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Mike Gonzalez to Nats: Washington is Gearing Up For the Playoffs
Tuesday May 22, 2012
Ryan Ritchey: With injuries to both Drew Storen and Brad Lidge the Nationals had to go out and find more depth to their bullpen. That is what they did by going out and getting Mike Gonzalez as a free agent, who last pitched for the Texas Rangers. Mike Gonzalez has playoff experience and has the stuff to carry this bullpen until Storen gets back in May. Fortunately for the Nats, they have a fairly deep pen despite loss of Storen and Brad Lidge to injuries. Henry Rodriguez was locked in as the closer, but it now appears that Washington will go with a bullpen by committee. Apparently Craig Stammen will see the bulk of the save opportunities at this point. With Storen coming back around the All Star Break, Gonzalez could continue in a setup role. Until then, perhaps Gonzo may even take over the closer job and give the Nats some needed 9th inning stability. It is looking like the Nationals are making a push for a playoff spot as they are noticing that the Phillies are struggling. They smell opportunity and are jumping in at the right time. If they are going to make a push, they will need a lock-down pen.
The big question is whether going out and getting Gonzalez was a good move… I believe it is. This is a team with tremendous starting pitching that needs a deep pen to shut down games and get wins. I see Gonzalez quite capable of filling in for Storen until he comes back, and perhaps taking the closer’s job in the interim. The biggest thing for this Nationals team is staying atop the National League East through the All Star Break, to give them confidence for the rest of the season. In my opinion the Nationals go to the playoffs if they are within three games of the National League East leader.
Could it be that the Nationals front office wants to put people in the seats? That is a possibility, but I believe this team wants to win and wants to win now. Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are in the majors, this could be a great chance for them to get to the postseason. You put the Nationals in the postseason and baseball ratings go through the roof. Every time the Nationals are on national tv, my twitter feed is filled with Harper tweets. The kid is taking over baseball right now, no doubt about that. 2012 could be a big year in Washington, as the Nationals move to contenders from pretenders.
Ryan Ritchey is a Baseball Writer for MLB reports. I am a high school senior, play second base and plan on studying sports journalism in college. I am a huge fan of Barry Larkin and Brandon Phillips. Have been a baseball fan my whole life and have been writing about baseball since freshman year. You can reach me on Twitter(@Ryan13Ritchey)
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Follow @mlbreportsThe First Five Games of The Streak
Tuesday April.10/2012
Douglas “Chuck” Booth at Citi April 9th
Douglas Chuck Booth (Baseball Writer)- Well, I finally get a chance to breathe for one second. Too bad it was at the expense of the events that transpired yesterday. Contrary to popular belief, this world record streak is not a walk in the park. Traveling is a hard thing to do at the best of times. I will break down the trip synopsis game by game. I am breaking down the travel games at Parks day by day. Read the rest of this entry
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Where Will C.J. Wilson Pitch in 2012?
Thursday November 3, 2011
Sam Evans: Seven years ago, it looked like C.J. Wilson might never pitch in the big leagues after missing the 2004 season due to injury. Fast forward to the 2011 offseason, and he is the most desired starting pitcher on the free agent market. He has been the Rangers best starter for the last two years. Now, Rangers fans have to wonder if he’ll be back in Texas in 2012.
C.J. Wilson was drafted out of Loyola Marymount University by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of the 2001 Draft. The next couple years showed signs of promise for Wilson as he moved all the way up to Double-A, after just one year playing in the lower minors. Unfortunately, he needed Tommy John Surgery which kept him out for parts of the 2003 season, and all of the 2004 season. In 2005, he pitched in 48 innings for the Rangers but posted a 6.94 ERA. From 2006-2006, Wilson pitched out of the bullpen for the Rangers. He was never spectacular but he recorded 52 saves and gave the Rangers an above-average bullpen arm.
Before the 2010 season, Wilson, behind the support of pitching coach Mike Maddux, earned a role in the Rangers starting rotation. Everything took off from there as Wilson became the Rangers best starter and he has been their best pitcher the last two years. He has posted an ERA under 3.35 these last two years while throwing over 420 innings. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last two years despite pitching half of his games at the hitter’s paradise also known as The Ballpark in Arlington.
The main knock on Wilson is that he can’t win the big game. This is a real issue because most teams willing to shell out the big money for Wilson are likely playoff contenders. I think that part of this has just been bad luck for Wilson. Another factor might be that he has started 77 games over the last two years. I think this recent postseason Wilson was just exhausted from the regular season. I think that some teams will look at Wilson differently after his performances this postseason but it shouldn’t be a huge issue.
C.J. Wilson is currently a free agent and the best starter available.The Nationals are rumored to be interested and they scouted Wilson in September this year. I think that Washington might be a good fit for Wilson to mentor young studs Stephen Strasburg, Brad Peacock, and Jordan Zimmerman. However, I don’t know if the Nationals really can compete with the other teams on a financial basis.If they could come up with the money ( they do have one of the richest owners in baseball) then I’d expect them to compete with the other top bidders.
The Yankees don’t seem to be too interested in Wilson but they might look elsewhere for the front of the line starter. In October, it was reported that the Yankees prefer Yu Darvish to C.J. Wilson. I think this is crazy that they would value a 25-year-old who hasn’t thrown one MLB pitch over a 31-year-old who has been worth more WAR than any Yankees starter under 300 pounds. Yet, according to Joel Sherman, one Yankees decision-maker considers Wilson a #4 starter on a championship team.
Other dark horse candidates for the Wilson bidding include the Royals, Cubs, Marlins, Blue Jays and Red Sox. The most likely team to land Wilson is the Texas Rangers. C.J. has made it clear that he wants to pitch for the Rangers. Wilson was recently quoted saying that there is a “great chance” that he would be pitching for the Rangers next year.
As for how much money he’ll get, I don’t think Wilson will get a $100M deal- but $85 million isn’t out of the question. Wilson sounds like he shouldn’t take too long to make up his mind on who to sign with. The odds are that we will see C.J. Wilson back in a Rangers jersey not only next year, but for many years to come.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Sam Evans. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Sam on Twitter.***
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Sabathia and the Yankees: Did anyone ‘CC’ this coming?
Tuesday November 1, 2011
April Whitzman (Blue Jays and Prospects Writer – MLB reports): At the stroke of midnight, C.C. Sabathia wouldn’t have turned into a pumpkin, but the Yankees had the potential of not getting the fairy tale they wanted.
But, lo and behold, a fairy godmother appeared, in the form of a signed contract, which showed that C.C. Sabathia would accept a new deal and remain with the New York Yankees. The new deal also had the effect of adding 30 million dollars to his bottom line.
As such, Sabathia did not become a free agent. But at what cost?
Sabathia already had $92 million left on the old contract, or, in layman’s terms, about $23 million a year. Now, the new deal increases his salary to $25 million for 2016 and also gives the Yankees a $25 million option for 2017 with a $5 million buyout (depending on whether Sabathia can stay healthy in 2016).
Was the money worth it? At a quick glance it would appear that the money is well-spent for the Yankees. In fact, since signing a $161-million, seven-year deal with the Yankees in 2009, Sabathia has gone 59-23 with a 3.18 ERA during the regular season for the Yankees.
But that’s not the only reason that the money was well spent for the Yankees.
I
f the Yankees would not have been able to convince Sabathia to stay, their rotation (as it stands now) would have consisted of A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and unless some offseason trading or signing occurs, likely David Phelps and Hector Noesi.
Had Sabathia not signed, the Yankees would have been even more likely to chase any and all free agent starting pitchers on the market, including C.J. Wilson of the Rangers, and Japanese phenom (who the Blue Jays and Rangers are currently rumored to be targeting), Yu Darvish.
Fortunately for the Yankees, Sabathia did agree to sign. But I would not assume that the Yankees have stopped their search for additional starting pitchers to beef up their rotation. Rather far from it. In order to get over the hump, the Yankees will need to acquire complimentary pieces to their existing ace pitcher.
But with that being said, can one even imagine what would have happened if Sabathia had not stayed in New York? And if perhaps some other team came and swept Sabathia off his feet during the upcoming free agency courting period?
If Sabathia had opted out of his contract and become a free agent, it would be interesting to review which teams could have been the
right fit for the Yankees’ ace. Potential suitors could have included the Nationals, who already are developing a young up-and-coming team with a stellar rotation. It could have also been the Red Sox, as after the Tommy John surgery to John Lackey, also require more depth to their rotation. Finally, the Los Angeles Angels could have been a suitable destination, because as was saw last year with Vernon Wells, the Angels do not care about the price. Rather the team looks at the quality of the player (in effect, taking the player they want at any price). The Angels could have been a very strong suitor for Sabathia location-wise, given that CC is a California native.
Overall though, despite the fact that he was born in California, Sabathia admitted that his family has now made New York their home. Sabathia moved his family to New Jersey and is an active member of the local community. So much like the end of every fairy tale, CC of course, will live happily ever after. Then again, making $122 million over the next five years, with the potential for $147 million ver six years, certainly helps!
As always, I look forward to hearing from you. Comment below, email MLBreports@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter at @Alleycat17.
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Adam Dunn and Alex Rios: The Future of the ChiSox Sluggers
Monday October 10, 2011
Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): There were perhaps no two bigger fantasy busts than Alexis Rios and Adam Dunn during the 2011 season. Although nobody was “screwed over” more than White Sox general manager Kenny Williams, many fantasy owners surely had a hard time overcoming the incompetency of these two players.
Although Dunn’s performance was unexpected by many, we have seen this from Alex Rios before. Rios reemerged on the scene in 2010 as one of the rare five category players: .284 avg, 21 HR, 89 RBI, and 34 SB. However, Rios really tailed off at the end of his 2010 season and looked a lot more like the player that the Toronto Blue Jays flat-out released a year prior. His 2011 numbers look eerie similar to 2009:
2009: .247, 17 HR, 63 RBI, 24 SB
2011: .227, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 11 SB
Oddly, 2008 and 2010 were different stories for Rios, as he amassed a total of 9.3 WAR in those two seasons. There is no doubt that Rios suffered from bad luck in 2011. He .237 BAPIP is 70 points below his career average. However, the fact remains that Rios is now on the wrong side of thirty. It is doubtful any team would make the same mistake Williams already has and taken on his salary, so chances are Rios will still be in Chicago. With his large contract and a new manager in town, I think it is safe to assume it will be his position to lose in 2012.
Rios’ inconsistencies throughout his career make him a difficult player to evaluate, but you have to think he will bounce back and be a good buy-low candidate. Whatever you do just do not overpay. His peripheral numbers indicate that his power is still there and that his batting average should improve perhaps to his career .270 range. We also cannot ignore his strong finish, batting .307, 5 HR and 12 RBI in his last 75 at-bats. It has been said that he “over thinks” and struggles with the mental side of the game, but his physical skills are undeniable.
The signs indicate that Rios will bounce back in 2012 for a rebuilding White Sox team. Therefore, target him as a backup or final outfield option for a cheap price. Pay for the player he was in 2011 and hope to get the 2008/2010 Rios in return. With his track record it is simply not safe to pay for him as a .280/20 HR/80 RBI/20 SB guy that he could very well be.
I think you have to take the same approach with the other White Sox enigma, Adam Dunn. Dunn was the model of
consistent for the last 10 years, and he appeared to be in a great position to succeed in Chicago in 2011. However, his strikeout rate increased to a stagger 35.7 percent, and when he did manage to put the ball in play, his .240 BABIP left him with a .159 season average. Historically bad.
Dunn is also aging and was noticeably out of shape last year. Watching him play every day, he simply seemed over matched and had trouble recovering form an early season appendectomy. Dunn has to realize what is at stake here (his career) and hopefully he picked up something from Paul Konerko’s professionalism and approach to the game.
The fact remains that with his contract, Dunn will get the chance to turn things around in 2012. If he has a repeat performance, then the White Sox might be forced to just cut ties and move on. Therefore, 2012 is truly do-or-die for Mr. Dunn. Thus, I expect him to put in the time in the off-season and bounce back next year. It is not to say that Dunn will put up the same numbers as he has in the past, but the home run total could still exceed thirty. U.S. Cellular Field is a notorious hitters park, and Dunn still has the ability to take advantage of its favorable dimensions.
The good news, fantasy owners and White Sox fans, Alex Rios and Adam Dunn cannot be any worse in 2012! The fact is they will both be giving an opportunity to bounce back in 2012 and try to prove the worth of their 14 million dollar per year contracts. Although, they will never come close to doing this, they can provide value for you next year. These are the types of guys that I love to target for cheap on my fantasy teams. Rios has bounced back before, and although his inconsistencies are mind bogglingly frustrating; it is not crazy to expect him to do so again. Bad luck, reflected by BAPIP, played a factor for both of these players. And with Dunn, if he does put in the offseason commitment, his track record is too long and strong to ignore. Therefore, expect both guys to bounce back. Just don’t put your self in the position where you are counting on it.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Fantasy Baseball Analyst, Peter Stein. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Peter on Twitter (@peterWstein).***
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The Curious Case of Carl Crawford
Thursday September 23, 2011
Rob Bland (Baseball Writer – MLB reports): When the 2010 season concluded, many people looked at the trio of Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth as easily the most sought after players. Lee has not disappointed in Philadelphia, where he will garner serious attention for the NL Cy Young Award. Werth and Crawford, however, have been pretty big disappointments after signing extremely lucrative contracts over 7 years. Werth received $126M, while Crawford made the biggest splash, inking a deal worth $142M. While Werth has been lucky to play in front of smaller crowds playing in Washington DC, Crawford has had to endure the masses of critics in Boston. This is on top of playing in the AL East, battling for the division title, while the team is in a free-fall where the Tampa Bay Rays are gaining ground in the AL Wild Card race.
Crawford came to the Red Sox with HUGE expectations. Fans of the Red Sox expected him to not only repeat his career season from 2010, but exceed his statistics. In 2010 with the Rays, Crawford surpassed most of his best seasons in almost every statistical category. He hit .307 with 19 home runs and 90 RBI, while scoring 110 runs and stealing 47 bases. His on-base percentage was .356 and he slugged at a .495 clip, giving him an OPS of .851. In 2011, surrounded by all-star and MVP caliber players, he has struggled to gain any kind of consistency. He has limped into the end of September with a .255/.292/.401 slash line.
Crawford has only been able to steal 18 bases, which is by far his worst full season total in the MLB. On June 17th, Crawford sustained a grade 1 strain of his hamstring, and did not return to the lineup until July 18th. At the time, Crawford’s OBP of .275 and slugging percentage of .384 were near the bottom of the league. If Crawford had been hot until the injury, and simply fizzled out after he came back, we would have a simple answer.
Crawford has actually fared better since the injury, but I believe he has lost a step. Crawford relies on speed, and hamstrings often take a very long time to heal. His game is based on slapping balls through the infield and driving balls to the gaps, turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples. Many people thought that the Green Monster would be peppered with line drives off Crawford’s bat, as well as triples going into the deep right-center field gap. With Crawford’s hamstring issues, he doesn’t seem to be able to drive the ball as well as in recent years.
Another issue with Crawford seems to be that he has been slightly unlucky compared to other years. His BABIP over the course of his
career is .329, while 2009 and 2010 it had been .342. This year, the stat sits at .300. Often, when seeing a dip in BABIP, you can look at a player’s line drive rate and see that the player is not hitting as many line drives. Crawford’s line drive rate is 17.8%, which is actually up from last year’s 16.5%. His fly ball and ground ball rates have also mostly gone unchanged. One thing I did notice was that his percentage of bunts for base hits is 0. Early in his career, Crawford would attempt to bunt upwards of 15 to 18 times per season. This year, Crawford has only attempted three bunts. This could be due to his hamstring not being 100% also.
Crawford’s dWAR, (or defensive Wins Above Replacement), which is a defensive stat that shows how a player is able to field balls inside and outside the zone of his position, has always been one of his strong points. For outfielders, he has been near the top of the league regularly over the last five years. This season, however, his dWAR is at -0.5, which negates entirely his limited offensive production.
With such close similarities in his batted ball rates, one would expect a slight drop in production due to his lower BABIP. However, with such a large gap in last year’s production to this year’s, despite a better overall line-up batting around him, one has to really think about what has happened to Crawford.
Crawford may be a multi, multi-millionaire that most of us would give up anything to be, but what most of us forget is that these MLB superstars are human. Hitting in front of 40,000 screaming, raving Red Sox lunatic fans surely cannot be an easy task. When playing in Tampa for the first 6 years of his career, he rarely faced hostility or scrutiny at home. The media has scrutinized every little move he has made this season, because he is under a microscope now. All this pressure and expectations after signing such a huge contract can take a toll on a player both psychologically and physically.
Here is a radical thought: Fenway’s odd dimensions have actually hurt Crawford offensively. Left fielders play shallower in Boston than in any other park, due to the Green Monster. This means that shallow flares, bloop pop ups and even live drive singles are taken out of the equation. While you can argue that this would then alter every other hitter’s stats, I think that the style of offense that Crawford plays, combined with bad luck, and a slight drop off in actual performance have been the main contributors to his poor statistics.
Look for Crawford to settle into the Boston atmosphere and return to his career averages in statistics in 2012. If he doesn’t, there will be many Sox fans clamouring to get rid of him at any cost.
***Today’s feature was prepared by Rob Bland. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan onFacebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox , click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.
Jobless in 2012 – MLB Managers on the Hot Seat from 2011
Saturday September 10, 2011
Rob Bland (Baseball Writer – MLB reports): When a team has a disappointing season, the most likely candidate to lose his job is the manager. So far in the 2011 season, there has already been three managers who have either resigned or been fired. The Oakland Athletics fired Bob Geren on June 9th and replaced him with Bob Melvin. A week and a half later, Edwin Rodriguez resigned from his post as manager of the Florida Marlins. Jack McKeon became the oldest manager since Connie Mack at 80 years old. Yet another week later on June 26th, Jim Riggleman of the Washington Nationals resigned and was replaced by Davey Johnson two days later. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, who are the frontrunners to be replaced after the World Series?
With eight managers being new to their respective teams to start the 2011 season, one would think there can’t be too many jobs to lose. The first criteria I look at in order to predict who will not be returning his club is if the team was expected to contend for the playoffs, and fell short. Another thing I look at is the perception of the clubhouse, ie. if players get along, or if the manager is able to manage egos. Of course, the manager’s ability to create a lineup and manage a bullpen is taken into consideration. Other factors such as injuries and expectations of players are measured as well. The list that follows are my top 3 managers who could be canned after this season.
Mike Quade, Chicago Cubs
It is not oft
en that I would think a first year manager would be fired like this, but there are so many circumstances that make me believe he will be gone. First, there has been grumbling since day one in Chicago that Quade was hired over franchise icon Ryne Sandberg. The Cubs have been packed with talented players such as Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Marmol. Add in Matt Garza and Starlin Castro, and you would think they could at least come close in the terrible NL Central. They are 22 games behind the streaking Milwaukee Brewers, and 21.5 behind Atlanta for the Wild Card. Their record is 62-81 with a 35-40 record at Wrigley Field.
Bud Black, San Diego Padres
With 2011 being Black’s 5th season with the Padres, a 62-82 record and already 21 games behind Arizona for the NL West title, he could be on the way out. The Padres have yet to reach the postseason under Black, however they were involved in a 1-game playoff with Colorado for the Wild Card title in 2007 that many of us will never forget as one of the most exciting games we have ever witnessed. In 2010, the Padres held a 6.5 game lead over eventual World Series Champs San Francisco Giants on August 25th. After a 10 game losing streak, the Padres were still in contention, and were not officially eliminated from the playoffs until the final day of the regular season with a 90-72 record. Those were the only winnings seasons in Black’s tenure and his time in San Diego may be up.
Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
Is it really fair to say Gardenhire’s job is in jeopardy? Probably not, but it definitely is possible. Over his 10 year career with the Twins, he has amassed an 861-740 record and they have been in the playoffs 6 times. However, they have only won 6 games, 4 of which were in one series, in Gardenhire’s first season; 2002. The Twins have not won a playoff game since 2004, being swept in 2006, 2009 and 2010 in the American League Division Series. This year, Gardenhire has had to deal with crippling injuries of former AL MVP’s Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Statistically, the best hitter has been Michael Cuddyer, hitting .282 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI. The best pitcher has been Scott Baker who is 8-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 131 2/3 innings. Francisco Liriano has not been the same as he was before undergoing Tommy John surgery after the 2006 season, and aside from his no-hitter against the White Sox on May 3, he has been downright awful and is now on the 15-day disabled list. When the best players don’t perform, or are hurt, the manager is forced to do the best he can with what he is given. However a 59-84 record may just be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back for Gardenhire.
This year, with 3 mid-season changes already, and eight new managers at the beginning of the season, shouldn’t see too much activity. I do believe that with the Cubs’ search for a new general manager under way, Quade’s days are numbered in Chicago. I also believe that Black’s inability to get the always promising Padres to the next level will leave him without a job by November. Gardenhire has not proven to me that he can bring the Twins to the World Series, and that is what the job description entails. Has it ever happened where both Managers of the Year from their respective leagues gets fired the following year? It could happen if Black and Gardenhire are let go.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Rob Bland. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
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Strasburg-mania Back With a Vengeance
September 6, 2011
Rob Bland (Baseball Writer- MLB reports): The day so many people (namely the entire Washington Nationals organization) have been waiting for is finally upon us. Stephen Strasburg, ultra phenom, who I covered his rehab here last week at the Reports, started against the LA Dodgers. The hype that was produced was incredible, with every major US sporting website having a headline dedicated to Strasburg-mania. The twitter hashtag #MerryStrasmus has been coined and millions of people are tuning in to watch his first start since Tommy John Surgery.
Strasburg is a big, strong kid who is known for his tremendous work ethic. It comes as no surprise that he was able to begin pitching less than a year after getting the surgery.
The weather today in Washington DC was wet and dreary, so manager Davey Johnson was close to pulling the plug on the start if the game was even delayed. The Nationals wanted to make sure Strasburg had enough time to warm up and be ready to pitch in the game. When the tarps were taken off the field around 6:45pm, Strasburg was in the middle of his warm-ups.
Dee Gordon led off the game with a double, but after that, Strasburg didn’t see any trouble the rest of the way. Matt Kemp grounded out softly in between fly balls by James Loney and Juan Rivera in the first inning. The second inning was vintage Strasburg, as he threw 3 fastballs between 95 and 97 mph with run and sink, then threw a change-up at 90 mph that Andre Ethier swung over for strike three. Aaron Miles was then disposed of with a 99 mph heater, and Rod Barajas hit a lazy fly ball to center field.
The fourth inning saw Strasburg get two more strikeouts and give up a single to Rivera. Gordon and Rivera’s hits ended up being the only two base runners against Strasburg. His outing ended in the 5th inning after a fly out, ground out and foul out.
Strasburg was dominant. His 4-seam fastball was 95-99 mph throughout his 56 pitch outing, 40 of which were strikes. His 2-seam fastball had great late life, sinking late and inducing ground balls. Only 6 breaking balls were thrown, and although they were pretty sharp and late breaking, it was clearly his 3rd best pitch. Breaking balls are usually the last pitch to come around after Tommy John surgery, because pitchers don’t start throwing it until later in their rehab.
Strasburg’s final line reads as follows:
5IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K.
My pre-game prediction was:
5IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 9K.
Aside from the strikeouts, I was pretty close. Strasburg is such a rare talent, that a rainy and cold Tuesday night game against a non-contender such as the Dodgers drew over 5,000 more fans than their average season attendance.
Strasburg-mania really hit Washington on a cold, damp Tuesday night. If he continues to pitch like this, the Nationals could be close to contending in 2012, but more likely in 2013 when Bryce Harper could be in the field on an everyday basis.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Rob Bland. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox , click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.
Strasburg-mania Returns to the Nationals September 6th
Saturday September 3, 2011
Rob Bland (Intern- MLB reports): Stephen Strasburg burst onto the MLB scene with the Washington Nationals in his first start on June 8, 2010 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his 7 inning gem, he struck out 14 batters with 0 walks, and only 4 hits allowed. Throughout the rest of the 2010 season, he relied on a fastball that averaged 97.3 mph. Strasburg also possesses a hard biting, 82 mph curveball and a 90 mph changeup. His 2010 season came to a grinding halt on August 21st that year, when he left a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he was dominating with elbow tightness. The Nationals’ front office and coaches all held their breath until after Strasburg’s MRI, which revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Stephen Strasburg required Tommy John Surgery and would be on the shelf for a year.
Strasburg had been previously dubbed as the best pitching prospect ever. Strasburg was drafted #1 overall out of San Diego State University in 2009 after what is arguably one of the best college careers for a pitcher of all time. Strasburg signed a $15.1 million dollar bonus just 77 seconds before the deadline that year. In the 2009 season leading up to the draft, Strasburg was pretty much unhittable. In 109 innings, he gave up only 59 hits and 19 walks, compared to 195 strikeouts.
Strasburg’s 2011 season has seen him start off with his rehab in Viera, Florida at the Nationals’ spring training facility. His first
official appearance on his rehab stint was for the Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League in Single-A. Strasburg pitched 1 2/3 innings as he was under a strict pitch limit, and gave up one run with 4 strikeouts. Every 5th day the phenom has taken the mound for Hagerstown, then Potomac in the Advanced A-ball Carolina League. He also pitched in AAA with the Syracuse Chiefs and for the Harrisburg Senators in AA. His last start was the most impressive of all. On September 1st, Strasburg toed the rubber for Harrisburg against the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston’s AA affiliate. Through 6 innings, he faced one batter over the minimum, with only one hit and 4 strikeouts. He also hit 99 mph on the radar gun a number of times.
Strasburg is expected to be called up to start on September 6th at home. He is actually tentatively scheduled to start 4 home games in the month, in part so that the Nationals can reap the benefits of increased gate revenue as well as being able to control game time starts in case of inclement weather.
The fact that Strasburg took less than 12 months to be back on a mound is a testament to: a) the advances in the surgery, allowing for less rehab time; b) Strasburg’s work ethic; and c) Strasburg’s freakish body healing so quickly. Strasburg will surely be handled with kid gloves, as he has his entire professional career, never throwing over 100 pitches in a single start.
Strasburg seems to be healthy, and will be looking to be as dominant as his early career has shown. With ultra
prospect Bryce Harper and young phenoms like Strasburg, Drew Storen and Ryan Zimmerman, including recently drafted Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke, the future actually looks bright for a franchise that has been hurting for a winner. With a growing fan base (and likely taking fans from the lowly Orioles), this young crop of players look to take the Nationals franchise from laughingstock to a true contender in the tough NL East.
Look for Strasburg’s first start of the season on September 6 against the LA Dodgers. Strasburg is a true rare talent that only comes around once a generation. So if you ever get a chance to see him live, I highly recommend you do so, because you could be a witness to history.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Intern, Rob Bland. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
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Adam Dunn: The Future of the White Sox Slugger
Wednesday August 31, 2011
MLB reports: Not every player can fit onto a particular MLB team. That is a baseball reality. In fact, there are very few, if any players that could produce the same statistics playing for any team. A player’s production is based on many factors, including home park, lineup, adaptability to particular cities and so on. When a team trades for a player or signs a free agent, the hope is that the new player will be able to meet or exceed previous production levels on a new team. Sometimes, the hope is that new environment will revitalize a stagnant player and breath new life into them. In the case of Adam Dunn, the Chicago White Sox signed him to a free agent contract last year. A large deal, 4 years for $56 million dollars. A fair deal in my estimation at the time. The White Sox by signing Dunn were hoping to land an established slugger to fit in the middle of their lineup. What they ended up with was quite different.
Take a look at Adam Dunn’s current production in comparison to his career numbers:
| BA | HR | RBI OBP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | .163 | 11 | 40 .290 | |
| Career | .244 | 365 | 920 .374 |
To say that Adam Dunn has been anything but a disaster since his arrival in Chicago would be an understatement. Prior to 2011, Dunn’s worst season produced an .819 OPS. That was in 2003, his 2nd full season in the majors that was cut short by injuries. Turn the clock and Adam Dunn sits with a .578 OPS this season with no likelihood of redemption. While some pointed to Dunn playing in a new league for the first time and starting off slow, a turnaround was expected at some point this season. Dunn has actually regressed to the point that he is benched by manager Ozzie Guillen at a frequent rate. A sad state of affairs for one of the game’s previously most consistent sluggers.
For a two-year stretch, from 2003-2008, Adam Dunn was a 40 home runs and 100 walks guy. In his last two seasons, Dunn played in a less than friendly hitters park in Washington and still hit 38 home runs per season. Moving to the White Sox, expectations were that playing in a hitter’s park with a deep lineup would produce possible MVP type numbers for the burly slugger. So what happened? Why the sharp regression?
Part of the issue has been the move to the American League. The adjustment
has not worked for some hitters and we have seen NL hitters in the past that cannot play in the AL for whatever reason. Glenn Davis is one famous example that comes to mind, who moved from Houston to Baltimore and literally fell apart overnight. Dunn also is a full-time DH for the first time in his career. Some hitters never take as well to moving off the field and into a DH role, citing inactivity and removal from the full game experience as distractions from their hitting. Given though Dunn’s perceived weak fielding, at both first base and the outfield, a move to DH should have been a welcome change for him. Yet the move was another factor in his year-long slump.
The main culprit in my estimation is the fit, or lack of in Chicago. Perhaps it is the city, or the ballpark, teammates, media or his relationship with the manager. Whatever the reason, I ultimately believe that Adam Dunn and the White Sox simply do not mesh more than anything else. While a return to the field and/or the National League may help, first and foremost Dunn needs to get out of Chicago and start fresh.
I think of Chone Figgins and his move from the Angels to the Mariners. Despite staying in the same division even, Figgins was never able to meet expectations in Seattle and regressed throughout his time with the Mariners. Had he stayed in Anaheim, the chances are higher that Figgins would have continued playing his game and not transformed into a shell of his former self. Carl Crawford in Boston and Jayson Werthin Washington are players that also signed big-ticket deals and also stayed in their respective divisions, yet faltered in the wake of big contract expectations. But the difference with Crawford and Werth is that they have shown some glimpses of life this season, while Dunn has shown none. I fully expect Crawford at least to be able to make the necessary adjustments and rebound by next season. In Dunn’s case, I do not see that happening without a trade.
Nick Swisher is a situation that I will point to as an example. From the
moment Swisher was traded from the A’s to the White Sox, nothing went right. After suffering through the worst season of his career in Chicago, Swisher was traded to the Yankees for pennies on the dollar and blossomed in New York. The same will likely occur to Dunn. A move to the Yankees is a possibility, for a high-profile team that can afford to take on or part of most of Dunn’s salary. A trade for a bad contract is another one, with the Cubs for Zambrano or Giants for Zito as possibilities. Better yet, a move to the Angels could also be the answer. With Mike Trout ready to join an outfield of Peter Bourjos and Torii Hunter, the Angels may not have room for failed trade acquisition Vernon Wells. The White Sox could plug Wells into their outfield and Angels use Dunn to replace Bobby Abreu as DH. A long shot, but certainly a possibility.
No one can be sure if this season is an outlier or an indication of the beginning of the end for Adam Dunn. Based on his strong body of work until this year, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that a rebound will occur. The White Sox might wait it out and give Dunn another shot next year. But then GM Kenny Williams has never been the patient type. After moving Swisher very quickly, I expect the White Sox to do the same with Dunn. This would be a classic buy-low situation for another MLB club. Expect many calls on Dunn in the offseason and a new team by 2012. Despite Dunn indications of having retirement thoughts due to his poor season, I cannot see him going down in this manner. Adam Dunn will be back. The only question is where.
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