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Hiroki Kuroda: Pitcher Looks to be Possibly Traded From the Dodgers to Rangers

Monday July 25, 2011

MLB reports: One of the most underrated pitchers in the game is currently on the auction block. Los Angeles Dodgers hurler, Hiroki Kuroda, is currently being shopped to major league teams as the July 31st trade deadline is nearly upon us. The 36-year old Kuroda has been very consistent since joining the Dodgers, enjoying solid numbers despite a constant lack of run support. With a no-trade clause, Kuroda has the ability to refuse a trade in remain in the Los Angeles for the rest of the season. But with demand high for the hurler and teams likely to offer incentives (in the $1-$2 million range), it appears that Kuroda will be changing addresses in the next six days.

A veteran of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, Kuroda played from 1997-2007 with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan before coming over to North America. As a free agent outside of the posting system, Kuroda was free to sign with any major league team. In 2007, Kuroda signed a 3-year, $35.3 million contract with the Dodgers and last offseason re-signed for 1-year, $12 million. A look at his major league numbers show that Kuroda has been a solid and dependable veteran:

Year	W	L	ERA	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
2008	9	10	3.73	183.1	181	42	116	1.216
2009	8	7	3.76	117.1	110	24	87	1.142
2010	11	13	3.39	196.1	180	48	159	1.161
2011	6	12	3.19	127.0	122	33	97	1.220
4 Seasons	34	42	3.52	624.0	593	147	459	1.186
162 Game Avg.	11	14	3.52	207	197	49	152	1.186

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

The teams that have pursued Kuroda are the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. Looking at the numbers, I don’t blame them. In some ways the second coming of Hideo Nomo, Kuroda may not be as flashy but he has been dependable. Except for 2009 when he suffered through injuries, Kuroda has pitched close to 200 innings every season since joining the Dodgers. This year has been one of Kuroda’s finest, with a 3.19 ERA and 1.220 WHIP, which have only led him to a 6-12 record on a meek Dodgers squad. With better run support, his record could easily be 12-6. Now with July 31st rapidly approaching, people are wondering whether a) Kuroda will waive his no-trade clause; and b) which team will acquire him.

I am surprised that more teams are not pursuing the hurler. With so few quality starters available at exorbitant prices, including Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies and James Shields of the Rays, Kuroda may be the best and most affordable quality starter available to a team that needs a starting pitcher for its stretch run. While Jimenez and Shields will take approximately 3 top prospects, Kuroda may only take 1 or 2 decent prospects. Not a high price to pay considering what a team will get back in return.

From the names thrown around, I would see the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers having the best chance to land Hiroki Kuroda, with the Rangers being the most likely to win the Kuroda derby. The Rangers have a great farm system and many solid prospects for the Dodgers to choose from. As well, the Rangers give Kuroda the best chance of winning a championship, having made it last year to the World Series. Other teams will surely take a run at the hurler, especially the Yankees and Red Sox. But when push comes to shove, expect Kuroda to grab his cowboy hat and boots and head to the lone star state. We don’t profess to have a crystal ball and anything can happen this week. The Los Angeles Dodgers will base their final decision on receiving full salary relief and the best prospects in return for their star pitcher. It is always fun to speculate at the trade deadline time. Let’s see which team ultimately offers the best package to acquire one of baseball’s best Japanese imports: Hiroki Kuroda.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

4 Comments

Tags: baseball, brewers, cardinals, dodgers, jimenez, kuroda, mlb, nippon, nomo, rangers, rays, reds, redsox, rockies, shields, tigers

Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays Makes His 2011 MLB Debut

Jul 24

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Sunday July 24, 2011

MLB reports: Saturday July 23, 2011. The Tampa Bay Rays lose to the Kansas City Royals by a score of 5-4 in 10 thrilling innings. Joakim Soria got the win. Brandon Gomes got the loss. Eric Hosmer had the game winning hit. Just a normal Saturday night MLB game in Kansas City.

In the Tampa Bay loss, a new era begun in Rays baseball history. Desmond Jennings, the 24-year old top hitting prospects of the Rays, made his 2011 major league debut. Originally a 10th round selection back in the 2006 MLB draft, Jennings entering game action yesterday rated as one of the top prospects in the game.

Let’s take a look at the career statistics of Desmond Jennings:

Year	Lev	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OPS
2006	Rk	48	59	4	20	32	.277	.749
2007	A	75	122	9	37	45	.315	.866
2008	A+	17	22	2	6	5	.259	.772
2009	AA-AAA	92	158	11	62	52	.318	.888
2009	AA	69	121	8	45	37	.316	.881
2009	AAA	23	37	3	17	15	.325	.910
2010	AAA	82	111	3	36	37	.278	.756
2011	AAA	68	93	12	39	17	.275	.830
6 Seasons		382	565	41	200	188	.294	.825
AAA (3 seasons)	AAA	173	241	18	92	69	.283	.806
A (1 season)	A	75	122	9	37	45	.315	.866
AA (1 season)	AA	69	121	8	45	37	.316	.881
Rk (1 season)	Rk	48	59	4	20	32	.277	.749
A+ (1 season)	A+	17	22	2	6	5	.259	.772

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Jennings had his breakout season in 2009 and looked ready to work towards his MLB debut in 2010. However injuries slowed him down and he spent the season developing his craft in AAA. Come this season and we see the Jennings of old. In 89 games, Jennings already had 12 home runs, 68 runs, 39 RBIs, 19 doubles, 3 triples. a .275 AVG and .830 OPS. Most telling is that Jennings has been successful on 17/18 stolen base attempts. With little to prove in the minors and the Rays needing a serious offensive boost at the major league level, Desmond Jennings got the call to join the team yesterday in Kansas City.

One of the few true five-tool prospects in the game, Jennings was slotted in the leadoff spot and playing left field for the Rays. Expected to play solid defense and ignite the Rays offense, Jennings did not disappoint. The final boxscore shows the following stat line: 2 for 3, double, triple, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 SO and 1 SB. That is how you fill a box score ladies and gentlemen. The Rays brass must be overjoyed at the success Jennings enjoyed in his first game this season. Shades of Carl Crawford and Rickey Henderson no doubt.

With such a big game played, the expectations will already be high for Jennings. People have to remember that he is still raw and developing as a hitter. He is also young and will take time to mature. With so many holes currently in the Rays batting order, Jennings will not be pitched to every game if he stays hot. The league will also start to put a book together on him and find the holes in his swing and game. While his two walks yesterday were impressive, Jennings was still striking out much more than he was walking in AAA this year. The potential is definitely there, as he showed yesterday. The expectations just have to be kept in check.

Rays fans have been calling for the promotion of Desmond Jennings since spring training. With the team in contention, the time was right to give Jennings the call. Long-term, I can realistically see him as a 20 home run, 50 stolen base type hitter. The power is definitely there and he should be an extra-base hit machine as he finds his groove at the major league level. With the art of the stolen base slowly coming back to baseball, Jennings should win several stolen base crowns before his time is done. With the trade deadline looming, the Rays are looking at acquiring more hitting prospects to beef up their offense. With Desmond Jennings at the top of the order, the Rays will have an offense that will compliment its superior pitching. The World Series may not come to Tampa Bay in 2011, but the road to the championship just got more clear. Welcome to the big leagues Desmond Jennings. Well done.

Box Score: Desmond Jennings 2011 Debut

Tampa Bay	110	011	000	0	—	4	11	2
Kansas City	000	201	001	1	—	5	10	0

Tampa Bay	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Jennings lf	3	2	2	1	2	1	.667
Damon dh	5	0	1	1	0	2	.279
Zobrist rf-2b	5	1	2	1	0	2	.266
Longoria 3b	4	0	2	1	1	1	.243
B. Upton cf	4	0	0	0	1	2	.229
S. Rodriguez 2b	3	0	0	0	1	0	.211
b-Joyce ph-rf	1	0	1	0	0	0	.289
Kotchman 1b	5	0	1	0	0	1	.329
Shoppach c	4	0	1	0	0	2	.179
c-Fuld ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.244
Chirinos c	0	0	0	0	0	0	.214
E. Johnson ss	5	1	1	0	0	3	.197
Totals	40	4	11	4	5	15

Kansas City	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Gordon lf	5	0	3	1	0	2	.302
Cabrera cf	5	0	0	0	0	0	.294
Butler dh	5	1	1	0	0	2	.288
1-Aviles pr	0	1	0	0	0	0	.211
Hosmer 1b	5	2	3	1	0	2	.277
Francoeur rf	3	0	1	0	0	0	.269
Moustakas 3b	3	0	2	3	0	0	.202
Pena c	3	0	0	0	0	0	.256
a-Maier ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.271
Treanor c	0	0	0	0	0	0	.227
Getz 2b	3	0	0	0	1	1	.253
Escobar ss	4	1	0	0	0	1	.249
Totals	37	5	10	5	1	9

No outs when winning run scored. a-struck out for Pena in the 9th. b-singled for S. Rodriguez in the 10th. c-struck out for Shoppach in the 10th. 1-ran for Butler in the 10th.

E: Longoria (7), Jennings (1). LOB: Tampa Bay 11, Kansas City 8. 2B: Jennings (1), Damon (17), Zobrist (30), Longoria (18), Gordon (26), Hosmer (14), Francoeur (25), Moustakas (4). 3B: Jennings (1), E. Johnson (2). RBIs: Jennings (1), Damon (43), Zobrist (50), Longoria (49), Gordon (52), Hosmer (40), Moustakas 3 (8). SB: Jennings (1), Gordon (9). SF: Moustakas.

Runners left in scoring position: Tampa Bay 9 (Kotchman 3, Zobrist 2, Damon 2, E. Johnson 2); Kansas City 6 (Cabrera 2, Getz 2, Butler, Moustakas). GIDP: Johnson. DP: Kansas City 1 (Francis, Getz, Hosmer).

Tampa Bay	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Niemann	6	7	3	2	0	4	92	3.86
Jo. Peralta	1 1/3	0	0	0	0	3	17	3.80
Howell	2/3	0	0	0	0	1	12	7.94
Farnsworth	1	1	1	1	1	1	18	1.99
B. Gomes L, 0-1	0	2	1	1	0	0	2	3.78

Kansas City	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Francis	5	9	3	3	2	6	104	4.65
Holland	3	1	1	1	1	6	40	1.20
Crow	1	0	0	0	2	1	26	1.88
Soria W, 5-3	1	1	0	0	0	2	16	3.64

Crow pitched to 2 batters in the 10th. B. Gomes pitched to 2 batters in the 10th.

Holds: Jo. Peralta (14), Howell (4). Blown save: Farnsworth (4). Inherited runners scored: Soria 2-0. IBB: off Francis (Jennings).

HBP: by Howell (Francoeur). WP: Niemann. Balk: Howell.

Umpires: Home, Ted Barrett; First, Brian Runge; Second, Marvin Hudson; Third, Tim McClelland.

Time: 3:25. Announced attendance: 27,643.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: baseball, crawford, henderson, jennings, mlb, rays

James Shields to the Reds for Alonso and Grandal: July 31st MLB Trade Deadline Rumor

Jul 23

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday July 23, 2011

MLB reports: We are now only eight days away from the MLB non-waiver trade deadline and the rumors continue to fly fast and furious. Along with the Carlos Beltran and Heath Bell sweepstakes, the names Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Willingham, Brandon League, Hunter Pence and Hiroki Kuroda have been tossed around as possible candidates to be moved next week. Another big time name has recently been thrown into the mix that we will be looking at today. James Shields, “big game James”, one of the top starting pitchers on the Tampa Bay Rays may very well be playing for a new team very soon. The Cincinnati Reds are apparently calling and with big prospect bats sitting on the farm, the Reds may very well have the necessary bait to haul in one of the biggest fishes on the trade market.

The 29-year old James Shields was drafted by the Rays in the 16th round of the 2000 MLB draft. Shields made his major league debut in 2006. Here is a quick rundown of his lifetime statistics:

Year	W	L	ERA	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
2006	6	8	4.84	124.2	141	38	104	1.436
2007	12	8	3.85	215.0	202	36	184	1.107
2008	14	8	3.56	215.0	208	40	160	1.153
2009	11	12	4.14	219.2	239	52	167	1.325
2010	13	15	5.18	203.1	*246*	51	187	1.461
2011	9	8	2.53	156.1	118	40	151	1.011
6 Seasons	65	59	4.02	1134.0	1154	257	953	1.244
162 Game Avg.	13	12	4.02	224	227	51	188	1.244

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

A definite innings-eater, James pitched almost 1000 innings over his first five seasons, making him one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers in the game. A lack of run support has definitely hurt Shields over the years, as he had the numbers to obtain more wins had the Rays offense been able to support him better. I have watched too many instances of Shields pitching complete or near complete game losses, despite only giving up 2-3 runs per game. 2009 and 2010 were not kind to James in some ways, as some analysts viewed Shields as having hit his peak and starting to decline. Going into 2011, nobody knew what James Shields the Rays would be getting. The steady ace that the team enjoyed for the majority of his career or the 2010 inconsistent version. Looking at Shields at the halfway mark of the season, he is enjoying by far his greatest season in the majors. A sparkling 2.53 ERA and 1.011 WHIP, Shields has been everything that the Rays could have expected more. But with success comes many questions, with the most pertinent being what the Rays should do with James.

The whispers and talk has been growing by the day that the Rays may be looking to move Shields by July 31st. The Reds have been the team most linked to the Rays, given their desire to bolster their rotation and the deep farm of prospects they can offer the Rays. The Reds are sitting on some of the top prospects in the game that are currently blocked at the major league level. Yonder Alonso, 1B/OF is considered one of the best hitters not at the major league level. Alonso would represent the centerpiece of a potential Shields deal. Born in Cuba and having attended the University of Miami, Alonso is often compared to his friend Alex Rodriguez, based on his combination of power and patience at the plate. Not bad company at all. The 24-year old Alonso was drafted 7th overall in the 2008 draft by the Reds and has quickly advanced in their system. Currently in AAA, Alonso sits at a .297 AVG, .871 OPS, with 12 home runs and 46/59 BB/K. The Rays, desperately in need of bats, currently have Casey Kotchman manning first. Alonso would be a perfect fit in taking over the first base job for the next decade. He is a special hitter that does not come along very often. While a pitcher of Shields stature is not easy to replace, the Rays would be filling a huge void in their lineup by adding Alonso. Dealing from strength to fill a need is smart baseball management and the reason why we are discussing the trade of Shields today.

In addition to acquiring Yonder Alonso, the Rays would be adding a number one catcher to their system in either Yasmani Grandal or Devin Mesoraco. I have seen both names thrown around, but my gut is that the Rays will end up receiving Grandal. Mesoraco was featured by us back in June. The likely Reds catcher of the future, Mesoraco is expected to get the call either this year or next at the latest to replace incumbent Ramon Hernandez. With a solid backup in Ryan Hanigan, the Reds have an abundance of catchers, a strength considering that few major league teams have potential superstar backstops playing in their lower levels. The 22-year old Grandal was born in Cuba and played in Miami, similar to Alonso. Drafted 12th overall in the 2010 MLB draft, Grandal recently got the call to AA. Mesoraco on the other hand, is 23-years of age and was drafted 15th overall by the Reds in the 2007 MLB draft. Mesoraco is back for his second tour of duty in AAA, hitting a solid .309 and .895 OPS, with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs. After battling injuries in his career, Mesoraco hit a combined 26 home runs over 3 levels last season and has not slowed down since. The Rays would be thrilled to receive Mesoraco in a Shields trade, but Grandal is considered by many to actually be the more talented backstop. A win-win either way for Tampa Bay.

But why trade Shields and especially, why now? Many Rays fans are asking themselves those questions right now. On the surface, Shields and the Rays look like a perfect fit. He is young and still in the prime of his career. Shields has proven to be healthy and durable since joining the Rays. He is signed through this year, with team friendly options through 2014 at $7, $9 and $12 million per year respectively from 2012-14. In baseball they say you can never have too much pitching. If that is the case, then some feel the Rays should consider stockpiling their pitchers and building their team from strength. But that is a narrow view of major league teams and how they operate. Let’s take a look at our five top reasons for the Rays to trade James Shields right now:

1) Sell at the Peak

You never know what the future will bring, so sometimes it is important to live in the moment. Shields, while a steady and consistent pitcher, is currently pitching at the highest level of his career. The Rays will need to determine if he has truly broken out or merely playing above his head. The value for Shields may never get higher than it is today. As well, teams contending for the playoffs may be willing to pay more at the deadline than the offseason for Shields. The Rays, if feeling especially lucky, could request the addition of either Mike Leake or Travis Wood to the trade mix from the Reds.

2) Numbers Game: Rotation Log Jam

The Rays have been known for acquiring, developing and stockpiling pitchers in their system. This past offseason was no different, as the Rays traded away top starter Matt Garza to the Cubs for a package of prospects, including Christopher Archer and Sam Fuld. With Jeremy Hellickson ready, willing and able to join the big club, the Rays needed to clear room for their next future star pitcher. Hellickson, combined with David Price, Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann form a formidable one through four punch in the rotation. Based on their age and salaries, none of these starters will likely be going anywhere soon. While Alex Cobb has been brought in for temporary measure to the majors, Matt Moore just got the call to join AAA Durham in anticipation of joining the Rays rotation soon. Moore, one of the top-five pitching prospects in baseball, will not likely be kept on the farm too long given his dominance over minor league hitters to-date. That is how the baseball system works. Prospects are developed and either traded for veterans or take over for departed veterans from major league teams. As the Rays have no intention of trading Moore, a spot will have to open up for him. Unfortunately for James Shields, he is the veteran most likely to go. From there, it will only be a matter of time before Archer is ready to join the big club and the cycle will continue.

3) Dollars and Cents

It is no secret that the Rays are on a very tight budget. Low attendance figures, despite continued recent major league success including a World Series appearance in 2008, has meant that the Rays cannot afford to hang onto high priced veterans. Shown the door in recent years were Carlos Pena, Matt Garza and Rafael Soriano, among others for financial considerations. While James may have what is considered a team friendly contract, paying him close to $10 million or so per year for each of the next three seasons does not work for the Rays budget. Moore, combined with Alonso and Grandal, would fill three positions for the Rays at a combined salary that will be a fraction of what Shields makes. In other words, Shields is a luxury that the Rays cannot afford and can fill quite adequately within at a cheaper cost. While we do not like to think about the economics of the game, it can drive roster decisions on the same level as talent and ability.

4) Innings- Wear and Tear

James Shields is starting to enter a zone that many MLB teams dread. The 200-innings per season for over five seasons club. While an informal group, there has been much talk in baseball circles that most pitchers after their first 1000 innings pitched have a high risk of injuries and decline. Pitchers like Brandon Webb and to a lesser extent Ben Sheets, are shown as examples of modern pitchers that have arm/shoulder problems after pitching many major league innings over a span of 5+ years. While Shields has not shown any risks yet of developing injuries, his numbers going into this season were of concern for the Rays. So while Shields is having a Cy Young caliber season, the Rays may be fearful that he will be susceptible to injuries or declining performance very soon.

5) Pitchers Need Run Support

In the same way a fast car needs a powerful engine and reliable tires, a major league team needs both offense and strong pitching. The current build of the Rays is starting to mirror the San Francisco Giants. Great young pitching but not enough hitting. The Rays can stockpile as much pitching as they like, but if they cannot score runs they will have a difficult time making the playoffs, let alone win a World Series title. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal are two superstar bats in the making that the Rays desperately need and do not have in their own system. The expression goes that teams “develop pitching and buy bats.” In this case, the Rays will be taking to buying the bats that they themselves cannot produce. With a starting lineup of nine hitters, that Rays will be instantly filling over 20% of their lineup by way of this trade. The hit the rotation by losing Shields would be absorbed by the addition of Matt Moore to the major league club. But the boost to the team’s offense as a result of the addition of Alonso and Grandal is invaluable.

Verdict: The bottom line is that the Tampa Bay Rays are in a quandary. James Shields is the heart and soul of their pitching staff, the go-to guy who has earned his nickname of “big game.” But as the most expensive starter on the staff, with the team’s top prospect almost ready to receive the call to the show and the team desperately needing good young hitting, the Rays have no choice but to consider moving Shields at the trade deadline. As the team is still in contention, management will have to be careful of not sending a message that they are throwing in the towel on the season. But to get the biggest reward, the team will have to pay a big price. It will be difficult in the short-term to accept the trade of James Shields from Tampa Bay. But considering the hitting that the Reds would be sending to the Rays, this is a deal that the Rays cannot afford to miss out on. Keep an eye on Tampa Bay as the team will continue to improve, get younger at a competitive payroll come deadline day and still remain in contention. If this is truly James Shield’s last week in a Rays uniform, please be sure to catch his last start live or on television from Oakland this coming Wednesday July 27th. With Desmond Jennings and Dane De La Rosa just recalled by the Rays from AAA, the cycle of player and prospect replenishment has already begun again in Tampa Bay.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: alonso, archer, arod, baseball, bell, beltran, cobb, davis, delarosa, fuld, grandal, hanigan, hellickson, hernandez, jennings, jimenez, kotchman, kuroda, league, leake, mesoraco, mlb, moore, niemann, pena, pence, price, rays, reds, rodriguez, sheets, shields, soriano, webb, willingham, wood

Top 5 Closers Available at July 31 MLB Trade Deadline

Jul 22

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Friday July 22, 2011

MLB reports: The MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching. With only nine days to go, MLB teams need to decide if they are buyers or sellers. Right up until July 31st deadline, the baseball world will be buzzing on potential deals. While transactions can occur after July 31st, the respective players will need to first pass through waivers, which makes trades more difficult to happen. Especially in the category of closers, who are sought after by almost every team. Whether to obtain a 9th inning stopper or upgrade their middle relief, the majority of MLB teams are currently on the prowl.

There are some contending teams would love to add a closer, including the Rangers and Cardinals. The host of other teams battling for a playoff spot are ready to take a current closer to pitch the 7th or 8th inning. To win today in baseball, you usually need 2-3 closer-type pitchers in your pen. The Brewers recently added Francisco Rodriguez to compliment John Axford. The New York Yankees signed Rafael Soriano to pitch in front of Mariano Rivera, although David Robertson has since grabbed the role. True closers will always be in demand and teams with playoff aspirations will always find room for these guys on their rosters.

As the line between buyers and sellers becomes less blurry, we take a look today at the top five closer candidates to be traded by the July 31st MLB Trade Deadline:

1) Heath Bell: San Diego Padres

The Rolls Royce of available closers, the Padres are talking to teams on a daily, if not hourly basis on the availability of Heath Bell. Nearly every team has been linked to Bell in the past few days, from the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox, Jays and Tigers. The prize of the closing market, expect the Padres to demand a king’s ransom for his services. At least two top prospects, with one being major league ready should get this deal done. With 28 saves and a 2.45 ERA, the 33-year old Bell is having another fantastic campaign before his impending free agency. The Rangers and Cardinals are most in need of a closer, with the Rangers the most likely destination based on availability of prospects. The Rangers have the superior farm system and could match up best with the Padres. The Phillies and Jays are the dark horses according to reports and need to decide if they are willing to pay the price.

2) Brandon League: Seattle Mariners

A first time All-Star in 2011, Brandon League has raised his stock this year and given the Mariners an interesting trade chip to work with at the deadline. League has chipped in 23 saves already this year, with a 3.35 ERA and 1.088 WHIP. With a team friendly contract and under team control for another season, League should draw much interest on the market. St. Louis seems like a logical choice, as the Cardinals will be looking for a long-term solution to their closing woes. I cannot see the Mariners dealing in their division and having to face League next year with the Rangers. A top prospect or two middle prospects should make this one happen. With the Mariners far out of contention and in complete rebuild mode, a top closer seems like a luxury that the Mariners cannot afford at the moment. The Mariners need offensive help and need it quickly, with League being one of many candidates likely to leave Seattle by July 31st to replenish the farm system.

3) Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor: Toronto Blue Jays

If Heath Bells is a Rolls Royce, the Blue Jays are running a used Ford dealership in their bullpen. Frank Francisco is like a used mustang with transmission problems, while Jon Rauch is a pickup truck without the V8 engine. The Jays have assembled a collection of the middle-of-the-road closers and setup men this year in their bullpen. Francisco will likely draw the most attention, despite his mostly awful numbers this year. At 31-years of age and throwing big time heat, Francisco still has potential. Rauch has served as the Jays closer for much of the year and could be in demand as well. Octavio Dotel, the eldest member of the pack, has bounced around during his major league career and could be a useful trade deadline pickup. The most effective reliever though for the Jays has been Jason Frasor and a smart team should consider him. While the Jays are unlikely to offer any true closers to contending teams, there are middle relief candidates to be had. Expect the Phillies to come calling and pickup one of the above.

4) Kevin Gregg: Baltimore Orioles

For those teams that like to play with fire, closers don’t get more dangerous than Kevin Gregg. A 4.00 ERA and unsightly 1.583 WHIP are not numbers that scream out lock-down closer. Gregg has shown though the ability to get hot at times during his career and will be considered by many teams over the next week. Signed through next year, the Orioles will look mainly for salary relief in shedding Gregg’s contract. Personally, I wouldn’t consider Gregg if I was running a team. But somehow he will likely move by July 31st.

5) Leo Nunez: Florida Marlins

Another up-and-down closer in the Gregg mold, Leo Nunez is quietly having a very solid season for the Florida Marlins. Up to 27 saves, with a 3.22 ERA and 1.187 WHIP, Nunez might actually be the best affordable option on the closers market. The Rangers and Cardinals will sniffing around here, as will the Red Sox, Indians and Tigers. As the Marlins and Tigers have matched up well before in trades, I can see this swap happening. The Tigers have the ability to surrender a decent pitching prospect and can use Nunez down the stretch as Valverde insurance. With the Tigers in contention and the majority of their bullpen being fairly unstable for most of the year, Nunez might be a late inning option that the the Tigers can ill-afford to miss out on.

Send us your comments and opinions on available closers for the trade deadline. Other names thrown around have been Joakim Soria, Matt Capps, Joe Nathan, Andrew Bailey and Brian Fuentes. The trading of players, especially closers, is especially reliant on the competitiveness and status of a team in the standings. With so many teams still in their respective races, there are not as many top bullpen arms available at this point in the season. But come August, as more teams continue to drop out, expect to see even more trade activity. Exciting times, as the MLB pennant races continue to heat up, and baseball trade talk is on everyone’s lips.

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Tags: athletics, axford, bailey, baseball, bell, brewers, closers, dotel, francisco, frasor, fuentes, gregg, jays, league, mariners, marlins, mlb, mlb trade deadline, nunez, orioles, padres, rangers, rauch, rodriguez, royals, soria, trades

Jair Jurrjens: Braves Ace of the Future or Trade Candidate?

Jul 21

Posted by blandy12

Wednesday July 20, 2011

Rob Bland (Intern- MLB Reports): Now that the trade deadline is fast approaching, teams in contention are scrambling to find the pieces they desperately need to reach the playoffs. Teams that are out of contention are scouring other teams’ minor league affiliates in search of suitable trade partners. One man who is terribly busy fielding on calls on one of his biggest talents is the GM of the Atlanta Braves, Frank Wren. Opposing GMs have coveted his ace pitcher, Jair Jurrjens over the past few years. But now that Jurrjens has developed into a solid dependable pitcher who has exceeded his potential, Wren’s phone will be ringing right up until the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline.

Why Atlanta should hold on to their ace

Jair Jurrjens is young and controllable with an inexpensive contract. He is an inning eater, and a dependable arm that will give 6+ innings per game. Jurrjens is in his fourth full season, with the key variable that many people forget is that he is only 25 years old. At the halfway mark of this season, Jurrjens has a 12-3 record with a sparkling 2.26 ERA. Jair also induces a ton of ground balls, with a GB% of 48.2. When a guy can throw strikes consistently, it makes it much easier to be successful. Three walks per nine innings is a pretty good career mark, and he has seemingly improved almost every year, as Jurrjens currently sits at a 2.10 BB/9 for 2011. A young, controllable ace that is continually improving might be something that the Braves want to hold onto. Further, the Braves should even consider giving a long-term extension to Jurrjens given what he means to the ballclub.

Why Atlanta should trade Jurrjens

Why would a contending team trade their ace, you might ask? Well, a guy like Jurrjens might be overachieving for a few reasons. First of all, the velocity on his fastball has dipped every season since his rookie campaign. His average fastball was once 93 mph, whereas it sits at 89 now. Now this could mean a couple of things, such as he has learned how to pitch and doesn’t need the velocity. However, his extra reliance on his change-up and slider; each of them up in usage about 3% over previous years, tells me that he knows his fastball isn’t quite as effective. Jurrjens doesn’t strike many guys out, and there is almost no way that he can maintain a 4.1% homerun per fly ball rate. His xFIP is exactly a run and a half higher than his ERA at 3.76, so a measure of his performance has been attributed to luck. Numbers can be sometimes be deceiving and in Jurrjens case, he might not be as good as his statistics appear to show. Sometimes its good to maximize a return when the market is at its peak and Jurjjens may very well be sitting at the top of his ceiling of potential. Otherwise, if Jurrjens does regress, he value will never be higher than it is at the moment.

Which teams could trade for Jurrjens

If the Detroit Tigers are willing to give up a ton of prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez, I believe they would do the same for Jurrjens. Same goes with the Red Sox and Yankees. Detroit has at least kicked the tires on many starting pitchers, including Derek Lowe, Aaron Harang, and Jeremy Guthrie. I see Jurrjens as an upgrade over those pitchers, so it would take a decent package to steal him away. The Rockies covet four top prospects for Jimenez, so I don’t see why the Braves wouldn’t try to get at least three top prospects for Jurrjens. He may not have the electric stuff that Ubaldo has, but he certainly has a track record of success.

Another fit to trade for Jurrjens that may fly under the radar could be the Indians. Mitch Talbot and Fausto Carmona have underperformed, and they desperately need an upgrade if they are to contend. This could cause a bidding war for Jurrjens. I can see righty Alex White, lefty Drew Pomeranz and outfielder Nick Weglarz being involved in such a deal. Prospects Jacob Turner (RHP), Andy Oliver (LHP) and Nick Castellanos (3B) may be included in a potential deal with Detroit.

In the NL, if the St. Louis Cardinals decide to make a push in the wide open Central Division, they may be looking at starting pitching help. Kyle McLellan and Jake Westbrook have both struggled, so it could be a possibility they get in the mix. Third baseman Zack Cox and starting pitcher Shelby Miller are possible candidates to be moved in such a scenario.

Verdict

Atlanta doesn’t appear to be actively shopping Jurrjens, but it would be in their best interest to at least gauge the interest of other teams. The Braves could get a return for Jurrjens that would be impossible to refuse. With some of the prospects named, the Braves could still contend, and restock their system for years to come. Until then, we expect Jurrjens to remain a Brave unless Frank Wren gets blown away a trade proposal. With the active trade winds blowing this year and numerous contending teams desperate for starting pitching help, anything is possible.

Editor’s Note: Today’s feature was prepared by our Intern, Rob Bland. Rob was selected from the many candidates who applied to write for MLB reports. Please feel free to leave comments and to welcome Rob aboard. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***

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Carlos Beltran to the Giants: Mets Likely to Trade Slugger to San Fran

Jul 20

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Tuesday July 19, 2011

MLB reports: The MLB rumor mill is working overtime as the non-waiver trade deadline of July 31st quickly approaches. With less than two weeks to go, the speculation is heating up as to which players will be changing uniforms. Francisco Rodriguez is already a Brewer and Jeff Keppinger was just traded to the Giants. But rumors persist that the Mets and Giants are not finished with their activity. With both superstars Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran eligible for free agency at the end of the season, talk is that one or both players will be moved out of New York. With the possibility of the Mets trying to retain Reyes, the most likely scenario is Carlos Beltran changing addresses. At the center of the speculation is the San Francisco Giants. The defending World Series champions have been simply atrocious this year offensively. With their cleanup hitter Buster Posey out for the season, the team cannot afford to miss out on the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes.

The Giants were very fortunate to win the World Series last year. The playoffs are a tough road and requires the perseverance normally of a balanced team to make it to the end. The Giants, while solid in the pitching department, were essentially using smoke and mirrors to score runs last year. The team relied on the likes of Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross and Freddy Sanchez on offense. While useful role players, these players are not the big sluggers that are supposed to win championships. Now with Buster Posey out, the Giants are forced to rely on Eli Whiteside, Miguel Tejada, Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell and company to score the team’s runs. Possessing one of the best, if not the best pitching staff in baseball, the Giants can ill-afford to limit itself offensively and essentially waste such strong pitching. To defend its championship, the Giants will have no choice but to beef up their offense.

Carlos Beltran has been one of the most consistent hitters in the game over the course of his career. Taking a look at his numbers, we see a consistently high level of production:

Year	Tm	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA
1998	KCR	58	12	16	0	7	3	.276
1999	KCR	663	112	194	22	108	27	.293
2000	KCR	372	49	92	7	44	13	.247
2001	KCR	617	106	189	24	101	31	.306
2002	KCR	637	114	174	29	105	35	.273
2003	KCR	521	102	160	26	100	41	.307
2004	TOT	599	121	160	38	104	42	.267
2004	KCR	266	51	74	15	51	14	.278
2004	HOU	333	70	86	23	53	28	.258
2005	NYM	582	83	155	16	78	17	.266
2006	NYM	510	127	140	41	116	18	.275
2007	NYM	554	93	153	33	112	23	.276
2008	NYM	606	116	172	27	112	25	.284
2009	NYM	308	50	100	10	48	11	.325
2010	NYM	220	21	56	7	27	3	.255
2011	NYM	328	54	94	14	59	3	.287
14 Seasons		6575	1160	1855	294	1121	292	.282
162 Game Avg.		621	110	175	28	106	28	.282

KCR (7 yrs)		3134	546	899	123	516	164	.287
NYM (7 yrs)		3108	544	870	148	552	100	.280
HOU (1 yr)		333	70	86	23	53	28	.258

NL (8 yrs)		3441	614	956	171	605	128	.278
AL (7 yrs)		3134	546	899	123	516	164	.287

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

His resume speaks for itself. Beltran is a 1999 AL Rookie of the Year. He has won four Gold Gloves for his defensive work in the outfield. He won two silver slugger awards. A lifetime .282 AVG, .360 OBP and .495 SLG. In 2004 he hit the magical 30/30 mark (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases), and was actually two home runs short of 40/40. For the most part, Beltran in his prime could do it all. Hit home runs, hit for average, steal bases, catch and throw the ball like few players could. One of the few true five-tool players in the game. The aberrations we find in Beltran’s statistics were the last two years. Due to various injuries, particularly knee woes, Carlos Beltran was forced to miss much of the last two seasons and saw his production sharply decline. Now healthy and extremely motivated, Beltran has come back in a big way.

Beltran played in his sixth All-Star game this year in Arizona. While he rarely steals bases these days, the rest of Beltran’s game has returned as shown by his numbers. The only issue surrounding Beltran is whether his knee will hold up for the rest of the season and into the playoffs. From there, a team will need to determine his long-term health and abilities in awarding him a free agent contract. But from all indications, Beltran is a player that can still play ball at the highest level when healthy. An ideal fit for the Giants that lineup that desperately needs run production.

How bad has the Giants offense been in 2011? Going into tonight, the Giants as a team are hitting .243, with a .309 OBP and .363 SLG. The team has collectively hit 63 home runs and scored 356 runs. Yet somehow the team continues to sit in first place in the NL West, 3.5 games ahead of the Diamondbacks. If not for Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, Brian Wilson and the rest of the Giants pitching staff, the Giants would be in the basement of the division. The run of the Giants over the past two seasons has been incredible, but clearly linked to its pitching. To support its pitchers and put runs on the board, the Giants have to step up and beef up its offense. While Jeff Keppinger is a useful player, he will not be enough to get the job done. Rather, the Giants need to acquire a bomber, the way the Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday a couple of years ago in their playoff run. Or closer to home, when the Astros acquired Carlos Beltran in 2004. Beltran hit an incredible 8 home runs during the Astros playoff drive that year. Coincidentally, Beltran was an impending free agent that year as well. Fast forward to 2011 and the very same Carlos Beltran is available. Having a fantastic campaign, Beltran in 2011 has hit .287 to-date, with 14 home runs, league leading 28 doubles, with a .381 OBP and .512 SLG. Again during a free agency year. Definite playoff calibre numbers and a perfect fit out west in San Francisco.

The Giants and Carlos Beltran are well suited for one another. San Francisco needs a strong cleanup hitter. Carlos Beltran wants to compete for a World Series championship and boost his free agency stock for one more prime contract. The odds of getting a ring don’t get any better than joining the defending world champions. Some experts have speculated that Beltran may not waive his no-trade protection to join the Giants. I am not buying that theory. The Giants are a terrific organization to play for, with highly regarded management, a fantastic ballpark in a beautiful city, and are one of baseball’s most historical and treasured teams. Beltran would look fantastic in a Giants uniform. What better way to showcase his abilities and earn his last free agency contract than by playing for a contender and fighting for a World Series championship.

Remember 1994, the year that Beltran was traded from Kansas City to Houston and played like a man possessed in nearly single-handedly leading the Astros to the World Series. That performance, combined with his numbers to-date, earned Beltran that off-season a 7-year, $119 million contract from the Mets. Now Beltran is on the cusp of free agency again and has the potential to “earn his pay” so to speak with the Giants in the same manner that he did with the Astros in 1994. With Scott Boras as his agent, Beltran will surely receive the advice that playoff performance equals free agency dollars.

The Giants will have a choice in making a pitch to the Mets for Carlos Beltran. They will either have to absorb the majority of the contract and provide fairly decent prospects, or have the Mets absorb a large chunk of money and offer 1-2 elite prospects in return. The Giants are well stocked in the minors and have excellent pitching at the major league level. The Mets may request Jonathan Sanchez off the major league roster or a combination of minor leaguers from the farm. Outfielder Thomas Neal and pitcher Zack Wheeler could be on the Mets wish-list. Or perhaps the Giants will be able to give up a package of lower level prospects and not lose their top prospects and major league level. The decision will boil down to the money involved and players offered by other teams in trade packages.

At the end of the day, much like the Yankees must acquire Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies (see our recent feature), the Giants have no choice but to trade for Carlos Beltran. The Yankees cannot afford to waste their superior offense without enough top-level pitching and the Giants in turn, need to surround their talented pitching staff with consistent run production. It is a lot of pressure to have a team win 2-1, 3-1 games night-in and night-out. Carlos Beltran has proven that he can carry a team on his back when he is on his game. Well, in 2011 he is definitely playing at his highest level in years. Beltran needs the Giants for his next contract and a chance for a ring, while the Giants need his bat and glove to increase their chances of a championship. The perfect marriage, expect Beltran to be a Giant by the end of July. This acquisition makes too much sense for the Giants and Brian Sabean will continue to stock his team on route to a possible back-to-back World Series run for the Giants. Carlos Beltran to the Giants. Not a question of if, just a question of when.

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Tags: astros, baseball, beltran, boras, bumgarner, burrell, cain, giants, holliday, huff, jimenez, keppinger, lincecum, mets, mlb, neal, posey, rockies, rodriguez, rookie of the year, rowand, royals, sabean, sanchez, tejada, vogelsong, wheeler, whiteside, wilson, yankees

Interview with Derrick Hall: President and CEO of the Diamondbacks

Jul 18

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Monday July 18, 2011

MLB reports: Today on MLB reports, we bring you our biggest and most important interview to-date. From the executive side of baseball, we present our interview with Arizona Diamondbacks President and Chief Executive Officer, Derrick Hall.

Derrick joined the Diamondbacks in May 2005 after working in the front office of the Los Angeles Dodgers for many years. In September 2006, Derrick was named President of the Diamondbacks and later added the title of Chief Executive Officer in January 2009.

The Diamondbacks are very fortunate to have one of the most progressive and dynamic baseball leaders at their helm. Derrick developed the “Circle of Success” mission statement, the foundation for the management of the Diamondbacks. A true ambassador to the game, Derrick Hall is a tireless worker in promoting and developing baseball in Arizona. Derrick is often mentioned by many baseball commentators as a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as Commissioner after Selig’s contract expires following the 2012 season.

As part of our Q&A, we covered many topics with Derrick Hall. This year’s MLB All-Star game in Arizona, the hiring of Kirk Gibson and Kevin Towers, MLB realignment, the state of the Los Angeles Dodgers and even the possibility of Hall becoming MLB Commissioner one day were all covered. We now present Derrick Hall, Arizona Diamondbacks President and Chief Executive Officer:

MLB reports: Mr. Hall, Derrick. Thank you for joining us today on MLB reports. With the All-Star game held in Arizona this year, you must have been an extremely busy man. How did the planning go for the big event? How did the Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball make this year’s All-Star game different from those of past years?

Derrick Hall: The All-Star festivities were extremely successful and we were told by many they thought the experience ranked up there with the best ever. I received zero complaints and heard rave reviews from all of my colleagues and fans. I am so proud of my hard-working staff. The fact that we brought nearly $70 million of economic impact to our region, in addition to $5 million in legacy community projects makes this All-Star summer a much-needed success.

MLB reports: It must be an incredible undertaking to put together the All-Star festivities. I had the pleasure of attending many such events and literally entire cities get taken over by the festivities. Can you give us an idea as to the amount of people working just for this project and what your role is in seeing the event from beginning to the end?

Derrick Hall: It is safe to say that over 2,000 individuals worked on the All-Star game, either from my staff or as volunteers. We oversaw all planning and coordination in conjunction with MLB Special Events. They put the Mid-Summer Classic on every year and have it down to a science. We then direct them based on our knowledge of our fans, economy and market.

MLB reports: On a personal note, you joined the Diamondbacks in 2005 and was named President in 2006. What factors were part of your decision in joining Arizona? What was the process like to becoming President and how quickly did you jump at the chance?

Derrick Hall: I worked for the Dodgers for many years before coming over. It was always a hope and dream of mine to run the Diamondbacks. My wife is from Arizona, and we both attended and met at Arizona State University. It is a dream come true to be back home and changing the employee and fan culture on a daily basis. We are considered the most fan-friendly team in all of sports, and were just named the most positive sports team in the world by the United Nations. I am proud indeed.

MLB reports: Since becoming President, how has the role itself been for you? Please give our readers an idea as to your day-to-day functions and the various front office staff that you work with. Does the job today differ from what you expected when you first started as President?

Derrick Hall: My days are jam-packed, but I love it that way. I work closely with both the baseball operations side and the business side, but leave baseball decisions to the experts I have hired. I am responsible for all aspects of the organization and oversee about 350 full-time employees and 2,000 part-time and worldwide employees. It is similar to a large corporation and is a 365-day business.

MLB reports: The Diamondbacks have received great feedback on the hires of Kirk Gibson as manager and Kevin Towers as the GM. Please give us a glimpse as to your role in the hiring of each of these fine baseball men. How do you rate the job that each has done so far in their respective roles? Why did the team choose these individuals specifically?

Derrick Hall: I first decided to make Kirk Gibson interim manager with the thought of him becoming permanent, but wanted my new GM hire to have a say-so because they need to work closely together. Before the end of last season, I concluded a GM search and hired Kevin Towers. I have known him for years and have always admired his reputation and track record. He agreed that Gibby should be our guy. They have been terrific. They have completely changed the culture in the clubhouse which is now one of accountability, results and grittiness. I could not be happier. We still have a long way to go, but for the first time in years, we are all on the same page, from CEO to GM to manager. And I am most proud of the coaching staff that Gibby has assembled, which I consider the best in the game hands down.

MLB reports: The 2011 MLB Draft is completed and the Diamondbacks appear to have done very well in stocking the farm. How do you view the players that your team chose and can we get a glimpse into the future Diamondbacks superstars?

Derrick Hall: We did very well according to the post-draft reviews and experts. It helped that we have the numbers 3 and 7 picks. And with those picks, we picked the best college pitcher and arguably the best high school pitcher respectively. We have been restocking our farm system over the last year or so, so are excited to be adding this talent to the list of prospects like Skaggs, Corbin, Parker, Holmberg, Goldschmidt and Owings to name a few. Trevor Bauer is very close to Major League-ready and could be an impact on our team soon, when focusing on our recent draftees.

MLB reports: The topic of realignment has been thrown around in many circles. I have proposed the idea of moving the Diamondbacks to the American League. What do you think of realignment in general and if given the choice, would the Diamondbacks move divisions at all?

Derrick Hall: I would not be in favor of us moving to the American League. I personally am a big fan of the National League. I like its strategy and I enjoy seeing the pitchers hit. I am not a fan of the DH, but understand its place and like the fact that it prolongs players’ careers. We have established some great rivalries within our division and want to stay here. I also think there are better candidates for a move if one is needed. But not sure 15-15 works. That would include too much interleague throughout the season. I like interleague play as it is conducted now. However, I would recommend AL rules in NL cities and NL rules in AL cities.

MLB reports: “The Circle of Success” is a topic that is associated with Derrick Hall as President. Please give our readers the ideas behind the Circle and how it has worked in developing the Diamondbacks organization.

Derrick Hall: I am so proud of the “Circle of Success.” We created it in 2007 and it is proudly displayed in our hallways and in everyone’s office. These are our five main areas of focus: (i) performance on the field, (ii) financial efficiency, (iii) community impact, (iv) culture in the workplace and (v) fan experience. We recognize and reward employees every day for excelling or displaying a commitment to these areas. We constantly refer to these, as well as our mission and values statement to remind our staff who we are and what we stand for.

MLB reports: Watching the turmoil surrounding the Dodgers must be painful for you, having spent so many years in the organization. How did you find your time in Los Angeles? Was it difficult to leave the team after being there for over a decade? What do the Dodgers have to do in your opinion to go back to the glory days as one of the proudest franchises in baseball?

Derrick Hall: It is sad, having been there more than a decade and beginning my career there. I learned under Peter O’Malley and developed my skills there. I began as an intern and worked my way up to Senior Vice President in a short amount of time. I am proud of that achievement and will always hold that franchise near and dear to my heart. The Dodgers will be fine, I know that. This is one of the most relevant brands in all of sports with too rich a history not to. With a brand that includes Scully, Lasorda, Koufax, Valenzuela, the Dodger Dog, Chavez Ravine and beach balls, I have no doubt this organization will bounce back and be a force to be reckoned with.

MLB reports: Fans must ask you all the time about the team’s big picture plans and chances of playoff success. Do the Diamondbacks have a 3/5/10 year type plan? With the goal of winning the World Series this year and future years I’m sure, how will the Diamondbacks get there?

Derrick Hall: We will get there. We do have short and long-term plans, but they all include being competitive, and adding revenues that will in turn be added to player payroll. We needed first and foremost to bulk up our prospect list and minor league system. A market-size like ours needs to develop from within, and we are now in a strong position to do so. There are several teams doing just like we are with success, such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Florida, to name a few. This is an exciting time for all of us with bright futures ahead.

MLB reports: What do you see as the future of Derrick Hall? If you had to look into crystal ball and see yourself in 10 years, where will you be? Any chance we will see you as a candidate as a successor to Bud Selig as the Commissioner one day?

Derrick Hall: I am often asked if I am a future Commissioner, which is a tremendous honor. I do not know what the future holds, but I am extremely content right where I am at. I want to bring a World Series back here before I do anything else. This organization is a great one, and I love all of my employees. What we are building here is special, and time has been flying. Ten years will feel like one, so if I still have the honor of leading this franchise, I will be grateful and satisfied.

MLB reports: Last questions Derrick. Why do you work in baseball? What do you love about this game? What are the positives in baseball as an industry and what areas need improvement? Are you happy/satisfied with the state of the game today?

Derrick Hall: I work in baseball because I love this game more than anything other than my family. And my family would tell you I love it more than them most of the time. You have to have love and passion for what you do. I often tell young employees that if you truly love what you are doing, you will never work a day in your life. I can tell you, what I do every day does not feel like a job. I love all of our employees, players and fans. I arrive at work every day with a smile on my face and challenge our staff to be pioneering and show leadership in the sports industry. I work in paradise and have my sites set no further than right here and right now. I feel the weight of responsibility to help grow the interest and intrigue in our game and to create technological solutions that will compete with the many options our youth, and future fans, have before them.

MLB reports: Thank you again to Derrick Hall for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to talking with us today and to sharing his insights and opinions with us. Derrick shed light on many pertinent baseball topics as part of this interview and we encourage everyone to leave your comments and feedback. We congratulate Derrick and the Diamondbacks organization on a stellar performance in hosting this year’s All-Star game. We also wish the Diamondbacks the best of success this year as they battle for a playoff berth. To stay current on the Diamondbacks and support the team, you can follow Derrick Hall on twitter.

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Tags: all-star game, baseball, derrickhall, diamondbacks, dodgers, gibson, hall, mlb, o'malley, towers

Ubaldo Jimenez to the Yankees? Rockies May Move Ace to the Bronx

Jul 17

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday July 16, 2011

MLB reports: As an unbelievable as it may seem, there has been talk in baseball circles that the Rockies are taking calls on their ace pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez. Start after start, game after game last year, Jimenez for the majority of 2010 was as unhittable as they come. Despite coming back down to earth in the 2nd half, Jimenez last year appeared in his first All-Star game and finished 3rd in the NL CY Young voting. He also pitched the very first no-hitter in Rockies history on April 17, 2010. With a young Rockies team that was expected to contend in 2011, the 27-year old Dominican Jimenez was expected to anchor the team. Now sitting with a 45-49 record, 8.5 games out of 1st in the NL West, the Rockies are on the fence as to whether they still have playoff aspirations this year. Further, the team’s brass needs to decide whether Jimenez is a part of those aspirations and future playoff runs. Media outlets have speculated that the Yankees are quietly making a run at Jimenez. There is a strong probability the trade could happen, but in my estimation, the Rockies would be making a colossal error if they do.

There is no denying the strength and ability of Ubaldo Jimenez. As the pitcher has slowly improved every year, especially noting his strong 2009 and 2010 campaigns, the hurler clearly has a world of potential. Taking a look at his numbers, the results speak for themselves:

Year	W	L	ERA	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
2006	0	0	3.52	7.2	5	3	3	1.043
2007	4	4	4.28	82.0	70	37	68	1.305
2008	12	12	3.99	198.2	182	103	172	1.435
2009	15	12	3.47	218.0	183	85	198	1.229
2010	19	8	2.88	221.2	164	92	214	1.155
2011	5	8	4.08	110.1	101	43	99	1.305
6 Seasons	55	44	3.60	838.1	705	363	754	1.274
162 Game Avg.	14	11	3.60	212	178	92	191	1.274

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

With pitching at such a shortage, many baseball analysts are scratching their heads as to how the Rockies could possibly think about trading Jimenez. The San Francisco Giants proved last year that the World Series could be won almost exclusively on the strength of pitching. Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain. Madison Bumgarner. Jonathan Sanchez. The Giants had so many weapons to throw against its opponents every night and good young pitching at the end of day beats good hitting much of the time. The Rockies, ravaged by injuries and inconsistent performances, are unlikely to reach the postseason this year. But in the management of the team, the present and future must be considered. Look at Felix Hernandez on Seattle, Roy Halladay on the Phillies and Lincecum on the Giants. Every team that is trying to build a winner needs a stud pitcher at the top of its rotation. Jimenez is that guy for the Rockies and losing him on the roster will be a hole that will be difficult, to impossible to fill.

So given the positives that Jimenez brings to the table, the issue remains how and why the Rockies could possibly consider moving him. There are a couple of main reasons in my estimation. Part of the equation is the performance of Jimenez this season. While he has been good, Jimenez for the most part has not been great. His record this year is far off from his most recent seasons, despite a strong rebound in his last few starts. Given his inconsistencies in 2011, the Rockies may be getting a little worried and looking to sell high before Jimenez starts to decline and/or injured. But given his strong resume to date, young age and rebound recently, I would like to think the Rockies are more intelligent than that. Players have their ups and downs, at all levels. It happens. Without a larger body of work for reference, it is almost impossible to reason that Jimenez is on his way down. His recent numbers tend to show otherwise. So while Jimenez may not be the same pitcher that we saw in early 2010, he is still the ace of the team.

So why the reports of trade talk with the Yankees? I will give you two words. Cliff Lee. The same Cliff Lee that was all set to be traded last year from the Mariners to the Yankees in a package including Jesus Montero. The deal was completed to the level that major media outlets were announcing the trade as fact. As the story goes on that one, the Mariners played the Yankees against the Rangers and took a package from Texas built around prospect Justin Smoak at the very last-minute. The Yankees were fuming to the level that they contacted the higher-ups in Seattle to complain about the conduct of their GM, Jack Zduriencik. The fallout was the Rangers making it to the World Series and the Yankees left at the altar without their prize. As a further dagger, Lee in his decision to sign with the Rangers or Yankees this past offseason, ended up going to the Phillies at the last-minute. Again, the mystery team coming at the last second out of the woods and the Yankees were left standing with egg on their face.

Do not underestimate the New York Yankees. They are the strongest and one of the proudest teams in baseball. The Yankees and their fans do not like to be left disappointed in the constant search for top talent. With Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia sitting in their rotation, the Yankees are clearly itching to make a move to bolster their rotation. While names like Jeremy Guthrie, Derek Lowe and Bronson Arroyo being thrown around, it starts to shed some light as to where the Jimenez talk is coming from. This is the Yankees and they do not like shopping at the Ford dealership. This is a team built on Mercedes and BMW’s. The problem is that the top cars, i.e. ace pitchers, are not readily available. After making runs at Felix Hernandez and Francisco Liriano, the Yankees are still in search of a strong #2 to compliment ace CC Sabathia. Considering that Sabathia can opt out of his contract during the coming offseason and possibly leave New York, the pressure is even greater to land a top starting pitcher. From all the names that have been tossed around, the one that makes the most sense is Ubaldo Jimenez.

When Jimenez is on his game, he is as Cliff Lee-like as you can get. Jimenez is a horse that has the potential to pitch a complete game shutout almost every game out. This is the type of numbers that the Yankees are looking for. Rather than waiting to what comes in free agency, the Yankees are trying to hedge their bets and make a run now. Any package for Jimenez will be built around uber-prospect Jesus Montero. Considering his strong bat, Montero could move from catcher to first base to replace the aging Todd Helton. The Rockies still have faith in their own young catcher, Chris Iannetta, who has taken longer to develop than expected. Montero would be great insurance and an almost guaranteed monster bat, in addition to the other prospects that would be headed to Colorado. A win-win for both teams if it happens, considering the bodies that would be moving as part of the trade. But still not quite if you consider the value of Jimenez to the Rockies.

Other teams will sniffing around Jimenez as well. The Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, Angels and Rangers could all be considered in the mix. Jimenez would not come cheap and if the Rockies are smart, they will auction him off to the highest bidder. At the end of the day, this is a trade that the Yankees have to make. With little to no other options on the market, the Yankees have to overpay for Jimenez or risk failing to win a World Series despite the highest payroll in business. The Yankees lost out twice on Cliff Lee and need to do everything in their power to land an equivalent pitcher to their fold. While Ricky Romero or Jered Weaver would be nice acquisitions, realistically neither one will be made available by their respective teams. With Carlos Zambrano overpriced and inconsistent and Johan Santana a question mark for the season, at this point it is Jimenez or bust for the Yankees.

In considering this trade from a Rockies perspective, think how long the organization suffered from a pitching perspective. Despite always having strong hitting, the Rockies as an organization have been challenged to develop and maintain reliable pitching. Now that the Rockies have an ace in place, the team should be focusing on building around Jimenez rather than moving him. If the Rockies build their core of hitters and fail to have a deep and consistent starting rotation, the team will mean little come playoff time. The team will simply fall back into old habits and fail to adapt to the new Major League Baseball. With the steroid era past us, baseball is built around pitching and defense now for the most part. The Rockies, like every other team, needs good young pitching to contend. Jimenez has the potential to give them a high level of pitching for at least the next five years. If the Rockies feel they have a chance to contend during that time, they must hold onto him or risk setting themselves back even further.

Knowing that this is a trade that Yankees must make and the Rockies should pass on, the final question is whether this trade will happen. My heart says no, but my brain says yes. Despite all the reasons that the Rockies should hold onto Jimenez, it appears in my estimation that the Yankees will make an offer that Colorado cannot refuse. In fighting for World Series titles in New York, all necessary resources have to be acquired at any cost. Considering that the Yankees will include Montero and 2-3 more top prospects, the Rockies will have a hard time saying no. Perhaps the Yankees will include a couple of top pitching prospects in the package that will allow for a smoother transition for Colorado. But the reality is, that while prospects are intriguing and desirable, they are far from a sure thing. For every Derek Jeter that is drafted, developed and becomes a future Hall of Fame player, there are 1000’s of Todd Van Poppel clones that come highly touted and burn out just as quick. Ubaldo Jimenez has the experience and numbers that are proven. While I am always skeptical of pitching, based on injury risk (see Stephen Strasburg), the potential risk in this case by keeping Jimenez is worth the reward of the potential for future playoffs. This will be the one case where I advocate that a team hold onto their starting pitcher rather than cash in for prospects. But it is also the case where there is extreme speculation and rumors and I foresee the trade occurring. The Yankees are the Yankees for a reason. They usually get what they want. They want Ubaldo Jimenez and before July is done, he very well could be in pinstripes.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: angels, arroyo, baseball, bumgarner, cain, giants, guthrie, halladay, helton, hernandez, iannetta, jays, jimenez, lee, lincecum, mariners, mets, mlb, montero, phillies, rockies, romero, sanchez, santana, vanpoppel, weaver, yankees, zambrano

Welcome Back Dontrelle Willis: D-Train Comeback with the Reds

Jul 16

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Friday July 15, 2011

MLB reports: The D-Train is back baby. Kind of. It’s too early to tell. Dontrelle Willis burst onto the scene and looked to be a star in the making once upon a time. After four solid campaigns in Florida, 2007 was seen as an off-year for the ace of the Marlins. Drafted originally by the Cubs in the 8th round in the 2000 draft, Willis was shifted in a package of players including Julian Tavarez for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. Willis became an instant star in Florida and throughout the MLB community. He had his own television commercials promoting the sport and was considered one of baseball’s greatest ambassadors. In his 2003 NL ROY campaign, Willis made the All-Star team and won a World Series. Not a bad way to start a career. From there, Willis made his second and last appearance at an All-Star game in 2005 and finished second in the NL CY Young voting for top pitcher. With such a solid start to his career, few observers blinked when Willis was relatively ineffective in 2007. However, the misery was the sign of things to come. The road became bumpy and full of twists and turns that few expected. From the majors to the minors, back and forth, until few expected to see him back. Until this past Sunday, July 10th, when Dontrelle Willis returned to the major leagues, this time in a Reds uniform.

Although the blip in 2007 may not have scared off most observers, it was enough to put the Marlins in a tailspin. On December 5, 2007, the Marlins shipped off their franchise hitter and pitcher in Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for prospects Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and four others. As legend has it, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski approached the Marlins and gave a list of available prospects. The Marlins made their selections and the trade took no time to put together. Shortly after, Willis signed a 3-year, $29 million contract and Cabrera signed his monster contract to make him one of the top paid players in the game. The move of Cabrera was seen at the time as partially motivated by the clearing of Willis’ salary off the Marlins’ books. Despite off-field incidents involving alcohol related arrests and domestic abuse, Cabrera has been a perennial MVP candidate since joining the Tigers. Miller and Maybin, the centerpieces of the deal for the Marlins, have not played to expectations and have since moved on to the Red Sox and Padres respectively. Then there was Willis. While viewed at the time as giving the Tigers a top-of-the-rotation starter, Willis proved to be anything but. As the story goes, when Willis came to Detroit, he did not bring his fastball or his control and was run out-of-town in 2010 as a result.

Willis suffered for two and a bit seasons in Detroit, receiving his walking papers officially on May 30, 2010. During his stay in Detroit, Willis played for three different minor league teams in two years, making it all the way down to A-ball at different points. While a demotion to A-ball may have benefitted Roy Halladay in his younger years, the same could not be said for Willis. The jumping started, from the Diamondbacks to the minor league levels pitching for the San Francisco Giants organization. Then Willis signed with the Reds this past off-season a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Despite playing well in spring training, Willis was still sent to pitch in AAA for Louisville to start the 2011 season.

Here are the career numbers of Dontrelle Willis as they stand today:

Year	Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO
2003	FLA	14	6	3.30	27	27	160.2	148	58	142
2004	FLA	10	11	4.02	32	32	197.0	210	61	139
2005	FLA	22	10	2.63	34	34	236.1	213	55	170
2006	FLA	12	12	3.87	34	34	223.1	234	83	160
2007	FLA	10	15	5.17	35	35	205.1	241	87	146
2008	DET	0	2	9.38	8	7	24.0	18	35	18
2009	DET	1	4	7.49	7	7	33.2	37	28	17
2010	TOT	2	3	5.62	15	13	65.2	72	56	47
2010	DET	1	2	4.98	9	8	43.1	48	29	33
2010	ARI	1	1	6.85	6	5	22.1	24	27	14
2011	CIN	0	0	3.00	1	1	6.0	4	4	4
9 Seasons		71	63	4.11	193	190	1152.0	1177	467	843
162 Game Avg.		13	11	4.11	34	34	205	209	83	150

FLA (5 yrs)		68	54	3.78	162	162	1022.2	1046	344	757
DET (3 yrs)		2	8	6.86	24	22	101.0	103	92	68
ARI (1 yr)		1	1	6.85	6	5	22.1	24	27	14
CIN (1 yr)		0	0	3.00	1	1	6.0	4	4	4

NL (7 yrs)		69	55	3.84	169	168	1051.0	1074	375	775
AL (3 yrs)		2	8	6.86	24	22	101.0	103	92	68

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Since leaving Florida, Willis at best has been inconsistent to unusable. A starting pitchers that cannot consistently throw strikes and get hitters out will not last in the majors. Dontrelle Willis proved this in 2007, when his shrinking talent led him to a ticket out of Florida as he continued to bounce around, until last week when Willis pitched for the Reds. Quite a performance for a pitcher not expected to ever pitch again in the minors. Willis proved last Sunday he was back, if only for one shining moment.

On July 10, 2011, Dontrelle Willis made his first MLB start in over a year against the Milwaukee Brewers. Willis pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 hits, 4 earned runs and a 4/4 BB/K. Willis gets his next kick at the can this coming Monday, July 18th vs. the Pirates and James McDonald. Should be a powerhouse game, keep an eye on it if you can. This is no surprise, given how well Willis pitched for the Bats this year. In 13 starts, Willis had a 5-2 record, 2.63 ERA, 67 SO in 75.1 IP and only 20 walks, good for a 1.2o8 WHIP. Considering that Willis struggled at both the major league and minor league levels from 2008-2010, his strong start in AAA was seen as a possible sign of a comeback. Now after having his first MLB start under the belt, Willis can go out and simply pitch his game.

Willis was seen as battling an anxiety disorder during his time in Detroit and many experts were ready to write him off. Believe it or not, Dontrelle Willis still isn’t even 30 years-old yet, with his birthday coming up on January 12 2012. He is still young and has the potential inside of him. Without any major physical injuries or setbacks, Willis still has a good arm and has many innings in him to pitch. This year, watching Willis in spring training, he looked to have his head back on straight. He was playing the game the right way. Strong pitching and timely hitting to boot. But despite his spring success, Reds management decided to send Willis to AAA until his recall last week. It looks like Willis has undergone a transformation as far as simplifying his delivery and avoiding his non-traditional leg kick. From the Reds point of view, they may have landed the steal of the year with Willis in their rotation.

This story till boil down to the confidence and mental health of Dontrelle Willis. As long as the man can think positive thoughts and do his thing on the mound, good things will happen. As long as Willis stays healthy, he will succeed provided he keeps his head on straight. With more and more MLB players admitting to depression and anxiety disorders, it is clear that today’s game is as much mental as it is physical. One great thing about sports, especially baseball, is that fans love an underdog that makes a comeback. For a guy with a ROY, World Series ring and two All-Star appearances, you don’t see many comebacks bigger than that of Dontrelle Willis. With one start under his belt and another one coming back next Monday, Willis is making baby steps. Given his age and track record, the potential is there. Here is hoping that Willis can fulfill it.

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: baseball, cabrera, giants, halladay, marlins, maybin, miller, mlb, phillies, reds, tigers, willis

MLB Global: Creation of MLB Dominicana, International MLB Drafts and Leagues

Jul 14

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Thursday July 13, 2011

MLB reports: In our never-ending quest to revitalize and reform baseball, we have discussed and covered in previous editions of the Reports several cutting edge topics. We have looked at MLB Expansion, the new format introduced for the 2013 edition of the WBC, expanding the MLB Playoffs and proposing MLB Realignment. If you thought that we were radical thinkers up until now, well then you haven’t seen anything yet. Today we bring you the new international MLB system, a creation that we feel is long overdue. Discussions have existed for many years in baseball circles that the international development of talent and leagues by Major League Baseball is not working. With the formation of MLB Global, that is all about to change.

There are several international matters being discussed currently as the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire on December 11, 2011. At the forefront is the current system of signing of international free agents by MLB teams. Under the current system, international talent is not subject to a draft and salary recommendations and as a result, when the international free agency period begins, all talent in applicable areas are available to teams at the highest bidder of each player’s choice. Eligible countries include the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia.

From there, Japan is under another system called posting, whereby until a player has nine years experience in the Japanese league and is exempt, his controlling Japanese team can offer his rights to MLB teams if requested by the player and consented by the team. MLB Teams submit secret bids over a four-day period. If the Japanese team accepts the winning bid, from there the highest offer then allows the winning team a 30-day window period to negotiate a contract with the player. If the two sides cannot come to terms, the player stays in Japan and the posting fee is returned to the MLB team. Two examples of distinct systems that are currently in place in baseball, but neither appears to be working particularly well.

I have read commentators calling for many changes to the current international baseball markets in relation to Major League Baseball. I have heard the cries for an international draft, whereby all eligible players would be required to be drafted to join a MLB team. There would be anything from recommended slot salaries, to a soft or hard cap. Having most international players simply available to the highest bidder is seen as circumventing the equality and fairness principles behind a draft. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox can afford to lose draft picks in signing top free agents, as they are able to recoup the prospects back in the international market. But if there was a draft system in place, there would be more opportunity for other teams to have access to top international prospects. But how to hold such a draft and what countries to include? These are questions that linger and result in delays to changing the international system. Then there is the Japanese posting system to contend with and how to liberate Japanese players to Major League Baseball. We may not have all the answers, but there is a starting point. MLB Global.

For simplicity of this article, we will use the Dominican Republic and Japan as examples of territories for MLB Global. From there, the boundaries will be increased until even one day, Cuba could become a territory. But let’s start the discussion with explaining what is MLB Global. The mandate of MLB Global would be the expansion of the MLB brand around the world. Depending on the countries involved, MLB Global would be creating for the most part either sister MLB leagues or MLB affiliated leagues. Let’s start with our inaugural league: MLB Dominicana. Long known for producing top baseball talent, the Dominican Republic is one of the world’s greatest baseball hotbeds. Major League teams have been building academies in the Dominican for years and attempting to cultivate new prospects. But a quandary exists in the Dominican. While the Dominican has a great deal of talent, it still has room to grow. Yet only certain teams are established in the country, while others stay away. Some analysts believe the area is saturated and it is time to discover new areas of development. I believe that more investment is actually needed, but in a manner that will benefit Major League Baseball as a whole rather than select teams. More prospects could be developed in the Dominican if the proper funding and system were put into place. The Dominican has not hit its limit, but rather has not yet even met its potential. MLB Dominicana can work towards utilizing and maximizing the talent available in the Dominican.

MLB Dominicana would be established as follows. A league would be formed, either through an existing Dominican baseball league or a completely new league. The league could have ten to sixteen teams to start off and eventually grow to thirty teams over the years. The goal would be for every MLB team to have a sister team as part of MLB Dominicana. From there, every eligible Dominican player would need to be drafted by a MLB Dominicana team, which would essentially give that player’s rights to his North American MLB team. Creating this system would be taxing initially for each MLB team, but a system of co-ownership and co-management could be created between each MLB team and their affiliate team in the Dominican. What is envisioned from there, is the cross-development and mobility of players between MLB and MLB Dominicana. Let’s take the for example the Colorado Rockies and if they had a sister MLB Dominicana team, the Boca Chica Thunder. The Thunder are involved in a yearly player draft, as is done in Major League Baseball. In the 2011 draft: 1st round, 5th overall, the Thunder take 16-year old shortstop Pedro Beltran. Once the Dominican player is drafted by the Thunder, the Rockies would have the ability to either keep Beltran in MLB Dominicana to play for the Thunder or to bring him over to North America to play in the minors or majors. The Rockies would be responsible for Beltran’s signing bonus and salary regardless of where he plays. The creation of MLB Dominicana creates an incentive for MLB teams to invest resources, including money and coaching to the Dominican area. Players like the fictitious Pedro Beltran would be able to stay home and continue their baseball development and integrate easier to North America. A win for the Dominican Republic, its baseball fans, the players and MLB teams.

But wait, there is more. The mobility of players from MLB Dominicana to North America could work the reverse way as well. Younger players with options in North America would be available to play for the sister MLB Dominicana team as well. Take the Rockies again. They have a young pitcher in their system by the name of Casey Weathers. Once considered to be their closer of the future, Weathers is now 26-years of age and pitching in AA. His numbers are not at the highest level and his stock is starting to fall. The Rockies could move Weathers over to MLB Dominicana, to either pitch out of the Thunder’s bullpen or stretch him out as a starter. We are starting to see more mobility of North America players to international baseball markets. Ryan Garko in Korea. Josh Fields to Japan. Heck, think of Tuffy Rhodes and Cecil Fielder with home run records and Matt Murton becoming the single season hit king in Japan. As baseball becomes a true international sport and the level of talent increases, the amount of available positions on each MLB affiliate team in North American decreases drastically. Having MLB Dominicana available to North American teams to develop and provide opportunities to its younger players would be invaluable. In addition, the younger Domican players would benefit from having North American teammates to assist in their own development as players by sharing and learning each one’s knowledge and style of play. Again, a win-win proposition.

As MLB Dominicana advances and grows, its limits are endless. Additional minor league levels can be established as the number of teams and available players can grow. MLB Dominicana can have its own AAA and AA levels as is done in North American ball. Local sponsorship and support would be difficult, given the economic difficulties faced by the region. The revenue stream would be of less focus as in comparison to the talent that the league produces. For the money that each team puts into MLB Dominicana, the end result will be more talent in North America eventually for each MLB team. Probably the biggest obstacle that MLB Dominicana will face is perception. Critics will point to the failure of NFL Europe and predetermine the inability of MLB Dominicana to succeed. While NFL Europe has some similarities to MLB Dominicana, the goals and focus of each league is different. NFL Europe was created to be a money-making operation and grow the NFL brand and work as a farm system/development league for the NFL. MLB Dominicana will work towards building the MLB brand, but in the development of local talent rather than just operating as a pure minor league affiliate system. Rather than simply opening academies, training young players and hoping to sign them one day as free agents, MLB teams will draft the same hometown players through their MLB Dominicana team and grow and develop each player until they are ready for North America. MLB Dominicana will not be a money-maker or loser, but rather an investment in the development of talent. As the league becomes more competitive and popular, international merchandising and television rights would develop as well. NFL Europe was seen as a watered down, poor man’s version of the NFL. Football’s answer to Euro Disney. MLB Dominicana will not try to recreate or become Major League Baseball in Dominican. It will become a complimentary league. The potential is there to create a thriving baseball league that will develop talent in a popular baseball market, while creating an organized system of drafting and development of players between MLB teams.

MLB Global would be in charge of finding countries like the Dominican Republic where the creation of MLB leagues is feasible from a talent, political, economical, cultural and social points of view. Mexico and Australia would seem like ideal candidates, as would South Korea and Venezuela depending on political agreement and safety. The baseball talent base in Venezuela for instance, is too rich for Major League teams to ignore. The creation of MLB Venezuela would create a further pipeline of talent by way of investment in the growth and expansion of baseball in such an area.

The ultimate future league that is dreamed of is MLB Cuba. There is no denying the level of talent in Cuban baseball, as seen in international tournaments and WBC showings in years pasts. Given the political and economical turmoil in the region, details of which are beyond the scope of this article, needless to say that many changes would have to occur politically before such a concept could even be discussed. But perhaps the common love of baseball could one day bring Cuba to a system of change economically, which would allow both its country and the sport it loves to thrive. Or perhaps this is just wishful thinking.

The last country to review is Japan. One of the powerhouse baseball countries, Japan has won both of the World Baseball Classic tournaments. With its high level of talent and existing Nippon Professional Baseball league (NPB), Japan may not take too kindly to transforming its current system to MLB Japan. Pride, development, ownership and decision-making all come into play as to who will run individual teams and control the use of players. In such a scenario, as well as other countries with existing leagues and teams that are not interested in being co-run and managed by Major League Baseball and its teams, a different arrangement will be needed.

The proposal is an affiliation structure, whereby MLB teams would have affiliation agreements with NPB teams. As an example, the Colorado Rockies and the Chunichi Dragons could align and have an affiliation agreement. The Rockies and Dragons could cross-promote their teams and products through the affiliation. But most importantly, the transfer of younger eligible players would be between the affiliated teams only. So the Rockies could transfer Casey Weathers to play for the Dragons. The Dragons in turn, could send pitcher Yuta Muto to play in North America for the Rockies organization. Each team would be responsible for the salary of the respective player when playing as part of its professional league. The incentive for the Dragons would be the investment by the Rockies into baseball development in the area, including coaches and infrastructure. The Dragons would have access to more North American players and the Rockies and Dragons would be able to share baseball knowledge and information to better their organizations. In return, aside from the sharing of resources, the Rockies would have access to Dragon players and increase its own prospect pool. Fine tuning would be required as to eligibility and number/types of players that would be able to be transferred. But in such a system, the Rockies would have a vested interest in the players drafted and developed by the Dragons and vice-versa. There would be a high level of trust and commitment to the teams working together as part of the affiliation program in developing teams and players. But if all goes well, both leagues would benefit from working together and would bring an end to the expensive and unproductive posting system. Japan could act as the training ground for the affiliation system and if it works, could lead to the expansion of the NPB by more teams and use of the affiliation system in other countries.

Overall, it is clear that the international baseball scene is very complex and confusing. Major League Baseball appears to be ready to make changes and bring about a new structure and system whereby international players come to North America to play ball. As part of this article, the idea being presented is that such a change will not occur unless Major League Baseball works with the other countries and baseball leagues to make this happen. Whether MLB leagues start forming slowly across the world, including MLB Dominicana, or affiliation systems are put into place between teams from MLB and other countries, some sort of partnership is desperately needed. It will cost MLB and its teams millions of dollars, time and personnel to make MLB Global a reality. While this may not happen tomorrow or ever, we hope that they will at least work to making the dream of global baseball a reality.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: baseball, expansion, mlb, mlbdraft, mlbinternationaldraft

2011 MLB All-Star Game Recap: National League Defeats the American League for 2nd Year in a Row

Jul 13

Posted by blandy12

Wednesday July 13, 2011

Rob Bland (Intern Candidate for MLB Reports): This year’s edition of the Midsummer Classic, the 2011 MLB All-Star Game, had a record-setting vote-getter. Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays received over 7.4 million votes in fan voting. This game was said to have lost some of its lustre due to the amount of players who elected not to participate. A total of eight players that were voted in by fans or chosen by coaches dropped out due to injury, timing or just plain wanting to rest. For the American League, David Price (TB), Derek Jeter (NYY), Mariano Rivera (NYY), Alex Rodriguez (NYY) and Jon Lester (BOS) all withdrew due to various ailments and injuries. Chipper Jones (ATL), Jose Reyes (NYM), and Placido Polanco (PHI) were the players who bowed out in the National League. One of Major League Baseball’s rules pertaining to eligibility for pitchers is that they must not start on the Sunday prior to the game. Due to this rule, CC Sabathia (NYY), James Shields (TB), Justin Verlander (DET), Felix Hernandez (SEA), Cole Hamels (PHI), and Matt Cain (SF) were ruled ineligible and unable to participate in the game.

Surely not having Price, Sabathia, Shields, Verlander, Hernandez and Rivera hurt the AL. Although he has had an impressive start to the season, CJ Wilson (TEX) probably should not have been pitching when he gave up the 3-run home run to Prince Fielder (MIL). It easily could have been one of those more accomplished aces as mentioned. However, that is the way it turned out, as the National League took advantage early and defeated the American League by a score of 5-1. The MVP of the game was Fielder, because of his huge home run that put the NL on top early and as it turned out, for good.

My pick for MVP was Roy Halladay (PHI), as he started for the National League and was dominant as only the Doc can be. He faced the minimum six batters over two innings, including Curtis Granderson (NYY), Adrian Gonzalez (BOS) and Jose Bautista (TOR); all potential MVP candidates. Halladay managed to throw only 19 pitches as part of his historical pitching performance.

In the 2^nd inning, the defensive play of the game occurred when Brian McCann (ATL) hit a towering flyball in foul territory that Bautista caught as he slid into the wall. Aside from being one of the top home run hitters in baseall, Bautista is also an accomplished fielder who is capable of winning a gold glove at either third base or right field.

The scoring in the game started in the top of the 4^th inning, when Adrian Gonzalez blasted a Cliff Lee (PHI) cutter over the right center field wall for a solo blast. The AL followed with three straight singles, the last of which was off Tyler Clippard (WAS). Hunter Pence fielded the ball and threw a laser to the plate to catch Bautista who tried to score from second for the third out. In the bottom of the inning, Carlos Beltran (NYM) and Matt Kemp (LAD) hit singles to set up Fielder`s massive bomb.

Jordan Walden (LAA), another player who probably didn`t deserve to play as much as the other big name starters, began to light up the radar gun last night, hitting 100 mph on his first four fastballs. Starlin Castro (CHC) came in to pinch run at first base after Troy Tulowitzki (COL) hit a leadoff single. Castro proceeded to immediately steal second and third base. He then set up another play at the plate, where Walden bare handed a weak ground ball by Rickie Weeks (MIL) and threw Castro out. Weeks stole second and came around to score when Andre Ethier (LAD) hit a single to right field, making the score 4-1.

The scoring continued in the bottom of the seventh inning when Pablo Sandoval (SF) hit a ground rule double over the wall in the left field corner. This scored Hunter Pence (HOU) after his leadoff single and a passed ball that allowed him to move to second base, and eventually score.

Fan favorite Brian Wilson (SF) came in the top of the nineth inning with runners on second and third. A fly out and ground out later, and the game was in the books. Make the final score 5-1, as the National League wins for the All-Star Game for the second year in a row and secures home field advantage for its league in the up coming World Series in the fall.

This year`s All-Star Festivities were enjoyed by so many fans, and continually impressed me. I have had a great time covering the 2011 All-Star Game, everything from the Futures Game, Home Run Derby and of course, the All-Star Game itself. With Major League Baseball now entering the dog days of summer and the secon half of the season, it is time to speculate on trades and the calling up of prospects. Pure heaven for this baseball writer!

***EDITOR’S NOTE: With Chase Field still buzzing, the trade market has already begun. The Milwaukee Brewers announced right after the game taht they had acquired closer Francisco Rodriguez and cash considerations from the New York Mets for two players to be named later. With the Brewers acquiring Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the offseason, clearly Milwaukee is going for it. Will be interesting to see if Brewers allow K-Rod’s $17.5 million option to vest for 2012, which is based on number of games finished in 2011. If K-Rod finishes 55 games, the option will vest. As he has already finsihed 34 this season, so the option could vest depending on how the Brewers use K-Rod and how close they remain to a playoff berth. It will be interesting to see what prospects go from Milwaukee to New York. Long-term this deal could hurt Milwaukee depending on which top prospects they give up. But in the short-term, this deal will make the Brewers’ fanbase happy and their slugging free agent to be, Prince Fielder, may have more thinking to do before selecting his new team for 2012. The ground work has been set with respect to the trade market. Now we will see if the K-Rod deal has indeed open the trading floodgates for the rest of baseball. ***

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
American	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0
National	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	0	–	5	9	2

W: T. Clippard

L: C. Wilson

S: B. Wilson

National All-Stars
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	#P	AVG	OBP	SLG
R Weeks 2B	3	1	0	0	0	1	12	.000	.000	.000
B Phillips 2B	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000
C Beltran DH	2	1	1	0	0	1	7	.500	.500	.500
a-A Ethier PH-DH	1	0	1	1	0	0	8	1.000	1.000	1.000
b-G Sanchez PH-DH	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000
M Kemp CF	2	1	1	0	1	0	15	.500	.667	.500
A McCutchen CF	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000
P Fielder 1B	2	1	1	3	0	0	6	.500	.500	2.000
J Votto 1B	2	0	0	0	0	1	9	.000	.000	.000
B McCann C	2	0	0	0	0	0	8	.000	.000	.000
Y Molina C	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1.000	1.000	2.000
c-J Bruce PH-RF	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	.000	.000	.000
L Berkman RF	1	0	1	0	0	0	3	1.000	1.000	1.000
J Upton RF	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000
M Montero C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
M Holliday LF	1	0	0	0	0	1	7	.000	.000	.000
H Pence LF	2	1	1	0	0	1	10	.500	.500	.500
T Tulowitzki SS	2	0	1	0	0	0	5	.500	.500	.500
S Castro PR-SS	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	.000	.000	.000
S Rolen 3B	2	0	0	0	0	2	8	.000	.000	.000
P Sandoval 3B	1	0	1	1	0	0	6	1.000	1.000	2.000
Totals	31	5	9	5	1	9	126
a-singled to right for C Beltran in the 5th b-popped out to second for A Ethier in the 7th c-struck out looking for Y Molina in the 8th
BATTING 2B: Y Molina (1, C Perez); P Sandoval (1, B League) HR: P Fielder (1, 4th inning off C Wilson 2 on, 0 Out) RBI: P Fielder 3 (3), A Ethier (1), P Sandoval (1) 2-out RBI: A Ethier All-Stars RISP: 3-8 (P Fielder 1-1, J Upton 0-1, S Rolen 0-1, B Phillips 0-1, R Weeks 0-1, A Ethier 1-1, G Sanchez 0-1, P Sandoval 1-1) Team LOB: 3
BASERUNNING SB: S Castro 2 (2, 2nd base off J Walden/A Avila, 3rd base off J Walden/A Avila); R Weeks (1, 2nd base off J Walden/A Avila) CS: L Berkman (1, 2nd base by D Robertson/A Avila)
FIELDING E: S Castro (1, throw); J Bruce (1, throw) Outfield Assist: H Pence (J Bautista at Home).

National All-Stars
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
R Halladay	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	19-14	0.00
C Lee	1.2	3	1	1	0	0	1	25-16	5.40
T Clippard	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3-3	0.00
C Kershaw (H)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8-6	0.00
J Jurrjens (H)	1.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	23-15	0.00
C Kimbrel (H)	0.1	0	0	0	1	0	0	14-8	0.00
J Venters	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	4-4	0.00
H Bell	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5-2	0.00
J Hanrahan	0.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	14-9	0.00
B Wilson (S)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7-5	0.00
Totals	9.0	6	1	1	1	5	1	122-82
PITCHING First-pitch strikes/Batters faced: R Halladay 4/6; C Lee 4/8; T Clippard 1/1; C Kershaw 1/3; J Jurrjens 5/6; C Kimbrel 0/2; J Venters 2/2; H Bell 0/1; J Hanrahan 1/3; B Wilson 2/2 Called strikes-Swinging strikes-Foul balls-In Play strikes: R Halladay 4-3-2-5; C Lee 4-1-3-8; T Clippard 1-1-0-1; C Kershaw 1-1-2-2; J Jurrjens 3-5-3-4; C Kimbrel 1-2-4-1; J Venters 1-2-0-1; H Bell 1-0-0-1; J Hanrahan 1-2-4-2; B Wilson 1-1-1-2 Ground Balls-Fly Balls: R Halladay 3-2; C Lee 4-1; T Clippard 0-0; C Kershaw 2-0; J Jurrjens 2-2; C Kimbrel 1-0; J Venters 1-0; H Bell 0-1; J Hanrahan 0-0; B Wilson 1-1 Game Scores: R Halladay 57

American All-Stars
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	#P	AVG	OBP	SLG
C Granderson CF	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000
J Ellsbury CF	2	0	0	0	0	2	8	.000	.000	.000
A Cabrera SS	2	0	0	0	0	1	6	.000	.000	.000
J Peralta SS	2	0	0	0	0	0	8	.000	.000	.000
A Gonzalez 1B	2	1	1	1	0	0	6	.500	.500	2.000
M Cabrera 1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000
M Young 3B	1	0	0	0	0	1	5	.000	.000	.000
J Bautista RF	2	0	1	0	0	0	5	.500	.500	.500
C Quentin RF	2	0	0	0	0	0	8	.000	.000	.000
J Hamilton LF	2	0	1	0	0	0	4	.500	.500	.500
M Joyce LF	2	0	1	0	0	0	7	.500	.500	.500
A Beltre 3B	2	0	1	0	0	0	10	.500	.500	.500
K Youkilis 3B	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	1.000	1.000	1.000
M Cuddyer 1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000
D Ortiz DH	2	0	0	0	0	1	10	.000	.000	.000
a-P Konerko PH-DH	1	0	0	0	1	0	13	.000	.500	.000
R Cano 2B	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	.000	.000
H Kendrick 2B	1	0	0	0	0	0	7	.000	.000	.000
A Avila C	2	0	0	0	0	0	7	.000	.000	.000
M Wieters C	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000
Totals	33	1	6	1	1	5	122
a-walked for D Ortiz in the 7th
BATTING HR: A Gonzalez (1, 4th inning off C Lee 0 on, 2 Out) RBI: A Gonzalez (1) 2-out RBI: A Gonzalez All-Stars RISP: 2-5 (M Joyce 1-1, A Beltre 1-1, H Kendrick 0-1, M Cuddyer 0-1, P Konerko 0-1) Team LOB: 6
FIELDING DP: 1 (A Avila-R Cano). PB: M Wieters. Outfield Assist: J Bautista (A Ethier at 2nd base).

American All-Stars
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
J Weaver	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	14-8	0.00
D Robertson	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	14-7	0.00
M Pineda	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	10-8	0.00
C Wilson (L)	1.0	3	3	3	0	1	1	22-14	27.00
J Walden	1.0	2	1	1	0	1	0	20-13	9.00
C Perez	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	15-9	0.00
B League	1.0	2	1	1	0	1	0	19-13	9.00
A Ogando	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	6-5	0.00
G Gonzalez	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	6-3	0.00
Totals	8.0	9	5	5	1	9	1	126-80
PITCHING First-pitch strikes/Batters faced: J Weaver 4/4; D Robertson 1/3; M Pineda 3/3; C Wilson 3/6; J Walden 2/4; C Perez 2/4; B League 3/5; A Ogando 2/2; G Gonzalez 1/1 Called strikes-Swinging strikes-Foul balls-In Play strikes: J Weaver 3-3-0-2; D Robertson 2-1-3-1; M Pineda 3-3-1-1; C Wilson 4-2-4-4; J Walden 2-3-5-3; C Perez 2-2-2-3; B League 1-4-4-4; A Ogando 2-0-1-2; G Gonzalez 2-1-0-0 Ground Balls-Fly Balls: J Weaver 1-1; D Robertson 0-1; M Pineda 0-1; C Wilson 0-2; J Walden 1-0; C Perez 0-2; B League 0-2; A Ogando 2-0; G Gonzalez 0-0 Game Scores: J Weaver 53

***Thank you to Rob Bland for preparing today’s article on the All-Star Game. You can follow Rob on Twitter.***

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Tags: 2011, all-star, American league, baseball, bautista, beltran, blue jays, boston, braves, cain, castro, chipper, clippard, dodgers, ethier, giants, granderson, halladay, hamels, hernandez, jeter, jones, kemp, lee, lester, mccann, mets, midsummer classic, mlb, national league, new York, padres, pence, phillies, price, rangers, red sox, reyes, rivera, rodriguez, rolen, sabathia, Sandoval, shields, tulowitzki, verlander, walden, weeks, wilson, yankees

Derek Jeter: New York Yankees Captain Joins the 3000 Hit Club

Jul 9

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday July 9, 2011

MLB reports: Only in New York. Derek Jeter entered today’s play with 2,998 career hits. Only two hits short of the magical 3,000 mark. Up against tough lefty pitcher David Price of the Rays, there was no certainty that Jeter would achieve the mark today. But this being Jeter, playing in New York in front of the Yankees faithful, you knew that the captain would not disappoint. Jeter ended up putting on a show for the ages today that few will ever forget and cementing his place in history as one of the best Yankees of all time.

Jeter started off the afternoon with a lead-off single. Coming up in the 3rd inning, one hit away from 3,000, Jeter took David Price deep for a home run. The captain hit out of the park in every sense of the word. After celebrating the accomplishment, Jeter proceeded to have three more hits and finish the day a perfect 5 for 5. Jeter is only the second player ever to get five hits in getting to 3,000, Craig Biggio being the other in 2007.

To put this into perspective, let’s take a look at the exclusive 3,000 Hit Club that Derek Jeter has just joined:

Player	Hits	Average	Date	Team
Pete Rose	4,256	.303	May 5, 1978	Cincinnati Reds
Ty Cobb	4,191	.366	August 19, 1921	Detroit Tigers
Hank Aaron	3,771	.305	May 17, 1970	Atlanta Braves
Stan Musial	3,630	.331	May 13, 1958	St. Louis Cardinals
Tris Speaker	3,514	.345	May 17, 1925	Cleveland Indians
Carl Yastrzemski	3,419	.285	September 12, 1979	Boston Red Sox
Cap Anson	3,012	.334	July 18, 1897	Chicago Colts
Honus Wagner	3,415	.328	June 9, 1914	Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Molitor	3,319	.306	September 16, 1996	Minnesota Twins
Eddie Collins	3,315	.333	June 6, 1925	Chicago White Sox
Willie Mays	3,283	.302	July 18, 1970	San Francisco Giants
Eddie Murray	3,255	.287	June 30, 1995	Cleveland Indians
Nap Lajoie	3,242	.338	September 27, 1914	Cleveland Naps
Cal Ripken, Jr.	3,184	.276	April 15, 2000	Baltimore Orioles
George Brett	3,154	.305	September 30, 1992	Kansas City Royals
Paul Waner	3,152	.333	June 19, 1942	Boston Braves
Robin Yount	3,142	.285	September 9, 1992	Milwaukee Brewers
Tony Gwynn	3,141	.338	August 6, 1999	San Diego Padres
Dave Winfield	3,110	.283	September 16, 1993	Minnesota Twins
Craig Biggio	3,060	.281	June 28, 2007	Houston Astros
Rickey Henderson	3,055	.279	October 7, 2001	San Diego Padres
Rod Carew	3,053	.328	August 4, 1985	California Angels
Lou Brock	3,023	.293	August 13, 1979	St. Louis Cardinals
Rafael Palmeiro	3,020	.288	July 15, 2005	Baltimore Orioles
Wade Boggs	3,010	.328	August 7, 1999	Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Al Kaline	3,007	.297	September 24, 1974	Detroit Tigers
Derek Jeter	3,003	.312	July 9, 2011	New York Yankees
Roberto Clemente	3,000	.317	September 30, 1972	Pittsburgh Pirates

Derek Jeter is only the 28th player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits. An incredible feat indeed. To put it further into perspective, every member of the 3,000 Hit Club is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with the exception of Biggio (not yet eligible), Jeter (active), and Palmeiro/Rose (steroids, gambling). With 3,000 hits, a player almost guarantees his entrance to the Hall. With the exception of Rose and Palmeiro, every member of the 3,000 Hit Club has been a first ballot HOFer since 1962. Jeter certainly deserves all the attention that he is receiving today. Not only did he reach the mark, but he did it on baseball’s stage in the true style of a superstar.

Looking at Derek Jeter’s career numbers, the man has definitely proven to be one of the game’s greats:

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1995	48	5	12	0	7	3	11	.250	.294	.375	.669
1996	582	104	183	10	78	48	102	.314	.370	.430	.800
1997	654	116	190	10	70	74	125	.291	.370	.405	.775
1998	626	127	203	19	84	57	119	.324	.384	.481	.864
1999	627	134	*219*	24	102	91	116	.349	.438	.552	.989
2000	593	119	201	15	73	68	99	.339	.416	.481	.896
2001	614	110	191	21	74	56	99	.311	.377	.480	.858
2002	644	124	191	18	75	73	114	.297	.373	.421	.794
2003	482	87	156	10	52	43	88	.324	.393	.450	.844
2004	643	111	188	23	78	46	99	.292	.352	.471	.823
2005	654	122	202	19	70	77	117	.309	.389	.450	.839
2006	623	118	214	14	97	69	102	.343	.417	.483	.900
2007	639	102	206	12	73	56	100	.322	.388	.452	.840
2008	596	88	179	11	69	52	85	.300	.363	.408	.771
2009	634	107	212	18	66	72	90	.334	.406	.465	.871
2010	663	111	179	10	67	63	106	.270	.340	.370	.710
2011	280	40	72	2	22	24	33	.257	.321	.329	.649
17 Seasons	9602	1725	2998	236	1157	972	1605	.312	.383	.449	.832
162 Game Avg.	659	118	206	16	79	67	110	.312	.383	.449	.832
	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Derek Jeter, also known as Mr. November or Captain Clutch, has enjoyed a storybook career. AL ROY in 1996, five gold gloves, 11 All-Star game appearances, a World Series MVP and All-Star game MVP, 4 Silver Slugger awards, 4 World Series rings…the list goes on and on. For a man who grew up cheering for the Yankees, Jeter will one day have his plaque in Cooperstown and jersey retired in Yankee Stadium. Although clearly on the decline at age 37, which started to show rapidly last year, Jeter proved today that he still has some big hits left in his bat. Congrats to Yankee captain Derek Jeter, or as he will be known from now on, Mr. 3000.

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Tags: 3000hitclub, aaron, anson, baseball, biggio, boggs, brett, brock, carew, clemente, cobb, collins, gwynn, henderson, jeter, kaline, lajoie, mays, mlb, murray, musial, palmeiro, price, rays, ripken, rose, speaker, wagner, waner, winfield, yankees, yastrzemski, young

Team USA: Preview of the 2011 MLB All-Star Futures Game

Jul 8

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Friday, July 8, 2011

Rob Bland (Intern Candidate for MLB Reports): With the World Team roster covered here on the Reports, we now bring you the potent line-up of Team USA. They are highlighted by standouts Mike Trout (LAA) [named to the squad but just called up to the Angels] and Bryce Harper (WAS). Team USA also boasts an electric mix of pitching arms, including Shelby Miller (STL) and Jacob Turner (DET).

PITCHERS

Jarred Cosart – RHP –Texas – PHI –Clearwater Threshers – A – Florida State League

Jarred sits in the mid 90s and has touched 99 in some starts. This is his second straight year at the Futures Game, although he did not pitch last year. He has average command, as witnessed by his 36 walks in 92 innings, but if he can improve upon that, many scouts see him as a frontline starter.

Kyle Gibson – RHP –Indiana – MIN –Rochester Red Wings – AAA – International League

Gibson has the look of a middle of the rotation innings eater. His fastball has late sink, which gets him a ton of ground balls. With better defense as he moves up, and his ability to throw strikes, he could be a fairly useful 3^rd starter.

Matt Harvey – RHP –Connecticut – NYM –Binghamton Mets – AA – Eastern League

Harvey pretty much carved up the Florida State League earlier in the year, but in 3 starts in AA, he has not been able to get past the 5^th inning. He strikes a lot of guys out, and doesn’t walk many. As he matures and makes adjustments, he should succeed. He is expected to fast track to the Mets rotation, possibly as early as 2012.

Shelby Miller – RHP –Texas – STL –Springfield Cardinals – AA –Texas League

Ranked as the 4th pitcher in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 Prospects List, Miller has been skyrocketing through the ranks, as he got to AA before his 21^st birthday. Miller has struck out 119 batters in 91 innings, while his WHIP sits at 1.10. His fastball usually sits in the low 90s with sink and run. He also possesses an above average changeup and a good curveball. Miller has all the tools to win a Cy Young Award someday.

Matt Moore – LHP –Florida – TB –Montgomery Biscuits – AA – Southern League

Moore is rated 3^rd overall on BA’s list, and has top of the rotation stuff. He led the minor leagues in strikeouts in both 2009 and 2010, collecting 384K in 267 IP between High-A and AA. Moore has picked up where he left off, with 125 K already this season. His best pitch is a curveball from a low ¾ arm slot.

Brad Peacock – RHP –Florida – WAS –Harrisburg Senators – AA – Eastern League

Another pitcher who seems to finally have put it all together, he has 129 K and hitters have a paltry .179 average against him. Peacock is wiry and should fill out to increase his velocity. I see him as a mid rotation guy with a good fastball and breaking ball and decent change.

Drew Pomeranz – LHP –Tennessee – CLE –Kinston Indians – A –Carolina League

Pomeranz sits at 92 with his fastball, with good command. His breaking ball can be a plus, although it is inconsistent. He keeps the ball in the yard, and due to his large workhorse type frame, he could be an innings eater at the number 2 or 3 spot in a rotation.

Tyler Skaggs – LHP –California – ARI –Visalia Rawhide – A –California League

Skaggs has gained 15 pounds over the offseason, which has allowed him to raise his velocity a couple notches. For a lefty who throws from a ¾ slot, he has surprisingly little movement. His changeup has improved this year, which makes me believe his ceiling could be as a number 2 starter, but most likely settles in the 3-4 range.

Tyler Thornburg – RHP –Texas – MIL –Brevard County Manatees – A –FloridaState League

This 3^rd rounder in 2010 has simply overmatched his competition so far this year. With an ERA under 2.00, and opponents hitting under .200 against him, even after a move up to the Florida State League, Thornburg has the tools to succeed. He has a good fastball and a power curve while his changeup needs time to develop. If it doesn’t, a career in a setup role is possible.

Jacob Turner – RHP –Missouri – DET –Erie Sea Wolves – AA – Eastern League

Turner has a heavy fastball with late life that sits around 93, touching 95. He has a sharp, but inconsistent curveball, which if he polishes, could be a devastating combo out of the pen. For a guy who just turned 20 playing AA, Turner has pitched very well with a K:BB ratio at 2.7:1. Opponents have also only hit .233 off of him.

CATCHERS

Devin Mesoraco – C –Pennsylvania – CIN –Louisville Bats – AAA – International League

Catchers with 25-30 homerun power are so rare that they often get moved to first base or even the outfield. Mesoraco’s defense is average at best, so the move does seem likely in a few years. Mesoraco walks a fair amount and is a doubles hitting machine, which makes me think he will be an above average regular by 2013.

Austin Romine – C –California – NYY –Trenton Thunder – AA – Eastern League

Romine hasn’t wowed anyone with his bat, but has shown steady improvements from year to year. In his second year of AA he has raised his average, OBP and OPS. He has a cannon for an arm and quick feet, although his receiving isn’t quite ready. He could be a solid regular in a few years if the Yankees give him the chance.

INFIELDERS

Nolan Arenado – 3B –California –COL –Modesto Nuts – A- California League

This big, strong third baseman has decent feet and an average arm, so I see him being Todd Helton’s replacement in the future. He has a power bat that should develop even further as he matures. Arenado doesn’t strike out much and walks enough to have a decent OBP, so his bat will suffice at any position.

Tim Beckham – SS – Georgia – TB –Montgomery Biscuits – AA – Southern League

Although he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype of his number 1 overall selection in the 2008 draft, he has shown enough skill to keep moving up the ladder. Every year, his numbers have improved, and I believe he is close to a breakout. He is still a plus defender which will keep him in the big leagues for a very long time.

James Darnell – 3B –California – SD –Tucson Padres – AAA –Pacific Coast League

Darnell just got called up to AAA after dominating Texas league pitching. His defense is simply average, and may have to move to a corner outfield. However, his bat is his plus tool, as he has shown even more improvements from his 2010 season in which he struggled. He already has 19 home runs, and has walked 52 times as opposed to only 48 strikeouts, so his approach at the plate is advanced.

Paul Goldschmidt – 1B –Delaware – ARI –Mobile Bay Bears – AA – Southern League

Goldschmidt has unreal power potential. He has been a solid hitter at every level, but has taken his game to another level this year. He already has 25 HR and 77 RBI, and he walks a ton. This guy could be in a big league uniform as early as this September, but more than likely will be sometime in 2012.

Grant Green – SS –California – OAK – Midland Rock Hounds – AA –Texas League

Green profiles as a true shortstop with slightly above average hands and arm, with the ability to produce good numbers offensively. He hit 20 HR last year in high-A, and the move to AA this year has stunted his power, but he still walks and gets on base at a good clip. He isn’t flashy but he gets the job done and could be one of the better regular shortstops in the league.

Jason Kipnis – 2B –Illinois – CLE –Columbus Clippers – AAA – International League

This former center fielder shifted to 2B, where his lack of range still limits him to being only an average defender. However, his bat will keep him in the big leagues for many years. His numbers have improved every year, despite moving up a level. He walks at a good rate and has some pop. Doesn’t have a high ceiling, but what you see is what you will get.

Manny Machado – SS –Florida – BAL –Frederick Keys – A –Carolina League

Machado is still thin, but looks like he could fill out, in which case a move to third would be warranted. He has a plus arm and solid footwork to go along with his very soft hands. Although he has struggled a bit since being called up to high-A, he has the IQ to really succeed at the plate. He takes pitches and isn’t afraid to hit with 2 strikes.

Will Middlebrooks – 3B –Texas – BOS –Portland Sea Dogs – AA – Eastern League

Middlebrooks has had a slow ascent through the minors, and with continued production, he could get a look at the big leagues by next year. He is a solid defender at third, with a good bat. Needs to work on discipline as his K:BB ratio is at 59:18. Could be a regular in the big leagues by 2013.

OUTFIELDERS

Gary Brown – CF –California – SF –San Jose Giants – A –California League

Brown has absolutely blazing speed, with a very good bat. He has stolen 35 bags, but also been caught 14 times, so he must learn to choose his spots more wisely. Brown also shows the ability to hit for power, stroking doubles in the gaps consistently.

Bryce Harper – RF –Nevada – WAS –Harrisburg Senators – AA – Eastern League

By now, everyone knows the legend of Bryce Harper, and he has lived up to the billing. He dominated the Arizona Fall League as a taxi squad player, and showed enough early in A-ball to warrant a call-up straight to AA. The fact that Harper could even surpass people’s expectations is astounding, and I believe he could be a September roster addition for the Nationals.

Wil Myers – OF –North Carolina – KC – Northwest Arkansas Naturals – AA –Texas League

Myers moved from catcher to outfield in the fall of 2010, and this move should pay off for him in the long run. He is aggressive at all times, and he is extremely raw still. He lost part of the season due to an infection from a cut, so he is just rounding into form now. AA has been tough for him, but his tools will shine in the long run. One of the favorites of the Reports, keep an eye on this kid.

Matthew Szczur – OF –New Jersey – CHI Cubs –Peoria Chiefs – A –Midwest League

Szczur has tremendous speed and he covers a lot of ground in the outfield. He hits well for average, but hasn’t quite developed his power yet. This could happen as he matures. He walks at a decent clip, and has the ability to steal a ton of bases, so he could be a mainstay near the top of the Cubs line-up.

**Mike Trout – CF – New Jersey – LAA –Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – MLB

As I began writing this, it was reported that Trout had been recalled to the big league team, and no replacement has yet been named. Trout does everything well, and many people were very excited to see him play alongside Harper. He may not offer as much power as Harper, but he might be one of the fastest players in the big leagues.

Many people will be disappointed that Trout and Harper won’t be playing alongside each other in the Team USA outfield in the Worlds Game, but there is so much talent at this year’s event that nobody will leave Chase Field disappointed. MLB`s ability to showcase not only current talent, but future stars, highlighted by this year’s fanfest events, make the MLB All-Star Weekend festivities the best of any of the major sports. Get ready for an explosive Futures Game this Sunday, as the youngsters duel for the spotlight and the chance to make the major leagues one day soon.

***Thank you to Rob Bland for preparing today’s article on the All-Star Futures Game, preview of the World Team. You can follow Rob on Twitter.***

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

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MLB All-Star Futures Game 2011: World Team Preview

Jul 7

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Rob Bland (Intern Candidate for MLB Reports): Since its inception in 1999, the Futures Game, now sponsored by XM Satellite Radio, has grown steadily in popularity. The players involved are split into two squads: USA and the World team. The rosters comprise of 25 players each, with every MLB organization represented, and no more than two players from each team. This year’s game will be played at Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field on Sunday, July 10th, a day before the MLB All-Star Homerun Derby.

Previous editions of the Futures Game has been littered with immense talent, and this year is no exception. The MVP of the inaugural event was Alfonso Soriano, and in other years it was Jose Reyes (2002), Grady Sizemore (2003), Aaron Hill (2004), and Billy Butler in 2006. Other notable past participants were superstars Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Robinson Cano of the NY Yankees, and Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers.

This year’s game is no different, as 14 of MLB.com’s Preseason Top 50 Prospects List will be participating in the event. That number could very easily be higher, but more than a dozen of those 50 are currently playing in the MLB. This year’s USA crop is highlighted by Mike Trout, #1 on the top 50 list, (LAA) and Bryce Harper, #3, (WAS) sharing the same outfield. The World team boasts a strong pitching staff, led by Julio Teheran, #10, (ATL) and Henderson Alvarez of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Let’s take a close look at the featured players that will be respresenting this year’s World Team:

WORLD TEAM

PITCHERS

Henderson Alvarez – RHP -Venezuela– TOR –New Hampshire Fisher Cats – AA – Eastern League

Alvarez is a right-handed starter who is in his second turn at the Futures Game. He has always possessed plus command, walking only 1.8 batters per 9 innings in his 5 year minor league career. An increase in weight over the offseason has also helped increase his velocity, as he touches 98 mph.

Liam Hendriks – RHP -Australia – MIN –New Britain Rock Cats – AA – Eastern League

Had an appendectomy just days before last year’s game, so this is a reprise for him. Not unhittable, but throws a ton of strikes; just 18 walks in 90 innings so far. Sits in the 87-91mph range with average secondary offerings.

Kelvin Herrera – RHP -Dominican Republic – KC – Northwest Arkansas Naturals – AA –Texas League

Diminutive right-handed reliever who has been almost untouchable this season. Since his call-up to AA early in the season, he has walked 2 batters to 35 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He sits around 95-96mph with a plus change-up.

Gregory Infante – RHP -Venezuela – CHISox – Charlotte Knights – AAA – International League

Another flame-throwing righty, he has managed to lower his walk rate and raise his strikeout rate in getting to AAA this year. He gets enough groundouts and doesn’t give up many homeruns. His lack of a consistent second pitch is holding him back, although his curve shows flashes of brilliance in the low 80s.

Jhan Marinez – RHP -Dominican Republic –FLA –Jacksonville Suns – AA – Southern League

Another righty reliever that can touch 98, with an exceptional 2-seamer that sits at 92. His problem, as most young arms, is control. Over his career he has average 6 BB/9, and has so far managed 7.9 BB/9 this year. He has struck out almost 12 per 9 innings though.

Carlos Martinez – RHP – Dominican Republic – STL – Palm Beach Cardinals – A – Florida State League

A Latin pitcher, thin and wiry who sits mid 90s with his fastball which has a good late cut. He has given up only 31 hits in 44 2/3 innings pitched, and is able to induce a lot of ground balls.

James Paxton – LHP -Canada – SEA – Jackson Generals – AA – Southern League

A tall, strong lefty, who didn’t sign after being selected in the supplemental first round in 2009, got a later start on his professional career after three years at the UniversityofKentucky. He sits 92-95mph with an above average curve, a power slider and average change-up. As a starter this year, he has struck out 81 batters in 60 2/3 innings.

Martin Perez – LHP -Venezuela –TEX – Frisco RoughRiders – AA –Texas League

A left handed starter with a fastball that sits around 92mph, his bread and butter is his sharp, hard-breaking curveball. His command is average, as he walks close to 4 batters per 9 innings.

Julio Teheran – RHP -Colombia – ATL – Gwinnett Braves – AAA – International League

It’s not often you see a 20-year old in AAA with his numbers. 9-1 with a 1.79 ERA in 90 2/3 IP. He possess a plus fastball that sits 92-94, with a plus plus change-up with great sink. Projects to be a #2 starter, if not a true ace in the big leagues.

Arodys Vizcaino – RHP -Dominican Republic – ATL –Mississippi Braves – AA – Southern League

Strong, well developed legs allow him to sit in the 91-94 range, topping at 95. His curve and change have yet to fully develop, but show flashes of promise. He has the ability to miss bats, as he has compiled 76 K in 78 2/3 IP.

CATCHERS

Willin Rosario – C -Dominican Republic –COL -Tulsa Drillers – AA –Texas League

He possesses 30+ HR power, but lacks discipline and doesn’t walk. He has power to all fields but strikes out in almost 20% of his at bats. If he can learn some patience, he could be one of the top young catchers in the game.

Sebastian Valle – C -Mexico – PHI –Clearwater Threshers – A –Florida State League

Valle is a catcher who has hit at every level so far, yet still lacks patience, which is very common with young backstops. If he can raise his walk rate, and keep hitting the ball to all fields, he could be a special catcher in the Phillies organization.

INFIELDERS

Yonder Alonso – 1B/OF -Cuba – CIN –Louisville Bats – AAA – International League

Alonso is a very polished hitter. He has begun to play more innings at left field, because the Reds have Joey Votto as a lock at 1B. He hits to all fields, with some pop, and he walks a fair amount, which has led to his .861 OPS in AAA.

Jose Altuve – 2B -Venezuela – HOU – Corpus Christi Hooks – AA –Texas League

Listed at 5’7”, but plays as if he was 6’3”. Altuve is currently hitting .362 with 4 HR and 22 RBI in 31 games in AA after starting the season in A-ball, where he hit over .400 in 52 games. He doesn’t walk much, but when he is hitting everything thrown at him, he doesn’t really need to.

Hak-Ju Lee – SS -South Korea – TB – Charlotte Stone Crabs – A –FloridaState League

He is a plus defender at shortstop with good speed. Lee needs to work on his base stealing to better utilize that speed. He is having the best offensive season of his career, and is really looking like a steal in the Matt Garza trade with the Cubs.

Francisco Martinez – 3B -Venezuela – DET –Erie Sea Wolves – AA – Eastern League

Martinez is a prototypical third baseman with a quick bat and strong arm. Once he fills out his athletic frame, he should develop plus power. He still strikes out too much as he adjusts to AA pitching.

Alex Liddi – SS -Italy – SEA –Tacoma Rainiers – AAA –PacificCoast League

As the first Italian position player to sign a professional contract, he was seen as a bit of a project back in 2005. He has begun to develop his power, bashing 15 HR so far this season, but strikes out a ton; around 30% of his plate appearances end with him walking back to the dugout.

Jeffry Marte – 3B – Dominican Republic – NYM – St. Lucie Mets – A –Florida State League

Marte has good gap power and has a decent eye at the plate, as well as being smart on the base paths. May not be able to stay at 3B long term, but as long as his bat continues to progress, could make it to the big leagues as an outfielder.

Jurickson Profar – SS – Curacao –TEX –Hickory Crawdads – A –South Atlantic League

Premium defender at shortstop, with speed and the ability to drive the ball all over the field. He walks more than he strikes out, and once he fills out his 165lb frame, he could eventually become a 20/20 shortstop in the big leagues.

Jonathan Schoop – 3B – Curacao – BAL –Frederick Keys – A –Carolina League

Possesses the skills to play anywhere in the infield, his long term future looks to be 3B. He has quick feet and a good arm, with a quick bat. As he gets stronger, he could be a 20 HR guy that can drive in a ton of runs.

OUTFIELDERS

Chih-Hsien Chiang – OF -Taiwan – BOS –Portland Sea Dogs – AA – Eastern League

After five years of mediocrity in the minor leagues, he seems to have put it together this year. Hitting in the middle of Portland’s line-up, he has not only driven in 58 runs and hit 14 homeruns, but also hit 26 doubles, giving him a .618 SLG. Over half of his hits have been for extra bases, with gap power, he could prove that Boston’s roots in Asia are only getting stronger.

Reymond Fuentes – CF – Puerto Rico – SD –LakeElsinore Storm – A –California League

One of the pieces in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, he should be able to man center field at Petco Park for years to come with his speed. He already has 34 stolen bases, and he gets on base quite frequently. He may never hit for power, but could be a leadoff type hitter in the big leagues.

Starling Marte – CF -Dominican Republic – PIT –Altoona Curve – AA – Eastern League

There aren’t many players in baseball that could push Andrew McCutchen to a corner outfield position, but Marte could be one of them. He possesses the speed to cover a lot of ground, and although his power hasn’t quite developed, he could be a 10-15 HR player with a good OBP if his discipline continues to progress.

Alfredo Silverio – LF -Dominican Republic – LAD –Chattanooga Lookouts – AA – Southern League

Silverio has always seemed ready to be the power/speed combination outfielder the Dodgers envisioned when they signed him in 2003, and almost eight years later, he may finally be hitting his stride. If his discipline can improve, he could be in the big leagues quickly. Lacks a good arm, so he is basically destined for left field.

Dayan Viciedo – RF -Cuba – CHI Sox – Charlotte Knights – AAA – International League

Finally moved to the outfield this year, he has a solid arm for right field, and he flat out mashes. Many see a 30 HR player in the near future, as he uses all parts of the field with a quick compact stroke.

The World team is comprised of players from twelve countries: eight from the Dominican Republic, five from Venezuela, two from Cuba and Curacao, and one each from Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Stay tuned for analysis on the US roster.

***Thank you to Rob Bland for preparing today’s article on the All-Star Futures Game, preview of the World Team. You can follow Rob on Twitter.***

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

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E-MAILBAG: Ask the Reports, Wednesday July 6th All-Star Edition

Jul 6

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Follow @mlbreports

Thank you for reading the E-mailbag. Please send all your questions to mlbreports@gmail.com and please include your first name and City/Country.

We will be compiling a list of your questions from our e-mailbag and posting the responses on Wednesdays.

Wednesday July 6, 2011

Q: I enjoyed your article on the Home Run Derby this week. Which players were selected to play in this year’s derby? From: Dave, Chicago.

MLB reports: Thank you Dave. So glad that you enjoyed our feature on the Home Run Derby. As indicated in the article, captain David Ortiz has included Jose Bautista, Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez on the AL squad. The NL team, which was announced yesterday by captain Prince Fielder, includes Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, Matt Holliday of the Cardinals and Rickie Weeks of the Brewers. For the most part we have a very solid derby lineup. The only criticism that I can offer each team is the choice of the respective second basemen. While Rickie Weeks and Robinson Cano are fine players, there are far more powerful bashers that I would have preferred to see this upcoming Monday in Arizona. Curtis Granderson in the AL and Ryan Braun in the NL are the first two names that come to mind. It should be an interesting Home Run Derby regardless. So enjoy it!

Q: I am boycotting the All-Star game this year. It is nothing but a glorified exhibition game. I suggest you do the same. From: Sam, Vancouver.

MLB reports: Ouch Sam, you really do not like the All-Star game! As much as the game itself receives negative press, the truth is that all our readers are writing about in the last two weeks is the All-Star game. They cannot get enough of all the All-Star game coverage on the Reports! While the game itself may frustrate us, with the length of time it takes to play, number of substitutes etc, the truth is that the game has much merit. The All-Star game does decide home field advantage for the World Series, which is a huge reward. The players are playing for pride and in my opinion, the last few games have been exceptionally entertaining for the most part. Lastly, most of us love debating which players should be included on the rosters and analyzing the exclusions. Baseball is a sport of non-stop analysis and the All-Star game is no exception. Rather than focusing on the flaws, take in what is good about the game. With the glass-half-full approach, maybe you will become a fan again.

Q: My fave part of All-Star week is the Prospects Game. The up and coming stars get to play and I get to see them live. Will we get reports on the Prospects Game? From: Jason, Los Angeles.

MLB reports: Funny you should bring up the Prospects Game Jason, you have read our mind. As part of our search for the MLB reports Intern, we have Rob- a candidate for the post, preparing his feature article on the Prospects Game as we speak. We agree that the Prospects Game is a very important game, if not the biggest game of the break for many baseball fans. For the diehards that subscribe to Baseball America and try to learn all the prospects, many do not have the opportunity to watch the prospects live. For those of you that subscribe to mlb.tv, you may not know that you can add the Milb package as well for only a few dollars. But otherwise, the top prospects in the game will be playing this weekend. While MLB reports will have the game covered this weekend, we will be featuring Rob’s preview of the game starting tomorrow. Stay tuned for this must read feature!

Q: Do you see MLB ever getting rid of the All-Star game? Perhaps replacing it with the WBC or Olympics some years? From: Bruno, Mexico City.

MLB reports: Hello Bruno, great question. I can answer your question with one word: Never. The MLB All-Star game is a huge event for baseball that will continue until the end of time. The game itself is as much about pleasing the sponsors as it is the fans. The game is a showcase of Major League Baseball to the sponsors and baseball’s chance to wine and dine the greatest financial contributors the game. The All-Star game contributes a great deal of revenue and publicity for the home town sponsoring team and the battle to host the big event is fierce every year. The WBC, as featuring in our recent article, will be back as part of the 2013 edition. While experts have debated hosting the tournament during the middle of the season or at season’s end, the time and commitment required makes the logistics almost impossible. For now the WBC is remaining as a pre-season tournament, with qualifying taking place in the fall of 2012 and the WBC in March 2013. From the Olympics perspective, baseball is not even currently included as a sport. In 2013, the IOC will vote on whether to include baseball as an Olympic sport in the 2020 games. Baseball will be competing with karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu for one spot. The Olympics will be discussed on a different day, as the exclusion of baseball by the Olympics is unforgivable in my opinion and simply a harsh tactic to force Major League Baseball to send professionals to the Olympics. Baseball is strong in its stance though and even if baseball does rejoin the Olympics, it will not interfere with the All-Star game. The mid-season game is simply to valuable to baseball to let go. Ever.

Q: The National League won the All-Star game last year, its first win since 1996. Who will win this year? From: Tiffany, Miami.

MLB reports: I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you Tiffany, but the AL will win this year. Call it gut, call it bias. I just can’t see how the NL can control the bashers in the American League. Jose Bautista, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson are just some of the big names representing the American League. While the NL has Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp, Lance Berkman, Brian McCann etc, I think the AL has too strong of an offensive team. The AL pitching is also stacked, led by Justin Verlander, David Prince, James Shields, Jered Weaver and company. While the NL pitchers get much of the press, the AL has its share of star pitchers. The game should be an interesting one, with the run total likely to be very high. But when all is said and done, expect the AL to come out on top and giving the Rays home field advantage over the Phillies in the World Series (did I just make a prediction?)

Thanks for the e-mails and keep them coming! mlbreports@gmail.com

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2011 MLB Home Run Derby: New Format, Ortiz and Fielder as Captains and Picks

Jul 5

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

MLB reports: Change is in the air as Major League Baseball has revised the format for the Home Run Derby, coming up on Monday, July 11th from Chase Field in Arizona. The biggest change is the appointment of captains. Former home run derby champions David Ortiz and Prince Fielder will serve as the leaders of the AL and NL squads respectively. Each captain is able to select three additional players of their choice to fill out their home run derby team, regardless of being selected as an all-star. The Home Run Derby team selections are due today, but David Ortiz has already jumped the gun to fill out his roster. Papi’s selections are about to be listed, but first the format change for the Home Run Derby this year.

According to Major League Baseball:

“While the format to determine the individual champion will remain unchanged, the total number of home runs hit by all players in all rounds will be tabulated for the AL and NL to determine the winning team, captain and charity recipient. Each player will get 10 outs per round, the four players with the highest total of home runs will advance to the second round, and the two players with the highest cumulative number of home runs in the first two rounds will advance to the Championship Round, where first and second round home runs do not carry over for individual scores.”

Thus the derby now becomes a team effort right up until the final round, where an individual winner will be selected. Thus the 2011 Home Run Derby will have a winning team, as well as an individual champion. With the format of the Home Run Derby becoming somewhat stale and many players declining invitations, change was needed. There was also talk of the “Derby Curse”, where participants in the Home Run Derby would find their home run totals slip in the second half of the season. From Bobby Abreu in 2005 to Josh Hamilton in 2008, the curse has taken on a life of its own. With teams starting to put pressure on its players to avoid the home run contest, the new format is a breath of fresh air. Having the teams and captains brings fun and competitiveness back to the event and should rejuvenate a great brand for Major League Baseball. While this year’s format will likely require future tweaking, in my opinion at least, MLB has done a great job in building excitement to the upcoming derby.

As mentioned, today is the deadline for the team captains to submit their home run team picks. For the American League, Captain David Ortiz has made his selections. Representing the AL in the 2011 Home Run Derby will be Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees. Gonzalez and Bautista were the first two selections by Ortiz that accepted their invitations. Cano teammate, Mark Teixeira, was originally selected as the fourth member of the squad, but declined his invitation. Cano has since happily accepted and will be launching home runs for the AL next Monday.

On the current MLB home run leader board, Bautista sits at #1 with 27 home runs, Ortiz at #11 with 17, Gonzalez at #18 with 16 and Cano at #27 with 14. Ortiz made some interesting choices, as Curtis Granderson, Nelson Cruz and Paul Konerko were not selected despite being in the top 10 home run hitters in the game as of today. I don’t believe that many people would argue with the selections of Bautista or Gonzalez. It is the selection of Cano that would likely have some tongues wagging. Most experts would have preferred Teixeira on the squad, but unfortunately he declined the invitation. Personally, I would have gone with Granderson or Miguel Cabrera for the position. But regardless of preference, the AL squad is a mighty one and should give the AL a strong chance to win this year’s Home Run Derby.

In the National League, Prince Fielder continues to ponder and calculate his selections, which should be announced later today. Prince, at #6 on the home run leader board with 21, has many candidates to choose from. One selection apparently confirmed is Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, who is #4 with 22 home runs. Other strong candidates are Fielder’s teammates Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks (with rumors have Weeks likely to receive and accept an invitation). Other possibilities are Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday of the Cardinals, Jay Bruce of the Reds, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies and Mike Stanton of the Marlins. If you are handicapping at home, my predicted NL squad is Fielder, Weeks, Holliday and Bruce. We will find out later today if Prince and I are on the same page on this one.

No matter who ends up representing the AL and NL, Ortiz and Fielder will captain exciting and dynamic home run hitting squads that will electrify the Arizona crowd next Monday. I cannot recall a more anticipated Home Run Derby in recent history. Good luck Prince and Papi and don’t forget to eat your wheaties this week.

***Get ready for a week’s worth of All-Star reporting, as MLB reports has everything All-Star covered between now and the big game on Tuesday. We will be keeping an eye on the All-Star game itself, as well as the Futures Game, Home Run Derby and everything in between. The All-Star game is a little over a week away and we will bring you all the latest All-Star game news as it develops. To view the AL and NL All-Star Game rosters and Final Vote candidates, click here***

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

2011 MLB ALL-STAR GAME FINAL VOTING RESULTS:

Here are the final numbers as voted by the fans for the starting lineups in the All-Star game:

American League

CATCHER — 1, Alex Avila, Tigers, 4,144,384. 2, Russell Martin, Yankees, 3,646,033. 3, Joe Mauer, Twins, 2,308,436. 4, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox, 2,183,113. 5, Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers, 1,810,755. 6, Carlos Santana, Indians, 1,501,053. 7, J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays, 1,024,020. 8, A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox, 963,463.

FIRST BASE — 1, Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox, 6,034,533. 2, Mark Teixeira, Yankees, 4,174,690. 3, Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 3,473,849. 4, Mitch Moreland, Rangers, 1,680,462. 5, Paul Konerko, White Sox, 1,323,853. 6, Adam Lind, Blue Jays, 860,203. 7, Justin Morneau, Twins, 781,717. 8, Matt LaPorta, Indians, 750,953.

SECOND BASE — 1, Robinson Cano, Yankees, 6,679,976. 2, Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, 4,391,835. 3, Ian Kinsler, Rangers, 2,729,450. 4, Orlando Cabrera, Indians, 1,538,135. 5, Ben Zobrist, Rays, 1,245,709. 6, Howie Kendrick, Angels, 1,079,227. 7, Will Rhymes, Tigers, 671,674. 8, Aaron Hill, Blue Jays, 587,179.

THIRD BASE — 1, Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 5,277,823. 2, Adrian Beltre, Rangers, 4,036,191. 3, Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox, 4,018,641. 4, Evan Longoria, Rays, 2,804,004. 5, Brandon Inge, Tigers, 1,113,787. 6, Maicer Izturis, Angels, 666,828. 7, Mike Aviles, Royals, 602,091. 8, Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays, 505,015.

SHORTSTOP — 1, Derek Jeter, Yankees, 4,536,386. 2, Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians, 4,073,992. 3, Elvis Andrus, Rangers, 2,698,902. 4, Jhonny Peralta, Tigers, 2,301,524. 5, Marco Scutaro, Red Sox, 1,642,606. 6, Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays, 1,104,761. 7, J.J. Hardy, Orioles, 956,073. 8, Alexei Ramirez, White Sox, 946,442.

DESIGNATED HITTER — 1, David Ortiz, Red Sox, 6,324,793. 2, Michael Young, Rangers, 3,072,467. 3, Victor Martinez, Tigers, 2,302,988. 4, Jorge Posada, Yankees, 1,998,551. 5, Johnny Damon, Rays, 1,303,471. 6, Travis Hafner, Indians, 1,206,971. 7, Vladimir Guerrero, Orioles, 1,136,364. 8, Billy Butler, Royals, 891,940.

OUTFIELD — 1, Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, 7,454,753. 2, Curtis Granderson, Yankees, 6,683,877. 3, Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 4,646,394. 4, Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, 4,609,667. 5, Carl Crawford, Red Sox, 3,213,581. 6, Nelson Cruz, Rangers, 2,704,249. 7, Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, 2,528,532. 8, Nick Swisher, Yankees, 2,277,856. 9, Brett Gardner, Yankees, 2,064,372. 10, J.D. Drew, Red Sox, 2,009,877. 11, Matt Joyce, Rays, 1,597,334. 12, Jeff Francoeur, Royals, 1,505,399. 13, David Murphy, Rangers, 1,458,420. 14, Grady Sizemore, Indians, 1,283,993. 15, Austin Jackson, Tigers, 1,254,267. 16, Carlos Quentin, White Sox, 1,218,968. 17, Melky Cabrera, Royals, 1,201,982. 18, Shin-Soo Choo, Indians, 1,158,749. 19, Alex Gordon, Royals, 1,120,683. 20, B.J, Upton, Rays, 1,081,270. 21, Magglio Ordonez, Tigers, 1,008,145. 22, Torii Hunter, Angels, 927,271. 23, Sam Fuld, Rays, 916,219. 24, Michael Brantley, Indians, 878,556.

National League

CATCHER — 1, Brian McCann, Braves, 4,698,838. 2, Yadier Molina, Cardinals, 2,972,786. 3, Buster Posey, Giants, 2,418,923. 4, Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers, 2,271,498. 5, Ramon Hernandez, Reds, 2,056,263. 6, Carlos Ruiz, Phillies, 1,864,675. 7, Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals, 1,225,342. 8, Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks, 1,149,461.

FIRST BASE — 1, Prince Fielder, Brewers, 4,864,523. 2, Joey Votto, Reds, 4,254,305. 3, Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 4,171,094. 4, Ryan Howard, Phillies, 2,563,736. 5, Freddie Freeman, Braves, 957,816. 6, Brandon Belt, Giants, 917,044. 7, Ike Davis, Mets, 824,681. 8, Todd Helton, Rockies, 761,928.

SECOND BASE — 1, Rickie Weeks, Brewers, 4,460,395. 2, Brandon Phillips, Reds, 4,273,079. 3, Chase Utley, Phillies, 3,345,845. 4, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, 1,627,733. 5, Dan Uggla, Braves, 1,583,903. 6, Neil Walker, Pirates, 993,369. 7, Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks, 862,204. 8, Skip Schumaker, Cardinals, 856,658.

THIRD BASE — 1, Placido Polanco, Phillies, 4,410,701. 2, Chipper Jones, Braves, 2,849,578. 3, Scott Rolen, Reds, 2,251,425. 4, Pablo Sandoval, Giants, 2,213,057. 5, David Wright, Mets, 2,106,800. 6, Casey McGehee, Brewers, 1,877,744. 7, Aramis Ramirez, Cubs, 1,192,220. 8, Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, 1,137,696.

SHORTSTOP — 1, Jose Reyes, Mets, 4,707,976. 2, Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies, 3,932,000. 3, Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, 2,311,689. 4, Yuniesky Betancourt, Brewers, 1,695,431. 5, Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks, 1,523,919. 6, Alex Gonzalez, Braves, 1,476,368. 7, Miguel Tejada, Giants, 1,265,544. 8, Paul Janish, Reds, 1,168,551.

OUTFIELD — 1, Ryan Braun, Brewers, 5,928,004. 2, Lance Berkman, Cardinals, 4,345,766. 3, Matt Kemp, Dodgers, 4,293,626. 4, Matt Holliday, Cardinals, 3,948,268. 5, Jay Bruce, Reds, 3,218,003. 6, Andre Ethier, Dodgers, 3,013,030. 7, Carlos Beltran, Mets, 2,631,991. 8, Shane Victorino, Phillies, 2,370,351. 9, Corey Hart, Brewers, 1,875,897. 10, Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, 1,845,385. 11, Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies, 1,733,281. 12, Jason Heyward, Braves, 1,715,925. 13, Raul Ibanez, Phillies, 1,641,389. 14, Drew Stubbs, Reds, 1,572,673. 15, Carlos Gomez, Brewers, 1,508,939. 16, Andrew McCutchen, Pirates, 1,343,144. 17, Hunter Pence, Astros, 1,315,276. 18, Jonny Gomes, Reds, 1,310,142. 19, Martin Prado, Braves, 1,296,763. 20, Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, 1,282,608. 21, Aubrey Huff, Giants, 1,240,980. 22, Chris Young, Diamondbacks, 1,151,443. 23, Ben Francisco, Phillies, 1,124,361. 24, Jason Bay, Mets, 1,114,574.

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: abreu, allstar, allstargame, baseball, bautista, berkman, brewers, bruce, cano, dodgers, fielder, gonzalez, hamilton, holliday, homerun, homerunderby, jays, kemp, mlb, ortiz, rangers, redsox, stanton, teixeira, yankees

Final Rosters are Announced: 2011 MLB All-Star Game Vote Totals and Time for the Final Vote

Jul 4

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Monday, July 4, 2011

MLB reports: The day has finally arrived. After weeks of voting in stadiums and on-line, the 2011 final rosters for the All-Star game are set, coming up Tuesday July 12th from beautiful Arizona, hosted by the Diamondbacks. Barring injuries and players pulling out, we now know the starting lineups, pitching staffs and reserves representing the American League and National League in the All-Star game. After the fans voted in the starting lineups, the All-Star managers, Ron Washington for the AL and Bruce Bochy for the NL, filled out the rest of their rosters. There were some surprises in the announcements to say the least. We saw some last-minute changes in the voting by the fans to the starting lineups. From there, the All-Star managers made some very interesting selections as well. On the whole, the rosters are fair and well deserved. But some spots are debatable. Then once you account for the selections by the managers, we enter the realm of a week-long debate. Let’s take a look at the rosters for each league, including the starters, the pitching staffs and the reserves. From there, we will analyze the candidates for the coveted “Final Vote” spot as chosen by the fans on-line, between now and 4:00p.m. on July 7th.

American League All-Star Roster:

AL Starting Lineup:

Pos	Player

C	Alex Avila,Tigers

1B	Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox

2B	Robinson Cano, Yankees

3B	Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

SS	Derek Jeter, Yankees

OF	Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

OF	Curtis Granderson, Yankees

OF	Josh Hamilton, Rangers

DH	David Ortiz, Red Sox

The American League starting lineup as voted by the fans took shape as projected the last few days. The infield remains with Adrian Gonzalez at first, combined with Yankees Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Despite late pushes, Asdrubal Cabrera and Adrian Beltre could not garner enough votes to make the starting lineup, although both are on their way to Arizona as reserves. David Ortiz joins Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson and Josh Hamilton in a very heavy Yankees/Red Sox lineup. Jacoby Ellsbury also did not attain enough votes to start but will be a reserve. Hamilton, the former AL MVP, proved to be too popular on this day. The one major upset though was Alex Avila, who through very strong play and Tigers fans voting is starting next Tuesday ahead of the reserve Russell Martin. Considering that Martin held onto the spot for the majority of the voting, Tigers fans were very successful in sending the deserving Avila to Arizona.

AL Pitching Staff:

Pos	Player

P	Josh Beckett, Red Sox

P	Aaron Crow, Royals

P	Gio Gonzalez, Athletics

P	Felix Hernandez, Mariners

P	Brandon League, Mariners

P	Chris Perez, Indians

P	David Price, Rays

P	Mariano Rivera, Yankees

P	James Shields, Rays

P	Jose Valverde, Tigers

P	Justin Verlander, Tigers

P	Jered Weaver, Angels

P	C.J. Wilson, Rangers

An incredible pitching staff to say the least, but not without its omissions. Despite such a strong selection, C.C. Sabathia, Jon Lester, Dan Haren, Jeremy Hellickson, Ricky Romero and Bartolo Colon all were left off the roster. Other pitchers deserving consideration with Jordan Walden, Sergio Santos, Kyle Farnsworth and Jonathan Papelbon. The selections of Aaron Crow, Gio Gonzalez, Brandon League and Jose Valverde will receive the most criticism in the coming days. While decent picks, there appears to be more deserving players that were cast aside for the above all-stars. A dilemma every year, I make the submission that the AL pitching staff is one that needs a second opinion given the candidates left on the board.

AL Reserves:

Pos	Player

C	Russell Martin, Yankees

C	Matt Wieters, Orioles

1B	Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

2B	Howard Kendrick, Angels

3B	Adrian Beltre, Rangers

SS	Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians

OF	Michael Cuddyer, Twins

OF	Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox

OF	Matt Joyce, Rays

OF	Carlos Quentin, White Sox

DH	Michael Young, Rangers

Notable absences are Paul Konerko of the White Sox and Mark Teixeira of the Yankees. Despite strong power numbers for each, the AL is only carrying two active first basemen, with Michael Young available as well. Apparently the limit of Yankees was reached and a spot could not be found for either one. Konerko though will get a second kick at the can, who together with Victor Martinez are the strongest candidates for the Final Vote spot. While credit should go to Ron Washington in the selection of Joyce and Quentin, the selection of Cuddyer will be considered curious by some. His roster spot relates more to the representation of a player for each team than being a top all-star. So as a result, deserving candidates like Konerko, Teixeira and Martinez may not be in Arizona for the big game.

National League All-Star Roster:

NL Starting Lineup:

Pos	Player

C	Brian McCann, Braves

1B	Prince Fielder, Brewers

2B	Rickie Weeks, Brewers

3B	Placido Polanco, Phillies

SS	Jose Reyes, Mets

OF	Ryan Braun, Brewers

OF	Lance Berkman, Cardinals

OF	Matt Kemp, Dodgers

We are now in the senior circuit and begin with the starting lineup. The fans were very active in the final week of voting here as four members of the starting lineup were last-minute winners. Prince Fielder is in over Albert Pujols, Rickie Weeks beat out the reserve Brandon Phillips, Jose Reyes is in while Troy Tulowitzki is out of the lineup and on the bench and Matt Kemp beat out Matt Holliday for the starting position. All four were very deserving winners and represent a case where the fans pushed hard and got it right. Together with Brian McCann, Ryan Braun, Placido Polanco and Lance Berkman, the NL has a strong offensive lineup. The Polanco selection was not one of my favorites but more of a result of a very weak third base class in the NL than anything else.

NL Pitching Staff:

Pos	Player

P	Heath Bell, Padres

P	Matt Cain, Giants

P	Tyler Clippard, Nationals

P	Roy Halladay, Phillies

P	Cole Hamels, Phillies

P	Joel Hanrahan, Pirates

P	Jair Jurrjens, Braves

P	Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

P	Cliff Lee, Phillies

P	Tim Lincecum, Giants

P	Jonny Venters, Braves

P	Ryan Vogelsong, Giants

P	Brian Wilson, Giants

The NL pitching staff is certainly controversial and as debatable as the AL squad. Absent are pitchers Craig Kimbrel, John Axford, Drew Storen, Kevin Correia, Tommy Hanson, Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy, among others. It is hard to argue with many if not most of the NL pitchers selected, although Ryan Vogelsong and Brian Wilson are two selections which are likely to cause the ire of the rest of the baseball world. How Correia and Hanson in particular were omitted is beyond me. But again this is part of the All-Star process. An issue that is coming up every year is the selection of too many of a team’s own players by the league manager. While Ron Washington was fair in his picks, I see Bruce Bochy as favoring his staff a little too much in this case. Hopefully this issue gets settled out soon once and for all.

NL Reserves:

Pos	Player

C	Yadier Molina, Cardinals

1B	Gaby Sanchez, Marlins

1B	Joey Votto, Reds

2B	Brandon Phillips, Reds

3B	Chipper Jones, Braves

SS	Starlin Castro, Cubs

SS	Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

OF	Carlos Beltran, Mets

OF	Jay Bruce, Reds

OF	Matt Holliday, Cardinals

OF	Hunter Pence, Astros

OF	Justin Upton, Diamondbacks

Names that are missing off this list are Ryan Howard, Danny Espinosa, Mike Stanton and Andrew McCutchen, among others. Looking at the selections overall, Chipper Jones was the one that most stands out. But given the weak third base crop and Jones lifetime contributions to the game, this is actually a fairly classy move in what could be Jones swan song. But overall I am satisfied with the NL reserves. Not as many issues as the pitching staff from my standpoint.

With the All-Star rosters in place, fans now get to select the 34th roster spot for each league. A dog fight is definitely in store for Thursday.

MLB Final Vote Candidates:

AL Nominees:

Alex Gordon, Royals
Adam Jones, Orioles
Paul Konerko, White Sox
Victor Martinez, Tigers
Ben Zobrist, Rays

While Alex Gordon is a feel good story this year and Adam Jones and Ben Zobrist deserve consideration, this spot will come down to a popularity contest between AL Central rivals Paul Konerko and Victor Martinez. While both are very worthy candidates, it is a question of to which direction the fans will push. My pick is Paul Konerko but given the success of Alex Avila, I am forecasting Victor Martinez as the Final Vote victor here.

NL Nominees:

Andre Ethier, Dodgers
Todd Helton, Rockies
Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks
Michael Morse, Nationals
Shane Victorino, Phillies

Another set of worthy candidates, this one will boil down to the Phillies faithful pushing of Shane Victorino, the hometown Diamondbacks selection of Ian Kennedy or the push for Andre Ethier of the Dodgers. My selection is Ethier but I can see Victorino landing the spot based on the passion and push of his local fans. Call it gut on this one, although I can see the worthy Kennedy squeaking in as an option.

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2011 MLB ALL-STAR GAME FINAL VOTING RESULTS:

Here are the final numbers as voted by the fans for the starting lineups in the All-Star game:

American League

CATCHER — 1, Alex Avila, Tigers, 4,144,384. 2, Russell Martin, Yankees, 3,646,033. 3, Joe Mauer, Twins, 2,308,436. 4, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox, 2,183,113. 5, Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers, 1,810,755. 6, Carlos Santana, Indians, 1,501,053. 7, J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays, 1,024,020. 8, A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox, 963,463.

SECOND BASE — 1, Robinson Cano, Yankees, 6,679,976. 2, Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, 4,391,835. 3, Ian Kinsler, Rangers, 2,729,450. 4, Orlando Cabrera, Indians, 1,538,135. 5, Ben Zobrist, Rays, 1,245,709. 6, Howie Kendrick, Angels, 1,079,227. 7, Will Rhymes, Tigers, 671,674. 8, Aaron Hill, Blue Jays, 587,179.

THIRD BASE — 1, Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 5,277,823. 2, Adrian Beltre, Rangers, 4,036,191. 3, Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox, 4,018,641. 4, Evan Longoria, Rays, 2,804,004. 5, Brandon Inge, Tigers, 1,113,787. 6, Maicer Izturis, Angels, 666,828. 7, Mike Aviles, Royals, 602,091. 8, Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays, 505,015.

SHORTSTOP — 1, Derek Jeter, Yankees, 4,536,386. 2, Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians, 4,073,992. 3, Elvis Andrus, Rangers, 2,698,902. 4, Jhonny Peralta, Tigers, 2,301,524. 5, Marco Scutaro, Red Sox, 1,642,606. 6, Yunel Escobar, Blue Jays, 1,104,761. 7, J.J. Hardy, Orioles, 956,073. 8, Alexei Ramirez, White Sox, 946,442.

DESIGNATED HITTER — 1, David Ortiz, Red Sox, 6,324,793. 2, Michael Young, Rangers, 3,072,467. 3, Victor Martinez, Tigers, 2,302,988. 4, Jorge Posada, Yankees, 1,998,551. 5, Johnny Damon, Rays, 1,303,471. 6, Travis Hafner, Indians, 1,206,971. 7, Vladimir Guerrero, Orioles, 1,136,364. 8, Billy Butler, Royals, 891,940.

OUTFIELD — 1, Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, 7,454,753. 2, Curtis Granderson, Yankees, 6,683,877. 3, Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 4,646,394. 4, Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, 4,609,667. 5, Carl Crawford, Red Sox, 3,213,581. 6, Nelson Cruz, Rangers, 2,704,249. 7, Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, 2,528,532. 8, Nick Swisher, Yankees, 2,277,856. 9, Brett Gardner, Yankees, 2,064,372. 10, J.D. Drew, Red Sox, 2,009,877. 11, Matt Joyce, Rays, 1,597,334. 12, Jeff Francoeur, Royals, 1,505,399. 13, David Murphy, Rangers, 1,458,420. 14, Grady Sizemore, Indians, 1,283,993. 15, Austin Jackson, Tigers, 1,254,267. 16, Carlos Quentin, White Sox, 1,218,968. 17, Melky Cabrera, Royals, 1,201,982. 18, Shin-Soo Choo, Indians, 1,158,749. 19, Alex Gordon, Royals, 1,120,683. 20, B.J, Upton, Rays, 1,081,270. 21, Magglio Ordonez, Tigers, 1,008,145. 22, Torii Hunter, Angels, 927,271. 23, Sam Fuld, Rays, 916,219. 24, Michael Brantley, Indians, 878,556.

National League

CATCHER — 1, Brian McCann, Braves, 4,698,838. 2, Yadier Molina, Cardinals, 2,972,786. 3, Buster Posey, Giants, 2,418,923. 4, Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers, 2,271,498. 5, Ramon Hernandez, Reds, 2,056,263. 6, Carlos Ruiz, Phillies, 1,864,675. 7, Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals, 1,225,342. 8, Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks, 1,149,461.

SECOND BASE — 1, Rickie Weeks, Brewers, 4,460,395. 2, Brandon Phillips, Reds, 4,273,079. 3, Chase Utley, Phillies, 3,345,845. 4, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, 1,627,733. 5, Dan Uggla, Braves, 1,583,903. 6, Neil Walker, Pirates, 993,369. 7, Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks, 862,204. 8, Skip Schumaker, Cardinals, 856,658.

THIRD BASE — 1, Placido Polanco, Phillies, 4,410,701. 2, Chipper Jones, Braves, 2,849,578. 3, Scott Rolen, Reds, 2,251,425. 4, Pablo Sandoval, Giants, 2,213,057. 5, David Wright, Mets, 2,106,800. 6, Casey McGehee, Brewers, 1,877,744. 7, Aramis Ramirez, Cubs, 1,192,220. 8, Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, 1,137,696.

OUTFIELD — 1, Ryan Braun, Brewers, 5,928,004. 2, Lance Berkman, Cardinals, 4,345,766. 3, Matt Kemp, Dodgers, 4,293,626. 4, Matt Holliday, Cardinals, 3,948,268. 5, Jay Bruce, Reds, 3,218,003. 6, Andre Ethier, Dodgers, 3,013,030. 7, Carlos Beltran, Mets, 2,631,991. 8, Shane Victorino, Phillies, 2,370,351. 9, Corey Hart, Brewers, 1,875,897. 10, Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, 1,845,385. 11, Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies, 1,733,281. 12, Jason Heyward, Braves, 1,715,925. 13, Raul Ibanez, Phillies, 1,641,389. 14, Drew Stubbs, Reds, 1,572,673. 15, Carlos Gomez, Brewers, 1,508,939. 16, Andrew McCutchen, Pirates, 1,343,144. 17, Hunter Pence, Astros, 1,315,276. 18, Jonny Gomes, Reds, 1,310,142. 19, Martin Prado, Braves, 1,296,763. 20, Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, 1,282,608. 21, Aubrey Huff, Giants, 1,240,980. 22, Chris Young, Diamondbacks, 1,151,443. 23, Ben Francisco, Phillies, 1,124,361. 24, Jason Bay, Mets, 1,114,574.

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: allstar, arod, baseball, bautista, berkman, braun, braves, brewers, cano, cardinals, diamondbacks, dodgers, ethier, fielder, gonzalez, granderson, hamilton, holliday, jays, jeter, kemp, martin, mccann, mets, mlb, ortiz, phillies, polanco, pujols, rangers, reds, redsox, reyes, rockies, tulowitzki, votto, weeks, yankees

Scott Boras: The Contracts. The Clients. Who’s to Blame?

Jul 3

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Follow @mlbreports

Sunday July 3, 2011

MLB reports: The man behind the billion dollar smile, Scott Boras is a big business. The Boras Corporation represents close to 200 MLB players. This is one of the most influential, if not important people in baseball today. But the man is categorized in many baseball circles as “the devil”, for “forcing” major league teams to dish out excessively large contracts to his clients. Is this really the case? Is Boras bad for baseball or simply a man who knows how to do his job and do it well? Let’s take an inside look at Scott Boras and search behind the contracts.

We took a look yesterday at Randy “Macho Man” Savage, an athlete that aside from being a wrestling superstar, was a baseball player. On the same token, Scott Boras the agent, was at one point Scott Boras the baseball player as well. Here are the numbers that Boras put up in four minor league seasons in the Cardinals and Cubs organizations:

Year	Lev	AB	R	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG
1974	Rk	95	13	0	10	.274	.402	.347
1975	A	300	39	2	36	.277	.402	.373
1976	A	437		2		.295		.387
1977	AA-A	343	54	1	33	.292	.392	.367
1977	A	78	17	0	7	.346	.440	.423
1977	AA	265	37	1	26	.275	.377	.351
1977	AA
1977	AA
4 Seasons		1175	106	5	79	.288	.363	.374
A (3 seasons)	A	815	56	4	43	.293	.354	.385
AA (1 season)	AA	265	37	1	26	.275	.377	.351
Rk (1 season)	Rk	95	13	0	10	.274	.402	.347

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

A man ahead of his time, Boras was one of the original moneyball players. For his career, Boras had 133 walks and only 76 strikeouts. Those numbers were for good for a lifetime .363 OBP, to go along with his .288 AVG. Knee injuries unfortunately cut his career short and Boras only made it as high as AA ball. With the baseball experience under his belt, Boras went on to practice law and from there become a full-time baseball agent in the early 1980s. Imagine if the 58-year old Scott Boras had made it to the majors and had played for 10+ years. He would have been playing well into the 1980s, when his agent career took off. But alas, Randy Poffo the wrestler became Randy Savage the baseball player. Scott Boras the baseball player became a player agent. Certain things are meant to be and some roles seem to be predestined. But it is still fun to think what could have been and had Boras been able to continue in for professional baseball as a player for many seasons, Scott Boras the agent might have never come into existence.

The exploits of Scott Boras as an agent are legendary. From the Bill Caudill contract with the Jays, Todd Van Poppel deal, J.D. Drew refusing to sign with the Phillies, the Alex Rodriguez contract, Darren Dreifort contract, negotiations for Stephen Strasburg and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boras has done it all and seen it all. Let’s take a peak at 10 of the biggest contracts negotiated by Boras:

10. Adrian Beltre, Seattle Mariners: 5 years, $64 million

9. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox: 6 years, $52 million

8. Kevin Millwood, Texas Rangers: 5 years, $60 million

7. Carlos Beltran, New York Mets: 7 years, $119 million

6. Kevin Brown, Los Angeles Dodgers: 7 years, $105 million

5.Matt White, Tampa Bay Devil Rays: $10.2 million bonus

4. Andruw Jones, Los Angeles Dodgers: 2 years, $36.2 million

3. Chan Ho Park, Texas Rangers: 5 years, $65 million

2. Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants: 7 years, $126 million

1. Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers: 10 years, $252 million

The list literally goes on and on. Boras Corporation has negotiated contracts well over a billion dollars in my estimation and the number keeps rising by the day. We can pick any contracts negotiated by Boras for review, but these ten deals are particularly interesting ones. What do these contracts all have in common? Firstly, they are for very large dollar amounts and very often far exceed what most experts predicted for each particular player. Secondly, none of the teams that signed their respective deal appeared to have benefited from the deal. In the sense that I would argue each team on this list had buyer’s remorse and would take back the contract if given the chance. Lastly, all of these contracts were negotiated and signed by Scott Boras and each respective major league team owner and general manager. It takes two to tango and in this case, sometimes three or four parties. For as much as teams and fans want to burn Scott Boras at the stake for destroying baseball, these contracts were signed by the free will of each team. Furthermore, each team pursued their respective players and courted them to accept a contract and join their team. At some point, MLB teams need to look at the mirror if they want to change the economic landscape of the game and stop blaming Scott Boras and the player agents of this world.

An agent’s job is to land the biggest contract for his or her client. A team’s job is to field the most competitive team at the most economical price. When a player turns out to be a bust or financial albatross, it is the team that did not do their job. The baseball world fell over when Jayson Werth signed his seven-year, $126 million contract. The blame fell to Scott Boras for the most part for extorting such a large figure out of the Washington Nationals. Why? Mike Rizzo and the Washington Nationals organization are all big boys that can make their own decisions. Without seemingly any strong bidders against them, the Nationals literally outbid themselves in handing Werth such a lucrative and absurd contract. Most analysts, myself included, felt that this contract could only end up failing the Nationals. Werth as an injury prone player without a proven track record was going to likely have a hard time justifying his deal. But don’t blame the player or agent. No, they did their job in the process. It is the team that needs to take responsibility for its actions. An important lesson in life is to learn from one’s mistakes. But teams keep making the same financial blunders, over and over when it comes to player contracts. That is not the fault of Scott Boras. It is the teams.

When free agency opens up each offseason, I compare the winter meetings to children being handed large wads of money and being thrown into a candy store. They cannot control themselves and have to buy more and more to satisfy their hungers. As it is not the children to blame when they are spoiled, it is really not the General Managers either when they have large spending budgets. As parents need to take responsibility for their children, team owners need to account for their General Managers. The large contracts that are handed out every year must be approved by each team owner beforehand. Thus the way a child comes to ask for a $500 remote control car, a General Manager will ask for a $126 million Werth. When the parent and team owner both say yes, they only have themselves to blame. The toy and player inevitably break down or are seen as too expensive in hindsight. But by then, the toy cannot be returned to the store and the player contract cannot be voided. The lesson is to learn from the experience and to avoid similar mistakes in the future. But teams refuse to listen and learn and as a result, player contracts in baseball are exploding with no end in sight.

Let’s keep Scott Boras in perspective. The man does his job very well and pushes the limit of player contracts in baseball. He might be a very intelligent person and a great salesperson. But at the end of the day, he is simply doing his job. For myself as a consumer, if I buy a brand new car for $30,000 when I could have bought a similar model down the road for $10,000 less, I cannot blame the car dealer or its salesperson. It was up to me as the consumer to shop around and get the best deal I could. There would have been other cars, the same way for MLB teams there will always be other players. But teams don’t see it that way. They get caught up in the negotiations and the thrill of the hunt and get determined to land their “guy”. The Red Sox begged and pleaded to get Dice-K into a Red Sox uniform. The same Sox and Yankees battled it out to land Mark Teixeira. The Texas Rangers and then owner Tom Hicks literally handed Alex Rodriguez a blank cheque to land the marquee free agent. Again and again, MLB teams go out of their way to land the players they want and end up blaming the players and their agent when the contracts do not work out.

One man I will give credit to is Fred Wilpon. In criticizing the Carlos Beltran contract, he blamed the team for overpaying the outfielder based on one good playoff run. This is a man who at the very least took responsibility for his actions and knew where to lay the blame. Since the Beltran deal, the Mets, along with the Braves and Angels, are three teams that tend to stay away from dealing with Scott Boras and the players he represents. That is ultimately the best approach and the only way that any order can be established. If teams do not want to dish the money, all they have to say is no. But as long as the money is there and being handed out by the teams by the truck loads, Scott Boras will be there with open arms, negotiating the best contracts for his clients that he can.

Scott Boras has accomplished some amazing feats during his agent career. From changing the rules on arbitration and free agency, Boras pushes the boundaries and finds all the loopholes to change the economic system of the game. The sign of a great lawyer, negotiator and agent. Before fans are quick to condemn the man, lets step back and appreciate what he has accomplished. Scott Boras and the Boras Corporation are a billion dollar industry. They provide marketing services, training facilities for their clients and look after their clients every needs. Boras has a team of experts that are constantly studying and keeping track of the game. Scott Boras stays on top of the game and thus is able to stay competitive and negotiate the best contracts for his clients. While not everyone agrees with his methods, particularly the Alex Rodriguez opt-out with the Yankees which led A-Rod to leave Boras, he may have the ideas, but it is up to players to accept them and teams to listen. As long as players keep lining up to hire Scott Boras and teams await with open arms and wallets, the system will not change. Scott Boras may be a lot of things, but the devil he is certainly not. He is simply a smart, hard worker who does his job well at levels that few can attain. A baseball pioneer, Scott Boras has certainly left his mark on the game. While many fans and teams do not agree with his methods, at the end of the day he gets the job done. Scott Boras: Genius or madness? You decide.

Please see the list below of some of the clients in the Scott Boras stable. The list is growing by the day:

Tony Abreu Diamondbacks
Pedro Alvarez Pirates
Garret Anderson
Rick Ankiel Nationals
Josh Barfield
Carlos Beltrán Mets
Adrián Beltré Rangers
Willie Bloomquist Reds
Chris Bootcheck
Julio Borbon Rangers
Zach Britton Orioles
Dominic Brown Phillies
Robinson Cano Yankees
Shin-Soo Choo Indians
Chris Coghlan Marlins
Alex Cora Nationals
Joe Crede
Johnny Damon Rays
Chris Davis Rangers
J. D. Drew Red Sox
Stephen Drew Diamondbacks
Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox
Danny Espinosa Nationals
Prince Fielder Brewers
Eric Gagné
Carlos González Rockies
Mike Gonzalez Orioles
Carlos Gómez Brewers
Craig Hansen
Tommy Hanson Braves
Blake Hawksworth Dodgers

Jeremy Hellickson Rays
Runelvys Hernández
Luke Hochevar Royals
Matt Holliday Cardinals
Edwin Jackson White Sox
Andruw Jones Yankees
Jair Jurrjens Braves
Ian Kennedy Diamondbacks
Byung-Hyun Kim
Gerald Laird Cardinals
Matt LaPorta Indians
Kyle Lohse Cardinals
Rodrigo López
Derek Lowe Braves
Ryan Madson Phillies
Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox
Zach Miner Royals
Kendrys Morales Angels
Xavier Nady Cubs
David Newhan
Magglio Ordóñez Tigers
Micah Owings Reds
Corey Patterson Blue Jays
Mike Pelfrey Mets
Carlos Peña Cubs
Óliver Pérez Mets
Rick Porcello Tigers
Guillermo Quiróz Padres
Manny Ramirez Rays
Alex Rodriguez Yankees
Iván Rodríguez Nationals

Dane Sardinha Phillies
Max Scherzer Tigers
Scott Schoeneweis
Bobby Seay
Rafael Soriano Yankees
Stephen Strasburg Nationals
Julián Tavárez
Taylor Teagarden Rangers
Jason Varitek Red Sox
Jarrod Washburn
Jeff Weaver Dodgers
Jered Weaver Angels
Jayson Werth Nationals
Matt Wieters Orioles
Brad Wilkerson
Barry Zito Giants

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: angels, arod, baseball, boras, borascorporation, cardinals, cubs, damon, giants, mlb, redsox, rodriguez, teixeira, yankees, zito

Autopsy Results are in for Randy Poffo (Macho Man Savage), Former Baseball Player and WWE Wrestler

Jul 2

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday July 2, 2011

MLB reports: Last month we profiled former WWE superstar Randy Macho Man Savage, who passed away May 20, 2011. At the time of the article, the cause of his death was unknown. We took the time in the interim to look at the man behind the “Macho Madness”, a wrestling champion and icon in the industry. A little known fact was that Randy Savage, born Randy Poffo, actually came up originally as a baseball player. To learn more about Randy Poffo the baseball player, click here to view our past feature. Today we learn about the cause of death behind the passing of Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

What we knew until recently was that Randy Savage crashed his Jeep Wrangler into a tree near Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately, the first reaction for many was to suspect drugs and/or alcohol as the cause for the accident. A natural reaction, given that our society today that tends to be very jaded and suspect the worst of many of its heroes. While reports indicate that Randy Savage had prescription medications in his system, it does not appear that they were the cause for his accident. Both him and his wife were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash and Randy’s wife Barbara Lynn only suffered minor injuries. The autopsy has revealed that Randy Savage suffered from an enlarged heart and artery blockage, which likely caused him to crash the vehicle. The medical condition likely caused Macho Man to lose consciousness right before the accident and drive the vehicle into a tree. That was the indication previously in a statement at the time of the incident from brother Lanny Poffo, also a former wrestler. The family did not necessarily know about his condition but suspected that Macho Man had a heart attack right before the accident. In this case, the family’s instincts were correct.

While it is very sad that Randy (Savage) Poffo was taken from this earth much to early, it is somewhat of a relief to at least learn the cause behind his unfortunate passing. With rumors always circulating in this age of the internet, the Poffo family can be relieved that Randy’s good name can be left intact. It is likely that Randy did not even know about his medical condition, as the prescription pills he was taking were apparently unrelated to the heart condition. Had he been diagnosed early, perhaps this misfortune could have been averted. In the meantime, I will continue to remember both Randy “Macho Man” Savage, the wrestler, as well as Randy Poffo, the baseball player. As discussed in his earlier feature, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Poffo had stayed with baseball instead of wrestling. Even had he not injured his shoulder, Poffo statistically likely would not have remained in the sport. His bat did not seem to be there and while there was always the chance he could have come around, Randy Poffo, the MLB player, was likely never going to materialize. Yet I will always think of what could have been if the Macho Man had never come to be, if baseball had worked out for him. But given the impact that Randy had on the wrestling industry and society as a whole by adopting the “Macho Man” persona, he definitely made the right choice. Rest in peace Randy Poffo Savage. You will be missed and remembered as a two-sport athlete/entertainer. Thank you for all the good times and MACHOOOOO MADNESS!

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Posted in MLB Player Profiles, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: baseball, cardinals, machoman, mlb, poffo, savage, wrestling, wwe, wwf

MLB Expansion: Baseball Discussions to Add Two More Teams

Jul 1

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Friday July 1, 2011

MLB reports: When looking at the current state of baseball, some very important changes are on the horizon. MLB reports tackled in the past weeks the topics of MLB realignment, the future of the DH and expanding and changing the playoffs (click on links to view these posts). Whether you are a traditionalist or modern thinker, we can all agree that revisions to the baseball system are coming. To compliment many of the new developments that are coming, we have one last topic that we need to cover. This is a biggie so hold on to your hats: MLB Expansion. Major League Baseball, as slow as it is to adapt, has come to the time that it must acknowledge that the American League and National League need a balanced amount of teams. When contraction didn’t work (Minnesota stayed and Montreal moved to Washington), we were left with thirty MLB teams. To fix the discrepancy, we need sixteen teams per league. As a result, get ready for Major League Baseball to expand to two new cities.

Before anyone stars howling, let me insert a disclaimer. There is no available information yet confirming that MLB will expand. But from all the signs of the state of the game, it appears that expansion is on the horizon. It must be. Expansion will lead to balanced leagues, which will be a must in the addition of more wild card teams. In 1993, MLB added the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins. In 1998, the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks joined the mix. Since then, we have gone thirteen years without expansion. Baseball popularity is at an all time high, with the economy slowly starting to rebound. The demand and money are there and anytime the MLB owners can fill their wallets, they will take it. Expansion fees back in 1998 were $130 million. To contrast, the Texas Rangers sold last August for $593 million. Let’s ballpark it and say that each new expansion team could easily bring in $250 million each. That would be $500 million available to be shared by the existing 30 MLB owners. That is a minimum of $16 million per team and even that amount is conservative. Realistically, we could see $25-$30 million per team as the bonus. Money talks and the lure of the big payday will be too much for MLB owners to pass up much longer. By having a balanced schedule, leading to realignment and more wild card teams, together with the revenues that are generated, both teams and players should be happy. It is a win-win for all.

The biggest argument that I have heard against MLB expansion is the dilution of talent. There is a thin amount of pitching to go around as it is, and by adding more teams to the mix, the talent levels will supposedly be at an all-time low. I don’t buy it. Take a look at AA and AAA and how many major league ready players are wasting away due to a lack of opportunity. Some are there for financial considerations, by teams wishing to delay their arbitration and free agency years. I acknowledge that. But there is so much talent at those levels alone that an expansion draft could stock two competitive MLB teams. I truly believe that. Then we should take into account the globalization of the sport. The 2013 World Baseball Classic will feature twelve new countries into the mix. By creating and furthering the interest in baseball around the world, including Great Britain, Germany, France etc., Major League Baseball will create a deeper pool of talent as a result. It will take time and the benefits of adding more countries to the WBC in expanding the players that are generated may not be felt for a decade or longer. But baseball needs to think long-term, not short. Even if there is a dilution of the quality of players for a brief time, it is not unreasonable to think that the world as a whole with its population could stock 32 MLB teams. It currently stocks 30 teams quite well and the problem, if any, is that in the future we will actually have more quality players than available teams to play for.

The main benefit of expansion is the created interested in Major League Baseball in more cities and the added rivalries and intrigue to the game itself. There are baseball hungry fans in many cities that are denied the privilege of watching MLB games live, due to lack of proximity. Adding MLB teams will create more fans in the new cities and surrounding areas. Merchandising sales will increase, jobs will be added and economies will benefit in those cities. As long as each new team has a solid economic plan in creating a business model for itself, from the ballpark to the day-to-day operation of the team, new MLB teams will be cash cows and not drains on their respective cities. There is a reason why cities and potential owners campaign to be awarded a Major League Baseball team. Baseball is a lucrative business. By understanding why expansion is necessary and beneficial, it is time to jump into the candidates.

From everything that I have read and people that I have spoken with, the following is a list of ten potential MLB expansion destinations. From these ten cities, two may end up being the lucky winners. I have included a brief commentary beside each candidate for reference:

1) Las Vegas: There is money in Vegas and demand for the sport. The biggest hindrances are the gambling and economic issues for the area. I think Las Vegas should get a team and baseball may feel the same way.

2) Portland: One of the largest cities without a team, this would be a safe bet for Major League Baseball. This city has been thrown around in almost every discussion on expansion. This one will likely happen.

3) San Antonio: Similar to Portland, but there are already two teams based in Texas. If any area will get three MLB teams, it is New York (see Brooklyn discussion).

4) Sacramento: Is the California market getting saturated? With Oakland having issues and looking to a move to San Jose, there may be alarm bells that hinder Sacramento. There is also a chance the city will lose its NBA team which does not help from an image standpoint.

5) Orlando: More teams to Florida? The Rays aren’t exactly busting at the gate and the Marlins are moving to Miami next year. I could see the Rays moving if they do not get a new stadium, so expansion will likely be held off here for now.

6) Nashville/Memphis: Both are great cities but with other viable markets available, Nashville/Memphis are a long-shot.

7) Mexico City: This is the sexy pick if Major League Baseball truly wants to become international. The travel logistics could make this one very difficult. For a sport that is slow to evolve, this is too much change, too soon.

8) Vancouver or Montreal: Stop snickering as this could happen. Ok, not Montreal, but Vancouver is a possibility. After the loss of the Expos, I cannot see baseball ever going back to Quebec. Then when we account for the fact that Vancouver lost its NBA team, baseball may be scared off from these areas as being non-viable. The Toronto Blue Jays sit middle-in-the-pack for attendance and I think MLB is satisfied with one Canadian squad. Happy Canada Day to all the Canucks reading this article and enjoy the Jays this weekend. But as far as more Canadian teams in baseball, I am sorry but I do not see it happening. Ever.

9) Brooklyn: The talk of the Nets coming to Brooklyn soon has sparked renewed interest in the area for baseball. The Brooklyn Dodgers will never come back to existence, but a new expansion team might. Given baseball’s rich history and love of everything retro, I really like this selection. Don’t discount the power of New York, as it is one of the central hubs of sport. I only give this one a 25% chance of happening, but a very solid 25.

10) New Orleans: A feel-good pick, given the tragedy suffered by the city. But on an economic and rational basis, it is difficult to envision bringing a new baseball team coming to a rebuilding area that still is suffering major financial issues.

That concludes today’s discussion on MLB expansion. As a starting point for the topic, I am sure that this will not be the last we hear about it. Given that MLB works in secret ways often, don’t be surprised if an announcement on two new expansion teams comes out of left field one day. While it would be fun to hold a competition and have cities campaign for selection, MLB may not want to run the risk of alienating and upsetting teams that are not chosen. At the end of the day, the key for baseball will be to get the right cities and owners in place. This will happen in the next year or two and should be an interesting process. Will we see the Portland Sluggers, Las Vegas Aliens or Brooklyn Bombers? Time will tell on that one. What we can be sure is that the face of Major League Baseball over the next few years will change substantially. From the teams, to the playoffs and divisions. Change is in the air as baseball continues to evolve with the times.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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Tags: brooklyn, expansion, lasvegas, marlins, mexico city, mlb, montreal, playoffs, portland, realignment, rockies, vancouver, wbc, wildcard, worldbaseballclassic

2011 MLB All-Star Game: Current Vote Totals Before Final Rosters Announced

Jun 30

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Thursday, June 30, 2011

MLB reports: The All-Star rosters for the MLB All-Star game will be announced this Sunday, July 3rd. With the polling stations set to close shortly, we are nearing the end of the voting process. After weeks of fan voting on-line and at all MLB stadiums, decision day is upon us in three short days. But for those of you that don’t like to wait, we have the current vote totals for the AL and NL All-Star rosters by position. We also prognosticate based on the current numbers as to who will win out and make the final squads. Let’s begin in the NL, where some open races still exist:

2011 NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STAR BALLOTING (as of June 26)

CATCHER
Brian McCann, Braves: 3,062,884
Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 2,271,887
Buster Posey, Giants: 1,849,984
Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers: 1,451,280
Carlos Ruiz, Phillies: 1,392,944

Prediction: Brian McCann kept his lead and deserves this spot. He will be behind the plate in Arizona for the NL squad. Despite missing most of the season due to injury, Buster Posey still sits in 2nd place. The state of NL catching is weak this year to say the least. With no competition in the field, McCann is your first named starter.

FIRST BASE
Albert Pujols, Cardinals: 3,358,432
Prince Fielder, Brewers: 2,903,584
Joey Votto, Reds: 2,832,857
Ryan Howard, Phillies: 1,881,711
Freddie Freeman, Braves: 702,911

Prediction: Despite his injury and guarantee to miss the game, Albert Pujols will be voted in as a starter (in name only). Prince Fielder has been enjoying a remarkable season and deserves a better fate. While Prince will go to Arizona, it will be as a substitute for Pujols. The lead is just too large and Pujols has too strong of a name recognition for Prince to overcome.

SECOND BASE
Rickie Weeks, Brewers: 2,869,583
Brandon Phillips, Reds: 2,791,186
Chase Utley, Phillies: 2,406,965
Dan Uggla, Braves: 1,223,812
Freddy Sanchez, Giants: 1,184,145

Prediction: This one is very close to call. Based on his late push, our money is on Rickie Weeks winning out over Brandon Phillips. A recent return by Chase Utley has created a mini-push for him as well. In any other year this position would be Utley’s position to lose. But clearly fans have determined that Utley has missed too much time and Weeks is deserving of his recognition.

THIRD BASE
Placido Polanco, Phillies: 3,261,718
Chipper Jones, Braves: 2,040,594
Pablo Sandoval, Giants: 1,584,671
David Wright, Mets: 1,497,778
Scott Rolen, Reds: 1,417,248

Prediction: The Phillies fans have spoken and Placido Polanco will be starting at the All-Star game. David Wright’s free fall from stardom has paved the way for new/old faces to emerge. This has been Polanco’s spot to lose from the beginning and has steady play has been enough to win out. Sometimes slow and steady does win the race.

SHORTSTOP
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: 2,955,609
Jose Reyes, Mets: 2,710,777
Jimmy Rollins, Phillies: 1,724,166
Alex Gonzalez, Braves: 1,142,470
Yuniesky Betancourt, Brewers: 1,131,078

Prediction: Another very close race that is difficult to handicap. The gut feel on this one is that Jose Reyes has received enough publicity and media attention to garner the necessary votes to beat out Troy Tulowitzki. Reyes has enjoyed quite the comeback year and a starting role in Arizona would be the icing on the cake.

OUTFIELD
Ryan Braun, Brewers: 3,932,100
Lance Berkman, Cardinals: 3,208,183
Matt Holliday, Cardinals: 2,935,965
Matt Kemp, Dodgers: 2,743,927
Andre Ethier, Dodgers: 2,264,640
Jay Bruce, Reds: 2,119,267
Shane Victorino, Phillies: 1,742,128
Carlos Beltran, Mets: 1,639,362
Jason Heyward, Braves: 1,302,127
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies: 1,253,728
Raul Ibanez, Phillies: 1,239,678
Corey Hart, Brewers: 1,217,629
Justin Upton, D-backs: 1,141,296
Carlos Gomez, Brewers: 1,016,685
Martin Prado, Braves: 1,012,084

Prediction: Ryan Braun and Lance Berkman have been foregone conclusions for some time. It is the battle for the 3rd and final outfield position that remains. For a while it was Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier on the heals of Matt Holliday. While Ethier has bowed out essentially, Kemp continues to get his push. But will it be enough? MLB reports says yes. In his breakout year, Kemp is getting the respect and attention he deserves. It appears that the fans would agree as well.

2011 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR BALLOTING (as of June 28)

CATCHER
Russell Martin, Yankees: 2,779,592
Alex Avila, Tigers: 2,345,065
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,699,604
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 1,505,143
Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers: 1,309,802

Prediction: Detroit fans have made a solid plea for the inclusion of Alex Avila as the starting catcher for the AL squad. But the Yankee faithful have spoken otherwise and continue to lead, together with the Boston Red Sox in most spots. Catcher is one of them, with Russell Martin looking to be a lock for Arizona. The one item of note is that Joe Mauer will not be voted in. Mauer when healthy is one of the best, if not the best catchers in baseball. But this year has been a nightmare for Mauer health wise. It looks to be a chance for more new/old blood to shine.

FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox: 4,014,722
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 3,077,242
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 2,184,480
Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 1,209,258
Paul Konerko, White Sox: 932,422

Prediction: Taking a look at the numbers, 3 million votes for Mark Teixeira and 2 million votes for Miguel Cabrera is very respectable. But 4 million+ votes takes the cake in this race for Adrian Gonzalez. The current leading candidate for AL MVP according to many MLB followers has earned his start in Arizona. The Red Sox faithful are certainly not complaining.

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees: 4,724,816
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 2,979,181
Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,896,259
Orlando Cabrera, Indians: 1,127,840
Ben Zobrist, Rays: 963,481

Prediction: Looking at the numbers, it is all Robinson Cano in this one. No AL second baseman has come close to matching his production and it shows in the voting. A well-earned spot for the maturing Cano who is graduating to complete superstar status in New York.

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 3,735,406
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 2,935,373
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox: 2,724,286
Evan Longoria, Rays: 2,000,379
Brandon Inge, Tigers: 633,519

Prediction: Alex Rodriguez will have yet another All-Star game appearance. While Adrian Beltre got a sudden surge, it is the popularity and steadiness of A-Rod that will win out.

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter, Yankees: 3,392,128
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 2,885,778
Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,971,514
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 1,178,114
Marco Scutaro, Red Sox: 1,099,744

Prediction: Another fairly weak field, similar to that of third base in the NL. Derek Jeter has slumped and/or been injured all season long. But the name will win out and Yankee fans are excited to see their future hall of fame shortstop going to the All-Star. Does Jeter deserve this spot this year? Probably not. But without a strong Indians base to campaign for Cabrera, the Yankees captain will start. Just too much of a lead at this point.

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox: 4,237,014
Michael Young, Rangers: 2,235,504
Jorge Posada, Yankees: 1,453,385
Victor Martinez, Tigers: 1,234,879
Johnny Damon, Rays: 1,028,366

Prediction: When you think DH, think David Ortiz. He is his own universe in voting this year. The DH market is starting to thin out and Ortiz has stood head and shoulders above the rest this year.

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 5,263,840
Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 4,582,419
Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 3,173,000
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 3,051,675
Carl Crawford, Red Sox: 2,294,337
Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 1,912,783
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 1,912,062
Nick Swisher, Yankees: 1,648,599
Brett Gardner, Yankees: 1,499,367
J.D. Drew, Red Sox: 1,428,367
Matt Joyce, Rays: 1,226,439
Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 1,061,445
David Murphy, Rangers: 1,057,887
Grady Sizemore, Indians: 1,033,014
Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: 924,326

Prediction: The first two spots in the AL outfield have been set for some time. Jose Bautista leads all All-Stars in voting and together with Curtis Granderson will definitely be in Arizona on July 12th. Josh Hamilton has held onto the 3rd spot for some time, despite missing part of the season due to injury. Jacoby Ellsbury has narrowed the gap significantly in the last couple of weeks and looks to be a starter by the time the rosters are announced on Sunday. Ellsbury has enjoyed a solid campaign this year and Red Sox nation is making the push for his inclusion in the big game. That is usually a recipe for success.

Get ready for July 12th, as the New York Red Sox (aka the AL All-Star team) takes on the NL squad on Tuesday July 12th to determine home field advantage for the World Series. The rosters will be announced this Sunday July 3rd and MLB reports will bring you all the final details. Stay tuned!

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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E-MAILBAG: Ask the Reports, Wednesday June 29th

Jun 29

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Thank you for reading the E-mailbag. Please send all your questions to mlbreports@gmail.com and please include your first name and City/Country.

We will be compiling a list of your questions from our e-mailbag and posting the responses on Wednesdays.

Wednesday June 29, 2011

Q: Money aside, who do you sign Prince or Pujols? From: Barry, New York.

MLB reports: The debate that has been raging from the last off-season continues. Going into the year, most would have chosen Albert Pujols. Great track record, monster numbers to the point of being a cut above Prince Fielder. Now with the Pujols injury and Fielder strong season, many are starting to lean towards Prince. Regardless of money, if I had a crack at either superstar first baseman, I would go with Pujols. Despite being older and having to come back from injury, Pujols is still Pujols. He is this generation’s Babe Ruth in my estimation and at his peak, brings a higher level of play than Fielder. Both will get their money, no doubt. Based on historical performances, I expect Pujols to still receive the higher payday unless he cannot return successfully from injuries. The ironic part is that the Cardinals will most likely retain Pujols, while Fielder will depart Milwaukee as a free agent. But if I had to choose one, Pujols on my team please.

Q: Will my Orioles ever contend? You live in Toronto so you know what I mean. From: Gary, Baltimore.

MLB reports: I hear ya Gary. I hear the moans and groans throughout the Rogers Centre on many nights about the inability of the Toronto Blue Jays to compete with the money of the Yankees and Red Sox. But often lost in the discussion is the Tampa Bay Rays. Last I checked, the Rays have been contenders for some time on a minimal budget. Yes, your Orioles can compete, even in the AL East. But the team will need to be built around strong homegrown prospects. With all the young Orioles players coming up and in place, the future is bright. Matt Wieters, Manny Machado and company will complement Adam Jones and Nick Markakis well. Plus you have young pitching coming up in every level. The future is bright in Baltimore and the team is being built the right way. Give it time, hope is there.

Q: When are the All-Star team rosters announced? I can’t wait! From Liz, Toronto.

MLB reports: The All-Star game will be played in Arizona on Tuesday July 12th. The rosters for the AL and NL squads will be announced on Sunday July 3rd. Then from July 3-7, fans will be able to vote on-line for the final player for each squad. Ballots need to be in by tomorrow so make sure to vote for your favorite players soon!

Q: Are you a Phillies fans? You talk about the team ALOT on twitter! From: Mary, Florida.

MLB reports: Hi Mary. Thanks for the question. I am a baseball fan in general (thus the “MLB reports” name). As far as favorite teams, as most of the readers know, I tend to lean towards the Tigers. I also show the Jays love as well. I talk about the Phillies quite a bit because they are very good. Look at their record. From there, I tend to focus on Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. What the two of them could accomplish in the playoffs together is scary. I have never seen a 1-2 punch at the top of a rotation like this ever. Halladay may be the best pitcher of our time and Lee is unhittable when he is on. My heart may not be in Philadelphia, but my respect surely is.

Q: How do I join MLB Reports? I love baseball and writing. Please help! From Catherine, Seattle.

MLB reports: Thank you for the inquiry Catherine. We have people contributing to MLB reports in many ways. We are looking at taking on a couple of Interns. Click here to learn about the position and to apply. We also encourage readers to e-mail us about writing guest spots. As part of the MLB reports mandate, we look to help develop and assist young baseball writers in developing their craft. You can also “like” us on Facebook and contribute posts/pictures on our wall. We love our readers to get involved, as the Reports should be for the fans and by the fans. Let me know and we will get you involved! If any readers are also interested in applying for the Intern positions or contributing to MLB reports, please see our contact information below.

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Tags: all-star, allstargame, baseball, brewers, cardinals, fielder, halladay, jones, lee, machado, markakis, mlb, orioles, phillies, pujols, wieters

Dillon Gee, Mets: The Toast of New York

Jun 28

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Tuesday June 28, 2011

MLB reports: Our last feature was on Danny Espinosa, the Nationals rookie second baseman who is taking Washington by storm. For all the talk of Espinosa’s strong play, many readers wrote in to suggest that Dillon Gee should be at the top of the National League Rookie of the Year talk. For many MLB fans, the first question will be: Who the heck is Dillon Gee?

Dillon Kyle Gee was born and raised in Texas. The 25-year old right-handed pitcher went to high school and university in Texas. The New York Mets drafted the 6’1″ pitcher in the 21st round of the 2007 draft. That is where the story should begin and end. Most players chosen beyond the 2nd round have a very small chance of ever making it to AAA, let alone the majors. This is the not the case though for Dillon Gee, who as a 21st round selection has beaten the odds to make it to the show.

Before joining the Mets full-time this year, here is a snapshot look at Dillon Gee’s career numbers in the minors:

Year	Tm	Lev	W	L	ERA	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
2007	Brooklyn	A-	3	1	2.47	62.0	57	9	56	1.065
2008	2 Teams	A+-AA	10	6	2.92	154.1	135	24	114	1.030
2008	St. Lucie	A+	8	6	3.25	127.1	117	19	94	1.068
2008	Binghamton	AA	2	0	1.33	27.0	18	5	20	0.852
2009	Buffalo	AAA	1	3	4.10	48.1	47	16	42	1.303
2010	Buffalo	AAA	13	8	4.96	161.1	174	41	165	1.333
2011	Buffalo	AAA	1	1	4.63	11.2	7	5	8	1.029
5 Seasons			28	19	3.78	437.2	420	95	385	1.177
AAA (3 seasons)		AAA	15	12	4.76	221.1	228	62	215	1.310
AA (1 season)		AA	2	0	1.33	27.0	18	5	20	0.852
A- (1 season)		A-	3	1	2.47	62.0	57	9	56	1.065
A+ (1 season)		A+	8	6	3.25	127.1	117	19	94	1.068

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Dillon Gee was good, but not great in his minor league career based on the above numbers. While he was stellar in the lower minors, Gee was not exactly “lights out” in AAA. In 221.1 innings pitched in Buffalo over parts of three seasons, Dillon Gee had a 4.76 ERA and 1.310 WHIP. By failing to dominate in AAA, one would have realistically expected Gee to require more seasoning before coming to New York or end up running the risk of getting lit up in the majors.

As you can see from Gee’s Mets numbers, quite the opposite has occurred:

Year	Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
2010	NYM	2	2	2.18	5	5	33.0	25	2	15	17	1.212
2011	NYM	8	1	3.32	15	12	76.0	60	5	30	51	1.184
2 Seasons		10	3	2.97	20	17	109.0	85	7	45	68	1.193
162 Game Avg.		18	6	2.97	37	31	200	156	13	83	125	1.193

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Dillon Gee’s numbers speak for themselves. 8-1 record, 3.32 ERA and 1.184 WHIP. While he walks a shade too many batters (30/51 BB/K), he gives up far fewer hits than innings pitched. Based on his minor league numbers, I do not expect him to keep up his current pace. The 2nd and 3rd times through the league, I expect NL batters will have a better book on Gee. As the amount of innings pitched increases as well in the hot summer months, Gee will likely wear down. In 2009, Gee missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. The Mets will likely wear kid gloves with him to some extent and not over extend his arm or risk causing further injury.

The New York Mets currently sit at 39-39, a .500 record with almost half a season completed. Not much was expected of a team with a great deal of scandal and turmoil surrounding it. One of the few bright spots though, in addition to the strong play and resurgent seasons by Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, has been the emergence of Dillon Gee. The patchwork pitching of the staff is nothing to write home about. Jonathon Niese, Mike Pelfrey, Chris Capuano and R.A. Dickey have combined with Gee to keep the Mets afloat and the team competitive in ball games. Chris Young fell early in the season and Johan Santana remains out following shoulder surgery. If not for the play of Dillon Gee, the Mets could have found themselves in the basement of the NL East. Instead, the team is in striking distance of the Braves for 2nd place in the division.

We should know by August if we have a possible Rookie of the Year in New York or another hot-shot prospect that had a couple of good months in Dillon Gee. With so much misery surrounding the Mets, it is a pleasure to see a bright hope emerge within its pitching staff. Dillon Gee this year evolved from an unknown minor leaguer that was considered a middle-of-the-road prospect to top starter status. Mets fans are hoping they have caught lightning in a bottle in Gee for the long-term success of its team. In the meantime, Gee will continue to pitch every fifth day in New York and give his team the best chance to succeed. That is really all the Mets can ask for at the end of the day.

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*** As a special note, the Dillon Gee feature represents the 100th article in the history of MLB reports. We wanted to thank you, the readers, for all your support. We hope that you enjoy reading our articles as much as we enjoy writing them. At the end of the day, it all comes down to one love for all of us: Baseball. ***

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Tags: baseball, beltran, capuano, dickey, espinosa, gee, mets, mlb, nationals, niese, pelfrey, reyes, santana, young

Danny Espinosa,Washington Nationals: Hidden National Treasure

Jun 28

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Monday June 27, 2011

MLB reports: With the shortage of quality second basemen in baseball, teams are always on the prowl for the next Roberto Alomar or Ryan Sandberg. We often hear the names Dustin Ackley and Neil Walker thrown around. Sitting quietly in Washington though is one of the better all-around second basemen in the game. With each home run, the secret is starting to get out of the bag. The Nationals keep winning games and building towards the Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg era. But before the next can’t miss prospects make their mark, Washington already has a rookie assaulting the MLB record books. His name: Danny Espinosa.

The 24-year old Espinosa was born in California and selected by the Nationals in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft. He made his major league debut last year and retained rookie eligibility in 2011. The heir apparent to the shortstop position from once incumbent Christian Guzman, Espinosa moved to second for 2011, took a hold of the job and ran with it. Considering he had to learn a new position on the fly, Espinosa’s production is that much more impressive.

Here is a look at Espinosa’s numbers during his time in the minors:

Year	Tm	Lev	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2008	Vermont	A-	64	8	21	0	4	2	2	17	17	.328	.476	.359
2009	Potomac	A+	474	90	125	18	72	29	11	74	129	.264	.375	.460
2010	2 Teams	AA-AAA	481	80	129	22	69	25	11	41	116	.268	.337	.464
2010	Harrisburg	AA	386	66	101	18	54	20	8	33	94	.262	.334	.464
2010	Syracuse	AAA	95	14	28	4	15	5	3	8	22	.295	.349	.463
3 Seasons			1019	178	275	40	145	56	24	132	262	.270	.365	.455

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Now let’s take a look at what Danny Espinosa has produced in the majors:

Year	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2010	103	16	22	4	1	6	15	0	2	9	30	.214	.277	.447
2011	277	39	67	12	4	14	47	9	2	22	70	.242	.323	.466
2 Seasons	380	55	89	16	5	20	62	9	4	31	100	.234	.311	.461
162 Game Avg.	581	84	136	24	8	31	95	14	6	47	153	.234	.311	.461

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

In addition to have a top-rated glove defensively, Espinosa has produced quite well offensively in the majors. He is on pace for an outstanding 30+ home runs with close to 100 RBIs. Middle-of-the order type numbers are what we are projecting, not the standard second base type production. As with many rookies, Espinosa still has a difficult time making contact and his BB/K ratio will require substantial improvement for him to develop into a batting champion one day. But the numbers in the minors show a great deal of promise. The power has come at an early stage for Espinosa, it is the balance of his offensive game that needs to be rounded into form.

As with any young players, it is difficult and somewhat unfair to have comparisons to establish major league players, let alone ones of the Hall of Fame variety. But Danny Espinosa is showing some Ryan Sandberg type qualities at the plate at an early age with his strong power bat. Second basemen traditionally have strong gloves and any production offensively would be considered a bonus. Players of the Danny Espinosa variety do not come along very often. Washington currently sits with a 40-39 record, above .500 as we near the All-Star break. With the team playing explosive baseball (7-3 in last 10, 22-13 at home), the baseball world is starting to turn its attention to Washington. At the forefront is rookie Danny Espinosa. A possible All-Star come next month, expect to see Espinosa in many All-Star games to come. Come one October soon, we expect to see Espinosa, Harper and Strasburg competing for a World Series title. The word is out on Danny Espinosa, who will form a core for the next decade in building Washington into the next powerhouse team.

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Tags: ackley, alomar, baseball, espinosa, harper, mlb, nationals, sandberg, strasburg, walker

From Riggleman to Johnson: Davey is the New Sheriff in Washington

Jun 25

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Saturday, June 25, 2011

MLB reports: According to several sources, the Nationals are set to announce the hiring of their new manager. Less than twenty-four hours after the abrupt resignation of Jim Riggleman (see yesterday’s feature), Mike Rizzo has apparently found the man for the job within the Nationals organization. Ex-Mets skipper, Davey Johnson is set to move from the front office to the dugout. Nationals fans couldn’t be happier.

Year	Tm	Lg	G	W	L	W-L%	Finish
1984	New York Mets	NL	162	90	72	.556	2
1985	New York Mets	NL	162	98	64	.605	2
1986	New York Mets	NL	162	108	54	.667	1
1987	New York Mets	NL	162	92	70	.568	2
1988	New York Mets	NL	160	100	60	.625	1
1989	New York Mets	NL	162	87	75	.537	2
1990	New York Mets	NL	42	20	22	.476	2

1993	Cincinnati Reds	NL	118	53	65	.449	5
1994	Cincinnati Reds	NL	115	66	48	.579	1
1995	Cincinnati Reds	NL	144	85	59	.590	1

1996	Baltimore Orioles	AL	163	88	74	.543	2
1997	Baltimore Orioles	AL	162	98	64	.605	1

1999	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL	162	77	85	.475	3
2000	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL	162	86	76	.531	2
	New York Mets		1012	595	417	.588	1.7
	Cincinnati Reds		377	204	172	.543	2.3
	Baltimore Orioles		325	186	138	.574	1.5
	Los Angeles Dodgers		324	163	161	.503	2.5
			2038	1148	888	.564	1.9

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Unlike his predecessor, Davey Johnson is a proven winner. Johnson managed four teams in his career before accepting the Nationals position. As a big league manager, Johnson has a career record of 1148 wins and 888 losses, good for a .564 winning percentage. Johnson has finished 11 of his 14 seasons above .500. He won a World Series title in 1986 with the New York Mets. Looking further at the numbers, Johnson’s teams have finished first in their division five times and in second place on seven different occasion. Johnson wins everywhere he goes and the same will be expected as the new face of baseball in the nation’s capital.

With Stephen Strasburg on the mend and Bryce Harper slowly making the climb to the big leagues, the Nationals will have a strong talent base for Johnson to mold. The Nationals will be looking for its team to play “Daveyball” and try to recreate some of the Mets magic from 1986. That team was filled with young prospects that gelled together at the same time, sprinkled with key veterans. As Mike Rizzo continues to tinker with the roster, we could very well be seeing a Nationals playoff run by 2013. Coincidently, that will also be the year that new manager Davey Johnson’s contract is set to expire. Provided Johnson’s teams perform to expectations, his run in Washington will be far longer than that of Jim Riggleman.

Davey Johnson is known as a gamer. A man who played with his heart on his sleeve back in his playing days and as an intense competitor behind the bench. This is a man who refuses to lose. For an organization that seemingly refuses to win, Johnson is a breath of fresh air and should turn out to be the voice of a reason for an organization in dire need of direction. Bobby Valentine would have been a good choice as well (given the rumors surrounding him in the media). But the Nationals have their man. A former Manager of the Year (AL 1997) and World Series winner. Welcome to the new Nationals manager, Davey Johnson. Get ready to see a lot of W’s in Washington during the next few seasons.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: baseball, dodgers, harper, johnson, mets, mlb, nationas, orioles, reds, riggleman, rizzo, strasburg

Jim Riggleman Resigns from the Nationals: Treason in Washington

Jun 24

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Friday, June 24, 2011

MLB reports: June has apparently become the month in baseball to fire your coach if you are a MLB General Manager, or to quit your team if you are a manager. Follow along the coaching carousel:

June 8th: Texas Rangers fire hitting coach Thad Bosley and replace him with Scott Coolbaugh
June 9th: Florida Marlins fire hitting coach John Mallee and replace him with Eduardo Perez
June 10th: Oakland Athletics fire manager Bob Geren and replace him with Bob Melvin
June 14th: Houston Astros fire pitching coach Brad Arnsberg and replace with him Doug Brocail
June 17th: Cleveland Indians fire hitting coach John Nunnally and replace him with Bruce Fields

It looks like where there is smoke, there is fire. A lot of it apparently in the coaching ranks of baseball. Teams were getting nervous and to help jump-start their slumping players, several teams decided to change a coach rather than making wholesale roster moves, or let go of the manager and/or General Manager. On June 19th, the baseball world was stunned as manager Edwin Rodriguez of the Florida Marlins resigned and was replaced with 80-year old ex-Marlins manager Jack McKeon. Then yesterday, Jim Riggleman, manager of the Washington Nationals, got the same itch from the “quit bug” suffered by Rodriguez and announced that he was resigning his post. The captain jumped ship in Washington but unlike the Florida situation, Riggleman made his decision for all the wrong reasons. As a result, he may never coach again in baseball.

The inside story behind Riggleman leaving the Nationals was that he requested some sort of meeting from General Manager Mike Rizzo to discuss his long-term future in Washington. When Rizzo refused to discuss his contract status, Riggleman departed from the team and resigned his position as manager. Essentially Riggleman did not like the rules of the game, so in a childlike manner he took his ball and went home, so to speak.

“It’s been brewing for a while,” said Riggleman. “I know I’m not Casey Stengel, but I do feel like I know what I’m doing. It’s not a situation where I felt like I should continue on such a short leash.”

No Jim. You are certainly not Casey Stengel. Let’s take a look shall we, at Riggleman’s career managerial record:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	W	L	W-L%	Finish

1992	39	San Diego Padres	NL	12	4	8	.333	3
1993	40	San Diego Padres	NL	162	61	101	.377	7
1994	41	San Diego Padres	NL	117	47	70	.402	4

1995	42	Chicago Cubs	NL	144	73	71	.507	3
1996	43	Chicago Cubs	NL	162	76	86	.469	4
1997	44	Chicago Cubs	NL	162	68	94	.420	5
1998	45	Chicago Cubs	NL	163	90	73	.552	2
1999	46	Chicago Cubs	NL	162	67	95	.414	6

2008	55	Seattle Mariners	AL	90	36	54	.400	4

2009	56	Washington Nationals	NL	75	33	42	.440	5
2010	57	Washington Nationals	NL	162	69	93	.426	5
2011	58	Washington Nationals	NL	74	37	37	.500	3
		San Diego Padres		291	112	179	.385
		Chicago Cubs		793	374	419	.472
		Seattle Mariners		90	36	54	.400
		Washington Nationals		311	139	172	.447
				1485	661	824	.445

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Jim Riggleman in his twelve-year managerial career has a record of 661-824, .445 winning percentage. During his three years in Washington, Riggleman finished with a 139-172 record. Riggleman’s best year was 1998 with the Cubs, where he had a 90-73 record and his team finished second in their division. He had a 73-71 record in 1995 with the Cubs and was floating at .500 this year, with a Nationals team sitting at 37-37. The man is clearly no baseball Houdini. While some may argue that Riggleman was not given much to work with at each of his stops for the most part, the man clearly was not able to get much out of his teams at most stops. A great manager should be able to turn out something out of nothing. But alas, this was not one of Riggleman’s gifts as a manager.

The reality of baseball is that coaches and managers get let go by teams all the time, as evidenced by the amount of activity among teams this month. Managers and coaches also quit sometimes. Rodriguez left his position in Florida, as did Riggleman in Washington. But when a coach leaves a team, the intention and circumstances behind the resignation are crucial. For it is the story behind the announcement that will ultimately dictate if and when said manager receives another crack at a big league post. Gonzalez left his position for the better of his team. The Marlins were floundering and in the interests of having his team recover, Gonzalez felt that a change was needed. While that should have been up to the team to decide, at least Gonzalez acted in what he felt was best for his team. His compassion and sentiments to the organization means that Gonzalez should continue coaching in baseball. In the case of Jim Riggleman, that door has been shut close in my opinion.

The Nationals were not happy to say the least with the news. “I was always taught that one of the cardinal rules of baseball was that no individual can put his interests before those of the team,” was the sentiments expressed by Mike Rizzo. The GM is right in this case. Many MLB managers are on one-year contracts like Jim Riggleman was in 2011. Some have a chance at long careers with their teams, while others are seen as more temporary solutions. In Riggleman’s case, he was likely more of the temporary variety. But players, coaches and managers are in this position all the time. Many veteran players sign for one-year deals, knowing full well that they will not be with a team beyond the period. The same goes for managers, who can often be brought in to manage a young team and eventually be replaced with a fresh voice as the team looks to grow and change direction. That is the rules of the game and Jim Riggleman is not better than the system. If a player was to leave his team mid-season due to contractual issues, he would be seen as selfish. Jim Riggleman as manager is no different. He let his organization, players and fans down, by jumping ship. He put his own financial and security needs ahead of those of the people around him. So Riggleman wanted a long-term contract? The best way to do it was to right the ship and lead the Nationals to their strongest possible record this year. Instead, Riggleman has likely blacklisted himself from the game and lost the chance to manage again.

The 58-year old Riggleman does not have any excuses in my book. He was a bench coach for several years, including stints with the Dodgers and Mariners following his departure from the Cubs in 1999. He did not receive another managerial opportunity until 2008, where he was an interim manager with the Mariners. Again Riggleman received an interim managerial job with the Nationals the following year, but stayed on with the team until yesterday. Was he a lame-duck manager so to speak? Probably. But that had more to do with his managerial skills and overall record than anything else. Sure many people want job security, especially in baseball. But let’s keep this in perspective. There are only thirty MLB manager jobs out there. Period. Jim Riggleman had one but he threw it away. He wanted to be a long-term manager but yet was not prepared to do what it takes to get there. Nobody should be above the system. I would not expect the Nationals to give Riggleman a strong recommendation, or any sort of reference in that regard. Teams have long memories and will likely be very cautious with Riggleman, who is today seen as having acted as a “jilted lover.”

In looking to the future, it is interesting to read Riggleman’s take. “I’m not sure if I’ll get another opportunity,” Riggleman said. “But I’ll promise you I’ll never do a one-year deal again. I’m 58. I’m too old to be disrespected.” His comments show that he clearly does not get “it”. This is not a question of respect. There is no entitlement. The Nationals did not owe you a thing Jim. They named you manager by removing the interim label. You were working year-to-year. Your lifetime managerial record did not entitle you to more. You were very lucky to have a MLB manager’s position. Your actions were selfish and disrespectful. The truth is that the Nationals team and its fans are better off for this move. They did not want to have a manager in the dugout who did not want to be there. That would not benefit anyone and a fresh voice and style could prove to be beneficial in the long-term. There are rumors that team is looking at Davey Johnson for the position. Personally, I think that Bobby Valentine should be considered for the job. But no matter who the Nationals hire, the team will be heading in a new direction. Jim Riggleman has committed baseball treason. For that reason, it is time for him to walk the plank and plunge into the waters of baseball oblivion.

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Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

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Tags: baseball, cubs, harper, mariners, mlb, nationas, padres, riggleman, rizzo, strasburg

Latest AL and NL Vote Totals: 2011 MLB All-Star Game

Jun 23

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Thursday, June 23, 2011

MLB reports: With the MLB All-Star Game less than three weeks, the race to finalize the lineups is starting to tighten up. The majority of the starters have fairly significant leads and will be in Arizona, barring injury or declining the invitation. However, some of the races have started to tighten up, with the positions up for grabs until the final votes are in. Let’s take a look at the current leading vote getters per league and position:

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR (as of June 21)

CATCHER
Russell Martin – Yankees: 2,226,797
Alex Avila – Tigers: 1,730,511
Joe Mauer – Twins: 1,341,474
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Red Sox: 1,135,617
Yorvit Torrealba – Rangers: 980,697

Verdict: Martin is in unless Avila gets a huge spike in votes at the end. While many are pushing for Avila to get the nod, Martin has the numbers and the fan base to likely win out.

FIRST BASE
Adrian Gonzalez – Red Sox: 3,017,960
Mark Teixeira – Yankees: 2,407,665
Miguel Cabrera – Tigers: 1,771,893
Mitch Moreland – Rangers: 890,468
Paul Konerko – White Sox: 676,194

Verdict: A-Gonz will be starting in Arizona. Take it to the bank. He has been one of the best players in the AL this season and plays in Boston. The fans will continue to vote for him until he is announced as the winner.

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano – Yankees: 3,664,498
Dustin Pedroia – Red Sox: 2,239,172
Ian Kinsler – Rangers: 1,452,880
Orlando Cabrera – Indians: 910,941
Ben Zobrist – Rays: 828,771

Verdict: Cano continues to lead the pack by a country mile. His season totals justify his position.

THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez – Yankees: 2,876,537
Adrian Beltre – Rangers: 2,307,380
Kevin Youkilis – Red Sox: 2,025,438
Evan Longoria – Rays: 1,639,405
Brandon Inge – Tigers: 490,734

Verdict: A-Rod is still A-Rod. Beltre is getting closer though and could make this one interesting.

SHORTSTOP
Derek Jeter – Yankees: 2,654,040
Asdrubal Cabrera – Indians: 2,242,157
Elvis Andrus – Rangers: 1,513,929
Jhonny Peralta – Tigers: 875,371
Marco Scutaro – Red Sox: 813,888

Verdict: Jeter, the New York Yankees captain, continues to lead the way. However, an injury and poor play this season have led Cabrera to get closer in the voting. If Cabrera has a few more strong games, there is a chance he could be in Arizona as the starter. Either way, expect Cabrera to represent the Indians at the All-Star game.

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz – Red Sox: 3,116,578
Michael Young – Rangers: 1,760,195
Jorge Posada – Yankees: 1,120,830
Victor Martinez – Tigers: 932,711
Johnny Damon – Rays: 864,535

Verdict: Papi picked a great year to have a strong campaign. A free agent at year’s end, he is a worthy All-Star pick.

OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista – Blue Jays: 4,156,940
Curtis Granderson – Yankees: 3,473,227
Josh Hamilton – Rangers: 2,400,408
Jacoby Ellsbury – Red Sox: 2,249,323
Carl Crawford – Red Sox: 1,789,097
Ichiro Suzuki – Mariners: 1,537,101
Nelson Cruz – Rangers: 1,462,426
Nick Swisher – Yankees: 1,271,843
Brett Gardner – Yankees: 1,120,179
J.D. Drew – Red Sox: 1,112,720
Matt Joyce – Rays: 1,038,098
Jeff Francoeur – Royals: 906,983
Grady Sizemore – Indians: 867,281
David Murphy – Rangers: 785,630
Shin-Soo Choo – Indians: 764,817

Verdict: Bautista and Granderson continue to lead the AL outfielders in voting and deservedly so. Hamilton and Ellsbury are battling it out for the final spot in a competition of what have you done for me lately vs. last year’s statistics. Depending on where you sit in the debate, the 2010 MVP Hamilton or the 2011 resurgent Ellsbury should be the third AL outfielder. With Hamilton banged up and Ellsbury playing so well for a first place Boston squad, expect Ellsbury to win out.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STAR (as of June 20)

CATCHER
Brian McCann – Braves: 2,301,252
Yadier Molina – Cardinals: 1,836,490
Buster Posey – Giants: 1,573,484
Jonathan Lucroy – Brewers: 1,098,507
Carlos Ruiz – Phillies: 1,095,081

Verdict: McCann is the best catcher in baseball, not just the NL. He has received the justified votes and will be starting for the NL squad.

FIRST BASE
Albert Pujols – Cardinals: 2,806,864
Joey Votto – Reds: 2,270,211
Prince Fielder – Brewers: 2,066,327
Ryan Howard – Phillies: 1,477,478
Freddie Freeman – Braves: 559,762

Verdict: Pujols was the leader and remains so despite being placed on the shelf recently. With Pujols out of the picture, Votto and Fielder will continue to duke it out for top spot. The power and flash of Prince will likely rule over the steadiness of Votto.

SECOND BASE
Brandon Phillips – Reds: 2,286,378
Rickie Weeks – Brewers: 2,094,502
Chase Utley – Phillies: 1,827,194
Dan Uggla – Braves: 1,012,370
Freddy Sanchez – Giants: 987,606

Verdict: Phillips and Weeks are neck-in-neck in one of the closest positional battles. Based on Weeks recent play, my money is on him to get the starting role.

THIRD BASE
Placido Polanco – Phillies: 2,599,925
Chipper Jones – Braves: 1,558,895
Pablo Sandoval – Giants: 1,302,098
David Wright – Mets: 1,228,710
Scott Rolen – Reds: 1,102,626

Verdict: Polanco of the NL leading Philadelphia Phillies appears to have this one locked up. Without much in the way of competition, Polanco has been the best of the bunch according to the fans.

SHORTSTOP
Troy Tulowitzki – Rockies: 2,385,991
Jose Reyes – Mets: 1,972,820
Jimmy Rollins – Phillies: 1,354,896
Alex Gonzalez – Braves: 928,992
Yuniesky Betancourt – Brewers: 860,163

Verdict: Reyes of the Mets is making a late charge but Tulo might have too big of a lead to overcome. Expect this one to go to the wire as Reyes has been getting much of the press and attention in the past few days.

OUTFIELD
Ryan Braun – Brewers: 3,034,057
Lance Berkman – Cardinals: 2,562,428
Matt Holliday – Cardinals: 2,390,118
Matt Kemp – Dodgers: 2,062,667
Andre Ethier – Dodgers: 1,889,298
Jay Bruce – Reds: 1,681,613
Shane Victorino – Phillies: 1,357,115
Carlos Beltran – Mets: 1,261,308
Jason Heyward – Braves: 1,059,581
Raul Ibanez – Phillies: 982,046
Justin Upton – D-backs: 950,047
Carlos Gonzalez – Rockies: 944,666
Corey Hart – Brewers: 910,550
Martin Prado – Braves: 830,105
Alfonso Soriano – Cubs: 804,303

Verdict: Braun has the top spot locked up with Berkman almost guaranteed a starting spot in Arizona as well. The third outfield position will come down a battle between Matt Holliday, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Kemp is narrowing the margin but based on the vote numbers, St. Louis will likely have 2/3 of the starting All-Star outfield come July 12th.

MLB reports will continue to keep you up-to-date as the voting for the MLB All-Star game comes to a close. We will announce the starting lineups and rosters as they are made available and let you know on any injury replacements. This year’s field will be a competitive one and we look forward to catching all the action in Arizona, as the American League and National League battle for home field advantage in the World Series.

Please e-mail us at: MLBreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

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A Tribute to Chad Cordero: Retired MLB Closer

Jun 22

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Wednesday June 22, 2011

MLB reports: The man with the straightest brim in baseball, Chad Patrick Cordero formally announced his retirement from baseball on Monday, at the tender age of 29. Cordero originally suffered a torn labrum and missed most of the 2008 season. He was never able to return back to full health and form following the injury and his 2010 season with the Mariners will remain his last in the majors.

Chad Cordero was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 26th round of the 2000 draft, and later was a 1st round pick of the Montreal Expos, 20th overall, in 2003. Cordero was one of the rare college closers who graduated to the same role in the majors. He attended Cal State Fullerton and made it all the way to a College World Series title. Cordero made his major league debut the same year he was drafted and stayed with the Expos/Nationals organization for the majority of his career.

Here are Chad Cordero’s final major league numbers:

Year	Tm	W	L	ERA	SV	BB	SO	WHIP
2003	MON	1	0	1.64	1	3	12	0.636
2004	MON	7	3	2.94	14	43	83	1.343
2005	WSN	2	4	1.82	47	17	61	0.969
2006	WSN	7	4	3.19	29	22	69	1.105
2007	WSN	3	3	3.36	37	29	62	1.387
2008	WSN	0	0	2.08	0	3	5	2.077

2010	SEA	0	1	6.52	0	5	6	1.552
7 Seasons		20	15	2.89	128	122	298	1.208
162 Game Avg.		4	3	2.89	28	26	65	1.208

WSN (6 yrs)		20	14	2.78	128	117	292	1.198
SEA (1 yr)		0	1	6.52	0	5	6	1.552

NL (6 yrs)		20	14	2.78	128	117	292	1.198
AL (1 yr)		0	1	6.52	0	5	6	1.552

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

The year 2005 will always stand out as Cordero’s best, as he led the Majors with47 saves that year. Cordero was taken out of baseball in his prime and the game has lost one of its top relievers much too early. Cordero played with teamUSAin the inaugural edition of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. After departing from the Nationals in 2008, Cordero went on to play in the minors and majors for the Seattle Mariners. He also played in the minors for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. Cordero was released by the Jays on May 17th and was last playing for the St. Paul Saints, an independent baseball team, before announcing his retirement on Monday.

In addition to his baseball injuries, Chad Cordero has also suffered from personal tragedy. In December 2010, Cordero and his wife lost an eleven-week old baby daughter. The cause was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Cordero is quoted as saying, “I’m just using her as motivation, trying to find strength. Because I know, now, she’ll always be with me, no matter what.” From the time of his daughter’s passing, Cordero has been active in raising awareness for SIDS. It is very uplifting to hear that despite all the adversity suffered by Cordero, that he could still work so hard to try to continue his baseball career, while assisting with SIDS awareness. SIDS is a subject that must be very difficult for Cordero and his family to discuss and deal with, but he still fights on to continue the memory of his dear daughter.

A true fighter in every sense of the word, Chad Cordero gets our sympathies and respect. Cordero has faced many roadblocks and hills to climb and he has continued to see through all the hardships that life has handed to him. Still young, there is always a chance that Cordero could try to make a return to organized baseball. The torn labrum that he suffered though is not a “fixable” injury in the same category as Tommy John surgeries, which has become very common in baseball circles. It is unlikely that we will ever see the Chad Cordero of old on the mound and if he never returns to baseball, we will always remember him for the competitor he was on the mound. But given the circumstances surrounding his family, baseball and sports takes a back seat to the human element of life. We wish all the best to Chad Cordero and his family. For everyone that can go purchase a baseball hat today and leave the brim unfolded, wear your hat this week as a tribute to one of the best relievers in the game: Chad Cordero.

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***Note: The Wednesday E-mailbag is on hiatus this week so that we can bring you this tribute. The E-mailbag will return next week. Please feel free to continue to send all your baseball questions***

Posted in MLB Player Profiles

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Tags: baseball, cordero, expos, jays, mariners, mets, mlb, nationals, padres, sids

Interview with Baseball Columnist Danny Knobler: CBSSports.com

Jun 21

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Monday June 20, 2011

MLB reports: We introduce today on the Reports Danny Knobler, Baseball Columnist for CBSSports.com. While we all enjoy Danny’s work, today’s feature allows everyone to learn about the man behind the columns. Danny’s bio from CBSSports.com is as follows:

“After 18-plus seasons of watching the Detroit Tigers lose, Danny Knobler joined CBSSports.com in May 2008 as a national baseball writer, thankful that he can finally write about winners as well as losers. He’s teaming with Scott Miller, who once covered the Minnesota Twins through six consecutive losing seasons.

The Tigers went 1,285-1,598 in Knobler’s time on the beat, although to be fair they did make it to the 2006 World Series. It’s not like they were the Royals.

Before moving to Michigan, Knobler worked for 5½ years at Baseball America, and later covered baseball for Sport magazine, which isn’t around anymore. He also wrote for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and the Santa Monica Evening Outlook, neither of which is around anymore, either.

Knobler graduated from UCLA, and just to prove that he likes some winners, he still follows UCLA basketball.”

We now present Danny Knobler: Baseball Columnist for CBSSports.com:

MLB reports: Thank you for your time as part of this interview. You currently cover Major League Baseball for CBSSports.com. How long have you been with CBS and how did you originally come to work in baseball?

Knobler: I joined CBSSports.com in May 2008, after 18-plus years covering the Detroit Tigers for Booth Newspapers. Before that, I worked at Baseball America, a job I got right out of college at UCLA. At UCLA, I worked in the Sports Information Office, handling baseball PR. While I’d followed all sports, I always gravitated towards baseball, and since I’ve been in the business, I’ve always told people that baseball is the most fascinating game to write about, because of the nature of the game, because it is played every day, and because of the characters involved.

MLB reports: Being a part of the media must be very exciting. Please give our readers a glimpse as to what your job entails and the highlights of working in media.

Knobler: I love my job. I enjoy being at the ballpark, and I enjoy talking about baseball. There’s no doubt that there are times when it is a grind, but the game keeps drawing you in.

MLB reports: What teams have you found have the greatest buzz surrounding them this season? Have any particular “popular” teams seen a drop in publicity and media attention this season in your attention?

Knobler: The Yankees and Red Sox always are going to generate the biggest buzz, because they have the biggest followings. The Phillies have moved up in recent years, but they still fall slightly behind the other two in national buzz. I’m not saying I want this to be true, just that it is true. When you write about the Yankees or Red Sox, more people read it. That doesn’t mean people don’t care about other teams, not at all. All you need to do is look at the number of All-Star votes that Jose Bautista is getting to see that’s not true. As for the team that has seen its profile drop the most, it has to be the Mets. That could change in the next few weeks, depending on how serious they are about trading Jose Reyes, but the interest in the Mets now is really down.

MLB reports: How much interaction do you have with the players on a given team? Do you keep in contact with many even after they leave the team by trade, retirement, release etc.? Are there particular teams that you cover specifically or do you report on all of baseball?

Knobler: I report on all of baseball. Obviously, by spending 18-plus years covering the Tigers, I’m closer to more ex-Tigers than to other players, but I know players on every team. And yes, I keep in touch with some players after they retire. Many of them I don’t see as often, but sometimes I’ll run into a player I covered years ago. It happened last year during the playoffs, when I saw Tony Phillips at a Reds-Phillies game (Halladay’s no-hitter, as it turned out). I saw Eric Davis just last week at the draft.

MLB reports: Where did you work and study before you joined CBS Sports? How did education and previous experiences help you to your current role?

Knobler: I went to school at UCLA, and that gave me my first real inside look at baseball. And some of the players who were classmates at UCLA went on to play in the big leagues, including Mike Gallego, who still works in the big leagues as Oakland’s third-base coach. Later, at Baseball America, I covered Team USA through the 1987 Pan Am Games and the 1988 Olympics. The relationships built there with players like Robin Ventura, Tino Martinez and Jim Abbott carried on through their big-league careers and beyond.

MLB reports: What are the main departments of CBS Sports that you work with on a day-to-day basis? Do you have much interaction with the rest of the CBS squad and do you travel much as part of your role?

Knobler: At CBSSports.com, I work with a great team, the best I’ve ever been around. I work most closely with Scott Miller, our other Senior Baseball Writer, who does a great job and is maybe the nicest guy in the business. We also have a great staff in the office. I travel some, but not nearly as much as I did when I was on the beat. Living in New York helps, because with teams in both leagues, every team in baseball plays here at least one time a year.

MLB reports: What is your job like comparing the baseball season and off-season? Does the role change much and can you give our readers the insight as to what the two different times of the year are like in reporting.

Knobler: The job does change some. People always ask, “What do you do in the offseason?” Baseball isn’t played year-round, but baseball goes on year-round. There is news basically every day of the year. The big difference is that during the season, a significant amount (but not nearly all) of the news is at the ballpark. In the winter, most of the news is gathered by phone, email and text. You spend a lot more time sitting around, but you work just as hard.

MLB reports: If you could have your future dream job, what would it be? Would it be in baseball? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

Knobler: I have my dream job. I don’t want to work for a team. I love doing what I do right now, and hope to do it for a lot longer.

MLB reports: In the situation where a college graduate comes to you and asks you to give them advice on how to “work in baseball”, what would be your response? Any tips that you can give our readers would be appreciated.

Knobler: If by “work in baseball,” you mean work for a team, I would say be prepared to work long hours for very low pay, especially at the start, and in some not-so-glamorous jobs. I know people who went on to be general managers in the big leagues who talk about the time they spent in the minors, and about the days they had to go pull the tarp when it rained. Ask yourself if you’re that dedicated. If you are, then get in touch with anyone you know in the game. Baseball also sets up a job-seekers event every year at the winter meetings.

MLB reports: How has your life changed since working in baseball? Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently? What have been the best parts of the job?

Knobler: I don’t really think of myself as working “in baseball.” But any job involved with the game, be it writer, broadcaster, team executive, coach or player has huge pluses and also some minuses. Baseball can consume your life, whether you play it, talk about it for a living or write about it. The games are at night, and on weekends. I remember Travis Fryman telling me once that a friend in Pensacola asked him, “When you’re in Detroit, what do you do on weekends?” It was a normal question you might ask any friend who moved somewhere for work, but of course, in the case of a baseball player, the answer was, “We play on weekends.” Well, we write on weekends, too, although not as often as I did as a beat writer.

MLB reports: Do you have favorite interviews that you can share and some that were more regrettable? Details Danny, details!

Knobler: Too many good ones to name. Bad ones, sure. Jason Johnson once told me, “I feel sorry for your paper.” And no, it didn’t bother me that he felt that way.

MLB reports: Who are your picks to meet in the World Series this year and why?

Knobler: When the season began, I picked the Red Sox and Braves. I’ll stick with that, although for obvious reasons I’m a little more confident about the Red Sox than the Braves right now. I never worry about picks that don’t turn out. I’m not putting money on any of my picks, and I would hope no one else would put any money down based on who I pick.

MLB reports: Thank you again for your time Danny and joining us today on MLB reports. It has been a pleasure speaking with you and we look forward to continuing to enjoy your fine work on CBSSports.com.

***A special thank you to Danny Knobler for his time and effort as part of being interviewed for this article. You can follow Danny on Twitter and click here to read Danny on CBSSports.com. To view the man in action, click on this YouTube link of Danny speaking with Reds Manager, Dusty Baker***

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Posted in Interviews with MLB Stars

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Tags: baseball, cbs, cbssports, columnist, knobler, mlb, writer

Scott Kazmir: Where Will He Land? The Future of Kaz

Jun 18

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

Sunday, June 19, 2011

MLB reports: Things did not go as planned for Scott Kazmir. A first round pick of the New York Mets (fifteenth overall) in the 2002 draft, Scott Kazmir has gone from can’t miss prospect to baseball outcast. Only twenty-seven years old, Kazmir now sits at home awaiting to find out if he still has a baseball future. The Texas Native was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2004 season in a package for mediocre starter Victor Zambrano. Considered a steal of a deal at the time for the Rays, Kazmir played in Tampa Bay until the 2009 season when he was moved to the Angels. Despite $14.5 million in guaranteed money still due to him, the Angels saw enough after a poor 2010 season and atrocious start to the 2011 campaign. Now the rumor mill has Kazmir possibly headed back to the Mets, the team that originally gave up on him early, in order to restore his flailing career.

The debate on Kazmir is whether he is suffering from injuries, physical or mental concerns. Kazmir had shoulder and hamstring issues in 2010 and spent time on the disabled list. In 2011, Kazmir lost a great deal of velocity and control, despite reportedly being injury-free. Looking at Kazmir’s numbers in Tampa Bay in 2009 and Anaheim in 2010 and 2011, the trend of decline was becoming obvious. If you remove Kazmir’s six games played in Anaheim after the trade in 2009, we have been viewing a pitcher in a free fall since his twenty-fifth birthday. Now as Kazmir ponders his future, the baseball world is left to wonder what happened and where Kazmir will play next.

I look at Kazmir’s health record and consider his elbow issues of 2007 and 2008. Aside from the 2005 and 2007 seasons, Kazmir has never successfully completed a full season in the majors injury-free. Even though he may not be considered injured today, the number of injuries that he has suffered throughout his career have apparently finally taken a toll. Having suffered elbow and shoulder injuries at such a young age, it is difficult to ascertain if his arm and body will ever fully recover. Based on his poor showing of the last two years, the mental strain of his failed performances have likely compounded the issues further. Wherever he lands in the future, our reports are indicating that we will likely never see the All-Star Kazmir from 2006 and 2008. Even though he is only twenty-seven, the future looks bleak for Scott Kazmir.

Over the coming days we will learn more about the teams interested in signing Scott Kazmir. The two New York teams have jumped to the forefront of the race. Other teams that make sense include the Boston Red Sox, who love their scrap heap former top prospect pitchers, the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, who have been linked to Kazmir for some time. Analysts have been speculating for the last two days that the Mets are the top destination. Our projection though is Texas landing Kazmir. Born and raised in Texas, Kazmir would likely prefer a homecoming, combined with playing for the contending Rangers and its top pitching coach, Mike Maddux.

Sometimes a player performing poorly requires a change of scenery for a rebound. Playing in a new city for a new team can reinvigorate some players. But such is not the case for all. Especially with pitchers, we have recently seen some very highly considered hurlers seemingly decline overnight. Dontrelle Willis. Rick Ankiel. Two former top prospects turned horror shows. Is Scott Kazmir next? The chance for rebound is there, but it appears to be slim at best. The Angels, long considered a team highly skilled in developing pitchers, flushed a great deal of money in writing off Kazmir. From everything I have read, I can’t see that they are wrong. While the Mets were blasted ever since trading Kazmir, the reality is that the Rays only got four very good seasons out of him. The next Nolan Ryan may in fact have become the next Victor Zambrano. Ironic how life works out sometimes.