A full day of baseball on the schedule this afternoon, four games will be televised on MLB.tv, including the debut of Johan Santana in a Mets uniform. I will also be curious to see how Hideki Kuroda does in his debut for the Dodgers against the Braves.
The Reds were dealt a blow to their starting shortstop
http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/redsinsider/2008/02/gonzo-out-three-weeks.asp
Gonzalez is a big defensive asset for the pitching staff, but his inablity to show patience at the plate has been a big problem for him throughout his career. It's unfortunate for a player to lose his job due to injury, but the team would be better off if they gave the job to Jeff Keppinger who filled in admirably last season in many different positions for the Reds.
Mark Kizla of the Denver post mentions that there may be a new rivalry in the NL West
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_8400417
As unlikely as it sounded last year, these two teams don't appear to be dropping off anytime soon, many of the key ingredients for both teams success last season are young and under contract for many years to come. The NL West will be the most competitive division in baseball, but it would be hard to argue that these teams will be the frontrunners for the title.
The Blue Jays got some good news from their closer
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080228.wsptblair28/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/BlueJays
It's important for the medical staff on Toronto to monitor the health of Ryan. The team last year thought he had a tired arm as his velocity was well below what it had been in the past, and led to him blowing out his arm. The team found a capable replacement in Jeremy Accardo, so if Ryan isn't ready by April the team would still be in good hands with Accardo, and it's important that Ryan is healthy in August and September.
In what is expected to be a very tough season for the A's, they did see some good results from a forgotten pitcher.
http://www.mercurynews.com/athleticsheadlines/ci_8389754?nclick_check=1
Harden has been teasing scouts, and baseball fans for the better part of five years, but he has never been able to stay healthy. It would be ironic if he were to stay healthy this year, because the A's window for contending has closed, and should he prove he can stay healthy as a starter the A's will look to deal him for some additional prospects who Billy Beane hopes will get the A's back in contention in 2010.
I'll be back shortly to report on the first starts for Santana, and Kuroda.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Big League teams going younger
What initially was a trend that was started by the small market teams like the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics has now spread throughout the Majors. Well except somehow it skipped past San Francisco as they continue to overspend for Free Agents that are on the last legs of their career.
The trend to give younger players more playing time gained a lot of notoriety when the Oakland Athletics, headed by Billy Beane advanced to the playoffs in large part because of players who were barely old enough to drink. The term for this strategy became coined as "Moneyball" which was named after the book written by Michael Lewis who chronicled the popular GM during a season with the A's.
The strategy employed by small market teams like the Twins and A's during that time was more out of necessity than anything. Those teams couldn't afford to sign the Jason Giambi's, or the Mike Mussina's of the world. To compete they invested a lot of resources into effective scouting and if they lost a high priced free agent would utilize the extra draft picks given to them as compensation.
Initially it was felt that the only way for small market teams to compete was to copy the Cleveland Indians philosophy of getting a bright shiny new ballpark. The strategy worked for them, but it wasn't necessarily due to the stadium. What people didn't know then was that the Indians actually employed the philosophy that many teams are doing now, which is signing your young players to long term contracts before they become overpriced free agents. Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton led the Indians to many division titles in the 90's as a result of this philosophy.
The small market teams who thought building a new stadium was the answer have not noticed the same success. The Pirates, Reds, and Brewers all have built new ballparks this decade and none of them have made the post-season. Fortunately for the Reds and Brewers they have decided to put a lot of emphasis on their farm teams, and both organizations have a lot of impact players below the age of 25 who are ready to contribute.
The Brewers in fact almost made the post-season last year but fell short to the Cubs. The Brewers are expected to compete with the Cubs again this season, but will need a lot of breaks to go their way as the Cubs made many improvements to their club this off-season.
The Reds also will enter the season with a host of prospects ready to contribute. The only obstacle facing them will be their own manager Dusty Baker. Baker has never been known as a manager who will play rookies, and stunted the growth of a lot of players in Chicago. That needs to change for the Reds as Jay Bruce is ready to take over the CF position from Ryan Freel. Joey Votto needs to be given the reigns at first base over Scott Hatteberg for the Reds to even begin to think about contending in 2008.
Dusty Baker isn't the only manager, or executive for that matter who is reluctant to play young players. After all many of the GM's or Managers have their careers on the line, and they don't want to take a chance on an unproven rookie who they feel may cost them their job. It's always easier to blame it on a veteran for underperforming then to take heat for watching a rookie make embarrassing mistakes on the field.
Nevertheless that is something that is essential for a team to compete, especially in the low to mid markets. Veteran cast off players will not lead these teams to contention, if they could they would not have been let go by their previous organization.
This trend is even moving to the large market teams in New York, and Boston. The Yankees still will spend the money to acquire a top free agent, but thanks to the wisdom of Brian Cashman, they also have done a great job of building up their farm club. The philosophy changed so much in New York that Cashman convinced ownership that they needed to keep young pitching phenoms like Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, over Johan Santana. This would've never happened 3 years ago, but teams are becoming much more wiser to the benefit of keeping younger players in the system.
The biggest advantage for the middle market teams is that the young players are cheap, and they won't be able to go to arbitration until they have been in the majors for a few years, and can't file for free agency until they have had 5 years of major league experience. Unfortunately for some teams by the time they realize the value of scouting, and giving the youngsters playing time, the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees will have also, and in the Red Sox and Yankees case you can say they already have.
The trend to give younger players more playing time gained a lot of notoriety when the Oakland Athletics, headed by Billy Beane advanced to the playoffs in large part because of players who were barely old enough to drink. The term for this strategy became coined as "Moneyball" which was named after the book written by Michael Lewis who chronicled the popular GM during a season with the A's.
The strategy employed by small market teams like the Twins and A's during that time was more out of necessity than anything. Those teams couldn't afford to sign the Jason Giambi's, or the Mike Mussina's of the world. To compete they invested a lot of resources into effective scouting and if they lost a high priced free agent would utilize the extra draft picks given to them as compensation.
Initially it was felt that the only way for small market teams to compete was to copy the Cleveland Indians philosophy of getting a bright shiny new ballpark. The strategy worked for them, but it wasn't necessarily due to the stadium. What people didn't know then was that the Indians actually employed the philosophy that many teams are doing now, which is signing your young players to long term contracts before they become overpriced free agents. Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton led the Indians to many division titles in the 90's as a result of this philosophy.
The small market teams who thought building a new stadium was the answer have not noticed the same success. The Pirates, Reds, and Brewers all have built new ballparks this decade and none of them have made the post-season. Fortunately for the Reds and Brewers they have decided to put a lot of emphasis on their farm teams, and both organizations have a lot of impact players below the age of 25 who are ready to contribute.
The Brewers in fact almost made the post-season last year but fell short to the Cubs. The Brewers are expected to compete with the Cubs again this season, but will need a lot of breaks to go their way as the Cubs made many improvements to their club this off-season.
The Reds also will enter the season with a host of prospects ready to contribute. The only obstacle facing them will be their own manager Dusty Baker. Baker has never been known as a manager who will play rookies, and stunted the growth of a lot of players in Chicago. That needs to change for the Reds as Jay Bruce is ready to take over the CF position from Ryan Freel. Joey Votto needs to be given the reigns at first base over Scott Hatteberg for the Reds to even begin to think about contending in 2008.
Dusty Baker isn't the only manager, or executive for that matter who is reluctant to play young players. After all many of the GM's or Managers have their careers on the line, and they don't want to take a chance on an unproven rookie who they feel may cost them their job. It's always easier to blame it on a veteran for underperforming then to take heat for watching a rookie make embarrassing mistakes on the field.
Nevertheless that is something that is essential for a team to compete, especially in the low to mid markets. Veteran cast off players will not lead these teams to contention, if they could they would not have been let go by their previous organization.
This trend is even moving to the large market teams in New York, and Boston. The Yankees still will spend the money to acquire a top free agent, but thanks to the wisdom of Brian Cashman, they also have done a great job of building up their farm club. The philosophy changed so much in New York that Cashman convinced ownership that they needed to keep young pitching phenoms like Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, over Johan Santana. This would've never happened 3 years ago, but teams are becoming much more wiser to the benefit of keeping younger players in the system.
The biggest advantage for the middle market teams is that the young players are cheap, and they won't be able to go to arbitration until they have been in the majors for a few years, and can't file for free agency until they have had 5 years of major league experience. Unfortunately for some teams by the time they realize the value of scouting, and giving the youngsters playing time, the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees will have also, and in the Red Sox and Yankees case you can say they already have.
Out of the Dugout
It was great to see the bottom line while watching college basketball last night and actually see baseball scores scrolling across the bottom line, rather then being beaten to death on the Roger Clemens story.
It was a quiet today on the field yesterday as only five games were on the schedule, as the majority of the teams will take to the field today.
The Tigers got a look at Jeremy Bonderman yesterday as he tried to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season in which he compiled an ERA over 5. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20080227&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=802270803&Ref=PH&Profile=1048
Bonderman gave up two runs in two innings, it's obviously way to early to read anything into a spring performance but the Tigers will need to get some production from Bonderman this year if they expect to hold off the Indians.
Another interesting note regarding this game is that Miguel Cabrera blasted a home run in his first spring training at bat for the team. Cabrera has played his entire career in relative obscurity in Florida, and for the first time in his career will be faced with some pressure to perform.
The Reds took on the Phillies yesterday and Jamie Moyer took the mound as he prepares to start his 22nd big league season. Moyer looked impressive, but that's not the big news as he's virtually going to be guaranteed a spot in the rotation.
The Reds gave the ball to Jeremy Affeldt who is trying to latch on to a spot in the starting rotation. Reds writer John Fay has a good article regarding the importance of this Spring Training for Affeldt. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080228/SPT04/802280350/
Affeldt's stats were less then impressive as he gave up one run in two innings. Affeldt will be competing against a lot of promising young hurlers in the Reds rotation, so it's important he make good impressions on the Reds brass sooner rather then later.
In other news around the Majors, the Phillies announced that Brett Myers will be the opening day starter for the team. It's an interesting move by Charlie Manuel as Myers gets the nod over Cole Hamels who had an outstanding season last year. The move isn't so much interesting in the fact that Hamels isn't the guy, but that Myers despite being the opening day starter last season, only made three starts all season long. Myers of course was moved to the bullpen as they imploded during the month of April.
The move does mean one thing however, the Phillies will not be making that same decision this year despite the injury to Brad Lidge, who is expected to miss one month before returning to the Phillies.
It was a quiet today on the field yesterday as only five games were on the schedule, as the majority of the teams will take to the field today.
The Tigers got a look at Jeremy Bonderman yesterday as he tried to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season in which he compiled an ERA over 5. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20080227&Category=SPORTS02&ArtNo=802270803&Ref=PH&Profile=1048
Bonderman gave up two runs in two innings, it's obviously way to early to read anything into a spring performance but the Tigers will need to get some production from Bonderman this year if they expect to hold off the Indians.
Another interesting note regarding this game is that Miguel Cabrera blasted a home run in his first spring training at bat for the team. Cabrera has played his entire career in relative obscurity in Florida, and for the first time in his career will be faced with some pressure to perform.
The Reds took on the Phillies yesterday and Jamie Moyer took the mound as he prepares to start his 22nd big league season. Moyer looked impressive, but that's not the big news as he's virtually going to be guaranteed a spot in the rotation.
The Reds gave the ball to Jeremy Affeldt who is trying to latch on to a spot in the starting rotation. Reds writer John Fay has a good article regarding the importance of this Spring Training for Affeldt. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080228/SPT04/802280350/
Affeldt's stats were less then impressive as he gave up one run in two innings. Affeldt will be competing against a lot of promising young hurlers in the Reds rotation, so it's important he make good impressions on the Reds brass sooner rather then later.
In other news around the Majors, the Phillies announced that Brett Myers will be the opening day starter for the team. It's an interesting move by Charlie Manuel as Myers gets the nod over Cole Hamels who had an outstanding season last year. The move isn't so much interesting in the fact that Hamels isn't the guy, but that Myers despite being the opening day starter last season, only made three starts all season long. Myers of course was moved to the bullpen as they imploded during the month of April.
The move does mean one thing however, the Phillies will not be making that same decision this year despite the injury to Brad Lidge, who is expected to miss one month before returning to the Phillies.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Spring Training Roundup
The focus has now officially gone from the courtroom to the diamond as batters are not hitting BP pitchers, they are going against pitchers fighting for an MLB job. There are many storylines as we prepare for the 2008 season, and one such story line will be the possibility of the Angels running away with the AL West championship.
John Perotto focuses on this on his Baseball Prospectus column http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7173
Many people around baseball believe the Mariners will be able to contend with the Angels, but they are not looking at the full picture. The Mariners still have a tremendously weak lineup, and have too many players who lack patience at the plate. Mariners supporters will point out that Richie Sexson had a down year last year, and is primed to return to his 30 or 40 homerun power numbers in years past.
I hate to break the news to them, but that just won't happen, granted Sexson may not have been healthy all of last season, but he is on the other side of 30, and unless you take medication that will give you the head the size of Barry Bonds, that usually means your power numbers will decrease.
The Mariners did make some improvements to their pitching rotation. The team gave up an arm and a leg to acquire Erik Bedard, so he will be facing a lot of pressure to live up to those expectations this season. Bedard will team up with Felix Hernandez to give the team as good of a 1, 2 combination as there is in the majors. The team also made a good move by signing Carlos Silva to take the third slot in the rotation. Silva should benefit by pitching in a much larger ballpark, and having one of the leagues best defensive infields playing behind him.
The Angels did make a poor investment by signing Hunter to a 5 year 90 million dollar contract, but this will also mean he will give Gary Matthews Jr. fewer at bats which is always a good thing. The team did suffer a setback by losing Kelvim Escobar for the first month of the season, but the depth of their rotation should minimize the loss of Escobar.
John Lackey will still anchor the rotation and will continue to produce at shhh Cy Young winner level. The Phillies suffered a setback with the injury to Brad Lidge, who was just acquired in the offseason for Michael Bourne amongst others. This injury should keep Lidge out for a month, which shouldn't damage the Phillies too much as they can go to Tom Gordon during that time.
The Mets have virtually been given the NL East championship by many folks on the East Coast, but don't count out the Braves they will have Mark Texeira for a full season and Escobar should be ready to take over the shortstop position. The only real question for the team will be the starting pitching beyond Smoltz and Glavine. Keep an eye on Jar Jurjeans, whom they acquired from Detroit.
John Perotto focuses on this on his Baseball Prospectus column http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7173
Many people around baseball believe the Mariners will be able to contend with the Angels, but they are not looking at the full picture. The Mariners still have a tremendously weak lineup, and have too many players who lack patience at the plate. Mariners supporters will point out that Richie Sexson had a down year last year, and is primed to return to his 30 or 40 homerun power numbers in years past.
I hate to break the news to them, but that just won't happen, granted Sexson may not have been healthy all of last season, but he is on the other side of 30, and unless you take medication that will give you the head the size of Barry Bonds, that usually means your power numbers will decrease.
The Mariners did make some improvements to their pitching rotation. The team gave up an arm and a leg to acquire Erik Bedard, so he will be facing a lot of pressure to live up to those expectations this season. Bedard will team up with Felix Hernandez to give the team as good of a 1, 2 combination as there is in the majors. The team also made a good move by signing Carlos Silva to take the third slot in the rotation. Silva should benefit by pitching in a much larger ballpark, and having one of the leagues best defensive infields playing behind him.
The Angels did make a poor investment by signing Hunter to a 5 year 90 million dollar contract, but this will also mean he will give Gary Matthews Jr. fewer at bats which is always a good thing. The team did suffer a setback by losing Kelvim Escobar for the first month of the season, but the depth of their rotation should minimize the loss of Escobar.
John Lackey will still anchor the rotation and will continue to produce at shhh Cy Young winner level. The Phillies suffered a setback with the injury to Brad Lidge, who was just acquired in the offseason for Michael Bourne amongst others. This injury should keep Lidge out for a month, which shouldn't damage the Phillies too much as they can go to Tom Gordon during that time.
The Mets have virtually been given the NL East championship by many folks on the East Coast, but don't count out the Braves they will have Mark Texeira for a full season and Escobar should be ready to take over the shortstop position. The only real question for the team will be the starting pitching beyond Smoltz and Glavine. Keep an eye on Jar Jurjeans, whom they acquired from Detroit.
Spring Training games are here
Let the games begin!, well not quite, it's not opening day, but nonetheless there will be major league baseball players in uniform this afternoon. When you tune into Sports Center this evening you will see highlights of Major League action, rather then watching pitchers playing catch, or stars taking batting practice.
The Detroit Tigers are in action against the Mets as Jeremy Bonderman will be on the hill as he tries to become the ace the Tigers had envisioned him to be for the past two seasons. There are also four other games taking place this afternoon, including the White Sox and Rockies which will be broadcast online for those of you looking for a diversion at the office.
In other news the Rays received some good news today http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080227&content_id=2391780&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
This is huge for the Rays as they couldn't afford to miss Kazmir for a significiant period of time as he is the anchor of the young rotation. The Rays are still a year away, but it's important they take the next step and generate some optimism for the fans, and for themselves as they need to prove to themselves that they can at least compete with the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Detroit Tigers are in action against the Mets as Jeremy Bonderman will be on the hill as he tries to become the ace the Tigers had envisioned him to be for the past two seasons. There are also four other games taking place this afternoon, including the White Sox and Rockies which will be broadcast online for those of you looking for a diversion at the office.
In other news the Rays received some good news today http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080227&content_id=2391780&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
This is huge for the Rays as they couldn't afford to miss Kazmir for a significiant period of time as he is the anchor of the young rotation. The Rays are still a year away, but it's important they take the next step and generate some optimism for the fans, and for themselves as they need to prove to themselves that they can at least compete with the Yankees and Red Sox.
It's time for someone to sign Barry Bonds
Recently Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus wrote an article pleading for teams to sign Barry Bonds. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7174
At first look I really didn't see the point as I like many baseball fans in the media, and apparently all of the GM's and managers felt that Bonds just didn't have the talent to deal with the headaches he will give teammates, and the media circus that will follow him.
At second look it now appears foolish for teams in the American league to pass up on him. I can hear the arguments for teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers to pass up on Bonds. Those clubs already have a solid chemistry, and are expected to contend for the pennant this year. However a team like Tampa Bay would benefit greatly by the presence of Bonds.
The Rays have yet to win 70 games as a Major League franchise and are expected to be at least respectable this year as they will field one of the better lineups in the league. However the Rays would be able to find room for Bonds as they still have not learned their lesson and will be relying on the often injured Rocco Baldelli to play in the OF. The Rays once again are left without having much insurance behind him. If Baldelli were to get hurt then Johnny Gomez would become the RF, but then the team would be left without a quality DH, and the club will assuredly play Baldelli at DH a handful of games each week to insure his health, but let's be honest Baldelli does not have the power numbers to be a sustainable DH in the American Leauge East.
If the club were to sign Bonds they could use him as a DH in place of either Gomez or Baldelli. I think the Rays are making a mistake to expect so much out of Gomez this year, granted he had a great second half last season, but there was a reason the team essentially gave up on him going into spring training last year. The Rays also are counting on a repeat performance from Carlos Pena. Pena finally fulfilled his potential last season by belting 36 home runs, but there still is a possiblity that was a fluke performance and the club needs to have some kind of insurance policy behind him.
It's doubtful the Rays will be able to match the Yankees and Red Sox this year, but at some point the club will have to prove to fans that they are willing to add some pieces to the puzzle, and will make an attempt at catching the beasts of the East. The Rays have arguably the best farm system in the majors, and should be a 80 win team without the presence of Bonds. Adding Bonds to the lineup may not give the team enough wins to contend, but should boost attendance figures and give the fans optimism for 09, when the Rays will be able to contend with the Red Sox and Yankees.
As Sheehan mentions there are a lot of negatives associated with Bonds, and one of those may be fan reaction. Luckily for the Rays, many people in Tampa aren't aware they field a baseball team, and the fact that they now have the All Time Home Run leader will make them aware of this fact. Granted some of them may refuse to attend the games, but those people probably weren't attending games regardless. The Rays are in need of a new stadium, and are on the right track to building a quality team, having a face like Bonds amongst all of the young talented players developed by Tampa may generate enough excitement in the city to support a new stadium.
At first look I really didn't see the point as I like many baseball fans in the media, and apparently all of the GM's and managers felt that Bonds just didn't have the talent to deal with the headaches he will give teammates, and the media circus that will follow him.
At second look it now appears foolish for teams in the American league to pass up on him. I can hear the arguments for teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers to pass up on Bonds. Those clubs already have a solid chemistry, and are expected to contend for the pennant this year. However a team like Tampa Bay would benefit greatly by the presence of Bonds.
The Rays have yet to win 70 games as a Major League franchise and are expected to be at least respectable this year as they will field one of the better lineups in the league. However the Rays would be able to find room for Bonds as they still have not learned their lesson and will be relying on the often injured Rocco Baldelli to play in the OF. The Rays once again are left without having much insurance behind him. If Baldelli were to get hurt then Johnny Gomez would become the RF, but then the team would be left without a quality DH, and the club will assuredly play Baldelli at DH a handful of games each week to insure his health, but let's be honest Baldelli does not have the power numbers to be a sustainable DH in the American Leauge East.
If the club were to sign Bonds they could use him as a DH in place of either Gomez or Baldelli. I think the Rays are making a mistake to expect so much out of Gomez this year, granted he had a great second half last season, but there was a reason the team essentially gave up on him going into spring training last year. The Rays also are counting on a repeat performance from Carlos Pena. Pena finally fulfilled his potential last season by belting 36 home runs, but there still is a possiblity that was a fluke performance and the club needs to have some kind of insurance policy behind him.
It's doubtful the Rays will be able to match the Yankees and Red Sox this year, but at some point the club will have to prove to fans that they are willing to add some pieces to the puzzle, and will make an attempt at catching the beasts of the East. The Rays have arguably the best farm system in the majors, and should be a 80 win team without the presence of Bonds. Adding Bonds to the lineup may not give the team enough wins to contend, but should boost attendance figures and give the fans optimism for 09, when the Rays will be able to contend with the Red Sox and Yankees.
As Sheehan mentions there are a lot of negatives associated with Bonds, and one of those may be fan reaction. Luckily for the Rays, many people in Tampa aren't aware they field a baseball team, and the fact that they now have the All Time Home Run leader will make them aware of this fact. Granted some of them may refuse to attend the games, but those people probably weren't attending games regardless. The Rays are in need of a new stadium, and are on the right track to building a quality team, having a face like Bonds amongst all of the young talented players developed by Tampa may generate enough excitement in the city to support a new stadium.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Yankees have questions at end of rotation
The first week of Spring Training has passed us by, and we are a little over a week away from actual exhibition games getting underway. Yes I am legitimately excited for Spring Training games to begin, if you think that's scary then well maybe you have more of a life then me.
Interesting article by John Perotto from Baseball Prospectus on his news & notes around training camp http://www.baseballprospectus.com/
I find it interesting that the Yankees are so insistent on putting Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. I totally agree with the philosophy of protecting a young pitcher from putting too much stress on his arm, but unless the Yankees want to suffer through another April and May of Kei Igawa they will be forced to use Ian Kennedy or another retread at that spot.
Kennedy is as young as Chamberlain, and doesn't have the MLB experience of Chamberlain, which granted is only 23 innings, but that's just the point. The club can still use one or both of these kids, especially if Mussina struggles like he did during the 2nd half of last season. As Perotto mentions Joe Girardi had experience with young arms in Florida, and unfortunately may have damaged two of the organizations best young arms in Josh Johnson and Annibal Sanchez. Girardi's history makes me think Brian Cashman may be whispering in Girardi's ear and telling him to limit the strain on Chamberlain especially. Cashman is right, the Yankees future is dependant on the young arms of Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy. However his job is on the line, and other organizations have had plenty of success using young arms on the way to a World Series, in 2006 the Detroit Tigers rode Justin Verlander, and Joel Zumaya to the Series.
This will be an interesting develop out of Spring Training as the Yankees are expected to be in a tight race with the Red Sox in the AL East, and will also be in a competitive wild card race should they fall short to the Sox. Their chances of success could very well come down to who they select to take the mound with the 5th spot in the pitching rotation out of Spring Training.
Interesting article by John Perotto from Baseball Prospectus on his news & notes around training camp http://www.baseballprospectus.com/
I find it interesting that the Yankees are so insistent on putting Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. I totally agree with the philosophy of protecting a young pitcher from putting too much stress on his arm, but unless the Yankees want to suffer through another April and May of Kei Igawa they will be forced to use Ian Kennedy or another retread at that spot.
Kennedy is as young as Chamberlain, and doesn't have the MLB experience of Chamberlain, which granted is only 23 innings, but that's just the point. The club can still use one or both of these kids, especially if Mussina struggles like he did during the 2nd half of last season. As Perotto mentions Joe Girardi had experience with young arms in Florida, and unfortunately may have damaged two of the organizations best young arms in Josh Johnson and Annibal Sanchez. Girardi's history makes me think Brian Cashman may be whispering in Girardi's ear and telling him to limit the strain on Chamberlain especially. Cashman is right, the Yankees future is dependant on the young arms of Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy. However his job is on the line, and other organizations have had plenty of success using young arms on the way to a World Series, in 2006 the Detroit Tigers rode Justin Verlander, and Joel Zumaya to the Series.
This will be an interesting develop out of Spring Training as the Yankees are expected to be in a tight race with the Red Sox in the AL East, and will also be in a competitive wild card race should they fall short to the Sox. Their chances of success could very well come down to who they select to take the mound with the 5th spot in the pitching rotation out of Spring Training.
Friday, February 15, 2008
MLB's Most Improved Teams
Spring Trianing is the one moment of the year that fans, players and managers alike will enter the season with optimism. Well unless you are a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, then you will have to take solace in the fact that your team will be much better in 2010 because of the trades you have just made.
Despite the steroids controversy this was perhaps the busiest off-season in recent memory. Thus resulting in a general mood of optimism that is stretching to Tampa Bay for the first time in franchise history. Tampa also made another change this off-season as they changed their team name by taking the Devil out of Devil Rays.
The Rays will get my vote for the most improved team this year, as they have been stockpiling their farm system with #1 draft picks, and all of that talent is becoming Major League Ready. BJ Upton who was a defensive liablility at 2b last year will be moving to CF, and is perhaps the superstar the Devil Rays have been looking for. The team also will be hoping that 1B Carlos Pena's 2007 was no fluke as Pena came out of nowhere to hit 46 home runs last year for the Rays.
The biggest reason the 2007 team was not one of the league's most improved last season was because of their pitching. Their bullpen ranked as one of the worst bullpens in the Majors, and their starting rotation was a mess after Scott Kazmir and James Shields.
The Rays seemed to have solved that problem by trading OF Delmon Young for Matt Garza, and will perhaps get help from the minors during the 2nd half of the season if 1st round pick David Price is ready.
Another surprise team in 2008 I believe will be the Cincinnati Reds, the Reds have always had a surplus of OF's, and were able to field a quality lineup. They finally have shifted their emphasis towards pitching, and although the team still has plenty of holes, I feel like they can contend for a playoff berth in the weak NL Central.
Now I'm not suggesting the Reds will win 90 games by any means, but with so many games against Houston, St.Louis and Pittsburgh the Reds will have a chance to inflate their record. While the Reds battle those teams the NL West will be battling against each other, which may in the end cost the leagues best division the chance of representing the league in the Wild Card race.
If you have any predictions on surprise teams this season please feel free to post them here.
Despite the steroids controversy this was perhaps the busiest off-season in recent memory. Thus resulting in a general mood of optimism that is stretching to Tampa Bay for the first time in franchise history. Tampa also made another change this off-season as they changed their team name by taking the Devil out of Devil Rays.
The Rays will get my vote for the most improved team this year, as they have been stockpiling their farm system with #1 draft picks, and all of that talent is becoming Major League Ready. BJ Upton who was a defensive liablility at 2b last year will be moving to CF, and is perhaps the superstar the Devil Rays have been looking for. The team also will be hoping that 1B Carlos Pena's 2007 was no fluke as Pena came out of nowhere to hit 46 home runs last year for the Rays.
The biggest reason the 2007 team was not one of the league's most improved last season was because of their pitching. Their bullpen ranked as one of the worst bullpens in the Majors, and their starting rotation was a mess after Scott Kazmir and James Shields.
The Rays seemed to have solved that problem by trading OF Delmon Young for Matt Garza, and will perhaps get help from the minors during the 2nd half of the season if 1st round pick David Price is ready.
Another surprise team in 2008 I believe will be the Cincinnati Reds, the Reds have always had a surplus of OF's, and were able to field a quality lineup. They finally have shifted their emphasis towards pitching, and although the team still has plenty of holes, I feel like they can contend for a playoff berth in the weak NL Central.
Now I'm not suggesting the Reds will win 90 games by any means, but with so many games against Houston, St.Louis and Pittsburgh the Reds will have a chance to inflate their record. While the Reds battle those teams the NL West will be battling against each other, which may in the end cost the leagues best division the chance of representing the league in the Wild Card race.
If you have any predictions on surprise teams this season please feel free to post them here.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Quick News and Notes
Not a big day today as it was the first day that pitchers and catchers reported. The Yankees announced that they will be naming their Spring Training complex after the boss George Steinbrenner.
Say what you will about "The Boss" but as baseball fans we would all want our owners to attempt to win at all costs every year. Steinbrenner probably went too far in his pursuit to get another World Series win before he retired, as he forced the games best Manager to the Dodgers, and created a huge distraction for the team during the past three seasons. Steinbrenner stil left the club with a good enough impression on Yankees fans, as after all he brought the team back to relevance in the 90's.
It was also announced recently that CC Sabathia will break off all contract talks with the Indians. This is a blow to the Indians, but something they had to have seen coming. Sabathia is a returning Cy Young award winner and the Indians quite frankly can't afford to pay him the 20+ Million he will attract in the open market. The advantage the Tribe have is that they have a stockpile of young arms waiting to take over for Sabathia, and still could have rebound seasons from Cliff Lee, or Jeremy Sowers.
As I was listening to XM radio today I heard that Jason Schmidt will not be ready for opening day this year. This comes as no surprise as he had three injuries to his pitching arm last season. This may go down as one of the worst free agent signings for the Dodgers as rumors were swirling last offseason that Schmidt's pitching arm was not right. Unfortunately for the Dodgers that was 48 million dollars ago.
Say what you will about "The Boss" but as baseball fans we would all want our owners to attempt to win at all costs every year. Steinbrenner probably went too far in his pursuit to get another World Series win before he retired, as he forced the games best Manager to the Dodgers, and created a huge distraction for the team during the past three seasons. Steinbrenner stil left the club with a good enough impression on Yankees fans, as after all he brought the team back to relevance in the 90's.
It was also announced recently that CC Sabathia will break off all contract talks with the Indians. This is a blow to the Indians, but something they had to have seen coming. Sabathia is a returning Cy Young award winner and the Indians quite frankly can't afford to pay him the 20+ Million he will attract in the open market. The advantage the Tribe have is that they have a stockpile of young arms waiting to take over for Sabathia, and still could have rebound seasons from Cliff Lee, or Jeremy Sowers.
As I was listening to XM radio today I heard that Jason Schmidt will not be ready for opening day this year. This comes as no surprise as he had three injuries to his pitching arm last season. This may go down as one of the worst free agent signings for the Dodgers as rumors were swirling last offseason that Schmidt's pitching arm was not right. Unfortunately for the Dodgers that was 48 million dollars ago.
Off season roundup
Although the weather couldn't be worse in the Midwest right now as temperatures are expected to creep to below zero tonight, it has a spring like feel as pitchers and catchers report to big league camps throughout Arizona and Florida today.
It's not quite the same feeling as opening day, but it is a sign that winter is nearing an end, and that the six month marathon to October is about to begin.
The off-season wasn't lacking any excitement as the Tigers hope they have what it takes to contend now after acquiring Migueal Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for the farm.
The Johan Santana situation stole a lot of headlines around baseball websites during the past month, and the deal was finally consumated a few weeks ago. The New York Mets may have been the biggest off-season winners by sneaking into the Santana negotiations and prying him away from the Twins for four prospects, none of which is expected to be a superstar.
The last big deal during the off-season just occured over the weekend when the Seattle Mariners acquired Erik Bedard for four prospects. The headline of the deal was OF Adam Jones, and pitcher Chris Tillman who Baseball Prospectus writer Kevin Goldstein has listed in his top 100http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7092
Those are just a few of the deals that were made this off-season, I will be evaluating each team, and will post a preview on each division throughout Spring Training. Baseball fans, especially those of you who are braving through extremely cold temperatures right now, be assured that Opening Day is a little more than a month away.
It's not quite the same feeling as opening day, but it is a sign that winter is nearing an end, and that the six month marathon to October is about to begin.
The off-season wasn't lacking any excitement as the Tigers hope they have what it takes to contend now after acquiring Migueal Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for the farm.
The Johan Santana situation stole a lot of headlines around baseball websites during the past month, and the deal was finally consumated a few weeks ago. The New York Mets may have been the biggest off-season winners by sneaking into the Santana negotiations and prying him away from the Twins for four prospects, none of which is expected to be a superstar.
The last big deal during the off-season just occured over the weekend when the Seattle Mariners acquired Erik Bedard for four prospects. The headline of the deal was OF Adam Jones, and pitcher Chris Tillman who Baseball Prospectus writer Kevin Goldstein has listed in his top 100http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7092
Those are just a few of the deals that were made this off-season, I will be evaluating each team, and will post a preview on each division throughout Spring Training. Baseball fans, especially those of you who are braving through extremely cold temperatures right now, be assured that Opening Day is a little more than a month away.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Play Ball!
Baseball anyone? after one of the more depressing off-seasons in the history of major league baseball pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training tomorrow.
If you were not aware of this you are not alone as most of the country has been focusing on the steroids, and HGH scandal involving Roger Clemens and now his wife.
I'm starting this blog to focus on the events taking place on the field, and will assume that many of you will be inundated with the facts of the steroids scandal on every other National and local media outlet that is available to you.
I recently was laid off from my job, and am looking to put my degree and my passion to work. I am an avid baseball fan, and perhaps the only other San Diego Padres fan in the Twin Cities area. Yes I do remember the days of Phil Plantier and Jerald Clark during the infamous early 90 Padres seasons. I will try to put much of the focus of the blog on events taking place throughout the big leagues, rather then focus on the Padres themselves, and will try to be as unbiased in my blogging as possible.
If you were not aware of this you are not alone as most of the country has been focusing on the steroids, and HGH scandal involving Roger Clemens and now his wife.
I'm starting this blog to focus on the events taking place on the field, and will assume that many of you will be inundated with the facts of the steroids scandal on every other National and local media outlet that is available to you.
I recently was laid off from my job, and am looking to put my degree and my passion to work. I am an avid baseball fan, and perhaps the only other San Diego Padres fan in the Twin Cities area. Yes I do remember the days of Phil Plantier and Jerald Clark during the infamous early 90 Padres seasons. I will try to put much of the focus of the blog on events taking place throughout the big leagues, rather then focus on the Padres themselves, and will try to be as unbiased in my blogging as possible.
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