A headline for a recent Baseball Weekly cover story described Dusty Baker as an "inspirational manager" in charge of "overachieving Giants." The article included gushing praise from players, fellow managers, and even an opposing general manager who stated that Baker "handles people like nobody I’ve ever seen … I’d get rid of my own guy…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Purchased the contract of 2B/3B P.J. Forbes from Rochester; designated RHP Joel Bennett for assignment. [7/21] Traded OF/1B Joe Carter to San Francisco for RHP Darin Blood. [7/23] Good news for the Orioles has been pretty infrequent, so its news when they pull off one addition and one bit of addition-by-subtraction. Sending Joe…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Placed 3B Matt Williams on the 15-day DL ("micro" stress fracture – foot); activated INF Andy Stankiewicz from the DL. [7/19] Whereas losing Matt Williams might be touted as a bad thing, the only place where it may really hurt them over several games will be defensively. With Danny Klassen having been handed…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated LHP Allen Watson from the DL; optioned OF Damon Mashore to Vancouver. [7/13] Watson was promptly deposited into the bullpen, and if you pricked up your ears from the stands, you’d undoubtedly hear him kvetching about it. You might think that his near-supersonic ERA ought to shut him up (7.17, 7.27, 7.37?…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Announced that RHP Terry Mathews cleared waivers and was granted his unconditional release. [7/10] Placed DH Harold Baines on the 15-day DL (hamstring); activated OF Jeffrey Hammonds from the DL. [7/11] Losing Baines doesn’t help an already weak set of choices in the outfield. Although Brady Anderson has struggled back above the Mendoza…
ALL-STAR GAME "It was exciting to face Big Mac, especially when there were runners on base, because you can feel the electricity in the stadium. I was lucky enough to get a couple of pitches by him." — Roger Clemens, Blue Jays pitcher "It’s disappointing when players picked to wear the uniform aren’t deserving over…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Optioned RHP Jeff Suppan to Tucson. [7/3] Recalled 2B Danny Klassen from Tucson. [7/4] The lot of fifth starters in general is to get shipped off when roster pressures mount, and Suppan is no exception. Omar Daal may be ready to come off the DL by the end of the break, and the…
DODGER SHAKE-UP, LAST WEEK "I never thought I’d get fired." — Fred Claire, former Dodgers GM "Everybody is numb right now. You just go out there and play. You just go to the park and hope you still have a uniform to wear." — Eric Karros, Dodgers infielder "[Tommy Lasorda is] just killing me and…
If you don’t agree with a pick here and there, that’s OK; half of the authorship probably doesn’t either. As always, we welcome your comments at info@baseballprospectus.com. Catcher Starter: Pudge Rodriguez (Texas) Reserve: Darrin Fletcher (Toronto) Okay, picking Pudge is easy, because he’s probably the league’s MVP. But after that? Several teams are platooning or…
He was through, but it still hurt when the Giants traded Willie Mays early in the 1972 season. It wasn’t just that Mays was my favorite player; it was that yet another seemingly permanent fixture of my youth was shown to be as temporary as everything else. Before that, the deal that really bothered me…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Placed 2B Andy Stankiewicz on the 15-day DL (knee). [6/27] Activated C Jorge Fabregas from the DL; optioned OF Mike Robertson to Tucson. [6/30] Uncanny. The D-backs replace one utterly useless player for another. Both Kelly Stinnett and Damian Miller are better players, but Fabregas has his defensive reputation, and he’s blessed to…
If you don’t agree with a pick here and there, that’s OK; half of the authorship probably doesn’t either. As always, we welcome your comments at info@baseballprospectus.com. Catcher Starter: Javier Lopez (Atlanta) Reserves: Jason Kendall (Pittsburgh), Mike Piazza (NY Mets) The real shock here is that Piazza isn’t the starter, but the sad fact is…