Category Archives: prince fielder

America’s White Boy’s 2016 MLB Un-All-Star Team

It has become a yearly tradition that we look at all the former MLB All-Stars that aren’t having very good years.

The season is a little more than half over and it’s not too late for some of these players to bounce back and turn their seasons around. You can look at our Un-All-Star team article last year, many bounced back and finished strong.

Since I’m an active fantasy baseball owner, it didn’t take me long to make this list. A few of these guys were on my teams early this season, but were quickly dropped. I spent most of my time just baffled that some of these guys were actually All-Stars at one point.

The old benchmark for an All-Star was thrown out with the bathwater when Bud Selig decided each team must have at least one representative in the All-Star Game.

Here is America’s White Boy‘s 2016 MLB Un-All-Star team.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers went from worst to first in the AL West last season. Jeff Banister had one hell of a first season as manager in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers are a team built to have a decent championship window. The Rangers are built around a mix of young players like Elvis Andrus and Yu Darvish, and veterans like Adrian Beltre and Cole Hamels to shoulder the load during a long season. The Astros also have a long window since their team is mostly built from their impressive farm system. The Rangers and Astros will be battling for the division for many years to come.

Can the Rangers repeat as AL West champions?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers hoped to make it out of Spring Training without too many injuries. They were already given bad news this offseason when they heard top prospect Jurickson Profar would miss another season after needing another surgery on his left shoulder. The worst news was yet to come.

The Rangers found out their ace Yu Darvish would be on the shelf for the season after getting a second opinion that he needed Tommy John surgery. He was shutdown back in August after injuring his elbow. They thought he could avoid Tommy John surgery with extra rest this offseason.

The Rangers had postseason aspirations last season, but lost 95 games due to all the injuries to key players. Can they get back to the postseason in 2015?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 First Baseman

First base is EXTREMELY deep this season. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences. Players with upside usually take precedent over consistent players with little to no upside.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Adrian Gonzalez or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – Most have Miggy as a top-five fantasy first baseman, but I think they are selling the former MVP short. He dealt with injuries for most of last year and he still knocked 25 homers and hit .313. I believe he’ll have another season of at least 35 homers and .310+. I just couldn’t pick another first baseman if Miggy is still on the board.

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2014 MLB Un-All-Star Team

It has become a yearly tradition that we look at all the former MLB All-Stars that aren’t having stellar years.

The season is a little more than half over and it’s not too late for some of these players to bounce back and turn their seasons around.

Since I’m an active fantasy baseball owner, it didn’t take me long to make this list. A few of these guys were on my teams early this season, but were quickly dropped after a few weeks of bad numbers. I spent most of my time just baffled that some of these guys were actually All-Stars at one point.

The old benchmark for an All-Star was thrown out with the bathwater when Bud Selig decided each team must have one representative in the All-Star Game.

I omitted all the former All-Star pitchers that are currently out recovering from Tommy John surgery. I tried not to add position players who suffered a major injury, but decided to include them if they had over 100 at-bats this season (sorry, Prince Fielder).

Here is our 2014 MLB Un-All-Star team.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers couldn’t make it out of Spring Training unscathed. Geovany Soto and super prospect Jurickson Profar are expected to be out at least three months with injuries. They aren’t a deep team, so these injuries will be felt early.

Texas made some big moves by acquiring Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo to compete with the Joneses in the AL West. Oakland and Los Angeles will be pests and stay in the race all season.

Ian Kinsler was a big piece in Texas’s resurgence. Prince Fielder will be a nice source of offense, but will his weight become an issue late in the season?

Will the Rangers starting rotation be good enough to make the postseason?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 40 First Baseman

Putting together fantasy baseball first baseman rankings is always difficult. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Joey Votto or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – If Chris Davis didn’t have such an amazing year, Goldschmidt would have been the run away #1 overall first baseman this season. The addition of Mark Trumbo helps protect him better in the lineup. I expect another 35/120/.300 season from Goldschmidt.

2. Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles – We all knew Davis had power, but he surprised everyone with his output in 2013. At one point in the season, he looked like he could surpass the Roger Maris home run record (I have a hard time acknowledging those who broke his home run record). Davis may see a slight decline since pitchers will do their best to avoid pitching to him.

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2013 MLB Team Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have one of the most talented pitchers in the Majors (Justin Verlander), one of the best power hitters in the game (Prince Fielder) and the reigning AL Most Valuable Player (Miguel Cabrera)…so the AL Central should be easy to win, right? Kind of.

After Verlander, the rest of the Tigers starting rotation are inconsistent. When Verlander started, the Tigers were 21-12. In games without him, Detroit was only 67-62.

Will the Tigers go forward with their current rotation or will they make a few trades?

Victor Martinez is back from his knee injury. Will be produce at the same level as 2011, or has he lost a step?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers. Continue reading →

2012 MLB: American League Predictions

The American League had a productive off-season, in which they added two of the best players in the game, Albert Pujols & Prince Fielder. If you rank the best teams in the Majors, most of the best teams are in the AL. You have the mainstays like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers, but you have up-and-coming teams like the Royals and Blue Jays. This league has a nice combination of young talent and established veterans. The teams are deep and can pick guys out of their farm system to fill any holes, which is a huge luxury. The AL isn’t all great, since the Orioles and Twins expected to have bad seasons. Which teams will make the playoffs? Who will win the AL Cy Young and MVP awards? Will a mid-season call-up win the Rookie Of The Year?

AL Cy Young – Jared Weaver

AL Rookie Of The Year – Jacob Turner

AL MVP – Robinson Cano

AL East
New York Yankees – 97-65
Boston Red Sox – 95-67
Toronto Blue Jays – 85-77
Tampa Bay Rays – 84-81
Baltimore Orioles – 60-102

The biggest surprise here is that the Rays are in 4th place. I think the Blue Jays are a better team this year and will be able to win close games. This is not a knock on the Rays, it is more about how much I like Toronto. The Red Sox will bounce back and contend with the Yankees for the division crown.

AL Central
Detroit Tigers – 99-63
Kansas City Royals – 82-81
Chicago White Sox – 80-82
Cleveland Indians – 74-88
Minnesota Twins – 59-103

The Tigers are going to be a beast this year and they will run away with the division. There will be a crowded middle of the division, in which I like the Royals young roster to finally start to peak. The Indians will come back to life and fall down a few spots. The White Sox and Twins will end up about where they were at the end of 2011 season.

AL West
Texas Rangers – 94-68
L.A. Angels – 92-70
Oakland A’s – 76-86
Seattle Mariners – 70-92

The Rangers and Angels made some moves this off-season and this race will be cut-throat. Pujols and C.J. Wilson will help the Angels, but the Rangers return a great team that nearly won the World Series. Yoenis Cespedes will help Oakland, but they are still a work in progress. I expect the Mariners to sell off a few pieces at the trading deadline and keep adding young talent.

AL Wild Card – Red Sox & Angels

AL Champions – Los Angeles Angels

They don’t have the best rotation 1 thru 5, but I really like a short 3-man rotation in the playoffs. This is one of the many cases where a wild-card winner will make the World Series.

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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

It’s Been Too Long My Friends…

I just wanted to post a picture of Katy Perry, I still have a crush. Anyways, it’s been too long since I last posted, I’m in the middle of a lot of things and I have had zero time to work on it. I’m in the middle of moving the national headquarters of America’s White Boy to another apartment, plus one of my roommates had to pay her court fines (don’t drink and drive, folks) and she isn’t going to pay the internet bill. So until mid-July, I am stuck using very inconsistent wireless internet. Instead of posting a thousand new posts about things that I would like to talk about, I am going the cheap route and throwing you some bullet-points.

– The Cubs are still awesome
– Whoever the Bulls pick #1, they will wish they had picked the other guy
– Apparently Asian pitchers are never taught to run the bases (Yankees are finding out the hard way)
– If Chris Lofton goes undrafted, it’s a shame
– Rajon Rondo is a beast
– Glen Davis should always keep his shirt on
– Rocco Mediate isn’t a pool cleaner
– Kobe knows how Shaq’s ass tastes
– Carlos Zambrano can feel pain
– Lou Pinella and Ozzie Guillen will put out a rap album and it will be better than the last Jay-Z album (not hard to do)
– Katy Perry shouldn’t marry the guy from Gym Class Heroes, she must not have gotten the memo of my availability
– The new Alkaline Trio album is very good
– ESPN Fantasy Focus Podcast is my new addiction (they read an email of mine last week)
– I did not receive a million dollars from Vince McMahon of the WWE
– Jay Bruce isn’t curing cancer
– Jermaine O’Neal will be traded before the NBA Draft, Pacers will still be bad
– During the NBA Draft you will hear multiple comparisons of European prospects are the next A) Dirk Nowitzki B) Pau Gasol C) Tony Parker, but in fact none will be.
– No one watches the NHL Draft (I actually attended last year’s, so sad)
– Price Fielder, Bartolo Colon, C.C. Sabathia, and Sidney Ponson can win a tug-of-war contest against the entire Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster
– Gemma Atkinson is a one-percenter
– Kevin Garnett either thanked ‘Sota, as in Minnesota, or he thanked ‘soda,’ which would lead me to believe that he loves Barq’s Root Beer, A LOT!
– Frisky Dingo is hilarious (Boosh!)
– I still don’t know why Soulja Boy and Ice T are yelling at each other, it’s like watching Dustin Diamond yell at one of kids on “Josh & Drake”
– The Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez trade will go down as one of the most evenly balanced trades this decade

On a personal note, please let me give everyone a word of advice. Never sign a year lease with two females, they will hate each other within 6-months, the last 6 months will leave you scared of women, annoyed, and without internet.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.