Blog Archives
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.04) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT
Brandon Crawford homered twice, driving in 3 runs, leading the Giants to a 4-1 win and a 3 game sweep of the Braves.
Dayan Viciedo‘s second hit of the day was a 3 run, come from behind go ahead 9th inning home run that gave the White Sox a 4-3 victory over the Indians.
Roberto Hernandez pitched into the 8th inning, finishing with 7 1/3 shutout innings, letting up just 4 hits and 3 walks, helping the Phillies sneak past the Nationals, 1-0.
Justin Verlander had a no hitter into the 6th inning. He finished with 7 strong, 4 hit innings, striking out 7 Royals. He got Detroit’s 9-4 victory.
They owned baseball on May.04, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 6 – May. 2014
The Motown Boys won all 4 games they played this week and have opened up a 4 game lead on the Royals. This team has the easiest schedule left on the board. The squad also announced they have picked up Reliever Joel Hanrahan, This is a great depth move on their part, and insurance for the Closers position.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As we enter the 2nd month of play in the Major League Baseball, we really start to delve into who is playing good and who is playing bad.
How about we begin with the National League holding a 26 – 17 record versus the American League in Interleague play.
The last stat is the main reason why there is only 3 teams out of the 15 with a positive Run Differential. (No team in the AL East has a club in the plus, and only the Tigers have one in the AL Central.
The Angels and A’s also yield nice Run Differentials – however a lot of that was from beating up the Houston Astros.
The NL possesses 9 clubs with a positive mark.
The NL East has all 5 teams with a .500 clip or better heading into today’s action. Read the rest of this entry
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.03) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Joe Mauer homered, scored from first on a hit, drove in another run and finished 3-4 with 4 RBI as the Twins won 6-1 over Baltimore.
Jon Lester dominated the A’s over 8 shutout innings. He let up just 1 hit, walking 2 and striking out a career high 15 as Boston won 6-3.
Dee Gordon went 5-6 in the leadoff spot. He also stole three bases, scored twice and drove in a pair as the Dodgers would top the Marlins in Miami, 9-7 in 11 innings.
Johnny Cueto topped the Brewers by throwing 8 innings of 3 hit ball. He let up a pair of solo homers and just a hit and a walk other than that. He struck out 10 in the process, earning the 6-2 victory in Cincinnati.
They owned baseball on May.03, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.02) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
NESN – MLB.com
Dustin Pedroia hit a grandslam, doubled, stole a base and got on 4 times as the Red Sox clobbered the A’s, 7-1.
Starling Marte went 4-5 and hit a walk off homer, sealing Pittsburgh’s come from behind victory over the Blue Jays, 6-5.
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched the Orioles into first place by dominating the Twins with 7 1/3 shutout innings, 3 hits, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts getting the 3-0 decision.
Wily Peralta threw 8 shutout frames, giving up just 3 hits and striking out 7 Reds, getting the decision in the 2-0 thriller for the Brewers.
They owned baseball on May.02, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.01) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Getty Images
Yunel Escobar hit a tie breaking, 9th inning homer off of the seemingly impervious Koji Uehara to give the Rays a 6-5 win and a double header sweep in Boston.
Juan Uribe combined to get on base 8 times over the course of the Dodgers double header sweep of the Twins. He doubled and drove in a pair in the 9-4 opener. He hit a game tying single in the 4-3 12 inning nightcap.
Roenis Elias shut down the Yankees offense with 7 innings, 6 hits and 1 earned run. He struck out 10 along the way to a Seattle 4-2 victory in the Bronx.
Juan Nicasio pitched 7 shutout innings (in Coors no less), holding the Mets to 3 hits and one walk as the Rockies won 7-4.
They owned baseball on May.01, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.30) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Allen Craig collected 4 hits, missing the cycle by a triple, and drove in 3 runs as the Cardinals avoided a Milwaukee sweep, 9-3.
Tim Hudson was a strike from a complete game victory. He settled for 8 2/3 brilliant innings as the Giants topped the Padres, 3-2.
Hank Conger got on base 3 times and hit a go ahead 2 run homer as the Angels cruised past the Indians, 7-1.
Jesse Chavez shut down the Rangers bats. He held them to one hit, one walk and no runs while striking out 8. Oakland demolished their rival in Arlington, 12-1.
They owned baseball on April.30, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.29) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Steve Mitchell / USA Today Sports
Jose Fernandez simply dominated the Atlanta Braves. He pitched 8 shutout 2 hit innings, striking out 8 and walking 2. He also made an amazing fake throw to draw off a runner from third and record an out at the plate. The best baseball show in Miami won the game, 9-0.
Lyle Overbay got two RBI singles, including one in the 11th inning that gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead they would not give up against the Cardinals.
John Lackey threw another solid game, going 8 innings, letting up 2 runs and walking just 1. He got the decision for Boston’s 7-4 win against Tampa Bay.
Mike Zunino collected 4 hits, driving in a run and scoring another, leading the Mariners to a 6-3 win against the Yankees.
They owned baseball on April.29, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.25) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune
Jose Abreu got three hits including a pair of homers. The second was a 2 out, bottom of the 9th, come from behind, walk off grand slam. Safe to say that was the highlight of the White Sox’s 9-6 win over the Rays.
Yordano Ventura pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 8, and getting the 5-0 win for the Royals in Baltimore.
Carlos Gomez went 3-5 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored, leading the Brewers to a 5-2 win over the Cubs.
Stephen Strasburg pitched seven dominating shutout innings. He struck out 11 Padres, walking just 2 and got the 11-1 victory for the Nationals.
They owned baseball on April.25, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 4
Wrigley Field is about the best all natural ballpark experience out of all of the 30 teams in the MLB – however the attendance has started to sag with the recent play of the franchise. Wrigley Field has seen a decline in fans attended every year since 2008, down from 3.3 Million fans in 2008, to 2.65 Million people in 2013 (only good for 7th out of 15 NL Teams). Today’s 100th birthday of the field should be the best game of the year at Addison and Clark.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Odds To Win The 2014 World Series
1. LA Dodgers +600
2. Detroit Tigers +700
T3. Washington Nationals +900 (Down from +700)
They have only really beat the Marlins all year, haven’t fared well against the great clubs,
T3. St. Louis Cardinals +900 (Down From +850)
Surprising a little they have come down a little, still will be able to catch Milwaukee. Poor start for Allen Craig and Jhonny Peralta should correct itself.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.18) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
DAVID SANTIAGO / EL NUEVO STAFF
Giancarlo Stanton got on base 5 times, drove in 5 runs including a walk off bottom of the 9th grand slam, sealing the Marlins 8-4 win over the Mariners.
Howie Kendrick went 3-5 including a pair of homers and 4 RBI as the Angels topped the Tigers, 11-6.
Aaron Harang threw 7 no hit innings for the Braves. His wildness and high pitch count kept him from finishing the game (the Mets would eventually get a hit) but he got the 6-0 win.
Martin Perez threw a complete game 3 hit shutout, striking out 8 and walking just 1 as the Rangers slammed the White Sox, 12-0.
They owned baseball on April.18, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.17) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Adam Wainwright pitched a brilliant 2 hit complete game shutout and hit a double, another hit and an RBI for good measure. He won his third decision of the season for the Cardinals, 8-0 in Washington.
Pedro Alvarez got on base four times and launched a three run homer as the Pirates crushed the Brewers, 11-2.
Jon Lester was brilliant against the White Sox. He was perfect into the 6th, finishing with 8 innings, 1 run, no walks and 9 strikeouts, getting the 3-1 win for the Red Sox.
Yangervis Solarte got 3 hits including his first big league homer and started a triple play as the Yankees crushed the Rays, 10-2.
They owned baseball on April.17, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.16) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Julio Teheran won the best pitcher’s duel of the year. He pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout, walking none and narrowly topping the Phillies 1-0.
Masahiro Tanaka ,continued his hot start for the Yankees. He pitched 8 shutout innings, letting up 2 hits, striking out 10 Cubs and only walking one. He earned the 3-0 win as the Yankees took both games of a double header.
Aramis Ramirez went 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI as the Brewers beat St. Louis, 5-1.
Leonys Martin got a pair of hits including a walk off single that gave the Rangers a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Mariners.
They owned baseball on April.16, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.15) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Jeff Gross / Getty Images North America
Josh Donaldson got three hits including a tie breaking RBI in the 11th to give the A’s a dramatic 10-9 win in Anaheim.
Joey Votto got on base 5 times with 4 hits, a game tying RBI and scored in the key 7th inning rally as the Reds squeaked past the Pirates, 7-5..
Robbie Ross Jr. pitched shutout ball into the 8th inning, walking none and finishing with 7 2/3 innings and the 5-0 Rangers win over the Mariners.
Tom Koehler threw 7 innings of 1 hit shutout ball, leading the Marlins to an 11-2 blowout of the Nationals.
They owned baseball on April.15, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.14) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings
Yong Kim/Philly.com Staff Photographer
Dan Uggla homered twice including a one out, 9th inning, come from behind grand slam that stunned the Phillies and gave the Braves the lead in their bizarre 9-6 win.
Lance Lynn halted the Brewers winning streak with 7 masterful shutout innings. He let up just 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11, getting the 4-0 win for the Cardinals.
John Jaso came off the bench to hit a dramatic 2 run homer that gave the A’s a 3-2 win in Anaheim.
Roenis Elias dominated the Rangers, pitching into the 7th, letting up just 1 run as the Mariners bats exploded to a 7-1 win..
They owned baseball on April.14, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (April.11) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings 2014
AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi
Andrew Cashner threw a complete game 1 hit shutout of the mighty Detroit Tigers, getting the 6-0 win for the Padres.
Justin Upton got on base 5 times and clubbed a game tying homer and a walk off hit, dominating the Braves’ dramatic 7-6 10 inning win over the Nationals.
Yu Darvish pitched amazingly well over 8 1 hit innings against the Astros. He struck out 9 and let up no runs. He got no decision but the Rangers won 1-0.
Grady Sizemore went 2-4 including a dramatic 3 run homer, giving the Red Sox a 4-2 win over the Yankees in the Bronx.
They owned baseball on April.11, 2014.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: April
The Tigers fought off a tough KC club in the 1st series and now have battled their own bullpen and injury woes against the Orioles – to be the only unbeaten team left in the MLB a. Add that to one of the weaker divisions, and you see the #1 ranked team in our list this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Well, we have seen one week come and go. It is important to realize that only about 3% of the entire season has gone by.
People tend to panic when their team isn’t doing so well, and some fanbases are ready to project their club as a playoff contender.
While it is still a good idea never to bury yourself with a bad first few week or 2, as long as you are hovering around the .500 clip, you should be fine.
How we do these rankings at the MLB Reports is based on 1 thing. The chances of the club winning the World Series.
After all, that is why we have 45 days of Spring Training, 186 days in the regular season, and another 30 or so in the playoffs.
Some teams will have their number predicated on the strength of their divisions are not.
Nearly 47% of any teams schedule is within their own division. So the AL East and NL West would be tough divisions.
The NL East and AL Central have 2 playoff contenders in each division, while 3 teams may be easier opponents. Read the rest of this entry
HRs For 2014 So Far + HR Streaks, Multi – HR Games
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Here at the MLB Reports we look to do things different. It is one of our many motto’s.
We simply can’t look over every stat, or even chart every HR for that matter, but I have decided that we will carry the top 5 HR hitters for each the AL and NL on a page we have dubbed Stats.
For the HR feature. we will also list multiple HR games for players… Or if they have HRs in multiple games. Once a week we will post these on the home page for the site as a regular page post.
In this page, we are also going to feature in Subpages: A Shutout Survivor for all 30 MLB Teams, meaning we will state the date a teams gets Shutout for the 1st time of the year. Read the rest of this entry
The Boston Red Sox State Of The Union Part 1 – The Hitters: 2014 Preview
Dustin Pedroia, the now 30 Year Old, is the only player the team has signed for massive cash and term. Pedroia is locked up until 2021, and his AAV is around $14.0 MIL for the duration. This was a considerable hometown discount and affords the club wiggle room in payroll each year, while the 2 time World Series champ received security. This contract was similar to how the New England Patriots do business with their top players. Maybe others will follow down the same pike. Pedroia had an incredible run in 2013, and that was despite of a bad injury. Project him to be his usual and consistent self in 2014.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Red Sox embark on a chance to repeat a World Series win for the 3rd time in 10 years. 2005 didn’t work out so well, and Boston narrowly missed in the 2008 ALCS (TB won 4 – 3).
This year, the teams brass has decided the 2014 Roster is a lot like the 2013 Roster, and then you add in the mix of a bunch of youngsters.
There were some acquisitions brought in with A.J. Pierzynski (replacing Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jackie Bradley JR or Grady Sizemore will take over for departing CF Jacoby Ellsbury.
While they gave SS Stephen Drew a 1 YR/$14.1 MIL Qualifying Offer which he doth refused.
The Beantowners will go ahead with Xander Bogaerts there, and see Will Middlebrooks have another crack at the hot corner.
Orioles Finally Make A Free Agent Splash To Salvage Winter
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports O’s Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
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Orioles Sign Ubaldo Jimenez
The Orioles could not catch a break this off-season, as they lost out on free agents that they coveted as well as missing out on closer Grant Balfour , after he failed the team’s physical.
Bronson Arroyo balked at even going for a physical seeing what happened to the Aussie – opting to sign with the D-Backs even though the money was similar, rather than have his worth devalued by flunking the doctor’s visit from the O’s.
Tyler Colvin also fell victim to Baltimore’s stringent doctors, while Grady Sizemore didn’t have a chance to pass a physical with the club either despite Orioles interest.
Orioles fans all over wondered what the team’s intentions were, as many felt the team could be a serious contender with the core they have in place, but some moves needed to be made to bolster the roster.
On Monday night, the Orioles finally made a big splash in free agency that everyone anxiously awaited. The team announced they agreed to a four-year, $48 MM deal with pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.
This is a huge move for the Orioles as an organization, as it now shows their fan base that they are willing to spend big money on key free agents.
The O’s have been linked to many of the big name free agents throughout the offseason, only to come up short when it came to signing them.
The Boston Red Sox Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going Forward
Dustin Pedroia is an example of how to handle your own talent as far as payment. He was signed from 2009 – 2015 , which is 7 YRs/$55 MIL, and then they extended him from 2016 – 2021 (6 YRs/$85 MIL). Being a bit of a bargain on a yearly basis, this natural leader – and former MVP, has given the franchise money flexibility for every year during the duration of his deal. The now 30 Year Old, has a Career 3 Slash of .302/.370/.823. His numbers are great for his 162 game average, with 104 Runs Scored and 194 Hits. Pedroia is pesky with his 46 Doubles, 16 HRs per year.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org. Depth Chart Expert) Follow @prosportsroster
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Boston Red Sox pulled of a major “Hoodini Act” by freeing themselves of the long term contracts of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett in an Aug, 2012 trade.
The club used the dollars saved to reel in Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew, Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes in 2013. All of these guys were massive contributors to the 2013 World Series team.
The Beantowners still live and die by their Starting Pitching. Jon Lester and unpredicted Jon Lackey had renaissance campaigns – while Clay Buchholz cobbled enough health together for a 12 – 1, 1.74 ERA season.
Replicating their championship season will be tougher in 2014.
David Ortiz Highlights
There is A Major Problem At MLB.com With Their Active Players List: Part 1
Bobby Abreu was traded from the Rays to the Phillies for Kevin Stocker and had 7 straight 20 HR/20 SB seasons for the ‘Fightins from 1999 – 2005. After playing for both of the LA clubs in 2012, he did not play for any other club in 2013, but has since said he plans to make a comeback in 2014. If he does, he would become the active ALL – Time Leader for Doubles in the MLB. After seeing that the website mlb.com called him active, I investigated a massive flaw.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
When starting to compile a list at http://www.mlb.com of current Extra Base Hits Leaders – I was unimpressed about the slowness of the webmasters.
I love the MLB, and the coverage/video highlights is fantastic at the site. Their updating the stat leaders for active players needs to be seriously addressed. so the top 10 list will be posted tomorrow instead.
Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez and Todd Helton are on this list.
Okay, I can give them a slight pass on Helton, however he has filed his retirement papers already, but Pudge and Man-Ram – c’mon.
Notes On Free Agent Signings And Acquisitions Of The Last Week
Robinson Cano has seen his stock plummet down the river this winter. While he still will likely sign a deal for more than $25 MIL per year, it may have to be somewhere other than the Bronx. Meanwhile Jay – Z and his new baseball agent company is teetering with this client. The best move for that camp is to wait it out like Prince Fielder did 2 years ago. It may take for an unexpected injury – or for a team to panic after the majority of the Free Agents have signed in order for him to maximize his dollars in 6 – 7 year deal.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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2014 Winter Transactions Part 2
For part one of this transaction summary click here.
The White Sox sign 1B Paul Konerko (37) – 1 YR/$2.5 MIL (1.0 MIL deferred to 2021).
I like this deal for the White Sox. He is the team leader and can pass on knowledge to the young guys.. Expect for them to try and trade Adam Dunn halfway through the year if Konerko is playing well.
The Rockies sign 1B Justin Morneau (32) – 2 YRs/$13 MIL.
Love this move. The Rockies could potentially see this man hit 20+ HRs and knock about 30 – 40 Doubles per year. He carries a decent average too.
Justin Morneau Minnesota Twins Highlights
The Jacoby Ellsbury 7 YRs/$153 MIL Deal Opens Up Many Possibilities for New York
Ellsbury missed 88 Games in 2012 (and also missed 144 Games in 2010), which brings into question his long – term durability. Heck, even this year, he was seen with a walking boot only a few weeks prior to the playoffs. You can’t deny the man has put up some great numbers out of the leadoff spot for the Red Sox since 2007.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So all of a sudden the Yankees have taken a page from their 2006 playbook.
Prior to that season, they overbid for the services of Johnny Damon, effectively ending his tenure with their rivals – the Boston Red Sox.
They have gone back to the well for a 2nd time – raiding the Sox for their Starting CF.
It is a bold and calculated gamble for the Yankees, but then again, they are the biggest entity in the MLB – and they needed to protect the fledgling ratings on TV, and also to make sure the fans come through the turnstiles at New Yankee Stadium
Jacoby Ellsbury was brought in for a 7 YR/$153 MIL deal – that will send shockwaves throughout the Bronx and Major League Baseball.
Jacoby Ellsbury 2013 Highlights – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance Is Advised
All-Star Studded Injury Report + Chipper Jones Retirement Effect On The Braves
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, April 1/2013
Chipper had a lifetime slash line of .303/.401/.529 with 2726 Hits and 468 HRs. He played the game the way it was supposed to be played, with class and all out effort.
By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer): Follow @ryandana1
The start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season is upon us. While that is beyond awesome, unfortunately there is a list of really good players who will likely not start the season playing for a Major League team. Most of these players are out due to injury, but there are also a few others I would like to mention that are out due to retirement, suspension, or the fact that they have still yet to sign with a team.
It will be a bittersweet Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves who will be without Chipper Jones this season. He spent his entire 19 years of Major League service time with the Braves, and after an MVP season in 1999, a 1995 World Series Championship, and 8 All-Star appearances, Chipper has decided to call it a career. Jones was one of, if not the best, switch hitter of all time.
Chipper Jones Highlights
Brian Roberts: Can He Stay Healthy In Baltimore This Year?
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Brian Roberts was one of the best Lead – Off hitters in baseball from 2004 – 2009. He Scored 604 Runs (100 per year), Stole 212 Bases (average of 35 per year and clobbered 278 Doubles (average of 46 per year). He is the ALL – Time Leader for Doubles in a Single Year by a Switch hitter (56 in 2009 – Led AL) He also hit 51 2B’s in 2004 and 50 in 2008. Roberts also is one of three other players (Stan Musial, Tris Speaker and Paul Waner) to have 50 + Doubles in 3 years of his Career). At 278 Career SB, he is still 15th on the Active Players List. He Led the AL in SB in 2007 (50).
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Once upon a time in Baltimore there was this speed demon, 40 2B+, 40 SB and 100 Runs a Year guy that played for the Baltimore Orioles. He was the best player on a team that hadn’t been competitive in quite some time. The team rewarded the player with a 4 YR/$40 Million Dollar Contract. I am talking of course about Brian Roberts.
Earlier this week I wrote a similar column about how Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner were also world – beaters amongst AL hitters before a rash of injuries had grinded their careers down to a halt. Read that blog right here .
It must have been bittersweet for Roberts to see his teammates celebrate with a champagne bubble bath – after clinching the clubs first Post Season Birth in 15 years. Heck, it was only a few years later (in 1999) that the Second Baseman was taken in the 1999 Amateur Draft (5oth pick overall).
Brian Roberts speaks about Post Concussion Recovery:
Its Going To Be A Different Season Without Grady Sizemore And Pronk
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Follow @mlbreportsWednesday, March.13/2013
2013 will mark the 1st time in a decade that neither Travis Hafner nor Grady Sizemore will be on the Cleveland Indians. For a 4 – 5 years stretch these guys were amongst the best offensive players in the game. Injuries decimated them from action and prevented the team from contending. So how will they be remembered in Cleveland?
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I first went to Progressive Field in the opening week of 2007. I was supposed to see a doubleheader with the Mariners in town to play the ‘Tribe”. What I received instead was a foot of snow and a cancellation. I went to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame instead. That is one cool place to go if you do have a weather related suspension of a game. I was disappointed because I wanted to see Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner light it up for the Cleveland Indians.
I made the drive back to Toronto for a game indoors. As I was driving to Toronto – it was announced that the Cleveland Indians were going to be moving their 3 games series versus the Angels to Miller Park. I was already heading to Wrigley Field for my 1st ever visit and bought tickets to the 1st and 2nd game of the Series in Milwaukee. I would have a chance to see the Cleveland team play after all. I am a Yankees fan – however I really wanted to see this duo swing the sticks.
Grady Sizemore Highlights – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is Advised:
Cleveland Indians Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday Feb 24, 2013
The Cleveland Indians have been around since 1901. During the years the Indians have won 8,792 games & have lost 8,573 games. The Indians have won the World Series 2 times & have 31 players in the Hall Of Fame.
By Larry Myers (Indians Correspondent): Follow @TribeFanz1969
The Indians finished the 2012 season as a huge disappointment. The Indians had a strong first half before falling apart in the second half. The Indians the 2013 season with many new faces after a busy winter.
GM Chris Antonetti and President Mark Shapiro decided to make some major moves to improve the team for the 2013 season. The first move the Indians made was replacing Manny Acta with Terry Francona as manager. The Indians then traded Shin-Soo Choo & Tony Sipp in a 3 team trade to pick up Drew Stubbs, Matt Albers. Bryan Shaw & Trevor Bauer. The Indians signed a few Free Agents with the four biggest names being Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, Brett Myers, & Michael Bourn. The Indians showed that with the moves they made they are ready to contend now & in the future.
Cleveland Indians 2012 Season Highlights:
Us Cellular Field: Book Excerpt from ‘The Fastest 30 Ball Games.’
Wednesday August.01/2012
Baseball Park World Record Chasing All-Started for me at US Cellular Field. I had my first retro-active game if needed) on July.1/2008 of my first ever streak chase. I also finished my 30-29 at the CEL.’ I had gone to 40 Baseball Games in 35 Days overall.
Game#2 Day#1
US Cellular Field
Chicago, IL
July.02/2008
I had a tip from my brother Trent early on in the planning stages, that the United States airline companies often ‘sand-bag’ their flying times to destinations to take jet-way delays into consideration. More often than not, the airlines are able to beat the scheduled arrival time by many minutes. I actually used a tool on the internet called ‘Flight Tracker’ to watch the very flight I was on to see if this was a correct statement. I watched this exact flight land 4 weeks in a row, all approximately 15 minutes earlier then the 6:32 PM time it was supposed to arrive on that day. That day I was not as lucky. It was after all a ‘Chicago Airport.’ Still at a 6:30 PM arrival-I had about 40 minutes to first pitch. I had called in a sedan service to pick me up from ‘MIDWAY’.
True to their word, there was a young guy in his twenties waiting for me in the arrival gate and he escorted me through to the limo stand at a running pace. I saw it had started to rain and weather was something I would always keep my eye on during transportation throughout the trip. Read the rest of this entry
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
The Montreal Expos Draft And Signing Record Was Outstanding: Part 1-Hitters
Friday June.22/2012
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.
Andre Dawson and Tim Raines were perennial ALL-Stars and always had the Montreal Expos in contention every year they played for the Canadian Club.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-I recently saw a bunch of old Montreal Expos had a celebration dinner to honor the late Gary Carter at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. This brought me back to when I was a little kid watching the Expos on the French Channel in Canada. I followed this team before any other in MLB. I was a catcher in little league because of Gary Carter. My friends and I all would ask for Montreal Expos hats and jerseys for Christmas. I would later move on to like the Yankees when Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson joined the club, but I always liked the Expos in the National League as my team. They were a consistent club from 1979-1995. They drafted extremely well and were above .500 for pretty much the entire time. At the end of this article today be sure to watch the documentary from youtube on the Expos Franchise that the Reports has linked for you.
It was unfortunate they had the 2 billion dollar monstrosity of what was Olympic Stadium as their home venue. It was a mistake from the beginning to build a baseball park so far away from the downtown core. The 1994 strike killed the franchises hopes to make their 1st World Series appearance. The team was leading the NL East with a 74-40 record and featured the outfield of Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Moises Alou. They had traded away their ALL-Star second basemen Delino DeShields prior to that year for some pitcher named Pedro Martinez. The economics of baseball were starting to catch up on the baseball club. When the lockout was lifted in 1995, gone were Walker, Grissom and great pitchers Ken Hill and John Wetteland. It began a constant cycle of Montreal grooming awesome talent, only to trade the players away before they had to pay them big money. The one constant of the team was an incredible draft record from 1985-2004. Today is part 1 of a 3 part article series in which we will look at the history of the Montreal Expos. I have listed 30 hitters drafted by the Expos Scouting Staff that went onto nice baseball careers. Next week I will look at the pitchers and the third week I will cover the dissection of the proud franchise before the move to Washington. Read the rest of this entry
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