Buf's Scriptures

Exactly How Bad Was Pat Burrell in the 2010 World Series?

2010-11-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

In the 2008 World Series, in uniform for the Phillies, Pat Burrell recorded 1 hit in 14 at-bats alongside 5 strikeouts. That is beyond the point though. As bad as he was in 2008, Burrell found a way to outdo himself in the 2010 Fall Classic for the San Francisco Giants. The question I plan to answer with this post is: exactly how bad was his performance in the 2010 World Series – and where does it rank among the all-time worst individual displays in the World Series?

The one thing Burrell did right is that he did not record an error. Other than that, it was a tragic embarrassment for him, and whichever San Francisco suit wanted to attain him. Burrell went hitless in thirteen at bats, walking twice, and scoring one run. And Burrell also struckout eleven times in a four-game span.

We should all be familiar with the 1919 Chicago White Sox, and their forfeit of the World Series in an effort to “stick it” to the man – who was owner Charles Comiskey. Those players were paid to do awful. The most notoriously pathetic work on the ballfield during the 1919 World Series was done by shortstop Swede Risberg. Risberg was going to be paid $15,000 (four times his regular season salary) to play poorly, yet he still put up considerably better stats than Burrell. Risberg got two hits, five walks and scored three runs in thirty at bats, striking out just three times. It didn’t take a single penny for Burrell to play pathetically. However, the suspicion of being paid to perform poorly arose from Risberg’s four errors – take it with a grain of salt though, as this was the era when they were playing with paper thin baseball gloves.

Over the course of an 18-year career, Brooklyn Dodgers great Gil Hodges compiled 370 home runs and nearly 2,000 hits. However, his hitting skills went AWOL in the 1952 World Series, where the Dodgers lost in seven games to the New York Yankees. Hodges went hitless in 21 at-bats, striking out 8 times, however Hodges was walked 5 times and scored a run. And on top of what statistics show, Hodges grounded into a key double play in the sixth inning of game seven (a game which they lost 4-2). Nonetheless Hodges somewhat made up for that shortcoming by scoring a run in that game, and even reaching base in the 8th inning on an error. If determining how well players played in multiple World Series however, Hodges would not even be in the discussion, as he hit over .300 with five home runs in his other six World Series appearances.

New York Yankee, Irv Noren, had better days than one particular stint in the World Series. In 1955, Noren went 0-for-16 with just 1 strikeout, but he grounded into 5 double plays, so essentially Noren was 0-for-21.

For Pat’s sake, how about getting into another somewhat modern player that played extremely meager baseball in the World Series. In 1995, Atlanta Braves’ utility man Rafael Belliard went hitless in 16 at-bats with 2 walks. Belliard did find ways to help the team with two sacrifice hits and solid defensive play – thus leading to a World Series ring with the Braves.

One thing Pat Burrell has going in his favor in this discussion is that he was a midseason pickup and bottom-of-the-lineup batter. In 1967, Orlando Cepeda was a huge part of the St. Louis Cardinals success, and then fell flat on his face in the World Series – luckily St. Louis still pulled out a victory in seven games over a weak Boston Red Sox team. Cepeda’s numbers statistically were not nearly as bad as Burrell (3-for-29, 1 run scored, 4 strikeouts), it was just that his role on the team was significantly more important than Burrell.

The Phillies’ Phaithful will forever be thankful for Mike Schmidt, but don’t be quick to forget his porous play in the 1983 World Series. In ’83, Mr. Philadelphia and his team went down in six games to the Baltimore Orioles. Schmidt went 1-for-20, no walks and six strikeouts, yet he did not ground into a double play.

In 1925, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Senator in seven games – with much thanks to Washington’s shortstop, Roger Peckinpaugh. Peckinpaugh was relatively decent at the dish, grabbing 6 hits (including 1 homer) in 24 at-bats. Peckinpaugh’s defense was atrociously bad, making eight errors in seven games, at shortstop nonetheless, one of the most important defensive positions in baseball.

The worst performance at the plate must go to White Sox catcher Billy Sullivan who went 0-for-21 in the 1906 World Series, without having one single walk or hit by pitch. This is ultimately the only memory Sullivan has of the World Series, as he never played in another Fall Classic in his career. Fortunately, the White Sox won the World Series in six games with no thanks to him.

Which one of these is worst is a very subjective topic, as you can make a case for any of them. If basing it purely off of hitting, Burrell is right there with Sullivan, though both of their teams ended up winning anyway. If basing it off of defense, Peckinpaugh or Risberg (the intentional horrid player) are clear runaway favorites. When mixing both, I firmly believe that the team would have to lose in addition to a weak individual performance. My personal choice would be Hodges, as he was a key player for the Dodgers and let the team down in a huge spot. The ’52 World Series could be the reason Hodges is still on the outside looking in at the Hall of Fame.

2010 SWB Yankees: Historically Great Performance, Historically Painful Attendance

2010-09-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Is the passion for baseball in this area gone? Perhaps the fandom is just dormant at the moment? Or is PNC Field’s dramatic dwindling in attendance a direct affect from neglect of the corporate approach the New York Yankees have taken to run this team? No matter how you slice it, there is an evident lack of fan support for our local Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees squad. This is highlighted by a lackluster average attendance hovering between 4500-5000 per game; in contrast, the number one team in attendance (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) is averaging 9,154 fans per game.

The Yankees' performance in 2010 was nothing short of spectacular. There was the jaw-dropping statistics of closer Jonathon Albaladejo, who led all minor league baseball with a record-shattering 43 saves. There was the emergence of future Big Apple star, Jesus Montero - and the Yankees easily glided to a North Division championship. Boasting some of the best players in minor league baseball, you would figure that the SWB Yankees, coming off a Governor’s Cup championship, would not have trouble filling seats. Not to mention that the greatest professional sports team of all-time, the New York Yankees, are the major league affiliate of the local squad.

Among the visitors that have played the Yankees at PNC Field this season are highly-heralded Reds’ prospect Aroldis Chapman, former All-Star Carlos Delgado and former fan-favorite Shelley Duncan. Needless to say, when you walk inside PNC Field, you are guaranteed to get a quality game for as cheap as $5.

Despite the affordability, a number of problems could be the cause for the decline in attendance. For starters, there is a dark cloud of drama looming over PNC Field about whether the Yankees will stay in the area past 2014, when the contract between the PNC Field and New York ends. Although there are no suitable stadiums on the east coast for a AAA franchise besides PNC Field, it is not far-fetched to think that another area will swoop in and grab the franchise after building a flashy new stadium. Flashback to 2006, there was a decent chance our Phillies affiliate would stay here. But instead, Lehigh Valley constructed a new stadium and swept the Phillies’ upper management off their feet, leading to the termination of what was the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

This also calls attention to the condition of our stadium. PNC Field was constructed way back in 1989, following the then-popular mold of Veteran’s Stadium. Veteran’s Stadium has since been imploded and our bowl-shaped, concrete structure appears very out of style. Although the field has been renovated on the inside, including a brand new $1 million grass playing surface, it does not make up for the negative impression passer-byers get from seeing ancient PNC Field from the outside.

While the mediocre attendance numbers are evident, the vibrant atmosphere that the park boasts on certain nights is just as clear. The team sold out six games in 2010, and a few more may be on the way during the September playoff run. Official sell outs are only able to take place on weekends, due to the upstairs section of PNC Field being cut off to the public during weekdays. Selling only downstairs seats causes less cleanup help required upstairs, but also takes the most affordable tickets out of the picture.

The “corporate approach” that the Yankees have taken is an interesting thing – quite the opposite of what the Red Barons did for the area. The Yankees essentially put a great team on the field year-in-year-out, and expect that to be enough to satisfy the fans. Player appearances off the field are a rarity, advertising is seldom seen, the $.50 hot dog and $1 beer nights are gone, and the classic Sunday night “fun run” has turned bland without kids having the opportunity to play catch on the field. When the Red Barons were king here, all the aforementioned promotions were very much alive. Some minor league stadiums even have concourses that feature hot tubs, lounges and high definition televisions (not tuned to the game, naturally) - A.K.A. attractions for people that want a night out, rather than a baseball game.

While the lack of fan support can be linked to the stadium, and of course the promotional fallout, there are a few variables that also come in to play. One being the high unemployment rates in Luzerne (10.7%) and Lackawanna (9.8%) Counties, which unfortunately rank higher than the median percentage in Pennsylvania, 9.2%. It seems that Lehigh Valley, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, has no problem dealing with their high unemployment rate of 10%. Despite the high unemployment in Lehigh Valley, the team's attendance towers above the Yankees (as previously mentioned, with an average turnout of 9,000). And the Iron Pigs are doing it with an atrociously bad, last place squad taking the field.

The ugly change in attendance is a far cry from where the Yankees were with filling seats in 2007/2008 when they were towards the top of the league. Former SWB Yankees beat writer Chad Jennings, who has since moved on to covering the New York Yankees, clearly remembers those earlier days, “They drew incredibly well back in 2007, so there clearly is a fan base. I suspect a lot of the attendance issues have to do with the stadium”.

There are die-hard baseball fans that love having a team in the area and go to games regardless. But there are fans that need the glitz and glamour that the Red Barons offered to make a trip to PNC Field. Hopefully with the playoffs quickly approaching, the attendance numbers will climb up. Or perhaps, sooner than later, the Yankees in our area will move away.

Andrew McCutchen = Carl Crawford

2010-05-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

I have been passing this bit of knowledge to everyone asking for fantasy advice coming into 2010 fantasy drafts. Although they sport the same skill set (both are tremendously athletic and five-tool superstars), Crawford garners most of the attention from fantasy owners. It could have been the longevity of Crawford's already illustrious year, or maybe the fact that Crawford is in a contract year and Yankee fans are pining over the potential image of a 6'2 210 pound super-athlete roaming Yankee Stadium's outfield. Whatever it was, Crawford greatly benefited from fantasy publications that were hung up on him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking shots at Crawford, but moreso giving due praise to McCutchen.

The guide that I used personally, ranked Crawford as the #3 outfielder. McCutchen, a relative newcomer in the game, sunk all the way to being the #31 outfielder, despite his inevitable phenomena.

The warning sign of "Cutch"'s greatness:
- From September 15-end of 2009, McCutchen hit .360 with a .443 OBP, a homer and 6 stolen bases. Crawford during the same time span hit .333 with a .419 OBP, 2 home runs and 3 stolen bases. In short, they were both spectacular coming down the stretch, but Cutch was more spectacular.

Where the similarities get even stronger:
- During 2009, Cutch and Crawford shared 13 games as their longest hitting streaks.
- Cutch's longest stretch without a home run was 21 games, Crawford went a whopping 29 games.

Just today, Cutch had a five-hit performance against the Cubs, and is always continuing to grow as a player. Don't say I didn't tell you about this. Any scout who saw McCutchen play minor league ball sure needed a bib to wipe up the drool while seeing a player who matches the arm of Vladimir Guerrero, power/speed combo of a young Ken Griffey Jr., and enthusiasm for playing like David Eckstein.

As of today:
McCutchen: .310/4/10/10/.364 OBP [on one of the worst teams in baseball]
Crawford: .316/3/16/9/.372 OBP [on THE best team in baseball]

All of this on top of Cutch giving us one of the most memorable images from baseball in 2010 [shown above].

In Case You Missed It..

2010-04-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

If you aren't up on the Facebook page [check button on left of the page], you probably missed this piece that I contributed for Paleandhosed.com, the premier White Sox podcast on the net. Here is the link for my top-5 plays of the 2005 World Series (where, of course, the Chisox triumphantly swept the Astros):
http://www.paleandhosed.com/columns/matt/

Today in Baseball [4/6/10]

2010-04-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

And baseball season is now fully upon us. I'll try to do this as often as I can, but can't promise anything...just a quick wrap-up of the best player, best play, worst player and usually some other "etcetera" happening in baseball.

Best player: Garrett Jones (2-4, 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 1 walk) barely edges out Jason Heyward's great debut, Roy Halladay's brilliant Philly debut, Tim Lincecum's mastery of the Astros' lineup and Mark Buehrle's 7 shutout innings

Worst player: Kevin Kouzmanoff (0-4, 2 double play outs in a 5-3 loss, where his double plays really hurt the team)

Best play: My boy Mark Buehrle's jaw-dropping between the legs putout at 1st base, in a meaningless beatdown of the Indians

Oddity: The Oakland A's went 8 full innings tonight without a fly-ball out. In the bottom of the 9th, Eric Chavez flew out - otherwise, a game where the A's had 28 outs distributed by strikeouts and groundouts...with just 1 fly-ball out.

The Yankees 'Worst & Best' Transaction of 2009

2010-03-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Trades, free agency, call-ups and send-downs are a huge part of baseball, and in any given year, thousands of these moves are made. Some regimes have a great track record with managing their money, while others have failed miserably - including in 2009. The Yankees are one of the teams that prevailed with their moves in '09, proven by the World Series trophy they hoisted last November.

They had to be doing something right to win the World Series in '09, starting with the way that they addressed pitching needs in the offseason. They let Carl Pavano, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, rent-a-player Ivan Rodriguez, former budget-buster Carl Pavano and alcoholic Sidney Ponson walk from the team. Those six players combined for a total of 27 All-Star games. Regardless of the heyday that they once reveled in, they clearly were past their prime playing - or so the Yankees thought.

The big mistake: Not re-signing Bobby Abreu

Abreu was not a fan favorite by any measure in New York, and carried a losing pedigree to his honor, but was a huge success with the LA of Anaheim Angels in '09. In 2008, the Yankees had their pockets full with Abreu's salary, owing him $16 million. Foolishly, Abreu denied higher offers in the beginning of free agent signing, holding out for more money. The result: a $5 million contract from the Angels. They got their moneys worth from him, driving in 103 RBI while hitting .293.

The right fielder looming the Yanks' outfield in Abreu's absence was Nick Swisher. Swisher came at a bargain in trade from the White Sox, with the Yanks giving up Wilson Betemit, Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Marquez, a former 1st round pick, made a horrible impression in the White Sox organization, giving up 50 earned runs in 45.1 IP at AAA. Betemit was very "blah" for the White Sox, hitting .200 in a utility role. Nunez has shown promise for the future, and throws a 94-97 mph fastball. So the trade was definitely a plus for the Yanks.

It is hard to find a mistake on a World Series-winning team, but this is the only glaring one. Both Swisher and Abreu made $5 million and change last season, and the difference in performance is evident:
Swisher: .249/29/82/.371 (126 strikeouts)
Abreu: .293/15/103/.390 (113 strikeouts) + 30 stolen bases

Swisher was not a bad pickup by the Yankees, but his performance obviously paled in comparison to Abreu statistically. But when it comes to intangibles, it may have been a solid move for New York. Abreu did not have a "New York attitude" and maybe his great performance last season was in large part thanks to a change of scenery. Swisher, on the other hand, is a loud-mouthed clubhouse captain, always finding fun in the game of baseball.

The big success: Pitchers signed

C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett were welcomed with a huge New York hello in 2009, following in the footsteps of departing pitchers Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina. Though Mussina was beloved as a Yankee, his time came to hang up the cleats. And Pavano was an awful investment, as every baseball fan knows. When NY signed Sabathia, it was universally acknowledged as a great signing, regardless of the money. Burnett was signed to a mixed bag of reactions.

Some fans and experts speculated that Burnett's signing was similar of Pavano's signing. Much like Pavano, Burnett was an inconsistent, injury-ridden pitcher coming off a career year. It did not take long for Burnett to hush the haters, and post a 13-9 record, while staying free from injuries.

Then Sabathia, was an obvious success story for the pinstriped squad. He was a Cy Young candidate all year-round, including being donned the ALCS MVP, backed by his 2-0 record and 1.12 ERA.

It's hard to argue against the signing of Mark Texiera as the runner-up for best move - but I'll try to justify my runner-up, the early call-up of phenom Brett Gardner. After being a complete beast in Scranton during 2008, the Yanks gave him 4 games at AAA Scranton in '09, then called him up to play for the pros. He played up to expectations, hitting .270 and stealing successfully in 26 of 31 attempts. The emergence of Gardner in 2009 made it much easier to let go of Austin Jackson and Melky Cabrera for the 2010 season. With a 25 year old Gardner in the outfield (who won a World Series ring) in his rookie season - the imperial franchise may have another bred-winner to call Yankees Stadium their home for years to come.

Vean Gregg Revisited Pt. II

2010-03-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Never intended to do a follow-up to my article on Gregg that I posted back in November, which can be seen here:
http://myb5162.blogspot.com/2009/11/career-revisited-vean-gregg.html

It essentially serves as the meat-and-potatoes of what you would get in a Vean Gregg biography. I featured some direct quotes from legends and publications about his greatness, his level of elitism he was at for a few years - and how he could have possibly fallen off so hard?

Well this part two is really here to serve one function - what Eddie Collins thought of him. Collins is one of the best 2B to ever play the game and is permanently seated in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, so I would say that he knows what he's talking about.

The following is an excerpt from a much larger piece entitled "Pitchers I Have Faced" by Collins, which was published in a 1914 issue of American Magazine. I credit one of my favorite baseball historians, Bill Burgess, with the finding of this article.

Eddie Collins on Vean Gregg:
"Vean Gregg of Cleveland is one of the best southpaws I ever faced. He is tall and rangy, and the best compliment I can think of is to call him a left-handed Johnson. To Gregg pitching comes natural; he possess abundant speed, but it is a wonderful curve ball that rounds him out as a great pitcher. He gave more bases on balls last year than any pitcher except Huck of the Athletics, yet his control was always perfect. Gregg's "wildness" is not a handicap; on the other hand, it is often as asset. Let me show you what I mean:

One afternoon last year the Cleveland battery was Gregg and O'Neil. They seemed to be having a lot of trouble with their signals and Gregg was having difficulty locating the plate. He seemed to be favoring his fast ball. To be sure, when he got it over it was impossible of solution; Gregg's curve had been very effective against us in the past, but for some reason he didn't use it much on this particular afternoon. Finally O'Neil walked out to the box and said something to Vean. I never knew what it was, but I felt the effects soon after when I cam to bat the next inning, with two runners on base. Before I knew it, I had "three and nothing" and I figured that a base on balls was inevitable. Then Steve O'Neil, who was crouching behind the bat, shouted to him: "Come on now, Vean! Remember what I told you!"

Whereupon Gregg Vean threw three curve balls in succession--mind you!--and they all cut the middle of the plate for clean strikes, after which I took a drink of ice water.

That is where Gregg's mastery lies. If he had to, he could almost put that curve ball of his through a know hole. It seems to have a break on it like the letter S, and whenever you see him on a sweltering hot day, wearing a bright red flannel shirt, look out!--as that is his lucky combination. It is then that his wonderful control is at its best; and that curve of his can certainly make you look bad."

My Favorite S.I. Cover of All-Time

2010-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Topical?

This was published in 1995, when the downfall for the two prodigies began. While Straw has somewhat straightened out from his substance abuse and is now featured on Celebrity Apprentice - Gooden has gotten worse. Today, Doctor K was arrested for driving under the influence of cocaine, with his five-year-old son in the car. Time for Doc to grow up.

But regardless, the guys both meant something to baseball.

Gooden:
Summary of his first three seasons: opened up his career with 3 straight All-Star games, a Cy Young and a Rookie of the Year. He also compiled a jaw-dropping 58-19 record, accompanying a 2.28 ERA. Was widely considered one of the greatest pitchers since Sandy Koufax, and was en route to a historic career.
Downfall - DUI arrest in 1986, shoulder injury that caused him to drink heavily to this day, cocaine addiction, alcoholism.

Straw:
The former 1st overall draft pick did not miss an All-Star game from 1984-1991. Then after '91, he didn't make another one. Prolific home run hitter of the 80's, leading the bigs in AB/HR three times. From '83-'91, Straw's average season consisted of a .263 average, 31 home runs, 92 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
Downfall - Not paying child support bills, bankruptcy, colon cancer, picking up prostitutes, cocaine addiction.

Just another case of the ups-and-downs in the world of sports.

Lol Bruce Boudreau

2010-03-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know that I am not a die-hard hockey fan by any means, I just like the playoffs and the Penguins. But I'm not a dummy and I recognize bullshit when I hear it, with the latest installment spewing from Washington Capitals' coach, Bruce Boudreau. If you've watched Sportscenter in the past day or two, you have likely seen the hit that Alexander Ovechkin laid on some other player, name not important.

It was not a dirty hit, but it was a dangerous hit and completely unnecessary. And so dangerous that the player who was checked by Ovechkin, suffered broken ribs and could miss the rest of the season. Courtesy of Ovechkin of course, and this is what his coach, Boudreau, had to say about the hit:
“I didn’t think it was a bad, bad check worth a five and a game [misconduct],” he said. “A two at the most, but I don’t make the calls.”
Oh, the idiotic coach also had the balls to make this comment, regarding the NHL's action in suspending Ovechkin for two games:
Unfortunately I cannot find the exact quote as used in a video interview they just showed on Sportscenter but it was along the lines of, "I guess that's the attention of having the most popular player in the world on your team."

Let's hear that one claim that I know I got right again, "...the most popular player in the world.."

[DOES...NOT...COMPUTE]

Is Boudreau pretending that Sidney Crosby does not exist? Listen Bruce, if you want to claim that Ovechkin is the GREATEST player today - go for it, it's debatable. But most popular? A case cannot even be made for Ovechkin. For the sake of argument, I am throwing conventional statistics out the window on this and playing stat-man with some numbers that determine popularity.

Google Results
"Alexander Ovechkin" - 546,000
"Sidney Crosby" - 2,680,000

Facebook Fan Page Members
Alexander Ovechkin - 15,184
Sidney Crosby - 145,425

Top Selling NHL Jerseys in 2009/2010
#1 - Sidney Crosby
#2 - Alexander Ovechkin

Reebok Commercial Views On Youtube
Alexander Ovechkin - 38,000 [in 11 months]
Sidney Crosby - 60,000 [in 2 months]

eBay Results
Alexander Ovechkin - 1,133
Sidney Crosby - 3,250

Numbers don't lie. Think before you speak Bruce Boudreau.

Also, judging by that picture at the top...I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that women would take Crosby over Ovechkin all day.

Jared Mitchell Out for 2010

2010-03-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

Well my favorite White Sox prospect, and one of the few prospects I'd put a healthy amount of stock has seen his fandom plummet in the past twelve hours. Twelve hours ago, he was one of the most heralded prospects in baseball according to every source and had a tremendous skill set that could have reached the majors by 2011. Those 2011 hopes are now dashed and his followers are likely dropping out by the dozens.

I saw a clip of my boy Mitchell being carted off the field in today's exhibition game versus the Angels. My heart sunk at first. Then rumors started flying that it was precautionary - I was saved..temporarily. Then I log on to the internet about an hour ago to find out, oh wonderful, he tore a tendon and will miss the 2010 season.

He got the injury doing what he does: going balls out to make a play. Mitchell was the #23 overall draft pick in the 2009 amateur draft, selected by the Chisox. He is an athlete, and a great way to follow up last year's selection of Gordon Beckham (the RIGHTFUL 2009 AL Rookie of the Year). But after being selected, his stock rose even more and the baseball world was thinking, 'the White Sox got themselves a steal'.

Mitchell served up a helluva performance in the College World Series, anchoring the outfield like a seasoned vet while spraying the ball to all corners he wanted to. 2009 was his true breakout season that allowed him to be such a high draft choice, when he batted .327 with 11 home runs and 36 stolen bases.

Once signed to Chicago, he took the field for (A) Kannapolis, where he played very well, being that he was a rookie. In 34 games, Mitchell had 34 base hits and a .296 batting average. So much for that hype leading into this year, as Mitchell won't see the field. Here's to 2011 Jared.

*shifts "favorite prospect" title to John Shelby (left) and Tyler Flowers*

Derek Jeter's Placement Among the Greatest?

2010-03-10T21:42:00.001-08:00

Derek Jeter is a worldwide renowned superstar, as an athlete, as well as a celebrity. He has dated dozens of supermodels, broken coveted Yankee records and is the captain of the greatest sports empire. Despite all these tributes to his name, he has more haters than any athlete walking earth right now. His statistics may not be jaw-dropping, but they are damn good. He may get more coverage on ESPN than their own anchors, but so does LeBron James - does that make him overrated? Well I'll just let statistics do their job in training your mind to think one way or another, this may be an eye opener to some.

Pete Rose (average 162 games): .303/7/60, 194 hits
Derek Jeter (average 162 games): .317/17/81, 208 hits

Rose's additional accolades:
- All-time hit record
- 17 time All-Star
- 2 Gold Gloves
- 1 Silver Sluggers

Jeter's additional accolades:
- 10 time All-Star
- World Series MVP
- 4 Gold Gloves
- 4 Silver Sluggers

Rose is perched atop a pedestal for many baseball fans, as the impossibly great player that will shamefully be left out of the Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as one of the top-10 hitters of all-time, Jeter is top-25 for some, barely top-200 for others. Rose will always be remembered as "Charlie Hustle", and his will for going all out to make every play he could on the field. Jeter is another athlete that sets forth a great work ethic, and has guided the Yankees to 5 World Series championships (Rose won 3). Rose vs. Jeter is a very fair comparison, and the ultimate winner can go either way, but I claim Jeter triumphant.

If that is not enough to validate Jeter's position amongst the greats, some more common baseball knowledge will do the trick. He is fast, blazing fast. His 305 career stolen bases are good numbers don't get me wrong, but in any other era on any other team, he could have swiped over 500 bases. Over the years, he has had great hitters behind him such as Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez. With such great players hitting after him, it is a hard decision as a coach to allow Jeter to risk the stolen base, knowing all too well that the guy hitting after Jeter could easily string an RBI base hit.

Derek Jeter is one of the greatest postseason athletes in any sport, ever. He is a career .321 hitter in his 7 World Series', and garnered that all-too-important 2000 World Series MVP award. It all comes down to an intangible like this, to push Jeter above the rest. Statistically, he is not a God..but as shown, neither is the all-time hit king, Rose.

As far as shortstops, he is #2 in my mind (Alex Rodriguez enters my database as a 3B). These are my top 5, with their 162 game averages for batting average/HR/RBI/SB.

1. Honus Wagner (1897-1917): .328/6/100/42
2. Derek Jeter (1995-2009): .317/17/81/23
3. Arky Vaughan (1932-1943, 1947-1948): .318/9/83/11
4. Ernie Banks (1953-1971): .274/33/105/3
5. Cal Ripken Jr. (1981-2001)): .276/23/91/2

But at the same time, shortstop is a position where stats aren't everything. Leadership, success, defense, longevity - all play a key role in determining the greatest. This is thanks in large part because of the little difference in statistics. For example, comparing my #5 player (Ripken Jr.) to a guy that would be in my mid-20's..it isn't a far-fetched difference.

Ripken's 162 average: .276/23/91/2
Vern Stephens' 162 average: .286/23/111/2

What separates the two to the point where one is top-5 and the other is nowhere near that level? The intangibles, of course. I'm not going to a complete breakdown of something damn near off topic, but compare:
- Ripken's defense vs. Stephens' defense..Ripken wins, no contest
- Ripken's greatest season vs. Stephens' greatest season..Ripken wins
- Ripken's best decade vs. Stephens' best decade..Ripken takes it again
- Ripken's level of excellence in his 30's vs. Stephens' average play in his 30's..who do you think?

Basically, I have Jeter outside of the top-50 hitters of all-time, but certainly top-75. This may sound low, but there have been so many outfielders that have came and gone in baseball that have been amazing talents. Jeter still needs that MVP to make Yankee fans happy, and until that day, a bounty will remain on Justin Morneau's head for his thievery of Jeter's (rightfully earned) MVP award a few years back.

Save Your Money For the 2010 Baseball Season

2010-03-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

There is still one whole month until baseball's Opening Day goes down. This wait has not stopped me from dropping paychecks on annual baseball publications. Let's do the math, just for fun:

2010 Lindy's Annual Baseball Preview [$7.99]
- Grabbed this a few days prior to TSN's preview coming out, just to hold me over until "The Bible" came out. Not worth the purchase at this point.
2010 Sporting News Annual Baseball Preview [$7.99]
- The baseball fan's bible. Two years ago, TSN swallowed Street & Smith's publication company as a whole, leaving the two greatest baseball publications to work together. Thank you God.
2010 Baseball American Prospect Handbook [$31.99]
- Money well spent, packed with unknown reading material for weeks. Makes someone who thinks they are an all-knowing prospect God (like myself), look like an idiot compared to their staff. It is impossible to find a more experienced, more in-depth guide to the minor leagues than this. Thinned out my wallet though, that is a fact.

After counting taxes, I cleared $50 on baseball publications, with baseball season still on the come-up. Although it is great to have physical copies with top-notch analysis, it may be even more convenient to download a digital copy for some people. That is where SABR comes in. One of the most comprehensive, exhaustively researched guides to the 2010 season comes absolutely free of charge thanks to the great people at SABR. Collectively, SABR is second to no organization in terms of baseball knowledge and respectability.

Enter your e-mail address here, the copy will be e-mailed to you, and enjoy:
http://www.sabr.org/sabrwide.cfm?a=cms,c,2766,36,0,36,239

One Key Player "Forgotten"

2010-02-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

(Walker holding the Scripture's Lifetime Achievement Award)

In last night's article about soon-to-be forgotten baseball players of our generation, I made one key misstep. That was forgetting 90's outfielder Larry Walker! He slipped my mind, and will get the honorary "Lifetime Achievement" award, sorry Larry. His case is extremely strong, and the documentation for his forgettability is highlighted by - he is already forgotten. He retired without any sort of ceremony or press frenzy, has been gone for a few seasons and it seems like he never really left an impact on the league. But do not get that twisted, he did make an impact in baseball.

Some of his stats are inflated because of his longstay in Colorado throughout most of his playing career, but the pure talent Walker was given was shown multiple times over the years. Walker's career spanned from 1989-2005, where he was a fan favorite in Montreal, in addition to Colorado.

Walker's magnum opus was in 1997, when he put together one of the best seasons ever by an outfielder, seriously. He was honored with an All-Star game selection, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and an MVP to top it off. In '97 he hit .366/49/130/33 and posted an outstanding OPS of 1.172.

His lifetime awards include 5 All-Star game selections, 7 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and of course the MVP in 1997. He retired a career .313 hitter in 2005, with 383 home runs and nearly 300 stolen bases as well. Walker won 3 Batting Titles, and his career statline is reminiscent of an unforgettable Hall of Famer, Duke Snider.

Take the comparison of Snider's best 10-year stretch vs. Walker's best 10-year stretch.

Snider (1950-1959): .308/326/1031/77 (1,418 games played)
Walker (1993-2002): .331/277/921/161 (1,230 games played)

Walker will never have a seat in the Hall of Fame, due to injuries causing him to flame out towards the end of his career. Even during his peak years in Colorado, the national media was in love with Todd Helton regardless of whether or not Walker was having a better career.

And he was clean as far as we all know. As stated in his press release from 2007,
"I’m living proof that I didn’t take them because when I retired I put on 15 pounds – I didn’t shrink. An old saying in baseball says ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying’ – pitchers with pine tar and runners on second giving signs, but sticking a needle in you is stepping over the boundary of the sport and what you’re supposed to do."

He has never been linked in the slightest bit to a steroid ring.

Soon-to-be Forgotten Stars of "Our" Generation

2010-02-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

*Pt. II with Drew Vettleson coming soon*

Like any other sport, baseball has it's fair share of forgotten superstars and forgotten milestones. Billy Hamilton (1888-1901), Paul Waner (1926-1945), Charles Radbourn (1881-1891), Rabbit Maranville (1912-1935) and Herman Long (1889-1904) all come to mind. A group that all has their own unique claim to fame, yet are widely unknown in baseball circles.
Hamilton: The first great leadoff hitter, all-time record holder for most runs in a single season (196 - this will never be touched)
Waner: Orchestrated the greatest rookie season by a right fielder ever in 1926 (.336/8/79/11) and followed that up with an MVP in 1927
Radbourn: The greatest season ever by a pitcher, 1884, where he posted a 59-12 record, 1.38 ERA and 441 strikeouts
Maranville: One of sports' greatest jokers in history, who would be baseball's equivalent of Chad Ochocinco in modern-day if not more beloved than Ochocinco
Long: The greatest 2B of the 1800's (close between him and George Davis), the original "Flying Dutchman" pre-Honus Wagner

It was not intended for me to use "great" in the description of each of those players' distinctions, but it was necessary. Greatness could come by way of statistics, character, clutch performance, records, offense or defense. But not every "great, forgotten" player spawned from the days of our grandparents and even earlier, but we have seen plenty of them in the past twenty years.

Since the earlier group listed has three Hall of Famers, it is only fair to list at least one Hall of Famer from our generation, that being Omar Vizquel. Vizquel wins the award for most (likely to be) forgotten defensive player..and contact hitter while we're at it. Vizquel inked a new contract this past offseason with the Chicago White Sox, and this is likely to be his final playing season. Of course we have not forgotten about him yet, but future generations will not be so aware of the quick-handed, contact hitting shortstop - you can count on that. Since the Venezuelan's introduction to Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners in 1989, he has bounced from city to city and made his indelible mark on the game. His lasting legacy is left in Cleveland where he played for eleven seasons and tallied up eight Gold Gloves and 1,616 hits. Regardless of his awe-inspiring skills with the glove, he made it to just two All-Star games during his career which is now entering year twenty two. 2,704 hits and easily the greatest defensive shortstop this side of Ozzie Smith; wonderful credits to one's resume, but chicks dig the long ball and that is something Vizquel has never produced (78 career home runs).

While Vizquel is the most forgettable Hall of Famer from the current day on paper, the honorable title of "most forgettable slugger" goes to Kevin Mitchell. Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Ken Caminitti and Juan Gonzalez all look on in jealousy towards the coveted mention Mitchell receives. Mitchell is different from most steroid-era home run hitters, because he is more than likely clean. He had his career season in 1989, when steroids were an underground railroad transferring from one man's ass to another, though access was highly unattainable for most. Mitchell's 1989 season was enough for him to earn an MVP award and enough to earn him a salary increase to three times his '88 season salary. Injuries killed his stability and led him to an early demise in skills, but not before compiling 234 homers and a career .283 batting average. To add to the hype behind his power, he played just 95 games in 1994, yet he hit 30 home runs and had an average of .326. Injuries cut him off from another potential MVP in his cabinet.

Gonzalez would have had a legitimate chance at cracking the list, had he not been a notorious associate of Jose Canseco and his steroid ring. Gonzalez put up even more remarkable numbers, and with that heartbreaking smile and curiously weird mustache, how could one figure him to be injecting pounds of PEDs into his blood stream. Gonzalez won six Silver Sluggers and two MVPs, too bad.

Next up in the awards ceremony is most underrated base runner. And the award goes to..Juan Pierre. It was a split vote between Pierre and the Orioles' Brian Roberts, but Pierre gets the nod because honestly, Roberts may not go forgotten. Pierre, on the other hand, is a better base runner (if not the best of the 2000's) and he will be a memory of the past years down the road. Pierre is just 32 years old, but after relocating to Chicago for a spot on the White Sox roster, he is now on his fifth team since 2000. Pierre is so good in so many aspects of his game, including running, stability and charisma. There are very few players on the diamond that can grab the fan's attention like Pierre. He jumps from base to base like a frog jumping lily pads. From '03-'06, Pierre was the league leader in most times caught stealing - thanks in large part to he was stealing more than almost anyone else in the league. Right now Pierre sits with 459 career stolen bases, but with the pace he is at, 600 is not far away (which would slide him into top-20 of all-time. Pierre is not even fully appreciated at the time being, seeing that he has never been selected to play in an All-Star game, even though he led the league in stolen bases twice and has a career .301 batting average.

Next up is the soon-to-be forgotten (if not already forgotten) pitcher, Pat Hentgen. Someone explain to me why this guy never got his proper due, is it because he spent his career in Toronto? Regardless of what it may be, he had a string of eight very good seasons. From 1993-2000, Hentgen played in 3 All-Star games, won a Cy Young and had great stats (115-86, 4.16 ERA, 1071 strikeouts). Hopefully Blue Jays fans will continue to spread the word about Hentgen to future generations, since he meant a whole lot to that organization. In addition to the numbers, Cy Young and All-Star games - he was the starting and winning pitcher in game 3 of the 1993 World Series (which they went on to win), while piling up 19 wins in the regular season as an integral part of their championship run. He currently ranks top-5 in the Jays' record book for career wins, starts, innings pitched and winning percentage.

Finally, the overall award. The most forgettable, unappreciated, yet good, baseball player of the past twenty years is......Carlos Delgado. Delgado narrowly edged out Jeff Kent, Edgar Renteria and a few others for this one. Delgado came up with the great crop of then-young 1st basemen in the mid-1990's including Jason Giambi, Todd Helton and Jim Thome. Giambi's cleanliness is disgusting. Helton is going to go down as having some of the greatest offensive seasons this generation has seen. Thome is in the 500 home run club and a fan favorite that will never be forgotten by anyone who has seen him play. Delgado will not be a completely forgotten player, as Toronto fans will (like Hentgen) remember his contributions to the team for generations to come. But I think that people will overlook exactly how dominant Delgado was through a large part of his career.

Delgado has only made 2 All-Star games, collected 3 Silver Sluggers and never won an MVP - poor guy. He was borderline-robbed in 2003 by A-Rod in my opinion:
Delgado: .302/42/145/0 (.426 OBP)
Rodriguez: .298/47/118/17 (.396 OBP)
I consider the peak of Delgado's career to be 1998-2003. In that time his average season had him playing 154 games, and hitting .295/40/124, not bad at all. Right now his home run total lay at 473 career home runs, I pray that the guy does not become Fred McGriff Pt. II, begging for a roster spot with anyone just so he could eclipse 500 home runs. Statistically, Delgado is very reminiscent of Wille Stargell, but a few key things separate the pair.

Stargell is generally well-remembered, and the image associated with Stargell is him sporting his Pirates uniform, pacing the bases following one of his characteristic moonshots he launched out of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. But Delgado will not receive the post-career love that Stargell took part in long after he's gone. Much of this is because Stargell got much more recognition as a superstar than Delgado did during their playing days (Stargell's 7 All-Star games, 1 MVP vs. Delgado's 2 All-Star games, 0 MVPs). Stargell and Delgado are both known for their time spent with one team (Pittsburgh and Toronto, respectively), but only Stargell played his entire career with that club, and he also helped Pittsburgh win 2 World Series. Career statlines:
Delgado: .280/473/1512 (.383 OBP)
Stargell: .282/475/1540 (.360 OBP)
So similar, yet I'm telling you to count on the fact that Delgado will not be remembered as a superstar as he should be. And that is the conclusion of tonight's awards.

Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects List Revealed [#1-#25]

2010-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

From the foremost authority in minor league action, Baseball America, comes the annual preseason top-100 prospects in baseball. I've took the liberty to cut out the fat, and bring you the list of just the top-25. Of these twenty five, it is not unusual for three to become superstars, a dozen to be stable players, and the remaining ten to be serving you at a grocery store five years from now. We hope for the best to come from all these players, but obviously it does not work out that way.

Braves slugger Jason Heyward and prodigal son Stephen Strasburg are head-and-shoulders above the competition. So much that speculation over the #1/#2 spot surrounded the pair for the past few weeks. Recently, MLB Network predicted Heyward to produce 500 home runs over his career, in addition to several MVP awards and a spot in Cooperstown down the road - this hype is easy to buy in to with Heyward. For now, I advise you to gaze over the list yourself, and I will post my personal thoughts on the top-25 later.

1 Jason Heyward, of, Braves [below]

2 Stephen Strasburg, rhp, Nationals
3 Mike Stanton, of, Marlins
4 Jesus Montero, c, Yankees
5 Brian Matusz, lhp, Orioles
6 Desmond Jennings, of, Rays
7 Buster Posey, c, Giants
8 Pedro Alvarez, 3b, Pirates
9 Neftali Feliz, lhp, Rangers
10 Carlos Santana, c, Indians
11 Dustin Ackley, of/1b/2b, Mariners
12 Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers
13 Justin Smoak, 1b, Rangers
14 Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants
15 Domonic Brown, of, Phillies
16 Starlin Castro, ss, Cubs
17 Martin Perez, lhp, Rangers
18 Jeremy Hellickson, lhp, Rays
19 Aaron Hicks, of, Twins
20 Logan Morrison, 1b, Marlins
21 Ryan Westmoreland, of, Red Sox
22 Aroldis Chapman, lhp, Reds
23 Tyler Matzek, lhp, Rockies
24 Casey Kelly, lhp, Red Sox
25 Kyle Drabek, rhp, Blue Jays

Best player not in top-25: (#55) Jared Mitchell, OF, White Sox

White Sox Hat = Gangster Rap Must Have

2010-02-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

A New York Yankees fitted cap may be the most cliche, most popularly-worn baseball hat on the face of the earth, especially on the east coast, thanks to the larger-than-life existence the franchise has. Regardless of the Yanks' lockdown of Tri-State craniums, the midwest and west coast need a ball cap to go to as well, right? The LA Dodgers hat..yes, nice and popularly worn. But wearing their royal blue colors will get you ganked by a piru blood on Compton Boulevard. The Cincinatti Reds cap, simple design, nice bright red hat with white stitching. But again, Snoop Dogg's entourage of crips may run up on you if you're wearing that in his hood. The midwest team with major love from the west coast then comes into the picture, the White Sox hat. The black and white colors will draw you no enemies, if any though, they would be Cubs fans.

Being a White Sox fan, it is natural for me to rock White Sox apparel anyways, but when I see hood superstars like Dr. Dre, 2Pac and Eazy-E wearing them - that makes me all the more proud. The classic white stitching of "SOX" diagonally sticks to the black wool that covers the head. And the Chisox cap dons the head of millions across the world.

Since 1991, this White Sox hat has served as the main cap for the team. And without further adue, some famous black men that have thrown the hat atop their skull:

Dr. Dre

Barack Obama

50 Cent

Young Buck

Eazy-E

And last but certainly not least...a true OG...

Michael Jordan

You're Gonna Like This Guy Pt. I

2010-02-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Drew Vettleson swings with a mean streak – a compact, picture-perfect stroke that flashes before one’s eyes like poetry in motion. His brain leads his hands to sway over home plate, unleashing a bat that collides with a baseball by the speed of what seems to be a thousand miles per hour. He humbly walks off the field following his big (yet usual) moment, and fills a cup with Gatorade.

Before Vettleson knows it, the inning is over and he must take the field again. He walks a straight path leading right to the pitcher’s mound and with every step he takes, the opposing team hears his footsteps reverberating off the ground like loud blasts from a cannon. After a quick warm up, he nods to his catcher and the umpire that he is ready. His right arm seemingly slithers out of his jersey and delivers a scathing 92 mile per hour fastball into the strike zone, puzzling hitters and making them look foolish. He continues on pitching, with his left hand. Wait, what?!

A product of Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington, Vettleson has a big decision to make in the coming months; whether to play college ball and get an education, or to forego college and step into the diamond with MLB following being drafted in the amateur draft. The skill is undeniably present in Vettleson, but the physical maturity has scouts questioning whether it is his time to go pro or not.

Vettleson is a highly-coveted prospect who can roam the outfield with the best of them and deliver mitt-pounding fastballs, with both hands. And not in the same way that you see your nephew experimenting with cheap gloves; but in highly polished, highly structured deliveries. Vettleson states, “With my right hand, I throw 90-93 and left hand I throw 82-85.” He added, “You can say I kind of have different identities with each hand, (the left side) is the soft stuff and (the right hand) is the hard stuff.”

As popular biblical entries like to explain to us, the right hand represents good and the left hand represents evil. Is there anything wrong with having the fun-loving attitude and love for the game, mixed with the competitive edge to best out the competition? Of course not, and Vettleson is that rare breed.

Rare is not even the word to describe Vettleson’s ambidexterity. Only 3%-5% of the world’s population is ambidextrous, and on top of that, being a baseball pitcher destined for success in the MLB is a very unlikely story. But Vettleson is living it out and hopes to follow in the paths of previous ambidextrous pitchers in the pros, Greg Harris and Pat Venditte.

Harris sported a reversible glove, and tossed an inning for the Montreal Expos in 1995. He recorded two outs with his right throwing arm and one out with his left throwing arm.

Venditte attained a lot of hype from the media in past seasons from ESPN. Rick Reilly wrote a piece explaining his endeavors and his interesting life from both sides of the glove. Venditte wears a specially-made Mizuno glove which allows him to catch with either hand. Venditte is a great story and has achieved his fame through his collegiate career at Creighton and is currently stationed in the Yankees farm system, but the outlook for Vettleson’s career seems highly likely to crush it.

Though his profile seems to be getting more illustrious with each day nearing the start of baseball season, he has a very normal ego and is down-to-earth. While he lives with a brain filled with baseball memories and a bedroom showcasing tons of trophies, he is humbled by the success he has had thus far. When I asked him what was his most humbling award of his, he responded, “I’d have to say…the Washington (State) Gatorade Player of the Year and Washington Louisville Slugger”. As of press date, he is just seventeen years old and has all of these accolades to his credit:
- 2008 Washington State Player of the Year (by Gatorade)
- 2008 Washington State Louisville Slugger
- Acceptance to Oregon State (Defending National Champions in baseball)
- Top-25 High School prospect for 2010 MLB Amateur draft by Baseball America
- Played for Northwest Area Code team (highly prestigious group of High School players)

He has had a fair share of outstanding performances statistically including a two no-hitters, and a 4- for-4 performance at the plate in an Area Code showdown. He claims that one of his favorite performances he’s done individually was almost following the shadow of Ken Griffey Jr., his favorite player since he was six years old. He told me, “I try to model my play off Ken Griffey Jr., he accomplished so much in his career. The highlight catches..the seven straight games with a home run.” He then recalled how close he got to that streak, “This summer I had six straight games with a home run, could not quite that seventh.”

Pt. II will be up no later than Tuesday (Feb 23).

Best 1-2 in the MLB for 2010 Pt. III: #15-#17

2010-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

As of late my time and attention to this particular series has been hindered, but I will continue on with it. Though the write-ups are significantly less extensive and shorter, I will do my best getting the results and overall message to you.

17. Houston Astros (7.25)
Roy Oswalt: 3 (8-6, 4.12 ERA, 6.85 K/9 IP + injury)
Wandy Rodriguez: 4.25 (14-12, 3.02 ERA, 8.45 K/9 IP)

There is a passing of the torch happening in Houston which began last season, and will carry into 2010. Wandy Rodriguez is surpassing the Astros' icon Oswalt as the team's best pitcher. Oswalt is still a solid pitcher, but his problematic arm have his pitching skills on a slow decline - while Rodriguez keeps getting better. Rodriguez clearly had his finest season yet last year, highlighted by his personal-record shattering 70% quality starts (previous personal best was 48%). Rodriguez' characteristically short and subtle pitching style also helped him at keeping base runners honest, allowing only three stolen bases through the course of '10.

16. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7.5)
Jered Weaver: 4.5 (16-8, 3.75 ERA, 7.42 K/9 IP)
Joe Saunders: 3 (16-7, 4.60 ERA, 4.89 K/9 IP + injury)

The Angels let John Lackey walk away from the team this past offseason, as they felt confident that Saunders could step up and act as their #2 pitcher for 2010. With Weaver's proven track record and undeniable skill, there is no question as to how well he should perform this year. Since Weaver's debut in 2006, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, highlighted by his stats (51-27, 3.73 ERA). In Weaver's 211 innings pitched last season, he worked the batter to an 0-2 count nearly every inning (197 total). Saunders' injury last season contributed to his inflated 4.60 ERA, but the Angels know that the lefthander that shined in 2009 (17-7, 3.41 ERA) is still inside of him.
*note: watch out for Ervin Santana too*

15. Florida Marlins (7.5)
Josh Johnson: 4.5 (15-5, 3.23 ERA, 8.22 K/9 IP)
Ricky Nolasco: 3 (13-9, 5.06 ERA, 9.49 K/9 IP)

Josh Johnson has quickly worked his way to being one of my favorite "new" pitchers. In 2008 and 2009 he has been terrific (22-6, 3.34 ERA), and that 22-6 record is very important when pitching for the Marlins. Last season at just 25 years of age, Johnson cracked his way into the All-Star game for the first time. He truly is a winner and makes the Marlins better just when his presence stands atop the mound; the Marlins are 33-14 in games he pitched sine 2008. Nolasco is another guy that just finds a way to win. Regardless of his poor, amplified ERA - the guy had a damn good record for them. The Marlins do hope for more "2008 Nolasco" rather than "2009 Nolasco" in 2010. 2008 is the year where the Marlins started to gain faith in Nolasco's right arm when he notched 15 wins with a 3.52 ERA. Nolasco is one of the best young pitchers on the scene when it comes to striking guys out. He makes Weaver's 0-2 count total look pathetic - Nolasco last season saw 222 0-2 counts in 185 innings of work.

Next one coming before the weekend, along with the new feature on our High School pitching phenom.

Update On Princeton Collins

2010-02-08T20:36:00.001-08:00

Back in October, I conducted a quick interview with Princeton "PC" Collins, Texas running back phenom. Since then, the entire 2009 football season has passed us by and Collins played up to his expectations as a 3-star recruit with a whole lot of upside. He ran his way to another stellar season and officially gave his full commitment to playing his college ball at Utah University.

Collins and the Westwood Warriors football team pushed their way towards a solid 7-4 final record, before suffering a loss in the first round of the playoffs to Cypress Woods. Collins was clearly the catalyst to the offense, pacing the team with his running; the passing attack delivered just a shade over one thousand yards. Collins' greatest performance of 2009, if not his best game he has had yet in his young career, came October 23 in a victory against McNeil. The Warriors pounded McNeil in a 31-8 beating, and Collins headed the charge with his 167 rushing yards on just 16 carries, in addition to 2 touchdowns and a 67 yard run. He will go down in the perils of Westwood's greatest football players of all-time, and next up is making way to the list of greatest running backs for Utah.

High school football career:

2007: 172 rushing attempts, 876 rush yds., 18 receptions, 144 rec. yds, 9 total TD

2008: 225 rushing attempts, 1525 rush yds., 37 receptions, 339 rec. yds, 16 total TD

2009: 216 rushing attempts, 1256 rush yds., 25 receptions, 227 rec. yds, 19 total TD

'08 seemed to be Collins' finest season, but he followed that up in 2009 with another grade-A performance for his senior year. Following the season, Collins earned a spot on the 2nd team All-Texas roster. We will be sure to try keeping in touch with Collins next season for his college debut.

Now that this blog has found our favorite football player, it is time to get ready for baseball season and with that, a baseball player to follow. I promise that before the weekend hits, there will be a full feature and interview (which is in the process as I'm typing) on my new favorite baseball player.

BONUS:
Video on why Collins chose Utah, appears to be recorded on signing day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTIhRUBe92o

The original interview with Collins:
http://myb5162.blogspot.com/2009/10/debut-blogpost-interview-with-princeton.html

Age Is Not Just A Number

2010-02-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

As my fingers have been drudging across this keyboard the past few days transcribing information about nothing but pitching staffs, I am giving it a break for the night and switching gears to something else. I take pride in my blog's uniqueness of subject material, and this time I must give credit to the forum at baseball-fever.com. When prowling the message board over there, my eyes glossed over this topic that caught my eye. Which players born in the 1960's are still playing today?

The average career of an NFL player spans 3.5 seasons, thanks in large part to the wear-and-tear of the sport. Baseball is a more delicate sport with very little physical contact, which is the #1 reason NFL careers break down. Rather than contact with 300 pound "big uglies", baseball players wear down from arm fatigue, pulled joints and hyperextended muscles. The average MLB career lasts 5.6 years, but superstars always find a way to keep playing. And the players born in the 1960's are all forty years old or nearing the magic number. Superstars generally no longer have the talent to play at, or made their fair share of money, by the time they have reached their mid-thirties. Some, like Ken Griffey Jr., despite being badgered by injuries, find their way into the mix come every Spring Training.

Griffey Jr. is the prime example of simply loving the game and drinking in every last ounce before his time to retire is undeniable. Every time the camera pans in on "The Kid" (as if there is a more fitting nickname for him), he is smiling ear-to-ear and rocking his hat backwards like a Little Leaguer. It takes a lot out of the average superstar to be 40 years old and try to play like he is 20, but Griffey makes his best attempt. There is no player more deserving of the coveted "poster on the bedroom door" spot for a young player. His skills have decreased over time, but fans still come to the Mariners games to see him. Last season the Seattle Mariners brought the icon back to town, and laced his contract with several incentives (among them, Mariners attendance levels). He hit just .218 with 19 home runs (now he is starting to play like Pops), but the Mariners did bring in 2.5 million fans over the course of the year which was the number he had to reach.

Tim Wakefield, born in 1966, is another 60's success story. But unlike Griffey, he has not played through significant injuries and his game is specially designed for longevity in baseball. Wakefield is the game's most notorious knuckleballer today, and puts little stress on his arm when delivering pitches. The others "stars" still playing today include Trevor Hoffman, Omar Vizquel, Mariano Rivera and John Smoltz. Vizquel has always been a gifted fielder and slick with his glove, but the White Sox brought him in this year to potentially DH. An odd move, point blank period. Rivera and Hoffman are both closers, and though they do not throw as many pitches as starters, the mental anxiety is raised, and the effectiveness of their pitches has to be just as high. Smoltz is the only starting pitcher today who is still pitching in their 40's, unless Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez finds a home. This is expected news I'm sure, but when there are close to 400 pitchers in the major leagues, and only one is 40 years old - mind-blowing. Not to mention, Smoltz is a free agent as well, but I have faith that he will find a team to meet his contractual demands.

The rest of the 60's babies is littered with middle relievers and guys who never made a real impact on the league; Brad Ausman, Brian Shouse, Doug Brocail and Arthur Rhodes. But must we not forget a man who played an anti-Griffey for parts of his career, Gary Sheffield. "Shef" is still looking for work and his contractual demands are likely higher than what any team will be willing to match to get him in uniform. Amidst injury problems, ego problems, steroid talks - I would not want him on my team unless he was going to play for six digit money and be on his best behavior.

Best 1-2 in the MLB for 2010 Pt. II: #18-20

2010-02-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, day two brings us three more teams as the suspense to find #1 continues to build.

20. Washington Nationals (7)
Jason Marquis: 3.5 (15-13, 4.04 ERA, 4.79 K/9 IP)
John Lannan: 3.5 (9-13, 3.88 ERA, 3.88 K/9 IP)

Though the Nats are the closest thing to a shoe-in to finish last in the National League East, it is with no help from the front 1-2 pitching. Marquis is coming off a successful season, playing in Colorado nonetheless. He is a lucky charm for teams, as in every single season in his 10-year playing career, he has made the postseason. Unbelievable by today's measures, especially for someone that has made his way around the league, but it is impossible that Marquis will single-handedly carry the Nats into the playoffs. Marquis is a very welcome addition in Washington, who will certainly aid one of the worst pitching staffs in the game last season (5.00 ERA was 28th in MLB).

Lannan has been on scouts' radars for a few seasons now, and last year the lefty repeated his good-to-great pitching by posting an impressive 3.88 ERA, but poor run support led him to a 9-13 record. Lannan has had a great start to his career by his precise location, he drops the ball wherever he wants it to land. With an 87 mph fastball, a short-breaking slider and looping curveball, he needs to locate his pitches to avoid being shelled.

Garrett Mock is coming off a terrible season, but still looks to be the #3 starter in Washington. In 2009, the former reliever went 3-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 15 starts. Injury prone, former star-on-the-rise Scott Olsen joins the rotation, hoping to rebound from his shoulder problems that plagued him throughout all of 2009. Stephen Strasburg, the highly coveted #1 overall draft pick, could possibly start his career off in the majors (depending on his performance during spring training). They do not want to rush the prodigy to the pros too fast, but it would be a good look for ticket sales if he were to make a few marquee starts.

19. Texas Rangers (7)
Rich Harden: 3.75 (9-9, 4.09 ERA, 10.91 K/9 IP)
Scott Feldman: 3.25 (17-8, 5.36 ERA)

Harden could be among the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, and he flashed the proof of that last season in uniform for the Cubs. In 2008, splitting time with the Cubs and A's, while only pitching 25 games due to injury, he had an amazing season (10-2, 2.07 ERA, 11.01 K/9 IP). He is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game today, characterized by his low-to-mid 90's fastball and a hard slider. If Harden did not run into shoulder problems during his career, we would be talking about him being one of the best pitchers in the game. My 3.75 is a conservative bet; if he stays healthy, he will easily reach that level, though the odds of staying healthy are rough. The plus sign of last season was that his trip to the DL was due to a back strain, showing that his shoulder problems may finally be over.

Feldman was a complete surprise for Texas last year, as him and Kevin Millwood piloted the staff. Feldman is a converted relief pitcher and takes care of batters with his low-90's fastball and a nice two-seam fastball as well. Feldman is relatively an injury-free pitcher, but he did have Tommy John surgery all the way back in 2003. By the Rangers move of trading Millwood to the O's for relief pitching help, they are relying on Feldman to have a similar season to what he did last season, so check for him to win upwards of 15 games in 2010.

The rest of Texas' staff is dicey and young. Derek Holland is reported to be the #3 starter despite his poor performance for the club last season, where he went 8-13 with an ERA above 6.00. The Rangers will continue to push him because he is just 23 and a left-hander with a world of promise. Brandon McCarthy, Tommy Hunter and Matt Harrison are expected to round out the rotation. McCarthy was a former White Sox top prospect, and had a decent 2010 in Texas by going 7-4 with a 4.62 ERA. Hunter also posted solid numbers, racing his way throughout AA and AAA, finishing the year with the Rangers. Throughout 2010 at all three levels he went 13-8 with an ERA hovering around 4.00.

18. Atlanta Braves (7)
Derek Lowe: 3.5 (15-10, 4.67 ERA, 5.13 K/9 IP)
Jair Jurrjens: 3.5 (14-10, 2.60 ERA, 6.36 K/9 IP)

The Braves have one of the deepest, and youngest pitching staffs in the league - and this is after losing last year's ace Javier Vazquez. Last season Lowe was due $15 million, and lived up to that by posting an ERA that was not impressive, but he won 15 decisions and that's all that matters in the end. The Braves have one of the most durable pitchers in the league in Lowe, as he has made over 30 starts in each of the past 8 seasons.

Jurrjens is the #2 in my mind, but not universally. Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson are both vying for the position as well. But Jurrjens had a wonderful campaign in 2009 and continued to build on his great season he posted in 2008. The Tigers lost one on Jurrjens when they traded him two seasons ago, and I'm expecting another very good season in 2010. Jurrjens is just 24 years old, and has not even hit his peak yet. It is odd that his winning percentage is less than Lowe's, even though he had an ERA of roughly 2.00 runs less.

Tommy Hanson has a very good chance of actually being the #2 in the Braves rotation this year, but I do not feel he deserves it as much as Jurrjens does. Jurrjens earned that spot, but Hanson is not a shabby pitcher by any means. He was 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and he is just 23 years old. Behind those two pitchers, the Braves have a very bright future ahead of them. And the elder statesman of the squad is Tim Hudson. Hudson was out with Tommy John surgery last season, until the end of the season where he came back to prove he could still pitch on a high level (2-1, 3.61 ERA). The Braves were impressed enough to pick his option for 2010 up, and he could be a very valuable asset for Atlanta. With these four pitchers, the Braves have a ton of potential and might even be able to pry the NL East away from the Phillies.

Best 1-2 in the MLB for 2010 Pt. I: #21-#30

2010-02-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

Okay well the formula is based off pure opinion and speculation as to these pitchers' outlooks for 2010. I scored each pitcher in the 1-2 under one of the following:
5 - Top of the line
4.75 - A cut below
4.5 - Fantastic
4.25 - Great
4 - Very good
3.75 - Good
3.5 - Above average
3.25 - Average
3 - Average, but below average for a top-end rotation pitcher
2.75 - Decent
2.5 - Below Average
2.25 - Unreliable
2 - Bad
etc.

And also remember that not all of these 1-2's are set in stone. Things could change include the signing of Joel Pineiro (a 4 on the scale), managerial decision to switch pitchers up-and-down in the rotation.

With no further adue:

30. Cleveland Indians (4.75)
Jake Westbrook: 2.5 (DNP in 2009)
Fausto Carmona: 2.25 (5-12, 6.32 ERA, 5.67 K/9 IP)

The 1-2 for the Indians is absolutely terrible, but could surprise some. There is no way this tandem will make their way into the top (or even the middle) of the league, but they can't get any worse. Westbrook has missed practically all of the past two seasons with Tommy John surgery, but in his last "full" season he was not even impressive (6-9, 4.32 ERA in 2007).

Carmona is a perplexing pitcher. In 2007, Carmona burst on the scene with a season that put him en route to being a top-notch pitcher, leading the Tribe with 19 wins and a 3.06 ERA. But in the past two seasons he has tallied up a paltry record of 13-19, with a towering ERA hovering around 6.00.

If anything happens to those two, they have a few options, none are good options though. Justin Masterson was an emerging star for the Red Sox, but when traded to the Indians he broke down and went 1-8 in his short 2009 stint with the Indians. Aaron Laffey and David Huff are end-of-the-rotation starters hanging on to their major league jobs by the skin of their teeth. But they are both young, and left-handed, so there is promise in the future (maybe).

29. Pittsburgh Pirates (6)
Zach Duke: 3 (11-16, 4.06, 4.48 K/9 IP)
Paul Maholm: 3 (8-9, 4.44 ERA, 5.50 K/9 IP)

The Bucs are in a bad place with bad management. Zach Duke could be dealt sometime soon (and I know if I were him, I would want out ASAP). He is a very capable pitcher pitching for a subpar team, with no hope for the next 3-4 years at least. Duke posted his usual numbers last season, amassing 16 losses, most of which were undeserved. Him and Maholm are the anchors of the staff, two good pitchers that on paper will never realize their true potential while playing for the Pirates. Maholm could be a capable anchor for this subpar team, though. The scariest thing about the former-top prospect is that he is just 27 years old, and already is having knee problems. It was reported that he had a sore knee on April 6 of last season, and played through it all season. It is not a serious issue, but could be if it gets any worse. He is gearing up for a career year as he is now entering the prime of his career, because so far he has been a bit of a letdown considering all the hype he was given (38-44, 4.33 ERA in career).

Ross Ohlendorf was a surprise success for the Pirates in 2009. The Yankees practically gave him away to the Pirates in the Xavier Nady trade, but Ohlendorf showed the Yanks that he is capable of being a full-time pitcher in the pros. Despite his large, durable frame (6'4 235 lbs), the Pirates shut him down for the remainder of the season, on September 22, because the Pirates feared the risk of over-pitching him. I project Ohlendorf will follow his success in 2009 into the new season.

Beyond that, the Pirates are underwhelming. Charlie Morton, former Braves prospect, went 5-9 with a 4.55 ERA last season - but scouts are very high on his low-to-mid 90's fastball. Kevin Hart is likely to be the #4 pitcher, after posting a 5.44 ERA last season.

28. San Diego Padres (6.25)
Kevin Correia: 3.25 (12-11, 3.91, 6.45 K/9 IP)
Chris Young: 2.75 (4-6, 5.21, 5.92 K/9 IP + injury)

In a radio interview just a few days ago, manager Bud Black stated that right now Correia and Young are the 1-2, in that order. After years of teetering on the brink of MLB success, Correia finally had his breakout season in 2009. I'm expecting a year similar to 2009 for Correia, Padres fans should not have their hopes up speculating if he will emerge as a National League "ace" in 2010.

Chris Young has a lot of potential for 2010 and can definitely turn my 2.75 rating into a 3.75 - he has done it before. In '09, Young was disastrous; hurling 4 wins in 14 starts with a 5.21 ERA and a vacation on the 60-day DL to boot. Black reported that Young, "hasn't had any setbacks...and feels outstanding". But should something set Young back, the Padres equipped themselves with another pitcher with a lot of upside, Jon Garland.

Garland was signed a day after the Bud Black interview, and the baseball world should be curious as to where he will fit in the rotation. There is not much separation between the talent of Correia/Young/Garland, when healthy. From 2003-2007 with the White Sox, Garland posted a 70-54 record and 4.32 ERA. Upon his departure from Chitown, he posted 14 wins for the Angels despite his 4.90 ERA - the guy just knows how to win. Mat Latos and Tim Stauffer are solid options for the Padres as back-end rotation guys, as is lefty (former) phenom Clayton Richard.

27. Toronto Blue Jays (6.25)
Ricky Romero: 3.5 (13-9, 4.30 ERA, 7.13 K/9 IP)
Shaun Marcum: 2.75 (DNP in 2009)

2010 is sure to be a dark, beginning chapter to Toronto's "Life After Halladay". With Halladay and Romero, the Blue Jays could have been a top-5 rotation, but replacing Halladay with the likes of Shaun Marcum is not a good look no matter what. Romero is fresh off of a strong rookie year, and has a lot of potential to eventually become a poor man's Halladay for Jays' fans, but not this year. Keeping hopes realistic, I'd say 15 wins and a 4.00 ERA is within sight for Romero.

The #2 starter for Toronto is definitely not set in stone. Marcum and Dustin McGowan both missed the entire 2009 season, two of the front-runners for the Blue Jays pitching in 2010. Marcum and his grade-A sinker were very effective in 2008 in Toronto, posting a 9-7 record and a 3.39 ERA.

Marcum looks like the prime candidate for the #2 pitching spot, but McGowan, Jesse Litsch, Brandon Morrow and Marc Rzepczynsk are on his heels. All of these guys are under 30 years old, and have tons of upside - I am predicting at least one of these guys will turn some heads this season. And this year is not his year, but eventually, Kyle Drabek will fit perfectly into the Blue Jays' rotation. 2012 can come soon enough for Toronto fans, Romero/Drabek could be special.

26. Baltimore Orioles (6.5)
Kevin Millwood: 3.5 (13-10, 3.67, 5.57 K/9 IP)
Jeremy Guthrie: 3.0 (10-17, 5.04, 4.95 K/9 IP)

Millwood has had a rough stretch the past few years in Texas (which pitcher hasn't?), but as he is aging, he got...better? Could it be? Absolutely, Millwood had a great season in 2009 and the Rangers dealt him to the O's for Chris Ray. Ray was a nice closer for Baltimore, but the Orioles quickly got to replacing him and found a capable suitor in Mike Gonzalez. Millwood is due for $12 million this season, and the Orioles will cover $9 million of that (with the Rangers covering the leftover money). He is also in Baltimore to help progress along the rest of the young rotation.

Guthrie had a good season in 2008, winning 10 games with a 3.63 ERA - but 2009 did not work out so well for him. He lost 17 games and had an ERA north of 5.00. I am expecting him to rebound, but not for him to be a shutdown pitcher. 12 to 14 wins, with an ERA in the mid-4.00's is what to expect from Guthrie in 2010.

Beyond those two, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez are waiting in the wings in the rotation. Who? Yes, I know. Three prospects who combined for a 18-22 record last season, but with the major league experience, any player will have to go through learning strides. Tillman and Matusz appear to be the most serious candidates to move up in the rotation. Matusz was a highly-touted 2008 1st round draft pick, and went 5-2 in his audition for the Orioles last season. Bergesen was on his way to a breakout season (7-5, 3.43 ERA) until a leg injury knocked him out from July 31-end of the season. Do not be surprised to see the 1-2 shake up a bit. Erik Bedard is a free agent who may possibly wind up back in Baltimore; and also, Guthrie and Millwood may be traded towards the trade deadline if the Orioles fall out of the playoff hunt (which is expected).

25. Cincinnati Reds (6.5)
Aaron Harang: 3 (6-14, 4.21, 7.87 + injury)
Johnny Cueto: 3.5 (11-11, 4.41, 6.93)

There is very little difference in Harang/Cueto by performance, but my gut feeling tells me that they are leaning towards Harang being the opening day starter. As a matter of fact, there is little difference in the performance you can predict from their top-four starters. But Harang is just two seasons removed from his magnum opus of his playing career, in which he went 16-6 with a 3.73 ERA. He is a team leader and has a nice repertoire which includes a slider, curveball, changeup and ability to change speeds on his fastball.

Cueto has shown flashes of brilliance from time-to-time, but for every flash of brilliance, he displays his weaknesses. For being just 24 years old, Cueto is improving all the time and could eventually delve his way into an elite pitcher. He has the tools, but control issues are currently hindering him.

The Reds have one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball, I mean really, look at it. Although they lack a commanding ace, they have several capable arms - it is unlikely that the Reds will go on too many losing streaks reaching upwards of 5-6 games. Bronson Arroyo was statistically the best Red pitcher last year, but most sources are pointing towards him being the #3 after his impressive 2009 (15-13, 3.84 ERA). Homer Bailey has gone through more ups-and-downs in his five seasons of pro ball than most do their whole career, but last year it seemed like he finally started meshing (8-5, 4.53 ERA). Edison Volquez was dominant in 2008, winning 17 contests and posting a 3.21 ERA, but last year injuries set him far back. Volquez underwent Tommy John surgery and missed a majority of the season, and it is to be seen how he fares in 2010 and beyond. And of course, the Reds made a wonderful signing with Oraldis Chapman. Chapman, the Cuban defective, was inked to 5 year contract worth $30 million. He figures to immediately play in the majors (despite the original thought that he would be a minor leaguer), and time will tell if this fireballer is ready for Major League Baseball.

24. Tampa Bay Rays (6.5)
James Shields: 3 (11-12, 4.14 ERA, 6.84 K/9 IP)
Matt Garza: 3.5 (8-12, 3.95 ERA, 8.38 K/9 IP)

I might be going a little hard on the Rays, but honestly I think that this spot (#24) is where the clear separation begins between the average 1-2's and good 1-2's. I am a big fan of Garza and Shields has undeniable talent, but the teams listed higher are just as lethal. Shields stayed on the path he has been going down, notching 11 wins, amounting to 37 in the past 3 seasons. He lost his command of the strike zone last season, as his walks went up quite high, yet still below the league average.

Garza has the tools tot be something miraculous, but I'm not going to inflate his rating just off what he could be. The past 3 seasons, he has pitched no better than Scott Baker of the Twins, who is a fellow 3.5. He is one of the strongest pitchers in the game today, but his fastball darts it's way into the zone with no motion whatsoever. He has lots of potential, but I do not think that 2010 is the year that he realizes it.

The Rays have a plethora of young talent on the squad other than the 1-2, starting with David Price. The former #1 overall pick went 10-7 in his first full MLB season in '09. Jeff Niemann was a beast last year, winning over .666 of his decisions, and posting an ERA a shade below 4.00. Wade Davis rounds out the rotation. After getting his feet wet in the pros last year, Davis is ready to take on a serious role this season. Andy Sonnastine is another young gun in competition for a role in the starting rotation.

23. Oakland A's (6.5)
Ben Sheets: 3.5 (DNP in 2009)
Brett Anderson: 3 (11-11, 4.06, 7.70 K/9 IP)

Gone in Oaktown are the days of Hudson, Mulder, Zito and after a few years with dormant pitching nowhere near on the level of that trio, emerging this year is Sheets, Anderson and Trevor Cahill. Sheets is undoubtedly the leader of the young staff, I mean, the guy made 4 All-Star games for a reason. He was at one time, one of the top pitchers in MLB, but injuries derailed him from that future. 3.5 is what I am expecting from Sheets, but can easily turn into a 4.5, or a 2.5. If he can stay healthy, I have little doubt in my mind that he will perform and produce 14-16 wins, with a sub-4.00 ERA.

Anderson had a great rookie campaign. The lefty kept a .500 winning percentage and has the poise and confidence of a veteran. Among the many emerging starting pitchers the A's have, he is definitely looking like the class as of now.

Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, Dallas Braden and Justin Duchscherer are other valuable pieces to the A's rotation. Cahill won 10 games last season, despite his awful K:BB ratio (4.5:3.6). Mazzaro caught tendinitis and was shut down half way through the season, after posting mediocre numbers (4-9, 5.32 ERA). Braden landed on the 60-day DL after finding out of a left foot infection, but he was having an impressive seasons(8-9, 3.89 ERA). Duchscherer was an eye-opening player on the field for the A's, and opened even more eyes off the field with his absence through the entire 2009 season. Duchscherer was an all-star in 2008 going 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA, but battled a horrible case of depression. Duchscherer's depression stemmed from a bad breakup with his ex-wife, as he notes in his ESPN interview, "You're going to have the same emotions whether you have a million dollars or five dollars in the bank. Sure, it makes it easier to pay your rent. But when you're divorced and separated from your son, having money doesn't make it feel any better."

22. Chicago Cubs (7)
Carlos Zambrano: 3.5 (9-7, 3.77 ERA, 8.08 K/9 IP + injury)
Ted Lilly: 3.5 (12-9, 3.10 ERA, 7.68 + injury)

If these two pitchers were not troubles with injuries, the Cubs could have easily been in the top-half of the teams in MLB in this breakdown. Zambrano's gigantic frame does not make him any more durable; the more weight he keeps putting on, the less money will be put on his next long-term contract. When he is healthy, he is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball; and I do not just mean physically healthy, I mean mentally healthy as well. Zambrano has a tendency to cut loose from the norm when it comes down to a blown call by an umpire (as shown in the picture atop the article). Back muscle spasms and left hamstring strains limited his playing time, causing him to lose at least 6 starts.

Lilly has become one of the better control pitchers in baseball over the years, a poor man's Greg Maddux. He makes his 85 mph fastball deadly, spotting it wherever he wants. And His K/9 IP is surprisingly high for a control pitcher, especially when his BB/9 IP rests at just 1.83. Last year his 3.10 ERA was pacing him to have the best season of his career, but after having surgery on his left knee and his left shoulder last season, it will be interesting to see how he bounces back in 2010. And forewarning, Lill will not be on the 25-man roster on opening day (he will be recovering from surgery), but upon his return, there is no doubt he slips into the #2 starter spot.

Randy Wells, Tom Gorzelanny, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Silva round out the rotation with the competition within there. Dempster is assured his spot, when he proved his critics wrong when the former closer delivered another very good performance in '09 (11-9, 3.65 ERA), though he also had a stint on the DL. Wells came out of nowhere last year to pick up the slack in light of his teammates' injuries, winning 12 games and carrying an ERA of just 3.05. Gorzelanny has had the attention of scouts, but never delivered to their likes - though he is given another chance. Silva's ceiling is no higher than the high's that he has already reached, and if given the chance, expect him to go 8-10 with an ERA floating between 4.00-5.00.

21. Minnesota Twins (7)
Scott Baker: 3.5 (15-9, 4.37 ERA, 7.29 K/9 IP)
Kevin Slowey: 3.5 (10-3, 4.86 ERA, 7.44 K/9 IP)

Baker is the ace of the staff, but is not ace material. He is a good pitcher, but at 28 years old, he is just about as good as he will ever be, and it's good. That's all, just good. He likes to challenge batters with his low-90's fastball up in the strike zone, leading to plenty of fly balls, but not too many home runs surprisingly.

Slowey won 10 of his 16 starts last season by some miracle considering his ERA was 4.86. Slowey is young and has plenty of talent that he continues to show off, but injuries slowed him down last season. His right wrist was bothering him for the better part of the season until it became overwhelming and had season-ending surgery. He gets 88 mph on his fastball, but locates it with the best of them, showcased by his K:BB ratio (5:1). He could eventually become the ace of this team, though he's no Johan Santana, he has the talent to lead the Twins young staff.

The #3-5 starters for Minnesota are a dicey situation. Nick Blackburn had the lowest ERA last season at 4.03 and should be a mainstay in baseball for some time to come considering he is only 27. Carl Pavano bounced back from his horrendous performance as a Yankee with 14 wins last season, though his ERA was 5.10. But the good news is he stayed injury-free season for the first time in seemingly ages. And the #5 starter right now looks to be Francisco Liriano. A book can be written on Liriano's two seasons in the pros. He was the hottest name in baseball after the Twins let Johan Santana go, and got off to a hot start until his low-90's fastball got him into injury trouble. Experts were predicting a great year from him if he could stay injury free. Although he stayed injury free throughout 2009, it was painful to watch his season through boxscores. His final statline for '09 was a 5-13 record, 5.80 ERA and 4.28 BB/9 IP, disastrous for this prodigy. He lost his command and mechanics after his surgery, and was put on the DL last season for "left arm fatigue" - not what you want to hear about a pitcher who is just 26 years old.

Battles within this argument to watch for:
Anderson vs. Duscherer in Oakland
Cueto vs. Arroyo vs. Volquez in Cincinatti

Depending on the time I have tomorrow, either #11-#20 or #16-#20 will be posted tomorrow.

Best 1-2 in the MLB for 2010 (Preview)

2010-02-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

For tomorrow, I will be posting my official rankings of every team's 1-2 starting pitchers in baseball, you won't want to miss this.

Could the top be Lester/Lackey? Peavy/Buehrle? Halladay/Hamels? Lincecum/Cain? King Felix/Cliff Lee? Other competitors?

Who the hell is Scott Cooper?

2010-01-30T22:28:00.000-08:00

After a long overdue string of inactivity on this blog, I am here to bring it back to life for everyone right now. There is absolutely no reason that I went two months without a single post, I just got lazy and lost ambition I suppose. But now that I am back, enjoy the Machiavellian masterpieces that only could be done here (and all major sports publications). Enjoy.

I am not one to knock any man's hustle, however there are some things that just blow one's mind; how the earth was created, destiny/fate, Hi-Def TVs, and the pair of mysterious All-Star games Scott Cooper was selected to. Post-Wade Boggs in Boston, Cooper was a 20-something third baseman trying to find his place in the bigs. He was never a highly-touted Godsend by Baseball America, rather, a projected journeyman for a short period of time. The scouts were right, but Cooper had his moment in the sun.

This may seem like an odd subject to write about, but the fact that Scott Cooper, Scott F-cking Cooper, made 2 All-Star games...ridiculous. The casual baseball fan from the 90's probably does not even recall who this guy was. Perhaps the manager in charge of picking the teams had forgotten that Boggs booked his way out of Boston.

In the two seasons that Cooper made those All-Star games (1993-1994), he batted .280 with 22 home runs and 116 RBI. Average numbers that mock Timo Perez circa-the early 2000's. And he did not make his way into the All-Star game with his glove, making 64 errors in the 467 games he played in the majors, with a .948 fielding percentage to boot - average again.

To further show the obscurity of Cooper's playing career, let's peek into his baseball career post-1994. In 1995, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for the Mark Whiten and Rhael Cormier, hardly household names. For the Cards in 1995, he hit .230 in a shade over 100 games played. In '96, he did not play an inning in MLB, but returned in 1997 with the Royals; where he collected just 12 hits in 159 at bats (.201 BA).

The reasoning for the All-Star selections? It's hard to imagine any circumstance to put a mediocre-average player in the All-Star game, but here's my hardest reasoning:
- The Boston market was pushing for him to be a star in the shadow of Wade Boggs
- In April of '94, he hit for the cycle, thus setting him up in the spotlight early in the season
- Perhaps it was a downtime for 3B in the AL? In both '93 & '94, the only other 3B on the roster was Wade Boggs...but even so, why not pick a utility 2B/SS/1B rather than a poor 3B?

But even using this argument, how in the world can one say that Cooper is better than Robin Ventura? Ventura has left his mark on the game and is one of the best defensive infielders of all-time, and what does Cooper have to show for his career? Career numbers are a complete embarrassment to Cooper, so I will just stick to the '93 & '94 seasons.

1993
Cooper: .279/9/63; 24 errors
Ventura: .262/22/94; 14 errors, won Gold Glove

1994
Cooper: .282/13/53
Ventura: .282/18/78

So class is adjourned, and the lesson I hope learned today is, Scott Cooper is the worst All-Star ever.

No Salary Cap In Baseball, Please

2009-11-19T20:35:00.001-08:00

Playing the role of “Armchair General Manager”, it is easy for fans of a dwindling team to proclaim that Major League Baseball has several problems hurting the game’s integrity. I, and any casual sports fan, can name a few; instant replay, steroids, contracts, to begin with. Another one of the most frequently referenced issues is the salary cap concern, which can be tied into contracts, but they are just parallel to one another, and both go deeper than the counter-topic.

When you think of a winning franchise, generally the teams playing in big markets come to mind (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston). Yet historically, some of the finest teams of all-time have hailed from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Oakland. Why has this changed? The decreased parody in baseball has spawned from money. But notice how I say money, as opposed to lack of money.

Teams in smaller markets (such as Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Florida) shy away from giving hefty, long-term contracts to star players that may be on their own team. Most of the time, this is due to future financial insecurities that the franchises may be able to expend (or so the owners say). But a lot of the time, the owners do it for the compensation. A simple concept in baseball is “Type A & Type B Free Agents”. Free Agents ranked within the top 20% of their position are rendered to be Type A players (such as Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Matt Holliday. The rest of the league is deemed to be Type B players. The Elias Rankings determine where the players rank, and are statistically formulated.

When a team lets go of a Type A player, they receive the team that signed the player’s first round pick, along with another draft pick sandwiched in between the first and second rounds. For example, the Oakland A’s did not renew Holliday’s contract, therefore releasing him to Free Agency. If the Red Sox (a presumed front-runner for Holliday) sign Holliday, they give up a future draft pick to the A’s, in addition to the additional pick the A’s get. The compensation for a Type B player is the sandwich pick only, not the other team’s first round draft pick.

This is a very efficient policy MLB instituted in 2007 and serves as a very useful tool for teams losing star players. This has worked wonders for smaller market teams, one that I can remember very clearly is in ’07 when the Los Angeles Dodgers (yet, a large market team) released former All-Star Julio Lugo who went on to sign with the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers went on to draft Chris Withrow and James Adkins, two pitchers performing at a high level in the minor leagues. Meanwhile, Lugo and his inflated 4 year, $36 million contract played well below his salary, earning just two hundred thirty four hits in a Red Sox uniform, before the BoSox gave up hope and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals.

If a salary cap were instituted, the Red Sox would not have given away $36 million to practically charity. Remember that not all Free Agent signings go as planned, ask the Yankees. The Yankees have delved into the lining of their pockets dozens of times in the 2000’s to improve their team, yet money doesn’t buy championships (until 2009, of course). For every slam-dunk signing, like Alex Rodriguez, there is a waste, such as starting pitcher Carl Pavano (4 years, $39.5 million – pitched just twenty six games in those four years). If the salary cap were established, who knows if the Florida Marlins would be the team re-signing Pavano after his career year in ’04. A signing like that, salary cap or not, would set a franchise back four-to-five years.

It doesn’t take money to have success. After accumulating draft pick upon draft pick upon compensation pick, the talent starts to build. The Tampa Bay Rays are the prime example of running a low-budget payroll. After years of letdowns in a small baseball market, the talent finally put up in 2008. With a payroll of just $43 million (compared to the ’09 Yankees with over $208 million), the Rays carried their fairy tale season into the World Series, and lost. The team was put together strategically, starting at the head with manager Joe Maddon. Maddon was tendered just $500k to manage the team (tied for the lowest in the league), but succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. The stars of the team included Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton and Akinori Iwamura, all of whom were brought up through the Rays’ organization. Even when the Rays strayed from their organization and signed Free Agents, they came at a bargain, Carlos Pena ($6 million), Chad Bradford ($3.6 million) and Cliff Floyd ($2.75 million) were the only Free Agent signings the cost the Rays seven-figure money. The Oakland A’s are another great example of a team knowing how to spend money. The General Manager and Owner of the team, Billy Beane, wrote a blueprint of sorts to building great teams on a low budget.

If fans are truly passionate and supportive of their teams, they will attend games, buy apparel and watch them on TV. If a team lacks fan support in their city, there is no reason to reward the fair-weather fans by supplying them with world-class players that have no business playing there. Why would a player the caliber of Alex Rodriguez sign on to play for the Pirates at this point? Sure, players love money, but they also love winning. I would not be skeptical, if a salary cap were ever put in place, when players start taking pay cuts to play in large markets with sold-out stadiums watching them.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a crooked franchise run by money-hungry executives. There is a reason the Pirates have not had a winning season in nearly two decades beyond the lack of revenue. In the midst of the Pirates’ seventeenth straight losing season (pro sports record), they dealt some of the players they had stocked up through the years, and playing at more than reasonable salaries, to other teams. The luxury tax in MLB has been put in place to push along a team’s success and for the franchise to remain stable. But the Pittsburgh Pirates’ owners have used the luxury tax money to strengthen their financial wealth. The Pirates made $144 million in revenue in the 2009 season, while the players’ expenses (salary, transportation, events, overnight stays, etc.) rested at just $65 million. Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Nyjer Morgan and Nate McLouth are just a sample of the low-priced players approaching contract years that the Pirates traded mid-season. The MLB should not institute a salary cap just because two teams (Pittsburgh along with the Kansas City Royals) have terrible owners, but rather, weed out the potential bad regimes before they get the ownership.

To balance revenue out, teams play eighty one games at home and eighty one games at home. The income that these teams make from their home games should be enough (no matter the ticket sales) to cover the teams expenses. By nurturing a minor league system, teams should have no trouble rebuilding on a budget. If the Tampa Bay Rays can do it, and the Florida Marlins (won two World Series’ in the past fifteen years, and dealt all players immediately after winning World Series to rebuild) can do it, there is no reason any other team can’t do it. If a salary cap were introduced, the wreckage it will do could be incurable. Players would take pay cuts to continue to stockpile the large market teams, bad signings by low-end teams could ruin a franchise and most importantly, loyal fans are treated to a same team that unloyal and impassionate fans are treated to. Speaking on behalf of casual and die-hard fans alike, we do not want a salary cap in baseball.

Best Rivalry In Sports?

2009-11-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

While driving home from school today, I was tuned to Doug Gotlieb on ESPN Radio, who is always prone to start an argument with listeners. And today he especially touched a nerve, saying that the Patriots vs. Colts is the premier rivalry in sports. He must be out of his damn mind, or way too hyped up for this Sunday's showdown of the two squads. I attempted to call in to 1-888-SAY-ESPN to no avail (it is tricky to find letters when using a Blackberry). Lakers vs. Celtics, UNC vs. Duke (Basketball), Packers vs. Vikings, and of course, Yankees vs. Red Sox tower above the Pats/Colts "rivalry". Sure this is an opinion, but an opinion that can very much so be supported by fact.

By definition a rivalry is "the act of competing". But along with this goes the hate and passion that fuels the rivalry. The Patriots and Colts were nothing like rivals until a few years ago when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, cornerstones of the NFL, were introduced to pro sports. The Yanks/Red Sox, among dozens of others, have been highly prevalent in American society for ages. All eyes are on the Pats/Colts among NFL fans, but honestly, does mainstream American care? No. Does my mother or girlfriend know that those teams hate each other? No, and they do not. But do my mother, girlfriend and three-year-old cousin know the story that goes with the Yankees/Red Sox. Of course.

Lakers vs. Celtics
- The two have faced each other eleven times in the NBA Championship
- Names for days that have faced each other in these rivalries; Larry Bird & Magic Johnson, Bill Russell & Jerry West, Kevin Garnett & Kobe Bryant. And what do the Pats/Colts have? Brady & Manning, nothing else.
- Although the rivalry was down (but far from dead) for two decades, the teams revived the rivalry in '08 when the Celtics defeated the Lakers in the championship.
- They play each other twice per year, and this is a given - while the Pats/Colts play (maybe) once per regular season, and potentially another matchup in the playoffs.

Vikings vs. Packers
- A rivalry developed in the "black and blue division" of the NFL, where gritty teams and players derive from. The Pats/Colts are from separate time zones.
- Packers players have jumped ship to go to the Vikings. I.E. Ryan Longwell, Darren Sharper, Brett Favre; AKA players who will never be welcomed happily in Wisconsin again.
- The Packers @ Vikings earlier this season was a huge success for the NFL. It drew the highest cable rating in the history of the NFL, better yet - cable television period. The Pats/Colts play on CBS at 1pm.
- The two are guaranteed to meet each other at least two times per season, and serve as the most important games on both schedules.

UNC vs. North Carolina Basketball
- College football and college basketball have countless heated rivalries, but this one is the finest. Filled with legends from both sides; Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, J.J. Redick, Christian Laetnear, Rasheed Wallace, I can go all day. And of course, great coaches like Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski.
- UNC and Duke have played each other 227 times!
- The two programs have been among the most successful in sports throughout their entire history, with 32 Final Four appearances between them.
- Their is no atmosphere like being at a matchup of the teams, with crazy fans whose only goal of the week is to beat their opponent.
- The Universities are eight miles apart.

Yankees vs. Red Sox
How Gotlieb can even argue against this one is insane. This is hands down the best rivalry in sports in the world.
- Regardless of how bad the Red Sox do (considering they went over eighty years without a World Series - pretty bad) the rivalry has been consistent.
- Ted Williams, Babe Ruth (on both sides), Mickey Mantle, Carl Yaztrsemski, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz - and that is just hitters.
- The Babe being sold to the Yankees, which went on to haunt the BoSox for nearly a century; "The Curse of the Bambino".
- The most well-known and heated rivalry in sports (not opinion, fact).
- The teams have played each other over 2,000 times!

So in closing, the thought of the Patriots/Colts measly rivalry as being better than these is ludicrous. Their rivalry is not a rivalry, it is just great football over the past nine seasons.

1998 Yankees vs. 2009 Yankees [Offense]

2009-11-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Two of the finest teams produced in our generation were both baseball teams, and naturally, Yankees. Neither of these teams can possibly match up to the all-time great Yankees of 1927, "Murderer's Row", but they respectively can hold a candle to it. Both squads had enchanting players, memorable moments throughout the playoffs and balanced offense/defense/pitching. But which team is better, beyond the statistics? On one side, the 1998 Yanks were not individually-driven at all, and single players stats may not measure up to the '09. And while the '09 Yanks were a cohesive team, there was certainly a fine line between Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixera.

The 1998 Yankees were a juggernaut team, finishing a groundbreaking 114-48 with much help from their offense. The 2009 Yankees were not a regular season juggernaut in the sense the '98 team was, but they finished 103-59 in a competitive American League. The '98 squad had a few statistical monsters, but they did not match up to the prowess the '09 team had with the bat. For every star of the 1998 team:
Tino Martinez (.281/28/123)
Bernie Williams (.339/26/97/15)
Paul O'Neill (.317/24/116)
There were players that weren't quite up to par:
Chad Curtis (.243/10/56/21)
Jorge Posada (.268/17/63) - who improved on the '09 team (.285/22/81)

The 2009 Yankees did not have that problem, getting tremendous production from everyone in their lineup. And if they didn't hit home runs, they hit for average; and vice versa. The superstars of the 2009 team blow the '98 stars out of the water:
Mark Teixera (.292/39/122)
Derek Jeter (.334/18/66/30)
Robinson Cano (.320/25/85)
Alex Rodriguez (.286/30/100/14 in 124 games)
And the worst players on the 2009 team were substantially better than the worst of '98:
Nick Swisher (.249; though he made up for poor BA with a higher OBP [.371] and HR/RBI [29/82])
Melky Cabrerea (.274/13/68/10)

Now the position-by-position battle:

C
1998: Jorge Posada (.268/17/63)
2009: Jorge Posada (.285/22/81)
Advantage: 2009

1B
1998: Tino Martinez (.281/28/123)
2009: Mark Teixera (.292/39/122)
Advantage: 2009

2B
1998: Chuck Knoblauch (.265/17/64/31)
2009: Robinson Cano (.320/25/85/5)
Advantage: 2009

SS
1998: Derek Jeter (.324/19/84/30)
2009: Derek Jeter (.334/18/66/30)
Basically a carbon copy season on both accounts for Jeter. Jeter batted 2nd in the lineup in '98, while batting in the leadoff spot in '09 - this can definitely be the reason for the 18 RBI difference.
Advantage: DRAW

3B
1998: Scott Brosious (.300/19/98/11)
2009: Alex Rodriguez (.286/30/100/14)
Brosious was a star for the '98 Yanks, but still not as much as Rodriguez was. Take into account that Rodriguez only played 124 games, and had he played a full season, his statline was on pace for 41 home runs.
Advantage: 2009

LF
1998: Chad Curtis (.243/10/56/21)
2009: Johnny Damon (.282/24/82/12)
Damon towers over Curtis in every single batting category, this is another no contest.
Advantage: 2009

CF
1998: Bernie Williams (.339/26/97/15)
2009: Melky Cabrera (.274/13/68/10)
Finally a position where it goes to the '98 squad - and this makes Damon's lead over Curtis in left looks minuscule.
Advantage: 1998

RF
1998: Paul O'Neill (.317/24/116/15)
2009: Nick Swisher (.249/29/82)
O'Neill had one of his finest performances in '98. And while Swisher had a great power performance, his numbers still do not tally up to what O'Neill meant to the 1998 Yankees.
Advantage: 1998

DH
1998: Daryll Strawberry (.247/24/57/7 in 101 games)
2009: Hideki Matsui (.274/28/90)
Although Strawberry's time was limited, had he played the full season, his numbers would still not be up to par with those of Matsui. Power numbers would be just as good, if not eclipse Matsui's, but the (roughly) .30 point advantage in BA tilts this one to Matsui's favor. And in Strawberry's absence, Chili Davis and Tim Raines put up average numbers.
Advantage: 2009

3/4/5 Hitter Matchup
1998: O'Neill/Williams/Martinez
2009: Teixera/Rodriguez/Matsui
Totalled numbers goes as follows (once again, keep in mind that A-Rod missed 40 games):
1998: .312/78/336
2009: .284/97/312
This one can go either way; the .312 BA is outstanding for the '98 trio, but .284 is nothing to sneeze at either. The 21 home run advantage is really overwhelming, considering A-Rod could have knocked a dozen more.
Advantage: DRAW

Overall I give the nod to the 2009 team for it's great individual performances, but as a team the 1998 team was great, outdoing '09 in all important team categories. Overall this was a kinda sloppy draw up, by rushing it to get to work on my next piece.

5 Worst MLB Teams From 2000-2009

2009-11-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

We all follow the daily mystique and stories of the greatest teams playing baseball, right down to the final days of the season in the World Series. But on the opposite spectrum of baseball are the worst teams in baseball. Because there is no game to determine who the worst team in baseball is, I have compiled this list showcasing the worst teams in MLB since '00. This does not necessarily go entirely off of a team's season for a few reasons:
- Team may have played in difficult division
- Teams with a not-so-bad record may make the list because of poor individual performances.

And I will give you a bit of a spoiler, no Pittsburgh Pirates teams are on the list. As horrible as they have been in the 2000's (including dropping 90+ games) in each of the past five seasons - they have only one 100-loss season, and that was in 2001 (100 losses on the dot). Even in '01, the Pirates had Jason Kendall, Aramis Ramirez and Brian Giles having borderline-career seasons. The 100 losses were a product of horrible pitching, yet not horrible enough to land them on this list.
With no further adue, I present to you the five worst MLB teams of the 21st century.

5.) 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays (58-103)
Highlights:
- Aubrey Huff, DH. Huff appeared to be a budding star after his breakout performance in 2002 (.313/23/59).

Lowlights:
- Hal McRae, manager. McRae spent just one season as manager of the Devil Rays, and going 58-103 is certainly grounds for firing.
- Starting pitching. The four constants in the D-Rays' staff all year (Joe Kennedy, Tanyon Sturtze, Paul Wilson and Ryan Rupe) combined for a 25-51 record.
- Greg Vaugh, Bench. Vaughn has a successful and long career, though towards the end, he was clearly a shade of his former self. It was bad enough that Vaughn's career was whining down with the worst team in the league, but the fact that he batted just .183 (41 hits in 297 at bats) puts a damper on his longevity. Also, the D'Rays take a huge "L" for doling out over $8 million for his poor performance in '02.

4.) 2002 Milwaukee Brewers (56-106)
Highlights:
- Mike DeJean, Closer: 1-5, 3.12 ERA, 27 saves. This goes down as DeJean's standout season in his ten season career, for the majority of which he was a middle reliever and set-up man.
- Richie Sexson, 1B: .279/29/102. This season is still a let-down for Brewers fans considering Sexson was coming off a year where he hit over 40 homers.
- Tyler Houston, 3B: .302/7/33 in 75 games in Milwaukee. Houston put up these surprisingly high numbers for Milwaukee before being moved to the Dodgers, where he struggled, hitting .200 in 35 games for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, nothing too special came out of the three prospects Milwaukee got for Houston.

Lowlights:
- Jamey Wright, SP. He was on the team to be the #3 starter, and performed nothing like it - 5-13, 5.35 ERA.
- Middle relief pitching brought up from the minors. The young middle relievers collectively posted a record of 5-18.
- Ron Belliard, 2B. .211/3/26/2 in a role where he split time at 2B/3B with Eric Young and Tyler Houston, respectively.

3.) 2005 Kansas City Royals (56-106)
Highlights:
- Mike Sweeney, DH. Sweeney had his final All-Star appearance in '05, and continued to add on to his Royal legacy with a batting average of .300, while belting 21 homers and 83 RBI.

Lowlights:
- Managing. After going through three managers (Tony Pena, Bob Schaefer and Buddy Bell), the Royals achieved the same level of mediocrity with all three at the helm.
- Zack Grienke, SP. 2005 was supposed to be the season that it all fell into place for Grienke as the ace of the staff, and this did not happen. On the contrary, Grienke had such a horrible season (5-17, 5.80 ERA) that diminished his self-esteem and led to psychological problems later in his career. Luckily for Grienke and the Royals, he now has it all together and is a lead candidate for the 2009 AL Cy Young award.
- Jose Lima, SP. Lima was brought aboard the team in '05 because he pitched a decent season for them in '03 and they hoped he could serve as a mentor-type figure for Grienke. Well Grienke did emulate his performance, in the worst way imaginable (5-16, 6.99 ERA).

2.) 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks (51-111)
Highlights:
- Randy Johnson, SP. This serves as a positive and a negative, as Johnson did pitch as good as anyone in the league for the D'Backs - but the fact that he won just 16 games with a 2.60 ERA is reflective of how terrible the offense was.
- Shea Hillenbrand, 3B. Hillenbrand was practically the only highlight of the Arizona offense (.310/15/80).

Lowlights:
- The entire offense. Here are the batting averages of their hitters, excluding HIllenbrand; .245/.248/.262/.285/.259/.275/.286.
- The Edgar Gonzalez Experiment. I am unaware to an experiment that failed more horribly then the D-Backs rushing Gonzalez to the majors before his time and giving him a major role on the team in 2004. In the 10 games he pitched, he lost 9 contests and posted a 9.32 ERA.
- Brandon Webb's statline. Brandon Webb pitched a pretty decent season for the D-Backs which would win him 13-14 games on most teams, but the D-Backs are a different story. Regardless of his 3.59 ERA, he dropped 16 losses into his career total, to just 7 wins.

1.) 2003 Detroit Tigers (49-113)
Highlights:
- Absolutely nothing

Lowlights:
- Everything, but to be more exact - the hitting, the pitching and the defense.
Hitting:
- Detroit: 1,312 hits; AL Average: 1,495 hits
- Detroit: 153 home runs; AL Average: 179 home runs
- Detroit: .300 OBP; AL Average: .333 OBP
Lead perpetrator: Ramon Santiago, SS - 100-444 (.225) with 2 home runs and 29 RBI in 141 games

Pitching:
- Detroit: 5.73 ERA; AL Average: 4.87 ERA
- Detroit: 1,616 hits given up; AL Average: 1,493 hits given up
- Detroit: 4.8 K/9 innings; AL Average: 6.1 K/9 innings
Lead perpetrator: Mike Maroth: League-leading 21 losses, after being touted as a potential savior to the dwindling franchise

Defense:
- Detroit: AL-worst 138 errors, second worst in league had 126 errors
- Detroit: AL-worst .978 fielding percentage
Lead perpetrator: Dmitri Young: .947 fielding percentage, 10 errors (I could have also said Ramon Santiago to this one too, but I did not want to be too harsh)

Class is adjourned.

Preview of Tomorrow's Piece

2009-11-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

The five baseball teams of the 21st century...begin your research if you would like, but it is not necessarily based on team record.

Ranking the #1 Overall MLB Picks (1990-2005)

2009-11-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

Straight forward, read the title - no introduction needed. I hope to expand on this with a few future installments examining the players and handing out individual grades. And also, this is not determining by their success with the club that drafted the player, but overall career success; I.E. Josh Hamilton (complete failure with Florida Marlins, flourishing in Texas) and Adrian Gonzalez (traded away from Florida for Uguetha Urbina prior to him reaching the majors).

16.) Brien Taylor (1991, Yankees)
Never reached major leagues due to injury sustained during bar fight.

15.) Matt Bush (2004, Padres)
Whoever scouted this guy should be fired (if this has not already happened). Bush never played beyond the A level, and batted .219 in low levels of the minor leagues before calling it a career in 2007.

14.) Bryan Bullington (2002, Pirates)
Horrible failure, only played 13 games in the major leagues. And Bullington was not effective in his short stint.

13.) Matt Anderson (1997, Tigers)
Anderson was becoming a boyhood hero for me when he closed out 22 games in 2001 before losing his closer job and becoming irrelevant to the baseball world.

12.) Paul Wilson (1994, Mets)
Wilson did not have a bad baseball career, but he was far from the prodigal son that the Mets were hoping. He posted a career 40-58 record, with an ERA a shade below 5.00.

11.) Kris Benson (1996, Pirates)
This Clemson graduate looked to be a future star after going 21-26 with a 3.95 ERA in his first two major league seasons on a sub-par Pirates squad. He played for big money in big markets (New York Mets, Baltimore), but was nothing special and not deserving of being anywhere near the 1st round.

10.) Justin Upton (2005, Arizona)
The youngest player on the list, and has showed plenty of promise for his future career (five tool player who is progressing each year). But I do not believe his ceiling is as high as fellow emerging star placed at #9.

9.) Delmon Young (2003, Tampa Bay)
Young is just 24 years old and already has nearly 500 games under his belt in the majors, with a .290 avg. to boot.

8.) Phil Nevin (1992, Astros)
Injuries got in the way of Nevin becoming a superstar, though he did have shining moments in his career that spanned twelve seasons (1131 career hits, .306/41/126 in 2001).

7.) Pat Burrell (1998, Phillies)
Hate on the former Miami Hurricane all you want, but the man has performed in his career. He is not clutch, has a pissy attitude and is hard to get along with - but those negatives do not take away from his eight season stretch where he delivered over 20 home runs in each season.

6.) Darin Erstad (1995, Angels)
Someday Erstad will be a forgotten hero but the numbers don't lie. He has a career .282 batting average and nearly 1700 hits compiled, along with 2 All-Star games and 3 Gold Gloves.

5.) Josh Hamilton (1999, Rays)
The talent has always been within Hamilton, but his desire to use that talent and perform at his highest levels was absent for half a decade and cost the Rays dearly. When finally making the majors in 2007, he made an impact by slugging 19 home runs in just 90 games. Hamilton made the All-Star game in '08 and '09, and there are surely more to come.

4.) Adrian Gonzalez (2000, Marlins)
Gonzalez is the first player on this list, in my opinion, that has performed up to his #1 draft pick status. In his 4 full seasons in the majors, Gonzalez has 130 home runs, batted .285 and appeared in 2 All-Star games, and won a Gold Glove in '08. Gonzalez is entering his prime right now (27 years old), so plenty of stellar statlines are on the way.

3.) Joe Mauer (2001, Twins)
Though we are way too early to judge, Mauer can go down as the greatest catcher of all-time at the rate he is pacing himself at. He has led the league in batting average three times, appeared in three All-Star games and has a batting average of .327 in his first five seasons in the bigs.

2.) Chipper Jones (1990, Braves)
The Braves could not have asked for anything more than they got out of their #1 overall pick. He played his entire career in Atlanta, led them to a World Series victory, and is recognized by some as the greatest Brave to set foot on the field. Other accomplishments by Larry "Chipper" Jones include: .307 career batting average, 426 home runs, an MVP award and two Silver Sluggers. This was all done in the "steroid era", and Chipper has never caught an accusation of using performance enhancing drugs.

1.) Alex Rodriguez (1993, Mariners)
The numbers will tell the story for Rodriguez:
- 12 All-Star games in 12 full seasons
- 3 MVP Awards
- 10 (possibly his 11th in '09) Silver Sluggers accumulated
- 2 Gold Gloves
- Potential to be the greatest baseball player of all-time
And Rodriguez has made plenty of memories this postseason, en route to (possibly) winning his first World Series ring.

Career Revisited: Vean Gregg

2009-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Vean Gregg was born April 13, 1885, and his career lasted from 1911-1916, with trips back to the majors in 1918 and 1925. Gregg stood tall at 6'1 185lbs (damn big size for the deadball era) and had a brother, Dave, who threw but one game in his career. Why am I debuting this new series of blog posts with such an unknown player? Well, basically that is what I am shooting for with this new series; showcasing former stars who are long forgotten, and why they are long forgotten.

Gregg attended South Dakota State, and to this day he is the only graduate of South Dakota State to play a role in the majors (Jerry Crider played for one season, who was a fellow SDSU grad). Starting in the minor leagues, in 1910 Gregg had a standout performance in the PCL by winning 32 games and throwing 14 Shutouts. The success continued into his rookie season in 1911 with the Cleveland Naps (named in honor of Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie, now the Indians), it looked like Gregg was an emerging superstar, posting spectacular numbers (23-7 with a league-leading 1.80 ERA and a 10th place finish in the MVP race). His tremendous rookie season was the peak of his career, and he put up arguably the greatest rookie season by a pitcher all-time. In 1912 he fell off from his amazing debut, but still had a solid season by notching 20 more wins under his belt. 1913 was a similar season to 1912 as he notched another 20 wins to his resume, while showing his wild side. Gregg led the league in walks and hit batsmen.

Gregg got off to a solid start for his 1914 campaign in Cleveland, going 9-3 with a 3.07 ERA - then midseason he was pawned off to Boston for three minor leaguers. Of the minor leaguers, Rankin Johnson, never played a game for Cleveland. In Boston, he was very average in 1914, gathering 3 wins and 4 losses and an ERA nearly touching 4.00. From 1915 to 1916 he stayed playing average, going 6-7 with a 3.18 ERA in that time frame for Boston, though he was part of the World Series winner both seasons. He then played 1917 in the minor leagues before making a one-season comeback with the Philadelphia A's in 1918 where he tallied up 9 wins and 14 losses. After that, Gregg mysteriously disappeared from '19-'22.

When Gregg returned to baseball in 1923, it was with the Seattle Indians of the minor leagues. And he still was not back to his rookie-season form, as he went 19-20 with a 3.36 ERA. He followed that up with a nice campaign from '24-'25 where he went 42-36 with a 2.83 ERA for Seattle of the PCL. When he pitched his final MLB game in 1925 he failed for the Washington Senators (keep in mind he was 40 years old at the time), going 2-2 and eclipsed a 4.00 ERA for the 1st time in his MLB career.

So what went wrong with Vean Gregg? Apparently he had an arm problem, but could it have been moving out of his beloved Cleveland? In Cleveland, Gregg was one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in the league going 72-36 with a 2.31 ERA - he never put up numbers anywhere close to that after being relocated. Gregg does hold a few important places in history though:

- The only established major leaguer from South Dakota State University

- Has one of the most decorate rookie seasons in baseball history

- Won 2 World Series with Boston (though he did not play any games for them), and 1 Pennant with the Senators (1925)

Yet he still remains a mysterious baseball figure that we may never know what we want to know about him. And also, the fact he played with his brother Dave in 1913 as members of the Cleveland Naps. Mysterious career indeed, but some of the mystery is filled in by knowing this little tidbit of information: Gregg developed his curveball (his best pitch) by trowel wielding, the sharp cuts his wrist had to make for his curveball to be so effective were made possible by the trowel wielding. It is speculated that the unorthodox method of throwing his curveball pushed him towards an injury, which led to his downfall and his absence from baseball from '19-'22. If baseball had not worked out for him, he planned on being a plasterer in his father's footsteps.

I will end this post on a few quotes by all-time greats...

"The leading pitcher of the league, and in my opinion, the most marvelous southpaw I have ever looked at."
- Hal Chase, former 1B great

"Unless something unexpected happens, he promises to take a place among the great left-handers of baseball history."
- The Chicago Tribune, in 1911 following his rookie season

"I have seen all of the great ones; Rusie, Radbourne, Mathewson; but I am confident that I never saw any pitcher show the stuff that Gregg had."
- Bob Emslie, former umpire

Greatest Pitchers To Reach 300 Wins in 21st Century

2009-11-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

After some exhaustive statistical analysis, I finally have compiled the greatest pitchers of the 90's. Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite have cases to be on the list (especially Pedro), but this is just between the 300-game winners.

First, the research:

Best Individual Season
1. Greg Maddux: 19-2/1.63 ERA/181 K/209.2 IP) (in 1995 w/Atlanta, World Series Champs)
2. Randy Johnson: 24-5/2.32 ERA/334 K/260 IP) (in 2002 w/Arizona, 98-64, Division Champs)
3. Roger Clemens: 21-7/2.05 ERA/292 K/264 IP) (in 1997 w/Toronto, team went 76-86)
4. Tom Glavine: 20-6, 2.47 ERA/157 K/229.1 IP) (in 1998 w/Atlanta, Division Champs)

Okay, so statistically it is a tossup for #1 between Maddux/Johnson/Clemens, but ultimately I give the nod to Maddux for his unbelievable winning percentage by today's standards of .905. And on top of that, his team went on to win the World Series. Then Johnson and Clemens are a virtual tie statistically for the #2 spot. On one hand there is Johnson went had a higher winning percentage, and a better K/9 IP; on the other there is Clemens who had a lower winning percentage and a less impressive K/9 IP (although still damn impressive), but an ERA which was lower by .27. I give the nod to Johnson because of the difference in team outcome. I am weighing the result of the team as a pretty large part of the individual player's success, and Johnson's team won 22 more games than Clemens' paltry Blue Jays. Glavine is a distant 4th place. Though they are great numbers, as a "career year" it is not too impressive. The other three players' 2nd or 3rd best years are still better than Glavine at his finest. And also, to take more away from Glavine's best season, there are several players who had average careers, with better career seasons. I.E. Chris Carpenter, Jake Peavy, Barry Zito, Bob Welch and Doug Drabek.

Best Career Statistically
1. Roger Clemens: 354-184/3.12 ERA/4672 K/4912.2 IP
2. Greg Maddux: 355-227/3.16 ERA/3371 K/5008.1 IP
3. Randy Johnson: 303-166/3.29 ERA/4875 K/4135.1 IP
4. Tom Glavine: 305-234/3.54 ERA/2607 K/4413.1 IP

This one is a bit easier decision to determine #1, which is Roger Clemens. Although Randy's winning percentage is on par with Clemens, and his K/9 IP is higher than Clemens, the longevity of Clemens' career puts him above the rest. Clemens made his debut in 1984, Johnson in 1988 - so the 51 extra wins by Clemens seems to be a pretty fair draw. But at the end of Clemens' career, although he was plagued by injuries he was still at the top of his game as late as 42 years old. But in the past 4 seasons (Johnson is now 43), his numbers dwindled, with a 4.49 ERA in his past 4 seasons. But in the middle of the two is Greg Maddux. I place Maddux above Johnson because in his 20's and 30's, Maddux had not one single mediocre season. Clemens had a stretch of few bad seasons in his 2nd trip to Boston, Maddux never went through such a slump. Johnson may have him by a couple thousand in the strikeout tally, and even a worse winning percentage, but taken into account is Maddux playing a couple seasons with a subpar offense supporting him in Atlanta in the early 90's. Glavine, once again, is a distant 4th place. All around good numbers, and even 2600 Ks will come as a surprise, but when you play 20 full seasons in the bigs, all it takes to reach 2600 Ks is 130 Ks per season - which is doable for nearly any pitcher in the MLB.

Best 5-Season Stretch (Average Season)
1. Greg Maddux (1992-1996): 18-8/2.13 ERA/181 K/238 IP
2. Randy Johnson (1998-2002): 20-8/2.63/343 K/250 IP
3. Roger Clemens (1988-1992): 19-10/2.62 ERA/239 K/256 IP
4. Tom Glavine (1991-1995): 18-8/3.06 ERA/142 K/215 IP

This is arguably the most interesting matchup between the five aces. Maddux takes it thanks to his microscopically low ERA number, leading the NL in ERA three times in the five-year span. His strikeout numbers were at an all-time high in his career as well. Johnson takes a very close second, with his shockingly high strikeout numbers, coupled with averaging 20 wins per season. He also did this during the prime of his career, as did Maddux. Clemens is another story. He posted an ERA congruent to Johnson's, and surprisingly less than a strikeout per inning pitched. Clemens, interestingly, posted those spectacular numbers when he was still an up-and-comer in the majors. Like previously stated, he was averaging less than a strikeout per inning, and his best five-year stretch ('88-'92) was before his alleged time period where he was allegedly using performance enhancing drugs. Sorry Tom Glavine, you are a distant 4th place again. Good numbers, no doubt about that, but they pail in comparison to the rest of this particular competition.

Postseason Statistics
1. Roger Clemens: 12-8/3.75 ERA/173 K/199 IP
2. Tom Glavine: 14-16/3.30 ERA/143 K/218.1 IP
3. Greg Maddux: 11-14/3.27 ERA/125 K/198 IP
4. Randy Johnson: 7-9/3.50/132 K/121 IP

How can this be? The pitcher with the highest ERA is 1st, and the lowest ERA belongs to the guy who is ranked 3rd? When it comes to the postseason, it is all about winning. Collectively the (arguably) top-four pitchers of our generation are 44-49 in the postseason, definitely piss-poor numbers regardless of the competition. But this weighs much more on the shoulders of the weak offenses, considering all four pitchers posted sub-4.00 ERAs in October. Clemens had the advantages of playing for juggernauts like the Red Sox and Yankees, but still the win-loss has it. And finally Tom Glavine peeks his way out of last place, with the 2nd highest winning percentage of the pitchers, and a 3.30 ERA to boot. Randy Johnson was the only player to throw more Ks than innings pitched, but that does not take away the fact that he had the lowest winning percentage and highest ERA - he was a clear choice for fourth place in this one.

World Series Performance/Team Outcome

1. Randy Johnson: 3-0/1.04 ERA/19 K/17.1 IP - 1-0 in World Series
2. Roger Clemens: 3-0/2.37 ERA/49 K/49.1 IP - 2-3 in World Series
3. Tom Glavine: 4-3/2.16 ERA/38 K/58.1 IP - 1-4 in World Series
4. Greg Maddux: 2-3/2.09 ERA/18 K/38.2 IP - 1-2 in World Series

Randy Johnson may have pitched in just one World Series, but he damn sure made the best of it. This included pitching a complete game shutout in Game 2. Clemens comes in a close 2nd, thanks to his perfect record (though only having 3 decisions in 9 starts) and although his team lost 3 World Series, they did win 2. And one team loss (in '05 to my ChiSox), he only pitched a few innings before leaving prematurely because of an injury. Glavine and Maddux's record are unfortunately products of their batting lineups. They pitched extremely well in their opportunities in the World Series, but combined for a 6-6 record for the Braves. They did share one World Series victory though, thankfully.

Now the stuff that can't be argued...

Strikeout Titles
1. Randy Johnson - 9
2. Roger Clemens - 5
3(t). Tom Glavine - 0
3(t). Greg Maddux - 0

Glavine and Maddux are not strikeout pitchers, and this category proves so. But Clemens' 5 K Titles looks mediocre compared to Johnson's jaw-dropping 9 times that he led the league in strikeouts.

ERA Titles
1. Roger Clemens - 7
2(t). Greg Maddux - 4
2(t). Randy Johnson - 4
4. Tom Glavine - 0

This is the one area where the average baseball fan would think Glavine would shine in, but he's a lonely last place, while Clemens dominates this category.

Win Titles
1. Tom Glavine - 5
2. Roger Clemens - 4
3. Greg Maddux - 3
4. Randy Johnson - 1

Finally Tom Glavine gets his due and finishes #1 for something. Everyone did their part in this category though, as all finished with at least 1 win titles.

All-Star Games
1. Roger Clemens - 12
2(t). Tom Glavine - 10
2(t). Randy Johnson - 10
4. Greg Maddux - 8

Obviously if these players have 300 wins, they will have a handful of All-Star games to go with it. Maddux surprisingly only (ha) made 8 All-Star games, while Roger Clemens made 12, which is truly a testament to Clemens' longevity once again.

Cy Young Awards
1. Roger Clemens - 7
2. Randy Johnson - 5
3. Greg Maddux - 4
4. Tom Glavine - 2

This is no contest, but Gold Gloves, yeah Maddux has 18. The rest combine for 0. I will not count this into the number rankings because it is just murder, but I will weigh it in to the non-statistical analysis part.

All have multiple Cy Youngs, which is the best measurement of how great a pitcher is. Clemens again, 7 Cy Youngs? Unbelievable, and record-setting mark.

So, who is the greatest pitcher to reach 300 wins in the 21st century, and possibly the greatest pitcher of our time? Well when breaking down the results of this statistical project it goes:
1. Roger Clemens
2. Randy Johnson
3. Greg Maddux
4. Tom Glavine

Do I agree with this? Well, the numbers don't lie. John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez fall short of 300 wins or he would figure into the discussion, and Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman were the best relief pitchers, and do not figure into this discussion as well.
Maddux is regarded as the top pitcher of the 90's when talking to any baseball statistician or historian, but he lacked that dominance in the 80's and 00's, while Clemens and Johnson pitched some of their greatest ball in those decades. Glavine is hands-down the 4th best pitcher when talking about this subject, but he is still one of the greatest pitchers ever. I doubt anyone pitching now will reach 300 wins, nor 3000 k, so these are remarkable feats we have witnessed in the past few years. The guy with the best shot for my money is C.C. Sabathia for 300 wins, but even that is a long shot.
And Maddux's 18 Gold Gloves are an outstanding accomplishment, but not enough to push him past Clemens/Johnson in my mind. Tom Glavine won 4 Silver Sluggers throughout his career, but they mean nothing when talking about pitching abilities.

Stay tuned for similar posts like this.

Credentials: Greg Maddux

2009-11-01T20:17:00.001-08:00

Now at the final player that we are listing credentials for, Greg Maddux. A player who relied on consistency his whole career, at certain points in his career, there was nobody better. Like Glavine, he did not have an overpowering fastball, he had pitching down to a science.

Best season (1995 w/Atlanta): 19-2/1.63 ERA/181 K/209.2 IP
Career: 355-227/3.16 ERA/3371 K/5008.1 IP
162-game average: 16-10/3.16 ERA/154 K/229 IP
Best 5-season stretch ('92-'96): 90-40/2.13 ERA/905 K/1191.1 IP
Average of aforementioned 5 seasons: 18-8/2.13 ERA/181 K/238 IP

Postseason record: 11-14/3.27 ERA/125 K/198 IP
World Series record (1 Victory, 2 Losses): 2-3/2.09 ERA/18 K/38.2 IP

Accomplishments/Awards: 8 All-Star games
4 Cy Young Awards
18 Gold Gloves
4 ERA Titles
3 Win Titles
0 K Titles

Credentials: Tom Glavine

2009-11-01T19:51:00.001-08:00

Tom Glavine went about his work silently, rarely making headlines - yet he has one of the most successful careers of any pitcher in the history of baseball. Compiling over 300 wins, 2 Cy Young Awards and 10 All-Star appearances. He has never been overpowering with his pitches, especially in recent years (rarely does Glavine sniff 90mph). Along with fellow member of the 300-win club, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz - the trio led the Braves to 11 straight division titles in Glavine's time there.

Best season (1998 w/Atlanta): 20-6/2.47 ERA/157 K/229.1 IP
Career: 305-234/3.54 ERA/2607 K/4413. 1 IP
162-game average: 15-10/3.54 ERA/130 K/220 IP
Best 5-season stretch (1991-1995): 91-41/3.06 ERA/708 K/1075 IP
Average of aforementioned 5 seasons: 18-8/3.06 ERA/142 K/215 IP

Postseason record: 14-16/3.30 ERA/143 K/218.1 IP
World Series record (1 Victory, 4 Losses): 4-3/2.16 ERA/38 K/58.1 IP

Accomplishments/Awards: 10 All-Star games
2 Cy Young Awards
1 World Series MVP (1995)
0 ERA Titles
5 Win Titles
0 K Titles

Credentials: Roger Clemens

2009-11-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Currently Clemens is facing all types of public scrutiny for his alleged steroid use, which is still being determined in court. For this article, I am going to go with, "not guilty" and that he played clean. So under those circumstances, here are his credentials.

Best season (1997 w/Toronto): 21-7/2.05 ERA/292 K/264 IP
Career: 354-184/3.12 ERA/4672 K/4912.2 IP
162-game average: 17-9/3.12/2.24 ERA/236 IP
Best 5-season stretch (1988-1992): 92-50/2.62 ERA/1179 K/1263.2 IP
Average of aforementioned 5 seasons: 19-10/2.62 ERA/239 K/256 IP

Postseason record: 12-8/3.75/173 K/199 IP
World Series record (2 WS Victories/3 WS Losses): 3-0/2.37/49 K/49.1 IP

Accomplishments/Awards: 12 All-Star games
7 Cy Young Awards
7 ERA Titles
4 Win Titles
5 K Titles

Credentials: Randy Johnson

2009-11-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

For my next series of blog posts, I will be focusing on ranking the four pitchers who have eclipsed the 300-win plateau in the 21st century. The four most dominant pitchers since 1990 - Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Roger Clemens. They are not ranked yet, as of now I am just collecting the credentials of the four pitchers and organizing them into separate blog posts. As we start with the credentials of Randy Johnson.

Johnson was a dominant pitcher in the 90's and part of the 00's, standing at 6'10. He is the only left hander on the list.

Best season (2002 w/Arizona): 24-5/2.32 ERA/334 K/260 IP
Career: 303-166/3.29/4875 K/4135.1 IP
162-gm Avg: 17-9/3.29 ERA/271 K/230 IP
Best 5-season stretch (1998-2002): 100-38/2.63 ERA/1746 K/1274.1 IP
Average of aforementioned five seasons: 20-8/2.63 ERA/343 K/250 IP

Postseason record: 7-9/3.50 ERA/132 K/121 IP
World Series record (1 WS Victory, 0 Losses): 3-0/1.04 ERA/19 K/17.1 IP

Accomplishments/Awards: 10 All-Star Games
5 Cy Young Awards
2002 Triple Crown (pitching)
4 ERA Titles
1 Win Title
9 Strikeout Titles

Defining moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekTVL9R2-h0&feature=related
Not Randy winning his 300th game, his 4000th K or throwing a complete game-shutout in the 2001 World Series, but his killing of a bird. Unfortunately, I bet over 90% of the audience reading has no idea where the aforementioned accomplishments happened, but every baseball fan has seen the footage of Johnson's fastball killing a bird in the air, falling victim to his fastball.

A paper I wrote for English, might as well share with the internet

2009-10-28T21:25:00.001-07:00

Can Barry Bonds Still Go Down As the Greatest Baseball Player of All-Time?

“The cream”, “the clear”, perjury in front of a grand jury, obstruction of justice charges, blatant change in physique (from average gym rat-to-man who looks like a black Hulk) and a personal trainer doing decades of hard time. These are a part of the laundry list of negative things standing in the way of Barry Bonds being the greatest baseball player of all-time. But for every bad thing, there is a great thing in baseball that you can’t help but gawk-and-awe at. Records for: Most home runs in a season, most home runs in a career, consecutive seasons with thirty home runs and seven MVP awards. Again, just a sample of his amazing statistics accumulated throughout his career. Barry Bonds is a love or hate character, but biases must be put aside when the issue of his place in history comes about.

Bonds’ place in history could ultimately go down as the egotistical, arrogant cheater whose accomplishments are a product of deceitful and shameful actions. We are at a point when “allegedly” must be thrown out the window, seriously people. If you have trained your mind to not believe Bonds used steroids circa 1996-2004, I commend you immensely. People do not gain forty pounds of muscle over six months by the way. There have been rumblings circling Bonds’ use of performance enhancing drugs since the late 90’s, but the first time these were really “confirmed” and “backed up” were in the book, Game of Shadows. This book was written by a pair of San Francisco Chronicle reporters, not even sports writers, who followed the Bonds saga for years and tracked down all his physical changes and connections in the sports world. He, along with co-superstars Jason Giambi and Roger Clemens, was targeted by the duo of writers Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. The book included leaked grand jury testimony, which was confidential and meant to stay in the courtroom. After further investigation, the co-authors got the information from a man present for the case. Instead of Fainaru-Wada and Williams serving time, the man present at the time of trial was sentenced to ten years in hard time. Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Andersen, was a head of BALCO (Bay Area Lab Co-Operative) and heavy into the steroid world. Bonds was associated with Jose Canseco, Andersen and Victor Conte – three of the biggest names (plus Bonds himself) involved in the steroid scandal. Bonds then lied to a grand jury about his steroid use, saying he never knowingly used steroids and thought he was using creams to heal his arthritis. Um, okay Barry, we all believe you. He is still in court. Off the field, he has certainly had his fair share of problems as well, including a temper that always had him anxious to shoot his mouth off in the direction of the media. Remember, the media does the majority of the Hall of Fame voting – without their approval, you won’t see the Hall of Fame.

Then there is the case for Barry Bonds. We already have the stats in place; he holds nearly every important home run record and was as dominant in his reign as any player in any sport in any era. But how much should steroids count towards a player’s accomplishments? Prior to Bonds’ steroid use, he was a very good player who already had an MVP award. He was the godson of all-time great, Willie Mays, and the prodigal son of former pro Bobby Bonds. He was a five-tool player, with an excellent arm, defense, hitting for power, hitting for contact and speed. The 90’s will unfortunately always be remembered as the “steroids era”. Few superstars (Derek Jeter, Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Randy Johnson) have not been connected to steroids, but most of the bigger names have been linked (Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire). Rodriguez has come out and admitted to his steroid use, stating that he used for 2001-2003, three of his best seasons. But with “A-Rod”, he was just as dominant in the years he did not use PEDs. Clemens is fighting his charges of perjury, Manny Ramirez led his Los Angeles Dodgers squad to the playoffs this year just months after serving a suspension for use of a banned substance, Sosa is trying to leave this behind him in his post-baseball life and McGwire has just been hired as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach. Wherever those players land in history, Bonds will be placed in the same breath. The only one with the chance to go down as a better player than Bonds is Rodriguez.

They are much different, but baseball has not cared in the past about controversy surrounding players. What separates Bonds from the following players is that he used substances to increase his performance, while the other players were just idiots or illiterates. Ty Cobb, hands down is one of the top-ten baseball players of all-time, but he was as racist as they come. He was a member of the KKK in the 1910’s and loved to stir up controversy, often taunting opposing black players. He did not just discriminate blacks though; he choked out several fans in his day for taunting him. He is in the Hall of Fame regardless. Pete Rose bet on games he was managing, though when he did beat on his team, he always bet on them. He never bet against them, but he is left out in the cold of the Hall of Fame anyway. Eight 1919 Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball for life after their roles in a job in which they lost the World Series on purpose. The most sorrowful character from the event is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. He is one of the best natural talents in baseball history, and had his career not been cut short he would have been one of the best ever. He was illiterate though, and all he knew was baseball, he loved every minute playing it. He unknowingly threw the World Series with the rest of the team, he did not understand what was being conveyed to him when a player came up to him asking him if he wanted in. Long story short, Jackson was statistically the best player in the World Series and following the Series he never played MLB again, sticking to semi-pro leagues for the remainder of his youth. As long as players like Jackson and Rose are out of the Hall of Fame, Bonds does not deserve a spot there. And he never will in my mind. But this does not mean he can’t be the best player of all-time. Just because Rose and Jackson are excluded from the Hall doesn’t mean that they are excluded from “top players” lists, both are usually listed in the top-fifteen. Where Bonds ends up in your list of greatest baseball players in all opinion, and depends on your morals and views on steroid use. I say Bonds’ steroid use kicks him out of my top-twenty five, but any opinion can be argued.

I Hate Brett Favre

2009-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

How can someone, like myself, who worshiped Brett for a decade and a half turn into a critic who does nothing but denigrate his works? Brett Favre circa '92-'07 is my favorite athlete of all-time, bar none, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Brett Favre circa '08-present is the only person whom I wish harm, hurt and nothing but bad things towards. The Green Bay Packers let Brett Favre walk because he left this in limbo three too many times and Aaron Rodgers would do a better job as the pilot of Packers offense. This statement has proved to be true, as Rodgers is arguably the best QB in the league in 2009. Favre went to the Jets, eh, he's killing his legacy but I suppose I can live with that. He plays a good first half of the season, then blows it in the second half of the season. Favre was practically the sole reason the Jets missed the playoffs (nothing makes me happier). Then he retired. Then he came back and was expected to sign with the Vikings (I always denied this in my head, I never though my boy Brett Favre would do such a thing). Long story short, Brett makes me want to turn this PG-13 blog into an R-rated affair. But I digress from this rant, go Pack go.

*beheads bobbleheads of Brett Favre*

2009 World Series Preview

2009-10-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

2009 World Series Preview: NY Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The World Series is just two days away, and it's time to start getting your picks in for who's going to win. Not to brag or anything but uhm, I called this matchup at the beginning of the postseason...

Catcher
Jorge Posada (NYY) vs. Carlos Ruiz (PHI)

This is an interesting matchup pitting an aging legend against a young face, with little potential. Regardless what kind of regular season Ruiz had on paper, he has been a silent killer for the Phillies in the postseason. Ruiz has drove in seven runs, hit .346 and scored four runs in nine games thus far. Posada on the other hand had a very good regular season (.285/22/81), but is struggling in the postseason (.258/3 RBI). I have a feeling things will turn around for Posada, and he’ll come through with a few key hits, but Ruiz has shown no signs of slowing down.
Edge: Phillies

1B

Mark Teixera (NYY) vs. Ryan Howard (PHI)
Arguably the best players on each team play the same position. This is a complete toss-up that comes down to personal preference. Ryan Howard delivered in the regular season (hitting over forty home runs for fourth straight season), as did Mark Teixera of the Yanks (.292/39/122). Howard has been crushing the ball in the postseason, while Teixera has struggled (.205) – but a player on the talent level of Teixera’s cannot struggle for much longer. Teixera gets the edge on this for me, the two things that sway the vote in his favor personally are:
A – Switch hitting always comes in handy
B – Teixera has been playing remarkable defensively
Edge: Yankees

2B

Robinson Cano (NYY) vs. Chase Utley (PHI)
Chase Utley of the Phillies is one of my favorite players, ironically on my least favorite team. Utley gets all of baseball’s respect for his grit and old-school style of playing baseball. He has come under fire recently for his suspect defense at 2B, but has quietly hit his way back into the Phillies fans’ hearts (8 runs scored, .302 BA). Cano is the opposite, playing shut-down defense at 2B, making the plays Derek Jeter used to make but no longer has the ability to. But his bat has been dormant, hitting just .229, but has posted an impressive .892 OPS in the ALCS. But Utley is a bit too much for Cano to compete with, though this is (in my opinion) the closest matchup of the infield.
Edge: Phillies

SS

Derek Jeter (NYY) vs. Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
This one really isn’t close, Jeter takes it hands down. Defensively, they both are past their primes, but still are ahead of their peers. Offensively, Rollins seemingly lost his strike this season, while Jeter laced his 2009 season with a very solid stat-line to add to his resume. Jeter has the clutch ability, and so does Rollins (hit walk-off double in Game 4 of NLCS). Just two seasons removed from his MVP victory, Rollins took a step back in ’09 hitting .207 into June, before relapsing into a bit of success from August 1 to the last game of the season (.273/11/31/14 in final 59 games). On the other hand, Jeter had a solid string of successful outings night-after-night, wrapping up the season (.334/18/66/30), paving the way for his campaign for an MVP.
Edge: Yankees

3B

Alex Rodriguez (NYY) vs. Pedro Feliz (PHI)
Alex Rodriguez (AKA the player who was robbed of the ALCS MVP Award) has been on a tear this postseason, collecting twelve RBI while slugging .438. And oh, three game-tying home runs have been propelled off his Louisville Slugger. Pedro Feliz has been a limp presence in the Phils’ lineup, hitting .161 in the postseason so far. This one is easy, Rodriguez by a country mile.
Edge: Yankees

LF

Johnny Damon (NYY) vs. Raul Ibanez (PHI)
This is a question that completely flip-flopped in the past two seasons. A year ago, Damon hot off of his ’08 season (.303/17/71/29) would have been the clear answer of the aging, decling Ibanez. Then the Phillies signed Ibanez in this past offseason for a price of about $9 mil per year, catching harsh criticisms from anyone who knew their baseball economics, including myself. And the fire continued to smolder when Bobby Abreu signed with the LA Angels for a fraction of the Ibanez price, considering at the time, Abreu was a better player statistically. But something magical clicked this season to push Ibanez to being one of the best hitters in the NL, while Damon stayed consistent hacking over twenty home runs with a .282 OBP. And in the postseason, it’s a draw, Ibanez (.226, 9 RBI) versus Damon (.238, 5 RBI in playoffs – but, .300/2/5 in ALCS). It’s a close one, but it comes down to who I personally think can swing the bat better.
Edge: Phillies

CF

Melky Cabrera (NYY) vs. Shane Victorino (PHI)
A matchup of two players loved by their home crowds, for playing above average ball, with no sight of an MVP in either’s future. In the postseason, both have shined – both hitting over .300, Cabrera drawing a .462 OBP in the ALCS, Victorino drawing a .478 OBP in the NLCS. This is another tough one in the outfield, but Victorino plays a stellar outfield defensively and although Cabrera has been smashing the ball in the postseason, Victorino has somehow still managed to outslug him
Edge: Phillies

RF

Nick Swisher (NYY) vs. Jayson Werth (PHI)
My favorite Yankee player (former ChiSox, always has a wad in his lip, funny, easy-going guy – what’s there not to love?) versus a damn good hitter from Philly. As much as I’d like to give this one to Swish, I can’t – his poor .125 BA and leaving sixteen runners on base in the ALCS stick out like a sore thumb in the Yanks lineup. Werth on the other hand is crushing the ball, and showing no signs of stopping after his solid regular season campaign.
Edge: Phillies

SP

This is a pretty close matchup, the best staff in the AL versus the best staff in the NL. The series will kick off with a pair of former Indian teammates (C.C. Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee) taking the rubber against each other. Cole Hamels, if he was pitching like the dominant Cole Hamels he can be, would put the Phils over the top. Unfortunately for Philly, Hamels has been inconsistent, and taking a backseat to Pedro Martinez as the second best SP for the Phillies. As for the Yanks, AJ Burnett will come through as the ace he can be, that is a promise; and Andy Pettite will pitch like the postseason world-class pitcher he is.
Edge: Yankees

RP

The Yankees have the all-time postseason saves leader in their bullpen (Mariano Rivera) who happens to possess one of the dirtiest pitchers you will see in your lifetime. The Phillies have a disappearing act for a closer (Brad Lidge) who has talent, but it’s been non-existent all throughout ’09. I would not trust the rest of the Philly bullpen, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park are all suspect in my eyes. The best relief pitching for the Phillies may come from starting pitchers J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton. The Yankees, when they carry out the end of the game as they like to, well there gets no better. Joba Chamberlain/David Robertson in the 7th inning, Phil Hughes in the 8th and the “Sandman” to finish the job in the 9th. Easy one here.
Edge: Yankees

BENCH

The Yankees have a great bench, the best in the league, powered by lethal speed. Freddy Guzman, Brett Gardner and Jerry Hairston Jr. add a terrific element of speed to the Yanks lineup, and they are often used to pinch run late in games. The Phillies bench is okay. A bunch of below average players, aside from Matt Stairs (power) and Ben Francisco (defense), none of the players are specifically great in one area of play.
Edge: Yankees

Manager

Joe Girardi (NYY) vs. Charlie Manuel (PHI)
Girardi is a young, but very highly respected manager; while Manuel is an old, wily vet in the coaching world that is pretty tough to understand at times. Girardi came under extreme fire for his use for his use of the bullpen in a Yankees loss to the Angels in the ALCS, which was well deserved. But Manuel always seems to make solid calls, the most fire he might catch may come from his not shutting down Brad Lidge before it is too late.
Edge: Phillies

Well, we finish at 7-5 in favor of the Yankees (not an overwhelming victory), so it comes to intangibles. The Phillies have a team full of champions; the Yankees have a few stars with World Series rings and a squad of players hungry to add to their jewelry collection. I’m going to take the Yankees in this one, in seven games, with Alex Rodriguez winning the MVP. And I’m expecting stellar pitching from the Yankees. I don’t care that Philly and NYY are recognized as hitters’ parks, I really am feeling strong outings from the Yankees’ starting staff. A-Rod is finally going to get his ring.

Yankees in 7, book it.

Yankees vs. Phillies

2009-10-26T00:26:00.001-07:00

The above image will not be seen at the end of the New York Yankees/Philadelphia Phillies World Series, because well, the Yankees will win.

Tomorrow I will have a complete preview of the series up on here so stay tuned.

Projected stats for potential Hall of Famer

2009-10-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

This is courtesy of Bill James' favorite "toy" - the MLB career stat projection tool.

.304, 2395 hits, 347 HR, 1362 RBI, 317 SB
- No World Series appearances yet
- 4 All-Star games, likely to make at least 3-4 more
- 2 Gold Gloves, with definite possibility of more on the way [including one this year possibly]
- 2 Silver Sluggers, and again, possibility to win more

Best season: .325/30/107/34

Somewhat similar to a recently-retired player who has 0 shot at the Hall of Fame:
.291, 2107 hits, 352 HR, 1206 RBI, 181 SB
- No World Series appearances
- 2 All-Star games [clearly his career was not a short-lived run of dominance, just a string of good seasons put together under-the-radar]
- 1 Gold Glove
- 2 Silver Sluggers

Best season: .344/40/128/32

Player A - David Wright
Player B - Ellis Burks

That is all.

Phillies: Breeding Ground of Dippers

2009-10-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Former Phllies greats such as John Kruk and Lenny Dykstra could always be spotted on the field with a nice lipper in their mouth. In a time right now where 1/3 of baseball players use smokeless tobacco, the Phillies break the pattern. Just about half of the team dips and chews.

Chase Utley is the biggest name who uses chewing tobacco, but without doubt Jayson Werth is the face of chewing tobacco in MLB. He will never be spotted on a baseball field without a wad of chew in between his lip and teeth, and that is a promise.

Although it is hard to even imagine that the '09 Phils have a damn thing on the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. Terry Franconca, the manager of the team who has since been treated for having a chewing tobacco disorder, was the most visable of the chewing tobacco users on the BoSox. It was impossible to watch an inning of one of their games without seeing a stream of brown saliva streaming out of a player's (or coach's) mouth. What do Skoal, Copenhagen, Grizzly, Kodiak, Redman and all the other big tobacco companies care? That is the best free advertising you can possibly get.

2009 MLBuf's

2009-10-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

American League

MVP

1. Derek Jeter (NYY): .334/18/66/30
2. Joe Mauer (MIN): .365/28/96/4
3. Mark Teixera (NYY): .292/39/122/2
4. Miguel Cabrera (DET): .324/34/103/6
5. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): .352/11/46/26

Eddie Cicotte

1. Zack Greinke (KC): 16-8/2.16
2. Felix Hernandez (SEA): 19-5/2.49
3. Mariano Rivera (NYY): 3-3/1.76/44
4. C.C. Sabathia (NYY): 19-8/3.37
5. Mark Buehrle (CWS): 13-10/3.84

Rookie of the Year

1. Gordon Beckham (CWS): .270/14/63/7
2. Andrew Bailey (OAK): 6-3/1.84/26
3. Elvis Andrus (TEX): .267/6/40/33

Manager Of the Year

1. Rod Gardenhire (MIN)
2. Joe Girardi (NYY)
3. Mike Scoscia (LAA)

National League

MVP

1. Albert Pujols (STL): .327/47/135/16
2. Hanley Ramirez (FLA): .342/24/106/27
3. Prince Fielder (MIL): .299/46/141/2
4. Ryan Howard (PHI): .279/45/141/8
5. Pablo Sandoval (SFG): .335/25/90/5

Eddie Cicotte

1. Tim Lincecum (SFG): 15-7/2.48
2. Adam Wainright (STL): 19-8/2.63
3. Chris Carpenter (STL): 17-4/2.24
4. Josh Johnson (FLA): 15-5/3.23
5. Matt Cain (SFG): 14-8/2.89

Rookie of the Year

1. Chris Coghlan (FLA): .321/9/47/8
2. J.A. Happ (PHI): 12-4/2.93
3. Casey McGehee (MIL): .301/16/66/0

Manager of the Year

1. Fredi Gonzalez (FLA)
2. Charlie Manuel (PHI)
3. Jim Tracy (COL)

Debut Blogpost: Interview With Princeton Collins

2009-10-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

Ripping through defenses in Texas the past three seasons there is a hungry running back. Hungry for success. His name is Princeton Collins, who has verbally committed to Utah for his college career. A three-star recruit, Collins is a highly talented back with his head on straight, but has yet to lead his High School team [Westwood High School] to glory. In 2007 as a sophomore, Collins scored nine touchdowns while tacking on over 1,000 all purpose yards. But in 2008 as the featured back Collins really came into his own, with staggering numbers [1,525 rushing yards, 16 TD] as the featured tailback for Westwood. Despite this, his team has not been a serious threat to causing legitimate ruckus in the Playoffs. Collins is a dual threat, putting up substantial running numbers, while being a constant pest to defenses as a receiver out of the backfield also. In this interview, everything is covered from why the Texas boy chose the Utah Utes - to what's on his iPod pre-game, hope you enjoy.

MB: What is it like to play in Texas, where High School football is king? Is it the way that TV portrays it to be?

PC: It's crazy, a lot of good competition and everyone is good. It is what TV portrays it to be [laughs].

MB: What do you think people would say is your greatest weakness(es)?

PC: Leg tackles, man I hate those. It tells me you cant handle what i bring up stairs.

MB: According to your Yahoo scouting report it says you are committed to Utah, what made you choose Utah over a school in the south, or any school for that matter?

PC: Because the U gave me a full ride, I'm still open. It was a verbal but UT [University of Texas] is also my goal.

MB: Your Yahoo profile also states you run a 4.64 forty, though your Myspace recruiting page says you run a 4.37, any answer for the difference?

PC: I actually run a legit 4.55 laser time and a 4.30 on hand.

MB: What are some of your best qualities as a player that separate you from the pack?

PC: My ability to break tackles and my amazing vision when going through my lines.

MB: What do you expect your role to be in Utah, immediately and in the future?

PC: Just a good back and help the team out a bunch on offense.

MB: Which pro runner would you compare yourself to?

PC: AP [Adrian Peterson]. We both run really high, and I at least try and run as hard as him.

MB: Okay, now here's the cliche question I've yet to ask, and I might as well finish up on it. What's on the iPod before you step on the field?

PC: Young Jeezy - Welcome Back, gets me ready to get on the field.

Through the first six weeks of High School football in 2009, Collins is off to a wonderful start and continues to prove why he will suit up on Saturdays a year from now. And his team is doing well as well, thanks in large part to Collins carrying them on his back [4-2].
97 att, 583 ruyds, 6.0 ypa, 7 TD
14 rec, 150 recyds, 10.7 ypr, 2 TD
His game of the year came in a tough loss to Lake Travis in the season opener, 55-31. Regardless, Collins did everything he could to push his team, gathering over two hundred all purpose yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns.