Biggest Surprise From the First Half of the MLB Season?

Look at the impact he's made made his debut June 6th against the Dodgers the Reds are twenty three and eight one of the best teams in the National League. So will that continue to be the case. Will the Reds win the NL Central because Elie de la Cruz is playing an entire half of baseball this regular season. What do you think. I think so. I think they're hot. Look they haven't been this hot in a long time. I think David Bell will also use them in the right directions. I'm calling it right now. I think right now this guy is a sneaker for a sneak for Rookie of the Year. You think he can snag Rookie of the Year for Corbin Carroll. I think he's probably going to hit for another cycle and I think he's going to steal home twice. Second half prediction should count for two stolen bases. Why not. He'll homie two stolen bases. All right. So you think that they're going to be the surprise to you. They're going to win. I think when you look at them and where they're at right now they're Bill Hunter Green's going to come back. Andrew Abbott has been fantastic. Will they be buyers at the deadline. I love Votto to Votto's been great to hear. I think they'll be buyers at the deadline. No question about it. OK it should be. You are you all are you bullish about the Reds like he is. I am bullish but I still think the Brewers end up winning that division. I'm just one. I'm all I'm all over. I'm all over Yonder's Cincinnati Reds here. Look the Brewers between their pitching. I think Craig Council has a lot to do with it but they've always been a really good second half typically under Craig Council. I see that happening. And the biggest thing too is I don't think they're going to make that same mistake they did last year as far as trying to stay competitive and still retool when they traded Hader and just crush that clubhouse. They're going to be buyers at the deadline I think as well and bring in bring in players to help put them over the edge to be able to win that division. That's just my that's just my take. I think the Brewers end up winning that division and the Brewers statistically historically they've done a lot better in the second half and I think it has to do with that starting pitching in their bullpen. All right. So let's talk about some of the surprising teams in the American League. What do we think of the Texas Rangers the Texas Rangers have cooled off dramatically last three weeks of the first half. They kind of let the division be super competitive again. They still a great overall first half fifty two and thirty nine are the Rangers winning the West Yonder Alonzo. No man. This one for me is very kind of shaky. I still believe the Houston Astros who haven't really had a healthy roster full healthy roster. They're just two games out. And when you look at them and what they've done I can't knock on what Dusty Baker has done in these all these years. I still think the Houston Astros are going to probably sneak away with that division. I know they're you think the Rangers are going to go all in at the deadline and get some starting pitching to bolster the. I think they have starting pitching I think they've done well enough but I just think since June 7th they just haven't played really good baseball they haven't really won a series since June 7th. For me the Houston Arrows Astros we've got to give them a lot more credit and the Rangers have if not the toughest schedule coming. I know I know a lot of people don't really want to look at that. They look at it more in September but right now you've got to as a player I'm thinking in the second half I'm home I'm hanging out I'm getting ready for the second half. I look at that schedule and I'm seeing oh my goodness this is going to be a tough battle like everybody knows who they're playing. So I think that's a little bit of a concern. So they were surprised the first half they're not going to be a surprise in the second half. Cordiano Alonzo. What about the Baltimore Orioles. This is a good team. Well it's a surprise in the second half. No they're definitely a surprise on the season. You know a lot like you know the Diamondbacks and a lot like you know your Cincinnati Reds too just because you have a young team you're not really sure you know what your young players are going to be able to provide over the course of the year when they actually step up and graduate and play well then you have a good team. They have a tremendous amount of talent between you know Adley Rushman coming up completely change you know that that organization as soon as he came up last year Gunnar Henderson back into that bullpen is shut down with with Cano and Batiste there. I love Brandon Hite too. He was coach of mine with the Cubs and I think he's doing a fantastic job. A playoff team. Will they be in the playoffs. I think so. OK. They're not win these. They're not going to win these. We'll see. Oh we'll see. We'll see. Well the Rays are a really good team but they're not alone. Every team's a really good team in the Ailey's like this is something we've never seen before. Your Hancock Ailey standings what is the common thing that's nuts right. Every team's above five hundred unreal forty four years old. I've never seen a division where the last place team could be 10 games over five hundred. You know you sometimes I look at that and I say somebody's getting the short end of the stick here. Like I kind of wish these divisions were treated a little bit different where you would just say whoever has the best records the best eight records 18 records get in like you're seeing a team like you know with all due respect the team like the Guardians or the White Sox or Detroit like anybody can get in there. You're having a team like Austin vision. You know you got to win your games up on the five hundred man. You have it man. I'm just and you know when you look at payrolls the Tampa Bay Rays don't have one of the highest payrolls. They've got the great record in the American League. Who do have the top three payrolls. The Mets they're under five hundred. The Yankees are doing well. They're not in first place. The San Diego Padres. Let's fix these teams for the second half. Who do the Mets need to play out of his mind if they're going to turn things around in the second half. Well I think they need to continue Alvarez needs to continue doing what he's doing. I mean at 21 years old to be doing what he's doing behind the plate for the Mets is pretty for me it's pretty staggering because at 21 years old I couldn't I could imagine myself being in the big leagues big big leagues like this and you know trying to help a team get to the postseason. He's been tremendous offensively. Obviously you know at 21 there's a lot of learning curve there behind the plate as far as calling a game and managing a game with a veteran pitching staff that they had. But they need him to continue doing what he's doing and that hopefully will help transition and translate into you know their pitching staff also you know kind of helping them put themselves back on the mat. They need Max and Justin to pitch to the level that they need and they need a little bullpen help to the one thing I've always been kind of concerned question mark with Alvarez was his catching ability. He's been tremendous. Yeah they've done a really good job with him the way they've kind of just brought him up with their catching and his metrics. They've been phenomenal. And again he didn't play the entire first half and he put those numbers in the first half. So what are you doing the second half. We'll be watching. What about the San Diego Padres. What needs to happen to fix the Padres and get them in the play. Greg sometimes the best trades you make are the ones that you don't make at all. So maybe you do stay still. But for the sake of this I would think the biggest hole right now in need is a really good first baseman. We know what AJ Perler has done. I will go get a guy like Paul Goldschmidt. That's who I will go get. You've made trades after trades after trades. AJ Perler is not scared to make big trades at the trade. And I remember what they did a couple of years ago. They got Soto. They've done bigger trades in the past as well. I would think a guy like Paul Goldschmidt will kind of put him over the top. He'll be that guy that's a run producer a guy who gets on base really good defense. And we look at the comparisons what they've done with the Padres first baseman. There's been about five guys that have played that position. They have done that. Well we know that the St. Louis Cardinals are in Sully mode. So I would say why not. It's not going to take that many prospects. I don't see it. Yes I know. Greg you're St. Louis Cardinals the Pyramids Nolan and Paul Goldschmidt. Just so I know why we're down so so what that's maybe I don't know for the sake of that. That is got to be he's got to get a little creative for that trade. He's always been this thing. Yeah. The New York Yankees were creative because they're struggling offensively especially without Aaron Judge. He's got this toe issue after running into a wall. Look at this. They're ranked since June 4th. That's when he last played was June 3rd. They're one of the worst offenses their averages last on base last slugging last. So you get rid of your hitting coach who can save the Yankees in the second half. Can Sean Casey our dear friend the new hitting coach of the New York Yankees really turn things around for this this organization. You know sometimes and I've always said this a new face a new voice a new leader in the meetings and you just a new air in those hitters meetings can bring so much lightness to a struggling offense. I would think that in the second half this this offense is going to be a lot better. And I think it has a lot to do with Sean Casey and what he brings. This is a positive type of guy. This is a guy that even if you go for four there's nothing better than going and having a bad day and says hey I know what that feels like. I know what you know how to make adjustments and how to get better. I think Sean Casey if not is the best trade deadline acquisition that the Yankees have made. What was he known for grinding out at bats. He did a demo years ago where he claimed he could foul off great pitches intentionally and then in studio forty two outliner threw nasty cutters that he live on the air was fouling off intentionally. So he has a different way of looking at hitting. Do you think it'll pay off. No I think it's a good move to and to yonder's point as far as having a new voice. We know Casey it's the energy that he brings in the room like he the energy everyone like gravitates towards him when he's in a room right. I mean he's just glorious. Yeah he's a tremendous person. Extremely positive. And I think that kind of mentality that kind of approach obviously from a new perspective a new person and especially someone that has the pedigree of him doing it in the big leagues can make a big difference with guys. We have a veteran team guys that they don't they don't need a new philosophy on hitting. They they already know what you don't know your mechanics by now. It's just it's just about the energy. It's a new thought. It's a new thought process a new mentality. And you know bringing a guy like that as as positive as Sean is I mean can make a difference. Greg he's a baseball rat. He watches baseball every day. He knows exactly what's going on with the Yankees. He knows exactly what's going on with all those hitters. I believe this. I got to buy into it. That's the thing. You got to buy into it. Now if Aaron Judge comes back that's probably one of those guys that you kind of leave alone but they've got a lot of guys. Greg let me tell you this great players like to be coached. It doesn't matter who you are. You can be the best of the best. You still need a voice behind you that can kind of get you ready for your at-bats and your daily grind. And Aaron Judge is a great player. Is he the only great player on that team right now. Do they need to go get another player. Do they need. So he'll Tony.