Morneau wins AL MVP award and other musings from around the MLB
Canadian Justin Morneau did his country prpud on Tuesday capturing the AL MVP ahead of reigning champ David "big papi" Ortiz and Derek Jeter. Morneau hit an impressive .368 over the final four months of the season finishing the year with 30+ HR, more than 100 runs batted in and more than 30 stolen bases. The Minnesota Twins were 11.5 games back in the Central Division and in large part to Morneau's lighting up the AL, the Twins overtook the Detroit Tigers for top spot in the Central Division on the final day. Way to go Morneau, Canada is proud to call you our own.
The Toronto Blue Jays can cross SS Alex Gonzalez off their wish list. He signed on with the Cincinatti Reds Monday. There's no denying his defensive wizardry, with great range and a strong arm. He hits well against lefties and can captilalie with runners on. He has good extra base speed and surprising power for a man his size. Gonzalez is one of the most impatient free swinging hitters in the game. Free swinging is fine if you can make contact on a regular basis, but one look at his strikeout totals tells you he can't. Look for Gonzalez in the #8 hole in the Reds line-up card and at SS in the field.
Catcher Jason LaRue was traded from the Reds to the KC Royals for a player to be named later. Though he has good powerand can produce runs, defense is his priority. He's becoming one of the game's top throwing catchers. LaRue has the knack for gaining the respect and confidence of his pitchers and he's not afraid to put his body in front of the ball. He's a free swinger who strikes out a lot and rarely takes a walk. He struggles mostly against lefties and has had trouble driving in base runners. LaRue will be a fine addition in helping KC's younger pitchers develop quicker.
Rightie Reliever Kevin Gregg has been traded to the Florida Marlins in exchange for a minor leaguer. He has occassionally overpowering stuff and keeps the ball in the park. He's equally effective against hitters from both sides of the plate, gets ahead of the count and works well from the stretch with runners on. Gregg tends not to be effective unless he has a couple of days rest between appearances. Curiously, he tends to be a much better pitcher during day games. Gregg provides the Marlins with a quality middle reliever who can make a spot start.
CF Juan Pierre has signed on with the LA Dodgers. Pierre is a fantastic contact hitter against lefties and righties -- almost impossible to strike out -- with speed to burn, bunting ability and good range in the outfield. He's merely a singles hitter, but he gets them a lot and then gets extra bases by stealing them -- though he has to work on reading pitchers moves. Any ball that goes over the fence is a fluke. Pierre should be a great addiition at the top of the Dodgers line-up.
The Toronto Blue Jays can cross SS Alex Gonzalez off their wish list. He signed on with the Cincinatti Reds Monday. There's no denying his defensive wizardry, with great range and a strong arm. He hits well against lefties and can captilalie with runners on. He has good extra base speed and surprising power for a man his size. Gonzalez is one of the most impatient free swinging hitters in the game. Free swinging is fine if you can make contact on a regular basis, but one look at his strikeout totals tells you he can't. Look for Gonzalez in the #8 hole in the Reds line-up card and at SS in the field.
Catcher Jason LaRue was traded from the Reds to the KC Royals for a player to be named later. Though he has good powerand can produce runs, defense is his priority. He's becoming one of the game's top throwing catchers. LaRue has the knack for gaining the respect and confidence of his pitchers and he's not afraid to put his body in front of the ball. He's a free swinger who strikes out a lot and rarely takes a walk. He struggles mostly against lefties and has had trouble driving in base runners. LaRue will be a fine addition in helping KC's younger pitchers develop quicker.
Rightie Reliever Kevin Gregg has been traded to the Florida Marlins in exchange for a minor leaguer. He has occassionally overpowering stuff and keeps the ball in the park. He's equally effective against hitters from both sides of the plate, gets ahead of the count and works well from the stretch with runners on. Gregg tends not to be effective unless he has a couple of days rest between appearances. Curiously, he tends to be a much better pitcher during day games. Gregg provides the Marlins with a quality middle reliever who can make a spot start.
CF Juan Pierre has signed on with the LA Dodgers. Pierre is a fantastic contact hitter against lefties and righties -- almost impossible to strike out -- with speed to burn, bunting ability and good range in the outfield. He's merely a singles hitter, but he gets them a lot and then gets extra bases by stealing them -- though he has to work on reading pitchers moves. Any ball that goes over the fence is a fluke. Pierre should be a great addiition at the top of the Dodgers line-up.
posted by opinionator777 at 6:04 PM
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