Merry Belated Christmas For the Red Sox

It’s been awhile since my last post but whether you think it or not, this is a HUGE deal and I can’t, not post about it. So the Red Sox acquire Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney for Josh Reddick, Miles Head, and Raul Alcantra. This is a great deal for the Red Sox who are going through major changes this offseason, trying to revamp the team to reach the playoffs and beyond in 2012. In my mind they got Bailey cheap due to a flooded relief arms market. Bailey is, when healthy, a top closer in the league and I would expect this to continue in Boston through 2014 at least, as he is under Sox control until then. The Sox recently acquired Mark Melancon from the Astros for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland. Melancon will now likely be the setup man for Bailey. The combination of deals fills Papelbon’s spot and Bard’s spot in the pen. (Pap left for the Phillies and Bard is likely moving to the starting rotation.) This will give the Red Sox a very inexpensive bullpen, yet a fairly decent one at this point in the offseason. Now they may have the money to go get a top starting pitcher, or a quality one or two, and also possibly get another right fielder, although less likely. Sweeney and Ryan Kalish will likely be competing for right field time in the Sox lineup, Sweeney is probably not as good as Josh Reddick, but he is serviceable. Reddick was a top prospect for a while and did alright at the major league level, but his stock was hurt by most people’s thoughts that he couldn’t be a consistent player. He ripped things up when he started playing in 2011 but then proceeded to cool off. Alcantra and Head are both high upside, high risk single-A prospects from the Sox fairly deep farm system.  Weiland was a solid, not great pitching prospect near ready for the big leagues and Lowrie is a high upside, injury prone, infielder who could be a steal in the Melancon deal. Overall I think this is a huge win for the Sox. People are now speculating they could go hard after Cubs ace Matt Garza since they didn’t give up any top prospects and are owed compensation from Theo Epstein leaving still. Either way I like the deals, all solid players involved for both sides in both trades. Athletics seem to be loading up on prospects after the Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and now Andrew Bailey deals.  My thoughts on the Cahill and Gonzalez deals in short: good for the Diamondbacks who received Cahill, and Nationals who received Gonzalez. I think that the A’s got good prospects in return and will have a bright future, but the Diamondbacks and Nationals got very good pitchers who make them much better now and in the future as both starters are still young. Trevor Cahill is going to help Arizona win the NL west I’ll say that now. Bailey will help the Sox compete in a still loaded AL East, and Gonzalez will help the Nationals stay in contention in a tough NL East. The A’s could have just helped 3 teams win divisions in 2012, unlikely, but definitely a possibility now.

Darvish

I feel obligated to talk about the recent news that the Texas Rangers have won the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Darvish a standout 25 year old pitcher from Japan is now in all likelihood going to be a part of the Rangers opening day roster for 2012 and has a real shot at being the starter for that first game. The Rangers submitted a $51.7 million bid just to negotiate with him. The last big name pitcher to come over from Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka, had mixed results with the Boston Red Sox, definitely some success, but overall was inconsistent and had his struggles staying healthy (he’s on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery at the moment). I find Darvish to be similar in some ways, but definitely different in others. Both Matsuzaka and Darvish have a vast repitour of pitches, and both were super successful in Japan. I think that Darvish will be better than Matsuzaka in regards to pure “stuff,” but the thing that will make or break him is how he handles the new environment. MLB hitters are the best in the world and Darvish will no doubt have less success than he did in Japan. I only question Darvish’s mental makeup because I really don’t know a lot about it. Matsuzaka didn’t seem to have the killer instinct to win and consistently be dominant. He seemed to get rattled easily, so he would be dominant, but when things didn’t go his way, things unraveled quickly. I think both guys are #2 starters on a good team, not ace quality but could be close. I like Darvish to be more successful than Matsuzaka, but I don’t expect him to be the answer for the Rangers to win the World Series. I would have liked their chances better with Wilson staying, but I think this definitely helps replacing their ace. The market is thinning so other than Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt there really isn’t a top of the rotation guy to sign. Gio Gonzalez was an option through trade, and possibly may be still, although now a LOT less likely. They had some options and chose the Darvish route; I think it may prove to be the best option they have at this very moment. The negotiations should prove to be interesting and take up a lot of baseball news until it’s done.

Latos Is Seeing Red

So recently I wrote an article on my top 15 MLB starting pitchers under 25. Mat Latos was #5 on that list. Not to say I’m 100% accurate on that, but he is very good no doubt. He was just acquired from the Padres by the Reds. You would think getting a young pitcher who has already had success in the big leagues would be a good thing, but a lot of people aren’t seeing it that way. Maybe that’s because of San Diego’s monster haul in the deal. Not only did they acquire proven starting pitcher and former all-star Edison Volquez, but they also acquired 1^st baseman Yonder Alonso, catcher Yasmani Granal, and pitching prospect Brad Boxberger. This package of players is no joke, most people know Volquez is an immediate help to the starting rotation (a replacement of sorts for Latos), yet should have plenty of years ahead of him to contribute as well. Yasmani Grandal is a top switch hitting catching prospect who in a lot of opinion is going to be a very good major league catcher at the least, he can really hit. Yonder Alonso also is a very good hitter and seemed to have nowhere to go being that the Reds have perennial MVP contender Joey Votto, although he also was a top prospect and should be a very good major league player at some point. This also bears asking the question of what happens to Anthony Rizzo as he is a 1^st baseman who was acquired by the Padres in the deal for Adrian Gonzalez, this may put him on the trade block, or maybe send him to the minors, or maybe they give Alonso a change of scenery and put him in left field possibly. Finally Brad Boxberger is a solid pitching prospect likely slated for bullpen duty in San Diego. This trade fills many spots for the Padres and in my opinion they are huge winners, all these guys are fairly close if not ready for the majors. People argue Latos’ potential, some saying he’s a future #1 some saying he’s a #2. Either way, getting Volquez who’s probably a strong #3 plus a good bullpen arm would help, but what makes this deal great is they also got a future catcher and 1^st baseman. The Padres may be contenders soon and this trade may do it. I think the Reds were crazy to give up that much for Latos, I’d say they’d be crazy to give up that much for just about any one player, but if Latos can be their ace for years to come, and the prospects they shipped off don’t pan out, then I will say I was wrong. I just don’t know what the Reds were thinking.

Twins!

So the Twins supposedly offered Michael Cuddyer a 3 year $25 million deal to stay with the club but Cuddyer took a 3 year deal for $31.5 million from the Rockies. I don’t think you can blame a player for taking the best offer on the table, but I am somewhat surprised Cuddyer left for the Rockies over $5 million. The Twins however, have seemed to replace Cuddyer quite adequately by signing Josh Willingham to a 3 year $21 million deal. Comparing the two I say defensively I’d rather have Cuddyer as he is more solid and versatile, he can play all over the diamond really. Offensively it’s fairly clear over their careers that Willingham is a bigger power threat, and over his career has also been better at getting on base. Cuddyer would seem to be a little faster and strike out less, but overall I think they are very close in who would be the better player. The Twins made an offer that wasn’t accepted and I believe were smart to go out and get a very good player of very similar ability for $3.5 million a year less than they guy they let walk signed for. If there are two free agents that I think are very nearly on the same level it would be Cuddyer and Willingham, so I think the Twins made a good decision to save some money and not pay more than they felt a player was worth. I am a little surprised that these two didn’t get a little more money though, as they signed 3 year deals at 32 years of age, you would assume they will be solid for the duration of the contract. I guess JD Drew ruined teams on giving players like this more money. (I’m only joking, sort of) The free agent market is slimming, but there are still many moves to go before spring training no question about that. Let ‘em keep on coming.

Top 15 Starting Pitchers Under 25

I have ranked (IN MY OPINION) the top 15 starting pitchers in the MLB UNDER the age of 25, at this moment. They are listed below. Feel free to argue, and the stats I’ve given aren’t necessarily to prove my point, just stats I feel are useful when looking at starting pitching. The stats are all from the 2011 season. I don’t think there are too many surprises, but essentially I think this, in order, is who I’d want starting games for my team if I had to choose somebody under 25. Yes King Felix is now too old for this list, and I’ve taken into account stats, their physical abilities and makeups, and what I predict for them. A few explanations: I added two spots at the end for Strasburg and Moore because they really haven’t had enough experience in the majors to say much about them. Plus Strasburg already having had Tommy John, I didn’t want to put someone on the list that hadn’t even pitched close to a full season and was this unproven, but what they have shown is ridiculous, so they are bonus spots. All these pitchers are under 25 as of 12-11-2011. Tell me if I missed someone or if you don’t think someone deserves to be on here. I probably won’t agree but do it anyway.

(Stats-ERA/KperBB/QualityStarts)

1.       Clayton Kershaw 2.28/4.59/25

2.       Trevor Cahill 4.16/1.75/21

3.       Brett Anderson 4.00/2.44/7**

4.       Daniel Hudson 3.49/3.38/21

5.       Mat Latos 3.47/2.98/20

6.       Michael Pineda 3.74/3.15/19

7.       Jeremy Hellickson 2.95/1.63/20

8.       Madison Bumgardner 3.21/4.15/23

9.       Jhoulys Chacin 3.62/1.72/18

10.   Neftali Feliz 2.74/1.80/0*

11.   Mike Leake 3.86/3.11/18

12.   Aroldis Chapman 3.60/1.73/0*

13.   Ivan Nova 3.70/1.72/16

14.   Rick Porcello 4.75/2.26/19

15.   Zach Britton 4.61/1.56/13

Bonus: Stephen Strasburg 1.50/12.00/2**

Bonus: Matt Moore 2.89/5.00/1***

*Was not a starter but expected to be one in 2012

**Season drastically shortened by injury

***Late season call up, very limited action

Pujols Who?

Cardinals have re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal a key piece to them winning the 2011 World Series. Pujols may have left, but the Cardinals are not doomed without him. In all likelihood Lance Berkman will move to 1^st base and Allen Craig will take Berkman’s spot in Right. Craig is no Pujols but he is a solid up and coming player. The signing of Furcal though, gives them back their leadoff hitter who has speed and the ability to get on base like you look for in any leadoff hitter, but he also has quite a good glove and arm in the field. He really was the most under the radar move during the season last year as he was a waiver wire transaction from the Dodgers that boosted the Cardinals defense and offense. Furcal always brings a high level of competition to the field with seemingly unlimited energy. The only worry with Furcal is he’s had some back injuries. If he stays healthy he still has some baseball left in him and could help the Cardinals take the NL Central this year with it getting weaker by the moment. The Astros and Cubs don’t seem to be a threat at the moment, The Pirates showed some progress by putting together a good 1^st half last year but then returned to the “Pirates” way of ball for the 2^nd half, and the Reds seem to be firmly behind the Cardinals in my mind. Now the Brewers are the question, but with the probable loss of Fielder, and the fact that they didn’t get a big name free agent seems to hinder their team greatly, along with the pending 50 game suspension of Ryan Braun. The Brewers still have an alright team, but unless they make some moves I think that the Cardinals are the front runners to win the division. Furcal for 2 years and $14 million is a great deal. By the end of next season the St. Louis fans could be saying Pujols who?

Synthetic Braun

It’s a sad day in baseball, as a lot of people are finding out 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He had to give a urine sample for the playoffs and it tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. The sad part is that it was not all produced naturally, some was synthetic meaning he juiced, he had taken steroids. Another sad thing, other than Braun actually doing the drug and cheating the game of baseball as it is a banned substance, but Braun knew of this in late October, yet accepted his MVP award like he nothing happened. How much was due to steroid use? I say they probably didn’t help his career too much as he has been a great player even back in his college days and Miami U, but it certainly could have given him the edge to beat out Matt Kemp in the MVP race. I believe and have believed that Kemp should have won, yet I was happy for Braun, until I learned of this revelation. I’m not saying everyone is clean, but it not only hurts Braun’s reputation, it hurts the game of baseball. One of its brightest young stars who just signed a deal for over $100 million last offseason is now facing a 50 game suspension to start next season, and people will continue to speculate how clean the game really is. Steroid talk has seemed to die down a bit since the scandals of Barry Bonds, Mark Mcgwire, Roger Clemens, and other big names had been discovered users. Ironic how Manny Ramirez, whom retired after his 2^nd positive test last year is being reinstated to play this upcoming season after serving a 50 game suspension and signing with a team. Clean the game up men, you get paid to play a beautiful game for a living, don’t stain the game, if you can’t hack it then get out of the game. What ever happened to plain old hard work? This is sad, I hope it’s an isolated incident and everyone else is representing the game well. I’m a big Brewers fan, so this definitely leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Note I am not saying 100% that Braun is guilty, but in all I hear it seems like that is the case.

Rays Heat Up The Hot Stove

So starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays Matt Moore signs a new deal with the rays. This makes his contract 5 years and $14 million, with options that could make the deal 8 years and $39.75 million. Now the Rays had control over this guy as he is still under his first deal and as you they generally don’t pay much of anything (as far as baseball goes). With this new contract though Moore, who impressed in his very brief major league work at the end of 2011, will be making more money, but he will also be locked up longer. He’s just 22 so the Rays could keep him under their watch until he’s 30 which would give him probably one big deal after this one ends. Definitely a good deal by the Rays, who are a team with a low payroll surviving off young players to get them wins. They made a similar move with Longoria signing him to a deal pretty much as soon as he got to the big leagues which would lock him up, but offer him a little more money immediately. It really is a smart move for the Rays as Moore has pitched well in his 4 minor league seasons and looks to have ace quality stuff. He isn’t too different from David Price being brought up young and having immediate success with the Rays. They could be a good duo to go along with Shields and Hellickson as well as Davis and Niemann. As far as Moore is concerned, making a little bit of extra money now and being with an organization that he seems to like is probably great in his mind. With six viable options in the Rays rotation we’ll see what happens, my guess is someone goes to the pen as I don’t see them trading one or sending one to the minors. Who the odd man out is, I have no idea. This deal seems kind of like a win-win to me. Especially a win for the Rays as this is what they do, draft well, develop, and lock them up quick. Congrats to Mr. Moore and good luck, he seems like a good man with a bright future in baseball.

2011 Rule 5 Draft

The MLB’s rule 5 draft went down today. Basically the rule 5 draft is when anyone not on the 40 man roster of a team by Novermeber 18^th I believe is the date, is eligible to get selected, as long as they’ve been in the minor leagues for 4 or 5 seasons (The number depends on the age of the player). There have been some big names that came out of this draft in the past such as Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista, Dan Uggla, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. To further complicate things any player selected must stay on the MLB roster for the entire season or they must be offered back to the team in which they came from. Other points of note, a team can trade a player they select, and a team must have less than 40 men on their roster to select a player, but let’s get on to this year’s draft. Not a ton of big names but I’ll throw out one that I think was a really good selection. Cesar Cabral formerly of the Red Sox was selected by the Royals and then traded to the Yankees. Cabral is a hard throwing lefty who put together a good season in A/AA ball last season. I think he has a good chance of staying with the Yankees and being a good player out of their bullpen. He’s just 22 years of age and already has 5 years of minor league experience so I think he could be ready to pitch in the big leagues out of the pen this year. Now for the minor league portion of the draft, I will spare you the details to this part, but one guy to keep an eye on is Andy Loomis. I like this pickup by the Baltimore Orioles as they have a pretty barren farm system for the most part and Loomis is a young up and comer who will probably give you help out of the bullpen soon. He had a great season in high A in 2011, similar to Cabral mentioned earlier. Other players I like that were drafted include Robert Fish, Ryan Flaherty, Marwin Gonzalez, and Ricky Alvarez to name a few. One guy I would have drafted that went unselected, Daniel Nava OF for the Red Sox AAA team. Clearly proved in an injury decimated season for the Sox in 2010 that he can play (he had a .351 OBP which in my books is pretty good). Then again as a Sox fan I’m glad he didn’t get selected. We’ll see who emerges as steals of this year’s rule 5 draft. The rule 5 draft, you gotta find those diamonds in the rough.

Angels Out Of Left field

I don’t really want to write an article right now but I must. The Angels have signed Albert Pujols to a 10 year $250 million deal and CJ Wilson to a 5 year $75 million deal. I think they would now be the favorites from the AL mainly because of their pitching staff. They now have Weaver, Haren,Santana, and Wilson as a pretty strong top 4. Their lineup doesn’t look too bad now either after adding Pujols. I think they have the best pitching in the AL, and I think with the upgrades at 1^st with Pujols and Catcher with Iannetta, the Angels will be able to produce enough runs to win a lot of ballgames. I think the Mike Trout, easily a top 5 prospect in all of baseball, will step up and contribute a lot to the team this year too, so they have a lot of help coming their way to add to last year’s squad which was 10 games back of the division winners the Texas Rangers. They were 3^rd in the wild card race and with 2 teams getting in the wild card it even betters their chances of making the playoffs which I think is where they will shine due to their pitching staff. The Rangers are no doubt still a strong team, but they LOST their ace CJ Wilson to the Angels so that is a big swing in the Angels favor. I think the worst case for this Angels club now is a wild card spot, but I think this puts them ahead of the Rangers as of now. I wasn’t expecting them to land Pujols, Wilson yes, but not Pujols so I am a little shocked still. This has been a crazy offseason already. A few more quick things, K-Rod now expected to sign arbitration deal, and Octavio Dotel close to a 1 year deal with the Tigers. Oh and LaTroy Hawkings signs a 1 year $3 million deal with the Angels so they are on a bit of a shopping spree, and there goes 3 relievers on a pretty deep relieving market.

More Marlins Talk, Plus Some Other Stuff

So Mark Buehrle signs a 4 year $58 million deal with the Marlins. I think he is deserving of every penny as he has been a consistent ace. This definitely adds a sense of security to a rotation that can be very erratic with its play, the Josh Johnson injuries don’t help. I personally like this move better than signing CJ Wilson, who I think is very good, but I think Buehrle is a better fit, and he comes with less risk in my opinion. It now seems the offer the Marlins have reportedly offered Wilson will be off the table and they will focus on Pujols, and if that doesn’t work Fielder. More news out of Miami, Hanley Ramirez apparently wants a raise, even after a down season in ’11, so the Marlins may be looking to trade him. This would hurt the team as Ramirez is a phenomenal player to say the least, but could definitely bring in a lot in return through a trade, as well as give them even MORE money to spend possibly. That’s all I got on Miami right now so let’s move on for the moment. Houston Street was rumored to be traded to the Padres earlier today for a prospect, with the Rockies eating $8 million on his contract. That is apparently false, although the deal may still happen at some point. The padres were also looking into signing K-Rod which seems like it won’t happen at this point. The Padres are aggressively trying to fill the closer roll Heath Bell left open when moving to Miami, but it isn’t quite certain who will fill the void yet. I also hear that the Yankees have won the right to negotiate with shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and this time it appears to be true (I think). As for free agent CJ Wilson, it looks like he may be going to the Angels, nothing done yet, but that’s where I’d be putting my money if I was a betting man. Nate McLouth and Erik Bedard appear to have been signed by the Pirates. The Pirates had a little more success that usual last year; let’s see if these additions can help things get even a little better for these notorious bottom dwellers. Finally it appears David Ortiz will accept arbitration with the Red Sox and not sign a multi-year deal. That’s all I got for now.

The Mets Doing Business

The Mets traded Angel Pagan to the Giants for Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres. They also signed Frank Francisco to a 2 year $12 million deal, and Jon Rauch to a 1 year $3.5 million deal. The signing of Rauch and Francisco are great moves, helping their horrendous bullpen greatly, without long term commitments or overspending on a flooded relief pitching market. This will certainly help their bullpen greatly along with Ramon Ramirez acquired in the trade with the Giants. This is a good sign for the Mets as they are making quality moves, and with their organization in shambles that is a nice thing to see. Getting Andres Torres is certainly a downgrade over Angel Pagan in my mind, but a worthy downgrade with the addition of Ramirez to the deal, so the Mets may not be getting big named players like they tried to do in the recent past, but they are building a team that might not lose every single game next season. They likely don’t have much more money to spend this offseason though as they’ve said they had $20-25 million and they are at like $20 million, but it’s been money well spent. Unrelated to the Mets (I’m assuming they aren’t in on one) there are rumored to be some blockbusters in the work. Whether they get done or not is uncertain, but the Indians seem they might be involved in one so watch out for that. Also Andrew Bailey might be on his way to Boston in a package with Josh Reddick and some prospects. This would mean the Sox are relying on Darnell McDonald, and or Ryan Kalish in right field, unless they go out and get someone. I suggest they get someone else if they lose Reddick. Also Gio Gonzalez could be leaving Oakland as Bailey might, but it would take 3-4 very good prospects, but Gonzalez is the kind of pitcher you expect to give up top prospects for, although 4 would be a lot. Stay tuned, I think the next day or two will have some good action. If you want to hear about it, come here because I give you what you need to hear.

Rumor Mill: Winter Meetings 2011 Edition

Winter meetings for baseball, if nothing else, equals a pleather of rumors. True, false, or something in between, but how can you tell? You can’t! Early stages of rumors are generally the least reliable and I don’t put too much into anything until I hear multiple sources that are generally good, say they are so. A lot have been spreading and I’m here to spread them some more, although at this point I feel I actually have a pretty good grasp on what is going on (said optimistically). The big one so far, is that the Marlins have reportedly offered Albert Pujols a 10 year deal most likely with an annual salary exceeding $20mil. Pujols decided not to sign a deal with the Cardinals last year because he wanted more than the $22mil per year they were offering for 9 years. So assuming this deal is greater in per year salary, and taking into consideration the money the Marlins have already spent, the Marlins will have spent more money this offseason than their entire payroll in the last 9 seasons combined if they sign him. Now Pujols wants a no trade clause and the Marlins “don’t do those” so that’s another obstacle, there is no guarantee this deal will get done, but it’s looking more and more likely. Two trades to report, Twins send Kevin Slowey to the Rockies for a player to be named, this should help the Rockies pitching staff add depth, Slowey definitely a quality pitcher, although last year was tough on him with a 6.67ERA in a small 14 game showing. White Sox sent Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays for Nestor Molina. Santos is a solid arm for the Jays pen as he had 92 punchouts in just under 64 innings last season, he will be immediate help for them. Molina will be in the minors almost certainly next season but he will add to a barren farm system in the south side Chicago organization (not that the north side is any better in that department). Molina split time between A/AA and compiled 148k’s/16BB’s in 130.1 innings. I like the deal a lot for Chicago. A few names that are also on the trade block are Kyle Loshe of the Cardinals, John Danks of the White Sox, and Andrew Bailey of the Athlestics, among others. I heard that the Red Sox won the bidding war on shortstop Nakajima, but then heard this was FALSE, Cherington (Sox GM) says they didn’t even put in a bid! Crazy rumors. While there definitely some moves at the winter meetings, don’t expect a ton. A lot of times the meetings are just a spring board for deals to come later. A lot depends on arbitration cases, which are generally very much up in the air at this point, and it can be hard to get deals done in such a short span when there are so many deals to be made. Some other things I’m hearing, Fielder likely done in Milwaukee. The Red Sox offered David Ortiz 2 year deal worth $18 million, but Ortiz wants $25 million, so they are still working on it, the Sox would most likely like to get something done since Ortiz will make a killing in arbitration, which in my opinion they shouldn’t have offered him. I don’t find him to be worth arbitration, and feel the Sox were in the driver’s seat because Ortiz’s market seems bleak. Follow me on twitter @ryandana1 to stay posted on the latest news, or keep checking my blog as I will update with news as much as I can. Gotta love them winter meetings!

Marlins Hook Reyes

Like I said, Heath Bell just the first big name to land in Miami this offseason. Second, Jose Reyes, who just inked a 6 year $106 million deal. Also I apologize for not mentioning the Marlins also landed Ozzie Guillen, who should be recognized as a big name acquisition, however he is a manager so I’m just talking about players in this case. Jose Reyes who has had durability issues in the past, played 126 games this past season which isn’t that bad so hopefully he can play at least that many in Miami for years to come. He was the NL batting champ this past season, 5^th in the NL in runs and 6^th in stolen bases. He was probably the most coveted free agent outside of Pujols and Fielder this offseason. The Marlins now have filled a void at 3^rd base as it’s assumed Hanley Ramirez will move their while Reyes takes shortstop, also this will give them a stud leadoff hitter in Reyes. It’s being said that the Marlins are now focusing their attentions on Pujols, which to me is very unlikely of actually happening, but if it did that would certainly shift the dynamics of the NL East. They are also continuing to pursue CJ Wilson and Mark Buherle. The winter meetings are now upon us so we may see them land someone else big soon. This proves the Marlins are definitely committed to spending money and competing this offseason. With Reyes gone from the Mets, as well as virtually everyone else besides David Wright and Johan Santana, look for the Mets to listen to offers for the two remaining vets. Replacing Reyes at short for the Mets will most likely be Ruben Tejada, the young shortstop prospect. The Mets are clearly in a rebuilding phase, and the Marlins are clearly in a reloading phase. Reyes seems to be a risk due mostly to durability, not production concerns, so only time will tell if this is truly a good signing. I guess the Marlins decided they’d rather go big than go home this year.

Get Ready Cali

Magic Johnson said to be in the running for buying the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now this is far from being over, but you have to like his chances with the group speculated to be in on the purchase with him. Stan Kasten, former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals seems to head this group as far as bringing them together. Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners seems to be the main source of finances to this operation, and Magic a good guy to brand a team. Magic is one of, if not the biggest sports stars in L.A. history, playing for the Lakers of the NBA. This group seems to have a real shot with the money, the brains, and the brand they are trying to put together for this endeavor. It will very much come down to money and who can put forth the most, but you have to like the groups chances as long as they can compete in that sense, which it seems they can as of now. They will definitely bring a lot to the table that owner Frank McCourt hasn’t in recent years for the Dodgers. They should be able to restore this team to prominence in the NL West and they have some building blocks if they succeed with this buy. Kemp, Kershaw, Either, Loney, those are some good players and with Magic in town I’m sure some more could be persuaded to join them. Another consideration to the purchase of the Dodgers is Mark Cuban. He has the wealth and the presence to come in and buy the team as well, and I believe would also be a good fit as owner if the Magic, Walter, Kasten group doesn’t get it. It has been said that Cuban will make a bid. Cuban won it all with the Dallas Mavericks as their owner, and the NBA has a salary cap, so maybe the “Cubes” could take the Dodgers to the top. I am for either of these two getting the team; I think it would be good for the Dodgers and baseball. Get ready for the bidding war because this will be a big deal. (See what I did there)

The First Domino To Fall?

Heath Bell signs a 3 year $27 million, with the Miami Marlins. Does this trigger more players to join Bell in Miami? The Marlins are a few moves away from being serious contenders even though Bell is the first real move they’ve made this offseason. The have young star on the rise Mike Stanton in right field, Hanley Ramirez at Short (or possibly third), and some pretty decent players in Gaby Sanchez and Omar Infante on the right side of the infield. Logan Morrison a good young prospect in his own right patrolling left field (just had surgery on his right knee, should be ready for start of spring training), starting pitchers Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Anibel Sanchez are a solid group. They have the makings of a good team, they really could use a center fielder and someone to play the left side of the infield with Ramirez, and then bolster their pitching staff. Jose Reyes and CJ Wilson are said to be the Marlins primary targets in free agency and if they acquired them which isn’t out of the question at all, they would certainly compete for the NL East. It’s been said the Marlins are looking to add 2 more starting pitchers, most likely sign one and trade for another. Assuming they add two solid guys, and a bat or two, they should be a team to watch, even in a division with the Phillies and Braves. Bell is a very good closer, we might have just witnessed his prime, but no doubt he’s a good edition for the bullpen. Maybe slightly overpaid for, but I think this means the Marlins are serious. So who’s next to take their talents to south beach?

Some Acquisitions To Catch Up On

I haven’t made to many posts lately so here’s one to catch up on some player acquisitions of late. One story that will have implications beyond the players involved in the swap is Chris Iannetta being dealt from the Rockies to the Angels for Tyler Chatwood. This will help the Rockies add to their young pitching options, and make a spot available for Ramon Hernandez. Colorado is rumored to be a favorite destination for Hernandez to land, in order for the veteran to handle the young pitching staff with prospect Wilin Rosario. This also gives the Angels a guy who will most likely see at least a solid share of the catching duties in 2012. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have made their first big move with the cubs (still waiting on that compensation issue to be dealt with…anyways) signing David DeJesus to play right field for them on a 2 year $9 million deal with an option for a 3^rd year. DeJesus had a down year with Oakland in 2011 but was a solid player for Kansas City from 2003-2010. He’ll look to bounce back as the cubs look to actually win some games this season. Now to a player who I’ve been saying is under the radar, Jonathan Broxton signs a 1 year deal with Kansas City for $4 million with $1 million more in incentives. The former Dodger closer will be KC’s setup man while trying to rebound from elbow surgery. Broxton is still young and if he pitches like he is capable of, it will be quite the bargain, we’ll see how he holds up along with their closer Soria, as he has had his share of shoulder problems. Broxton a good arm out of the pen, and insurance policy for Soria. Some good action in the offseason so far and the winter meetings just around the corner, the hot stove is going to heat up, prepare yourselves.

Valentine's Day Comes Early In Boston

Bobby Valentine has been named the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. I really don’t care to discuss whether or not I think this is a good move or a bad move because it really doesn’t make a difference in my mind. I will however say that the longer the managerial search went on for Boston, the more I suspected there would be a big name landing in the city. The more it went on the more Valentine was mentioned, and the more he was mentioned the more certain I was that it was inevitable for better or for worse that he would become the new Sox skipper. As a lot of people seem to think, I too am under the impression that Valentine is a short term fix for the position, as he has a two year contract with two more team options, this certainly favors that logic. Valentine definitely has some decent credentials, making stops in Texas, New York (Mets) and in Japan. He hasn’t managed in the big leagues in nearly a decade but he will do fine, not to say any of the candidates wouldn’t have been able to handle the job, but Bobby V is probably the safest choice right now. On that note, a lot of people like to think of Valentine as having a big ego and being very outspoken. Isn’t it interesting though, that whenever anyone is on camera, or at any sort of press conference/interview in sports, they always seem to say the right things. It appears if you are looking for Valentine to make any controversial headlines, you will not get them, at least not for now. It’s almost disgusting to me how everyone acts in front of the media. Where are the Ozzie Guillens of the world when you need them. Someone with something interesting and honest to say. I thought maybe Valentine would give a little something to talk about but all he says is he is “humbled” and nonsense like that. I understand the media is a game in and of itself, but I like to think you can be honest, maybe he and all the other boring interviews are honest, but you know there are a bunch of fakes out there too. Valentine will do well in Boston I’m sure, and I’m sure there will be some controversy with something he says eventually, I’ll wait. At least he doesn’t go Bill Belichick on us and be as vague as possible, although I find that amusing. It will be interesting to see how the players react (I’m sure they will say all the right things) now that Valentine has been hired, as it had been reported some players were not in favor of this hiring.

The MLB Offseason Rolls On, Not Too Many Big Splashes Just Yet Though

To keep you up to date I’m going to quickly run you by some news in the MLB of late. Veteran 36 year old defensive stud Jose Molina signs a 1 year deal worth $1.5 million to play for the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays didn’t bring back Shoppach and traded Jaso, so this fills a need for them, Molina is not a great offensive player but will be a good fit for an always young Rays team who could use leaders like Molina, I think it’s a great fit. It’s been reported that the Phillies reached out to retired closer Billy Wagner to see if he had any interest in coming back and joining their bullpen. He said no, and they moved on signing Jonathan Papelbon. They could still probably use another solid veteran arm in their bullpen, but Madson could come back to them in arbitration, or they could add someone with free agency, there is still a lot of good value arms out there. They say it is not a necessity to bring in another vet to the pen, but I think if they don’t now it will continue to eat away their farm system because they almost certainly would need one or more at the trade deadline. Miami Marlins continue to make people believe they will spend money on some big name free agent this offseason as they had CJ Wilson visit today. Wilson one of the top, if not the top starting pitcher available in this year’s free agency is among good company in sparking the interest of the Marlins. The Marlins have been said to be interested in pretty much everyone on the market from Pujols to Buehrle to Reyes, and now Wilson. A lot of experts are saying they like Miami to land Reyes, which I can’t argue with the fact that it is a strong possibility. This would most likely end with Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez moving to 3B. Finally Johnny Narron was named Brewers hitting coach to replace Dale Sveum who recently became manager of the Chicago Cubs. Narron was a big part of Josh Hamilton’s reemergence to baseball relevancy when he came back with the Cincinnati Reds and when he was traded to the Texas Rangers. Let’s see what he does with what should be a very good Milwaukee lineup next season.

Houston, We Had A Problem

Houston Astros fire GM Ed Wade and President Tal Smith, not too surprising considering new owner Jim Crane promised changes and the team is clearly not in any shape to compete in any division. This is probably something to do with roster moves made in the recent past. Wade traded Lance Berkman, Michael Bourn, Roy Oswalt, and most recently Hunter Pence. That is a lot of good players to trade away and not have rebuilt anything. The Astros do have some solid prospects, but is it worth being a non-factor in baseball for the past few years. The Pence trade brought in some very good young talent and the other trades helped bolster the organization’s prospect strength as well, but how do you trade away Oswalt and Pence to the Phillies without getting top prospect Domonic Brown in return. Brown is a 24 year old outfielder that is just about ready to make major contributions to a big league team, someone that could have been a major piece to the Astros future, but Wade whiffed on acquiring him. Not to say the Phillies and other teams have dominated the Astros in trades recently, but the Astros sure haven’t dominated anyone in that regard either. If you give up top players to a team looking to contend, you should be in the driver’s seat and get top prospects. The Astros need to find a GM who wants to win, and wants to win soon. They need a guy who is going to make moves, develop these prospects they have, or ship them off for ready talent. But they are moving to the AL West in 2013 and it should be a fresh start for them to compete again. They should not have to be sellers at every trade deadline, I welcome the day they will be buyers.

Valbuena Heads North Of The Border

Toronto received Luis Valbuena in exchange for cash considerations from the Cleveland Indians. Low risk, possibly a good return. Valbuena has always showed promise, especially at AAA where in 2011 he hit .302 had a .372 OBP and had 17 homers with 75 RBI’s in 113 games. He’s played 229 games in the majors but the 25 year old hasn’t really put it together up there. He’s a very good fielding 2B, and can be used as a utility player due to his versatility. The offense though, he shows promise but Cleveland didn’t think that was enough to keep him on the 40 man roster so they moved him down to make room on it, and Toronto snatched him up to put him on their 40. I like the move by Toronto, he’s still young and has potential, and at very worst I think he could at least be a productive bench player. At this point he seems to be in a battle with Mike McCoy for the 2B job, with Kelly Johnson likely to decline arbitration, unless the Jays go out and sign or trade for someone else. In that case Valbuena and McCoy would likely be battling for a utility man spot off the bench. The Blue Jays have made moves like this before that worked out well. Jose Bautista was acquired from the Pirates in 2008 for a player to be named later. Bautista started out showing promise even with the pirates but never really put it all together consistently until the end of the ’09 season with the Jays. Could this be a case like Bautista, probably not quite as big of a steal, but Valbuena definitely has the potential to be a good starter if he can translate his 2011 season in AAA into the big leagues. This is an under the radar move that could help Toronto now and in the future as Valbuena is still young and could be a permanent fixture in their lineup if he can harness all the potential and produce. Alex Anthopoulos is a guy who has my trust, he’s made some good moves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jays seriously contend in the near future even with a stacked division. They still have work to do but this is a good move.

My Scouting Video

Well what to do in New England on a nice day at the end of November. Play baseball!!!! This is me getting back on the field after a 3 month hiatus. Far too long off if you ask me. I miss the game too much. Me my brother and a few friends balling. Check it. (Video Cred to Kyle Holland, world class video maker).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Keux_s2m8IQ Sorry I couldn't get the video on, but that is the youtube link.

Arbitration: 2011 Edition

I just wanted to take some time to talk about players offered arbitration in 2011. I’ll just focus on the ones I find interesting, but feel free to ask about other one’s as well, which can easily be looked up online at a site like MLB.com. First case I’d like to bring up as interesting. Francisco Rodriguez of the Milwaukee Brewers. Rodriguez, if he accepts, would be due a one year raise from the 13.5 million dollars he made last season. Certainly the Brewers are hoping he declines in search of a longer deal (arbitration only being for one year) and a chance to be a closer for a team again. (Axford is the Brewers closer and Rodriguez was mainly a setup man). However, if Rodriguez accepts, this will certainly hinder the Brewers in the free agent market if they want to resign Prince Fielder, or sign Jimmy Rollins, whom they have a significant interest in. As a type A free agent (while the term lasts) the Brewers are hoping this lands them compensation picks, which would make this move good, but if Rodriguez likes the money then they are more or less screwed. David Ortiz, who made $12.5 million last year, was offered salary arbitration by the Red Sox. That’s an awful lot of money for a player seemingly without anywhere else to go. There isn’t a huge market of the aging 35 year old DH who is in search of a multi-year deal. The likelihood in my mind that he ends up in a uniform that doesn’t say “Boston” on the front of it are slim to none. That was my view before arbitration as well, but I have to feel like he will accept as this is a lot of money and a guarantee that he gets to play next season. I feel like Boston would have been better to not offer him arbitration and sign him for less. I doubt he declines and signs somewhere else, but in that case the Sox would pick up compensation making this a good move. Maybe these two teams are banking on the fact that only 2 of 27 players offered arbitration last year accepted. I’d like to say that offering Josh Willingham, Michael Cuddyer, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Madson, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, and obviously Fielder, Pujols, Reyes, Rollins, and Wilson were all good moves. On a final note, interesting to me, Carlos Beltran could not be offered arbitration due to a provision in his contract which leaves the question of where he will land still very much up in the air. Arbitration day is a gamble, we’ll see who appear to be the winners and loser on December 7^th, the deadline to accept, which a bunch of players will probably wait for to make their decision.

Comeback For Sizemore?

Grady Sizemore, 29 year old centerfielder, re-signs with the Cleveland Indians. It is a 1 year deal worth $5 million and a $4 million incentive based on plate appearance and another $0.5 million if he’s named comeback player of the year. The last 3 seasons for Sizemore have been derailed by injury, multiple knee surgeries, which have limited the productiveness of the former all-star. The club had declined a $9 million option for this season, but Sizemore could still earn that much, as long as he stays healthy. It really is a deal that is good for both sides. The incentive nature of the contract, and the fact that it’s only one year in length, protects the Indians if Sizemore continues on his injury hindered ways. But he was a very good player and if you can get Sizemore prior to his string of injuries at nine mil, then that’s a bargain. What this deal does for Sizemore is allow him to prove himself. He can almost double the value of his contract if he plays well and plays a full season, and if that happens, next year he will be much more likely to get a big deal when hitting the free agent market.  Sizemore was happy to stay in Cleveland as he has a great respect for the franchise sticking by him through the last few years. There were other offers on the table from other clubs, but Grady was pretty much going back to Cleveland if he could help it. I think this is a good move for the Indians who were a serious contender for much of the season last year, giving them back a guy of Sizemore’s caliber, should help them make a run at the AL Central this season, and Grady deserves a chance like this from some team. If I had to pick who I thought would be comeback player of the year in 2012 today, I would probably have to say Sizemore would be my favorite at this point. We’ll see if he can stay healthy.

Lifting For Baseball

I always hear pitchers wondering if traditional lifting is alright for them and if stuff like bench pressing will hurt their shoulders. With a pitcher he relies on the health of his arm and without it, he has nothing. So I’m going to shed some light on getting bigger and stronger as a pitcher, and keeping your body healthy while doing it. (Position players should also read, it will still help) Tim Collins, who made his big league debut at the beginning of the 2011 season at just 21 years of age with the Kansas City Royals as a pitcher is exactly the kind of guy you want to look up to while training. He went from 5’5” 131 pound high school senior to now 5’7” 171 pound major league pitcher. He went from a fastball in the low 80’s to one in the low 90’s currently. He worked hard with his strength coach Eric Cressey and it paid off. Now what he did was a lot of basic strength training at first consisting of deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups and chin-ups, rows, pushups, some squats, and dumbbell chest presses. Cressey doesn’t let him do any barbell presses, which I agree from experience put far more stress on your shoulders than dumbbell presses, and Cressey prefers unilateral (working one at a time) movements for the legs. So lunges are much more effective than squats, as they put less stress on your spine/lower back. From my personal knowledge of lifting, closed chain exercises (performed where the hand (for arm movement) or foot (for leg movement) is fixed and cannot move) are much better for your joints, and Open chain exercises (When your hands or feet are able to move) are much more strenuous on the joints. Not to mention the fact that closed chain movements work more muscles. So don’t worry about being the best bench press in the gym, worry about getting into the right shape and condition. Collins needed to add this 40 pounds to his frame to handle the rigors of a long baseball season, it keeps him healthy and his body from breaking down and becoming injured. However, this is muscle he gained, adding muscle even for pitchers can be a good thing, it is necessary to be strong enough and well-conditioned enough to stay healthy for a full season. As far as arm speed I also have learned that your arm will only travel as fast as it can safely slow it back down, so to increase velocity on your throws, strengthening the muscles that slow your arm down will help a lot. I personally like to use resistance bands and simulate throwing, but have it so the resistance band is trying to pull me through my motion, and I must resist, and only let it pull my arm forward very slowly. Great exercises for pitchers, and baseball players in general (Everyone can use to stay healthy) are lunges, sprints, one leg piston squats (with body weight or dumbbells) and hill runs, for the legs. For the upper body, I would do some dumbbell presses for the chest, especially incline presses along with pushups, I would definitely focus on pull-ups and chin-ups for the back along with rows. Also some curls of any kind (I’m a big fan of zottman curls) and some triceps work (I like dips) should be thrown in. Make sure you do some cardio with the lifting and plyometrics are always good to add explosiveness. Core work is always good (although your core works no matter what you do) but to do some leg lifts, which are most effective ab exercise, is ok. But to avoid back pain that often comes with it, decompress your spine with back bridges, this will undo the compressing that bending over while doing any ab exercise does. Also strengthen the rotator cuff with some resistance band movements; I posted a video the rotator cuff moves below. Train hard and train safe.

A Gone, But Look Who's Here

Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes all headed west while Adrian Gonzalez was shipping up to Boston last offseason. Adrian had a very good season with the Red Sox, hitting stats of .338/.410/.548 are great, but more or less what was expected. Everyone was talking about Gonzalez and the impact he would make on Boston and the void San Diego would feel without him. The Padres didn’t walk away empty handed. 3 top prospects in return, and I’m writing this because I think that they will pay dividends sooner rather than later. Maybe as soon as 2012 in some cases. Kelly ranks 14^th and Rizzo as the 18^th overall prospects in MLB.com’s top 50 prospects. Kelly, Rizzo, and Fuentes are 1^st 2^nd and 8^th ranked prospects in the Padres system respectively. Rizzo had already seen major league time with the Padres playing in 49 games, he had his struggles at the plate, but his AAA numbers were outstanding and with a little adjusting time he will be the 1^st baseman of the future. It appears for now he will compete with Guzman, but I like Rizzo to take control of the position during the 2012 season and be a major factor for the Padres by the end of the year. Kelly, a starting pitcher with great stuff, played in AA last season and will no doubt be looking to earn a spot in AAA this season, and who knows he could definitely be a September call up if he has success there. The Padres could look to give him a taste of the big leagues so he is ready by the start of the 2013 season which would be ideal, but hey maybe he surprises everyone and earns a spot with the big club this season permanently, it could happen. Fuentes played well in A+ so I would look to see him in AA in 2012. Kelly and Rizzo are both 22 years old, Fuentes still only 20 so it would seem fit he may take a little longer to get to the majors, but I eye the 2014 season for him and this guy is going to be GOOD. I think he is underrated for sure, an all-around good outfielder, speed, glove, gets on base, he’s the real deal. When he arrives to play CF for the Padres, everyone will know it. When all 3 of these guys arrive at the big club, the Padres will be back in contention, and ready to make a serious run at a championship. Gonzalez is great, but the Padres got a lot of talent in the deal. Don’t sleep on the Padres, they are a couple years away from doing it BIG!!!

Nathan and Feliz, Rangers Priming for another WS appearance

Neftali Feliz is being moved from the Texas Ranger’s closer role, to the starting rotation. To fill the hole left at closer the Rangers signed Joe Nathan whom turns 37 today. Happy birthday! Nathan signed for 2 years and a contract value of 14.5 million, with an option for a third year. From 2004-2009 Nathan was a premiere closer for the Minnesota Twins, in 2010 though he missed the season due to Tommy John Surgery. He came back in 2011, far less dominant than previous to the surgery, but the Rangers will look for him to improve from last year’s mediocre season. In my mind Nathan should be able to get the job done at closer for the Rangers this year, but even if he doesn’t the Rangers have a strong bullpen with other options. I’d throw Mike Adams or Koji Uehara in at closer any day. Perhaps just as interesting as Nathan’s season will be, Feliz who is now in the starting rotation and will certainly be in critics eyes if he doesn’t perfom well. A lot of people are saying that it’s hard to find high level closers, and that Feliz should stay there, but why have a pitcher with so much talent throw 70 innings or less, when he could be throwing 200+. If Feliz can handle the rotation, that is where he will make a bigger impact, if you don’t already know, I think closers are overrated. I want my best players on the field the most innings possible. For all you who say don’t move him to the rotation, are you still mad that CJ Wilson was moved from closer to the rotation for the Rangers not too long ago? Didn’t think so, that worked out quite well. Good move/moves, by the Rangers. They are getting ready for another AL title and are looking like a favorite already. If they re-sign Wilson then they will be my favorite for sure, if not they are still amongst the elite, and this move is only helping them. Nathan’s deal was of good value for the closers market, and I’m sure Feliz will do fine in the rotation; this is why the Rangers win, moves like this.

Brew Crew GM Time

A lot of people are asking what their favorite teams should do, or saying what their favorite teams should do this offseason. I’m going to play a little General Manager here, and try and make some moves for a team. Note I don’t have inside information only what’s provided online and what I can assume so I don’t know exactly how much they are willing to spend or anything like that, but this is what I would do, or something like it for the Brewers. Braun Morgan and Hart from left to right is a solid outfield, no need to do anything there. Weeks at 2B is good and I’d be content with Lucroy behind the dish. Axford closing, and Gallardo, Greinke, and Marcum as my 1-2-3 starters is also fine by me, this is a good framework the Brewers have. Major needs at SS, 1B, 3B, bullpen depth, and maybe starting pitching depth. I don’t really trust Gamel at 1B, and Wolf and Narveson are ok options at the end of the rotation but they could do better. So first of all the Brewers actually have a lot of young arms in the minors that should be ready in the upcoming few seasons. They may be able to give bullpen help this year if needed, so the bullpen isn’t vital to make moves for. At SS I’m looking at Reyes, Rollins, Alex Gonzalez, Betancourt and Furcal. At 1B I’m looking at Fielder, Pujols, Overbay, Pena, Kotchman, and Conor Jackson.  In my opinion they don’t have any key needs in their lineup say leadoff cleanup or whatever, they have some good hitters who can be moved around without too much hassle. So I’d guys I think have the best value not someone to necessarily fit a lineup. Tough decision but I like Reyes (as I cringe with the fear of injury) so I would make him a priority If I don’t get Fielder back. I don’t overpay for any of these guys though so I may have to move down the line. Rollins is not my first choice, he will probably be vastly overpaid, but who knows, so I’d say I’m looking at Furcal. Either way I’m going to get one of these guys. At first I try and Get Fielder, there is more 1B’s I like on the market but he makes my lineup the most dynamic so he’s still priority #1 overall. Now if I miss out on Fielder I’m probably going hard to get Reyes. If that happens I look to Pena at 1B, he gets on base, he has power, he is my second rate Prince Fielder. Pena would command a lot less money, but if I missed on him I would probably go Kotchman. Conor Jackson I think I would sign no matter what. I feel a lot more comfortable with Casey McGehee at 3B if I can put Jackson there if he falters, not to mention Jackson can play 1B, RF, LF too. So here are my two paths. 1. I sign Fielder, then I get Furcal hopefully. I still sign Conor Jackson because he has good value for my team in any case. 2. I sign Reyes, I sign either Pena or Kotchman to play 1B (with Gamel seeing a little time too) and I sign Jackson to give me depth everywhere. 3B I keep my eyes out for trades, I have solid backups everywhere in each situation, so I look to the bullpen if I have more money left. Finally, last concerns, I could use a utility guy, and or setup help, which I do not add in these scenarios but I could. (I would send some bullpen guy down or trade him if I signed setup help, if I add utility guy Gamel probably gets the boot to AAA or trade.) Sample lineups

1.       Furcal, Weeks, Braun, Fielder, Hart, Jackson, Lucroy, Morgan, P

2.       Reyes, Weeks, Braun, Hart, Pena, Jackson, Lucroy, Morgan, P

Bench in either case: McGehee, C. Gomez, Farris, Gamel, Kottaras

Rotation: Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, Wolfe, Narveson

Bullpen: K. Loe, M. Estrada, B. Kintzler, M. Parra, T. Dillard, J. Axford, Pinero*

*I add Pinero for SP and RP depth, I put him in the bullpen.

The Art Of Changing Up

My first article dedicated to a single pitch. Probably the single most effective pitch in baseball when used well, and the most detrimental when muffed. The changeup, some guys have one that the bottom will fall out on you faster than you can blink. Some have some crazy screwball like action to theirs. The one common theme between all the good ones though, they make a hitter look silly from being too early. Who hasn’t had that feeling of being early on a changeup, I have. If you’re looking for a fastball and you get the changeup and the pitcher has a good one, then you’re not going to realize that it’s a changeup until it’s too late much of the time. It’s almost unfair when a guy has a fastball changeup combo where there is a good speed differential and such a similar release point, spin and sameness to each ball. Timing is the most important part of hitting and if a pitcher is to mess with that, he will succeed a lot more. Not that pitchers don’t succeed enough, sometimes getting hitters out more than 2/3 of the time. This pitch though, the changeup, if the hitter knows it’s coming, and has timed it correctly, well you better hope it’s not over the plate, because he should be taking a 360 foot trip around the bases. How do you have success with the changeup? Like I previously mentioned, you want the release point and mechanics to be the same as the fastball as to not alert the hitter to the fact that you are trying to make him look a fool. You want to use the same grip as your fastball, that is, if you throw primarily a 4 seam fastball, throw a 4 seam changeup. The same applies to a 2 seam fastball changeup combo as well. You want the hitter to think it’s a fastball as to mess up his timing. If you want to see this done right, go look up some videos of Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Shawn Marcum, Dallas Braden, or John Danks. All possess terrific changeups. They pull strings like Gepetto. And if you watch closely they all have different changeups, that are successful for different reasons. Either the velocity differential between their fastball, their superb movement, or their ability to throw it with the same exact motion as their fastball, or a combination of these. Go learn the changeup today; it is useful to say the least. Now watch vintage Pedro dominate guys. Not all but a bunch of changeups in this clip. Check it.

AL MVP?

Well I have to give my two cents on the AL MVP award in 2011. Detroit’s, Justin Verlander takes home the award, followed in voting by Ellsbury, Bautista, Granderson, and Cabrera. I was not in the category of people, who thought Justin Verlander should have won, but I am happy for him, he had a tremendous season by any standards. A no hitter, the AL pitching Triple Crown, leading his team to the ALCS. He was a true ace, definitely the best pitcher in the AL (proven by his unanimous AL Cy Young award victory). Why do I think he won MVP? I think it was because of many factors. He led his team to an ALCS, he had great statistics, and when you watched him pitch this year, it was utter domination in almost all cases. Now we can prepare to listen to the naysayers who think a pitcher shouldn’t win the award, and we can listen to all the people who jump on the bandwagon and say they agree completely, he deserves the MVP. I won’t really be either as I don’t feel awards are that big of a deal, although I do partake in discussions about them frequently, as it’s something to talk about, especially in the offseason. Who wins or loses is not particularly of importance to me, I don’t judge players off awards.  A lot of people like to turn to WAR (Wins Above Replacement), a sabermetric calculation, to determine the value of a player. If we were to use this, then the order would now be Ellsbury, Bautista, Cabrera, and Granderson/Verlander in a tie for 4^th. Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, and CC Sabathia all also had a higher WAR than Verlander. For anyone wondering Verlander had a WAR of 7. Ellsbury (9.4) was the highest in the MLB. I don’t think WAR is a perfect representation of value as I would have had Verlander only behind Ellsbury, Cabrera, and Bautista in my voting (in no particular order). Either way, I say great that he won it, it shows that he had a truly great season, but don’t think that he ran away with this one. The vote was fairly close, and the AL witnessed some fantastic seasons by a bunch of players. I am curious though, who do you think should have won the award?

Goofy Baseball

This made me laugh, just a cool little baseball video. Enjoy 8 minutes of your Monday and watch it. This proves that everyone really does like baseball, even fictional characters!

Greg Halman: RIP

Greg Halman, 24 year old Seattle Mariners prospect found stabbed to death in his homeland, the Netherlands. This is an extremely sad story. He has just made it to the big leagues with the Mariners where he played 35 games this past season, and 44 in his big league career. Apparently his younger brother is a suspect in this murder, and has been taken into custody. Really sad to see such a bright young man lose his life. He hadn’t played terrific in the big leagues yet, but he was really making a name for himself as high as AAA, and was surely a big piece of the Mariners future plans. He was the only player currently in the MLB from the Netherlands and along with making his family and friends proud, I’m sure his country was really excited for him. RIP Greg, sending some prayers your way.

$$Money$$Ball$$

I just wanted to do a quick post on my view of the Moneyball, movie and book. First of all I like the book better, for a baseball nut like me there’s more detail, I love that! Also, as good as the movie was, I feel there were some things that you probably don’t see in the right light. First of all I don’t think Art Howe is the bad guy they made him out to be in the movie, but then again it makes the movie a lot funnier when Billy Beane trades Giambi and Pena, forcing Howe to play Hatteberg. Also on a side note, Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt were great in this movie. Back to what you miss out on, the whole Jeremy Brown scene at the end is kind of out of the blue without mentioning him for the whole movie. He had a lot of mention in the book, and the chapters on the draft, which weren’t in the movie, were actually my favorite ones. I think the book is just more complete, and the movie is adapted for entertainment purposes, which I understand. I’m just saying, if you haven’t read the book, go take a peek, it’s my favorite book and really just a great read. Great concept, exciting as far as a baseball book goes, and is very well written. I did enjoy the movie as well, so seeing that should also be on your to do list. To anyone who has read the book and seen the movie, what do you think?

Get Wiggy With It

34 year old utility man Ty Wigginton has been traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later or cash. Great move for the Phillies, adding versatile depth to their bench or possibly even starting lineup. Ryan Howard’s injury will leave a question mark at 1^st base, Mabry should take that spot, but Wigginton could certainly take over if Mabry slips up. Wigginton is also a good insurance policy for Chase Utley and Placido Polanco who have both experienced some injuries recently. Not to mention he plays the corner outfield spots, and can even catch a little. He will see a lot of action in various spots in all likelihood. He is a solid fielder and solid offensive player as well. In his 10 big league seasons his hitting numbers are .265/.325/.443. Not bad, he shows some power, and has been a useful player wherever he has played. The Phillies aren’t really giving up much, and Ty is going to cost them $4 million this year, so not too expensive for a guy that could be playing a major role. With Jim Thome essentially taking up a roster spot to be a pinch hitter, it’s nice to have a guy with some versatility. The Phillies are priming themselves for a run at next year’s World Series. I say this moves helps a lot, and they have a decent shot at it. Let’s see what transpires with Cole Hamels.

Ryan Westmoreland: Resiliency

Going from one of the top prospects in a deep Red Sox farm system, to the hospital, not exactly a step in the right direction for Ryan Westmoreland. Local 21 year old product from Portsmouth, Rhode Island had a cell mass on his brain stem that was bleeding onto his brain. This caused Ryan to lose nearly all his vision and go deaf in one ear. He describes it a little in the video posted below. So he had surgery to correct the problem, a surgery, like a lot of surgeries, that had no guarantees he would even survive. He did survive, and after the surgery started to regain his senses, and his motor skills. Obviously the first thing on he and his families minds were getting him healthy and living a normal life again, but when they realized that was going to happen, it turned to baseball once again. This man is the definition of resilient. If a lot of people were to have brain surgery and have trouble with the things Ryan struggled with at first, they may have given up on baseball. Not this guy, even when he struggled at the game he was once a can’t miss prospect in, he still has hope he’s going to make it to the big leagues, and he is still working hard to make that happen. He is currently in the Red Sox minor league system, but I hope to see him at Fenway real soon. You have to root for a guy like this. Keep an eye on him, he’s got what it takes, I believe in him.

The Pen

The bullpen of a baseball team is fascinating to me. It’s always a deadline need for contending teams, and it seems like a cool place to spend your time. Have you ever seen videos of these guys messing around, you spend all game every game with these guys with nothing to do but wait for your name to be called. A lot of times there isn’t a great view of the game, so you have to amuse yourself somehow. I feel like in the dugout goofing off should be kept to a minimum, but the bullpen is like its own world with its own rules, I mean they really have nothing to do until mid-way through the game when they might warm up. First of all, I believe the bullpen is always a need at the deadline for contenders because for one, it is a cheap thing to acquire (relatively speaking). Starting pitching as well as any position players with the ability to start for a contending team are going to be much more expensive because they play a lot more, and have more value to teams. Bullpen help is sort of a cheap way to make your team better. Also I feel there is a lack of depth in relief arms, the better pitchers are starters, or high leverage situation guys out of the bullpens, like closers. Middle relief is filled with guys who can pitch, but a lot of those guys are mediocre and can falter at any time leaving them as undesirable options. Financial commitments to these players aren’t too high, and they are a dime a dozen, so getting a guy who is a step above the rest is going to really help your team in the middle innings. Bullpens seem to change an awful lot, and that’s the way baseball works. Adapt of die I guess. Improve the weak links or lose in this case. Now to the fun stuff. Watching a lot of Red Sox games, I’ve seen the guys in the bullpen making music with assorted items they can find in the bullpen. Seems fun, but I’ve posted a couple videos of the “pen” having a good old time.

V-Mart Grinding It Out

While I previously talked about getting the job done in the gym to be able to perform at a high level throughout a baseball season, sometimes you just can’t avoid the injury bug. One of my favorite players, Victor Martinez of the Detroit Tigers got a chance to play in the playoffs this past October. He even hit homerun, and on the swing, injured his side. He struggled to round the bases as he was clearly in some pain. Yet with the Tigers already down Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez, and facing a very good team in the Rangers, they couldn’t afford to lose V-Mart. They ended up losing, but this quote is awesome, “The only way that I don’t play tomorrow is if I wake up and I’m dead. That’s going to be the only way that I don’t play tomorrow.” Victor Martinez said that when being asked if he was playing in game 4 the following day. That’s the type of warrior spirit I like to see. I know some injuries you simply can’t play through, but everyone should adopt this attitude. Martinez played through pain to help his team try and win, a very honorable thing to do. They may have lost the series, but that’s beside the point and not due to a lack of effort from Martinez that’s for sure. It really makes me lose respect for people who sit out a lot with minor injuries, I understand you don’t want to make it worse, but sometimes you just have to man up. I realize this was the playoffs and players are more likely to go all out in October, but I’d like to see more guys fighting to get back in the lineup. There are a lot of players who do, but not enough. I really just wanted to write an article about my boy V-Mart, but I felt this is a worthy topic. Just felt I’d let you all know that people need to stop being babies because it really grinds my gears. (Family Guy Reference)

Win In The Gym

While baseball players may not have a sport as physically demanding as say football, hockey, or even basketball, while playing their respective games, they need to train just as hard if they want to be the best. While the others are more physical games, baseball is a 162 game grind that will eat you up and spit you out if you aren’t ready for it. It’s becoming more and more apparent who is working hard throughout the year, when people are watching, and when no one is. There are guys like Paul Konerko who train hard and it shows. The 35 year old has been playing as good as ever, even while aging past what most people would have called his prime. The 2010 and ’11 seasons have treated him well as he has hit 30+ homeruns each season, the first time since ’07, and his OBP is the highest it’s ever been. He’s really just hitting amazingly well for what logic would tell you he should be doing. Konerko gets it done in the gym, he was a guy who lived in the weight room and Hit The Cage, all offseason. It paid off. "Physically, you have to work more. That's the number one thing in my mind. The older you get, the harder you have to work off the field to make sure you can still get out there every day and play 150 games a season, plus to have a chance to go out and have a good season. You can't do the same things - at least I can't - as when I was 25," says Konerko. Since ’01 he has never played less than 122 games, the past two years he played 149, he’s working hard, clearly. Another workout buff, Brian Wilson of the San Francisco Giants puts it down in the gym. Trevor Hoffman, a guy who knows a thing or two about being a "good" closer said this about Wilson, "I've had a chance to see him from the other side of the field and his workout regimen and how hard he prepares to be as good as he can be when he hits the mound. He's taken his craft seriously. I truly appreciate that.” The whole San Francisco team really got into shape before their championship in 2010. Dave Groeschner pushed them hard; he took over right before their world series victory and should be recognized as a great head athletic trainer in the game of baseball. He helped Sandoval drop weight, which Sandoval was very excited about, and wanted to lose more. He also wanted to steal more bases. That may not have happened yet, but who knows. Hard work pays off, and the Giants know that. I don’t want to bring it up, but the Boston Red Sox have been accused of not being in top notch shape and look where their season ended up. It crumbled down the stretch. I say if you want to be a serious threat in baseball, hit the weights, hit the cage, really just work hard. Baseball is no longer a sport where out of shape players can expect to get away with not working hard anymore, plain and simple.

Cuban Hitting Missiles: Yoenis Cespedes

The uber Cuban center fielding prospect Yoenis Cespedes, is the buzz of late in a lot of baseball circles. He is said to be a 5 tool player, possibly the best all-around player to come from his home country of Cuba in a generation. You guessed it, he wants to be paid like it too. People are projecting him to get Aroldis Chapman money, so $30 million plus, like the super Cuban defector prospect of the 2009-2010 offseason. Major difference besides position, Cespedes is 26 and considered by some to be in his prime (I believe he might need another year or two) and Chapman is still only 23 as of today, so he has needed a little more development than Cespedes should demand. Cespedes is said to have plus power and speed, which I’m buying, but the transition from playing in Cuba to playing in the MLB will not be seamless, so I think he’s going to take a year or two to reach his potential, yet I too have fallen for this prospect. It’s hard not to like the guy after watching his YouTube video. Sorry the original was taken down, so I could only get the edited version. In this video of roughly 18 minutes in length, Cespedes shows off his fielding skills (and I can’t lie his behind the back catches are just impressive), his power (he hits bombs), and his athleticism (he’s got speed, he’s got bounce, he’s got strength, he’s impressive). I wish he showed off his arm a bit more/at all, but I trust scouts who say it’s superb as they have been right about the rest of his abilities it appears. Now in case you haven’t seen the original version I’m here to say you are missing out. The edit cuts out the good music that was previously on the video, and my favorite scene. The scene at the end which is not shown on this version is of a pig roast (I know random, but it’s on there). In it Cespedes tends to the fire under where the pig is cooking, it was awesome like the rest of the showcase video. He’s going to be a big deal in the MLB soon, so remember the name, Yoenis Cespedes. And watch whatever amount of the showcase video you can handle, it’s actually a good view even though it’s somewhat lengthy. A lot of teams are interested, so he could be coming to a city near you very soon. I wish this man the best in the MLB because he seems like a standup guy, and he has a lot of talent that I’d hate to see go to waste. Good luck Yoenis.

What A Tool by John Kruk

Sorry for the terrible video quality, but this is the best I could find. Anyway, this is hilarious and I had to post it, even though I'm sure a lot of people have seen it. I had seen it before, but not with my boy John Kruk's superb commentary. He makes this vid great. He roasts this guy, as it should be. I mean who is scared enough of a baseball to bail on his girlfriend, well I'm assuming that's who she was. Then again that might not have been the case by the time the game was over. Well, John Kruk is the man, this girl needs to find a man, and this dude needs to grow a pair.

Changes

Dun nun nun, nun nun nun, nun nun nah, that’s just the way it is. Baseball’s making moves. If you live under a rock, here’s what’s been going on. Houston Astros are moving to the AL West, which will make all 6 divisions have 5 teams. I like it, it makes baseball slightly more balanced, and I’m for this change, because it’s creating balance without changing the game completely. The playoffs are now expanding to have 5 teams in each league get in, basically the top two wild card teams will have a play in game is how I understand it. Also they are allowing teams from the same division to meet in the division series of the playoffs. I’m not too big a fan of the new playoffs. Why allow the runner up in the playoff race to get a chance to get in, they are the RUNNER UP, for a reason. I say if you don’t get it done in the regular season you don’t make the post season. I actually really enjoyed the 2011 playoffs and its format. Allowing divisional opponents in the division series, in my eyes just lets the same matchup happen even more often than it already does. Why not keep it the way it is and have teams that don’t play each other as much get an opening round series, then if it becomes inevitable, with a spot for the World Series on the line, let divisional foes duke it out. Interleague play also will be extended from April into September, I don’t really detest this rule, but the one thing I have against it, is I want the world series to be fresh, two teams that haven’t played each other in a while, which this may (unlikely but still possible) do away with. Teams might meet a month prior and the element of surprise and having to really think about what might happen could be disbanded. I realize that this is kind of necessary due to the odd number of teams that will now be in each the AL and NL, due to the Astros move, so for that reason I am for it. I think the Astros moving and balancing the divisions outweighs the drawbacks to a full season interleague so long as a team still plays a considerable amount of games in their own league as opposed to playing a LOT more games vs. the other league. The Astros move is set to take place for the 2013 season, and the along with it the interleague play I could only assume, however, the 5 team playoff is likely to take place as early as this upcoming 2012 campaign. Overall I say these are some good changes, and appear to be very likely to occur, and be successful. I applaud Bud Selig and all the others who have made these changes, they may not be perfect, but as a whole, I think they improve the quality of the game.