KSJ Baseball Power Rankings

1. Jim Riggleman/Davey Johnson: If not for Jim Riggleman torching his own managerial career, we would not be seeing 68-year old Davey Johnson as the new Washington Nationals. (Even at 68, Davey is still 12 years younger than new Marlins manager Jack McKeon.) I've always had a strange fascination with Davey Johnson since reading about the 86 Mets. Johnson was the first manager to start using a computer to college data. Johnson was also the only manager who could successfully manage a group of knuckleheads like Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, and Nails. And Davey Johnson was the only manager to tell Marge Schott to stick it. So yes I'm excited that Johnson is managing in the majors again.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pittsburgh Pirates are the coolest story in baseball right now. The Pirates are two games above .500 and are only three and a half games out of first place in the NL Central. They just took two out three from Boston to knock the Red Sox out of first place. Pretty amazing to think about when considering the Pirates lost 105 games last year.

3. Delmon Young: You never like seeing players taken off the field on a stretcher. Even if it's only for an ankle injury. Delmon Young had to be taken off the field on Saturday on a stretcher with an ankle injury in the Twins blowout loss in Milwaukee. Also while Young lied on the ground, Yuniesky Betancourt raced around the field for an inside-the-park home run.


4. Injured Vet: This injured vet caught a foul ball at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Cool moment.



5. Josh Hamilton's Eyes: It was revealed over the weekend that Josh Hamilton's eyes prevent him from hitting well in the daytime. Seriously. Hamilton hits below the Mendosa line during the day and over .300 during night games. So of course it's his eyes.

6. Adam Dunn: Adam Dunn has already struck out over 100 times this season and we're not even in July yet. If Drew Stubbs wasn't such a strikeout machine himself, Dunn would be the league leader. I'm more surprised at the fact that Mark Reynolds isn't even in the top 5 of strikeout leaders. I'm sure though he'll have a late season surge.

7. Team Travel: Not surprising at all, but West Coast teams travel the most. I would feel sorry for the west coast teams, but they fly on private airplanes. Maybe if they had to travel with regular citizens who bring their puking babies with them on board, I would feel sorry for the Mariners.

8. Salary Projections: Jon Heyman looks at salary projections for soon to be free agents Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, and Albert Pujols. Not surprisingly the agents Heyman asked projections from projected the three free agents would receive huge contracts in the offseason, specifically one projection has Pujols receiving a 10-year, $300 million dollar contract.

9. Ultimate Home Run Derby: Sweet Spot looks at what the ultimate home run derby would look like. I have to agree with Schoenfield, Ken Griffey Jr. would win this derby. That sweet swing combined with Juniors narcissism is a perfect combo to win a dubious competition like the home run derby. 

10. I've ran out of stories to talk about: Watch this video and enjoy your day.