Happy Juneteenth weekend, MLBbro.com Family! As we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, let us also recognize the impact Black and Brown baseball players have on our sport’s culture. Jackie Robinson not only integrated the MLB but also paved the way for integration in all American sports. Curt Flood sacrificed his MLB career by suing the league in protest of the “reserve clause” in 1970.
Although he lost the suit in 1972, he ignited the fire within the baseball player’s union who eventually struck down the clause and ushered in free agency in 1976. It’s not lost on me how the game of baseball has grown because of these two outstanding great Black players, and many others before (Negro League) and after. Without them, this site wouldn’t exist. Let’s honor them all weekend as we make a little profit with these three winners!
1. The AL East is starting to separate the top from the bottom of the division, and the New York Yankees (-115) currently sit right in the middle of the pack. They hope to keep the Boston Red Sox (-105) in the division’s basement, and there are a couple of MLBbros in the Bronx to help make that happen.
Willie Calhoun (.238 batting average, 5 home runs, 16 RBIs) has seen a resurgence since making the Yankee’s active roster in April. The Vallejo native made the best of his departure from his home team Giants, and he helped fill the hole at DH created when fellow MLBbro Giancarlo Stanton (.222 batting average, 6 home runs, 13 RBIs) went down in mid April. Now that both are in the lineup, we should see the Yankees continue to climb the ranks while Aaron Judge recovers from his own injuries.
Cold Summer in Boston. I’m taking the MLBbros and the Yankees ML (-115).
2. Why fix what’s not broken? Such is the question the St. Louis Cardinals (-110) have to answer after trying to “fix” MLBbro Jordan Walker’s (.293 batting average, 4 home runs, 17 RBIs) swing early in the season. The young rookie has impressed despite the hurdles of overmanagement by his team and inconsistent pitching. Case in point is starter Miles Mikolas (4 wins – 3 losses, 4.02 ERA), who will look to get the Cards back on track after one of the worst start of the franchise’s history.
Standing in their way are the equally disappointing New York Mets (-110). After losing slugger Pete Alonso (22 home runs, 49 RBIs), there has been little to cheer about in Queens. They hope starter Tylor Megill (5 wins – 4 losses, 5.14 ERA) can stifle the jeers from the home crowd.
Cards on the comeback. Take the Cardinals ML (-110).
3. I’ve been dogging them all year, but the Oakland A’s (+130) are suddenly winning games! With their rich history, I’m happy to see it even if it’s on the way out. After their performances against the league’s best Rays, it’s not too hard to see them keeping the game close against the Philadelphia Phillies (-150).
Let’s keep it going Oakland!! Bro’s best bet is the A’s +1.5 (-35)
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