It is 10 degrees (Feels like -6° F) in Massachusetts and I have a cold. I guess that means I have all the time in the world to review my second year writing for iSportsWeb. A lot of things happened in between the previous two Octobers, including a 70-point performance from Devin Booker and a big trade between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here are the top five stories that I covered during the 2016-2017 iSportsWeb season.
5. Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker’s 70-spot can be built on in 2017-2018 (April 28, 2017)
Devin Booker has turned into a huge steal in the 2015 NBA draft. The Kentucky shooting guard, who was drafted well behind Jahlil Okafor and Mario Hezonja, has been the leading scorer for the rebuilding Phoenix Suns, and he put up 70 points in a thrilling loss in Boston last year. How has that translated into this season?
Well, it depends. Phoenix had by far and away the worst start in the NBA, and it took just three games for Earl Watson to be fired. Eric Bledsoe also expressed his frustrations, or so it seemed, and he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, Jay Triano has cleaned things up, and the Phoenix Suns are within shouting distance of the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Booker is once again leading the Suns with a career-high 24.7 point per game, and he also has career highs in all of the major shooting categories through 27 games played. Add on big performances from T.J. Warren, Alex Len, Tyson Chandler, and recent acquisition Isaiah Canaan, and the Suns appear to have a roster that they seemingly put together on the fly.
Making the playoffs will still be a challenge this year, but the Suns, led by what should be a shooting all-star, have shown plenty of improvement through the first two and a half months of this season. That is big considering there is no clear-cut, second-place team in the Pacific Division.
4. Miami Marlins: Will Giancarlo Stanton reach 60 home runs? (September 19, 2017)
http://www.isportsweb.com/2017/09/19/miami-marlins-will-giancarlo-stanton-reach-60-home-runs/
Stop laughing at me. It is not my fault I write for what could be the worst run franchise in the MLB. Perhaps the Marlins will overwhelmingly win all three of their December trades (and perhaps more to come) and then every other team will stop snickering.
Before all the madness occurred, the Marlins were the center of attention for a better reason. Giancarlo Stanton showed everyone that Aaron Judge, who is now teammates with the Los Angeles native, still has work to do to be the best bopper in the MLB. Stanton hit 33 home runs after the All-Star break, and he fell just one home run short of hitting the 60 for the season. He was at 55 home runs at the time of this article.
Hurricane Irma was the biggest disaster in Miami three months ago, but it seems like the fans’ impatience has caused there to be another one in December. If it makes them fell any better, Jeffrey Loria is no longer the owner in South Beach. I guess that means things are looking up, right?
3. Can the Texas Rangers recover following the Yu Darvish trade? (August 3, 2017)
http://www.isportsweb.com/2017/08/03/can-texas-rangers-recover-following-yu-darvish-trade/
A lot has happened since the Texas Rangers traded away prized ace Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Willie Calhoun made his MLB debut with Texas and looked good in his first 34 at-bats, but the Dodgers are not looking as balmy.
Darvish was decent in nine regular season starts with the Dodgers, but he fell apart in the postseason. Following two good starts against the Diamondbacks and the Cubs, he failed to finish the second inning in either of his two World Series appearances against the Astros, his former arch-rival. One of those starts was in the infamous Game 7, and that likely turned the tide in the deadline trade.
Unless the Dodgers sign him during the offseason and the Japanese pitcher finds redemption, Los Angeles will not win this trade (unless they consider a National League pennant as a win). Calhoun is expected to provide an immediate impact for a Rangers team that will likely get an extensive look at their prospects in 2018, while A.J. Alexy and Brendon Davis, who both finished 2017 in Single-A Hickory, have shown potential. The Rangers have an opportunity to turn one of the more successful pitchers in their modern history into a fantastic, long-term win.
2. Winnipeg Jets: Patrik Laine is stealing the NHL spotlight (November 10, 2016)
http://www.isportsweb.com/2016/11/10/winnipeg-jets-patrik-laine-stealing-nhl-spotlight/
This article was very fun to write. I was going crazy; so imagine what Canada was feeling?
Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel were supposed to battle for the Calder Trophy the year before, but Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews were far more entertaining. There were plenty of times where I thought Laine was going to best Matthews, but the Arizona native reached 40 goals and carried the previously hapless Toronto Maple Leafs to the playoffs.
Now, the two sophomores are continuing their success in 2017-2018. Both Toronto and Winnipeg are currently slated for a postseason trip in April, and that includes Matthews missing 10 games. Is either player going to win the Hart Trophy? The odds are not high at the moment, but the next three months could change everything. As long as the Golden Knights are the best team in the Western Conference, anything can happen in the NHL.
1. Wareham Gatemen top prospects for the 2018 MLB Draft (October 12, 2017)
http://www.isportsweb.com/2017/10/12/wareham-gatemen-top-prospects-for-the-2018-mlb-draft/
This article required more than two months to complete. Why? In order for me to analyze these college prospects, I needed to work as a productions intern for the Wareham Gatemen, one of 10 teams in the Cape Cod Collegiate Summer Baseball League.
Outside of two reallllllllly long home runs from Tristan Pompey, the offense lived and died with singles and rallies, while the pitching was outstanding. It seemed like every pitcher to touched the mound in the first inning came up big, and the Gatemen, despite barely getting into the playoffs with a record of 18-25, pulled off a stunning upset against the Falmouth Commodores before falling to the Bourne Braves in the West Division Finals.
From Aaron Hernandez (stop laughing), Tanner Dodson, and Steven Kwan, the Gatemen have plenty of potential stars heading into the 2018 and 2019 MLB drafts. Will anyone be the next George Springer or Kendall Graveman? We will see over the next three or so years.
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