The White Sox may finally commit to Willie Harris. The Reds are playing all the wrong players. The Miguel Cabrera era begins in Florida. The Twins’ handling of Johan Santana is a crime. News, notes, and Kahrlisms in the latest edition of Transaction Analysis.
The Braves have a history of great minor-league pitching; Johan Santana continues to be oppressed by Lord Gardenhire; and the Devil Rays have a couple of players who might actually deserve a spot on the AL All-Star team. All this and much more news from Atlanta, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay in your Wednesday edition of Prospectus Triple Play.
Part II of Jonah Keri’s interview with Tendu founder Ron Antinoja discusses the rigors of being a Tendu scorer, some of the firm’s clients, and future improvements in the company’s database and software.
Edgar Martinez’s Hall of Fame candidacy remains controversial, judging by my e-mail, which baffles me.
There is a historical precedent for electing a Designated Hitter to the Hall of Fame. As baseball has evolved, the players who have evolved with it have been recognized for their accomplishments in the new roles they’ve filled. Shortstop, for instance, hasn’t always existed in its present role, but would anyone argue that no shortstop should ever have been elected to the Hall of Fame because they would be the first? For most of baseball’s history, the relief corps has been random swing starters, position players, the rotation on their off-days, and passers-by. Would anyone argue that true relief aces like Goose Gossage and Dennis Eckersley shouldn’t even be considered because their contributions in relief came in a role that didn’t exist, or wasn’t important, throughout baseball history? The DH is a position in the rules, and the DH contributes to a team’s success or failures.
Mark Buehrle isn’t the ace the White Sox hoped he’d be. The Cardinals offense is more top-heavy than Morganna. Kameron Loe may be a late-round steal for the Rangers. These and other news and notes out of Chicago, St. Louis, and Texas in today’s Prospectus Triple Play.
Matt Mantei is nearing his return to the mound–and his next appearance in UTK. Fred McGriff goes on the DL for the first time in his career. Melvin Mora’s off-the-charts season hits a snag. These and other injury updates in today’s Under The Knife by Will Carroll.
Joe Sheehan clears up a Fisk snafu, endorses Ryan Klesko for the NL All-Star Team, and mourns the loss of a die-hard Reds fan in Prospectus Today.
Ron Antinoja founded and runs a service called Tendu. The firm–so named for teams’ desire to understand player and coaching tendencies to do certain things in certain situations–expects to track the velocity, location and result of about 90% of all major league pitches this season. Tendu tracks those pitches and their outcomes and stores that information in an Internet database that allows users to discover pitcher and hitter tendencies in any given situation. Jonah Keri recently chatted with Antinoja about teams’ neverending quest to get the upper hand on the opponent.
A year and a day after Darryl Kile’s death, Will Carroll wonders if MLB has learned any lessons from the tragedy.
Billy Koch said that his current “dead arm” period is forcing him to learn to pitch. I guess if I had high-90s heat, I might be inclined to just try and throw it by everyone, but somewhere–perhaps after Tommy John surgery or when he was with Rick Peterson–shouldn’t he have learned just a little bit about pitching? Changing speeds and hitting spots is a good thing, even with that heater in your arsenal. Most pitchers would love to have a live arm that was in the 92 range, let alone a dead one at those velocities.
The Expos have been very encouraged by reports surrounding the rehab of Vlad Guerrero. It’s pretty clear at this point that Guerrero will avoid surgery in the near term, but as he transitions from physical therapy to baseball activities over the next week, his ability to remain healthy will come into question.
Jeff Kent had a cortisone injection in his left wrist to try and control some “raging tendinitis.” This problem is nothing along the lines of those experienced by Nick Johnson or Travis Hafner, but wrist problems do have a tendency to heal slowly and fitfully. This injury could rob Kent of some power, at least in the short term, and the DL is not out of the question.
Adam Everett has been Gold Glove-worthy so far this year. The Brewers’ 2002 draft is bearing fruit. The A’s may pay for their ill-advised spending on the likes of Jermaine Dye. Plus more news and notes, Prospectus Triple Play-style, out of Houston, Milwaukee, and Oakland.
Baseball Prospectus mourns the loss of pioneering sportswriter Leonard Koppett.
Kansas City Royals owner David Glass discusses taking on salary and the pennant race. Sammy Sosa’s still talking Corkgate, but Danny Graves isn’t. Rick Peterson offers some insight on developing and managing pitchers. All this and more in this edition of The Week In Quotes.
Vlad’s hurting, but his Expos mates are feeling their own kind of pain. Velocity Project Jr.: just how hard is Jesse Foppert throwing? Halladay and Escobar are shutting down offenses for the Blue Jays. All this and more on Toronto, San Francisco, and Montreal in today’s Prospectus Triple Play.
Everyone knows the shorthand of fan apparel. A Red Sox hat? Well, you know you’re dealing with a borderline alcoholic with a proclivity for self-flagellation. (See also: Woolner, Keith.) An old-time White Sox uniform fashioned from modern fabric? Probably a gullible masochist whom you can defraud for a lucrative second income; but be careful–could also be creepy, stalking Scientologist. A Pete Rose jersey and matching haircut? That’s a future Wal-Mart greeter who spends the majority of his free time calling political talk radio shows. A cap sporting the colors of both the A’s and Giants? Those are David Koresh rejects who should be dragged from their ’82 Dodge Colts and savagely beaten into a persistent vegetative state.
But save your pity for those gilding themselves with the colors of the New York Mets.
As you know, the Mets fired Steve Phillips, and now find themselves facing not only their own intra-Gotham inferiority complex, but with a number of landmines in house that may not be possible to avoid. The days of being able to readily unload horrifying, soul-draining contracts is largely over, and the Mets have their share. They’re not going to be able to Mondesi someone about the head and shoulders, a la Toronto. Those days are over. What are they really facing as they try to rebuild a team?
I’m not sure how to report the injuries to Paul Wilson because I don’t know who said what or how the tension built to the point where Kyle Farnsworth form-tackled Wilson and proceeded to drop a beatdown unlike most baseball fights I’ve ever seen. Wilson, for one, owes Damian Miller a six-pack for covering him and keeping a couple more Farnsy haymakers from landing. I’m sure suspensions will be forthcoming, but this fight–in more ways than one–hurt the Reds much more than the Cubs.
It’s an odd injury to Alex Rodriguez, who is nearly as durable as his hero, Cal Ripken. From the tape, I can’t tell if he just dropped his glove early or was making something of a deke tag, but either way, the throw down on the steal attempt whacked Alex squarely in his nose. He was dazed and bloodied, leaving the game early, but there’s no word on if he’ll miss any time. With injuries like this, it will be based on his awareness level and pain tolerance. I’d expect him to miss a game or two, but nothing serious.
A groin injury has put yet another Yanks reliever on the shelf. Antonio Osuna’s injury is not considered serious, but an already thin bullpen might push Frankensteinbrenner to do something, well, rash. The mind can’t really wrap itself around the possibilities in such a thin trade market, but I keep hearing that Jeff Weaver is suddenly available.