All Star Break

It's the traditional midway point of the season.  Mathematically, we're a few games past that, but nobody really pays attention to that, just skews the "on pace" numbers for people that aren't paying attention.  But it's midseason and the wheat and chaff are separating.  Here are my all-star and Now Playing storylines.

- R.A. Dickey.  What he's doing right now is nothing short of phenomenal.  He's near the top of the NL in pretty much every box score stat, mostly because he has unprecedented power and control of a pitch that is notoriously hard to control.  Anyone that claims they saw this coming is absolutely lying to you, and that includes any scout.  Did he deserve to start the All-Star game?  Sure.  So did Cain.  I'd even say Strasburg deserved it too.  But they all were there, and they all pitched.  And their team won.  The other details are the sort of thing that nobody's gonna remember.

- The NL's All-Star pitching staff was the reason they won that game.  They were by far the superior corps in relation to their opposition.  Of course, the AL's case is hurt some by their frontman, Verlander, having what will probably be his worst first inning of the year, which on its own will go down similarly to Gagne's 2003 All-Star appearance.  But when the NL can run Cain, Strasburg, Dickey, Hamels, Gio, and Kershaw out there and not even touch the pen of Papelbon, Kimbrel, and company, it's a definite advantage.  Oh and I forgot to mention Aroldis "10-m'er effin'-5" Chapman.  Granted, the AL had a lot of solid pitchers, too, in Nathan and Sale and Price and such, but they just weren't as good.  This shutout really shouldn't have been as surprising as it was.  Even with interleague play and scouting the way they are now, it's pretty hard to prepare for a Kershaw curve or a Strasburg slider or a Dickey knuckler without seeing them firsthand.



- On the other hand, I would've taken the AL starter at pretty much every position over their NL counterpart.  Votto-Fielder is tough, Cano > Uggla, Beltre >>> Sandoval, Jeter and Furcal can both retire, Kemp-Hamilton is just as tough, Granderson > Beltran, and Melky really shouldn't be a starter.  Good pitching will beat good hitting, and elite pitching - which is what the NL brought to the table - will take down even elite hitting.  Put these guys against a league-average starter and those are records waiting to happen.

- Snubs: Pierzynski probably should've gone, and I would've even taken him over his teammate Dunn.  It's nice to see Dunn back in form, but he's like an older version of Trumbo and it wasn't necessary.  Granted, 4 catchers would've been overmuch, but Napoli and Mauer both play first and this would've freed up an extra DH at-bat as well.
: There's probably a half-dozen NL pitchers I would've taken over Lynn or maybe Miley, such as Cueto or Dempster or (seen here last entry) James McDonald or Greinke.  Lynn was a player choice and I think Miley was the token D-Back, so it's hard to kick either out, but they were the weakest pitcher selections, in my opinion.
: I could've seen Austin Jackson getting a bid this year.  It was a hard AL OF to crack, and I think it was worth having Trumbo there if only for the HR Derby show - and oh what a show it was - but he's been studly this year.
Here's a guy they took over him.

: If the fans don't vote Sandoval in, I think Chase Headley makes the team as the backup 3B.  Yeah, that's right, I said Chase Headley.  He's in the top 15 in OBP in the NL despite the offensive suppression that happens in Petco.  He and Maybin are the keystones of what the Padres hope will be their offensive future.

------------2012 Second half storylines----------
- Pittsburgh Pirates, .500 team, the Remix
They're back and better than ever*.
* this century plus a decade-ish
Last year they tried this and a tough call in a loooooong game sent them spiraling back to a well-known state of mediocrity and miss the playoffs, etc, etc.  Their pitching is better, there's a second wild card spot, and they at least have a good head-start on .500.  I hope they don't get ahead of themselves.  Cole, Taillon, Appel (if he signs), et al can lead a championship-caliber rotation if they keep them together.  They have Cutch locked in for a while yet, so they will need to sign a hitter or two in the next couple offseasons, particularly on the infield, but that's do-able.  They can be in great position to pounce once the Reds start to slip in a couple years if they are just patient.  .500 would be a great accomplishment this year and would get the excitement building for greater things to come.

- Sub-.500 team I think makes the playoffs:  Arizona.  Yeah, they're only a game below, but they're only 4 games out and neither of the teams ahead of them have an offense to speak of.  LA's smoke, mirrors, and Scully Power will not last.  San Fran wasn't good enough when they had a full-strength Lincecum, and now that he's not The Guy anymore, they'll be in for a struggle.  AZ's had injuries, an adjusting Bauer, and Upton not being Upton.  I think these three things remedy themselves and the Diamondbacks return to the postseason as NL West Champs.

- Team currently in playoff position that falls off:  Baltimore.  It's a nice story, but they will be devoured by the AL East again before the season is out.  Thome is a nice story to add, but DH is the one position the O's don't need with Betemit, Reynolds, Davis, & Co already with everyday jobs "fielding".  The pitching is hanging on by a thread.  They have a -36 run differential.  They are the 2012 version of the 2011 Indians.

- Prospect of the 2nd half (not already in the bigs): Wil Myers, OF KCR.  .395 OBP and 14 HR in AAA and a regressing Francoeur in KC really should mean he's starting in the bigs by the trading deadline.  I liked Keith Law's suggestion I'd heard - Myers was in KC for the futures game.  The Royals should've just kept him in town while he was there, maybe even make an on-field bit about it.  Much as I don't want to see him dominate the pitiful Twins staff, he's ready and he should be up helping foster Royals hope.