MLB Week in Review (August 19-25)
One of the most exciting times in the MLB season is just about here as September means the end of postseason runs and eventually gives way to October baseball.
It is a time where teams are trying to get that last ounce out of their teams to finish the season strong.
It doesn’t prevent them from trying to get better though and that is where a big name comes in as a workout will have a lot of people talking around the sports world.
That is because a man named Tim Tebow will be picking up a bat and showing what he has in front of scouts for 20 MLB teams.
If you have been paying attention to sports in general over the last while you know who Tebow is, if not you have likely been living under a rock.
He was a superstar quarterback for the Florida Gators and won the Heisman Trophy as NCAA Football’s best player in 2007.
The hype was massive for Tebow as he headed to the NFL draft as a player who divided everyone.
Some thought he could be the superstar that he was in college while others saw holes in his game and thought that he was going to be a bust.
The Denver Broncos took the risk as they selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
What followed was one of the strangest times in the NFL as Tebow became a superstar and began winning games but he was never the best quarterback.
He continued to be polarizing and eventually his time in professional football came to an end despite the hype that constantly surrounded him.
What many might not know about the quarterback, though, is that he was also a star on the baseball field.
In high school, he was an all-state baseball player where he helped his team to the final four of the state championship as a junior.
Football took over from that moment on though and he has not played baseball seriously since 2005.
After a very brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Tebow has been filling in on TV sets but behind the scenes, he has reportedly been preparing for a second career in sports.
When he was called to the Eagles he had already been underway in preparing for life in baseball.
For many the reports of Tebow trying out for the MLB team were taken as more a joke than anything else.
When the talk of Tebow hitting balls against MiLB pitchers surfaced so many thought it was just another athlete having a good day.
The reality is that Tebow has been trying to make a comeback into athletic life. That means trying to get people to take him seriously in his pursuit of an MLB career.
The talk surrounding the former quarterback has taken a different turn now though as reports began to surface of him actually looking good.
Not just in a way that a good athlete can usually look good at most sports but in a way where he has looked like there might be a future in the MLB.
After hitting against top prospects and making the rounds for some media the idea that he might play in the MLB is gaining traction.
Former scouts and current analysts have said that his has a great swing and that strong arm he had throwing the football is still there.
That makes him a serious prospect in the league and that is why there are 20 teams ready to give him a shot in the MLB.
Whether he gets signed will be entirely up to his performance but there seems to be little doubt that someone will give him a shot.
It clearly won’t be a shot in the MLB as they will do what they do with every prospect high-profile or not, and send him to the minors where he will look to prove that he can make it in his second sport.
On August 30 he will take his chance at becoming a two-sport athlete where he will try to have a longer career than his previous one.
Extra Innings
(More on this week in baseball)
Pujols Moving up
This week Albert Pujols solidified his spot among the best hitters in baseball when he hit his 584th home run passing Mark McGuire in the all-time list as entering the top ten in home runs making sure he will always be considered one of the best
Sponsorship Causality
Stadium names have not been the same over the last few decades with legendary parks falling to sponsorships and ruining the old legendary names but that took another step in Chicago where the White Sox will play in Guaranteed Rate Park as one of the strangest names in the MLB
Hamilton Out Again
Josh Hamilton has had a tumultuous few years with relapses and poor performance putting his career in danger after leaving Texas and his return was supposed to fix those issues but they haven’t and now he could be a minor league player as he was placed on waivers by the Rangers
Key Series:
Boston Red Sox 2-2 Detroit Tigers
– The Red Sox have gone from a forgotten member of the AL East to a contender and they gained ground with these two wins even if they didn’t gain anything in their record as they continue to try to gain a postseason spot
Houston Astros 2-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
– The Astros are still in the fight for an AL postseason spot but they are fighting a tough fight and losing out although they did gain some ground in taking two games from the Pirates who themselves are in a postseason battle
-1 Miami Marlins
– The royals and the Marlins are both fighting for their spots in the postseason and they both needed wins in this series to get to that point and the Royals got those wins as they crept closer to a postseason spot
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 San Francisco Giants
– The NL West battle continues for another year with the Dodgers at the top of the division and the Giants trying to get back to the top but losing this series is not going to help them get back to the top of the division
Upcoming Series:
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox [Aug. 26-28]
– The Royals and the Red Sox are hoping that they can end August on a good note so that their Septembers can be great as both pursue the postseason with seasons that have been less than great this year
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers [Aug. 26-28]
– This could be a preview of the NLCS as the Dodgers are looking great in this second half of the season and the Cubs have been great all season as both teams could be headed to a face-off and they will look to get some confidence against each other in this series
Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers [Aug. 29-31]
– The Mariners are hoping that they can be the latest to break a long postseason drought and they are playing their way into the postseason late in the year with a big series against Texas that might help them gain some ground
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles [Aug. 29-31]
– The Blue Jays and the Orioles were set to fight for the AL East but the Red Sox are making a push and now the Orioles need to win including in this series against the Blue Jays who are just hoping to stay on top
The Sport Addiction 