SEASON 20 MIDSUMMER AWARDS

The Midsummer Classic and Awards

Las Vegas, NV (McC) – Before we unveil our eagerly awaited list, let us point out the performance of Baltimore Orioles third Basemen George Brantley our Player of the Game in the midsummer classic. Brantley of the losing American League squad belted 2 home runs and collected 6 RBIs. Brantley (44 HR, 112 RBI, 350 BA) is not only our All-Star Player of the Game, he is also McCabe Magazines midsummer Most Valuable Player. Some of our beat writers felt the MVP should have been giving to our runner-up, San Diego Padres left-hand starting pitcher Wandy Duran (19-4, 1.04 Whip, 2.89 ERA.).

The Orioles (58-50) are in third place and 10 games in back of Eastern division leading Boston Red Sox (68-40). The Padres (78-30) have the best record in baseball, and Duran is a big part of that success. However, the questions surrounding Duran and his sudden success has the investigated division here at McCabe Magazine licking their chops. Duran’s season 19 won-lost record 4-13, and ERA 6.05 has cause for concern. His season 18 and 17 ERA were not much better at 5.25 and 5.21. PEDs have become an enormous part of the world we live in, and we only pray they haven’t made their way into the league we all love. The bottom-line is the rumors outnumbered the votes and they will only continue until the league and the Players Association agree on a stronger testing program.   

McCabe Magazines Midsummer Awards and All-Pro Team

Most Valuable Player and Starting 3rd Basemen

George Brantley Baltimore Orioles Age: 33 B/T: L/R Born: Benton, AR Position(s): 3B/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Shortstop and Season 20 All-Star Player of the Game

Roger Culver Detroit Tigers Age: 27 B/T: S/R Born: Ogden, IA Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Second Basemen

Quinton Bryne New York Mets Age: 25 B/T: R/R Born: Robstown, TX Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

First Basemen

Mario Obermueller Arizona Diamondbacks Age: 31 B/T: L/L Born: Miami, FL Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Catcher

Hersh Mays Colorado Rockies Age: 28 B/T: L/R Born: Lytle, TX Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Outfielder

Luis Mesa Boston Red Sox Age: 26 B/T: L/L Born: Hillsborough, CA Position(s): CF/1B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Outfielder

Tony Cortes New York Mets Age: 33 B/T: R/R Born: Barahona, DO Position(s): LF/CIF/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Outfielder Quilvio Mendez knocked Philip Priest off our list due to the rocky mountain high effect  

Quilvio Mendez Tampa Bay Rays Age: 23 B/T: R/R Born: Yamasa, DO Position(s): LF/1B/RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Designated Hitter

Isaac Blackmon Oakland Athletics Age: 28 B/T: R/R Born: Onaway, MI Position(s): DH/C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Starting Pitcher

Wandy Duran San Diego Padres Age: 30 B/T: L/L Born: Coventry, CT Position(s): P (SP3) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Setup Pitcher

Juan Azocar New York Yankees Age: 27 B/T: L/L Born: Santo Domingo, CU Position(s): P (SuA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Closer 

Sidney Flaherty Chicago White Sox Age: 28 B/T: R/R Born: Oakland Park, FL Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Best Rookie Pitcher

Bengie Cortes Kansas City Royals Age: 25 B/T: R/R Born: Yamasa, DO Position(s): P (SuA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Best Rookie Position Player

Quilvio Mendez Tampa Bay Rays Age: 23 B/T: R/R Born: Yamasa, DO Position(s): LF/1B/RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

McCabe Magazine Season 20 Power Rankings

MAJOR LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS

The power rankings are an average of the following team statistics; Winning percentage, OPS, ERA and Fielding Percentage. 

	Top 10
Rank	Team	Owner	W-L	Pct.
1	Arizona Diamondbacks	yoker70	32-17	0.653
2	Boston Red Sox	pat007ohmss	30-19	0.612
3	Oakland Athletics	jefepwnzer	32-17	0.653
4	San Diego Padres	jgarron *	32-17	0.653
5	Detroit Tigers	patrickkm	31-18	0.633
6	Colorado Rockies	axtell	30-19	0.612
7	New York Mets	basebalguru	34-15	0.694
8	St. Louis Cardinals	421werd	30-19	0.612
9	Tampa Bay Rays	rsskfs23	27-22	0.551
10	Toronto Blue Jays	dimestoregin	24-25	0.490
	Next 5
Rank	Team	Owner	W-L	Pct.
11	Baltimore Orioles	bourboncask	25-24	0.510
12	Kansas City Royals	TenaciousTYT	31-18	0.633
13	Los Angeles Dodgers	Arte	26-23	0.531
14	Seattle Mariners	toothdoc7	23-26	0.469
15	New York Yankees	ARomano	26-23	0.531
	The Best of the Rest
Rank	Team	Owner	W-L	Pct.
16	Philadelphia Phillies	egw18	25-24	0.510
17	Milwaukee Brewers	brentcnb *	27-22	0.551
18	Atlanta Braves	bigsammich	24-25	0.490
19	Houston Astros	ajaxx88	22-27	0.449
20	Anaheim Angels	captain10a	21-28	0.429

	Stat of Day Note: Click on Player for detail information
	Top 5 Rookies OPS
Rank	Player	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS
1	Max Sinclair	30	10	34	4	0.317	0.994
2	Quilvio Mendez	43	12	33	10	0.289	0.968
3	Darren Decker	43	17	52	2	0.281	0.963
4	Don Pittsley	26	7	31	4	0.293	0.897
5	Don Dong	31	15	34	0	0.275	0.892
	Top 5 Rookie Pitchers Whip
Rank	Player	GS	W	L	OAV	WHIP	ERA
1	Daniel Leonard	10	4	1	0.219	1.19	3.16
2	Howie Strange	10	1	6	0.294	1.46	5.27
3	Alexei Bennett	10	3	6	0.287	1.48	5.25
4	Branch Person	10	4	4	0.282	1.51	5.05
5	Don Seaver	12	4	4	0.316	1.62	5.10

Season 20 Preview

THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS WIN IT ALL over TORONTO BLUE JAYS 4 games to 2

Las Vegas, NV (McC) - We here at McCabe Magazine spent the offseason reviewing the rosters of all major league squads and the top level minor leaguers.  We have put together a comprehensive, and in depth forecast of the upcoming season. We would like to take this time to thank the 32 beat writers in each major league city for their contribution to the season preview.

The Playoff Teams

In the National League we think the Arizona Diamondbacks will win the pennant 4-2 over the San Diego Padres. The American League was a tough call. Half of the staff here at McCabe Magazine wanted Kansas City to be our American League champ, and the other half wanted to select the Toronto Blue Jays. As the senior editor I was the deciding vote, I pick the Blue Jays. Kansas City has played in three (3) of the last four (4) World Series however, what the staff seem to forget is Kansas City has lost 2 of their best players, Tony Cortes and Shannon High to free-agency. Kansas City is hoping the free-agent signing of power hitter  Homer Henry will makeup for the lost. With that say, our choice to win the American League pennant is the Blue Jays. Toronto will beat the Royals 4-3 to win the title.  The American League division winners, Toronto, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The National League division winners, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres. Wildcard teams will be the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado, and the Diamondbacks.

	The Best Players
	American League
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Heigth	Weight	Age	Salary
1	Alexei DaSilva	2B	Toronto	6'0	183	24	$2.6M
2	George Brantley	3B	Baltimore	5'11	188	33	$9.8M
3	Homer Henry	LF	Kansas City	6'2	180	32	$20.0M
4	Dean Ruffin	CF	Kansas City	6'0	188	31	$9.0M
5	Juan Azocar	P	New York	6'0	236	27	$1.6M
6	Luis Mesa	CF	Boston	6'5	199	26	$8.5M
7	Steven Starr	3B	Boston	6'1	194	31	$8.8M
8	Ben Schneider	SS	Milwaukee	6'1	192	28	$9.3M
9	Benji Veras	RF	Minnesota	5'10	178	32	$8.6M
10	Mikey Weinhardt	2B	San Francisco	6'0	187	25	$8.7M
	National League
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Heigth	Weight	Age	Salary
1	Quinton Bryne	2B	New York	5'9	189	25	$11.5M
2	Mark Pence	2B	Arizona	5'11	202	30	$7.8M
3	Vince Garcia	P	Arizona	6'4	234	30	$7.5M
4	Clarence Finley	CF	Arizona	6'5	185	28	$9.5M
5	Diego Hernandez	CF	New York	6'0	197	31	$20.0M
6	Luther Abercrombie	P	Arizona	6'2	234	38	$15.3M
7	Quilvio Mendez	LF	Tampa Bay	6'1	179	23	$343K
8	Mack Crosby	SS	San Diego	6'1	185	28	$8.4M
9	Trey Robinson	3B	Colorodo	5'10	168	31	$9.9M
10	Hector Encarnacion	2B	Philadelphia	5'11	182	28	$8.0M

Where is Tony Cortes on our list? He's not in our top 10, sorry TC and Met fans. At 33 years of age we feel his best years are behind him. His skills are declining quicker than my hairline. His bat speed is still at a major league level and he still has the pop to hit 20+ homers. However, the scouts we spoke to say he won't win the Batting Crown this year and his range and speed is not at the MVP levels we've have grown of custom to seeing. If you think you've seen a drop in overall skills this year, wait untill next. Lets just hope he gets more than one vote when he retires in four years.    
 

	Best ML Starting Lineup		Best ML Rotation
Rank	Franchise	Rank	Franchise
1	Toronto	1	Arizona
2	Boston	2	San Diego
3	San Diego	3	Baltimore
4	Seattle	4	Colorado
5	Los Angeles	5	Oakland
6	Houston	6	Los Angeles
7	New York (NL)	7	Pittsburgh
8	Milwaukee	8	New York (NL)
9	Atlanta	9	Toronto
10	Colorado	10	Atlanta
	Best ML Bench		Best ML Bullpen
Rank	Franchise	Rank	Franchise
1	Seattle	1	New York (AL)
2	Minnesota	2	Toronto
3	Cleveland	3	Chicago (AL)
4	Cincinnati	4	Detroit
5	Milwaukee	5	Arizona
6	Florida	6	Baltimore
7	Atlanta	7	Richmond
8	Chicago (NL)	8	Colorado
9	Richmond	9	Chicago (NL)
10	Toronto	10	Los Angeles

Season 20 Predictions
ML AL North
Team	Owner	W-L
Toronto Blue Jays	dimestoregin *	96-66
Milwaukee Brewers	brentcnb *	86-76
Chicago White Sox	kgrffth *	85-77
Minnesota Twins	pbsilver11	72-90
ML AL East
Team	Owner	W-L
New York Yankees	ARomano *	94-68
Boston Red Sox	pat007ohmss *	91-71
Baltimore Orioles	bourboncask *	88-74
Washington D.C. Nationals	dffranchise *	62-100
ML AL South
Team	Owner	W-L
Kansas City Royals	TenaciousTYT *	93-68
Houston Astros	ajaxx88 *	81-81
St. Louis Cardinals	421werd *	75-87
Texas Rangers	goldenbaer88 *	67-95
ML AL West
Team	Owner	W-L
Los Angeles Dodgers	Arte *	92-70
Oakland Athletics	jefepwnzer *	83-79
San Francisco Giants	wylie715 *	71-91
Anaheim Angels	captain10a *	68-94
ML NL North
Team	Owner	W-L
Chicago Cubs	optistrat *	90-72
Cleveland Indians	chisox378	89-73
Detroit Tigers	patrickkm *	88-74
Cincinnati Reds	ctman *	74-88
ML NL East
Team	Owner	W-L
Philadelphia Phillies	egw18 *	89-73
New York Mets	basebalguru *	88-74
Pittsburgh Pirates	nbaker10 *	75-84
Rochester Broncos	coinguy *	63-99
ML NL South
Team	Owner	W-L
Atlanta Braves	bigsammich *	95-67
Richmond Virginians	sylemark *	83-99
Tampa Bay Rays	rsskfs23 *	72-90
Florida Marlins	lido9613 *	64-98
ML NL West
Team	Owner	W-L
San Diego Padres	jgarron *	109-53
Colorado Rockies	axtell *	97-65
Arizona Diamondbacks	yoker70 *	92-70
Seattle Mariners	toothdoc7 *	90-72

The Kansas City Royals win Season 19 World Series

Royals knock off the Padres 4 Games to 3

Kansas City, MO (McC) Season 19 World Series saw the number one seeds in both leagues faceoff in the fall classic for the first time since season 5, when the National League number one seed Florida Marlins (100-62) won the title over the American League number one seed San Francisco Giants (103-59) four games to one. Last year we saw the Kansas City Royals (100-62) defeat San Diego Padres (111-51) four games to three.   

The Odd Makers

Kansas City was ignored all season by the Vegas odds makers and the McCabe Magazine’s power rankings, never climbing higher than 7 on this prestige’s magazine rankings. The Royals were facing the McCabe Magazine darlings, and defending World Series Champions, the San Diego Padres. The Padres were installed a heavy favorite going into the postseason at 2-1 to win their third world championship. The bookmakers pointed to the Padres win total of 111 games, and the dominating pitching staff, which led the league in team ERA (3.19). The Royals closed on the Las Vegas Hilton at a 7-1 underdog going into the series. Why, I don’t know, you’re asking the wrong guy. I’m the dummy that posted the odds and wrote the postseason preview article. That said; let’s take a look at the Royals from season 19. The first thing that jumps off the page is the fact that this team led the league with a team batting average of 300, and was second in the league with a .838 team OPS. Good pitching stops good hitting, right? WRONG!

The KC Bombers

This team was led by a collection of professional hitters which included first ballot Hall of Framer, season 19 major league batting champion, and 8 time MVP Tony Cortes (29 HR, 112 RBI, 364 BA), Barry Henley (24 HR, 102 RBI, 325 BA), and Shannon High (24 HR, 100 RBI, 297 BA). Will the Royals repeat in season 20? We doubt it, Cortes and High both left in the off season, signing lucrative contracts with the New York Mets and Rochester Broncos respectfully. The only question about these signing is this; Cortes is 33 years old and High is 35. How many years do they have left? Only time will tell.

Postseason MVP  

John Burke Kansas City Royals Age: 27 B/T: R/R Born: Bloomdale, OH Position(s): DH/C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

      
Postseason Stats: 4 Home Runs 22 Runs Batted In .381 Batting Average

SEASON 19 MINOR LEAGUE WRAP UP

MINOR LEAGUE POSTSEASON CHAMPS and POSTSEASON MVP

AAA Champions
New York Yankees (91-53) 4-3 over the Richmond Virginians (98-46)

Jeanmar Tejada New York Yankees Age: 22 B/T: R/R Born: Boca Chica, DO Position(s): 3B/1B/2B/COF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

AAA Postseason MVP

AA Champions
New York Yankees (109-35) 4-1 over the Colorado Rockies (101-43)

Jon Borders New York Yankees Age: 23 B/T: R/R Born: Ottawa, ON Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

AA Postseason MVP

High A Champions
Atlanta Braves (100-44) 4-2 over the Los Angeles Dodgers (100-44)

Luis Matos Atlanta Braves Age: 23 B/T: R/R Born: Hato Mayor Del Rey, DO Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

High A Postseason MVP


Low A Champions
Chicago White Sox (101-43) 4-3 over the Detroit Tigers (102-42)

Robinzon Leon Chicago White Sox Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Chiriqui, PA Position(s): P (SP3) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Low A Postseason MVP


Rookie League Champions
Detroit Tigers (69-7) 4-2 over the Anaheim Angels (51-25)

Eswalin Balboa Detroit Tigers Age: 18 B/T: L/L Born: Rio San Juan, DO Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Rookie League Postseason MVP

McCabe Magazine World Series Prediction

SAN DIEGO REPEATS AS SEASON 19 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Padres defeat the Kansas City Royals 4 games to 3

THE MATCHUPS

Las Vegas, NV (McC) Greetings from the Adult playground in the desert. It has been an outstanding season. And now we are down to the final four. In the American League we have the number one seed Kansas City Royals (100-62) vs the Toronto Blue Jays (95-67) the number three seed. In the National League the two finalist are number one seed San Diego Padres (111-51), season 18 World Series Champion and the number two seed New York Mets (88-74). In our season 18 preseason predictions we here at McCabe Magazine predicted the Mets would go on to win the series that year. Will this be the year? We won't put our money on it. Our cash is going on the defending World Series Champions, the San Diego Padres.

OUR PREDICTIONS

We have the Royals beating the Blue Jays 4 games to 3, and San Diego beating the Mets 4-2. The Padres will go on to defeat the Royals 4-3. Looking at the postseason stats we found some surprising numbers. The first thing that jumped off the page was the Mets postseason ERA of 1.80 which is second only to the Padres ERA of 1.00. The next thing that got our attention was team OPS. The Toronto Blue Jays lead all playoff teams with an 958 OPS following by, guess who? The New York Mets with an 939 OPS. Wait a minute, can I change our prediction? We thought about it long and hard, but we'll stick with the Pardes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

San Diego starters Asdrubal Pelaez (23-5), Tony Tanaka (21-9) and Moose Martin (16-9). This is a rotation that carried the Padres to the best record (111 wins) in the majors. For the Mets, watch power hitters Homer Henry (43 HR, 111 RBI, 315 BA, 32 SB), Quinton Bryne (37 HR, 307 BA 55 SB) and Diego Hernandez (37 HR 120 RBI 37 SB). This group will out hit any three in baseball. For Kansas City, you have to keep an eye on the HIt King and Batting Champion Tony Cortes (29 HR, 112 RBI, 364 BA) and Barry Henley (24 HR, 102 RBI, 325 BA). The Blue Jays have the best balance of pitching and hitting with Alexei DaSilva (47 HR, 124 RBI) Charlie Morris (40 HR 103 RBI) and starting pitcher Victor Ortiz (20-6).

Las Vegas Hilton odds to win Season 19 World Series

Team	Owner	Odds
San Diego Padres	jgarron *	2-1
Arizona Diamondbacks	yoker70 *	3-1
New York Mets	basebalguru	3-1
Toronto Blue Jays	dimestoregin	4-1
Colorado Rockies	axtell *	6-1
Kansas City Royals	TenaciousTYT *	7-1
New York Yankees	ARomano	10-1
Baltimore Orioles	bourboncask *	15-1
Cleveland Indians	chisox378	20-1
Los Angeles Dodgers	Arte *	25-1
Boston Red Sox	pat007ohmss *	30-1
Richmond Virginians	sylemark *	35-1

          

SEASON 19 OWNER/ORGANIZATION of the YEAR AWARD

OWNER/ORGANIZATION of SEASON 19 

Listed below you will find the McCabe Magazine Owner/Organization of the Year Winner and our Owner Power Rankings. The owner with the highest winning percentage at every level at the end of the regular season and bonus points for winning the division and for making the playoffs (wildcard). The Owner with the most points will receive the McCabe Magazine Owner of the Year Award. We here at McCabe Magazine feel that a good owner should maintain a solid farm system and a winning major league ball team. His big club should be in position to win the division and one or more of the lower level squads should be in position to capture a minor league World Series title. The Owner of the Year should field competitive teams at every level.

Bonus Points and Winning Percentages 

The Power Rankings are a combine total of each teams (RL, Low A, High A, AA, AAA, ML) winning percentage. Each team will receive one point for each win and BONUS POINTS as followed: ML Division Winner 100 points, Wildcard 75, AAA Division Winner 50 points, AAA Wildcard 45, AA Division Winner 40, AA Wildcard 35, High A Division Winner 30, High A Wildcard 25, Low A Division Winner 20, Low A Wildcard 15. Rookie Division Winner 10, and Rookie Wildcard 5.    

OWNER POWER RANKINGS

Season 18 Robert E. McCabe Owner of the Year is ARomano of the New York Yankees. The Yankees have a total of 544 organizational wins and 225 playoff bonus points. 

		Top 10
Rank	Last Year	Owner	Team	Wins	Bonus	Points
1	5	ARomano	New York Yankees	544	225	769
2	1	chisox379	Cleveland Indians	504	230	734
3	8	sylemark *	Richmond Virginians	513	220	733
4	4	axtell *	Colorado Rockies	504	215	719
5	2	TenaciousTYT *	Kansas City Royals	501	200	701
6	3	patrickkm *	Detroit Tigers	548	145	693
7	7	dimestoregin	Toronto Blue Jays	475	170	645
8	10	captain10a	Anaheim Angels	474	150	624
9	6	brentcnb *	Milwaukee Brewers	505	95	600
10	NR	egw18 *	Philadelphia Phillies	490	110	600
		Next 5
Rank	Last Year	Owner	Team	Wins	Bonus	Points
11	20	Arte *	Los Angeles Dodgers	422	125	547
12	16	bourboncask *	Baltimore Orioles	391	100	491
13	21	kgrffth *	Chicago White Sox	463	25	488
14	18	wylie715 *	San Francisco Giants	425	45	470
15	13	dffranchise	Washington D.C. Nationals	390	80	470
		The Rest
Rank	Last Year	Owner	Team	Wins	Bonus	Points
16	22	yoker70 *	Arizona Diamondbacks	392	75	467
17	9	nbaker10 *	Pittsburgh Pirates	407	55	462
18	26	pbsilver12	Minnesota Twins	397	60	457
19	27	optistrat	Chicago Cubs	370	80	450
20	12	rsskfs24	Tampa Bay Rays	424	25	449
21	17	basebalguru	New York Mets	347	100	447
22	15	bigsammich	Atlanta Braves	413	30	443
23	NR	goldenbaer89	Texas Rangers	390	50	440
24	19	jgarron *	San Diego Padres	330	100	430
25	14	421werd	St. Louis Cardinals	388		388
26	23	toothdoc7 *	Seattle Mariners	366	10	376
27	25	ctman	Cincinnati Reds	353	5	358
28	31	lido9614	Florida Marlins	319		319
29	29	jefepwnzer	Oakland Athletics	312		312
30	28	pat007ohmss *	Boston Red Sox	230	75	305
31	32	coinguy	Rochester Broncos	220		220
32	29	ajaxx88 *	Houston Astros	217		217