|
 |
| Wednesday, January 10, 2007 |
Javy Lopez struggled last year but the Colorado Rockies know a bargain when they see one.
In the Rockies, Javy Lopez saw an opportunity. In Lopez, the Rockies saw someone who has faced adversity. Lopez’s desire to revive his career led Colorado to sign the veteran catcher Tuesday to a one-year deal worth $1 million if he makes the team’s opening-day roster.
“The back of his baseball card speaks for itself,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said of Lopez, 36. “But last year didn’t go the way he would have liked, and he’s taken it personally.”
The contract will provide Lopez a 40-man roster spot, but only a portion of his salary is guaranteed. His arrival signals the Rockies’ desire to create wide-open competition for playing time among returning starter Yorvit Torrealba, rookie Chris Iannetta and Lopez. Hurdle said he won’t keep three catchers.
I wish Javy the best. He had a heck of a career with the Braves and got lost in the brutal money shuffle.
The Royals added veteran set-up man David Riske to their bullpen today.
From the Kansas City Star:
Riske, 30, has made a name for himself as one of the better setup men in baseball. He is 18-14 with a 3.59 ERA in 328 appearances in a seven-year career with Cleveland, Boston, and the White Sox.
…
Riske appeared in a total of 140 games in 2003 and 2004, and since has seen his strikeout totals diminish. He struck out 76 batters in a combined 116 2/3 innings the last two seasons.
This makes six pitchers General Manager Dayton Moore has signed this off season who will likely make the opening day roster, completely overhauling what was the worst pitching staff in 2006, a season in which the Royals allowed seventy-two more runs than the second-worst team in the majors.
The Royals also signed Zach Day to a minor-league contract. Day fell of a cliff the last two seasons after showing promise early in his career, though part of that may have been due to a shoulder problem.
Day is 28 and missed the last half of 2006 after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff. He went 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA in eight starts for Washington and Colorado and made $600,000. He is 21-27 with a 4.66 ERA in his career. His 2.25-to-1 ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio is baseball’s seventh highest since 2002.
Groundball pitchers tend to do well when they have good defenders playing behind them. Mark Grudzielanek may have won the Gold Glove last year, but Angel Berroa did not, so we’ll have to wait and see if this proves to be a steal for the Royals.
Of course, if Day’s shoulder is healed, then it certainly can’t hurt to have another pitcher with actual major-league experience on the team.
|
| Wednesday, December 20, 2006 |
Their rise from the ashes achieved the penultimate goal of runner up. Dave Dombrowski is gunning for the whole enchilada in 2007, and like a dozen or so Major League GM’s, he thinks he has a legitimate shot at getting that ring. Let’s take a look at the transactions made by the Motor City Kitties.
Detroit’s 2006 success came on the young arms of Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander. The offseason acquisitions that drew guffaws last winter (Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones) paid off big time, and the Tigers find themselves with a surplus of pitching entering 2007. Unlike their Central Division rivals in the Windy City, the Tigers appear destined to hold onto all their starters. Zach Miner can be sent down to Toledo while the club sees if Mike Maroth is capable of returning to full time duty. The only uncertainty surrounded staff ace Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman had been mentioned in connection with the Yankees and a possible Alex Rodriguez deal. Would the Tigers really trade their 24 year old ace? Bonderman’s new contract, finalized this week, should put to rest any possible trade rumors. Bonderman’s deal calls for the young righty to earn $38 million over the next four seasons. Bonderman will hit free agency after his age 27 season, and he will be set for a huge payday, if he builds on last year’s excellent season.
A reasonably priced pitcher is a valuable trading chip, but the Tigers seem content to build with their homegrown talent and competent role players. And whether you believe this or not, Gary Sheffield is a role player to this team. Sheffield’s role will be simple, stay healthy and mash. And mash he still can. The much travelled outfielder/designated hitter posted a .806 OPS last year, the lowest since his last season in Milwaukee, a lost year by any measure, and one that occurred fifteen years ago. It was also the least time he played since his first major league season in 1988. If his injury has healed, Sheffield is a dangerous presence int he heart of a solid batting order.
Another role player acquired for the coming campaign is the ageless Jose Mesa. With Mesa, the Tigers are adding more to a righty dominated bullpen. Mesa allows too many baserunners, but with power throwing Joel Zumaya in the pen, that won’t be as serious a problem. Also taking on a role will be young lefty Edward Campusano. Campusano, originally with the Cubs, was selected in the rule V draft by the Brewers and then dealt to Detroit for cash. If Campusano doesn’t make the Tigers roster, he’ll be offered back to the Cubs. Such is the confusing rule V draft. Campusano is a one year bridge to some of the power arms in the pipeline for Detroit. Most of those arms are righties, so the LOOGY job belongs to Campusano.
The move I am least excited about is reupping Brandon Inge for another four years. Inge doesn’t get on base as much as I would like to see from a corner infielder and strikes out a bit too often. His defense is okay, about league average, but his OPS last year was an unimpressive .776. That was good for 16th of the 21 major league third basemen with 502 plate appearances. His OBP was 20 out of those same 21. They did not overpay for Inge’s production, so the deal is reasonable, even if I wouldn’t make it.
The Tigers have hitting and pitching to spare. By securing their younger talent and adding the spare parts, Detroit is poised to make a repeat post season appearance. They only had to pay a lot for Gary Sheffield. Surrendering Humberto Snachez and Jordan Tata is a big price, but pitching prospects are known to falter. And unlike many teams, Detroit has an abundance of young arms in the pipeline. They also have a few attractive trading chips. Andrew Miller is waiting in the wings and may make Mike Maroth redundant. If Sean Casey continues to get the job done at first base young slugger Chris Shelton would be very attractive to a team looking for a long term solution at first base. With this flurry of moves, the Tigers are ready for pitchers and catchers to report so they can begin the defense of their AL Pennant.
Cross posted at Ennuipundit.
|
| Saturday, June 17, 2006 |
This is an interesting use of an iPod.
Three hours before a start against Florida, Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings sits in front of his locker, puts on his headphones and stares at his video iPod.
Jason Jennings
He isn’t watching the latest Coldplay video or catching up on an episode of “Alias” as a way to relax before the game.
Jennings is doing some last-minute cramming: The Rockies’ video staff has downloaded every Marlins hitter into his iPod, and Jennings is figuring out how to pitch to them. He watches frames of himself delivering the pitch, followed by the result of the play. Everything else is weeded out.
“It’s a good way to refresh yourself on how you got guys out,” Jennings said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
This seems like a decent idea – have video that players use available right up until they take the field. Interesting intersection between technology and sports.
|
| Thursday, June 1, 2006 |
The Colorado Rockies are turning to Jesus in hopes of winning more games, reports USA Today in yesterday’s edition.
No copies of Playboy or Penthouse are in the clubhouse of baseball’s Colorado Rockies. There’s not even a Maxim. The only reading materials are daily newspapers, sports and car magazines and the Bible.
Music filled with obscenities, wildly popular with youth today and in many other clubhouses, is not played. A player will curse occasionally but usually in hushed tones. Quotes from Scripture are posted in the weight room. Chapel service is packed on Sundays. Prayer and fellowship groups each Tuesday are well-attended. It’s not unusual for the front office executives to pray together.
On the field, the Rockies are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and only the second time in their 14-year history. Behind the scenes, they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success.
Of course, the team is at the bottom of the NL West at the moment, behind teams from sin capitals Los Angeles and San Francisco. Still, healing takes time.
Amusingly, the Rockies’ players are vehemently denying that they’re a bunch of Goodie Two Shoes in today’s Denver Post.
Character, not religion, is the critical factor in the Rockies’ chemistry, according to the players. That explains why so many players reacted negatively to the portrayal of their clubhouse in a USA Today cover story in Wednesday’s editions that stressed the importance of Christianity.
“It was just bad. I am not happy at all. Some of the best teammates I have ever had are the furthest thing from Christian,” pitcher Jason Jennings said. “You don’t have to be a Christian to have good character. They can be separate. It was misleading.”
Todd Helton and Jennings were quoted supporting the article’s premise regarding religion’s role in the clubhouse. But both said they never were asked about religion, and were questioned only in general terms about the clubhouse environment. “I wouldn’t say it was accurate. (The writer) asked me about the guys in here and I said it’s a good group. We work hard and get along well,” Helton said.
The story stated that men’s magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse and Maxim could not be found in the Rockies’ clubhouse, but that Bibles were present. Several players read Maxim in the visiting clubhouse during the Padres’ series this week. Two separate issues sat on the center coffee table Wednesday.
I should point out that the visitors took 2 of 3 games. Never underestimate the power of hot chicks in lingerie.
“I have never seen a Bible (out in the open) in our clubhouse,” said pitcher Aaron Cook, who has led the team’s chapel service during spring training. “Most of the guys on this team are Christians, but not all of them. And the fact is you don’t build a winner around just Christians. If that was the case, everybody would be doing it.”
Indeed, notorious hedonists like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle have led teams to plenty of championships.
Michelle Malkin thinks, “The world is upside-down” when players are so loathe to be labeled as “Christians.” My guess, though, is that they just don’t want to be portrayed as inaccurately. They don’t shy away from the “good character” label, just the idea that they’re religious zealots who don’t have a good time.
Asked what role religion plays in the team’s roster construction, Hurdle said, “We look for men of character, men of skills. Their (religious beliefs) are not a question that is even brought up. That those have a common fabric with Christianity is not a coincidence. But values are the issue.”
Quite right. Atlanta Braves skipper Bobby Cox has long banned loud music of any variety, forbids the wearing of earrings and other jewelry while in uniform, and similar measures. He does it because he wants to create an atmosphere of professionalism and to avoid tensions in the locker room.
OTB
The Colorado Rockies are using Christianity to improve the clubhouse and their performance on the baseball field.
On the field, the Rockies are trying to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons and only the second time in their 14-year history. Behind the scenes, they quietly have become an organization guided by Christianity — open to other religious beliefs but embracing a Christian-based code of conduct they believe will bring them focus and success.
From ownership on down, it’s an approach the Rockies are proud of — and something they are wary about publicizing. “We’re nervous, to be honest with you,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd says. “It’s the first time we ever talked about these issues publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend anyone because of our beliefs.”
The clubhouse lacks the rowdiness typical of other baseball teams. After eight seasons of losing baseball and an embarassing incident with Denny Neagel management infused the team with a Christian approach. There doesn’t appear to be any feeling of forced faith but that could be due to the team’s selection process.
The Rockies’ success may not be due to what prayer sessions or bible studies as much as the professional attitude displayed. A good work ethic means being serious about one’s job, being prepared, and taking the job seriously. The Rockies are using Christianity and good character to do that.
“Baseball’s Rockies Seek Revival on Two Levels” [via Michelle Malkin]
UPDATE: Rockies players say USA Today put too much emphasis on Christianity. Jason Jennings said, “You don’t have to be a Christian to have good character. They can be separate. It was misleading.”
It may be misleading. It also maybe Rockies players don’t want to be labled “goody-goodies” by their peers.
[Cross-posted to The American Mind.]
|
|
