ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed C Charlie O’Brien on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 6/3 (partially torn ligament – foot); recalled OF Reggie Williams from Edmonton. [6/4] With O’Brien gone and Todd Greene’s shoulder giving him some problems, this may be present a chance for Steve Decker to stick around and do some catching.If Greene goes behind…
The Ballad of Super Joe I’m not a big fan of David Howard. Regular readers probably know that. Last year, in his first season with the Cardinals, Howard hit .245 in 102 at-bats, with four extra-base hits and 12 walks giving him a sad .322 OBP and a meek .333 slugging average. All three averages…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Purchased contract of C Steve Decker from Edmonton; recalled 1B Chris Pritchett from Edmonton; optioned OF Reggie Williams to Edmonton; designated INF Dave Silvestri for asssignment. [5/18] An interesting pair of callups. First off, it means that Bavasi and Collins belatedly realized that Dave Silvestri doesn’t add much value over Andy Sheets. Second,…
ATLANTA BRAVES Placed RHP John Smoltz on the 15-day DL (swollen elbow); activated RHP Russ Springer from the DL; recalled 1B Randall Simon from Richmond; optioned C Pascual Matos to Richmond. [5/17] Maybe it’s just because the Braves exude a certain confidence that they know what they’re doing, or maybe it’s that they’re the major…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed OF Tim Salmon on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/4 (sprained wrist). [5/11] Recalled OF Reggie Williams from Edmonton. [5/12] Salmon’s out five weeks, and with Mo Vaughn saying he doesn’t feel light-footed enough to play first base, and with the organization’s consistent unwillingness to call up and play Chris Pritchett, that…
Keeping Count Sure, everyone’s excited about Jeff Weaver, and for good reason. The right-hander has shown outstanding command of very good stuff, he doesn’t get rattled and he’s surviving pretty well despite dubious offensive and defensive support. But perhaps the happiest thing about his first month in in the majors has been Larry Parrish’s patience…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Purchased the contract of INF Dave Silvestri from Edmonton; optioned LHP Mike Holtz to Edmonton; transferred 2B Justin Baughman from the 15- to the 60-day DL. [5/8] You have to hand it to the Angels: they’ve begun to notice that something’s amiss in the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, it’s going to take more than…
Contrasts in Contingencies If there’s one watchword about pitching, it’s Joaquin Andujar’s favorite: "youneverknow." The vagaries of who gets hurt and why, and who winds up being ineffective and why, are issues that every major league general manager has to anticipate. Teams have to be prepared to lose a starting pitcher, so today’s question is,…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Released RHP Heathcliff Slocumb outright; recalled RHP Gabe Molina from Rochester. [4/30] Recalled 1B Calvin Pickering from Rochester; optioned INF Jesse Garcia to Rochester. [5/3] Random flail of the weekend: things are going badly, somebody has to die, and you don’t casually kill family. Slocumb has swung between mediocre and bad throughout his…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Optioned CF Dante Powell to Tucson; recalled INF Hanley Frias from Tucson. [4/26] With Tony Womack healthy and "sizzling", the Diamondbacks’ outfield was already crowded. It isn’t as if Powell was going to do much more than play as a defensive substitute. Meanwhile, Frias gives the team a viable middle infield backup in…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated 1B Mo Vaughn from the DL; optioned 1B Chris Pritchett to Edmonton. [4/22] The only serious problem with this move is that Vaughn is restricted to DHing, which leaves the Angels stuck with Erstad at first base instead of center field, and Garret Anderson in center instead of in left. The Big…
ATLANTA BRAVES Traded RHP Mark Wohlers to the Reds for RHP John Hudek; optioned RHP Mike Cather to Richmond. [4/16] Activated LHP Mike Remlinger from the DL; optioned LHP Derrin Ebert to Richmond. [4/18] I’m no big fan of Hudek’s, but since Wohlers may never be the same, this isn’t a bad way to make…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Claimed RHP Al Levine off waivers from the Rangers. [4/2] Purchased the contracts of 2B Jeff Huson and 1B Tim Unroe; recalled LHP Scott Schoeneweis from Edmonton; optioned 1B Chris Pritchett to Edmonton; assigned RHPs Toby Borland and Mike Fyhrie, C Steve Decker, and 2B Keith Luuloa to their minor-league camp; placed RHP…
I made my 1999 Comiskey Park debut by showing up to watch the White Sox try to avoid getting swept by the Royals, in a game featuring each team’s ace (Chicago’s James Baldwin vs. Kansas City’s Kevin Appier). My focus was on the three "stories" already being spun about the Sox and Royals: How would…
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (1998: 931 runs allowed, last in the AL) Rotation James Baldwin, R Mike Sirotka, L Jim Parque, L John Snyder, R Jaime Navarro, R Bullpen Bobby Howry, R Bill Simas, R Keith Foulke, R Sean Lowe, R David Lundquist, R Bryan Ward, L Alternatives Chad Bradford, R Carlos Castillo, R Kevin Beirne,…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed SS Gary DiSarcina, 2B Justin Baughman, and RHPs Jack McDowell and Pep Harris on the 15-day DL; placed RHP Mike James on the 60-day DL. [3/24] Optioned LHPs Jarrod Washburn and Scott Schoeneweis to Edmonton. [3/25] Acquired INF Andy Sheets and OF Gus Kennedy from the Padres for C Phil Nevin and…