Shane Stirling

Shane Stirling currently resides in Cairns, Queensland in Australia. Currently, Shane serves as the IMS & HR Manager at Koppens Construction where he ensures health, safety, environment and quality. He enjoys watching and playing baseball, as well as spending time with his family.

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Did I show you this meme my dad sent me after the World Series

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Random Baseball Card #4466: Steve Balboni, first baseman, Kansas City Royals, 1987, Donruss.

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Royals beat Blue Jays 4-3 in Game 6 to clinch the ALCS! Royals going back to the World Series!

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Congratulations to the World Champion Kansas City Royals - November 1, 2015

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Eric Hosmer on attempting to run home to tie game 5 of the World Series

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Kansas City Royals fans gathered en masse (an estimated 800,000) to celebrate the Royals’ World Series win. Incredible. [Picture courtesy of the Kansas City Star]

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Kansas City Royals defeat the New York Mets to win the 2015 World Series

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Eric Hosmer scores on a ground out to tie the game in the 9th inning - November 1, 2015

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Johan Santana agrees to the richest deal ever given to a pitcher ($137.5 million over six years) with the Mets.

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The sun soon sets on another offseason.

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By Shane Stirling of Cairns, Queensland

I started my baseball journey when I was 13 years of age. This is a journey which continues to this day.

I recall my first day of baseball practice in Cairns at the old Martyn Street baseball grounds (now the current Cairns softball headquarters).

By that age, I had been a keen cricketer but playing baseball with a stump and tennis ball in the front yard of our house with the neighborhood kids piqued my interest in baseball. I had heard whispers through cricket circles that baseball was quite popular or the cricketers as it was played in their off season (Cairns winter) and ensured that the hand eye skills required for cricket were maintained all year round.

So there I was, first day, no idea what to wear, what to do and with a borrowed glove. There were other newbies also there and we all quickly realized that perhaps this would be harder than we first thought.

One of the newbies there for his first day was Cameron Cairncross. My memories of Cameron at the time was this chubby kid with a fair bit of larrikin in him. He and I started throwing together and I still remember the thud into my glove when he wound it up; he had amazing velocity for a guy that age. Cameron later became the 10th Australian to play Major League baseball in the US; an achievement that is probably misunderstood by many Australians.

Our coach was John Morris a local high school teacher and also a native of Canada. John had married an Australian and even with his slow drawl accent now saw himself as a bit of an aussie. I have fond memories of John and to this day was the best coach I have ever had in any sport.

As to be expected, it did not take John long to see the promise in Cameron, and I still remember him trying to hide his excitement for the diamond in the rough that had been presented to him. Given Cameron’s obvious talent, he was selected as our main pitcher. I put my hand up for catching, as after wicket keeping in cricket, I assumed the transition would be easy. For this I was sadly mistaken.

I now know why most people avoid the thought of wanting to catch. It is uncomfortable, you are wearing a lot of (necessary) protective equipment, you can and will receive many body blows from a baseball and sometimes base runners... But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I simply love the sport, and I love the position of catcher. For me, I get the best view of the game, and you feel as though you are a part of it with the game being centered around your calls.

Now working for The Breakthrough Group, I still play with many guys I grew up playing with, and we also sponsor our team the Breakthrough Bandits. Runners up the last 2 years, we hope this will finally be our year.

Shane Stirling is an HR professional with a passion for baseball. This post originally appeared on his baseball blog.

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by Shane Stirling of Cairns, Queensland

AL East: With increased offensive production from First Baseman Chris Davis, and the defensive wizard Manny Machado, who is coming back

from injury, the Orioles should be the best team in the AL East. Look for them to have around 90 wins this year. The Redsox will also be in play, but will be a more complete team if they acquire another elite starting pitcher via trade, say Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto. The Blue Jays, with the oldest roster in the American League, will likely finish third behind the Red Sox and Orioles. The Blue Jays certainly have some pop with the likes of Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, and Josh Donaldson. However, their pitching, led by aging stars R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle is lackluster. The front office is hoping that this group of veterans prove wily enough to make a run for the division or one of the two wildcard spots.

AL Central: Baseball analysts have a diverse set of options on who is the best team in this division. While no one seems great, the Twins, under the new leadership of Paul Molitor, are probably the only team without a realistic chance to compete. The Indians with two of the best starters in the game, Corey Kluber Carlos Carrasco are quite intriguing, especially come playoff time. Detroit could be good, but there are a lot of unknowns such as the status and ability of  David Price, and Justin Verlander.  The WhiteSox also have a cast of great players with the indomitable Chris Sale,  the newly acquired Jeff Samardzija, and Jose Abreu.

AL West: Look for the Seattle Mariners or Oakland Athletics to sit atop this division come October. The Mariners have a very solid staff led by the dominant Felix Hernandez, but had the sixth lowest OPS as a team in 2014. Only time will tell if the additions of Justin Ruggiano, Rickie Weeks, and Nelson Cruz prove to be the boost Seattle needs to make the playoffs. The A's traded away some of their stars from last year, Jeff Samardzija, Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson. However, they did acquire a slate of talented players and should remain competitive in 2015.

This post originally appeared on Shane Stirling's website dedicated to baseball.

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by Shane Stirling of Cairns, Queensland

Some are calling this era of baseball the golden age of prospects. The manner in which salaries are determined in the MLB motivates organizations to field a young, cheap, and talented team. Players are not eligible for free agency until they have accumulated six years of service in the MLB. The market often then overvalues these aging veterans. In recent years, teams such as the Astros and the Oakland Athletics have been employing the “money ball” strategy seeking for value in young players who receive the minimum ($500,000) or overlooked veterans. Here is a short list of several highly touted prospects who could get called up and make a tangible difference for a MLB squad in the coming months.

Francisco Lindor:  Lindor might not be as talented at the plate the other prospects on this list, but his defense at short stop more thank makes up for hit. That is not to say he profiles as a incompetent offensive baseball player. As a speedy switch-hitter, he could very well thrive at slapping the ball to all sides of the field. However, it is his defensive mastery that separates him from the pack. The Indians current starting SS, Jose Rarmirez, is playing woefully and has earned an OPS of just .444. Expect to see Lindor in Cleveland as some point in June.

Jose Peraza: Not all that different than Francisco Lindor is the Braves’ 2B prospect, Jose Peraza. Peraza, just 21 years old, has played most of his career at shortstop, but recently moved to 2B given the ability of Andrelton Simmons. He’s quick, a plus defender, and has shown the he can consistently hit for average. Paired with Simmons, the two will be a middle-infield for the ages. Currently, Jace Peterson and Alberto Callaspo are splitting time for the big league club. Peraza will most likely take the step up prior to the All-Star Break.

Carlos Correa: The final member of this trio is also a middle-infielder. At the beginning of the 2015 season, few believed that Correa had a realistic shot at making the majors this year. However, Jed Lowrie’s injury coupled with Correa’s impressive 2015 numbers (.389/465/.726) are making this a realistic possibility. In fact, of the three members of this list, Correa is likely to be the first to make a major league debut.

This post originally appeared on Shane Stirling's website

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by Shane Stirling of Cairns, Queensland

With the midsummer classic approaching the race to earn an all-star bid is beginning to take shape in both leagues. With many teams being represented, some teams fans are doing their jobs to make sure their hometown boys are heading to The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The American League has been dominated thus far by the Kansas City Royals, their fans are voting, and voting often. The position players from Kansas City are currently leading 7 of 8 positions. Leading all positions in the AL in votes is catcher Salvador Perez of the Royals with over 7 million votes.  The only non-Royal to lead a position is outfielder Mike Trout of the Lost Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The rest of the Royals which rounded out the AL: Alex Gordon (OF), Lorenzo Cain (OF), Mike Moustakas (3B), Alcides Escobar (SS), Omar Infante (2B), and Eric Hosmer (1B). While the American League starters populated by primarily Royals, the National League has a bit more of a spread of teams represented in the starting lineups.

Leading the National League voting is not much of a surprise with over 3.6 million votes is outfielder for the Washington Nationals, Bryce Harper. The leading positions to date: Yadier Molina (C, St. Louis Cardinals), Paul Goldschmidt (1B, Ari D-Backs), Dee Gordon (2B, Mia Marlins), Matt Carpenter (3B, St. Louis Cardinals), Jhonny Peralta (SS, St. Louis Cardinals), Matt Holiday (OF, St. Louis Cardinals), and Giancarlo Stanton (OF, Mia Marlins). Although 4 of the 8 starters are playing for the Cardinals, there is clearly a greater number of teams represented in the National League. Will voting ending shortly, many teams are encouraging fans to vote daily, and as often as possible to represent their favorite team. The Royals and Cardinal fans are doing their part to get their teams in the All-Star game.

This post was originally published on a baseball blog authored by Shane Stirling of Cairns Australia.