Luis Salazar, a coach with the Braves, lost an eye because he got hit by a foul ball. On the bright side, he's still alive, unlike that poor guy in the Rockies' minor league system.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Remembering the 2009 WBC (and Wondering When's the Next One)
The 2009 World Baseball Classic held many surprises. Some of them stood out more than others. These were the things that stood out to me (and forgotten soonafter, until now)
1) China beats Chinese Taipei 4-1
I've always thought Chinese Taipei were only bested in Asia by Japan and South Korea. Hmmm.. guess I was wrong.
Interesting side notes:
i) The manager for the Chinese side was none other than Mets manager Terry Collins.
ii) The hero of the game, Ray Chang, was named Eastern League's Best Defensive 3B in 2010 by Baseball America. Who knew? So far he can hit A and AA pitching, but stunk at AAA.
iii) The two prospect, Kai Liu and Zhenwang Zhang, signed by the Yanks. Liu went back to China a few years later, but I can't seem to find any info on Zhang. I can't even find anything in the past two years about the entire Chinese team. Rumors say Zhang went back to China too. Either way, they weren't in the MiLB database. Oh well, their appearance in the WBC was after their 2007 signing anyways.
2) Netherlands beats Dominican Rep. twice
Almost every name looked weird back then, with the exception of Ponson, plus a few other guys who had some time in the majors.
Today, more familiar names came up. Kenley Jansen, who is now pitching instead of catching. Hainley Statia, with the Angels. Halman, Vanden Hurk and Smit joins the group too. Looks like they may do something at the next WBC too.
Main problem: Anyone got any idea about when is the next one?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Cubs Bullpen The Best? Hardly.
Recently Carlos Marmol of the Chicago Cubs said that the Cubs' bullpen is the best bullpen in the game. Some may agree with him, but I don't.
Let's talk about the usual suspects. The Yankees have a nice bullpen, and the Red Sox have three guys in there that can be closers for most teams. Now onto other teams. The Athletics looks pretty good too. The Dodgers have a solid pen. The Orioles don't look too bad either. Oh, and don't forget the Padres, Phillies and Rangers.
Let's talk about the usual suspects. The Yankees have a nice bullpen, and the Red Sox have three guys in there that can be closers for most teams. Now onto other teams. The Athletics looks pretty good too. The Dodgers have a solid pen. The Orioles don't look too bad either. Oh, and don't forget the Padres, Phillies and Rangers.
To save time, let's just compare 3 people in each bullpen.
Athletics: Bailey is a solid closer. Fuentes may be shaky in the past few years, but he's is still a good reliever. Balfour rounds out the trio, and he's a solid reliever too.
Dodgers: Broxton got banged around a bit the past summer, but he has a good track record, and he's still pretty young. Kuo and Guerrier will probably do well as setup-men, and they step in and close when Broxton falters.
Orioles: Gregg is certainly not fantastic, but he's consistently tolerable. Gonzalez and Uehara are fine pitchers who will help shorten the game.
Padres: Adams and Gregerson are fine setup men and they are a solid bridge to Bell, one of the best closers in the game today.
Phillies: Lidge is ok, and Contreras and Madson performs.
Rangers: I'll go with the depth chart for now. Feliz is absolutely reliable as the closer,and Rhodes and Oliver are fine lefties who continue to defy age.
Red Sox: Papelbon, Bard and Jenks. Three legit closers. Three reliable arms (at times).
Yankees: If Rivera wasn't enough, Soriano will close the gap. Robertson will help, and not hurt the team.
Cubs: Marmol and Wood are high K and high BB pitchers. Marshall the lefty is a nice complementary piece to the other two, with good strikeout rate but a lower BB rate.
I'd say that the Cubs aren't even in the top 3.
1) Red Sox
2) Padres
3) Yankees
The Sox, of course, with their three closers, wins the top spot.
The Padres deserves the second spot, with three solid and reliable arms. However, they can't match the awesomeness of three closers.
The Yankees, with Robertson, a good but not great reliever, gets the third place. If they had a better player to join Rivera and Soriano, they'd have the best bullpen.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Jose Bautista Officially Signs
Details: 8 million in 2011,14 million each season in 2012-15, with 14 million team option for 2016.
Pro: A hitter in the heart of the lineup that needs one.
Con: Potentially a .250 hitter with 30 home runs annually, not worth the pay.
Reaction: One of the sides will regret signing this contract. Only time will tell which side got the bad end.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Why the Angels Will Finish the 2011 Season With a Sub-.500 Record
It is much easier to ask a power-hitting team to play small ball than it is to ask a powerless team to hit home runs. Sure, a power-hitter may struggle to bunt properly and may not have the speed to beat out a soft grounder, but sometimes an average attempt is good enough.
Take the Toronto Blue Jays of last year (assuming Cito Gaston would ever have permitted his team to lay one down). In the rare situation where a bit of small ball was, in Gaston's mind, the best option, he could ask Travis Snider to bunt a runner over instead of swinging for the fences--and if he doesn't succeed the first time, he may get another chance.
The LA Angels, however, do not have a luxury such as this. Yes, their defence is superb and their speed is above average, but who can hit for power? In a 6-3 game with two on in the bottom of the ninth, do you want Jose Bautista at the plate...or Alberto Callaspo? The Angels do not have anyone who can hit for power consistently on their roster.
OUTFIELD:
Bobby Abreu: Let's face it, he's not the type of hitter he used to be. The Angels' probably #4 outfielder (or DH?) for next season is a valuable asset, but his production has suffered significantly since he was in his prime. He will hit no more than 15 home runs next year (partially due to a slight loss of playing time) and will be lucky to break 80 RBI. He is not an answer: he is a vetran presence who the Angels hope will be able to help out the young players.
Peter Bourjos: Defensively, I have more respect for Bourjos than any other player in the MLB. I saw him play in only one series last year, but that was enough to form an opinion. Everything hit to centre field was caught--no matter where it was. That being said, he was also the greatest offensive liability in the lineup. He may prevent any doubles to the gap from occurring, and he may win numerous Gold Gloves, but he'll keep making up for it each time he steps into the batter's box.
Torii Hunter: His numbers have been fairly consistent over the past few years, but, like Abreu, his age will catch up to him. His stolen bases dropped significantly last season. For a player whose top qualities are speed and defence, declining quickness is a grim sign of things to come.
Vernon Wells: Wells, or as I sometimes call him, First-Pitch-Pop-up Man, has an uncanny ability to live up to his nickname. The only reason the Angels added Wells to the fold was for power, but--in spite of his 31 home runs last year--Vernon is much too inconsistent to have any major value to his new team. His acquisition was a loss for the Angels: in money and ability. The one positive for LA is that Wells' speed may finally be utilized.
INFIELD:
Erick Aybar: Another inconsistent player offensively, Aybar is completely unpredictable for next season. The one thing everyone can be fairly certain of is that he will fail to hit more than 5 homers. A new shortstop would definately be a plus for the Angels. Aybar will, one day, end up becoming more like Alex Gonzalez than Derek Jeter. He is faster than A-Gon, and his defence is far more mediocre, but--my point is--he will one day be lost in a sea of average backup shortstops.
Alberto Callaspo: Callaspo does his job. You get what you ask of him--around 10 home runs and 60 RBI. He is not a power hitter, but he does not need to be. Callaspo is not the Angels' major problem, he is simply not the type of player they need. However, as the team will struggle for power, Callaspo will end up near the top of the team in homers.
Howie Kendrick: Kendrick is much like Callaspo when it comes to numbers. The major difference is that Kendrick is faster. The Angels do not need two of the same player. One of Kendrick or Callaspo should be traded away sometime during the season. It will be interesting to see which the team would be more willing to part with. Kendrick is probably a bit better than Callaspo, so trading the latter would be better for the team as it currently stands. However, Kendrick would probably draw more interest--and higher return.
Brandon Wood: Possibly the greatest liability on the team, Wood struggles offensively and defensively. Why he is even on the team is beyond me. Just another hole in a swiss-cheese lineup.
CATCHING:
Jeff Mathis: One of the best defensive catchers in the game, Mathis is, most certainly a--(I'm sorry, I feel like I've overused this term in this blog)--liability when it comes to offence. Every now and again he can convert on an opportunity, but he is not going to pull a garbage team out of the trash can. I like Mathis' game, but his bat is most certainly not what the Angels need right now.
Pitching is a different story for a different day. Short overview:
PROS
Dan Haren
Joel Pineiro
Jered Weaver
Ervin Santana
CONS
Scott Downs
RISKS
Scott Kazmir
Fernando Rodney
The pitching is really and truly irrelavent with this team. It's impossible to win if you can't score. Even if your pitchers can hold off the opponent, they cannot pitch perfectly forever. A team that will struggle to score runs will not win games. I think it's time the Angels' went for a full-out make-over. Gut the team and try again. Anaheim has had a solid team for a number of years, now. Their best bet is to take three to five years off, and reclaim their division title.
Adieu
Take the Toronto Blue Jays of last year (assuming Cito Gaston would ever have permitted his team to lay one down). In the rare situation where a bit of small ball was, in Gaston's mind, the best option, he could ask Travis Snider to bunt a runner over instead of swinging for the fences--and if he doesn't succeed the first time, he may get another chance.
The LA Angels, however, do not have a luxury such as this. Yes, their defence is superb and their speed is above average, but who can hit for power? In a 6-3 game with two on in the bottom of the ninth, do you want Jose Bautista at the plate...or Alberto Callaspo? The Angels do not have anyone who can hit for power consistently on their roster.
OUTFIELD:
Bobby Abreu: Let's face it, he's not the type of hitter he used to be. The Angels' probably #4 outfielder (or DH?) for next season is a valuable asset, but his production has suffered significantly since he was in his prime. He will hit no more than 15 home runs next year (partially due to a slight loss of playing time) and will be lucky to break 80 RBI. He is not an answer: he is a vetran presence who the Angels hope will be able to help out the young players.
Peter Bourjos: Defensively, I have more respect for Bourjos than any other player in the MLB. I saw him play in only one series last year, but that was enough to form an opinion. Everything hit to centre field was caught--no matter where it was. That being said, he was also the greatest offensive liability in the lineup. He may prevent any doubles to the gap from occurring, and he may win numerous Gold Gloves, but he'll keep making up for it each time he steps into the batter's box.
Torii Hunter: His numbers have been fairly consistent over the past few years, but, like Abreu, his age will catch up to him. His stolen bases dropped significantly last season. For a player whose top qualities are speed and defence, declining quickness is a grim sign of things to come.
Vernon Wells: Wells, or as I sometimes call him, First-Pitch-Pop-up Man, has an uncanny ability to live up to his nickname. The only reason the Angels added Wells to the fold was for power, but--in spite of his 31 home runs last year--Vernon is much too inconsistent to have any major value to his new team. His acquisition was a loss for the Angels: in money and ability. The one positive for LA is that Wells' speed may finally be utilized.
INFIELD:
Erick Aybar: Another inconsistent player offensively, Aybar is completely unpredictable for next season. The one thing everyone can be fairly certain of is that he will fail to hit more than 5 homers. A new shortstop would definately be a plus for the Angels. Aybar will, one day, end up becoming more like Alex Gonzalez than Derek Jeter. He is faster than A-Gon, and his defence is far more mediocre, but--my point is--he will one day be lost in a sea of average backup shortstops.
Alberto Callaspo: Callaspo does his job. You get what you ask of him--around 10 home runs and 60 RBI. He is not a power hitter, but he does not need to be. Callaspo is not the Angels' major problem, he is simply not the type of player they need. However, as the team will struggle for power, Callaspo will end up near the top of the team in homers.
Howie Kendrick: Kendrick is much like Callaspo when it comes to numbers. The major difference is that Kendrick is faster. The Angels do not need two of the same player. One of Kendrick or Callaspo should be traded away sometime during the season. It will be interesting to see which the team would be more willing to part with. Kendrick is probably a bit better than Callaspo, so trading the latter would be better for the team as it currently stands. However, Kendrick would probably draw more interest--and higher return.
Brandon Wood: Possibly the greatest liability on the team, Wood struggles offensively and defensively. Why he is even on the team is beyond me. Just another hole in a swiss-cheese lineup.
CATCHING:
Jeff Mathis: One of the best defensive catchers in the game, Mathis is, most certainly a--(I'm sorry, I feel like I've overused this term in this blog)--liability when it comes to offence. Every now and again he can convert on an opportunity, but he is not going to pull a garbage team out of the trash can. I like Mathis' game, but his bat is most certainly not what the Angels need right now.
Pitching is a different story for a different day. Short overview:
PROS
Dan Haren
Joel Pineiro
Jered Weaver
Ervin Santana
CONS
Scott Downs
RISKS
Scott Kazmir
Fernando Rodney
The pitching is really and truly irrelavent with this team. It's impossible to win if you can't score. Even if your pitchers can hold off the opponent, they cannot pitch perfectly forever. A team that will struggle to score runs will not win games. I think it's time the Angels' went for a full-out make-over. Gut the team and try again. Anaheim has had a solid team for a number of years, now. Their best bet is to take three to five years off, and reclaim their division title.
Adieu
A New Idea About Joba
As I heard that Joba still has options and not a "lock" for the bullpen in New York, an idea has sprouted in my mind.
1) Option him to AAA
2) Use him as starter
3) See how it goes
Best Scenario: With some extra time in AAA, Joba rediscovers his old form and becomes a fabulous pitcher like he was expected to be back in 2007.
Worst Scenario: Joba screws up, loses favour in AAA, gets traded, then become a fixture on the other team. Meanwhile in New York, that one bullpen spot gives up the winning run in the deciding game of playoff spot/postseason series.
Likely Scenario: He's used as a reliever for the rest, or at least majority of the rest of his career. While he is involved in some memorable moments, people still hold thoughts on what could have been, if he was a starter.
Monday, February 14, 2011
My Short Thoughts On Bautista
Facts:
1) Bautista's 2010 blew every prediction away.
2) Bautista never had a season of 100 OPS+ before this year.
3) Bautista never hit with a SLG of .500, or even .450, before this season's .617 .
Safe Assumptions:
1) Bautista will have similar protection in the lineup, if not better.
2) Bautista will never have a season like this again
3) Bautista will be a commodity when he hits the FA market if he hits 30 out of the park in 2011.
4) Toronto need him to be at the heart of their lineup.
5) Toronto has some payroll flexibility after trading away Wells and his loaded contract.
My Theories:
1) Bautista thinks that he won't do as well next season, so
2) he should get some leverage using his current year, and
3) the Jays are happy to oblige
4) He will get a book about his 2010 season.
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