The 2019 MLB All-Star Break is exactly a month away, beginning July 7th- meaning baseball’s midway point is on the horizon. April and May have come and gone and we are now a week into June. Baseball season is now in full swing. The majority of teams around the league have surpassed the 60-game mark and are beginning to develop an identity. Typically, by the break contenders and pretenders are separated as teams begin to prepare for a second half push.
The National and American Leagues have been polar opposites thus far, in 2019. The AL is top heavy. Teams that were expected to dominate in the preseason have already stolen the driver’s seat and hit the gas pedal. The NL, on the hand is an all out dog fight. The Dodgers still look like the team to beat, while the rest of the pack is battling it out. To put things into perspective, the NL Central is separated by just 6 games. No division in the AL has a margin less than 18.
While there is still more than sixty-percent of the regular season to be played, any team can get things rolling. Here, we’ll take a look at the three hottest teams from each league. These clubs have either separated themselves from the rest, or are shaping up to be the teams ready to make a run.
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
The Houston Astros currently hold the best record in the AL at 43-21. Houston appears to be on the way to winning the AL West for the third straight year. With their sights set on a second World Series in three years, the Astros have been clicking on all cylinders. If they’re able to get fully healthy, there are very few teams in baseball that can hang with ‘Stros elite team pitching and exceptional batting.
The New York Yankees currently lead the most entertaining division in the AL, with a record of 39-22. The AL East is quite possibly the best division in baseball. The Yankees kicked off 2019 plagued with injuries, but have prevailed and remained a top 10 team in both pitching and batting. While it took a few weeks for them to get healthy, New York has solidified themselves as the team to catch in the division. However, there is little room for error. The Rays are back in contention and trail by just 1.5 games. In addition, the defending champion Red Sox have seemed to gather themselves from an early season World Series hangover. The Sox are now just 6.5 games behind the Yankees. Keep an eye out for the AL East, as every game matters for these clubs.
Lastly, the surprise of the league has been the scorching hot Minnesota Twins. The Twins appear to be the real deal this season after a sub .500 campaign, in 2018. Minnesota claims a 41-20 record and shows no signs of slowing down. The second place Indians need to improve from being stuck in the mud at .500, if they plan to regain power in the AL Central, as they trail by 10.5 games. The Twins are the number 1 ranked batting team in the majors. Paired with a top 10 team pitching rank, Minnesota should cruise into the break.
Honorable mentions: Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
The Los Angeles Dodgers have represented the NL in back-to-back World Series. The Dodgers have their sights set on making a third straight appearance, with hopes to win this time around. They’ve successfully stuck to the script thus far. LAD is 43-20 and holding onto first in the NL West by 10 games. Like the Astros in the AL, the Dodgers are amongst an elite tier, and when healthy are a top team in baseball. Their success is due in part to a balanced attack. LAD is ranked in the MLB’s top 3 in both team batting and pitching.
The Colorado Rockies may seem to be a head scratcher to show up on this list, as they trail LAD by 10 games in the West. However, The Rockies are a team that are heating up at the right time. With a decent 32-29 record, Colorado has some work to do. They seem to be up to the task. Since their dismal 3-12 start to the season, the Rockies are 29-17 and have won eight of their last ten outings. Team batting has led the run, ranking 7th in the MLB. If the Rockies want to lock in a wildcard spot this year, they’ll need to improve on their 26th ranked team pitching. If they do so, watch out for Colorado.
Our last spot on the list was a tough call, due to the high level of competitiveness in the NL. With that being said, the Philadelphia Phillies with a 35-27 record and a current lead in the East make the cut. The Braves are just 2 games behind and are heating up themselves. However, Philly is finding ways to fend off the field. A trade with Seattle this week sending All-Star outfielder Jay Bruce to the Phillies put the league on notice. The Phillies are in it to win it and have proved that they are willing to make every move to make it happen, even if that means backing in the Brinks Truck for Bryce Harper. In terms of statistics, they are putting out very average batting and pitching numbers. However, stats aren’t everything and Philly continues to find ways to win. A great month of June could be huge for them heading into the playoff race.
Honorable mentions: Braves, Nationals, the entire NL Central
Summer is heating up and this month kicked off with a slew of highly-anticipated releases, as well as a surprise drop by Nike. June 1st got the ball rolling with the release of the Nike Air Fear of God 1 in the “Orange Pulse” and “Frosted Spruce” colorways. Unfortunately, if you look throughout all of social media it seems as if the only people who were actually able to obtain the Nike Air Fear of God 1’s were celebrities and highly touted young basketball players. Jerry Lorenzo’s F.O.G. collection always comes with its hype and this iteration was no exception.
June 1st also saw the release of the Air Jordan 7 “Ray Allen PE.” This silhouette was dressed in a black nubuck upper along with purple, green, and grey accents to pay homage to the old school Milwaukee Bucks. Should Jordan Brand keep on releasing colorways of P.E. models from their signature athletes, or should some stay in the vault forever? Another Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Protro dropped on June 1st in the “Carpe Diem” colorway. This summer could see a lot of young hoopers wearing the Kobe 4 Protros as its style and performance is still very much on par with todays standards and most of these teenagers were only 5-7 years old during the shoe’s initial run.
On June 2nd Nike surprised us with a shock drop of the Air Jordan 4 Raptors (again), but this time in a “Drake PE” form. Nike and Jordan Brand have done this in the past; almost toying with us, releasing a shoe that is 99% the same as another, but changing one slight detail on it to increase the hype. This pair was basically the same version that released back in August of 2018, also retailing for $200, with the only difference being this new “PE” version has a purple Jumpman on the tongue with Drake’s signature below it in red. There have been rumors going around that the 2018 Jordan 4 Raptors had a release run of 200,000 pairs while the “Drake PE” saw its numbers at around 15,000 pairs.
June 6th saw the release of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V2 “Vanta” as well as the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Black Reflective,” with the “Non Reflective” version releasing a day later on the 7th. The 700’s display simple black and dark grey tones on the upper while sitting on top of a dark grey midsole. The 350 V2’s consist of just an all black prime knit upper with the reflective pair being completely 3M when the flash hits it. Is anyone else getting Yeezy 350 V2 fatigue, or is the demand for them still steady with each coming release? The 700’s retail for $300 and the 350 V2’s are at the expected $220 mark. To celebrate Pride Month, Nike will be releasing their new Air Max 720 model (June 8), the Zoom Pegasus Turbo (June 8), and the Air Max 90 (June 15), all dressed in a rainbow color scheme in accordance with Nike’s “Be True” campaign. The Air Max 720’s have a retail price of $190, Zoom Pegasus Turbo – $180, and Air Max 90 – $130.
This weekend Jordan Brand will release the “Reflections of a Champion” pack which includes the Air Jordan 6, 7, and 8 respectively. Each model represents an original colorway but instead of white leather or black nubuck for the materials, the pack has light grey 3M uppers on each pair. Is Jordan Brand reaching with this concept of “Reflections of a Champion” by simply releasing 3M sneakers? Are you willing to pay the hefty retail price of $225 each? At this point, the exclusivity factor on each pair may be the only thing to draw in buyers’ attention.
The age old question every fan must ask themselves as the NBA draft approaches. “Who should we pick in the draft?” As a Michigan native and honorary Pistons fan I must ask myself this question. I browsed through the large number of Mock Draft predictions, seeing which players most sports experts had Detroit landing with the 15th and 45th picks in the Draft. Now, if your from Detroit or live in the city then you already know the frustration that has built up in the hearts of many Pistons fans over the years. Most of which is simply due to the fact that the Pistons’ organization has a history of passing up on amazing players in the draft that go on to become stars in the league.
The biggest player probably being Carmelo Anthony back in the 2003 draft and the most recent being Donovan Mitchell in the 2017 draft. We passed up on both of these players who went on to become stars in the league. Donovan Mitchell being a rising star in his own right and leading the Utah Jazz to 2 consecutive playoff runs post Gordon Hayward.
I say all this to say, there is pressure on the Pistons to draft the best players that are available at the 15th and 45th slot. The Pistons need a backup center and a scoring wing player. Zaza Pachulia is a free agent this summer, and many expect John Leur to be either traded or waived this summer. So, there will be a need for another backup center behind Drummond & Thon Maker. The Pistons are in an even greater need of a scoring wing player though. The Pistons have went through several shooting guards in the past few years. Picking up a solid wing player in the draft at 15 seems like the way to go. Andre Drummond even said it himself that “I think we’re in the hunt for a wing, a tall wing.”
Kevin Porter Jr USC “gettyimages”
In steps Kevin Porter Jr , Many Mock drafts have the Pistons drafting him with the 15th pick which I feel is the best choice. At 6’5 212 lbs , Porter Jr. seems like a very solid wing player. He’s still very young being just 19 years old. He only averaged 9.4 PPG along with 4.0 RPG and 1.4 APG. He played restricted minutes as a freshman this past season, but he shot over 40% from behind the arch. He is also extremely athletic and explosive on the fast-break. If he is available by the time the 15th pick comes around then grabbing him up should be a no brainer.
Moses Brown UCLA “gettyimages”
With the 45th pick, the Pistons will probably go after a young center to play limited minutes behind Drummond and Thon Maker. I think the 7’1 center from UCLA, Moses Brown, would be a great pick at 45. He is listed at 245lbs and he would be a solid backup center. Brown is a very athletic big and can handle the ball if need be. He almost averaged a double-double in his freshman season averaging 9.7 PPG & 8.3 RPG. Brown is 19 years old and a former McDonald’s All-American. Many of the mock drafts have him falling just short of making a draft selection, but he’s a sleeper. The former All-American deserves consideration especially towering at 7ft tall. I think he’d be a great piece alongside Thon Maker who is also a long 7ft big .
90’s Babies get ready to introduce your kids to a Nickelodeon classic with a new twist. All That is back with 7 new faces alike executive produced by Nick’s first dynamic duo ( No not Drake & Josh) Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.
As the premiere date of June 15th approaches, the cast has started to make their media rounds to promote the show. The Cast recently appearing on BUILD to chat about the return of Nick’s beloved show. The chemistry between the cast shows as every member playful joked about how the breaking of character by Chinguun Sergelen by laughing was infectious. One untimely smirk, giggle or chuckle from Chinguun, laughter would spread to his castmates like wildfire. The excitement of the cast alone shows promise that this All That can capture the magic of the original and bring joy to a whole new generation.
Even Show Execs Kenan and Kel got in on the fun meeting with Complex to discuss the reboot also hinting at a Good Burger 2 if network greenlights it.
“I feel like the fans really brought it back everywhere we go they’re still talking about it… at red lights, they’re saying Yo do the good burger thing,” said Kel “Parents now are introducing it to their kids online and now their kids get to experience it.
(Top: Chinguun Sergelen, Ryan Alessi, Kate Godfrey, Center: Nathan Janak, Reece Caddell, Bottom: Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, Lex Lumpkin)
it’s moving past the point of people trying to ask us to bring it back, it’s a kids network it should be an opportunity for kids to get on and that what I’m excited about,” said Kenan Thompson ” We got seven talented kids that are about to blow up…It’s just beautiful to watch God work.”
Even though this is a reboot for those who are worried, the original theme song is still intact. A song composed but 90’s music group TLC, while Kenan Thompson says the words of that icon intro. Fresh out the box, stop, look, and watch. Ready yet? Get set. This is All That…
Following the same formula as the one that came before it, the new All That is a weekly sketch comedy show featuring a roster of talented kids with appearances from original cast members. Bring back some of your favorite character like Lori Beth Denberg’s Loud Librarian!
(Video posted below)
In addition to All That, Nickelodeon is plotting revivals of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (hosted by John Cena) and Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Happy #Pride! To my LGBTQ friends and family – we love you, support you, and we’re grateful for you. I’m proud to celebrate and stand with you because everyone deserves to feel safe and free to be who they are and to love who they love. Love is love. pic.twitter.com/RIv9Gvkket
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) June 1, 2019
Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle unveiled a special pair of rainbow Adidas cleats via Twitter to show his support during the month of June. He will debut his LGBTQ pride Adidas Icon Bounce against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, June 4th. In addition to expressing his support for the LGBTQ community, he said he’s “grateful” that the Nationals and other teams around the league are creating an inclusive environment for baseball fans. For Tuesday’s game, fans can purchase a specific ticket to the game and will receive a t-shirt commemorating the night. $5 from every ticket sold will to go TeamDC, according to the Nats.
SMYAL will be celebrating Pride with the @Nationals on Tuesday June 4th at #NightOut!
For the longest time the NFL has been defined by the names of Brady, Rodgers, Brees, Rivers, Watt, Miller, however with every passing season there are new names that find themselves entering the lexicon of NFL fans across the country. Last year it was players like James Conner, Phillip Lindsay, Derwin James, Juju Smith-Schuster, Jamal Adams that turned the page from hotshot upstart to Pro Bowl-caliber player.
As minicamps begin to open, teams are getting their first look at their full rosters this summer. There will be names that come out of nowhere and become contributors. There will be players who take the leap from solid to stud. There will be opportunities opened up where there once wasn’t a chance.
Here is our first look at a select group of players who could become dominant forces in 2019.
Damien Williams, RB (KC)
The storyline for the majority of the Kansas City Chiefs rise to the top seed in the AFC last season was focused on Patrick Mahomes’ rise from backup to MVP. Mahomes put on a stellar display in his first season as a starter and the Chiefs obviously have their man at quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Yet, another key piece didn’t have as great of a second season in Kansas City. Their star running back, Kareem Hunt, was released by the team at the end of November following news of a physical altercation with a woman in a hotel. In his absence, the team started to fill that vacated spot by opting to go with a committee approach in the backfield. During the playoffs there was another unsung hero rise to the occasion for the Chiefs, running back Damien Williams.
The little-used fifth-year pro came to Kansas City after four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. With Hunt gone, Williams took the opportunity to plant himself firmly as the man in the Chiefs backfield. In two playoff games, he contributed 250 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns as the starter. His ability to contribute both as a runner and a receiver make him an integral piece for Andy Reid’s offense going forward.
In the Chiefs divisional round game against the Indianapolis Colts, he made his impact on the ground, carrying the ball 25 times and racking up 129 yards and a touchdown. The next week he diced up the eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots as a receiver to the tune of 66 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.
With most of the league still trying to crack the code on slowing down Mahomes, Williams will certainly see a benefit. Opponents will be unable to load up the box to slow the run which means fewer defenders for Williams to worry about when attacking the line of scrimmage; even if teams do commit more players to the line of scrimmage then Kansas City can exploit the numbers advantage by targeting Williams in the passing game. Following years of being an afterthought, Williams could breakthrough in a big way this upcoming season.
David Njoku, TE (CLE)
The two names that have created the most headlines for the Cleveland Browns since the end of the season have been Hunt–the Browns signed him in February–and Odell Beckham Jr.–the team traded for him in March. However, in this new revamped Browns offense that we will see this upcoming season the player that could have the best season is tight end David Njoku.
Selected with the 29th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Njoku has the physical profile (6-foot-4, 246 pounds, 4.64 40-yard dash time, 37.5-inch vertical jump, and a 6.97 three-cone time) of a player that should make easy work of most linebackers and safeties. Given the attention that wide receivers Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry will require from secondaries, most opposing teams will be forced to use lesser options as the main defenders against Njoku.
After starting only five games and amassing 32 receptions, 386 yards, and four touchdowns, Njoku upped his starts (14), catches (56), and yards (639) outputs in his second season in the NFL. His two games with double-digit targets came after Baker Mayfield supplanted Tyrod Taylor as the team’s starter at quarterback.
With a full summer to build upon the rapport, they developed last year expect for Njoku’s touchdown totals to see a bump this year. It’s going to be impossible for defenses to adequately distribute the proper resources to slow down all three of these weapons on every down. Look for this offense to produce multiple big plays a game this year with Mayfield calling the shots.
Mayfield is believed to be the guy to break the long-running curse at quarterback in Cleveland following a stellar rookie season. At Oklahoma, we saw him spread the ball around to all of his weapons on his way to winning the Heisman trophy. Heading into his second season he now has the same volume of weapons to space out his targets in Cleveland. Having a true red zone and middle-of-the-field threat in Njoku makes life easier for quarterbacks.
Tevin Coleman, RB (SF)
After years of operating as part of a running back duo in Atlanta with Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman had the backfield to himself last year after Freeman missed most of last year with a collection of injuries (hamstring, foot, and groin). Coleman surpassed 1,000 total yards for the first time in his career (1076) as he had a career year across the board.
Following the mini-breakout season, Coleman entered free agency and decided to team up with former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. In their one year together in the 2016 season, Coleman scored a career-best 11 total touchdowns and averaged a career-best 6.3 yards per touch.
Coleman’s 528 career attempts are 105 more than the entire San Francisco team attempted a season ago. He’s coming into the 49ers as a relatively fresh option at running back. The Niners top ball carriers totaled 153 (Matt Breida) and 111 (Alfred Morris) carries last year so it’s unlikely Coleman will be overloaded right off the bat.
This is the second straight offseason where the 49ers sought out a running back free agency. Last year they spent big on Jerrick McKinnon, but a torn ACL kept him from contributing. The initial thought would be that Coleman is leaving one running back committee for another, However, early reports out of San Francisco is that Coleman has emerged as the team’s lead back.
With Jimmy Garappolo coming back from an ACL injury of his own, the 49ers are attempting to push all of their chips into the middle of the table this season. Garappolo has operated best out of play action, and in order for that to work, they first need to establish the run game. With Coleman as the primary back, that means he’s likely to repeat the numbers he produced in 2016 but on a bigger volume.
Jaylon Smith, LB (DAL)
The 2016 NFL Draft was very good to the Dallas Cowboys. They got their quarterback and running back tandem of the future in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. As the seasons have passed more and more praise has been heaped onto the organization for these moves, however, the pick that they really nailed was drafting linebacker Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame with their second-round choice.
Smith was on track to being a top-10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft before an ACL injury in his final college game. The initial thought was that the knee injury could possibly ruin his NFL career, however, Smith has managed to appear in all 34 games–starting in 24 of them–with the Cowboys since being drafted.
Last season, the Cowboys got a version of Smith that looked more in line with what was expected of him pre-injury. He was second on the team in tackles (121 total), forced and recovered two fumbles, and scored Dallas’ only defensive touchdown. Smith’s ability to play sideline-to-sideline and make an impact against the run and pass make him a mainstay on the Cowboys.
The risk that Jerry Jones and co. took with drafting Smith looks to be paying off and as long as he remains healthy then the decision to take him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft will look better and better going forward.
Teamed with 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch Dallas has put together a formidable linebacker duo. We’ve seen the importance of protecting and defending the middle of the field and Dallas has that area of the field locked down now and going into the future thanks to their smart moves in the last few drafts.
Desmond King II, CB (LAC)
The Los Angeles Chargers defense was led by players like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, and Melvin Ingram III last year. All three were phenomenal at their position and wreaked havoc all over the field for opponents. The Chargers main goals on defense were forcing turnovers (19 combined interceptions and recovered fumbles) and capitalizing off them as well (two defensive touchdowns).
In the end, it was a complete 11-man effort down-after-down that made Los Angeles’ defense stingy throughout the season. Within that collective style of play, cornerback Desmond King II started to shine through. He tied with James for a team-high three interceptions last year.
Coming out of Iowa, King II’s knack for getting his hands on the ball (14 career interceptions and three fumbles recovered) made him stand out. However, a down senior season and inconsistent performance at the NFL Draft Combine led him to fall to the fifth round.
With the Chargers though he has found his role on the big stage as a slot cornerback, a position of increasing value in the NFL today. King II’s performance in Week 6 against Jarvis Landry and the Cleveland Browns was his pièce de résistance last season. Targeted four times, Landry only had one catch for seven yards when covered by King II. He also baited Baker Mayfield into throwing an interception on a crossing route.
If King II can continue his dominance in the slot he will be a big piece of the Chargers evolving defense going forward. He also adds the benefit of being the primary punt returner for the team. Los Angeles wants the ball in King II’s hands and so far he has obliged.
Lamar Jackson, QB (BAL)
Coming out of Louisville, Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson was often penciled in as the second coming of Michael Vick. Jackson is an incredible athlete, whose ability to stretch plays outside of the pocket and down the line of scrimmage make defensive coordinators have to alter their game plans when they face him.
After sitting behind Joe Flacco for the majority of his rookie season, Jackson was handed the reigns to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Over the final seven weeks of the year Baltimore went 6-1 with their only loss coming on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs—a game the team lost by three points.
Jackson was a breath of fresh air for a stale Ravens offense. Baltimore changed its entire philosophy seemingly overnight. They became a option-heavy running team with Jackson toting the ball for an average of 17.1 carries a game. With little to no time for opposing teams to scout what the Ravens and Jackson were doing, opponents often entered the game against Baltimore playing on their heels.
Yet, in the team’s Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (playing Baltimore for the second time in two weeks) Jackson’s inability to consistently and accurately make plays in the passing game was a fatal flaw for the Ravens.
Heading into year two of the Lamar Jackson experience, Baltimore is once again changing their offense. They don’t want Jackson in as many designed running plays and by drafting speedster Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the first round their hoping to stretch the field with Jackson’s arm just as much as they did last year with Jackson’s legs. With a full offseason knowing that he is the starter in Baltimore expect Jackson to come back noticeably improved in his second season.
