Strikeouts are an essential part of baseball. It was probably one of the first aspects of baseball first named, as I'm sure many of the first players/inventors struck out quite a bit before getting the hang of the newly spawned sport. Strikeouts are also one of the only statistics that mean a lot to both hitters and pitchers. Hitters fear the stat, while pitchers flaunt it. So with that, in this installment of Did You Know...?, we ask; Do you know who the all-time strikeout hitter is?
You might know the answer already and think this is a stupid or easy question. But when you consider it, it's not all that easy. The person who leads all of Major League Baseball history in strikeouts, had to sustain a lengthy career despite the frustration of constant failure. He therefore probably had to have a big bat to accompany his breezy struggles, just like many great hitters in today's game; such as Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder. Do you have it yet? Well, you might not have figured it, but even with all of these strikeouts, this player was known for his arrogance at the plate. Fortunately for him, he had the goods to back up his big swing, and big mouth. Ladies and gentleman, the all-time strikeout leader in MLB history, is Reggie Jackson.
Failure is part of the game. In fact, it's part of life. As a good hitter, a player will not succeed 70% of the time. But missing out on a hit is not as demoralizing as striking out. Swinging a bat and hitting nothing but air is a portrait in abject embarrassment. Most hitters walk back to the dugout while looking at the ground after such an event. Now I want you to sit back, and imagine doing that 2597 times! That's how many times Reggie Jackson struck out over the course of his 21 seasons. The Hall of Fame right-fielder actually had 13 more Ks than he did hits. Reggie happily took those whiffs, however, because he crushed just about every other ball that he made contact with. With over 1075 extra-base hits in his illustrious career, I doubt Reg cared much about his strikeouts. And when you consider the big swing he took, you can understand how he got all of those Ks.
If you have never seen Reggie Jackson take a swing at a ball, it is a thing of both beauty, and comedy. Reginald swung with such force that he literally twisted himself into the ground, crossing his legs underneath of him, while riding on the sides of his ankles. If he connected, the ball was gone. If the lefty missed, he kind of looked like an idiot. It was kind of 50/50 as to what you were going to get each night. The great thing about Reggie, though, was that he knew when the spotlight was on. He batted a fantastic .327 in his 27 World Series games, and as a Yankee in the 1977 World Series, Reggie gained his nickname Mr. October by blasting three home runs in one game, and hitting five over the course of the series. He was also incredibly quotable. He is known for saying "I didn't come to New York to be a star, I brought my star with me.", and "I'm the straw that stirs the drink." Like him or hate him, Mr. October was a colorful character.
But he's not the only colorful character on the all-time strikeout list. Oddly enough, it seems as though striking out a lot gives each member on the list a sense of lightened attitude. The second man on the list is still playing, and he just signed a one-year deal to remain the DH of the Minnesota Twins. Jim Thome is also one of the most cheerful characters in the game. While he no longer needs a glove, he can still be seen clowning around with his fellow players, flashing that big smile of his. He is also a tremendous clubhouse influence, probably one of the leading reasons he was brought back to Minnesota. At 39, Big Jim has 2395 Ks, and if he plays for another two years or so, he could potentially pass Jackson, but I doubt that will happen. Thome, like Jackson was, and to a degree, still is a feared homerun hitter that punishes the ball when contact is made. Jim even hit the longest homerun of his career just last year at the new Target Field. But because of that big cut, he tends to miss the near ones. It seems like a traceable pattern for these guys. The weird personalities that go along with it, that's harder to understand.
Sammy Sosa is third on the list with 2306 strikeouts. He was known as a colorful character while he played; even if he seems to have lost some of that pigment in his retirement. He mashed over 600 homers, though, and made it a ritual to run out to right-field at full speed. His jiving homerun celebrations helped lead to a change in today's game, where joviality at home plate has become something of a organized institution. Another guy, Jose Canseco, is fifth on the list with 1942 Ks. They don't get much crazier than Canseco. Maybe it's the steroids going to his head, but Canseco seemed like he was a nutcase during, and after his time in baseball. While going back for a pop fly in the outfield once, a ball actually bounced off of his gargantuan head and over the wall for a homerun. Canseco laughed all the way to the dugout, and then denied that it happened.
Willie Stargell makes an appearance on this list at number six. With 1936 Ks, Pops (as he was called) was one of the most feared power hitters of the late '60s and early '70s. As Baseball-reference.com puts it, "He was the first player to ever hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium, a feat he accomplished twice. He also hit the farthest home run in the history of Three Rivers Stadium and the longest home run recorded at Stade Olympique. Willie Stargell was not only a Hall of Fame slugger, but during his career was frequently called one of the nicest human beings in Major League Baseball." He was also the originator of "Stargell's Stars", the accoutrement on the hideously ugly 1970's uniforms of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The stars were handed out arbitrarily, but they were a nice, personal touch to an outfit that could make a punk-rocker look good.
And to round out my point, whatever it may be, we'll conclude with unlucky number 13 on the list of all-time strikeout kings. Manny Ramirez, Man-Ram, with 1809 Ks could potentially vault all the way up to seventh place by the end of this season. And few come nuttier than Manny. Manny played left-field, kind of. He would wander around out there, talking to people in the stands, occasionally taking a leak in the Green Monster at Fenway Park between innings, and growing his dreadlocks so long that he almost had the governor of California trying to kill him. He was also one of the greatest hitters ever. I say was, because the past two years haven't been as kind to poor Manny, and unless he has a bounce-back year, which is tough to do at 38, this will probably be his last hoorah. But he usually had a smile to go with his crazy antics, like not playing hard because the team he was on didn't deserve him. You know, normal stuff like that.
So maybe there is something to this. Maybe swinging the bat so hard and missing actually loosens the brain from the skull and knocks some cells loose. It could be possible that striking out so often is like headbanging, or getting multiple concussions. Maybe it makes you funny, but not in a "Haha" way. Or maybe it doesn't do anything at all, and it's just a coincidence that the guys who struck out the most had the sense of humor enough to deal with it and move on, and often have a better career because of it. Perhaps we can learn something from this, and that is not to take yourself so damn seriously. After all, if we've learned anything from the first decade of the 21st century, it's to ask, "Why so serious?"
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Noah's Arc
Baseball is a small part of life. While I and many other people love the sport, it is really nothing more than a distraction from the rigors of life. Some may take it much more seriously, but in the end, it is simply a game. The terrible events that took place this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona are a sober reminder of just how insignificant some things can be, including baseball. At the same time, though, the historic game is important because it does distract us. We need distraction once in a while from the things in life that get us down. As I write this, there are still bad people and bad things happening in the world. But for about five or ten minutes, let us think on something a little happier, shall we?
Retiring is a tough thing for any professional athlete to do. It means that all of his/her hard work, from childhood on, is now completed. For some it might be a relief, while for others it might be painful. Many players continue to support their recreation by becoming analysts, front-office members, and even owners. A few go on to manage. But there comes a second retirement for these individuals, as age and other commitments force them to draw a close to sport ties. For four incredible men, this second retirement has come, and for all they have given to the great sport of baseball, we will take a look at their incredible careers. I speak, of course, of Cito Gaston, Joe Torre, Lou Piniella, and Bobby Cox.
Cito Gaston was a decent player over the course of his career. For 11 years, he played multiple outfield positions for the Braves, Padres, and Pirates. But besides one great year in 1970, Cito failed to make a career out of playing everyday. He retired as a player in 1978 before returning as a manager in 1989 for the Toronto Blue Jays. In his first year as a manager, Gaston turned the last-place Jays into a AL East division winner. That team eventually lost the ALCS to the Athletics, but it was not the last time Gaston would know success.
Cito Gaston's team finished second the next year, returned to the ALCS in 1991, and finally reached the ultimate goal in 1992, by beating Bobby Cox's Atlanta Braves to win the World Series. He was the first black manager to accomplish that feat. Gaston was not done, as he guided his team to a repeat performance in 1993, by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the most dramatic World Series ever. The success was somewhat short-lived though, as the Baltimore Orioles stole some thunder from the Blue Jays, and the resurgence of both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox completely clipped the Jays' wings. The Blue Jays would settle into a bottom-of-the-division routine, and Gaston would eventually be replaced in 1997.
Strangely, Gaston was never able to find work coaching another team. Perhaps it was partly his choice, but for a manager to have two World Series victories under his belt and not be offered another position is odd. Rumors swirled that Gaston didn't know how to manage his players, and sometimes those types of rumors, whatever the level of truth, can kill a career. Gaston's career was not killed, and he returned to the Blue Jays in 2008 for a three-year stint in which he finished 4th ever year, but with the team showing much improvement in 2010. His retirement is one that cuts short a managing career that lasted only 12 years, but was highlighted by two WS rings. Gaston was a quiet man who probably deserved more recognition during his time as a coach. He had a heck of a run though, and for all of his successes, we shall congratulate him.
Another manager got loads more credit and acclaim, perhaps a little undeserved. I know you won't like me saying this about such a legendary coach, but I'm speaking of Joe Torre. Unlike Gaston, Torre was a great player. He was a mainstay behind the plate for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta, and later converted to 1B/3B for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. He won his 1971 MVP award while playing third for the Cards, was an All-Star nine times, and was even a Rookie of the Year runner-up in 1960. His play never got him into the Hall of Fame, but his managing career most likely will.
No one would have thought that at the beginning of Joe's managing life, however. Torre first managed the Mets, and from 1977 (he was a player/manager in '77) until 1981, he never won more than 70 games. When he was hired by the Atlanta Braves in 1982, he instantly won a division title, but got worse each year, and was fired after the 1984 season. He became a broadcaster for the California Angels until he returned to managing the Cardinals from 1990 until 1995. Over that span, he improved his coaching style, but was never great.
Many fans and commentators were thus rightfully worried when George Steinbrenner picked Joe Torre to take over the New York Yankees in 1996. All he did was win 92 games and bring home the first World Series for the Yanks in 18 years. He constantly repeated his success in New York, winning 94 games or better all 12 years he was there, and winning more than 100 games four times. He brought the team back to World Series victory in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Yankees went back to the WS in both 2001 and 2003, but were defeated in both contests. After a heated 2007 off-season in which Torre claims his offered salary was insulting, he went to L.A. to manage the Dodgers until this year. While somewhat successful in L.A., 2010 proved a down year as the Dodgers finished fourth and Torre retired.
So you are probably asking why I said earlier that Torre may not deserve all of his praise. The answer lies in New York. His greatest years were marked by Hall of Fame caliber players at the prime of their careers. It's not too hard to win with such talent around. Not to mention that the Yankees had a seemingly endless bank account to purchase star free-agents to bolster the roster. It's true that it takes a patient leader to corral such talents into a cohesive team, but look no further than the 1977 Yankees to see that sometimes team chemistry doesn't matter, and talent alone can win a championship. It's rare, and I don't like that mentality, but sometimes it proves true. I rank Joe Torre right up there with Phil Jackson in basketball. Both are talented men, who knew how to sit back and let their unbelievably gifted players do what they do. They are not great masterminds of the game, but good coaches, and ver lucky men.
Sweet Lou Piniella was no genius either. He was a good player for the Orioles, Indians, Royals and eventually the Yankees. Over his 18 year career, he was very serviceable and helped the '77 and '78 Yankees win two World Series Championships. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1969 for the Royals and was an All-Star in 1972. He helped clubs win, but was never a star. As a manger though, Lou was a fireball and a great motivator. Sometimes he motivated a player to tackle him into a locker, but at least he motivated, right?
Over 24 years as a coach, Piniella led the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubbies. His passion often led his teams on an up-and-down rollercoaster. He won the 1990 World Series with the Reds, but the next year the team finished under .500. With the Seattle Mariners, he won 79 games in 1999, 91 games in 2000, and a ridiculous 116 games in 2001, the best record ever for a 162-game season. The team faltered in the playoffs though, eventually losing in the ALCS, and two years later Lou was on his way. His time in Tampa and Chicago were met with mostly tough times and high drama as he clashed with players even as he tried to calm his temper.
Sweet Lou is probably best known for his tirades that often were caught on camera. He would thrown bases, yell and sometimes fight with players, and get in umpires' faces on a regular basis. For his passion about the game, Lou sometimes had a bad reputation, but he was never dull, and even was a draw factor for fans. He retired in 2010 early because he had to take care of his sick mother, which proves that while Lou knew how to piss people off, he was really a sweet guy underneath it all.
Our last, and possibly most successful manager, was by far the least successful player. Robert Cox played just two years, 1968-1969 for the Yankees. (There is a theme of Braves and Yankees here that I didn't know about.) What Bobby lacked in playing talent though, he more than made up for as a manager. He finally became a head coach in 1978 for the Braves, but in his first stint in Atlanta he finished over .500 once in four years. Bobby moved over to the American League in 1982 to manage the Blue Jays (another connection, weird!) until '85. He had much more success in Canada, improving the team each year, and finished first in his final year there.
But Bobby returned to Atlanta in 1986 as general manager, and took over team management in 1990. In his first full year with the team, he led the 1991 Braves to a division title which they would relinquish once over the next 15 years. The Bravos would win 5 NL pennants and 1 World Series Championship over the next nine seasons and Bobby would continue to nurture new and veteran talent in his typical "players' manager" style. Umpires knew not to get on Bobby's bad side though, as over the course of his career he was ejected a unheard-of 158 times, (plus three post-season ejections) which is 27 times more than the legendary John McGraw. Sometimes, though, it seemed like Cox's reputation proceeded him as he was barely out of the dugout before an ump threw him out. Bobby wasn't the most rambunctious man either, so either he really had a foul mouth around home plate, or the men in black just really hated him arguing balls and strikes constantly. In either case, it was fun to watch.
So who is the best manager out of the four? Well, that might be impossible to answer. Cox won 4 Manager of the Year awards ('85, '91, '04, '05), Torre won 2 ('96, '98), and Piniella won 3 ('95, '01, '08). Gaston and Torre both won back-to-back World Series, with Torre making it a three-peat. Each man has wonderful credentials, but can you judge these men by on-field success alone? Gaston and Torre seemed like laid-back delegates, while Piniella and Cox were a little more volatile. Piniella was up-and-down, but Torre was consistent. Torre had many advantages, Gaston didn't. All of these men were good at what they did, in their own way. If I had to choose who I would want to manage my club, I'd probably have to go with Cox because he knew how to win for more than a decade. But that's just my opinion and what I want out of a manager. Maybe you'd pick somebody else, and that's ok.
These men are a part of something bigger. They are just one piece of the giant arc of baseball history. They will be remembered for years for their service, and rightfully so. And I hope, that at least for a few minutes, you were able to come with me on a journey of appreciation and distraction.
Retiring is a tough thing for any professional athlete to do. It means that all of his/her hard work, from childhood on, is now completed. For some it might be a relief, while for others it might be painful. Many players continue to support their recreation by becoming analysts, front-office members, and even owners. A few go on to manage. But there comes a second retirement for these individuals, as age and other commitments force them to draw a close to sport ties. For four incredible men, this second retirement has come, and for all they have given to the great sport of baseball, we will take a look at their incredible careers. I speak, of course, of Cito Gaston, Joe Torre, Lou Piniella, and Bobby Cox.
Cito Gaston was a decent player over the course of his career. For 11 years, he played multiple outfield positions for the Braves, Padres, and Pirates. But besides one great year in 1970, Cito failed to make a career out of playing everyday. He retired as a player in 1978 before returning as a manager in 1989 for the Toronto Blue Jays. In his first year as a manager, Gaston turned the last-place Jays into a AL East division winner. That team eventually lost the ALCS to the Athletics, but it was not the last time Gaston would know success.
Cito Gaston's team finished second the next year, returned to the ALCS in 1991, and finally reached the ultimate goal in 1992, by beating Bobby Cox's Atlanta Braves to win the World Series. He was the first black manager to accomplish that feat. Gaston was not done, as he guided his team to a repeat performance in 1993, by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the most dramatic World Series ever. The success was somewhat short-lived though, as the Baltimore Orioles stole some thunder from the Blue Jays, and the resurgence of both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox completely clipped the Jays' wings. The Blue Jays would settle into a bottom-of-the-division routine, and Gaston would eventually be replaced in 1997.
Strangely, Gaston was never able to find work coaching another team. Perhaps it was partly his choice, but for a manager to have two World Series victories under his belt and not be offered another position is odd. Rumors swirled that Gaston didn't know how to manage his players, and sometimes those types of rumors, whatever the level of truth, can kill a career. Gaston's career was not killed, and he returned to the Blue Jays in 2008 for a three-year stint in which he finished 4th ever year, but with the team showing much improvement in 2010. His retirement is one that cuts short a managing career that lasted only 12 years, but was highlighted by two WS rings. Gaston was a quiet man who probably deserved more recognition during his time as a coach. He had a heck of a run though, and for all of his successes, we shall congratulate him.
Another manager got loads more credit and acclaim, perhaps a little undeserved. I know you won't like me saying this about such a legendary coach, but I'm speaking of Joe Torre. Unlike Gaston, Torre was a great player. He was a mainstay behind the plate for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta, and later converted to 1B/3B for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. He won his 1971 MVP award while playing third for the Cards, was an All-Star nine times, and was even a Rookie of the Year runner-up in 1960. His play never got him into the Hall of Fame, but his managing career most likely will.
No one would have thought that at the beginning of Joe's managing life, however. Torre first managed the Mets, and from 1977 (he was a player/manager in '77) until 1981, he never won more than 70 games. When he was hired by the Atlanta Braves in 1982, he instantly won a division title, but got worse each year, and was fired after the 1984 season. He became a broadcaster for the California Angels until he returned to managing the Cardinals from 1990 until 1995. Over that span, he improved his coaching style, but was never great.
Many fans and commentators were thus rightfully worried when George Steinbrenner picked Joe Torre to take over the New York Yankees in 1996. All he did was win 92 games and bring home the first World Series for the Yanks in 18 years. He constantly repeated his success in New York, winning 94 games or better all 12 years he was there, and winning more than 100 games four times. He brought the team back to World Series victory in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Yankees went back to the WS in both 2001 and 2003, but were defeated in both contests. After a heated 2007 off-season in which Torre claims his offered salary was insulting, he went to L.A. to manage the Dodgers until this year. While somewhat successful in L.A., 2010 proved a down year as the Dodgers finished fourth and Torre retired.
So you are probably asking why I said earlier that Torre may not deserve all of his praise. The answer lies in New York. His greatest years were marked by Hall of Fame caliber players at the prime of their careers. It's not too hard to win with such talent around. Not to mention that the Yankees had a seemingly endless bank account to purchase star free-agents to bolster the roster. It's true that it takes a patient leader to corral such talents into a cohesive team, but look no further than the 1977 Yankees to see that sometimes team chemistry doesn't matter, and talent alone can win a championship. It's rare, and I don't like that mentality, but sometimes it proves true. I rank Joe Torre right up there with Phil Jackson in basketball. Both are talented men, who knew how to sit back and let their unbelievably gifted players do what they do. They are not great masterminds of the game, but good coaches, and ver lucky men.
Sweet Lou Piniella was no genius either. He was a good player for the Orioles, Indians, Royals and eventually the Yankees. Over his 18 year career, he was very serviceable and helped the '77 and '78 Yankees win two World Series Championships. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1969 for the Royals and was an All-Star in 1972. He helped clubs win, but was never a star. As a manger though, Lou was a fireball and a great motivator. Sometimes he motivated a player to tackle him into a locker, but at least he motivated, right?
Over 24 years as a coach, Piniella led the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubbies. His passion often led his teams on an up-and-down rollercoaster. He won the 1990 World Series with the Reds, but the next year the team finished under .500. With the Seattle Mariners, he won 79 games in 1999, 91 games in 2000, and a ridiculous 116 games in 2001, the best record ever for a 162-game season. The team faltered in the playoffs though, eventually losing in the ALCS, and two years later Lou was on his way. His time in Tampa and Chicago were met with mostly tough times and high drama as he clashed with players even as he tried to calm his temper.
Sweet Lou is probably best known for his tirades that often were caught on camera. He would thrown bases, yell and sometimes fight with players, and get in umpires' faces on a regular basis. For his passion about the game, Lou sometimes had a bad reputation, but he was never dull, and even was a draw factor for fans. He retired in 2010 early because he had to take care of his sick mother, which proves that while Lou knew how to piss people off, he was really a sweet guy underneath it all.
Our last, and possibly most successful manager, was by far the least successful player. Robert Cox played just two years, 1968-1969 for the Yankees. (There is a theme of Braves and Yankees here that I didn't know about.) What Bobby lacked in playing talent though, he more than made up for as a manager. He finally became a head coach in 1978 for the Braves, but in his first stint in Atlanta he finished over .500 once in four years. Bobby moved over to the American League in 1982 to manage the Blue Jays (another connection, weird!) until '85. He had much more success in Canada, improving the team each year, and finished first in his final year there.
But Bobby returned to Atlanta in 1986 as general manager, and took over team management in 1990. In his first full year with the team, he led the 1991 Braves to a division title which they would relinquish once over the next 15 years. The Bravos would win 5 NL pennants and 1 World Series Championship over the next nine seasons and Bobby would continue to nurture new and veteran talent in his typical "players' manager" style. Umpires knew not to get on Bobby's bad side though, as over the course of his career he was ejected a unheard-of 158 times, (plus three post-season ejections) which is 27 times more than the legendary John McGraw. Sometimes, though, it seemed like Cox's reputation proceeded him as he was barely out of the dugout before an ump threw him out. Bobby wasn't the most rambunctious man either, so either he really had a foul mouth around home plate, or the men in black just really hated him arguing balls and strikes constantly. In either case, it was fun to watch.
So who is the best manager out of the four? Well, that might be impossible to answer. Cox won 4 Manager of the Year awards ('85, '91, '04, '05), Torre won 2 ('96, '98), and Piniella won 3 ('95, '01, '08). Gaston and Torre both won back-to-back World Series, with Torre making it a three-peat. Each man has wonderful credentials, but can you judge these men by on-field success alone? Gaston and Torre seemed like laid-back delegates, while Piniella and Cox were a little more volatile. Piniella was up-and-down, but Torre was consistent. Torre had many advantages, Gaston didn't. All of these men were good at what they did, in their own way. If I had to choose who I would want to manage my club, I'd probably have to go with Cox because he knew how to win for more than a decade. But that's just my opinion and what I want out of a manager. Maybe you'd pick somebody else, and that's ok.
These men are a part of something bigger. They are just one piece of the giant arc of baseball history. They will be remembered for years for their service, and rightfully so. And I hope, that at least for a few minutes, you were able to come with me on a journey of appreciation and distraction.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Tex Message
Often when a team gets a whiff of the sweet, sweet post-season, they do whatever they can to improve their chances of returning. Sometimes they stock up on more pitching or hitting, to secure that playoff berth the following year. Other times teams are content to just try again with the same group that got them to the playoffs in the first place. And sometimes, you get a team like the Texas Rangers, who had a pretty awesome team to begin with, but with the loss of Cliff Lee, decided to try and fix things in an unorthodox manner.
Namely, the Rangers are trying to make up for the loss of an ace pitcher by getting another bat, and another All-Star 3B. Whhaaa? Yeah, instead of adding depth and security to the rotation, the Rangers saw to it to grab 3B Adrian Beltre off the market. This is good and bad at the same time. It's good because they stole yet another major player away from the AL West division rival Los Angeles Angels, who have now had one of the most demoralizing off-seasons I have ever seen. Apparently nobody wants to play there. This pickup also solidifies the Rangers' infield defense and adds another potent bat to an already extremely potent lineup.
However, the loss of an ace-caliber pitcher is nothing to sneeze at. While the Rangers have signed reclamation-project Brandon Webb, who hasn't pitched in almost two full years, they are now without an anchor in the rotation. Neftali Feliz, the AL Rookie of the Year, and dynamite closer, might have to swing back to his starting role that he had been accustomed to before coming up to the majors. Does that mean the Rangers will go out and spend even more to get Raphael Soriano, the only solid closer still on the market? Meanwhile, other pitchers, maybe C.J. Wilson, will have to step into an #1 role, something not every guy can do with ease.
And there is another question about this signing. Is Beltre worth it? I know I'm in the minority here, but I have to say no. Beltre has signed a 5-year, $80 million deal, with a sixth-year extension that is easily attainable, making this essentially 6-years at $96 million. For $16 million a year, he better produce consistently like he did last year for the Boston Red Sox when he crushed 28 homers, hit .321, drove in 102 runs, collect 49 doubles, and had an OPS (On-base % + Slugging %) of .919. But quite frankly, he won't do it. Mainly because consistence is not something Beltre is known for.
He is a great defender, having won two Gold Gloves in his career, so he will help the team improve there. But Beltre has had two great seasons, the year his contract was up in 2004, and last year, when he only had a one year deal in place. In both of those years he hit over .320 and showed very good power. Every other season, his average is about a .265, which is a huge drop-off. His homerun totals average around mid to high-20s per year, which is good. He is not a clean-up hitter, though, which some analysts have placed him as being for Texas. What he is, is a great defender with some pop, who is best suited in the 5 or 6 hole in the lineup. And $16 million a year is a bit much to pay for that. But Jayson Werth is about the same thing, and he got over $100 million, so what the hell do I know about it.
The other major issue here is what does Texas do with their other $16 million a season third-baseman, Michael Young. Young is just two years older than Beltre, and while not quite as adept at third-base, he was no slouch. He is also the face of the franchise. Since 2003, he has averaged almost 100 runs, .300 at the plate, about 90 RBI, and 200 hits per season. He is a great on-base guy, and a club-house leader, and has moved from 2B to SS to 3B when asked. He is such a team-player that he even offered to move out of third-base so that Beltre could come in. But now the face of your franchise is what, a DH (many players struggle to switch from everyday player to designated hitter), or a utility-player? This isn't so much a question of whether Young can perform where he is placed, as I'm sure he will. However, from a fan-base viewpoint, it's a bad image. A consistent leader and producer is being pushed out, and that is supposed to make you team better? I guess it doesn't matter in the end, as long as the move helps Texas get back to the World Series. I just don't think this signing makes that quest any easier.
There have been some other recent signings of late, too. Adam LaRoche inked a deal with the Washington Nationals worth $15 million over two years. LaRoche is your prototypical first-baseman. He hits around .265, can drive in around 90 runs, and blast somewhere between 25-35 bombs. He isn't going to win a Gold Glove and isn't going to set the world on fire with his play, but he is reliable and plays just about every single day. He will be a welcome asset to a Nationals infield that struggled with routine plays last year, no thanks to Adam Dunn and his Big Donkey hoof at first.
Carlos Gonzalez isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The 2010 MVP-candidate signed a 7-year, $80 million extension with the Colorado Rockies and became the second huge extension for the team this off-season. With Cargo and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki now locked up long-term, the Rockies are a force to be reckoned with in the NL West. If they can add another solid pitcher to accompany Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge Del La Rosa, this could become a perennial playoff franchise.
The Atlanta Braves also locked up a franchise-type player in their new acquisition, Dan Uggla. Uggla came over in a trade from the Marlins early in the off-season and a long-term deal was the main focus of discussion immediately following. Uggla scoffed at every offer the Marlins made over the past couple of years, and instead signed with the Braves for 5-years at $62 million. Uggla, who is coming off a career-best season in 2010, will be a middle-of-the-order cornerstone while young Jason Heyward acclimates to being a likely number 3 hitter.
Signings weren't the only thing going on. A good 'ol fashioned baseball trade happened the other day as the Chicago Cubs sent a whole bunch of prospects over to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Matt Garza and a backup outfielder. Garza had his best season in 2010, winning 15 games and pitching over 200 innings for the second straight year. Tampa could afford to get rid of him as they have a rotation full of young, talented arms, and more in the farm system. Chicago added to their depth, but are a little crowded now with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Tom Gorzelanny, Carlos Silva, and Randy Wells all taking up a rotation spot. All of these guys, except possibly Dempster, are on the hot-seat as far as being moved or bumped to the pen as none of them lived up to expectations in '10. Zambrano came back with a vengeance after his team-suspension, but he is always a head-case, and could be traded to move funds, and to get rid of a clubhouse menace.
Carl Pavano is in talks to return to Minnesota and remain the Twins' ace, but nothing is done yet. I'll keep you abreast of that situation. Most big free-agents are now taken though, with the exception of the aforementioned Soriano. Derek Lee and Kevin Gregg both found a home in Baltimore. And the Reds signed World Series MVP Edgar Renteria to a one-year deal. It's slim pickings for most clubs now as most pitchers out there are coming off injuries, or are destined for the bullpen. And the big bats are pretty much all gone. Big trades are always a possibility, but with so much young talent coming up these past few years, it seems as though most clubs want to hold on to their guys instead of shipping them away for veterans. So things are rounding into shape for the 2011 season.
Which means....the second annual Prediction Special will be coming soon! Soon as in a month or so, but still soon. And if predictions are around the corner, you know it's getting close to baseball season. Ohhhh boy! "The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts."
Namely, the Rangers are trying to make up for the loss of an ace pitcher by getting another bat, and another All-Star 3B. Whhaaa? Yeah, instead of adding depth and security to the rotation, the Rangers saw to it to grab 3B Adrian Beltre off the market. This is good and bad at the same time. It's good because they stole yet another major player away from the AL West division rival Los Angeles Angels, who have now had one of the most demoralizing off-seasons I have ever seen. Apparently nobody wants to play there. This pickup also solidifies the Rangers' infield defense and adds another potent bat to an already extremely potent lineup.
However, the loss of an ace-caliber pitcher is nothing to sneeze at. While the Rangers have signed reclamation-project Brandon Webb, who hasn't pitched in almost two full years, they are now without an anchor in the rotation. Neftali Feliz, the AL Rookie of the Year, and dynamite closer, might have to swing back to his starting role that he had been accustomed to before coming up to the majors. Does that mean the Rangers will go out and spend even more to get Raphael Soriano, the only solid closer still on the market? Meanwhile, other pitchers, maybe C.J. Wilson, will have to step into an #1 role, something not every guy can do with ease.
And there is another question about this signing. Is Beltre worth it? I know I'm in the minority here, but I have to say no. Beltre has signed a 5-year, $80 million deal, with a sixth-year extension that is easily attainable, making this essentially 6-years at $96 million. For $16 million a year, he better produce consistently like he did last year for the Boston Red Sox when he crushed 28 homers, hit .321, drove in 102 runs, collect 49 doubles, and had an OPS (On-base % + Slugging %) of .919. But quite frankly, he won't do it. Mainly because consistence is not something Beltre is known for.
He is a great defender, having won two Gold Gloves in his career, so he will help the team improve there. But Beltre has had two great seasons, the year his contract was up in 2004, and last year, when he only had a one year deal in place. In both of those years he hit over .320 and showed very good power. Every other season, his average is about a .265, which is a huge drop-off. His homerun totals average around mid to high-20s per year, which is good. He is not a clean-up hitter, though, which some analysts have placed him as being for Texas. What he is, is a great defender with some pop, who is best suited in the 5 or 6 hole in the lineup. And $16 million a year is a bit much to pay for that. But Jayson Werth is about the same thing, and he got over $100 million, so what the hell do I know about it.
The other major issue here is what does Texas do with their other $16 million a season third-baseman, Michael Young. Young is just two years older than Beltre, and while not quite as adept at third-base, he was no slouch. He is also the face of the franchise. Since 2003, he has averaged almost 100 runs, .300 at the plate, about 90 RBI, and 200 hits per season. He is a great on-base guy, and a club-house leader, and has moved from 2B to SS to 3B when asked. He is such a team-player that he even offered to move out of third-base so that Beltre could come in. But now the face of your franchise is what, a DH (many players struggle to switch from everyday player to designated hitter), or a utility-player? This isn't so much a question of whether Young can perform where he is placed, as I'm sure he will. However, from a fan-base viewpoint, it's a bad image. A consistent leader and producer is being pushed out, and that is supposed to make you team better? I guess it doesn't matter in the end, as long as the move helps Texas get back to the World Series. I just don't think this signing makes that quest any easier.
There have been some other recent signings of late, too. Adam LaRoche inked a deal with the Washington Nationals worth $15 million over two years. LaRoche is your prototypical first-baseman. He hits around .265, can drive in around 90 runs, and blast somewhere between 25-35 bombs. He isn't going to win a Gold Glove and isn't going to set the world on fire with his play, but he is reliable and plays just about every single day. He will be a welcome asset to a Nationals infield that struggled with routine plays last year, no thanks to Adam Dunn and his Big Donkey hoof at first.
Carlos Gonzalez isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The 2010 MVP-candidate signed a 7-year, $80 million extension with the Colorado Rockies and became the second huge extension for the team this off-season. With Cargo and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki now locked up long-term, the Rockies are a force to be reckoned with in the NL West. If they can add another solid pitcher to accompany Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge Del La Rosa, this could become a perennial playoff franchise.
The Atlanta Braves also locked up a franchise-type player in their new acquisition, Dan Uggla. Uggla came over in a trade from the Marlins early in the off-season and a long-term deal was the main focus of discussion immediately following. Uggla scoffed at every offer the Marlins made over the past couple of years, and instead signed with the Braves for 5-years at $62 million. Uggla, who is coming off a career-best season in 2010, will be a middle-of-the-order cornerstone while young Jason Heyward acclimates to being a likely number 3 hitter.
Signings weren't the only thing going on. A good 'ol fashioned baseball trade happened the other day as the Chicago Cubs sent a whole bunch of prospects over to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Matt Garza and a backup outfielder. Garza had his best season in 2010, winning 15 games and pitching over 200 innings for the second straight year. Tampa could afford to get rid of him as they have a rotation full of young, talented arms, and more in the farm system. Chicago added to their depth, but are a little crowded now with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Tom Gorzelanny, Carlos Silva, and Randy Wells all taking up a rotation spot. All of these guys, except possibly Dempster, are on the hot-seat as far as being moved or bumped to the pen as none of them lived up to expectations in '10. Zambrano came back with a vengeance after his team-suspension, but he is always a head-case, and could be traded to move funds, and to get rid of a clubhouse menace.
Carl Pavano is in talks to return to Minnesota and remain the Twins' ace, but nothing is done yet. I'll keep you abreast of that situation. Most big free-agents are now taken though, with the exception of the aforementioned Soriano. Derek Lee and Kevin Gregg both found a home in Baltimore. And the Reds signed World Series MVP Edgar Renteria to a one-year deal. It's slim pickings for most clubs now as most pitchers out there are coming off injuries, or are destined for the bullpen. And the big bats are pretty much all gone. Big trades are always a possibility, but with so much young talent coming up these past few years, it seems as though most clubs want to hold on to their guys instead of shipping them away for veterans. So things are rounding into shape for the 2011 season.
Which means....the second annual Prediction Special will be coming soon! Soon as in a month or so, but still soon. And if predictions are around the corner, you know it's getting close to baseball season. Ohhhh boy! "The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts."
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Small Haul for Hall
I trust that you all had a very nice holiday season. Before you get all down about the holidays being over and no vacation days coming up soon, don't fret. It's only two and a half months until pitchers and catcher report! Until then though, we have lots to talk about, including the recent Hall of Fame voting that took place yesterday. So without further ado, here comes the first blog of 2011.
I mentioned in a prior post that General Manager Pat Gillick had already been elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee back on Dec. 6th. Now the players had their shot at immortality. Two wonderfully talented men joined the ranks of the elite on Wednesday; Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. Alomar got in on his second try, but for Blyleven, this was his 14th attempt. Bert just squeaked by the required 75% votes, but Alomar breezed in with 90%. Both men are deserving of such high acclaim. Why you ask? Well, I shall tell you.
First, let us discuss Mr. Alomar. How does 12 All-Star selections in a row grab you? Not impressed? Well, he did win 10 Gold Glove awards, the most ever for a second-baseman and was daring and steadfast at 2B. You're still not convinced? Yeah, but he won 4 Silver Slugger awards and finished in the MVP top ten 5 times! Who cares, say you. Well, you are an idiot. No you are! Oh, pardon me, I was having a little battle with myself there. You see, I was one of the few baseball fans on this planet who didn't appreciate the Hall of Fame career Mr. Alomar had. This was because as a New York Mets fan in the early '00s, I saw Roberto come to my favorite team, and stink it up, only to be traded away. I never saw, nor appreciated how good he was before then. What I missed, was a whole heck of a lot.
As I have said many times in this blog, I don't know everything about baseball. There are lots of players, and statistics I don't fully appreciate. So I am embarrassed to say that I didn't really know much about Roberto Alomar's illustrious career until the past couple of years. I did know that he sucked with the Mets, and was out of baseball entirely a short time later. I remembered that he also spit on umpire John Hirshbeck in an ugly incident back in 1996. But please don't let these negative memories color your picture of Alomar. He apologized profusely for the spitting incident, and previous to that, he was a terrific sportsman, which he remained until he retired.
After all of that stupid information though, I failed to notice the outstanding player he was. Over the course of his 17 seasons, he scored over 1500 runs, collected 2724 hits, drove in over 1100 runners (tough to do considering he usually batted high in the order), stole 474 bags, and maintained a .300 average. While no one number bangs you over the head with its magnitude, these numbers combined total a career of consistent excellence, coupled with stellar defensive play at a demanding position. Why I never recognized this before, I don't know. But you learn new things everyday, and of recent, I've discovered that Roberto Alomar was one of the greatest second-basemen to ever play the game. I'm glad I know now.
Bert Blyleven was another gentleman I didn't know too much about several years ago. I only got to know him because people began discussing whether he was Hall of Fame worthy or not. Since learning more about him I must say quite frankly, some voting members were just plain blind. This man should have been in a long time ago. Here is one stat alone that warrants serious consideration for the Hall of Fame: 3701. That is the number of strikeouts Blyleven had, and is 5th best all-time, right below Steve Carlton, and right above Tom Seaver. He is also 9th all-time in shutouts with 60. 60! for crying out loud. And he managed to win 287 games over the course of 22 seasons. Most of those years on bad teams, which resulted in him having a record greater than .500 only 14 times. And most of those seasons looked like 16-15 (1971), 14-12 (1977), or 17-16 (1985).
Bert Blyleven was Hall of Fame worthy years ago, but only received his rightful honor the other day. There are players like Blyleven who get passed over by the voting writers, sometimes for years. Sometimes for legitimate reasons, and sometimes it's a mistaken. Lee Smith, for instance, was a dominate closer for the Chicago Cubs during the 1980s. He eventually played for 7 other teams throughout his career, and even until the age of 37, when he racked up 37 saves, he could close out a game. He had trouble walking people, which kept him from being even better than he was. When he left the game, though, he was the all-time saves leader, and still sits in 3rd place. Smith collected just 45.3% of the vote this year, down 2 points from last year. It's not looking good for 'Mr. Smith Goes to Cooperstown'.
Right below Smith on the all-time saves leaderboard is John Franco. He saved 424 games, with a 2.89 ERA over his career. Even though he played a number of years in New York, he was never a media presence, and was often overlooked. Now, because he received less than 5% of the vote in this, his first year, he won't ever appear on another ballot. Should Smith or Franco be in the Hall of Fame? That's pretty tough to say. More goes into these discussions than just stats, after all. It depends on the the era a person played in, if the player stood out versus his contemporaries, any accumulated awards, and sometimes off-the-field issues.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room. Steroids. There have been plenty of people who have cheated before. As Jayson Stark wrote in his ESPN column, "That noted Vaseline-ball king, Gaylord Perry, got caught 'cheating,' too, you know." And he didn't have too much trouble getting into the Hall of Fame on his third try in 1991. Steroids are looked upon differently though, and with good reason.
A pitcher can put something on the ball and that might help him win a game. But more often than not, this type of cheating gets caught, and players have to adjust, usually in the form of not cheating anymore. Taking steroids doesn't just help you hit the ball harder for a game, though. It changes you on a biological level. If a player gets caught taking steroids, and stops, he still is getting the benefit for weeks, sometimes even many months later, depending on lots of parameters. This is partially the reason why Major League Baseball has a 50 game suspension for those caught. So to say that steroid usage is in the same arena of cheating as saying, corking a bat, is far from the truth.
That is why it is so hard for the voting writers to decide who is worth of the Hall of Fame going forward. Great players like Raphael Palmeiro, who received a diminutive 11% in his first ballot this year, are forever tainted with the stench of steroid usage. Palmeiro is the most recent member of the 3000-hit/500-homerun club, and in 2005, it was said in an NBCSports article that his "entry into the elite 3,000-500 club is a testament to a stellar career that should gain him first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame." 11% is about as far from first-ballot status as you can get. You can blame not only Palmeiro's positive steroid test for that, but also his wagging finger in front of Congress. Image counts for a lot.
Another noted user, Mark McGwire, who despite his 583 career homers, is still under 20% of the vote. That's less than Tim Raines, and Raines was a crackhead! Some might say this is just desserts for players who desecrated the game, but this is impacting players who might never have taken illegal substances. Hitters like Fred McGriff, Larry Walker, and Juan Gonzalez, who may be 100% clean, are, and will for some time, get a backlash lack of votes. They might not be Hall of Fame shoe-ins, but this isn't helping their chances.
This is only going to get worse as players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa coming calling for plagues in 2013. The end result might be that players who 10 years ago were first-ballot studs, might never get in, thus leaving the Hall of Fame a little short on entries. This year the Hall welcomes two fine and deserving players. Next year, it looks like only shortstop Barry Larkin stands a legitimate chance of entrance, if anyone is elected at all. The Hall of Fame has some extremely tough decisions to make very soon on how to handle those players from the steroid era. I don't claim to have the answers. Mr. Stark offers some advice in his article here, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof11/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=5987228. In the end, history will remember more than an asterisk may potentially tell us. But will history remember all events correctly?
I mentioned in a prior post that General Manager Pat Gillick had already been elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee back on Dec. 6th. Now the players had their shot at immortality. Two wonderfully talented men joined the ranks of the elite on Wednesday; Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. Alomar got in on his second try, but for Blyleven, this was his 14th attempt. Bert just squeaked by the required 75% votes, but Alomar breezed in with 90%. Both men are deserving of such high acclaim. Why you ask? Well, I shall tell you.
First, let us discuss Mr. Alomar. How does 12 All-Star selections in a row grab you? Not impressed? Well, he did win 10 Gold Glove awards, the most ever for a second-baseman and was daring and steadfast at 2B. You're still not convinced? Yeah, but he won 4 Silver Slugger awards and finished in the MVP top ten 5 times! Who cares, say you. Well, you are an idiot. No you are! Oh, pardon me, I was having a little battle with myself there. You see, I was one of the few baseball fans on this planet who didn't appreciate the Hall of Fame career Mr. Alomar had. This was because as a New York Mets fan in the early '00s, I saw Roberto come to my favorite team, and stink it up, only to be traded away. I never saw, nor appreciated how good he was before then. What I missed, was a whole heck of a lot.
As I have said many times in this blog, I don't know everything about baseball. There are lots of players, and statistics I don't fully appreciate. So I am embarrassed to say that I didn't really know much about Roberto Alomar's illustrious career until the past couple of years. I did know that he sucked with the Mets, and was out of baseball entirely a short time later. I remembered that he also spit on umpire John Hirshbeck in an ugly incident back in 1996. But please don't let these negative memories color your picture of Alomar. He apologized profusely for the spitting incident, and previous to that, he was a terrific sportsman, which he remained until he retired.
After all of that stupid information though, I failed to notice the outstanding player he was. Over the course of his 17 seasons, he scored over 1500 runs, collected 2724 hits, drove in over 1100 runners (tough to do considering he usually batted high in the order), stole 474 bags, and maintained a .300 average. While no one number bangs you over the head with its magnitude, these numbers combined total a career of consistent excellence, coupled with stellar defensive play at a demanding position. Why I never recognized this before, I don't know. But you learn new things everyday, and of recent, I've discovered that Roberto Alomar was one of the greatest second-basemen to ever play the game. I'm glad I know now.
Bert Blyleven was another gentleman I didn't know too much about several years ago. I only got to know him because people began discussing whether he was Hall of Fame worthy or not. Since learning more about him I must say quite frankly, some voting members were just plain blind. This man should have been in a long time ago. Here is one stat alone that warrants serious consideration for the Hall of Fame: 3701. That is the number of strikeouts Blyleven had, and is 5th best all-time, right below Steve Carlton, and right above Tom Seaver. He is also 9th all-time in shutouts with 60. 60! for crying out loud. And he managed to win 287 games over the course of 22 seasons. Most of those years on bad teams, which resulted in him having a record greater than .500 only 14 times. And most of those seasons looked like 16-15 (1971), 14-12 (1977), or 17-16 (1985).
Bert Blyleven was Hall of Fame worthy years ago, but only received his rightful honor the other day. There are players like Blyleven who get passed over by the voting writers, sometimes for years. Sometimes for legitimate reasons, and sometimes it's a mistaken. Lee Smith, for instance, was a dominate closer for the Chicago Cubs during the 1980s. He eventually played for 7 other teams throughout his career, and even until the age of 37, when he racked up 37 saves, he could close out a game. He had trouble walking people, which kept him from being even better than he was. When he left the game, though, he was the all-time saves leader, and still sits in 3rd place. Smith collected just 45.3% of the vote this year, down 2 points from last year. It's not looking good for 'Mr. Smith Goes to Cooperstown'.
Right below Smith on the all-time saves leaderboard is John Franco. He saved 424 games, with a 2.89 ERA over his career. Even though he played a number of years in New York, he was never a media presence, and was often overlooked. Now, because he received less than 5% of the vote in this, his first year, he won't ever appear on another ballot. Should Smith or Franco be in the Hall of Fame? That's pretty tough to say. More goes into these discussions than just stats, after all. It depends on the the era a person played in, if the player stood out versus his contemporaries, any accumulated awards, and sometimes off-the-field issues.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room. Steroids. There have been plenty of people who have cheated before. As Jayson Stark wrote in his ESPN column, "That noted Vaseline-ball king, Gaylord Perry, got caught 'cheating,' too, you know." And he didn't have too much trouble getting into the Hall of Fame on his third try in 1991. Steroids are looked upon differently though, and with good reason.
A pitcher can put something on the ball and that might help him win a game. But more often than not, this type of cheating gets caught, and players have to adjust, usually in the form of not cheating anymore. Taking steroids doesn't just help you hit the ball harder for a game, though. It changes you on a biological level. If a player gets caught taking steroids, and stops, he still is getting the benefit for weeks, sometimes even many months later, depending on lots of parameters. This is partially the reason why Major League Baseball has a 50 game suspension for those caught. So to say that steroid usage is in the same arena of cheating as saying, corking a bat, is far from the truth.
That is why it is so hard for the voting writers to decide who is worth of the Hall of Fame going forward. Great players like Raphael Palmeiro, who received a diminutive 11% in his first ballot this year, are forever tainted with the stench of steroid usage. Palmeiro is the most recent member of the 3000-hit/500-homerun club, and in 2005, it was said in an NBCSports article that his "entry into the elite 3,000-500 club is a testament to a stellar career that should gain him first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame." 11% is about as far from first-ballot status as you can get. You can blame not only Palmeiro's positive steroid test for that, but also his wagging finger in front of Congress. Image counts for a lot.
Another noted user, Mark McGwire, who despite his 583 career homers, is still under 20% of the vote. That's less than Tim Raines, and Raines was a crackhead! Some might say this is just desserts for players who desecrated the game, but this is impacting players who might never have taken illegal substances. Hitters like Fred McGriff, Larry Walker, and Juan Gonzalez, who may be 100% clean, are, and will for some time, get a backlash lack of votes. They might not be Hall of Fame shoe-ins, but this isn't helping their chances.
This is only going to get worse as players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa coming calling for plagues in 2013. The end result might be that players who 10 years ago were first-ballot studs, might never get in, thus leaving the Hall of Fame a little short on entries. This year the Hall welcomes two fine and deserving players. Next year, it looks like only shortstop Barry Larkin stands a legitimate chance of entrance, if anyone is elected at all. The Hall of Fame has some extremely tough decisions to make very soon on how to handle those players from the steroid era. I don't claim to have the answers. Mr. Stark offers some advice in his article here, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof11/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=5987228. In the end, history will remember more than an asterisk may potentially tell us. But will history remember all events correctly?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Rotation Conflagration
Hello everyone and welcome to my last blog of the year. 2010 was the first full year of Pat's Baseball Blog, and I think it's been a good one. Also, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate, and that you continue to have good fortune into 2011. There are certainly some MLB teams that will see some good fortune come their way. Some teams will hit their way to the top, while others will pitch themselves to the playoffs. Who has the best rotation in the game though? Well that is something we are going to discuss right this very minute.
First it should be mentioned that there has been a definite draw of talent away from the American League and into the National League. In the past decade the NL has lured away the likes of Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Barry Zito, Johan Santana, and Cliff Lee, twice. There are a few contributing factors to this. One huge point is that the National League does not have a DH or designated hitter. It means a National League pitcher has to face one less potent bat each time through the lineup, reducing potentially inflated statistical numbers. But it's not all about the stats. Some pitchers honestly prefer to hit as well, and only the NL allows them to do that. And an argument could be made that the NL is slowly taking over as the more dominant league in baseball, but that is a much larger argument for another time. The main point being though, is that most of the rotations we are about to discuss are not in the AL.
But lest we forget about the American League entirely, let's begin our discussion of rotations by focusing on perhaps the best one, the Boston Red Sox. Beantown is littered with talented pitchers at the moment. They have Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey as a consistent starting four. I fear mentioning Daisuke Matsuzaka only because he's been hurt quite often over the past few years. Beckett too, has seen some injury time and if both should fall this year, then maybe this rotation won't be playoff bound, as it was doomed to miss out on October baseball this past year. However, if all cylinders are clicking, then this squad is extremely dangerous.
Lester is perhaps the best young lefty in the game, and at age 26, still has tons of time to improve and develop pitches. That's a scary thought, because his 2010 campaign saw him win a career-high 19 games while posting a 3.25 ERA and striking out 225 guys, exactly the same amount he struck out in 2009. Clay Buchholz may have even one-upped Lester by winning 17, but pitching a infinitesimally small 2.33. Clay is not the K-tallier that Lester is, but these two young studs(Clay is only 25) are the future of this organization. If Beckett stays healthy, and if Lackey bounces back from a somewhat Lack-luster (get it?!) year, then this rotation might just be the best in the game.
In addition, the Sox certainly have the offensive prowess to give any guy pitching a mental boost. And while this conversation is reserved mostly for rotations, it must be mentioned that Boston has accumulated one of the best bullpens around as well, making wins even easier to hold on to. But when all is said and done, the bullpen and the offense are going to help Boston win just as much, if not more than the rotation. So can they really be called dominant, and/or the best in the game? As of this moment, I don't think so.
Let's head over to the National League, where great rotations are falling off of trees. In St. Louis, the Cardinals have two legitimate aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter has bounced back from missing almost two full years ('07, '08) and regained his ace form. He won 17 games last year, with a 2.24 ERA and finished 2nd to Tim Lincecum in Cy Young voting. This year he added another 16 wins to his resume, and he isn't even the best pitcher on the team. That honor would probably have to go to Wainwright, who is tremendously overlooked in this game. 2009 looked like this for Adam; 19-8, 2.63 ERA, 233 IP, 212 K. 2010 was even better; 20-11, 2.42 ERA, 230 IP, 213 K, and he lowered his hits allowed, homeruns allowed, and walks. Wainwright is merely 28 as well, and has a very bright career ahead of him.
To add to this dynamic duo, the Cards also have Jaime Garcia, who at age 23 posted a fantastic rookie season, going 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA. Although he isn't a strikeout guy, and walked 3.5 batter per 9 innings, Garcia was able to stay away from the long ball that hurts many pitchers. He only gave up 9 homers all season. If Garcia can improve on his walks, and if he can prove he can handle the wear and tear of full MLB seasons, then he should had a crucial element to the Cardinals rotation for 2011 and going forward. Do Garcia, Wainwright and Carpenter make up the best rotation in baseball though? I can't say yes to that, as much as I would like to, for two reasons. Carpenter will be 36 next year and as he did miss two full years, has some injury risk involved. Meanwhile, Garcia is still slightly unproven as last year could have been a fluke, and he hasn't pitched 32 starts back to back yet. However, this team definitely has the potential to win and even dominate the National League Central.
Suddenly there is another competitive rotation in the NL Central, though. The Milwaukee Brewers, not a team known for pitching, has thrown their hat into the mix by picking up Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke this off-season. They will help Yovani Gallardo transform the Brew Crew from a bash first team, to one that might pitch its way into October. Marcum has been touted for the past several years in Toronto, but has never fulled lived up to the hype. 2010 was sort of a break out year as he started over 30 games for the first time in his career, while putting up a 13-8 record, a 3.64 ERA and a great 3.84 K/BB ratio. Playing in Toronto didn't help his 24 homeruns allowed or his win total, so perhaps a change of scenery will make this work in progress a fully fledged star. Greinke, on the other hand, was obtained from the Kansas City Royals via trade on December 19th and gives the Brewers a second ace pitcher. He won the Cy Young in 2009, but struggled to repeat that performance in 2010 and ended up with a losing record and an ERA over four.
Greinke wants to win now though, and Kansas City is still a ways off from that, so as with Marcum, this change of scenery might be the best thing for Greinke, who can dominate batters with both his fastball and breaking pitches. His noted anxiety issues are in the past, but must remain in the back of any owner's mind, and Greinke needs to prove that 2009 was no accident. A new league should help that. Throw both Marcum and Greinke in back of Gallardo, who not only can control a game with his pitching, but can contribute with his bat, and this rotation is looking strong. Milwaukee's rotation has potentially the most swing room out of any team. They could all click together, and be outstanding, or they could stumble and force the offense to carry the team again. The good news is that this rotation isn't costly, so in the event that the Brewers lose power-hitting Prince Fielder after 2011, they can use the money they would have spent on him to add another guy or two to the rotation. If they don't win now, watch out for the Brewers in the very near future.
Then there are the mighty Philadelphia Phillies. By adding Cliff Lee, the Phillies have a rotation of four absolute aces, which will cost roughly $57 million in 2011. But the Phils should get their moneys worth. Lee is a pinpoint strike thrower, Roy Halladay, the defending NL Cy Young winner, never throws a straight ball for a batter to hit, Oswalt still has dominate stuff, and Hamels has a handcuffing changeup. When you add to this that the Phils have potentially the best offense in baseball behind these guys, it's hard to imagine any of these guys not winning at least 13-15 games. And in all actuality, we could see this squad have multiple 20-game winners on it. It's pretty much redundant for me to continue to mention the accolades of this rotation, because I've done in it in past blogs already, and it's been covered in the news ad nauseam.
The crucial aspect to consider for this discussion though; Is this the best rotation in baseball? As I have mentioned before, there is risk involved here because of age. Oswalt, Lee and Halladay are all 33 or over, and many position players are starting to age as well. This team, while most likely heading for another playoff journey, could trip up. The rotation itself, though, has a strong advantage over the other rotations mentioned simply in magnitude and in quality. So they rightfully are most people's pick for the best rotation in baseball. But there is one last rotation to consider, and you might know who they are.
The 2010 World Series Champions did not win with pitching alone, but had the pitching not held up as well as it did, then the Giants probably weren't even going to make the playoffs, let alone go as far as they did. That is due in large part to the expert play of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez. Lincecum, well, what else can I say about the guy. He's probably my favorite pitcher in the game right now, and he backs up his wacky attitude with good ol' fashioned ace stuff. He's won two Cy Young awards already, and was absolutely fantastic in the playoffs. He personifies 'ace'. Matt Cain is no second-banana though, as he is one of the more consistent pitchers in the league. He can strike guys out, and has improved his BB/9 ratio for five years straight. Cain hasn't had a breakout year statistically yet, but he's due. Sanchez is a bit of a loose cannon with his volatile personality, but he delivers on the mound. He won 13 games and had the lowest ERA of the three this past year. He strikes out hitters with almost the same regularity as Lincecum and many analysts say Sanchez has the best stuff on the team. He tends to walk guys, which keeps his numbers high sometimes, but he is definitely a stud.
Madison Bumgarner is the wild card however. He started 2010 in the rotation and faltered, so he spent some time in the minors before coming back up late. Over 18 starts, he posted a 3.00 ERA and ran a 3.31 K/BB ratio. These numbers are pretty good, but are too small of a sample to generate what he will do over a full year. But at a mere 20, the sky is the limit for this hard-throwing young man. And many reports say that he could become the best pitcher on this staff, which is saying something pretty remarkable. If Bumgarner, and the other three all have good seasons, then this may be the best rotation in baseball.
At a fraction of the price of the Phantastic Phour, the Giants appear to be a much better value right now. But in the end, this discussion must factor in opinion. Arguments can be made for or against all of these rotations being the best. The Phils and Giants are probably my favorites, but you may say otherwise. If you want to share what you think about my analysis, or wish to add some of your own, please feel free.
This post about pitching wouldn't be complete without mentioning the passing of a Hall of Fame legend. Bob Feller was a great pitcher from 1936 until 1956, winning 20-games or more 6 times and was elected to the All-Star team 8 times. A humble and kind-hearted mid-westerner, the career Cleveland Indian began his career at the tender age of 17 with hype that puts Stephen Strasburg-mania to shame. And the young man delivered. But of all his statistical feats over his illustrious career, there is one thing that stands above all else. At 22 and during the prime of his career, Bob Feller volunteered for military service on December 8th, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first of many baseball players to give up an easy life of fame and money to serve a greater cause. He proved himself not a hero in the sports sense, but a real hero whose sacrifices proved his mettle. Rest in peace Mr. Feller. You certainly deserve to.
First it should be mentioned that there has been a definite draw of talent away from the American League and into the National League. In the past decade the NL has lured away the likes of Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Barry Zito, Johan Santana, and Cliff Lee, twice. There are a few contributing factors to this. One huge point is that the National League does not have a DH or designated hitter. It means a National League pitcher has to face one less potent bat each time through the lineup, reducing potentially inflated statistical numbers. But it's not all about the stats. Some pitchers honestly prefer to hit as well, and only the NL allows them to do that. And an argument could be made that the NL is slowly taking over as the more dominant league in baseball, but that is a much larger argument for another time. The main point being though, is that most of the rotations we are about to discuss are not in the AL.
But lest we forget about the American League entirely, let's begin our discussion of rotations by focusing on perhaps the best one, the Boston Red Sox. Beantown is littered with talented pitchers at the moment. They have Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey as a consistent starting four. I fear mentioning Daisuke Matsuzaka only because he's been hurt quite often over the past few years. Beckett too, has seen some injury time and if both should fall this year, then maybe this rotation won't be playoff bound, as it was doomed to miss out on October baseball this past year. However, if all cylinders are clicking, then this squad is extremely dangerous.
Lester is perhaps the best young lefty in the game, and at age 26, still has tons of time to improve and develop pitches. That's a scary thought, because his 2010 campaign saw him win a career-high 19 games while posting a 3.25 ERA and striking out 225 guys, exactly the same amount he struck out in 2009. Clay Buchholz may have even one-upped Lester by winning 17, but pitching a infinitesimally small 2.33. Clay is not the K-tallier that Lester is, but these two young studs(Clay is only 25) are the future of this organization. If Beckett stays healthy, and if Lackey bounces back from a somewhat Lack-luster (get it?!) year, then this rotation might just be the best in the game.
In addition, the Sox certainly have the offensive prowess to give any guy pitching a mental boost. And while this conversation is reserved mostly for rotations, it must be mentioned that Boston has accumulated one of the best bullpens around as well, making wins even easier to hold on to. But when all is said and done, the bullpen and the offense are going to help Boston win just as much, if not more than the rotation. So can they really be called dominant, and/or the best in the game? As of this moment, I don't think so.
Let's head over to the National League, where great rotations are falling off of trees. In St. Louis, the Cardinals have two legitimate aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter has bounced back from missing almost two full years ('07, '08) and regained his ace form. He won 17 games last year, with a 2.24 ERA and finished 2nd to Tim Lincecum in Cy Young voting. This year he added another 16 wins to his resume, and he isn't even the best pitcher on the team. That honor would probably have to go to Wainwright, who is tremendously overlooked in this game. 2009 looked like this for Adam; 19-8, 2.63 ERA, 233 IP, 212 K. 2010 was even better; 20-11, 2.42 ERA, 230 IP, 213 K, and he lowered his hits allowed, homeruns allowed, and walks. Wainwright is merely 28 as well, and has a very bright career ahead of him.
To add to this dynamic duo, the Cards also have Jaime Garcia, who at age 23 posted a fantastic rookie season, going 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA. Although he isn't a strikeout guy, and walked 3.5 batter per 9 innings, Garcia was able to stay away from the long ball that hurts many pitchers. He only gave up 9 homers all season. If Garcia can improve on his walks, and if he can prove he can handle the wear and tear of full MLB seasons, then he should had a crucial element to the Cardinals rotation for 2011 and going forward. Do Garcia, Wainwright and Carpenter make up the best rotation in baseball though? I can't say yes to that, as much as I would like to, for two reasons. Carpenter will be 36 next year and as he did miss two full years, has some injury risk involved. Meanwhile, Garcia is still slightly unproven as last year could have been a fluke, and he hasn't pitched 32 starts back to back yet. However, this team definitely has the potential to win and even dominate the National League Central.
Suddenly there is another competitive rotation in the NL Central, though. The Milwaukee Brewers, not a team known for pitching, has thrown their hat into the mix by picking up Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke this off-season. They will help Yovani Gallardo transform the Brew Crew from a bash first team, to one that might pitch its way into October. Marcum has been touted for the past several years in Toronto, but has never fulled lived up to the hype. 2010 was sort of a break out year as he started over 30 games for the first time in his career, while putting up a 13-8 record, a 3.64 ERA and a great 3.84 K/BB ratio. Playing in Toronto didn't help his 24 homeruns allowed or his win total, so perhaps a change of scenery will make this work in progress a fully fledged star. Greinke, on the other hand, was obtained from the Kansas City Royals via trade on December 19th and gives the Brewers a second ace pitcher. He won the Cy Young in 2009, but struggled to repeat that performance in 2010 and ended up with a losing record and an ERA over four.
Greinke wants to win now though, and Kansas City is still a ways off from that, so as with Marcum, this change of scenery might be the best thing for Greinke, who can dominate batters with both his fastball and breaking pitches. His noted anxiety issues are in the past, but must remain in the back of any owner's mind, and Greinke needs to prove that 2009 was no accident. A new league should help that. Throw both Marcum and Greinke in back of Gallardo, who not only can control a game with his pitching, but can contribute with his bat, and this rotation is looking strong. Milwaukee's rotation has potentially the most swing room out of any team. They could all click together, and be outstanding, or they could stumble and force the offense to carry the team again. The good news is that this rotation isn't costly, so in the event that the Brewers lose power-hitting Prince Fielder after 2011, they can use the money they would have spent on him to add another guy or two to the rotation. If they don't win now, watch out for the Brewers in the very near future.
Then there are the mighty Philadelphia Phillies. By adding Cliff Lee, the Phillies have a rotation of four absolute aces, which will cost roughly $57 million in 2011. But the Phils should get their moneys worth. Lee is a pinpoint strike thrower, Roy Halladay, the defending NL Cy Young winner, never throws a straight ball for a batter to hit, Oswalt still has dominate stuff, and Hamels has a handcuffing changeup. When you add to this that the Phils have potentially the best offense in baseball behind these guys, it's hard to imagine any of these guys not winning at least 13-15 games. And in all actuality, we could see this squad have multiple 20-game winners on it. It's pretty much redundant for me to continue to mention the accolades of this rotation, because I've done in it in past blogs already, and it's been covered in the news ad nauseam.
The crucial aspect to consider for this discussion though; Is this the best rotation in baseball? As I have mentioned before, there is risk involved here because of age. Oswalt, Lee and Halladay are all 33 or over, and many position players are starting to age as well. This team, while most likely heading for another playoff journey, could trip up. The rotation itself, though, has a strong advantage over the other rotations mentioned simply in magnitude and in quality. So they rightfully are most people's pick for the best rotation in baseball. But there is one last rotation to consider, and you might know who they are.
The 2010 World Series Champions did not win with pitching alone, but had the pitching not held up as well as it did, then the Giants probably weren't even going to make the playoffs, let alone go as far as they did. That is due in large part to the expert play of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez. Lincecum, well, what else can I say about the guy. He's probably my favorite pitcher in the game right now, and he backs up his wacky attitude with good ol' fashioned ace stuff. He's won two Cy Young awards already, and was absolutely fantastic in the playoffs. He personifies 'ace'. Matt Cain is no second-banana though, as he is one of the more consistent pitchers in the league. He can strike guys out, and has improved his BB/9 ratio for five years straight. Cain hasn't had a breakout year statistically yet, but he's due. Sanchez is a bit of a loose cannon with his volatile personality, but he delivers on the mound. He won 13 games and had the lowest ERA of the three this past year. He strikes out hitters with almost the same regularity as Lincecum and many analysts say Sanchez has the best stuff on the team. He tends to walk guys, which keeps his numbers high sometimes, but he is definitely a stud.
Madison Bumgarner is the wild card however. He started 2010 in the rotation and faltered, so he spent some time in the minors before coming back up late. Over 18 starts, he posted a 3.00 ERA and ran a 3.31 K/BB ratio. These numbers are pretty good, but are too small of a sample to generate what he will do over a full year. But at a mere 20, the sky is the limit for this hard-throwing young man. And many reports say that he could become the best pitcher on this staff, which is saying something pretty remarkable. If Bumgarner, and the other three all have good seasons, then this may be the best rotation in baseball.
At a fraction of the price of the Phantastic Phour, the Giants appear to be a much better value right now. But in the end, this discussion must factor in opinion. Arguments can be made for or against all of these rotations being the best. The Phils and Giants are probably my favorites, but you may say otherwise. If you want to share what you think about my analysis, or wish to add some of your own, please feel free.
This post about pitching wouldn't be complete without mentioning the passing of a Hall of Fame legend. Bob Feller was a great pitcher from 1936 until 1956, winning 20-games or more 6 times and was elected to the All-Star team 8 times. A humble and kind-hearted mid-westerner, the career Cleveland Indian began his career at the tender age of 17 with hype that puts Stephen Strasburg-mania to shame. And the young man delivered. But of all his statistical feats over his illustrious career, there is one thing that stands above all else. At 22 and during the prime of his career, Bob Feller volunteered for military service on December 8th, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first of many baseball players to give up an easy life of fame and money to serve a greater cause. He proved himself not a hero in the sports sense, but a real hero whose sacrifices proved his mettle. Rest in peace Mr. Feller. You certainly deserve to.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Does anybody remember that Cosby Show episode where Claire and her friend sing 'Mr. Lee' by The Bobbettes? It was a great episode, as the Cosby Show often did cool, theatrical stuff like that. But we are not here to discuss music history, or even television history. We are here to talk about baseball, and that's what I intend to do. So without further ado, let's broach the topic of the famous Cliff Lee.
It seemed like the entire off-season became one big Cliff Lee update reel. Every day or two, sports blog around the country were saying that the New York Yankees were the favorites to sign the lefty, or that the Texas Rangers still had a legitimate shot at wrangling in their prized mid-season acquisition. Only occasionally did one here talk of a mystery team popping into the picture. There were rumors of the Angels, or the Nationals, but not once did I hear anything about the Philadelphia Phillies showing interest in the star that they traded away. So it was to my surprise that on Tuesday, December 14th, I heard that the Phillies had not only entered discussions, but had actually signed Mr. Lee.
Whhaaaaaa?! Are these the same Phillies that traded Clifford away just one year ago? The same team that could have had both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the same rotation but chose not to? Surely you can't be serious? I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Yeah, the Philadelphia Phillies apparently felt they made an egregious error in letting Mr. Lee slip away last year, and felt they had to correct the situation. I mean they still had Halladay, and Hamels, not to mention they picked up a pretty good starter in Roy Oswalt mid-season. But the team managed to miss out on a third-straight World Series visit. I guess the Philly front-office believes Cliff Lee is the missing piece.
An expensive missing piece he is, too. Cliff Lee signed a 5-year, $120 million deal, meaning Cliff will make an estimated $24 million dollars per season, which makes him the most well paid pitcher ever. But Lee actually passed on more overall money from both the Yankees who offered $148 million over seven years, and Texas who offered $161 million over the same span. So then why did Lee chose Philly instead? There are several rumored reasons. One is that he loved Philly while he was there for a brief stint in 2009, and never wanted to be traded away in the first place. And another is that during the 2010 ALCS, Yankees fans actually booed, spit and poured beer on Cliff's wife while she was in the stands. Whether that is true is still debatable, but it may have been enough to make Lee turn his nose to the Evil Empire. As for the Rangers, I guess Lee just didn't think they had as good of a shot to repeat as the Phillies.
So now the Phils have a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton, although Blanton is likely to be traded soon. From name recognition alone, this is a formidable group, and they have already been called the Phatastic Phour, and the Phearsome Phoursome around the internet. While this group certainly have the ability to get the Phils back to the World Series, they are definitely a pricey lot. The Phillies will have in 2011, three players making $20 million or more in Halladay, Lee and Ryan Howard. Throw in Oswalt's $16 million, Chase Utley's $15.3 million and three other contracts worth a combined $34.7 million, plus everyone else on the team, and this squad is right up there with Boston and the Yankees in terms of spending.
But there is also risk involved here as 3/5 of the starting rotation will be 33 or older, and every starting day position player will be 30 or over except in right-field which will probably be played by young stud Dominic Brown. So this team has incredible incentive to win and win now. If they don't, and things go downhill over the next two years due to lack of ability or injuries or whatever, then the Phils will be stuck with some seriously debilitating contracts. If all goes well though, this could be one of the most dominate teams ever assembled.
Enough about Mr. Lee and his millions upon millions of dollars. Another Phillie made news recently, former General Manager Pat Gillick. The former Blue Jays (1978-1994), Orioles (1996-1998), Mariners (2000-2003), and Phillies (2006-2008) GM was elected to the Hall of Fame recently. As Baseball-Reference.com puts it, "He is considered by many to be the chief architect who transformed the club from an expansion franchise to a team that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993." While his other stints were much shorter, they all proved successful, and most recently he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series by bringing in such talent as Brad Lidge and the ageless Jamie Moyer. Congratulations to Mr. Gillick.
And finally, a bit of sad news as long-time Chicago Cubs icon, Ron Santo passed away on December 2nd. Mr. Santo was well before my time, but he was a dominate third-baseman in the 1960s. His run-producing power helped transform the position from one of pure defense to one of offense as well. He did all this while playing with diabetes, which eventually took its toll in the amputation of both of his legs below the knees. He remained active in the Chicago community, helping to fight juvenile diabetes, and called the Cubs' radio broadcast since 1990. In his impressive career, "He was a nine-time All-Star,... a five-time Gold Glove winner...finished in the top five in the MVP voting twice, led the league in walks four times, led the league in on-base percentage twice, and was in the top ten in slugging five times." (Baseball-reference.com) It seems as though everybody who knew him loved him, and the fans of Chicago baseball, and indeed baseball everywhere will miss him.
That's all for now, but stay tuned as there are still some very talented free-agents left on the board, and there is lots and lots of baseball debating to do. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!
It seemed like the entire off-season became one big Cliff Lee update reel. Every day or two, sports blog around the country were saying that the New York Yankees were the favorites to sign the lefty, or that the Texas Rangers still had a legitimate shot at wrangling in their prized mid-season acquisition. Only occasionally did one here talk of a mystery team popping into the picture. There were rumors of the Angels, or the Nationals, but not once did I hear anything about the Philadelphia Phillies showing interest in the star that they traded away. So it was to my surprise that on Tuesday, December 14th, I heard that the Phillies had not only entered discussions, but had actually signed Mr. Lee.
Whhaaaaaa?! Are these the same Phillies that traded Clifford away just one year ago? The same team that could have had both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the same rotation but chose not to? Surely you can't be serious? I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Yeah, the Philadelphia Phillies apparently felt they made an egregious error in letting Mr. Lee slip away last year, and felt they had to correct the situation. I mean they still had Halladay, and Hamels, not to mention they picked up a pretty good starter in Roy Oswalt mid-season. But the team managed to miss out on a third-straight World Series visit. I guess the Philly front-office believes Cliff Lee is the missing piece.
An expensive missing piece he is, too. Cliff Lee signed a 5-year, $120 million deal, meaning Cliff will make an estimated $24 million dollars per season, which makes him the most well paid pitcher ever. But Lee actually passed on more overall money from both the Yankees who offered $148 million over seven years, and Texas who offered $161 million over the same span. So then why did Lee chose Philly instead? There are several rumored reasons. One is that he loved Philly while he was there for a brief stint in 2009, and never wanted to be traded away in the first place. And another is that during the 2010 ALCS, Yankees fans actually booed, spit and poured beer on Cliff's wife while she was in the stands. Whether that is true is still debatable, but it may have been enough to make Lee turn his nose to the Evil Empire. As for the Rangers, I guess Lee just didn't think they had as good of a shot to repeat as the Phillies.
So now the Phils have a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton, although Blanton is likely to be traded soon. From name recognition alone, this is a formidable group, and they have already been called the Phatastic Phour, and the Phearsome Phoursome around the internet. While this group certainly have the ability to get the Phils back to the World Series, they are definitely a pricey lot. The Phillies will have in 2011, three players making $20 million or more in Halladay, Lee and Ryan Howard. Throw in Oswalt's $16 million, Chase Utley's $15.3 million and three other contracts worth a combined $34.7 million, plus everyone else on the team, and this squad is right up there with Boston and the Yankees in terms of spending.
But there is also risk involved here as 3/5 of the starting rotation will be 33 or older, and every starting day position player will be 30 or over except in right-field which will probably be played by young stud Dominic Brown. So this team has incredible incentive to win and win now. If they don't, and things go downhill over the next two years due to lack of ability or injuries or whatever, then the Phils will be stuck with some seriously debilitating contracts. If all goes well though, this could be one of the most dominate teams ever assembled.
Enough about Mr. Lee and his millions upon millions of dollars. Another Phillie made news recently, former General Manager Pat Gillick. The former Blue Jays (1978-1994), Orioles (1996-1998), Mariners (2000-2003), and Phillies (2006-2008) GM was elected to the Hall of Fame recently. As Baseball-Reference.com puts it, "He is considered by many to be the chief architect who transformed the club from an expansion franchise to a team that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993." While his other stints were much shorter, they all proved successful, and most recently he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series by bringing in such talent as Brad Lidge and the ageless Jamie Moyer. Congratulations to Mr. Gillick.
And finally, a bit of sad news as long-time Chicago Cubs icon, Ron Santo passed away on December 2nd. Mr. Santo was well before my time, but he was a dominate third-baseman in the 1960s. His run-producing power helped transform the position from one of pure defense to one of offense as well. He did all this while playing with diabetes, which eventually took its toll in the amputation of both of his legs below the knees. He remained active in the Chicago community, helping to fight juvenile diabetes, and called the Cubs' radio broadcast since 1990. In his impressive career, "He was a nine-time All-Star,... a five-time Gold Glove winner...finished in the top five in the MVP voting twice, led the league in walks four times, led the league in on-base percentage twice, and was in the top ten in slugging five times." (Baseball-reference.com) It seems as though everybody who knew him loved him, and the fans of Chicago baseball, and indeed baseball everywhere will miss him.
That's all for now, but stay tuned as there are still some very talented free-agents left on the board, and there is lots and lots of baseball debating to do. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bust a Move
Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings have come and gone, and lots of free-agents now have new homes. Some even returned to old ones. And while Cliff Lee, possibly the biggest free-agent of the off-season is still without a team, other major players have been rerouted to new uniforms in new colors. While we won't be able to cover every transaction of the past two months, I will certainly try and take care of the impact moves. Some were great, while others were...shall we say, busts?
First off, let's take a second to congratulate some new members of the coaching persuasion. John Farrell became the skipper of the Toronto Blue Jays, Clint Hurdle took over with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Terry Collins is now heading things up in New York for the Metropolitans. The first two new-hires went off without much begrudging, but Collins became a talking-point, mainly due to his past issues with player management. However, while leading up to his hiring he seemed like ever analysts' favorite for the job. Once he actually got the nod though, things seemed to change and everyone questioned whether he was the right guy, which just goes to show how fickle and scrutinizing the New York press can be.
The off-season started off quick with the Florida Marlins making some moves, which we have discussed already. The deal to send Dan Uggla to the division rival Braves may still be one of the worst moves thus far in my opinion. Then the Los Angeles Dodgers got into the act by resigning Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, then adding Jon Garland and World Series Champion utility player Juan Uribe. Things started to get really interesting as the first 'big name' free agent came off the board; catcher Victor Martinez. He was courted by several teams including his most recent one, the Boston Red Sox, but in the end, the Detroit Tigers were able to lure him away due to the massive amount of money that had coming off the books this year. So now Martinez will be making at least $12 million for the next four years while catching, playing a little 1B and maybe even DHing from time to time.
Shortly thereafter, all hell broke loose. The Colorado Rockies, a small market team that rarely throws money around, signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a seven-year extension, on top of his current deal that keeps him with the team until 2014. The deal is worth $119 million dollars and will keep with the team for the next ten years. These kinds of deals don't usually happen with players who are already under contract, but I suppose the Rockies wanted to lock up the stud player early, before the open market had a chance to take him away. But it comes at a huge cost. Tulo is a stellar player, but one serious injury and his career could be severely hampered, if not over. However, that is a risk when considering any long-term contract. And long-term contracts are becoming plentiful.
Simply ask Jayson Werth, who received from the Washington Nationals a massive 7-year deal of his own worth an estimated $126 million, and was for about a week the third-largest contract ever for an outfielder. Is Jayson Werth even one of the three best outfielders in the game? Most people I know would say no, and while he has proven himself a very adept all-around baseball player, he will turn 32 early next season, and he collected a vast amount of his homeruns in Philadelphia's Citizen Bank Park, which is small to say the least. None of this bodes well for Jayson living up to this contract. He is a tremendous compliment player and if the Nats help build around him and Ryan Zimmerman with young talent coming through their farm teams, then this eventually might not be so bad. But this contract now handcuffs the Nats to help the team build in other crucial areas, such as starting and relief pitching. This looks to be a critical signing for years to come. Seven at least.
Former National Adam Dunn also got a new deal, but from an American League team, the Chicago White Sox. But before Adam could get his first-baseman's glove ready, the Pale Hose re-upped on long-time 1B Paul Konerko. They also resigned catcher A.J. Pierzinski while they were at it. So now it looks like Dunn will be doing the one thing he didn't want to do, and that's DHing. Meanwhile, on the North Side of Chicago, the Cubs signed Carlos Pena to play first for $10 million a year. Seeing as how he hit under .200 last year, I'd say this was yet another unwise signing by the Cubbies, who have been signing bad deal after bad deal for the past couple of years. However, Pena does bring a power bat and some great defensive work with him, so maybe he won't work out as badly as Milton Bradley.
In other news, the Yankees resigned both closer Mariano Rivera and shortstop Derek Jeter. Neither move was really a shock. The Rivera deal went almost unnoticed as the drama swiveled around Jeter's closely-cropped head. During the press conference following his new contract, Jeter was visibly and audibly annoyed by the things that had been said about him in the press. To be fair, I even questioned Jeter's motivations during the whole episode, but that is what professional athletes put themselves through when their demands are high. The Yankees probably came out looking worse when all was said and done, as the Yankee captain was definitely upset by the free-agent process. Maybe they will have to go through this all again in about three or four years. But we'll deal with that when the time comes.
In St. Louis I was a bit surprised to see the Cardinals sign Lance Berkman. Aaron Harang, the man who holds the record for starts on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds will now be throwing from the mound in San Diego. The Giants signed Miguel Tejada instead of reinvesting in the aforementioned Uribe or luring World Series MVP Edgar Renteria away from potential retirement. And homer-mashing, strikeout king, the Wizard of Wiff, Mark Reynolds traded in his Diamondback boots for some Oriole wings. Other, smaller moves were and still are happening just about every day, but these are most often complimentary players that don't make or break teams. Adrian Gonzalez, on the other hand, is a star.
That star will be rising over Boston next year and for years to come most likely. The San Diego All-Star 1B had been rumored for a move to Beantown for at least three years now. When San Diego came one game away from making the playoffs last year though, it looked like the Padres were going to seriously consider keeping Gonzalez on the books. But apparently the Friars couldn't say no to a deal from Boston that sent zero major league players back, in exchange for the dynamic, two-time Gold Glover. The Padres got some potential talent in the trade, especially highly touted pitcher Casey Kelley, but for the kind of player Adrian is, the Padres should have been able to get more. They instead sold themselves short, and will most likely pay the price in both on-field performance, and in attendance revenue, as Gonzalez was a beloved home-grown hero, and will be sorely missed by the fanbase.
The Red Sox weren't done mixing things up though. Just when everyone calmed down from saying how great it was for Boston to get Gonzalez, G.M. Theo Epstein dropped another bombshell and swooped in front of the Los Angeles Angels and signed outfielder Carl Crawford at 7-years, $142 million. Boston now has the two largest outfielder contracts of all-time. (The other was Manny Ramirez signing for 8-years, $160 million in 2001.) Crawford adds a huge element of speed, average, and athleticism to the already good lineup that was in Boston last year. With the addition of Adrian Gonzalez, who with the help of the short porch in right-field, could hit 40+ homers, and the speed of Carl Crawford at the top of the lineup, the Red Sox stand an excellent chance of making it back to the playoffs. Hell, they will probably be the best team in baseball!
The off-season is funny. Crawford probably never would have been offered such a monstrous deal had Jayson Werth not been given his. You see, in the baseball world there are many, many tiers of players. Crawford was widely regarded as a better outfielder than Werth, so whatever Werth signed to, Crawford could ask for more. That's why the top-ranked free agents usually sign first, to set the market for other players in the league. But this year it got screwed up, thus causing market rates to jump. And unfortunately it will cause prices to rise even higher for next year and the year after. This is due mainly to high-end agents like Scott Boras, and unless baseball comes up with something better than a luxury tax to curb salaries, then next year we might be talking about Albert Pujols getting $25-30 million a year.
To call any of the moves thus far a bust is a little too critical. Troy Tulowitzki's deal irritated a lot of people, but he's a fantastic young player and if consistently healthy, could make his extension look reasonable in later years. Werth's deal looks a little worse considering his age and the team who signed him, but maybe he'll play his heart out and become a beloved icon in Washington the way he started to in Philly. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez could mark the start of another dynasty-type run for Boston. Or maybe a deal that was too small to mention at the time, could end up determining the future of a franchise. That's the beauty of baseball. Everything matters. Even the little things. And especially the busts.
First off, let's take a second to congratulate some new members of the coaching persuasion. John Farrell became the skipper of the Toronto Blue Jays, Clint Hurdle took over with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Terry Collins is now heading things up in New York for the Metropolitans. The first two new-hires went off without much begrudging, but Collins became a talking-point, mainly due to his past issues with player management. However, while leading up to his hiring he seemed like ever analysts' favorite for the job. Once he actually got the nod though, things seemed to change and everyone questioned whether he was the right guy, which just goes to show how fickle and scrutinizing the New York press can be.
The off-season started off quick with the Florida Marlins making some moves, which we have discussed already. The deal to send Dan Uggla to the division rival Braves may still be one of the worst moves thus far in my opinion. Then the Los Angeles Dodgers got into the act by resigning Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, then adding Jon Garland and World Series Champion utility player Juan Uribe. Things started to get really interesting as the first 'big name' free agent came off the board; catcher Victor Martinez. He was courted by several teams including his most recent one, the Boston Red Sox, but in the end, the Detroit Tigers were able to lure him away due to the massive amount of money that had coming off the books this year. So now Martinez will be making at least $12 million for the next four years while catching, playing a little 1B and maybe even DHing from time to time.
Shortly thereafter, all hell broke loose. The Colorado Rockies, a small market team that rarely throws money around, signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a seven-year extension, on top of his current deal that keeps him with the team until 2014. The deal is worth $119 million dollars and will keep with the team for the next ten years. These kinds of deals don't usually happen with players who are already under contract, but I suppose the Rockies wanted to lock up the stud player early, before the open market had a chance to take him away. But it comes at a huge cost. Tulo is a stellar player, but one serious injury and his career could be severely hampered, if not over. However, that is a risk when considering any long-term contract. And long-term contracts are becoming plentiful.
Simply ask Jayson Werth, who received from the Washington Nationals a massive 7-year deal of his own worth an estimated $126 million, and was for about a week the third-largest contract ever for an outfielder. Is Jayson Werth even one of the three best outfielders in the game? Most people I know would say no, and while he has proven himself a very adept all-around baseball player, he will turn 32 early next season, and he collected a vast amount of his homeruns in Philadelphia's Citizen Bank Park, which is small to say the least. None of this bodes well for Jayson living up to this contract. He is a tremendous compliment player and if the Nats help build around him and Ryan Zimmerman with young talent coming through their farm teams, then this eventually might not be so bad. But this contract now handcuffs the Nats to help the team build in other crucial areas, such as starting and relief pitching. This looks to be a critical signing for years to come. Seven at least.
Former National Adam Dunn also got a new deal, but from an American League team, the Chicago White Sox. But before Adam could get his first-baseman's glove ready, the Pale Hose re-upped on long-time 1B Paul Konerko. They also resigned catcher A.J. Pierzinski while they were at it. So now it looks like Dunn will be doing the one thing he didn't want to do, and that's DHing. Meanwhile, on the North Side of Chicago, the Cubs signed Carlos Pena to play first for $10 million a year. Seeing as how he hit under .200 last year, I'd say this was yet another unwise signing by the Cubbies, who have been signing bad deal after bad deal for the past couple of years. However, Pena does bring a power bat and some great defensive work with him, so maybe he won't work out as badly as Milton Bradley.
In other news, the Yankees resigned both closer Mariano Rivera and shortstop Derek Jeter. Neither move was really a shock. The Rivera deal went almost unnoticed as the drama swiveled around Jeter's closely-cropped head. During the press conference following his new contract, Jeter was visibly and audibly annoyed by the things that had been said about him in the press. To be fair, I even questioned Jeter's motivations during the whole episode, but that is what professional athletes put themselves through when their demands are high. The Yankees probably came out looking worse when all was said and done, as the Yankee captain was definitely upset by the free-agent process. Maybe they will have to go through this all again in about three or four years. But we'll deal with that when the time comes.
In St. Louis I was a bit surprised to see the Cardinals sign Lance Berkman. Aaron Harang, the man who holds the record for starts on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds will now be throwing from the mound in San Diego. The Giants signed Miguel Tejada instead of reinvesting in the aforementioned Uribe or luring World Series MVP Edgar Renteria away from potential retirement. And homer-mashing, strikeout king, the Wizard of Wiff, Mark Reynolds traded in his Diamondback boots for some Oriole wings. Other, smaller moves were and still are happening just about every day, but these are most often complimentary players that don't make or break teams. Adrian Gonzalez, on the other hand, is a star.
That star will be rising over Boston next year and for years to come most likely. The San Diego All-Star 1B had been rumored for a move to Beantown for at least three years now. When San Diego came one game away from making the playoffs last year though, it looked like the Padres were going to seriously consider keeping Gonzalez on the books. But apparently the Friars couldn't say no to a deal from Boston that sent zero major league players back, in exchange for the dynamic, two-time Gold Glover. The Padres got some potential talent in the trade, especially highly touted pitcher Casey Kelley, but for the kind of player Adrian is, the Padres should have been able to get more. They instead sold themselves short, and will most likely pay the price in both on-field performance, and in attendance revenue, as Gonzalez was a beloved home-grown hero, and will be sorely missed by the fanbase.
The Red Sox weren't done mixing things up though. Just when everyone calmed down from saying how great it was for Boston to get Gonzalez, G.M. Theo Epstein dropped another bombshell and swooped in front of the Los Angeles Angels and signed outfielder Carl Crawford at 7-years, $142 million. Boston now has the two largest outfielder contracts of all-time. (The other was Manny Ramirez signing for 8-years, $160 million in 2001.) Crawford adds a huge element of speed, average, and athleticism to the already good lineup that was in Boston last year. With the addition of Adrian Gonzalez, who with the help of the short porch in right-field, could hit 40+ homers, and the speed of Carl Crawford at the top of the lineup, the Red Sox stand an excellent chance of making it back to the playoffs. Hell, they will probably be the best team in baseball!
The off-season is funny. Crawford probably never would have been offered such a monstrous deal had Jayson Werth not been given his. You see, in the baseball world there are many, many tiers of players. Crawford was widely regarded as a better outfielder than Werth, so whatever Werth signed to, Crawford could ask for more. That's why the top-ranked free agents usually sign first, to set the market for other players in the league. But this year it got screwed up, thus causing market rates to jump. And unfortunately it will cause prices to rise even higher for next year and the year after. This is due mainly to high-end agents like Scott Boras, and unless baseball comes up with something better than a luxury tax to curb salaries, then next year we might be talking about Albert Pujols getting $25-30 million a year.
To call any of the moves thus far a bust is a little too critical. Troy Tulowitzki's deal irritated a lot of people, but he's a fantastic young player and if consistently healthy, could make his extension look reasonable in later years. Werth's deal looks a little worse considering his age and the team who signed him, but maybe he'll play his heart out and become a beloved icon in Washington the way he started to in Philly. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez could mark the start of another dynasty-type run for Boston. Or maybe a deal that was too small to mention at the time, could end up determining the future of a franchise. That's the beauty of baseball. Everything matters. Even the little things. And especially the busts.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)