Monthly Archives: April 2013
The Mets Should Call Up Zack Wheeler Right Now!
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday April.30, 2013

Zack Wheeer was brought to the Mets via Trade for Carlos Beltran. This 6 FT 4 – 185 LB Right Handed specimen was ranked #8 by Baseball America in 2013. Last year, Wheeler was 12 – 8,with a 3.26 ERA. He fanned 148 Batters in 149 Frames with Binghamton (EL) and Buffalo (IL) combined. This year he has struggled in the PCL with hitter friendly parks. Mets fans should not worry, the man can pitch.
Stephon Johnson ( Baseball Writer and Mets Correspondent): Follow @stephonjohnson8
Forget what you heard about his last few starts in Triple-A Las Vegas. It’s time for the New York Mets to bring up pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Forget about the 5.79 Earned Run Average in Triple-A or the 15 Walks in 23.1 Innings playing in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Wheeler needs his shot in Flushing and he needs it now…and so do Mets fans.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 30, 2013
The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast is all about the 19 inning marathon between the A’s and Angels that ended this morning.
Mike Scioscia is losing his mind, the A’s could have won it earlier and my wife is perplexed why it would go on that long.
Yovani Gallardo, Willin Rosario, Carlos Corporan and Brett Anderson owned baseball on April 28, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE
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Who Owns Baseball – Updated April.30/2013
It was a wild night of baseball with many heroes. But only four can own baseball.
Despite the heroics of Brandon Moss and the 19th inning “Stagger off” homer in Oakland, I am declaring that Carlos Corporan of the Houston Astros owned baseball. His double in the first put the Yankees on their heels and his home run helped put them away. And then he showed toughness by staying in the game at catcher after he looked injured trying to take third.
With all due respect to Joe Saunders of the Mariners and Ubaldo Jimenez of the Indians, Oakland’s Brett Anderson owned baseball last night. He came into the game in the 13th inning with a bad ankle and pitched into the 18th. On a night where he knew he had off, he wound up essentially pitching a quality start and all after 10:30PM!
Willin Rosario went 3-4 with a key home run as the first place Rockies blew out the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine 12-2.
And Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo not only pitched seven strong innings but he hit a home run in Milwaukee’s 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
They all owned baseball on April 29, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON Read the rest of this entry
Boston Red Sox Payroll In 2013 + Contracts Going Forward
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Tuesday April.30/2013

The Red Sox dumped about $250 Million in player salaries during the 2012 campaign and have put it to good use. The remarkable thing is, not only did they dump all that salary on the Dodgers, but they also acquired some solid arms that are now honing their skills in Pawtucket. The Red Sox payroll looks much better than it did a year ago.
By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer and Red Sox Correspondent): Follow @ryandana1
As it stands now, the Red Sox payroll is at about $157 Million. Below I will show a list of player salaries which comprise most of the budget.
We must also remember that last summer’s blockbuster deal/salary dump on the Dodgers holds Boston responsible for $3.9 Million of the salaries in 2013 of players they traded away.
On top of that there is about $10 Million that must be figured in for benefits/incentive purposes. This list will be in descending order of salary (average annual salary to be more specific) among players on the Red Sox payroll.
David Ortiz: This Is Our —— city – Mature dialogue so Parental Guidance is a must.
Carl Crawford Is Off To A Surprisingly Hot Start As The Dodgers Leadoff Guy
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Outfielder Carl Crawford has been red hot offensively hitting .307 with team leading 4 HRs and 6 RBI. He has been a huge surprise in his comeback season. The former Rays and Red Sox player is hitting far above his Career 3 Slash Line of .293/.333/.706 – by posting a line of .308/.388/906 to date. More importantly than any other statistic – Crawford has crossed home plate 20 times in 25 Games Played in 2013. This would put him on pace for about 130 Runs this campaign. This is lieu of Matt Kemp’s slow start and Hanley Ramirez not being in the lineup at all.
By Enrique Rivera (Dodgers Correspondent) Follow @eriqwiththeq
When the Dodgers acquired Outfielder Carl Crawford last year, they definitely didn’t know what they were getting, it was a pretty much a gamble they were able to afford. With the Dodgers’ new ownership willing to spend the big bucks on big players, this trade seemed like the ideal move to do for General Manager Ned Colleti.
Crawford wasn’t able to perform at all right away after he got traded to the Dodgers as he was rehabbing from his Tommy John Surgery but he was able to get healthy just in time for Opening Day. He has been healthy ever since.
Dodgers’ skipper Don Mattingly right away decided to make Crawford the leadoff hitter since Opening Day and has not disappointed. Through April 29th, 2013, Crawford is hitting .307 with OBP. of .390 (obviously doing his job as Leadoff hitter) with 4 SB and has been caught twice. He has also walked nine times but perhaps the most impressive stat is his team leading 4 HRs.
Slow motion video of Carl Crawford’s Home Run swing
Anthony Rizzo: His Impact On The Chicago Cubs
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Tuesday April 30th, 2013

Rizzo looks in 2013 to improve on his strong short 2012 campaign, in which he hit .285 with 15 HR and 48 RBI. He has struggled to carry a great Batting Average – but has launched 8 HRs and added 19 RBI in just 90 At-Bats heading into Monday Nights action, We at the ‘Reports,’ are calling him the NL Mendoza Line Masher. The AL Mendoza Line Masher is definitely Adam Dunn.
By Bernie Olshansky (MLB Reports Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
Over the past few years, Chicago Cubs fans have not had a lot to cheer about. Anthony Rizzo is starting to break this trend. Rizzo was acquired by the Cubs from the San Diego Padres in early 2012.
The team sent Andrew Cashner—most notably—to the Padres and got Rizzo in return along with minor league pitcher Zach Cates.
Rizzo is exactly what the Cubs need in a power-hitting first baseman, and should hold down the position in the years to come. Andrew Cashner was a prized prospect at the time of the trade, but the Cubs evidently thought Rizzo was more talented and held more value.
The Padres wound up with Yonder Alonso to man First Base, so they did not lose a significant amount in the trade.
Anthony Rizzo Highlights and the song “Go Cubs Go”
Bridging The Gap Or Fixing A Leake?
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Chris Heisey has struggled at the plate this season, only batting .173 in 23 games. Now with a hamstring injury, he is on the Disabled List He along with Xavier Paul have been filling the void left by Ryan Ludwick when he went to the DL after being injured on opening day.
by Matt Steinmann (Reds Correspondent) Follow @thesteinmann
Sometimes injuries can cripple a team and other times it can give players an opportunity. With Ryan Ludwick on the DL, Chris Heisey and Xavier Paul have been holding down the fort in Left Field. At the plate, Heisey is hitting .173, with 20 Ks in 23 games, and now finds himself with an injured hamstring.
In 20 games, Xavier Paul is hitting .297 with 10 Ks. On the mound, the Reds haven’t missed a beat with Johnny Cueto on the DL. Tony Cingrani, the 23 year old lefty, has stepped up, which will make the Reds decision even more difficult in when Cueto is ready to return.
So far this season, Mike Leake has a 4.34 ERA, and a 1-1 record. In 5 Game Starts, he’s gone 6 Innings twice, Seven Innings twice, with his last outing being his shortest, 3 Innings. He’s given up Earned Run totals of 4, 5, 0, 2, and 3 respectively.
He’s given up 3 HRs so far this season. Leake is in his 4th season with the Reds, and has won 8, 12, and 8 games in his first 3 season respectively. Those numbers are perfectly fine for any 5th starter in baseball.
Tony Cingrani Highlights April.25/2013 vs the Cubs
Good Start Gone Bad For The White Sox
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Any fan of the Chicago White Sox knows that they hit a lot of HR’s. HR’s are a good thing, obviously. Although when it seems like the ONLY way a team can score, some consider it a problem. I wrote earlier in the season that the Sox had gotten of to a good start, going 4-2. They proceeded to get swept by the Washington Nationals, no shame in that, then have struggled ever since.Heading into last Monday, White Sox starting pitchers had 6 consecutive Quality Starts, consisting of a 1.63 ERA and a .201 OPP BA. Based on those stats alone, one would think the Sox went 4-2 in that span, maybe 5-1? Nope, 1-5.
By Brian Madsen (White Sox Correspondent): Follow @brianm731
The Club Struggles To String Together hits in 2013 season
Heading into play Monday night, the club has gone 10 – 14 to start this year – and currently sit behind the KC Royals by 4 1/2 Games right now for the AL Central Division Lead. It doesn’t get easy for the team having to face Darvish and the Rangers on Tuesday night – to kick off a 9 Game Road Trip, where they also visit Kansas City and the New York Mets.
So the White Sox are offensively challenged you ask? Absolutely. In the first game of what turned out to be only a 2 game series with the Minnesota Twins this last week due to cold, Jake Peavy pitched masterfully. But, he took a no-decision in a 2-1 Sox loss.
Game 2 of that series, Gavin Floyd had his best start all season. But, it was all for naught as the Sox offense could only muster 2 Runs, and lost 3-2.
Rewind back a week or so ago when the Sox lost 2 of 3 games in Cleveland. Jose Quintana pitched a gem, throwing 7 scoreless Innings, allowing only one hit, while Striking out 7.
But, the Sox offense was shut down by Justin Masterson, and lost in 10 innings, 1-0. Now, games like this are going to happen throughout a 162 game season.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 29, 2013
On today’s The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast I HONESTLY make an effort to understand WAR. It will be an uphill battle.
I also salute Jason Collins and wonder when the first active baseball player will come out.
Kevin Correia, Yoenis Cespedes, Giancarlo Stanton and Clayton Kershaw owned baseball on April 28, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Who Owns Baseball – Updated Apr.29/2013
Giancarlo Stanton hit a pair of homers and delivered an RBI double as the Marlins got a very rare win.
Clayton Kershaw threw 8 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks as the Dodgers blanked the Brewers.
Yoenis Cespedes launched a game tying 9th inning homer in the A’s wild win over the Orioles.
Kevin Correia threw 8 shutout frames against the Texas Rangers giving the Twins a 5-0 victory.
They all owned baseball on April 28, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON Read the rest of this entry
The Triple Play Podcast Ep #6: Sully Baseball Guests With The Big Ticket Show
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By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Ruminations on the Red Sox,the beauty of triples and the greatness of baseball w/Sully Follow @sullybaseball
Although today’s show finds us grousing about the Jays horrific start the incomparable Paul Sullivan (aka Sully) baseball vacates our irritability by sharing his love of baseball and it’s intricacies. Of course we had to ask this lifelong Red Sox fan about Boston’s great start and who he would put on the teams Mt. Rushmore. All that plus a lot more we covered with this true fan of the game. Enjoy, we sure did! Click READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY to continue or breeze past the little Triple Play Podcast Picture.
The Pitching Artist Formerly Known As Fausto Carmona Needs To Be DFA’d!
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Through 5 outings, Hernandez is 1-4 record with a 5.28 ERA in just over 30 IP of work. His kryptonite this season has been the long ball. In almost every start Hernandez gives up at least one long ball – giving up 18 ER in his time thus far in total. One good spot is that even though the sinkerballer is not getting many of those groundballs he is used to, he has been striking hitters out at a good rate. In three out of his five starts, Hernandez has fanned 7 batters and in the other two Game Starts – he punched out at least four per start. He is also walking an average of 3 hitters per start.
By Jake Bullington (Rays Correspondent): Follow @jakeyjake01
Roberto Hernandez, ( AKA Fausto Carmona), was supposed to be insurance for the Tampa Bay Rays this year. The club was supposed to have Jeff Niemann re-assume his spot in the Starting Pitching Rotation – along with David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Alex Cobb and Matt Moore to round out the top 5.
James Shields and Wade Davis. were dealt away to acquire Wil Myers on the basis of this assumption. However, Niemann was been hurt – and we are still a few weeks away before Chris Archer is brought up for good. Thus the club has had to use the beleagured ex Indians chucker.
Roberto Hernandez lone good start for Tampa Bay:
The Texas Pitching Staff In April
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Rookie RHP Nick Tepesch has had an impressive start to the season with 14 SO over 21 Innings Pitched. The 24 Year Old man from Kansas City, Missouri was drafted in the 14th round by Texas in 2010 (same as Grimm). After he spent two years in the Minor League system, never pitching above AA Frisco, he had a career ERA of 3.77, and had only recorded one shutout in his Minor League Career. Once LHP Martin Perez was set back by a hand injury, Tepesch was finally given his chance in the Majors.
By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent): Follow @bka_9
It’s the last weekend in April, we’re 23 games into the season, and the Texas Rangers are tied for the best record in baseball (16-7). Sounds a little bit like 2012 right?
The strange part is… they didn’t get there with the monster offense of the previous season. For about the first time since 1983- the Rangers have incredible pitching.
Tepesch’s Nearly unhittable on Apr.25/2013 Start
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 28, 2013
I dedicate today’s episode The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast to my brother, the amazingly talented Ted Sullivan. I talk a little bit about us growing up, the different ways we celebrated baseball and how we shared a baseball moment as recently as 2008.
Travis Hafner, Bryce Harper, Travis Wood and Matt Moore owned baseball on April 27, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
The Miami Marlins Are Clearly The Worst Team In Baseball
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Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Nick Green, 34, has a career .303 OBP in the Majors. He has been forced into duty as the Marlins starting Shortstop with Adeiny Hechavarria on the DL. The Marlins continue to use journeyman Veteran players in many of their main positions. Along with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, all of them are nearly on pace to lose 100 games this year. This Marlins team might even approach the 1962 Mets for the worst amount of defeats ALL – Time. This club is not doing well at the turnstiles either – drawing just 19600 fans to an MLB Park that is in just its second year (down almost 8 K fans per game from last year.)
By Sam Evans (Baseball Writer): Follow @RJA206
The 2013 Marlins are the most painful team in baseball to watch. With a lineup filled with washed up Major Leaguers – and young players struggling to keep their heads above water in the big league, the Marlins have struggled to score any runs this year. Despite having played 24 games, the club has only managed to hit 7 Home Runs.
The Miami Marlins are without a doubt the worst team in the MLB right now – and the 2013 season is going to be unfathomable experience for even the most optimistic Miami fan, but there are signs of hope in their youth.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 27, 2013
On today’s episode The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast , I discuss Marlins’ manager Mike Redmond already being neutered and Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik acquiring too many caterpillars and not enough butterflies. The analogy makes sense.
Jordan Zimmermann, Carlos Beltran, Matt Tuiasosopo and Anibal Sanchez owned baseball on April 26, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Kyle Kendrick Should Have Earned Your Respect By Now
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Kyle Kendrick has a Career Record of 56-43 (.566) with a 4.22 ERA: He came onto the scene in the middle of the 2007 year and finished 5th in Rookie of the Year Voting, by posting a 10-4 record with 3.87 ERA. Kendrick had 4 straight winning seasons as the 5th man out of the rotation – before narrowly missing a 5th straight year last campaign (11 -1 2, 3.90 ERA). Kendrick has also seen some spot duty in the Bullpen for the franchise in his days.
By Chris Creighton (Phillies Correspondent via http://www.warrroomphilly.com – visit the website here) Follow @WARROOMPHLCHRIS
Kyle Kendrick is only 28 years old. Seems like he’s been here forever and probably unfairly to many fans, it’s kind of the same as when the office know-it-all or socially inappropriate joke-teller never gets fired and continues to work next to you for a few years.
It feels like an eternity because he just won’t go away and probably doesn’t plan to anytime soon, collecting his weekly paycheck and pouring the dollars on top of his 401k.
Naturally, the only thing left to do during every work day is to talk about that guy behind his back relentlessly or maybe mockingly doing an impersonation of him from time-to-time.
Kyle Kendrick Was Fake Traded to Japan!
An American Hobby: Baseball Memorabilia – Roberto Clemente’s 1955 Topps Rookie Card
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Roberto Clemente was a 13 Time ALL – Star and a 12 time Gold Glove Award Winner. He also led the NL in Batting Average 4 X – and in hits 2 X. He was the 1966 NL MVP – setting Career highs in HRs, (29) Runs, (105) and RBI (119). In the 13 years from 1960 – 1972, he hit under .312 only in 1 season – (.291 in 1968). Sadly, he died in an aviation accident on New Years Eve 1973, while he was delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua at the age of 38. He and Lou Gehrig hold the distinctive honors of having the 5 year wait period waived for the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
By Lee Edelstein (‘Baseball Memorabilia Enthusiast’ – visit his website here) Follow @chinmusicstory
MLB Reports: We are pleased to present you with Baseball Author Lee Edelstein as the newest writer with us at the Reports. Lee will be providing us with great stories about baseball memorabilia on a regular basis.
MLB Reports
An American Hobby
Blog 10
This week’s article features a member of the 3,000 Hit Club.
Roberto Clemente is a beloved figure in baseball history, one of the greatest defensive right fielders of all time, and, in many ways, a pioneer – the Jackie Robinson of Hispanic and Latin ballplayers.
While Robinson faced the monumental hurdle of integrating baseball, Clemente’s challenges included overcoming pervasive language and cultural barriers.
Consider this – he is the first Latin American in the Hall of Fame, the first Hispanic ballplayer to win a World Series as a starter (1960), win an MVP award (1966), and win a World Series MVP Award (1971).
He played in the era of Aaron, Mays, and Mantle and, for much of his career, was under-appreciated.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 25, 2013
The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast today salutes the long and memorable career of Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins. He has pitched for nearly 20 years, surviving in the game and becoming teammates with some of the game’s best.
Edinson Volquez, Jordanny Valdispin, Alex Cobb and J. P Arencibia owned baseball on April 24, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
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