LOS ANGELES, CA — Remember report card time in school? The smart kids never had to worry about that day, so they looked forward to it. I was not too fond of it. The All-Star break in baseball is traditional “Report Card” time.
Who will be the team to beat, and who will teams feast on? Who will have the best or worst record? What players are rising, and who have been the biggest disappointments? What teams have surprised us, both good and bad?
Josh Donaldson, the big disappointment in first half – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
There are so many players this year that you could claim to be disappointments. One that jumps out for me is Yankee Josh Donaldson. He is batting .152 with 15 hits, 10 of which are home runs and 31 strikeouts in 99 at-bats.
I felt Corbin Carroll would be a player to watch this year, so he is not that much of a surprise. He is batting .289 with 89 hits, which is great. We expected his 24 stolen bases because of his incredible speed, but we didn’t expect the power with his 18 home runs.
Corbin Carroll, the current NL front-runner for Rookie of the Year? – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
He is one of the reasons the Diamondbacks are in first place in the NL West ahead of the scary Dodger and Padres line-ups. Speaking of disappointments, how about those Padres? And let’s not forget those loveable NY Mets! Yikes, talk about a billionaire stock market guy buying the wrong stocks!
Steve Cohen’s press conference at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Who is not a surprise and is the best of the best? Shohei Ohtani. They should engrave his name on the AL MVP plaque for 2023 now. Unless someone does something over the top like Aaron Judge did last season with 62 home runs, and there is a possibility he could top that this year, he should be the AL MVP.
As a starting pitcher, he is 7-4, has an ERA of 3.32 with 132 strikeouts. As the Angels DH, he is batting .302 and leads all major league baseball with 32 home runs and he has 71 RBIs.
Ronald Acuña Jr., one of the most electric superstars in the game during 2023 All-Star festivities in Seattle – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
In the National League, Ronald Acuña Jr., La Guaira, Venezuela, should run away with the NL MVP unless Miami’s Luis Arráez, San Felipe, Venezuela, bats over .400. Arráez entered the All-Star break hitting .383 with a .434 on-base percentage while Acuña Jr., is on pace for 40 home runs and 70+ stolen bases.
Luis Arráez, who recorded two hits on two pitches in the 93rd Mid-Mid Summer Classic in Seattle this past Tuesday night – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Mookie Betts is having his normal All-Star season. He takes valuable to another level. His teammate, Freddie Freeman, is right there with him batting .320, with 114 hits, 31 doubles, 17 home runs, and 61 RBI.
In the NL, it is the Braves and everyone else. The American League is up for grabs with new faces. Tampa Bay is beginning to feel the heat from that young Baltimore club as the AL East is again the top division in the AL.
Ramón Urías, 29, of Magdalena de Kino, SO, Mexico. Baltimore’s third baseman hit .261 prior to the All-Star break – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
However, the problem for those excellent teams is the Astros. They will be very hard to beat in the postseason.
Let the next semester begin as we wait to see who will graduate with straight A’s.
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Julio Pabón
July 13, 2023 at 9:57 pm
Good report card for all to understand who is who in baseball after All Star game.