Division Races at the All-Star Break

We are three weeks away from the All-Star break, and we are getting a clearer picture of what teams are and what they aren't.  The Mariners are not the offensive juggernauts that some expected.  The Phillies are just plain awful.  And as a Twins fan, I am thoroughly enjoying seeing the White Sox and Brewers struggle.

Ignoring the bottom of the barrel teams, some of the races are pretty tight still.  The top three teams in the NL East are all within 2 games of each other.  San Francisco is keeping things tight with the Dodgers. The Twins and Rangers are both 3.5 back of their division leaders.  And there is a four-team hunt for AL East supremacy.  So when we reach the All-Star break in three weeks, which race will be the tightest?

Which division race will be the tightest at the All-Star break?

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Poll Maker

Home Run King?

With two months of baseball done for the year, we have seen some nice power numbers this season.  If they can continue with their current paces, Bryce Harper (57) and Nelson Cruz (62) will both break the 55 HR mark for the first time since Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006, with Cruz on pace to for the most since Barry Bonds set the single season record with 73 in 2001.  Which brings us to our new poll question:

Time For A Change?

Last week, 58% of voters thought that even without Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals would make the playoffs (and I am pretty sure that @jamicfin was the one person who picked them to win the World Series).  They have been playing well, so who knows if they can keep it rolling or not.  We will have to check back on this one later on in the season.

Down Goes @UncleCharlie50

It is one of the toughest things in baseball to overcome--an injury to a star player.  When that player is your ace pitcher who has more wins than any other pitcher over the past two seasons, it may be impossible.  But these are the Cardinals, who, arguably, have been the best teem in baseball over the last decade.  So we ask, how will they do without their ace?

With the news that Adam Wainwright will be out 9-12 months, how will the Cardinals finish in 2015?

Win World Series

Win NLCS, Lose World Series

Lose in NLCS

Lose in NLDS

Lose in Wild Card Game

Second in NL Central, miss playoffs

Third in NL Central, miss playoffs

Fourth in NL Central

Last in NL Central

make quizzes

Hot Starts/Slow Starts

With the first week of the 2015 MLB season in the books (and still 154-156 games to go for teams), we have seen some early surprises, both good and bad.  In our poll from two weeks ago, we had zero votes for the Braves to win their division, yet after one week they have only lost one game and have a 2-game lead in the NL East, while the Marlins have fallen flat, starting with a 1-6 record.  My Twins almost set a new record for futility to start a season, while the Royals seem to have picked up where they left off last season as they have yet to lose in this calendar year.  Each other division has every team within 2.5 games of each other.

Time to Make a Prediction

We are less than a week away from the start of the 2015 MLB Season.  I am very excited!  Around here, we like to use #PlayForTheCard in our in-season tweets when a player does well, or when we want a player to do well, as we like to see them do well to improve their MLB Showdown card for the season.  Be sure to do the same!

While we all hope our favorite individual player does well, I think we all would rather see our favorite team do even better.  With that said, it is time to make predictions for the upcoming season.  Below you will find a poll for each division.  Cast your vote, and then comment on your votes below.

March Madness vs October Madness?

With the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starting today, nearly everyone is filling out an tournament bracket,  With the great season that they have had, it is basically Kentucky vs The Field.  Vegas nearly has it at even money (6/5) that Kentucky will win it all, with Arizona next in line at 15/2.

What an Off-season!

This has been a spectacular off-season of big moves in baseball.  From Oakland having an apparent fire sale to the Padres being involved in signings or trades for some of the biggest names to move, everyone seemed to be involved in one way or another.  With the first round of pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow, it begs the question: which team had the best off-season?

Which team had the best off-season?

Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers

Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics

Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals

poll

'Big Game James' Still Without a Home

Well many people (including myself) feel the nickname isn't fitting of the player, James Shields is still sitting out on the free agent market.  While his postseason numbers weren't great, he had a very solid 2014 season, which leads me to wonder why he hasn't signed with anyone.

So the question now is, who is going to sign him?

Where will James Shields start next season?

AL East (Baltimore, Boston, New York, Tampa Bay, Toronto)

AL Central (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota)

AL West (Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Texas)

NL East (Atlanta, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Washington)

NL Central (Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis)

NL West (Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco)

No team will sign him before the season starts

Poll Maker

Be sure to comment below or tweet to us!

Oscar Taveras to be Honored by Cardinals

It was announced this past Sunday that the St. Louis Cardinals will wear a black 'OT' patch during the 2015 season.  There was a mixed response on Twitter after the announcement.  How do you feel about it?  Feel free to comment below as well.

Click HERE for an article from MLB.com about the announcement.

How should the St. Louis Cardinals remember Oscar Tavares during the 2015 season?

Patch for the full season

Patch for part of the season

Pre-game ceremony

Not at all

make a poll