The Draft: Old News, New News and My Top Ten
by Chuck
Draft Day is here.
At a few minutes after 7 PM EST this evening, speculation will be replaced by reality and we’ll begin to know who knows what.
I’ve read more than fifty Mock Drafts in the past few days, and if there is any one thing I’ve learned is, unlike the NBA or the NFL, the MLB draft is a complete guessing game.
Picks can’t be traded, so no pre-arranged selections can be made, unless it’s strictly a financial one. And even those deals can sometimes go bad.
Last year, two first rounders, catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Karsten Whitson, reneged on pre-draft deals with the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres, respectively. Grandal changed his mind before the draft, at which point Kansas City passed on him at number four overall in favor of Christian Colon. (A wise choice, IMO).
Whitson, a high school righthander from Florida, upped his demands in the hours following the draft and ended up not signing. Whitson ended up at the University of Florida, and over the weekend helped pitch the Gators into the NCAA Super Regionals.
Other factors are the length of the draft (fifty rounds), and the amount of players who will be selected (close to 1600).
In the history of the draft, just under ten percent of all players selected will make a major league appearance; just a fraction of those will go on to become All-Stars.
It’s difficult, almost impossible, for every team to see every player. The New York Yankees’ first selection comes in the compensation round at number fifty-one. While they’re certainly not spending any money having scouts watch Anthony Rendon, hope is strong they pick up a player who will someday where the pinstripes in the Bronx.
One of the kds on their radar, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, comes from the state of Wyoming and a school without a baseball program. So other than American Legion or AAU sanctioned events, the opportunities to see him and properly assess his skills are few. With Nimmo floating around a three million price tag, it means the Yankee scouting staff has to work harder with less than if they were in the top of the draft.
Most of the mocks I’ve seen, and undoubtedly you as well, are nothing more than educated guess-work. General Managers and Scouting Directors won’t tell their wives or kids who their picks will be, they certainly aren’t going to pick up the phone and call the likes of Keith Law or Jonathan Mayo.
Law, the self-proclaimed draft “guru” at ESPN, has posted three mocks since May 17th, with another set for this morning.
They’re all different.
Not to imply I know more than he does, but if he DID know anything, why change things?
Sometimes reality creates change, which is understandable. Kyle Winkler of TCU, who projected as a possible supplemental pick, left his start yesterday after just two-thirds of an inning with an elbow injury. Winklers’ teammate, lefty Matt Purke, was a potential top five candidate before he, too, went down with an injury shortly after the college season began.
Even Rendon, who many believe to be the consensus number one heading into the season, struggled with a shoulder injury suffered while sliding and spent most of the season at DH.
So, in reality, all we really know is nothing.
For this reason I don’t like mocks, they’re a gigantic waste of time and effort. However, if I’m going to bust on some nut-job for suggesting a fourth or fifth rounder go in the first round, I should put up or shut-up.
I will not, however, bore you (you’re welcome) with a full round (33 picks; 60 if you include comps). With the talent level supposedly having this draft comparable with some of the best ever and with the various “experts” split on who is going where, I figure the top dozen or so to be more than enough.
And since I won’t get home tonight until after the draft has started, I won’t be around until the recording has caught up with the live. I will come by and see how things go and to take my medicine, but any thoughts of live-blogging thoughts of the top dozen picks ain’t happenin’.
Pittsburgh Pirates: While a few names have been mentioned here as a possibility for the first overall pick, the two most prominent have been Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon and UCLA righthander Gerrit Cole. Rendon’s offensive numbers have take a hit this year due in part to a shoulder injury, but there’s another factor in play as well; new bats. Gone are the pure aluminum models, replaced by a composite material designed to reduce the “spring” effect. While Rendon’s numbers are down, so are everyone else’s, but one thing to note; Rendon led the NCAA in walks and OBP.
Cole made news recently when he went through a stretch where he allowed eighteen runs in eighteen and a third innings. Over the weekend, two Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writers; Bill Brink and Dejan Kovacevic, both have written articles claiming the Pirates have settled on Cole. But, as I mentioned earlier, things can change right up until the draft, and Cole getting lit up on Friday night didn’t do anything to help his case.
Fun fact; the Pirates have taken pitchers the last two times they’ve held the first overall pick, going with Bryan Bullington and Kris Benson.
Pick: Anthony Rendon. The Pirates picked up three potential studs last year, Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie and international signee Luis Heredia. So far, the Pedro Alvarez pick hasn’t worked out (told you so), and even if he somehow does become a productive player, it will be as a first baseman. Choosing Rendon will accelerate the move.
Seattle Mariners: What is known for sure is the Mariners will take a position player here; the unknown is who it will be. General Manager Jack Zdurencik is a big fan of Bubba Starling, but there are some in the scouting department who feel otherwise. A name which has come up recently, especially after a solid private workout last Thursday, is Miami high school shortstop Francisco Lindor. A Puerto Rican native, Lindor should remain at shortstop at the ML level and be a solid, top of the order hitter. And, if you remember, the Mariners didn’t do so bad the last time they selected a high school shortstop in the first round. That said, Jack Z. comes from a scouting and development background and if his word is the final one, then Starling will be the pick. Obviously, if Cole does go number one, then Rendon goes here.
Pick: Derek “Bubba” Starling
Arizona Diamondbacks: The DBacks have been strong on University of Virginia lefthander Danny Hultzen, but he recently came out with a $13 million contract demand. Hultzen’s major league ceiling is as a number three starter, and with an arm angle eerily similar to Billy Wagner, there’s additional cause for concern. Hultzen didn’t help himself during his last two starts, struggling to reach 90 on the gun and with his command.
UCLA righthander Trevor Bauer came out last week and welcomed the opportunity to pitch in Arizona, so I think they’ll make it happen. Bauer’s outpitched his more well known teammate Cole this year, and while his delivery is also somewhat unorthodox, it’s mechanically sound.
Pick: Trevor Bauer
Baltimore Orioles: If all goes to plan, the Orioles will be holding the ultimate poker hand; four aces. Between Cole, Hultzen, Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley, it will be almost unthinkable they could screw up this pick. But as they’ve shown before, selecting someone strictly on signability isn’t outside the box. Rumors have picked up over the past few days they’re considering Bradley. The top prep pitcher heading into this year, he’s taken a back seat to Bundy, although Bradley did beat him recently in an Oklahoma state tournament game. The concern with Bradley is signability; he has a dual sport committment to Oklahoma to play baseball and quarterback, but the fact his name has come up as a possiblity may mean he’s not as determined to go to college as may have been thought.
With his older brother already in the system, one could believe Dylan may take less to sign with Baltimore. But seeing he’s already floated around a $30 contract offer, then again, maybe not.
Pick: Some have said he is the best player in the draft, regardless of age or position. Hard to see him falling any further. Dylan Bundy.
Kansas City Royals: If things have gone to plan, the Royals will have the choice here of Bradley, Lindor, Cole or Hultzen. The Royals drafted a shortstop last year, and while he may end up moving at some point, the Royals haven’t given up on him yet. So, scratch Lindor. As everyone knows, the Royals are loaded with pitching, especially lefthanders, so, despite losing John Lamb recently to Tommy John surgery, they are still stocked. Scratch Hultzen. Despite his recent struggles, Cole is the closest to the majors pitcher remaining. Certainly not their first choice, but not the worst, either.
Pick: Gerrit Cole.
Washington Nationals: If he’s still on the board, the Bubba stops here. At this point we’re starting to see some separation between the top talent and everyone else, so the Nationals would have options even if Starling is gone. They could go with Lindor or fellow Puerto Rican Javier Baez. Baez is bigger than Lindor and most likely to end up at third, but with Ryan Zimmerman on board for forever, it’s pass on him. If they wanted a center fielder type, they could reach for UCONN’s George Springer. A potential top ten pick at the beginning of the year, Springer had trouble adjusting to the new bats, leading some scouts to play down his power potential. They could also reach for Springer’s teammate Matt Barnes; he’s not in the class of Cole or Bauer, but is considered more signable.
Pick: If there is one weakness in the Washington system, it’s lefthanded pitching. He won’t be their first choice, but the one made out of the biggest need; Danny Hultzen.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Hultzen’s been hot in this spot for a long time. This is an unprotected pick, the result of not signing their sixth rounder from last year, Barrett Loux. If the Dbacks don’t sign here, then they lose it, so signability is a must. Lindor’s name has picked up steam here, especially after he impressed Kevin Towers and the brass in a workout last Wednesday. He showed a little more with the bat than was expected, and with Stephen Drew’s name coming up in trade talks and approaching free agency, it would be nice to have a replacement already in the system. Baez is considered more signable than Lindor, but he probably won’t stay at short.
Pick: Francisco Lindor
Cleveland Indians: Most of the mocks have the Indians taking a pitcher here, but I don’t see it. Don’t ask me why, it’s just a feeling, what with all the turmoil in the Indians lineup the past couple of years, especially from their infielders. They have Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis almost ready, so that takes care of third and second, and Matt LaPorta has been, well, Matt LaPorta. They’d love Lindor here, but Arizona crapped on their parade, so I think the Tribe will roll the dice with Baez and will stick with him as a shortstop as long as they can and hope for the best.
Pick: Javier Baez
Chicago Cubs: Pre-season mocks had the Cubs going with either Starling or Springer here, so they’re obviously looking at an athletic centerfield type. Since then, Starling has played himself up, and Springer down. Springer does have the athleticism (over thirty stolen bases each of the past two years), and while the new bats may have exposed a weakness, it might actually play in his favor. Knowing he won’t be a thirty homer threat in the majors may get him to concentrate on his other skills, driving the ball and using his speed. Defensively there have been no questions or concerns; Springer has gap to gap speed with a solid arm.
Pick: The Cubs have been in on some pitchers here, but Springer fits both the needs and wants the Cubs have. George Springer.
San Diego Padres: Like with Arizona at number seven, this pick is also unprotected for the Padres (Karsten Whitson). The Padres have been all over pitching, with their decision likely coming down to Jungmann, Barnes, Archie Bradley and Georgia Tech lefthander Jed Bradley. Rumors are if Archie is still here they’ll take him, but are concerned with his college situation. Jungmann and Barnes are probably a neck above Jed Bradley and possibly Gray here. Gray appears to be the most signable but also has the lower ceiling. Barnes didn’t pitch well on Friday in his tournament start, so Jungmann would be the likely pick here.
Pick: Taylor Jungmann.
Well, I think that’s enough, I don’t want to write anymore, and I’m pretty sure no one wants to read anymore either.
Watch me go 0-10.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Chuck, great article.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Well, your picks are more of who SHOULD be drafted and who WILL be.
Someone like Mel Kiper has been doing mock drafts…well, perhaps it’s better to say “player analysis” for a long time. And as much as people hate him, he’s proven to be fairly accurate.
Jon Mayo and Keith Law are glorified sheep.
Your favorite cafe waitress can pick the first 5 guys of any draft and guess on the next 15.
The real smart ones can tell you that a 4th round guy could be a star with a few adjustments.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Thanks, guys.
See, here’s what Raul means by “sheep.”
This guy
http://prospectinsider.com/view/latest-draft-notes/
works with Law and runs his own blog.
He claims to know who the Mariners are going to pick, but, at the top of his article, says;
“NOTE: It’s important to note that none of the sources for this information came from the Seattle Mariners or anyone close to the players involved.”
So, who told HIM?
A cab driver?
The waitress at his “favorite cafe”?
Want to know who it is?
He will tell you for $3.50.
(No worries, I’ll tell you for free…Francisco Lindor)
I don’t believe it.
If he’s right, he’s right, but I’m not paying $3.50 for the privelege of finding out now, I’ll wait five hours and find out for free.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
LOL @ that disclaimer.
Guy: You have to make an incision just under the armpit to remove the tumor.
Guy2: Ok let’s do it. Wait, you’re a doctor, right?
Guy: No. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
That’s what I think of with these mock drafts sometimes.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
So, there’s been this really weird story coming out in the past hour.
Seems as if the Cubs are rumored to have reached a pre-draft deal with some guy named Onelki Garcia-Speck.
He’s a defector from Cuba and has only been in the States since February 28th. According to a blip on the BA home page, he’s pitched three years in Cuba (hasn’t pitched in almost a year), going 12-12, 4.73 over 205 innings. In 46 games (45 starts), he struck out 195 but walked 128.
I’ve also heard the Brewers have a pre-draft at #15 with Florida high schooler Larry Greene, who, at 6′1″ 235 is Prince Fielder Lite. It kind of makes sense in the fact that pick is protected so you want to get someone signed, but Greene was projected as a mid to late second rounder.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Hearing the Brewers deal could be with Greene or Javier Baez. Heard the same crap about the Cubs.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I heard Baez too, Bob, but I think he’ll be gone at 15.
Unless it’s at 12, which is possible.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
So a kid that is projected to go around Pick #80 is possibly going at #15?
Sounds Billy Beane-esque.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Speaking of Billy Beane..the A’s sent Kevin Kouzmanoff to AAA.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Hoping he gets hot and then trade him?
Kouz has value with the glove but if Beane thinks he’s gonna get a Dan Haren for him he’s got another thing coming.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Read an article earlier which said this draft for Tampa could be the single most important draft in history for one individual team.
They have something like fifteen picks in the top 200, a dozen in the top 130.
With their finances and effed up Stadium situation, the players they get today should make up the core of their team in four-five years. If they get a bunch of stiffs, it could ruin the franchise to the point they’ll have to move.
Makes perfect sense.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
@9, who plays third now? Didn’t they just DFA Andy LaRoche?
“I’ve also heard the Brewers have a pre-draft at #15 with Florida high schooler Larry Greene, who, at 6′1″ 235 is Prince Fielder Lite.”
In Moneyball, Lewis specifically talks about how Fielder was too fat “even for the A’s” and was just a pathetic publicity stunt by the Brewers.
200 HR and 2 top-5 MVP places later…we’re looking pretty good.
But 6′1, 235 is…I dunno, sounds fairly normal to me. Prince Fielder isn’t even 6 foot, and weighs around 275 lb.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
@11…What if they trade all those guys they draft for 3 months of Bartolo Colon?
June 6th, 2011 at 7:02 pm
And Chuck, thanks for doing this. I would’ve been happy to, but outside of the title I would’ve been less than useless
June 6th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Sooo…Cole goes #1 to Pirates, huh?
He’s really hoping not to become Kris Benson, that’s for sure.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Fifty six mock drafts, the number them that had Hultzen going to Seattle?
One.
I guess Cameron will get his wish now.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
First time in draft history the first four picks were pitchers.
Wow…could Rendon be on the board for Arizona at #7?
Maybe Washington takes him and switches him to second.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
@5, MLB has just ruled Garcia-Speck ineligible for this draft.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
@17, The Nats have indeed taken Rendon. What are some notables that have been moved from third to second?
John Buck has let two balls get by him, so a runner advances to 3rd from first.
Naturally, Yuniesky Betancourt whiffs at the next pitch.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Wow..Archie Bradley.
No way Dbacks pick him without knowing they can sign him.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Which of these guys are represented (or, for the time being, “advised by”) Scott Boras?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Most of them.
Scott Boras doesn’t represent second rounders.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I hear ya.
Any idea what kind of signing bonus Cole will be looking at?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
So the Royals did take Starling. Now they have to sign him.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Springer’s got a bit of an inside-out swing, no?
Maybe it’s just me.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
There will be other guys tougher to sign than Starling.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Wait, so if Rendon is in Washington, what position is he playing?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
He was a second baseman in high school, but I could see him in LF too.
Or Zimmerman goes to first.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Mets really took a chance on this Nimmo kid.
As deep as the pitching is in this draft, and the Mets have NOTHING in the Minors when it comes to pitchers…I don’t like this pick.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Really, Bud. You called them the Los AngelEEZ Dodgers?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
JohnB @12: The A’s will play Adam Rosales at 3rd. He homered in his second at bat.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Yeah, no shit. Didn’t see this one coming at all.
I know the Rangers liked Nimmo at #33, but he had actually fallen because he was floating a $3 million contract.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Figured Matt Barnes should be going any minute now. Guess not.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Yeah, I figured Barnes would be gone by now, too.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
So 3 minutes after stating that Rod Carew was signed by the Twins for $5,000 and didn’t play in HS, one of them asks “Where would Carew go had he been in the draft?”
And Harold Reynolds says “Number 1″.
*facepalm*
No. He wouldn’t have.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Barnes to the Red Sox…?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Haha.
Harold Reynolds is not a rational man.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Depends on what draft, doesn’t it?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
I wonder if Lefty took a ride down to Reading to see Manny Banuelos get his ass handed to him.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2011_06_06_treaax_reaaax_1&t=g_box&did=milb
June 6th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
I suppose, Chuck.
But I’m pretty sure that even by 1964 standards, $5,000 was not the kind of sum you’d pay a top prospect who’d go could conceivably go #1 in a draft.
Now if Carew came up today, he’d have been thoroughly scouted and probably could go #1. I mean, he would have in last year’s draft.
LOL
June 6th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Kolten Wong to the Rox…
June 6th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Wow..everybody and their brother had the Rockies going with a position player.
Lefthanded pitcher last year, lefthanded pitcher this year.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
This is a weird draft, considering the depth of talent.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Why the hell were the two highlights they showed for Kolten Wong of two weak ass grounders?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Maybe I’m missing something on this Wong kid.
His comparable is Fernando Vina?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Yeah.
Comparing Wong to Carlos Baerga?
I don’t think so.
He doesn’t blow out his knee, Baerga’s a HOFer.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Fernando Vina’s claim to fame?
You mean other than steriods and a bitchin’ goatee?
Um, hold on, I’m thinking.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
To me, Fernando Vina will ALWAYS be the guy Albert Belle shoved onto his ass on his way to 2nd base.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Baerga was a slick little fielder.
He kinda got fat (fatter?) later on.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
BTW,
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hope Wong or any of these guys does poorly. If they become stars, that’s fantastic. But I just don’t get some of these picks.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
The Albert Belle thing?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Yeah. Belle was going to 2nd base, Fernando was on the tracks and Belle gave him a forearm shiver that made Reggie White look like a pansy.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Baerga didn’t get heavy until after his injury. He was pretty lean.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.wikia.com/baseball/images/0/02/Carlos_Baerga.jpg&imgrefurl=http://baseball.wikia.com/wiki/Carlos_Baerga&h=594&w=460&sz=33&tbnid=H1maWnEJlbNguM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=70&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcarlos%2Bbaerga%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=carlos+baerga&hl=en&usg=__aRsoZPnuvsdfYSDR_Kc7eHpXcZI=&sa=X&ei=AXztTfq_OdPqgQfOzIC6Bw&sqi=2&ved=0CEsQ9QEwBw&dur=2610
June 6th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
When exactly did Baerga get hurt?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Vina gets a little credit here for keeping Barry Bonds alive while they were at ASU.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
I don’t remember when Baerga hurt his knees. But he was REALLY GOOD in Cleveland and declined in New York.
I have to think the Indians knew something.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
95 or 96 I think.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
“But he was REALLY GOOD in Cleveland and declined in New York.”
Interestingly, the same would hold true of Robby Alomar a couple years later.
@55…this is news to me?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
“95 or 96 I think.”
Yeah, that makes sense. That’s when the .310 OBP’s start kicking in.
He never walked much, but I wonder how much of that was hitting 2nd in front of that ridiculous cast of power hitters and right after Kenny Lofton.
Man, those Indians teams could rake.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
I don’t exactly recall anything with Bonds and Vina. Was it mentioned in Game of Shadows? I read that but don’t remember.
I DO remember that it was pretty clear that Barry Bonds was a jerk even in college and his teammates voted to have him kicked off the team, only to have the Manager reinstate him….because Bonds was too damned good.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Zack Greinke has settled down nicely and turned in his best start of the year.
He’s at like 110 and the Brewers are up 5, so I’m guessing he’s done, but not positive.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
“I DO remember that it was pretty clear that Barry Bonds was a jerk even in college”
It was in college.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
“I DO remember that it was pretty clear that Barry Bonds was a jerk even in college and his teammates voted to have him kicked off the team, only to have the Manager reinstate him….because Bonds was too damned good.”
I can’t imagine being so piss off at a teammate that I would vote him off the team when he was clearly incredible.
I dunno, maybe if he nailed my girlfriend or something.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
The Indians’ descent continues. The Twinkies lead 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
lol, exactly John.
How big of a jerk does a guy have to be that even with all his greatness…his entire team wants nothing to do with him?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
I can’t even conceive of a reason.
You don’t like a guy? Fine. You don’t have to party with him, eat dinner with him….
You just have to play on the field with him.
Man, Jose Fernandez is an incredible story. He spent a year in a Cuban jail on his way to becoming a first round draft pick.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Yeah that is a great story.
Frankly, I think sports was more interesting with the Soviet Union intact.
When you watch some international event and the camera zooms in to a coach’s facial expressions in the waning moments of an inevitable loss, the thoughts that go through your mind are incredible. Is he disappointed that months and years of hard work ended in fruitless defeat? Or is he dreading the 2-year sentence in The Gulag that surely awaits him?
That’s a hell of a lot better than some coach being fired.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Either way, it beats the hell out being a Columbian soccer player.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005385/index.htm
June 6th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
That was really sad about Andres Escobar. I believe that was really a case of an angry soccer fan and not really something sanctioned by the Cartels. Reports were that there was an argument between Escobar and his killers.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
So, Jesus Montero is 0 for his last eleven; is hitting .248 in his last ten games and his season average is down to .294.
So, as the so-called offensive leader of the team, what does he do?
Takes the day off.
Pussy.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Good pick for the Rays here. Not sure why he dropped, but Tampa’s off to a good start with their picks.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Haha, Chuck’s hatred for Jesus Montero knows no bounds.
Brewers have just swept the Marlins in 4 at home.
When the Brewers first moved to the National League, their second series of the season was a 4-gamer against the then-defending World Champion Florida Marlins.
They swept that one too. Jose Valentine had a 3-HR game.
The 9-year old inside of me is dancing with joy.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Whoa..there’s a stretch.
But I guess they have to. More players than budget.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Now it’s the speed round.
One minute between picks.
28 picks in 45 minutes.
Refresh your beer and chips now while you have the chance.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I’ve settled in with a Flying Dog, so I’ll be good.
I’m just gonna watch John Kruk say stupid stuff though.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
MLB.com has MLBNetworks’ coverage.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Holy crap. Juan Pierre had an ugly baserunning mistake tonight.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
Actually John Kruk had a surprisingly smart moment.
Someone told him that the Mariners had come up with a bunch of clutch hits this year, so he had a statboy come up with the Mariners numbers with RISP and RISP with 2 outs.
They weren’t good.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Attaboy, Larry.
Pull your hat down over your eyes so no one can see you scoping out Hazel Mae’s goodies.
My new favorite player.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
Hahahahahaha.
Is Trenni still on MLB network?
June 6th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Hazel Mae should know better than to wear that shit.
Or I guess she likes it.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
No, John, she’s back in Milwaukee.
Too bad, she’s like REAL hot.
Hazel?
Meh…
June 6th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Trenni really is gorgeous.
I remember being slightly bummed when she joined MLB network. And then went home for Christmas and found out that my parents had gotten MLB network.
Haven’t actually seen her on the broadcasts though.
June 7th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Anthony Rizzo, one of the players San Diego got for Adrian Gonzalez is going to make his debut I believe. Good luck to him.
June 7th, 2011 at 11:16 am
Well, this is interesting.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-06-07/bryce-harper-blows-kiss-after-home-run
June 7th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
In his article today, Keith Law details moves he liked, and moves he questioned.
One of the moves he questioned was Seattle’s pick of Danny Hultzen.
“Summary: I’m not criticizing Hultzen in the least here, but I think drafting at No. 2 overall is a rare chance to go for ceiling, and the Mariners didn’t do that. They took a very safe, very good college pitcher who will move quickly but doesn’t have No. 1 starter upside. And I admit I like my left-handers to have better breaking balls than Hultzen, whose best off-speed pitch is a changeup.”
First, what do you mean by “and I admit I like MY left-handers…”?? You don’t have any left handers. You’re a writer. A term I use loosely, by the way.
And in your Final Mock Draft, you had Hultzen going 7th to Arizona, stating
“This would be something of a dream scenario for Arizona to be able to maximize the pitching”.
So what the fuck are you talking about in questioning that move?
June 7th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
The Pirates just took Bell.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
First of all, I’m already annoyed at all these morons who are writing articles about “First Round Draft winners and losers”
This isn’t the NBA or NFL, it’s going to take five, six years to determine anything.
That said, Seattle fucked up big time.
This kid has a ML ceiling of a #3 starter. They could have had Bundy, Barnes, Jungmann, Bradley, etc, and they picked Hultzen?
Granted, he may have been the best LEFTY in the draft, but if the M’s were so bent on taking a pitcher, they should have at least taken someone with a ceiling higher than Ted Lilly.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Milwaukee got a steal with that Lopez kid.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Cleveland took Dillon Howard..that’s the HS pitcher the Yankees were looking at yesterday.
How or why they ended up with Bichette is a head-scratcher.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
So the Yankees only draft players from Texas?
June 7th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Man, the Yankees seem to be going out of their way to underachieve.
June 7th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
@85. Harper with his weak ass porn mustache, he’s going to get thrown at a whole lot of he keeps that crap up. What a major league jerk.
June 7th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Add that to the list of why I’d rather have Manny Machado.
June 7th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Why, the “weak ass porn mustache?”
June 7th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
I think I read a while back that a number of you guys have met Robin Yount at Spring Training and that he’s a pretty nice guy. Heard the same about George Brett.
Anybody meet Mike Schmidt?
June 7th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
“Anybody meet Mike Schmidt?”
Yes, twice.
First time in Reading in ‘79, he came to the park to use the gym.
I was working for the Phils then and don’t know if that maybe had something to do with it, but he was awesome. Real nice guy, willing to talk. He hung around after he was done and just shot the shit for a half hour.
Second time was about 15 years ago at a card show in Scottsdale.
Didn’t get a chance to talk with him, but the way he interacted with people was the same as I had remembered.
June 7th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
I’ve never met Brett, but I know a couple of people who have and the opinions are mixed.
June 7th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Balls and strikes aren’t the only thing minor league pitches need to work on.
http://www.tv3winchester.com/home/headlines/Nationals_Top_Prospect_Bryce_Harper_Taunts_Pitcher_123362703.html
After Harper’s “kiss” he got thrown at his next AB.
Pitcher missed.
June 7th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I would have hit him.
Right in the back.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
@99. He was asking for a fastball in the ribs and the guy missed. “Just a bit outside”.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Bob: Did you see the video? Looked like Harper just stepped out of a 1970’s L.A. porn production that cost $1,500 to make.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
I’ve met Brett a couple of times. He is not a pleasant person (his late brother Ken was even worse). But, I do respect the guy, he was one hell of a gamer.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
My uncle down in DR has met a bunch of guys.
His all-time worst? Joe DiMaggio.
His favorite isn’t even a baseball player. To him, Bill Russell is hands down the nicest athlete he’s ever met.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I saw the video. It is a hideous mustache. Perhaps the Boras Corporation should tell him to invest in a razor or two. His antics, combined with that stache could cost him a shitload in endorsements
June 7th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
He did mention that a lot of those guys from the Cincinnati Reds back in the 70s were nice men, although he thought Joe Morgan was a little…fake.
He didn’t really have anything bad to say about Morgan, just that he seemed weird.
A lot of the guys he liked though, were latinos around the game. So he was great friends with Joaquin Andujar, Manny Mota? I get confused because Mota had a son that I met but I forgot his name.
Oh, and he loves Tommy LaSorda. He still has a photo of them together at his house back when my uncle lived in Florida.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
If you’re going to grow a stache, get yourself a real man’s stache — like Sal Fasano or Tom Selleck.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Or Rollie Fingers.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
My wife almost ran over Lasorda with her car.
She was pulling away from the curb in Peoria after dropping me off and he walked right in front of her.
He was talking to someone else and didn’t know he was in the driveway. He went over to the car and apologized to her.
She had no idea who he was.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
LOL @ Chuck.
Your wife almost killed a legend.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Papelbon has been suspended for 3 games, although he is going to appeal it.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
This guy just offered me Justin Upton for David Price.
Tempting, but my outfielders already include Alex Gordon, Cory Hart, Andrew McCutchen, Mike Stanton and I’ve got Eric Hosmer at Utility and Justin Smoak on the bench.
Pass.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
You have Hosmer on the bench? Time for me to grab a 6-pack for the evening and watch the Sox-Yanks!!!
June 7th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
LOL
I have Smoak on the bench this week. Hosmer is starting at Utility.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
The Reds just demoted Aroldis Chapman from AAA to AA.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
WOW
June 7th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
What about this Bichette kid?
June 7th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Starting for Trenton tonight — Kei Igawa.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
3-0 after the top of the 1st.
Boston leads.
Freddy Garcia’s got nothing.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Yankees/Red Sox.
USA/Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup today.
What does ESPN have on their homepage?
Terrelle Fucking Pryor isn’t coming back to Ohio State.
Whoop Dee Fucking Doo.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Well that pitch really hurt Teixeira. Even if it bounced.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
My bad, it hit him flush. I thought it bounced before it hit.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
And Posada’s in the game at 1B.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Well this is one shitty start for me by Jon Lester.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Great. 32 pitch inning for Lester.
He’ll be done before some guy gets his 2nd round of beers in the stands.
June 7th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Lester hasn’t had a good start in 5 games not going more than 6+ during that time.
June 7th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Testing number two…
June 8th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Wayne Gretzky’s son was drafted yesterday.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:31 am
Check out the throw by Gerardo Parra.
The runner is Andrew McCutchen..not a slow dude.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_06_07_arimlb_pitmlb_1&mode=video#continue
The Dbacks channel showed the replay during the game maybe 20 times from a few different angles and I think Montero missed the tag.
Any of you ever catch? Or play catch using a catcher’s mitt?
There’s a reason why catcher’s don’t use new gloves in game situations.
You can’t “squeeze” the ball like you can with a fielder’s glove, there is too much padding around the outside of the glove to be able to squeeze the ball.
On the other hand, once a glove is broken in, threw catching hundreds of pitches, the glove will form to your hand like a mold (ever pick up a catcher’s “gamer”, probably wasn’t too happy with you).
It’s almost impossible for a catcher to “bobble” a ball inside the glove, so for the umpire to call him out and use that as his reason is kind of screwy.
And if it’s a bang bang play like that, I have no problem rewarding a player for a great play, so he should have just rung up McCutchen on principle.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:39 am
“Wayne Gretzky’s son was drafted yesterday.”
The “Great One” was the best player in any sport I have ever seen, and it really isn’t close. He’s like Ruth to baseball or Chamberlain to basketball.
Watching Gretzky in his prime is undescribable.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Completly agree.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Gretzky was the best to lace up skates. No doubt about it. Really nice guy too.
Parra is a good defensive outfielder. A so so centerfielder, but a plus corner defender.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Lost another of “our guys” Braut…
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paganjo01.shtml
June 8th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
It takes a while for people to really assess a draft in baseball.
Here’s a look back at the 2006 MLB Draft:
1. Luke Hochevar – Kansas City
2. Greg Reynolds – Colorado
3. Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay
4. Brad Lincoln – Pittsburgh
5. Brandon Morrow – Seattle
6. Andrew Miller – Detroit
7. Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles
8. Drew Stubbs – Cincinnati
9. Bill Rowell – Baltimore
10. Tim Lincecum – San Francisco
11. Max Scherzer – Arizona
12. Kasey Kiker – Texas
13. Tyler Colvin – Chicago Cubs
14. Travis Snider – Toronto
15. Chris Marrero – Washington
16. Jeremy Jeffress – Milwaukee
17. Matt Antonelli – San Diego
18. Kyle Drabek – Philadelphia
19. Brett Sinkbeil – Florida
20. Chris Parmalee – Minnesota
21. Ian Kennedy – New York Yankees
22. Colton Willems – Washington
23. Maxwell Sapp – Houston
24. Cody Johnson – Atlanta
25. Hank Conger – Anaheim
26. Bryan Morris – Los Angeles
27. Jason Place – Boston
28. Daniel Bard – Boston
29. Kyle McCulloch – Chicago White Sox
30. Adam Ottavino – St. Louis
Supplemental Picks
31. Preston Mattingly – Los Angeles
32. Pedro Beato – Baltimore
33. Emmanuel Burriss – San Francisco
34. Brooks Brown – Arizona
35. Kyle Burke – San Diego
36. Chris Coghlan – Florida
37. Adrian Cardenas – Philadelphia
38. Cory Rasmus – Atlanta
39. David Huff – Cleveland
40. Kris Johnson – Boston
41. Joba Chamberlain – New York Yankees
42. Chris Perez – St. Louis
43. Steven Evarts – Atlanta
44. Caleb Clay – Boston
June 8th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
While it’s easy to call Luke Hochevar a bust, he is still a Major Leaguer and considering the Top 10 picks, among pitchers only Lincecum and Kershaw are considerably better (to be modest).
I don’t recall the circumstances around the draft at that time, but I’m not sure Kansas City necessarily “blew” the pick. It just turned out Hochevar hasn’t developed like they’d hoped. I’ve seen Hochevar pitch a few times this year, and as far as ability, he has enough to be a quality pitcher. He just seems to implode an awful lot.
The jury is still out on Andrew Miller. Injuries have slowed him down although there are some in Boston who feel he can still develop into a reliable starter.
The bottom 15 of that first round does leave quite a bit to be desired.
The Yankees bailed on Kennedy far too soon, despite a history of being successful in the minors and in a very tough collegiate division. Kyle Drabek appears on his way to being a solid #3 and possibly a #2. But there’s no shame in not being an ace. Very few pitchers in baseball are legitimate front line starters.
June 8th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
The general consensus within baseball is you can’t judge a draft in less than five years.
Three years of progressive minor league ball and a year and a half or two of ML baseball is usually the starting point to whether someone has the skills to progress to, stay and contribute as a major leaguer.
You can’t judge by numbers..only about ten percent of all drafted players make it to the major leagues, so everybody pretty much knows the draft is a failure based on percentages.
So, we’re now five years past the ‘06 draft.
Twenty six of the 44 have played in the majors, which is 59%. That’s only about eight percent less than the first round average, so, realistically, not too bad.
But when you consider the cumulative WAR of the 26 players is 81.5, and that Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw combine for 51.6 WAR, the overall talent just isn’t there as a group.
And out of the guys who haven’t made it yet, the only two who I think have a shot are Chris Marrero and Kasey Kiker.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Was looking at the 2009 draft.
Surprising that #3 pick Donovan Tate has played just 31 games due to injuries.
Kyle Gibson is doing alright in AAA. The strikeouts are there but the ERA isn’t and he’s given up a number of hits. He still should be a part of Minnesota’s plans moving forward.
Tony Sanchez isn’t exactly hitting well this year for Pittsburgh in Altoona but I thought I read that he projects as an above-average bat for a catcher and he should stick at the position — not sure though.
Zach Wheeler is in High A-ball and it looks like the Giants are in no rush to move him through the system.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
In 20 years when they re-write the history of the draft, the 2009 draft will be surpassed only by 2010 in terms of shit.
And you know what, while this year appears to be really deep in pitching, the hitters, especially college hitters, seems weak.
IMO
June 8th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
Sanchez played in the AFL last year.
Not impressed.
Devin Mesoraco was here too.
Stud.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Hey, Raul, remember this dude?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wittmi01.shtml
That’s who Hochevar reminds me of.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
I always confuse Mike Witt with Bobby Witt.
At least Mike Witt was able to actually pitch 240 innings without crying.
June 8th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Matt Cain is pitching today and doing well against the Nationals. Sure seems like Cain doesn’t get any billing as one of the better pitchers in baseball.
Cain is just 26 and has the following career numbers:
61-66
3.46 ERA
1,172 innings
995 hits
969 strikeouts
1.219 WHIP
124 ERA+ (a stat I’m not too fond of, but whatever).
.230 Batting Average Against
June 8th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
“Sure seems like Cain doesn’t get any billing as one of the better pitchers in baseball.”
With the numbers you provided, it’s no wonder.
June 8th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
LOL
Cain’s a good pitcher, Chuck.
June 8th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Without the Giants’ black hole of an offense of the past few years, Cain’s W-L total would be freakishly high IMO.
June 8th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
I know. But those numbers look like they belong to Freddie Garcia or something.
Trade him to the Yankees even up for Montero?
Hell fuckin’ yeah.
Giants need a “catcher”
Lol.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I don’t know if Sabean is that dumb.
It’s worth a try. Joba and Montero and a minor league starter for Cain and some minor league infielder?
Done.
June 8th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
As dumb as Sabean can get, y’all need to remember he’s impoosible to trade with.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:07 am
“But when you consider the cumulative WAR of the 26 players is 81.5, and that Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw combine for 51.6 WAR, the overall talent just isn’t there as a group”
I would like to draw attention to the fact that Chuck just cited WAR.
That is all.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Cain’s MLB ranks since the start of the 2006 season:
WAR: 10th
ERA+: 9th
IP: 8th
K: 9th
OPS-against: 7th
WHIP: 11th
So pretty safely a top-10 big league starter at the age of 26?
June 9th, 2011 at 12:35 am
I think what stood out to me is his BAA.
But overall he’s a quality guy.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:47 am
@148, BAA is second in all of baseball since 2006
June 9th, 2011 at 12:48 am
I’ve always really liked Livan Hernandez for some reason. I really do.
But opponents are hitting .300 against him since 2006. That’s not very good.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:48 am
Not going to make a point about wins being a poor indicator, John?
LOL
I guess you’ve beaten that horse.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:49 am
Where does Livan rank in terms of Innings Pitched?
June 9th, 2011 at 2:41 am
You might ask yourself, “Why does Raul hate Tim Tebow?”
Well, he just wrote an autobiography…at age twenty-fucking-three.
You don’t write autobiographies at 23. You blog. And in the meantime, you wait for the other ball to drop.
Fuck Tim Tebow.
June 9th, 2011 at 2:53 am
Andrew McCutchen’s walkoff homer put the Pirates at .500.
June 9th, 2011 at 3:02 am
Pittsburgh is 30-30.
They didn’t win their 30th game last year until July 4th.
Speaking of July 4th, the date is known to Yankees fans as George Steinbrenner’s birthday.
Last year on the 4th, the Yankees were 50-31 and in first place. In order to reach 50 wins by that time this year, they’ll need to go 17-7 in their upcoming 24 games (against the Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Cubs, Reds, Brewers and Mets).
I’m sorry, but WHAT THE HELL?
They are trying to win the division and they’ve got 18 games this year against the National League?
Was it always 18 interleague games? Where have I been? This is ridiculous!
June 9th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Tim Wakefield now has 196 wins. I relly hope he gets 4 more wins this season so the Sox do not fell compelled to bring him back next year in a vain attempt to win 200.
June 9th, 2011 at 10:19 am
@151, I think we all know that. Matt Cain having a losing record is a great piece of evidence.
@152, I’d have to check, but that’s part of why I like him so much. He’s not always effective, but he always gives his teams lots of innings.
June 9th, 2011 at 11:30 am
Cain’s a good pitcher, but if Raul had posted those numbers without the name, I would have never guessed they were his.
I’ve always felt if the Yankees wanted to make an offer with San Fran, they could probably do something.
The Giants are pretty deep in pitching, and would likely get back a pretty solid minor leaguer in return (David Phelps).
With Posey being out for the year and no one in the system capable of being an everyday player at the position, the Giants are desperate.
Joba blew his arm the other day, so he’s out either way.
Montero, Phelps (or Brackman?)and a couple of other guys for Cain straight up?
I saw something the other day which suggested Cashman would have done Joaquim Soria for Montero even up, so this talk about the Yankees holding onto him for an elite player is a media concoction.
I think last year pretty much sealed what other teams think about him, the Mariners said no.
They liked Justin Smoak better than Montero.
Congratulations, Brian, it took three years to figure out what all us dumbass bloggers have known all along.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I think it’s in the Yankees’ interest to explore it.
I remember a few years ago there were rumors that the Yankees were considering a package around Hideki Matsui for Jonathan Sanchez, but supposedly the Giants weren’t interested.
I think the Yankees would have to give up a lot for the Giants to make the deal. They just won the World Series and are in first place. They’d have to completely fall apart for talks to begin for their #2 guy.
What if NY agreed to pay most of Granderson’s contract and packaged him with Montero and some minor leaguers for Gio Gonzalez?
June 9th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Days like today make me feel old.
Jose Pagan died on Tuesday.
http://www.22gigantes.com/2011/06/former-giant-jose-pagan-dies-at-age-76.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+22gigantes%2FySKM+%2822gigantes%29
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paganjo01.shtml
His stats obviously don’t jump off the board, but when you consider era and position, he was pretty close to league average. In the prime seasons of his career, (1961-69), the league averages were .252/.312, Pagan was at .249/.297, just slightly under, but probably a lot closer to what the averages were for a shortstop.
As a native Puerto Rican, Pagan obviously was a product of the old scouting term, “you can’t walk off the island.” And, personally, I don’t give two shits about his stats, when you have a fifteen year ML career, you were a valuable player.
Pagan played in two World Series, and has a championship ring with the 1971 Pirates, and he actually drove in the winning run in Game 7.
Pitchers didn’t take him seriously as an offensive threat, but 24 of his 52 homers came with his team up or down by a run or tied.
Then, yesterday, 1968 World Series hero Jim Northrup died.
http://baseballmusings.com/?p=69819
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/northji01.shtml
He was a solid defensive outfielder and was an everyday player for half his career. He had some injury problems later on, but the Tigers don’t win the Series without him.
His claim to fame in that series was hitting the fly ball Curt Flood lost in the sun that resulted in the series winning hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU6jXgINHZA
The video is off ESPN Classic of the winning inning off Bob Gibson, you’ll just have to watch it all.
RIP, guys
June 9th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
“What if NY agreed to pay most of Granderson’s contract and packaged him with Montero and some minor leaguers for Gio Gonzalez?”
That’s WAY too much for Gonzalez, Raul.
I like him better than anyone on Oakland’s staff, but you could probably get him for Montero and one other guy.
Did you see the A’s put Brett Anderson on the DL with the proverbial “elbow stiffness”?
Elbow stiffness for a pitcher is like syphilis for a hooker.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
BREAKING NEWS:
Speaking of the A’s, they just fired Bob Geren and replaced him with Bob Melvin.
Melvin had been an executive with the Mets’ scouting department until a couple of weeks ago, when he returned to the Dbacks as VP of community services.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Isn’t this like the 3rd time on the DL for Anderson?
June 9th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
It doesn’t matter who the manager is in Oakland — as long as a bunch of computers call the shots.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Must be a good day at Stanford. Their rotation ace, Mark Appel is the early favorite to go #1 in the 2012 MLB draft and their star QB Andrew Luck is consensus #1 pick for NFL’s 2012 Draft.
…When the fuck did Stanford get this good at sports?
June 9th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
@Bob – 156. Unless he breaks down before the All-Star break, Wake will get to 200. If before the season is over he gets close to the club record for wins, which IIRC is 193, the pink hats will be torching effigies of Theo if he doesn’t re-sign him.
June 9th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Dustin Pedroia was sent back to Boston to have a knee looked at, surgery maybe needed and he’ll be out a month.
June 9th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
“Speaking of the A’s, they just fired Bob Geren and replaced him with Bob Melvin.”
That’s interesting, considering how Beane’s philosophy that the manager doesn’t really matter.
Granted, he fired Ken Macha.
But Ken Macha’s parents were brother and sister.
June 9th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
“Bob was never good at communication, and I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but it was a sentiment reflected in many conversations during the two years I spent in Oakland, and even recently when talking to guys after I left. For me personally, he was my least favorite person I have ever encountered in sports from age 6 to 27. I am very thankful to be in a place where I can trust my manager.”
- Huston Street
“Finally the A’s have realized Geren has destroyed a dozen pitcher’s careers and doesn’t have a clue how to manage a big league club”
- Uncle Rob (not really)
June 9th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Read an article on MLB.com about the scout who discovered Derek Jeter.
Kind of a puff piece but I’m sure it’s a great feeling of pride when someone they find goes on to a successful major league career.
No mention on whether the scout ever found another jewel prospect. That seems like a common thing among scouts. The guy who found Albert Pujols is no longer in the business.
A lot of these guys spend their entire careers for that 1 guy.
You talk about jobs where you do all the work and get none of the recognition…baseball scout is it.
June 9th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Joba Chamberlain has a ligament tear and is out for the season.
I suppose it’s not a surprise. When a fat, out-of-shape player comes in to Spring Training even fatter and more out of shape, he clearly did not take care of his body in the off-season.
The touted strength of this Yankees team, in light of Andy Pettitte’s retirement, was supposed to have been the bullpen. But with Joba Chamberlain, Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano ineffective or injured, that has now become a huge area of concern.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Cashman moved Montero for Luke Gregerson or something.
June 9th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
“Wouldn’t surprise me if Cashman moved Montero for Luke Gregerson or something.”
Hell, doesn’t seem like such a terrible idea now.
June 9th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Traded?
Maybe not.
Jose Reyes leads the National League in batting average at .341 and sits 4th in Total Bases with 130 — behind Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder and Jay Bruce.
June 9th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Jose Bautista has 20 home runs.
7 have been against the Minnesota Twins.
Interesting to note:
Against the Yankees he’s hitting .269 this season.
Against the Red Sox: .217.
Against the Orioles: .111.
June 9th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Bautista hasn’t homered in 10 games, but has still been hitting .343 over that stretch. It felt like he got to 20 when the next best guy had like 11 and now there are a couple guys…Bruce, Tex, Fielder etc who are right on his heels.
“Against the Yankees he’s hitting .269″
…/.457/.654 with three home runs in eight games.
“Jose Reyes leads the National League in batting average at .341″
The BR blog had an interesting article about how, even though he has just a single home run, he’s on pace to lead the league in total bases (this was a few days ago).
June 9th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Yeah, but the 3 homers against NYY were off Burnett, Garcia and Colon.
Yawn.
June 9th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Jim Northrup, who hit a decisive two-run triple in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series, died Wednesday. He was 71.
June 9th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
You’re a hard man to impress, Raul.
June 9th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Hey guys, I already emailed Chuck about this but the Dugout has a virus. I hope everyone has their anti-virus up to date. This thing is one of those Trojan extenders, so it is a spamware virus.
The only people I hate more than people who throw cigarette butts out the windows of their cars are ass wipes that live off these viruses. May they have chronic diarrhea the rest of their lives.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Thanks Brautigan. I’ll be sure to run another scan on my computer.
John,
I suppose you’re right. But I do get impressed from time to time.
A pitcher starting an at-bat with 2 breakingballs for strikes.
A catcher hitting a triple.
A great outfield throw.
450-foot homers.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
@177, that’s no good.
We get spammed a ton as it turns out. The wordpress thing the writers use is showing 139 spam comments in just the last couple weeks.
Of course, a bunch of that is comments by Cameron, who’s getting blocked. Cameron, if you’re reading, keep posting, I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to let this website allow your IP to post. If you make comments on my articles I can go in and allow them…but it kind of defeats the purpose of blogging in the first place.
I apologize to everyone for the virus; I legitimately have no idea if there’s anything I can do about it, but I’ll see what I can do. I guess this is what happens when your website administrator goes on a 2-year quest to find the Holy Grail, or whatever Adam is doing.
Hopefully this isn’t the end of DC…
June 9th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
“This design is steller! You certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!”
“Hello Webmaster! Try this amazing wordpress plugin to create Automatic Backlinks and Boost your Google Ranking”
“I don’t usually reply to posts but I will in this case. WoW”
“Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?”
And of course, the ever insightful:
“Хорошая статья. Краткость явно Ваша сестра”
Fucking A man.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
These are all automated comments that are spammed to us like 10 times a day.
Adam setup a pretty good blocker…too good, as it turns out. These yahoos are all blocked, which is nice, but guys like Patrick and now Cameron get the shaft.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Cameron wrote:
“Must be a good day at Stanford. Their rotation ace, Mark Appel is the early favorite to go #1 in the 2012 MLB draft and their star QB Andrew Luck is consensus #1 pick for NFL’s 2012 Draft.
…When the fuck did Stanford get this good at sports?”
Even Chuck is somehow getting blocked FROM POSTING ON HIS OWN ARTICLES FOR A WEBSITE WHERE HE’S WRITTEN MORE WORDS THAN FUCKING ANYONE:
“Days like today make me feel old.
Jose Pagan died on Tuesday.
http://www.22gigantes.com/2011/06/former-giant-jose-pagan-dies-at-age-76.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+22gigantes%2FySKM+%2822gigantes%29
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/paganjo01.shtml
His stats obviously don’t jump off the board, but when you consider era and position, he was pretty close to league average. In the prime seasons of his career, (1961-69), the league averages were .252/.312, Pagan was at .249/.297, just slightly under, but probably a lot closer to what the averages were for a shortstop.
As a native Puerto Rican, Pagan obviously was a product of the old scouting term, “you can’t walk off the island.” And, personally, I don’t give two shits about his stats, when you have a fifteen year ML career, you were a valuable player.
Pagan played in two World Series, and has a championship ring with the 1971 Pirates, and he actually drove in the winning run in Game 7.
Pitchers didn’t take him seriously as an offensive threat, but 24 of his 52 homers came with his team up or down by a run or tied.
Then, yesterday, 1968 World Series hero Jim Northrup died.
http://baseballmusings.com/?p=69819
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/northji01.shtml
He was a solid defensive outfielder and was an everyday player for half his career. He had some injury problems later on, but the Tigers don’t win the Series without him.
His claim to fame in that series was hitting the fly ball Curt Flood lost in the sun that resulted in the series winning hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU6jXgINHZA
The video is off ESPN Classic of the winning inning off Bob Gibson, you’ll just have to watch it all.
RIP, guys”
June 9th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
After crapping on Hochevar the other day, he goes out today and shuts down the Toronto Blue Jays.
Good start, although 3 walks was a bit pushing it.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Can’t you just block out all emails but make exceptions? I do that for some tracking cookies in my browser.
June 9th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
It’s looking to me like the only things I can really do are post articles and approve/disapprove comments made on my articles. Adam might be able to do that, but he’s hiding somewhere.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Funny thing that it’s trying to block yahoo, because I’m normally accessing DC from my hotmail account. I’m using a backup hotmail that isn’t getting blocked right now, but it still has to wait for John to approve my messages.
If I can recover my old gmail account, I guess there might be a new email you can tell DC to recognize and then I can post again.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
And I just have one word, boys.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110609&content_id=20261758&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
MOOSE!!!
June 9th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Cam writes:
“Funny thing that it’s trying to block yahoo, because I’m normally accessing DC from my hotmail account. I’m using a backup hotmail that isn’t getting blocked right now, but it still has to wait for John to approve my messages.
If I can recover my old gmail account, I guess there might be a new email you can tell DC to recognize and then I can post again.”
Sorry, I meant yahoos as in, “assholes trying to spam us”, not people with yahoo accounts.
I just use a yahoo account when I post, and that’s worked alright.
My user account is gmail.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Cam also writes:
“And I just have one word, boys.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110609&content_id=20261758&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
MOOSE!!!”
I’ll check that out in a second. In the meantime, try commenting on one of my articles, and I’ll see if I have the option to always-allow, or something.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Made a new gmail. I probably should just keep it anyway. It’s got a bunch of cool features on it that will be nice. Not a fan of the UI though, looks a bit outdated.
June 10th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Cameron emailed me the other day with the non-posting issue.
Knowing now what Braut said it’s possible his security system/cookies are no longer compatible or recognizable.
I did tell him that but I’m no techie, so offering suggestions on a fix is above my paygrade.
As far as Adam goes, he hasn’t had anything to do with this site in a year and a half. Once their business venture didn’t pan out, he took a job in the real world. I can’t even say with any certainty that anyone is moderating this site at all.
Joe DelGrippo ran into Pags at a restaurant in Boston a few weeks ago and said Pags is working on something similar to what they were doing a couple of years ago, but Joe doesn’t know Adam so impossible to say whether he’d be in with Mike or not.
June 10th, 2011 at 10:29 am
“I can’t even say with any certainty that anyone is moderating this site at all.”
I can say with a fair amount of certainty that no one is; Chuck, you and I have the ability to approve/disapprove comments made on our own articles. That’s about it.