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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 3, 2015

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Red Sox fans need to get a grip. It hasn’t even been 20 months since our team has won a World Series. And the building blocks for a new title are being placed.

Eduardo Rodriguez is one of those pieces. But we need a better nickname for him than E-ROD!

Plus I talk about umps ejecting players and Lloyd McClendon’s use of Fernando Rodney.

It is a calm yourself Boston Episode 951 of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Joey Gallo, Andrew McCutchen, Chris Archer, Jordan Zimmermann, Tyler Cravy, Hunter Pence, Mike Pelfrey and Austin Jackson all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

 

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Seattle Is Poised For 2015 Dominance: But Off To A Slow Start

 

Seattle was everyone's pick to win the American League it seemed. A slow start mirrored the beginning of the 2014 season as well.  There are some outliers though, as they spent 10 of their 1st 13 games on the road.  The club has looked a lot better of the last week. included in that were awesome starts by Felix Hernandez.  Nelson Cruz has also picked up where he left off in 2014, with an MLB leading 9 HRs and 18 RBI in the teams first 16 games.

Seattle was everyone’s pick to win the American League it seemed. A slow start mirrored the beginning of the 2014 season as well. There are some outliers though, as they spent 10 of their 1st 13 games on the road. The club has looked a lot better of the last week. included in that were awesome starts by Felix Hernandez. Nelson Cruz has also picked up where he left off in 2014, with an MLB leading 9 HRs and 18 RBI in the teams first 16 games.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer)

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Forgive me for a second while I didn’t lose sleep on the Mariners losing Chris Taylor for some time early this year  I actually think that Brad Miller may have a chance to breakout this year.

But more importantly Seattle had themselves a great offseason.  Yes.. you read that right.  I am endorsing Jack Z. for a job well done, even though he saw fit to sign Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez for yet one more year.  But since the club is full with depth, I am hoping the guys wont be counted on.

Last year the club had to start the year without Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker for the majority of the 1st half, and while Paxton has still been bothered my a flexor strain early in the year, his arsenal speaks to the of an ace. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The Mariners Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree: Jack Z. Must Help The O!

The Seattle Mariners are fighting tooth and nail for the 2nd Wild Card Spot in the American League, however it has much more to do with their pitching than hitting.  This is a team built on prospects that haven't panned out, and injury riddled Free Agents and acquisitions.

The Seattle Mariners are fighting tooth and nail for the 2nd Wild Card Spot in the American League, however it has much more to do with their pitching than hitting. This is a team built on prospects that haven’t panned out, and injury riddled Free Agents and acquisitions.  From Justin Smoak, to Jesus Montero, to Abraham Almonte, this club has been on the poor end of the trades they have conducted in recent years.  The Draft picks have not done well either with fallen hopes about Dustin Ackley, Brad Miller, Nick Franklin and Michael Saunders.

How All Of The Mariners Hitters Were Acquired:

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

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The Mariners are on the brink of ending a 13 year playoff drought, yet there is a glaring hole on the offensive side with how this offense has been constructed.

Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and James Jones withstanding, the rest of the players have played underneath expectations in 2014, and unless the management can pull off a trade, it may be the squad’s Achilles heel this campaign.

Jack Zduriencik has to wheel and deal for some more help in the next week or so, especially with several of the perennial contenders like Boston, New York and Tampa having subpar years.

The pitching staff has been the anchor behind the Mariners nice season so far, and with the payroll also being only at $82 MIL, this team has money to burn. Read the rest of this entry

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7 – May 2014

The Mariners are 10 - 4 in their last 14 games - without receiving any outstanding play from one particular player.  They are the biggest jumpers in this weeks rankings, going from #20 - #15.  The club concludes a series vs the Kansas City Royals, before they welcome the Tampa Rays next into Safeco Field.

The Mariners are 10 – 4 in their last 14 games – without receiving any outstanding play from one particular player. They are the biggest jumpers in this weeks rankings, going from #20 – #15. The club concludes a series vs the Kansas City Royals, before they welcome the Tampa Rays next into Safeco Field.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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We are almost at the quarter pole for action in the MLB.

The biggest mover and shakers this week were the Seattle Mariners, followed by Baltimore Orioles. LA Angels and San Francisco Giants.

Plummeting in the other directions were led by the Phils, who we dropped from 17th to 24th.

The Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers and Rangers all lost 4 places in the rankings based on sub-par weeks.

The AL New York franchise is about 1 bad week from free-falling to the AL East.  Right now the team has received buoyancy because of ace Masahiro Tanaka being 5 – 0.

Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran are having a tough time finding their rhythm with the Bronx Bombers.

I believe the Dodgers will rectify their situation shortly and take off.

Washington is barely over .500 even though most of their players are playing to their capabilities.

The Royals offense is destroying their team morale, as is the Mets having a tough time with the Relief Core, and their Pitchers are still battling .000 for the year like you and me.

Oakland is still leading the MLB in wins since the start of the 2012 year.

The Red Sox are one of the most likely teams to climb the standings in the next few weeks.

With the Cards not playing well, keep in mind, 18 of the next 21 games reside in Busch Stadium for them.  It is time to make some headway.

The AL has fashioned a 18 – 8 mark in Interleague this week to apply a 34 – 33 overall lead on the NL now.

The Rockies are blasting every baseball into orbit right now.  These guys are hitting as well at home as the Pre-Humidor ERA. Read the rest of this entry

Seattle Mariners State Of The Union For 2014 Part 2 – The Hitters:

All of the baseball world in the PAC NW will want to see nothing but great production from Cano in Seattle.  He may have a great year with the new club, however the management has not armed him with many dependable offensive talents.  I fully expect the Second Baseman to hit .300/.400./.500 this season, but I think his HRs will be in the low 20's (if not teens,) and his Doubles will be high.  I am not sure he will crack 100 RBI either.  Get used to it Cano.  This is the 1st season of a 10 YR/$240 MIL deal

All of the baseball world in the PAC NW will want to see nothing but great production from Cano in Seattle. He may have a great year with the new club, however the management has not armed him with many dependable offensive talents. I fully expect the Second Baseman to hit .300/.400./.500 this season, but I think his HRs will be in the low 20’s (if not teens,) and his Doubles will be high. I am not sure he will crack 100 RBI either. Get used to it Cano. This is the 1st season of a 10 YR/$240 MIL deal.  He has a career 3 slash of .309/.355/.504, but you can bet he will be walked a ton this year as opposing teams bypass the biggest threat on Seattle’s team.

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

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I wonder what was promised to Robinson Cano once he inked that 10 YR/$240 MIL, or he was just so ecstatic about the cash he failed to ask the question.

I am just kidding.  You know I love ya Cano…and that I am a Yankees fan…and bought 20 sets of game tickets at Safeco this year – primarily because you are on the team.

Actually, the 2B stated a few weeks ago that he is not pleased with the state of the current squad.  I can’t say I blame him.

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The Detroit Tigers Organizational Depth Charts (All Affiliates) – Spring 2014 (Majors and Minors)

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

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The Detroit Tigers will be relying on their Minor League System more in 2014 than in the previous few years.  Players have been traded or lost to Free Agency, carving a path and opportunity for some.

Nick Castellanos has the grandest shot at making some headway at the 3B position, and Jose Iglesias will see a full year at SS in Motown.

When you factor in Ian Kinsler at 2B – and Miguel Cabrera at 1B, then none of the 2014 opening days Infield positions will look the same.

Dave Dombrowski has done an exceptional job at replacing some of the Minor League levels.  This was a big reason why they traded Doug Fister. 

Robbie Ray is their best Starting Pitcher not to start the year in Detroit.  He may even get the call at some point this campaign.

If anything, the Tigers were able to become younger, quicker and cheaper, which could bode well for the future

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

Which Manager’s Seat Is The Hottest In The MLB – 2014?

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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There are many expectations in 2014 for a lot of the MLB clubs. 

Realistically, only the Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins could be ousted from playoff contention before we even play in the American League.

The National League has several more teams with improbable chances to post a postseason berth in 2014.

The Mets, Marlins, Twins, Cubs and Padres are the longest shots on the board to nail down play in October as well.

Out of those teams, Chicago just hired Rich Renteria, and the other 5 teams would likely let the year play itself out before thinking of a skipper’s switch.

With those teams listed, I highly doubt the current bench bosses will remain in position by the time the clubs become good. Read the rest of this entry

The Lighter Side Of The MLB: Memories, Characters And Things That Make Me Laugh

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

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Okay, the MLB has has had their fair share of characters and memories that illustrate how funny some things are.  We all like to blow these up on social media circles.

In this article, I just wanted to share some of these occurrences I have found amusing – also some of things that have cracked up some of our writers at this website.

Of course, we also have Paul Sullivan (AKA Sully) who usually makes people laugh once a podcast because he is a former comedian.

Some of his things that make us laugh are:  “Did you know that Mariano Rivera is retiring?” diatribes and explaining WAR to novice baseball people is also classic.

Sully likes to emphasize that he understands sabermetrics, but several other of our listeners have cracked up at his pronunciation of BABIP. Read the rest of this entry

The Mariners Managerial Search Continues

Former Ozzie Guillen assistant Joey Cora would be the popular choice for the Mariners open Managerial position.

Former Ozzie Guillen assistant Joey Cora would be the popular choice for the Mariners open Managerial position.  The man played a significant role on the the 1995 club that won their first Division Title since coming into the Majors in 1977.

Sam Evans ( Baseball Writer and Marlins, Mariners Correspondent):

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The Mariners new manager needs to be someone who can turn around the recent trend of losing baseball at Safeco Field and help bring a new era of baseball to the pacific northwest.

General Manager Jack Zduriencik has exhaustively looked at a number of different options, with potential candidates ranging from young to old, some with Seattle connections, some completely new to the city.

However, it appears, although this is just an assumption, that he has narrowed his list to three option.

Chip Hale, the Athletics bench coach, Lloyd McClendon, the Tigers hitting coach, and Joey Cora, the former White Sox bench coach. Here is a look at each of the three top candidates and which one is my favorite of the bunch.

Joey Cora Game #5  (ALDS) HR versus the Yankees in 1995

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Detroit Tigers: Team Payroll, Depth Charts + Rosters, (Majors And Minors)

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Saturday, July.27/2013

Justin Verlander is one of about 10 True Pitching Aces in the game right now that are starters.  Verlander can throw 100 MPH at any time in the game, plus seems to ramp it up as the game progresses.  The 30 Year Old just signed a massive contract extension that runs through 2019.  His 7 YR Deal is worth $180 MIL, and there is a Vesting Option for 2020.  JV is having his toughest season a pro - with a 10 - 8 record - and a 3.99 ERA in 2013 so far.  He is still 134 - 73 (.647) for his career - with a 3.45 ERA.  He has a CY Young (2011), and 4 other top 7 CY Young Voting Finishes

Justin Verlander is one of about 10 True Pitching Aces in the game right now that are starters. Verlander can throw 100 MPH at any time in the game, plus seems to ramp it up as the game progresses. The 30 Year Old just signed a massive contract extension that runs through 2019. His 7 YR Deal is worth $180 MIL, and there is a Vesting Option for 2020. JV is having his toughest season a pro – with a 10 – 8 record – and a 3.99 ERA in 2013 so far. He is still 134 – 73 (.647) for his career – with a 3.45 ERA. He has a CY Young (2011), and 4 other top 7 CY Young Voting Finishes.  With Scherzer and he anchoring the staff, along with Fielder and Cabrera manning the offense they should dominate the AL Central for a few more years to come.

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 Tigers Organization click here.

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