By David A. Avila

Published June 6, 2021

Former L.A. Dodger pitcher Rich Hall signed with Tampa Bay Rays and has contributed in large part toward the team’s first place AL East Division lead. And last week Major League Baseball named Hill the A.L. Pitcher of the Month.

Hill became the first over 41-year-old pitcher to lead the league in earned run average for a month since Roger Clemens in 2005. And there are still disputes about how “the Rocket” achieved his success. None with Hill who had an 0.78 ERA for the month of May. He is simply good.

Once again, it proves if you want to dramatically change your team’s standings simply sign a Dodger or two for instant success.

Don’t believe me?

San Francisco Giants signed pitchers Alex Wood and Jake McGee and currently lead the NL West division. Chicago Cubs sign Joc Pederson and lead the NL Central. The Boston Red Sox signed Kiki Hernandez and traded for Alex Verdugo and are contenders in the AL East.

It goes on and on with Major League teams finding success with Dodger imports. We haven’t mentioned Hyun Jin Ryu and Ross Stripling with Toronto or Kenta Maeda with Minnesota. But those former Dodgers had a tremendous impact in turning those teams around.

On Saturday night, Hill took the mound against the Texas Rangers and shut them down for six innings. The left-hander continues to dominate American League competition after signing with Tampa Bay. He had pitched for the Dodgers for four years and always contributed mightily and consistently. A neck-breaking curveball and outstanding control are his primary weapons. Blisters and injury are his drawbacks.

Tampa Bay hopes to ride Hill all the way to the finish line. But at a mere $2 million contract they already have their money’s worth.

US Qualifies for Olympics

A pieced-together team comprised of castoff MLB veterans and rookies led the US Team to a 4-2 victory over Venezuela and allowed the team an automatic spot into the Olympics in Japan next month.

Veterans like Todd Frazier, Matt Liberatore, Edwin Jackson and manager Mike Scioscia led Team USA to a 4-0 record in qualifying for a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. Some other former MLB players include Matt Kemp, Tim Federowicz, Logan Forsythe, and Homer Bailey.

Those crusty veterans are holding together.

Baseball had not been an Olympic sport since 1988 in Seoul, Korea but was reinstated for 2021. Team USA has to be considered one of the favorites.

Batting Leaders Through May

The son of Baseball Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero leads the AL in batting with a .333 batting average with 18 homers and 47 RBIs. The Toronto Blue Jay slugger erupted this year offensively after shredding more than 20 pounds in weight. He will certainly be selected to represent the AL All Star team.

Other AL players with a strong shot at being selected are JD Martinez who is hitting .321 for Boston, Shohei Ohtani with 16 homers and 42 RBIs, and Austin Meadows recently driving 5 RBIs in one game against the NY Yankees this week. The Rays outfielder also has 14 homers.

The National League will be strongly represented by the one-two punch of Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker who are neck and neck in batting average and also in OPS. Castellanos has a leading .362 batting average and Winker a leading 1.062 OPS.

Chicago’s Kris Bryant has crushed the ball this year after abandoning the uppercut swing and returning to basics to the tune of a .310 batting average. His resurgence has helped the Cubs return to the top of their division.

Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna leads the NL with 17 homers and also has 11 stolen bases. The Braves slugger is also third in OPS at .989.

Go to this link for All Star balloting:

https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot?affiliateId=asb-trending-mlb-2021