Congratulations are in order for Randy Johnson for winning his 300th game today and on his first try as well. Media persons are under the impression that we will never see a 300 game winner again in baseball but the reality is while there are no more 4 man rotations, pitchers are able to pitch longer into their 40’s thanks to the 5th man in a rotation and the advances in medicine (no not steroids). So giving a player an extra year or so of pitching effectively gives them as good of a chance to get 300 wins and join elite company. I took a look at the active wins leaders in baseball right now and there are a few guys down the roads of their respective careers who can come close to compiling 300 wins, let’s take a look:
Mark Buehrle, age 30, 128 wins
Now I’ll admit when I saw Buehrle this high up the active list I was a little shocked but it is not far fetched given his age that he will be able to get to 300. He is cut from the Greg Maddux mold where he is not a hard thrower and relies on smarts to get batters out. Not throwing hard will save his arm and he has to average between 13 and 14 wins a season for the next 12 years to get to 300 exactly which is not out of reach for him.
Will he do it? My opinion is he will not reach it due to the fact that this offseason there were rumors circulating that Buehrle is debating retiring after his current contract expires. When a guy at the age of 30 is already considering retiring, chances are he will not be pitching into his early to mid 40’s. As a Sox fan it is depressing to see he has a shot but will probably not get to it.
CC Sabathia, age 28, 122 wins
Sabathia will be one of the pitchers most people will guess to reach 300 wins next; he’s young at 28 years of age and has compiled a lot of wins in his career. If he pitches until he is 42 he has to average 12.21 wins the rest of his career to make it to 300. He is a pitcher who has been very good and may have more to show still as he enters his prime.
Will he do it? I believe he has the best shot of any pitcher; he has been healthy throughout his career, which is a good sign that he will be able to pitch into his 40’s and there really aren’t any signs that point to a decrease in performance anytime soon. If he were not to make it to 300 one possible reason would be due to being overworked, last season he pitched 252 innings including 10 complete games and at a relative young age all that work may not be good for his future.
Johan Santana, age 30, 116 wins
Santana has been one of the most, if not the most dominate pitcher over the last 4 soon to be 5 years and has racked up many wins during that time frame. He has the ability to just dominate any lineup that he faces on any given night, which is a big boost for his chances for reaching 300. The unfortunate part for Santana is that it took him 4 years to get to where he’s at now which took valuable wins away from him. What this means is he’ll have to average 15 wins for the next 12 years to get to 300, which is the most wins per year out of the three guys listed so far.
Will he do it? My initial thought is yes. I believe he can stay this good for that long as long as he remains in the National League and gets the benefit of pitching against the opposing pitcher every start. He could be very much like Randy Johnson and just start to dominate as he goes through his 30’s, which is another reason I think he’s capable of winning 300 games.
Wild Card: Carlos Zambrano, age 28, 99 wins
Zambrano benefits from being called up to the majors at a very young age where he could compile wins very early. He literally just turned 28 a few days ago as Blaine pointed out to me. What he has going against him is his emotions, the more “emotional” Zambrano gets the more starts will get taken away from him which will hurt his shot. If he can avoid being suspended and pitch until he is 42 he will have to average just more than 14 wins per season, which he is completely capable of doing as long as he isn’t suspended.
Will he do it? My gut reaction says no. This is solely based on me not believing Zambrano can control his emotions and add suspensions into possible injuries he just won’t be able to get enough starts to get the opportunity to win 300 games, although he will certainly be able to pitch until he is 45 because he is such a workhorse.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Release of Tom Glavine
When I turned on MLB Network this evening to the news of the Braves releasing future Hall of Famer and 300 game-winner Tom Glavine I was first shocked and then disappointed. I was shocked because I could never imagine a scenario where the Atlanta Braves would release their former face of the franchise. I became disappointed when I heard that Glavine was to earn $1 million on the condition that he’d join the active roster and then $1.25 million if he remained on the roster for 30 days and then again for 90 days. Now the Braves front office won’t say that this was the reason for Glavine being released, but in the state that the economy is in, that was clearly a large factor in the decision. And that is what is disappointing; the fact that the economy is deciding when it is time to say goodbye to future Hall of Famers. A player like Tom Glavine should get to say goodbye on his own terms, not when the economy dictates. It’s just like when a player earns a no-trade clause, they get to decide where they play opposed to other people or factors. Glavine gave the Braves a lot during his career and was a major reason why they had a streak of 14 consecutive division titles. When you contribute so much to a team you deserve to go out on your own terms. The White Sox even recognize this with trying to contact Frank Thomas and his agent and letting him know if he would like to retire as a Chicago White Sox he just has to let them know and it will be done.
The Braves brought Glavine back after his stint with the New York Mets, and agreed to this contract where they would pay him $3.5 million in bonuses. If they’re not willing to pay those bonuses now, they should not have agreed to that contract back in the winter. In the world of sports, a combined $3.5 million isn’t that large of a sum even in this economy especially for a guy like Glavine who just knows how to pitch and eat innings. The bottom line is that Glavine said he’s ready to pitch for the Braves and the franchise that got the most out of him, turned around and released him saying they think they can get better production from a youth movement. The reality is the economy has gotten so bad that future Hall of Famers cannot get a proper goodbye, which is disappointing.
After a hiatus of no reason whatsoever, this is hopefully the return of IHOB.
The Braves brought Glavine back after his stint with the New York Mets, and agreed to this contract where they would pay him $3.5 million in bonuses. If they’re not willing to pay those bonuses now, they should not have agreed to that contract back in the winter. In the world of sports, a combined $3.5 million isn’t that large of a sum even in this economy especially for a guy like Glavine who just knows how to pitch and eat innings. The bottom line is that Glavine said he’s ready to pitch for the Braves and the franchise that got the most out of him, turned around and released him saying they think they can get better production from a youth movement. The reality is the economy has gotten so bad that future Hall of Famers cannot get a proper goodbye, which is disappointing.
After a hiatus of no reason whatsoever, this is hopefully the return of IHOB.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Big Ten Tournament Preview (Baseball)
Today begins the Big Ten Tournament for baseball. All games will be shown on Big Ten Network and the action has already started with the Illinois-Michigan State game (6-4 Illinois, bottom of the 4th), and continues later when rivals Purdue and Indiana square off at 2:30 CT. It is one of the weirdest brackets of a tournament you can have, as it is six teams and double elimination, but it can be found here. While the Big Ten is by no means a baseball conference and will likely only get a couple teams at most to the NCAA tournament, the tournament is still deserving of a preview.
#1 Ohio State (39-15, 18-6)
The de facto hosts of the tournament, as it is being played at a minor league park in Columbus. The Buckeyes are ranked #23 in the country and come into the tournament off of a three-game sweep of lowly Iowa. Ohio State is led by starting pitcher Alex Wimmers, who is 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 94.1 IP. Wimmers threw a no-hitter against Michigan on May 2, helping dash Michigan's hopes at making the BTT this season. They have Jake Hale coming out of the bullpen, with an astounding 1.19 ERA in 45.1 IP, and hitters have a .175 average against him. As a team, Ohio State hits .329/.397/.505, led by Ryan Dew, who has a .395 average with an OBP of .441. These three players along with catcher Dan Burkhart (.362/.435/.611 with 9 HR and 57 RBI) were all chosen to be on the All-Big Ten first team. Burkhart was picked to be the Player of the Year and Alex Wimmers was co-Pitcher of the Year.
#2 Minnesota (35-15, 17-6)
Something of a surprise this year, as Minnesota finished 20-35 last year while finishing 9th in the 10-team baseball conference. Minnesota has a solid rotation of Tom Buske (8-3, 3.40 ERA), Chauncy Handran (7-2, 3.81), and Seth Rosen (6-1, 4.02). They are also a solid team at the plate, where they hit .316 as a team, led by All-Big Ten first team selection Derek McCallum, who hit .401 with 15 HR and 72 RBI in 50 games this year. Minnesota also has a star receiver from their football team, Eric Decker, roaming center field.
#3 Indiana (28-25, 16-7)
Indiana hit their stride in the Big Ten season, after early losses to teams such as Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Indiana State, Jacksonville State, Northern Iowa, Stetson (you get the idea). Indiana is led by star pitcher Eric Arnett (who you can read about here, who was a unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection after going 11-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts this season. Their other first team selections were outfielder Kipp Schutz, who hit .368/.429/.516, and catcher Josh Phegley, who hit .354/.470/.672 with 17 HR and 62 RBI. Indiana is very much a hitting-oriented team after Eric Arnett, as they have a .322 team average with 59 HR and a 5.32 team ERA, with teams hitting .289 against them.
#4 Illinois (33-18, 16-8)
Illinois had a chance to get the number one seed in this tournament up until the final weekend, when they lost two of three at Purdue. Illinois is led at the plate by two All-Big Ten first team selections, shortstop Brandon Wikoff and third baseman Dominic Altobelli. Wikoff hit .375/.432/.551 with 10 SB, and Altobelli hit .379/.450/.597 with 8 HR and 52 RBI. Like most Big Ten teams, they have weak pitching, with a team ERA of 5.16. However they do have a strong freshman pitcher, Will Strack, who was selected to the All Big Ten freshman team with a record of 6-0 and a 3.48 ERA in 8 starts.
#5 Michigan State (23-29, 13-11)
Michigan State had zero first, second, or third team All Big Ten selections, a testament to the even play of the entire team. They really have nobody who is very good or very bad, and they are much like Indiana in that up until the Big Ten season, they were not playing so well, with a 10-19 pre-Big Ten record. Catcher Eric Roof leads the way at the plate with his .339 average, and he hit a grand slam early in the first game of the tournament against Illinois. Freshman pitcher Tony Bucciferro had an impressive season, going 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts. The pitching staff as a whole has a 4.97 ERA, not bad for a Big Ten team, but they only have a .284 team average.
#6 Purdue (24-24, 11-12)
Purdue barely made the Big Ten Tournament, winning two of three against Illinois in the final weekend to squeak by Michigan, who had an extremely disappointing year. Still, they made the show, and they are able to be a dark horse in the tournament. Purdue has three regulars who hit over .390, led by unanimous all Big Ten selection Brandon Haveman, who hit .412/.457/.600 with 16 doubles, while maintaining a .984 fielding percentage in the outfield. First baseman John Cummins hit .404 this season and freshman second baseman Eric Charles hit .390 this year as both were selected to the third team All-Big Ten. Purdue also has catcher/first baseman/third baseman Dan Black, who was walked an astounding 59 times this year, making for a .510 OBP when his average was only .303, and he hit 14 HR. He should be drafted in the sixth to eighth round in the upcoming MLB draft. While Purdue has terrible pitching overall, it improved late in the season, led by senior Matt Bischoff, who went 3-3 with a 4.83 ERA in conference play.
The Verdict
This Big Ten Tournament is effectively wide-open. Four teams were in contention for the top spot going into the final weekend of the season, and the other two teams have the ability to make an impact. I predict an Ohio State-Indiana final, and if we are lucky we will see an Alex Wimmers-Eric Arnett matchup to decide everything. I pick Ohio State to come out on top. I don't think Minnesota will do all that well as they have somewhat over-achieved this year, and I see Purdue continuing their strong play as of late to reach the semifinals. Last year they made it to the finals, bowing out to a strong Michigan team, and this year, the Boilermakers took two of three from Indiana and hit Arnett fairly well, and while they got swept by Ohio State, every game was close. Don't count out those Boilermakers!
#1 Ohio State (39-15, 18-6)
The de facto hosts of the tournament, as it is being played at a minor league park in Columbus. The Buckeyes are ranked #23 in the country and come into the tournament off of a three-game sweep of lowly Iowa. Ohio State is led by starting pitcher Alex Wimmers, who is 9-1 with a 2.58 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 94.1 IP. Wimmers threw a no-hitter against Michigan on May 2, helping dash Michigan's hopes at making the BTT this season. They have Jake Hale coming out of the bullpen, with an astounding 1.19 ERA in 45.1 IP, and hitters have a .175 average against him. As a team, Ohio State hits .329/.397/.505, led by Ryan Dew, who has a .395 average with an OBP of .441. These three players along with catcher Dan Burkhart (.362/.435/.611 with 9 HR and 57 RBI) were all chosen to be on the All-Big Ten first team. Burkhart was picked to be the Player of the Year and Alex Wimmers was co-Pitcher of the Year.
#2 Minnesota (35-15, 17-6)
Something of a surprise this year, as Minnesota finished 20-35 last year while finishing 9th in the 10-team baseball conference. Minnesota has a solid rotation of Tom Buske (8-3, 3.40 ERA), Chauncy Handran (7-2, 3.81), and Seth Rosen (6-1, 4.02). They are also a solid team at the plate, where they hit .316 as a team, led by All-Big Ten first team selection Derek McCallum, who hit .401 with 15 HR and 72 RBI in 50 games this year. Minnesota also has a star receiver from their football team, Eric Decker, roaming center field.
#3 Indiana (28-25, 16-7)
Indiana hit their stride in the Big Ten season, after early losses to teams such as Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Indiana State, Jacksonville State, Northern Iowa, Stetson (you get the idea). Indiana is led by star pitcher Eric Arnett (who you can read about here, who was a unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection after going 11-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts this season. Their other first team selections were outfielder Kipp Schutz, who hit .368/.429/.516, and catcher Josh Phegley, who hit .354/.470/.672 with 17 HR and 62 RBI. Indiana is very much a hitting-oriented team after Eric Arnett, as they have a .322 team average with 59 HR and a 5.32 team ERA, with teams hitting .289 against them.
#4 Illinois (33-18, 16-8)
Illinois had a chance to get the number one seed in this tournament up until the final weekend, when they lost two of three at Purdue. Illinois is led at the plate by two All-Big Ten first team selections, shortstop Brandon Wikoff and third baseman Dominic Altobelli. Wikoff hit .375/.432/.551 with 10 SB, and Altobelli hit .379/.450/.597 with 8 HR and 52 RBI. Like most Big Ten teams, they have weak pitching, with a team ERA of 5.16. However they do have a strong freshman pitcher, Will Strack, who was selected to the All Big Ten freshman team with a record of 6-0 and a 3.48 ERA in 8 starts.
#5 Michigan State (23-29, 13-11)
Michigan State had zero first, second, or third team All Big Ten selections, a testament to the even play of the entire team. They really have nobody who is very good or very bad, and they are much like Indiana in that up until the Big Ten season, they were not playing so well, with a 10-19 pre-Big Ten record. Catcher Eric Roof leads the way at the plate with his .339 average, and he hit a grand slam early in the first game of the tournament against Illinois. Freshman pitcher Tony Bucciferro had an impressive season, going 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts. The pitching staff as a whole has a 4.97 ERA, not bad for a Big Ten team, but they only have a .284 team average.
#6 Purdue (24-24, 11-12)
Purdue barely made the Big Ten Tournament, winning two of three against Illinois in the final weekend to squeak by Michigan, who had an extremely disappointing year. Still, they made the show, and they are able to be a dark horse in the tournament. Purdue has three regulars who hit over .390, led by unanimous all Big Ten selection Brandon Haveman, who hit .412/.457/.600 with 16 doubles, while maintaining a .984 fielding percentage in the outfield. First baseman John Cummins hit .404 this season and freshman second baseman Eric Charles hit .390 this year as both were selected to the third team All-Big Ten. Purdue also has catcher/first baseman/third baseman Dan Black, who was walked an astounding 59 times this year, making for a .510 OBP when his average was only .303, and he hit 14 HR. He should be drafted in the sixth to eighth round in the upcoming MLB draft. While Purdue has terrible pitching overall, it improved late in the season, led by senior Matt Bischoff, who went 3-3 with a 4.83 ERA in conference play.
The Verdict
This Big Ten Tournament is effectively wide-open. Four teams were in contention for the top spot going into the final weekend of the season, and the other two teams have the ability to make an impact. I predict an Ohio State-Indiana final, and if we are lucky we will see an Alex Wimmers-Eric Arnett matchup to decide everything. I pick Ohio State to come out on top. I don't think Minnesota will do all that well as they have somewhat over-achieved this year, and I see Purdue continuing their strong play as of late to reach the semifinals. Last year they made it to the finals, bowing out to a strong Michigan team, and this year, the Boilermakers took two of three from Indiana and hit Arnett fairly well, and while they got swept by Ohio State, every game was close. Don't count out those Boilermakers!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Early Season Projections
We are a little over a month through this baseball season, and it is a good time to look at some interesting statistics and see what would happen if players kept up these paces.
Home Run Leaders: Albert Pujols and Carlos Pena both have 13 homers to lead their respective leagues. If they keep up this pace, Pujols will end with 65 HR and Pena with 63 (by virtue having played one more game than Pujols). These would easily be career highs for both, as neither has hit over 50 HR in a season. Pujols would finish with 171 RBI, the most since 1938.
Evan Longoria: Longoria, who is hitting .362/.417/.748 with 11 HR, 16 2B, and 45 RBI, would finish with 55 HR, 80 2B, and an absolutely incredible 225 RBI. This would shatter the current RBI record of 191 by Hack Wilson. The most RBI in one season since 1938 is 165 by Manny Ramirez in 1999. The 160 barrier has only been broken twice since WWII. The 80 2B would shatter the record of most doubles in a season, which is now 67, set by Earl Webb in 1931.
Batting Averages: Kevin Youkilis is currently hitting .393, which would be the second highest batting average since Ted Williams last eclipsed .400 in 1941. Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994.
Starting Pitching: Zack Greinke, the biggest surprise of the year on the mound, is on pace to go 29-5, 0.51 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 253 IP, 281 K, 38 BB. Roy Halladay is on pace to go 32-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 282 IP, 227 K, 32 BB. Needless to say, Greinke's ERA would be the lowest of all time, and the WHIP would be the third highest since 1900, after Pedro Martinez had a 0.74 WHIP in 2000 and Walter Johnson's 0.78 WHIP in 1913. His strikeout total would be the highest non-Randy Johnson total since 2001. Halladay's win total of 32 would be the most since Pete Alexander won 32 games in 1916.
The Stolen Base: In the AL, there are 1.45 stolen bases per game, up from 1.16 in 2008, good for a 25% increase. In the NL, the number is 1.17 stolen bases per game, only a 0.025 stolen bases per game increase from 2008. Still, it is said that this is the year of the stolen base. Carl Crawford has 22 SB in 34 games, putting him on pace for 105 SB, and he has still not been caught at all. This would be the highest total since Vince Coleman's 109 in 1987, which was also the last time a player stole over 100 bases. The highest stolen base total since 1990 was Marquis Grissom's 78 steals in 1992, which was matched by Jose Reyes in 2007.
Striking out at the plate: Chris Davis has an astounding 50 strikeouts in only 108 at bats this season. This puts him on pace to strike out 260 times this season, which is by far the most all time. Currently, Mark Reynolds is the leader in this category with 204 K last year, the only player to ever get over 200 K in one season. Incidentally, Ryan Howard has struck out 199 times in a season twice, in 2007 and 2008. Davis has struck out in 46.3% of his at bats this season. To break the record, he would have to strike out in about 34% of his remaining at bats. Still, a 34% strikeout rate still comes out to 190 K in a season, so Davis has some work to do.
Interesting Fact of the Day: Since 1954, only two players have ever gone 5-5 in a game, with all 5 of those hits being extra-base hits. Those are Steve Garvey on August 28, 1977 (3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Joe Adcock on July 31, 1954 (1 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI).
Home Run Leaders: Albert Pujols and Carlos Pena both have 13 homers to lead their respective leagues. If they keep up this pace, Pujols will end with 65 HR and Pena with 63 (by virtue having played one more game than Pujols). These would easily be career highs for both, as neither has hit over 50 HR in a season. Pujols would finish with 171 RBI, the most since 1938.
Evan Longoria: Longoria, who is hitting .362/.417/.748 with 11 HR, 16 2B, and 45 RBI, would finish with 55 HR, 80 2B, and an absolutely incredible 225 RBI. This would shatter the current RBI record of 191 by Hack Wilson. The most RBI in one season since 1938 is 165 by Manny Ramirez in 1999. The 160 barrier has only been broken twice since WWII. The 80 2B would shatter the record of most doubles in a season, which is now 67, set by Earl Webb in 1931.
Batting Averages: Kevin Youkilis is currently hitting .393, which would be the second highest batting average since Ted Williams last eclipsed .400 in 1941. Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994.
Starting Pitching: Zack Greinke, the biggest surprise of the year on the mound, is on pace to go 29-5, 0.51 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 253 IP, 281 K, 38 BB. Roy Halladay is on pace to go 32-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 282 IP, 227 K, 32 BB. Needless to say, Greinke's ERA would be the lowest of all time, and the WHIP would be the third highest since 1900, after Pedro Martinez had a 0.74 WHIP in 2000 and Walter Johnson's 0.78 WHIP in 1913. His strikeout total would be the highest non-Randy Johnson total since 2001. Halladay's win total of 32 would be the most since Pete Alexander won 32 games in 1916.
The Stolen Base: In the AL, there are 1.45 stolen bases per game, up from 1.16 in 2008, good for a 25% increase. In the NL, the number is 1.17 stolen bases per game, only a 0.025 stolen bases per game increase from 2008. Still, it is said that this is the year of the stolen base. Carl Crawford has 22 SB in 34 games, putting him on pace for 105 SB, and he has still not been caught at all. This would be the highest total since Vince Coleman's 109 in 1987, which was also the last time a player stole over 100 bases. The highest stolen base total since 1990 was Marquis Grissom's 78 steals in 1992, which was matched by Jose Reyes in 2007.
Striking out at the plate: Chris Davis has an astounding 50 strikeouts in only 108 at bats this season. This puts him on pace to strike out 260 times this season, which is by far the most all time. Currently, Mark Reynolds is the leader in this category with 204 K last year, the only player to ever get over 200 K in one season. Incidentally, Ryan Howard has struck out 199 times in a season twice, in 2007 and 2008. Davis has struck out in 46.3% of his at bats this season. To break the record, he would have to strike out in about 34% of his remaining at bats. Still, a 34% strikeout rate still comes out to 190 K in a season, so Davis has some work to do.
Interesting Fact of the Day: Since 1954, only two players have ever gone 5-5 in a game, with all 5 of those hits being extra-base hits. Those are Steve Garvey on August 28, 1977 (3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Joe Adcock on July 31, 1954 (1 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
MLB Mishandled the Bobby Jenks "Purpose Pitch"
By now you have probably heard that Bobby Jenks was fined $750 for throwing behind Ian Kinsler last Saturday when the White Sox played the Rangers. I personally think it is a ridiculous penalty and that Major League Baseball needs to settle themselves down. I saw the incident first hand and thought it was asinine that the home plate umpire warned both benches for that pitch. At the time I didn't think Jenks would be throwing behind someone in a 1-run game in the ninth inning (and if you heard Hawk Harrelson's reaction to it, you would know that he was very passionate in disagreeing with the call). This is my first problem with the way umpire's are handling bean balls and purpose pitches.
By warning someone because they threw too far inside it is taking away the inside part of the plate for the pitchers and they cannot have command of the game from that point. It forces them to throw the ball away from the hitters and allows hitters to just pay attention to the outer half of the plate and send the ball flying. As long as no one is being hit, no warnings should be given out, it ruins baseball by giving pitchers only a certain part of the plate to work with. And if a pitcher does hit a batter the other pitcher should have the chance to retaliate and then go ahead and warn both benches but don't let one team get away with beaning one player and then not allowing the other team to retaliate. You have to let the players referee themselves when it comes to these types of situations.
New Baseball Tonight analyst, Dave Winfield, shared a story while on the show about how he watched a Padres-Dodgers game last year where Manny Ramirez went deep and then his next at-bat the Padres pitcher threw inside (did not hit Ramirez) but then both benches were warned by the umpire. Winfield went on to say (I'm paraphrasing) that it wasn't like that when he played, if you hit a home run then, you could almost gurantee you would get brushed back your next at-bat. I agree with him, if you continue to let power hitters just sit right on the plate they're just going to continue to hit the ball over the fence. Pitchers need to be allowed to throw inside, especially when the big hitters are allowed to wear the massive arm protection and sit right on the plate to try to force pitchers to throw outside.
Major League Baseball needs to talk to their umpires and not be so protective of hitters, bring baseball to the way it used to be where if you hit a home run, you better watch yourself when you step up again. Bring baseball back to the 1-0 game rather than the 9-5 games that fans have become accustomed to.
Interesting Hit-By-Pitch Stat
Carlos Quentin has been hit by the most pitches since last season in the American League with 28. More interesting is that he refuses to wear protective gear even though he gets hit so much. He claims it hinders his ability if he wears an elbow guard.
By warning someone because they threw too far inside it is taking away the inside part of the plate for the pitchers and they cannot have command of the game from that point. It forces them to throw the ball away from the hitters and allows hitters to just pay attention to the outer half of the plate and send the ball flying. As long as no one is being hit, no warnings should be given out, it ruins baseball by giving pitchers only a certain part of the plate to work with. And if a pitcher does hit a batter the other pitcher should have the chance to retaliate and then go ahead and warn both benches but don't let one team get away with beaning one player and then not allowing the other team to retaliate. You have to let the players referee themselves when it comes to these types of situations.
New Baseball Tonight analyst, Dave Winfield, shared a story while on the show about how he watched a Padres-Dodgers game last year where Manny Ramirez went deep and then his next at-bat the Padres pitcher threw inside (did not hit Ramirez) but then both benches were warned by the umpire. Winfield went on to say (I'm paraphrasing) that it wasn't like that when he played, if you hit a home run then, you could almost gurantee you would get brushed back your next at-bat. I agree with him, if you continue to let power hitters just sit right on the plate they're just going to continue to hit the ball over the fence. Pitchers need to be allowed to throw inside, especially when the big hitters are allowed to wear the massive arm protection and sit right on the plate to try to force pitchers to throw outside.
Major League Baseball needs to talk to their umpires and not be so protective of hitters, bring baseball to the way it used to be where if you hit a home run, you better watch yourself when you step up again. Bring baseball back to the 1-0 game rather than the 9-5 games that fans have become accustomed to.
Interesting Hit-By-Pitch Stat
Carlos Quentin has been hit by the most pitches since last season in the American League with 28. More interesting is that he refuses to wear protective gear even though he gets hit so much. He claims it hinders his ability if he wears an elbow guard.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Meet the Prospects: Kentrail Davis (OF – University of Tennessee)
Kentrail Davis is an outfielder for the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee, he is a sophomore standing at 5 foot 9 inches and weighing 195 pounds. He achieved a lot in high school but has suffered injuries as of late. In his junior year of high school, Davis hit .444 with 12 home runs in 99 at-bats while stealing 34 bases. His senior year was cut short due to a serious car accident. When he arrived at Tennessee he hit .330 in 206 at-bats while hitting 13 home runs and driving in 44 runs. He stole 7 bases and had a .435 on-base percentage. He is a force on the bath paths and even made the USA Collegiate National Team, he did not play much with that team and was injured while playing. He was fully healthy heading into this season.
This season, Davis is hitting .309 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI in 196 at-bats. He has an on-base percentage of .430 and has stolen 4 bases in 5 attempts. With the 9 home runs he also has 4 triples and 12 doubles leading him to a .552 slugging percentage.
The two mock drafts I look at have him going at either #11 to the Rockies or #18 to the Marlins. He is a fast outfielder who has shown he can get on-base which for a base stealer you want to see as much as possible.
I don’t have a good video for Davis but he looks to be the real deal so watch for him in the draft.
This season, Davis is hitting .309 with 9 home runs and 30 RBI in 196 at-bats. He has an on-base percentage of .430 and has stolen 4 bases in 5 attempts. With the 9 home runs he also has 4 triples and 12 doubles leading him to a .552 slugging percentage.
The two mock drafts I look at have him going at either #11 to the Rockies or #18 to the Marlins. He is a fast outfielder who has shown he can get on-base which for a base stealer you want to see as much as possible.
I don’t have a good video for Davis but he looks to be the real deal so watch for him in the draft.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Useful Information
So I was watching the Cubs game today and Len Kasper and Bob Brenly were talking about Dave Kingman's 3-HR game on June 4, 1976 and the Tommy Lasorda tirade that ensued ("What is my opinion of his performance?"). That prompted me to look up all of Kingman's 3+ HR performances. Turns out he has 5, which is in a four-way tie for 2nd since 1954. Sammy Sosa is in first with 6, and Mark McGwire, Carlos Delgado, and Joe Carter all have 5 with Kingman.
Incidentally, Kingman had 8 RBI in 3 of those games, and that puts him in 1st for most 8+ RBI games since 1954. Ron Santo is in an 82-way tie for 6th on that list with his one 8-RBI game, which came on July 6 1970 when he hit a grand slam, a three run homer, and got a bases-loaded walk in a 14-2 win over the Montreal Expos.
I'd like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to mom (Hi Mom!!) and all mothers out there. I'll probably add a bit more after work tonight but this will be all for now.
Interesting Baseball Fact of the Day: Hank Aaron hit a home run in more games than anyone in history. Aaron hit a home run in 692 games, while Barry Bonds hit a home run in only 687 games in his career. So Hank Aaron is the home run king by some counts right?
Incidentally, Kingman had 8 RBI in 3 of those games, and that puts him in 1st for most 8+ RBI games since 1954. Ron Santo is in an 82-way tie for 6th on that list with his one 8-RBI game, which came on July 6 1970 when he hit a grand slam, a three run homer, and got a bases-loaded walk in a 14-2 win over the Montreal Expos.
I'd like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to mom (Hi Mom!!) and all mothers out there. I'll probably add a bit more after work tonight but this will be all for now.
Interesting Baseball Fact of the Day: Hank Aaron hit a home run in more games than anyone in history. Aaron hit a home run in 692 games, while Barry Bonds hit a home run in only 687 games in his career. So Hank Aaron is the home run king by some counts right?
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