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Bold Predictions For The MLB In 2017
Every year we do an article called “Bold Predictions”. I love this concept as most of these ideas are so preposterous that none of them will actually happen. I liken it to the “Riverboat Gambler Theory” where you can really get rich quick if it were to come to fruition.
There may not be too many secrets in the National League where the clubs seems to be either really good or really bad. The American League has a lot more parity.
I suppose I could start off by saying that the NL would win the Interleague series versus the AL, but that it is probably not going to happen based on a 13 year losing streak.
Giancarlo Stanton will crack 50+ HRs
Jose Bautista will not be signed until after the June 2017 draft.
A Right Handed Pitcher will start a game for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Read the rest of this entry
A Early Look at Future Hall of Fame Candidates
Craig Biggio finally got his “call to the hall” and should set an example for players who didn’t get that call on their first try. Other notable players are still on the ballot, and should receive legitimate consideration for induction in the future.
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
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The BBWAA elected four players into the Baseball Hall of Fame for the class of 2015: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio. This is the first time that the BBWAA has elected four players in 60 years, as these four players truly exemplify what the MLB Hall of Fame is all about.
Now that the official results have been released, we can now take a look at not only some of the guys who will return on the ballot in the upcoming years, but also some future eligible players who present a very interesting case for their enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.
The Best Teams In The MLB From 1980 – Now: SF Cements Their Place From 2010 – 2014 With WS Birth
The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, and now are in the 2014 World Series – with a great chance to win 3 titles in 5 years against Kansas City. The best teams for the last several years include the Red Sox from 2004 – 2007, the Phillies from 2008 – 2009, and then you would have to place the Giants as the best overall team from 2010 – 2014. Can they keep up the format of winning a World Series every 2 years again this year? The Red Sox (3 Titles), plus the Giants and Cards each having 2 Fall Classics, are the only 3 teams to have multiple World Series Trophies since the 2004 year.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
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There is only so much one can read in an article, otherwise I would make these lists up from the turn of the 20th century.
If you gave me enough time as a reader, I promise to backdate this topic with another article featuring the best teams dating back further in years.
Eventually, all of the years may be dissected and we can have a healthy debate on some of my selections. I really started watching baseball in the early 1980’s.
As I became older and discovered ways to research the history of the game, my knowledge and curious mind grew for more information.
I have studied and read baseball stat books and breezed through the odd Bill James novel.
If I ever take a break from writing or baseball park chasing, I may find some time down the road to watch the 9 part PBS documentary that Ken Burns did on baseball’s history.
There is A Major Problem At MLB.com With Their Active Players List: Part 1
Bobby Abreu was traded from the Rays to the Phillies for Kevin Stocker and had 7 straight 20 HR/20 SB seasons for the ‘Fightins from 1999 – 2005. After playing for both of the LA clubs in 2012, he did not play for any other club in 2013, but has since said he plans to make a comeback in 2014. If he does, he would become the active ALL – Time Leader for Doubles in the MLB. After seeing that the website mlb.com called him active, I investigated a massive flaw.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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When starting to compile a list at http://www.mlb.com of current Extra Base Hits Leaders – I was unimpressed about the slowness of the webmasters.
I love the MLB, and the coverage/video highlights is fantastic at the site. Their updating the stat leaders for active players needs to be seriously addressed. so the top 10 list will be posted tomorrow instead.
Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez and Todd Helton are on this list.
Okay, I can give them a slight pass on Helton, however he has filed his retirement papers already, but Pudge and Man-Ram – c’mon.
Atlanta Braves Payroll in 2014 + Contracts Going Forward Part 1
It would be one thing if B.J. Upton were the only player on the Braves who had an abysmal season. When you add the injuries and the season of Dan Uggla to Upton worst year of his career, it is actually amazing this team ended with 96 Wins. With the club losing Brian McCann, Paul Maholm and Tim Hudson, they will need Upton and CO. to rebound for the team to contend again in 2014. Upton has to get back to 20/20 years for powers and steals, and at least hit to 85% of his career 3 slash – to justify the contract doled out by the Atlanta Braves. Uggla must correct his vision problems and get back to raking again. These 2 guys are the #2 and #3 paid guys on the squad in 2014 behind Justin Upton.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org. Depth Chart/Payroll Expert) Follow @prosportsroster
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The ‘Tomahawk Choppers’ have 2 players that are killing them for Free Agent signings this winter.
B.J. Upton is only in the 2nd year of his 5 YRs/$75 MIL – and underachieving Dan Uggla is still on the books for 2 more years.
Between these 2 gentleman, they will bring down $26.25 MIL in 2014. The Braves are hoping for more than under the ‘Mendoza Line’ Batting Averages – and an occasional big fly.
The Braves are also headed to Arbitration with Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward and Craig Kimbrel. This is certainly bound to cost the organization a pretty penny.
In fact, those 3 players will likely exceed the amount of the B.J Upton and Uggla contracts.
Craig Kimbrel 2013 Highlights – Mature Lyrics Parental Guidance Is Advised:
The Best Teams In The MLB From 1980 – 2017: The Biggest Question Is, Who Owns 2015 – 2017 Mark? Early Favorite Lends 2 Cubs With 3 Straight LCS Appearances, 1 World Series
With 3 straight LCS appearances and 1 World Series – the Cubs can lay claim to the best team from 2015 – 2017. If Houston were to win the 2018 World Series, they could be turned back to the 2015 – 2016 stretch, however Chicago can advance the years if they are able to go farther than the Stros this campaign
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
There is only so much one can read in an article, otherwise I would make these lists up from the turn of the 20th century.
As I became older and discovered ways to research the history of the game, my knowledge and curious mind grew for more information.
I have studied and read baseball stat books and breezed through the odd Bill James novel.
If I ever take a break from writing or baseball park chasing, I may find some time down the road to watch the 9 part PBS documentary that Ken Burns did on baseball’s history.
The Atlanta Braves State Of The Union – Fall 2013: Part 1
2013 was not an easy road traveled for Atlanta. The Braves suffered so many injuries and set backs this season that I think a lot of us almost forget about the ones that happened earlier on in the year. Johnny Venters never even threw a regular season pitch this year and he has been our premiere set up man. Eric O’Flaherty threw his last pitch somewhere around the middle of May against this very Dodger team at Turner Field.
By Bob McVinua (Special Guest Braves Writer – visit his website here): Follow @tomahawkchop95
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
At the point after Eric O’Flaherty went down, many of us Braves fans began to panic and wonder how Fredi Gonzalez would get the ball to arguably the best closer
in all of baseball Craig Kimbrel. What happened after that? The Braves would still go on to post the best bullpen ERA in all of baseball and on top of that set a franchise record for the same mark.
Jason Heyward missed significant time as did Brian McCann. Freddie Freeman spent a couple of weeks on the disabled list and still drove in over 100 runs on the season.
BJ Upton and Dan Uggla struggled throughout most of the 2013 season and BJ was one of the players expected to make a huge impact when he signed with the Braves this winter and it just never happened.
Other players stepped up and young players assumed roles that were well beyond the original expectations of them in 2013.
No one panicked and no one quit and as a fan I am appreciative of the heart and effort this team always put forth.
The Dodgers Celebrate winning the NLDS Series versus Atlanta (At Turner Field)
The Braves Win The NL East For The 1st Time Since 2005: The Team Is Way Different From Early 2013
The Braves won 14 straight Division Titles from 1991 – 2005, that culminated in 5 World Series Visits, with cashing in for the Trophy in 1995, however other than a Wild Card Berth (2010), and a Wild Card Play In Game in 2012 (that they both lost), the club has not seen playoff success for the past 14 years. The Bravos will have a full NLDS Series to claim another chance at a NLCS Pennant, for the 1st time since 1999. Atlanta is still duking it out with the Dodgers and Cardinals for overall home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and have a 0.5 Games Lead over St. Louis (2 game lead over Los Angeles) with just 5 games left. This would be extremely ‘vital’ to the club – as the team sports a (MLB best) record of 53 – 23 at Turner Field – compared to 40 – 41 on the road this season.
By Hayley Howell (Featured Baseball Writer + Braves Enthusiastic Fan) Follow @heyhaylzzz
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The first fourteen years of my life (1991-2005) the Braves won consecutive division titles (the best run in MLB to date). They were the first team in the NL to go from last place to first place the next year (“Worst to First”).
They went to the World Series. (1991 was the first time that the home team won all 7 games of the World Series-too bad Atlanta wasn’t the home team).
On my first trip to the local library after moving downtown twenty minutes from home I quickly discovered there were only two Braves books in the whole four floors:
The Miracle Season and a book by John Smoltz that I wish I could remember the title of because I read that thing like it was a holy canon that summer.
I know the Braves beat the Astros 6-5 a few hours after I was born, and I think, in baseball astrology terms, that meant I was destined to become a Braves fan.
The first World Series I was alive for was the Braves and the Twins, not as if I could remember it, but I know that people still argue over the bad call that supposedly caused the Braves to lose, as if one call among thousands could determine a game much less a series.
And for fourteen years consecutively the Braves won their Division (of course the 1994 Season was cancelled, negating the only time the season ended, without them atop the NL East Standings – Montreal was leading that year).
Braves Clinch The NL East
2 And A Hook Podcast Episode #6: Fantasy, Phillies And Rangers Expert Interviews + Notes
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday, May.31/2013
MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.
‘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..)
By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran) Follow @yankeeman1973
People in this Podcast:
On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports (www.mlbreports.com) & The Bench Warmers Show (thebenchwarmers.podomatic.com), I started by paying respects to a follower of mine on twitter (the great late Kiley) Follow @jeterfan_02 who passed away last week…not only she was a great Yankee fan who loved Derek Jeter – but also was the most sweetest giving person ever, R.I.P….
I start to talk about the Subway Series then I interviewed my first guest Derek Jackson (10 Minute Mark – 20 Minute Segment. Follow @djaxmlbreports who is a fantasy expert for MLB Reports! We talked about which callups to watch midway through the season,a look at the rookie crop of players & second year players…check out his latest fantasy article here 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:
MLB (R) Weekly Power Rankings – Week 2
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday Apr.15/2013
Billy Beane has seen his club roar out of the gates – leading in most offensive and defensive categories so far. This year’s team is 9 – 4 (Leading the AL West) – and have put up a 81 – 40 Record since starting last year 23 – 32. The Tigers seem to be the only toxic for the franchise. The Athletics at least played in front of decent crows at 0.co Coliseum on Saturday drawing 35K – with the team trying to go for a 10th straight win. Justin Verlander stopped the streak.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Well, the Atlanta Braves are the toast of the MLB right now, Prince Fielder is the hottest hitter on the planet, John Buck is doing his best Johnny Bench impersonation – while Chris Davis is giving new definition to the nickname ‘Crash’.
The Mets and Rockies have had the biggest ‘Cupcake Schedules’ thus far in the Major Leagues – and I am still not buying stock in these teams.
The Angels pulled out a couple of wins versus the Houston Astros to end the week 5 – 8 (You guys are supposed to beat Houston whenever you play them this year!
The Yankees rode a 4 – 1 week among a schedule that was blown apart by weather induced cancellations in Cleveland, to climb the standings.
To quote Joe Pesci in (‘ My Cousin Vinny” when Fred Gwynne tells him he is in contempt of court) in response to Jose Reyes being injured. “There is a f—— surprise!
LA Dodgers Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward
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Thursday Mar.28/2013
Adrian Gonzalez flew into LA last year and paid immediate dividends as he clubbed a 3 run HR in the 1st Inning with his new team. Gonzalez is in the 3rd year of a 7 YR/154 Million Dollar Contract. At age 30, he is a career .294 hitter with 214 HRs and 750 RBI in 1176 Games. Perhaps a full season back in California will re – ignite his MVP like numbers with the Padres during the 2009 and 2010 seasons – where he hit 71 HRs, drove in 200 RBI and hit for an OPS well over .900. He also is a 3 Time Gold Glove Award Winner in the National League.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst And Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I must say I am completely shocked at the Dodgers spending as much money as they are since the ownership change. I listened to Magic say how he ‘was not going to do anything stupid’, I will give him this much. However, the amount of payroll the team has taken on is enormous. The Dodgers are going to be over 200 Million Dollars in Payroll for years to come.
After I put their top ten salaries on the board, I will break down the rest of the roster to analyze some more projections for salary. The Dodgers have about 218 Million Dollars in signed contracts.
If you can believe this next part, they even are paying Manny Ramirez 8.33 Million Dollars still in 2013, Andruw Jones 3.375 Million and Huroki Kuroda 2.0 Million. That is roughly 13 Million Dollars on guys that are no longer in your organization.
Back to the trades that have brought in several players. I do agree for the mentality of it. The Dodgers fans were given a raw deal by the past management and the new guys are showing the rest of the MLB that they intend to be the big dog.
With Cole Hamels re-signing with the Phillies, their coveted starter was no longer available in Free Agency. Gonzalez was there to be had if they would take on the Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett contracts.
The team went out and signed Zack Greinke (15 – 5 with a 3.48 ERA split between the Brewers and Angels) instead.
Here is a nice highlight clip of Carl Crawford below. As a side note: The only inside the park Home Run I have ever witnessed at a game live was hit by Carl Crawford at Us Cellular Field in 2008. He was one of the best lead-off hitters back then.
Carl Crawford Highlights – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance is Advised:
Top Five Most Memorable Moments from the 2013 World Baseball Classic
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Monday, March.25 2013
The World Baseball Classic Ran from Mar.02 – Mar.19/2013.
By Sam Evans (Baseball Writer): Follow @RJA206
The 2013 World Baseball Classic was an amazing tournament that had its up’s and down’s; but for the most part, it provided a great opportunity to watch meaningful spring training games during the winter. Having watched almost every game, I can officially say that it exhausted me.
From cheering on the Americans to trying to pronounce all of the Japanese names, there was never a shortage of things going on at the 2013 WBC. There were a very few number of special moments that will stay with me until the 2016 WBC. Without further ado, here are my top five memories from the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
The Final 3 Outs of the World Baseball Classic:
World Baseball Classic Week Two Recap
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Saturday, March 17th, 2013
Angel Pagan has led Puerto Rico to the 2013 WBC Championship Round.
By Sam Evans (Baseball Writer): Follow @RJA206
A lot has happened in the World Baseball Classic over the last week. For one, the four teams to play in the Championship Round have been determined. In the Second Round, Cuba, Chinese Taipei, the USA, and Italy were all eliminated. For some of those teams, it was an amazing accomplishment in itself to get as far as they did. For other teams, they fell way short of expectations in 2013.
Nonetheless, the four teams still in the running are exciting and all four have been playing a fantastic brand of baseball. The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Japan, and the Dominican Republic are your 2013 WBC Final Four.
WBC 2009 Japan VS Korea Highlight:
New York Yankees Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Fwd Updated Mar.4/2013
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You are looking at the #1 and #2 Hits Leaders of ALL-Time for Active Professional Hitters in the World. Having them hit 1-2 in the lineup only makes sense. You might as well have them both retire at the same timeJeter is signed for one more year at 17 Million Dollars plus a player option ($8 MIL) for 2014. The Yankees signed Ichiro to a 2 year deal worth $13 MIL this past winter.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I am not like a lot of people thinking that there should be a full-scale blow-up of the Yankees current roster this year (past that I am acknowledging this will happen.) They are old and 2013 will not make them younger. However, there are some small tweaks that the team could do in order to make the payroll make sense. 1st priority was to sign Ichiro Suzuki.
The Japanese Superstar was not and Yankees obliged to let him play RF in New York. Adios to outgoing Nick Swisher. He was much too pricey and Yankee fans have to be sick at his lack of production in his playoff career. Swisher commanded a nice 4 or 5 year deal in the 56 – 70 Million Dollar Range from the Indians – and was not a fit into the Yankees current payroll structure.
The Yankees were initially looking to spend just a little over 178 Million Dollars in 2013, but that didn’t happen. At a 40% penalty (for every dollar spent over the 178 Million Mark) for abusing the Luxury Tax Threshold, the team will need to have made financial considerations in moving forward each time they sign another new player. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano are on the last year of their contracts. Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A-Rod still have multiple years left in their contracts.
I would immediately move Alex Rodriguez to a permanent DH (when he returns to the lineup) – and play Kevin Youkilis at 3B for all of 2013.
To the Readers on our Payroll Breakdowns: Keep in mind these are all just estimates as we are all not forensic payroll accountants. For a better look at how Payrolls work in the MLB please check out this article here.
Derek Jeter Highlights:
The New York Yankees Hitting Roster In 2013: State Of The Union Part 1
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday, February.13, 2013
The Yankees have 27 World Series Titles and 13 Losses in the Fall Classic since 1921. That is 40 Appearances in 91 years. They have had the highest payroll team in MLB for the Majority of that span. As of 2013, they will not be able to claim that stake anymore. Will they still make the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 years?
Chuck Booth (Yankees Correspondent/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Yankees had a precarious winter after failing miserably in the ALCS, (AKA the last time the country saw them play on Television) – when the team was decimated by the Detroit Tigers in a sweep. So what has happened since? A lot of status quo: Re-signing Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Ichiro Suzuki and Hiroki Kuroda, while saying good-bye to Raul Ibanez (SEA), Andruw Jones (FA), Nick Swisher (CLE), Eric Chavez (ARI), Russell Martin (PIT), Derek Lowe (FA), Steve Pearce (BAL), Casey McGehee (FA), Freddy Garcia (FA) and Rafael Soriano (WSH). All they really added back was former arch-nemesis Kevin Youkilis (CWS) and Travis Hafner (CLE). The team is sitting around 215 Million Dollars at Payroll right now, yet they have are heading into the 2013 campaign with Catchers that are of limited experience.
For the first time in years, the club will need to see some internal progress from their farm system to help the big club. With A-ROD out with his hip injury, plus the Miami fiasco, can you really count on the prima-donna to play at all this season? Derek Jeter is coming off a brutal ankle injury that occurred in the aforementioned Post Season Series vs the Tigers . The club is also hoping that ‘MO’ Rivera can find it within himself to make it through another year as a 43 Year Old. Just like The ALL-Time Saves Leader, this team is aging fast. Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson are Free Agents after 2013 is over. Brian Cashman is also going to take advantage of the reset option f the Luxury Tax loophole in 2014.
This means that when the Luxury Tax goes from 178 Million to 189 Million next year, that the club can stop paying its 40% annual penalty if they can get under for just one season. The Yankees will be sure to blow up the Payroll from 2015 and beyond that, it is just to not start the new luxury lax at the maximum penalty. Had the Luxury Tax not moved from its current spot, the Yankees would always pay the 40% penalty (even if they decided to skip one year).
Yankees Highlights 2012: Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance is Advised:
The Best Teams from 1980-2012: Will Texas claim the title this year from 2010-2012?
Wednesday July.11, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- There is only so much one can read in an article, otherwise I would make these lists up from the turn of the 20th century. If you gave me enough time as a reader, I promise to backdate this topic with another article featuring the best teams dating back further in years. Eventually, all of the years may be dissected and we can have a healthy debate on some of my selections. I really started watching baseball in the early 1980’s. As I became older and discovered ways to research the history of the game, my knowledge and curious mind grew for more information. I have studied and read baseball stat books and breezed through the odd Bill James novel. If I ever take a break from writing or baseball park chasing, I may find some time down the road to watch the 9 part PBS documentary that Ken Burns did on baseball’s history.
Baseball lends itself more to the history than any other sport because of how it has been chronicled throughout their past. Writers, announcers, former players, parents etc.. have always carried on with the stories of America’s favorite pastime. I will never be sold that NFL is the greatest pastime in sports right now. NFL is the greatest gambling sport presently. It is my firm belief that the only reason why the NFL draws in more cash from its sport is because of the gambling factor. If you took that aspect out of it, I believe baseball is the #1 sport. Can you imagine how much attention we would pay to baseball if there were only a 16 game schedule? Enough with that rant, let’s get down to the list. Who were the best teams at any specific time period for the last 32 years? We will start with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1980-1983. Read the rest of this entry
The Yankees Should sign Vlad Guerrero
Wednesday June.13, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- The events that happened yesterday with the Blue Jays and Vlad Guerrero are strange and totally warranted for further review. In my opinion, the Blue Jays dropped the ball on this one. Guerrero lit up the Minor Leagues for a couple of weeks and should have been called up when Edwin Encarnacion was hurt on June.4th. It was the perfect opportunity to have Vladdy come up and replace EE in the lineup. It should have prompted a return to first base for Encarnacion when he came back from his injury just 5 days later.
The top average on the team actually belongs to EE, who is hitting .281 currently. Vlad Guerrero has never hit worst than .290 in the last 15 years. He tore it up in the minor leagues, and was said to have showed up in decent shape. The Blue Jays had to know that Vladdy would be upset when he was bypassed on in favor of David Cooper or Yan Gomes. I give full credit to the agent for Guerrero in this case, he negotiated a verbal contract with Alex Anthopoulos that the slugger could opt at any time and request to be released from his player contract with the club. In the only thing that makes the Jays look okay on this, they never had to go through with letting Vladdy out of this contract. Really it is a shame that the two sides could not work out something to have Vlad stay with the club. It may actually work out better for both sides in the long run.
The DH Tandem of Ibanez and Jones Are Providing Great Value Amongst the Position
Monday, May.28/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones might only be hitting about .250 as a combined DH unit, however they are providing some much-needed power from the DH slot for the New York Yankees. Ibanez is batting .260 with 9 HRs and 27 RBI in 137 AB, Jones is .227 with 5 HRs and 10 RBI in 66 AB. The two totals combined equal 14 HRs and 37 RBI in 193 AB. This is really good production in the power department. This puts the duo on pace for about 45 HRs and 120 RBI out of the DH slot. These numbers are comparable to Chicago White Sox primary DH Adam Dunn, who is .240 with 15 HRs and 35 RBI, and Edwin Encarnacion for the Toronto Blue Jays, who is .274 with 15 HRs and is second in the AL with 39 RBI.
There are factors that cancel out the production of both Encarnacion and Dunn. The Blue Jays first base position has killed any type of edge that Encarnacion’s start should have provided. Adam Lind hit himself out of the Majors with his under .200 average, thus negating the production that the position of 1B needs to have in order to compete along with a DH. Adam Dunn has racked up 74 strikeouts to add to his power numbers. While this has been a renaissance year for Dunn so far, the all or nothing philosophy does hurt in the clutch sometimes. I think the White Sox have to be happy with his production, plus Paul Konerko has been the best player in the AL outside of Josh Hamilton. Read the rest of this entry
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