Every player, whether he is a fresh-faced rookie or a steely-eyed veteran, goes through both periods of unbridled excellence, and abject misery. It's part of the game. The fact is, that if you are a great hitter, you still failed 7 out of 10 times. So there are lots of opportunities for a player to falter, and pick themselves back up. But what makes individuals and teams special is the ability to perform this task when it is most crucial. And there are few times less crucial then in September.
With just a few short weeks left for teams to make playoff pushes, now is the time to show stamina and composure. It is often hard for entire teams to exude this all at once, but there are special cases when this happens. For instance, the Colorado Rockies of 2007 won 21 of their last 22 games going down the stretch run to make the playoffs and eventually go to the World Series that year. The 2010 Rockies are trying to duplicate just that. So far this month, they are 11-4, with 10 of those wins being in a row. They are just 2.5 games back in the National League West as well as for the Wild Card spot. While this is due in large part to the performance of the team as a whole, one player doing much of the damage is SS Troy Tulowitzski. In his last ten games, Tulo has collected 15 hits, 9 homeruns, a staggering 21 RBI and scored 12 runs, while batting .375. Seven of those RBI, and two of those homeruns came against the then first-place San Diego Padres on Wednesday. To sum up, few people in all of baseball are hitting hotter than Troy Tulowitzski right now. And if things continue this way, Tulo may just be leading his team to another incredible September finish, and a possible playoff berth. But there are 14 games left for the Rocks to play, and anything can happen.
Another player smashing the ball right now is David Murphy of the Texas Rangers. This gentleman is doing his best Josh Hamilton impersonation, as one commentator pointed out a few nights ago. Since Josh Hamilton's injury a couple of weeks ago, Murphy has stepped up, and has a 13-game hitting streak to show for it. He's hitting .357 in his past 10 games and is providing the kind of awesome bench play that separates good teams from great ones. With guys like David Murphy coming off the bench, the Texas Rangers have enjoyed a solid month of September, having won their last 7.
Batters aren't the only ones having fun though. Pitcher Wade Davis has won his last 7 decisions for the surging Tampa Bay Rays. Davis has had a couple of hiccups in that stretch, still walking more batters than he should and letting up 7 homeruns since his July 8th start. However, since the All-Star break, and a short stint on the Disabled List, Davis has been solid for the Rays, and helped them take over first from the struggling New York Yankees.
But before we discuss the Yankees' woes, let's highlight one last player who is on an incredibly hot streak, albeit not for a contending team. Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs has won his last five starts and six out of his last seven starts. Since being promoted back to the starting rotation on August 9th, Big Z has not allowed an opposing team to earn more than 2 runs off of him, which has helped drop his ERA by 1.71. While the Cubs are far out of contention this year, this resurgence is a welcome sign for the hot-headed Zambrano who earned administrative ire earlier in this season by blowing his top in an argument with 1B Derek Lee. If Zambrano can ever learn to control that anger permanently, he could return to All-Star form. However, Zambrano recently reiterated a prior claim that once his current contract is completed in 2012, he will retire from baseball. We'll see though. After all, Roy Oswalt once said he wanted to finish his career in Houston. The potential for rings and money make players do funny things sometimes.
Now on to some teams and players that are more on the cold side of things. The aforementioned Yankees have lost 8 out of their last 10. Reasons why include an incredibly inconsistent and ineffective A.J. Burnett, the averages of Posada(.154, Granderson(.188), Jeter(.209), and Texeira(.179) in the last ten games, and injuries to left-fielder Brett Gardner and right-fielder Nick Swisher. Despite all this though, the Yankees are still an incredibly deep, well put together team that still is tied for the second-best record in baseball with the Minnesota Twins, and is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs this year. But a cold September is not what the doctor ordered for October success. Hot teams prevail come playoff time, so if the Yankees continue to struggle for the remainder of the season, a repeat championship might not be in the picture.
Other teams failing to make the grade right now are two playoff contenders. The Chicago White Sox just wrapped up a crucial three-game set versus the previous-mentioned Minnesota Twins in which they had to win at least two out of three, if not sweep the Twins in order to make up precious grown in the American League Central. Instead, the South Siders were swept, and a playoff bid is all but gone. In the other league, the Atlanta Braves are doing everything they can to give the East Division to the Philadephia Phillies for a fourth year in a row. The Bravos are 6-9 in September and travel to New York this weekend where the not-so-stinky-right-now Mets await them. If the Braves should lose two out of three to the Metropolitans, and then travel to Philly and fail to take that series, then their playoff hopes will be all but dashed. The Phillies are also another team I could have hightlighted in the "hot" section, as they have one of the best records in baseball since the All-Star break. However, I honestly forgot to include them, and I'm not about to go back and edit them in, because I don't like them very much. So screw it. They are a hot team, 'nuff said.
So the playoff picture is rounding into shape. The A.L. West is a two team race that will have both teams playing in October. All that is left to be decided there is who will take the division and possibly home-field advantage. The N.L. East is slowing coming into focus, unless Atlanta can turn things around quickly. The only real question, and the best playoff race going is the National League West. Just 2.5 games separate three teams. The Giants play both the Padres and the Rockies once more before the end of the season, so a lot is riding on this weekend and the following couple series. Are you as excited as I am? Probably not, but you freakin' should be!
P.S. This blog was written on Friday, so some statistics are two days out-of-date. My apologies.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Cy Lame Duck
I bet your looking at the title of this blog, and going 'Huh?' I shall explain. This is both a combination of ideas, and an extremely corny play on words. A lame duck, as most of you probably already know, is according to www.dictionary.com "a person finishing a term of employment after a replacement has been chosen", usually a politician. The Cy in the title refers to the Cy Young award, which is given to the best pitcher in the American and National Leagues. Now what ties these ideas together is the play on words. Sigh Duck is a character from Pokemon, a children's card game from Japan. He was a little yellow duck that always had a headache, and therefore would sigh constantly. I was not into Pokemon as a child, but I saw the cartoon show a handful of times and for some reason Sigh Duck was always in it, and he cracked me up something fierce. But to further explain the title, I will have to go into more detail.
Today, we are going to discuss potential winners of the Cy Young award in 2010. The reason I combined the Cy Young award with the lame duck term is because neither Tim Lincecum of the S.F. Giants, nor the Kansas City Royals' Zach Greinke are going to repeat as Cy Young winners this year. So does everyone see why the title kind of makes sense? Good. Now why won't Lincecum or Greinke win? While neither pitcher has had a terrible year, there are just far too many other pitchers in both leagues that are outperforming these two.
Greinke will pitch over 200 innings, start at least 30 games, most likely keep his ERA under 4.00 and strikeout somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 batters this year. Unfortunately for Zach, the Royals, as we've mentioned in a previous blog, didn't have the power in the lineup to provide enough run support during his games. And to be honest, Zach just hasn't pitch that great this year. Lincecum has also run into occasional trouble, getting roughed up in several stretches throughout this season. However Tim still has a winning record, going 13-9 with a 3.69 ERA, and he will strikeout over 200 while throwing 200 innings. Quality stuff, but not nearly enough to compete for the Cy Young this year.
Who will unseat these gentleman this year? Let's start in the American League, where there are some great pitchers competing for the spotlight. 'King' Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners is leading the A.L. in both innings pitched (225.2), and ERA (2.39) but with an 11-11 record, there is little chance that he'll take the Cy Young when voting time comes. Felix can hardly be blamed by his offense not backing him up, but dems da breaks. Similarly, Jered Weaver of the Angels is having a great year, but 11-11 just doesn't cut it. There's Justin Verlander, who's 15-8, with a 3.53 ERA and 179Ks for Detroit. Not bad. L.A. Angel Ervin Santana is 16-9, but a 4.00 ERA is a little high. The Twins' Carl Pavano is 16-11 and has served as an ace for Minnesota. And there's the big teddy bear, C.C. Sabathia of the Yanks who is currently 19-6 with a 3.14 and 170Ks. All these men are extremely fine candidates.
There are some fellas mixed in that you wouldn't expect also. Take for instance C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers. In his first full season as a starting pitcher, C.J. has excelled, going 14-6 with a quality 3.25 ERA. He's kept pace with some of the best pitchers in the batter-happy American League. And while we are in the A.L. West, we have to discuss Trevor Cahill. In just his second season, the Oakland SP is 16-6 with a ridiculously low 2.61 ERA. While he doesn't strikeout a lot of guys, he manages to pitch to his strengths and that of the ballpark in order to pile up the wins. Cahill's rotation partner Gio Gonzalez has also been outstanding, going 14-8 with a 3.16 ERA, and we should mention he's won his last four games. And then there's David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first year as the true ace of the pitching staff, Price has shined, going 17-6 with a 2.87 ERA thus far. The guy can throw 98-mph and if anyone can give C.C. serious competition for the A.L. Cy Young this year, it's Price.
Of course two guys from Boston may have something to say about that. Jon Lester has won at least 15 games for the third year in a row to become the legitimate ace of the Red Sox's staff. His 2010 campaign has seen him pitch a 3.26 ERA to a 16-8 record, and he will strikeout another 200-plus hitters this year. Joining him atop the Boston rotation is Clay Bucholz, who for the first time in his career has a win total in the double digits. At just 25, Bucholz is having a career year, going 15-7 while tossing a minuscule 2.53 ERA. If Boston had not incurred so many injuries this year, these two guys might have been leading this team to the playoffs and potentially a World Series. But as it stands, Boston will most likely miss out on the post-season, and Lester and Bucholz might lose out on the Cy Young as a result.
If you thought the American League had all the great pitching, just check out the National League. There are plenty of veteran stars making strong runs for a Cy Young award. Roy 'Doc' Halladay is pitching his mind out in Philly, posting an 18-10 record with an outstanding 2.44 ERA and 201Ks. And to throw some extra stats into the mix, Roy has also thrown 8 complete games, one of which was a perfect game. However, Adam Wainwright is matching Roy almost step for step. While Wainwright can't claim a perfect game, he has an identical record so far, with an even better 2.38 ERA and has only 10 less strikeouts. Wainwright's fellow Cardinal, Chris Carpenter, is also having a fantastic year, going 15-6, and throwing a 3.09 ERA. Meanwhile, Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves has come back from injury with a bang, recording a line of 15-7 with a mere 2.41 ERA. He's had two rough outings in a row, but Hudson is still haven't a dynamite year. Do you see why this is being called the year of the pitcher?
But the talent storm doesn't stop there. Mat Latos of the San Diego Padres is leading all Major League pitchers with a 2.21 ERA, and posting a great 14-5 record to boot. There are more than a half-dozen other pitchers with a sub-3 ERA as well. They might not have the record to serious compete for the Cy Young, but we should mention them anyway. There's Josh Johnson of the Marlins (who unfortunately will sit out the rest of the season due to a back sprain), Brett 'Assault and Battery' Meyers of the Astros, Rookie of the Year candidate Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals, Roy Oswalt and his resurgence with the Phillies, Johan Santana (also out for the year with an injury) and R.A. Dickey of the Mets, and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. This is one of the best seasons of pitching in possibly a decade or more. And I haven't even mentioned Ubaldo Jimenez. Ok, that's not true, I've mentioned him a lot this year in other blogs. But the man is still probably the leading candidate for the Cy Young. Even though he's only gone 3-5 since the All-Star break, Ubaldo is still 18-6 with a 2.75 ERA and 186 strikeouts. He's also thrown the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies' history and set a club-record in wins. This is pretty incredible year for Ubaldo, and all of these other talented starters.
So who will take home the hardware when all is said and done? While I usually don't make picks this early, you'll notice I kept my opinions quiet when it came to MVPs, but I will actually make a prediction for Cy Young. Why now, and not then. Well for starters, we are slightly closer to the end of the season. And additionally, starters play once every five or six days, whereas position players play everyday. Therefore, there is a much larger chance for a MVP candidate to falter or have a fantastic week and throw off a prediction immensely. A bad week for a pitcher usually means one bad start, and even a horrendous outing won't impede a pitcher's stats quite as much. So I feel safe in making predictions. Maybe later in the season, or even during the post-season I'll make a final MVP call. But right now, I'll put my proverbial money where my physical mouth is. The A.L. Cy Young winner will be, David Price. The N.L. Cy Young winner will be, Roy Halladay. Could I be wrong? Most definitely. You'll just have to keep watching, and reading, to find out.
Today, we are going to discuss potential winners of the Cy Young award in 2010. The reason I combined the Cy Young award with the lame duck term is because neither Tim Lincecum of the S.F. Giants, nor the Kansas City Royals' Zach Greinke are going to repeat as Cy Young winners this year. So does everyone see why the title kind of makes sense? Good. Now why won't Lincecum or Greinke win? While neither pitcher has had a terrible year, there are just far too many other pitchers in both leagues that are outperforming these two.
Greinke will pitch over 200 innings, start at least 30 games, most likely keep his ERA under 4.00 and strikeout somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 batters this year. Unfortunately for Zach, the Royals, as we've mentioned in a previous blog, didn't have the power in the lineup to provide enough run support during his games. And to be honest, Zach just hasn't pitch that great this year. Lincecum has also run into occasional trouble, getting roughed up in several stretches throughout this season. However Tim still has a winning record, going 13-9 with a 3.69 ERA, and he will strikeout over 200 while throwing 200 innings. Quality stuff, but not nearly enough to compete for the Cy Young this year.
Who will unseat these gentleman this year? Let's start in the American League, where there are some great pitchers competing for the spotlight. 'King' Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners is leading the A.L. in both innings pitched (225.2), and ERA (2.39) but with an 11-11 record, there is little chance that he'll take the Cy Young when voting time comes. Felix can hardly be blamed by his offense not backing him up, but dems da breaks. Similarly, Jered Weaver of the Angels is having a great year, but 11-11 just doesn't cut it. There's Justin Verlander, who's 15-8, with a 3.53 ERA and 179Ks for Detroit. Not bad. L.A. Angel Ervin Santana is 16-9, but a 4.00 ERA is a little high. The Twins' Carl Pavano is 16-11 and has served as an ace for Minnesota. And there's the big teddy bear, C.C. Sabathia of the Yanks who is currently 19-6 with a 3.14 and 170Ks. All these men are extremely fine candidates.
There are some fellas mixed in that you wouldn't expect also. Take for instance C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers. In his first full season as a starting pitcher, C.J. has excelled, going 14-6 with a quality 3.25 ERA. He's kept pace with some of the best pitchers in the batter-happy American League. And while we are in the A.L. West, we have to discuss Trevor Cahill. In just his second season, the Oakland SP is 16-6 with a ridiculously low 2.61 ERA. While he doesn't strikeout a lot of guys, he manages to pitch to his strengths and that of the ballpark in order to pile up the wins. Cahill's rotation partner Gio Gonzalez has also been outstanding, going 14-8 with a 3.16 ERA, and we should mention he's won his last four games. And then there's David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first year as the true ace of the pitching staff, Price has shined, going 17-6 with a 2.87 ERA thus far. The guy can throw 98-mph and if anyone can give C.C. serious competition for the A.L. Cy Young this year, it's Price.
Of course two guys from Boston may have something to say about that. Jon Lester has won at least 15 games for the third year in a row to become the legitimate ace of the Red Sox's staff. His 2010 campaign has seen him pitch a 3.26 ERA to a 16-8 record, and he will strikeout another 200-plus hitters this year. Joining him atop the Boston rotation is Clay Bucholz, who for the first time in his career has a win total in the double digits. At just 25, Bucholz is having a career year, going 15-7 while tossing a minuscule 2.53 ERA. If Boston had not incurred so many injuries this year, these two guys might have been leading this team to the playoffs and potentially a World Series. But as it stands, Boston will most likely miss out on the post-season, and Lester and Bucholz might lose out on the Cy Young as a result.
If you thought the American League had all the great pitching, just check out the National League. There are plenty of veteran stars making strong runs for a Cy Young award. Roy 'Doc' Halladay is pitching his mind out in Philly, posting an 18-10 record with an outstanding 2.44 ERA and 201Ks. And to throw some extra stats into the mix, Roy has also thrown 8 complete games, one of which was a perfect game. However, Adam Wainwright is matching Roy almost step for step. While Wainwright can't claim a perfect game, he has an identical record so far, with an even better 2.38 ERA and has only 10 less strikeouts. Wainwright's fellow Cardinal, Chris Carpenter, is also having a fantastic year, going 15-6, and throwing a 3.09 ERA. Meanwhile, Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves has come back from injury with a bang, recording a line of 15-7 with a mere 2.41 ERA. He's had two rough outings in a row, but Hudson is still haven't a dynamite year. Do you see why this is being called the year of the pitcher?
But the talent storm doesn't stop there. Mat Latos of the San Diego Padres is leading all Major League pitchers with a 2.21 ERA, and posting a great 14-5 record to boot. There are more than a half-dozen other pitchers with a sub-3 ERA as well. They might not have the record to serious compete for the Cy Young, but we should mention them anyway. There's Josh Johnson of the Marlins (who unfortunately will sit out the rest of the season due to a back sprain), Brett 'Assault and Battery' Meyers of the Astros, Rookie of the Year candidate Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals, Roy Oswalt and his resurgence with the Phillies, Johan Santana (also out for the year with an injury) and R.A. Dickey of the Mets, and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. This is one of the best seasons of pitching in possibly a decade or more. And I haven't even mentioned Ubaldo Jimenez. Ok, that's not true, I've mentioned him a lot this year in other blogs. But the man is still probably the leading candidate for the Cy Young. Even though he's only gone 3-5 since the All-Star break, Ubaldo is still 18-6 with a 2.75 ERA and 186 strikeouts. He's also thrown the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies' history and set a club-record in wins. This is pretty incredible year for Ubaldo, and all of these other talented starters.
So who will take home the hardware when all is said and done? While I usually don't make picks this early, you'll notice I kept my opinions quiet when it came to MVPs, but I will actually make a prediction for Cy Young. Why now, and not then. Well for starters, we are slightly closer to the end of the season. And additionally, starters play once every five or six days, whereas position players play everyday. Therefore, there is a much larger chance for a MVP candidate to falter or have a fantastic week and throw off a prediction immensely. A bad week for a pitcher usually means one bad start, and even a horrendous outing won't impede a pitcher's stats quite as much. So I feel safe in making predictions. Maybe later in the season, or even during the post-season I'll make a final MVP call. But right now, I'll put my proverbial money where my physical mouth is. The A.L. Cy Young winner will be, David Price. The N.L. Cy Young winner will be, Roy Halladay. Could I be wrong? Most definitely. You'll just have to keep watching, and reading, to find out.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Saves the Day
As I've mentioned a few times this year, it is quite often the case when major events happen in a short time span. Sometimes monumental moments happen on the same night, or within a day or two of each other. So it was again recently as two Hall of Fame players set career records, and solidified a place in history. Those two players were Milwaukee Brewers' reliever Trevor Hoffman, and Minnesota Twin's DH Jim Thome.
What did these players do to illicit such a response? Well for starters let's discuss Trevor's accomplishment. On Tuesday September 7th, Hoffman threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Brewers to collect his 600th career save. This is remarkable because no one in Major League Baseball history has done this before. Now it is true that saves have been an official statistical category since only 1969, but the style of the game was such that saves were not often collected, especially by a designated 'closer' pitcher. Besides that, websites like Baseball-reference.com have actually gone back and collected unofficial save data all the way back to 1871. So it is conclusive beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hoffman is the first ever to accomplish this feat.
Consider now how difficult it is to close down another team, especially when only one or two runs separates a win from a loss. One misplaced pitch can be driven over the wall by a power bat, completely changing an outcome. It is a closer's job to come in and completely shut down the opposing team. And that is what Trevor Hoffman was best at. I say 'was' because this year has not been kind to Trevor. With a mere 9 saves and an ERA of 6.09, Hoffman's night was a bright spot in a mediocre send-off season. But let's forgive the man. It is his 18th season after all.
Think about that as well. Eighteen seasons, all but two of them with the San Diego Padres, of dominating opposing batters with a slow, sinking change-up that hitters and other pitchers alike have called possibly the best pitch of its kind, ever. Philadelphia Phillies' starter Cole Hamels actually spent time with Hoffman a few years back, just to learn the art of the change-up from the master pitcher. For years Trevor Hoffman was consistently near the top of the leaderboards, and that is the reason he was celebrated on Tuesday night. His longevity and domination are something that most closers can't match today. There are and have been some fantastic guys with lights-out stuff, but few have been able to sustain that success, whether due to injuries, ineffectiveness, conversion to another role, or just the tolls of age. But Hoffman was able to outlast all that.
It is possible that Hoffman's title may only exist for a short time period, though. Hoffman's career may very well end after this season is over. However, Mariano Rivera, the N.Y. Yankees' historic closer is currently sitting at 555 career saves. Rivera is only two years younger than Hoffman though, and at 40 years old, he might call it a career after 2010 as well. But if Rivera decides that he does want to play for another year, or two, then Hoffman's record will be under serious threat. If it proves that Mariano can't defeat Hoffman, though, I doubt any one ever will. That's how impressive this record is. It will go down as one of the greatest career accomplishments in baseball history, and it guarantees Trevor Hoffman a spot in Cooperstown in the near future.
The other historic event that happened recently was Jim Thome passing Mark McGwire for ninth place all-time on the career homerun record. Big Jim wasn't done there. He then tied Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson for eight all-time with 586 mashers, and will most likely pass Frank sometime this year. Not only that, but #585 was hit 480ft, the longest homerun of Thome's legendary career. And he's done this while filling a critical role for the American League Central leaders, the Minnesota Twins. That same homerun, it was a walk-off to win the game. That's what Big Jim does, he hits the ball in critical situations, and he hits it hard. He's done it his whole career, but does that punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame?
Well let's take a look at some of Thome's other stats. He has over 2200 hits to go along with his 586 homers. He has 428 doubles, he ranks 30th all-time with 1617 RBI, and he's 46th overall in total bases, which ranks higher than Hall-of-Famers Mike Schmidt, Wille McCovey, and Tony Gwynn. Thome has done all this while never having his name attached to steroid controversy in his 20-season career. Add in a lovable personality and a do-or-die attitude, and you have yourself one of the best all-around players to ever play the game. Now of course, there are people who say that off-the-field stuff doesn't matter, and that Jim's numbers aren't a lock for Cooperstown. But I defy that and say that Jim Thome deserves to have his likeness retired in the halls of greatness. Call me sentimental, call me a fool, just don't call me late for dinner. Congratulations to both Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman on tremendous accomplishments. Whether your careers' continue to thrive, or this is your curtain-call, it's been incredibly fun to watch you play your game. Thanks.
What did these players do to illicit such a response? Well for starters let's discuss Trevor's accomplishment. On Tuesday September 7th, Hoffman threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Brewers to collect his 600th career save. This is remarkable because no one in Major League Baseball history has done this before. Now it is true that saves have been an official statistical category since only 1969, but the style of the game was such that saves were not often collected, especially by a designated 'closer' pitcher. Besides that, websites like Baseball-reference.com have actually gone back and collected unofficial save data all the way back to 1871. So it is conclusive beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hoffman is the first ever to accomplish this feat.
Consider now how difficult it is to close down another team, especially when only one or two runs separates a win from a loss. One misplaced pitch can be driven over the wall by a power bat, completely changing an outcome. It is a closer's job to come in and completely shut down the opposing team. And that is what Trevor Hoffman was best at. I say 'was' because this year has not been kind to Trevor. With a mere 9 saves and an ERA of 6.09, Hoffman's night was a bright spot in a mediocre send-off season. But let's forgive the man. It is his 18th season after all.
Think about that as well. Eighteen seasons, all but two of them with the San Diego Padres, of dominating opposing batters with a slow, sinking change-up that hitters and other pitchers alike have called possibly the best pitch of its kind, ever. Philadelphia Phillies' starter Cole Hamels actually spent time with Hoffman a few years back, just to learn the art of the change-up from the master pitcher. For years Trevor Hoffman was consistently near the top of the leaderboards, and that is the reason he was celebrated on Tuesday night. His longevity and domination are something that most closers can't match today. There are and have been some fantastic guys with lights-out stuff, but few have been able to sustain that success, whether due to injuries, ineffectiveness, conversion to another role, or just the tolls of age. But Hoffman was able to outlast all that.
It is possible that Hoffman's title may only exist for a short time period, though. Hoffman's career may very well end after this season is over. However, Mariano Rivera, the N.Y. Yankees' historic closer is currently sitting at 555 career saves. Rivera is only two years younger than Hoffman though, and at 40 years old, he might call it a career after 2010 as well. But if Rivera decides that he does want to play for another year, or two, then Hoffman's record will be under serious threat. If it proves that Mariano can't defeat Hoffman, though, I doubt any one ever will. That's how impressive this record is. It will go down as one of the greatest career accomplishments in baseball history, and it guarantees Trevor Hoffman a spot in Cooperstown in the near future.
The other historic event that happened recently was Jim Thome passing Mark McGwire for ninth place all-time on the career homerun record. Big Jim wasn't done there. He then tied Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson for eight all-time with 586 mashers, and will most likely pass Frank sometime this year. Not only that, but #585 was hit 480ft, the longest homerun of Thome's legendary career. And he's done this while filling a critical role for the American League Central leaders, the Minnesota Twins. That same homerun, it was a walk-off to win the game. That's what Big Jim does, he hits the ball in critical situations, and he hits it hard. He's done it his whole career, but does that punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame?
Well let's take a look at some of Thome's other stats. He has over 2200 hits to go along with his 586 homers. He has 428 doubles, he ranks 30th all-time with 1617 RBI, and he's 46th overall in total bases, which ranks higher than Hall-of-Famers Mike Schmidt, Wille McCovey, and Tony Gwynn. Thome has done all this while never having his name attached to steroid controversy in his 20-season career. Add in a lovable personality and a do-or-die attitude, and you have yourself one of the best all-around players to ever play the game. Now of course, there are people who say that off-the-field stuff doesn't matter, and that Jim's numbers aren't a lock for Cooperstown. But I defy that and say that Jim Thome deserves to have his likeness retired in the halls of greatness. Call me sentimental, call me a fool, just don't call me late for dinner. Congratulations to both Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman on tremendous accomplishments. Whether your careers' continue to thrive, or this is your curtain-call, it's been incredibly fun to watch you play your game. Thanks.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Back to the Future
Good news everyone! Back To The Future is going to be re-released in theaters for its 25th anniversary. Only not in America. Whaaa? Yup, the American classic will only be seen over seas. Good job Hollywood. But movies are not what this blog is about. It's about baseball, and when I use Back to the Future as a title, it's because there are some stories in baseball about people and organizations taking lessons from the past in order to prosper in the future. I know this is not a literal interpretation of what happened in the movie, but allow me some creative freedom.
Who are these people and organizations, one might ask. Another one, me, might answer for instance with Buck Showalter. Buck is turning back the clock in Baltimore for his latest managerial role. Now that Buck is steering the Orioles' ship, he's been able to make a few course corrections. Since taking over as manager, the O's are 19-13. While this really has no bearing on the 2010 season, as it is already lost at sea, it gives the players, front-office and fan-base reason to hope. And Orioles fans are in need of some hope. The team hasn't had a winning season since 1997 and Buck is the 7th man to manage the team in the last 13 years. What the front-office believes Buck Showalter can bring is a sense of stability, preparation and mentoring that has been missing throughout the years. And perhaps most importantly of all, Showalter does not tolerate drama. He famously feuded with Alex Rodriguez in 2003 while he was the manager of Texas, which just happens to be the same year A-Rod admitted he took steroids. So Buck hopes to learn from his past managerial experience with the N.Y. Yankees, the Arizona D-Backs and the Texas Rangers to improve the Baltimore Orioles club. They have plenty of talent, but can he mold them into a winning team? They are in a tough division to attempt it, but hard-nosed coaches often lead hard-nosed teams into unexpected places. The future is starting to look a little brighter in Baltimore.
One specific player that might have to go back, in order to move forward is Nyger Morgan of the Washington Nationals. This is a young man who needs to go back to the minors, learn how the game is played the right way, grow up, and then come back to the MLB. Bad attitudes come and go in all sports and sometimes they stick around. Unfortunately it seems like every player in the NFL has a bad attitude these days, but I'm sure the drugs they pump into the players have something to do with that. But baseball has always been a little more tame. The game was considered a little more high-brow during its inception, and even today it's considered a more cerebral game than football, hockey or basketball. But from time to time, morons like Nyger Morgan go out and let every emotion they have shine through and bring it onto the field. Now I love when players have passion. But there is a huge difference between passion for the game, and emotional outbursts. For instance, if you have to railroad a catcher blocking the plate, so be it. It's part of the game. But Nyger Morgan blantantly ran into Bryan Anderson during a game with the Cardinals a couple weeks ago, which could have sparked a brawl, had cooler heads not prevailed. And this play actually resulted in Morgan being called out instead of scoring a run, because he never touched home-plate before another Nat player touched him, therefore interference was called. Manager Jim Riggleman then took Morgan out of the next game because he knew that the Cardinals were going to throw at him. Are you kidding me? He's not a child. If he screws with an opposing team, they can screw with him back. You can't hide him away from taking responsibility for what he did. That just encourages him to do whatever he wants and get away with it. You're an idiot Jim Riggleman.
Then while playing in Philadelphia recently, Morgan threw a ball at a fan with what many people think was an intent to hit the person, only to hit someone else instead. Now I'm the first person to admit that some Philly fans are pretty obnoxious, but you don't intentionally try and hurt somebody by throwing a ball at them, especially a fan. He was suspended for seven games after that event, but is appealing it. So if those two events weren't enough to show that Master Morgan needed a time-out in the corner, he decides to run into another catcher, this time Brett Hayes of the Florida Marlins. While this play was a little cleaner, Hayes had the ball and was blocking the plate, it was clear that Morgan had more intention to hurt Hayes then to knock the ball away and score. Hayes was hurt in the process and is now having shoulder issues. Marlins' pitcher Chris Volstad naturally responded the next day by throwing at Morgan to let him know he shouldn't mess with the Marlins. Morgan, again having a head full of steam, charged the mound after a second attempt to hit him missed. After 1B Gaby Sanchez close-lined Morgan, and a bench-clearing brawl ensued. Nyger wasn't done making a fool out of himself, though. He taunted the crowd while he was escorted off the field.
I've taken the time to highlight all of these transgressions because it's just not enough to say he's a dirty player, or an idiot. The public and more importantly his own team needs to recognize that these plays are the sign of an immature player who can't think clearly enough to know how his actions will hurt the organization. And the Nationals have not responded well. Riggleman actually came out and defended Morgan for charging the mound. Jim Riggleman, you want someone like this on your team? The Nationals need to take a step back, and first realize what kind of organization they want to be before they can move forward. With Stephen Strasburg out for most or all of 2011, the Nationals are not going to be what they thought for next year, which means another season of putting pieces together. Will Morgan be one of those pieces? It's not for me to say, but I know one thing, players of Morgan's ilk need to go back and learn a few things about the game and life in general before they can succeed in the future. Maybe the Washington Nationals do too.
Another organization that needs to get a clue is the N.Y. Mets. I haven't written about my team in a while, so forgive me if I seem a little bias in my comments. This team needs an overhaul, and it looks like they just might get one. In recent days GM Omar Minaya has been making comments that he'd be happy scouting for the club, and that is his true passion and blah, blah, blah. What does this mean? It means that someone told him he will be demoted to scouting next year, or that he won't be the general manager anymore and he's trying to make it seem like it's his choice. This is the kind of childish behavior that the Mets need to part ways with. A professional sports franchise should be more honest. Omar hasn't been a good GM fit for the Mets. I'll admit he brought in some good talent, but in all consideration, the team got worse under Minaya's watch. The Mets ownership should therefore be up-front with the media and the fan-base. 'We aren't going to compete for a year or two. We need to rebuild. We are cleaning house.' But no, they will drag their feet, string the fans along, cut budget and delay the inevitable.
Meanwhile some rookies are showing promise. However, without the right coaching staff behind them, they might flounder, never reaching full potential. Ike Davis, for example, is an athletic first-baseman with a power bat. But unless he gets a good hitting coach, he might stumble in his early years. Years he can never get back. Is hitting coach Howard Johnson the right man to guide Davis? Well, considering that the Mets have the worst average in the game with runners in scoring position, I doubt it. How is this Johnson's fault? When one or two guys struggle, they might simply be in a slump. When the whole team struggles, there is something wrong with the preparation, or the instruction. As further proof, one can point to the fact that the Mets are ranked 24th in baseball in average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Meaning, the bats aren't getting it done, something any Mets fan can tell you by watching a game. Am I wrong since the Mets just put up 18 runs and 21 hits against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday? No, that was an anomaly. The facts are that since August 1st the Mets have scored 5 runs or less 25 out of 32 games. This is a sign that the hitting coach isn't doing his job.
While we are discussing coaches, blame can be laid out on Jerry Manuel as well. Granted, he doesn't put the team together in the way Minaya does, but he does have to coach whoever he gets. Manuel is a calm man, and he has lots of calm players around him. There isn't much passion on the Mets bench, especially with Jeff Francoeur out of the picture. So when things aren't going right, as they haven't been for several seasons now, a calm demeanor can be either incredibly beneficial, or extremely detrimental. In the case of the Mets, I think it's the latter. The passion to win and fight and succeed may reside in the players somewhere, but it's repressed. Getting close, but never reaching the intended goal as become such a norm in Queens that the players aren't responding. A new, passionate manager might be enough to stir things up for New York's other team.
But the roster needs to change too. Not every rookie that has played this year is doing well. Infielder Ruben Tejada just had a career day versus the Cubs, but he's still batting a pathetic .193. Carlos Beltran either came back from his surgery too early, or just might not have it anymore. Luis Castillo definitely doesn't have it anymore, at least not as an everyday player. And yet the Mets are stuck with these under-performing players in bad contracts. Pitcher Oliver Perez will make $12 million next year, and he has no role. He can't start. He's bad out of the bullpen. He can't be sent down to the minors, and he's almost untradeable. Francisco Rodriguez might serve time in jail for all we know, and his bad attitude has hurt the team in emotional and financial ways. Jose Reyes is a key player, but he's hurt often, and the Mets can't afford to invest in someone that can't play 140 games a year. These are all massive problems. In order to fix things, the Mets need to regroup, understand what kind of team they want to be, and move on from there. For instance, the team just built a beautiful new ballpark, perfect for triples and speedy players, but instead Minaya signed Jason Bay who can only hit 30+ homeruns in a band-box like Fenway. Please, I'm begging as a Mets fan, stop spending money on giant free-agent contracts, and find guys with average and speed. In probably the most obvious case in this blog, the Mets ownership needs to take a step back, in order to proceed to the future.
Who are these people and organizations, one might ask. Another one, me, might answer for instance with Buck Showalter. Buck is turning back the clock in Baltimore for his latest managerial role. Now that Buck is steering the Orioles' ship, he's been able to make a few course corrections. Since taking over as manager, the O's are 19-13. While this really has no bearing on the 2010 season, as it is already lost at sea, it gives the players, front-office and fan-base reason to hope. And Orioles fans are in need of some hope. The team hasn't had a winning season since 1997 and Buck is the 7th man to manage the team in the last 13 years. What the front-office believes Buck Showalter can bring is a sense of stability, preparation and mentoring that has been missing throughout the years. And perhaps most importantly of all, Showalter does not tolerate drama. He famously feuded with Alex Rodriguez in 2003 while he was the manager of Texas, which just happens to be the same year A-Rod admitted he took steroids. So Buck hopes to learn from his past managerial experience with the N.Y. Yankees, the Arizona D-Backs and the Texas Rangers to improve the Baltimore Orioles club. They have plenty of talent, but can he mold them into a winning team? They are in a tough division to attempt it, but hard-nosed coaches often lead hard-nosed teams into unexpected places. The future is starting to look a little brighter in Baltimore.
One specific player that might have to go back, in order to move forward is Nyger Morgan of the Washington Nationals. This is a young man who needs to go back to the minors, learn how the game is played the right way, grow up, and then come back to the MLB. Bad attitudes come and go in all sports and sometimes they stick around. Unfortunately it seems like every player in the NFL has a bad attitude these days, but I'm sure the drugs they pump into the players have something to do with that. But baseball has always been a little more tame. The game was considered a little more high-brow during its inception, and even today it's considered a more cerebral game than football, hockey or basketball. But from time to time, morons like Nyger Morgan go out and let every emotion they have shine through and bring it onto the field. Now I love when players have passion. But there is a huge difference between passion for the game, and emotional outbursts. For instance, if you have to railroad a catcher blocking the plate, so be it. It's part of the game. But Nyger Morgan blantantly ran into Bryan Anderson during a game with the Cardinals a couple weeks ago, which could have sparked a brawl, had cooler heads not prevailed. And this play actually resulted in Morgan being called out instead of scoring a run, because he never touched home-plate before another Nat player touched him, therefore interference was called. Manager Jim Riggleman then took Morgan out of the next game because he knew that the Cardinals were going to throw at him. Are you kidding me? He's not a child. If he screws with an opposing team, they can screw with him back. You can't hide him away from taking responsibility for what he did. That just encourages him to do whatever he wants and get away with it. You're an idiot Jim Riggleman.
Then while playing in Philadelphia recently, Morgan threw a ball at a fan with what many people think was an intent to hit the person, only to hit someone else instead. Now I'm the first person to admit that some Philly fans are pretty obnoxious, but you don't intentionally try and hurt somebody by throwing a ball at them, especially a fan. He was suspended for seven games after that event, but is appealing it. So if those two events weren't enough to show that Master Morgan needed a time-out in the corner, he decides to run into another catcher, this time Brett Hayes of the Florida Marlins. While this play was a little cleaner, Hayes had the ball and was blocking the plate, it was clear that Morgan had more intention to hurt Hayes then to knock the ball away and score. Hayes was hurt in the process and is now having shoulder issues. Marlins' pitcher Chris Volstad naturally responded the next day by throwing at Morgan to let him know he shouldn't mess with the Marlins. Morgan, again having a head full of steam, charged the mound after a second attempt to hit him missed. After 1B Gaby Sanchez close-lined Morgan, and a bench-clearing brawl ensued. Nyger wasn't done making a fool out of himself, though. He taunted the crowd while he was escorted off the field.
I've taken the time to highlight all of these transgressions because it's just not enough to say he's a dirty player, or an idiot. The public and more importantly his own team needs to recognize that these plays are the sign of an immature player who can't think clearly enough to know how his actions will hurt the organization. And the Nationals have not responded well. Riggleman actually came out and defended Morgan for charging the mound. Jim Riggleman, you want someone like this on your team? The Nationals need to take a step back, and first realize what kind of organization they want to be before they can move forward. With Stephen Strasburg out for most or all of 2011, the Nationals are not going to be what they thought for next year, which means another season of putting pieces together. Will Morgan be one of those pieces? It's not for me to say, but I know one thing, players of Morgan's ilk need to go back and learn a few things about the game and life in general before they can succeed in the future. Maybe the Washington Nationals do too.
Another organization that needs to get a clue is the N.Y. Mets. I haven't written about my team in a while, so forgive me if I seem a little bias in my comments. This team needs an overhaul, and it looks like they just might get one. In recent days GM Omar Minaya has been making comments that he'd be happy scouting for the club, and that is his true passion and blah, blah, blah. What does this mean? It means that someone told him he will be demoted to scouting next year, or that he won't be the general manager anymore and he's trying to make it seem like it's his choice. This is the kind of childish behavior that the Mets need to part ways with. A professional sports franchise should be more honest. Omar hasn't been a good GM fit for the Mets. I'll admit he brought in some good talent, but in all consideration, the team got worse under Minaya's watch. The Mets ownership should therefore be up-front with the media and the fan-base. 'We aren't going to compete for a year or two. We need to rebuild. We are cleaning house.' But no, they will drag their feet, string the fans along, cut budget and delay the inevitable.
Meanwhile some rookies are showing promise. However, without the right coaching staff behind them, they might flounder, never reaching full potential. Ike Davis, for example, is an athletic first-baseman with a power bat. But unless he gets a good hitting coach, he might stumble in his early years. Years he can never get back. Is hitting coach Howard Johnson the right man to guide Davis? Well, considering that the Mets have the worst average in the game with runners in scoring position, I doubt it. How is this Johnson's fault? When one or two guys struggle, they might simply be in a slump. When the whole team struggles, there is something wrong with the preparation, or the instruction. As further proof, one can point to the fact that the Mets are ranked 24th in baseball in average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Meaning, the bats aren't getting it done, something any Mets fan can tell you by watching a game. Am I wrong since the Mets just put up 18 runs and 21 hits against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday? No, that was an anomaly. The facts are that since August 1st the Mets have scored 5 runs or less 25 out of 32 games. This is a sign that the hitting coach isn't doing his job.
While we are discussing coaches, blame can be laid out on Jerry Manuel as well. Granted, he doesn't put the team together in the way Minaya does, but he does have to coach whoever he gets. Manuel is a calm man, and he has lots of calm players around him. There isn't much passion on the Mets bench, especially with Jeff Francoeur out of the picture. So when things aren't going right, as they haven't been for several seasons now, a calm demeanor can be either incredibly beneficial, or extremely detrimental. In the case of the Mets, I think it's the latter. The passion to win and fight and succeed may reside in the players somewhere, but it's repressed. Getting close, but never reaching the intended goal as become such a norm in Queens that the players aren't responding. A new, passionate manager might be enough to stir things up for New York's other team.
But the roster needs to change too. Not every rookie that has played this year is doing well. Infielder Ruben Tejada just had a career day versus the Cubs, but he's still batting a pathetic .193. Carlos Beltran either came back from his surgery too early, or just might not have it anymore. Luis Castillo definitely doesn't have it anymore, at least not as an everyday player. And yet the Mets are stuck with these under-performing players in bad contracts. Pitcher Oliver Perez will make $12 million next year, and he has no role. He can't start. He's bad out of the bullpen. He can't be sent down to the minors, and he's almost untradeable. Francisco Rodriguez might serve time in jail for all we know, and his bad attitude has hurt the team in emotional and financial ways. Jose Reyes is a key player, but he's hurt often, and the Mets can't afford to invest in someone that can't play 140 games a year. These are all massive problems. In order to fix things, the Mets need to regroup, understand what kind of team they want to be, and move on from there. For instance, the team just built a beautiful new ballpark, perfect for triples and speedy players, but instead Minaya signed Jason Bay who can only hit 30+ homeruns in a band-box like Fenway. Please, I'm begging as a Mets fan, stop spending money on giant free-agent contracts, and find guys with average and speed. In probably the most obvious case in this blog, the Mets ownership needs to take a step back, in order to proceed to the future.
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