By Richard Schortemeyer III

Welcome, all, to the official beginning of 2008’s second half of “On the Record.” In this edition, we’ll talk about the resurgence of a former 30+ HR hitter in the Big Apple, an outfielder named A. Jones who’s actually producing for his team, and a young hurler finally beginning to climb upwards in the Rockies.

But, first, with the All-Star Game being played at historic Yankee Stadium, in its last season, and Texas’ Josh Hamilton’s amazing performance at the HR Derby, you just had a feeling that this Tuesday’s contest was going to be something special. So many interesting little tidbits in this game, but I’ll just name a few:

1) I loved when Milwaukee’s OF Corey Hart came up to bat. They played ‘80s popstar Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.”

2) I just found it interesting that at Yankee Stadium, Boston’s closer Jonathan Papelbon gave up the lead in top of the 8th and then the other NY closer Billy Wagner gave up the tying run in the bottom half.

3) If the NL had won, Colorado SP Aaron Cook should have been given the keys to that large, white SUV. Wow! What a performance.

4) AL All-Star and Boston manager Terry Francona deserves props for how he
handled taking out local All-Stars SS Derek Jeter and 3B Alex Rodriguez.

5) I think the only player that would like to forget this special is Florida 2B Dan Uggla, as he committed a few errors and was a key double play victim. What began as an ultimate dream, turned into his worst nightmare. Hopefully that experience doesn’t affect his second half play because he is one of the best young middle infielders in MLB.

Overall, what a game! It was worth me getting just three hours of sleep before work.

Question #1

What is the biggest reason for the NY Mets strong climb back up to contention?

The starting pitching has, no doubt, been solid the past couple of weeks. However, it’s been the offensive production of the ‘backups’ that has been the biggest reason the NY Mets are looking like the NY Mets were supposed to look in 2008. Veterans like IF Damion Easley, OF Endy Chavez, and my next featured player, IF/OF Fernando Tatis, have stepped up to the plate in place of a few injured starters.

In 1999, Tatis had a career season playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, which included what he’s most known for: his two grand slams in one inning in a game in April of that year. Overall, he hit .298, with 34 HRs, and 107 RBIs. However, that promising blue sky suddenly turned black as he was never able to come close to matching that career year.

After struggling with injuries the following four seasons, Tatis left baseball for a couple of seasons before coming back with the Baltimore Orioles for a short stint in 2006. Mets GM Omar Minaya brought him to the organization in 2007 where he regained his offense with the New Orleans Zephyrs. With that success, combined with an injury to starting LF Moises Alou, Tatis was brought back to the top professional level where he has truly proven, so far, that he belongs again.

Since being brought up in mid-May, Tatis has hit over .300, driven in over 20 runs, and been an overall clutch hitter. His highlight reel includes a key tie-breaking HR in a recent game with rival Philadelphia. Most of the Mets right now have hot bats, especially the three guys in front of Tatis (3B David Wright, CF Carlos Beltran, 1B Carlos Delgado). Considering that line-up, along with the real uncertainty of Alou’s return, I wouldn’t hesitate to give this veteran a second chance.

Question #2

What outfielder named A. Jones is starting to produce in 2008?

Automatically, you would assume multiple All-Star and Gold Glover Andruw Jones. However, you couldn’t be more dead wrong as Andruw continues to be MLB’s top disappointment of the 2008 season. The A. Jones that is starting to catch some attention in a positive way is young Baltimore OF Adam Jones.

Included in the deal that sent former Orioles ace Erik Bedard to Seattle, Jones’ second home has proven to be a great experience so far. After brief big league appearances his first two seasons in Seattle, it looks as though Jones has established himself in the #2 slot in the Orioles lineup. This past month has seen Jones hit around .360, drive in close to 20 runs, and steal a few bases. He’s, by far, no Cal Ripken, but he’s proven to be durable up to this point, as well, as he is the only Oriole to play in every one of the Orioles’ 95 games this season.

With Jones being in the prime spot of Baltimore’s lineup, hitting after solid table-setter 2B Brian Roberts and in front of quality RBI guys OF Nick Markakis and CI Aubrey Huff, you should be able to find room in your lineup and give the newer A. Jones a chance to shine for your squad.

Question #3

Who’s slowly becoming a strong candidate for Colorado’s #1 pitcher’s slot?

We all know that, for pitchers, Colorado isn’t one of the ‘Fave’ Five (or Fave 25) teams to go on the mound and perform for. For the first 2 ½ months, Colorado SP Ubaldo Jimenez would probably be in the front of that line as, after a loss on June 1, he was 1-6 with a 5.37 ERA.

However, Jimenez has started to mountain-climb his way out of that hole. Since that June 1 loss, Jimenez is 4-3, only allowing more than three runs in only two of his last nine starts, while lowering his ERA over a run to around 4.20. This recent hot streak has included two solid starts against the hottest team in baseball, the NY Mets, as he has pitched 14 innings against them … giving up only four runs and striking out ten.

The two things that might scare you about Jimenez is the BB total as it’s close to a 3.0 average (63 BBs in 21 starts) and the dreadful bullpen which has contributed mightily to Colorado being in the bottom-five in the league with an ERA close to 5. I believe the upside can outweigh those negatives, but I would give it a couple more starts before considering putting him in your rotation.

Check back next week to see who’s “On the Record.”

Until next time, Adios all.