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D’Backs Pitching Staff In 2014: The Roster Tree Shows Now Ex – GM Towers Fault(y) On Assembly

Kevin Towers had been at the GM helm since Sept.22, 2010 before having his duties relinquished today.  He authored some of the worst trades in club history, and has seen his team pay the price for it the most this year, with a 59 - 81 record, after back to back 81 seasons in 2012 and 2013, and a NL West Title in his 1st year on the job in 2011.  Tower traded away Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, Tyler Skaggs, Adam Eaton, Matt Davidson, Martin Prado all without much of talent brought back to the fold in return.  It was time to go.

Kevin Towers had been at the GM helm since Sept.22, 2010 before having his duties relinquished today. He authored some of the worst trades in club history, and has seen his team pay the price for it the most this year, with a 59 – 81 record, after back to back 81 seasons in 2012 and 2013, and a NL West Title in his 1st year on the job in 2011. Towers traded away Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, Tyler Skaggs, Adam Eaton, Matt Davidson and Martin Prado – all without much of talent brought back to the fold in return. It was time to go.

How All Of The D’Backs Pitchers Were Acquired:

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

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It has not been a banner year for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  I don’t need to beleaguer that point out to much to the common fan of the franchise.

What I found most disturbing out of the Roster Tree, is the team’s brass continued reliance and insistence on Relief arms.

But before we divulge into that, the name Dan Haren is still haunting this franchise. (Not Towers fault, but still an important trade historically) Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The Angels Pitchers Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree Shows A Nice Year Revamp!

Jered Weaver

How All Of The Angels Pitchers Were Acquired:

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

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The Angels management had to look back on the 2013 Relief Core – and worry about their long term future.  This was because not one guy had a decent year, and most guys were well north of 4 ERA’s.

Jerry DiPoto has rapid fired a bunch of trades and signings since then, to solidify a great Bullpen it was once a late inning disaster waiting to happen on a nightly basis.

So how did he accomplish this?  What assets did he give out in order to make it happen?

The 1st domino to fall was signing Joe Smith to a 3 year deal as the team’s primary set up man for Ernesto Frieri.

After that it was the David Freese deal – in which Reliever Fernando Salas came with him from the NL champion St. Louis Cardinals for Randal Grichuk and Peter Bourjos. Read the rest of this entry

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.

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):

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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

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 15 – 2014

The Atlanta Braves were hovering around .500, and in serious jeopardy of watching the Nationals blow by them with a healthy roster.  Instead, they are the biggest mover of the week, riding a 9 game win streak.   All of this coming on the heels of losing Evan Gattis for awhile.

The Atlanta Braves were hovering around .500, and in serious jeopardy of watching the Nationals blow by them with a healthy roster. Instead, they are the biggest mover of the week, riding a 9 game win streak. All of this coming on the heels of losing Evan Gattis for awhile.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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*** Denotes Division Leaders

Records are before play Thursday July.06, 2014

RK Team   Last Wk Rnk  ()      Current Rec –  Last 10 Days Rec

1.  ***Oakland A’s (1) 54 – 33:  6 – 3  The A’s are the only team that has an above .600 Win Percentage.

What is not to like.  They have the best record since 2012, are even better over the last 2 years (July 2012, July 2014, about .615 Baseball), have won 2 AL West in a row as well.

Added to the fold is a great trade bringing in Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, and not yielding anything from the current MLB Roster in return.

2. ***Detroit Tigers (2) 48 – 36: 6 – 4: Tigers beat the better teams, and have troubles with the lesserlites.

Emergence of J.D. Martinez is a major bonus for a team starving for OF help.  Still need more Bullpen arms.

Great division for opponents down the 2nd half. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The Diamondbacks Hitters Were Acquired (2014 Roster Tree)

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How All Of The D’Backs Hitters Were Acquired:

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

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The Diamondbacks are having a brutal season at 30 – 44 thus far, and are now under the microscope of Tony La Russa.

This has to be done for good reason.  The club’s transaction record recently is highly suspect even though they are being led by veteran GM Kevin Towers.

When covering this Roster Tree (just for the hitters) I have found a disturbing trend of 2 team and 3 way trades that may not be beneficial to the long term success for the snakes.

The 1st one coming to mind is shipping out Trevor Bauer, Bryan Shaw and Matt Albers for a fringe 1B prospect in Lars Anderson, Reliever Tony Sipp and shortstop Didi Gregorius (even though Chris Owings was already in the system). Read the rest of this entry

Arizona Diamondbacks 2014 Payroll + Contracts Going Forward

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth + Payroll Expert – find his website here)

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The Diamondbacks brass hit a proverbial HR, when they extended Paul Goldschmidt to a 5 YRs/$32 MIL deal prior to the 2013 campaign.

The Then 25 Year Old finished runner up to the NL MVP Voting, and likely would have won it based on his .302/.401/.551 year with an NL leading 36 HRs, 125 RBI, (he also led in Slugging, OPS and Scored 103 Runs.)

Having a franchise player for the next 4 years at such a feasible rate in terms of payroll enables them to do so many things with their salary structure.

The club added Bronson Arroyo (2 YRs, min $23.5 MIL – or 3 YRs/$30 MIL), were able to deal for Mark Trumbo (who entered 1st Year of Arbitration at $4.8 MIL in 2014) and recently signed Reliever Oliver Perez to a modest 2 YRs/$4.25 MIL deal. Read the rest of this entry

Current Odds Over/Under Wins For All 30 MLB Teams In 2014: Best Bets On The Board

The regular season over/unders have been updated yet again.  While most of them are right in the realm of where they should be - about 20% of the numbers scream out for me to bet some cabbage on.

The regular season over/unders have been updated yet again. While most of them are right in the realm of where they should be – about 20% of the numbers scream out for me to bet some cabbage on.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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Yes these are my predictions for the current state of the MLB.

Right beside the wins and losses, is the over.under totals and odd.

Next to that will be whether that would make it Over/Under based on my selections.

If I think an odd is worthy of plunking down some pesos, I will highlight it. Read the rest of this entry

The Detroit Tigers Roster Tree Part 1: How All Of The Hitters Were Acquired

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.

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):

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At the MLB Reports, we intend to show you the Roster Tree for the Detroit Tigers  – and how they assembled their current roster for hitting and Pitching.  It will work in a six degrees of separation like format.

Once we figure out the origin of how many trades going back in time it takes to see where the tree started, it will be time to dissect how the team fared on the deals.

If a player has never left the organization at all, the tree will be easy – as it will just be the year they were drafted or signed.

For the 2nd part of the Roster Tree for the Tigers: The Pitchers – click here

For all of the Rosters, Depth Charts, State of the Unions and Salaries Posts that we do, please visit our dedicated page link here.

Miguel Cabrera 2013 Highlights Before The All – Star Break – Mature Lyrics

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The Arizona Diamondbacks Players In All Organizational Affiliates, Prospects, Depth Charts, (MLB + MiLB) Fall 2013

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't have the type of year in 2013 that they had wished for, however the future looks really strong.  Aided by a slugging 1st Baseman (Paul Goldschmidt), and great young Staring Pitching like Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin, added with Veterans Miguel Montero, Martin Prado and Aaron Hill, with prospects A.J. Pollock and Adam Eaton being the future core, this team should see some heavy duty improvement from year to year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t have the type of year in 2013 that they had wished for, however the future looks really strong. Aided by a slugging 1st Baseman (Paul Goldschmidt), and great young Staring Pitching like Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin, added with Veterans Miguel Montero, Martin Prado and Aaron Hill, with prospects A.J. Pollock and Adam Eaton being the future core, this team should see some heavy duty improvement from year to year.

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

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the better run franchises in the MLB  In fact, they are in a constant battle with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, for the best record ALL – Time for an expansion team.

The club has made the playoffs in 5 of its 15 years existence.  While they won’t make the Post Season in 2013, they have been competitive for yet another campaign.

One of the best things they could have done was to lock down Paul Goldschmidt to a a lengthy (team friendly contract, that will see the big First Baseman be the pillar behind the offense for the next several seasons.

Kevin Towers and his scouting staff are always on top of the mark for player development, and it will probably result in the team having a chance every year in both the NL West Race and for a Wild Card Birth.

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the D-Backs Organization click here.

Paul Goldschmidt  Highlights 2013

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Dbacks’ Make Move At Trade Deadline To Improve Their Bullpen

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Thursday, August.1, 2013

Joe Thatcher was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks on the last day of the Trade Deadline. This acquisition makes their bullpen stronger with having a pitcher that can get lefties out on a consistent basis. He has 2.10 ERA in 30 innings pitched this season, while only giving three HRs, and walking four batters. He has a WHIP of 1.06 and has struck out 29 batters. He is holding the opposing batters to a .243 average this season, while holding left-handed batters to a .215 average. Thatcher is very good with runners in scoring position as well, by holding teams to a batting average of .121 in this situation.

Joe Thatcher was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks on the last day of the Trade Deadline. This acquisition makes their bullpen stronger with having a pitcher that can get lefties out on a consistent basis. He has 2.10 ERA in 30 innings pitched this season, while only giving three HRs, and walking four batters. He has a WHIP of 1.06 and has struck out 29 batters. He is holding the opposing batters to a .243 average this season, while holding left-handed batters to a .215 average. Thatcher is very good with runners in scoring position as well, by holding teams to a batting average of .121 in this situation. He does not throw hard with a fastball that sits in the mid 80s and a sweeping slider. He has held lefty batters to a 209./.269/.586 triple-slash in 344 career at-bats.

By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner)  

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the kings of the National League West division for most of this season, and that’s not saying much. That division is not what you would call competitive, with only two teams that have a record over. 500.

Arizona was able to maintain their lead in large part because the Los Angeles Dodgers were dealing with numerous injuries.Then once the Dodgers had key players healthy, Los Angeles started to play better.

Paul Goldschmidt 2013 Highlights – Parental Guidance Is Advised

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Top MLB Teams 1 – 30: Monthly Rankings + (Top 200 Stats For Reading And Fantasy Baseball)

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Thursday July.11/2013

The Giants have gone 9 - 23 in their last 32 Games and are in danger of having a brutal campaign just one year after capturing the World Series.  Key injuries and overlogged pitchers have been the main point of contention. They lost 8 Ranking Spots.

The Giants have gone 9 – 23 in their last 32 Games – and are in danger of having a brutal campaign just one year after capturing the World Series. Key injuries and overlogged pitchers have been the main point of contention. They lost 8 Ranking Spots this past time.  Should they also become sellers at the Trade Deadline,  Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence could fetch a few players in return.  The Giants are currently 40 – 50 and 6.5 Games behind the NL West Leading DBACKS – but are in last in the NL West.

 

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

The time has come for the July Power Rankings with Stats Edition.  There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.

I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during these weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.

These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.

I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams.  I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll past the video and picture.

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Triple Play Podcast Ep #12 – Interview With MLB Fancave Dweller Aaron Roberts, Astros Chat + Lids

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Sunday, June.09, 2013

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month.  Each show will be about 1 hour

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.

By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com)

Guests in this Podcast – Thomas Aaron Roberts (25 Minute Mark and a 17 Min Segment) (Former MLB Reports Dodgers Correspondent and 1 of 7 MLB FanCave Dwellers left in New York)

Richard Perez (www.strosbros.mlblogs.com and 1 of our 3 Astros Correspondents from there – (4 Minutes in and a 20 Minute Segment)

Guys (Frank and Carmen) from the @mydopehatgame (44 Minutes In and a 10 Minute Segment)

To Keep Reading and Listen to this Podcast click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY or scroll past the Triple Play Logo

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San Diego Padres Payroll In 2013: And Contracts Going Forward

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Thursday, February.21, 2013

San Diego GM Josh Byrnes did little in the off-season aside for signing Freddy Garcia.

San Diego GM Josh Byrnes did little in the off-season aside from signing Freddy Garcia. This team will surprise people with their lineup and their starting rotation. They will be Oakland Athletics of the NL West Division.

By Chris Lacey (Baseball Writer)

The San Diego Padres 2012 season is one that can be split into a tale of two seasons. There was the first half of the season where they struggled to score runs and their record reflected that. They went 34-53 and only managed to score a total of 305 runs as a team. The first month is what really set them back; they had a team batting average of .215. The second half of the season the Padres did a complete 180 degree turn in the way that they played. They scored 346 runs and their record was 42-33 in second half of the season. The team batting average increased to a season high in September of .267. The Padres can carry over what happened in the end of 2012 season into 2013 this could be a very competitive division.

General Manager Josh Byrnes did not do much in free agency. He did sign former All-Star pitcher Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal. The Padres have a history of not having a high payroll. They prefer to use their farm system to generate their major league talent, rather than spend money on Free Agents.

Chase Headley 2012 Highlights. Mature Lyrics – Parental Guidance is Advised:

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