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| Thursday, December 13, 2007 |
Baseball’s hot stove season keeps crackling along with a firesale beginning in Baltimore, a strange signing in San Francisco and the effective release of a phenomenal talent with an arm that was abused.
Dead Team, Dead Team Swapping
Let’s start with the Orioles.
Andy MacPhail is the new head honcho in Baltimore and his primary job is turning around a moribund franchise. It is about time. The Orioles recently woes have resulted in poor showings, fan protests and the dreadful overreach that typifies teams just beyond terrible, but nowhere near good.
Move number one in the now ongoing firesale:
| Orioles Give |
Astros Give |
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- OF Luke Scott
- P Matt Albers
- P Troy Patton
- P Dennis Sarfate
- 3B Michael Costanzo
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It’s an okay haul. Scott compares rather favorably with Trot Nixon at the same ages, giving the Orioles a competent outfielder, who will inexpensively complement and Nick Markakis. Costanzo may end up in the big leagues. He is on his third team this offseason, and is blocked by Melvin Mora. However if Mora is shopped, the Orioles could do worse than the 24 year old with good pop in his bat. Albers and Patton were the top pitchers in Houston’s farm system entering 2007. Neither pitched well with Houston, and both have iffy K rates. But both get groundballs and with a good infield defense have the potential to be respectable at the back of the rotation.
Houston meanwhile adds a slugging shortstop whose defense is declining and who, as an added bonus, has been linked to steroid allegations. For Baltimore, moving him prior to this afternoon’s release of the Mitchell report was an obvious priority. Even if not named, Tejada is tainted by association, possibly unfair.
Other Orioles likely to get moved before the end of this offseason: P Erik Bedard, 3B Melvin Mora, 2B Brian Roberts, OF Jay Payton, and Ramon Hernandez.
Currently, the Orioles need help at shortstop, centerfield and on the mound. Making more moves will yield more potential solutions, while opening more holes. This is the beginning of an about to be gutted franchise.
The Old and the Rested
The San Francisco Giants don’t seem too interested in younger talent. Their starting position players wheezed in with an average age of 36.25 last year. They will be around 34 years old on average next season, unless Giants GM Brian Sabean can find some geezer to play at either the hot or cool corner and thus spare fans the disgrace of having a 26 year old regular (Kevin Frandse) in the starting lineup.
To that mix, the Giants made a big splash yesterday inking centerfielder Aaron Rowand to a five year, $60 Million contract. Rowand will be thirty next year, which makes him the young whippersnapper of the Giant lineup. He also has the job of replacing Barry Bonds in the lineup. But Rowand is not a slugging outfielder like Bonds. Nor is he a prolific on base machine. Aaron Rowand is an outfielder who enjoyed an outstanding season in his walk year.
Let’s go to the numbers
| Name |
AB |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
BABIP |
| Aaron Rowand ’07 |
612 |
.309 |
.374 |
.515 |
.348 |
| Aaron Rowand car |
2664 |
.286 |
.343 |
.462 |
.323 |
Not familiar with BABIP? Some folks aren’t. It is a very useful statistic to get a gauge on luck. The statistic measures Batting Average on Balls in Play. As a formula:
BABIP = Hits – Home Runs /At Bats – (Homeruns + Strikeouts)
Your league-wide BABIP is typically around .300. Rowand’s career is an exercise in better than average BABIP. It’s less than 10% over league average, but when he is closer to lerague average, as he was in 2005 with the ChiSox and 2006 with the Phillies, almost all of his offensive value vanishes.
| Name |
AB |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
BABIP |
| Aaron Rowand ’05 |
578 |
.270 |
.329 |
.407 |
.318 |
| Aaron Rowand ’06 |
405 |
.262 |
.321 |
.425 |
.297 |
See what I mean? Further, Rowand has always benefited from playing in Homerun helping Parks. Moving to San Francisco may cause his power surge to vanish, as well. But hey, it’s only five years and $12 Million per year. That’s nothing. Which unfortunately for Giants fans will describe what the Giants have for the better part of the next decade. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are nice young pitchers. Noah Lowry is a healthier version of better than league average Aaron Cook, and Barry Zito, is an overrated league average innings muncher. They will have the pitching, but they still will struggle to win seventy games likely for the next five or six years.
Prior Descent
Mark Prior will be 27 next season. He put up remarkable numbers as a 22 year old in 2003. His 18-6 record in 211.1 innings pitched was worthy of acclaim, and we now know a dead canary in a coal mine.
Indians Executive Keith Woolner in his previous line of work at Baseball Prospectus developed a metric for measuring the abuse a starting pitcher takes from being overpitched. This was an expansion of the original Pitcher Abuse Points system introduced by Rany Jazayerli in 1998. Keith’s expansion focused more on egregious abuse of pitchers, instead of the minor tweaking of a young arm by exceeding 100 pitches.
For perspective, Daisuke Matsuzaka led the majors in PAP^3 last season with 116,740 followed by Carlos Zambrano (114,011) and AJ Burnett (97,899).
| Mark Prior’s PAP^3 scores |
| 2002 |
89,046 |
Age 21 |
Including a 54,872 PAP^3 138 pitch outing |
| 2003 |
230,844 |
Age 22 |
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| 2004 |
36,847 |
Age 23 |
Started the season on the DL and did not pitch until June. |
| 2005 |
102,159 |
Age 24 |
with a 25 day stint on the DL mid season |
| 2006 |
1,000 |
Age 25 |
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But PAP^3 is not the only measure of risk to a young arm. The rule of thirty is a way of measuring the damage done to a young arm year by year rather than start by start.
Beginning with his Age 19 season at USC Prior pitched the following innings.
2000 129
2001 138
2002 167.2
2003 211.1
2004 118.2
2005 172.2
2006 62.2
Prior’s buildup with the Cubs went from a reasonable 140 or so college innings to an equally reasonable 170 professional innings from one season to the next. At the young age of 21, that is a little excessive, but, it was also consistent with advancing by 30 innings or less from year to year. The Cubs exceeded that rule of thirty by 15 or so innings in 2003, the year where as a 22 year old, he took almost twice as much abuse as any pitcher in 2007 did. In 2003, however, he
was fourth on in the majors behind Javier Vasquez, teammate Kerry Wood and Livan Hernandez. Another Cub starter (Carlos Zambrano) checked in at 11 on that list. The manager of that team got a new job recently to manage the Cincinnati Reds. Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, consider yourselves warned!
I am of the mindset that pitcher abuse disproportionately impacts arms outside of the 26-34 age range. Keeping young arms on a strict pitch and inning count is an investment in the future, by giving a young arm time to develop properly. As pitcher’s age, they are less reliable because they push themselves to the extremes that their bodies no longer are capable of achieving. The job of a good manager is to recognize when his older pitchers need a month’s vacation and sending
them off to rest and keep their arm fresh for the stretch drive. This essentially is what the Red Sox did with Curt Schilling this past season.
In addition to maximizing the effectiveness of an older arm, it also creates an opportunity for game level mentoring of young arms, removed from the stretch drive. Would giving a younger pitcher with some upside a showcase against major league teams, again strictly monitoring his pitch and inning counts, both groom him for an eventual job and give him the exposure that could potentially lead to a trade for a spare part? Certainly. It also provides an opportunity for
reclamation projects to get a full speed test int he fires of major league competition.
Speaking of salvage jobs, all this is prologue for the question out there, how many clubs will be pursuing Prior? The answer is all fo them. Prior represents the wonderful confluence of high upside and minimal risk. It’s a long shot, on par with the reclamation project called Kerry Wood but with longer odds and more upside. But it is worth investigating, offering and developing a program to ensure the soundness of his arm and the realization of his tremendous potential.
Now the more fact based (will it work) question has no answer. Probably not is the most I will venture. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The Braves are looking for someone to replace Andruw Jones. From AP-
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves traded reliever Oscar Villarreal to the Houston Astros for speedy outfielder Josh Anderson on Friday. Villarreal went 2-2 with one save and a 4.24 ERA in 51 games for the Braves this season. The right-hander turns 26 next week.
Villarreal is 23-12 with a 3.71 ERA in two years with Atlanta and three seasons with Arizona. In 2003, he set an NL rookie record by pitching in 86 games for the Diamondbacks.
With free agent Andruw Jones gone and outfield spots open, the Braves might try the 25-year-old Anderson in the leadoff spot. He hit .358 in 67 at-bats for Houston after stealing 41 bases at Triple-A Round Rock.
Anderson was MVP of the Double-A Texas League All-Star game in 2006. He led that league in stolen bases for two years, and topped all of minor league baseball with 78 steals in 2005.
Anderson is at best a B- prospect. He will turn 26 next year, and that’s late for someone to turn into a quality MLB player. In addition while Anderson can steal bases, his On base percentages are not of the type you want a leadoff hitter. He can’t steal first base, and 27 walks with 560 AB is not good statistics for the person who is needed to set up an offense.
Other things of note-
If Anderson is a hot prospect, why did he spend two years in AA?
Also Anderson had only 17 Doubles in over 500 PA this year. He’s a singles hitter.
Thirdly Anderson’s SB totals have been in decline since 2004(Those 78 stolen bases were in 04, not 05).
Basically the trade was a middle reliever for a fourth outfielder.
As I’ve said before, umpires need help. And I refer you to a piece I wrote over a year ago on this very same subject. Baseball (and sports in general) is far behind the times in utilizing modern technology where it can, specifically to improve officiating.
I’ve thought about this topic for a long time. I think Questec is a good thing. (For those who dont know, it’s a computerized system that measures ball & strikes, and compares it to what the umpire actually called.)
One of the biggest and most frustrating problems in pro sports are bad calls by umps/refs. What I’d like to see is the steady removal of the so-called ‘human error’ from sports; I’ll talk specifically about baseball:
When umps are unsure when a ball is fair or foul down the line, why can’t a system be installed like they use in tennis? They could use technology to determine whether balls are just that, fair or foul.
Also, on disputed HRs, they must use instant replay. There’s no other fair way. An ump should be stationed in the park somewhere near a TV, like in the NHL. He should have the final word, since he’ll have access to the replay.
On balls and strikes, why not use Questec or ESPN’s ‘K-Zone’ (for example) to actually call the strikes? The only problem is that strike zone height is different for every hitter, but width is exactly the same, 17 inches (the width of homeplate). Rickey Henderson had a smaller up/down zone because he was short and crouched, and Richie Sexson’s up/down zone is bigger because he’s 6’8″. But their side-to-side zone is exactly the same. Therefore, computers/technology should be used to tell an umpire when a ball hits the plate or just misses. For the time being, umps will still need to call the up/down pitches (because every hitter is different), but will know for sure when a pitch crosses the corner or not. Or an ump could be assigned to determine the upper limit of each hitter’s strike zone dependent on his stance.
It also sucks when a pitcher throws a strike, but it’s not where he meant to throw it, the catcher has to reach for it, so the ump automatically calls it a ball. It doesn’t matter where the pitcher MEANT to throw the ball, it only matters whether it’s a strike or a ball.
For out/safe calls, when the closest ump feels the play is too close to call, he could send it to the ‘booth ump.’ TV technology is such today that it could be done in 30-60 seconds. Or (ala the NFL) managers should have two replays to use per game.
These steps would help legitimize the officiating and would make for fewer arguments from players and managers. You can’t argue with Questec strikes – it’s 100% consistent and 0% prejudiced (for veterans, or against rookies). Instant replay would also ensure the right call, and isn’t that worth waiting (at most) 60 seconds for – especially in close and/or playoff games?
From Sports Illustrated-
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Bill Henry, who pitched in the majors for more than 15 seasons, has died. He was 83.
Henry died Aug. 27 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, two days after he suffered a heart attack, his stepdaughter Debbie Lee said.
Born William Rodman Henry in Alice, Texas, the left-hander made his major-league debut in 1952 with the Boston Red Sox. Henry later pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants before ending his career in 1969 with the Houston Astros.
Henry had a career record of 46-50 and pitched in two 1961 World Series games with the Reds.
Since I was born in 1961, my memories of Henry come from playing past seasons with the baseball games made by Strat-O-Matic. Bill Henry, a left-handed relief pitcher, wasn’t really one of those one out lefty relief specialists we see today. In Henry’s most productive years, from 59-62 he averaged over an inning per relief appearance. Even two innings per game in 1959. For 1961, he was the Reds number two man coming out of the bullpen when they went to the World Series. Henry and Jim Brosnan saving the same amount of games(16), but with Brosnan having the heavier inning work load of the two.
What did Mark Twain once say, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. That applies to Bill Henry. From today’s Miami Herald.
They lived 961 miles apart and never met.
One was a retired salesman living in Central Florida. The other, a big-league ballplayer who pitched in the 1961 World Series before settling down outside Houston.
All they shared was a common name, a square jawline and an affection for baseball.
But for 20 years, Bill C. Henry the salesman purported to be Bill R. Henry the baseball player. His wife and friends believed him — they had no reason not to — and the guy he pretended to be was none the wiser.
Until last week, when the 83-year-old former salesman died of a heart attack in Lakeland. Newspapers across the country ran obituaries announcing the death of the left-handed pitcher, recounting highlights of his 16-season career.
But that Bill Henry is still very much alive.
”I’ve been right here this whole time,” Henry, 79, said Thursday night from his home in Deer Park, Texas. “It was kind of a shock to hear people say they thought I was dead.”
A baseball historian read an obituary for the Lakeland man and noticed the birth dates and hometowns listed were different than what was on his Bill Henry memorabilia. The historian called Henry in Texas, who confirmed he was still living.
I’m glad you’re still alive Bill. People impersonating former major league relief pitchers. Welcome to Florida! The rules are certainly different here.
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| Thursday, August 2, 2007 |
Mark Teixeira had a spectacular debut with the Atlanta Braves, hitting a home run, and four RBI, including the 500th of his short career.
The AJC’s David O’Brien:
The press box caught fire the night of Fred McGriff’s first game with the Braves in 1993. In Mark Teixeira’s Braves debut, Houston Astros pitchers were torched.
Atlanta’s refortified lineup of sluggers and count-workers scored seven runs in the first inning and got a three-run homer from Teixeira in the sixth during a 12-3 rout of the Astros at Turner Field in Teixeira’s Braves debut.
“I hope the fans are ready for a great pennant race,” said Teixeira, a switch-hitting slugger acquired from Texas in a major trade Tuesday. “I know I am.”
“Tex” hit cleanup and went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and four RBIs. He did a curtain call after his homer, tipping his helmet from the dugout steps as a crowd of 30,785 gave the former Georgia Tech star a standing ovation.
[...]
Teixeira hit 140 homers in his first four major-league seasons, and has 14 in 79 games this season. He picked up his 500th career RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the first inning in his first Braves plate appearance.
Teixeira was the first player to hit a homer in his Braves debut since Jeff Francoeur in his major-league debut July 7, 2005. “They’re ready for you, Tex,” Francoeur said, motioning to a crowd of reporters around the newcomer’s locker.
Teixeira was activated Tuesday after coming from Texas in a trade for five Braves prospects. But he didn’t get into town until midway through Tuesday’s game but didn’t play until Wednesday.
“With all the built-up excitement, I was ready,” he said. “I was ready to play at 10:30 this morning. … First night, big win, scoring a lot of runs — this team’s energized. This is going to be a fun lineup to hit in.”
Left-hander Ron Mahay, who came from Texas in the same trade, pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a walk and a strikeout. Octavio Dotel, a trade acquisition from Kansas City, pitched a perfect ninth with a strikeout.
Teixeira drew a first-inning walk against Wandy Rodriguez, who allowed eight runs in four innings and fell to 1-8 with an 8.16 ERA in 12 road starts. He got his first Braves RBI before his first official at-bat — actually even before his first swing, as Teixeira took the first seven pitches from Rodriguez (7-10). It was the third consecutive walk after Yunel Escobar’s leadoff double.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays made some moves today. They traded 3B Ty Wigginton to the Houston Astros for former Ray right-handed reliever Dan Wheeler and Jorge Cantu to the Reds for Brian Shackelford. They also sent reliever Shawn Camp to AAA.
Wheeler, 30, is 1-4 with a 5.07 ERA in 45 games for the Astros. He took over as the Astros’ closer when Brad Lidge struggled earlier in the season. Wiggington was batting .275 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs. Last year, he had a career-high 24 homers and 79 RBIs.
“We’re going to need a third baseman moving forward, [Mike] Lamb is a free agent,” an Astros official told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. “He’s a guy who’s hit 25 home runs. He’s played a lot of positions if you need him to do that.”
The Rays also traded infielder Jorge Cantu, minor league OF Shaun Cumberland, and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Brian Shackelford, minor league pitcher Calvin Medlock, and future considerations.
The Reds optioned Cantu to Triple-A Louisville.
The 25-year-old Cantu had played out his welcome in Tampa Bay after setting the Devil Rays’ single-season club record in 2005 with 117 RBIs with 28 home runs while hitting .286. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player that season.
Last season, he hit .249 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs, and he hit .207 in 25 games with the Devil Rays this year. He was sent to the minors on July 19 and said at the time he expected he’d played his last game for Tampa Bay.
Shackelford spent parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Reds. He was 0-5 in 41 relief appearances with Louisville this season. Tampa Bay also received minor league right-hander Calvin Medlock, 24, who was a combined 4-3 in 42 relief appearances with Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga. Medlock also has a career Minor League record of 29-15 and a 3.24 ERA in 164 games (41 starts) since he was drafted by the Reds in the 39th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft
The Reds also received outfielder Shaun Cumberland, who was hitting .246 with six home runs and 34 RBI for Double-A Montgomery. Cumberland was assigned to Chattanooga.
The Devil Rays have been making wholesale changes to what has been the worst bullpen in baseball. Over its last 30 innings, the bullpen has given up 44 runs.
The team added reliever Grant Balfour in a trade with the Brewers on Friday, and sent down Shawn Camp on Saturday. On Monday, they placed Jay Witasick on the 15-day disabled list, sent J.P. Howell to Triple-A Durham and called up Jason Hammel and Juan Salas from Durham.
The Rays are making some good moves. They absolutely need to improve their bullpen and they are also saving money by doing so.
Ty Wigginton, for all you fantasy leaguers, should thrive over in Houston. He will have a good park to hit in and won’t lose playing time.
Jorge Cantu can hopefully resurect his career with the Reds like former Ray Josh Hamilton.
Josh Wilson looks to get the bulk of the playing time with Wigginton getting traded. But if Baldelli comes back Upton could be moved back to 2B and Wilson will go back to the bench. One scenario I would like to see is the Rays give 3B prospect Evan Longoria a cup of coffee and see if he can be what Ryan Braun has been to the Milwaukee Brewers. That move would push Iwamura to 2B though and might not get too much consideration.
-Jonathan C. Mitchell
Information from the Associated Press and Buster Olney at ESPN.com were used in this column.
CLEVELAND — Kenny Lofton returned for his third stint with Cleveland — and another playoff run — on Friday as the Texas Rangers traded the 40-year-old outfielder to the Indians for minor-league catcher Max Ramirez.
Lofton was expected to arrive in Cleveland and be in the lineup for their series opener against the Minnesota Twins.
The Indians entered the weekend 1½ games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central and leading the wild card. They’ve been in the market for a left-handed hitter with speed and had been scouting Lofton the past few weeks with the July 31 non-waiver deadline nearing.
Lofton was a five-time All-Star in nine seasons in Cleveland, the leadoff catalyst for the Indians, who dominated their division throughout the 1990s but haven’t made the playoffs since he left as a free agent following the 2001 season.
Sometimes moody off the field but never a problem on it, Lofton was always one of Cleveland’s most popular players and has not spent more than one season anywhere else. Since getting a 20-game trial with the Houston Astros late in the 1991 season, Lofton has played for 10 other teams.
But although he’s near the end of his career, the Indians believe he can help them get back to the postseason. With David Dellucci on the disabled list and Trot Nixon slumping, Cleveland needed another outfielder and Lofton was having a solid season — his 17th in the majors — batting .303 with seven homers and 23 RBIs for the Rangers.
Lofton also has 21 steals and will immediately give Cleveland’s lineup a needed boost of speed at the top. The Indians have stolen only 54 bases.
Manager Eric Wedge will likely play Lofton in either right or left, flanking All-Star center fielder Grady Sizemore.
Lofton is Cleveland’s franchise leader in steals (450) and ranks third in club history in runs (951). In nine seasons with the Indians, Lofton batted .300 and won four straight Gold Gloves in center field.
Since signing with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent in 2002, Lofton, a .299 career hitter, has played for seven teams as he tries to win an elusive World Series ring.
In his final game for the Rangers on Wednesday, Lofton homered and drove in three runs in a 7-6 win over Seattle.
With Texas again in last place in the AL West, there had been plenty of interest from contending teams in Lofton and Mark Teixeira, their 27-year-old switch-hitting slugger who has won two Gold Gloves at first base.
Atlanta, the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly the most interested teams.
Any team that acquires Teixeira would get more than a rent-a-player for the rest of this season. While he will be eligible for salary arbitration after making $9 million this season, he can’t become a free agent until after 2008.
The Indians acquired Ramirez last season from the Braves in exchange for closer Bob Wickman.
With Lofton gone, Marlon Byrd will likely become the regular center fielder for the Rangers.
Byrd didn’t make the 25-man roster out of spring training but going into Friday night’s game at Kansas City had hit .350 since being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma on May 26. He had a career-high six triples and 34 RBIs in 54 games and his 50 starts had been split among all three outfield positions, six in center.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Great move by Cleveland! This is a huge boost to their offense and Lofton brings energy to this team. Lofton is said to be playing in either left or right field but doesn’t have the arm for right. He should get most of the playing time in left.
I also think this move will allow the Tribe to possibly send a veteran bat like Trot Nixon to a contender for a reliever. The Tribe need another reliever to sure up the back end of the bullpen.
The Rangers got a good young catcher in Max Ramirez. Ramirez, 22, can be groomed to be the catcher of the future for the Rangers. Ramirez is tearing up high-A ball to the tune of .303/.418/.505 in 77 games with 20 doubles, 12 homers, 62 RBI, 46 runs, a 53/63 BB/K ratio, and one stolen base.
This may be the beginning of a fire sale. Look for others like closer Eric Gagne, 1B/OF Brad Wilkerson, and even 1B Mark Teixeira to be on the trading block. I think Gagne will be gone for sure and Teixeira could be had for the right group of prospects.
*******Other Trade Rumors 7/27/07*******
- Mark Teixeira is almost certain to be traded away from the Rangers, with the Braves considered the most likely destination, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. A likely deal would bring C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia to Texas, along with a couple of prospects, perhaps a pitcher and an infielder.
The Angels were the most recent to tweak their offer. The Angels had originally offered 1B Casey Kotchman and a choice of outfield prospects Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans. It is believed they have now added a pitcher to the mix, but the level of pitcher could vary widely from a young prospect with a high ceiling (20-year-old right-hander Nick Adenhart) to an experienced but struggling major leaguer (recently demoted Ervin Santana) to a prospect on the verge of pitching in the majors (lefty Joe Saunders).
The Dodgers, thought to be one of the teams interested in Teixeira, say they intend to go forward with James Loney as their first baseman.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are believed to still be in the hunt for Teixeira, the Boston Globe reports. Teixeira was drafted by the Sox in the ninth round in 1998, but chose to attend Georgia Tech. He then was drafted by the Rangers in 2001 with the fifth overall pick. Currently making $9 million per year and arbitration-eligible next season, he can become a free agent after 2008.
Don’t expect Teixeira to end up in the Bronx. Without giving up Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees have little chance of acquiring Teixeira from the Rangers, The New York Times reports.
Texas wants promising young talent in return for Teixeira, the Dallas Morning News reports.
-Don’t expect the Twins to trade Torii Hunter before the deadline. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, there have been indications that the club is prepared to offer him a contract extension after the season.
Larry Reynolds, Hunter’s agent, said Thursday that he hasn’t spoken with GM Terry Ryan lately and is not worried about a possible deadline trade. Hunter, a potential free agent, has a limited no-trade clause that blocks deals to six teams.
“Anything can happen,” Reynolds told the newspaper. “Am I expecting [a trade]? No. Will I be surprised if it happens? Not really.”
Hunter probably could get five to six years and $80 million to $90 million on the open market.
- There are rumblings that the Padres might be interested in Mark Loretta, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. “I haven’t heard anything other than the rumors,” Loretta told the newspaper.
Loretta played three seasons (2003-05) in San Diego, and many believe Loretta would be a perfect fit for the Padres, who have been looking for a right-handed bat to give Adrian Gonzalez an occasional rest at first and help at second.
The Mets, Phillies and Tigers are believed to be interested in Loretta as well.
- Add the Cubs to the list of teams interested in Ty Wigginton, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The Dodgers, Twins, Yankees and Red Sox also have their eye on the utility infielder.
The Devil Rays are looking to improve their beleaguered bullpen, possibly with the addition of several relievers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Talks with the Yankees have included right-hander Scott Proctor, though the deal might have to be expanded. The Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins all have several young pitchers who would be of interest to the Rays.
Wigginton, 29, is open to signing a long-term deal. His salary is expected to exceed $4 million next season through arbitration.
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Last week Aubrey Huff hit for the cycle in a losing cause for he Orioles. He became the third player this year, after Mark Ellis of the Athletics and Fred Lewis of the Giants to hit for the cycle.
The Giants have had players hit for the cycle 24 times. (Lewis’s cycle put them ahead of the Pirates.) Luke Scott of the Astros became the first rookie to hit for the cycle, when he accomplished the feat last year. Gary Matthews Jr. was the most recent player to hit for the cycle in order when he was with the Rangers last year.
The Twins had eight players hit for the cycle between 1970 and 1986 but none since.
Does the name Tyrone Horne mean anything to you? Well he’s the only professional baseball player ever to hit for the home run cycle. Baseball Guru adds
Horne’s four homers and 10 RBI helped the Travelers rout the Missions, 13-4. Horne went on to win the Texas League home run crown with 37 that year, also driving in 139.
But get this: Horne never made it to the majors in the U.S. (He did play in the Korean Major Leagues, though.) I’d add that this isn’t necessarily surprising. For someone to lead a minor league level in HR (or any counting stat) for a season, he’d have to play nearly a whole season, at least, in that league. That would mean that his team never saw that he had progressed enough to go to the next level.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
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| Monday, May 7, 2007 |
The saga ends. The kabuki theater of the absurd that followed Roger Clemens as he contemplated retirement or return ended yesterday afternoon in dramatic fashion, as Yankee PA announcer Bob Sheppard directed fans to the owner’s box behind home plate. There stood the forty-four year old pitcher. Microphone in hand, Clemens spoke,
“Well, they came and got me out of Texas and I can tell you it’s a privilege to be back,” he said. “I’ll be talking to y’all soon.”
Clemens had more to say when reintroduced to the media.
“Make no mistake about it, I’ve come back to do what they only know how to do here with the Yankees, and that’s win a championship,” Clemens said. “Anything else is a failure, and I know that.”
Note to Clemens, failure is both an option and an expectation, at this juncture. The Yankee offense is potent, but the bullpen is already showing signs of wear and tear and with the debut of Mike DeSalvo, the Yankees will set a record for most starting pitchers used (10) in the first 30 games of the season. Eschewing a better situation in Boston, or the status quo in Houston, Clemens essentially burned those two bridges and returned to New York where he will either ride in like the cavalry and save the day of prove to be a bullpen draining five inning league-average starting pitcher.
This is not the fine whine made from the sourest of grapes. I know, could have fooled you, couldn’t I? It is a realistic look at a forty-four year old, whose expiration date may be sooner than he or the team that has invested $18.5 million in salary and $7.4 million in luxury taxes in him have imagined.
First off, since moving over to the NL, Clemens has been 2-3 with a no decision against the American League. Those wins came against the woeful Royals and the lowly Mariners. Last year in his return to Houston, he dropped his first two decisions, both against AL clubs who ended up in the post season (Minnesota and Detroit). He pitched well in both games, but his team couldn’t muster the runs for him. Well that shouldn’t be a problem for the high octane Yankee lineup. No, it shouldn’t, but Minnesota and Detroit were not exactly bruising offenses last year. Both teams won more on pitching than on power. Intra-divisional rivals, Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay all have potent lineups capable of wearing out starters.
Secondly, Clemens has become little more than a six inning pitcher. Six innings is okay, but consider the Red Sox and their rotation. To this point, Boston starting pitchers have accounted for 70.8% of innings pitched by the team, or on average 6.372 innings pitched per start. That includes Julian Tavarez who shocked Red Sox nation by pitching every bit as good as Johan Santana Saturday night. Yes, that Johan Santana. Tavarez went six innings and gave up two runs, throwing 98 pitches. Santana didn’t make it tot he sixth, as the Sox hitters took a lot of pitches early and wore him out. Clemens averaged 5.97 innings pitched per start in the National League. In the AL where clubs are more patient, and better hitting ball clubs, Clemens and the Yankees can expect a drop off in his rate stats and innings pitched, which will only strain that terribly taxed bullpen.
This is one of the reasons why Boston would have been a better fit for the Rocket. His shorter outings would have been partially masked by the rested and to this point highly effective Red Sox bullpen, not to mention the good feelings his return to Boston would have generated among Sox fans who have come to forgive and forgets Clemens initial departure from Boston, instead blaming Dan Duquette for the loss of the best pitcher of the age. Duquette’s redemption, dealing for Pedro Martinez was a soothing tonic, Sox fans felt bitter about Clemens for a number of reasons, not the least of which was his wholehearted assumption of Yankee culture when he forced a trade to the Bombers after the 1998 season, in which he won his second consecutive AL Cy Young award with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees had the money to spend on Clemens. And yes it was about the dollars. Don’t believe Randy Hendricks and his nonsensical statement.
when Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks, spoke to the Astros and Red Sox in recent days, they said they’d prefer he join up with them in late June or early July. The Yankees, according to Hendricks, said: “We’d like you yesterday.”
Clemens had oft repeated that he was going to make his decision by the end of May. Tack on four to six weeks of time to get into game shape and you have that late June, early July timeframe. To say that either team would prefer him then is garbage. If they were working to sign him, they wanted him as soon as he was ready. No team is going to sit around and say that this player they have invested large dollars in should wait longer than is necessary to begin going to work for them.
This will in all likelihood be the last season of Roger Clemens’ Hall of Fame career. Houston no longer has an obligation to pursue Clemens to the ends of the earth. He left town. They are off the hook. There is no going back to Boston now, either. He picked the Yankees after Sox fans had appealed to him, and pleaded with him to come back, one more time, for the good times. And Sox fans are feeling pretty played this morning. According to an unscientific boston.com survey, eighty-eight percent of Sox fans feel Theo was wise not to bust open the vault for Rocket Roger. It’s cliche, but Clemens decision is closure for Red Sox Nation. And like I said in 2004 (you’ll have to take my word for it, I wasn’t blogging back then) this just means it will be so much sweeter when we beat them.
So welcome back, Roger. It may end up being a dream ride. It may be a very bumpy ride. It’ll be interesting either way.
via BallBug
Forbes has an article about the Business of Baseball. Given that Forbes is a business magazine not a sports magazine its list of baseball 10 best general managers will be the subject of some debate.
Being an Orioles’ fan, I hardly think that Mike Flanagan (#10 according to Forbes) deserves to be anywhere near the top of this list (yet.) He works for a difficult owner and as a fan I haven’t seen a good product for an entire year during his tenure. If this year turns out well, as it appears it might right now, there’s still little hope for long term success here. The Orioles have one of the weaker farm systems in MLB and the team isn’t especially young. (Overall that is. There’s Markakis, Cabrera, Loewen and Ray, but most everyone else of significance is 28 and up.) Success this year isn’t likely to extend more than two years unless the team’s scouting improves drastically.
I realize that this ranking is primarily from a business not a baseball standpoint, that’s why stathead favorite GM’s without much success (so far) like Mark Shapiro and Doug Melvin don’t rank. (Forbes does have metrics for evaluating them, but success on the field isn’t necessarily one of them.) Still how can Mike Flanagan make the list but not the likes of Kenny Williams, Brian Cashman, Bill Stoneman or even Tim Purpura whose teams have been in the World Series in recent years. Or Kevin Towers and Terry Ryan whose teams have made the playoffs?
And how does John Schuerholz rank below Brian Sabean or Pat Gillick?
Shouldn’t baseball have something to do with it?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
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