Bobby Jenks Changes His Sox

It's the end of an era on Chicago's southside.  Big Bad Bobby Jenks will no longer be coming out to preserve a win in the 9th inning for the White Sox.  He was recently signed by the Boston Red Sox for 2 years/$12 million.  He claims that he was offered 2 years/$10 million by the White Sox to stay and that he wanted to stay because he thought his heart was in Chicago.  I guess that $2MM was enough to cause a change of heart.

I have no ill will for Bobby.  He was a big part of the magical run of 2005.  He was, go back and watch the dvds and you'll see.  He had two consecutive good seasons, including his best season with the White Sox in 2007.  That season he posted a 2.77 ERA, 4.3 K/BB and 0.89 WHIP while hammering down 40 saves.  Also that season, he went on a streak of retiring 41 straight batters faced, tying a Major League record held by Jim Barr.  Jim Barr was a starter though, which I think would make Jenks' record a little bit more challenging.  He retired 41 batters over 14 appearances that spanned 27 days.

From 2008-2010 he averaged 29 saves with a 3.54 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.  In 2008, he only managed 30 saves, but pitched well and helped the team make a post season appearance.  He posted a 2.63 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP while posting his lowest strikeout number of his career with just 38.  Last season he faltered a little, posting 27 saves with a 4.44 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.  His Ks were back up though posting his highest K/9 since 2006 at 10.4.

Many people have sour feelings about him, calling for him to be let go after this past poor season.  He blew 4 saves last year and lost 3 games.  He did notch 15 consecutive saves between May 11th and July 15th, a stretch that saw the White Sox go from a poor start to first place in the division.  There was one particularly bad game for Bobby that really put a target on his back by many fans, and that was July 18th, 2010.  This was the blown save felt around White Sox nation, as Bobby couldn't find outs and allowed the Sox to blow a 6-3 lead in the 9th inning to lose 7-6.  The Sox were still in first place after the loss, but our anxiousness about the Twins was growing, as it always does.

Overall, in his career with the Sox, I rate Bobby Jenks very high.  In my lifetime(26 years), I put him as the third best closer we've had, behind only 1)Bobby Thigpen and 2)Keith Foulke.  I think he was steady from 2005-2008 and I thank him for his service.  He may have had emotional issues, and off field issues, but really none of that is our business.  He sought help, and even for a time got off alcohol.  That is a tough task and a good thing.

Recently, he blasted the team, probably out of frustration.  He said that Ozzie Guillen did not know how to run a bullpen.  He said that Ozzie did not trust his relievers, which must have made him more nervous on the mound last season.  He also said that he did not like having to fight for the closer job in Spring Training.  This was all said after he had previously stated that he was heartbroken not being re-signed by the White Sox.  He said that his heart was with the city of Chicago and he felt like a family there.  While he may have sort of felt this way, he had to know that his results on the field determined his fate and not some ill-will toward him.

However, Oney Guillen, son of Ozzie, has decided to weigh in.  He immediately took to Twitter to defend the White Sox and his father Ozzie, even if they weren't asking him to.  Here are just some of the posts:  "hahah memo to bobby jenks get a clue u drink to much and u have had marital problems hugeee ones and the sox stood behind u" and "they did not air out ur dirty laundry, u came to srping not drinking and then u sucked and started srinking again be a man" and "u cried in the managers office bc u have problems now u go and talk bad about the sox after they protected u for 7 years ungrateful".

I don't support anything Oney is doing here, because it's just plain wrong and shows no class.  Let Bobby say whatever he does about the organization.  The Sox can respond that they have moved on from the situation and are working toward next year.  Ozzie needs to tell his son to be quiet.  He is hurting the image of the organization even more by spouting off on Twitter.  He has nothing to do with the White Sox organization and should not be commenting on situations like this.  I think it's bad for the image of the team.  This is why they got that show on MLB Network, because their front office has a circus-like atmosphere.

All this aside, I think deep down Bobby knows his last two seasons cost him a chance to re-sign with the Sox.  I think he has moved on to the Red Sox, and that as a middle reliever, he will put up pretty solid numbers next season.  I predict something like 3.05 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, maybe 50 Ks.  We'll see.  In the meantime, all Sox fans should remember the good times of Bobby Jenks.  

Remember his amazing rise in July 2005 from out of nowhere to closer by the end of the season.  Remember him coming into the 8th inning of Game 1 of the World Series and blowing away Jeff Bagwell, then finishing with the save.  Remember him standing on the mound in Game 4, throwing that last pitch and watching Uribe throw to Konerko for the final out in a 1-0 victory.  Remember in 2008 when he pitched in game 163 against the Twins to preserve the save and put the White Sox in the post season.

Do not dwell on the bad times, or find malice toward Jenks.  He gave us the best years of his career most likely, and he will always be remembered by myself as "the tall, wide guy" who Ozzie motioned for to bring home the win in the 2005 World Series.  All closers make mistakes and have good streaks and bad times in their careers.  I appreciate all that he did for our team and he will be missed.  I hope we find a new closer, one who can be as effective as the solid years of Bobby Jenks.  Maybe it's Thornton or Sale, but it will be strange to not see Bobby out there next season.  I guess Ozzie will have to motion for the tall/slim guy now.

Jeff Bagwell: First Ballot Hall Of Famer??

Jeff Bagwell will find himself on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2011, his first year of eligibility.  A good question would be, Is Jeff a first ballot Hall Of Famer?  This is sparking another debate entirely, though, among fans and analysts alike:  Is Bagwell a Hall Of Famer at all?

In short, I would answer the latter question "Are you crazy?  Of course he is!"  Through 15 seasons(Bagwell's entire career) he put up very similar numbers to Frank Thomas.  When I ask any baseball fans if they think Frank Thomas is a Hall Of Fame player, they always definitively say yes.  Some people go further and tell me he's a first ballot Hall Of Famer.  So if this is true, why do they have trouble putting Bagwell in, in their mind?

Through 15 seasons, Frank Thomas' stat line reads:  .307/448/1465 .995 OPS, 2136 H, 1327 R, 32 SB.  Jeff Bagwell's career stat line reads: .297/449/1529 .948 OPS, 2314 H, 1517 R, 202 SB.  I think that reads pretty well close overall.  Anyone who argues otherwise, simply didn't read the statistics.

Jeff Bagwell was one of the most feared hitters of the 1990s.  He won the 1994 MVP in the strike shortened season putting up the following stat line:  .368/39/116 1.201 OPS and NL leading 104 runs scored.  That mirrors Frank's 1994 MVP season of .353/38/101 1.217 OPS and MLB leading 106 runs scored, and it actually may slightly best it depending on how you look at it.  Jeff Bagwell was also named 1991 NL Rookie Of The Year, putting up .294/15/82 .824 OPS.

Jeff is the Houston Astros career leader in Home Runs (449), RBI (1,529), Walks (1,401), Runs Created (1,715), Sacrifice Flies (102) and Intentional Walks (155).  He is also their single season leader in Batting Average (.368 in 1994), On-base percentage (.454 in 1999), Slugging Percentage (.750 in 1994), OPS (1.201 in 1994), Runs (152 in 2000), Total Bases (363 in 2000), Home Runs (47 in 2000), Walks (149 in 1999), Times on Base (331 in 1999), Intentional Walks (27 in 1997) and At Bats per Home Run (10.3 in 1994).

Bagwell also had a 2nd place MVP finish in 1999(.304/42/126 and league leading 143 R/149 BB) and 3rd place MVP finish in 1997(.286/43/135 1.017 OPS).  He was awarded Silver Slugger three times, was a four time All Star, and won a Gold Glove in 1994.  In 2001's New Historical Baseball Abstract, written by Bill James, he is listed as the fourth best first baseman of all time.  In 2007, the Astros retired Jeff Bagwell's #5.

After reading this, I don't know how any baseball fan could say he is not a Hall Of Fame player.  Maybe he is not a first ballot Hall Of Fame player in the way that his American League counterpart Frank Thomas could be, but he is certainly a HOF worthy player.  There are some out there who believe he took steroids, but I don't know how this could even be proven.  Even if you just look at the "supposed leaked" list that came out in 2004 on the internet(and we have no clue as to the validity of this said list), it doesn't list Jeff Bagwell as one of the 103 players.

Bagwell was part of the Killer B's lineup, which featured two Hall Of Fame players in my mind(the other being Craig Biggio).  I think that both players will reach the Hall Of Fame in time.  While I could see the argument that he should not make it on the first ballot, waiting to put him in beyond the second ballot would be asinine.  He is clearly great.

If you need just one more statistic to understand the argument, here it is:  Bagwell's career OBP(.408) is higher than Tony Gwynn's career OBP(.388).  Yes Tony Gwynn, the guy who lead the league in batting average 8 times and hit .338 for his career.  I say Jeff Bagwell should get into the Hall Of Fame in 2012, and that would be just fine.  2011 will be the year for Robbie Alomar, and will finally be the year of justice for Bert Blyleven who should have been in several years ago.  Bagwell admitted he doesn't foresee himself getting in on the first ballot, and he's fine with that.  Second ballot Hall Of Famer is still great.

Garrett Wittels: Crime In Your Prime

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Florida International University baseball star Garrett Wittels has been charged with raping two 17-year-old girls in the Bahamas.  Wittels, who holds the second longest hitting streak in NCAA Division I history, has been released on a $10,000 bond following a court hearing on Thursday.  The incident allegedly took place at the Atlantic Resort and Casino in Nassau on Dec. 20. Wittels and another man have each been charged with two counts of raping the two American girls.  Wittels' father told the Miami Herald that when all the facts come out, his son will be vindicated.

FIU athletic director Pete Garcia declined to comment on the arrest, saying he was still in the process of sorting through information. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

The above information was taken from an article by the Associated Press and used under the fair use copyright law for informational purposes.  Being fair to Garrett Wittels, he is only being accused of a crime and has not had a trial yet to prove guilt.  I strongly believe in innocence until proven guilty by a court of law.  However, thinking about the consequences of a conviction are impossible to ignore.

If he's convicted, he will definitely serve jail time.  He will lose his scholarship and probably not be able to play any more college baseball.  A pro baseball career would be in serious jeopardy for him as well.  Here is the kid who is currently on a 56 game hitting streak, just two shy of Oklahoma State alumni Robin Ventura's NCAA record 58 game streak.

Why would a baseball player with so much right in front of him, do something like this?  This really is the basic question of why does anyone commit a crime.  People commit crimes of passion, crimes of revenge, crimes of necessity, crimes of malice, crimes of fear, crimes of protection, crimes of power, crimes of intolerance.

In the history of Major League Baseball, some players have found themselves convicted of crimes.  Most of the crimes were drug related, including possession and testing positive for drugs, like Dwight Gooden.  Some players get involved in gambling issues like Pete Rose and Denny McLain.  A few other players have committed assaults, which I will discuss further.

A famous assault conviction occurred in the 2010 season.  New York Mets closer Francisco K-Rod Rodriguez was convicted of misdemeanor assault of his girlfriend's father.  He was kept out of the lineup for two games and forced to forgo two games' salary.  He pitched on August 14th, after missing two days.  He would not pitch again for the rest of the 2010 season.  It was later revealed that he may have torn a ligament in his right thumb during the assault.  The Mets placed him on the disqualified list, which forces him to sit without pay until he is physically fit to play.

Another famous assault and attempted murder crime was committed by Ugueth Urbina.  Urbina played pro baseball from 1995-2005 for Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies. On November 7, 2005 Ugueth Urbina was arrested in Venezuela for attempted murder of five workers on his family's ranch. Urbina claims he was sleeping when the incident happened but in 2007 the former pro baseball pitcher was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Urbina and others attacked the workers with machetes and poured gasoline on them.

I do not know why players would commit crimes off the field and give up their baseball careers and their lives.  I guess it's just the same with any other criminal and crime committed.  You are left to wonder why someone would commit such a senseless act and throw their life away.  If Garrett Wittels is truly innocent, hopefully he would be able to get himself acquitted of the crime.  If he is guilty, then hopefully he would come to the justice he would deserve for the crime.  I will not make a judgement until facts come out in a court of law.

We must remember the rape case of the Duke Lacrosse players.  Everyone including the media, pronounced them guilty and never gave them a chance to explain their side of the case.  They were raked over the coals relentlessly day after day in newspapers and on tv.  Later, everyone was made to apologize as the girl admitted to making up the rape accusation and lying about the whole thing.  

What those men lost during that ordeal was a crime in and of itself.  They lost a year of Lacrosse, their good name and respect.  The entire school got a black eye from the incident, undeservedly so. Nobody should make that mistake again in any future cases.  That is why we have trials in a court of law.  We must also remember the Kobe Bryant rape story, and how it went from rape to just cheating on his wife after the woman admitted she was not raped.

We can also look to the De Anza College rape scandal that occurred in 2007.  Three members of the school's women's soccer team say they witnessed a 17 year old girl at a party hosted by a member of the college's baseball team being sexually assaulted by 2 or more men.  They state that they pulled the girl away and took her to a hospital.  After an investigation, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Dept said there was insufficient evidence to press charges.  20/20 did an episode on this story and  the three girls stated that "if three witnesses aren't enough then why is rape even a crime?"  

The California State Attorney General's office conducted their own investigation and found also that there was insufficient evidence to press charges.  The victim was characterized as having no memory of the incident after her arrival at the party. The report concluded that these factors made proof beyond a reasonable doubt, as required for a criminal trial, impossible The report further indicated that widespread intoxication among the party's attendees hampered the accuracy and reliable of their memories of the event.

As for Garrett Wittels, I don't know how his immediate college career will be affected but he will certainly have to miss time for the trial.  Kobe played during his rape trial for the Lakers, but I do not know if Florida Int'l will let Wittels play.  If he is able to play in some games next year, he could certainly break the record, which is probably least high on his list of important things right now in his life.  

As a big fan of college baseball(namely the Arkansas Razorbacks), I always assumed that the 58 game hitting streak by Robin Ventura would stand forever.  Seeing Wittels come close last season, I will admit to(in retrospect in poor taste) rooting against him extending his streak.  I revere Ventura as a former White Sock and all around good guy.  

If he is found innocent, he will have a bright future as a prospect in MLB.  He can certainly hit, he can field a middle infielding position(short stop) and he even pitches.  He was nominated for an ESPY award this year for Best Male College Athlete Of The Year.  He will probably be a top 10 pick, probably top 5 and maybe even top 3.  I foresee great things for him.  It all depends on his status, and whether or not he committed the rape along with the other man accussed.  We'll just have to see how this all pans out.

Batter Up: What's Your Stance???

Batting stances are one of the parts of the game that make each player unique.  Stances can be wide and open, short and compact or somewhere in between.  Players can have the bat pointed forward, straight up or backward.  Players can have the bat above their head, or down low to their body.  Any way you look at it, stances are one of the best part of the game to enjoy and dissect.

Different stances serve players different purposes and every stance that works for one guy probably wouldn't work for the next guy.  Many players spend a lot of time working on tweaking their stances to get their best results at the plate, as David Wright has the last three years noted in the above photo.  Below are some of my favorite weird/A-typical stances I have seen in baseball.  These stances are not necessarily bad, just unusual.

Craig Counsell

You can't have a discussion about batting stances without mentioning Craig Counsell.  Just look at this stance, what he is doing?  It looks like he's the shortest kid on the team stretching as high as he will go so he will look taller.  I don't know how this works for him, but it does.  I have tried this stance in real life and couldn't get close to hitting the ball.  He just got signed to a 1 year deal with the Brewers, which will be his 16th season.

Jeff Bagwell

 He had one of the strangest stances in baseball during his career.  As you can see above, he goes into a full crouch with his legs spread far apart.  The bat is leaning slightly forward and tilted back behind his head.  It sure worked well for him though, as he put up .297/449/1529 and 2300 hits in a 15 year career.

Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks hit 512 home runs in his career and won two MVPs with this stance.  Very compact, he must have had tremendous power to hit as many home runs as he did with such a short swing.  It's not necessarily the best stance to become a power hitter, but it clearly worked for him.

Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb used two batting stances in his career which are shown above.  The first stance was the stance he used when he was just looking for a hit.  The second stance was when he wanted to drive the ball to the gaps.  Obviously both stances worked well for him as he is baseball's all time leader in career batting average at .366.  It is interesting that he would use different stances to achieve different results.  It seems like the pitcher would better know how to pitch to him knowing his intentions, but apparently nobody figured out a good way to get him out in his career.

Mickey Tettleton

  

Tettleton had one of the strangest batting stances in baseball history.  He basically looked like he was just standing there with the bat pointed backward.  At the last moment he would grip tight on the handle and swing hard at the ball through the zone.  He hit 30 home runs or more in four different seasons, so his lazy looking batting stance sure did work well for him.

Rod Carew

 

Just like Mickey Tettleton, Rod Carew also had this weird "relaxed" batting stance. The bat is just pointed back lazily as if he isn't even seriously trying to get a hit. However, it worked for Rod Carew also, leading to a Hall Of Fame career of .328/92/1015. His stance was forever immortalized in the statue placed outside Target Field in Minnesota.

Ichiro

Ichiro has one of the most compact batting stances in baseball history.  Look at the way he stands, straight up and down.  He is also one of the best hitters in baseball history.  He has hit over .300 all 10 years of his career and lead the league in hits 7 times.  It seems like this compact stance would catch on more but it's more of a rarity, even though it has shown clear results for some of the best hitters of all time.

Dallas Braden

Being a pitcher in the American League means not having to bat unless it's interleague.  Dallas Braden clearly does not want to bat when it is his time to do so, as evidenced by the above photo.  He walks up to the plate and basically just stands there and doesn't even bother to try.  Not surprisingly he's 0-4 in his career but he does have 2 sacrifice hits.  He must really hate to be on the bases.

Tony Batista

Tony Batista's stance is odd in which he spreads his feet and stands almost sideways leaning forward toward the plate as if he's hovering over it.  He stands at about a 60 degree angle in to the plate.  He's another case of whatever works for you, as he had 4 different seasons of 30+ home runs.

 Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis' batting stance looks like he is constipated when he's up to the plate.  He also has a very unorthodox swing.  The swing he does in the batters box when he's on deck has been compared to Charles Barkley's erratic golf swing.  His left leg is bent more than his right leg, with his left foot turned toward his right foot.  His right foot remains straight.  He holds his bat right over his head.  Many people have questioned his stance and pointed it out as all wrong mechanically from about every aspect possible.  However, it works for him as he has a career .294 batting average.

Moises Alou

Moises Alou's batting stance looks like a little girl who really has to use the restroom trying desperately to hold it in.  Speaking of urination, lets not forget that Moises admitted to urinating on his own hands to toughen them up.  With both of his knees pointed in and the bat almost straight up in the air, I don't even see how he can get enough power to hit a home run.  He did find the power, though, to hit 332 of them.

As you can see, it doesn't matter how you stand as long as it works for you.  The players all have developed these stances over time and thousands of at bats.  Some players have worked with coaches to stand differently but found that their old batting stances are just naturally better for them.  Whatever stance a player uses, the batter will always be looking to accomplish the same goal of getting on base and helping his team score runs.  All of these stances worked, and there are sure to be many more interesting and unique stances by future players in MLB.

Yunesky Maya: The Nationals' Nacional

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Yunesky Maya was recently named Dominican Winter League player of the week.  He has been lights out in the DWL, going 4-1 with 41 Ks in 39.0 IP.  He has allowed just a .164 batting average and posted a microscopic 0.69 ERA, in seven starts this DWL season.  He is a great prospect who signed a 4 year/$8 million deal in July with the Nationals.

Yunesky Maya is a pitcher who hails from Cuba.  He was a member of the Cuban national team from 2005-2009.  Maya first joined the Cuban national team for the 2005 Baseball World Cup, striking out 11 in 7 1/3 IP and getting a save, allowing 3 runs(1 ER).  Maya became a full-time starting pitcher for the only time in 2005-2006, with a 7-9, 3.79 record.  In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, he allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 innings but did not give up a run.¹

He got the win over the Panamanian national team. Maya was 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games. In the 2006 COPABE qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics, Yunesky had a 4.35 ERA and struck out 12 in 10 1/3 IP. During the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, the right-hander allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings.²

Maya throws from 88-92 on his fastball and also features a curve, change and sinker.  He used to throw a slider but has since replaced it with his curveball.  In 2008, he was named the top right handed pitcher in Cuba.  He was thought to be choosing between the Chicago White Sox and NY Mets after defecting from Cuba in 2009, before signing with the Nationals in 2010.

Maya made his Major League debut on September 7th, 2010 against the New York Mets.  He pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 ER on 5 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2.  He averaged 88 pitches per start.  In five starts, Maya faced the Mets twice, the Braves twice and the Phillies once, finishing 0-3 with a 5.88 ERA in 26 innings.

Now that he is doing very well in DWL, and has MLB experience, I look for a good rookie season out of him in 2011.  The Washington Nationals are trying their best to build a pitching staff and Maya fits right in as a 3rd or 4th starter.  I wish the White Sox had pursued him harder.  He will certainly pay off as a good starting pitcher in the near future for the Nationals, although his numbers will not be as good as they would be if he were pitching for a contending team.

Some scouts are predicting that he would be a better fit for the bullpen as a long reliever, but I think he still has a great chance at 29 years old to be a Major League starter into the future.  He will have to improve next year, but he is a hard worker and I think he will learn to adjust to Major League hitting and before long start racking up wins and statistics in a fine career.

¹&² Paragraphs reposted from a BR Bullpen article: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Yuniesky_Maya

Meet Tsuyoshi Nishioka

This offseason, the Twins won the negotiating rights to Chiba Lotte IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka, which cost them $5 million.  This is a player Bobby Valentine once said was definitely a MLB ready player.  He is one of the top Japanese hitters in their league.  Don't know who he is?  Let's meet him.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines, who won the 2010 Japan Series.  Nishioka was a big part of this, hitting .346 in the regular season and played in a Japan league best 144 games.  He lead Japan in Runs(121), Hits(206) and Total Bases(287).  He posted a .905 OPS while not being a power hitter.  He only hit 11 home runs last season.  He stole 22 bases, and is a former stolen bases leader in 2005 and 2006, so speed is a part of his game.  Nishioka was also a part of the Marines 2005 Japan Series title, stealing 41 bases.  His .905 OPS was almost .100 higher than his next highest career OPS, so he is really more of an .800 OPS guy for his career.

In the field he has won two gold gloves: one in 2005(at second base) and one in 2007(at short stop).  All reports say that he is not really a reliable short stop, committing the most errors in the league at SS in 2010, and having the lowest fielding percentage among all qualifying SS in the league.  He will most likely be a second baseman if he is signed by the Twins.  He is noted to have an above average arm, once throwing a pitch during an informal game clocked at 88 mph.

The Twins are reportedly set to meet with him early Thursday(12/16/2010), to discuss the details of the contract offer they made him.  Reports have that contract offer at 2 years for an unknown amount.   JJ Hardy was traded to the Orioles recently, which means the Twins must have a good idea that he will sign.  The two sides will have ten days to hash out a deal before the Twins' exclusivity window closes.  If no deal is reached in 10 days, he will become a free agent.

If he signs, he will be the perfect Twins player.  Another little piranha.  He will be everything Ron Gardenhire wants.  He plays solid defense at 2B.  He steals, he hits, he scores runs.  He plays hard, and he is durable.  He's young and he will do whatever the manager asks him to do in any given situation.  He doesn't hit many home runs but can put up a .900+ OPS without power.  This guy makes me nervous as a White Sox fan, because the Twins do not need any more piranhas to help them beat our brains in.  Anything the Twins can do to become a more complete team will make them a serious thorn in the White Sox side in 2011. 

My overall grade for Nishioka is B+, only because he needs to put up more seasons like 2010 before I would give him an A.  We will have to see if he can make the transition from Japan to MLB, with the basic issues such as culture shock, time zone changes, and the move from artificial turf to an outdoor real grass stadium.  If he can, he certainly has a future as a solid MLB 2B.

How The Yankees Got Out-Yankee'd

The Yankees entered this offseason ready to make a serious upgrade to their rotation and add to their lineup.  They had it all planned out to sign Cliff Lee away from the Rangers and pick up Carl Crawford for left field.  They had the money as they always do, and they were ready to get it done.  They just didn't count on one thing, other teams beat them out for everybody they wanted.

So how did the Yankees get out-Yankee'd?  Well lets discuss Carl Crawford.  He was a hot commodity and everyone was ready for his free agency this year, even last season.  The Yankees had wanted him for a long time.  They knew they could give him a big offer.  After the signing of Jayson Werth, that upped Crawford's potential contract value, leading everyone who follows baseball to all but assume the only team that could give him that money was the Yankees.  However, the Red Sox found the cash, and added him for an astonishing 7 years/$142 million.

The Yankees then moved on to serious negotiations with Cliff Lee.  Everyone reported that the Yankees offered Lee more money than any other team.  They flew to Arkansas three different times to meet with him.  The Rangers put together strong negotiating tactics with Cliff Lee as well.  Nobody saw the Phillies coming.  It had only been reported as an afterthought that there may be a mystery third team involved.

That mystery third team, the Phillies, came out of nowhere to sign Cliff Lee for 5 years/$120 million.  Reports assumed that Lee's offer from the Yankees had been somewhere around 7 years/$160 million.  That means he chose the Phillies over the Yankees because he wanted to play there more.  This is a great Christmas present for Phils fans, but kills the Yankees in the short term.

Finally, lets discuss Derek Jeter.  The Yankees HAD to re-sign Jeter.  They would have been lambasted by all NY media and fans if they let Mr. Yankee himself walk away to another franchise.  That being said, Derek Jeter did everything he could to make sure the Yankees were the only team that he was going to sign with.  He priced himself right out of the market for every other team in baseball.  He managed to play off the Yankees desperation in the matter, and get a 3 year/$51 million deal that everyone knows is outrageous.  I don't think any other team in baseball would have even given Jeter $10 million a year.  He will basically make $25 million for his talent, and $26 million for his name.

So out of the three biggest names they needed to sign, they got one, and were forced to overpay significantly for his signature.  This is bad news for New York.  They didn't get any better and watched the Red Sox add two players that instantly put them at the top of the American League.  They watched even a team like the White Sox get the man they were gunning for, Adam Dunn, as well as the other pieces they wanted to re-sign.  They watched the Phillies swipe Cliff Lee and become the class of the National League.

At the very least, the only positive for the Yankees this offseason was watching Tampa Bay dismantle the team that had taken them out last season for the division title.  The Rays lost Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford and are now shopping Matt Garza for a trade.  They probably cannot re-sign Rafael Soriano either.  The Yankees, Rays and Angels are all big losers this offseason.  However, the spotlight will always shine on the Yankees, and they will always be the biggest losers when they fall behind other teams because of their payroll and status in the game.

The Yankees, unless they pull off a trade, will go into next season with a rotation that sees Vazquez leave for the Marlins and AJ Burnett be basically worthless for a lot of money spent.  Andy Pettitte might be a big winner in all of this, since the Yankees are now desperate to add a starting pitcher to their roster.  CC Sabathia will have another solid season, but the Yankees have to hope that Phil Hughes will have another season as good as 2010 just to stay in the mix.  They did manage to re-sign Mariano Rivera, but not before he initiated contact with the Red Sox to discuss figures.

Things look bad in Yankee land this season.  Fans of the other 29 teams in MLB have watched the Yankees buy every All Star player they want at higher prices than any other team can afford year after year.  They are literally made of money and will pay whatever it takes to win a championship.  Their GM's name is "Cashman" for Christ sakes!  Their old stadium was "The House That Ruth Built" but their new stadium has been called "The House That Steinbrenner Bought".  This year, though, no amount of money could get the Yankees the players they wanted.

In future negotiations with top free agents, they apparently cannot just flash the money and get the signature.  Does this mean that many players are simply not dreaming about playing for the Yankees anymore like they used to?  Do these guys see the Yankees and not believe that is their best chance to win a championship?  Is the money spread out better among other teams now to compete with the Yankees offers?  Players go to teams for many other reasons these days.  Cliff Lee just wanted to play in Philly, a place he apparently loved in 2009.  Carl Crawford liked what he saw in Boston and went with it.

All that being said, they did well in the last few years to get the players they wanted.  They got CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson.  They still have one of the best second basemen in the league, Robinson Cano.  The Yankees are not that far behind, but they are clearly now in second place in the AL East on paper.  We will see how the season plays out, but the Red Sox should find themselves right at the top and the Yankees clearly took a step backwards by staying the same.

This has to be disconcerting for the Yankees' fans.  The team knows they have to make a deal for a pitcher before the season starts because right now they would only go into the sesaon with 3 real starting pitchers.  They could re-sign Andy Pettitte, and/or trade for a pitcher.  Zack Greinke is still out there, and with the Yankees in desperation mode, who knows what will happen?

The Yankees might actually give up their top prospects to bring in Greinke at this point.  That would be if Zack could pitch there, given his anxiety issues.  The Yankees did sign Mark Prior to a minor league deal, but Mark is a long way away from pitching in the Majors again, if ever.  He has only pitched 1 inning in professional baseball since 2006.  Mark Prior is what the Yankees would probably call "Plan X".  They need a guy that can pitch tomorrow.  Brandon Webb is another free agent they could take a chance on, coming off shoulder surgery.  He is a free agent, and has a lot of upside if he works out.  The Cubs are also pursuing him as their #1 target according to reports.

Still, no teams really have taken them out of the playoff picture entirely on paper.  I cannot say that I see the Wild Card coming from the AL West, and the AL Central only has an outside chance of seeing both the Twins and White Sox both putting together better seasons than the Yankees next year.

As we all know though, the Yankees are not judged by simply making the playoffs.  Their fans and media expect them to contend for the World Series every season.  Anything short of the World Series is a failure of a season for them.  On paper, right now, it does not look good for them to make a World Series run.  They better get better quick, or they will find themselves watching the World Series on TV.

Why The Sox Should Sign Arthur Rhodes

Arthur Rhodes, a 41 year old free agent, is the White Sox best choice as a left-handed bullpen signing.  Crazy?  No, it's not crazy at all.  Let me explain.

Arthur Rhodes spent his 2010 season with the Cincinnati Reds, as the primary setup man for closer Francisco Cordero.  He proved his worth, collecting 26 holds, with a 2.29 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.  He pitched in what many consider one of the best hitters parks in MLB, Great American Ballpark.  He also made the all star team for the first time in his long career last season.  He was particularly amazing against batters no matter which side of the plate they swing from(RHB hit .182, LHB hit .214).  Against lefties he posted 26 Ks to just 1 BB.  1 BB in 84 AB vs LHB.  That's great!

The best thing about Arthur Rhodes is that he would come cheap.  His last contract was 2 years/$4 million.  He was great last year, but I don't think it would really affect his value because of his age.  He is 41 years old and would turn 42 next October 24th, if the Sox should happen to make a deep playoff run.  I think he may still be worth $2-$3.5 million but that should be the cap on his value.

Rhodes has had an up and down career between seven different ball clubs.  The last three seasons for him, he has really shined.  From 2008-2010 between Seattle, Florida and Cincinnati, he posted a 2.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 75 holds, which is his primary task when taking the mound in the 7th or 8th inning.  He has become like a fine wine, getting better with age.  He only allowed 0.4 HR/9 the last three years, which is amazing even for a relief pitcher.

Let's run down the White Sox checklist for prospective pitcher signings for next season in our current situation shall we?
1)Are you a free agent?  Yes
2)Are you cheap? Yes
3)Are you a lefty? Yes
4)Are you a reliever? Yes
5)Are you good? Yes

What is the hold up?  The Reds declined arbitration to Rhodes and have not extended a new contract offer to Rhodes yet.  In fact, I have not seen a single report of a contract offer to Rhodes, just rumors of interested teams like the Phillies.  Sure he will not be able to give you a future at 41 years old, but we only need him for this one season.  The Sox stated their biggest priority now is to find someone, preferably a lefty, to add to our bullpen.  He will bring leadership and wisdom with age.  Also, his earrings will shine so brightly, all the batters he faces will be blinded.  Kenny, please get on the phone with this guy.  Make it happen.  You'll be glad you did as will I and all Sox fans.

Cliff Lee With Texas: Better For Baseball??

Cliff Lee has serious offers from both the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.  While figures have not been released, it is generally assumed that the Yankees offer is just a little bit higher.  It should be somewhere around 7 years/$160 million.  The Rangers have the argument of playing close to Cliff Lee's home state of Arkansas, and having no state income tax.  However, Cliff Lee stated that he will remain a resident of Arkansas so the income tax incentive has no bearing on his decision.

With the Nationals reportedly out of the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, there remains just the Yankees, Rangers and if you believe the reports, a mystery third team.  However, this "mystery third team" would have had to be pointed out by now.  Cliff Lee is reportedly making his decision this week.

Cliff Lee has come a long way from just a few years back in 2007, when he was pitching so poorly that he was sent down to the minors by the Cleveland Indians.  He was booed off the mound during his last start prior to being sent down, and tipped his cap to the fans on his way into the dugout, angering them even more.  This must have been a serious wake up call for Lee, as he was not called back up until the beginning of 2008.

In 2008, he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 170 Ks.  He took home that year's Cy Young award.  In 2009 he was 14-13 between the Indians and Phillies, posting a respectable 3.22 ERA and 180 Ks.  In 2010, he was 13-9 with a 3.18 ERA, a MLB low 1.00 WHIP, and 185 Ks between the Mariners and Rangers.  He also had a MLB best 7 complete games.

In the post season this year, he went 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in the ALDS and ALCS, leading the Rangers to their first ever world series.  He struggled in the World Series though, going 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.  The Rangers would still love to bring him back as he was a big part of them having their best season in team history.

This leads to the question, is it better for baseball to have the Yankees being the undisputed top team or having the Rangers be competitive?  I have heard arguments that when the Yankees are great, they sellout road stadiums and bring up MLB's total revenue.  Also, when the Yankees make the World Series, the TV ratings go through the roof.  However, I would counter-argue that the Yankees would sell out road stadiums even if they weren't the top team.  It is better for other teams to be competitive to help sell out their own stadiums for 81 games.  Do true fans of the game really care about TV ratings?  True fans of the game will watch the World Series no matter who is playing.  If MLB wants better World Series TV ratings, then contract about 10 teams from the league, so those poor markets don't even have a team to possibly ruin your ratings.  Until then, deal with it Selig.

The Yankees come to non-AL East stadiums only once or twice a season at the most.  That's just 7 games of sell out attendance.  If this non-AL East team fielded a top competitive team, they could have very nice attendance for all of their 81 home games.  That is why it would be a good thing for baseball to have the Rangers as a top competitive team.  It puts one more team on the map, causing fans to want to show up to every game, and bringing in revenue for a team that used to see lower attendance.

Winning does not always bring in fans, as is the case in Tampa.  Tampa was winning and seeing crowds of 25,000 or less.  Tampa is a special case though because I feel that more people living in Tampa are Yankees fans than Rays fans.  The Rangers play in a market area that is all their own, and their residents are mostly Rangers fans.  They have a good sized TV market extending into Oklahoma and Arkansas.  They have good ticket prices, although the World Series will surely affect the prices next season.  They have a great ballpark and oh by the way, the AL MVP Josh Hamilton as well.

In 2008, the Rangers attendance was 24,000 a game.  In 2009, they saw a rise to 27,000 a game.  In 2010, they saw a rise to 31,000 a game.  This can be directly related to the Rangers records for those three season.  In 2008, the Rangers went 79-83.  In 2009, they went 87-75.  In 2010, the Rangers went 90-72 and won the AL West.

Both the Rangers and Yankees are pressing as hard as they can for the pitcher.  Both have gone to his home in Arkansas multiple times and given him multiple offers.  Will he pick the Rangers and playing closer to his home, or the Yankees for a higher salary and playing along side his friend CC Sabathia?  I hope he picks the Rangers, not as a typical anti-Yankee rant but as a pro-"more competitive teams in MLB is a great thing" discussion.  I think he will, in the end, sign with the Rangers.  That is my guess, because I simply do not think he would have taken this long to choose the Yankees.

Zack Gives Royals Ace High Hand In Trade

Zack Greinke is under contract with the Royals for the next two seasons.  In 2011 and 2012 he is due to make $13.5 million each season.  Greinke is not a free agent, so his name has been flying under the radar a bit with all of the big free agent players names making all of the headlines as of late.  However, one thing is clear:  the Royals are definitely open to trading their ace.  The only problem for most teams is that the Royals are asking for a lot in return.

Reports have surfaced saying that the Royals are asking for at least 3 top prospects and 2 major league ready players.  Many teams who would love to add Greinke to their rotation simply cannot meet this request.  Some teams don't have enough players to fulfill the trade value the Royals have attached to their star ace.

One team I see with a chance at Greinke would be Texas.  If the Rangers cannot re-sign Cliff Lee, they will most likely want to add another big name pitcher to their rotation.  Zack Greinke could be a perfect fit and the Rangers are one of the few teams that could meet their ridiculous trade demands.  The Rangers have some of the best minor league talent in baseball.  The Rangers could put a package together including P Martin Perez, P Kasey Kiker, OF Mitch Moreland or C's Taylor Teagarden or Max Ramirez, along with maybe Michael Young since they are wanting to get rid of him for some reason.  I think the only way they do the latter is if they managed to sign Adrian Beltre.  Texas probably has the best chance at landing Greinke if they have to.

Another team in on the Greinke discussion is the Brewers.  I do not know what prospects or players they would trade, but they seem to be in on the discussion.  The Yankees could too get in on Greinke, but he would almost certainly cost them Phil Hughes, who they have not been willing to part with in the past.  There have been reports of the Nationals being in on a Greinke trade idea.  However, this would cost them players they really cannot go without in the future, such as Ian Desmond.  It would create other holes in their roster that would only hinder their future success.  I think the Royals might be asking too much, but they seem to be intent on keeping the price high, as they appear to really be in a place to build a team.

Greinke's first few years in MLB were tenuous to say the least.  After a rookie season in which he finished 4th in ROY voting, he followed that up by losing a major league worst 17 games, and posting a 5.80 ERA.  Greinke missed the entire 2006 season suffering from depression and social anxiety disorder.  He returned in 2007 and went 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA.  Then from 2008-2010, he has posted a 39-32 record with a 3.25 ERA and 202 Ks a season.  He has pitched 200+ innings each season.  He unanimously won the AL Cy Young in 2009 going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 242 Ks.

He is certainly a top pitcher, and if he were on a better team would have a much better win/loss record.  He would benefit from much better defense and hitting on another team.  Whether he goes to the Rangers, Yankees, Brewers or another team next year, it will probably be an upgrade from his current situation.  It looks almost certain that he will be traded before Opening Day next season.  The Royals have added Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera, which aren't going to help his chances much post more wins or pitch in the playoffs.  It would be good to see him leave the AL Central too.

2011 White Sox: All Chips Are In

 

The White Sox have started a new ad campaign, promising the fans that they are All In and committed to winning in 2011 and beyond.  After re-signing Paul Konerko & AJ Pierzynski, they went out and signed Type-A free agent Adam Dunn.  Alexei Ramirez opted out, and re-signed for $2.75 million.  They also traded Scott Linebrink, although the Sox had to give Atlanta $3.5 million to complete the deal.  The team also non-tendered Bobby Jenks and Erick Threets.

There are still moves to be made if we are truly All In, albeit with not a lot of cash left in the vault. One move the Sox want to make is for some bullpen help.  They really want to get a left handed pitcher for the bullpen.  George Sherrill, despite having a down 2010, was thought to be our target player.  Sherrill posted a very bad 6.69 ERA and 1.92 WHIP last season in just 36 IP.  However, this lowered his value dramatically, leaving him in our price range after all of the money the Sox have spent already.

From 2007-2009, Sherrill posted a 2.82 ERA in 168 IP, with a 1.20 WHIP, and 58 Ks a season.  He has been lights out against lefties in his career allowing just a .167 BA and 4.19 K/BB.  Even last season, he was great against lefties allowing just a .192 BA, although he got murdered by RHB.  He was still probably our best option in our current monetary situation.  He signed with Atlanta for a mere $1.3 million. 

Arthur Rhodes is probably the one good LH reliever on the dwindling free agent list.  He had a good 2010 campaign as a middle reliever, posting a 1.01 WHIP in 55 IP.  His K/BB was almost 3/1 and he kept his ERA low at 2.29.  His last deal was 2 years/$4 million.  Maybe we could pull off signing him for $2 million for one season.  I would be happy with that, even if he will be 41 years old next season.  I don't think a 1 year deal would hurt us too badly.  We're talking about the guy with the all-time MLB record for career holds with 215.  He also had a 33 appearance scoreless streak last season.

Chris Sale will be forced to move into the starting rotation this year due to Peavy's injury.  There is no real word when Jake will be back but I am hoping he can be back before June 1st.  If Chris Sale struggles, he would probably return to the bullpen when Peavy comes back.  Sale would give us a LHP in the bullpen.  It's another option anyways.  Many people want Sale to be the closer but I do not think that would be the right place on the pitching staff for him.  Even if he were a solid closer, he would help us more if he was a solid starter.  It could be a situation similar to Adam Wainwright in St. Louis.  

I think Matt Thornton will start the season in the closer role barring any unforeseen trades.  I would like for the White Sox to re-sign Bobby Jenks for one season and just see if he has anything to offer in a middle relief role.  Being a middle reliever is a totally different monster from being the team's closer.  He would be cheap at this point as well.  The Sox really need the depth in the pen.

It was being reported that the White Sox were attempting to trade Carlos Quentin for bullpen help.  However, Kenny Williams says that report is untrue.  I think our best move going forward would be to trade Dayan Viciedo for a bullpen guy.  He is pretty much blocked from playing DH or 1B and Brent Morel is clearly better at 3B than Viciedo so he has no where to play.  We could trade Viciedo for a reliever, and then sign Arthur Rhodes and have two new guys to help lock down the pen. 

Anyway we look at 2011, it will be a year of high salaries and high hopes.  The White Sox will have their largest payroll ever, at over $110 million.  There are a few small moves the Sox are trying to work on right now, but the biggest parts of the puzzle have been put together.  They have the lead off hitter, the two hitter, a solid three through five, capable guys toward the back of the line up, a solid catcher, solid starting pitching, and a potential closer.  The middle relief is probably our thinnest area.  Hopefully the Sox go into next year with all their pieces in order, but right now, things aren't looking too bad.

What Ever Happened To Nicknames???

Since the beginning of baseball, nicknaming players had been a great art form and popular exercise by fans and writers alike.  The nicknames had made our heroes just a little bit more awesome than even their statistics could do.  Who doesn't love a good nickname, and use it every chance you get?

Take the above clip.  One of the best things captured by the people who brought us "The Sandlot", was their ability to accurately capture how children viewed nicknames as making the player larger than life.  In this scene, the kids all chastise Scotty for not knowing Babe Ruth by shouting out all of his nicknames.  Scotty himself had been given the nickname "Smalls" by the group.  Even many of them had nicknames such as "Yeah Yeah", "Ham" and "Repeat".

Many players in baseball history have had nicknames, some of which even superseded their actual names.  Even up to the 1990's, nicknames were being used for many players.  Some of my favorite nicknames growing up were Andres "The Big Cat" Galarraga, Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas, Randy "Big Unit" Johnson, Ozzie "The Wizard Of Oz" Smith, "Oil Can" Boyd, "Blackjack" McDowell and Mike "Moose" Mussina.  "Moose" had been a nickname used in the past to describe another player Bill Skowron.  I think my personal favorite nickname is "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

Many Hall Of Fame players have had great nicknames.  Some of these include Hammerin' Hank Aaron, "Yogi" Lawrence Berra, Frank "Home Run" Baker, "Old Aches & Pains" Luke Appling, Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown, "Cool Papa" Bell, "Dizzy" Dean, "Joltin Joe" DiMaggio & "The Yankee Clipper", "Red" Faber, Walter "Big Train" Johnson, "Rabbit" Maranville, Reggie "Mr October" Jackson, "Wee" Willie Keeler, Ernie Banks "Mr. Cub", "Pee-Wee" Reese, "Pie" Traynor, "Duke" Snider, "Smokey" Joe Williams, "The Georgia Peach" Ty Cobb, etc, etc.  There are so many great names in baseball history.

One of the widely known nicknames in baseball history belongs to Jim "Catfish" Hunter.  So the story goes, a scout knocked on Jim Hunter's door.  He was not home, but his mother answered and told the scout that he was out catfishing.  Another source says that his nickname came from Athletics owner Charles O. Henry, for no other reason than he thought his new young ace needed a flashy nickname.  Whatever the reason, it stuck throughout his career, much to Jim's chagrin.

Even teams can get in on the nickname action.  Back in the early 1900's, the Brooklyn Baseball Club did not have an official nickname.  They had gone through several, most notably the Robins, before adopting "Trolly Dodgers" as their official name and shortening it to just "Dodgers".  When the new American League formed, Chicago's club was known as the White Stockings.  One day to save space, a Chicago Tribune Headline read "White Sox" and the name and spelling stuck to this day.

Other times, a certain year or era of a team might be given a nickname.  1979 saw the "We Are Family" Pirates.  The mid-70's Cincinnati Reds were known as the "Big Red Machine".  The 1983 White Sox were "Winning Ugly" while the 1959 White Sox were the "Go Go Sox".  The 2004 Red Sox were simply called "Idiots".  The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers were nicknamed "The Boys Of Summer".  The late 20's and especially 1927 New York Yankees were known as "Murderer's Row".

Ballparks have had their own unique nicknames over the years.  Yankee Stadium was known as "The House That Ruth Built".  Wrigley Field is known as "The Friendly Confines".  Baltimore's Memorial Stadium was known as the "Old Lady at 33rd".  Sometimes a nickname is used to express disguist for a lousy ballpark.  Such is the case with Cleveland's Municipal Stadium being known as the "Mistake By The Lake".  Other ballpark nicknames are just a play on the actual name of the stadium.  Chicago's US Cellular Field is known to many as "The Cell".  Arizona's Chase Field opened originally as Bank One Ballpark and garnered the nickname "The B.O.B.".  Cleveland's newer stadium, Jacobs Field, was known as "The Jake", and is still called this by many Indians fans despite now being known as Progressive Field.

Certain memorable big plays have also been given nicknames in the past.  Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 3rd, 1951, has been called "The Shot Heard 'Round The World".  It propelled the NY Giants to the World Series.  Willie Mays' amazing catch in the 1954 World Series in centerfield has been called "The Catch".  In the 1946 World Series, Enos Slaughter scored from 1st base on a ball to centerfield propelling the Cardinals to a game seven.  This has been known as the "Mad Dash".  Some big play nicknames are unwanted, such as the "Steve Bartman Incident", which helped lead to the Cubs collapse in 2003 in a very good attempt to make the World Series.

There are still players with nicknames today, but they are almost never used.  Who can honestly say the last time they discussed Evan Longoria, they called him "Dirtbag"?  You didn't.  The last time you discussed Jason Heyward, did you call him "The Jay Hey Kid" ????  Nope.  Some players' nicknames are used such as "King Felix" Hernandez, Tim "The Freak" Lincecum, or Orlando "O-Dog" Hudson, but it's becoming rarer.

So what happened to nicknames?  Albert Pujols has a listed nickname of "Prince Albert" but I have never even seen that in print, and barely heard it used by fans.  I have gotten odd reactions from White Sox fans when discussing Freddy Garcia as "Chief" even though this is his nickname.  Some players had nicknames which were used a lot in the past that are now rarely if ever used, such as Adam "Big Donkey" Dunn.  These nicknames may have been more a creation of the fans of the team they began their careers with or where they became a star player.  Over time, as the player moved around the league to different teams, the nickname fell out of use.

Nicknames are truly becoming a dying art form.  Some of the nicknames in baseball today are pretty interesting, but are rarely used.  I think most of the nicknames are getting less and less creative, such as Alex Rodriguez being "A-Rod".  Others are simply given to a player based on a pop culture reference, as is the case with Pablo Sandoval being known as "Kung Fu Panda" or just "Panda" in reference to the movie and his body type.  ESPN/Sportscenter has a lot to do with the latter, and it's not for the better.

I want the era of nicknames to come back.  I think it is good for the game.  As I stated earlier, it makes the star players appear larger than life.  It brings the fans a little closer to the players, as they feel their nicknames give them a personal attachment to the player's baseball career.

Truly good nicknames can stick with a player no matter where they go to play.  Nicknames used to be given to just about every star and good baseball player in the league.  I think this should be revived in all of it's former glory before it is too late.  It will make the game a little bit brighter, and a little more fun for future fans of the game.

Is Jayson really "Werth" It?

In stunning news last week, Jayson Werth, a highly sought after free agent by many teams, was signed by the Washington Nationals to an eye popping 7-year/$126 million contract.  Many people are questioning the contract, which came from a team which did not appear to be a front runner in the first place.  Is Jayson really "Werth" it?

First, lets discuss the deal.  I am not sure the year by year breakdown, but it averages out to $18 million a year.  To put this number in perspective, Albert Pujols who is considered the best hitter in the league, will make $16 million next season.  Some people are also questioning the seven years of the deal.  We all remember the Nationals saying they just couldn't sign Adam Dunn for four years because it was too costly and lengthy for them.  Did the Nationals really choose Jayson Werth over Adam Dunn?  That is crazy!

Next, let's discuss what lead to this contract.  From 2002-2005, playing for the Blue Jays and Dodgers, Werth was a .245/6/26 a season player, and never played a full season.  I had Dodgers fan friends who were really glad when he left, and had called him Jayson Werthless.  When he arrived in Philadelphia, he finally saw some full time action.  From 2006-2010, he became a .282/24/75 a season player.  He began garnering a name for himself by hitting well in the post season during this time.  He hit .444 in the 2008 World Series and .417 in the 2009 World Series.  However, in 2010 he hit just .167 in the NLDS & NLCS combined.

Werth is an excellent fielder in Right.  He for his career has a .990 Fielding % and a 52% Fielded Balls To Outs %.  To put this in perspective, Ichiro Suzuki, who is considered the best RF in MLB, has a career .992 Fielding % and 53% F2O%.  So we can see that Jayson Werth's defense matches up to even the best RF in the league.

So, is Jayson "Werth" this deal?  I am going to say that he is not pretty easily.  I cannot think of a reason why a player who hit .296/27/85 and then batted .167 in the post season would be worthy of a contract of this size.  I think it is a case of his name being bigger than his statistics.  He did lead the league at doubles with 46, but I don't think that alone would lead to this contract.  Somehow, Jayson has gone from "Werthless" to "Werthy" in just a few short years.

Werth's most similar batters by statistics are listed as Brad Hawpe, Corey Hart and Curtis Granderson.  Brad Hawpe is currently an unsigned free agent.  Corey Hart signed a decent contract that will pay him $6.5 million next year, $9 million in 2012 and $10 million in 2013.  Curtis Granderson is going to make $8.25 million next season, $10 million in 2012 and has a $13 million option in 2013 with a team buy out at $2 million.  His contract would pay him $15 million in 2013 with a top 5 MVP finish in 2011 or 2012, or all star appearances in 2011 and 2012.

These are reasonable contracts for players of this batting type.  Werth's in comparison seems ridiculous.  Werth's statistics at the Nationals new park are .307/6/13 in 20 games started there.  I don't think 20 games is a good enough sample size to determine what kind of hitter he will be in up to 81 games there a season.  He will also not be facing Nationals pitching anymore when he plays there.

All the way around, this looks like a really bad deal.  This may even be the worst contract I have seen for a position player.  I think this one has a real potential to blow up in the Nationals' face.  It seems like their money would have been better spent signing back Adam Dunn for $56 or $60 million, and going after another player or two for the other $66 million left from the money they are paying Jayson Werth.

It should be stated that Jayson's agent is Scott Boras.  Scott Boras is a ruthless agent who will not settle for anything less than 110% of his player's value in contract figures/years.  He has gotten his players some of the biggest contracts in MLB history and has landed many players more money and years than they are worth.  All of that being said, this might have been Boras' best work yet.  He was able to sell Jayson Werth as a Type-A top tier player, and get him this insanely inflated contract that every other GM in the league is laughing at right now.  This is probably the only reason Jayson got anything over $60 million and four years.  Boras almost always gets his price, and this time was clearly no exception.

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal said an unnamed GM called the Werth contract "absolutely bats**t crazy!" after hearing the news. Mets new GM Sandy Alderson noted that Jason Bay's new four year/$66 million contract was reasonable compared to Werth's new contract. If and when this contract is realized as a failure, it will make Jayson almost untradeable.  Whatever Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is on, it must be some really good stuff.  The winner in all of this is of course, Carl Crawford, who is sitting around saying "I want what he's having!", a line from the all new baseball drama, 'When The Free Agent Met The Stupid GM'.  Whatever Carl Crawford gets(6-10 years, $100-$140 million), at least he'll be halfway worth it.

'10 Sox +1 Are Our Best Chance In '11

So the White Sox announced some big news yesterday; they had signed Adam Dunn for four years/$56 million dollars.  The Sox also announced that they had re-signed AJ Pierzynski to a two year/$8 million deal.  Recently, Alexei Ramirez opted out of his option and signed for $2.75 million.  The White Sox are also the front runners in the Paul Konerko sweepstakes, and many fans would love nothing more than to see him come back.

This leads to my idea that the 2011 White Sox would be their best if they were just the 2010 White Sox plus one big name addition.  At first this offseason, this seemed almost impossible.  Many fans wondered where the money would come from to re-sign Konerko, or sign any big free agent names.  We had a lot of money tied up in just a few players.  It didn't look good.

However, apparently Kenny has worked his magic again.  He managed to get Jerry Reinsdorf to open the wallet, and allow the White Sox to sign Adam Dunn who is a Type A free agent name that many teams had coveted.  I am not the biggest fan of Adam Dunn, but when really thinking about this for a while, who else were the Sox supposed to get?  At four years/$56 million, that almost seems like a steal for a guy who will hit 40 home runs and have 100 RBIs, even if he does strike out at a higher rate than any other player in baseball(36% of his at bats last season).

With Jake Peavy on the shelf to start the season, Chris Sale will slide into the rotation.  Chris Sale lead all of NCAA in strike outs in his last college season, and came up very quickly last year while posting solid numbers for us.  The kid looks good.  The rotation, if no moves are made, to start the season would be Danks, Buehrle, Jackson, Floyd, Sale.  Gavin's name has been floated around in trade talks with teams interested.  However, none of these talks have gone beyond, well, talks.

I think this rotation to start the season can be good enough until Peavy gets back.  If they can keep us a few games over .500 until June, we should hit our favorite part of the year in stride.  Alexei Ramirez has really stepped up, now becoming one of the premiere short stops in the major leagues.  He put up a very solid season last year, hitting .282 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI.  He also won the Fielding Bible Award for Short Stop, which is often considered better than a Gold Glove.

Carlos Quentin's name has come up in trade rumors recently. He has been rumored to be traded for Colby Rasmus. As much as I don't like Rasmus' attitude, he would be an instant upgrade in the field. He is younger by four years, and has a similar OPS in his short career compared with Quentin's last two seasons. Quentin has really fallen since 08, not putting up anything close to that MVP calibur season. If Quentin is really done, it would at least be a good idea to try to get something for him now, while he still has perceived value. It would help out a lot if that player we got in return were younger, like Rasmus. I would just hope his attitude would be better playing for us than it was playing for the Cardinals.

I like how we look around the horn if Konerko comes back.  I know Konerko is not the best 1B, but he at least makes plays and catches about any half way decent throw from the 3B/SS that comes to him.  He is also one of the best at turning a 3-4-3 double play in the business.  If Konerko comes back, the project to build the 2010 White Sox "+1" would be complete.  If not, Viciedo would be thrown into a starting role, and hopefully perform well enough to not hurt the team.  I sure hope he learns how to take a walk before next season.

Closer is one of the positions on the team which is up in the air as of right now.  Closer could go to Matt Thornton, as he has done it a few times and has an electric fastball.  The Sox are also toying with the idea of signing JJ Putz back and he would maybe have a shot at closer if he could prove consistency.  He had a pretty good streak of consistency for a point last season, when he put up 27 consecutive scoreless appearances, which was a White Sox team record.

I think that with our situation, and a few injuries that plagued last season, if the Sox just came back this year with 95% of the same players as last year that we could win.  We just needed one thing that we didn't have.  I am not even sure what it was, but KW thinks it was a power left-handed bat.  I guess we'll see if that was it.  It is a good start for sure.  The Donkey is ours, and coupled with Rios, Quentin(if not traded) and hopefully Konerko, that would make for a great 3-6 in the lineup.

The White Sox won 88 games despite all of the things that went wrong.  A terrible start to the season saw us go on an amazing run in June and July.  Then we had a very ordinary to below average August/September that saw us fall out of contention and finish second in the AL Central.  If the Sox can get it together, stay healthy, and close out games, we should be looking at a team that can win 92-95 games.  Hopefully we can win a lot more games against the Twins next season, and the Sox should be walking away with an AL Central title.

The Tigers have made some moves this offseason too, picking up Joaquin Benoit and Victor Martinez for big money.  V-Mart really struggles on defense, so the Tigers will have to figure out what to do with him, where to slot him into the lineup.  The Tigers are really gambling on Benoit, signing him to a big contract after only one great season(2010) in his career and one good season(2007).  I am not convinced, having seen him have six below average or bad seasons.

The Twins have paid $5 million to be able to negotiate with Japanese IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka.  After looking up his Japanese statistics, I have determined that he could possibly be another Ichiro type.  He hit .346 last year while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 59 RBI.  He is not as great a base stealer, swiping 22 bases but does have that part to his game.  Despite only hitting 11 HR, he posted a .905 OPS.  He got 206 hits, which means he is a proficient contact hitter.  This guy is good and would be absolutely perfect for the Twins, which scares me.  He does everything Gardenhire loves.  He makes me nervous, but we don't know how he will do making the jump from Japan to America.  We'll have to see.  The Twins have also not brought back Jim Thome yet, so we don't really know what their team will look like exactly, although it will be much of the same cast that won 94 games last season.  Joe Nathan will be back at closer as well at some point.   As always, the Twins scare me the most in the division.

With the Indians and Royals fighting for last place, it still looks like a two team race this year for the AL Central.  The Twins will be tough as always, and fight us for the division up to the last day.  I have felt and still feel that last year's team was better than they played, and maybe this year, hopefully they will show it.  With the addition of the one key free agent, I think they have what it takes. Alot of this does, though, rely on the hope that Konerko is re-signed. If he is not, then the addition of Dunn would just look like a straight across the board move. At least we have that and are not left with that massive hole in the lineup. At any rate, go Sox. 2011 at least has the chance of being a year we can all get behind, when all hope looked lost at the end of 2010.

Cardinals' Pitching Staff Walking Tall

The Cardinals signed 6'6" LHP Brian Tallet today.  This may just look like an after story on mlbtraderumors.com, but it made me think about something.  The Cardinals pitching staff is unusually tall.  Freakishly tall in fact.

Looking at the entire 40-man roster pitching staff, there are six pitchers who are 6'4" or taller, including four who are 6'6" or 6'7".  Adam Wainwright(6'7") and Chris Carpenter(6'6") are the tallest pitchers on the team, and start at the front end of the rotation.  Brian Tallet was signed most likely to be a middle relief guy.  The Cardinals also have another pitcher who stands 6'6" by the name of Bryan Augenstein.

The tallest pitcher in MLB is Jon Rauch, who stands officially at 6'11".  The tallest pitcher in all of professional baseball at any level is Loek van Mil, who stands at a whopping 7'1".  Despite not having either of these players, I would venture a guess to say the Cardinals have the tallest staff in baseball combined.  Who knows, maybe they can sign Rauch, he is currently a free agent.

After adding all of their heights up as decimal values and dividing by the 19 pitchers on the 40-man roster, you get 6.2500, or an average height of 6'3".  I can't think of any other team in MLB who boasts four pitchers over the height of 6'6".  They may just be the tallest staff in all of baseball.  Maybe after the games next season, they can go play a game of croquet with the Arch.