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Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each MLB Franchise (Updated For Wil Myers, April 10, 2017)

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Getty Images

The First Cycle of the Year!

Going into 2015, the Padres had never had a no hitter nor a cycle hit. Now they are still waiting for that elusive no hitter, but they can chalk up multiple cycles now.

Wil Myers lined one into left center field and legged it out for a triple, completing the cycle and leading the Padres to a 5-3 victory against the Rockies.

Back in 2015, Matt Kemp legged out HIS cycle with a triple in Coors.

Innnnnnteresting. The Padres are STILL waiting for their first cycle that wasn’t hit in Colorado!

Go figure.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

THE MOST CYCLE HIT
FOR EACH FRANCHISE

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SAN DIEGO PADRES
April 10, 2017 vs. Colorado
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PITTSBURGH PIRATES
John Jaso
September 28, 2016 vs. Chicago Cubs

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CLEVELAND INDIANS
Rajai Davis
July 2, 2016 vs. Toronto
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ATLANTA BRAVES
June 15, 2016 vs. Cincinnati
rangers
TEXAS RANGERS
Adrian Beltre
August 3, 2015 vs. Colorado
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BOSTON RED SOX
June 16, 2015 vs. Atlanta
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COLORADO ROCKIES
Michael Cuddyer
August 17,2014 vs. Cincinnati
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HOUSTON ASTROS
Brandon Barnes
July 19, 2013 vs. Seattle
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LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Mike Trout
May 21, 2013 vs. Seattle
downloadARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Aaron Hill
June 29, 2012 vs. Milwaukee
NEW YORK METS
April 27, 2012 vs. Colorado
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SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
September 15, 2011 vs. Colorado
brewers
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
George Kottaras
September 3, 2011 vs. Houston
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TAMPA PAY RAYS
B. J. Upton
October 2, 2009 vs. New York Yankees

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BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Felix Pie
August 14, 2009 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

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NEW YORK YANKEES
Melky Cabrera.
August 2, 2009 vs Chicago White Sox

Minnesota-Twins-Logo
MINNESOTA TWINS
Michael Cuddyer
May 22, 2009 vs Milwaukee

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS
April 13, 2009 vs San Francisco
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SEATTLE MARINERS
Adrian Beltre.
September 1, 2009 vs. Texas
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Washington Nationals
August 28, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
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OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Mark Ellis
June 4, 2007 vs. Boston
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DETROIT TIGERS
Carlos Guillen
August 1, 2006 vs Tampa Bay.
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ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Mark Grudzielanek
April 27, 2005 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Phillies
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
David Bell
June 28, 2004 vs. Montreal
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Jeff Frye
August 17, 2001 vs. Texas
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CHICAGO WHITE SOX
April 27, 2000 vs. Baltimore
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CHICAGO CUBS
Mark Grace
May 9, 1993 vs San Diego

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KANSAS CITY ROYALS
George Brett
June 24, 1990 vs. Toronto

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CINCINNATI REDS
June 2, 1989 vs. San Diego Padres

BONUS –

Last Cycles Hit For Teams in Old Locations

MONTREAL EXPOS
Vladimir Guerrero
September 14, 2003 vs. New York Mets

WashingtonSenators6171

WASHINGTON SENATORS
Jim King
May 26, 1964 vs. Boston

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NEW YORK GIANTS
Don Mueller
July 11, 1954 vs. Pittsburgh

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PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS
Elmer Valo
August 2, 1950 vs. Chicago White Sox

BROOKLYN
BROOKLYN DODGERS
Gil Hodges
June 25, 1949 vs. Pittsburgh

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ST. LOUIS BROWNS
George McQuinn
July 19, 1941 vs. Boston Red Sox

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BOSTON DOVES
Bill Collins
October 6, 1910 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Still waiting for the first ever Marlins cycle.

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For All Teams (Updated for Freddie Freeman, 6-15-2016)

FreddieFreemanCapture

KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES

The First Cycle of the Year!

And true to 2016 Atlanta Braves style, the team almost lost the damn game. It took extra innings, but Freddie Freeman made the list. This might be the highlight of Atlanta’s season!

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Matt Kemp, August 14, 2015 )

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

THE FIRST PADRE CYCLE!!!

 

No Padre has ever thrown a no hitter. No Padres team has ever won the World Series. No Padre had ever hit for the cycle… until now.

Matt Kemp hit a fly ball that ricocheted off the right center field wall in Coors Field. By the time he stood at third base, the cycle was achieved.

This has been a rough year for the Padres and for Kemp, but this hit must have felt sweet.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Adrian Beltre, August 3, 2015 )

SportsGrid.com

SportsGrid.com

Adrian Beltre with the Tri Cycle.

The Rangers third baseman, who is quietly assembling a Hall of Fame resume, joined Bob Meusel, Babe Herman and Long John Reilly in the exclusive “Three Cycles in a Career” club.

OK, it isn’t quite Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays… but it is kind of cool.

Bad news for Shin-Soo Choo who didn’t even last 3 weeks on this list!

Meanwhile Beltre is on here twice as the most recent cycle for the Rangers and the Mariners.

 

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Shin-Soo Choo, July 21, 2015)

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

First Texas cycle in 2 years!

Lots of people hit their cycles in Colorado. Choo is the latest. In fact his teammate Delino DeShields almost joined him if only he could have connected for a Coors homer himself.

Either way, it was safe to say that humidor or no humidor, it was a good night to hit in Colorado (except for the Rockies who were shutout, 9-0.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Brock Holt – June 16, 2015)

 (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The First Cycle Hit for 2015!

With all the great hitters in baseball, naturally it is BROCK HOLT of the Red Sox who gets a single, double, triple and homer. Granted, I am not thrilled that he wears Wade Boggs’ number 26, but this is a day to celebrate.

Good bye John Valentin, no longer on this list.

I have compiled a list of the most current no hitter for each franchise, but here is the companion list for the cycle. Is it harder to hit for the cycle? Probably. But Holt did it!

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team

 

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Why doesn’t hitting for the Cycle get the same love as throwing a no hitter?

Seriously, hitting for the cycle is just about as uncommon as a no hitter. Only 305 cycles have been hit, as opposed to 287 no hitters.

Getting the perfect combination of a single, double, triple and homer requires skill, consistency and an obscene amount of luck.

Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays never did it once.

Michael Cuddyer, Chris Speier and Brad Wilkerson did it twice.

There has never been a cycle hit in the post season, as opposed to a pair of October no-no’s (Don Larsen and Roy Halladay.)

The Marlins have never had a player hit for the cycle. Neither have the Padres, who also have never had a no hitter.

So while I carefully update the list of the most current no hitter for each franchise, I have neglected to do the same for players who hit for the cycle… until now.

The pic is of the last cycle, hit by Michael Cuddyer, who has done so in both leagues (along with Bob Watson and John Olerud.)

Some of the teams have waited a while for an update. Eric Davis’ cycle in 1989 remains the last time it happened for Cincinnati. The Expos (2003) have had one more recently than the Red Sox (1996.)

Here is the list, to be updated when the next cycle is hit!

How All Of The A’s Pitchers Were Acquired: Lots Of Depth Even For 2015 Without Breaking The Bank!

Part of the lure in acquiring Samardzija was that he had 1 year left of Arbitration.  He will likely cost in the $12 - 15 MIL range for 2015.  He tops the list of several A's players that will be ARB eligible in 2015 like Moss, Donaldson, Cook, Parker, Jaso, Reddick and Gentry.  While the club is going for it in 2014, there unloading of Cespdes's $10.5 MIL 2015 salary will be used to pay these guys raises.  Some of the club will be traded or released.  The A's should still have about $25 MIL to spend on 7 or 8 guys next year.  Their $95 MIL payroll in 2014 is their highest ever recorded for any one year.

Part of the lure in acquiring Samardzija was that he had 1 year left of Arbitration. He will likely cost in the $12 – 15 MIL range for 2015. He tops the list of several A’s players that will be ARB eligible in 2015 like Moss, Donaldson, Cook, Parker, Jaso, Reddick and Gentry. While the club is going for it in 2014, their unloading of Cespdes’s $10.5 MIL 2015 salary will be used to pay these guys raises for next year, which should ensure them of another chance to compete for it all.. The Pitching Staff will remain almost intact, with losing just Lester, Hammel and Gregerson, while 12 guys are still under Team control, and 3 more guys with lots of MLB experience are in Sacramento waiting for a callup.

How All Of The A’s Pitchers Were Acquired:

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

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Billy Beane has assembled quite the Pitching Staff for his 2014 final playoff push despite having both Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin out for the year with Tommy John Surgery.

Sonny GrayA.J. Griffin and Sean Doolittle (although he was drafted as a hitter) are the only active pitchers on their staff that are homegrown products.

Jon Lester was acquired with Yoenis Cespedes (who signed as an International Free Agent.

Much like the hitters, the ‘Moneyball GM’ has wheeled and dealt until he put together one of the best run prevention teams in the game baseball.

Bringing in Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel cost the team 2 young prospects and Dan Straily, all of whom were team draft picks. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The A’s Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree Shows Incredible Beane Trading Record

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How All Of The Athletics Hitters Were Acquired:

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

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Truthfully this blog took me forever to do the research for, simply because the A’s GM Billy Beane has been so proactive at the trading helm.

From flipping Mark Mulder several years ago which fetched Dan Haren as part of the haul, to the massive deal with Dan Haren sent to the D’Backs, he added enough depth to pull off several other moves.

Yes, along the way he may have been burned by Colorado for Carlos Gonzalez, but in a the Dbacks deal still is paying off.

The Roster deals include several Oakland draft picks being flipped for current A’s.

Nick Swisher was traded for Gio Gonzalez, who in turn the club can thank for the Catching tandem of Derek Norris and John Jaso as assets received from Swisher initially.

Jaso was brought back in a 3 way deal from Washington, where the A’s sent the SP back to the team they traded Gio Gonzalez for.

Ryan Sweeney (another player brought in for the Swisher) was packaged with Andrew Bailey to obtain Josh Reddick. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The Nationals Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree

The city of Washington hasn't hosted a World Series game since 1933, and while the club didn't have an MLB organization for 30+ years, this 2014 team may mark the best year for the franchise to win the World Series ever.  It was only 4 years ago that this franchise was wallowing in below average baseball.  The team then singed a big cheque to haul in Jayson Werth as Free Agent.  A few years later, through a couple of key trades, coupled with other Free Agent pickups and the team's offensive core maturing, the club has complete depth from 1 - 8 in the lineup

The city of Washington hasn’t hosted a World Series game since 1933, and while the club didn’t have an MLB organization for 30+ years, this 2014 team may mark the best year for the franchise to win the World Series ever. It was only 4 years ago that this franchise was wallowing in below average baseball. The team then singed a big cheque to haul in Jayson Werth as Free Agent. A few years later, through a couple of key trades, coupled with other Free Agent pickups and the team’s offensive core maturing, the club has complete depth from 1 – 8 in the lineup

How All Of The Nationals Hitters Were Acquired:

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

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The Nationals came over to Washington from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to start the 2005 year.  It took several last place finishes to stockpile draft picks, in order for this club to turn its fortunes around.

Aside from offensive lineup signing key Free Agents Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche in recent years, the club has been built within.

Some of the players like Wilson Ramos, Denard Span, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Lobaton were acquired from other teams with Draft Picks the Nats had already selected.

This team has been competitive since the beginning of the 2011 year, and made the franchise’s 1st playoff appearance in 2012, after a 31 Year absence.

Much will always be made about the Stephen Strasburg decision, and the only way to alleviate those causes and concerns – is for the team to win the World Series Title.

The ownership changed the culture of the team when he inked Werth to a 7 YR deal worth $126 MIL prior to the 2011 campaign.  It shifted the 1 – 8 lineup with a new direction.

While the 1st year wasn’t kind to the former Phillies player, he has been an above average OF since, posting a near .300 Batting Average – with a high OBP and nice SLG% that falls within his career numbers.

The team has even withstood constant injuries to Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman this season. to lead the NL East right now. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The San Diego Padres Hitters Were Acquired: (2014 Roster Tree)

Headley led the NL with 115 RBI in 2012 amongst 31 HRs, he will need to put up monster numbers for the Padres to compete with the LA Dodgers going forward.  Headley caaptured a Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger in 2012. He ended up finishing 5th in NL MVP voting.  He hit 23 HRs and 73 RBI in just 75 Games after the 2012 ALL-Star Game.. Chase Headley actually fared well at Petco Park in 2012 - with a 3 Slash Line of .272/.357/.812.  He added 13 HRs and 51 RBI.  He could potentially hit a few more out with the fences drawn in.

As a 2nd RD draft pick (2005) of the franchise, Chase Headley has pretty much been disappointment over the .last 2 seasons after setting the world on fire for the 2nd half of 2012.  Headley led the NL with 115 RBI in 2012 amongst 31 HRs, Headley also captured a Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger in 2012. He ended up finishing 5th in NL MVP voting. He hit 23 HRs and 73 RBI in just 75 Games after the 2012 ALL-Star Game.. Chase Headley actually fared well at Petco Park in 2012 – with a 3 Slash Line of .272/.357/.812. He added 13 HRs and 51 RBI.  In 600 AB during 2013, the man only had an OPS of .747 – with 13 HRs.  2014 has been worse, with a .620 OPS, .204 BA – with just 6 HRs in 211 AB.  The franchise has been criticized for not capitalizing on his 2012 year via a trade.  At least they never gave him a huge extension.

How All Of The Padres Hitters Were Acquired:

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

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Omar Minaya, A.J. Hinch and Fred Uhlman Jr. took over the “office of the GM” on June 22nd, when the Padres fired Josh Byrnes from his post.

In order to see if the canning was valid, one has to search through the transactions the man did under is tenure at the helm.

Some of the current squad was brought in by Byrnes (hired in Oct of 2011, after Jed Hoyer left to take the GM position with the Chicago Cubs. although through the course of the Roster Tree, you will see some of the players go back to the Kevin Towers era.

Crazy enough is that Byrnes was fired by Towers current team (ARI) as the GM in July of 2010.

Towers is also responsible for some of the assembled roster in 2014 for San Diego.  KT is one of several possible replacements candidates for the vacant SD GM job.

It is a franchise that has made several ‘suspect’ trades over the last 10 years, and the drafting record hasn’t netted them the kind of ‘blue chippers’ to sustain a lengthy period of success despite drafting high a lot of years.

San Diego’s club in 2014 is injury prone, hitters and pitchers alike, and are headed for a brutal campaign, already at 35 – 47 heading into games June.30, 2014. 

They are already 8.5 games behind the playoff bar. and 11 out of the NL West.

Read the rest of this entry

Oakland Athletics Roster In 2014: How All Of The Pitchers Were Acquired

Jarrod Parker is out for the year with  Tommy John Surgery.  You are talking about a guy that was 25 - 16 with a 3.68 ERA over the last 2 years combined.  He has top of the rotation stuff and will be greatly missed.  The A's also had a TJ scare with A.J. Griffin, but it has been downgraded to an elbow strain for now.  Parker was traded for by the Athletics in a major package sent to Oakland - including Chris Carter< Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Cook for Starter Dan Haren.  The club still has many of the components left as assets from that very deal. While it is bad Parker is out in 2014, he will be back.

Jarrod Parker is out for the year with Tommy John Surgery. You are talking about a guy that was 25 – 16 with a 3.68 ERA over the last 2 years combined. He has top of the rotation stuff and will be greatly missed. The A’s also had a TJ scare with A.J. Griffin, but it has been downgraded to an elbow strain for now. Parker was traded for by the Athletics in a major package sent to Oakland with Collin Cowgill and  Ryan Cook for Starter Trevor Cahill. The club still has Parker and Cahill.  While it is bad Parker is out in 2014, he will be back. Cahill has been ineffective for the D’backs in 2014 – with a 9.17 ERA and an MLB leading 4 losses.

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

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I just finished writing an article about how Billy Beane was smart not to have signed Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson to extensions here.

You really wont find him do this anytime soon with any of his chuckers.

The Scott Kazmir deal is the one he likes to do.  It is simple as to why the man operates like this.  He doesn’t have to give up any assets in the process.

Beane is a “Baseball Rounder”.

It is not unlike him to do manage 50 – 60 transactions per year.  He was won more than he has lost – whether it is Free Agency or trades.  His ballclub has the best record in the Majors since the start of play in 2012 – at 200 – 144 (.581 baseball).

We will go through the Pitching First, and then the hitting by the weekend. Read the rest of this entry

The Washington Nationals State Of The Union Part 1: Fall 2013 Through Spring 2014

The Nationals failed to meet expectations as the Preseason favorites to lock down the World Series in 2013.  Heck, they didn't even qualify for the playoffs.  Whether it was injury, or complacency, the talent of this team didn't maximize their potential this year.  However, the club did go 24 - 12 in their last 36 Games Played, and made a late charge at the 2nd Wild Card Spot.  Most of the nucleus is coming back for the 2014 year.  Here are some priorities for the winter.

The Nationals failed to meet expectations as the Preseason favorites to lock down the World Series in 2013. Heck, they didn’t even qualify for the playoffs. Whether it was injury, or complacency, the talent of this team didn’t maximize their potential this year. However, the club did go 24 – 12 in their last 36 Games Played, and made a late charge at the 2nd Wild Card Spot in the Nationals League.  Most of the nucleus is coming back for the 2014 year. Here are some priorities for the winter.

By David Huzzard (Nationals Correspondent via Citizens of Natstown.com – view website here): 

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1. Find a Manager

There are moves that can be made without a new manager in place, but this is the most important thing the Nationals have to do this off-season. Not having the leader of the team will make all the other moves more difficult.

Players want to know who they are playing for and the manager is going to have a lot of input into what free agents the Nationals go after for the bench and bullpen, which happen to be their two biggest needs personnel-wise.

It is also important to get the new manager in place early so that he has an entire off-season to communicate with the players already in the majors and to familiarize himself with the system and the minor leaguers that could help during the season.

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

Jordan Zimmermann Interview

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Chicago Cubs Payroll In 2013: Team Organizational Rosters + Depth Charts – (MLB + MiLB)

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Wednesday, May.29/2013

Anthony Rizzo entered 2013 with high expectations as the Cubs Opening Day First Baseman. He has come along way since 2008.  The man has battled injuries, 2 team changes and has settled down in Chicago to be one of he most promising young power hitting prospects in the MLB today.  He could end up being a 35 - 40 HR, 100 RBI man in the 'Windy City' - and this would make him an icon at Wrigley Field.  Recently he signed a 7 YR/ $41 MIL extension and will be a vital part in the rebuild of this franchise

Anthony Rizzo entered 2013 with high expectations as the Cubs Opening Day First Baseman. He has come along way since 2008. The man has battled injuries, 2 team changes and has settled down in Chicago to be one of he most promising young power hitting prospects in the MLB today. He could end up being a 35 – 40 HR, 100 RBI man in the ‘Windy City’ – and this would make him an icon at Wrigley Field. Recently he signed a 7 YR/ $41 MIL extension and will be a vital part in the rebuild of this franchise.  He is hitting for a 3 Slash Line of .263/.324/.829 – with 10 HRs and 35 RBI in 50 in 50 Games in the 2013 season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Starlin Castro Highlights 2012 – Mature Lyrics So Parental Guidance Is advised

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Cubs Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward

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Saturday, Mar.02, 2013

The Cubs final payroll from 2012 was just north of $107 Million, and, over the winter, President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein and GM Jed Hoyer added plenty of pitching depth to the 2013 team.

The Cubs final payroll from 2012 was just north of $107 Million, and, over the winter, President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein and GM Jed Hoyer added plenty of pitching depth to the 2013 team.

By Alex Kantecki (Cubs Correspondent):

Only the Houston Astros stood between the Chicago Cubs and last place in the NL Central in 2012. The Cubs lost 101 games – their most losses since 1966, when the team went 51-103 — and finished with the second worst record in baseball. Under President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, the Cubs went backwards from the year before, losing 10 more games than in 2011.

Epstein continues to rebuild the Cubs’ farm system, and the organization boasts four top prospects – Shortstop Javier Baez, Outfielder Albert Almora, Outfielder Jorge Soler and Relief Pitcher Arodys Vizcaino — all of whom are represented in the Top 100 Prospects of Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. Over the winter, the Cubs bolstered their Starting Pitching staff, adding Starters Edwin Jackson, Scott Feldman, Scott Baker and Carlos Villanueva.

Chicago Cubs 2012 Highlights: Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised:

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Top MLB Free Agents Still Available:

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Wednesday January 23rd, 2013

Micheal Bourn is seeking a contract worth 15 Million Dollars plus per year.  Since 2008, he has averaged 50 SB a year.  He has steadily improved his offensive game.  He is a guy who would help most ball clubs as a Lead Off hitter.

Micheal Bourn is seeking a contract worth 15 Million Dollars plus per year. Since 2008, he has averaged 50 SB a year. He has steadily improved his offensive game. He is a guy who would help most ball clubs as a Lead Off hitter.

By Jordan Gluck (Prospects/Baseball Operations Correspondent)

The offseason is winding down right with the availability of Free Agents and the budgets of many MLB teams. The talent on the open market is not what it was a few months ago but there is still some risk/reward players in the pool along with Bourn, Lohse, and Marcum. There are certain clubs with some dollars to spend but most are to their cap or don’t see the value. Here I present to you my top 10 Free Agents who can help propel a team to more wins or be used by subpar clubs as viable trade chips as Trade Deadline Deals.

1. Michael Bourn (30) (Braves) – the clear-cut best player left on the market but with budgets near filled up it will be interesting to see how Scott Boras works his magic. There is no doubt the tender is hurting him as it hurt Soriano and Laroche.  He can play CF and has blazing speed.   (Texas)

Michael Bourn Highlight Reel in 2012 – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is Advised

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MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: August 2012

Monday August.6/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- It has been a crazy month in which teams have stockpiled some heavy talent at the trade deadline to get ready for the playoffs.  Amongst the biggest gainers for the rankings this month were: the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Tigers, Dodgers (because of the deals) and Mariners while the Mets, Red Sox, Indians and Royals saw brutal months all but seal their playoff fates.  I do think that Boston has a punchers chance but that all is dependent on David Ortiz returning to the lineup swiftly.  The power of the best teams is definitely leaning to the National League right now where several teams are playing great baseball.  With one-third of the season left we are all in for a treat as baseball fans.

I will have one more regular season Power Rankings month of September (to be posted on Labor Day Weekend,)  before I also provide a playoff style ranking of the 1-10 seeds right before the Wild Card Teams play the play in game.  It certainly has been awesome to follow how the trade deadline has effected the Monthly Rankings this time around.  I think it is safe to say that this years deadline provided more interest and following-from even the casual fan more than any other year before.  I also believe that the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is now the best Trade Deadline in all of sports.  Social Media has a lot to do with this but so does parity.  The 2nd Wild Card spot has also created more teams willing to trade prospects in lieu of going for it. Read the rest of this entry

Baseball and Music are Synonymous with Our Timeline

Sunday May 6, 2012

The NY Mets Tribute to the Recent Passing of MCA from The Beastie Boys

Lori Martini(Baseball Writer and @lorimartini on Twitter)– We don’t always remember exactly when certain events have happened in our lives and at what ages, but baseball and music gives us a pretty good reference and timeline as to when certain occurrences took place.  It’s no wonder music plays such an integral part in baseball and throughout sports.  Being a songwriter myself and having been honored that Justin Turner chose my song “Believe” as his walk-up song all last summer, I can only hope some day more players will walk up to more songs that I continue to write.  I remember Derek Bell walked up to “Big Pimpin’” by Jay-Z.  I can automatically tell you that the song was released in 2000 and that is when Bell played for the Mets.  In fact, I’m such a huge Mets fan that I don’t even have to look at the scoreboard or the plate- I’ll instantly know which player is up to bat or who came in for a pitching change just based on their music choice.

When I started my ballpark chasing in 2000, I followed the Mets to most of the stadiums.  I would meet new friends on the road including one of my best friends, Gabriel Lee who not only shares the same birthday (month/day AND year), but he also has a passion for music and manages a band called Ceasefire in LA.  I met Gabriel through Rachel (Roa) Apodaca who inadvertently met my friend Indira who I’ve know from Midwood High School and is a fellow lunatic Mets fan like myself in a baseball chat room.  I’d go to games with friends and start singing the Mets walk-up songs when they were on the road.  I had Rachel and her sister Kristen involved in the whole ordeal when my team was playing against theirs!  Gabriel also had a friend, Ted who joined us at Mets vs. Dodger games in LA.  Being that I was older I quickly noticed that Ted liked Rachel and I told her that.  She didn’t believe me at first, but shortly after they started dating and now they’re married and have a daughter Brianna who is now as big a fan as us (and has a HUGE crush on Matt Kemp….ssshhh).  Brianna met him so often that he knows who she is.  She even plays softball and wants to be a catcher like Mike Piazza.

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