Category Archives: The Rest: Everything Baseball
From Cuba to Japan, Opening Day to the World Series and the WBC
Mike Piazza’s Number Will Be Retired In July
This has been a very good month for Mets fans.
Mike Piazza was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 6th, Yoenis Cespedes agreed to a three year contract with the Mets on Saturday, and today it was announced that Mike Piazza will have his number retired by the NY Mets on July 30th.
NL To Eliminate The DH Or Not? Fan Voting Poll

Rob Manfred has shown an aptitude to make drastic changes in the sport since taking over as the Commissioner a year ago in the MLB. The new agenda is to have both the American League and National League playing by the same rules. Purists will hate the adopting of the DH, as is their disdain for the Designated Hitter in the AL. They will say they should eliminate that position to have both leagues equal. I offer a 3rd alternative. NO DH or pitcher hitting. Make sure you take part in our poll at the end of the blog post.
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I have to admit Rob Manfred is at least taking charge at the helm of the MLB. Uniformity of both the American League and the National League may be implemented as early at 2017 – following the CBA talks after the 2016 season.
That is right, The Designated Hitter may be introduced in the NL as early as next year.
If Manfred calls for an equalization schedule of all 30 MLB teams playing a level amount of games against their own league and divisions next – I will anoint him the best “Commissioner ever. Hopefully this would be the next step.
Since the progressive leader has made some radical changes in his infancy at the top, like fast play, blackout removals, one fee for individualized teams on MLB.TV – I am hoping he can eradicate team fatigue next.
One of the best cases to made for both the Senior and Junior Circuits to both have the same rules is the recent destruction the AL has done to the National League. They have a 12 year winning streak in Interleague play – with a whopping .550 win percentage in that time from 2004 – 2015. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 20, 2016

PHOTO BY: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY
What teams can lay claim to “Team of the Decade” for the 2010’s?
What team can enter the conversation with a 2016 World Series win?
It is a long term legacy episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Prospect Jordan Weems Trying To Catch On With The Boston Red Sox

With Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez, the Boston Red Sox have two of the most highly regarded catching prospects in baseball.
Now that they have both reached the majors, fans and the media continue to debate the merits of each. However, team’s organizational depth at the position does not end with them.
There are other young receivers who have the talent to potentially contribute to the big league club one day, including 23-year-old Jordan Weems.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 17, 2016

Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images
It is Sunday and time for THE SUNDAY REQUEST
@sullybaseball Sunday request, your thoughts of Rays permission to explore new sites for Stadium & foxsports leading them to new market
— Ken Gura (@Ken51InNO) January 16, 2016
I would love for this to mean that baseball is coming back to Montreal.
Don’t bet on it.
It is a Sun Coast episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 14, 2016

The 1977 New York Yankees had such an amazing narrative that I am actually glad they won. There are some teams and franchises that missed a perfect ending with losing the World Series.
It is a truth is better than fiction episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Pittsburgh Pirates Deep Dive: Jon Niese

EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES
An intriguing ground ball rate and three years of control were enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates to obtain Jon Niese. What comprises the left-hander’s makeup as a starting pitcher?
Several weeks have passed since Neil Walker was traded to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Jon Niese.
The move still resonates strongly with many Pittsburgh Pirates observers, often serving for many as the fulcrum of a questionable off-season.
We’ve analyzed the move previously, and from all angles. For the latest in our “Pittsburgh Pirates Deep Dive” series, we are going to look at the trends that are seen when analyzing Niese purely by past performance.
For this breakdown, I took a look at Niese’s game logs for the entire 2015 season. This includes all of his regular season appearances – 29 starts and three relief outings.
By looking at the entire snapshot of a full season, I expect to be able to easily identify any developing trends.
When he was acquired, the book on Niese was that he had good groundball-producing ability and a varied pitch mix. Two of those pitches – a sinking fastball and a cutting version – saw groundball rates above 60 percent in 2015.
Ira Flagstead:The Boston Red Sox’s Unknown Hall-of-Famer

Earlier this week it was announced that the Boston Red Sox had selected four new members for their Hall of Fame.
Fans should have little trouble recognizing the first three inductees, former players Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, and former front office man Larry Lucchino.
However, the fourth honoree, former outfielder Ira Flagstead, will likely leave many scratching their heads.
Despite his anonymity, he is worthy of the honor and is someone whose career all Boston fans should become more familiar with.
Michael Brantley Confirmed For Tribe Fest 2016 + Health Updates
Happy 2016, Brantley fans! I am back and have some exciting news for you all! today, on January 12, it was announced that Michael Brantley will be attending the 4th annual Tribe Fest, presented by KeyBank.

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter
Unlike in years past, however, there are some big changes to this year’s event. due to the current renovations being made at Progressive Field, Tribe Fest will be held at Aloft Cleveland Downtown and the Ernst & Young Tower lobby in Flats East Bank. not only that, but because of limited space, it’s just ONE day this year on January 30.
tickets for Tribe Fest are on sale now. you must purchase a general admission ticket–$5 for both adults and children–in order to attend. (NOTE: children under 3 are free.) like usual, fans can purchase general admission tickets alone, or bundle them with an autograph ticket. the two different autograph sessions to choose from are 9 am – 2 pm and 2 pm – 7 pm. while you cannot choose which specific player to get an autograph from, you can pick between a current Indians player ($20 ticket) or an alumni player ($25).
along with Michael, the following players have already confirmed to appear (although this is subject to change):
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 13, 2016
Monte Irvin‘s wonderful life ended yesterday after 96 years. He was a pioneer in the integration of the game and a Hall of Famer.
And he was so close to taking the role assumed by Jackie Robinson.
We honor legacy of a great man on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Where Foul Balls Go: Pitching/Batting Handedness Match-ups Determine Foul Direction
We all know the basics of baseball and how foul balls end up in foul territory. A pitcher throws the ball. A batter swings. Sometimes the ball is missed, other times it’s hit fair, and sometimes it soars into foul territory, into the seats.
Foul balls out number hits by about a 5:1 margin. In recent years, the average number of hits per MLB game has hovered around nine (9) balls. There are historically 47 foul balls hit per game. That’s about 5 times more fouls than hits.
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The Slow Death Of Phil Reccius From Baseball

A sad footnote in the annals of baseball history is the passing of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in 1920 following being struck in the head with a pitch.
Although he remains the only major leaguer to have died as a result of a play on the field, there are unfortunately other professional players who have suffered similar fates.
This includes Phil Reccius, who succumbed in an insane asylum to his baseball injury in 1903—a full nine years after being struck by a ball during a game.
Blue Jays Pick Up Drew Storen For Ben Revere
Last night The Blue Jays made their biggest move so far this offseason. Jays From the Couch gives you an in-depth look at their newly acquired pitcher, along with some positives and negatives about the trade.

Late Friday night January 8th 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays made their biggest offseason move, trading left fielder Ben Revere for Washington Nationals relief pitcher/closer Drew Storen.
With the Blue Jays having organizational depth in the outfield, addressing the bullpen was something that was a major priority.
With Spring Training only being fifty-two days away, (couldn’t come any quicker) we will quickly see where the newly shifted pieces are going to fit within the roster. This trade improves much needed bullpen depth, but still leaves us with some lingering questions.
Interesting Facts About The Hall of Fame Vote & Who Should Have Been 100% Guys

AP – Reuters
With Ken Griffey Jr. collecting 437 of 440 votes last night and now holding the highest record for % of votes (99.3%), it stirred up a conversation on Facebook about others either snuck in or ranked much higher than expected.
Let’s start with facts…
- Before Griffey Jr., Tom Seaver had held the top spot for % of votes received at 98.8%
- The top 5 % vote getters of all-time are Griffey Jr., Seaver, Nolan Ryan (98.8%), Cal Ripken (98.5%), and Ty Cobb (98.2%)
- Hank Aaron, ranks 8th all-time with 97.8%
- The most votes ever received came in 2014 as 555 were casted for Greg Maddux (97.2%)
Legends Of YesterYear: Mike Piazza’s Hall Call Finally Arrives

Featured Photo by Simmons/NY Daily News
The date was September 21, 2001, just ten days after the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor and as baseball returned to action in the city, it was trying to take the attention away from all the heartache around New York and the world.
New York especially needed something good to smile about again, and on a night when emotions were high, Mike Piazza did something that he will always be remembered for in Mets history.
With the Mets down 2-1 in the bottom of the eight inning against the Atlanta Braves, Piazza launched a drive over the left center field fence to put New York up for good as Shea Stadium erupted and fans all around the city had reason once again to be happy and just drown themselves in a history making moment.
During the 1988 amateur draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Michael Joseph Piazza in the 62nd round beginning his professional career.
On September 1, 1992, the future legend would make his major league debut, going 3 for 3 with a double, and a walk.
Who Will Win The 2016 American League Divisions Polls
Since it is the early part of January, we will offer these polls for all teams in all of the Divisions.
Baseball Hall Of Fame Eve 2016

The members of the BBWAA will vote on the BBHOF ballot tomorrow for the 2016 Class.
The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announced the Hall of Fame class of 2016 tomorrow afternoon. I will be teaching when the inductees are formally announced.
I may or may not post tomorrow depending on how interesting the results are.
Honestly, I probably will post something tomorrow. The early indications suggest a very interesting vote.
Let’s start close to home with the story that I, personally, thought would not be a story.
Ken Griffey Jr. is going to make it into the Hall of Fame. That has been unofficially known for years, and will be made official tomorrow.
However, as of this evening, Griffey is listed on all the publicly disclosed ballots. Nobody has ever been a unanimous hall-of-famer and Tom Seaver’s record percentage might be in reach.
Baseball’s Youth Movement Is In Full Force

It seems like once every few decades, we see an influx of young talent and without a doubt we’re in one of those runs right now.
Think of the young players who have made major impact the last couple of years and try to remember back when the Majors was flush with this level of talent of players under the age of 25.
By the way, it’s not over yet either, as we still have to see extended seasons from Byron Buxton Corey Seager, Joey Gallo, Steven Matz, and the list goes on.
Also, keep an eye on the Shortstop position the next few years, as we will be living in possibly one of the best eras of the Shortstop.
Below is each teams list of players were 24 or younger at the start of the 2016 season.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 5, 2016
The Raiders are going to try and move to Los Angeles. What will that mean to the A’s and their search for a new ballpark.
It is an episode filled with obvious answers on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Baseball Hall Of Fame 2016: Waiting Game Must Be Gnawing At Heart Of Expos’ Great Raines
It must an anxiety-filled time for Tim Raines.
We would imagine he has some butterflies in his stomach. Maybe his heart is beating just a bit more than it normally does. He must be doing a lot of thinking at his home in Arizona. Must be stressful.
The former Expos’ great wonders if National Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson will call him in the next couple of days and tell him he’s been inducted into the fabled shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y. Wouldn’t that be something if that call was made.
It will be interesting to see the results of the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Raines is in the picture because we see some hope as expressed in a tracking system by several people, who are keeping tabs on public revelations by some of the voters.
Carl Scheib, The 16-Year-Old Major League Bullpen Pitcher

Appearing in 267 games during an 11-year major league career, pitcher Carl Scheib had a solid yet unspectacular showing as a big leaguer.
However, he would likely have never gotten the change if not for a traveling salesman, who wrote Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack to recommend the high school phenom— resulting in a 16-year-old Scheib working as the team’s batting practice pitcher in 1943 and making his debut before the year was over.











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