10 Things We Learned About Baseball in July

Was it me, or did the month of July just fly by? It seems like yesterday we were celebrating July 4th.

With the start of August, it means that the trade deadline has passed, teams have new life, and sadly the start of August means that the summer is almost coming to a close.

Now the month of July is officially behind us, let’s take a look at the top 10 things we learned about baseball during the month…

10. Arizona Diamondbacks say goodbye to AJ Hinch.

The first of July was bad for Diamondbacks’ manager AJ Hinch. It was also a bad for GM Josh Byrnes. They were both fired on the same day.

The Hinch move I can understand, but the Byrnes decision? Not so much.

I was really surprised Byrnes was let go. We heard some conflicting reports that Byrnes was let go because he wouldn’t fire Hinch or because he didn’t get along with CEO Derrick Hall.

Whatever the reason was, letting go one of the brighter minds in the game is a mistake.

Former World Series hero and Diamondbacks’ bench coach Kirk Gibson has taken over for Hinch. Jerry DiPoto has taken over for Byrnes on an interim basis.

While Hinch was leaving…

9. Buck Showalter is coming to Baltimore.

It took a while, but the Baltimore Orioles have finally hired former New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter to lead them on the field.

I like the hiring of Showalter, though I am not really sure why he is starting at the beginning of August. That part I really don’t get.

The Orioles are going to lose for the remainder of the season, no matter who is managing the team. Why tarnish Showalter’s image?

Showalter should be in Baltimore for a while and this manager will be staying in southern California for awhile too…

8. San Diego Padres give Bud Black an extension.

Due to the team’s success on the field, the Padres have rewarded their manager with a three-year extension. It will run through 2013 with club options for 2014 and 2015.

In three and a half seasons as Padres manager, Black has compiled a 281-297 record. The record doesn’t do Black any justice.

He has been dealt some pretty crappy cards in San Diego and Black has always held steady and brought a lot of leadership to a young Padres team.

With Black and GM Jed Hoyer at the helm, the Padres should be competitive for years to come.

One of the teams the Padres are trying to hold off in the NL West is the San Francisco Giants…

7. The Giants were on fire in July.

How many people knew the Giants had the best record in the National League in the month of July? I am guessing not many.

The Giants finished July with a 20-8 mark and soared to the top of the NL Wild Card standings. Surprisingly, the Giants did it with offense.

The Giants scored a league-high 149 runs in August. One of the main reasons for their offensive explosion in July was because of this guy…

6. Buster Posey was en fuego.

Posey tore up the National League in July to the tune of a .416/.466/.699 hitting line with seven HR.

While Jayson Heyward and Stephen Strasburg have gotten all the Rookie of the Year hype, it might Posey who wins the award.

If Posey and the Giants make the World Series this year, they will have home field advantage. That’s because…

5. The National League finally wins an All Star Game.

It took them 13 years, but the National League finally got it done.

For the first time since 1996, the National League beat the American League in the All Star Game. Behind some timely hitting from Atlanta Braves’ catcher Brian McCann, the NL beat the AL 3-1 to clinch home-field advantage in the World Series.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, McCann ripped a double down the right field line to clear the bases. The NL took a 3-1 lead and never looked back.

Due to his big hit, McCann was named All Star Game MVP.

While the All Star Game is a celebration of the game, the game lost an icon the very same day.

4. George Steinbrenner passes away.

Sadly for New York and baseball, one of it’s iconic figures passed away on July 13. George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees since 1973, passed away at the age of 80 due to a heart attack at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.

I am not going to get into whether he is the greatest owner in the history of sports or whether he was good or bad for baseball. That is up for a debate, which I choose not to get into.

What is not up for debate is that when it came to the business aspect of baseball, Steinbrenner was ahead of his time by at least 15 years.

He bought the Yankees for $8.8 million in 1973 and between his marketing efforts, cable deal with the Madison Square Garden TV station, and creating the YES Network, Steinbrenner turned the Yankees into a $1.6 billion empire.

That is a business plan that any executive would follow.

Steinbrenner lived in Tampa and over the last couple of years, the Yankees have really battled the Tampa Bay Rays for supremacy in the AL East. Speaking of the Rays…

3. Matt Garza throws a no-hitter.

Garza threw the first no-hitter in Rays history and the fifth no-hitter this season as the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on July 26. Garza walked just one batter and struck out six in the 120-pitch effort.

This start reminded me of his start in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. He was flat out dealing that night and he was dealing the night of his no-hitter as well.

What was impressive about Garza’s start was the way he worked up in the zone. Most all pitchers are taught to work down in the zone, but Garza was more effective up in the zone that Monday.

On the subject of pitching…

2. The Phillies land another ace.

Over the last 12 months, the Philadelphia Phillies have traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and now Roy Oswalt. The Phillies traded JA Happ, Anthony Gose, and Jonathan Villar to the Houston Astros for Oswalt.

The Phillies have moved into the Yankees and Red Sox category of if they need a player, they go out and get him. It’s been very impressive what the Phillies have been able to do over the last 12 months.

The Phillies now have the best one-two punch in the game with Halladay and Oswalt.

And on the subject of trades and the No. 1 thing we learned in July…

1. The Texas Rangers win the trade deadline.

The Rangers acquired Cliff Lee, Jorge Cantu, Cristian Guzman, and Bengie Molina at or near the deadline and all of these acquisitions will certainly help the Rangers down the stretch.

The biggest move of all was of course, the acquisition of Lee. Lee gives the Rangers something they haven’t had in about 20 years—an ace. Cantu and Guzman provide infield depth for the Rangers.

That’s a wrap for July. What a great month it was.

August might be even better with the pennant races heating up and there’s still the waiver wire, which means more players switching teams.

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