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Who Have Been The Toughest Former Red Sox To See In A Yankees Uniform?

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Saturday, December.15/2012

By Saul Wisnia, Red Sox Correspondent (Read his blog ‘Fenway Reflections’ here): Follow @SaulWizz

Pending a failed physical or other unforeseen mishap, Kevin Youkilis will be manning third base and wearing pinstripes when the Red Sox open the 2013 season at Yankee Stadium on April 1. Amazingly, it won’t be until July 19 that the teams will square off in Boston, giving Fenway Park fans their first chance to see their former favorite son in a New York uniform.

Red Sox Nation had an opportunity to adjust to life with Youk in the visitor’s dugout when the White Sox visited Fenway shortly after his trade to Chicago last summer, but this is a much different situation. Boston fans may develop a kinder, gentler hatred for the Yankees since 2004, but there is something about seeing a former Red Sox in enemy colors that still tugs at the heartstrings.

Here’s a look back at some of the biggest Boston heroes to wind up in the Bronx — and how they fared on their Fenway returns. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: 1916 World Series, 1918 World Series, 1975 World Series, 1986 World Series, 2004 World Series, 2007 World Series, @saulwizz on twitter, alcs, alex rodriguez, babe ruth, Carl Yastremski, cedric durst, cy young, danny cater, fenway park, fenway reflections, george steinbrenner, Harry Frazee, jake ruppert, johnny damon, kevin youkilis, lou gehrig, luis tiant, Red Ruffing, red sox, Red Sox Nation, roger clemens, saul wisnia, scott boras, sparky lyle, ted williams, Terry Francona

Broxton, Marshall and Chapman: Modern Day Nasty Boys?

Dec 9

Posted by mstein80

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Sunday, December.9, 2012

Matt Steinmann (Guest Baseball Writer and Reds Correspondent): Follow @thesteinmann

The resigning of Jonathan Broxton is an interesting one for the Reds. The feeling is that this paves the way for Aroldis Chapman to head to the rotation. It could also just be securing the back end of a dominant bullpen from this past season that many have compared to the 1990 Nasty Boys. The Reds haven’t said for sure, which isn’t surprising considering how close-to-the-vest they operate. Like last season, Chapman will likely go into Spring Training as a starter, and the team will go from there.

The 1990 Nasty Boys were a dominant force. If the Reds had the lead after 6 innings, the trio of Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble, and Randy Myers could strike fear into even the best of hitters and close the door almost at will. Charlton struck out 117 batters in 154.1 innings (6.8 per 9 Innings). He also had 16 starts, an ERA of 2.74, and 2 saves. Dibble’s sparkling ERA of 1.74 and WHIP of 0.980 stands out among the trio. He saved 11 games as well, threw 98 Innings, striking out 136 batters (12.5 per 9 Innings). Randy Myers was the man to close the door. The hard throwing lefty converted 31 saves in 1990, had an ERA of 2.08, and struck out 98 batters in 86.2 Innings (11.3 per 9 Innings). Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: 1990 World Series, aroldis chapman, Bronson Arroyo, cincinnati reds, cy young, great american ballpark, homer bailey, johnny cueto, jonathan broxton, jose arredondo, logan ondrusek, matt steinmann, randy johnson, Randy Myers, rob dibble, ryan madson, sam leclure, Sean Marshall, stephen strasburg, washington nationals

Is Roger Clemens a Hall of Famer? Try the Tom Seaver Test

Dec 7

Posted by saulwizz

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Friday, December.07, 2012

Clemens in his early Boston Red Sox Days.

By Saul Wisnia, Red Sox Correspondent (Read his blog ‘Fenway Reflections’ here): Follow @SaulWizz

Since the list of Hall of Fame nominees was announced in the last month, I’ve been pondering whether first-time candidate Roger Clemens would be earn my vote if I had one to give.

The Rocket has undeniable Cooperstown credentials, topped by a record seven Cy Young Awards, the 1986 AL MVP, and 354 victories. He struck out 4,672 batters during his long career, a total topped only by Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and twice had 20-K games in which he didn’t walk a single batter. That combination of power and control also helped Roger Clemens lead his league in ERA seven times.

In my memory bank of Red Sox pitchers, which dates to the mid-’70s, only Pedro Martinez resonates as more dominant over a sustained period of time. But while Pedro was a delicate thoroughbred rarely allowed to reach past the seventh inning, Clemens was a good-old-fashioned workhorse who regularly finished what he started. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: @saulwizz on twitter, baseball hall of fame, blue jays, boston, boston red sox, brian mcnamee, cooperstown, cy young, dan duquette, david wells, fenway park, hall of fame, homer bush, jim kaat, nolan ryan, pedro martinez, peds, roger clemens, ron guidry, steroids, tom seaver, tommy john, yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise 1994-2012: Part 2 of a 7 Part Series

Nov 28

Posted by mednickalex

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Wednesday, Nov.28th, 2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5-7 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Teams Payroll going into 2013 and 5.The Ball Park that they play in. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) Be sure to check my author page with a list of all of my archived articles section here.

Today’s Part 2 Feature of the Blue Jays Franchise will be written by our Baseball Writer Alex Mednick. To do this franchise series service, Alex has studied this club a lot more than I have in the last 20 years and will do this article better justice for you the reader!

Alex Mednick (Baseball Writer and Analyst):

Note from Alex Mednick: Chuck Booth offered to me the opportunity to step in to his Franchise Series and cover the Blue Jays history from 1994-Present. I gladly accepted the honor.

In Part 1 of this series, Chuck covered the Blue Jays history from their humble beginnings at Exhibition Stadium in 1977, through the glory years in the late 80s and early 90s. The story dropped off right after the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Championships in 1992 and 1993. We closed the books with the walk-off winning home run by Joe Carter to win the World Series, and the parties and celebrations that were to follow across Ontario, Canada. I will pick it back up at the beginning of the 1994 season, when the Blue Jays had high hopes to win a third consecutive world championship.

(Scroll Down Past the Links or Click the READ MORE OF THIS ENTRY ICON.)

Franchise Series Links:

Franchise History Part 1 1977-1993: https://mlbreports.com/2012/11/09/jays1/

The Hitters: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Hitters: Part 3 Of A 7 Part Article Series:

The Pitchers: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Pitchers Part 4 Of A 7 Part Series

Skydome: An Interview with ‘Rogers Centre Expert’ and “MLB reports Founder” Jonathan Hacohen Part 5 of 7

2013 Team Payroll: https://mlbreports.com/2012/09/10/tor/

Special Bonus Fan Blog Of 2013 Team Payroll: https://mlbreports.com/2012/09/12/torfanalex/

Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Historical Series, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: a-rod, a.j. burnett, aaron hill, ace, adam lind, AL East, alex anthopoulos, alex gonzalez, alex mednick, alex ríos, alex rodriguez, alexander ewing mednick, anthony gose, b.j. ryan, big hurt, billy beane, BJ Birdy, blue jays, bobby valentine, brad lincoln, brandon lyon, brandon morrow, brett lawrie, brett wallace, buck martinez, carlos beltran, carlos delgado, Cito gaston, colby rasmus, cy young, dave stieb, david carpenter, david cone, david wells, Devon White, Diamond, Duane Ward, edwin encarnacion, emilio bonifacio, eric hinske, esteban loaiza, Franchise Series, frank thomas, george bell, j.a. happ, j.p. arencibia, j.p. ricciardi, jake marisnick, jerry howarth, jim fregosi, jim hughson, JImmy Key, john gibbons, jose bautista, jose canseco, jose cruz jr, jose reyes, josh johnson, juan guzman, justin nicolino, kelly johnson, kyle drabek, lyle overbay, mark buehrle, melky cabre, melky cabrera, michael young, mike aviles, mike timlin, pat gillick, Pat Hentgen, paul molitor, paul spoljaric, philadelphia phillies, phillies, raul mondesi, ricky romero, roberto alomar, roger clemens, rogers centre, roy halladay, shannon stewart, shaun marcum, shawn green, shea hillenbrand, skydome, steve Delabar, ted lilly, Tom Cheek, tony batista, tony fernandez, toronto blue jays, travis d'arnaud, travis snider, troy glaus, vernon wells, yunel escobar

Part 1 of a Series: All-Time All-Star Teams By Regionality

Nov 23

Posted by mednickalex

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Friday November 23th, 2012

Note from Alex Mednick: I am going to be putting together a small project that accumulates all the best players of all time, and puts them together on teams according to their birthplace. For example, in this first edition I will be breaking down players from the United States of America into teams from the 1) Northeast, 2) Southeast, 3) Midwest, and 4) Southwest…(sorry, there really is not enough quality coming out of the northwest to compete with these teams…maybe I will put a Northwestern United States team in a later edition with less competitive teams). Later on I will bring you teams assembled from the all-time greats out Central and South American (Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Panama Canal Zone, etc.) and the All-Caribbean Team (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curacao, etc). Also look forward to teams from Japan, Canada and the EU. Should be fun to sort of assemble an “Olympics” of Baseball. I love watching the World Baseball Classic and seeing players fight for their nations pride…but by grouping the teams by region, it might make the teams more competitive. Of course, this is all for the sake of speculation; Babe Ruth was a great player, but I don’t think he will be taking any at-bat’s soon. (Also, please note that I do not lend consideration to relief pitchers in this analysis). Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: a-rod, al kaline, al simmons, alex mednick, alex rodriguez, alexander ewing mednick, alexander mednick, babe ruth, barry bonds, barry larkin, big mac, bill terry, bob feller, bob gibson, brooks robinson, cal ripken, cal ripken jr, carl hubbell, carl yastrzemski, cc sabathia, charlie hehringer, chipper, chipper jones, christy mathewson, chuck klein, cy young, dave winfield, dennis eckersley, derek jeter, dizzy dean, duke snider, early wynn, ed walsh, eddie collins, eddie mathews, eddie murray, eddie plank, edgar martinez, ernie banks, frank robinson, frank thomas, frankie frisch, gary carter, gary sheffield, gaylord perry, george brett, george herman ruth, george sisler, goose goslin, goose gossage, Greg Maddux, grover cleveland, hammerin hank, hank aaron, hank greenberg, harmon killebrew, harry heilmann, henry aaron, honus wagner, jackie robinson, jeff bagwell, jeff kent, jeter, jim palmer, jimmie foxx, jimmy rollins, Joe Carter, joe dimaggio, joe jackson, joe medwick, Joe Morgan, johnny bench, ken griffey, ken griffey jr, kirby puckett, lefty gomez, lefty grove, lou brock, lou gehrig, mark mcgwire, mel ott, mickey cohrane, mickey mantle, mike piazza, mike schmidt, nap lajoie, nolan ryan, ozzie smith, paul molitor, Paul Waner, pete alexander, pete rose, pie traynor, prince fielder, ralph kiner, reggie jackson, rich gossage, rickey henderson, ricky romero, robin roberts, roger clemens, rogers hornsby, rollie fingers, roy campanella, roy halladay, ryan braun, sam crawford, sandy koufax, satchel paige, shoeless joe jackson, stan musial, stan the man, steve carlton, ted williams, tom seaver, tony gwynn, tris speaker, ty cobb, wade boggs, walter johnson, warren spahn, whitey ford, wille keeler, willie mays, willie mccovey, willie stargell, yaz, yogi berra

Florida Baseball and The San Juan Rays

Nov 15

Posted by mednickalex

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Thursday November 15th, 2012

Alex Mednick (Baseball Writer and Analyst)

Last week Jonathan Hacohen, the founder of MLBReports.com called to my attention that the Tampa Bay Rays are an anomaly. Ultimately, if you look at the way their team is structured and where their talent lays, and the kind of game that Joe Maddon manages the Rays are ultimately a National League team; displaced in the AL East. The Rays greatest strength is their depth of pitching that they can reach into the bowels of an amazing farm system ripe with young talent. But from there on out, they rely on an offense that generates runs due to other inefficiencies.

Joe Maddon might very well be the best manager in baseball. He possesses a unique approach to the game, that if had to be categorized, is definitely more national league style than american league. He has to be creative in how he manufactures runs, as his offense does not boast the big sluggers other AL East teams do. He does, however, have a plethora of pitching talent available.

With B.J. Upton leaving town, and Carlos Pena only a carcass of what he once was, there is ultimately zero power left in their lineup. Their DH for the past two years have been the likes of an aging Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Luke Scott. Ownership is constantly complaining about attendance and looking for bargain free agents like Johnny Damon to bring in at the end of their careers and hopefully attract some Yankees and Red Sox fans to the stadium.

At this point, the Rays power hitters are Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist. They have an amazing nucleus of pitching talent, including David Price who just won the AL Cy Young, and they are mentioning trading almost all of their starting pitchers. This is understandable, as you have to dish out talent to bring back offensive talent that they are in great need of. But I still have major gripes with the way owner Stuart Sternberg has approached the past 4 seasons in St. Petersburg, and I will get into more detail about this in a little while. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: 51st state, al cy young, al cy young 2012, AL East, albert pujols, alex mednick, alexander ewing mednick, American league, american league east, andrew friedman, b.j. upton, ben zobrist, bj upton, caribbean, cuban, cy young, dade county, david price, dominican, evan longoria, florida, football, haitian, hideki matsui, james shields, jeff loria, jeffrey loria, jeremy hellickson, Joe Maddon, johnny damon, jonathan hacohen, las vegas, Luke Scott, Major League Baseball, matt joyce, matt moore, miami, miami dade, miami marlins, mlb, nascar, national league, national league east, ncaa, new haven, NL east, philadelphia, Philadephia Phillies, phillies, puerto rico, rays, saint petersburg, saint petersburg florida, san juan, san juan rays, st pete, St. Petersburg, st. petersburg florida, Tampa Bay, tampa bay rays, test

2012 AL and NL Cy Young Award Winners

Nov 15

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Thursday November 15th, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: Both Cy Young awards were announced yesterday. R.A. Dickey won in the National League and David Price won in the American League. Dickey won by a large margin; he had 209 points by 27 first place votes and five second place votes. This race was not even close. Price on the other hand, won by four points. He received just one more first place vote than Justin Verlander, who finished second. Here’s my take on how the voting went down.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: a, american, awards, baseball, bay, cy, cy young, david, david price, dickey, league, mets, mlb, national, new, price, r, R.A, r.a. dickey, ra, rays, tampa, york, young

The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise 1977-1993 Part 1 Of A 7 Part Series

Nov 9

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday, Nov.09/2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Teams Payroll going into 2013 and 5.The Ball Park that they play in. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) Be sure to check my author page with a list of all of my archived articles section here.

The Blue Jays have not qualified for the Playoffs since they won Back to Back World Series in 1992 and 1993. Only Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Toronto have not made a playoffs appearance since the 1994 strike. At the time they were around the top of the MLB Payroll for all teams.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

In sifting through 35 years of history with the Toronto Blue Jays as a franchise, it is sad that since 1994, only Pittsburgh, Toronto and Kansas City have not made a playoff appearance in the Major Leagues. They have been battling the Red Sox and Yankees powerhouse clubs since the 1994 player strike/1995 Lock-out. This baseball interruption of play was also a deciding factor on the Montreal Expos losing their franchise, however one could say that this has had a profound effect on the other only team North of The Border. The Jays were a model franchise all the way through the 80’s. From 1983-1993, the team carried out 11 straight winning seasons, 5 Pennants and back to back World Series Wins in 1992 and 1993.

Pat Gillick had been with the baseball club from the get go, and after finishing in dead-last for the first 5 years of existence, the Jays rode the backs of several budding stars that were drafted by the man. From the early pitching stars of Jim Clancy and Dave Stieb, to the young outfield that flourished as a core for years in: Lloyd Moseby, George Bell and Jesse Barfield, the team showed that drafting and trading for young players was the way to build an organization. It took until 1985 for the teams first Pennant, barely edging the Yankees by 2 games for the AL East. Playoff disappointment followed from 1985-1991. The team soon would find the promised land as the top team in 1992 and 1993.

Franchise History Part 2 1994-2012: https://mlbreports.com/2012/11/28/jay/

The Hitters: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Hitters: Part 3 Of A 7 Part Article Series

The Pitchers: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Pitchers Part 4 Of A 7 Part Series

Skydome: An Interview with ‘Rogers Centre Expert’ and “MLB reports Founder” Jonathan Hacohen

For Part 6 of the 7 Part Series: Blue Jays 2013 Team Payroll Click here:

For Part 7 of the 7 Part Series: Blue Jays 2013 Team Payroll: A Readers Thoughts, Click Here:

Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: AL East, al leiter, alan trammell, alcs, alfredo griffin, Atlanta Braves, barry bonds, Bill Mazeroski, bob macdonald, Bobby Cox, bobby mattick, boston red sox, brian hunter, carlos delgado, charlie leibrandt, chicago whitesox, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, Cito gaston, cliff johnson, curt schilling, cy young, damaso garcia, danny cox, dave collins, dave stewart, dave stieb, dave winfield, david cone, david wells, dennis lamp, derek lowe, detroit tigers, Devon White, doug ault, doyle alexander, Duane Ward, ed sprague, ernie whitt, exhibition stadium, fred mcGriff, garth iorg, george bell, glenallen hill, greg myers, jack morris, jays drafting record, jeff blauser, jeff kent, jeff musselfman, jesse barfield, jim abbott, jim acker, jim clancy, JImmy Key, jimy williams, Joe Carter, john cerutti, john olerud, jose bautista, junior felix, kansas city royals, kelly gruber, larry andersen, lenny dykstra, lloyd moseby, Lou Whitaker, mike timlin, minnesota twins, Mitch Williams, mlb expansion, montreal expos, new york yankees, oakland athletics, orlando palmeiro, otis nixon, otto velez, pat borders, pat gillick, Pat Hentgen, pete vuckovich, pittsburgh pirates, rafael belliard, rance mulliniks, randy knorr, rick cerone, rickey hednerson, rickey henderson, rico carty, roberto alomar, roger clemens, ron fairly, ron guidry, roy halladay, roy hartsfield, roy howell, rule 5 draft, rupert jones, ryan thompson, scott erickson, seattle mariners, shawn green, Sid Bream, skydome, steve karsay, todd stottlemyre, Tom Cheek, tom henke, tony fernandez, toronto, toronto blue jays, twitter @chuckbooth3024, willie blair, willie upshaw, woody williams, world series

There Will Never Be Another 300 Game Winner

Oct 27

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday October 27th, 2012

Luke Whitecotton (Guest Writer):

Let me thrown four names out there: Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine. What do these guys have in common? Two are Hall of Famers and two more are on their way. All were big game money pitchers. And most importantly, they are all 300 game winners.

Will we ever see another 300 game winner in baseball? Quite frankly, I don’t think we will.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a fan I would love to see it happen again in my lifetime. It would bring me almost as much pure joy as watching Greg Maddux pitch in his prime. As part of my analysis, I looked squarely at the odds and stats to determine the difficulty level of reaching that plateau in this day and age in baseball. Jamie Moyer, who will turn 50 in November, has 269 wins. Roy Halladay, who is 35 years old, has 199 wins. Andy Pettitte, who is 40 years old, has 245 wins in his career. You can see where I am going with this, as for some of these guys to keep pitching at the required level to reach the golden 300 mark is just too big of an obstacle to overcome. Just a little note by the way, Nolan Ryan was 43 years old and was considered one of the most durable pitchers ever. When you consider what Ryan had to do to win 300, you really start to feel the force that these star pitchers are up against. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: 300 game winner, andy pettitte, baseball, c.c. sabathia, cliff lee, cooperstown, cy young, felix hernandez, Greg Maddux, hall of fame, jamie moyer, justin verlander, mlb, nolan ryan, tom glavine

Kyle Lohse: NL Cy Young Candidate?

Sep 27

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Thursday September 27th, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: Kyle Lohse could be the most underrated pitcher in the National League, if not all of baseball. Granted, he does not have stand-out stuff and is not an eccentric character. He plays for the Cardinals, so he could be overshadowed by true “aces” Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. He blends in with the rest of the league. Over his 12-year career, Lohse has been mediocre, posting a cumulative 4.44 ERA. He started his career on the Minnesota Twins and bounced around between Cincinnati and Philadelphia over a three-year span. He finally settled in St. Louis in 2008 and found his stride (minus 2010).

In St. Louis excluding 2010, Lohse never had an ERA higher than 4.74, and beside this year, his lowest ERA was 3.39—last year. He has been reliable for the Cardinals, and has carried a good percentage of the workload. 2010 was a rough patch for Lohse—he only threw 92 innings and posted a 6.55 ERA. Last year was his best—leading up to this year—when he posted a 3.39 ERA over 188.1 innings of work. This year has been the best of his career by far. Up to now, Lohse has pitched over 200 innings—for just the third time in his career. His ERA sits at 2.77—the best of his career, and he has gone 16-3—his best record. He still will have a start or two left this season, so it will be interesting to see how he will build on these strong numbers. While everyone is talking Kris Medlen these days, plus Cain, Gio and Dickey, Lohse seems to have been lost in the shuffle. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: adam wainwright, awards, baseball, cardinals, chris carpenter, combacks, craig kimbrel, cy young, emerging pitchers, end of the year, gio gonzalez, johnny cueto, kris medlen, kyle lohse, matt cain, mlb, nl, NL Central, playoffs, r.a. dickey, stephen strasburg

Was Ian Kennedy’s 2011 Cy Young Caliber Season Just A Fluke?

Sep 9

Posted by Jake Dal Porto

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Sunday September 9th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: Ian Kennedy has had an up and down six-year career in the major leagues so far. He has been really good, average, and really bad, and he can’t seem to stick in one of those categories. Obviously, the Diamondbacks would prefer him to fall in the latter category, but the team that drafted him with the 21st pick in the 2006 draft, the Yankees, saw the former side of him for about three years. New York couldn’t fix him, so they ended up trading him to Arizona in a three-way trade for Curtis Granderson.

Whose the real Ian Kennedy? The 2011 Cy Young contender or the Yankee fallout?

There isn’t a clear answer. I’m making it sound like Kennedy was really bad with the Yankees, but that’s not exactly the case. In 2007, he totaled a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings. That’s not half bad. But in 2008, he posted an 8.17 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. So with a more sizable role, he regressed greatly. The next year he suffered an elbow injury, and ended up pitching just one lone inning. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: arizona diamondbacks, austin jackson, baseball, curtis granderson, cy young, daniel hudson, ian kennedy, joe blanton, kirk gibson, mlb, mlb reports, new york yankees

Los Angeles Angels: Can Their Starting Rotation Carry Them Into the Postseason?

Aug 8

Posted by Jake Dal Porto

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Wednesday August 8th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Intern Writer):

The Los Angeles Angels made two big splashes in the offseason. One obviously being Albert Pujols, the second C.J. Wilson who has helped stabilize their rotation this season. Jerry Dipoto wasn’t finished tweaking his already steady pitching staff yet, however. Instead of sticking with Garrett Richards or Jerome Williams to fill out a star-studded rotation, he went out and acquired former American League Cy Young award winner, Zack Greinke from the Brewers at the trade deadline. According to multiple insiders, the move was supposedly a steal for the Angels too. And the fact that Dipoto is willing to dangle a top prospect away for a rental pitcher, shows how committed the Angels are to winning this year.

Can they make a playoff push behind their rotation, however? Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: albert pujols, baseball, c.j. wilson, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, cy young, dan haren, ervin santana, jered weaver, jerry dipoto, los angeles angels, mike scioscia, Mike Trout, mlb, mvp, red sox, ryan dempster, texas rangers, zack greinke

What’s Wrong with Ricky Romero? Jays Hope Their Ace Can Return to Form

Aug 2

Posted by johnburnsmlb

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Thursday August 2nd, 2012

John Burns: The 2012 season has been one to forget for Ricky Romero. Romero was the Blue Jays ace coming into this season after posting a 2.92 ERA in 2011. This year has been a complete disaster for Romero. The Jays lefty has a 5.68 ERA this season and has allowed 82 earned runs in 129.2 innings. Last year, Romero allowed 73 earned runs in 225 innings. It’s obvious that something is not right with Romero this year. Romero has also lost seven straight starts for Toronto. The second half has been even rougher for Romero. Since the All-Star break, he has 8.38 ERA. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: ace, AL East, baseball, blue jays, brandon morrow, cy young, down year, era, jays, jp arencibia, left handed, minor leagues, mlb, ricky romero, toronto blue jays, wins

What to Expect from Tim Lincecum in the Second Half: The Return of the Giants Ace to Form?

Jul 12

Posted by samevans87

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Thursday July 12th, 2012

Sam Evans: Tim Lincecum has been proving doubters wrong his whole life. Despite his small frame, Lincecum has managed to win the Golden Spikes award and two N.L. Cy Young awards. However, in 2012 Lincecum hasn’t looked like the same pitcher. He has not only lost velocity on his fastball, but his numbers across the board are not what we expected from one of the best pitchers in the game. It’s hard to conclude what has caused Lincecum to struggle in his first fifteen starts. But the question on everyone’s mind is: what is next for Lincecum?

From 2007 to 2011, Tim Lincecum ranked fifth in Wins Above Replacement among all starting pitchers. He was simply dominant. In 2008 and 2009, Lincecum became the first pitcher ever to win back-to-back Cy Young awards in their first two full seasons. The Giants largely owe their 2010 World Series title to Lincecum and his 2.43 ERA in the playoffs. Heading into the 2012 season, the Giants reportedly offered Lincecum a five-year, $100 million contract, which he turned down to sign a two-year deal worth about $40 million. Looking back at it, Lincecum probably should have taken the deal which offered him long-term security. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles, Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles

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Tags: analysis, baseball, cy young, fantasy, giants, injury, jeremy hellickson, madison bumgarner, matt cain, mlb, nl west, projections, ryan dempster, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, san fransisco, starting pitcher, the freak, tim lincecum

The MLB Pitching Leaders in Wins: What to Make of Them?

Jul 9

Posted by bernieolshansky

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Monday July 9th, 2012

Bernie Olshansky: With more than half of the season over, we’ve seen a lot of surprises when it comes to pitching. Some have pitched unbelievably well and are rewarded for it, some haven’t pitched as well and have been lucky, and some aren’t so lucky. Although it might be wrong to spotlight pitchers on the night of a hitting showcase, here’s a list of pitchers (some lucky and some not) who are atop the majors in wins.

Eight Wins: To name a few: Ubaldo Jimenez, Clay Buchholz, Ricky Romero, Jason Vargas. I would think it’s safe to say these guys are getting really, really lucky. Taking a look at these ERAs, Jimenez has a 4.50, Buchholz has a 5.53, Romero has a 5.22, and Vargas has a 4.07. Not to mention, Buchholz has only two losses. Looking purely at wins and losses, he’s a legitimate Cy Young candidate. Obviously wins don’t tell the whole story. Luck plays a huge part in each of these win-loss records. The Indians average 4.52 runs per game, so that explains why Ubaldo wins. The Red Sox and Blue Jays never have a problem producing runs either. But the Mariners? Although he’s been lucky, Vargas has also had seven losses, so for almost every time the Mariners have scored for him, they’ve also failed to score for him.

Nine Wins: C.J. Wilson, Stephen Strasburg, Matt Cain—among others. With a 2.43 ERA, Wilson deserves all the wins he has. The Angels provide a strong offense that produces enough runs to give CJ his wins. Strasburg, too, has a 2.82 ERA to explain his high number of wins. The Nationals weren’t a early season team to put up big numbers in the offensive department in the early part of the season, but Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper have helped to carry the team. In his career with the Giants, Matt Cain has never gotten the run support he deserves. This year he has finally gotten it and it has shown. Cain earned the starting spot in the All Star Game and will definitely be a Cy Young candidate. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles, Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles

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Tags: 20 wins, all-star game, baseball, cliff lee, cy young, giants, gio gonzalez, matt cain, mets, mlb, nationals, pitching, ra dickey, ricky romero, tim lincecum, ubaldo jimenez, wins

Montreal Expos Drafting Record Part 2: The Pitchers

Jun 27

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Wednesday June.27/2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Team’s Payroll going into in 2013 and 5. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) To follow all of the updates, be sure to check my author page with a list of all archived articles here.

Drafted in 1985 by the Montreal Expos, Randy Johnson was erratic in his early days. After trading away Mark Langston to acquire the young fireballer, the Mariners worked him into the rotation and he developed into a Hall of Famer.

Chuck Booth (Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- When looking back at some of the pitchers that the Montreal Expos have had in their organization, you don’t have go down the list very far to find Randy Johnson. He is the ‘crown jewel’ of the draft history record for the club. It is unfortunate the ‘The Big Unit’ was traded to the Seattle Mariners with Brian Holman and Gene Harris to the Mariners for rental player Mark Langston and a player to be named later. To be fair to the Montreal Expos, they were in serious contention for the pennant in 1989 and were trying to chase down the Chicago Cubs. Langston was one of the top Left Handed Aces in the Majors and he was available. Johnson was completely wild in the Minor Leagues and the Expos had a lot of veteran pitchers like Dennis Martinez and Bryn Smith that were on the back end of their careers. The time to try and win was now and they could not wait for Johnson to come around. The Expos did not succeed in capturing the pennant and Langston moved onto the California Angels as a free agent while Johnson blossomed into the premier left handed pitcher in his generation. Speaking of Martinez and Smith, they won 100 and 81 games respectively for the club. While they were not drafted by the Expos, they are 2nd and 3rd on the all-time win list.

Along with Smith and Dennis Martinez (who threw a perfect game as an Expo in 1991 and note: Bill Stoneman also threw two no-hitters for the franchise), you have to factor in the career of Pedro Martinez as an Expo for guys that were great pitchers during their prime. Pedro was acquired prior to the 1994 season from the Dodgers in exchange for the Expos departed ALL-Star second baseman Delino DeShields. Martinez went 11-5 in the strike shortened year and formed an impressive 1-2 ace combination with Ken Hill. Pedro went onto a 55-33 record and a 3.06 ERA for his 4 year Expos career. Pedro’s best year with the club was 1997 where he was the NL CY Young with a 17-8 record and a 1.90 ERA. Martinez finished the year with 305 strikeouts and a ridiculous 13 complete games. Pedro ended up signing with the Boston Red Sox before the 1998 season and he ultimately won a World Series with the Beantowners in 2004. In his post game celebration, Martinez mentioned the Expos franchise and their fans. Pedro shared his triumph as a testament to them. It was talent like this that Expos could never afford to resign and would lose outright- or have to trade for prospects based on their economic viability. I will get more into this in Part 3 of the Article Series on Friday.

For Part 1 of the Article Series, The Hitters: click here

For Part 3 of the Article Series, The Demise: click here

For Part 4 of the Article Series, The Washington Nationals Franchise 2005-2012: click here

For Part 5 of the Article Series, The Nats Best 25 Man Roster 2005-2012 click here

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Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: Atlanta, Bill gullickson, boston red sox, brandon phillips, bryce harper, bryn smith, chad cordero, Charlie Lea, chicago cubs, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, cincinnati reds, cleveland indians, cliff lee, cy young, dan uggla, Dan Wilson, delino deshields, dennis martinez, drew storen, Erik Hanson, florida marlins, gaby sanchez, gene harris, giancarlo stanton, grady sizemore, hall of fame, hanley ramirez, javier vazquez, jeff brantley, jeff reardon, jeffrey loria, joe hesketh, john henry, josh johnson, ken hill, kirk reuter, logan morrison, mark gardner, mark langston, mel rojas, mike boddicker, Mike Lowell, minnesota twins, montreal expos, Norm Charlton, oakland athletics, orioles, pedro martinez, randy johnson, Randy Myers, rick monday, rob dibble, scott sanderson, seattle mariners, sf giants, stephen strasburg, steve rogers, tigers, ugueth urbina, washington nationals, world series

#29 Smoltz Jersey to be Retired: A Tribute to a Future Hall of Famer

Apr 21

Posted by Ryan Ritchey

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Saturday April 21st, 2012

Ryan Ritchey: On June 8th, 2012, John Smoltz’s number 29 jersey will be retired as an Atlanta Brave. This will be the 4th in 4 seasons for the Braves. Reality is that Smoltz was one of the most underrated pitchers ever to pitch in the majors. He is not a 300 game winner (a number that every starting pitcher shoots for), but he was one of the most consistent pitchers to ever toe the rubber. Winning 213 games throughout his 21 year career, he had to be consistent. Also as a reliever he also saved 155 games in 4 seasons. Impressive stats to say the least.

As a rookie at the age of 21, he had a rough start to his career going 2-7 with a 5.48 ERA. As a pitcher, he learned from his mistakes and became an all-star in only his second season in the bigs. He went 12-11 on the year, but had 5 complete games with a 2.94 ERA. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: Atlanta Braves, baseball, Bobby Cox, cooperstown, cy young, hall of fame, john smoltz, mlb, national league, saves, Tommy John Surgery, wins

Marshall and Chapman to Solidify the Reds Pen

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Thursday April 12th, 2012

Ryan Ritchey: The Reds went out and got two relievers this year to help out in the back-end of their bullpen, with Francisco Cordero leaving. Those two pitchers were Ryan Madson and Sean Marshall. As I wrote in a previous article, Madson has gone down with Tommy John Surgery and now Sean Marshall will have to take over the closing duties. This puts a lot of pressure on Marshall to succeed because the Reds will likely play in many close games throughout the season.

With the injury to Madson, it changes a lot around in the rotation. In Spring Training Aroldis Chapman was getting his arm in shape to be a starter, since their was enough bullpen to shut down teams in late innings. That all went out the window with the Madson injury. Chapman is 2-0 and has 10 k’s in 5 innings pitched this first week of the season in the bullpen. So far…so good. (more…)

Posted on April 12, 2012 | Image

Gregg Olson Interview: Talking Ball with One of the Greatest Closers in MLB History

Apr 6

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Friday April 6th, 2012

MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: As a big fan of baseball cards growing up (weren’t we all), one of my favorite memories was opening up my first pack of 1989 Donruss. For those of you that never saw that particular baseball card set, it is longer considered one of the ugliest cards of all time. The choice of colors was interesting to say the least. But for those that grew up with it, the cards were beautiful to us and we loved it! In that first pack of cards, I got a Gregg Olson “rated rookie”. The set featured many great rookie cards, including Griffey, Sheffield and Tom Gordon. But the Olson was my fave. The close-up on his wind-up. The intense competitor’s face. That card was forever burned in my mind. I became a huge Gregg Olson fan and watched his career from his MLB debut in 1988 and ROY season to follow in 1989. It all started though from that first pack of baseball cards. Thank you Donruss…wherever you are…

Being based in Toronto, I had the pleasure of watching Gregg Olson pitch on many occasions as a member of those Baltimore Orioles squads. From 1989-1993, Gregg rang up 160 saves in one of the dominant runs I had ever seen from a MLB closer. The most saves at the time for a closer under 27-years of age. In 1989, Gregg won the AL Rookie of the Year award and finished 6th in CY Young voting. He was named an AL All-Star in 1990 (the only All-Star game nod in his career). Elbow issues unfortunately set back his career and Gregg did not get the chance to jump back into the closer’s role in 1998, while a member of the Diamondbacks. After 14 years in the big leagues and 217 career saves, Gregg Olson had a career that most players could only dream of. Had things played out differently health-wise, we would have seen him in Cooperstown one day, along with the other top closers of the modern-day, including Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera.

Known for his fastball and devastating curveball nicknamed “Uncle Charlie”, Gregg Olson was as good as they get in his prime. It was very difficult in my mind to see him outside of a Baltimore Orioles jersey, but so goes the business of baseball. Gregg ended up playing for 9 major league teams, with a playoff appearance with the aforementioned Diamondbacks coming in 1999. Today on MLB reports, we had a chance to catch up with the Baltimore Orioles Hall-of-Fame pitcher and talk some great baseball. Gregg was at home watching the Masters, but was kind enough to take some time for us. Following his retirement, Gregg Olson has been one busy cat. A Scout for the San Diego Padres. Published Author of the baseball book “We Got to Play Baseball”. Part Owner and President of “Toolshed Sports“- a leading manufacturer of high performance undergear. Gregg has his hands in many facets of the game of baseball! He spoke to us about all parts of his career, from getting drafted and playing with the Orioles to his current ventures and roles (and everything in-between). Gregg is a great personality to speak with. He is funny, sarcastic and extremely knowledgeable. He tells it like it us and doesn’t hold back. Much like the dominant closer in the 9th inning that went straight after top hitters in tight ballgames- Gregg Olson approaches life with the same vigour and intensity. One of my personal favorite baseball players of all-time, baseball fans are in for a treat as I spoke exclusively one-on-one with one of the greatest closers in MLB history. Today on MLB reports, I am proud to feature my conversation with the one and only, Gregg Olson:

Welcome to MLB reports Gregg. First question: A 1st round pick (4th overall) in 1988. Did you expect to go that high in the draft? Did you always know you would be heading to Baltimore?

I actually did. I was told that it was down to Andy Benes and myself for the 1st pick, so it was going to be 1-5. Baltimore wanted me- so it was either going to be San Diego or Baltimore.

It didn’t take you many games- only a handful until reaching the majors in 1988. How did you get the call? Tell us about that experience.

I really don’t remember how I was told. I had it in my contract that I would be there by September 1st. So it wasn’t a surprise. I do remember flying from Charlotte to Seattle with Curt Schilling (my roomie) for our first trip as big leaguers. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in Interviews with MLB Stars

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Tags: arizona diamondbacks, baltimore orioles, baseball, baseball scout, closer, cy young, detroit tigers, goose gossage, gregg olson, mlb, reliever, rookie of the year, san diego padres, saves, we got to play baseball

Chad Cordero Interview: Closing In On A Major League Comeback

Mar 22

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Thursday March 22nd, 2012

(Photo courtesy of Scott Ableman- click here for link to Scott’s photographs)

MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: When you are discussing the terms “closer” and “saves”, this name will always come in conversation at some point. One of the top closers in baseball for several years, this man really needs no introduction. But he will get one anyways…because he is that damn good. As far as superstar closers go, Chad Cordero has been there. Between 2004-2007, Chad was one of the game’s elite. 2005 was his shining moment, as Chad led the league with 47 saves in Washington- the first year of the Nationals. Consistent and a bulldog on the mound. Injuries and a personal tragedy all made the last few years very difficult for Chad and his family. But like on the mound, Chad Cordero in life is not one to give up. He battles on.

I had the honor of speaking with Chad recently as the MLB season began to approach. Where did we speak? Amazingly enough, while Chad was getting a tattoo. Apparently talking baseball helped numb the pain. If nothing else, it made for an interesting interview experience! We got to discuss many topics, centering around baseball and life in general.

Despite his stardom and popularity, Chad Cordero remains very grounded and focused. After taking the time to heal his body and family, Chad is back with renewed energy and confidence. Despite reports last year of his retirement from the game, I am happy to report that Chad Cordero is far from finished. He is working hard and training for his MLB comeback in 2013.

We covered many topics during our conversation. From closing in College, playing in Montreal and Washington, reaching major league success, and recovering from the loss of his daughter to SIDS, Chad was very candid in this interview. I even discovered the secret behind the straight-brim hat! Today on MLB reports, we feature one of our favorite closers of all-time – on the comeback trail with the man they called “The Chief” – Chad Cordero:

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Posted in Interviews with MLB Stars

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Tags: baseball, chad cordero, closer, cy young, mlb, montreal expos, reliever, saves, seattle mariners, toronto blue jays, washington nationals

Bob Gibson: Ranking the Cardinals Hurler Among the Greatest of All Time

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Friday March 9th, 2012

Rob Bland: Bob Gibson is, in Jonathan Hacohen’s mind, the best pitcher of all time. To me, there is certainly in an argument for at least top-10, maybe top-5. But I have trouble actually justifying putting him ahead of Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Pedro Martinez and Walter Johnson. Now, these pitchers played in different eras, so it is extremely difficult to compare them side-by-side.

Bob Gibson pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals for parts of 17 seasons, racking up 251 wins against 174 losses. He made his debut on April 15, 1959, and played his last game in September of 1975. Six years later he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 337 of a total 401 votes (84%).

Between 1961 and 1974, Gibson threw over 200 innings all but twice; 175.1 in 1967, and 195 in 1973. He surpassed 250 innings pitched eight times, and 290 innings four times. Needless to say, Gibby was a work horse. (more…)

Posted on March 9, 2012 | Image

A Tribute to Frank “Sweet Music” Viola

Dec 6

Posted by pwstein87

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Tuesday December 6, 2011

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): This week, I take a look at back and crunch the numbers of an intriguing former great player, Frank Viola. Nicknamed “Sweet Music”, the crafty left-hander finished his fifteen-year career with a 3.73 ERA and a 176-150-career record. Impressive numbers that earned Viola an induction to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. However, his qualifications by no means ended up landing him a spot in Cooperstown with the big boys. Viola only received 2 votes in 2002 (0.4%) and went off the ballot after only one year of eligibility.

Since I was only nine years old when Viola retired in 1996, I don’t have the pleasure of seeing him pitch firsthand. I have heard a lot about the lefty, and while examining his career at a closer level; there are uncanny parallels to my favorite pitcher of all-time, Mark Buehrle. As much as I have tried to the case for Buehrle as a HOF, and as much as he has accomplished, he is simply not a dominant player of his generation. The same was true for Viola.

In the prime of his career, Viola was masterful and ate up a lot of innings. He consistently finished the season around 250 innings pitched and threw a whopping 74 career complete games. He had the ability to miss bats, but only surpassed the 200-strikeout plateau once in his career. He allowed a lot of hits, one per inning throughout his career, but he did have good control and kept the walks to a minimum. Not blowing hitters away, Viola creatively maneuvered around the strike zone and made the most of his “stuff”, a term used to describe a pitcher’s repertoire and arsenal.

Outside of my own wishes and perhaps members of the White Sox nation, Mark Buehrle is not considered a HOF caliber player at this point in his career. However, a move to the National League and another six-plus years of strong pitching, then he truly becomes a candidate if he can surpass the 250-win level. Remember, this is a guy who has thrown a no-hitter, a perfect game, started AND saved a World Series game, and started and won an All-Star game. Since becoming a starter in 2001, he has thrown at least 200 innings in one 10 games in each season. A model of consistency. With a 161-119 career record and 3.83 lifetime ERA. His numbers stack up nicely compared to Viola, despite throwing 30 fewer games.

Admittedly, Viola was more dominant than Buehrle during several of his best seasons, particularly in 1984, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Viola was a 3-time all-star selection, a World Series champion and MVP in 1987, and was the 1988 AL CY Young Award winner. Clearly, Viola was good and even dominant for a few years. However, he does not stack up against the true greats. Overall, he amassed a 43.9 career WAR in fifteen seasons, ranking him 106th overall for pitchers. Buehrle, with a 46.6 career WAR to date, in through just 11 seasons, is ranked 92nd overall.

Therefore, based on this comparative analysis, if Frank Viola should have been HOF worthy, than so is Mark Buehrle – right now. Their career numbers are almost identical, as well as their style and stuff, despite the fact that Buehrle has pitched about one fewer full season of games. While Buehrle still has an outside chance to one day reach Cooperstown, Frank “Sweet Music” Viola, simply did not have enough dominant seasons to reach the Hall of Fame. Viola though did enjoy an outstanding career and will forever be remembered as one of the pitching greats of his generation.

***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).***

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter (@MLBreports) 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.

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Posted in Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles

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Tags: baseball, cooperstown, cy young, frank viola, hall of fame, mark buehrle, mets, mlb, twins

Ask the Reports: Saturday November 19th

Nov 19

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday November 19, 2011

Jonathan Hacohen: Ask the Reports is back! After some thought and re-branding: we have decided to drop the E-mailbag moniker and to keep this section as “Ask the Reports”, which will appear every weekend. E-mails is but one form you can reach MLB reports. You can follow us on Twitter and tweet and direct message your questions and comments. You can “Like” us on Facebook and write on our wall. You can also leave all questions and comments at the end of each article and page on the website. With social media exploding as it has, we are truly connected in so many ways.

So keep reading MLB reports. Everyday. Twice a day or more if your schedule allows it. Subscribe to the site to have all current articles sent to your e-mailbox. But most of all: participate. Send tweets. Write on our Facebook wall. Comment on articles and leave feedback. MLB reports is for you: the readers. The love of baseball is best nurtured if enjoyed as a community. So don’t be shy. Get in touch with us as often as you can. Let your voice be heard on our Facebook wall. There is nothing better than an old-fashioned baseball debate. We call it MLB4Life on Twitter because we all love baseball for life. Baseball is more than a passion. It is a lifestyle. Thank you for enjoying MLB reports and we look forward to hearing from you. Plus you never know when your questions will be answered in “Ask the Reports”: so keep checking and asking your questions every week!

Let’s get to your questions:

Q: If a modern-day MLB pitcher won 20 games for 20 seasons, he would still be 111 wins short of Cy Young’s win record.. From Eric, LA

A: Great comment. A true reflection on the evolution of the game. Let’s start by taking a look at the career of Cy Young:

Denton True Young (aka Cy Young). Born March 29, 1867 in Ohio. Threw right-handed, stood 6’2″ and weighed 210 pounds. He played for 22 seasons: 1890-1911. He finished his career with a 511-316 lifetime record. He actually had 5 seasons of 30+ wins. 36 in 1892 and 35 in 1895 being the career highs. The man pitched in 906 games, starting 815 of them. He threw 7356 career innings. Ponder that one for a minute. He had 5 seasons of 400 + innings and a dozen more seasons of 300-399 innings. 17 years of 300+ innings pitched. If a modern-day pitcher were to pitch 200 innings per year for 20 years, he would reach 4000 innings. About half of Cy Young. That says a lot to me. In the modern age, the only person that will come close to pitching those kind of innings was Nolan Ryan. The Ryan Express pitched for 27 seasons. 807 games, 773 starts. 5386 innings pitched. Career record: 324-292. So to win as many games as Cy Young, you would need to win 25 games per year for 20 years. An impossible feat in today’s modern game. A pitcher would need to start 35-40 games and pitch 300-400 innings per year. With closers, middle relievers and the stats of MLB bullpens, teams will not allow their starters to go deep into all those ballgames. A “quality” start is 6 innings pitched. At 30+ starts per year, most starters today are lucky to crack 200 innings. Without the starts and innings, starting pitchers have less and less chances to stay deep in games to win. Plus pitchers need offensive support and health to stay on the field and have a chance to gain wins. Teams have 5-man rotations and also skip or push back starts during the season. We will never see another Cy Young. Not the way baseball is played today.

Q: What do you think Pat Burrell will do after he retires? Fans of Pat Burrell

A: I could see Burrell taking time off from the game. Counting his dollars and maybe taking in a party or two (rumor has it that he is somewhat of a ladies’ man…). But given his quality eye at the plate with pop, Burrell clearly knew a thing or two about hitting in his day. Almost 300 home runs and 1000 walks do not happen by accident. When Pat the Bat is ready to return to the game, he will join the Giants or Phillies likely as a minor league hitting instructor, or full-time hitting coach. If he can show he can coach in the minors, you could see him as a hitting coach or 1st base coach one day in the major leagues. Pat the Bat has a future in baseball- provided that he can teach and work well with the kids in helping them develop their abilities at the plate.

Q: With 8 years and $160 Million, is Matt Kemp worth Manny Money or did L.A. pay a $30 Million premium to keep him off the open market next year? Or both? From Jason

A: They did call Matt Kemp “Baby Manny” for a reason. The Bison has always been highly touted coming up with the Dodgers. For the last 2 seasons going into this year, some of that promise was starting to show. Campaigns with 26 and 28 home runs respectively will catch people’s eyes. Kemp looked like a .290 hitter with 20+ home run pop. Pretty good- but not a superstar. Then in 2011, Kemp simply exploded. He led the league with 39 home runs and 126 RBIs, a difficult feat considering he had little support in the lineup and played his home games in a pitcher’s park. With a .324 average, we nearly had a triple crown winner. Kemp had a .399 OBP and .586 SLG. Superstar numbers. I am torn in analyzing him. He was a year away from free agency. Is he worth $20 Million per year for 8 years? That is all relative. Here is how I can best put it: what if Kemp would have hit .290, with 25 home runs with 90 runs and 90 RBIs in 2012 and hit free agency? Would he have received the same deal? Very likely. At that point would the Yankees or Red Sox given him 7 years and $140 million to sign? Carl Crawford got that same deal last year. At 28 years of age, Kemp has shown good health and appears to be in great shape. To say he is able to keep this pace until 35-years of age is not a stretch. At worst, Kemp would have landed $15 million per season for 7 years, a total of $105 million. So my thoughts are that the Dodgers would have needed to pay him $20 million for 2012 regardless. By signing him early, they may have overpaid by $35 million over the life of the deal. Or Kemp could have signed for $5 million per season on the open market (if no other alternatives) and cost an additional $35 million. In a perfect world, it would have been nice to have seen more 2011-type seasons from Kemp before handing him this type of contract. But given his fairly strong track record, health and young age, the Dodgers needed to lock him up now or risk very much losing him after 2012? Did they overpay? Not much by free agency standards. Even if they overpaid by $30 million over the life of the contract, as long as Kemp continues to stay healthy and produce great to strong numbers, this was a deal that had to get done. With the ownership turmoil and inability to attract and keep key players, this signing sends a message that the Dodgers are “back in business.” Exactly what the fans want to hear.

Q: Thoughts on Cespedes and Darvish? Any chance Blue Jays sign ’em? From Thomas

A: There are approximately fans from 30 MLB teams that are hoping their teams will make a push for the 2 likely biggest international free agents. Yu Darvish from Japan and Yoennis Cespedes from Cuba. While Darvish will need to be posted and bid upon, Cespedes once declared would be free to sign with any team. At 26-years of Cespedes is reported to be major league ready. Viewers of his YouTube video are excited at his abilities at the plate. He will reportedly cost in the $50 million range to sign. Darvish, at 25-years of age, is one of the most highly touted pitchers ever to come from Japan. If he is posted (which is still a big-if at this stage), Darvish is likely to cost north of $100 million (with the posting fee) to sign. Will the Jays sign either or both? My answer: no. Not because the team is not competitive. Far from it. But because they will not throw a lot of money on risky propositions. Neither player has played a single inning of Major League Ball. No matter how each has fared competitively to-date, few could predict how their games will translate to the major leagues. The Jays are already stacked in the oufield, with Bautista, Rasmus, Snider and Thames to choose from. Edwin Encarnacion is even being tried out in the outfield in winterball. Anthony Gose is also a young hot-shot prospect that will be landing in Toronto soon. The Jays do not have a strong need for an outfielder and certainly will not want to devote a large portion of their budget to an unknown like Cespedes. Especially given the mixed track record of Cuban hitters thus far in the majors. The Jays’ budget would be better spent on pitching. But to pay $50 million to win the Darvish posting and then sign him for another $50 million, that could translate to $20 million per season for 5 seasons. That is insanity money. At that point, I would rather sign C.J. Wilson for 5-years $100 million. A far more certain return. The Jays will pick up a strong DH bat this offseason, perhaps a new first baseman and 1-2 new starting pitchers. They will be shopping. But no mail-order-players are likely coming anytime soon to Toronto.

Final Q: Psychology professor asked what our biggest stressors in life are. I said Brandon Inge still being a Tiger. Everyone looked at me weird. From Ashley

A: Time to change schools? If any of your classmates are baseball fans, they must not watch the Tigers very often or simply fail to grasp the horrible play of Inge. I rarely use the word “hate”. But as a Tigers follower (yes…they are my team), I do not have the time of day for Inge. The team has him signed for 1 more season at $5.5 million and a team option for $6 million in 2013 or a $500K buyout. Expect the buyout. I get that he is a great team guy, and blah blah blah. In 144 games in 2010, he hit .247 with 13 home runs. Looking at his numbers, he had a great year in 2006 and 2009. That is it. But yet the Tigers have him signed through to 2012. Last year, Inge hit .197 with 3 home runs and earned himself a trip back to the minors. At 34-years of age. He is done. Done as dinner. Stick the fork in him. One of the most gifted defensive players that I have ever watched, he could do it all with the glove. Perhaps he sticks around as a late-inning defensive replacement. He is a good emergency catcher and strong third baseman. But his career as a full-time player is over. If the Tigers are prepared to leave him on the bench and mentor the young players, I am all for it. But otherwise, they need to hang onto Ramon Santiago and simply let the Inge-era end. Brandon Inge has cool tattoos and has provided some spark hits through his career. Its time for the Tigers to thank him for his contributions and move on. Thank you Ashley for understanding. I feel your pain.

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Jonathan Hacohen is the Lead Baseball Columnist & Editor for MLB reports: You can follow Jonathan on Twitter (@JHacohen)

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Tags: baseball, bautista, bluejays, burrell, cespedes, crawford, cuba, cy young, darvish, dodgers, giants, gose, inge, japan, jays, kemp, mlb, phillies, ramirez, redsox, ryan, snider, thames, tigers, wilson, wins, yankees

Justin Verlander Wins the 2011 AL Cy Young Award: MVP to Follow

Nov 16

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Wednesday November 16, 2011

MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: Congratulations to Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, who was the named the 2011 American League Cy Young Award winner on Tuesday. Verlander was the unanimous choice after leading the lead in most key pitching categories. He absolutely had a season for the ages, with a 24-5 record, 251 IP, 34 starts, 250 strikeouts, 2.40 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. This was truly the year of the Verlander and next Monday, the magic is expected to continue with Verlander being named the AL MVP.

We will get to the pitchers being named MVP next week. For the time being at least, nobody could dispute that Justin Verlander was the top pitcher in the AL in 2011. After 7 seasons, Verlander already has 107 wins. At 28-years of age, he has a chance to make a strong run for the next years, health permitting. Signed to a 5-year $79.5 million contract running through 2014, the Tigers have their ace locked up for the next few seasons as they try to maintain a balanced playoff-caliber team. A 4-time All-Star who also a Rookie of the Year Award in his cabinet, the sky is the limit for Justin Verlander. There were other strong pitchers this year in the American League. C.C. Sabathia, Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, just to name a few. But based on the voting, the award was deservingly given to Verlander. He was truly the best hurler in the American League and deserved to win this award.

This afternoon the American League will be naming its Manager of the Year. This one is expected to go to Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays, although Jim Leyland of the Tigers and Ron Washington of the Rangers should receive consideration as well. Everyone has awards fever as Major League Baseball continues to hand out its annual hardware into next week. Stay tuned! Free agency is also alive and well with most of the big free agents still yet to sign. MLB reports has you covered and will report all the big signings as they happen.

Jonathan Hacohen is the Lead Baseball Columnist & Editor for MLB reports: You can follow Jonathan on Twitter (@JHacohen)

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.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: al, angels, baseball, cy young, mlb, sabathia, tigers, verlander, weaver, yankees

Game 162 and Beyond – Can MLB Top That?

Sep 29

Posted by blandy12

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September 29, 2011

Rob Bland (Baseball Writer – MLB reports): In order to write all of this, I needed to step away from my TV and computer, take a deep breath, and sleep for a while. The excitement of last night was almost too much for my fragile heart to bear, so the time away to clear my head was necessary.

I find myself repeating, “What just happened??” in my head. What happened last night was unfathomable. Not only were there two teams in each league tied for the Wild Card, but both teams that had been leading, suffered epic failures along the way. Go back to September 1, and the Boston Red Sox held a 9 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Atlanta Braves held an 8.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams chances of reaching the postseason were over 99%. Nobody could have actually predicted seriously at that time, that both the Cards and Rays would win the Wild Card on the final day of the regular season. Especially not the way that the AL Wild Card was eventually decided.

The Rays started David Price against the Yankees. Sounded promising enough, until Price gave up 6 runs in 4 innings. The game was pretty much over with the score at 7-0 in the Rays’ half of the 8^th inning. 3 runs plated in the bottom of the 8th, then Evan Longoria took over the game. A 3-run home run put them within one run, and Tropicana Field exploded. Then with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th, Rays manager Joe Maddon made one of the gutsiest calls I have ever seen: pinch hit with Dan Johnson. Johnson was 9 for 90 this season. He hadn’t gotten a hit since April. He had 36 hits since 2008. With one swing of the bat, the pandemonium levels in Florida had never been so high. Then, as if he hadn’t done enough already, Longoria blasted another home run, this one of the walk-off variety that would vault the Rays to the postseason.

What hasn’t been said about Boston and their collapse? It has been covered by so many people from so many angles. You could blame the whole organization from top to bottom, and you wouldn’t be wrong. What happened was an epic collapse, capped off by a 2 out rally by the Baltimore Orioles of all teams in the bottom of the 9^th inning of game 162. The Orioles had nothing to play for but pride, and the love of the game. Robert Andino’s walk-off single to win the ball game will be remembered by Boston fans for years to come.

Hunter Pence hit a bloop-ish 120 ft infield single to win it for the Phillies over the Braves. In the 13^th inning. After Craig Kimbrel, the super rookie, blew a lead in the 9^th inning. The game saw the Phillies march out nine pitchers and the Braves used 8, including Scott Linebrink, who eventually gave up the winning run in the 13^th.

Chris Carpenter twirled a gem for the Cardinals, a 2 hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and 1 walk against the Astros. This performance sealed at the very least a one-game playoff game against the Braves had they won.

Wow what a night.

Now onto LDS matchups:

Rays vs. Rangers

The Rays come in with unlimited momentum, and a pitching staff that is so deep, that manager Joe Maddon is having a difficult time naming the starter for game 1. While Matt Moore seems to be the obvious choice to me, Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis could be viable options as well.** James Shields would have to go on short rest, and Price pitched last night, so one of the other three will be chosen to go against C.J. Wilson and a Rangers offense that is ready to take on all comers. Shields will go game 2 and Price go the 3^rd. Beyond that is a toss-up. For the Rangers, Wilson will go Game 1, Derek Holland game 2, and still undetermined the rest of the way.

Adrian Beltre had a phenomenal September, earning AL Player of the month, and Mike Napoli has been dominant all year, bashing home runs all over the field. Michael Young worked his way into the MVP race after a tumultuous offseason that saw him switch positions yet again. Josh Hamilton is as dangerous as ever, and Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler are still hitting home runs at a high rate. Kinsler actually became only the third 2^nd baseman to join the 30-30 club, with 32 HR and 30 SB. The Rays may not have the prodigious bombers that the Rangers have, but they have athletic, smart ballplayers that never say die. They ultimately seem like a team of destiny, and I will not discount the fact that they may have the best manager in all of baseball at the helm.

** Note: Matt Moore has been named the starter for game 1.

Rays in 4

Yankees vs. Tigers

So the Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball, and the Tigers have the 10^th, about $100,000 between them. Should be easy, right? Yankees should take this series in 3 games. Wrong. Detroit has one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in 2011 in Justin Verlander, who should win the Cy Young vote unanimously. He should also garner serious MVP interest. Against him will be CC Sabathia, who has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball the last 7 or 8 years. Doug Fister was brought in to shore up a shaky Tigers rotation, and with Max Scherzer, the Tigers look like they have a pretty decent chance. Behind Sabathia will be rookie Ivan Nova, who I am not sold on, and after him is Freddy Garcia, who is having a fine year, but is nowhere near the pitcher he used to be.

Robinson Cano has been his usual stellar self playing 2^nd base for the Yankees, but there were a lot of subpar seasons by other Yankees. Derek Jeter was better than last year, A-Rod was almost nonexistent for a lot of the season, and aside from Curtis Granderson, the lineup struggled to find consistency. The Posada soap opera continues, but giving Jesus Montero more at bats needs to happen. The kid can swing it. The Tigers have another MVP candidate in Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez has been stellar, and they have a young kid behind the plate named Alex Avila who could be in line for a Silver Slugger award. The Tigers are younger, and hungrier to win, but the Yankees have more overall talent. Even if their roster is aging, and this one should go down to the final out.

Tigers in 5

Diamondbacks vs. Brewers

The two best managers in the NL this year; Kirk Gibson of the DBacks and Ron Roenicke of the Brewers square off in this ultimately tight series. Arizona did it this year with a cast of relative nobodies and no real superstar other than Justin Upton. The Brewers have Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Zack Greinke, John Axford and Francisco Rodriguez. They have star power up and down the lineup and rotation, and they have a great fan base.

Ian Kennedy may be a Cy Young candidate, but the Brewers have more depth in their rotation. Yovani Gallardo will oppose him in game 1, followed by Shaun Marcum and Greinke, who will be opposed by Josh Collmenter and Daniel Hudson. The Brewers also have the dominant back-end of the bullpen in K-Rod and John Axford, who was 46 for 48 in save opportunities.

Brewers in 5

Cardinals vs. Phillies

Prince Fielder just missed his 11^th straight season of .300/ 30 HR/ 100RBI. He hit .299 with 37 home runs and 99 RBI. The cards are not just a one trick pony, however, as Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and Yadier Molina have been stellar all season long. If they can get solid contributions from their secondary players they could make the series interesting. The Phillies, like the Brewers, have tremendous star power in Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Not to mention one of the best deals of the year in Hunter Pence. They have a veteran presence filled with guys who have been to the postseason five years in a row, and have the ability to hit any team’s pitching.

If you ask anyone who knows anything about baseball what team has the best pitching, the unanimous decision would go to the Phillies. The 4 Aces look to lock up Philly’s second World Series in the last 4 seasons. Led by Roy Halladay, or Cliff Lee, or Cole Hamels, every team in the postseason should be scared. It is not very often that a team could have 3 pitchers in the top 5 for the Cy Young Award, but it could happen this year. Roy Oswalt will pitch game 4 if necessary. Tony La Russa has decided to open the series with veteran Kyle Lohse, which seems asinine. Edwin Jackson will go Game 2 and Chris Carpenter game 3. Jaime Garcia, who could be their most talented pitcher, will throw game 4 if necessary.

Phillies in 4

All 4 series should play pretty close, and the series I am most excited to watch is Arizona vs. Milwaukee. If Game 162 was any indication of what is to come of the postseason this year, then everyone needs to grab their popcorn and beverages, get bunkered down, and get ready for a long, gruelling, exciting month of baseball.

***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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