MLB’s Top 10 First Half Stories

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

It’s the midway point of the Major League Baseball season.

That means it’s time to look back at a first half highlighted by heartwarming comebacks, milestone home runs and challenges to long-standing records.

The first few months of the season had plenty of surprises as well.

The young Florida teams have outperformed the high-priced New York squads, the Rockies and Mariners are in the basement, no-name pitchers have shined and three managers have already been canned.

These are the 10 most compelling stories of the first half of the MLB season.

TOP 10 FIRST HALF STORIES

10. Getting Thiggy With It

Angel closer Francisco Rodriguez has 34 saves and is on pace to throttle Bobby Thigpen’s single-season MLB record of 57, set in 1990, when Thigpen was a member of the White Sox. K-Rod has strong starting pitching and reliable setup men in front of him and should continue to see plenty of save opportunities in the second half.

9. Rocky Mountain Low

Coming off a magical postseason run, Colorado was projected to contend for the N.L. West crown. Instead, the Rockies are in last place and are expected to be sellers before the upcoming trade deadline. Injuries have played a significant role in their decline, with Troy Tulowitzki, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe all spending time on the DL, but the bigger problem has been their poor pitching. Manny Corpas lost his grip on the closer role, Jeff Francis hasn’t resembled the ace he was last season and young right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez took a step backwards in his development.

8. Willie Stay or Willie Go?

After an historic collapse last season, the Mets struggled out of the gate, and an outburst by closer Billy Wagner depicted a divided lockerroom. The heat was on manager Willie Randolph, and in a strange turn of events, he told a reporter the New York media treated him differently because of his race. Mets general manager Omar Minaya left him blowing in the wind for several weeks, as the question became when, not if, he’d be fired. Minaya ultimately made the move in the middle of the night after the first game of a West Coast trip, which marked the Mets’ third victory in four games. Minaya was criticized for the way he handled the situation. If the Mets don’t turn things around, he’ll be the next to go.

7. Zito and the D-Train Lost Steam

A few years ago, lefties Barry Zito and Dontrelle Willis were considered two of the best young pitchers in baseball. Now, inexplicably, their velocity is down and their careers are in jeopardy. A year into the most lucrative contract ever signed by a pitcher, Zito was temporarily demoted to the Giants bullpen and is 4-12 with a 5.73 ERA. Willis was at the center of a multi-player trade between the Marlins and Tigers this past offseason, which was supposed to put the Tigers over the top. After returning from an injury last month, he couldn’t get anybody out and was ultimately sent to the minors to work on his mechanics.

6. Chipping Away at .400

Chipper Jones has been one of the best hitters in the game for over a decade, with injuries being the only thing to slow him down the past few seasons. The switch-hitting slugger vowed to play at least 150 games this year, and though a recent quad injury makes that unlikely, he’s appeared in the vast majority of the Braves’ games. The result has been his finest season to date. He’s hitting .394 through the first 83 games and could make a run at .400 if he stays healthy.

5. A Win-Win Deal

Last winter, the Reds traded centerfielder Josh Hamilton to the Rangers for pitching prospect Edison Volquez, and it’s safe to say the deal’s worked out for both teams. Hamilton’s been the A.L. MVP the first half of the season. He’s hitting .312, leads all of baseball with 84 RBI and is tied for the most home runs in the A.L. with 19. Volquez has drawn comparisons to a young Pedro Martinez, and his 10 wins, 113 strikeouts and 2.24 ERA make him the early frontrunner for the N.L. Cy Young award.

4. Griffey Reaches Milestone

On June 9, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his long-awaited 600th home run off Mark Hendrickson of the Marlins. He joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa as the sixth member of the exclusive 600 club. It provided an opportunity to reflect on the magnificent career of perhaps the greatest ballplayer of this generation.

3. The Wins, They Are A Changin’

Eight pitchers have won at least 10 games this season, and all but one of them, Brandon Webb, is a complete shock. Vincente Padilla, Mike Mussina and Cliff Lee were supposed to be gone and done. Kyle Lohse was an unwanted free agent. Joe Saunders and Aaron Cook were nobodies and Edison Volquez wasn’t supposed to be this good this soon. On the flip side, last season’s Cy Young winners, Jake Peavy and C.C. Sabathia, have totaled 11 wins between them, and the two elite pitchers traded during the offseason, Johan Santana and Erik Bedard, have seven and five wins, respectively.

2. Lester Shines

Jon Lester of the Red Sox inspired millions of Americans by pitching a no-hitter against the Royals on May 19, less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma.

1. No Sympathy For the Devil

Dropping the “Devil” from their name must have created good karma for the Tampa Bay Rays, because the franchise which has never finished higher than fourth place now has the best record in baseball. Catcher Dioner Navarro and third baseman Evan Longoria have added punch to a formidable lineup headed by outfielders B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford. However, the Rays are winning due to the strength of their young starting pitchers and a deep bullpen, anchored by closer Troy Percival. The team has a win-now mentality and is showing no signs of fading.

Honorable Mentions

- Manny Ramirez slugged his 500th home run
- Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner have a combined total of four home runs for the Indians
- Cub fans think this could be the year
- John Smoltz and Curt Schilling may have thrown their last pitches

OTHER TOP STORIES

--MLB All-Stars Announced, Who Won and Who Lost?

--Why We Love Mike Mussina

--MLB’s 20 Future Hall of Famers

--Baseball’s 50 Strangest Moments Ever

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