AskSpector Biggest surprises of the MLB season

Hockey is over. Basketball is over. It's baseball's show now Austin Jackson Jersey , with the World Cup providing afternoon entertainment along the way. So, this is a special time for the #AskSpector Tweetbag, the first edition of sports summer. Of course, as is always the case around here, we are not limited to baseball it's all based on what you want to ask. How do you ask a question? It's easy. Fire up your Twitter machine and send a question about anything you want with the #AskSpector hashtag. Here we go! What are your top three surprises so far this season? Martin Blanger (@Mart_78) 1. The Rays being terrible. Not just struggling, but having the worst record in baseball in the middle of June. Tampa Bay is 13.5 games out in the American League East, and 10 out in the wild card race. They will go into July having to seriously consider whether to trade David Price, which, while I did not have the Rays as a playoff team this year, is not something I saw coming at all.2. At the other end of the standings spectrum, I'm amazed by the A's having the best record in the American League after losing both A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker to Tommy John surgery. Without those two guys out of the rotation, I thought Oakland would be in a heap of trouble, and then Jim Johnson bombed out as their Tyler Boyd Jersey closer. But Oakland just keeps on winning. It's incredible, and a definite tip of the cap goes to Je se Chavez, Tommy Milone, Drew Pomeranz, and Sean oolittle for picking up the slack in a major way.3. We haven't heard a peep from Alex Rodriguez. When's the last time anyone even thought about him? Sure, he's suspended for the year, but you might have expected that to mean he would show up courtside for Heat playoff games, make tabloid headlines for something in his personal life, or do something else to make you say, "Oh, there goes A-Rod again." But if Rodriguez is serious about coming back to play next year, the best thing he can do is stay out of the spotlight, so good for him for doing so to this point. For the NHL fans, what teams/players are on the must watch list this year? (Puig & Vin put LAD on there already) Will Crist (@will_crist) The Giants and A's, Mike Trout, Masahiro Tanaka, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton and Adam Wainwright will bring the best in baseballing exploits to your screen. But also check out the White Sox. They're only 33-37, which is last in the American League Central, but they are a fantastically entertaining team that is capable of both greatne s and bringing out greatne s in opponents. They are a fascinating team to watch. It's early, but who are your top three ROY candidates? Andrew John (@andyt4579) In the American League: Masahiro Tanaka, Jose Abreu and Xander Bogaerts. In the National League: Billy Hamilton, Chris Owings Connor McGovern Jersey and Brandon Hicks. If the Astros were still in the National League, I would have George Springer, who is not in my top three in the American League, on top of the Senior Circuit list. can you summarize what the Red Sox have been up to between the start of the season and now in one word? Laura/theactivestick (@theactivestick) Sputtering. should NHL allow coaches challenge like NFL or MLB? David Rothman (@rothman7) I would rather see no coaches' challenges in any sport. Initiate all reviews from an impartial video official. Challenge systems make getting calls right a part of strategy. That is not how it should be. The goal should be to always have the correct ruling. will the Phillies trade for Shea Weber? Kasey (@iKasey) Weber is 28, so he's a little young for the Phillies' tastes, Seth DeValve Jersey although it's hard to ignore the fact that the Phillies have not scored a power play goal all season. Even needing some help in that area, it's hard to see what the Predators would be willing to take back from the Phillies in a deal. my baseball question for you is when does Eagles training camp start? brandon smith (@bsmitty5786) The Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Pacific League already had training camp, although it would be hard to tell from the way they have performed on the field, losing 37 of 61 games to sit in last place, 15.5 games behind the Orix Buffaloes. When should I bother investing emotion into being a Mets fan? Next year? 5 years? 10 years? Never? The Ranger Cat (@TheRangerCat) Next year if you're an optimist, never if you're a pe simist, somewhere in between if you're a realist. Of course, if you care about your own emotional well-being, the answer goes back to never, but since you're asking the question, that's probably not a matter of concern. Jessie Bates III Men Jersey Will be sellers soon? Stephen Gorchov (@StephenGorchov) They should be. They are last in the National League East, and an honest self-evaluation would tell management that they are working with a bad team with little hope for the future. It's time for a rebuild, and the sooner that starts, the better. Of course, the Phillies should have started looking toward the future after last season, but instead doubled down on trying to recreate the magic of 2008. Trying to predict what they will do is a fool's errand, and while I might be a fool, I have other errands to run. Jays need another starter for sure, would Brandon McCarthy make sense? Better than his ERA and record show. Kevin Youngblut (@kevinyoungblut) At 1-9 with a 5.29 ERA, but a 4.04 FIP and 2.86 xFIP, McCarthy might have the market cornered on being better than the record shows. He's become such an extreme sinkerballer, though, that I'm not Derek Barnett Jersey sure he would be the guy I would want on my team if I had artificial turf in my home ballpark. Arizona's infield defense is pretty bad, and those struggles give you a hint of how things can play out for a heavy ground ball pitcher. The Blue Jays pitchers with the highest ground ball rates in 20 or more innings this season are Marcus Stroman, Brett Cecil, and Brandon Morrow. All have posted ERAs well above their FIPs. Being a ground ball pitcher in Toronto can be dangerous. where are you watching World Cup matches Laurence Pinkham Jr (@LastcallLarry) Mostly at home, although I went to a beer garden for the first game. There are lots of places in my neighborhood that show all the games, and I'll make the rounds a bit, but it doesn't cost anything to watch my own TV. okay...are NYR better with Dubi in 13-14 playoff or nashie wide left (@wideleft) Rick Nash played really well in the playoffs his shots just didn't go in the back of the net. I would take him over Brandon Dubinsky every time the Rangers had players who filled Dubinsky-like roles just fine. What