Blog Archives
Triple Play Podcast Ep #9: Jays Misery, The Expos Franchise Mt. Rushmore + An Interview With Michael McKnight
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The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Guests in this Podcast – Ian Hunter of bluejayhunter.com ( Follow @bluejayhunter and Michael McKnight [twitter-follow screen_name='mcknight_mike_' show_screen_name='yes'
On this week’s show we once again find ourselves lamented the Blue Jays futility but this time Ian Hunter of bluejayhunter.com joins in the misery. Chris’ Expos jerseys inspires a trip down memory lane to pick our Expos Mt Rushmore. Finally Michael Mcknight of Sports Illustrated drops in to recount the tale of Brian Cole. Its a must listen. Read the rest of this entry
The Pinstripe Magic
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Yankee fans consistently criticize their General Managers decision making process despite the fact that the last four years have been substantial successes. Will Yankee fans come to appreciate Cashman’s ability to find value to help sustain success?
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
There is a tendency for certain fan bases to panic quickly because of past failures. It can be hard to put your faith blindly in an organization that has frequently disappointed you.
The other side of that coin is that certain ball clubs deserve a bit more rope on the organizational end because of a string of impressive results.
One organization has seen such an unbelievable string of successful regular seasons over the last two decades. The New York Yankees. Despite this success, the fans of the organization ride a roller coaster quite unlike anything else in sports.
Vernon Wells Going Yard in Colorado:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7IGoYtndY]
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Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 17th
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Alex Rios has been quietly piecing together a solid campaign in 2013, with 10 HRs (T 5th in the AL), He has 8 2B, 7 SB and has scored 25 Runs in 40 GP. His 3 Slash line reads .297/.363/.917. Behind Great Start Pitching, plus recent good play of Adam Dunn, the Southsiders have won 4 Games in a row to climb within 4 Games of the AL Central with a 19 – 21 Record.
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 16th
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Nelson Cruz is picking up slack for the vacated Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli. He has hit 11 HRs (T-1st in AL) and 33 RBI for 2013 – with a .268/.317/.865 Slash Line. The guy always seems to hit in the clutch. He is as a Free Agent in 2014 – and should see a hefty pay increase.on the $10.5 MIL salary he draws this year. Cruz has a 3 Slash- Line of .278/.336/1.018 in 126 Post Season AB. Cruz has hit 14 HRs and driven in 27 RB in the Playoffs. The Rangers are sitting in 1st place by 7 Games over the 2nd Place Seattle Mariners right now. They continue a weekend showdown with the Tigers tonight.
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Nelson Cruz 2012 Highlights – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance is advised:
2 And A Hook Podcast Ep #5: What about WAR? + The Good, The Bad + Downright Underachieving Teams in 2013
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MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.
People in this Podcast:
Chuck Booth – (`15 Minutes In – 15 Minute Segment) Guest (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran) Follow @yankeeman1973
’2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports (www.mlbreports.com) & yours truly ‘The Bench Warmers Show’, Chuck Booth Follow @chuckbooth3024 does his regular segment this time about what’s been going on the MLB Reports website & talking about what to do with the DH position with Adam Dunn, Steve Pearce & Nolan Reimold In the AL.
Plus the Baltimore franchise signing and pitching Freddy Garcia & why the Orioles should have added veteran pitching depth before the season started
Why Raul Ibanez being an underrated player & the horrible starts of their seasons by David Price & Rickie Weeks!
Also I talk to Diamondbacks correspondent for MLB Reports & for Rant Sports (www.rantsports.com) Chris Lacey 45 Minutes In (10 Minute Segment) Follow @aecanada12 - as we talk about whats going on with the team.
We also see the return of Yankees correspondent & trade correspondent for MLB Reports Nicholas Rossoletti (1 Hour In – 45 minute Segment) Follow @nross56 as we talk about the importance of the WAR stat, sabermetrics, lack of trading & why buying free agents isn’t working for the Angels, Dodgers & Blue Jays!
I also do my stats & notes segment as usual for you baseball nuts out there so go check out the show & SPREAD THE WORD!!! Thanks for all of your continuous support!!!
CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll down to listen to the episode Read the rest of this entry
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 15th
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Ibanez had 1004 RBI in the last 11 Years and he clubbed 338 of those from 2006-2008 with the Mariners. He is likely to see around 350-400 AB this year. Ibanez has hit HRs in consecutive days – hitting 1 HR on Tuesday versus the Yankees – before exploding for a Grand Slam and a 2 run shot yesterday against his old teammates. He is currently on a 5 Game Hitting Streak ( 8 – 19, .421) – with 5 HRs and 12 RBI.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 14th
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Wednesday May 15th, 2013
CARGO had himself quite the day at Wrigley Field – doing yard work at the dish twice. While his career home and away splits favor his Coors Field Play (.348/.409/1.041 – Coors Field Career), his 2013 numbers look better on the road OPS of 1.063 to .858 thus far. Gonzalez is leading the NL with Runs Scored this year. It still must be noted that 4 of his Road HRs have come in hitter friendly Miller Park and Wrigley Field. Wait to see what the Averages are at the end of the year. Has he matured as a hitter – or is this just a small sample size?
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 13th
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Monday May 13th, 2013
Justin Upton hit his 1st HR in 2 weeks yesterday – and the club re-assumed the Major League lead for Round-trippers with 52 in 38 Games Played. The club is 7th in the NL for On Base Percentage (.312), 11th in Team Batting Average (.243)- and are 42 Strikeouts ahead of the next team with 351 batters fanned (San Diego Padres with 309). Atlanta is 22 – 16 – and still holds a 1 game lead over the Washington Nationals for the National League East. Upton went 4 – 5 in his 1st game back in Arizona, falling just a Triple short of the cycle.
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 6
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The Rangers have opened up a 6 game lead over the Athletics – prior to their series with Oakland that kicks off tonight. They have also only played 15 Home Games – as opposed to 22 Road Games. Steady veteran hitting – and great Pitching all around has paved the way. They are the only team in the Division over .500
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Rangers are #1 again based on the Division lead they currently possess, plus the fact they play all of these teams a total of 76 Games this year.
St. Louis Cardinals have one hell of a pitching staff – and it is downright scary for the rest of the National League that they have played this well without the offense really clicking.
The Giants continue to streak. I like their offensive makeup – because players like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence all tend to be streaky.
The Boston Red Sox have begun to slow down recently.
The Tampa Bay Rays seem ready to make their charge.
Josh Hamilton and his 1 AB back in Arlington:
Triple Play Podcast Ep #8 – Bucs And Nats Time In The Around The Horn Feature
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The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Guests in this Podcast – MLB Reports Nationals Correspondent David Huzzard of Citizensofnatstown.com ( Follow @bigticketshow and MLB Reports Pirates Correspondent Brad Cuprik
Follow @bradcuprik
On a Mother’s day edition of the triple play podcast we heed the advice of our mother’s and turn the lemon of our original guest being unable to join us into the lemonade of Bard Cuprik of mlbreports.com (Check out his latest Roster Tree piece – where he goes through the 6 degrees of separation of a how each pitcher arrived in a Bucs uniform here ) – and David Huzzard of the Citizens of Natstown podcast (and Writer) dissects the pitching and the Nationals start to the 2013 Season. Read the rest of this entry
Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May.11th
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Sunday May 12th, 2013
Ryan Doumit has proved to be a great roaming player for the Minnesota Twins.He can play DH (16 Games in 2013) and Catch (10 Games in 2013) He can also play 1B and OF. Doumit has clubbed 3 HRs in the last week – and could play Jack Parkman if Major League 2 was ever re – done.
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Nelson Cruz Highlights 2012 – Mature Highlights so Parental Guidance is advised:
Daily HR Hitters Update From May 8th, 2013: Top 5 AL + NL HR Leaders In The MLB
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Thursday May 9th, 2013
Alex Gordon has been ramping up his power over the last 2 seasons – with 72 XBH in 2011 and 70 XBH in 2012. Noted for being more of a Doubles hitter, Gordon has clubbed HRs in 2 straight games. The 29 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .311/.336/.836 with 5 HRs and 23 RBI out of the Leadoff Spot so far this year. The Man has also crossed home plate 22 times in just 30 Games Payed
DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.
We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.
I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th) visit the DH page!
Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.
Chris Carter hit a HR for the 2nd straight game for the Astros last night – and has hit 24 HRs in his last 336 AB dating back to last year in June (1 per every 14 AB).
With 27 HRs and 65 RBI (in just 450 Career AB – but a 3 Slash of .213/.303/.734) – he reminds me of a young Cecil Fielder with the Blue Jays .243/.308/.781 – with 31 HRs and 84 RBI in his first 506 AB – before being caught up in a numbers game in Toronto with Fred McGriff.
Last Year the former A hit 16 HRs and drove in 39 RBI in just 218 AB during the Oakland A’s big second half. CC was Walking more last year – and held a .350 OBP for the year. The Astros must be patient with this slugger to learn how to hit – despite his AL leading 51 SO. He should be one of the players they keep when the rebuild is finished.
Chris Carter Highlights
MLB Top Teams 1 – 30 + (Best 200 Stats of 2013)
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Matt Harvey with his stellar outings so far this season – may have just become the New York Mets “ace”. Harvey is now 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA. Harvey has pitched 40.1 innings – only given up 21 hits, 12 Walks for a League Leading WHIP of .0818. For his awesome 5 weeks – we name him the MLB Reports NL Pitcher Of The Month
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Stats all Prior to May.06th games.
The time has come for the 1sy May Power Rankings. There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.
I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during this weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.
These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.
I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams. I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON
MLB Monthly Power Rankings May 2013 (Podcast Version)
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The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
One month down in the MLB season and that means it’s time for some Power Rankings! Chuck Booth the czar of MLBreports.com joins us in studio to rank every team from worst to first. Where does your team rank? Read the rest of this entry
2 And A Hook Podcast Episode #4: The Blue Jays Are Finished in 2013 + The Angels Are Close
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MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.
People in this Podcast:
Chuck Booth – Guest (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran) Follow @yankeeman1973
’2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball: ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)
On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports (www.mlbreports.com ) & yours truly (The Bench Warmers Show), I had Chuck Booth talk for over an hour about a bunch of topics.
We started off with the horrible season the Toronto Blue Jays have had thus far. We also talked about the Angels, what Robin Ventura is thinking – hitting Adam Dunn #4 still and how the Braves must regret paying B.J. Upton $15 MIL a year – while they are ecstatic about paying Justin Upton only about half of that. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Power Rankings – Apr.29/2013
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Papa Grande had led the AL in Games Finished during each of the last 2 seasons (70 in 2011 and 67 Last Year.) he also led the AL in Saves in 2011 with 49. It was a Sept/Oct swoon of a 5.02 ERA that started his troubles – before giving up 6 Earned Runs in 1 combined Inning Pitched between the ALCS and the World Series. He remained unsigned by everyone until the Tigers gave him an incentive laden 1 Year Deal. Valverde nailed down 2 Saves this week and the Tigers have won 4 out of 5 games – including sweeping the Atlanta Braves in Detroit this past weekend.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
With it coming up to the 4 week Report, the biggest mover this week where the Detroit Tigers. Jose Valverde came back to the club, looked trimmed down – and more like his 2011 self compared to when we last saw him. The Motown Boys pasting the Braves over the weekend speaks volumes about their talent.
The worst week went to the Giants – who plummeted from #1 to #11. It has to be concerning for the fans that Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong do not look right. Decent start by Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito have been wasted. The club may be lacking the hunger to repeat. I see the whole team having up and down campaigns.
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have plunged down the rankings that much this week, however they have free fallen the most out of any franchise from the start of the year. The projected AL favorite – have started 9 – 17 and are looking up at 4 good teams in the AL East now.
I am predicting they will have a good second half, yet they will not make the playoffs now based on the Jose Reyes injury mostly. John Gibbons also has to be on the hot seat.
Papa Grande’s Contract is purchased
Yankees Update: Bad News On El Capitan While The Team Keeps Winning
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Derek Jeter. The Yankee Captain. A future Hall of Famer. Last October, Jeter broke his ankle during the American League Championship Series. All off-season, it was reported that Jeter would be ready for Opening Day. After a series of set-backs, it has now become clear that due to a small crack in his ankle, Jeter will not be ready until after the All-Star Break. Can the Yankees survive without their captain? Only time will tell.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
Transitions are rarely easy. People, generally, are creatures of habit and routine. Change is almost always seen as a scary thing for most. Yankee fans are no different. The transition from the old guard is an overwhelming theme to this season for the Yankees.
As Week Three of the Major League season moved along, the Yankees received more bad injury news on their shortstop, Derek Jeter. The Yankee captain suffered a significant setback in his recovery from a broken ankle when it was reported that a small crack had emerged in the same location as the injury.
Reports had indicated that Jeter’s surgery would prevent such a re-occurrence. Obviously, this is not the case, and now, the Yankees will be without their shortstop until at the very least the All-Star break.
Yankee fans’ reaction was obvious as the news broke. For the better part of two decades, Jeter has been the constant in the Yankee lineup, and this injury reminds Yankee fans, again, that the times, they are a changing.
The Captain:
Triple Play Podcast Ep #5 – An Interview With James Paxton And A Full Farm Report
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The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
This week we introduce our first edition of Down on the Farm, a in-depth look at the hot prospects and future big league superstars. Former Astros and Mariners scout and current rotowire.com and mlb.com analyst Bernie Pleskoff joined us to give a scouts view .
We also spent a few minutes with Seattle Mariners pitching prospect James Paxton. Finally Curt Gill of atlantabaseball.com stopped by to give us the goods on what’s going on in Atlanta. All that plus our Bethubb.com best bets. Read the rest of this entry
Yankees Week Two – Getting Right in Cleveland + A Triple Play = 4 – 1
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Week Two for the New York Yankees was a far more fun ride than Opening Week. An offensive outpouring in Cleveland followed by taking 2 out of 3 from Baltimore has left the Yankees within striking distance of 1st place in a very strange AL East. Now the Yankees enter the second half of April within striking distance of 1st place in a very strange AL East.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
In baseball, a momentum turn can be a slight thing. A player getting a seeing eye single through the infield that turns him from slumping to streaking. A pitcher getting a lucky hop that turns a rally into a double play.
For this Yankees team, the momentum turn seems to have been C.C. Sabathia‘s gem against the Tigers on a Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees used that 7 Inning performance to jump-start the second week of the season. In almost every regard, Week Two was the anti-thesis of Week One.
After Sabathia dominating the Tigers’ line-up and the Yankees getting after Detroit ace Justin Verlander, the Yankees headed to Cleveland where it was either raining or the Yankees were scoring runs.
After Opening Week, the 11 and 14 runs scored in the first two nights in Cleveland allowed the fan base to breathe easy. This run shed some light on an issue I wanted to look at this week.
Before the season got under way, my pre-season piece focused on the Vernon Wells trade and keeping the faith in a Yankees front office.
The line-up’s ability to score runs has been largely based on the performance of their veteran acquisitions in the off-season (and the fact that Robinson Cano is absolutely an offensive superstar).
Pronk Cometh:
Down On The Farm – New York Yankees Update
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Almonte is showing his stuff at Triple-A, Particularly, his plate patience is something to keep an eye on and may land him in the Bronx sooner than originally expected. In Scranton, Zolio Almonte has begun to separate himself from Melky Mesa as the more advanced outfield prospect. The Most exciting thing about Almonte is how he is managing Triple A Pitchers He Has worked out 10 Walks – while putting up a very impressive .512 OBP.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
Yankees Report From Down on the Farm:
As of the writing of this paragraph, Almonte had worked another two Walks to further improve that On Base Percentage. The ability to control the strike zone and force pitchers to throw strikes may be the most important factor in promoting a ball player.
In the pre-season, we talked briefly about Almonte as a potential replacement for an injured Curtis Granderson. While Vernon Wells has obviously filled the ranks of the Yankee Outfield, should there be regression from Wells or further injury, Almonte is beginning to show himself as a real option to get Major League At-Bats.
Zolio Almonte HRs:
