Blog Archives
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 25, 2016
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America
Enough is enough. The Commissioner of Baseball needs to remove Jeffrey Loria
The city of Miami could work as a baseball market. But we will never know if Loria continues to run the team.
It is a remove talents from South Beach episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg, Nomar Mazara, Gregory Polanco, Julio Teheran, Chris Tillman, Coco Crisp and Marcell Ozuna all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 22, 2015
Marc Serota/Getty Images
It is time for the SUNDAY REQUEST.
@sullybaseball Whenever I think of why I disliked Bud Selig’s reign as Commish, Jeffrey Loria’s “ownership” of the Expos & Marlins is it.
— Tony (@tony_f70) November 20, 2015
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The chain reaction of Bud Selig playing favorites with the fraternity of owners can still be felt. The new commissioner needs to step in and save the Miami Market.
You can’t collude on THIS episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 6, 2015
Photo: Carlos Osorio Associated Press
Dave Dombrowski has left the Tigers and is moving on. He is VERY good at his job.
Hey Angels, Red Sox and Mariners. Why don’t you call him? Like a lot!
It is a “Honoring the Brains Behind the Organization” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Steven Wright, Chris Davis, Matt Harvey, Yasiel Puig, Johnny Cueto, Miguel Sano and Jeff Francoeur all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 19, 2015
Getty Images
I want Cuban star prospect Hector Olivera to go to either the Giants or the Marlins? Why?
Because I want those two franchises to elbow their way into an All Time discussion for consistency as World Series champs… and I want that to make Yankee fans angry.
It is a very petty episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 14, 2015
AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi – Barton Silverman/The New York Times
Have some people forgotten to have fun?
How can anyone REALLY be upset about Will Ferrell playing in spring training games?
And who was more fun than Dontrelle Willis when he burst onto the scene? He is retiring and getting his due respect.
Plus I dance while getting a rental car and I explain why algebra came easy to me but geometry was a chore on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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
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.
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.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 18, 2014
It is show #666. From the side of the highway (not far from Route 66) I think about one hit wonders of baseball.
I risk my soul on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Michael Cuddyer, Jose Altuve, Nick Tepesch, Jake Arrieta, Billy Hamilton, Rafael Montero and Nate Freiman all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?
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How All Of The Tigers Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree – Is It A ‘Title Worthy’ Lineup?
It is tough to believe that someone once wanted to trade Miguel Cabrera. The Marlins were so desperate to rid themselves of the Dontrelle Willis contract, that they unloaded Miguel Cabrera as part of a package for 5 different players in return from Detroit. It will go down as one of the worst trades in MLB History by the time it is all said and done. Cabrera has evolved into the best Right Handed Batter in this generation. He only gets better each year that passes by.
How All Of The Tigers Hitters Were Acquired:
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Tigers have built a winning tradition on the backs of former Marlins.
1st it was GM Dave Dombrowski, then Jim Leyland, before the club pulled off the biggest trade in the modern day franchise – by landing Miguel Cabrera for not much in return as it stands now.
This started a string of roster moves that enabled this club to have a great run of success since 2006.
Back in 2003, the ‘Motown Boys’ had to win their last game of the year to avoid the worst season ever for losses by an MLB squad – with 119 losses.
The team drafted Justin Verlander the next year – and traded for future ALL – Star Carlos Guillen.
With a horrific lineup from the 2003 campaign, the Tigers GM, inked Free Agents Ivan Rodriguez and then Magglio Ordonez in subsequent years.
Guys like Gary Sheffield and Placido Polanco were also mainstays on the club for different stints of the lineup.
The pursuit of the club’s offense led them to a 2006 World Series Appearance. The club lost to the Cardinals, and Dombrowski continued to build.
Prior to the 2008 year, the team traded for Miguel Cabrera, and the franchise would start a new era of dominance in the AL Central. Read the rest of this entry
How All Of The Marlins Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree Shows 2012 Trading Looks Good
Jeffrey Loria did a number on the Expos back int he day, and continues to be one of the most controversial owners in the game of baseball. The Miami fanbase had been promised the club would compete in the New Marlins Ball Park. After a $118 Team Salary in 2012, the management pulled the plug on that active roster. While the transactions didn’t look good for the PR side, the operations portion of it has seemed to work out. The New York Art Dealer has pledged to spend more money in coming years, however only time will tell. The franchise has 2 superstar youngsters in Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez.
How All Of The Marlins Hitters Were Acquired:
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Marlins took a lot of flak for the big selloff almost 2 years ago.
In the previous winter, Miami set out to dominate the NL East in the 1st season of the New Marlins Ball Park. To do this, they allocated a $118 MIL payroll.
They inked Jose Reyes (6 YRs/$106 MIL), Mark Buehrle (4 YRs/$54 MIL), Heath Bell (3YRs/$27 MIL), and the club took on Carlos Lee midway through the year ($9 MIL) commitment.
The Fish flung down the standings in the 2nd half, and ended with a 69 – 93 record, and Ozzie Guillen was fired after inking a 4 Year Managerial deal prior to that campaign.
The club struggles with injuries to key players and never really jelled.
Miami decided that they were in big trouble with how the current roster was situated, and were carrying an enormous payroll, and the threat of dwindling attendance the following year, caused them to make a block buster deal with Toronto.
Without detailing this too much, Miami traded Reyes, Buerhle, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In turn, the organization received Jake Marisnick, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Justin Nicolino, Anthony DeSclafani, Yunel Escobar and Jeff Mathis.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 23, 2014
FIFA
American soccer fans are hoping the US Team advances to the next round of the World Cup.
But would the rest of the world look at an American World Cup the way that Indians or Cubs fans would see another Marlins World Series?
And would you trade a chance to see your team win the World Series for a chance to see America win the World Cup?
A challenging question on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Chris Tillman, Madison Bumgarner, Miguel Cabrera, Daniel Murphy, Yordano Ventura, Mike Bolsinger, Leonys Martin and Wilin Rosario all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.
Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 13, 2014
Photo by Jim McIsaac Getty Images
Livan Hernandez and Francisco Rodriguez are both in the news.
Both were major figures in the 2002 World Series.
Both remind me of M.Night Shyamalan.
It makes sense if you listen to The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 22, 2014
REUTERS/Joe Skipper
While driving home, my mind wandered. I thought of how I would like to own the Miami Marlins.
And when my mind wanders like that, it is my duty to record it. And thus was born today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast. Read the rest of this entry
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.
How Would Detroit Move On If They Lost Jhonny Peralta? Perhaps Philly May Be The Answer!
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday July 30th, 2013
Jhonny Peralta and the Detroit Tigers might be in for a little trouble. With a number of players being investigated for potentially breaking the leagues policy on power-enhancing substances by being involved in the biogenseis scandal, Peralta might find himself out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs if the Tigers qualify.
By Dan Wanser (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @DanWanser
Jhonny Peralta is one of a number of players being investigated by Major League Baseball for potentially breaking the leagues substance abuse policy by being involved with biogenesis in Miami.
If Detroit loses their shortstop for the rest of 2013 they may be in for some trouble.
Peralta has been heating up offensively as the season has moved along and is also solid in the field.
So if he does find himself out for the season, who will the American League Central Division leaders call on to take his place? They have a few options.
If Peralta needs to be replaced, Detroit will need someone with some pop in the bat.
Jhonny Peralta Talks about Miguel Cabrera Potentially Repeating His Triple Crown Feat:
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 7, 2013
The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast looks at the botched attempts to turn a franchise around and how many utterly fail (I’m looking at YOU Dodgers, Angels and Blue Jays.
With all the failed quick fixes in baseball this year, maybe it is time to praise the success of the 1997 Florida Marlins’ get rich quick plan.
Stephen Drew, Scott Feldman, Andrelton Simmons and James Shields owned baseball on May 6, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE.
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The Marlins Seriously Make Stupid Choices
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday, April.02/2013
The Marlins will start year 2 of their ball park with about 33 % of their 2012 Team Salary. They essentially have traded away every veteran over the course of last season and in the winter of 2013. Just like they have always done, the club builds up for a few years, then tears it all down with lighting fast movements. When will the cycle end and the Marlins have some consistency with the product on the field?
MLB Reports: Welcome to our newest Kids writer Jason Alpert-Wisnia – for being selected to join our MLB Reports Kids Writing team. We are pleased to present the readers with a youthful look to the game of baseball. Moms and Dad’s – if you have a young kid who loves baseball and wants to write about the game, please email us at mlbreports@gmail.com. We will be selecting three more kid writers for our website this year.
By Jason Alpert-Wisnia (AKA “JAWS”): (MLB Reports Kids Writer – visit his website here )
The Miami Marlins are a semi-new team compared to other teams such as the Red Sox, debuting as a team in the season of 1993 as the Florida Marlins. They won two championships in that time, yet tore down the team right after.
In 2012, the team moved to Marlins Park with a boatload of new players and I say, after that, it was only a matter of the, before the team was headed for a downfall. The past was sure to repeat itself.
Florida Marlins Story on 1997 and 2003:
Burnett’s Career Comes Full Circle With 1st Opening Day Start
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday, March.12, 2013
The Yankees Dealt Burnett to the Bucs prior to the 2012 season. NYY ate 20 of the 33 Million Dollars remaining for 2012 and 2013 years. Burnett was was 10-2 in the 1st half for the Bucs.
By Brad Cuprik (Pirates Correspondent) Follow @bradcuprik
It’s hard to believe that in just a couple weeks time, Arkansas native A.J. Burnett will be making his first Opening Day start on the mound. The 36-year-old Burnett has been in the Major Leagues since 1999, pitching for the Marlins, Blue Jays, Yankees and now enters his second season with the Pirates. It also happens to be the last year of a 5-Year, $82.5 Million Contract he signed in December 2008.
His tenure in the Bronx was simply put, a disaster. When a player signs a contract of that magnitude and then posts an ERA nearly a run over his career mark for a ballclub like the Yankees, you can forgive a player for wanting to fade into obscurity. That’s not Burnett. He did not want to leave the Yanks, stating he had unfinished business but his trade to Pittsburgh and a return to the National League has been a blessing.
AJ Burnett takes a bunted ball to the face in 2012:
Miami Marlins Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, February.18/2013
The Marlins will start year 2 of their ball park with about 33% of their 2012 Team Salary. They essentially have traded away every veteran over the course of last season and then in the winter. They go to camp with a lot of prospects, some re-treads and a lot of broken promises to their fans.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56
Welcome to Miami, home to sunshine, beautiful people and a unique multicultural atmosphere. Miami is not home, however, to a big market baseball team. For years the Marlins have attempted to fake it to make it. The team would build its payroll towards a single season where the front office felt like it could compete for a world championship. Then, regardless of result, the Marlins would break up the team, sell the pieces for as much value as was offered and rebuild towards another season when a championship hope seemed realistic. So the Miami Marlins, their fans, their brand new stadium enter 2013 in a very similar situation. In 2012, the team took a shot at competing by spending money on several free agents. I’ve written in detail about why that didn’t work and what the fans can look forward to in the future. In 2013, the payroll will be once again be amongst the lowest in baseball.
As with our past looks at payroll we will start with the high-end of the Miami payroll. You will notice that one of these is not like the other.
Giancarlo Stanton Highlights 2012 – Mature Lyrics so parental guidance is advised:
Baseball’s Greatest One Hit Wonders Part 2: The Pitchers
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Wedesday August 22, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer) Follow @chuckbooth3024 Pitching is the most unnatural motion I can think of. The human arm is not meant to throw 90-100 MPH repeatedly over and over. It is for this reason why I am never surprised when Pitchers go out for any injury. When I was 15, I was the catcher for former Major League Pitcher Chris Reitsma on our ALL-Star Team. I witnessed this kid throwing 90 MPH as a teenager. Honestly, no one could hit the guy. As a catcher for 10 years and having a a decent baseball IQ, I was mad that the coach never let me call his pitches for him. Why he would even throw sliders, curves and breaking balls is beyond me and it cost us some games versus some California and Arizona teams. There was no denying that he was a mega talented pitcher. He did go onto a decent MLB career, even appeared in 84 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2004. Yet he finished pitching by the age of 29 because he threw junk. Now I will move on here, I am just pointing out that kids should not be throwing junk until they are finished high school. There will be time in future articles to talk about pitching discipline and attitude.
Just like the hitters that I featured last week, the pitchers I am featuring here took the MLB by storm for a while. The fan bases were certain that these players would have great careers, only to see them fade quickly. If you ask me which position is tougher to stay up on top of, I would definitely say pitching! Remember that if you fail 70% of the time as a hitter, you are still labeled a great hitter. Pitchers have to have a success rate of 75% to be elite. Plus when they are out there, it is a continual one after another moment, whereas a hitter has a chance to regroup after an AT BAT.
This set of 5 pitchers (Mark Fidrych, Mark Prior, Jeff Zimmerman, Tommy Greene and Derrick Turnbow) in this list are all pretty much of recent vintage. I saw 4 of them play as I only started watching baseball in 1980 and Mark Fidrych was already done by that time. This doesn’t mean that I have not seen countless highlights from the man in the last 30 years. Here are a couple for your enjoyment before we start.
To see the article about Baseball’s Greatest One Hit Wonders Part 1: The Batters click here Read the rest of this entry
Top Ten Stat Of The Week: Most World Series Appearances since 1961
Sunday August 19, 2012
The Yankees have 27 World Series Titles and 13 Losses in the Fall Classic since 1921. That is 40 Total appearances in 90 Years. Can they make it 41/91 this year. Heading into Sunday Aug.19, they own the 1 seed in the AL.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024 Baseball seasons are 162 games long. They used to be 154 games at one point, just ask all of the Yankees fans who did not want Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth’s HR Record with an additional 8 game schedule. The point is, every year is a marathon. Yes there are teams that can catch a hot streak and ride it all the way through the playoffs. We were privy to this the last few years with the World Series Championship teams of St. Louis and San Francisco. Ironically, both of these teams are on this top ten list. These organizations are on here because of a commitment to excellence as a Franchise. The New York Yankees do have a stacked lineup every year to help aid the World Championship Seasons, aside from them though, is there any other team that has spent money like crazy for decades? The answer is no.
Out of these teams listed in the top 10, The Baltimore Orioles have had the longest stretch since they have made the World Series (1983), yet the Cardinals were the closest to have been in the Fall Classic in wrapping up their 5th title in the last 50 years last year. Of teams that are not on this list, they are 5 teams that did not make the top 11 but have 2 World Series Trophies since 1961: Toronto won the WS in 1992 and 1993, Florida put away wins in 1997 and 2003, Pittsburgh won in 1971 and 1979, Detroit won in 1968 and 1984 and Minnesota in 1987 and 1991. Out of these 11 teams, only 3 teams have winning records in the Fall Classic since 1961: NY Yankees (9-6), Oakland (4-2) and St.Louis (5-4). This clearly shows that is easier to make the World Series than it is to win it. The Atlanta Braves made 5 World Series in the 90’s, only to lose 4 of them. All of these teams did exist in 1961. Some of the teams that are expansion clubs do have great numbers and maybe just haven’t been around long enough. Florida is in its 20th year and still has 2 World Series wins. The Blue Jays have only been around for 35 years and have 2 WS Titles. Arizona is in its 15th year right now and boasts a Trophy already. Tampa Bay has one WS appearance and is looking to make the playoffs for the 4th time in 6 years, to then add their 2nd WS Appearance if possible. It is long-suffering fans like the Chicago Cubs that haven’t won since 1909, or even appeared in the WS since 1945, that are growing extremely restless.
*** MLB Reports does not own the copyrights to the following videos or music. The videos are from MLB.com, courtesy of Fox, TBS, and KMOX, and the music is “Dark Horses” by Switchfoot from their album “Vice Versa”***
Washington Nationals-The Pitchers and Hitters: 2005-2012 Best 25 Man Roster (Part 5 of Expos/Nats Series)
Wednesday July 25, 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.
Livan Hernandez leads the 2005-2012 version of the franchise in ALL-Time wins and innings pitched.
Chuck Booth (Lead baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- I think it safe to say that the best days of the Washington Nationals are purely ahead of them. They have a great nucleus of young talent with Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Drew Storen, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Mike Morse and Gio Gonzalez. These guys are so good that they all made the ALL-Time 25 man roster for the 2005-2012 Washington Nationals. I am a firm believer that these guys will be the best team in the National League within 2 or 3 years. I like Ted Lerner’s attitude on spending for now. This will ensure the money will be spent on the team to keep competing for the city of Washington’s 1st World Series Title since 1924. I would venture to say that not many living fans of the old Washington Senators saw the club hoisting the trophy 88 years ago.
The Nationals Park went soaring up my ranks as a baseball venue to see in the 30 stadium circuit. This place is now electric. I was so elated when I was able to see Strasburg pitch and win for the Nationals back in April. Next year I hope to see Bryce Harper play ball when I go on another 30 park tour. Next year is when I will have the official rankings of all of the ballparks posted here. I can assure you that the President’s Race will probably be voted the most popular race of any in the Majors at the parks. My humblest of apologies to the sausage race fans in Milwaukee and racing legend heads in Arizona. I still follow the campaign to ‘Let Teddy Win’, however that may take all of the fun out of it if Teddy does win one of those races.
As a fan of the old Expos franchise, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Washington Nationals. Playing meaningful baseball in September and October this year would be incredible to witness. So without further speak, let us start with our 25 man roster for the best players in the last 8 years. I picked the roster based on longevity or utter greatness for a couple of players. If this team was to play an alumni game right now, all of the positions would be filled. I don’t think I excluded anyone entirely crucial here. Please feel free to let me know if I did on any social platform. If you make a solid case for someone for whom I may have omitted, I could always add them later.
For Part 1 of the Article Series, The Expos Hitters: click here
For Part 2 of the Article Series, The Expos Pitchers: click here
For Part 3 of the Article Series, The Demise of the Montreal Expos: click here
For Part 4 of the Article Series, The Washington Nationals Franchise 2005-2012: click here
For Part 6 of the Article Series, The Nationals 2013 Payroll and Contract Statuses click here
Here is the highlight reel from Stephen Strasburg’s debut at Nationals Park. 14 Strikeouts is amazing!
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
Top Ten Stat of the Week: Players with 40 HRs on 4 Different Teams Or More
Monday July.02/2012
Gary Sheffield hit 30 HRs and 120 RBI in both 2004 and 2005 for the Yankees before injuries held him to just 39 games in 2006. Sheffield also hit 40+HRs on 5 other teams (per stay) besides the Bronx Bombers in his career. –Photo courtesy of exposay.com
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- As the world of Twitter and Facebook has invaded the internet these days, I am brainstorming about all sorts of stats I have had in my head for years. This stat came to my head because of Gary Sheffield. A few years back, I watched a game on my birthday at Safeco Field. It was the New York Yankees and Sheffield visiting. There are players that you are sure to watch live in person. Gary Sheffield was one of these hitters. Not only is he one of 25 player in history to hit 500 HRs, but he had one of the fiercest swings ever. The man would wiggle that bat back and forth like a toothpick before striding and swinging with daunting ferocity. It was an unorthodox style that must have made Little League coaches cringe, yet it was effective. Sheffield was a bit of a hot head though, this may have led to him being traded or not re-signed by several teams. Hitting 40 HRs for 6 different teams is definitely impressive and may never be duplicated. I knew he had played on several teams already so the seed of today’s article was planted back in 2005.
Fred McGriff was the exact opposite of Gary Sheffield when it came to temperament. This man was traded several times in his career because he could flat-out hit. Jose Canseco is the only other player besides McGriff and Sheffield to hit 40 HRs with 5 different teams. The reason many older players are not on this list is because free agency never arrived in the MLB until the early 70’s when Curt Flood challenged a trade and the Players Union saw it through. Now player movement has enabled more players switching teams each season than ever before. Rusty Staub was the 1st to make this list and Alfonso Soriano is the last player to make this list and the only current player left. I have a feeling we will see more players arrive on this list in the next 25 years.
The Demise of the Montreal Expos Franchise: Part 3 of the Expos Article Series
Friday June.29/2012
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.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on Twitter)- The Montreal Expos were a model franchise from 1979-1994. They only finished under .500 in 3 seasons out of 15 in this stretch of time. The club simply drafted better than any other Major League team. Long before the Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane came up with MoneyBall, or the Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays showed us that you can have good runs with your baseball teams on a shoe string budget, the Expos wrote the book on it. The Expos were forced to trade away their best talent when they came up for free agency or lose them outright. There was no way the team could ever re-sign the players. It wasn’t even in question. The province of Quebec said good-bye to Hall of Famers: Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson in the prime of their careers with nothing back in return as Free Agents.
Gary Carter was the 1st great player to be traded by the club after the 1984 season. Other great players like Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou and John Wetteland were jettisoned out the door as part of a 1995 Firesale after the strike/lockout because the team could not pay them after a massive loss in revenue at the end of the 1994 season. With the clock ticking on the Expos brass (financially as soon as the lockout was lifted) the ownership could not pay the bills! It is a sad commentary on this franchise that the two big work stoppages in 1981 and 1994 stifled this franchise-perhaps the most out of any team in the MLB. It all ended up costing the Expos the team and/or a chance to build a brand new ballpark in the downtown core to ever revitalize the interest of the avid baseball enthusiasts in Montreal. This fan base had suffered enough and they made the baseball club pay for it at the turnstiles. They had suffered 7 losing seasons at Jarry Park, a 2 billion dollar scam gone wrong in what was Olympic Stadium, a park that was supposed to be a modern-aged retractable roof that never materialized at all and Quebec was left with the bill. I don’t blame the fans for walking away from the game after the 1994 strike. They had supported the team through many of trials an tribulations-only to be disappointed time and time again by the economics of baseball.
There is a lot more of this article past the video clip, just click on: READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY
For Part 1 of the Article Series, The Expos Hitters: click here
For Part 2 of the Article Series, The Expos Pitchers: 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
A nice tribute video to the club!
Montreal Expos Drafting Record Part 2: The Pitchers
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
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – February 25th, 2012
Saturday February 25th, 2012
Jonathan Hacohen: Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@gmail.com, message us on Twitter and post on our Facebook Wall!
Let’s get to your top questions of the week: Read the rest of this entry
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Can Heath Bell Keep the Magic Alive in Miami?
Wednesday February 22nd, 2012
Sam Evans: Over the last three seasons, Heath Bell has recorded more saves than anyone in baseball. Whenever the Padres had a late-inning lead they could rely on Bell to shut the door. In 2011, Bell got the job done in San Diego once again. He tallied 43 saves in 48 opportunities. Unfortunately, he didn’t pitch in as dominant of a fashion as we are used to seeing from Bell. His strikeout and line drive percentages both were askew from the standards we are used to seeing from him. In 2012, Bell will have to rekindle his previous success, in order to continue his triumph as one of the games premier closers Read the rest of this entry
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