Cincinnati Reds 2012 Mid-Year Player Report Card

Why wait till mid-year to give my eagerly awaited Cincinnati Reds Mid-Year Report Card when I already have rendered my carefully considered and well though-out snap decisions?

Professor Aaron has arrived. Here is my take on the infielders.

Joey Votto: A+

The moan you hear is from the sabermetric crowd's orgasm as they admire Joey Votto's stat line. Votto leads the NL in every sexy metric (OBP, SLG, OPS, 2nd in AVG) through the first half. More importantly, for a Red's team whose bats are prone to go to sleep at times, Votto brings it every at-bat, every night.

The only thing keeping Votto from a perfect 100? His apparent lack of joy. Yeah, I get it, he's a driven guy who grinds away day after day and needs the intensity to maintain his focus. Like I said, I get it, but have you EVER, EVER seen the guy smile? Come on, Joey, I say this for all of us--Iighten up and try and enjoy the ride!Why quibble, let's enjoy greatness as Votto takes us on another MVP ride.

Brandon Phillips: B

To fans, Dat Dude is the heart and soul of the team. To the Reds, his unbridled enthusiasm, Gold Glove fielding, and willingness to bat in the fourth hole has been invaluable.

Zack Cozart: A-

Do I grade on curve for rookies? Absolutely. Cozart has stepped in beautifully in a very demanding position.

Scott Rolen: C-

That odor you smell are the fumes of what's left of Rolen's career. That said, Rolen continues to be a rock in a clubhouse with a lot of youngsters.

Ryan Hanigan: B-

Light hitting catcher exceeding my expectations. Manages staff well.

Todd Frazier: A-

What's not to like about Frazier? Best discovery since Snappy Pizza. The guy is clutch.

Devin Mesoraco: C

No surprise the rookie catcher is struggling at the plate, but Mesoraco calls a nice game and has shown flashes of leadership.

Miguel Cairo: C-

Subpar year for the wiley 16 year vet, but tough to judge with such limited at-bats.

Dusty Baker: C

I hate the phrase, "Hey, it is what it is", or the personal corollary to that, "Hey, it's just Joe being Joe". But with Dusty, these throw-a-way phrases are perfectly appropriate. He's not innovative, he doesn't win you any games with dazzling strategic moves, he's not particularly motivational. His player-centric schtick works some years and not others based on the personality mix he has in the clubhouse, and more importantly, the kind of talent he has on the field. Dusty is steady, doesn't rock the boat, is management's ideal yes man, patient with the media, and he won't screw up a winning formula. In short, he's a fine, if unspectacular, manager.

How to Improve Your Batting Average Throughout the Season

The statistic in baseball everyone is concerned about is the Batting Average. Baseball players go on hot streaks getting hits easily skyrocketing their batting average, but their batting averages can quickly plummet when they get into a slump. The best hitters in baseball are the ones who are the most consistent and don't have many ups and downs. These players stay within a routine, bunt for base hits, and also have a good eye for a strike.

Increasing your batting average can be as easy as staying within a good routine in practice and during pre-game. Routines are simple and they are different for everybody just depends on what the player prefers, but it's the devotion to the routine that keeps players hitting consistently keeping their batting average up. My routine consisted of:

1. Hit 30 balls off a tee(10 regular,10 top hand, 10 bottom hand)

2. Hit 30 balls doing front toss(20 opposite field, 10 middle)

3. Live batting practice from coach(5 opposite field, 5 middle, 5 gaps, 5 situational.

Routines are a foundation of fundamentals that you can rely on through the long baseball season. So if you do fall into a slump and your sticking to a routine the slump will be short lived, which will increase your average.

The next way to increase your batting average is to bunt for a hit on a smart consistent basis depending on how fast you can run. Bunting for a base hit is one of the most over looked parts in the game of baseball. By collecting just 5 bunt infield hits over the course of a season consisting of 100 at bats your average will be increase by 50 points turning a 0.300 batting average and increasing it to a 0.350 batting average. Bunting for a hit not only gives you the opportunity for an infield hit, but it also effects the way the defense will play you in the future, once they realize your a guy with speed and can bunt. The first and third baseman will start to play in a little bit on you, which ultimately plays to your benefit creating bigger holes in the infield and giving the first and third basemen less reaction time to respond to the ball when you put the ball in play allowing you to hit the baseball through infield to the outfield, which will increase your batting average by getting more hits.

Another way baseball players can increase their batting percentage is to be more selective on the pitches they decide to swing at, as well as having a better eye at the plate and not chasing bad pitches that are balls. The best pitches to hit are up in zone and over the middle of the plate. These are the pitches you must pull the trigger on in any count and get a base hit. If the pitcher does not throw it in that zone and you have less that 2 strikes don't swing at it and wait for another pitch because if you swing at their pitch and its on the outside corner you won't have as good a chance of making solid contact and will get out easier. Swinging at bad pitches and striking out is the quickest way to dropping your batting percentage because you don't even give yourself a chance to get a hit by not putting the ball in play. If you start swing at pitches over the middle of the plate you will make better contact giving you a better chance for a base hit, which will increase your batting average.

Baseball: The World's Most Loved Game

Baseball is one of the most important sports played in the United States today. As a matter of fact, Americans consider baseball as their national sport. The game is played by two teams who compete against each other, composed of nine players each. The equipment needed would be a bat and a ball, and of course the field in which the sport will be played. In the major league, the field for a baseball game is called the diamond.

Baseball is played by hitting the ball with the bat. One team will be the batter while the other is the fielder. The batting team is the scoring team and they will earn game points if they successfully run the four bases of the diamond after a successful hit. The fielding team, on the other hand, will try to keep their opponent from scoring by getting their hitters out.

Baseball has long been fondly referred to as America's most preferred pastime. It's even said that baseball is America's national religion and not merely a sport. Baseball is well played elsewhere although it is more popular in the European region. However, it is quite popular in Asian countries like Japan. Throughout the years, the game of baseball has evolved in so many ways. Today, baseball remained to be the fast-paced game that could put spectators on their toes.

The best players in baseball are usually delegated to the list of All Stars or the Hall of Fame. The players in the Major League, which is the leading baseball tournament in the US, are usually given due recognition when they achieve a certain milestone. Just recently, Josh Hamilton scored four home runs in a single game. He joined the 16 other players who had done the same feat before him. The rarer occurrences on records, however, show Fernando Tatis making two grand slams in one inning. This made him the lone recipient of this particular distinction. Another player is yet to duplicate what he had done in the field. Other notable records include getting a total of 19 bases in a game as done by Shawn Green in May 2002; and making nine hits in a game, a feat done by Johnny Burnett in 1932. Both records are yet to be contested or duplicated up to this date.

Baseball fans remained to be the most active followers of the sport despite the many scandals and low points that it has gone throughout the years. It is truly impossible to put a good sport down. And that's because after every issue, fans pour in even stronger at the arena, proving time and again that nothing would stop them from enjoying the sport they always love to watch and to play. After all, it is really the fans and not the players that make baseball the king of all sports in America to date.

Aside from baseball icons, a lot of baseball spinoffs can be seen. There are movies, TV series, and even games that are either created or patterned around the game of baseball, its rules, and how it is actually played. For as long as there are people who continuously support this sport, it will forever be one of the most followed games in the world.

If you would like to know more about how baseball works or just want to have some fun you can visit sites like FreeBaseballGames.NET. Arcade sites like these are dedicated to baseball games and are free to play online.

Roland Black is one of the many article writers here on EzineArticles who love to write about some of their favorite topics. One of the main topics of Roland Black is arcades. If you liked this article then please check out other articles written by this writer!

BABIP: An Indicator of Regression in Starting Pitchers?

Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) can be used to determine how 'lucky' or 'unlucky' a pitcher has been when compared to the league average. The average BABIP for pitchers in 2011 was .295. The average so far in 2012 is .296. It is often said that baseball stats are subject to a 'regression to the mean'. In other words, if players are experiencing stats far outside the norm, it is fair to assume that the stats will come back to Earth and settle in somewhere closer to the average sooner or later. As a result, it can be said that a pitcher who sports an unusually low (or high) BABIP will be subject to regression to the mean. Here are some pitchers which have experienced markedly low BABIP so far in 2012 and may see a correction start to take place:

R.A. Dickey (NYM) -

A lot has been made about Dickey's start to the season, especially in regard to fantasy baseball. However, one thing that cannot be denied is the incredibly low BABIP of .228 that he has seen so far this year. At some point, he is due to see an increase in the number of hits generated from batted balls on his pitches.

James McDonald (PIT) -

On the surface, it would appear as though McDonald is 'putting it all together', so to speak. While he hasn't exactly relied on smoke and mirrors, as his K rate and peripheral stats will attest, the Pirates starter has benefitted from a .229 BABIP which is sure to regress in the second half. Combined with the fact that he still has the tendency to be a bit wild at times, McDonald may be in for a some regression in the second half.

Johan Santana (NYM) -

There's no denying the fact that Santana is having a great season so far in 2012. Although there have been some bumps, overall his season has been marked by some incredible pitching performances capped by a no hitter on June 1st against the Cardinals. However, when opposing batters do put the ball in play, they have turned those batted balls into hits at only a .244 clip. That number is likely to rise and affect Santana's stats accordingly.

Ryan Vogelsong (SF) -

The Giants' right-hander keeps proving his critics wrong by piling up the quality starts in 2012. However, he has seen a BABIP almost 40 points lower than 2011. Keep an eye on him in the second half as he may see some regression in his stats as a result of correction.

There is no doubt that these pitchers will end the year with decent stats. However, a lot could be riding on a great first half partially due to low BABIP. In fantasy baseball, what a pitcher will do for your team is as important as what he has done for your squad. Keeping in mind the idea of regression to the mean, these pitchers may just experience a slight reversal of fortune in the coming months.