Blog Archives

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May 30th) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Dillon Gee

Dillon Gee pitched 7 1/3 innings, letting up one run, 4 hits no walks and 12 strikeouts as the Mets beat the Yankees 3-1 and completed the season sweep of the Subway Series.

Luis Valbuena went 3-4, a triple shy of the cycle, scoring three runs as the Cubs swept the White Sox with an 8-3 win.

Jacoby Ellsbury went on a franchise record setting stolen base binge, swiping 5 bags against the Phillies while getting on base 4 times including 3 hits as the Red Sox beat the Phillies, 9-2.

And Freddy Garcia pitched 8 shutout innings, letting up only 3 hits and no walks as the Orioles topped the Nats 2-0.

They all owned baseball on May 30th, 2013.

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.29th) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Dioner Navarro crushed three homers in the Cubs 9-3 WIN over the White Sox. (Sorry Ryan Zimmerman.)

Mr. Zimmerman’s night (and baseball ownership) was foiled by the Orioles 9-6 comeback over the Nationals, led by Chris Davis‘ 4-4, 2 homer, 3 RBI  performance.

Eric Stults did not get the decision, but his 8 inning, 3 hit, 1 run, 12 strikeout and no walk performance set up the Padres 3-2 10 inning victory over Seattle.

Sam Deduno held down the Brewers bats for 7 innings and a single run, letting up 4 hits and 2 walks as the Twins won, 4-1.

They all owned baseball on May 28th, 2013.

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.27) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Aaron Harang

Aaron Harang threw a complete game 4 hit shutout as the Mariners beat the Padres, 9-0.

Kelly Johnson went 4-5 with 2 homers and a stolen base as the Rays topped the Marlins, 10-6.

Jeff Samardzija went the distance, throwing a two hit shutout over the crosstown White Sox, striking out 8 and walking 2 as the Cubs prevailed, 7-0.

And David Wright hit a triple, went 2-3 and his towering home run tied the game in the 7th and sparked the Mets come from behind 2-1 victory in the first game of the Subway Series with the Yankees, 2-1.

They all owned baseball on May 27th, 2013.

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

202 ‘WOB’ Awards Since Opening Day – Find Out Who

Sully baseball hosts a 20 Min Daily Podcast https://mlbreports.com/2013/04/27/sully-baseball-daily-podcast-april-27-2013/

‘Sully’ Baseball (Paul Francis Sullivan) hosts a 20 Minute Daily Podcast Every Day – 365 Days a Year – unless its a Leap Year – and then he is going to do another one.

check out Sully Baseball’s 20 Min Daily Podcast Right here

Don’t forget to Subscribe on iTunes HERE. RSS Feed here

WOB Stands For ‘Who Owned Baseball’  It is based on a Daily Look at the best players from the baseball games the day before. Our Lead Writer – Paul Francis Sullivan – (please call him ‘Sully’),  keeps a running total for the yearly leaders every day – and we will update the standings here every day on this page.. 

Agree or Disagree with him on the players he selects – leave him a comment at info@sullybaseball.com.  Follow him on twitter. 

So Bookmark this Page – and be part of the new phenomena of #WOB – If you reverse WOB it also means Players that take a BOW for being the best players of the night! Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May 20th) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Screen Shot 2013-05-21 at 7.21.26 AM

Yan Gomes hit a walk off, come from behind, 3 run homer in the bottom of the 10th to cap off a 3-5 day as the Indians won a bizarre 10-8 game over the Mariners.

R. A. Dickey pitched 8 strong innings letting up only 4 hits and 2 earned runs as the Blue Jays got a much needed win over the Rays, 7-5.

Brandon Belt went 4-5, homering and scoring 4 times as the Giants demolished the Nationals 8-0.

And Patrick Corbin threw his first career complete game, improving to 7-0, as he let up only 3 hits and 1 run in Coors Field, striking out 10 for the Diamondbacks 5-1 win over the Rockies.

They all owned baseball on May 20th, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7

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Monday May.20/2013

The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup.  Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around.  Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race

The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup. Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around. Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

The Rangers are #1 again based on the Division lead they currently possess, plus the fact they play all of these teams a total of 76 Games this year.

The Braves (rose their division lead to 2.5 Games with a 4 – 2 week), and Padres (18 – 13 in their last 31 Games and have been clubbing the ball lateley) were the biggest movers up for the week standings by climbing 6 spots apiece. 

The biggest drops were the San Francisco Giants (hate their Starting Pitching right now – except for Madison Bumgarner) and the Baltimore Orioles (late inning magic might be dying – and still need a DH + a Veteran Starter or 2).

The Los Angeles teams keep losing ball games – and the Blue Jays lost 2 straight versus the Yankees just when they looked to be on track.

Cleveland is still ranked outside the top ten because I don’t have faith in their strength of schedule in the next month starting May 21st:  2 vs DET, 4 @BOS, 2 vs CIN, 2 @CIN, 2 vs TB, 3 @NYY, 3 @DET, 3 @TEX, 3 vs WSH and finally 3 vs KC.  If they are above .500 after this stretch, I will be impressed.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.19) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Miguel Cabrera

In a losing cause, Miguel Cabrera hit three homers, reached base 5 times, scored three and drove in 5 runs. (His critics would point out that he made an error.) Despite his best efforts, the Tigers lost to Texas 11-8.

Matt Moore pitched seven terrific innings, holding the Orioles to a single run. The Tampa Bay Rays won 3-1 and swept a series in Baltimore that could come back to haunt the Birds later.

Carlos Gonzalez got on base four times and got RBI hits in the first and fifth as the Rockies blanked the Champion Giants 5-0 in Coors Field.

And Ricky Nolasco pitched 8 strong innings, letting up only 1 run and struck out 11 as the Marlins enjoyed a rare win, 2-1 over the Diamondbacks.

They all owned baseball on May 19th, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 18th

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Saturday, May.19, 2013

David Ortiz has been crushing the ball at an all time rate since rejoining the club just 4 weeks ago.  In just 24 Games Played this season - he has a 3 Slash Line of .362/.408/1.089 - with 7 HRs and 29 RBI.  He is still the premiere DH in the AL - and could go along way in Boston making a return to the playoffs in 2013

David Ortiz has been crushing the ball at an all time rate since rejoining the club just 4 weeks ago. In just 24 Games Played this season – he has a 3 Slash Line of .362/.408/1.089 – with 7 HRs and 29 RBI. He is still the premiere DH in the AL – and could go along way in Boston making a return to the playoffs in 2013.

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show).  So I am bringing it every day on this website.  To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click  the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Read the rest of this entry

Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 17th

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Saturday, May.18, 2013

Alex Rios has been quietly piecing together a solid campaign in 2013, with 10 HRs (T 5th in the NL), He has 8 2B, 7 SB and has scored 25 Runs in 40 GP. His 3 Slash line reads .297/.363/.917.

Alex Rios has been quietly piecing together a solid campaign in 2013, with 10 HRs (T 5th in the AL), He has 8 2B, 7 SB and has scored 25 Runs in 40 GP. His 3 Slash line reads .297/.363/.917.  Behind Great Start Pitching, plus recent good play of Adam Dunn, the Southsiders have won 4 Games in a row to climb within 4 Games of the AL Central with a 19 – 21 Record.

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show).  So I am bringing it every day on this website.  To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click  the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (May.17) – Updated Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

arizona-diamondbacks-v-miami-marlins-20130517-180417-233

Paul Goldschmidt went 4-5 with two homers and four RBI as the Diamondbacks clobbered the Marlins 9-2.

Matt Harvey pitched into the 8th inning and drove in the go ahead run himself as the Mets beat the Cubs 3-2.

Jason Kipnis went 2-4 and hit a walk off 10th inning homer as Cleveland topped Seattle, 6-3.

And Chris Sale pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings in Anaheim, striking out 12, as the White Sox blanked the Angels 3-0.

They all owned baseball on May 17th, 2013

My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.

At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON.

To View The List of just the nightly winners (WOB dedicated Page) starting from Mar.31/2013 – today click here Read the rest of this entry

Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 15th

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Thursday May.16/2013

Ibanez had 1004 RBI in the last 11 Years and he clubbed  338 of those from 2006-2008 with the Mariners.  He is likely to see around 350-400 AB this year.  Ibanez has hit HRs in consecutive days - hitting 1 HR on Tuesday versus the Yankees - before exploding for a Grand Slam and a 2 run shot yesterday versus his old Yankees Teammates.  He is currently on a 5 Games Hitting Streak ( 8 - 19, .421) with 5 HRs and 12 RBI

Ibanez had 1004 RBI in the last 11 Years and he clubbed 338 of those from 2006-2008 with the Mariners. He is likely to see around 350-400 AB this year. Ibanez has hit HRs in consecutive days – hitting 1 HR on Tuesday versus the Yankees – before exploding for a Grand Slam and a 2 run shot yesterday against his old teammates. He is currently on a 5 Game Hitting Streak ( 8 – 19, .421) – with 5 HRs and 12 RBI.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show).  So I am bringing it every day on this website.  To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click  the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Read the rest of this entry

Mark Reynolds And Asdrubal Cabrera: What To Make Of The Club In Cleveland

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Wednesday May 15th, 2013

 was Arbitration Eligible in 2013 and could have been offered it by the Orioles, instead they let him walk, He was great insurance for First and Third Base and they should have kept him for one more year." src="https://mlbreports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/a-a-a-mark-reynolds.jpg" width="604" height="408" /> Mark Reynolds was Arbitration Eligible in 2013 and could have been offered it by the Orioles, instead they let him walk, He was great insurance for First and Third Base and they should have kept him for one more year.  He likely would have made in the 1 YR/$11 MIL Range.  Instead the club opted to try Nolan Reimold and a cast of others for the positions available.  The Orioles DH slot is hitting well under the Mendoza Line at the time of this article.

was Arbitration Eligible in 2013 and could have been offered it by the Orioles, instead they let him walk, He was great insurance for First and Third Base and they should have kept him for one more year.”  Mark Reynolds was Arbitration Eligible in 2013 and could have been offered it by the Orioles, instead they let him walk, He was great insurance for First and Third Base and they should have kept him for one more year. He likely would have made in the 1 YR/$11 MIL Range. Instead the club opted to try Nolan Reimold and a cast of others for the positions available. The Orioles DH slot is hitting well under the Mendoza Line at the time of this article.

Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer):

The Cleveland Indians are off to a hot start, sitting just one game back of the Detroit Tigers atop the AL Central. In their last 10 (through Tuesday) they are 7 – 3. Most of this is due to Mark Reynolds.

So far this year, he is hitting .272 with 11 HRs and 32 RBI. This puts him on pace to hit 50 HRs and drive in  close to 15o Runs. Of course, there is no way that he drives in 151 runs, but I think it is possible that he could hit 40+ HRs.

He would have to stay hot the entire season and not get injured, so I would say there is about a three percent chance that he does so. His career highs in HRs and RBI came in 2009 when he hit 44 and drove in 102.

With the Indians lineup the way it is with Jason Kipnis (whom I will talk about later), Asdrubal Cabrera and Nick Swisher hitting in front of him, it seems like Reynolds will have plenty of RBI chances.

Reynolds is also on pace to strike out about 176 times, which is a little bit lower than his career average. Needless to say, if he keeps up his current performance throughout the entire season, he will be the MVP (although I would not count Miguel Cabrera out just yet with the season he is having thus far).

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Current Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 13th

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Monday May 13th, 2013

Justin Upton hit his 1st HR in 2 weeks yesterday - and the club re-assumed the Major League lead for Roundtrippers with 52 in 38 Games Played.  The club is 7th in the NL for OBP (.312), 11th in Team BA (.243) and are 42 SO ahead of the next team with 351 batters fanned.

Justin Upton hit his 1st HR in 2 weeks yesterday – and the club re-assumed the Major League lead for Round-trippers with 52 in 38 Games Played. The club is 7th in the NL for On Base Percentage (.312), 11th in Team Batting Average (.243)- and are 42 Strikeouts  ahead of the next team with 351 batters fanned (San Diego Padres with 309).  Atlanta is 22 – 16 – and still holds a 1 game lead over the Washington Nationals for the National League East.  Upton went 4 – 5 in his 1st game back in Arizona, falling just a Triple short of the cycle.

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show).  So I am bringing it every day on this website.  To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th on) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click  the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Read the rest of this entry

Top 5 MLB Home Run Leaders in the AL + NL: Home Runs Hit May 9th

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Friday May 10th, 2013

The Indians continue to lead the MLB in HRs with 49.  They are now 18 - 14 for the year - after winning 11 out of their last 12.  They also lead the MLB in SLG % with a .475 clip - and OPS - with a .809 mark.

The Indians continue to lead the MLB in HRs with 49. They are now 18 – 14 for the year – after winning 11 out of their last 12. They also lead the MLB in SLG % with a .475 clip – and OPS – with a .809 mark.  They boast the AL HR leader in Reynolds (11) and Santana is leading the world in OPS of (1.129).  The Cleveland fans have not bought into the next exciting offensive play.  The team is dead last in MLB Attendance – having only drawn 239,765 in 17 home dates thus far.  This translates into just over 14100 people per contest.  C’mon Cleveland, support your club!  The Tribe is only 1 GB behind Detroit heading into a weekend showdown series

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show).  So I am bringing it every day on this website.  To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click  the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Cleveland Indians with 7 HRs 4/30 versus the Phillies:

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Cleveland Payroll In 2013: Indians Organizational Rosters + Depth Charts – (MLB + MiLB)

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Sunday, Apr.28/2013

The Indians were one of the top franchises for organizational Drafts, signing players, making trades and having their core players locked up to long term contract during the 1990's. In the early part of the millennium, they traded several of these players for a new core of players.  This time, their return wasn't as significant.  The club prides itself on not making big mistakes on the Free Agent market and developing its own talent.  For the first time in 2 decades, the management is really under scrutiny for team operations

The Indians were one of the top franchises for organizational Drafts, signing players, making trades and having their core players locked up to long term contract during the 1990’s. In the early part of the millennium, they traded several of these players for a new core of players. This time, their return wasn’t as significant. The club prides itself on not making big mistakes on the Free Agent market and developing its own talent. For the first time in 2 decades, the management is really under scrutiny for team operations.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website.  He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs.  We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective.  If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job.  So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis.  After you click on it….Bookmark it.  There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page.  Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Royals Organization click here

The 1st half of the Central Division winning Indians 2007

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Cleveland Indians Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward

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Sunday 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.

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):

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:

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Why Terry Francona As The Manager Of The Cleveland Indians Makes Sense

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Tuesday Feb.5, 2013

Terry Francona played for five different teams in his playing Career.  His best year was in 1984 - where he hit .346 during his 218 AB.   He played as a 1B/OF/PH.  His only Post Season action was with the 1981 Montreal Expos.  He hit .333 in the NLDS but went 0-2 in the NLCS versus the eventual World Series winning LA Dodgers

Terry Francona played for five different teams in his playing Career. His best year was in 1984 – where he hit .346 during his 218 AB. He played as a 1B/OF/PH. His only Post Season action was with the 1981 Montreal Expos. He hit .333 in the NLDS but went 0-2 in the NLCS versus the eventual World Series winning LA Dodgers.  He has had much better success as Manager.

By Larry Myers (Indians Correspondent):

Terry Francona was hired as manager of the Cleveland Indians on October 6, 2012 – and officially took over the team on October 8th. He will be  returning to the dugout after a one-year hiatus of managing in baseball and doing sports broadcasting duties. After Manny Acta was let go as manager of the Indians, only two candidates were interviewed. Francona was picked as manager over Sandy Alomar Jr, who has stayed on as Bench Coach under the veteran skipper.

Before we decide if Francona was the right choice as manager of the Indians, we have to look at who the man is. Francona was born April 22, 1959 in South Dakota to former MLB player Tito Francona, (who played from 1956 to 1970). Tito ‘Jr’ played in the Majors himself from 1981 to 1990, including one year with the Indians. During his ten years, Francona played in 708 Games – with a BA of .274, 16 Home Runs  and 143 RBI as a utility player . After Francona’s playing days were over, he went on to become a Minor League coach, before finally becoming manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997.  During his four years in Philadelphia, his team never finished above fourth place, but Francona helped develop some young players into stars that have turned the Phillies franchise into the winning seasons in 11 out of the 12 years since his departure.

Terry Francona at TribeFest:

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MLB Player Profile: Indians OF/1B/DH Nick Swisher

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Tuesday January 22nd, 2013

Nick Swisher has a Career 3 Slash Line of .256/.361/.828.  His numbers were better over the last 4 years with the Yankees .268/.367/.850.

Nick Swisher has a Career 3 Slash Line of .256/.361/.828 heading into 2013. His numbers are even  better over the last 4 years with the Yankees – .268/.367/.850.  If you are an Indians fan – you can probably bank on a decent Batting Average, a nice OBP and 25-30 HRs and 80-90 RBI per year from him.  He also can play 3 different positions for you at 1B/OF/DH.

By Larry Myers (Indians Correspondent)

Nick Swisher is the latest free agent player the Cleveland Indians have signed this off-season. Nick Swisher is the son of former MLB catcher Steve Swisher, who played for a few National League teams back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Swisher was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in West Virginia. Before his professional career, Swisher played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 2002 MLB Draft, Swisher finally made his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2004.

During the 2004 season, Swisher played in only 20 games. In 2005, Swisher went on to hit 21 HRs and 74 RBI in 131 games. He finished 6th in the American League Rookie Of The Year Voting. During his 4 years in Oakland, Swisher hit 80 home runs and 255 RBI – while playing in 458 games. Not known as a player with a high average, he became a leader on a young Athletics teams. Swisher showed a great amount of durability during his time in Oakland compared to his teammates who spent a large portion of time on the Disabled List. Swisher made his Post Season debut in 2006. While sweeping the Twins, Swisher got 3 hits and an RBI in that series. Losing to the Tigers in the ALCS, Swisher hit .100 with only 1 hit.

One On One Interview with Nick Swisher Jan.03/2013 (Sports Time Ohio):

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Cleveland Indians 2013 Roster: State Of The Union

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Saturday December 29th, 2012

Cleveland_Indians

Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Writer)

The Cleveland Indians were nothing short of the laughing stock of the American League Central this past season. A hot started quickly turned into a hot mess, and their entire team went up into flames.

Now, with a new manager and a few hopeful offseason of moves, the Indians aren’t half-bad.

Let’s take a lot at a couple of the big questions in Cleveland:

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Why Terry Francona is a Bold Signing For The Indians

Friday October 19th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: The Indians needed a new manager and Terry Francona wanted to get back into managing. A perfect fit? Not yet. But the Indians made a bold move by signing Francona for four years.

For one, it’s saying that the Indians planning on winning over the next four years, because Francona probably wouldn’t just sign with Cleveland if there was no hope that they could be contenders in the near future. Heck, he could probably manage almost any other team he wanted to, at least the ones with openings. But no, he went with the dreadful Indians. That’s saying something, especially considering that Francona is an elite talent evaluator.

Secondly, it’s saying that Cleveland want experience over fresh blood. Sandy Alomar Jr. certainly seemed like the front-runner for the job in the preliminary stages of the searching process. But the prospects of that happening quickly faded as Francona emerged. Read the rest of this entry

2013 MLB Fantasy Keeper Rankings: Installment #1

Friday October 12th, 2012

Peter Stein:  Now that the 2012 season is over, it is time to start thinking about the 2013. For many owners, that includes deciding on keepers, although keeper systems vary from league to league. In some leagues, keepers can be held onto for an indefinite period of time, while others build upon the previous year’s draft value. Regardless of your league’s keeper setting, this piece identifies the top keeper player at each position. I chose a time period of five years; therefore, the player at each position should produce the most total fantasy value over the course of the next five years. That is, of course, assuming another Mike Trout doesn’t jump onto the scene.

Here is the first installment of the 2013 fantasy keeper focus:

First Base:

Winner: Joey Votto

Honorable Mention: Paul Goldschmidt

First base is actually the most tenuous and hardest to predict position on this list.  Can we really expect Albert Pujols to be super-productive for another five years? He will be 33 next season and his struggles at the beginning of the year are certainly not encouraging. Then again, a .285/30/105/8 season is considered a major down year from him. And, we all know how much better he was after the brutal start. Edwin Encarnacion (.280/42/110/13) emerged into the mix and excluding Miguel Cabrera was the top option at first base. However, he is 29 years old and has just a career .815 OPS in eight seasons. Clearly he has made strides, but he is very tough to predict moving forward. (more…)

Cleveland Indians Face Tough Road Ahead

Tuesday September 25th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: The Cleveland Indians seemingly play mind jokes with their fans. They start the year hot, and slowly unravel as the season progresses. 2012 has yet to show any different signs, and it’s about time that the management looks to start from scratch. While Chris Perez, Shin Soo Choo, and Asdrubal Cabrera are all solid pieces, they have yet to find success together. In their defense, sometimes certain groups don’t always pan out no matter what how high the talent level may be.

Let’s just say that the Indians face a tough road ahead. Read the rest of this entry

ATR: Ask the Reports Answers Your Baseball Questions: Urkel in Baseball, Batting Stance Guy, Beane, Future of Dempster, Hamilton’s Speed, Gathright Released and Rating Prospects

Monday July 16th, 2012



Jonathan Hacohen:  Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@me.com, message us on Twitter, post on our Facebook Wall and leave comments on our website! There are many ways to reach us and we will get to your questions from all social media outlets!

Jonathan Hacohen: Ok, I am going to admit it. I am 110% wiped from last night’s sleepover. The Toronto Blue Jays, like many MLB squads hold yearly sleepovers on the field. The Jays had theirs last night. Second year in a row for me and I will admit, after playing catch on the field till 1:30a.m., I am still not recovered. Call it getting old, but sometime the body just doesn’t bounce back like we want it to. That being said, the show must go on. So with apologies I am a little late this week on ATR, but better late than never!

Before I jump into your weekly baseball questions, here are some of my random baseball thoughts:

I was watching Ben Francisco of the Toronto Blue Jays last night as he was signing autographs for the fans. I wasn’t sure 100% who he was right away. But damn, he looked familiar. I looked and I looked. Then I realized what Chuck Booth (one of our Lead Writers here on MLB reports) had told me earlier in the year. Jaleel White. Steve Urkel. Man Chuck, you were bang on. Take a look at the comparisons:

Ben Francisco:

THEN JALEEL WHITE:

Ben Francisco is not the Steve Urkel type nerd. Rather, he looks like the cool and sauve Stefan. Yes, I did enjoy TGIF’s Family Matters back in the day. Whatever became of Jaleel White? Is he Ben Francisco? Or is this just a baseball urban legend? And whatever became of Laura Winslow? If you locate either one, please let Ben know. Until then, I am fairly certain Jaleel White is playing ball in Toronto. Call him Stefan…see what he says!

If you are not howling with laughter at this point, I want to introduce you to a good friend of MLB reports. If you love baseball, you have seen his work on YouTube and throughout the internet. He is a published author and all-around good guy. To his friends he is Gar Ryness. To the rest of the baseball world, he is the one and only “Batting Stance Guy”. Here is a little clip from some of BSG’s most recent work:

How are you feeling now? I know…your ribs hurt, tears are streaming down your eyes. Yes, that is the magic of Gar. The man has the ability to duplicate any batting stance going. Watching his impressions is a baseball theatrical treat. The fact that he is hilarious is an added bonus. Over the coming weeks, I will bring you more magic Batting Stance Guy clips. If you want to learn more about him in the interim, check out his site: battingstanceguy.com.

Now let’s get to your top questions of the week: Read the rest of this entry

MLB All-Star Break: Second Half Fantasy Baseball Targets and Flops

Wednesday July 11th, 2012

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports):  

As we sit at the All-Star break, the first half of the season brought with it many fantasy busts and surprises. This is a great opportunity to buy low on many players, as well as sell high on the players that cannot sustain their strong first half of the 2012 season.


SECOND HALF TARGETS:


Edwin Encarnacion’s power surge appears to be legit, very similar to the manner of his teammate Jose Bautista. Combine the second half of 2011 with the first half of 2012, and you are looking at 34 home runs 94 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases. Try and pry Edwin if an owner is looking to sell and acquire a more household name. Edwin continues to improve his approach the plate and is not overly benefiting from inflated BABIP or ISO numbers.


Carlos Santana had a miserable first half and with a high stock coming into 2012, many fantasy owners have been left devastated. The truth is that he ahs been consistently banged up with injuries, including a concussion, and really hasn’t been able to establish any rhythm. His stock is at an all-time low and he has the ability to produce like a top-3 catcher in the second half. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: June 2012

Monday June.4, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you monthly power rankings every month of the season.  There will be a few notes written for each team.  Please feel free to let us know your thoughts.  The Texas Rangers are the top ranked team yet once again, although teams are certainly gaining on the them in the last week.  Look out for Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees to make their move towards the top this month.

June Power Rankings-Last Month Rank in Parenthesis

1. Texas-32-22 (1) The Rangers rode Josh Hamilton in the month of May-who enters today on pace for about 60 HRs and 170 RBI while hitting .354.  Nelson Cruz is starting to heat up and the duo of Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler are steady as as ever. Yu Darvish is 7-3 en route to the leading the group amongst Rookie of The Year Contention.  Joe Nathan is looking like his old self again out of the pen with an ERA under 2.

2. LA Dodgers 33-21 (5) Even with Matt Kemp out of the lineup again, the Dodgers are winning ball games with solid contributions from Andre Ethier and A.J Ellis on offense.  The pitching staff has been anchored by Clayton Kershaw and a fast 7-1 start by Chris CapuanoTed Lilly was 5-1 before a stint on the DL.  It is too bad because Lilly is 125-104 since 2004.

3. Tampa Bay 31-23 (2) Hideki Matsui homered in two of his first 3 games back with the Rays.  The team has had steady pitching to stay in contention.  Carlos Pena has really struggled in the last month and will need to pick it up.  Luke Scott with 35 RBI has good production numbers in spite of his .225 AVG. Fernando Rodney has converted 17 out of 18 saves to pace the club.

4. Cincinnati 30-23 (12) Joey Votto has hit .404 in the last 30 days and maybe the best all-around hitter in the National League right now.  Jay Bruce has 12 HRs and 34 RBI and is living up to his all-star potential.  Aroldis Chapman has 27 Strikeouts in just over 14 innings and has yet to yield a run while opponents are hitting a paltry .043 against him.

5. NY Yankees 29-24 (6) The Bronx Bombers have 6 players with 8 HRs or more, which is a good thing because with the exception of Derek Jeter, a lot of them are hitting under their career averages.  The return of Andy Pettitte has helped the rotation with the loss of Micheal Pineda.  Phil Hughes threw a complete game over the weekend and CC Sabathia is on pace for another 20 win season. Read the rest of this entry

Ask the Reports: Your Baseball Questions Answered – Sunday March 4th, 2012

Sunday March 4th, 2012

Jonathan Hacohen:  Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@me.com, message us on Twitter and post on our Facebook Wall!

Let’s get to your top questions of the week:

Q: Serious question, if you have a Mike Stanton signed baseball, is it worth more cause all autos from here on are Giancarlo?  Bryan

MLB reports: A very interesting question Bryan. Having collected my share of baseball autographs and memorabilia in my day, the same notion popped into my head a couple of times. Here is what the Palm Beach Post News had to say on the subject last Wednesday:

“Many friends still call him Giancarlo, however. He uses that name for his legal signature, while on baseball paraphernalia he signs “Mike Stanton.”

But he notes that his scrawl is such that his “M” looks a lot like a “G.” And teammates are starting to call him Giancarlo more often.”

So it remains to be seen what signature Stanton uses when putting down his name for the fans on pieces of baseball memorabilia, whether they be baseball, cards or other pieces. From the sounds of it, Stanton went by the name Giancarlo on/off for most of his life, along with Mike and similar names. I expect his signature will likely the stay or similar, in which case the value will remain the same. Only, and if only if, his autograph changes drastically would the value of the old signature have any kind of serious increase. But again, as long as the signatures stay the same or similar- value is the same. Thank you again for writing! Read the rest of this entry