Yadi or Buster?

The two leading vote getters in the National League for this year’s All-Star Game are Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Giants backstop Buster Posey. The two catchers have already combined for over 5,000,000 votes, but there can only be one starter on July 16 at Citi Field.

Whoever does not win, will become the most voted for backup in All-Star Game history, along with the creation of some very harsh feelings in either the Bay Area or Midwest. As of June 16, Posey was leading Molina by just over 600,000 votes, which is not as much as it seems.

Both players are having career years, excelling in different elements of the game and among the top of different stat categories. As the MLB’s leading hitter, Molina has a far higher batting average at .352, while Posey is at a modest .316. As of June 7, Molina had thirteen hits in thirteen more at bats than Posey.

Posey has however accumulated a higher slugging percentage of .515 compared to Molina’s .488. In support of his high slugging percentage, Posey has hit more homeruns than Molina with eight while driving in 41 runs. Not necessarily a power hitter, Molina has hit four homeruns and drove in 36 runs.

Posey has longer, more strategic at bats, while striking out more, but drawing more walks than Molina. In contrast, Molina takes a more aggressive approach, seeing almost 80 less pitches so far.

Molina has been a better defensive catcher, allowing only sixteen stolen bases on 27 attempts As a team, the Cardinals have allowed the least stolen bases in baseball Runners have had their way with Posey, yielding the second most stolen bases in the MLB with 38 on 47 attempts. The Cardinals backstop has also yet to allow a passed ball this year, as Posey has allowed three.

Though this may be a bit of an inaccurate way to measure a catcher’s talent, the Cardinals have been one of the best pitching teams in baseball. With three pitchers with over seven wins, the Cardinal staff also has an ERA almost one point lower than the Giant staff. The Giants have had an average year in pitching, a letdown considering all of their talent on the hill.

Despite being behind Posey, I think Yadier Molina is the more deserving catcher for the starting nod. “Yadi” has played better defensively while being a more complete offensive player. Posey is a good, young player with a lot of talent and potential, but he has more to do to become the National League’s perennial All-Star Game catcher.

Posey, the 2012 starting catcher, is not out of the race, considering the excessive voting habits of San Francisco fans, however Molina has had a better year by the numbers. This semi positional rivalry might be a preview of the MVP question later this year, but I think Molina will win out again, as he has been the heart of the best team and pitching staff in baseball, and as they say, “statistics do not lie.”

Another Family Reunion..

As if the sporting world wasn't already in awe after Sunday when the Harbaugh brothers were destined to meet in Super Bowl XLVII, it was further in shock once the blockbuster trade between the Braves and Diamondbacks sent highly coveted outfielder, Justin Upton, to join his newly acquired brother, B.J. in Atlanta, earlier this week. The meeting of these two brothers may not be as monumental as the Harbaughs making their parents pick sides for the Super Bowl, but because these two players are among the most exciting in the game today, fans have room to wonder how they will compare to some of the best brother duos in baseball...

The Dean brothers- Dizzy and Daffy Dean led the pitching staff (Well, Hall of Famer Dizzy did at least) of the notorious Gashouse Gang in St. Louis to a domination of the National League in the 1930's, along with some help from the late Stan Musial. Originally named Howard and Paul, their nicknames perfectly fit their personality which is why, whenever I think of the Dean brothers, I think of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from the original Alice in Wonderland. Notice how I said original, not the stereotypical big and stupid depictions from the newer version, as it was hard to not like these loveable brothers who were always good for a chuckle, helping them build the image of 1930's Cardinals baseball. The shenanigans of the Deans weren't like the crude hoaxes recent players like Manny Ramirez have became known for, they were more accustomed to a qoute Roy Campanella once gave, "To play baseball you need to be a man, but you also gotta have a lot of little boy in you too."  Unlike current players, the Deans recognized why they were playing, not for the check at the end of the year, but solely for the love of the game. Whether it was their goofy antics with the press and their teammates that could have landed them a role in a Disney cartoon or just because they were brothers dressed in the same uniform playing the same position, the Deans kept baseball laughing, something current players fail to do, unless at one's expense like Ryan Braun falling down rounding third after attempting an inside the park homerun last year.

The Waner Brothers- One of the few bright points in Pittsburgh Pirate history other than Bill Mazeroski's 1960 Game 7 walkoff homerun and the lasting legacy of Roberto Clemente, was their notorious brother duo of Paul and Lloyd Waner, nicknamed as Big Poison and Little Posion. Lloyd's nickname, (Little Poison) fit him more with his 5-9 stature than Paul (Big Posion) who was actually an inch shorter. (If any of my old timer readers know the reasoning behind the nicknames please comment!) Pitchers used to call which brother to pitch to "picking their poison" this rarely went in the pitchers' favor, as both Paul and Lloyd were career .300 hitters and remain as the only brothers to both be elected into the Hall of Fame.

The Alou Brothers - It is hard to think of a family that has contributed more to baseball than the Alous. With brothers Felipe, Matty, and Jesus all playing together on the San Francisco dynasty that never was. The Giants of the 1960's put together maybe some of the most talented rosters in baseball history, next to Murderer's Row of the 1920's Yankees. The Alou brothers were under appreciated on a team with Hall of Famers like Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays,  Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal. What the Alou brothers are best known for is a game at the previous home of the Giants, the Polo Grounds, in 1963. Late in the game, San Francisco manager, Alvin Dark, pinch hit Matty and Jesus for the last two lineup slots, and with Felipe penciled in at leadoff, baseball history was made as they became the first, and to this day, only 3 brothers to bat consecutively, not really the most followed stat. The Alou brothers experienced their best taste of greatness after they went their separate ways, such as Matty winning 2 batting titles and leading the league in hits with the Pirates. Even though they were either premature or underrated when they played together, the Alou brothers are remembered for making history together by setting a record that may not ever be broken, with the odds of someone making it to the MLB being worse than 16,000:1, imagine what the odds of 2 brothers are, let alone 3.Felipe's son, Moises, played professionally himself also including a stint with the Giants, one of the two times Felipe stood as Moises' manager.

With the Uptons joining forces in Atlanta, there are a lot of possibilities on what they can accomplish. As much as I would like to see B.J. and Justin be dual threats like the Waners, who knows what kind of brotherly love and antics these two will display, or what kind history relating to brotherhood could be made. Despite losing longtime offensive backbone, Chipper Jones, to retirement, the Braves are anything but soft, heading into this season with the Uptons AND Jason Heyward playing the outfield and likely batting 2,3,4, looking to bring Atlanta its first World Series trophy since 1995.