No Video, but Final NL Award Predictions

MVP

Justin Upton- The obvious choices would be Braun or Kemp. However, it’s hard to overlook what Upton did for the D-Backs in 2011. Of all NL candidates Upton was the only one who played defense, with a 7.7 UZR.  His offense held Arizona’s lineup together all season; and, he was the biggest reason his club made it to the playoffs (besides maybe Kirk Gibson).

Cy-Young

Clayton Kershaw- Kershaw is taking home the 2011 NL Triple Crown, with 248 strikeouts, a 2.28 ERA, and 21 wins. He also led the NL in WHIP at 0.977. Kershaw dominated all season (he was 4-0 against Tim Lincecum) and it would be a travesty for him to not take home the Cy-Young in 2011.

ROY

Craig Kimbrel- NL rookies put together strong seasons in 2011, but the voters like saves. Kimbrel had a lot of them, so much so that he led the National League with 46. He also had a 2.10 ERA. An absurd 127 strikeouts, in 77.0 innings (a 14.8 K/9), tops out the list of strong peripherals.

MOY

Kirk Gibson- No manager had a bigger impact on their club in 2011. Did anyone expect the D-Backs to compete? Gibson molded his team of misfits into a competitive powerhouse that was one hit away from an NLCS bid.

2011 World Series

Now that I've got my AL and NL playoff previews up you can see I'm predicting a Milwaukee vs. Detroit World Series. This isn't too far from my preseason predictions (had Detroit losing to the Red Sox in the ALCS; predicted Milwaukee in the World Series).

As for a World Series prediction, I'm going with Milwaukee. The Brew Crew come in with the hot hand (which San Fran had last season) and they are the most complete team out of any in the playoffs. The pitching is strong, and the offense has huge punch. I just don't see anyone beating them. Plus, with this probably being Fielder's last season in Milwaukee (I put it at 85%) then I'm sure there's a sense of urgency to get this done. They've played as a strong team all season long, no reason to stop now.

Streamlining the NL

I want to get this up before the NL gets too far in the playoffs so my predictions seem legit and not based on what's already happened. So, that means it will be more a summary and less stats; and it will be written and not video (don't worry, I'm not done with the videos). Starting from worst chance to best here's my predictions:

4. St. Louis Cardinals
Offense: They've got Pujols, what more do you need? The lineup has a strong middle of Pujols/Berkman/Holliday, but the rest of the lineup is filled with good average guys who don't add a lot in the power or speed department.
Pitching: Lackluster rotation that was hurt a lot when Wainwright went down before the season even started. Dave Duncan keeps these guys going, but don't be fooled by their lucky numbers. Lack of an ace hurts.
Summary: The Cards capitalized on a stagnate Atlanta club to get into this postseason, but don't be fooled. They really have no chance and their lack of strong pitching makes them an easy elimination, for the well armed Phillies, in round 1.
Key Player: Any starting pitcher- someone has to stop these great staffs in the NL.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks
Offense: Not amazing, but decent. Everyone contributes in their own way. Justin Upton is having a fantastic season and don't count out the clout of Miguel Montero. Outside of those two they look average, but if you underestimate them it'll hurt.
Pitching: Really strong underrated rotation. Kennedy had an amazing season, Hudson is a strong number 2, and Saunders had a solid bounce back season. The 'pen is very strong too.
Summary: I love these guys, they really surprised me this season. I think it's a great group and I'd love to see big things, but I just don't think it'll happen this year. The pitching is great and the offense good, but they face the hot hand of the Brewers in round 1 and they're just better.
Key Player: Kirk Gibson- the manager has held this team together all season long and he can't sleep on it now.

2. Philadelphia Phillies
Offense: If their name isn't Victorino or Howard you can relax. They could use a boost from Chase Utley, but he's seemed on his last leg all season. They really aren't too threatening, and rely on power. OBP and speed is lackluster.
Pitching: Do I need to say anything? Their rotation is probably the best out of all playoff teams. The 'pen can be shaky early on, but the 8/9 guys are dominant.
Summary: The pitching is stellar, but the offense is old and lagging. San Francisco proved last October that Halladay isn't immortal and you can beat these guys. Philadelphia will have to power up the bats if they want to return to the World Series.
Key Player: Chase Utley- the pitching is awesome, but they need more contributions on offense. All these rotations are good and they can't rely on low scoring games; Utley has to get his bat back to snuff and put runs on the board.

1. Milwaukee Brewers
Offense: The best of the bunch. They can hurt you 1-9. Braun and Fielder are the best 3/4 combo amongst playoff teams and they will hurt you anyway they can. They have a little bit of everything in the lineup (OBP, speed, power, average); you just can't relax on these guys.
Pitching: I think this rotation can easily go toe-to-toe with the Phils. Gallardo, Greinke, and Marcum have all had good seasons; and, they were at their best down the stretch. The 8/9 combo of K-Rod and Axeford is stifling. They're underrated and a lack of proper preparation will get your lineup mowed down.
Summary: I find Milwaukee the class of the NL. They do everything well. The NL is a pitchers league, but you always need at least 1 run to win a game. Milwaukee is the only team that effectively combines hitting and pitching to create a dynamic and explosive ball club.
Key Player: Rickie Weeks- I honestly think he is the most important guy on this club. His play really sets the tone for the team, whether it's hitting a leadoff home run or turning a critical double play. They need him playing at full tilt to bring out their explosiveness on both sides of the ball.

Take us to October: Double AL Video Post!

Awwwwwww yeeeeah! You read it correctly! Today we're doing a double video post. One will be a break down of October predictions in the AL (who's going to be there, and who's going to the World Series); the second is a video about award predictions in the AL. I'll be filming my NL videos in the next couple days and we'll have them up soon. Thanks everyone!

 

Amendment: in my video I incorrectly say that Jose Bautista is the WAR leader in the MLB. However, it's actually Jacoby Ellsbury. So, I might remake this video. It's hard to say A-Gon is a leader in the MVP race, and not Ellsbury or Pedroia, but then if all three are MVPs on their team how can they really be an MVP? Yes, I know that was confusing. It breaks down to: really there are a lot of great MVP candidates in the AL besides the three I listed and I think it really could go any direction.

Take us to October: AL Standings

VLOGGING!

Hey Everyone! Obviously, I didn't make too well on my promise to start blogging again after the All-Star Break. This summer has been crazy and I think I underestimated that when I went into this. However, I've discovered a new method to help push this thing along. I think I'm going to try and do a lot more vlogging. What's that you might say. Well VIDEO+BLOGGING=VLOGGING! I've discovered it's a lot easier to nab some stats off the 'net and just ramble on about them than it is to write out a piece.

I'll be uploading my videos on here, but also if you're a youtube member you can subscribe to my channel. I'm going to try and keep up a steady pace, so we'll just see where things go. I will also be writing pieces from time to time, just not as often.

Thanks everyone for your continued support and for sticking with me and dealing with my flaky blogging-ness.

My Hiatus

Hey everyone. I know I have not posted in a long time. Things have been crazy with school, and taking two, four week, summer classes has not helped. The hiatus will probably continue for a little while, but I hope to get back into the swing of things by the All-Star game. At that point my summer classes will be over and I'll be able to plow forward through the rest of the season. As a final pre-hiatus post I'd like to touch on the All-Star voting. It's absolutely ridiculous. Ballots, for starters, close Friday and there are going to be some big snuffs. I've touched on some below and I hope if you haven't voted, you do so, and give these unappreciated players some love. 

AL: 
Snuff 1: Russel Martin over Alex Avila

Martin started off hot, but since then has dramatically cooled down. He's batting .229/.336/.398 with 9 homers. The .336 OBP is kind of impressive when put in perspective with his .229 batting average; but a .398 SLG is putrid. Meanwhile, Avila is hitting .303/.373/.406 with 10 bombs and an impressive 52 walks. 

Snuff 2: Derek Jeter over Asdrubal Cabrera
Could be the biggest All-Star snuff this season. Jeter is at the bottom of the barrel for shortstops right now, batting a horrid .259/.324/.324, with only 2 home runs. It's pretty bad when your OBP is equal to your SLG. Meanwhile Cabrera has been a refreshing change at the position, batting .292/.344/.488 with 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He doesn't draw too many walks, but he makes great contact, has power/speed, and plays some really good defense. He deserves to be starting. 

NL: 
Snuff 1: Albert Pujols over Prince Fielder
I know, Pujols is the best hitter in baseball... but, this season he has not proved that. He got to a really slow start and only back up to hitting .278/.355/.500 with 17 home runs and only 45 RBIs. Meanwhile, Fielder (.305/.425/.610, 21 home runs, 68 RBIs) has been a beast for Milwaukee and much more deserving of starting honors. Pujols plays better D, that's for sure, but Fielder's bat is more than enough of a resume.

Snuff 2: Brandon Phillips over Rickie Weeks
Weeks is making progress in the voters polls, but how this one even came to be flabbergasts me. Phillips is having a pretty good season (.290/.345/.405), but his power and speed have been lacking (6 homers, 4 bags). Weeks has a better slash line (.290/.359/.498), but Phillips plays better defense so maybe he deserves the edge. HOWEVER, Weeks has 14 bombs, and 7 stolen bases, much better than Phillips.

Snuff 3: Troy Tulowitzki over Jose Reyes
What is it with shortstops that the voters just can't get it right? I like Tulo, a lot, and his offense has been pretty solid (.272/.334/.488). His 14 bombs well outpace Reyes' 3. As far as defense goes, both play a very good shortstop, with Tulo getting a bit of an edge. However, the real difference is overall offense. Reyes is on top of the NL in batting average and having a hell of a year (.341/.385/.513) with 28 bags, and an astonishing 14 triples. Tulo has more homers, but Reyes is outpacing him in SLG and just about every other offensive category.

As far as outfield goes for both divisions there are some spots that could go either way so I don't see them as snuffs. I know these are just votes for starters, and all of these guys will probably make the team, but some players deserve that honor of being a starter and being noticed by the fans. It's a shame that the voting is so team biased and I wish they could develop a better system to give fans full knowledge of how good some of these guys are. Below are my picks for who I'd love to see start these games. 

AL:
C- Alex Avila (Detroit Tigers)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez (Boston Red Sox)
2B- Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)
SS- Asdrubal Cabrera (Cleveland Indians)
3B- Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees)
OF- Jose Bautista (Toronto Blue Jays)
OF- Curtis Granderson (New York Yankees)
OF- Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox)
SP- Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers) 

NL:
C- Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves)
1B- Prince Fielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
2B- Rickie Weeks (Milwaukee Brewers)
SS- Jose Reyes (New York Mets)
3B- Placido Polanco (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF- Matt Kemp (LA Dodgers)
OF- Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers)
OF- Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks)
SP- Roy Halladay (Philadelphia Phillies)

Draft Day

It's never received the coverage of the NFL or NBA drafts, but the MLB draft is still a great time for baseball fans everywhere. Today things kick off at 4:00 (which is great because I have a final at that time... of course!). Things will be exciting, especially for a Beaver like me; OSU is expected to have a couple guys who could go in the first round. Hope everyone has a great day and enjoys the outcome of the draft!

Third of a Season Update

Now that we've hit June we're 1/3 of the way through the season. I thought I'd look at the standings and stats and see where the league is at compared to my predictions. 

Standings:
AL Leaders:
East- New York Yankees
Preseason Prediction- Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were in first at the beginning of the week, but an ugly sweep by the White Sox have pushed them down and brought the Yankees back into first. I still fully expect Boston to get back into first once their pitching gets hot.

Central- Cleveland Indians
Preseason Prediction- Detroit Tigers
Detroit is three games over .500, but the Indians continue to hold onto the MLB's best record; this has kept the Tigers 4.5 games back in the Central. Cleveland has a very strong chance of staying on top, but their young pitching has seemed to start losing it's edge as of late. I still like Detroit, but it's anyone's game.

West- Texas Rangers
Preseason Prediction- Oakland Athletics
My Oakland pick is the one I am least confident about as of right now. LA's pitching has been solid, Texas' offense has allowed it to pummel opponents, and Oakland's injuries have killed them. I still love the A's pitching, but if the injuries keep up it's the Ranger's division.

WC- Boston Red Sox
Preseason Prediction- Toronto Blue Jays
Like I said, I think Boston will take the East by the end of the season. My original pick for WC, Toronto, has been an off and on team so far. The offense has been effective, but the starting pitching has struggled. Brett Lawrie is supposed to be up soon and if his bat transfers he could provide the spark plug Toronto needs. 

NL Leaders:
East- Philadelphia Phillies
Preseason Prediction- Philadelphia Phillies
As everyone knew they would the Phillies are leading the East. However, their starting pitching has been weaker than expected; Cliff Lee is not having his best season and Roy Oswalt has been dealing with a lot of injuries. Chase Utley is back and that is a huge boost. Expect them here come October.

Central- St. Louis Cardinals
Preseason Prediction- Milwaukee Brewers
The Cardinals' pitching has been going above and beyond and I don't expect it to continue. Lohse and McCellan are not great pitchers and eventually their luck will run out. Now that Milwaukee's rotation is moving at 100% they're going to be a force. At only three games back I expect them to retake first place by the end of the month.

West- Arizona Diamondbacks
Preseason Prediction- Colorado Rockies (edge), San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers
The D-Backs have been succeeding with fundamentals, but their rotation still leaves a lot to be desired. Colorado has yet to get all their pieces hot at the same time. Once their whole roster gets locked in it'll be hard to stop them. With Posey likely out for the season San Francisco just lost their chance at the playoffs.

WC- Florida Marlins
Preseason Prediction- Atlanta Braves
If I could change my WC prediction I would. Atlanta's offense has been stagnant and their bullpen has not been as good as they were last year. Their rotation has been awesome, but they're still losing too many games. Meanwhile the Marlins are blasting through opponents; their rotation has been solid and their offense isone of the best in the NL. The WC is definitely coming out of the East and right now it looks like it's all Florida. 

Awards:
AL MVP: Jose Bautista
Preseason Prediction: Adrian Gonzalez
A-Gon has been playing really well, but Bautista has been a machine. He leads all players with 20 home runs, he's fifth in the AL in RBIs with 38, and third in batting average with .363. He's getting on base at a .505 pace and slugging an absurd .786. Try making the argument that someone with an OPS of 1.291 doesn't deserve the MVP; it's impossible. 

NL MVP: Ryan Braun
Preseason Prediction: Ryan Braun
Recently, Jay Bruce has been making a good case for himself, but it's too hard to overlook Braun. He's hitting .312/.409/.574 with 12 bombs, 39 RBIs, and 13 swipes. He's kept Milwaukee's offense afloat through injuries and Prince Fielder's inconsistencies. 

AL Cy-Young: Jered Weaver
Preseason Prediction: Felix Hernandez
Weaver started the season at a ridiculous pace, hit some troubles for a couple starts, and is back on his game. He's 6-4, but has 85.2 innings, 77 Ks, a 2.10 ERA, and 2 complete games. The Angel's righthander has been dominate and his pure stuff is phenomenal. If he stays on track the award is his. 

NL Cy-Young: Josh Johnson
Preseason Prediction: Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw has put up great numbers, but it's hard to argue against Johnson being the best in the NL so far. He's only 3-1, but has a 1.64 ERA, a WHIP under 1.0, and 56 Ks in just 60.1 innings. He's recently been sidelined with a shoulder injury, which could cost him some hardware, but if he comes back strong he could be a shoe in. 

AL ROY: Michael Pineda
Preseason Prediction: Dustin Ackley
While Ackley remains in the minors Pineda has been insane so far. In 10 starts he's 6-2 with a 2.42 ERA. He's striking out more than a batter per inning (63.1 innings pitched, 66 Ks). His stuff has been electric and it's hard to see how any other rookie could make a better case for themselves by season end.

NL ROY: Craig Kimbrel
Preseason Prediction: Aroldis Chapman
While I thought this award would go to a possible closer, I didn't think it'd be Kimbrel. But, so far Kimbrel's stuff has been pretty good and he's third in NL saves with 15. He's had growing pains, to the tune of a 3.00 ERA, but his 40/13 K/BB in 27 innings is pretty beastly. If he trusts in his stuff and brings that ERA down it'll be hard to overlook him.

Another Great One

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/15185482/griffey-sr-taking-long-road-back-to-bigs

Great story on Ken Griffey Sr. It's a great read for sure. Hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend. I know I'm super behind in my blogging; I keep making the excuse that it's been a busy term, but that's the truth. Luckily summer's right around the corner!

The Downfall of the Mets Begins

I thought when I woke up on May 21st that I had missed the rapture. Even though it seems Familyradio was wrong, New York Mets fans might be feeling, or at least wishing, the opposite. Today the New Yorker posted an amazing article about Mets owner Fred Wilpon and the fallout of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. In the article there are several quotes about Mets players. I'll post a link to the article, but it's awfully long, so I'll just post the player specific quotes as well.

Jose Reyes: “He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money,” Wilpon said, referring to the Red Sox’ signing of the former Tampa Bay player to a seven-year, $142-million contract. “He’s had everything wrong with him,” Wilpon said of Reyes. “He won’t get it.”

David Wright: “He’s pressing,” Wilpon said. “A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar.”

Ike Davis:  “Good hitter,” Wilpon said. “Shitty team—good hitter.” 

Carlos Beltran: “He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was.”

Whether these comments are true or not is not the issue. The issue is that since 2006 the Mets have been in a terrible place, and with the current financial issues seem to be be going down an even worse road. Now is not the time when Wilpon should be making these comments about his ball players to writers. It just seemed like bad timing and I hope the Mets are ready to deal with the fallout. 

Here's the link to the article: 
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/30/110530fa_fact_toobin?currentPage=all

All Time: Minnesota Twins (In Honor of Harmon Killebrew)

Harmon Killebrew passed away today, just days after announcing he would enter hospice and stop receiving treatments for cancer. Killebrew was 74. Upon his death Killebrew remains number 1 on the Twins list of career home runs with 559; second, is 293. This one goes to you Killer.

Lineup
C: Joe Mauer- Joe Mauer has been one of the most talked about players ever since being called up in 2004 as a 21 year old. In just eight seasons he's won an MVP award, four gold gloves (three in a row), and three batting titles (two in a row). That's a pretty impressive resume for a catcher in the 2000s.

1B: Kent Hrbek- It was tempting to put Morneau here, but his numbers aren't quite there yet. Hrbek is second in home runs, amongst all time Twin players, with 293. He's also second on the RBI list. His power wasn't as amazing as the Killers, but Hrbek got the job done as a middle of the order bat.

2B: Rod Carew- Mauer is good, but he has a ways to go to be Carew good. In twelve seasons with the Twins Carew won seven batting titles. He still holds the highest career average for any Twins player at .334; and though he wasn't known for his power he did have 271 stolen bases and 90 triples in Minnesota.

SS: Greg Gagne- Gagne couldn't hit much, but he is the slickest shortstop the Twins have ever had. He never won any gold gloves, which is a shame, because according to fangraphs he had a total career UZR of 86; that's an average of 6.14 per season.

3B: Harmon Killebrew- Killer is the all time home run hitter for the Twins with 573; that also places him 11th all time. He led the league in home runs six times, RBI three times, and walks four times, in his career. He won an MVP award in '69 and hit over 40 home runs eight different seasons. He's an all time Twins great and probably the best slugger they'll ever see.

LF: Kirby Puckett- the late and great Kirby Puckett leads the Twins in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. Not only could he hit, he also won six gold gloves in his career. His final claim to fame: a game winning bomb in game six of the 1991 World Series; the Twins would win it all in game seven.

CF: Torii Hunter- Hunter has never been bad with a bad, but he's always been the best with a glove. Torii Hunter has played some of the best center field I've ever seen and seven gold gloves in a row at the position with Minnesota.

RF: Tony Oliva- There's something about Minnesota and batting titles that seems to go together. When Carew wasn't winning them it was this guy, Tony Oliva. Oliva won three batting titles in his career, including two in a row. He also lead the league in hits five times.

Pitching 
SP1: Bert Blyleven- The recent hall of fame inductee was an innings master. In his two stints with Minnesota he went 149-138, with a 3.28 ERA, 141 complete games and 20 shut outs. That's 41% of his starts! Blyleven had less than 260 innings pitched only once in his seasons with the Twins.

SP2: Jim Perry- Perry was another innings machine in the 60s and 70s. As a Twin he went 128-90 with a 3.15 ERA. Out of 249 starts 61 of Perry's were complete games; that's roughly 25% of his starts. Perry also compiled 17 shut outs, with 4 in the season that he won his Cy Young.

SP3: Jim Kaat- Kaat went 190-159 in Minnesota with a 3.34 ERA. Kaat had 23 shut outs and over 3000 innings pitched. He never won a Cy Young, but he did earn 12 gold gloves in his 15 seasons with the Twins.

SP4: Johan Santana- Though he only pitched eight seasons in Minnesota, Santana was at the top of his game then. A rule 5 draft pick (yes, rule 5 draft pick) Santana went 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA as a Twin. He won two Cy Youngs and in 2006 he took the triple crown with 19 wins, a 2.77 ERA, and 245 punch outs.

SP5: Frank Viola- Not the most consistent, Viola still had a pretty good career. In '87 he helped lead the Twins to a World Series title, and in '88 he won a Cy Young with his MLB best 24-7 record.

RP: Joe Nathan- Nathan is second all time in saves amongst Twins with 249 (just five behind first place). He also has a 2.04 ERA. He's had a tough time getting back on track in 2011, but he's still an all time closing great.

All Time: Boston Red Sox

Lineup:
C: Carlton Fisk- the one that got away. Fisk actually spent less than half his career in Boston, but his home run in the '75 series will never be forgotten. The Sox could have had him for life, but his contract was accidentally mailed out a day late; as a result he was granted free agency and trade his Red Sox for white ones.

1B: Adrian Gonzalez- The Sox have had some famous first basemen (Jimmie Foxx comes to mind), but A-Gon is a guy the Sox brass pursued for three years. He's been locked up for seven years and is so far off to a great start to his career in Boston.

2B: Bobby Doerr- I love Pedroia, but Bobby Doerr is Bobby Doerr. The man was the model of consistency with a bat. Anyone who's read The Teammates can't help but fall in love with the mild mannered man who was able to crack the secret of Ted Williams.

SS: Nomar Garciaparra- The Red Sox have some great shortstops, but for me the only name that has ever mattered was Nomah's. He was my favorite Boston player growing up, and for good reason. The tragedy is that he was kind of like Boston's Griffey Jr.; he could have been so much better, but injuries got the best of his talent.

3B: Wade Boggs- Boggs was a special kind of hitter. He was incredibly patient, but also had immense contact skills. He won five batting titles, lead the league in walks twice, and ended his career with 3010 hits.

LF: Ted Williams- does this one need any explaining? He was the best hitter the game ever knew, while being an infamous and honorable man. If he hadn't served his country he would probably hold all the records for hitting, but then he wouldn't be as special as he really is.

CF: Dom DiMaggio- another one that I picked purely out of my own personal love for this guy. Dom was a respectable hitter, but no where near as good as the other "Teammates," let alone his famous brother by the name of Joe. However, he was one of the best center fielders Fenway has ever seen; and, who could forget those glasses?

RF: Carl Yastrzemski- this one goes to my dad. Yaz has always been his favorite Sox player and I've grown to love him myself. He didn't have the clout of Williams, but the fans loved him just as much. He is also the last hitter to win the triple crown.


Pitching:
SP1: Pedro Martinez- take Lonborg's fearlessness, Tiant's fire, Schill's control, and what do you get? One Pedro Martinez. If the Field of Dreams does exist Babe Ruth better hope he's never got to face Pedro; if so he's gonna be sore in the morning. 

SP2: Curt Schilling- for me this guy is superman. Without his bloody sock the Sox might have never ended the curse, and he stuck around long enough to bring home another title in '07. Boston was a short stint in his long career, but without a doubt his most memorable.

SP3: Luis Tiant- how could anyone deny El Tiante from a best Red Sox list? The guy was a freak and once threw 163 pitches in a complete game. And who could forget that ridiculous windup?

SP4: Tim Wakefield- Wake actually holds the record for wins as a Red Sox pitcher at 193. The knuckleballer has spent all, but two seasons of his career in a Boston uniform. Though, his numbers haven't always been the best, Wake is still loved by all of Red Sox nation.

SP5: Jim Lonborg- Longborg led the Impossible Dream rotation and had one of his best seasons in '67 when he went 22-9 with 15 complete games. My favorite thing about Gentleman Jim: he owned the plate and would protect it against anyone.


RP: Jonathan Papelbon- Since 2007 Pap has tested the patience of every Sox fan. However, there's still a lot to love. His intensity sets the mound on fire, and in just seven seasons he's set the Red Sox career saves record (currently at 194 and counting).

All Time Teams

Today I'm going to start running out some all-time teams. It's something that's sounded fun to me for a while. I will not be picking players off pure stats. Some players may be chosen because of popularity, or maybe even infamy. Love to hear your guys' responses on some of these, because I'm sure their will be disagreements. Right now I'm thinking of just doing some more famous teams. The list right now: Boston, New York (Yankees), Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle, Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago (Cubs), St. Louis, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Dodgers), and San Francisco. If there's a team you'd love to see, let me know about it. Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

Sad News

Today, at the age of 74, Harmon Killebrew announced he would quit receiving treatment for his cancer. He has checked into hospice for the remainder of his days, which isn't expected to be too many. Killebrew was known, during his career, for his raw power. He dominated pitchers and is 11th on the list of all time home runs with 573. His best season came in 1969 when he wont the MVP award. That season he hit 49 bombs, had 140 RBIs, and an obscene 145 walks. I hope Killebrew gets to spend the rest of his days in peace, and here's to one of the purest sluggers the game will ever know.

Extension Candidate: Joey Votto

Season Averages: 98 games, .316/.406/.557, 19 home runs, 6 stolen bases

If there was one player in the entire major leagues I would want on my favorite team (Boston Red Sox) it would be this guy. Since coming to the major leagues he has never hit less than .297. He posted back-to-back years with an OBP over .400 in '09 and '10, and currently has an OBP of .468. His home run totals have increased each season of his career. Outside of Pujols you could argue that Votto is the best hitter in the majors. Last season, he actually outhit Prince Albert, leading him to his first MVP award.

During the off season it was announced that Votto had signed a 3 year $38 million extension; if Walt Jocketty is smart he'll sign him to a longer deal real soon. The Reds are a team with a lot of talent, but Votto surpasses all of them. He's everything sabermetric guys like me love: he hits for a lot of power, and is a beast when it comes to drawing a walk. Votto hits for a high average, so you could argue that's why his OBP is high, but in reality he's incredibly patient. Before going 0-4 last Sunday Votto had reach base in each of the first 33 games this season.

The biggest criticism of Votto has been his defense. In the minors he played mostly left field (a position for the most inept of fielders). However, since the Cincinnati outfield was full Votto was moved to first upon hitting the majors. Things were ugly for Votto right away, as he posted a -4.3 UZR in 2007. However, for each season since he's average a 4.4 UZR, going negative only once in 2009.

As shown by his increasing power, patience, and fielding Votto is a special kind of player. He is a guy who has such smarts for the game it doesn't matter what you do to try and get him out. His adjustments are fast and precise. Votto is the perfect player, and he continues to rise above the games best. Teams don't let guys like him get away, and it's just a matter of time before the Reds lock him up for his career.

Pitchers Refuse to Slow Down

Last year was the "Year of the Pitcher" and things don't seem to be changing too quickly this year. Just four days after Francisco Liriano threw his no-no, division rival, Justin Verlander, throws a no-no (the second of his career) against the Toronto Blue Jays. Verlander struck out four batters in his 9-innings and was a walk away from a perfect game. That walk came with one out in the 8th inning. It's been a great week for pitchers and I can't wait to see who throws the next big one.

My Take on the Dodgers

MLB public enemy #1

I decided today I would express my belief of what's going to happen to LA. As we know, the MLB recently appointed a financial supervisor to take over the books for the Dodgers. During the offseason it came out that Frank McCourt (owner of the dodgers) was trying to accept a $1.6 billion dollar loan from Fox using the team's media as colaterol. The MLB axed that deal, which became the beginning of vicious chain of events. In April McCourt would receive a personal loan from Fox to cover his April/May payrolls; later, it would be released that both the McCourt's were being investigated by the IRS for not paying taxes on money taken out from the team.

It was released earlier this week that the Dodgers are currently lacking  funds to pay their May payroll (despite McCourts personal loan). Yeah, things have gotten that bad. Last September people were wondering how the McCourt divorce was going to affect the Dodgers offseason. However, they tried to prove they could still spend when Ned Colleti went out and signed Ted Lilly and Jon Garland. Now, it looks like those deals are catching back up to LA. What happens now?

First, I think McCourt is out. He vowed he would fight to keep his team and that the MLB could not kick him out; however, I think he lost all face when it came out that he can't even pay his May payroll. Second, I think the LA Dodgers will end up declaring bankruptcy. It seems ridiculous, since they are one of the MLB's hottest markets, but if they can't pay their payroll then the team is obviously in financial turmoil. Finally, I think we'll see the same process in LA that we saw in Texas. After the MLB takes over and declares bankruptcy the team will go up for "auction" and be sold to a new owner. This doesn't mean the Dodgers will become irrelevant. The MLB did a great job in Texas, while allowing the team to have flexibility and be a relevant competitor. 

These are just predictions. I don't know where the situation will go from here, but one thing I am pretty sure of is that Frank McCourt is not going to stay the owner of the Dodgers for much longer. He wasn't qualified to buy the team; he failed to purchase the Red Sox, Angels, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before getting the Dodgers, and he financed the purchase almost solely on debt. His tenure as owner was mired by a divorce that destroyed the organization as well as multiple investigations into the Dodger's charities and taxes. Now he's finally getting the boot that he deserves.

It seems so ridiculous. Right now the biggest Dodgers news should be Matt Kemp's return to dominance and Andre Ethier's 29-game hitting streak. That's pretty impressive. It's no 54-game (yet), but if he hits 30 that will be as long as Ryan Zimmerman's streak in 2009 (which had been the longest since 2006), and the 7th such streak to hit 30-games in the last 10 years. Pretty cool stuff. Let's all hope Ethier keeps it going so the Dodgers can have some positive media for a bit.

WOW!

Five days after hearing the possibility of losing his roster spot Francisco Liriano goes out and throws a no hitter tonight against the Chicago White Sox. Liriano has been nothing but wild this season, despite an amazing rebound campaign last year. Liriano had TJ surgery in 2008 and returned to a full time starting gig in 2010. He was fantastic last year, despite some bad luck and a bad defense behind him. Analysts (as well as myself) had high hopes for him, but he's looked abysmal so far this season; going into tonight he had a 9.13 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 18 Ks to 18 BBs and 27 hits, while averaging less than 5 innings per start. Maybe he finally found the motivation he needed. However, it should be noted he gave up 6 walks, had only 2 Ks, and threw 123 pitches. None the less congrats Liriano for being the first no-no of the 2011 season.

Extension Candidate: Matt Kemp

Season Averages: 111 games, .289/.341/.478, 16 home runs, 19 stolen bases

Matt Kemp has long been one of my favorite players in the game and he has great tools. He began his career early as a 22 year old in 2006. As seasons went by he become a more and more refined player. In 2007 he hit .342 in 98 games, and in '08 he flash his speed stealing 35 bags, while also adding some power with 18 bombs. Then in 2009 he really came into his own; Kemp had a line of .297/.352/.490 while stealing another 30+ bags and finally showing big power with 26 home runs.

2010 was a season to forget for the young center fielder. Kemp's season started ugly and it didn't help that Dodgers GM, Ned Colleti, added a lot of pressure early on through comments to the media. The power kept up, as Kemp hit a career high 28 home runs, but his running game looked disastrous and his defense was as ugly as it comes. Kemp finished 2010 with a .249/.310/.450 line, 15 caught stealing, and a K% that jumped up 5.3 points.

So far in 2011 Matt Kemp is proving he still has amazing tools and 2010 was a fluke. The 27 year old has been a rock for LA; through 29 games he's hit .373/.448/.609 with 6 home runs and 8 stolen bases. He's been able to control his K% while showing new patience with a 12% BB rate (up from his career average of 7.4%). Kemp's defense still remains in the red (as far as UZR goes), but it is no where near as ugly as it was last year.

The Dodgers already have a stud outfielder in Andre Ethier, but Kemp is a game changer. He is developing into a 30-30 player who can easily hit .300+. If the walks keep coming, that brings a whole new element into his game which that could push his OPS to the .900-1.00 range. At 27 Kemp could be looking at a 6 year deal, with a couple options, around $18-20 million a year. The biggest obstacle in Kemp's way is the financials of the Dodgers. However, with the MLB take over in LA business can finally return to normal and Matt Kemp could be looking at the next big extension.

Who Lands the Next Huge Extension?

A new trend has begun in Major League Baseball: locking up your young core players to long deals. The first big extension to a young stud came back in 2008. After not only being on the big league roster for a week the Rays signed Evan Longoria to a 6 year deal, with three options, keeping him around until 2016. Philadelphia got the ball rolling last year with a 5 year $125 million extension to Ryan Howard (at the time he already had two years left on his contract so it locked him up through 2016 with an option in 2017). Then this year the Rockies made a big splash when they inked Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez to long term deals (Tulo: 6 years (on top of his remaining 3 year deal) $120 million; Car-Go: 7 year $80.5 million). In just the last couple weeks things kept rolling as the Red Sox finally inked Adrian Gonzalez to a 7 year deal worth $154 million; and, after a great start, the Brewers signed Ryan Braun through 2020. You'll notice that most of these players were under 30 when they signed their deals, with Longo being the youngest at 23 and Howard being the oldest at 30.

The thing is teams are getting smart. Despite how much talent you have it's not worth anything if you don't have anyone to build around. Also, you'll notice a lot of these contracts are located in smaller markets. Those teams are realizing they can't compete with free agency and need to act now to keep their players around. It isn't enough to go year-to-year anymore in arbitration and then try to lock the player up. To build a successful core teams are now having to lock players up sooner and sooner. It's smart team building and payroll structuring. Going into the future the question becomes: who's next? So, as long as I can keep coming up with candidates, every now and then I'm going to start posting stories about who the next mega-extension candidate could, and should, be. The first could be just around the corner.

Side Note: as you will notice none of these candidates will be pitchers. Even though we have seen some bigger/longer extensions to pitchers (Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Jon Lester) they still don't seem as common as the big contracts going to position players. That's because with the increased risk that comes with pitchers teams are much happier to go year-to-year for a while to make sure they know that the player's are healthy with sturdy arms.

Who is Going to Surprise?

Every year there's a good bet that some team is going to surprise. '07 Rockies, '08 Rays, '10 Padres, baseball is about the upset. This season started strange and it looked like we were going to have some upset teams immediately. However, as the first month of the season comes to a close we start to see regression and divisions return to the norm. Some surprise teams are still leading the charge, and so I thought I'd take a look at two teams that could give their division's a run for their money throughout the entire season.

Cleveland Indians 
Right now they still hold a 3.5 game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Their pitching has been pretty surprising, with Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin hanging on to ERAs under 3; in fact, they lead the AL Central in team ERA. Their biggest weapon has been offense. In the AL they're 1st in batting average, 2nd in runs, and 3rd in home runs. They're only going to get better as Shin-Soo Choo continues to march out of his funk, and Grady Sizemore continues to return to form. The biggest concern here is pitching. The bullpen raises questions and the long term effectiveness of the rotation is bleak. However, if they can take control of their arms the Indians could be returning to October a lot sooner than anybody thought.


Florida Marlins
I'm still kicking myself over this one. I'm a big Marlins fan, but I have overrated them in the past. So, after the Braves picked up Dan Uggla I figured that they and the Phillies would be to strong for the Fish to beat this year. However, I was very wrong and they're making sure I know it. The biggest improvement has been pitching. Cameron Maybin and Dan Uggla seemed like tough loses for Florida, but in return they got bullpen arms that have been a saving grace to the tune of a NL leading ERA. Florida has three real good starters, but to stay relevant they need better production from Volstad and Vazquez. Just like Cleveland their offense has been ridiculous. Logan Morrison has become a rock in the lineup, and once Hanley gets out of their slump they become that much more dangerous. They're second in the NL East right now, and they could definitely stay there all season long.

Poor Ryan Raburn

This might be one of the best bloopers of the year. Not only does Raburn make a fielding blunder, but he takes a face plant as well.

Looking for a good laugh? Check it out:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110426&content_id=18276054&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Once Again...

I'm sorry for my lacking of posting. It was a busy week and on Sunday the Easter Bunny decided it would be funny to bring me the stomach flu. Needless to say it has not been fun and has led to a lack of posting on my part. Hopefully I'll get over it soon and we'll be able to bring some more baseball news to your door step.

However, while I've got you here there is a new developments on the Dodgers case. Apparently the Dodgers have not payed taxes for seven years despite taking in $100 million in prophets. McCourt keeps digging himself a hole and I don't see how he's going to win the Dodgers back. Below is a link to the story.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jon_heyman/04/25/mccourt.wilpons/index.html?eref=writers

Hey All

Hey everyone! Hope you're all enjoying the beginning to your weekend. I know I haven't been too active this week. I've been swamped with school and busy following the NBA playoffs (GO BLAZERS!). However, I saw this link on MLBtraderumors.com and got a huge laugh. If you're looking for a pick me up I suggest you check it out.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Announcing-the-winners-of-the-Kevin-Youkilis-pho?urn=mlb-wp3871

Big Breaking News!

Today Commissioner Bud Selig announced that he will be appointing someone to oversee the finances for the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA has had issues ever since the McCourt divorce and this is an obvious attempt to save one of the MLB's bigger markets; others have perceived this as the beginning of the end for Frank McCourt as Selig is going to force him out of town.

For more details:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110420&content_id=18039056&vkey=news_la&c_id=la

Sunday: Ugly Trade #1

Oh Montreal...

This sums up Colon pretty well

The pinnacle of Ugly Trade week is here. I present to you one of the most ridiculous trades of all time. If this trade had never happened perhaps the Expos wouldn't have had to move to Washington; maybe the Cleveland Indians would have been forced to move instead. The results of this trade not going through may never be known, but we do know it is one of the ugliest trades of the last 10 years.

The Cleveland Indians send: Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew
The Montreal Expos send: Lee Stevens, Brandon Philips, Grady Sizemore, and Cliff Lee

I know what you're thinking, what a frightening trade, and I agree. Colon was a workhorse in Cleveland, but never an outstanding pitcher. He ended up with a 75-45 record and a career ERA in Cleveland of 3.92, which is good, but not worth the haul the Expos gave up. Montreal would only hold on to Colon until the end of the season before flipping him to Chicago for players that netted them nothing.

It all seems so unfair

Cleveland got the bigger end of the stick in this one, by about a mile. Brandon Philips was underrated by the Indians and eventually traded to the Reds were his stats took off. However, the player they got in return (Jeff Stevens) was influential in the Indians getting their current closer Chris Perez.

Another piece was a young pitcher named Cliff Lee. Lee would struggle from injuries, but he had massive upside and eventually hit it in 2008. The south paw went 22-3 that season with a 2.54 ERA and 4 complete games, netting him a Cy Young Award. Lee would dominate in 2009 before being flipped to the Phillies for another great haul. Today he's known for his ridiculously dominate control and efficiency.

Despite both those great players we all know the true diamond in the rough was Grady Sizemore. Sizemore was a young athletic fielder who would begin his stellar career two years after the trade, at the young age of 21. At 28 Sizemore has become the marquee player in Cleveland, posting a career slash line of .272/.363/.477 with 129 home runs and 134 stolen bases. Sizemore led the Tribe to a playoff berth in 2007 and his defense has netted him two gold gloves. His best season came in 2008 where he had 33 home runs and 38 swipes. The big lefty suffered from some injuries in '09 and '10, but he's finally returned (after a long battle back from microfracture knee surgery) and he hit a home run today in his first game in the 2011 season.

One can only imagine where these two teams would be without these deals. I'm not sure about Cleveland, but Montreal might still be in Montreal, and a dominate team. They would have Cliff Lee as an ace and an offense built around Ryan Zimmerman and Grady Sizemore. It was a strange deal at the time, and one that seemed to have a huge disparity in the amount of talent being traded. It was a deal that I think changed the landscape of the league forcing Montreal out of Canada and into Washington as the Nationals.

Saturday: Ugly Trade #2

Dan Haren = Beast

St. Louis fans got used to this real quick

We're almost to number 1. Yesterday we discussed a dynasty that could have been, tonight we examine a team letting go of one of the best right handers of the late 2000s.


St. Louis Cardinals send: Dan Haren, Daric Barton, Kiko Calero
Oakland Athletics send: Mark Mulder

I know I can't blame the Red Birds on this one too much. In the early 2000s Mark Mulder was one of the best pitchers in the AL. Despite a spike in ERA in 2004 the Cardinals took a chance and traded for the ace in '05. They couldn't understand the disastrous results of this trade. He would have a solid 2005 for his new team, but Mulder would face injury issues for the rest of his career. He would finish 21-18 in 53 starts for St. Louis, but he had a 5.04 ERA, only 311 IP (less then 6 per start) and a WHIP that spiked to 1.531. The sad thing is after his good 2005 the Cardinals extended Mulder to a three season deal, wasting about $25 million.

How about what Oakland got? Well, Daric Barton is now their starting first baseman. He's not a game changer, but he could develop some decent pop and he owns a career .372 OBP. Carlero was a decent reliever for Oakland, to the tune of a 3.96 ERA. So far, this is just mediocrity.

What makes this a travesty is the pitcher they gave up. Most people don't know that Dan Haren (before being traded to the Diamond Backs and then the Angels) was originially a St. Louis Cardinal; and, he actualy pitched in the 2004 World Series. Haren's stats weren't amazing in St. Louis, but as we all know they jumped the gun in trading the righty. He would go on to have a 43-36 record in 102 starts for Oakland, with a 3.64 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, a strong K/9 and a lot of innings. Billy Beane would then flip Haren to Arizona for one of the biggest prospect hauls in Oakland history (that landed them Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez, and Chris Carter; but, it doesn't make the list because Arizona got decent milage out of Haren and a nice haul for him when they traded him to LA last season). Haren's career would skyrocket in the NL West with Arizona and he hasn't looked too shabby this season for the Angels. Haren has become known for his ability to pitch a lot of innings without giving up a lot of hits (he has a career 1.182 WHIP).

Imagine, if you could, a world where this trade never happened. St. Louis would be rocking the NL Central every year with a rotation of Wainwright, Haren, and Carpenter. Also, their season might have been saved this year, with Wainwright going down, if they had a worth while replacement ace in Dan Haren.

Friday: Ugly Trade #3

Big Tex carries a big stick

The dynasty that could have been

Just like Wednesday this is technically two different trades, but they involve the same player so I looped them into one Ugly Trade.


Trade 1:
Texas Rangers send: Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay
Atlanta Braves send: Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia


Trade 2:
Atlanta Braves send: Mark Teixeira
Los Angeles Angels send: Steve Marek and Casey Kotchman


In 2007 the Rangers made a bold move in order to restock the farm system. They dangled their power happy, switch hitting, gold glove defending first baseman, Mark Teixeira, on the line. The Braves bit and gave Texas a haul of young players. Teixeira was a stud with the Braves, hitting .295/.395/.548 with 37 home runs in 157 games. Atlanta seemed on the verge of being a powerhouse, with an offense that was built around two powerful switch hitters in Tex and Chipper Jones. However, in 2008 their pitching dive bombed and they were struggling, so they decided to flip Teixeira to a different team. They ended up trading him to the Angels. 


So what did they give up, and what did they get in return? Starting with the latter, they didn't get jack squat. I usually respect Frank Wren, but they gave up five prospects for Tex and got two players back. Kotchman is a defensive minded first baseman, but his bat never fully developed and the Braves got nothing but average offense out of him. Marek is a 27 year old pitcher still stuck in the minors. The Braves had no reason to move Tex, and they're not a money deficient club. If they had extended Teixeira they could have built a club around him. But, they panicked and let one of the great switch hitters with power go.


The true injustice is what they gave up. The Braves have a ridiculous well of talent in their system right now, and if they had not gone through with the Teixeira trade they would be on the verge of a dynasty. Neftali Feliz has an electric arm, and though he's been a closer in Texas, he could have been a great starter in an amazing young rotation in Atlanta. Elvis Andrus is still harnessing his contact skills, but his glove and speed are sure things. He also could have filled the middle infield void Atlanta's been suffering from the last couple of years. Matt Harrison and Salty haven't been superstars yet, but they still had upside that could have done Atlanta some good. They never got much out of Teixeira, and if they hadn't been so bold they would have the premier club in all of baseball right now. Atlanta has a bright future, but it could have been so much brighter.

Thursday: Ugly Trade #4

The Colorado Rockies send: Matt Holliday
The Oakland Athletics send: Greg Smith, Huston Street, and Carlos Gonzalez

Matt Holliday in the World Series

Boy, does this one look ugly. Heading into the 2009 season Billy Beane decided he was going to make a power play for the AL West. The Rockies, looking to cash in on their expensive left fielder, put Matt Holliday on the block. Beane took his shot and traded for the power happy hitter. People were highly critical of the deal, saying Holliday would never possess in Oakland what he had in Colorado. 

He wasn't terrible in Oakland. In 93 games he posted an .831 OPS, with 11 home runs and 12 bags. However, the Athletics felt it'd be more worth it to trade him again before the season was over. Unfortunately, they traded Holliday just as he was getting hot, and he went on to post a 1.023 OPS with 13 home runs in 63 games for the Cardinals. Despite what they gave up for Holliday, Oakland got pretty much nothing from St. Louis. The sad thing is, Oakland had a pretty good team that year, and if they had kept Holliday as he was getting hot they might have made a big comeback; or, Beane could have gone off his normal behavior and extended the slugger and built a franchise around him.


So, what makes this so ugly, besides the results for Oakland? What they gave up in return, that's what. Greg Smith isn't even worth mentioning, so let's ignore him. The Rockies got a hell of a reliever in Huston Street. Street was really good in Oakland, and he adjusted great to Coors and has handled himself well there. In two seasons with the Rockies he's had a 3.10 ERA, 55 saves, a 0.966 WHIP, and a killer 9.5 K/9. Street has developed into an incredibly dependable closer. Could you imagine him in that Oakland bullpen with Andrew Bailey? Talk about shut down.

Oh, what could have been

The true gem though was Carlos Gonzalez. The kid is a phenomenal 5-tool player. He's the second coming of Grady Sizemore; i.e. he's going to be a consistent 30-30 player. The one thing Car-Go has, that Sizemore never did, is Coors. It takes a 30-30 player and pushes him to 40-30 potential (and with Gonzalez's athleticism he could have back-to-back seasons at 40-40). Oakland lost a amazing player in this deal; and imagine, Car-Go has all the tools Oakland was looking for in Holliday. I love Beane, and there's no way he could know just how good Gonzalez was going to be; but, no matter how you look at it Oakland looks stupid on this trade. 

However, people have been critical of Car-Go. They claim he only succeeds at spacious Coors, shown by his pretty skewed home/road splits. I think he'll be just fine though. He almost had 200 hits last season (he had 197); even in Coors that's a hard feat to reach. This kid is the next great lefty slugger in the game and soon enough everyone will know his name; and that's going to kill Oakland fans.

Wednesday: Ugly Trade #5

......

Seriously....

This one is a personal favorite, because I don't think a lot of people know about it. It certainly surprised me when I found out about it. These are actually two different deals, but since they involve the same teams and only happened about a month apart from each other I've lumped them into one deal.

Trade 1:

The Cleveland Indians send: Eduardo Perez

The Seattle Mariners send: Asdrubal Cabrera

Trade 2:

The Cleveland Indians send: Ben Broussard

The Seattle Mariners send: Shin-Soo Choo, Shawn Nottingham, and cash

.....

You read those right people. Bill Bavasi (probably one of the worst GMs ever) strikes again. True Bavasi made a lot of horrible deals, but these two might be the worse; you could argue the Eric Bedard trade, but the Ms knew they were getting an injury risk, and Adam Jones hasn't exactly been a superstar in Baltimore. 

In 2006, in some sort of horrible effort to find offense, Bavasi traded for two horrible players. At 36 (yeah, they traded for a 36 year old), Perez was off to a quick start for the Tribe, posting a .979 OPS in 37 games. Shockingly enough (please, sense the sarcasm) he would play only 43 games for Seattle, as a part time DH against lefties, and post an OPS of .545. Broussard was a 29 year old who was supposed to have power and never found it; so, naturally you would want him in a pitchers park... oh Bavasi. At the time of the trade he was hitting .321 in Cleveland with 13 home runs, but once he came to Seattle he hit only .238 with 8 bombs. Broussard was primarily a super utility guy who played awful defense and never had any ability to hit in Safeco. 

how did this trade happen?

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Mark Shapiro was giddy as a schoolgirl. These trades were pure thievery. Shin-Soo Choo would remain one of the most underrated players in the game, until 2010 when he would post back-to-back 20-20 seasons. Choo has become a 5-tool player; his defense is amazing in right field, his career slash line is .295/.388/.483, and as stated above he's become a consistent 20-20 player (and at only 28 he could make a jump to 30-30).

Pretty sure Bavasi is pure evil

Asdrubal Cabrera has remained an unknown, but 2011 might be his coming out party. He's been a versatile starter for the Indians, playing second, short, and third; he hasn't excelled at either position, but with time to practice at one spot he could become a really good fielder. He's been nothing but consistent with a bat, posting a slash line of .284/.346/.400 in Cleveland. He has 20 steal potential (his career high is 17) and is starting to develop power; he has 4 bombs so far in 2011 and could become a consistent 15-20 player.

This may seem paranoid, but I have this theory that Bill Bavasi was never working for the Mariners. I think he was secretly trained by the other 29 teams in the league to give them great young talent for free. Oh Seattle fans, what could have been?

No Big Surprise...

Josh Hamilton is hurt. The Ranger's center fielder strained his arm sliding into home plate today against the Tigers. Hamilton was called out and suddenly replaced by Ian Kinsler in the lineup the next inning. It was later released that Hamilton broke his arm on the slide and will now be out 6-8 weeks. Word is Hamilton did not want to try and take home, and he blamed his third base coach for making the decision. Texas is off to a ridiculous start, but who knows how this news will slow them down moving forward.

The boys at baseball tonight were incredibly critical of Hamilton's decision to run; you can check that out here:  http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6339976

Another One Bites the Dust

After Manny retired over the weekend another famed slugger has announced his retirement today. Carlos Delgado has announced his departure from the game today after a second consecutive year without being on an opening day roster. After hip surgery last season he attempted a comeback with the Red Sox, but never made it out of the minors. Delgado finishes his career with a .280/.383/.546 slash line, as well as 473 career home runs.

Tuesday: Ugly Trade #6

We opened Ugly Trade Week up with a Boston Red Sox deal that had unforeseeable repercussions. Now we turn out heads to Boston's favorite rivals, the New York Yankees. Back in 2008 the Tampa Bay Rays were steamrolling the competition, and the Red Sox were right behind them. The Yankees had fallen to third place and looked awful. Right at the trade deadline they decided to do something drastic. And so this ugly trade was born.

Marte still haunts Cashman

The leadoff man who got away

The Pittsburgh Pirates send: Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte
The New York Yankees send: Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf, and Jose Tabata


At the time the deal looked like a steal. Karstens and Ohlendorf had both struggled in the Bronx, and Tabata was having a horrible season at AA; meanwhile Marte was a dominate lefty and Nady was having his best season yet, hitting .330 and posting a .919 OPS. However, things quickly fell apart on this deal.

Whatever magic Marte had in his wild arm at Pittsburgh he lost when he got to New York. In 18.1 innings for the Yankees, in 2008, Marte had an ERA 5.40; for the next two seasons he would struggle with injuries and end up having a career ERA, with the Yankees, of 6.02, and a record of 2-6. Nady would struggle as well; after the trade he hit .268 with an OPS of .794.  Mid-April of 2009, Nady would require the second Tommy John Surgery of his career (as a position player, that's insane!) and miss the rest of the season, ending his tenure with New York.


For Pittsburgh the trade seemed a dud as well. Jeff Karstens almost pitched a perfect game through 7.2 innings on August 6th of 2008, but he hasn't shown any flash of brilliance since. Both Ohlendorf and McCutchen have been mediocre pitchers as well. However, the true gem of this deal, has been Jose Tabata. After hitting .248 with a .630 OPS for New York's AA team he would finish his 2008 season batting .348 with a .964 OPS for Pittsburgh's AA team. In 2010 he got his first taste of action at the big leagues, hitting .299 with 19 SBs in 102 games, while playing above-average defense. So far Tabata has kept that success rolling in 2011, starting the season off hitting .342, with 5 SBs, 2 HRs (he only hit 4 in 2010 so the power is developing), and an OBP of .457. Imagine if this deal had never gone down; the Yankees would have one of the most dangerous batting orders with Brett Gardner and Jose Tabata leading off. Both have great patience and speed; they would absolutely wreak havoc on teams. Instead, Tabata is demolishing pitching in the NL while developing into a 5-tool player, and the Yankees had to suffer through three seasons of Damaso Marte.

This Will Blow Your Mind

Usually I hate commentators and feel they have nothing to add to a game. Except, tonight, they talked about an absolutely ridiculous stat. David Ortiz hold the longest running per season hit streak of triples in the AL. What does that jumble of a sentence mean? It means from 2000-2011 (since he hit one tonight) Ortiz has hit at least one triple in each of those seasons. Seriously, Big Papi, the slowest guy on the Red Sox for the last 8 seasons. Ridiculous... the more you know :)

Monday: Ugly Trade #7

What could have been

What got wasted

The Cleveland Indians send: Victor Martinez

The Boston Red Sox send: Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price


At first, you might not understand this one. Masterson hasn't been too good so far and V-Mart did provide some good offense for the Sox. However, I will argue that this is not the case. When the Sox acquired Martinez they were looking for a game changer who could help them on defense and support their struggling offense. He was supposed to be the piece that would help them get back into the World Series. However, in the 2009 ALDS Martinez only hit .182, with an OPS of .432, and the Sox didn't even make it into the playoffs in 2010.


Meanwhile Hagadone and Masterson have started to show their upsides. Hagadone is finally breaking into the upper minors, and holds a minor league career K/9 of 10.53. Masterson has shined so far this season, going 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA. He's also made a note of letting the Sox know what they missed; he holds a 2-0 record against them with a 0.64 ERA and 0.857 WHIP. Masterson has one of the most deceptive submarine deliveries in baseball and with his improving control he could become a really good pitcher (he's only 26). 

...and the fallout

But, the biggest fallout of this deal has yet to be discussed. It could have saved the Red Sox $82.5 million. You're probably asking yourself: "what is this guy talking about?" His name, is John Lackey. That's right, I think if this V-Mart trade had never been done then the Red Sox would have never signed Lackey. If they hadn't made the trade the Sox would have had another young front-line starter for their rotation. However, with only four starters and no good replacement Boston went and signed Lackey, who has done nothing, but struggled, since he's got to Boston. The Sox did receive a draft pick for losing Martinez this offseason, but they also lost a pick when they signed Lackey. The Sox could have had a great rotation with Lester, Buchholz, Beckett, Masterson and Daisuke; but, instead they lost a great submarine starter and wasted $82.5 million on a burnt out ace.

Is Boston Righting the Ship?

Just as it is to early to freak out over the season, it is also to early to relax about the season. However, I said from the beginning that Beckett is the cog that is most important for Boston success. Tonight Beckett pitched a gem, going 8 innings with 2 hits 0 walks and 10 Ks. What stood out most for me was the use of the curve ball. Beckett has an elite curve and when he sets up the fastball it becomes his out pitch, and against Cleveland earlier in the week I didn't see that curve nearly as often as I did tonight. Lester is an ace, and Buchholz is better then he's shown so far (and Boston believes so too because they gave him a 4 year extension today); but, Josh Beckett is the one guy who's been so good in the past and is, at the end of the day, the biggest support and leader for the rotation. If he keeps pitching like he did tonight, I think the Sox are going to start blazing. With Tampa coming to Fenway (and struggling in their own right) Boston could be 5-7 really quick.

Upcoming this Week

This week I'm going to kick off what should be a fun time. With some ugly starts to the season I'm looking ahead to July; because, in July we have the trade deadline. So, this week has been deemed (by myself) as Ugly Trade Week. Each day I'll be profiling another trade from the last 10 years that involves big time players, and big time ripoffs. It should be a good seven days. Hope everyone's enjoyed the first Monday-Sunday week of the season and thanks for reading guys!

Players on the Verge of Being the Best

Hitters

*Average/OBP/SLG, HRs, RBIs, runs, SBs

C: Joe Mauer

Season Averages: .327/.407/.481, 12 HRs, 67 RBIs, 72 runs, 5 SBs

Award: 4x All-Star, 3x Gold Glover, 4x Silver Slugger, MVP (2009)

Need: Power

Mauer has been promising us power his entire career. We know he can bring home the batting titles, and we know his defense is good. In his career he’s thrown out 35% of base runners, but in ’07 he threw out 56%. However, despite a .327 career batting average, he only averages 12 HRs a season. His season high is 28 in 2009 (when he won his MVP). If he could consistently hit 20 bombs a season and get his career OPS about a .900 average he could go down as one of the best catchers ever.

1B: Joey Votto

Season Averages: .314/.401/.557, 30 HRs, 98 RBIs, 86 runs, 9 SBs

Awards: 1x All-Star, MVP (2010)

Need: Defense

Votto has finally put all the offensive pieces together. He out hit everybody last season and brought home an MVP for it. However, first base is such a deep position and it’s no longer about carrying a big stick. Albert Pujols is the best hitter in the game right now, but he’s also known for his ridiculous defense at first (he’s got two gold gloves, so far). If Votto wants to take over as the best player in the game today he needs to step up the defense and be the best on both sides of the ball.

2B: Dustin Pedroia

Season Averages: .305/.369/.460, 13 HRs, 62 RBIs, 93 runs, 14 SBs

Awards: 3x All-Star, 1x Gold Glover, ROY (2007), MVP (2008)

Need: 20-20

Pedroia is the best spark plug in the game, and he’s been consistent in his entire career. Roberto Alomar got into the HOF because of his amazing defense at second, but he also averaged 12 HRs and 28 SBs a season. Pedroia has the D, but he needs to improve the production. He can hit, but he is only above average in categories, not great in any. If he could become a consistent 20-20 player it would make him a stronger force on offense. He needs to go from above average to great.

SS: Troy Tulowitzki

Season Averages: .290/.362/.495, 23 HRs, 83 RBIs, 86 runs, 10 SBs

Awards: 1x All-Star, 1x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger

Need: Health

There hasn’t been this much power at shortstop since A-Rod. Tulo is a complete hitter and plays some of the best defense at the position. He’s definitely a vacuum. However, every year his offensive numbers are dragged down because he can’t play enough games. He’s averaged about 132 games a season. If he could average 150, like most starters, he could consistently hit 35-40 bombs a season. At short, that’s plain ridiculous.

3B: Evan Longoria

Season Averages: .283/.361/.521, 27 HRs, 101 RBIs, 88 runs, 10 SBs

Awards: 3x All-Star, 2x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger, ROY (2008)

Need: Consistency

 

He’s hit for power, and he’s hit for average. But, third base has had some great players and that competition is stiffer then ever right now. In order to stick out Longo has to put it all together. He’s already carrying the Rays, playing stellar defense, and become a household name. But, his averages are weak. If he wants to be great he needs to hit .300, have 30+ bombs, and steal 15-20 bases a season. He’s still so young and has a promising career ahead of him; if anyone on this list can take the next step it’s this kid.

OF: Carlos Gonzalez

Season Averages: .300/.346/.520, 13 HRs, 43 RBIs, 49 runs, 12 SBs

Awards: 1x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger

Need: Hitting on the road

Car-Go is still a bit of an unknown and people are right to be concerned with his numbers. He has been really good since breaking out with the Rockies. However, his road/away splits say a lot about his game. His career home OPS: .987; his career OPS away: .739. Critics are saying he can only hit at home where the ball flies better. But, he almost had 200 hits in 2010 and that’s hard to achieve if you’re hitting .270 on the road, so there’s reason to believe. If Car-Go can support his home numbers on the road imagine how much better his stats would be.

Pitchers

*Wins-Losses OR Saves, ERA/WHIP/K/9, IP, Ks

SP: Jon Lester

Season Averages: 12-5, 3.55/1.29/8.4, 153 IP, 142 Ks

Need: Consistency

Lester has really good numbers, especially for someone who plays in the hitter dominated AL East. However, it’s scary how good his numbers could be! First, he’s a notoriously slow starter, and doesn’t warm up until his 4^th/5^th start of the season; second, he tends to have a blow up about once a month. If he could limit those blow-ups he could easily support an ERA under two, with a K/9 that pushes the high 9s.

SP: Brandon Morrow

Season Averages: 5-5, 4.19/1.43/10, 86 IP, 96 Ks

Need: Control

 

Morrow has always had potential, but his ceiling has remained out of reach. After moving into the Jays rotation he’s finally started to shine. With his stuff he can lead the league in Ks every season. But, to be seen as the best he needs to lower his walks, which in turn will support his other peripherals. That 10.0 K/9 is HOF good, but he needs more than flash to be brilliant.

SP: Clayton Kershaw

Season Averages: 9-8, 3.17/1.267/9.3, 161 IP, 166 Ks

Need: Hardware

We already know his NL counterpart, Tim Lincecum, is good. He’s got two Cy-Young awards and a World Series ring; Clayton Kershaw has none of those. But, he’s much better than Lincecum. His numbers speak for themselves, but he needs exposure. In order to get this Kershaw needs to bring home some awards and carry LA.

SP: Josh Johnson

Season Averages: 8-4, 3.1/1.242/8.3, 111 IP, 102 Ks

Need: Leadership

JJ is a beast and one of the best pitchers in the NL. However, he plays for a young and ailing Florida team. If he wants to be great he needs to become the leader that that Marlins club is desperate for. The Marlins have built their rotation around Johnson and with a few marches into October (or a couple Cy-Youngs) he could finally get the exposure and respect he deserves.

RP: Daniel Bard

Season Averages: 2 Saves, 2.61/1.113/10.1, 62 IP, 70 Ks

Need: Saves

Bard has some of the nastiest stuff we’ve seen in a reliever since the Sandman. His fastball is a consistent 97-100 MPH, and his slider is as devastating as they come. But, he’s stuck behind Jonathan Papelbon. The good news for Bard, Paps will probably be gone after this year. If he takes over as closer his numbers could be as good as they come for 9^th inning men.