprising when the team started the month off 3-2. That moved us to 14-20 on the year. Still not ideal but a step in the right direction. I’m thoroughly impressed with David Price and Craig Kimbrel so far this season. Price sports a 4-3 at this point of the season and has pitched 46.2 innings in seven games with a 2.51 ERA. Batters are hitting .172 against him and he has a 0.75 WHIP. Kimbrel has seven saves to this point and has been lights out. In 11.2 innings, he has a 0.77 ERA (one earned run) and opponents are hitting .081 against him. The combo has been lights out and I’m loving it because I’m actually a huge David Price fan. When Price is going, he’s the key to the team winning the World Series. And with Chris Sale 1-4 with a 6.03 ERA, that’s the reason why the team is six games under .500.

When Tyler Thornburg came back on May 5, I designated Brian Johnson for assignment. Johnson just wasn’t doing it. He had a 6.20 ERA and a negative WAR. While the easiest option would have been to send Bobby Poyner back to Pawtucket, Poyner actually has a 2.57 ERA in seven innings with opponents batting .222 against him. He’s a better fit for the bullpen and it allows Steven Wright to move back to the rotation.

In case you were wondering, this was the top players in the draft class.

I’m not a huge believer in the top player projections. I go for more of the potential star ratings when drafting. I usually match the players that the game projects to reach five stars and my scout projects to reach five stars and draft those players. But the list is always handy to have by one’s side.

On May 7, I made one of the hardest decisions I had to make so far in my tenure. Dustin Pedroia came back from the disabled list. Fitting him onto my roster was kind of hard. I didn’t want to get rid of Brock Holt because of his positional flexibility and because he was hitting .284 with a positive WAR. I didn’t want to get rid of a guy like Blake Swihart or release a player with multiple years left on their contract (Mitch Moreland, Eduardo Nunez, etc.). So I released DFA’d Hanley Ramirez, who was hitting .154 in 14 games. Taking on another dead contract wasn’t ideal, but without positional flexibility and without giving any productivity, Ramirez had to go.

Halfway through the month, my team is 18-25 and 7-7 in the month of May. Good enough for fourth place in the American League East in front of the New York Yankees. I can pinpoint the exact reasons why the team is under achieving. Reason one is Chris Sale. He is 1-5 with a 6.23 ERA at this point. Hitters are hitting .322 against him with a 1.7 HR/9 rate. What’s interesting is his fielding independent pitching is 3.76, meaning he’s actually pitching great outside the defense around him. Secondly is Rick Porcel-blow, I mean Porcello. He’s 2-5 with a 6.39 ERA with opponents hitting .322 against him. His FIP is 6.76, meaning, his fielders are actually make him better, which seems hard to do because of how bad he currently is pitching. When combining two top tier and top paid pitchers performing badly with a team that is 13^th in the American League in runs scored and 14^th in home runs, that will cause a sub .500 team right there. No excuses, we just have to do better. Unfortunately, this is a computer game so I can’t give the players a pep talk or call a meeting.

On a small note, on May 16 after our 6-0 win against the Oakland A’s Joe Kelly went on the DL with a dead arm. I called up Roenis Elias again. In that game, Sale actually went six innings and gave up zero runs in the win. Make me eat my words Sale! Make me!

On May 28, I received an email from the league about Andrew McCutchen, who will miss an “indefinite amount of time” for “personal issues.” Quite the shame for the Giants because McCutchen had hit 12 home runs up until that point with 39 RBIs and a .298 batting average.

As for us, we ended the month on a three game losing streak. Our record is 26-31. Not good. On to June.