The Milwaukee Brewers are currently a game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central heading into the All Star Break. The Brewers will have three starters: Carlos Gomez, Aramis Ramirez, and Jonathan Lucroy in the game, along with closer Fransisco Rodriguez. Tragedy struck the Brewers family a few days ago as Jean Segura's young son died suddenly.
1B: Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay are sharing time at 1B and both seem to be past their prime. Overbay's average is awful as is Reynolds', but at least Mark is hitting some home runs. Hopefully, minor league prospect, Hunter Morris can emerge as a solid 1B and play next year.
2B: Scooter Gennett has done a solid job in his first full major league season, while Rickie Weeks serves as a solid backup. They've both been productive at the plate.
SS: Segura has struggled offensively and it's hard to say how he will react to the death of this son. Hopefully he can get back to his 2013 form.
3B: Aramis Ramirez has done a great job when healthy. His power numbers aren't huge, but he's putting up some good numbers.
LF: Khris Davis has done a pretty nice job in his first full season and has some nice power. He lacks discipline at times, but I think he'll be a solid player.
CF: Carlos Gomez has been one of the best all around players in the league this year, a solid defender, hitting around .300 and hitting with power.
RF: Ryan Braun hasn't put up huge numbers, but he's been solid. His power numbers are down a bit this year.
C: Lucroy has been a beast offensively and will be starting in his first all star game.
P: The pitching staff has been pretty solid thus far, the starters: Yovani Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza and Wily Peralta have been great, Marco Estrada just got sent to the bullpen after Jimmy Nelson got called up. Nelson was tearing it up at AAA Nashville before the call up. The bullpen has done a nice job, K-Rod is one of the best closers in the NL, and Will Smith has been amazing.
The Brewers are looking good and could be on their way to the playoffs if they stay healthy.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
2014 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Position Breakdown
This part of the year is usually pretty brutal sports-wise, waiting for college football to start. This year, the Milwaukee Brewers are at the top of the NL Central, so I haven't lost interest in baseball yet. But, it's never to early to take a look at how the Iowa Hawkeyes football team will shape up this year. Here's a positional breakdown.
QB - The QB group should be much better than last year. They did lose third stringer, Cody Sokol, to Louisiana Tech, but he didn't take any meaningful snaps. Both Jake Rudock, the starter, and C.J. Beathard, should be more improved. Both could be capable of leading Iowa to a bowl game. Rudock has the smarts and rarely makes mistakes. Beathard has a cannon arm, but needs a little more work overall. I could see them using a 2-QB system early in the season to see how things go and get Beathard a little experience. RS FR Nic Shimonek provides a solid third option as he did well as the scout team QB last year. Incoming freshmen, Tyler Wiegers, will probably redshirt, but has a lot of upside. None of the QB's are particularly craft with their legs, but they got enough to get the job done.
RB - I've always loved Iowa's running game and this year they have some depth as well as variety. Former walk-on, Mark Weisman, is a fullback turned running back, who is good at wearing defenses down, but lacks break away speed and misses some holes that could be hit by quicker backs. Jordan Canzeri provides a nice breakaway threat as the speedy option. He really shined against Purdue when he was given an opportunity. Damon Bullock is a good all-around back, not the best runner, but he has good hands. Sophomore, LeShun Daniels, looks to fit in the Weisman mold, but will probably be a little quicker. RS FR Akrum Wadley and Jonathan Parker will provide even more depth, both could be Canzeri-esque.
FB - Adam Cox and Macon Plewa are both solid role players for the Hawkeyes providing good blocking and an occasional reception out of the backfield, they should be in good shape with these guys.
WR - I've got a good feeling about this group of wideouts, they lost Jordan Cotton and Don Shumpert, but neither were game-breakers. Kevonte Martin-Manley has been consistent and Tevaun Smith showed signs of being a go-to-guy if he continues improving. Throw in speedster, Damond Powell and RS FR Derrick Willies a 6'4" track star and Iowa might have some solid options. Adding depth will be Jacob Hillyer, who has shown that he can get yards after the catch, and Matt VandeBerg, who has nice hands. Derrick Mitchell and Andre Harris will both be freshmen and Jay Scheel could see the field if he doesn't redshirt.
TE - Losing a third round pick at a position would usually make you nervous, but not with this group of TE's that Iowa has. Much like the RB's, the TE group has some nice variety. Ray Hamilton will most likely be the starter, he's a good blocker with good hands. Jake Duzey proved that he can be a deep threat and Henry Krieger-Coble will add solid depth as a blocker or receiver. According to Hamilton, George Kittle is the fastest of the bunch. I hope to see more of the three tight end sets like they used against Ohio State last year.
OL - Iowa always has a solid OL and this year will be no different thanks to the return of behemoth, Brandon Scherff, who turned down millions to return to Iowa City. Scherff, if healthy, will be in the running for the Outland Award and will be a high draft pick. The other tackles position should be occupied by Andrew Donnal. Donnal has fought injury problems but when healthy he could be a beast. The guards will be RS FR Sean Welsh and junior Jordan Walsh. Walsh is one of the better guards in the Big Ten and should have a solid year. Austin Blythe will be one of the better centers in the nation. Hopefully this group stays healthy, the backups are inexperienced. There's a lot of potential, but they are very young. Ryan Ward could be a nice fill in and tackle or guard, and walk-on, Boone Myers has worked his way up the depth chart.
DL - The defensive line will be the strong point of the defense led by Carl Davis in the middle. Davis has appeared on some early mock drafts as a first rounder, which came as a surprise to me. Louis Trinca-Pasat is another solid DT and always hustles (watch the final play of the Northwestern game last year). There is a lot of depth with Darian Cooper, Jaleel Johnson, Faith Ekakitie, Brant Gressel and Nathan Bazata. The defensive ends aren't quite as deep, but starters, Mike Hardy and Drew Ott return. Nate Meier will add a spark off the bench and be a tough matchup for some slower OL. Melvin Spears and Riley McMinn seem like they're both healthy finally and could use some experience. I could see incoming freshmen, Matt Nelson, possibly seeing some time if he's ready.
LB - This group will be a huge question mark after losing all three starters. SR Quinton Alston, could have started for a lot of teams last year and will finally get his chance to be an every down player. Reggie Spearman was a lot of fun to watch last year and should provide some energy on this defense. Travis Perry looks to be the third starter, he doesn't have much experience, but Cole Fisher and Chad Gilson could push for that starting spot. RS FR John Kenny and Josey Jewell could see time as well.
DB- Desmond King really stepped up last year as a true freshmen, he held his own against LSU's Odell Beckhem and Jarvis Landry, who were drafted in the first round and second round respectively. Look for him to be even better this year. I would like to see Maurice Fleming as the other starter at CB, he's not very experienced, but he's very athletic, saw some great speed from his last year. Sean Draper was very disappointing last year, especially against Michigan State. He was so bad even my wife noticed, she said, "what the hell is number 7 doing?" As mad as I was that the Spartans scored, I was proud of her for noticing how bad Draper got burned. I think RS FR Malik Rucker could eventually be a good one, and I could see a true freshmen, maybe Omar Truitt, getting some playing time. At safety, look for John Lowdermilk and Jordan Lomax to start. Hopefully Lomax can stay healthy, and Lowdermilk can run into the end zone before celebrating a touchdown. Losing Nico Law was a big hit to the secondary, but Anthony Gair will take advantage of that and step into the third safety spot unless he gets beat out by TR FR Solomon Warfield or true FR Miles Taylor.
ST - Marshall Koehn is kind of an unknown at this point and the kicker spot could really hurt the team a bit with inexperience. At punter, Dillon Kidd and Connor Kornbrath will be going toe-to-toe(pun intended). Martin-Manley is back as one of the better punt returners in the nation and Canzeri should be at KR, not sure who else will return kicks, maybe Powell?
The biggest concerns will be the OL health, and the defensive back seven inexperience. The kicking game could use some work as well, but overall I think the offense will be better this year. The front four will definitely provide help with the back seven as they gain more experience. I think they'll certainly make a bowl game and could contend for the division title.
QB - The QB group should be much better than last year. They did lose third stringer, Cody Sokol, to Louisiana Tech, but he didn't take any meaningful snaps. Both Jake Rudock, the starter, and C.J. Beathard, should be more improved. Both could be capable of leading Iowa to a bowl game. Rudock has the smarts and rarely makes mistakes. Beathard has a cannon arm, but needs a little more work overall. I could see them using a 2-QB system early in the season to see how things go and get Beathard a little experience. RS FR Nic Shimonek provides a solid third option as he did well as the scout team QB last year. Incoming freshmen, Tyler Wiegers, will probably redshirt, but has a lot of upside. None of the QB's are particularly craft with their legs, but they got enough to get the job done.
RB - I've always loved Iowa's running game and this year they have some depth as well as variety. Former walk-on, Mark Weisman, is a fullback turned running back, who is good at wearing defenses down, but lacks break away speed and misses some holes that could be hit by quicker backs. Jordan Canzeri provides a nice breakaway threat as the speedy option. He really shined against Purdue when he was given an opportunity. Damon Bullock is a good all-around back, not the best runner, but he has good hands. Sophomore, LeShun Daniels, looks to fit in the Weisman mold, but will probably be a little quicker. RS FR Akrum Wadley and Jonathan Parker will provide even more depth, both could be Canzeri-esque.
FB - Adam Cox and Macon Plewa are both solid role players for the Hawkeyes providing good blocking and an occasional reception out of the backfield, they should be in good shape with these guys.
WR - I've got a good feeling about this group of wideouts, they lost Jordan Cotton and Don Shumpert, but neither were game-breakers. Kevonte Martin-Manley has been consistent and Tevaun Smith showed signs of being a go-to-guy if he continues improving. Throw in speedster, Damond Powell and RS FR Derrick Willies a 6'4" track star and Iowa might have some solid options. Adding depth will be Jacob Hillyer, who has shown that he can get yards after the catch, and Matt VandeBerg, who has nice hands. Derrick Mitchell and Andre Harris will both be freshmen and Jay Scheel could see the field if he doesn't redshirt.
TE - Losing a third round pick at a position would usually make you nervous, but not with this group of TE's that Iowa has. Much like the RB's, the TE group has some nice variety. Ray Hamilton will most likely be the starter, he's a good blocker with good hands. Jake Duzey proved that he can be a deep threat and Henry Krieger-Coble will add solid depth as a blocker or receiver. According to Hamilton, George Kittle is the fastest of the bunch. I hope to see more of the three tight end sets like they used against Ohio State last year.
OL - Iowa always has a solid OL and this year will be no different thanks to the return of behemoth, Brandon Scherff, who turned down millions to return to Iowa City. Scherff, if healthy, will be in the running for the Outland Award and will be a high draft pick. The other tackles position should be occupied by Andrew Donnal. Donnal has fought injury problems but when healthy he could be a beast. The guards will be RS FR Sean Welsh and junior Jordan Walsh. Walsh is one of the better guards in the Big Ten and should have a solid year. Austin Blythe will be one of the better centers in the nation. Hopefully this group stays healthy, the backups are inexperienced. There's a lot of potential, but they are very young. Ryan Ward could be a nice fill in and tackle or guard, and walk-on, Boone Myers has worked his way up the depth chart.
DL - The defensive line will be the strong point of the defense led by Carl Davis in the middle. Davis has appeared on some early mock drafts as a first rounder, which came as a surprise to me. Louis Trinca-Pasat is another solid DT and always hustles (watch the final play of the Northwestern game last year). There is a lot of depth with Darian Cooper, Jaleel Johnson, Faith Ekakitie, Brant Gressel and Nathan Bazata. The defensive ends aren't quite as deep, but starters, Mike Hardy and Drew Ott return. Nate Meier will add a spark off the bench and be a tough matchup for some slower OL. Melvin Spears and Riley McMinn seem like they're both healthy finally and could use some experience. I could see incoming freshmen, Matt Nelson, possibly seeing some time if he's ready.
LB - This group will be a huge question mark after losing all three starters. SR Quinton Alston, could have started for a lot of teams last year and will finally get his chance to be an every down player. Reggie Spearman was a lot of fun to watch last year and should provide some energy on this defense. Travis Perry looks to be the third starter, he doesn't have much experience, but Cole Fisher and Chad Gilson could push for that starting spot. RS FR John Kenny and Josey Jewell could see time as well.
DB- Desmond King really stepped up last year as a true freshmen, he held his own against LSU's Odell Beckhem and Jarvis Landry, who were drafted in the first round and second round respectively. Look for him to be even better this year. I would like to see Maurice Fleming as the other starter at CB, he's not very experienced, but he's very athletic, saw some great speed from his last year. Sean Draper was very disappointing last year, especially against Michigan State. He was so bad even my wife noticed, she said, "what the hell is number 7 doing?" As mad as I was that the Spartans scored, I was proud of her for noticing how bad Draper got burned. I think RS FR Malik Rucker could eventually be a good one, and I could see a true freshmen, maybe Omar Truitt, getting some playing time. At safety, look for John Lowdermilk and Jordan Lomax to start. Hopefully Lomax can stay healthy, and Lowdermilk can run into the end zone before celebrating a touchdown. Losing Nico Law was a big hit to the secondary, but Anthony Gair will take advantage of that and step into the third safety spot unless he gets beat out by TR FR Solomon Warfield or true FR Miles Taylor.
ST - Marshall Koehn is kind of an unknown at this point and the kicker spot could really hurt the team a bit with inexperience. At punter, Dillon Kidd and Connor Kornbrath will be going toe-to-toe(pun intended). Martin-Manley is back as one of the better punt returners in the nation and Canzeri should be at KR, not sure who else will return kicks, maybe Powell?
The biggest concerns will be the OL health, and the defensive back seven inexperience. The kicking game could use some work as well, but overall I think the offense will be better this year. The front four will definitely provide help with the back seven as they gain more experience. I think they'll certainly make a bowl game and could contend for the division title.
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