Rounding Third & Heading Home

Kershaw or Halladay?

2011-09-20T07:00:00.003-06:00

Update: shortly after I posted this entry it was announced the Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers Association named Cliff Lee the Phillies pitcher of the year. I will post a revision to this entry soon and include Lee in the discussion.

Rounding Third and Heading Home has returned! I had several items that filled my life this summer and I was left with little time to watch games and no time to post to this blog. But things have now settled down and I’m once again able write. Hope everyone enjoys reading my thoughts and opinions.

With all due respect to the other National League pitchers that are having outstanding seasons, I see the NL Cy Young Award as a two horse race between Clayton Kershaw and Roy Halladay. To begin, I will compare Kershaw and Halladay using four traditional statistics: earned run average, (walks+hits)/innings pitched ratio, strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, and strikeout to walk ratio

Comparison Using Traditional Statistics

Pitcher	ERA	WHIP	K/9	K/BB
Clayton Kershaw	2.27	0.99	9.64	4.57
Roy Halladay	2.41	1.05	8.58	6.38

Kershaw does walk more batters, but his ERA, WHIP and K/9 are better than Halladay's. But the traditional statistics don't take into account the home ballpark of the pitcher, the defense behind the pitcher, and various elements of good and bad fortune a pitcher has during the season. Thankfully, we have a website like FanGraphs and modern statistical analysis to help us get a clearer picture of which pitcher is having the better season.

I chose three sabermetric statistics to use in this comparison: wins above replacement, fielding independent pitching, and expected fielding independent pitching. If you are not familiar with these statistics click on the table heading for a more detailed explanation.

Comparison using Sabermetric Statistics

Pitcher	WAR	FIP	xFIP
Roy Halladay	8.0	2.18	2.68
Clayton Kershaw	6.8	2.42	2.82

When home ballpark, balls in play, and team defense are considered, Roy Halladay seems to be having the better season. Clayton Kershaw benefits from pitching half of his games at Dodger Stadium and having a better defense behind him. But even when these additional factors are included in the discussion, the numbers are very close.

A strong case can be made for either pitcher. Even though I'm a firm believer in sabermetric statistical analysis, I don't believe the traditional statistics like ERA, WHIP, and K/9 should be ignored when evaluating a player's performance. Even though both pitchers are deserving, Kershaw has had a phenomenal year and I believe he should win the Cy Young Award.

Former Bees in New Organizations

2011-01-25T07:00:00.003-07:00

Former Salt Lake Bees players that have signed with new organizations for the 2011 season.

PLAYER	NEW TEAM	YEARS WITH SL
Kevin Gregg	Orioles	2003, 2005-06
Bobby Jenks	Red Sox	2004
Dallas McPherson	White Sox	2004-06
Fernando Rodriguez	Astros	2009-10
Steven Shell	Royals	2006-07
Wil Nieves	Brewers	2003-04
Dustin Moseley	Padres	2005-06, 08
Terry Evans	Giants	2007-10
Shane Loux	Giants	2008-09
Joel Peralta	Rays	2003-05
Ryan Budde	Blue Jays	2004-09
Mike Napoli	Blue Jays to Rangers	2006

Setting the Record Straight

2010-06-03T09:24:00.007-06:00

By now, anyone that follows baseball knows that Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game last night on a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce. If you are not aware of what happened, you can read game reports at Yahoo Sports and MLB.com. The short version is Armando Galarraga was one out away from pitching a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce mistakenly called the Cleveland hitter safe at first. What should have been the last out of a perfect game masterpiece instead will forever be remembered for the horrible call that denied a young pitcher of a place in baseball immortality. This call was the topic of discussion on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike radio show this morning but the discussion wasn't only about the missed call in last night's Tigers - Indians game. Jim Joyce's mistake opened the door to revisit Don Denkinger's missed call in the 1985 World Series. The radio hosts and guests erroneously pointed out that Denkinger's call cost the St. Louis Cardinals the 1985 World Series. Today's entry is an effort to once again set the record straight on Denkinger's call.

When Jim Joyce called Jason Donald safe last night the perfect game was lost. No matter what Armando Galarraga did from that point forward he had no chance to restore the perfect game. The umpire's blown call irrevocably cost Galarraga a place in baseball history. What many fans and people in the media fail to realize is this is not what happened the to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Two years ago, I wrote an entry on Game 6 of the 1985 World Series telling Cardinals fans to stop whining about Don Denkinger call costing them the World Series. If you are one that believes the mythology that Don Denkinger's missed call is the reason the Royals won the 1985 World Series, check out "Stop Crying Cardinals Fans." Unlike Galarraga last night, the umpire's missed call in the 85 Series did not irrevocably rob the Cardinals of a championship. Denkinger's call had nothing to do with the routine foul ball that Jack Clark and Darrell Porter didn't catch, the wild pitch that Todd Worrell uncorked, or the Cardinals unprofessional performance in game 7.

Jim Joyce's call was a permanent denial of Armando Gallaraga's effort to pitch a perfect game. Sadly for Gallaraga, he didn't have a chance to redeem himself after the call. The Cardinals had many chances after Denkinger's call and blew each one of them. Gallaraga can place the blame on Joyce. The Cardinals had no one to blame but themselves.

Brian Bannister

2010-06-01T10:33:00.008-06:00

In a recent interview Brian Bannister did with Baseball Prospectus Radio he discussed how he uses statistical analysis to evaluate his pitching, photography, Billy Butler, and warns everyone to NEVER tough Kyle Farnsworth's glove. All baseball fans will enjoy listening to this 13 minute interview.

Baseball Prospectus Radio.

Playing the Game the Right Way???

2010-05-27T08:48:00.007-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I watched the Royals play the Rangers and was disappointed to see the type of baseball the Royals are still playing. Behind Luke Hochevar's outstanding performance the Royals did win the game, but the Royals approach showed me they are mired in a philosophy that will not consistently produce runs or victories.

In the third inning with the score tied 1-1, Mike Aviles lead off with a double and the 3-4-5 hitters were coming up. The Royals were in position to have a big inning but they chose to implement a strategy that prevented them from scoring multiple runs, all in the name of "playing the game the right way."

Billy Butler followed Aviles. Butler has mashed the ball all season, posting a .358/.395/.511 line. But Butler did not try to drive the ball or hit it hard. His goal was not to get a base hit. Instead, Butler shortened his swing in an effort to push the ball to the right side of the infield. The result was a weak ground out to first base which advanced Aviles to third. The moment the ball left Butler's bat, Royals television announcers Ryan Lefebvre and Frank White began to praise Butler for "getting the job done." They talked about Butler "giving himself up" and doing a good job of "rolling over and hitting the ball to the right side." Lefebvre and White's babble was enough to make any intelligent baseball fan ill. The reality is the Royals had one of their top hitters make a weak out for the sake of advancing a runner that was already in scoring position.

Jose Guillen followed Butler and hit a routine fly ball to left field scoring Mike Aviles. As Aviles was crossing the plate Lefebvre exclaimes "that was GREAT situational baseball by the Royals." Alberto Callaspo grounded out to end the inning and the Royals scored one run.

I'm sure Dayton Moore and Ned Yost viewed that inning as Ryan Lefebvre and Frank White, as a huge success. The truth is the Royals are continuing to ignore valid statistical research in a attempt to play their misguided version of fundamental baseball. I'm sure Texas manager Ron Washington was grateful that Butler didn't try to drive the ball and was willing to weakly ground out. I'm sure Texas pitcher Scott Fieldman, looking at facing Butler, Guillen, and Callaspo with a runner in scoring position and no outs, was thankful to get out of the inning allowing only one run.

There is a time to play for one run. If a near automatic out like Chris Getz or Willie Bloomquist is coming to bat or late in a ball game when one run decides the outcome. But the third inning of a 1-1 game with the heart of the order coming up is not the time. Sadly, the inning I described is Kansas City Royals baseball and an indication the Royals are basing their philosophy on old-school mythology.

Does Anyone Still Believe in Dayton Moore?

2010-05-14T11:20:00.006-06:00

Royals GM Dayton Moore fired manager Trey Hillman yesterday. This entry is not to criticize Moore for firing Hillman. It has been well chronicled in the mainstream media and in the blogs that Hillman was in over his head as Royals manager. But to place more than a fraction of the blame for the Royals struggles on Trey Hillman is wrong because Dayton Moore is the one responsible for the continued downward spiral of the Royals. As long has Moore has control over the operation of the Royals, Kansas City will not have a contending team.

It would not matter if Mike Scioscia, Sparky Anderson, or Earl Weaver were managing the Royals, the result would be the same because the Kansas City Royals are a lousy team. Trey Hillman was forced to manage the club assembled by Dayton Moore. Trey Hillman was not a good manager, but the blame for the continued failure of the Royals does not rest with him. The blame and responsibility for what the Kansas City Royals are today belongs squarely on the shoulders of the inept, yet arrogant Dayton Moore.

Is There Hope for Luke Hochevar?

2010-05-11T08:57:00.020-06:00

As long as Dayton Moore is the GM, I am not optimistic about the Royals chances of being a contending team. Time and time again, Moore has proven he has no idea how to go about building a competitive team. But I am not so cynical about the Royals that I don't see the few bright spots, even when they are not obvious. One of these bright spots is former #1 draft choice Luke Hochevar. Many Royals fans will look at Hochevar's 2010 5.65 ERA and write him off as another failed Royals draft pick. But if Hochevar can begin to limit the number of walks he is allowing he could establish himself as a reliable Major League pitcher because he is displaying some solid skills.

Hochevar's current 4.91 BB/9 is alarming but I'm going to assume this is an anomaly and that his true ability is closer to the 2.90 BB/9 he produced in 143 IP in 2009. If Hochevar can begin to find the plate, a lot of his woes will vanish.

A look at some of Hochevar's 2010 numbers shows, in many ways, he is not pitching poorly but has fallen victim to bad luck and poor defense.

GS	IP	BABIP	GB%	FB%	SO9	BB9	HR9	SO/BB
7	36.7	.347	49.2%	22.1%	5.65	4.91	.25	1.15

If you are not familar with the BABIP statistic, I would suggest you read my previous entry on Angels' pitcher Joe Saunders or the BABIP overview presented on the Sabermetrics Library website. Hochevar's BABIP of .347 shows that he has pitched in very tough luck in 2010. The 49.2% ground ball rate shows that he is doing an excellent job of keeping the ball down in the strike zone and many of those ground balls are getting through the infield. Not much any pitcher can do about that. Unless bad luck follows Hochevar the entire season, things should begin to even out and the ground balls that have been hits will start to become outs.

Hopefully Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman will looked beyond a meaningless statistic like ERA and allow Hochever the opportunity to work out his control issues. If Hochevar can begin to throw strikes and continue to make hitters to hit the ball on the ground, he will a valuable pitcher for the Royals.

Good luck to Brad Coon

2010-04-17T21:00:00.004-06:00

To make room for the recently demoted Terry Evans, the Salt Lake Bees released outfielder Brad Coon. With Reggie Willits, Terry Evans, and Peter Bourjos in the system, I'm sure the Angels didn't feel there was place for Coon in their organization. But Brad Coon is talented baseball player that plays the game with great intensity and I will miss seeing him play for the Salt Lake Bees.

During his two full seasons with the Bees, Coon was a valuable player. He was solid in the lead off spot, posting a .384 on base percentage. He stole 42 bases and scored 152 runs for the Bees. He did a good job of patrolling the spacious outfield at Salt Lake's Spring Mobile Ballpark and he displayed a strong throwing arm. It is unfortunate that Coon has never had a chance to play in the Major Leagues. I wish Brad Coon the best of luck and I hope he signs with an organization that will give him an opportunity to make it to the Major Leagues.

What was Charlie Manual Thinking!?!?

2010-04-15T16:31:00.007-06:00

I just finished watching the Phillies v Nationals game and I have no clue what Charlie Manual was thinking in the top of the 9th inning. Entering the final frame, the Nationals were ahead 5-4 and the Phillies had their top bullpen arm Ryan Madson pitching. The Nationals Ian Desmond lead off with a base hit and promptly stole second base. After Cristian Guzman struck out, Desmond advanced to third on Adam Dunn's ground out. There were two outs, Desmond on third, and Josh Willingham at the plate. If Madson gets Willingham the Phillies have a chance to battle back in the bottom of the inning. Unfortunately for the Phillies, Madson walked Willingham and the Nationals were in position to do some damage.

Willy Tavares was sent into the game to pinch run for Willingham. With Ivan Rodriguez at the plate, Tavares stole second base. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, a proven Major League hitter at the plate, and Nationals closer Matt Capps in the on deck circle, the obvious move for Manual is to walk Rodriguez and pitch to Capps. Capps would have been an easy out and the Phillies would have come to bat in the bottom of the 9th needing only one run to tie. But Manual allowed Madson to pitch to Rodriguez and I-Rod hit a solid single into left field driving in Desmond and Tavares. The score was then 7-4 and the Nationals had a comfortable lead. Madson struck out Capps to end the inning but the damage was done.

Why didn't Manual walk Ivan Rodriguez? The only hitter the Nationals had left on their bench was Adam Kennedy and there is no reason to believe that Nats manager Jim Riggleman would have taken his closer out of the game. Charlie Manual has been a successful manager the past two seasons but he didn't handle the 8th inning well in the game today. He didn't make an obvious move and it cost the Phillies a chance to win the game.

Jason Giambi's Defense

2010-04-09T11:36:00.005-06:00

The season is only three games old and the Colorado Rockies are 1-2. In the two games the Rockies have lost they have jumped out to early leads only to have the Brewers battle back and win the games. Three games does not make a season and the Rockies are still the best team in the National League West, but I did see one red flag in the Milwaukee series. Jason Giambi's defense at first base.

It is painfully obvious that Giambi is a below average first baseman. In the 6th inning of Wednesday's game, Jody Gerut hit a double down the first base line that broke a 4-4 tie and plated the winning run for the Brewers. Giambi did not react quickly when the ball was hit and when he finally moved toward the line it was too late to make the play. I realize it is only one play in the third game of the season, but I don't think I am going too far out on a limb when I say Giambi is going to be a defensive liability for the Rockies. Hopefully the Rockies will be able to over come Giambi's weak glove in the games he starts.

Video of Gerut's double

Jason Giambi's defensive statistics

Rounding Third and Heading Home is Back!

2010-04-08T09:56:00.006-06:00

With the 2010 season now in full swing, it is time to begin posting entries to Rounding Third and Heading Home. I hope you enjoy reading my views of Major League Baseball and my favorite teams. The topic for today is the Kansas City Royals.

Even though the season is only two games old, it is clear the Kansas City Royals are still an organization going in the wrong direction. The Royals opening day lineup featured Zach Greinke, Billy Butler, David DeJesus, Jason Kendall, Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel, Willie Bloomquist, Chris Getz, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Jose Guillen. Billy Butler has the potential to be a very good Major League hitter, Zach Greinke is a Cy Young award winner, and David DeJesus is solid, but the rest of the lineup is nothing more than average to below average players that offer no hope for the future and have very little trade value. Royals GM Dayton Moore has assemble a team that is the worst of both worlds; a team that is guaranteed to lose 90+ games while at the same offering no hope the team will be a contender in the future.

Kansas City Royals - The All-Time 9

2009-09-17T02:08:00.003-06:00

On the official Royals website, fans are invited to vote for Royals "All Time 9". The headline at the top of the ballot reads: "What's your dream lineup in Royals franchise history? It's time for you to decide. Vote for the best single-season hitting performances by position in Royals franchise history." It is an interesting promotion that proposes an interesting question, which Royals player had the best season in franchise history at their position. But if there is one thing I've learned in 30 years of being a high school teacher it is this; an interesting question doesn't guarantee an intelligent answer. If the early returns of the voting are accurate, Royals fans are going to completely miss the mark.

According to writer Dick Kaegel's update posted on 9-15,"Mike Sweeney is doing a good job of staving off John Mayberry [at first base] as fans mull over their best single seasons. Sweeney's 144 RBIs in 2000 have convinced a lot of voters and he has a lead of about 2,000 votes."

I understand that considering only the raw numbers presented on the website the argument can be made that Sweeney is the choice. But when the statistics are placed in context of the season in which they were produced, John Mayberry's 1975 season was nothing short of remarkable and far superior to what Mike Sweeney did in 2000.

Fans are given the following information on the ballot:

PLAYER	YEAR	AVG	HR	RBI	RUNS	SB
Mayberry	1975	.291	34	106	95	5
Sweeney	2000	.333	29	144	105	8

If the numbers presented in the table above are the only consideration, the argument can be made that Mike Sweeney was better in 2000 than John Mayberry was in 1975. Sweeney's batting average is 42 points higher and he drove in 38 more runs. But 1975 numbers mean something completely different than those from 2000. When the accomplishments are placed in the context of the season in which they occurred, John Mayberry's 1975 season was superior to what Mike Sweeney produced in 2000 and it isn't even close.

In 2000, Mike Sweeney finished in the top 3 of American League hitters in 2 statistical categories. Sweeney finished 11th in the voting for the American League Most Valuable Player award.

MIKE SWEENEY - 2000

STAT	AL RANK
Hits	3rd
RBI	2nd
MVP VOTE	11th

Mike Sweeney had a nice season in 2000 but it should be noted he wasn't even the best 1B in the American League. Jason Giambi, who won the AL MVP award in 2000, and Carlos Delgado both had better seasons than Sweeney. So before Royals fans anoint this season as the best ever by a Royals first baseman, they should consider what John Mayberry accomplished in 1975.

John Mayberry was the best 1B in the American League in 1975 and one of the league's top three players. As the table below shows, he was one of the most feared hitters that season and finished in the top 3 of 11 statistical categories. Mayberry also finished second in the voting for the AL Most Valuable Player.

JOHN MAYBERRY - 1975

STAT	AL RANK
OBP	2nd
SLG	2nd
OPS	2nd
TB	2nd
DBL	2nd
HR	3rd
RBI	2nd
BB	2nd
MVP VOTE	2nd

John Mayberry dominated American League pitching in 1975. Not only was he the best hitting first baseman in the league that year he was one of the American League's top two or three players. John Mayberry's 1975 season is the best individual season by a Kansas City Royal not named George Brett and it is a shame that it is not being remembered or acknowledged by Royals fans.

Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler

2009-07-12T21:00:00.003-06:00

Most readers of this blog know that I closely follow the Los Angeles Angels and I watch several Angels’ games on television each week. Recently Angels’ play by play announcer Steve Physioc has come under fire from posters on message boards and bloggers. Some of those posts are full of ignorant venom. Sadly, the individuals responsible have no understanding of the role of the local MLB play-by-play announcer.

One of the common criticisms of the Angels Steve Physioc and his partner Rex Hudler is they are "homers" who do not highlight mistakes and struggles by the players or point out the team’s shortcomings. In one respect the critics have it right, both Physioc and Hudler are cheerleaders for the Angels, that is what they should be. The role of the local play-by-play announcer is not to be an objective journalist but to be part of the team’s public relations department. I like the positive tone Physioc and Hudler have when announcing a game. They have the same high energy from first pitch to last and their positive approach makes the game enjoyable to watch. In many ways a baseball telecast is a 3-hour infomercial designed to attract fans to the ballpark, encourage people to buy the team’s caps and jersey’s, and to watch more of the games on television. This means the broadcast is geared toward the causal, and not the hardcore, fan. The hardcore fan is going to watch the majority of the telecasts and attend several games a year regardless of who the announcers are. But the casual fan is going to enjoy baseball for the entertainment value. Having the local announcer constantly pointing out what is wrong with the team is not going to give the casual viewer a reason to follow the team.

I understand when Steve Physioc uses CERA to show that Jeff Mathis has value to the Angels that he is spouting nonsense. And, like most hardcore fans, I cringe a little when he goes on about productive outs and clutch hitting. But it is wrong to expect Physioc to point out Mathis is an automatic out at the plate and Mike Napoli would provide the team with more offense. The casual fan could care less about any of that. This fan wants to know that if they buy a ticket to a game they will be seeing a good product and it is Physioc and Hudler’s job to sell him on that idea. Physioc and Hudler are a part of Angels baseball to me and I miss them when they are not on the television broadcast. If the hardcore fan does not like their positive approach to the Angels and wants objective commentary, they need to look at other sites and in newspapers.

Yuniesky Betancourt - Neifi Perez Part II

2009-07-10T23:20:00.008-06:00

Earlier today the Kansas City Royals acquired shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt from the Seattle Mariners. I understand that Betancourt will be an upgrade over Tony Pena Jr. but most high school junior varsity shortstops would be an upgrade over Pena. I am sure the Royals fans that believe Dayton Moore walks on water will be excited and view this trade as a good move. But intelligent Royals fans will see this deal as another of Moore's misguided attempts to improve team.

Dayton Moore is quoted in the Kansas City Star as saying "His [Betancourt] on-base percentage is something that’s lacking, but he’s a career .279 hitter." Obviously Moore doesn't understand the importance of on-base percentage while at the same time overvaluing batting average. What should be distressing to Royals fans is the club has been down this road before. Neifi Perez's career statistics before being traded to the Royals are almost identical to Betancourt's.

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB/K
Neifi Perez	2728	.279	.309	.396	9.5
Y. Betancourt	2206	.279	.302	.393	11.9

In fairness to Moore, it should be pointed out he didn't give up a valuable Major League player like Jermaine Dye to get Betancourt. But regardless of who Moore gave up in the trade, it should bother Royals fans that his way of improving the team is trading for the second coming of Neifi Perez.

Time for a Realistic Look at the Royals

2009-07-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

For more than two years I have been listening to the Dayton Moore defenders tell me the Royals are improving. These defenders of Dayton Moore say the ship is being righted and the Royals are on their way to being a playoff contender. But the first half of the 2009 season is in the books and the Kansas City Royals are no closer to being a playoff team than the day Dayton Moore was hired. It is time for Dayton Moore to be held accountable for the debacle the Royals have become.

The list of Moore's failures and misjudgments is long but to me nothing stands out more than the Mike Jacobs trade. Before the trade was officially announced I make this comment on Rounding Third, "If trading for a player like Mike Jacobs is general manager Dayton Moore's idea of improving the team, the Kansas City Royals will never be a contending team in the American League Central Division." That was a strong statement then and I stand by it now.

Currently, Mike Jacobs is hitting .223 (.188 against left-handed pitching) with an OBP of .299. Because of his lousy fielding at 1B, Jacobs is now nothing more than a DH. In an effort to build a competitive team, Dayton Moore traded a decent relief pitcher for a player with no plate discipline, who cannot play in the field, and has to be platooned against left-handed pitchers. Keep in mind too that Jacobs is burying Kila Ka'aihue at Omaha. Ka'aihue is once again putting up decent numbers at AAA and I have no doubt would provide the Royals more value than Jacobs is.

When the Jacobs trade is added to the three year contract given Jose Guillen and the two year contracts given to Willie Bloomquist, Juan Cruz, Kyle Farnsworth, and Yasuhiko Yabuta it becomes clear the blame for the Royals' current struggles can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Dayton Moore. I realize it is not possible to fire Moore right now. But if he continues to make poor decisions, the Glass family is going to have to realize Moore is not the GM the Royals need and show him the door.

The Alberto Callaspo Trade

2009-05-08T07:00:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Angelswin.com Executive Editor Chuck Richter posted his thoughts on Royals 2B Alberto Callaspo: "Despite his [Callaspo] off the field issue, the dude can hit. He has a 94 percent contact rate and a great batters eye. He's hitting .358 and that's after an 0-5 game last night. His 10 walks to 5 strikeouts is pretty solid too. His minor league track record was solid before being jerked around by the D-Backs. In 2005 he hit .304 with 29 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers and 80 RBI in 139 games. In 2006 he hit .337 with 24 doubles, 12 triples, 7 home runs and 68 RBI in 114 games. Along the way, Callaspo walked 229 times while only striking out 145. Just for fun, is Callaspo > Bulger and Aybar?...perhaps we [Angels] traded the wrong MI a couple years ago?"

Alberto Callaspo is an interesting topic to discuss because the Royals and Angels open a three game series tonight in Anaheim and Alberto Callaspo is a key player for the first place Royals. Callaspo is also a former member of the Salt Lake Bees and I have closely followed his career. I don't believe Chuck was being critical of the Angels for trading Callaspo but the trade is a timely topic for discussion.

Chuck's question is in regard to the February 2006 trade where the Angels sent Alberto Callaspo to the Arizona Diamondbacks for relief pitcher Jason Bulger. In evaluating the Angels' decision to trade Callaspo, fans should keep in mind the state of the Angels organization when the trade was made. At the Major League level the Angels were set with Orlando Cabrera, Chone Figgins, Macier Izturis, and Adam Kennedy ready to man the middle infield positions. Eric Aybar and Howie Kendrick were coming off great years in Double A and were ready to take over SS and 2b for the Bees. One level behind Aybar and Kendrick was Minor League Player of the Year Brandon Wood who had a monster season in 2005. Callaspo had a good year at Salt Lake in 2005 but he was blocked from moving up and the Angels had what appeared to be better players behind him. It is unfortunate that Jason Bulger has yet to work out for the Angels but moving Callaspo for pitching depth made perfect sense in the winter of 2006.

From the Royals perspective, GM Dayton Moore deserves credit for acquiring Callaspo. Callaspo is exactly the type of pickup the Royals will have to make if they are going compete for the playoffs. Callaspo is a solid contact hitter with excellent strike zone judgment and plate discipline. He is currently hitting .359/.417/.565 and is second in the American League in doubles. I don't believe anyone expects him to keep up this pace for the entire season, but Alberto Callaspo should remain a productive part of the Royals lineup.

This blog also appears at Angelswin.com, the best Los Angeles Angels site on the web.

John Lackey Update

2009-05-06T14:01:00.013-06:00

Help is on the way for the Angels pitching staff! John Lackey looked very good last night pitching for the Salt Lake Bees and it appears he is close to rejoining the Angels. Limited to 60 pitches, Lackey pitched into the 5th inning for the Bees. Putting up a line of 0 runs, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts, and 1 walk, Lackey did an effective job of mixing his pitches and keeping the Tacoma hitters off balance the entire night. Responding to the ovation from the Salt Lake crowd as he left the game, Lackey smiled and tipped his cap. Lackey is scheduled to pitch for the Bees again this weekend in Portland. If that start goes well he will join the Angels. Based on what I observed last night, he is almost ready to resume his role as the Angels #1 starter.

Having a Major League All Star like John Lackey in Utah was not the only highlight of the evening. The Salt Lake Bees became only the third team in the history of the Pacific Coast League to hit two grand slam homeruns in one inning. Outfielder Brad Coon and catcher Bobby Wilson both hit bases loaded bombs in the 4th inning off of former Bees pitcher Steve Shell. I felt bad for Shell because he is one of the truly nice guys in baseball but it was an impressive performance by the Bees hitters.

Wood Rot

2009-04-27T09:21:00.007-06:00

This entry is written by Eric Denton and was originally posted on the blog at Angelswin.com, the best Los Angeles of Angels of Anaheim site on the 'net. A big thanks to Angelswin senior writer Eric Denton and executive editor Chuck Richtar for allowing it to be posted here. Eric does a good job of pointing out the Angels mishandling of top prospect Brandon Wood.

By Eric Denton - Senior Writer - Angelswin.com

Brandon Wood was recalled for what seems to be the 100th time in his brief major league career. Despite his hot hitting at AAA Salt Lake and Erick Aybar's sub-par play thus far he is on the bench yet again for tonight's game against Seattle.

Scioscia believes Aybar has All Star potential, but frankly it seems the only ones who see it is Mike, his coaching staff and maybe Tony Reagins.

Scioscia keeps saying Wood's "time will come" to the local media. He reiterated this stance this afternoon on "The Drive with Jeff Biggs"

"The offense needs some things not just power, on-base percentage and working counts." he said.

"Right now he isn't the end all, be all answer to our offensive problems." he said.

"We want to see some lineup consistency with Izturis and Aybar" he said.

How does anyone know if he isn't the answer to both on base and power issues?
How is there line up consistency if Aybar and Izturis end up playing 80 games a piece?

Brandon has sat since Wednesday and wont play until Sunday. Is anyone honestly expecting Wood to come off the bench cold and go 3-4 with a home run or is it more likely that he'll take an 0-4?

I don't want to say he's being set up for failure but Wood is not being groomed to be a utility player. If the number one hitting prospect in the organization isn't going to play everyday when he is on the big league roster then it's best just to keep him in the minors. Sean Rodriguez is much better suited for a bench role and while he's shown potential in the minors, he certainly hasn't captured the fans excitement to see him in the lineup everyday.

It would be refreshing if Scioscia would just say what he believes, that Brandon Wood is not a major league short-stop on a team with Erick Aybar and Macier Izturis on the roster. He's capable as a fill in but long term he's a third baseman and when he says "his time will come" he means only if Chone Figgins moves to the outfield, second-base or leaves via free agency in 2010.

Unless Mike changes his view on the defensive aspect of the game (like he has regarding starting Mike Napoli over Jeff Mathis) fans should get used to Wood riding the pine for nine or move to Salt Lake City if they want to see him play regularly, because it's not going to happen in Anaheim anytime soon.

MLB Blackout Need to Be Changed

2009-04-19T20:08:00.006-06:00

I was watching the Royals game this afternoon when the announcer mentioned that Giants pitcher Randy Johnson had a no-hitter through 5 innings. I immediately switched to the Giants game only to discover the game was blacked out in Utah. The reason for the blackout is the Giants were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Diamondbacks have territorial rights to broadcast its games in Utah. MLB Extra Innings cannot broadcast a game in the market where a team has territorial rights. The frustrating part of it all is, even though the Diamondbacks have territorial rights to broadcast its games in Utah, Arizona games are not available in the Salt Lake City market. The FSN station that is available on Directv in Salt Lake broadcasts the Colorado Rockies games but the Diamondbacks games are unavailable. Looking at the MLB blackout map below, it becomes clear that Major League Baseball needs to rethink its blackout policy.

click on the map for larger image

I'm lucky living in Utah because the only team I cannot see play is the Diamondbacks. In Iowa, the Cardinals, Royals, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, and Twins are not available to MLB Extra Innings subscribers. If one of the local stations does not carry the game, the fans of these teams living in Iowa are unable to see their favorite team play. In Las Vegas, the Angels, Dodgers, Giants, A's Diamondbacks, and Padres games are all blacked out.

There is no way these types of blackouts are in the best interest of baseball. Baseball needs to make the broadcasts of its games more available. The solution is simple, if a station in a local market is not carrying the broadcast the game should be available on MLB Extra Innings. Bud Selig has made an effort to grow baseball's popularity and making more games available for fans to watch is a way to do this.

A Horrible Turn of Events

2009-04-09T09:35:00.006-06:00

The best part of being a Bees fan is watching players that have played for Salt Lake perform well in the Major Leagues. Last night, I cheered on every pitch thrown by former Salt Lake Bees pitcher Nick Adenhart as he shut out the Oakland A's for six innings. Watching his confidence grow with each inning left me with no doubt that he was taking a giant step toward realizing his outstanding potential. Sadly, last night's outing against Oakland was Nick Adenhart's final appearance. Hours after the game he was tragically killed in a auto accident.

I got to know Nick Adenhart a little bit while he was pitching for the Bees. He was a highly rated prospect and he struggled in the second half of the 2008 season. But he never lost his determination or dedication. He was a great kid and you couldn't help but root for him. A young life was tragically lost last night. My prayers go out to his family and teammates.

Baseball Prospectus on the Royals

2009-03-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

If you are more than a casual baseball fan the one site you should subscribe too is Baseball Prospectus. BP contains the most thorough, intelligent baseball analysis on the web. Baseball Prospectus'annual publication and podcasts are essential to all baseball fans that are looking for a deeper understanding of the game. I don't always agree with what is published by BP, but it is always an interesting read.

In his Hit and Run column today, BP writer Jay Jaffe gives his view of the American League Central. To read the entire article requires a subscription, but Jaffe characterizes the Royals off season and 2009 club as "the good, the bad, and the ugly." Taking the same view as me, Jaffe rates the trade for Coco Crip as good and the signing of Mike Jacobs and Willie Bloomquist as ugly.

Jaffe nails it when he describes Jacobs as an "OBP-challenged, defensively inept first basemen." He goes on to say first basemen like Jacobs "don't just grow on trees, they grow like weeds in Triple-A-sized ditches across the land, and at least when you pluck those weeds, they're not arbitration eligible."

But Jaffe saved his most astute observation for the Willie Bloomquist signing. "We've made an off-color joke at his [Bloomquist] expense before, but at least the Mariners weren't paying free-agent prices for the privilege of catching the disease, whereas the Royals are: $3.1 million over two years for a guy whose contribution can be equaled by just about anyone in the phone book." Jaffe won't get any argument from me, or anyone else that understands baseball, about his analysis of the Bloomquist signing.

Royals Hitting Coach Kevin Seitzer

2009-03-12T21:40:00.003-06:00

Keith, a regular reader of the blog who lives in the Kansas City area, posted the following on a previous entry's comment section: "It is fun to read all of your Royals comments. For a guy who is half a country from KC you are right on the money most of the time. I hope you give a critical look into the hitting of the club. As you know Kevin Seitzer is the new Royals hitting coach and we all know how he did in Arizona. He sucked! After they canned him at the All Star Break the Diamondbacks went on a tear and made the playoffs. He is my biggest concern when it comes to the Royals this year. I can't wait to see your comments on this topic."

Thanks for taking time to comment Keith and I appreciate you reading my blog.

Before I discuss Kevin Seitzer there are a few items that need to be clarified. First, on the day Kevin Seitzer was fired, the Diamondbacks were leading the NL west by 1 game. Their record was below .500 at 46-47, but there were leading the division. Second, the Diamondbacks did not "go on a tear" and make the playoffs in 2008. Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers won the NL West and the Diamondbacks were left out of the post-season.

The prevailing thought about Kevin Seitzer is that his strength will be in mentoring and helping in the development of young players like Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. But is this an accurate assumption? Will Seitzer be able to coach the Royals young players to be more productive at the plate? Although it is a small sample size, Seitzer does have a track record working with young hitters. The 2008 Diamondbacks had three young players with star potential, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, and Chris Young. It should scare Royals fans to compare the production of these hitters during the first half of the season when Seitzer was the hitting coach with the second half of the season when he was not.

Time frame	Player	AVG	OBP	SLG
Pre All-Star game	Stephen Drew	.264	.302	.460
Post All-Star game	Stephen Drew	.326	.372	.556

Pre All-Star game	Chris Young	.228	.296	.401
Post All-Star game	Chris Young	.278	.343	.508

Pre All-Star game	Justin Upton	.242	.353	.433
Post All-Star game	Justin Upton	.278	.352	.570

These differences in production all three of these players showed between the first and second half of the 2008 season cannot be written off as normal, in season fluctuations. The improvement was significant and the biggest variable between the two halves of the season is that Kevin Seitzer was no longer hitting coach. This is something that cannot be overstated. Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, and Chris Young, all under the age of 25 , showed tremendous improvement after Kevin Seitzer fire. It is clear the Arizona Diamondbacks front office realized they made a mistake in hiring Seitzer and quickly moved to correct it.

Several Royals fans have shared with me that they are excited to have Kevin Seitzer on the coaching staff because he was part of the Royals glory days. I laugh when I hear this because Kevin Seitzer never appeared in a post-season game for the Royals and his only connection to the "glory days" was being in the team picture with George Brett. Royals fans should not be celebrating Seitzer's return to the Royals. Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Mike Aviles, Alberto Callaspo, and Mark Teahen are all young, developing hitters. As early as 2010, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer could be in the Major Leagues. It cannot be minimized how important it is for the Kansas City Royals to have a hitting coach that can aid in the development of these young players. Hiring a hitting coach was a huge responsibility for GM Dayton Moore and, just as he did when he went to Japan to hire Trey Hillmen, he registered a huge failure by hiring Kevin Seitzer.

PED Users in the WBC?

2009-03-12T07:00:00.003-06:00

Last week I received this email from Fred, a regular reader of this blog.

"Here's one to ponder in a blog. If J.C. Romero should be able to pitch in the MLB sponsored World Baseball Classic. I say no that if steroid users are able to play in the World Baseball Classic then MLB should pull their sponsorship since he will be serving a 50 game suspension for steroids. Come on MLB lets gets serious about the steroid issue."

Before I comment on the issue Fred raises I want to say a word about J.C. Romero. If I made a list of my favorite all time baseball players J.C. Romero would be near the top. In an entry posted last fall, I discussed my view of J.C. Romero. It was extremely disappointing when it was reported that he tested positive for a banned substance and was being suspended for 50 games. I am not going into detail about the circumstances of Romero's suspension. If you are interested in what happened, I recommend you check out Peter Gammons' report from January.

The World Baseball Classic is an endeavor of Major League Baseball. The coverage of the event on MLB.com and MLB Network is extensive and Commissioner Bud Selig never misses an opportunity to discuss the merits of the WBC. Given Major League Baseball's commitment to the WBC, the question Fred raises deserves an answer. If Bud Selig and Major League baseball are serious about eliminating the use of performance-enhancing-drugs in the sport, why is a player who is suspended from baseball for PED use allowed to participate in one of baseball's high profile events? Does Commissioner Selig want to avoid bad publicity relating to one of his pet projects? Is MLB trying to avoid an international incident by not dealing with a player from Puerto Rico? Is there a loophole in the drug testing agreement with Players Association that needs to be closed? I don't have the answers to this questions but Commissioner Selig and Major League Baseball owes every fan an answer. Until the answers are provided, the shadow of doubt that performance enhancing drugs have cast over baseball will remain.

Unbelievable!

2009-03-10T21:30:00.006-06:00

What a game tonight! The Netherlands beating the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the World Baseball Classic didn't have the political implications of the 1980 USA v Soviet Union "Miracle On Ice" Olympic hockey game, but the magnitude of the upset is just as amazing. This game was one of the biggest upsets I can think of. A vaunted Dominican team, loaded with Major League all-stars and future Hall of Famers, falling to a team made up of players from Holland, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba can only be described as unbelievable.

The report on ESPN SportsCenter highlighted the make up of the two teams.

Dominican Rep.		Netherlands
23	Current MLB Players	2
$83 million	MLB Salaries	$.4 million
4	2008 All Stars	0
518	Career MLB Wins	95
1801	Career MLB HR	82

Note: Sidney Ponson has 90 of the 94 wins and Randell Simon has 49 of the 82 homeruns for the Netherlands.

The two teams squared off last Friday with the Netherlands winning 3-2. This was a shocker but most believed it was a one time event and there was no way the Netherlands would be able to advance. "That was a team we should have trounced 9-0," Dominican Republic manager Felipe Alou was quoted as saying after the game. To be honest, I agreed with Alou. Even though the Netherlands beat the Dominican Republic and put up a great fight before losing to Puerto Rico on Monday, I didn't see a way they could beat the Dominican again.

Because I am a baseball fan and enjoy having competitive games to watch in mid-March, I tuned in last night. Tension rose each scoreless inning as the Netherlands matched the Dominican pitch for pitch. Finally the Dominican pushed a run across in the bottom of the 11th and I don't think I was alone in believing the game was over. But the Dutch battled back and scored twice in the bottom of the 11th to win. Jose Reyes, Miguel Tejada, Jose Guillen, Miguel Olivo and the rest of the Dominican Republic looked on in stunned silence at a group of players, described by KMOX radio host Kevin Wheeler as "a team of has-beens and never-weres - whose best hitter is remembered more for his hit on a racing sausage than for his big league career" widely celebrated.

I've watched a lot of the World Baseball Classic games so far this year. Unlike a lot of baseball fans, I believe the Classic is a good idea and I enjoy it. I know there are flaws but, thanks in part to the 2009 team from the Netherlands, the WBC is on its way to fulfilling Bud Selig's vision when he began the WBC in 2006.

Some Hope From Royals Camp!

2009-03-06T11:50:00.010-07:00

In a previous entry I wrote that I was convinced that Ross Gload, "at the expense of better players with more potential," would play a "significant" role for the Royals in 2009." But after reading Bob Dutton's report in today's Kansas City Star, I am now cautiously optimistic I might have been wrong. Is it possible that Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman finally realize that Ross Gload, a player who's only "skill" is making a so-called productive out, has no value to the Royals?

At the time I wrote the entry mentioned above, I didn't believe that Moore would consider releasing Gload and eating his nearly $2 million salary. Ross Gload is Dayton Moore's boy. Moore signed Gload to a two year contract when every other Major League team would have given him a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. But the headline over Dutton's report, "Gload battling the odds to keep spot on Royals’ roster" is a clear indication that Moore and Hillman are, at the very list, thinking about admitting the Gload signing was a mistake and cutting their losses. It is far from certain the Royals will waive Gload but knowing that Moore and Hillman are considering the possibility should make every Royals fan smile.

The Forgotten Catcher: Bobby Wilson

2009-02-27T18:56:00.017-07:00

Bobby Wilson is an "odd man out" for the Angels. Currently, Wilson is blocked by the Angels Major League catching tandem of Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis and approaching from behind is Angelswin.com #1 ranked prospect Hank Conger. Baring an unforeseen trade or injury, Wilson will return to Salt Lake for a third straight season and it appears circumstances will prevent Wilson from ever being a part of the Angels Major League roster. This is unfortunate because Bobby Wilson is a better player than Jeff Mathis and he would do a good job as the Angels #2 catcher in 2009.

Bobby Wilson's strength is his defense and I rate his defensive skills as Major League ready. Behind the plate he displays excellent footwork and does a good job of blocking balls in the dirt. He has a strong, accurate throwing arm. For the Bees in 2008 he threw out 43% of runners attempting to steal. He handles the pitching staff well and the Salt Lake pitchers seem to have a great deal of confidence in him. I have seen the majority of home games that both Jeff Mathis and Bobby Wilson have caught in AAA and I would give the edge to Wilson as a defensive catcher.

Wilson is not a spectacular hitting prospect. He is a line drive type of hitter with little power. But he does make solid contact and he hits the ball with authority. Wilson's 2008 hitting line of .312/.386/.435 was better than any season Jeff Mathis had for Salt Lake. In my observation, Wilson has more hitting potential than Mathis.

It is highly unlikely Bobby Wilson has much of a chance to make the 2009 Angels squad in 2009. Jeff Mathis is familiar with the current Angels pitching staff and Mike Scioscia has a lot of faith in him. This entry is not a knock on Jeff Mathis and I believe he will have a nice rebound season in 2009. But in terms of baseball ability, Bobby Wilson is a better player than Mathis. It will be nice to have Wilson back in Salt Lake this year but I hope he is soon able to move to another organization. There are several teams who could use Bobby Wilson to fill their #2 catching slot.

This entry is also posted on the Angelswin.com blog. Angelswin.com is the best site on the 'net for fans of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Opening Day 25 Man Roster

2009-02-24T11:46:00.015-07:00

I promise everyone this is my last entry lamenting that Willie Bloomquist and Ross Gload are members of the Kansas City Royals. The battle is lost and I surrender. After reading Dick Kaegel's latest column on kcroyals.com, I am convinced that both Bloomquist and Gload, at the expense of better players with more potential, are going to play "significant" roles for the Royals in 2009.

Frequent visitors to kcroyals.com are aware that Dick Kaegel is an unofficial member of the Kansas City Royals PR department masquerading as a journalist. Fans seeking in depth reporting and unbiased analysis of the Kansas City Royals will waste their time reading much of what is posted at kcroyals.com. But Kaegel's work has value because he provides clues to what Hillman and Moore are thinking. In his latest column, Kaegel reports how the Royals roster might look when the team breaks camp. Unfortunately for Royals fans, it appears that the team is going to begin the regular season will not be the best possible team the Royals could field.

In theory, the biggest question mark for the Royals in 2009 is second base. The Royals are giving the perception that Mark Teahen, Alberto Callaspo, and Willie Bloomquist are all candidates for the job and each has a chance to win the position. But after reading Kaegel's column I am convinced the competition is an illusion and the decision has already been made.

"Willie Bloomquist, Alberto Callaspo and Mark Teahen are in a rumble around second base...Bloomquist might have an edge. He's got more experience than Teahen at second base and more range than Callaspo...Bloomquist was signed to a two-year contract which also might work in his favor."

Unless something has changed since the website went online, Kaegel would not post this if he didn't have the scoop from Hillman or Moore. So even though Callaspo has the potential to be an above average Major League hitter and Mark Teahen is athletic enough to possibly play the position, the Royals are going to compound a horrible free agent signing by handing him a starting job. Bloomquist might have a little more range than Callaspo and more experience than Teahen. But he is still the same player that isn't strong enough to hit the ball in the air to the outfield and isn't good enough to start for the AAA Salt Lake Bees.

Kaegel also commented on Ross Gload and Ryan Shealy's chances of making the team.

"Ross Gload, probably the best-fielding first baseman, can also play the outfield. His glove offers nice late-inning protection at first."

"Ryan Shealy logged a lot of time at first base in September and cranked seven homers, putting himself back in the mix. He's facing a numbers crunch although he has a good glove, too, and could be a big bat off the bench."

Gload is presented as a good glove who can play multiple positions while Shealy is facing a numbers crunch. Kaegel does point out that Shealy has a good glove, but there is no doubt Gload has the edge. This is another red flag for Royals fans. Ross Gload is a good defensive first baseman and he can play the outfield. But the Royals have a surplus of outfielders and Shealy blindfolded can hit better than Gload. There is no reason for Ross Gload to be anywhere on the Royals 25 man roster but I have no doubt he will be.

As spring training moves forward, I will post no more entries about whether Bloomquist and Gload should make the club. They are going to make it and it is time to move on to other issues. But if Willie Bloomquist is in the lineup and Ross Gload is on the 25 man roster on opening day, it is more proof that Dayton Moore is not the general manager that is going to assemble a contending team in Kansas City.

The First "Game" of the Spring

2009-02-23T07:30:00.009-07:00

It was great to read the reports from Royals spring training this morning. After an active winter, there is finally on the field action to discuss. It was only an intrasquad game but Dick Kaegel's report that is posted on kcroyals.com and Bob Dutton's piece for the KC Star offer Royals fans first hand accounts of the action. Although both Kaegel and Dutton's reports accurately detail the happenings of the scrimmage neither offer any analysis. So, in the interest of fans that like to look below the surface, I will offer some random thoughts on the Royals first "game" of the spring.

Ryan Shealy and Ross Gload, players competing against each other for one of the final roster slots, hit homeruns. But, while Ross Gload was allowed to circle the bases after his ball left the yard, Ryan Shealy was held at first base to set up a runner on first-no out situation. According to Kaegel, "

"You don't see that every day," Shealy said....Normally you get to circle the bases. Instead, I had to try to break up a double play...." Sure enough, when Alex Gordon followed by rapping into a double play, Shealy had to slide into second base.

Even though it worked out and Shealy was able to work on breaking up a double play, the question remains why did manager Trey Hillman do this with Alex Gordon at the plate? This would have been the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the abilities of Willie Bloomquist. In order to practice breaking up a double play the hitter must hit a weak ground ball or two-hopper to an infielder. Willie Bloomquist is one of the best in the Major Leagues at hitting these types of balls and yet Hillman chose to use Gordon. Not the wisest use of personnel.

Former Salt Lake player Alberto Callaspo had two hits. Hillman described Callaspo's performance this way:

"He [Callaspo] had a couple of nice ABs," manager Trey Hillman said of Callaspo. "Bert can hit. I think he's one of those guys who can just hit getting out of bed."

The 2008 Royals finished 12th in the American League in runs scored and 12th in on-base-percentage. Heading into 2009 they have a player in Callaspo that is under contract for near the Major League minimum and the manager of the team says he can "hit getting out of bed." Yet Dayton Moore felt the need to sign Willie Bloomquist to a two-year contract to battle him for the position. I'm still waiting for an intelligent reason for the Bloomquist signing.

The Royals Rotation - Luke Hochevar

2009-02-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

Last spring, the Royals were deciding whether former #1 draft draft choice Luke Hochevar was ready to be a part of the Royals rotation or needed more time in the minor leagues. A year later, Hochevar's future with the Royals is not much clearer. Hochevar is more of an enigma than Major League pitcher. 2009 is a make or break year for Hochevar and the Royals need to give him every opportunity to establish himself.

The first time I saw Luke Hochevar pitch was in a AAA game in 2007. The Omaha Royals were playing the Salt Lake Bees and Hochevar did not demonstrate any of the talent or skill that a Major League pitcher should possess. In a previous blog entry I described Hochevar's performance this way:

Even though he [Hochevar] was the winning pitcher I was unimpressed. His box score line was okay, 6 IP, 2 earned runs, 8 hits, 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. Even though his numbers were average, Hochevar was very lucky. The Bees hit line drive after line drive that were either hit directly at an infielder or ran down in the outfield. Salt Lake stole four bases and all of them were the result of Hochevar doing a lousy job holding the runners. The 4th inning of the game raised a big red flag to me. With two outs the runner on second base steals third, arriving at the bag before Hochevar's pitch was in the catcher's mitt. The Omaha pitching coach visits the mound in what I assume was an effort to get Hochevar to do a better job of holding runners. On the next pitch, Hochevar drills the Salt Lake hitter in the middle of the back. I viewed this as immature and bush league. Perhaps Hochevar has grown up since last July [2007], but the Royals need to be completely sure before entrusting him with a Major League job.

Hochevar made 22 starts for the Royals in 2008 and over all he looked nothing like a #1 draft choice. Most knowledgeable baseball fans know that ERA is usually not a true measure of a pitcher's ability and performance. But Hochevar's 5.51 ERA, along with a 1.54 K/BB ratio, paint an accurate picture of how mediocre he was. Most disappointing is Hochevar displayed little to give Royals fans hope that he will be able to improve and be a productive member of the rotation. Unless there is a drastic change, the Hochevar I saw pitch in Salt Lake in 2007 will be a true picture of him as a Major Leaguer.

The Royals have no choice but to put Hochevar in the rotation and hope he can establish himself as a Major League pitcher. If Hochevar does develop into a serviceable Major League pitcher the Royals will have another piece in their effort to build a contending team. If Hochevar continues to struggle, the Royals are going to have to bite the bullet and add Hochevar's name to the list of #1 draft choice busts.

The Royals Rotation - Kyle Davies

2009-02-19T10:10:00.020-07:00

Spring training is here and every Major League team can make a case this is their year to compete for a division title. Optimism among Royals fans is running high as most believe Dayton Moore is building a contending team in Kansas City. Even a skeptic like me sees the progress the team is making. The farm system is strong, locking up Zack Greinke to a long term deal was the best move the Royals have made in years, and 2009 could be the year that Alex Gordon and Billy Butler establish themselves as quality Major League hitters. But if the Royals are going to finish above .500 in 2009, the pitchers that follow Meche and Greinke in the rotation are going to have to be at least Major League average. According to the depth chart on the Royals website, Brian Bannister is listed as the #3 starter, Luke Hochevar is slotted in the #4 sport, and Kyle Davies is penciled in at #5. This post is going to take a look at Kyle Davies and how he will help the Royals in 2009.

Kyle Davies could turn out to be one of Dayton Moore's moves as Royals GM. Davies will not turn 26 until September and one scouting report describes Davies in the following way:

His [Davies] fastball sits in the low-90's but he can spot it anywhere. It is supplemented by a great change-up and strong curve.

Davies established himself as above average Major League pitcher in the second half of the 2008 season.

PLAYER	IP	W	H	HR	SO	BB	ERA	H9	HR9	SO/9	BB/9	SO/BB
Davies	64.0	6	62	5	46	23	3.66	8.7	.70	6.5	3.2	2.0

Davies' walk rate was a little higher than desired but in the second half of 2008 he demonstrated the ability to strike hitters out and keep the ball in the ball park. Another telling stat is Davies' 40/29 ground ball/fly ball ratio for the entire 2008 season. A pitcher with three quality pitches that makes hitters hit the ball on the ground has the make up to be good Major League starting pitcher. After the 2008 All-Star break, Royals fans witnessed the real Kyle Davies and he is going to be a valuable member of the 2009 Royals rotation.

Hopefully Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman will realize what the Royals have in Kyle Davies. He is a far better pitcher than Brian Bannister and Luke Hochevar still has some growing to do. If the season began today it is Davies who should be the #3 man in the Royals rotation.

Next up, Rounding Third will take a look at former #1 draft choice Luke Hochevar.

What to Expect from Brian Bannister

2009-02-16T13:49:00.010-07:00

Sunday evening I was visiting with my younger brother about the Royals in 2009 and the subject of Brian Bannister came up. My brother was telling me what Joe Posnanski's Projecting the Best for the Royals in 2009 said about Bannister and as I listened I couldn't believe there are still people holding out hope for him to be a productive member of the Royals rotation.

All the projections expect Bannister to rebound somewhat after last year’s rough, rough season (9-16, 5.76 ERA). Most expect him to have an ERA somewhere around 5.00, and to win eight to 10 games. I tend to see it like Bill James does; I see Bannister having a nice bounce-back season and settle in as a solid third or fourth starter. But I’ll admit that I see this one entirely with my heart; Banny is my favorite player in the game.

I will give Posnanski credit for being honest about why he sees the glass half full when discussing Bannister. I have already written several times about Bannister and I am not going into all of the statistical data again. But most knowledgeable analysts, including Bill James, project Bannister to have a 2009 season that reflects his mediocre ability.

Publication	IP	W	L	SO	ERA	WHIP
Baseball Prospectus	160	8	12	90	5.30	1.50
The Sporting News	183	9	16	113	5.76	1.49
Baseball HQ	145	7	13	86	5.03	1.43

There is justification for Bannister being a part of the 2009 Royals rotation. Occasionally things do break right for him and he ends up on the winning end of the final score. Bannister can eat innings and rest the bullpen. By all accounts, Brian Bannister is an intelligent young man who handles himself with a high level of class. But Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman are making a mistake if they look at Bannister as a young prospect who still has the chance to develop into even an average Major League starting pitcher.

What to Expect from Joe Saunders

2009-01-29T12:00:00.013-07:00

This idea for this entry began with a recent discussion on Angelswin.com that centered around left hander Joe Saunders. But before I discuss Joe Saunders I am going to revisit an exchange I had with Kansas City Royals fans on the message board at kcroyals.com because it directly relates to what I am going to say about Joe Saunders.

At the end of the 2007 season, the Royals believed they had struck gold with a young pitcher named Brian Bannister. Pitching for the last place Royals, Bannister won 12 games with an ERA of 3.87. Most Royals fans hailed GM Dayton Moore as a genius for acquiring Bannister and believed Bannister would be a top of the rotation starter for the Royals for many seasons. At the time I believed Bannister's 2007 season was more a product of luck than pitching skill and ability and in October 2007 I posted the following on the Royals message board:

"I do not share the excitement of other Royals fans about Bannister. I know he had a decent ERA in 07 but he didn't strikeout many hitters while walking too many batters. I see a huge drop off in his performance in 2008. I know pitchers like Paul Byrd don't strikeout a lot of hitters, but they don't walk many either. Bannister has average stuff and his positive performance in 2007 had as much to do with luck as anything else. I hope I am wrong, but my thought is Royals fans that are expecting Bannister to improve or even maintain his 2007 numbers are going to be disappointed....I believe there is a lot of merit in using the Batting Average of Balls in Play (BABIP) statistic to analyze the performance of pitcher. Since the overall AL BABIP in 2007 was .305 and Bannister's BABIP was .264, I would consider his 3.87 ERA in 2007 to be, in large part, attributed to his good luck. I hope I am wrong about Bannister, but I don't see him as any tougher or smarter than most Major League pitchers and I think he will come down to earth in 2008 and we will see a significant increase in his ERA and over all performance."

These comments regarding Bannister were met with hostility from Royals fans.

"How do you figure it had to do with luck? What I saw was a kid who, even when he did put too many guys on base, always found a way to get himself out of jams. He is extremely tough and smart in that regard"

"As for the rest of your BABIP talk - that all sounds great. I watched him pitch a lot of games. And I saw him work himself out of a lot of jams. I suppose you can call that luck if you want. I saw it as making good pitches when he needed to, and being tough enough to make those pitches in pressure situations."

"Did you actually watch him pitch any? If you did, then I dont' see much of a way that you can argue that he didn't show the ability to battle when in a jam - regardless of what the stats show."

"I see Bannister in this rotation longer than I see Greinke or Meche because he will remain consistent"

Even before the 2008 season ended I was completely vindicated. Bannister's season was a total disaster and he was no longer a part of the Royals' rotation. Comparing Bannister's 2008 performance with 2007, it is easy to see what happened. He struck out more hitters in 2008, his walk rate remained consistent, yet his ERA jumped almost two runs a game and he was ineffective pitcher.

year	player	ip	wins	h9	so9	bb9	so/bb	era	whip	babip
2007	Bannister	165	12	8.51	4.20	2.40	1.75	3.87	1.21	.264
2008	Bannister	183	9	10.59	5.57	2.86	1.95	5.76	1.49	.315

The big reason for Bannister's collapse in 2008 is that he wasn't as lucky as he was in 2007. The hard hit balls that were outs in 2007 were base hits in 2008. When his BABIP returned to a more normal .315 his deficiencies as a pitcher were revealed.

This brings us to Joe Saunders and the recent discussion about him on Angelswin.com. The posters on Angelswin.com were in agreement that Saunders had arrived as a Major League pitcher in 2008 and he was only going to get better in 2009. Then a poster named ModernFaulkner posted the following:

"His [Saunders] atypically low .269 BABIP (batting average of balls in play) last year would suggest he's in line for worse core numbers in 2009 (ERA etc)"

Astute observation but, in the same way Royals fans responded to my comments about Brian Bannister, ModernFaulkner was quickly taken to task and mocked for using the BABIP statistic in his observation of Saunders.

"it [low BABIP] could suggest he's getting better"

"not buying it. If Pitcher A consistently hits the low corners and batters put those balls into play, i'm sure his BABIP will be lower than Pitcher B who throws straight average fastballs down the middle of the plate."

"The guy was solid as a rock all year. To me that means he didn't just have a good run to luck into those numbers, he figured it out and did a good job on the mound every fifth day."

Plus his moon is rising over Mars, and we all know that means he's in for a difficult year.

Because the comments and responses were so similar, I thought it would be interesting to compare Saunders' 2008 season with the one Bannister had in 2007. It is striking how similar the results are.

year	player	ip	wins	h9	so9	bb9	so/bb	era	whip	babip
2007	Bannister	165	12	8.51	4.20	2.40	1.75	3.87	1.21	.264
2008	Saunders	198	17	8.50	4.68	2.41	1.94	3.41	1.21	.269

I am concerned Joe Saunders will have a drop off in 2009. His 3.87 ERA in 2008 was a result of good fortune rather than him finally "figuring it out" or "pitching smarter." It is likely Saunders' BABIP will regress to the league average in 2009. This will result in a significant increase in his ERA and runs allowed and Angels fans will be disappointed. I hope I am wrong about Saunders. I hope his good fortune continues and he makes the All-Star team in 2009. But I am not confident this will happen.

This blog entry also appears at Angelswin.com The best site for Angels baseball on the 'net.

Willie Bloomquist-What is Dayton Moore Thinking?

2009-01-09T14:45:00.001-07:00

According to the club's official website, the Royals have signed Willie Bloomquist. The Bloomquist signing is another entry on the list of poor moves by Royals GM Dayton Moore. With each free agent signing and trade, Dayton Moore is proving to Royals fans that he is completely clueless on how to go about building a playoff caliber team. Despite Moore's "best" efforts the Royals are no closer to being a contending team than when he assumed the position of Royals GM.

In Dick Kaegel's report on the Royals website, Moore describes Bloomquist as "an on-base guy." Anyone that describes Willie Bloomquist as an "on-base guy" is not qualified to hold the GM position of a Major League baseball team. During the past three seasons the average American League OBP has been in the neighborhood of .335. Bloomquist's career OBP of .322 is well below the American League average. Bloomquist did post an OBP of .377 in 2008 but, given his over all career performance, this was an anomonoly.

Moore describes Bloomquist as "speed-type player and a hustler....a Craig Counsell-type who really plays hard, hustles and knows how to play." This sounds good but the Royals need players that can actually play the game at a Major League level. Willie Bloomquist is not such a player.

Firing up the Hot Stove

2008-12-05T08:00:00.004-07:00

In his recent blog, ESPN's Jayson Stark writes "The Giants aren't the only team interested in Florida's Jorge Cantu. There are indications the White Sox also have gotten involved." I hope the Marlins do trade Cantu because the main beneficiary of Cantu going to another team would be former Angels and Salt Lake 3B Dallas McPherson. With Cantu out of the picture, DMac should be the Marlins stater at the hot-corner in 2009.

During his career McPherson has displayed outstanding power but he has been injury prone. At the end of the 2008 season McPherson had surgery on his back. If this past season is any indication, he has overcome his back problems. For AAA Albuquerque McPherson hit 42 homeruns and posted a line of .275/.379/.618. From the Marlins perspective, McPherson would be an improvement over Cantu. For a cheaper salary DMac would equal or exceed Cantu's homerun and RBI production with a higher OBP.

Dallas McPherson is one of my all time favorite Salt Lake players. He demonstrated incrediable potential playing for the Stingers and, with the injury problems finally behind him, I hope he receives the opportunity to be an every day player for the Marlins in 2009. Given the chance McPherson could be one of the best power hitters in the National League.

I shot this video of McPherson at a Salt Lake game in 2004.

Time to Face the Truth

2008-11-23T06:30:00.011-07:00

Because the Utah v BYU football game is so important to those of us that live in the state of Utah, I am going to take a break from baseball and post my thoughts on the 48-24 pounding the Utes inflicted on BYU yesterday.

It is time for the arrogant, self righteous BYU fans to face the truth; the University of Utah has surpassed their beloved Cougars as the best college football program in the mountain west. BYU fans have trouble facing this reality because in the past the Cougars have won conference titles, a mythical national championship, and have had a Heisman Trophy winner. But many of these accomplishments are distant memories and have no relevance today. As Deseret News columnist Dick Harmon pointed out in a recent column, BYU is "now 1-20 against ranked teams of late." I would encourage all Cougar fans that are having trouble coming to grips with the truth to say it out loud, "1-20 against ranked teams."

Time to face reality Cougar fans; both Utah and Boise State are several notches ahead of BYU. The BYU Cougars are nothing more than a second tier Division I program.

Trade Billy Butler?

2008-11-20T11:30:00.006-07:00

I was reading the online Kansas City Star this morning to find out what the Kansas City media's reaction was to the Coco Crisp trade. At the end of his column Joe Posnanski writes this:

"Now, the trade opens up some interesting possibilities — it’s clear Moore is not finished dealing this offseason...There are continuing rumors that Moore is willing to trade 23-year-old Billy Butler."

Before GM Dayton Moore trades Billy Butler he should reflect on the mistake the Minnesota Twins made in giving up on David Ortiz. Hopefully by looking at the career of Ortiz Moore will decide to not trade Billy Butler.

In 1999 I saw the majority of home games David Oritz played for the AAA Salt Lake Buzz. He had monster power and excellent plate discipline. The 23-year-old Ortiz hit 30 homeruns with 100 RBIs while putting up a .315/.413/.590 line. There was no doubt he had the skills to be a hitting force in the Major Leagues.

The problem for Ortiz in the Twins organization was that manager Tom Kelly didn't want him on the Major League club because he couldn't play a defensive position. Kelly wouldn't accept any DH-only players on the Twins roster. Choosing instead to keep Doug Mientkiewicz, the Twins released Ortiz in 2002. All baseball fans know the rest of the Ortiz story. He has been a league leader in homeruns, RBIs, OBP, total bases, and walks. The four time all star has been one of the key players in both of the Red Sox World Series championships. Trading Billy Butler could be a repeat of the mistake the Twins made when they gave up on David Ortiz.

In his brief time in AAA Billy Butler put up very similar numbers to David Ortiz.

AAA Stats	AB	H	HR	AVG	OBP	SLG
Ortiz	476	150	30	.315	.413	.590
Butler	203	59	13	.291	.412	.542

The similarity is even more striking when Butler's numbers are projected to the same number of at bats that Ortiz had.

AAA Stats	AB	H	HR	AVG	OBP	SLG
Ortiz	476	150	30	.315	.413	.590
Butler (projected)	476	139	30	.291	.412	.542

I am not maintaining that Billy Butler will turn out to be the second-coming of David Ortiz but his AAA numbers are very similar to Ortiz. Scouts and other baseball people still like Butler's potential and believe he can develop into a very good Major League hitter. Like Ortiz, Billy Butler is not very accomplished at any defensive position and it is likely his best position will be DH. But it is important to remember that Butler is still a young player and the biggest problem of his development has been hindered because the Royals rushed him to the Major Leagues before he was ready.

Hopefully Dayton Moore will take a step back from the notion of trading Butler and give him the chance to develop. The Royals potentially have a special hitter and it would be foolish to trade him away now.

The Current Royals Lineup

2008-11-19T11:32:00.012-07:00

The big news today is the Royals have traded relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox for center fielder Coco Crisp. There is speculation this is only first of several trades GM Dayton Moore will make this off season. Mark Teahen could soon move to the north side of Chicago and will be playing for Lou Piniella and the Cubs in 2009. As of now this is only a rumor. But as a result of the trades for Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp the Royals 2009 lineup is better than the one the club fielded in 2008.

POS	2009 STARTER	2008 STARTER
C	Miguel Olivo	John Buck
1B	Mike Jacobs	Ross Gload
2B	Alberto Callaspo	Mark Grudzielanek
3B	Alex Gordon	Alex Gordon
SS	Mike Aviles	Mike Aviles
LF	David DeJesus	Mark Teahen
CF	Coco Crisp	David DeJesus
RF	Jose Guillen	Jose Guillen
DH	Billy Bulter	Billy Butler

I don't believe Miguel Olivo will be any better at the plate than John Buck but Mike Jacobs will be a huge improvement over Ross Gload. Replacing Mark Teahen with Coco Crisp will also improve the Royals offensive production. It is going to be interesting to see what transpires the next few weeks but the Royals are set up to be a better offensive team in 2009 than they were in 2008.

Honest Answers to the Royals Mailbag Questions

2008-11-17T11:30:00.019-07:00

Beat writer Dick Kaegal's mailbag column on the KCRoyals.com website is nothing more than a forum for Kaegal to attempt to put a positive spin on what is going on with the Royals. So, in the interest of not glossing over what the Royals are doing, Rounding Third and Heading Home presents honest answers to the recent mailbag questions.

Why is there so much negative talk about Kansas City acquiring Mike Jacobs? The move makes sense. Fine, Jacobs' on-base percentage is low, but against right-handers (where KC's record was below-average) his numbers are not terrible (.315 OBP with 25 homers). Where are you going to find that type of production for $3 million? -- Steven A., Toms River, N.J.

Steven, even the harshest critics of the trade admit that Jacobs will add homerun power to the Royals lineup. But homeruns alone do not win games. In your email you mention the Royals poor performance against right-handed pitching. In 2008 the Royals .260 average was 13 out of 14 American League teams. But as poor as the Royals were against right-handed pitching in 2008 Jacobs was worse. He hit .257 against righties. You also mention Jacobs .315 OBP against right-handers as "not terrible." You are wrong Steven, a .315 OBP is terrible. In 2008 the Oakland A's had an OBP of .318 which was last in the American League.

With the White Sox considering trading Jermaine Dye, do you see the Royals making a trade for him? -- Anthony, Kansas City

To be honest, Anthony, I have no idea why Kaegal devoted space to your question. Former GM Allard Baird made one of the worst trades in baseball history when he traded Jermaine Dye for Neifi Perez. But that is water under the bridge and Jermaine Dye is not coming back to the Royals.

With Zack Greinke and Gil Meche at the top of the rotation, who will the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 guys be? -- Ryan V., Lee's Summit, Mo.

Bad news Ryan, the back end of the Royals pitching rotation is horrible. Greinke and Meche give the Royals a respectable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. But after Greinke and Meche it becomes scary for Kansas City. It is now obvious Brian Bannister's 2007 season was a fluke. The Royals are courting disaster by continuing to believe Bannister has a chance to be even a serviceable Major League pitcher. Davies had some bright spots in 2008 but I don't have a lot of faith he is ever going to be a starting pitcher to be counted on. Luke Hochevar is still young and and has shown enough positives that I believe he could still develop into a Major League pitcher. As things stand now the Royals should pencil him into the #3 spot in 2009 rotation. But if the Royals are going to improve in 2009 they are going to have to find replacements for Bannister and Davies.

Despite his excellent hitting numbers this past year, everything I'm reading says Alberto Callaspo has no chance at being an everyday player. What's your take on his future? -- Drew E., Albany, N.Y.

Drew, I am concerned about what I am reading about Callaspo's role with the Royals in 2009. Alberto Callaspo is exactly the type of player the Royals should be playing everyday. He is not a superstar hitter or a Gold Glove infielder but he is solid in all areas of the game. Callaspo is young and inexpensive and it would be to the Royals advantage to use the 2009 season to see if he could be their everyday second baseman. But Dayton Moore seems intent on finding a veteran middle infielder for 2009. Doesn't make any sense for Moore to do that with a guy like Callaspo already in the organization. But Moore did trade for Mike Jacobs even though Ryan Shealy and Kila Ka'aihue were already part of the Royals organization so I'm not holding out much hope Callaspo will be anymore than a utility player for the Royals in 2009.

What the Royals Should Learn from the Phillies

2008-11-13T18:23:00.019-07:00

It is now the hot-stove season for Major League Baseball clubs. During the next several weeks teams will sign free agents and make trades in an effort to improve. It is also the time of year for Royals fans to begin singing the small market blues, whining to anyone that will listen that because of their small market limitations there is no way they can compete with teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. These folks need to stop crying because the 2008 Phillies proved that a team can build a World Series championship team without throwing big money at free agents.

The following table shows how the 2008 World Series championship team was assembled:

PLAYER	POS	ACQUIRED	YEAR
Carlos Ruiz	C	Signed by Phillies as a non drafted free agent	1998
Ryan Howard	1B	Drafted by the Phillies-5th round	2001
Chase Utley	2B	Drafted by the Phillies-1st round	2000
Pedro Feliz	3B	Signed as a free agent	2008
Jimmy Rollins	SS	Drafted by the Phillies-2nd round	1996
Pat Burrell	LF	Drafted by the Phillies-1st round	1998
Shane Victorino	CF	Rule 5 draft selection-from the Dodgers	2004
Jayson Werth	RF	Signed as free agent-non tendered by Dodgers	2006
Cole Hamels	SP	Drafted by the Phillies-1st round	2002
Jamie Moyer	SP	Trade from Seattle	2006
Joe Blanton	SP	Trade from Oakland	2008
Brad Lidge	RP	Trade from Houston	2008

The Phillies have drafted well, made smart trades, signed reasonably priced free agents, and found a good player in the Rule 5 draft. It should also be noted the Phillies payroll to start the 2008 was only 13th in the Major Leagues.

The Kansas City Royals should be following a path similar to the Phillies. Instead of wasting money on free agents like Jose Guillen and trading for below average players like Mike Jacobs, the Royals need to refocus their efforts and financial resources on the draft, scouting, and player development. This process will require a financial committment from owner David Glass and intelligent decisions by GM Dayton Moore. But with patience and a willingness to stick to the plan the Royals can indeed build a contending team.

Chris De Luca is a Moron!

2008-11-13T07:39:00.016-07:00

When I started writing Rounding Third and Heading Home, my goal was to express my view of sports in a straight forward, intelligent fashion. I didn't want to be a an overly emotional blogger that constantly rambled and complained. But I am going to deviate from that style today because of something I read about the 2008 NL Cy Young Award. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum was the runaway winner of the award, being listed first on 23 of the 32 of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks was second in the voting and Johan Santana of the New York Mets was third. Arguments can be made that either Webb or Santana were the best pitcher in the NL but there is no argument that Lincecum, Webb, and Santana were the three best pitchers in the National League in 2008. (I don't include CC Sabathia because he was not in the NL for the full season).

This brings us to Chicago Sun-Times writer Chris De Luca who didn't put Lincecum anywhere on his ballot. He listed Brandon Webb first, Brad Lidge second, and Johan Santana third. As I said earlier, a case can be made for Webb but it is beyond understanding how De Luca could leave Lincecum completely off his ballot. In an interview with San Francisco Chronicl e writer John Shay, De Luca defended his ballot by saying:

"I thought Webb's victories (22) stood out to me more than anything, and Lincecum didn't have the victories. Twenty victories was a big deal. We had a stretch there where no one was hitting 20."

Saying that Webb deserved the award over Lincecum because he was the winning pitcher in more games shows that De Luca has absolutely no clue on how to evaluate the performance of a baseball player. In the same number of innings pitched as Webb, Lincecum allowed fewer homeruns, had more strikeouts, and had a lower ERA and WHIP. The only reson Webb won 22 games to Lincecum's 18 is because the Diamondbacks were a significantly better team than the Giants. I can't imagine any baseball writer not understanding the win statistic alone is not a meaningful tool in evaluating a pitcher's ability or accomplishments. But Chris De Luca demonstrated that understanding the game of baseball is not a requirement for being a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Why Trade Matt Holliday?

2008-11-07T08:57:00.004-07:00

Every baseball writer from Tim Kirkjian to Tracy Ringolsby is reporting the Colorado Rockies are going to trade left fielder Matt Holliday this winter. Even though Colorado would get a fine return of prospects from trading Holliday, it would be a foolish trade for Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd to make. The NL West is a winnable division for the Rockies in 2009 and not having Holliday in the middle of the lineup hurts the Rockies chances. If things do not work out and the Rockies are not in contention Holliday could always be moved mid season. Colorado could also keep Holliday and take the compensation draft picks when he moves on at the end of the 2009 season. The Rockies have a realistic chance to contend in 2009 and they should take advantage of that.

The Rockies do have some weak areas and O'Dowd is going to have to make some moves to shore these up. The player the Rockies should be looking to move is 3B Garrett Atkins. Atkins is a power bat and he is not eligible to file for free agency until after the 2010 season. This should make him appealing to several Major League teams. The Rockies can afford to trade Atkins because they have Ian Stewart to step in and fill Atkins position. Moving Atkins could return a starting pitcher or free up salary to go shopping for one on the free agent market.

There are some teams like the Kansas City Royals that should look at 2009 as a building year and plan their off season moves with a focus on the future. The Rockies are not in that position. With the right off season moves they could enter 2009 as the favorites to win the NL West. Dan O'Dowd and the Rockies front office needs to realize they are not the Royals and add the pieces that will put the Rockies into the playoffs for the second time in the last three years.

Thoughts on the BCS

2008-11-06T17:45:00.005-07:00

One of the biggest criticisms of the BCS system is that a championship should be decided on the field and not in the polls and computer rankings. In a recent column ESPN.com writer Ivan Maisell makes the point the college football champion is decided on the field. In response to an email complaining that Florida and USC are currently playing better than anyone and it is unfair they will not have an opportunity to play for the National Championship Maisell responses:

"I happen to agree with this reader that the Gators and the Trojans are playing better than just about anybody else right now. The reader suggested Florida and USC ought to be able to decide it -- all together now -- on the field."

"Back up a minute. Why aren't Florida and USC at the top right now? Each of them lost a game. Where did they lose it? In the polls? The computers? No, both of them lost on the field. Florida lost at home to an Ole Miss team that is 5-4. USC lost on the road to an Oregon State team that is 5-3. Didn't that prove something?"

In these two paragraphs Maisell makes a very good point. Polls and computers are not the reason that Florida and USC or Texas and Oklahoma face huge hurdles if they are going to play for the title. The reason Penn State, Alabama, and Texas Tech sit on top of the rankings is because those teams have taken care of business on the field. Texas has no one but itself to blame for losing to Texas Tech. Ditto for USC at Oregon State and Oklahoma against Texas. The BCS is far from a perfect system but to claim the national title is subjective and not decided on the field is wrong.

There is no doubt the BCS is flawed. Some teams play more difficult schedules than others and some conferences do not have championship games. Only a fan with blind loyalty would not admit the Big XII and SEC are loaded while the PAC 10, Big X, ACC, and Big East are weak. But that doesn't take away from the fact that when the season starts each team controls its own destiny. Win games and be in a position to play for the title.

Ron Prince Out at Kansas State

2008-11-05T14:32:00.008-07:00

According to ESPN.com, Kansas State head football coach Ron Prince will not return to coach the 'Cats in 2009. Prince leaving creates a good news/bad news situation. The good news is Prince is gone, something Rounding Third and Heading Home suggested several days ago. It has been obvious for sometime that Prince is in over his head trying to be a head coach of a Big XII football team. During Prince's tenure Kansas State showed few signs of progress and continued to be embarrassed in key conferences games. Kansas State's recent football history is one of being a conference champion, nationally ranked, and playing in top tier bowl games. Ron Prince never demonstrated that he was capable of maintaining the program at this high level.

The bad news is Athletic Director Robert Krause is going to be responsible for hiring Prince's successor. Wildcat fans should remember that it was Robert Krause that extended Prince's contract last August. It does not reflect well on Krause's judgment that he believed it necessary to fire a head coach a few months after giving him an extension. The future of Kansas State football is hanging in the balance. The next football coach is going to have to undo the damage done by Ron Prince and connect with the tradition and success of the Bill Snyder era. If Krause makes a mistake and hires the wrong coach it could take years for KSU football to recover.

RON PRINCE NEEDS TO GO!

2008-11-01T20:22:00.005-06:00

Going to take a break from the baseball hot stove discussion and talk about college football. The Kansas State Wildcats' 52 - 21 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks today should convince the administration at Kansas State University that head football coach Ron Prince should be fired. This was another embarrassing Big XII Conference loss and 100% of the blame for the continued failures of the football team rests on the shoulders of Ron Prince. I do not know Prince's contract status but something must be done to send him away or the once proud football program will sink to the depths not seen in Manhattan since before Bill Snyder's arrival.

Ron Prince coached teams are 3-12 against Big XII opponents, 3-8 against the Big XII North, 3-11 in road games, and 0-6 against Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. If there are Prince supporters they might point to the 'Cats wins against Texas, but two good wins do not make a good program. Clearly Kansas State football is struggling and a change needs to be made.

Reaction to the Mike Jacobs Trade

2008-10-31T21:55:00.011-06:00

In my October 27 post I wrote my views about the rumored trade that would bring 1B Mike Jacobs to the Kansas City Royals. Later in the week it was announced that Kansas City had traded relief pitcher Leo Nunez to the Marlins for Mike Jacobs. Since I have already expressed my opinion of this trade I thought I would use this entry to post what others are saying about the move.

Respected Baseball Prospectus writer Rany Jazayerli wrote the following on his blog before the trade was announced:

"But let me be clear about this: trading for Mike Jacobs is a terrible idea."

"Jacobs wasn’t even all that good in 2008. He certainly had his uses; he hit 32 homers in just 141 games, and slugged .514 for the Marlins. But he drew just 36 walks, and his OBP was .299. Two-ninety-nine."

"The mere fact that Moore is talking to the Marlins about Jacobs tells me he still doesn’t get it. He doesn’t get that what really ails his offense isn’t the lack of power, it’s the lack of walks."

"There were 29 players this season who batted at least 300 times and played at least half their games at first base. Only two of them had a lower OBP than Ross Gload’s .317. One was John Bowker, rookie first baseman for the Giants, who had a .300 OBP. The other – with the lowest OBP of any first baseman in the game – was Jacobs. That’s right: Moore has managed to find a first baseman that actually reached base less often than Ross Gload. And he’s willing to give up talent to get him."

The Miami Herald Newspaper was not complimentary in describing Jacobs.

"...the former catcher [Jacobs] was a defensive liability and had a low on-base percentage."

The Kansas City Star's Upon Further Review blog was not overly critical of the trade, but the writers did point out interesting facts relating to the trade:

"Jacobs and Jose Guillen posted two of the 10-lowest on-base percentages among all qualifying hitters in big-league baseball during the 2008 season. Now they are likely to be paired back-to-back in the Royals' batting order."

"...as I've written many times, the most typical age for a hitter to have his career season is 27. Prior to last season, Jacobs hit 20 and 17 homers for the Marlins in a similar number of plate appearances. So there is a good chance that Mike Jacobs is never going to threaten the 30 home-run mark again."

Ted Carlson, who writes a very good blog for Rototimes.com didn't see Dayton Moore's rational for making the trade:

"But I fail to see this as a necessary upgrade for the Royals. It seems to create more headaches than anything else, and I'm already shuddering at the thought of the club trying to slot Jacobs into the fourth spot. You just know they're going to try it. And Jacobs is going to stink as a No. 4 hitter in the AL, just as he stunk when he tried to be the No. 4 hitter for the Marlins this past year."

The final word on the Royals' ridiculous move comes from fantasy baseball website Rotoworld.com:

"The Royals' finished with a .320 team OBP that ranked 27th in the majors last season, and Dayton Moore's answer to that problem is to pick up a first baseman who finished at .299. Jacobs did hit 32 homers, but he's a 28-year-old with a career .262/.318/.498 line and he's a below average defender at first base."

There is not much to like about this trade and Royals fans can only hope that Dayton Moore does not make anymore senseless moves this off season.

Congratulations to J.C. Romero and the Phillies

2008-10-30T08:42:00.009-06:00

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a fan of the Salt Lake Bees is watching players move on to success in the Major Leagues. Salt Lake baseball fans have been fortunate to watch many good players cut their teeth here before establishing themselves as solid Major Leaguers. David Ortiz, Torii Hunter, John Lackey, and Chone Figgins are a few of the players that fans in Utah have had the pleasure to watch. But of all the Salt Lake players that I have had the opportunity to watch and get to know Phillies reliever J.C. Romero is my all time favorite. It was because of Romero that I was rooting for the Phillies to win the World Series.

Romero made his first appearance for Salt Lake in 1999. At that time my 11 year old son and I attended almost every home game. We would sit on the front row by the bullpen which gave us an opportunity to talk to the pitchers. Game after game J.C. was outgoing and friendly toward my son and he quickly become my son's favorite player. It was very special to an 11 year old boy to feel like he was friends with a professional ball player. The following year Romero started the season with the Twins but was sent back to Salt Lake. My son was excited to have his favorite player coming back to town but I was worried he was setting himself up for disappointment. I explained to him the previous season was a long time ago and that Romero might not even remember him. As it turned out my worries were unfounded. Romero made a point to talk to my son and it was clear that J.C. remembered my son. From that moment I've always rooted for J.C. Romero.

Romero was outstanding for the Phillies in the 2009 post-season. He did not give up a run in 7.1 innings, striking out 4 without walking a hitter. He was the winning pitcher in 2 World Series games. The ultimate goal of every Major League player is to play on a World Series winner. J.C. Romero has now accomplished that goal and in the process proving that truly good guys can succeed in sports. Congratulations to J.C. and the rest of the Phillies.

A Lesson to Learn From the Yankees

2008-10-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Beginning in 1947 and continuing through 1964 the New York Yankees won 16 American League pennants and 10 World Series titles. In 1965 the Yankees finished 9 games below .500 and in 6th place. Yankees fans were shocked. How could a team that made a habit out of winning pennants and championships fall so far so fast? This is an important question for the Angels because if they don't make significant moves this off season they could end up experiencing the same fate as the Yankees of the 1960s.

The 1965 Yankees had future Hall of Fame players Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford and former AL MVP winners Elston Howard and Roger Maris. But in 1965 Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, and Roger Maris were getting old. Bobby Richardson, Clete Boyer and Tom Tresh were above average but not the type of players a pennant winning team is built around. Young players such as Bobby Murcer, Jake Gibbs, Roy White, and Roger Repoz never developed into the championship-caliber type of players the Yankees front office believed they would. In 1966 the Yankees finished behind the Washington Senators and Kansas City A's in last place. It would be 9 more seasons before the Yankees would reach the post-season.

This period of New York Yankees history should not be lost on the Angels. Beginning in 2002, the Angels have won a World Series championship and 4 division titles. But unless drastic changes are made during this off season, the 2009 version of the Angels could follow the same path as the 1965 Yankees. Vlad Guerrero and Garret Anderson are getting older. The Angels have picked up Vlad's 2009 option but it is questionable if Anderson will be back. Torii Hunter and Chone Figgins are both solid players players but neither are corner stones of a World Series winner. Experts have said that Howie Kendrick, Eric Aybar, Brandon Wood, Sean Rodriguez, and Kendry Morales have potential but it remains to be seen if they can produce at the Major League level.

The starting pitching the 2009 Angels will have is something the Yankees of the mid to late 1960s did not have. John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Jered Weaver have all proven to be Major League quality pitchers. There is no arguing that John Lackey is a true ace. But starting pitching alone is not enough to guarantee continued success when the offensive line up has so many holes. Most Angels fans believe signing Mark Teixeira is the most important off season move the team should make. But signing Teixeira is not enough to ensure continued success. It is time for Reagins and Scioscia to attempt to make several changes to this team's lineup through trades and free agents signings to ensure that October baseball is not a distant memory for the Angels.

This entry is also posted on the Angelswin.com blog.

Big Mistake by Joe Maddon

2008-10-28T13:34:00.007-06:00

The conventional wisdom of baseball says win the game being played today and worry about tomorrow's game tomorrow. According to this morning's St. Petersburg Times, Rays manager Joe Maddon is going against this strategy. The newspaper reports that Maddon is planning to use his bullpen to finish the suspended game 5 and save starting pitchers James Shields and Matt Garza to pitch games 6 and 7. Maddon is quoted in the article as saying "we have to win this game [suspended game 5] to get to Garza." By choosing to use his bullpen, Maddon is setting his team up to have their season end Wednesday night in Philadelphia.

The Tampa Bay bullpen has been less than stellar in the World Series. Grant Balfour, Chad Bradford, Edwin Jackson, Trever Miller, David Price, Dan Wheeler, and J.P. Howell have combined to pitch 14.2 innings. They have allowed 12 hits, 5 homeruns, walked 8 batters, and allowed 8 runs. In the only game of the Series the Rays have won, starting pitcher James Shields pitched 5+ innings of shut out baseball. In an elimination game, Maddon should use the best pitcher he has available. That pitcher is staff ace James Shields. If Maddon goes through with his plan to use his bullpen the next game Shields or Matt Garza will pitch will in the opening series of the 2009 season.

Mike Jacobs to the Royals?

2008-10-27T07:00:00.009-06:00

After a hectic summer and fall I am again posting my thoughts on baseball and other sports here on Rounding Third and Heading Home.
The following appeared in this mornings online edition of the Miami Herald:

The Marlins have decided to raise their payroll to the $30-$35 million range and have been in serious talks to trade Mike Jacobs...The Marlins wanted to deal Jacobs to Kansas City, but the deal died last week

If trading for a player like Mike Jacobs is general manager Dayton Moore's idea of improving the team, the Kansas City Royals will never be a contending team in the American League Central Division.

Mike Jacobs is a free swinging first baseman with some pop in his bat. In 2008 he hit 32 homeruns and drove in 93 for the Marlins. But he also posted a .248 batting average, struck out 119 times, and showed poor plate discipline by posting a .299 OBP. Jacobs will also command a huge pay raise this off season as he is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The Royals also have options to man first base in 2009. Kila Ka'aihue had a monster year for AAA Omaha and Ryan Shealy is fully recovered from his injuries and performed well for Kansas City in September. It is likely that either Ka'aihue or Shealy would be able to produce nearly as well as Jacobs for close to the Major League minimum salary.

I don't see any realistic options for the Royals to become a legitimate contender in 2009. In 2008 the White Sox and Twins fought to the end for the division title and the Indians played at a .543 clip in the final 81 games of the season. There is no reason to believe that any of these teams will have a drop off in 2009. Heading into this off season my fear for the Royals is they will add players that might help them to a respectable record in 2009 but not move the team closer to contending for the post-season. Dayton Moore needs to understand that 2009 is not the year for the Royals to compete for the post-season and begin to lay the groundwork for the club to contend in 2010 or 2011. Acquiring a mediocre player like Mike Jacobs is not going to move the club toward contention.

A Letter to the Editor

2008-06-29T10:23:00.008-06:00

I wanted to share with everyone a letter to the sports editor that was printed in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune. I do not know the letter's author but it is nice to see another fan that is as passionate about the Salt Lake Bees and the players that have played here as me.

ANGELS UTAH'S TEAM, NOT ROCKIES
So the Colorado Rockies think they can win new fans from Utah by showing games on FSN Utah. Not this baseball fan. I'm a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, and I cheer on the Arizona Diamondbacks, since I spent 11 years in Arizona. But what team do I look for in the sports section every day without fail? The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Utah has the privilege of being home to the AAA-Pacific Coast League team of the Angels, the Salt Lake Bees, and of the Pioneer League Orem Owlz. What better way to get behind a major league team than to watch the players as they are making their way up to The Show?

I comb the box scores to see how Chone Figgins, Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Howie Kendrick, Casey Kotchman, former Buzz Torii Hunter and others did the night before. Who pitched? Joe Saunders? John Lackey? Did Francisco Rodriguez get another league-leading save? I remember his pitching during the Stingers' 2002 playoff run, after which he went to the Angels and helped them win the World Series.

Major League Baseball, and first-place teams to follow, are right at our fingertips. Go watch a Bees game at Franklin Covey Field in person. Check out SLBees.com. Get involved in your local team first, and see where that leads you. Probably not to the Rockies, even if they are on TV.

LISA BROTHMAN, Cottonwood Heights

Unlike Lisa, I enjoy watching the Colorado Rockies on the local FSN network. But Lisa does bring up an interesting question, why can't FSN Utah broadcast the Angels? The answer is Major League Baseball's complicated and convoluted territorial rights and black out policies. That topic will be a subject of a future blog entry.

Lisa is not alone in her dedication and passion for the Salt Lake Bees. Utah is fortunate to have two teams affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels, one of the best organizations in Major League Baseball.

Stop Crying Cardinals Fans

2008-06-27T19:57:00.011-06:00

It is inter-league time and the Royals and Cardinals are playing the second installment of the 2008 I-70 Series. Each year when Kansas City and St. Louis hook up many Cardinals fans and announcers begin what has become a yearly ritual, whining about how a blown call cost their team the 1985 World Series. The mention of umpire Don Denkinger still sends many of the Cardinals faithful into a rage. What most of these fans refuse to understand is the missed call by Denkinger didn't cost the Cardinals the World Series. In the interest of setting the story straight this entry is going to revisit Game 6 of the 1985 World Series and show the Cardinals fans they have no one to blame but their own team for not winning the title.

Game 6 was played at what was then called Royals Stadium. Pitchers Danny Cox of the Cardinals and Charlie Liebrandt were both outstanding and the score was tied at 0-0 as the game headed into the 8th inning. In the 8th inning former Salt Lake Bees manager Brian Harper hit an RBI single and the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead. The lead was still 1-0 when the Royals came to bat in the bottom of the 9th. Jorge Orta led off the 9th hitting a ground ball to Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark. Clark fielded the grounder and flipped the ball to Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell covering first. The ball was there on time and even Royals fans will agree that Jorge Orta should have been called out. But umpire Don Denkinger missed the call and Orta was safe at first base. Even though Orta was on base because of a missed call this did not cost the Cardinals the game. The chain of events that followed provided the Cardinals with opportunities to over come the call and win the game.

Steve Balboni followed Orta and hit a routine foul pop up between home plate and first base. Jack Clark and Darrell Porter converged on the ball but for some unknown reason neither of them made the catch and the ball harmlessly hit the ground. Cardinals fans I have spoken with about Game 6 have forgotten this play. Even though a high school junior varsity team makes the catch on that foul ball 100% of the time two Major League players on a team that is three outs from winning the World Series let it drop. Can't blame that on Don Denkinger Cardinals fans. Instead of one out and a runner on first there are no outs and Balboni was still at the plate. Taking advantage of the second life Balboni singled and the Royals had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs.

Catcher Jim Sundberg was up next and he laid down a sacrifice bunt. Worrell fielded the ball and threw to third to nail Orta. Sundberg's bunt was not a good one and Worrell made a nice play to get the lead runner. The Royals gave up an out without moving the runners and there was one out with runners still on 1st and 2nd with Hal McRae the hitter.

The Hal McRae that stepped into the batters box that night was not the same Hal McRae that was one of the American Leagues more dominate players of the 1970s and early 80s. He was in the twilight of his career and he had only hit .259 in 1985. McRae was still a hitter to be feared but he was also a double play candidate and a double play would end the game and give the Cardinals the championship. McRae never got to swing the bat because Todd Worrell uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the runners to advance to 2nd and 3rd. With runners on 2nd and 3rd Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog had Worrell intentionally walk McRae. The wild pitch was a killer for the Cardinals and it was not the fault of Don Denkinger. This is another play in Game 6 that Cardinals fans fail to remember while they are claiming they were robbed.

With the bases loaded and one out Royals manager Dick Howser sent Dane Iorg to the plate to pinch hit for Dan Quisenberry. Dane Iorg was 35 years old and only batted 130 times for the Royals in 1985 hitting a weak .223. He wasn't a hitter to be feared but in this game Iorg was better than Worrell. Iorg hit a soft line drive to right field that scored two runs and giving the Royals an unbelievable victory. The Royals had staved off elimination and forced a deciding Game 7! Game 7 was anti-climatic as the Royals steamrolled the Cardinals 11-0 for their only World Championship.

Cardinals fans are still bitter and claim they were cheated out of the 1985 World Series. But the blown call at 1st base in the 9th inning of Game 6 did not decide the game or the World Series. A foul ball that wasn't caught, a wild pitch, and a complete meltdown by the entire St. Louis Cardinals team and manager in Game 7 were key factors that caused the Cardinals to lose. St. Louis fans need to stop playing the role of victim and blame their own team for not finishing off the Royals and winning the series.

Steven Shell Makes it to "The Show"

2008-06-24T21:59:00.003-06:00

Former Salt Lake Bees pitcher Steve Shell made his Major League debut for the Washington Nationals last Sunday. In the game Shell pitched one inning and retired the Texas Rangers in order. Tonight against his former team the Los Angeles Angels he pitched two innings, giving up no runs, two hits, while striking out one. I was able to see both games on television and it was exciting to see Shell finally make it to the big leagues.

For two seasons I watched Shell work hard as a starter and reliever for the Salt Lake Bees. But despite the hard work and Major League talent, Shell could never find a level of consistency and at the end of the 2007 season he was released by the Angels. During the off season Shell signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. After posting a 2.62 ERA and a 54/14 K/BB in 58.1 innings for Washington's AAA team at Columbus Shell got the call to the Major Leagues. Steve Shell is a talented pitcher with three Major League quality pitches. If he is able to find consistency he will be a positive addition to the Nationals bullpen.

What I remember most about Shell's career in Salt Lake is that he is a great guy. Before a game that he wasn't scheduled to pitch he would always take the time to visit with fans and sign autographs. He was a good friend of Dave "Net Man" Pratt and I know Dave would be very happy and proud of Shell for making it to the Major Leagues. I am also happy for Steve Shell and I wish him nothing but good luck. I am rooting for him to have a long and productive Major League career.

This entry is also posted at Angelswin.com

To Hank Steinbrenner - JUST SHUT UP!

2008-06-17T15:26:00.007-06:00

ESPN radio hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic used to do a weekly feature on their popular Mike & Mike in the Morning program where they would give out the "Just Shut Up" award. This award was given to a sports personality who either ran their mouth too much, said something stupid, or both. In the spirit of Mike & Mike's award today's entry is directed to Yankees Co-Chairperson Harold "Hank" Steinbrenner. Hey Hank, JUST SHUT UP!

I will preface my comments by letting everyone know that I am a lifelong American League fan and I am not a Yankees hater. I like watching many of the current Yankees play and through the years I have enjoyed many games at Yankee Stadium. But there is no defense for Hank Steinbrenner's latest whining to the press. His comments directed toward the National League were out of line.

Last Sunday Yankees pitching ace Chien-Ming Wang injured his foot running the bases against the Houston Astros. The injury is serious and Wang will not be able to pitch until September. Most general managers and owners would accept what happened and move forward because injuries are a part of baseball that all clubs must deal with. But Hank Steinbrenner didn't accept the injury. Instead he unloaded to reporters. His comments as reported in the USA Today:

"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century.....They need to grow up and join the 21st century. Am I (mad) about it? Yes, I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

The rule that Steinbrenner is referring too is the one that doesn't allow American League teams to use the designated hitter when an interleague game is played in a National League stadium. When an AL team plays in an NL park their players must play the complete game of baseball. All players in the lineup must play a defensive position on the field and hit and the run the bases when up to bat. Wang was injured playing the game of baseball Hank. The rule might have originated in the 1800s but 16 of 30 MLB teams and millions of fans still believe the DH needs to be removed from the game. Even though the rule has been around since the 19th century, until it is changed it still applies to all AL teams in the 21st century when they visit a NL city. Here is a suggestion for Hank Steinbrenner and the Yankees. Instead of complaining to the press Steinbrenner needs to accept that his pitcher is injured and, along with GM Brian Cashman, needs to find a way for the Yankees to overcome the injury to a key player.

Good luck to the Yankees as they fight to overtake the Red Sox in the AL East. I hope they are able to do it because I don't want another year of Red Sox nation dominating the post season. But regardless of how things turn out Hank Steinbrenner needs to "JUST SHUT UP!"

My Dad, The Mick, and Father's Day

2008-06-14T13:05:00.001-06:00

Happy Father's Day! Today's entry is dedicated to my dad Robert Mark. It has been two years since my father passed away and, even though the pain of his death has eased over time, I still miss him. My father and I were very different people. We disagreed on politics, religion, the economy, and almost every other subject or issue. But the biggest common bond we shared was baseball and the greatest memories I have of my father center around the game. Going to Kansas City A's and Royals games, playing catch, and watching the then dreadful Atlanta Braves on cable television are a part of my life that I will always cherish. In his day my dad was semi pro player and even at age 70 he could step in a batting cage and crush 80 mph pitches both left and right handed.

It wasn't until later in my life that I began to appreciate the stories my dad would tell me about the game. My father was a Yankees fan because when he was growing up Kansas City was one of the Yankees top farm team. Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Elston Howard, and Mickey Mantle were some of the Yankee greats that passed through Kansas City on their way to the Bronx. Mantle was his favorite player and my dad would talk about The Mick for hours. As I young boy I heard about Mantle's Triple Crown season, his ability to hit the ball out of sight both left and right handed, the homerun he hit that almost went out of Yankee Stadium, his blazing speed, and how Mantle would have been even greater if not for all of the injuries he suffered. I remember asking my dad once if he had watched Don Larson's perfect game in the World Series and his immediate response was to tell me there would not have been a perfect game if not for Mickey Mantle's great catch early in the game. Even though I never saw Mickey Mantle play in person and barely remember him on television I have a vivid picture in my mind of his career thanks to my dad's stories.

Last summer I took a trip to New York with my son and we went to two games at Yankee Stadium. In many ways my relationship with my son is similar to the one I had with my dad. We have very little in common but we still enjoy watching and talking about baseball. As my son and I sat at Yankee Stadium I told him the Mickey Mantle stories his grandpa had shared with me. We went to the third deck in right field and I showed him where Mantle's homerun almost left the stadium. I pointed to death-valley in left center field and recounted the catch Mantle made that saved Don Larson's perfect game in the World Series. My son, who is a young adult, listened and asked questions and I was able to pass my father's love of baseball and Mickey Mantle on to him. It was almost as if my dad was at the game with us and it was a very special time for me.

This will be the second Father's Day I will not be able to share with my father. But my dad left me with a love for the greatest of all sports and for that I will always be blessed. Happy Father's to all.

Mickey Mantle saves Don Larson's perfect game

A Response from an Oakland A's Fan

2008-06-13T07:30:00.003-06:00

In yesterday's entry I took issue with the Baseball Playoffs Now blog's calculations that predicted the Oakland A's would win the AL West. I wrote the Angels were the superior team in the AL West and would win the division. In response to that entry I received an email from Oakland A's fan Justin Kase who believes Baseball Playoffs Now blogger Dan Jarrett got it right when he predicted the Oakland A's over the Angels. Even though I disagree with Justin, his comments were intelligent and respectful and I want to share them with the readers of this blog.

"I disagree [that the Angels will win the AL West]. I mean, yes, I'm an A's fan, but I am also a fair and analytical baseball guy. If you look at the Run Differential, the Halo's are a mediocre at best team. They have done fairly well in the early part of the season but this can be attributed more to, for lack of a better word, luck. I do not think there will be another low run differential team like the Diamondbacks this year. While many others say the Halo's are ripe for a slump, I just think that they are a mediocre team ripe to play like a mediocre team. Lackey is a phenomenal pitcher, but outside of him, the starting group is suspect at best. K-Rod can't hold up if they continue to use him at the pace they have been. The offense is good, but not great.

On the other hand, you have an A's team that is brimming with young talent and is playing well below their run differential. They have the best team ERA in the bigs. Duke, innings short or not, has the lowest ERA of starting pitchers in the AL. Harden is looking, above all, healthy and completely nasty. The A's offense is a work in progress and, yes, there are some injury issues, but the injuries don't protract any further than the all star break and plenty of in-house options exist. The A's are much better suited for a run at the AL West Crown than the Halos are."

A big thanks to Justin for taking time to comment on the blog entry in a respectful manner. It is nice to have a conversation with a fan of another team without insults and trash talking. I would encourage all my readers to check out Justin's blog. Justin's page can be accessed by clicking here.

AL Playoff Predictions in June

2008-06-12T12:10:00.007-06:00

Earlier this week we looked at the Baseball Playoffs Now National League playoff predications. Today we will take a look at Dan Jarratt's AL predictions.

According to his most recent post, Dan has the Boston Red Sox winning the AL East, the Chicago White Sox winning the Central, the Oakland A's winning the AL West, and the Tampa Bay Rays as the AL wild card team. The playoffs outcome has Boston and the White Sox each winning their respective ALDS in five games with the White Sox over the Red Sox in the ALCS. From a personal view I would love to see an all Chicago World Series. With all of the media bias toward the Red Sox and New York teams having them both at home during the World Series while two teams from the mid-west battle it out would be outstanding!

I do have one issue with Dan's predictions. The Oakland A's are NOT going to win the AL west! I am not saying this because I am an Angels fan. Currently the A's are five games behind the Angels and are having injury problems. The Angels injury problems are improving and it won't be long before the Halos are at full strength. When the Angels are at full strength they are far superior to any team in the AL west.

I would encourage everyone to check out Dan's most recent prediction entry. Not only can you read the most recent breakdown but he also explains how he determines the predictions. The blog is located at http://baseballplayoffsnow.blogspot.com/

We will check back with Dan's predictions at the All Star break to see how his formula has things shaping up.

NL Playoff Predictions in June

2008-06-10T12:30:00.009-06:00

A week ago I was browsing the Yardbarker.com site when I came across an interesting blog called Baseball Playoffs Now written by Dan Jarratt. Dan has created a mathematical formula to predict the final records of all Major League teams. He also uses mathematics to predict how the MLB playoffs will turn out. He updates his site daily so the predictions are always current. I am not a true disciple of the sabermetric baseball analysis but I do enjoy reading and discussing new statistical ways to view baseball. In this entry I am going to comment on Dan's NL predictions.

In his June 9 post Dan has the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies as the three NL division winners and the St. Louis Cardinals as the NL wild card team. In his June 10 post he has the Cubs sweeping the Diamondbacks and the Phillies sweeping the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs and the Cubs sweeping the Phillies in the NLCS. While I agree with Dan's four NL playoff teams I don't see the playoffs turning out the way his formula predicts.

I would give the Cubs a slight edge over the Diamondbacks and I agree Chicago should beat Arizona in a best of five NLDS. But I don't see any way the Cubs will be able to steamroll a team that will have a playoff rotation of Dan Haren, Brandon Webb, and Randy Johnson. Instead of a sweep I can see a playoff series between the Cubs and Diamondbacks going the full five games with the Cubs eventually coming out on top.

In the other series I believe the Phillies will man-handle the Cardinals. The Phillies are clearly the better team and should have little problem with the Cardinals. In this instance I agree with Dan's projections.

A Phillies - Cubs match up in the NLCS would be an outstanding series for baseball fans. Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, and Alfonso Soriano against Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins would be a great showcase for the National League. As things stand now I agree with Dan's prediction the Cubs would win the series but I don't see it happening in four straight games. The Phillies lineup is too powerful to lose four straight to anyone in a playoff series.

Later this week I will break down Dan's AL predictions. I want to thank Dan for allowing me to reference his blog and I would encourage all of my readers to check out Baseball Playoffs Now. The URL is http://baseballplayoffsnow.blogspot.com

Angel Berroa to the Dodgers

2008-06-07T12:59:00.004-06:00

Yesterday the Royals gave Angel Berroa away to the Dodgers. The official line is the Royals traded Berroa and cash to the Dodgers for 21 year old minor leaguer Juan Rivera. But when the details of the trade are examined it becomes clear the Royals are paying the Dodgers to take Berroa off their hands. The player Kansas City is receiving in return is a low level minor leaguer that doesn't project to be a Major League player. Berroa had long ago fallen out of favor with Royals fans and most Royals fans are glad to see Berroa gone.

It is understandable why Royals fans feel that way. After winning the A.L. Rookie of the Year award in 2003, Berroa signed a long term multi-million dollar contract with the Royals. At the time many Royals viewed this as a sign the Royals were no longer going to allow their young talent to move on to other teams. But Berroa performance declined to the point that in 2007 he was removed from the 40 man roster and sent to AAA Omaha. Berroa had become another entry on the long list of Allard Baird's misjudgments and failures. Even though Berroa had been playing well at Omaha this season it was never a consideration he would be called up to replace the struggling and over matched Tony Pena Jr. as the Royals shortstop. Angel Berroa was finished as far as the Royals were concerned.

But while most Royals fans are greeting the news of Berroa's departure as good news I am sad he was not given a chance to recapture his old job. Last season when the Omaha Royals visited Salt Lake I had the opportunity to watch Angel Berroa hours before game time. Each night he would take extra batting practice and hundreds of extra ground balls at shortstop and second base. I can't remember a harder working ball player than Berroa. I also had the chance to visit with him and I found him to be one of the nicest professional athletes I have met. In his situation many players would have hung their head and given up or stopped working at the game and just collect their paycheck. Berroa didn't do either of these. He was a professional all the way. Even during the games that he was not playing he kept himself ready and was constantly encouraging his teammates. By the time the Omaha Royals left town I was a huge Angel Berroa fan.

Several sources are reporting that Berroa is going to get a chance to play for the Dodgers. Injury problems have created a hole at shortstop for LA and Joe Torre is going to give him an opportunity to play on a regular basis. I hope he makes the most of it and has success for the Dodgers. My favorite type of sports story is when an athlete overcomes adversity through hard work and dedication. It is all the better if the athlete is a good guy. Best of luck to Angel Berroa. I will now be watching Dodgers games and rooting for him.

Kendry Morales

2008-05-27T08:12:00.007-06:00

The Angels need to find a place for Kendry Morales in their lineup. The Cuban defector has proven all he can in the minor leagues and the time has come for Morales to become a full time Major League player.

At age 18 Morales was a star for the Havana Industriales. In Cuba he played he all over the field, first and third base, right field, and even pitcher. After being suspended from the Cuban national team in 2003 after Cuban officials suspected he was trying defect. After several unsuccessful attempts, Morales finally defected on June 8, 2004. In 2005 Morales signed a six year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and began his journey to the Major Leagues.

For the past three seasons Morales has spent the majority of his time playing for the Salt Lake Bees. After watching Morales play during the past three seasons it is my view he is ready to hit in the Major Leagues. He is a switch hitter with a short, compact swing, and excellent bat speed. He drives the ball to all fields and has what scouts like to call "doubles power." His current line of .315/.354/.497 along with 8 homeruns and 37 RBIs is evidence that he is on top of this game at the pate. Defensively he is an average player. Primarily a first baseman, Morales has also played third base and the outfield.

Unfortunately for Morales the Angels do not have a position for him to play. Casey Kotchman has established himself as the Angels long term first baseman and Morales is not good enough defensively to play third base or the outfield in the Major Leagues. But as the Angels continue to struggle to score runs, a solution has to be found to use Morales' hitting talents in the Angels lineup.

Fantasy Tip of the Week - Trading for a Pitcher

2008-05-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

Earlier this week I received the following trade offer from a fellow NL-only league owner:

"Hey Kevin: Would you be interested in a Zach Duke for Wily Mo Pena deal? Duke is at $1. In the last 16 1/3 innings, he's allowed only 5 runs. His ERA would be even more impressive if the idiot Pirates manager didn't leave him in to start the 8th inning Tuesday night with a 12-1 lead. His reliever gave up two of the baserunners he inherited. This is the best Duke has looked since 2005 when he was 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA. I have pitching to deal and am willing to gamble."

I have never had much interest in Zack Duke but because I am desperate for pitching I considered the offer. To evaluate the trade I did not use the statistics my fellow owner included in his offer. Despite the fact ERA is a standard scoring catagory in fantasy leagues, it is not a good way to evaluate a pitcher's performance. Even though Duke has only allowed 5 earned runs in his last 16+ innings of work I quickly discovered he isn't pitching any better now than he has in the last several seasons.

Zack Duke has pitched 20.1 innings in his last three starts. In those three starts he struck out 6 and walked 7. There is no way a starting pitcher that walks more hitters than he strikes out is going to help a fantasy team. Duke's .86 strikeout to walk ratio is well below the National League average of 1.84. Duke's 2.66 strikeouts per 9 innings ratio is more than 4 strikeouts below the National League average of 6.68. It was easy to correctly determine Zack Duke is a very below average National League pitcher. As desperate for pitching as I am, no way am I making a deal for him.

When evaluating a trade for a starting pitcher I rarely look at the pitcher's ERA. Instead I consider the pitcher's strikeout to walk ratio (K/BB), strikeouts and walks per nine innings pitched (K/9, BB/9), and batting average of balls in play (BABIP). I then compare these ratios with league average. If the pitcher is league average or better, I consider making the trade. This is a simple way to determine the quality of a starting pitcher.

If you receive a trade offer for a pitcher with a low or improving ERA dig deeper into the statistics before saying yes. More than any other statistic, a pitcher's ERA is a product of good or bad luck. Failure to take the time to examine how the pitcher is truly performing could result in you being stuck with an ineffective starter that every five days hurts your team.

Welcome Back to Salt Lake DMac

2008-05-07T07:00:00.005-06:00

One of the best players in the history of the Salt Lake Bees franchise returned to Franklin Covey Field Tuesday night. 2004 minor league player of the year Dallas McPherson is now in the Florida Marlins organization, playing 3B for the Albuquerque Isotopes. Since AAA returned to Salt Lake in 1994, McPherson is the most complete hitter that has played for the club. He played half a season for the Stingers in 2004 and he put up monster numbers. Critics of McPherson point to his high strikeout rate, but there is no arguing about his ability to crush a baseball. 20 homeruns, .313 average and an OPS of 1.049 in 2004 were impressive numbers but you had to see McPherson play to truly appreciate his ability. He had tremendous bat speed and hit with power to all fields. He was an above average third baseman and an excellent base runner. McPherson was called up to the Angels at the end of the 2004 season. At the time, there was no doubt he was ticketed for a great Major League career with the Angels. Unfortunately, since 2004 injuries have derailed his Major League career.

Since the end of the 2004 season McPherson has had three major surgeries, one on his hip and two on his back. He missed the entire 2007 season recovering from the latest back surgery. All of the reports on McPherson indicated the surgery corrected his back problems and he would be ready to go at the beginning of the 2008 spring training. Despite the positive outlook on McPherson's health, the Angels released him. McPherson signed a free agent contract with the Marlins and is currently putting up very good numbers for their AAA team.

After watching McPherson play this week against the Bees I am convinced he is healthy and ready to be a productive Major League hitter. In the two games against the Bees, DMac is 4-8 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. He has made two outstanding plays at 3B and is running the bases without any noticeable problems. For the year McPherson is hitting .302 with 10 homeruns. He is always going to be a high strikeout hitter and so far this season he has K'd 41 times. But he has also walked 19 times and his OBP is a sparkling .414. He has an OPS of 1.049 and is hitting the ball with authority almost every time up.

McPherson has reached the limit of what he can accomplish and prove in the minor leagues. It is time for him to get an opportunity to play every day in the Major Leagues but I don’t see it happening with the Marlins. Jorge Cantu and Mike Jacobs have the corner infield positions locked up. But there are other teams that could use a power hitting corner infielder and, if the Marlins aren't going to give McPherson a chance, I hope they will trade him to a club that will. Dallas McPherson is now ready to fulfill the promise of being a solid Major League power hitter. Hopefully the opportunity comes this season.

Wil Nieves

2008-05-05T06:45:00.007-06:00

One of my favorite Salt Lake players currently in the Major Leagues is Washington Nationals catcher Wil Nieves. Nieves was the primary catcher for Salt Lake during the 2003 and 2004 seasons and was typical of many players that have played for the Buzz-Stingers-Bees. A solid player AAA level player but not a Major League prospect. Nieves was never in the Angels catching position plans. He was holding the catching position long enough for Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, and Bobby Wilson to advance through the Angels system to the upper minor leagues. Nieves was a battler and played with a lot of hustle. He was friendly with the fans and would always take time to sign autographs before the game. He was polite, soft spoken, and he is the only player that I am aware of that used contemporary Christian music for his walk up song. By 2005, Jeff Mathis was ready to assume the AAA catching duties and Nieves was let go.

After leaving the Angels system, Nieves played three years for the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees. He did appear in 35 games for Yankees and hit a soft .164. At the end of the 2007 season the Yankees released Nieves and he signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. This move appeared to firmly established Wil Nieves as another minor league journeyman catcher.

Injury problems this season left the Nationals with little choice but to call Nieves to the Major Leagues. So far Nieves has made the most of his opportunity. He as played in 11 games for the Nationals, hitting .379. The crowing moment for Nieves was a walk off homerun he hit against the Chicago Cubs on April 26. Nieves' homerun is one of the things that make being a fan of a minor league team so much fun. It is heart warming to see a good guy like Wil Nieves have a moment of glory in the Major Leagues. Bees fans take a lot of pride that star players David Ortiz, Torii Hunter, Francisco Rodriguez, and John Lackey played for Salt Lake on their way to the Major Leagues. But what is exciting for me is seeing players like Wil Nieves, Nathan Haynes, and Ryan Budde making the most of their opportunity to play in the Major Leagues. Congratulations to Wil Nieves for his game winning homerun against the Cubs. Hope you hit a few more Major League homeruns this season.

Fantasy Tip of the Week - Chad Tracy

2008-05-02T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to a 20-8 start and leading the NL West by 5 games. What should scare other NL West teams is the D-Backs will get a boost soon when 3B Chad Tracy returns. According to the Arizona Republic, Tracy is set to begin a rehab assignment and is only two weeks away from returning. The emergence of Mark Reynolds at 3B makes Tracy’s role a bit uncertain. But it is important to remember the left-hand hitting Tracy is not yet 28 years old and is signed through the 2009 season. The Diamondbacks aren’t going to bury him on the bench when he activated.Tracy is a solid Major League hitter and will help fantasy owners in homeruns, RBI, and average. Even if Tracy is platooned with the right-hand hitting Reynolds he will be a valuable addition to an NL-only or deep mixed league fantasy team. If the CI position on fantasy team is currently filled with someone like Geoff Blum add Tracy to your roster and be patient. He will be a significant help to your team's offense.

Nick Adenhart to the Angels!

2008-05-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

Angels top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart is now in the Angels rotation. Injuries to John Lackey and Kelvim Esocbar, along with the continuing struggles of Dustin Moseley, have left the Angels with little choice but to delve into their farm system for a starting pitcher. According to this morning’s Orange County Register, Mike Scioscia is planning on Adenhart making three starts before John Lackey returns around May 14. The Angels are not known for rushing young players to the Major Leagues so it is fair to assume that general manager Tony Reagins and manager Mike Scioscia believe Adenhart is ready for the challenge. I don't claim to know anywhere close to what Reagins and Scioscia know about baseball but I have seen two of Adenhart’s starts this season for the Salt Lake Bees and I am concerned that he is not ready to be a successful pitcher for the Angels.

The Angels have had success bringing young pitchers up from their farm system during the season. In 2002 John Lackey was having his way with hitters in the Pacific Coast League when the Angels promoted him. Weeks later Lackey was the winning pitcher of game 7 of the World Series. In 2007 Jered Weaver was blowing away hitters in AAA when he got the call. He went on to have a successful rookie season. But Adenhart has been different pitcher in AAA than Lackey and Weaver and I don’t see him being able to duplicate their immediate Major League success.

John Lackey and Jered Weaver were 23 years old when they pitched for Salt Lake. Both dominated AAA hitters. There was no nibbling at the corners and trying to get hitters to chase balls out of the strike zone. Their approach was simple. They threw their best pitch for a strike and challenged the hitter to hit it. When Lackey or Weaver was on the mound there was no doubt which player on the field was in control of the game. Lackey and Weaver had immediate success for the Angels because they were mature pitchers who had confidence in their ability to get hitters out.

The 21 year old Adehnart has not demonstrated the same type of maturity, confidence and mound presence as Lackey and Weaver. Even though he has three quality pitches, he doesn’t seem to believe he can get hitters out with any of them. Instead of challenging hitters he tries to be too fine with his pitch location. Never once when Adenhart has been on the mound have I gotten the impression that he was dominating the game. As Adenhart matures I am confident he will become a dominate pitcher but he has a way to go to get there. I am concerned that Major League hitters will take advantage of Adenhart and score a lot of runs against him.

I am not saying Adenhart is not a top prospect. His ceiling is just as high as Lackey or Weaver’s. From everything I have observed he is a hard working, dedicated ball player. But he is not ready for the big leagues. Hopefully I am wrong and Adenhart will step into the Angels rotation and repeat what Lackey and Weaver were able to do. I wish the kid nothing but good luck and I will be rooting for him tonight against the Oakland A’s.

This blog entry is also posted at Angelswin.com, the best Angels baseball site on the 'net.

A Great Story in Salt Lake City

2008-04-28T07:25:00.006-06:00

The best story of the 2008 baseball season isn't happening in Boston, New York, Chicago, or even Tampa Bay. The story isn't being reported by national media outlets like USA Today or ESPN. Sadly, one of the most amazing stories in the history of modern professional baseball is getting very little coverage in the team's local market. But despite the lack of coverage, the Salt Lake Bees record setting 21-1 is a story in which every baseball fan should be interested. What the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is accomplishing has never been seen before and probably won’t be seen again.

It is a shame the record setting performance of the Salt Lake Bees is not being recognized. With all happenings of the sports world it is unrealistic to expect the national media to spend much time on minor league baseball. But there is no excusing the local media for ignoring the Bees accomplishments. The two local newspapers view the Bees as unimportant. The small stories on the Bees are buried on the back of the newspaper’s sports sections after endless stories and columns about the NBA’s Utah Jazz. Both of the local sports-talk radio stations in Salt Lake City have adopted an “all Utah Jazz all the time” format. If Jazz point guard Deron Williams breaks a shoelace at practice it becomes the front page headline of the newspaper’s sports sections. The sports radio stations have live, on the scene coverage of Williams changing his shoelace and the impact the new shoelace will have on the Jazz in the playoffs. Even an out of control fan being ejected from a Jazz playoff game was the subject of endless coverage while a Bees victory is afforded only a token mention.

I am not proposing a AAA baseball team be covered with the same intensity as the only “major league” sports team in the area. But the overboard fascination Utah sports media and fans have with the Utah Jazz is ridiculous. The 2008 Salt Lake Bees are an exceptional story and should be receiving more coverage from the local Salt Lake media.

The Closer?

2008-04-16T07:00:00.003-06:00

Baseball managers, players, fans, and media like to say “baseball is a game of match ups.” Watch any game and moves are constantly being made by managers to ensure the best match up for their team. Left and right hand hitting platoons, situational left handed relief pitchers, and pinch hitters are all examples of adjustments Major League managers will make attempting to create a favorable match up for their team. But when using their bullpen in the 8^th and 9^th innings of a game, managers stop trying to create the best possible match up. All Major League managers have clearly defined roles for their bullpen and they almost never deviate from it. Without any regard for what might be the best possible match up, all 30 Major League managers will use their setup man to pitch the 8^th inning and their closer to pitch the 9^th. This is the way baseball is managed in the 21^st century. Last evening I watch this ridged structuring cost the Minnesota Twins a game making me wonder how many games are lost each season because teams have predefined bullpen roles.

Heading into the 8^th inning the Twins were leading the struggling Detroit Tigers 4-3. Since it was the 8^th inning and his team was ahead, Ron Gardenhire did what every other Major League manager would have done and brought in his setup man Jesse Crain. I don’t think Gardenhire considered who was coming up for the Tigers. Rookie Clete Thomas was scheduled to lead off followed by Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, and Miguel Cabrera. A one run game with four of the best hitters in the American League scheduled to hit and Gardenhire has his second best relief pitcher in the game! Five batters later, Miguel Cabrera hits a rocket over the left field wall and the Tigers were ahead 6-4.

I don’t fault Gardenhire for the way it turned out. As I wrote in the beginning, he did what every other manager would have done. But even though every manager would have handled it the same way, I don’t understand why. The Twins recently made it clear they consider Joe Nathan their best relief pitcher. They signed him to a multi year $40+ million contract. But the Twins view Nathan’s role as “the closer” and that means he pitches the ninth inning regardless of the score or situation. I don’t see any logic to this approach. Gardenhire should have looked at who was scheduled to hit for the Tigers and not the inning. When it became unavoidable that Sheffield, Ordonez, and Cabrera were going to hit, he should have gone with his best pitcher. There is no way a manager should lose a game with his best pitcher sitting in the bullpen waiting for the 9^th inning.

Butler, Gordon, and Teahen

2008-04-11T12:35:00.001-06:00

In the most recent mailbag column on the official Royals website, Dick Kaegal answered a question about the number of homeruns Alex Gordon and Billy Butler would hit this season. His response was neither Gordon or Butler consider themselves homerun hitters and their homerun production in 2008 should be in the 15-20 range. This projection will disappoint many Royals fans who are hoping one of these players would develop into a 30+ homerun hitter in the middle of the Royals lineup. But if Gordon, Butler, and outfielder Mark Teahen were to each hit 15-20 homeruns in the middle of the lineup, the Royals would be a solid offensive team.

With slugging percentages above .500, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Mark Teahen are off to very good starts. If the Royals are going to be a contending team again these three players are going to have to shoulder the bulk of the load. My fear is the Royals coaching staff will buy into the notion that since Teahen, Butler, and Gordon all occupy the so-called power positions in the lineup, they will begin to tinker with their approach at the plate in an effort to make them homerun hitters without regard on how that change will impact the rest of their hitting abilities. This has happened in other organizations and it would be a shame if the Royals derailed the careers of young hitters by trying to make them into something they are not.

Scott Stahoviak and Doug Mientkiewicz, who came up through the Twins organization in the 1990s, both had their careers damaged by Tom Kelly's attempts to transform them into power hitters. In 1994, Scott Stahoviak was a 24 year old first baseman for the Twins AAA team the Salt Lake Buzz. Stahoviak had a solid year for the Buzz; 41 doubles, 6 triples, 13 homeruns, 94 RBI, and a batting line of .318/.413/.529. Stahoviak also walked 70 times. I saw Stahoviak play more than 40 games that summer and there was no doubt he had Major League potential. He could drive the ball with authority to all fields. After being a part-time player for the Twins in 1995, Stahoviak took the full-time first base duties in 1996. He hit 13 homeruns, drove in 61 runs, and produced at a respectable .284/.376/.469 clip. The following year Stahoviak's numbers declined significantly and his Major League career was over.

Doug Mientkiewicz followed a similar path as Stahoviak. Although not as good as Stahoviak's 1994 season, Mientkiewicz's 2000 season of 18 homeruns, 96 RBI, and a batting line of .285/.324/.400 was very good. Mientkiewicz had good bat speed, excellent gap power, and played Gold Glove level defense at first base. The following year, Doug Mientkiewicz was the Twins first baseman and had an excellent season. 15 homeruns, 74 RBI, and a line of .306/.387/.464. Mientkiewicz garnered five points in the 2001 MVP balloting. But like Stahoviak, Mientkiewicz has never again reached his 2001 numbers. Because of his defensive abilities, Mientkiewicz has had a long career, but he has never developed into a front line Major League first baseman. Recently I spoke with a man that was part of the Buzz front office in the 1990s and he shared with me that both Stahoviak and Mientkiewicz suffered because Tom Kelly tried to make both of them into Kent Hrbek.

Watching Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and Mark Teahen in 2008 should give all Royals fan hope for the future. Each of these guys have the ability to be major run producers for the Royals. They have excellent bat speed, they can drive the ball to all fields, and they display a composure that will allow them to perform in the clutch. But none of these guys are going to make a run at Steve Balboni's single season homerun record. I hope the Royals will continue to allow these guys to play to their abilities and not make the same mistake Tom Kelly and Twins did with Scott Stahoviak and Doug Mientkiewicz.

Passing of a Salt Lake Bees Tradition

2008-04-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

With the baseball season a little more than a week old there are many items about which I could write. The Royals surprising 5-2 start, the struggles the Angels are having with injuries, the Salt Lake Bees bolting out of the gate to a 6-0 record would all be interesting topics. But the game on the field is going to move to the side today because a Salt Lake Bees legend Dave Pratt passed away last week.

If you ever attended a Salt Lake Bees game at Franklin Covey Field you knew who Dave Pratt was. He wasn't a player, concession worker, or usher. He was the famous "Net Man" who was adored and loved by the Bees fans and players. Net Man sat in the front row, down the right field line between first base and the Bees bullpen. With a ball glove on his left hand and a fishing net in his right hand, Net Man was ready on every pitch to make a play on a foul ball.

And make plays he did. A hot smash down the line close to him would be scooped up with his net. A line drive or foul fly near him was caught. But he never kept a single ball. After getting the ball Net Man would give it to a small child sitting near him. He would often ask for the child pose with him while his wife would snap a picture. My daughters loved Net Man. On nights that I worked at the ballpark, the girls would find seats close to his and spend the evening enjoying the game with him and his wife. Net Man truly enjoyed seeing the smiles of the children when he gave them a baseball and through the years Net Man blessed hundreds young fans who attended games at Franklin Covey Field.

Through the years I got to know Net Man. He was a Christian man who lived his faith with a loving heart and a positive attitude. More than anything else, he loved life and doing what he could to make others smile. He was part of the enjoyment of attending a Salt Lake Bees baseball game and he will be missed by everyone.

Appreciating Garret Anderson

2008-03-12T10:26:00.026-06:00

This entry really is about Garret Anderson. I'm going to take a little detour at the beginning but I assure all Angels fans that Garret Anderson is the focus of what I am going to write.

Since I started following the Angels in 2002, I have heard numerous complaints and criticisms about the way Anderson plays the game. Most of the criticisms have to do with Anderson's perceived lack of hustle. I have never understood why Angels fans complain about Anderson. GA is a marvelous ballplayer and has been a key part of the Angels successes. But as I began to write about Anderson I could not stop thinking of Amos Otis, one of my all time favorite players. Otis was the center fielder for the Kansas City Royals from 1970 to 1983 and, like Anderson, was criticized by the fans for not playing the game with maximum effort.

During his career with the Royals, many fans and members of the Kansas City media viewed Otis as a player that didn't hustle and didn't seem interested in playing the game. These critics would point to teammates George Brett and Hal McRae as examples of players that "played the game the right way." What AO's detractors didn't or wouldn't realize was that Otis was a different kind of player than both Brett and McRae. While Brett and McRae were grit and guts Otis was smooth and athletic. During his career, Otis was a five time all-star and a three time Gold Glove winner. He led the American League twice in doubles and once in stolen bases. It wasn't until Otis left the Royals that many of the fans in Kansas City realized how special of a player he was.

The best description of Amos Otis was written by respected author and Royals fan Bill James in his 1984 Baseball Abstract:

"Amos Otis was an intensely private man leading an intensely public life. He disdained showmanship—probably he hated showmanship — of any type and to any extent. He could never quite deal with the fact that his business was putting on a show. This is what is called "moodiness" by the media. Yet there was a rare, deep honesty about him that was the defining characteristic of him both as a man and as a ballplayer. He could not stand to do anything for show. He could not charge into walls (and risk his continued existence as a ballplayer) after balls that he could not catch. He could not rouse the fans (and risk his continued existence as a baserunner) with a stirring drive for a base too far. He never in his career stood at home plate and watched a ball clear the fence. McRae and Brett, they did that sort of thing; Otis would sometimes turn away interview requests with a sardonic comment, 'Talk to Brett and McRae. They're the team leaders.'"

"It went further than that. Amos could not quite walk down the line when he hit a popup (that, too, would be dishonest) but he could not bring himself to run, either. Because it was false, you see? He wouldn't have been running for himself or for the team or for the base; he would have been running for the fans, or for the principle that one always ran."

Sadly, it appears that many Angels fans will not fully appreciate Garret Anderson's abilities and accomplishments until his career is over. For his career, Anderson has 2205 hits and a .297 lifetime batting average. GA is a three time all-star and a two time time Silver Slugger winner. Twice he has lead the American League in doubles. Now in his mid-30s, even though age has taken a toll on Anderson, his .297 average with 16 homeruns and 80 RBIs in 2007 shows that he is still producing and is a valuable part of the Angels lineup. Despite all of his accomplishments, Anderson is still the target of criticism from Angels fans. The criticism directed at Anderson is unfortunate because he is a class act and a solid ballplayer.

Many Angels fans point at Anderson's reluctance to DH as a sign that he is selfish and too proud to give up his position in the outfield. This criticism is without merit. Any fan watching the Angels play in 2007 can see that Anderson is still a good outfielder. Anderson does not dive after balls, crash into walls, or throw himself head first into the stands. But he is a good outfielder that runs down balls in the gap and makes smart throws to the bases. Rarely does Anderson miss a cut off man. As with Amos Otis, fans watch Anderson's style of play in the outfield and incorrectly label it as lazy or use it to say he has lost a step. After watching Anderson for several seasons now, he does seem a lot like Otis. He doesn't make vain attempts for balls that he cannot catch and he doesn't run himself out of position trying to track down a ball that is uncatchable. I am sure there will be times when Anderson's legs will need to rest and placing him in the DH will be the option to keep his bat in the lineup. The one statistic that Angels fans should keep in mind is that in 2007 Garret Anderson hit .319 when playing left field and .208 when slotted in the lineup as the designated hitter. Anderson has always struck me as a proud man and I don't believe he would put himself in a position to embarrass himself or hurt the Angels chances of winning.

Hopefully Angels fans will appreciate GA for what he continues to accomplish and not wait until his career is over to realize how good of player he truly is.

This blog entry is also posted at Angelswin.com. Angelswin.com is the BEST website for Los Angeles Angels news, opinion, and discussion. I encourage all readers of this blog to check it out.

Luke Hochevar

2008-03-10T22:35:00.001-06:00

One of the questions the Royals are going to have to answer is the role of Luke Hochevar. The Royals will have to decide soon if Hochevar will begin the year with Kansas City or at AAA Omaha. If Hochevar does begin the year in Kansas City, the Royals must determine if it is best for his development to open the season in the bullpen or as part of the starting rotation.

Many Royals fans believe that Hochevar is ready to pitch in the Major Leagues and some fans are hoping that he is part of the starting rotation when the season begins. These fans are basing their opinion on Hochevar's performance during his September 2007 call up and his brief action during the 2008 spring training. The Royals will be making a mistake to decide to keep Hochevar in the Major Leagues based on 12.2 innings in 2007 and 4 innings so far this spring. Hochevar has yet to demonstrate he is capable of being a consistent starting pitcher. Until he has proven this, he should be assigned to AAA Omaha.

Hochevar's performance at AAA Omaha last season can best be described as a mixed bag. Some of his statistical performance was average: 6.83 K/9, 3.26 BB/9, 2.10 K/BB 2.10 but his 5.12 ERA and 1.71 HR/9 was poor. He did pitch 12 innings for Kansas City in September and recorded a 2.13 ERA but it is important to note that he did not pitch more than 3.1 innings in any of his Royals appearances and almost never faced the same hitter twice in the same game. Given the small sample size and the nature of the appearances, Hochevar's 2007 Major League numbers are not useful in evaluating whether he is ready to pitch for the Royals in 2008.

I saw Hochevar pitch for the Omaha Royals last July in Salt Lake. Even though he was the winning pitcher I was unimpressed. His box score line was okay, 6 IP, 2 earned runs, 8 hits, 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. Even though his numbers were average, Hochevar was very lucky. The Bees hit line drive after line drive that were either hit directly at an infielder or ran down in the outfield. Salt Lake stole four bases and all of them were the result of Hochevar doing a lousy job holding the runners. The 4th inning of the game raised a big red flag to me. With two outs the runner on second base steals third, arriving at the bag before Hochevar's pitch was in the catcher's mitt. The Omaha pitching coach visits the mound in what I assume was an effort to get Hochevar to do a better job of holding runners. On the next pitch, Hochevar drills the Salt Lake hitter in the middle of the back. I viewed this as immature and bush league. Perhaps Hochevar has grown up since last July, but the Royals need to be completely sure before entrusting him with a Major League job.

I am not convinced that Hochevar will ever be a top of the rotation Major League pitcher. Even if he does fulfill the expectation that goes with being a first round draft choice, 2008 will not be the year. I would rather see guys like Tomko and DeLaRosa eat innings this year and allow Hochevar more time to develop and mature. Hopefully a year from now the Royals and their fans will have an idea of how good of a pitcher Hochevar will be.

2008 Kansas City Royals First Baseman

2008-03-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Spring training is a time for baseball fans to be optimistic about their team. Sometimes the optimism can be misplaced, but Royals’ fans have legitimate reasons to be excited about the team. I don’t think any reasonable Royals fan believes Kansas City has a chance to win the AL Central in 2008. Cleveland and Detroit are two of the best teams in Major League Baseball and the Royals are not strong enough to over take either of them. But the Royals are finally starting to put together a core of players that can be the foundation of a contending team. The key question heading into 2008 is will Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman continue to be patient and allow the young players to play through their mistakes as they improve. My fear is they will sacrifice building for the future in an attempt to make a run at a .500 record in 2008. I would love for the Royals to win 80 games in 2008 but not at the expense of continuing to build for 2009 and beyond. The everyday first baseman will be an indication of whether the Royals are going to stay the course in building for the future.

Before discussing the Royals’ best options at first base, I want to emphatically state that Ross Gload should not be the Royals first baseman in 2008. Ross Gload should not even be in the discussion about who will start at first base for the Royals in 2008. By all accounts Gload is a nice guy, good teammate, and popular with the fans. He has been a decent player throughout his career but he has never established himself as anything more than a solid bench player. Ross Gload can be a valuable player to the Royals as their backup first baseman and late inning defensive replacement. But Gload should not be taking away at bats from younger players that have a chance to be a part of a contending team. If Ross Gload gets 400 at bats this season it will mean that Hillman and Moore are more interested in winning a few more games in 2008 and not going all out to build a contending team.

The best choice for the Royals would be to play Billy Butler at first base until he either learns the position or proves he will never be able to master it. Butler is going to be a huge run producer at the plate and one of the priorities for the Royals should be finding a position for him. Maybe Butler will always be a defensive liability and will have an Edgar Martinez type of career. But before deciding that Butler is going to be nothing but a DH the Royals should give him a chance to play in the field and first base is the logical choice.

Ryan Shealy is another option at first base. The Royals should not give up on Shealy and he should be given a chance in 2008. If Butler is going to DH Shealy would be an excellent choice to man first base. I became impressed with Shealy when the Omaha Royals played here in Salt Lake City last summer. In an empty AAA stadium, I watched him work hard in batting practice and pregame fielding drills. His was focused on getting himself back in shape and sharpening his skills to get back to the Major Leagues. I have seen many minor leaguers in the position Shealy was in and not all of them were as committed as he was. A player with this attitude and work ethic has a chance to succeed in the Major Leagues.

Mark Teahen could move to first base to free up an outfield spot for Joey Gathright. The Joey Gathright situation is a topic for another entry but if Gathright continues his torrid spring Teahen moving to first base could be an option. Another option relating to Gathright would be to move Teahen to third base and Alex Gordon first base. Interesting things can happen if Gathright makes the team.

Whether it is Butler, Shealy, Teahen or Gordon, the Royals have solid choices to fill the first base position in 2008 and beyond. I am looking forward to seeing if Butler can handle the position and if Shealy can bounce back from his injury plagued 2007 season. Hopefully the Royals will continue to go forward with young players and not take a step backward with Ross Gload.

Brian Bannister in 2008

2008-02-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

My original idea for this entry was to write a column explaining why Brian Bannister's 2007 season was a fluke and that he would regress in 2008. I was going to start with his below league average BABIP and then discuss how his low strikeout rate was an indication that he is not a sub 4.00 ERA pitcher. I was going to conclude that his 12 wins and 3.83 ERA in 2007 was the product of good luck and the Royals should not count on a repeat in 2008. As I was doing the research for the entry I came across an interview with Brian Bannister on MLBtraderumors.com where he addresses his BABIP and how he uses it and other sabermetric statistics to evaluate his pitching.

I don't know of another pitcher that has his stat line broken down in as much detail as Bannister. One of the more interesting of Bannister’s breakdowns was his comparison between his fastball and curveball.

“Here is a comparison of the batting averages and slugging percentage on my fastball vs. my curveball: Fastball: .246/.404 Curveball: .184/.265”

I wonder how many MLB pitchers use this type of information when preparing their pitching game plan.

Bannister’s closing comment was the one that made me forgo my original entry:

My explanation for why I have beat the average so far is that in my career I have been able to get a Major League hitter to put the ball in play in a 1-2 or 0-2 count 155 times, and in a 2-0 or 2-1 count 78 times. That's twice as often in my favor, & I'll take those odds.

I still have concerns about Bannister’s collapse in September and his low strikeout rate but I am not going to rush to judgment because of his low BABIP in 2007. As a Royals fan I was not rooting against Bannister. After reading what Bannister had to say, I am hopeful he might indeed be a solid pitcher for the Royals in 2008 and beyond.

All Royals fans and sabermetric types will enjoy reading the Bannister interview at MLBtraderumors.com. I high recommend MLBtraderumors.com to every baseball fan.

2B for the Rockies

2008-02-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today’s topic is Colorado Rockies, my favorite National League team. Some will roll their eyes and accuse me of jumping on the band wagon because of the Rockies’ amazing run to the World Series in 2007. Believe me, I am not a band wagon Rockies fan. Because of MLB’s convoluted territorial restrictions, the Colorado Rockies have been on television here in Utah for years. In the days before the MLB Extra Innings package, the Rockies were the only team I could follow day to day during the season. The primary broadcast team of Drew Goodman and George Frazier an excellent broadcasting team and the Rockies are fun to watch. Even though I can now watch most MLB games on DirecTV, I still watch the Rockies as much as I do the Angels and Royals.

Heading into spring training, there is only one open position in the Rockies lineup. Colorado must find a second baseman to replace Kaz Matsui who signed with the Astros this off season. During the off season there was discussion of moving third base prospect Ian Stewart to second but it now appears Jayson Nix, Brian Giles, Clint Barmes and Jeff Baker will battle for the position.

Rookie Jayson Nix is the front runner for the job and is the best choice for the job. I have seen Nix play several times when Colorado Springs visited Salt Lake City and he is a solid defender. He does a good job of turning the double play and has excellent range. His 2007 range factor of 5.96 for Colorado Springs was impressive considering that no other PCL second baseman had a range factor greater than 5.00. Nix’s fielding statistics confirm what I have observed; Jayson Nix is a solid defensive second baseman. Nix is an inconsistent hitter without much upside, but his glove will more than make up for his lack of offensive production.

It is reported in this morning Rocky Mountain News that Jeff Baker has emerged as Nix’s top competitor. It would be a huge mistake for the Rockies to play Baker at second base. Baker projects to be a better hitter than Nix, but in his entire professional career he has not played a single inning at second base. Second base is not a position where the Rockies should sacrifice defense for hitting. A lineup that features Garrett Atkins, Matt Holiday, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Braw Hawp, and Willy Taveras is going to score a lot of runs. Because of the strength of their lineup, the Rockies can afford to carry a below average hitter at second base in exchange for quality defense. This makes Jayson Nix the best choice to man second base for the Rockies in 2008.

Rotisserie Baseball Software

2008-02-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Spring training is under way and for many baseball fans it is the time to begin preparing for the rotisserie/fantasy season. Playing rotisserie baseball has turned into a year around hobby for me and it has enhanced my enjoyment of following the baseball season. Each March, I make the trek to Las Vegas to play in the LV Experts AL and NL leagues. I also play in the Armchair Commissioners League which is a very competitive NL only league. These leagues are for moderate stakes league and they are made up of experienced, top of the line roto players. Since 2005 I have been fortunate to finish in a money position once in the NL and twice in the AL Las Vegas league. I credit part of the success I have enjoyed to Diamond Draft software.

I will begin by stating I have no financial or personal interest in Diamond Draft software. I do not know any of the individuals responsible for this product and I have already paid full price for the 2008 version of the software. I am writing this entry because I am impressed with the product and have found valuable. Before discovering Diamond Draft, I would take a brief case full of spreadsheets and magazines to the auctions. Many times I felt I missed out on a player I could have bought for a bargain price because I was busy checking my notes or trying to find the player’s entry in a magazine. Diamond Draft has eliminated these problems because every piece of information a roto owner needs to have a successful draft is only a mouse click away.

The best introduction to Diamond Draft would be to visit the website at www.diamonddraft.com. It is free to download the software demo and the cost to purchase the full version is only $13.95. Compared to the cost of some of the other software currently on the market, Diamond Draft is reasonably priced.

Some of the advantages of Diamond Draft:

Ease of setup. The individual screens are easy to understand and the icons make it easy to navigate from screen to screen.
Diamond Draft can be customized to fit any league. Player pool, scoring categories, and the number of teams in the league are just a few of the areas that can be modified to fit the parameters of an individual league.
Frequent updates of player projections and depth charts. I find this to be extremely valuable in preparing for the auctions. The magazines for sale on the newsstands are usually $7.00 and contain a great deal of out of date information. Click the mouse and Diamond Draft updates depth charts, projections, and dollar values.
Because Diamond Draft is user friendly, it is easy to use during an intense auction. The software allows the owner to keep track of the available players and the amount of money each owner has left to spend. A key feature is the automatic adjustment of player’s values before and during the auction to account for inflation. This is a valuable feature for owners in a keeper league.
A data base that includes hundreds of minor league players plus printable reports that can be customized to fit an owner’s particular needs.

Since I began using the software, Diamond Draft has helped me be more efficient and productive at my roto auctions and I recommend it to all. Good luck to all roto players this year.

Nick Adenhart

2008-02-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

Spring training is now in full swing and the realization the baseball season has finally arrived brightens the cold, snowy, dreary Utah winter. This will be the first entry of the season about my favorite team, the Salt Lake Bees. I am a passionate fan of Major League baseball and I root for both the Angels and the Royals. But the team I am most interested in is the Salt Lake Bees. I attend 60+ Bees home games each season and I listen to the radio broadcasts of the road games. The Bees open the season on April 3 in Las Vegas and the home opener is Friday, April 11 against the Portland Beavers.

According to a report on MLB.com, top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart will begin the season here in Salt Lake. Adenhart is regarded as a top prospect and a key part of the Angels future plans. Over the past winter, Adenhart's name was mentioned in several trade rumors. According to Angels owner Arte Moreno, Adenhart was part of an offer the Angels made for Marlins slugger Miguel Cabrera. I was in favor of including Adenhart in the package to obtain Cabrera but the Marlins chose an offer from the Tigers and Adenhart remains part of the Angels organization.

When discussing Adehnart, it is important to keep in mind that he will only be 21 on opening day this year and will not turn 22 until August. Young pitchers working their way from the low minor leagues to the majors will struggle from time to time. The good news is the Angels organization has demonstrated the ability to develop young arms into quality Major League pitchers.

In three minor league seasons, Adenhart has pitched 361 innings with an ERA of 3.12. He has struck out almost 8 hitters per nine innings pitched while walking a little more than 3 batters per nine innings. His career K/BB ratio of 2.44 is solid and Adenhart hasn't given up a lot of homeruns.

Adenhart's 2007 numbers were solid but not overly impressive. He pitched 153 innings for the AA Arkansas Travelers posting a 3.65 ERA. He strikeout rate declined while at the same time he walked more hitters. His 2007 K/BB of 1.78 is not good at all. When it comes to pitchers, I put more weight on the opinion of scouts than statistics. Pitching in the minor leagues is refining process and changes that are made in a young pitcher's approach to hitters or mechanics and cause a decline in his stats. Hopefully, Adenhart's declining numbers in his 2007 AA season were a bump in the road and he will put it all together in 2008.

This blog entry is also posted at Angelswin.com. Angelswin.com is the BEST website for Los Angeles Angels news, opinion, and discussion. I encourage all readers of this blog to check it out.

Angels Shortstop - "none of the above"

2008-02-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

Questions began about the Angels 2008 shortstop situation seconds after it was announced that Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera had been traded to the White Sox. Whether the Cabrera for Garland trade was good for the Angels has been discussed over and over and there is no need to rehash it again. The trade has been made and the Angels now must decide who will man the position in 2008. I don't see Brandon Wood as being a viable candidate for the position out of spring training so the players contending for the position are utility player Maicer Izturis and prospect Eric Aybar. When I began writing this entry I intended to make the case for each player and then give my view of who the starting shortstop should be. After two failed attempts I realized I could not write this entry in that fashion because my preferred choice would be “none of the above”. The shortstop position is a huge hole in the Angels defensive lineup and could keep the Halos from being true World Series contenders.

Maicer Izturis - Izturis has been a valuable player during his time with the Angels but he is a utility player and not a full time shortstop. Of the 306 Major League games he has played, 65 have been at shortstop. He only played 3 games at shortstop in 2007. His .955 career fielding percentage as a shortstop would have been good for 12th place among American League shortstops in 2007. Izturis is a good hitter and solid baserunner, but those skills don't help much in playing one of the most important positions on the field. On a team that is built around pitching, having a weak link at shortstop is going to be a serious deficiency that will be difficult to overcome.

Eric Aybar - Aybar has the reputation of being a good defensive shortstop. That may be true, but he didn't demonstrate it while he played in Salt Lake City. He does not have soft hands or the range of a Major League shortstop. He is average in turning the double play and he doesn't make the routine plays as often as he should. His fielding percentage during the 2006 AAA season was .946. As I said in my entry on catchers, I know defensive statistics are an imperfect measure, but the .946 FP is an indication he struggles defensively. As with Izturis, having Aybar as the everyday shortstop will seriously weaken the Angels defense.

The 2008 Angels should be a team with a realistic chance of making the World Series but it is going to be difficult if shortstop is manned by either Izturis or Aybar. There is one thing the last several World Series champions have in common, a solid shortstop. Julio Lugo, David Eckstein (twice), Juan Uribe, Orlando Cabrera, and Alex Gonzalez were all above average, dependable shortstops. The same cannot be said about Aybar or Izturis. I have no idea whether Izturis or Aybar will emerge as the starting shortstop but, which ever player it is, he will have to play beyond what he has demonstrated in the past for the Angels to be the solid team that can win the World Series in October.

Congratulations to the New York Giants

2008-01-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

This blog is primarily devoted to baseball but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate the New York Giants for earning a trip to the Super Bowl with their 23-20 win over the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully the momentum they have built winning three road playoff games will carry them to another victory and a Super Bowl championship. I am not a New York Giants fan but their all out effort in their final regular season game against the New England Patriots earned my respect and made me fan.

I have always believed a team should give maximum effort to win the game every game. I understand the current conventional wisdom is to rest players for the playoffs but I have little respect for teams that take a game off to rest players for the playoffs. Tampa Bay's John Gruden took this approach heading into the Bucs' final game of the season. In an article in The Tampa Tribune Gruden's plan for Tampa Bay's final regular season game was to rest the starters, get the younger players experience, and begin preparation for the playoff game against the Giants. Losing the final regular season game was of no consequence to Gruden and the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, Gruden's approach has become an accepted practice in the NFL.

Heading into their December 29 game against the undefeated Patriots, the Giants were faced with a similar situation as Tampa Bay. The Giants had already clinched a playoff spot and knew they were going to play the next weekend in Tampa Bay. New York had nothing to gain by playing their starters and trying to win the game and the conventional wisdom was the Giants should do as the Buccaneers and rest their starters. Many experts believed the Giants would indeed take the game with New England off, rest their injured and banged up players, and being preparing for the playoffs.

But Giants' coach Tom Coughlin and many of the Giants key players did not approach the last game as a chance to rest. In an article at ESPN.com, Coughlin is quoted as saying, "Our objective is to win...that's what we work for, that's what we prepare for, that's what we practice for. And it will be no different this week." In the same article Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who was suffering with the lingering effects of a sprained ankle, made it clear how he believed the Giants should approach the final game of the season, "No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that...guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and its at home. Guys won't want to sit down...Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game. Whatever we have to do to do that, that's what we're going to do. No matter what it is, we're going to do it." Unlike the Buccaneers and other NFL teams, the Giants were going to go all out in their game with the Patriots.

The December 29 Giants-Patriots game was one of the best professional football games I have ever seen. There is no question the Patriots are one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport and they were playing to finish the regular season undefeated. The Giants were playing with pride to win a football game. In the end, the Patriots won and finished the regular season undefeated but the Giants came out of game with confidence, pride, and momentum. As the Patriots game progressed, Giants quarterback Eli Manning seemed to grow and mature into a solid NFL signal caller. The benefits the Giants gained by playing the Patriots game to win have carried them to three road playoff victories and the opportunity to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I firmly believe if the Giants had rested their starters against the Patriots, they would not be playing in the Super Bowl. I wonder if John Gruden has second thoughts about his approach to his final game of the regular season after his team lost to the Giants in the opening round.

It would be a wonderful ending for the Giants if they could beat the New England Patriots and win the world championship. But regardless of how the Super Bowl turns out, Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants deserve the admiration of every sports fan for respecting the true spirit of sport and competition by giving everything in their final regular season. I am now a Giants fan because they understand something that many teams in all sports have forgotten, there is no such thing as a meaningless game.

2008 Kansas City Royals Catcher

2008-01-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

According to Royals' manager Trey Hillman, John Buck will be the Royals starting catcher in 2008 with Miguel Olivo as the backup. I know many Royals fans are happy to have Miguel Olivo on the team because he is a solid defensive catcher and has some power at the plate. But I am concerned because if Buck goes into a slump at some point in the 2008 season, I am afraid that Hillman will turn to Olivo and give him regular playing time at Buck's expense. Even though playing Olivo over Buck might have some short term benefit for the Royals in 2008, it will be a significant set back in Dayton Moore's efforts to build the Royals into a contending team.

John Buck is currently under the Royals control for three more seasons while Miguel Olivo signed a one year contract this year with a mutual option for 2009. Since it is unlikely the mutual option will be exercised, Olivo will be a Royal for only one season. Given the lack of any real catching prospects in the Royals' system, it is imperative that John Buck continue to improve as a Major League hitter. This includes correcting the weaknesses in his hitting and battling through the slumps that all Major League hitters experience. John Buck is not going to improve sitting in the dugout watching Miguel Olivo play. I am hoping that Hillman and Dayton Moore will take the position that Buck is the Royals long term catcher and, unless Olivo proves himself to be better AND signs a multi-year extension, they will stick with him throughout the 2008 season.

How the Royals handle the catching situation in 2008 will go a long way to show if Moore is truly committed to building a competitive team from within the organization. For the Kansas City Royals, winning games in 2008 is not as important as continuing to build a team that will be able to contend down the road. As things stand now, John Buck could be a part of a contending team in 2009 or 2010 while it is very likely that Miguel Olivo will only be a Royal for one season. The Royals should allow Buck to play in 2008 and evaluate his future with the Royals at the conclusion of the season.

2008 Los Angels Angels of Anaheim Catcher

2008-01-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

This spring in Arizona, one of the Angels position battles will be at catcher. During the 2007 season, both Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli served as the Angels number one catcher and each can make a strong case to be the Angels 2008 opening day backstop. Even though both players have proven they are capable Major League players, the Angels will be a better team in 2008 if Mike Napoli handles the majority of the catching duties.

There is no argument that Mike Napoli is a better hitter than Jeff Mathis. During the course of his big league careers, Napoli's has been a productive hitter. His .236 batting average leaves room for improvement but his .356 OBP and .450 SLG are very good and shows he produces when he is in the lineup. Jeff Mathis' career batting average is below the Mendoza Line at .197 and his .267 OBP and .336 SLG are weak. This is not to say that Mathis should be considered a defensive catcher that will never hit. I saw him play the majority of his AAA games in 2006 and he displayed the ability to produce at the plate and there is a chance he could develop into at least an average Major League hitter. But as things stand now, Mike Napoli is a positive in the Angels lineup while Mathis is a liability.

I saw most of the home games both Napoli and Mathis played in AAA and at the time my impression was both were very good catchers. My view of them has not changed since they have been promoted to the Angels. I will preface the comments I am about to write by stating I understand defensive statistics can be imperfect and misleading. Saying this, in his Major League career, Napoli has caught 1315 innings. During that time, he had a fielding percentage of .987, allowed 3 passed balls, thrown out 26.9% of the runners attempting to steal (32/119), and has a CERA (catcher's ERA) of 4.00. (Before people start emailing me I will let you know I am aware that CERA can be a misleading statistic. However, CERA does provide some reference to a pitching staff's performance when throwing to a certain catcher.)

Mathis has caught 605 innings. His career fielding percentage of .987 is identical to Napoli's. In more than half as few of innings Mathis has allowed 6 passed balls and has thrown out 17.5% of the runners attempting to steal (11/63). Mathis has a career CERA 4.28. I will say again that defensive statistics are not a complete picture but I was surprised that Napoli's statistics in several categories were better.

Mike Napoli has demonstrated he is capable of hitting 20+ homeruns, driving in runs, and creating runs by getting on base. This type of offensive production is needed in the Angels lineup. Adding his offensive production to his Major League level catching skills, Napoli becomes the clear choice to be the Angels #1 catcher in 2008.