Los Angeles seems to be the epicenter of the baseball world in recent days. Not only are there on-field stories that we'll get into later, but there have been some ugly incidents off the field as well. Now, if you don't know the name Frank McCourt, don't be embarrassed. Most fans don't know the names of owners of any team other than the one they root for, and even then it's not a given. Which is often a good thing, because owners in the news aren't usually good. And with that stipulation, let us begin the story of the L.A. Dodgers.
It has been a rough year for the Dodgers so far. First, Opening Day was marred by an act of violence by two Dodger fan thugs, who badly beat a San Francisco fan. This incident not only scarred the baseball world, but cast an terrible light on the city of L.A. In due fairness it must be said that these types of hooligan fans, while disgraceful and disgusting, are unfortunately in every city, so this isn't something specific to L.A. The team tried to recover from the ugly incident and get back to playing baseball, and they are doing a good job of that as they sit just three games back in the NL West right now.
Then the bombshell dropped that MLB commissioner Bud Selig was going to seize control of the franchise, and appoint a representative to oversee the day-to-day operations of the club. This was due primarily to the fact that McCourt had recently taken out a loan from Fox Entertainment Group to cover the $30 million April payroll of the team. This might have appeared underhanded to Mr. Selig as the Dodgers franchise was also in talks with Fox over $3 billion worth of TV rights for the club. Whatever Bud's reasons, he has now taken a step that few commissioners have ever dreamed of taking.
What could have led to just dire consequences for the millionaire owner of one of the most storied franchises in baseball? A divorce, plain and simple. Since his purchase of the team in 2004, Frank McCourt ran the Dodgers with his wife Jamie, who was the team CEO. October 14, 2009, it was announced that the couple was separating after 30 years of marriage. On October 22 of that year, Jamie was fired as the first female CEO of a baseball team resulting from the Dodgers missing the playoffs. Official divorce proceedings followed soon after. The resulting legalities became a stalemated and cantankerous brawl. Some of the odder characteristics of the battle according to the L.A. Times include: "side-by-side homes in Holmby Hills and Malibu, the Dodgers charging themselves millions in rent each year, the payments to Russian physicist Vladimir Shpunt for channeling positive thoughts to the team" and most recently an invalid legal agreement that would have given sole control of the team to Frank McCourt. It was upon this basis that Bud Selig must have seen the fruits of the franchises' doom, and chose to step in to save the team.
Whether the commissioner was justified in his move is argumentative. There are some who believe McCourt will sue Major League Baseball, and stands a good chance of winning seeing as how not every franchise is treated the same when it comes to financial issues. Take, for instance, the New York Mets. The Mets are in a legal struggle over some $1 billion worth of funds being sought by the trustee representing the Bernie Madoff victims. While Wilpon was a victim himself, the trustee claims that Wilpon knew of the Ponzi scheme and made money off of the other victims. Even with this case entrenched, the Mets still managed to get a short-term loan from Major League Baseball for $25 million dollars, which must be paid back by the end of the year. While the Wilpon ownership could fall into question in the coming months, it's interesting to see the differences in how the two teams were handled. Fred Wilpon is a personal friend of Bud Selig. To my knowledge, Frank McCourt is not. Did that have any bearing as to how the separate teams were approached by the commissioner's office? It's hard to see how it did not.
This was not the first time that the larger baseball world had to step in and help save the Dodgers franchise. There is a fantastic free article at www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=13668 that covers the complexities of early Dodger owner Charles Ebbets and his financial ills. Will this time be different, and can the Dodgers continue to succeed on the field as the ownership is such a state of limbo? "Business as usual" is what Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci is hearing out at Dodger Stadium, but with stars like Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier being due for large arbitration raises after this year, the money is going to talk. If a solid, bankable owner can't be found, the beloved Bums may be in for some rough years ahead.
Mr. Ethier is trying his best to make people forget about these woes for now. He is in the midst of a 19-game hitting streak, and looks like he is capable of much more. Ethier is an extremely solid hitter, and is batting at a blistering .388 clip right now. While he is still not even in the conversation for 56, it's always nice to dream that maybe one day somebody will get close to that record. Matt Kemp, meanwhile is on fire himself. Not literally of course, but he is leading both leagues with a .403 average, (Ethier is third) and is tied for third with 8 stolen bags already. It seems as though whatever mental hang-ups Kemp had last year are gone now. This could be due to new manager Don Mattingly, who Kemp reportedly gets along with much better than he did with Joe Torre. The bottom line is with Ethier and Kemp hitting the ball like there is no tomorrow, and with the starting rotation pitching quality starts, the Dodgers are on a current three-game winning streak, and could be a serious contender in the NL West.
And in case you were wondering, no this is not a National League only story. The L.A. Angels have been making a huge splash as well, although more positively aligned than the Dodgers. This is due mainly to Jeff Weaver and Dan Haren being nearly unbeatable so far this year. I say nearly because Haren did, in fact, get beat last night. However, he was undone by two costly errors, and by a stellar pitching opponent in Jon Lester. Regardless of that loss, Haren is still 4-1 with a minuscule 1.46 ERA. On the other side, Weaver is the games first 5-0 pitcher, and has been striking out everybody and their mommas. Weaver leads the majors in strikeouts with 39 already, while the other L.A. team's phenom Clayton Kershaw is second with 36. Haren is also fifth on that list with 33 Ks. Weaver and Haren are also second and fifth respectively on the ERA list right now, too. The Angels hitters are keeping pace with the league as they are second in total bases, which means they have plenty of opportunities to score. Having only scored 85 runs so far means that some of those chances are being squandering. The Angels have the third-best record in the AL, though, and sit just a half game back of the Texas Rangers in the West.
So it looks like things aren't all gloom and doom for the Los Angeles squadrons. The Dodgers will have tough times ahead, but if this move by the commissioner's office pays out, it could make for a seamless transition of the franchise, rather than a clumsy and expensive one. The performance of the team should be and is the biggest concern right now. The Angels aren't worried about finances, which leaves more opportunity to concentrate on baseball. Can Weaver and Haren keep up the outstanding pitching pace they have set forth, and can Kemp and Ethier maintain those hot bats? Only time will tell. April still has another week left, and there are months left to play.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Staff Infection
I know the title sounds a little gross, but I assure you this is not a medical post. Instead I'd like to take some time and discuss just what makes a good pitching staff. I want to examine how these elements can improve or diminish the other players on the team. We'll be looking at some of the best and worst rotations in the game. If there is a particular pitcher or team I leave out that you want me to discuss, just leave a comment or shoot me a message, and I'll try to get to them next time. For now, let's start the infection. That still sounds terrible.
It's not too surprising that the Oakland Athletics are finding success through their pitching thus far. They lead the majors in team ERA with a 2.59. The starting rotation wears the crown of this achievement as each man in the starting five has an ERA of 3.00 or below. Gio Gonzalez especially has been superb by giving up only 1 run in 19 innings of work, giving him an ERA of just 0.47. That is particularly odd since he has walked (12) only two less than he's struck out (14). Back to the point, though, the success of these young studs has been infectious, causing the next man to bump up his game to essentially compete with his own teammates for bragging rights. This atmosphere is now is some jeopardy as Mr. Perfect Dallas Braden is heading to the disabled list with a stiff left shoulder. Will losing one cog throw the Lean Green Machine into a tailspin?
It's hard to say. Some guys are crucial to a staff, even if they aren't the ace. Take Mark Buehrle for instance. He isn't necessarily the ace of the staff when it comes to pure pitching ability, or 'stuff' as most commentators call it. However, he is the emotional lynch pin to the White Sox' rotation. He is a solid pitcher, no doubt, but his on and off-field leadership, his gamesmanship, and his tireless efforts make him the keystone of that rotation. Jake Peavy goes down and the White Sox keep rolling. John Danks goes down and the rotation suffers greatly, but survives. If Mark Buehrle goes down, I don't believe anyone can fully step up to fill his shoes.
As further proof, look no further than the New York Mets right now. With Johan Santana in the rotation last year, Mike Pelfrey had a pretty good year being the number two. He had lots of early success, struggled late, but eventually had a 15-9 record with a 3.66 ERA. Now that Santana is out recovering from surgery, and it's up to Mike to be the number one man, it seems the pressure is too much, and Pelfrey is struggling mightily. In his first four starts Pelfrey has given up more than a run per inning and has walked more batters than he has struck out. Groundball pitcher or not, you can't walk that many guys and get away with it. And this failure has leached its way into the rest of the staff. R.A. Dickey and Jonathan Niese have attempted to step up to take some pressure off of the overworked bullpen, but have had troubles of their own; mainly due to Dickey's knuckleball not being as effective, and Niese only having two pitches. So one guy's hard time becomes everyone's hard time.
On the flipside, having a guy mature at just the right time can be a tremendous boost for the team. Just look at the Cleveland Indians. Having a dominating starting rotation has been making all the difference. Justin Masterson with his fastball, sinker, slider, change-up repertoire has pitched brilliantly in his first four games. This, in turn, allowed Fausto Carmona to have a trouble start, but not press to get out of it because the rest of the rotation needed him to be the immediate ace. See, even rock solid players falter, no matter what position they play. When they do it's nice for them to know that not everything will fall to crap in the time it takes them to set things right.
Another good example of this is the Texas Rangers. When the Rangers lost out on bringing Cliff Lee back, most professional analysts, and myself believed that this club would stumble to keep up with the better rotations in the division, not to mention the rest of the American League. Not only have they kept up, they been spectacular so far. They have the second-best team ERA in the game, and they owe this to guys taking over roles they weren't usually accustomed to. C.J. Wilson has been a certified ace, Matthew Harrison has been wonderfully effective, Derrick Holland has kept his end up, and new starter Alexi Ogando has been dynamite, pitching to a 2.33 ERA so far. The Rangers could soon have almost an embarrassment of riches as Brandon Webb is set for an impending return, as is Tommy Hunter who was very good last year. Texas will have the luxury of possibly easing Webb into a spot-starter role, or sending Ogando back to his normal eighth-inning role. Should Hunter or Webb falter, then Ogando will have had the experience and workload already, and can step back into the starting role.
We haven't even mentioned the more well known and established rotations in the league. The Phillies' Phantastic Phour as been just that, with only Lee and Cole Hamels having some minor hang-ups so far. The San Francisco Giants' two aces Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have both been unstoppable, even if rookie Madison Bumgarner has been getting smacked around a bit. The Angels' and Padres' staffs been great so far, and with the Angels keeping up the hitting, they've vaulted back into the AL West discussion rather quickly. Seattle has reason to hope as human giant Michael Pineda looks to be a dominate number two guy behind Felix Hernandez. Even the Milwaukee Brewers are keeping pace with everyone else, while Zach Greinke is still riding the pine.
Injuries always pop up though, and this year in particular looks like it might impact pitching staffs incredibly. As mentioned previously, Phil Hughes is out for some time, which means C.C. Sabathia has no room for error in the Bronx. Barry Zito being hurt for the Giants could add stress for Bumgarner to right his ship. Meanwhile Johnny Cueto needs to come back healthy, and soon, as Cincinnati has had to scores lots to overcome the bad pitching of Edison Volquez, Travis Wood, and Mike Leake. And now Leake was just arrested for shoplifting, so who the freak knows what that will do to the rotation.
So even when things are looking bright, the rug can be swept from under a team's feet rather quickly. Look no further than St. Louis and Adam Wainwright's injury to see that. The Cardinals are doing a great job offensively to make up the difference, but can that last a whole season? When a pitching staff is beleaguered, the offense has to take things over, and vice versa. Success in pitching, and hitting too, is infectious. It takes every guy involved to keep the whole thing moving. If one piece falls due to inability, illness or incarceration, then everything else is effected. So far this year, there have been some great rotations giving us quite a show. I hope that trend continues. Oh, and fear the beard.
It's not too surprising that the Oakland Athletics are finding success through their pitching thus far. They lead the majors in team ERA with a 2.59. The starting rotation wears the crown of this achievement as each man in the starting five has an ERA of 3.00 or below. Gio Gonzalez especially has been superb by giving up only 1 run in 19 innings of work, giving him an ERA of just 0.47. That is particularly odd since he has walked (12) only two less than he's struck out (14). Back to the point, though, the success of these young studs has been infectious, causing the next man to bump up his game to essentially compete with his own teammates for bragging rights. This atmosphere is now is some jeopardy as Mr. Perfect Dallas Braden is heading to the disabled list with a stiff left shoulder. Will losing one cog throw the Lean Green Machine into a tailspin?
It's hard to say. Some guys are crucial to a staff, even if they aren't the ace. Take Mark Buehrle for instance. He isn't necessarily the ace of the staff when it comes to pure pitching ability, or 'stuff' as most commentators call it. However, he is the emotional lynch pin to the White Sox' rotation. He is a solid pitcher, no doubt, but his on and off-field leadership, his gamesmanship, and his tireless efforts make him the keystone of that rotation. Jake Peavy goes down and the White Sox keep rolling. John Danks goes down and the rotation suffers greatly, but survives. If Mark Buehrle goes down, I don't believe anyone can fully step up to fill his shoes.
As further proof, look no further than the New York Mets right now. With Johan Santana in the rotation last year, Mike Pelfrey had a pretty good year being the number two. He had lots of early success, struggled late, but eventually had a 15-9 record with a 3.66 ERA. Now that Santana is out recovering from surgery, and it's up to Mike to be the number one man, it seems the pressure is too much, and Pelfrey is struggling mightily. In his first four starts Pelfrey has given up more than a run per inning and has walked more batters than he has struck out. Groundball pitcher or not, you can't walk that many guys and get away with it. And this failure has leached its way into the rest of the staff. R.A. Dickey and Jonathan Niese have attempted to step up to take some pressure off of the overworked bullpen, but have had troubles of their own; mainly due to Dickey's knuckleball not being as effective, and Niese only having two pitches. So one guy's hard time becomes everyone's hard time.
On the flipside, having a guy mature at just the right time can be a tremendous boost for the team. Just look at the Cleveland Indians. Having a dominating starting rotation has been making all the difference. Justin Masterson with his fastball, sinker, slider, change-up repertoire has pitched brilliantly in his first four games. This, in turn, allowed Fausto Carmona to have a trouble start, but not press to get out of it because the rest of the rotation needed him to be the immediate ace. See, even rock solid players falter, no matter what position they play. When they do it's nice for them to know that not everything will fall to crap in the time it takes them to set things right.
Another good example of this is the Texas Rangers. When the Rangers lost out on bringing Cliff Lee back, most professional analysts, and myself believed that this club would stumble to keep up with the better rotations in the division, not to mention the rest of the American League. Not only have they kept up, they been spectacular so far. They have the second-best team ERA in the game, and they owe this to guys taking over roles they weren't usually accustomed to. C.J. Wilson has been a certified ace, Matthew Harrison has been wonderfully effective, Derrick Holland has kept his end up, and new starter Alexi Ogando has been dynamite, pitching to a 2.33 ERA so far. The Rangers could soon have almost an embarrassment of riches as Brandon Webb is set for an impending return, as is Tommy Hunter who was very good last year. Texas will have the luxury of possibly easing Webb into a spot-starter role, or sending Ogando back to his normal eighth-inning role. Should Hunter or Webb falter, then Ogando will have had the experience and workload already, and can step back into the starting role.
We haven't even mentioned the more well known and established rotations in the league. The Phillies' Phantastic Phour as been just that, with only Lee and Cole Hamels having some minor hang-ups so far. The San Francisco Giants' two aces Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have both been unstoppable, even if rookie Madison Bumgarner has been getting smacked around a bit. The Angels' and Padres' staffs been great so far, and with the Angels keeping up the hitting, they've vaulted back into the AL West discussion rather quickly. Seattle has reason to hope as human giant Michael Pineda looks to be a dominate number two guy behind Felix Hernandez. Even the Milwaukee Brewers are keeping pace with everyone else, while Zach Greinke is still riding the pine.
Injuries always pop up though, and this year in particular looks like it might impact pitching staffs incredibly. As mentioned previously, Phil Hughes is out for some time, which means C.C. Sabathia has no room for error in the Bronx. Barry Zito being hurt for the Giants could add stress for Bumgarner to right his ship. Meanwhile Johnny Cueto needs to come back healthy, and soon, as Cincinnati has had to scores lots to overcome the bad pitching of Edison Volquez, Travis Wood, and Mike Leake. And now Leake was just arrested for shoplifting, so who the freak knows what that will do to the rotation.
So even when things are looking bright, the rug can be swept from under a team's feet rather quickly. Look no further than St. Louis and Adam Wainwright's injury to see that. The Cardinals are doing a great job offensively to make up the difference, but can that last a whole season? When a pitching staff is beleaguered, the offense has to take things over, and vice versa. Success in pitching, and hitting too, is infectious. It takes every guy involved to keep the whole thing moving. If one piece falls due to inability, illness or incarceration, then everything else is effected. So far this year, there have been some great rotations giving us quite a show. I hope that trend continues. Oh, and fear the beard.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Wild Ride
It certainly has been a strange two weeks to start off the Major League Baseball season. There have been major upsets, plenty of walk-offs, spectacular pitching performances and great power hitting displays thus far by a wide variety of teams and players. I've missed a lot as I've been busy with multiple theater projects at once, so if there is anything I forget to discuss, please just let me know and I will bring it up next time. So much to do, and so little time. Where to begin?
How about we start off this post with perhaps the most unexpected event of all; the Cleveland Indians winning. It is amazing how well the Indians are doing when one considers that there offensive production has been incredibly average so far. When ranked among all other MLB teams in almost every offensive category, they have consistent mid-level output. On the other hand, when one turns his/her sights to pitching it becomes clearer why the Tribe is so hot. They have let up only 91 hits to opposing teams so far which is the second-best in either league. Also, only 45 runs have been scored against them, (fourth-best), 8 homeruns have been allowed (tied for fifth-best), and the team ERA ranks 9th overall. This is due in large part to the contributions of Justin Masterson, who is 3-0 with a phenomenal 1.33 ERA thus far. The enormous 26-year-old right-hander has been keeping the ace role occupied while Fausto Carmona tries to rebound from a horrible first start, but who has been looking much better lately. Throw in some great pitching from Josh Tomlin and Mitch Talbot, and it's easy to see why the Tribe is 9-4, had a 7-game winning streak earlier, and are tied for tops in the American League Central.
Who are the Indians tied with, you ask? Well the Kansas City Royals, of course. The Royals seem to be winning in the reverse fashion as the Indians. Kansas City has been pitching well, but not great. The entire staff has given up 16 homeruns already, which is second in the AL only to Boston. (We'll get into that later.) The Royals have instead kept pace by putting up some surprising offensive numbers, including having the fourth-best team average, and being tied for the fourth-most runs in both leagues. Their 73 runs scored put them in the same company has power-hitting teams like the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, and the...St. Louis Cardinals?
Wait a second, I thought the Cardinals were sucking? Oh, how quickly the tides change when you get back an All-Star hitting left-fielder and your perennial MVP starts to actually see the ball again. The eastern team in Missouri has won three-straight, thanks in large part to the sudden reemergence of Lance Berkman. Berkman just had his second two-homerun night of the season versus the Dodgers, giving him 6 dingers for the year already. His .327 average and .377 OBP have been fantastic thus far and he hasn't been hampered by the bad defense that most people assumed would plague him in right-field. In fact, Berkman is probably the hottest hitting player in the game, second only to Mr. Troy Tulowitzki.
The Colorado Rockies shortstop has been ridiculously proficient so far this season, having hit 7 homeruns, hitting .354 with an OBP of .475. He leads all of baseball with 41 total bases, he's tied for second in RBI, and his defense has been second to none as Troy keeps proving he is the best shortstop in the game today. I know many consider Hanley Ramirez more physically talented. However, when you consider Troy's outstanding hitting so far this season, and add in his intangibles like leadership and attitude, Tulowitzki is hands down the better player.
Not all has been fun and games for the hitters, though. This year might soon be referred to as the Year of the DL, as it seems many major players have been sidelined by various ailments. The recently returned Matt Holliday had an appendectomy, as did White Sox DH Adam Dunn. Appendectomies are like this year's perfect game. Then there is Yunel Escobar's concussion, Grady Sizemore's and Chase Utley's slow recoveries from knee surgery, Tsuyoshi Nishioka's broken fibula, Evan Longoria's strained oblique, Ryan Zimmerman's abdominal strain, J.J. Hardy's oblique, Raphael Furcal's broken finger, Joe Mauer's leg virus, and Josh Hamilton's fractured shoulder. And that's just scratching the surface of the total amount of injuries to hitters.
Now consider that the pitchers are doing no better. Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy are still sidelined, Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens and Kris Medlan have strains keeping them out, Ubaldo Jimenez has a cracked cuticle, Scott Kazmir has a bad back, Randy Wells, Kevin Slowey, Andrew Cashner and Takashi Saito all have strains, and now Phil Hughes has a dead arm. While a lot of injuries occur during the season, it is helpful to remember that everyone has bumps and bruises, and injuries are a part of the game. However, with so many severe ailments like oblique strains to hitters and shoulder strains to pitchers, 2011 is turning out to be one for the medical record books.
There have been some definite bright spots early on, though, especially for pitchers. Jeff Weaver set a career-high with a very impressive 15 Ks in one game. My fantasy team thanks you Jeff. Tim Lincecum and Edwin Jackson also struck out 13, while Matt Garza had 12 and Cliff Lee whiffed 11. Dan Haren threw a 1-hit shutout the other day, while Jaime Garcia had a shutout earlier, and Jhoulys Chacin tossed one yesterday. Even Josh Beckett had a great pitching performance against the Yankees with 8 innings of 2-hit, 10 K baseball. This helped account for one of the two wins Boston has so far.
You heard me correctly. The Boston Red Sox still only have two wins, and it appears as though that early failure fluke thing is turning into something very, very real. It is still incredibly early, but there is plenty to be scared about right now in Beantown. Notably, that Boston's lineup is hitting only .224, which ranks 25th in baseball. Their 46 runs scored also ranks 25th, and their 89 total hits is tied for second-worst in the game. While I am quite confident that this lack of offensive production will not continue at this pace for much longer, the real concern comes from the pitching side of things.
Boston has the worst ERA in the game, with a staggering 6.79. That is nearly a full point higher than the second-worst team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Boston isn't giving up a ton of hits every game, they are letting the big hits take their toll, especially the long ball. Boston leads all of baseball with 79 runs allowed, and 21 homeruns given up. That is a horrible combination that will continue to win the team merely 2 out of every 12 games. I can only imagine how frustrated this is for GM Theo Epstein as he has done everything possible to put a dominant force on the field. And as much as I love Terry Francona, a good portion of blame must fall on him, as he keeps flip-flopping guys around in that lineup, instead of letting them get comfortable in one spot. It happened too much early already and now everyone is pressing to get out of the funk.
The Tampa Bay Rays have come out of their tailspin to win 4 games in a row, however. It certainly helped that they played Boston for a shortened series. But wins and loses haven't made up the entire baseball landscape. Some outstanding rookie performances by Orioles' Zach Britton, Mariners' Michael Pindea, and Ranger's Alexi Ogando have been keening some eyes on some early Rookie of the Year candidates. And perhaps most surprising of all was the retirement of one of the greatest hitters of this generation. Manny Ramirez decided to call it quits after just a handful of games with the Tampa Bay Rays. He retired not of his own volition, but because Major League Baseball found evidence of a second infraction against the drug policy. Since this would have been Manny's second time testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, he would have faced a 100-game suspension, effectively ending his potential last season.
Manny retires having played an incredible 19 seasons. He finishes with a career .312 average, 555 homeruns (14th all-time), 1831 RBI (18th all-time), 2574 hits, and an OBP of .411 (32nd all-time). Many are now questioning whether Manny is Hall of Fame material, which was brought up the first time he tested positive. A player having one positive test against him is bad enough for his reputation, but having two positive tests shows a lack of respect for the testing process and therefore baseball in general.
Not that Manny was ever one for respectful behavior. This is the man known for urinating inside Boston's Green Monster during a game. While his outlandish behavior such as slapping high five with a fan mid-play were deemed "Manny being Manny" by the beloved faithful who turned a blind eye to his childishness, it quickly worn thin when his bat became less effective in more recent years. He wore out his welcome in Boston, which seemed almost impossible just a few years prior, by saying essentially the town and team weren't worth his talented time. Meanwhile, L.A., Chicago and Tampa were never really his home.
So the question returns, 'Is Manny Hall of Fame material?' This could be an entire post in itself, but I don't feel like delving into the minutia that is the life of Manny Ramirez's antics. Let's sum up instead by saying Manny was a phenomenal hitter, and probably had the best eye for the strike zone I have ever seen in my life. He also was a dreadful left-fielder and didn't care enough about his own performance there, or about the team to improve his skill set. He was who he was and didn't change for anyone. He also tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs twice, which calls into question his power numbers. I have absolutely no doubt that Manny's average would have been about the same had he not taken drugs. But could he have blasted over 500 homers without them? Would he have been so feared by pitchers without that threat of putting one in the seats, instead of just hitting a single? I doubt it.
When I think of Manny Ramirez and the game of baseball, I get a little sad. He had an enormous amount of talent, and unfortunately a lot of it was in his head. Like others who have been caught using, I still look fondly on their on-field achievements as best as I can, because it's impossible to know what was done naturally or not. But Manny's terrible fielding, his attention-grabbing antics, and his disregard for those he played with really stick out more than they should for someone who is Hall of Fame bound. Will he ever make it in? I doubt it. But time is a great healer, and maybe one day in the near future, "Manny being Manny" will be inscribed on his bust.
How about we start off this post with perhaps the most unexpected event of all; the Cleveland Indians winning. It is amazing how well the Indians are doing when one considers that there offensive production has been incredibly average so far. When ranked among all other MLB teams in almost every offensive category, they have consistent mid-level output. On the other hand, when one turns his/her sights to pitching it becomes clearer why the Tribe is so hot. They have let up only 91 hits to opposing teams so far which is the second-best in either league. Also, only 45 runs have been scored against them, (fourth-best), 8 homeruns have been allowed (tied for fifth-best), and the team ERA ranks 9th overall. This is due in large part to the contributions of Justin Masterson, who is 3-0 with a phenomenal 1.33 ERA thus far. The enormous 26-year-old right-hander has been keeping the ace role occupied while Fausto Carmona tries to rebound from a horrible first start, but who has been looking much better lately. Throw in some great pitching from Josh Tomlin and Mitch Talbot, and it's easy to see why the Tribe is 9-4, had a 7-game winning streak earlier, and are tied for tops in the American League Central.
Who are the Indians tied with, you ask? Well the Kansas City Royals, of course. The Royals seem to be winning in the reverse fashion as the Indians. Kansas City has been pitching well, but not great. The entire staff has given up 16 homeruns already, which is second in the AL only to Boston. (We'll get into that later.) The Royals have instead kept pace by putting up some surprising offensive numbers, including having the fourth-best team average, and being tied for the fourth-most runs in both leagues. Their 73 runs scored put them in the same company has power-hitting teams like the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, and the...St. Louis Cardinals?
Wait a second, I thought the Cardinals were sucking? Oh, how quickly the tides change when you get back an All-Star hitting left-fielder and your perennial MVP starts to actually see the ball again. The eastern team in Missouri has won three-straight, thanks in large part to the sudden reemergence of Lance Berkman. Berkman just had his second two-homerun night of the season versus the Dodgers, giving him 6 dingers for the year already. His .327 average and .377 OBP have been fantastic thus far and he hasn't been hampered by the bad defense that most people assumed would plague him in right-field. In fact, Berkman is probably the hottest hitting player in the game, second only to Mr. Troy Tulowitzki.
The Colorado Rockies shortstop has been ridiculously proficient so far this season, having hit 7 homeruns, hitting .354 with an OBP of .475. He leads all of baseball with 41 total bases, he's tied for second in RBI, and his defense has been second to none as Troy keeps proving he is the best shortstop in the game today. I know many consider Hanley Ramirez more physically talented. However, when you consider Troy's outstanding hitting so far this season, and add in his intangibles like leadership and attitude, Tulowitzki is hands down the better player.
Not all has been fun and games for the hitters, though. This year might soon be referred to as the Year of the DL, as it seems many major players have been sidelined by various ailments. The recently returned Matt Holliday had an appendectomy, as did White Sox DH Adam Dunn. Appendectomies are like this year's perfect game. Then there is Yunel Escobar's concussion, Grady Sizemore's and Chase Utley's slow recoveries from knee surgery, Tsuyoshi Nishioka's broken fibula, Evan Longoria's strained oblique, Ryan Zimmerman's abdominal strain, J.J. Hardy's oblique, Raphael Furcal's broken finger, Joe Mauer's leg virus, and Josh Hamilton's fractured shoulder. And that's just scratching the surface of the total amount of injuries to hitters.
Now consider that the pitchers are doing no better. Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy are still sidelined, Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens and Kris Medlan have strains keeping them out, Ubaldo Jimenez has a cracked cuticle, Scott Kazmir has a bad back, Randy Wells, Kevin Slowey, Andrew Cashner and Takashi Saito all have strains, and now Phil Hughes has a dead arm. While a lot of injuries occur during the season, it is helpful to remember that everyone has bumps and bruises, and injuries are a part of the game. However, with so many severe ailments like oblique strains to hitters and shoulder strains to pitchers, 2011 is turning out to be one for the medical record books.
There have been some definite bright spots early on, though, especially for pitchers. Jeff Weaver set a career-high with a very impressive 15 Ks in one game. My fantasy team thanks you Jeff. Tim Lincecum and Edwin Jackson also struck out 13, while Matt Garza had 12 and Cliff Lee whiffed 11. Dan Haren threw a 1-hit shutout the other day, while Jaime Garcia had a shutout earlier, and Jhoulys Chacin tossed one yesterday. Even Josh Beckett had a great pitching performance against the Yankees with 8 innings of 2-hit, 10 K baseball. This helped account for one of the two wins Boston has so far.
You heard me correctly. The Boston Red Sox still only have two wins, and it appears as though that early failure fluke thing is turning into something very, very real. It is still incredibly early, but there is plenty to be scared about right now in Beantown. Notably, that Boston's lineup is hitting only .224, which ranks 25th in baseball. Their 46 runs scored also ranks 25th, and their 89 total hits is tied for second-worst in the game. While I am quite confident that this lack of offensive production will not continue at this pace for much longer, the real concern comes from the pitching side of things.
Boston has the worst ERA in the game, with a staggering 6.79. That is nearly a full point higher than the second-worst team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Boston isn't giving up a ton of hits every game, they are letting the big hits take their toll, especially the long ball. Boston leads all of baseball with 79 runs allowed, and 21 homeruns given up. That is a horrible combination that will continue to win the team merely 2 out of every 12 games. I can only imagine how frustrated this is for GM Theo Epstein as he has done everything possible to put a dominant force on the field. And as much as I love Terry Francona, a good portion of blame must fall on him, as he keeps flip-flopping guys around in that lineup, instead of letting them get comfortable in one spot. It happened too much early already and now everyone is pressing to get out of the funk.
The Tampa Bay Rays have come out of their tailspin to win 4 games in a row, however. It certainly helped that they played Boston for a shortened series. But wins and loses haven't made up the entire baseball landscape. Some outstanding rookie performances by Orioles' Zach Britton, Mariners' Michael Pindea, and Ranger's Alexi Ogando have been keening some eyes on some early Rookie of the Year candidates. And perhaps most surprising of all was the retirement of one of the greatest hitters of this generation. Manny Ramirez decided to call it quits after just a handful of games with the Tampa Bay Rays. He retired not of his own volition, but because Major League Baseball found evidence of a second infraction against the drug policy. Since this would have been Manny's second time testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, he would have faced a 100-game suspension, effectively ending his potential last season.
Manny retires having played an incredible 19 seasons. He finishes with a career .312 average, 555 homeruns (14th all-time), 1831 RBI (18th all-time), 2574 hits, and an OBP of .411 (32nd all-time). Many are now questioning whether Manny is Hall of Fame material, which was brought up the first time he tested positive. A player having one positive test against him is bad enough for his reputation, but having two positive tests shows a lack of respect for the testing process and therefore baseball in general.
Not that Manny was ever one for respectful behavior. This is the man known for urinating inside Boston's Green Monster during a game. While his outlandish behavior such as slapping high five with a fan mid-play were deemed "Manny being Manny" by the beloved faithful who turned a blind eye to his childishness, it quickly worn thin when his bat became less effective in more recent years. He wore out his welcome in Boston, which seemed almost impossible just a few years prior, by saying essentially the town and team weren't worth his talented time. Meanwhile, L.A., Chicago and Tampa were never really his home.
So the question returns, 'Is Manny Hall of Fame material?' This could be an entire post in itself, but I don't feel like delving into the minutia that is the life of Manny Ramirez's antics. Let's sum up instead by saying Manny was a phenomenal hitter, and probably had the best eye for the strike zone I have ever seen in my life. He also was a dreadful left-fielder and didn't care enough about his own performance there, or about the team to improve his skill set. He was who he was and didn't change for anyone. He also tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs twice, which calls into question his power numbers. I have absolutely no doubt that Manny's average would have been about the same had he not taken drugs. But could he have blasted over 500 homers without them? Would he have been so feared by pitchers without that threat of putting one in the seats, instead of just hitting a single? I doubt it.
When I think of Manny Ramirez and the game of baseball, I get a little sad. He had an enormous amount of talent, and unfortunately a lot of it was in his head. Like others who have been caught using, I still look fondly on their on-field achievements as best as I can, because it's impossible to know what was done naturally or not. But Manny's terrible fielding, his attention-grabbing antics, and his disregard for those he played with really stick out more than they should for someone who is Hall of Fame bound. Will he ever make it in? I doubt it. But time is a great healer, and maybe one day in the near future, "Manny being Manny" will be inscribed on his bust.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Panic Room and Contact
What do these two things have in common? Well besides both being Jodie Foster movies, they are two aspects that have characterized the start of the 2011 baseball season. There is always trepidation when a team does poorly at the start of the year, especially when that club is expected to do so well. At the same time, there are always clubs that exceed expectations right off the bat, (pun intended) and bring the offense early. No series encapsulates both sentiments more than the Texas Rangers opening home series versus the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox are not only my pick to win the American League East this year, but just about every professional analysts' choice to win the World Series. With good reason, too. They have a great rotation and a seemingly impenetrable lineup. Meanwhile the Texas Rangers are coming off their best season ever, a World Series trip, and are looking to repeat that success. So this was a wonderful first matchup to treat fans to on Opening Day. Things started off quickly as 9 combined runs were scored in the first four innings. Ian Kinsler led off the season with a solo homerun, while Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli joined Ian with round-trippers. This was the first time ever that Boston pitcher Jon Lester let up three homeruns in one game. The Rangers kept the heat up, added on and won 9-5.
In the second game the Rangers jumped on the Sox even earlier, putting up 9 runs against Boston in the first four innings, and finishing with 15 total runs. Again Kinsler led off the game with a solo shot, which is the first time that has ever happened in MLB history. Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba, and Adrian Beltre all went deep, as well. Then in the third game, the Rangers kept the antlers to a minimum, but still blasted four more homeruns by David Murphy, and again by Napoli, Kinsler and Cruz. The three homers each for Kinsler and Cruz also marked the first time in MLB history that two teammates each hit a homerun in the first three games of a season.
Things were looking so rough for the Red Sox that manager Terry Francona saw new left-fielder Carl Crawford pressing at the plate, and pushed him down to the 7th hole. In the third game of the season! Alright, let's pump the brakes for a second here people. I'll admit that this is certainly not the way to start a season out, and I should know, I'm a Mets fan. But even I know that while this series stings a little for the Boston pride, it's not the end of the world. If you listen to talk radio at all, though, Boston's season might as well be over. That's because fans, front-office people and even managers panic early and often. Sometimes there are reasons for it, and sometimes there aren't. It is understandable that Boston hit the wall against a spectacular hitting lineup. Few teams can contain the bats in Arlington, TX. However, patient baseball people know that Jon Lester will return to form, as will John Lackey and Clay Buchholz. The Boston Red Sox are still everyone's favorite, because in the end, those patient baseball people know that three games doesn't make up a season.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for a hot-hitting team at the begin of the season. Texas proved a lot of folks, including myself, wrong in doubting the Rangers have the tools to return to the World Series. Again, it's three games, so let's not get nuts. But when one team dominates another from start to finish, with both good pitching and excellent hitting, then that squad deserves a lot of respect. Texas isn't the only club doing it and doing it, and doing it well. The Chicago White Sox also showed off the contact side of our discussion by putting up 23 combined runs in the first two games of the season. Granted, these runs came against the not-too-good Cleveland Indians. You still have to play the games, though, and good teams are supposed to win against those who struggle. The New York Yankees also brought the lumber in their first home series against Detroit, while the Tigers returned the favor in the finale. Even San Francisco popped 10 runs after losing a spectacular pitching duel in game one between Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw.
The runs came in dramatic form as well, in this the first week of 2011 baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies open their season by coming back from 2 runs down in the 9th against the Houston Astros. The Cincinnati Reds also shocked the Milwaukee Brewers by coming back from 3 down, as Ramon Hernandez smacked a 3-run jack to win the game walk-off style. The Brewers, another club that is in a sudden panic mode, haven't won a game yet. The starting pitching hasn't held up, and the bats haven't come alive yet. In another three games, though, things could be complete turned around.
One team that actually has reason to worry is the Tampa Bay Rays. They were swept at home by a much improved Baltimore Orioles team. Getting swept wasn't the worst part, as third-baseman and star player Evan Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left oblique muscle, and could miss up to three weeks. The already deflated club is missing key members of the 2010 roster, and three weeks without the main cog of the machine is going to hurt the Rays in a profound way. A lot of responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of the young pitching staff to keep opponents' bats silent.
Besides the Orioles starting off well in all aspects of their game, there have been some other pleasant surprises around the league, too. The San Diego Padres took two away from the seemingly superior St. Louis Cardinals. The Cleveland Indians were able to put up a total of 20 runs in three games versus the White Sox. And most surprising and pleasantest of all, the young Pittsburgh Pirates hitters are off to a terrific start, and even showed some chutzpah by coming back to beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
In other news around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies' vaulted rotation has been everything it's been promised to be, as have the Atlanta Braves'. Zach Britton had a stellar major league debut by throwing 6 strong innings of 1-run baseball, while striking out six. Matt Garza attained a career-high in Ks with 12, but the Pirates managed their late rally to spoil his evening. And in a feel-good story, Joe Nathan returned to his closer role for the Minnesota Twins to save his first game since 2009. Hey, even my New York Metropolitans had two good games against the Florida Marlins!
So all is right in the world of baseball. The game we love is back in full swing. There has already been some high drama, excellent pitching and a lot of power early on. Mark Teixiera is on pace to hit 162 homeruns for crying out loud! Let's not panic about the record books just yet. Others are wringing their hands as success hasn't come as quickly as they would have liked. It's only been four days, though. This level of concern and admiration goes to show the passion that is involved in this sport and how the fans and those on the field want to win so badly. I'm so glad that baseball is back, and I hope you are too. I mean, you're reading this after all.
The Red Sox are not only my pick to win the American League East this year, but just about every professional analysts' choice to win the World Series. With good reason, too. They have a great rotation and a seemingly impenetrable lineup. Meanwhile the Texas Rangers are coming off their best season ever, a World Series trip, and are looking to repeat that success. So this was a wonderful first matchup to treat fans to on Opening Day. Things started off quickly as 9 combined runs were scored in the first four innings. Ian Kinsler led off the season with a solo homerun, while Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli joined Ian with round-trippers. This was the first time ever that Boston pitcher Jon Lester let up three homeruns in one game. The Rangers kept the heat up, added on and won 9-5.
In the second game the Rangers jumped on the Sox even earlier, putting up 9 runs against Boston in the first four innings, and finishing with 15 total runs. Again Kinsler led off the game with a solo shot, which is the first time that has ever happened in MLB history. Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba, and Adrian Beltre all went deep, as well. Then in the third game, the Rangers kept the antlers to a minimum, but still blasted four more homeruns by David Murphy, and again by Napoli, Kinsler and Cruz. The three homers each for Kinsler and Cruz also marked the first time in MLB history that two teammates each hit a homerun in the first three games of a season.
Things were looking so rough for the Red Sox that manager Terry Francona saw new left-fielder Carl Crawford pressing at the plate, and pushed him down to the 7th hole. In the third game of the season! Alright, let's pump the brakes for a second here people. I'll admit that this is certainly not the way to start a season out, and I should know, I'm a Mets fan. But even I know that while this series stings a little for the Boston pride, it's not the end of the world. If you listen to talk radio at all, though, Boston's season might as well be over. That's because fans, front-office people and even managers panic early and often. Sometimes there are reasons for it, and sometimes there aren't. It is understandable that Boston hit the wall against a spectacular hitting lineup. Few teams can contain the bats in Arlington, TX. However, patient baseball people know that Jon Lester will return to form, as will John Lackey and Clay Buchholz. The Boston Red Sox are still everyone's favorite, because in the end, those patient baseball people know that three games doesn't make up a season.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for a hot-hitting team at the begin of the season. Texas proved a lot of folks, including myself, wrong in doubting the Rangers have the tools to return to the World Series. Again, it's three games, so let's not get nuts. But when one team dominates another from start to finish, with both good pitching and excellent hitting, then that squad deserves a lot of respect. Texas isn't the only club doing it and doing it, and doing it well. The Chicago White Sox also showed off the contact side of our discussion by putting up 23 combined runs in the first two games of the season. Granted, these runs came against the not-too-good Cleveland Indians. You still have to play the games, though, and good teams are supposed to win against those who struggle. The New York Yankees also brought the lumber in their first home series against Detroit, while the Tigers returned the favor in the finale. Even San Francisco popped 10 runs after losing a spectacular pitching duel in game one between Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw.
The runs came in dramatic form as well, in this the first week of 2011 baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies open their season by coming back from 2 runs down in the 9th against the Houston Astros. The Cincinnati Reds also shocked the Milwaukee Brewers by coming back from 3 down, as Ramon Hernandez smacked a 3-run jack to win the game walk-off style. The Brewers, another club that is in a sudden panic mode, haven't won a game yet. The starting pitching hasn't held up, and the bats haven't come alive yet. In another three games, though, things could be complete turned around.
One team that actually has reason to worry is the Tampa Bay Rays. They were swept at home by a much improved Baltimore Orioles team. Getting swept wasn't the worst part, as third-baseman and star player Evan Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left oblique muscle, and could miss up to three weeks. The already deflated club is missing key members of the 2010 roster, and three weeks without the main cog of the machine is going to hurt the Rays in a profound way. A lot of responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of the young pitching staff to keep opponents' bats silent.
Besides the Orioles starting off well in all aspects of their game, there have been some other pleasant surprises around the league, too. The San Diego Padres took two away from the seemingly superior St. Louis Cardinals. The Cleveland Indians were able to put up a total of 20 runs in three games versus the White Sox. And most surprising and pleasantest of all, the young Pittsburgh Pirates hitters are off to a terrific start, and even showed some chutzpah by coming back to beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
In other news around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies' vaulted rotation has been everything it's been promised to be, as have the Atlanta Braves'. Zach Britton had a stellar major league debut by throwing 6 strong innings of 1-run baseball, while striking out six. Matt Garza attained a career-high in Ks with 12, but the Pirates managed their late rally to spoil his evening. And in a feel-good story, Joe Nathan returned to his closer role for the Minnesota Twins to save his first game since 2009. Hey, even my New York Metropolitans had two good games against the Florida Marlins!
So all is right in the world of baseball. The game we love is back in full swing. There has already been some high drama, excellent pitching and a lot of power early on. Mark Teixiera is on pace to hit 162 homeruns for crying out loud! Let's not panic about the record books just yet. Others are wringing their hands as success hasn't come as quickly as they would have liked. It's only been four days, though. This level of concern and admiration goes to show the passion that is involved in this sport and how the fans and those on the field want to win so badly. I'm so glad that baseball is back, and I hope you are too. I mean, you're reading this after all.
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