ATLANTA BRAVES The bad news about Andres Galarraga has put several Braves players on the spot, and the team’s anxiety over the loss of their top slugger from ’98 has them hitting the trade market. Barring a deal, the spotlight will fall on Ryan Klesko. Klesko actually wanted to make the move to first early…
CHICAGO CUBS With so many players coming off of better-than-expected seasons, it isn’t hard to come up with a few potential floppers. A good bet is righthander Kevin Tapani, coming off of a 19-win season despite pitching about as well as unlamentedly departed Mark Clark. If lefty Terry Mulholland returns to the rotation, his ERA…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS The Diamondbacks went on a well-publicized spending spree in the offseason, and bought themselves some decent pitching in the process. They’ll need it, because the offense is saddled with ancient players at key positions. New left fielder Luis Gonzalez will have trouble duplicating his decent 1998, and one of the few youngsters in…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES While OF Albert Belle gets most of the attention as the Orioles open camp, and can be expected to put up a typical .300/.380/.570 season, pay attention to catcher Charles Johnson, acquired from the Dodgers via the Mets for Armando Benitez. Johnson had a terrible 1998, falling off both at the plate and…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Acquired 2B Tony Womack from the Pirates for a PTBNL and OF Paul Weichard. [2/26] The D-backs are claiming they’re going to move Womack to the outfield, where his value isn’t merely negligible, it’s Omar Moreno territory. What’s especially goofy is that acquiring Womack cuts into the playing time of a player who’s…
ANAHEIM ANGELS DH/C Todd Greene‘s emergence has been delayed due to shoulder surgery following the ’97 season. Early word out of the Angels camp is that he is throwing pain-free. If this is more than just rhetoric from the feel-good Disney Corporation, the Halos’ backstop position suddenly becomes a strength instead of a liability, as…
The start of spring training sets off many rituals for the serious roto player, one of which is the rush to create player valuations. While some fervently favor creating elaborate spreadsheets to assign values based on predicted stats, many rely instead on hand calculations or even intuition and experience. Today, I’ll look at the arguments…
With spring training shifting into second gear this week with the arrival of position players, Baseball Prospectus will start looking carefully at the 1999 season. Over the next two weeks, we’ll bring you our take on who is going to have breakout seasons, and who is more likely to be found in the breakdown lane….
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Signed 2B/SS Danny Klassen and RHP Clint Sodowsky to one-year contracts. [2/15] Signed pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. [2/19] Anyone else having trouble keeping track of which Kim is which? CHICAGO WHITE SOX Agreed to terms with 2B Ray Durham on a four-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration. [2/15] On a personal level, I’m glad the…
BOSTON RED SOX Agreed to terms on a one-year contract with RHP John Wasdin, avoiding arbitration; extended the player development contracts of Pawtucket (Triple-A) and Lowell (A) through 2002. [2/11] Wasdin seems to have got caught up in the rush to avoid salary arbitration after the owners’ early winning streak. He’ll continue in the role…
It’s never too early to start preparing for your rotisserie or fantasy draft. OK, December is probably too early, but now is the perfect time to get started. Pitchers and catchers haven’t reported yet, but before you know it, draft day will be upon you, and that day can be made less stressful (and more…
THE DODGERS DID IT "We’re not owned by a Murdoch, Disney or Ted Turner, and baseball can’t afford the kind of imbalance where the Dodgers’ Kevin Brown alone makes twice the Montreal Expos’ entire payroll." — Jerry McMorris, Rockies owner "From our perspective, we’re trying to run the business on a stand-alone basis. We felt…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Andy Stankiewicz to a minor-league contract with a spring training NRI; signed LHP Chris Michalak, RHP Steve Mintz and OF Darold Butler to minor-league contracts. [1/25] Signed LHP Mike Magnante to a one-year contract. [1/26] Just in case you’re wondering, Mike Holtz’ window of opportunity is being shut now that the…
When half of your team’s schedule is played in a ballpark that increases run production by fifty percent, the manager has to be able to adjust his thinking to account for that distortion. As the Colorado Rockies’ manager since their inception, Don Baylor has been the only man who has had to operate within this…
The Prospectus Projections Project began last February, when we asked about 40 people to make "human" projections of how 100 hitters and 25 pitchers would perform in 1998. We wanted to see how people would do compared to the computer formulas that appear in such publications as Baseball Prospectus and STATS’ Major League Handbook. In…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Andy Stankiewicz to a minor-league contract with a spring training NRI; signed LHP Chris Michalak, RHP Steve Mintz and OF Darold Butler to minor-league contracts. [1/25] Signed LHP Mike Magnante to a one-year contract. [1/26] Just in case you’re wondering, Mike Holtz’ window of opportunity is being shut now that the…