Can you love a team and hate the players? I’ve long maintained that following your local club is like being overly interested in the Kinko’s on the corner, knowing too much about the height, weight and varying abilities of the different clerks. The Kinko’s corporation doesn’t really care about you in return, and neither, really,…
This is the third in a series of rankings of major-league defenders, highlighting the top ten and bottom five at each position. The ratings are a combination of Zone Rating, Range Factor and my best (and admittedly grossly flawed) assessment of the job they’re doing. Today, we prepare for a huge amount of angry e-mail…
After the disappointing trade deadline of 1999, at which more trades didn’t happen than did and the biggest name to change addresses was probably Juan Guzman, the events of the past four days serve as a reminder of what an exciting deadline period can feel like. It was a non-stop adrenaline rush for seamheads, with…
Anyone else remember all of those predictions that this would be one of the most boring trading deadlines ever? Instead, we got one of the best. Take a deep breath, and let’s dive into it: ANAHEIM ANGELS Acquired 1B/OF Chris Hatcher, RHP Mike Heathcott and 2B Brett King from the Cubs for RHP Brett Hinchliffe…
On Tom Kelly I think Tom Kelly is getting a bad rap for his dealings with young players from malcontent underachievers like Todd Walker. Yes, Kelly is abrasive, and probably in an unnecessarily public way. Yes, his focus on defense is probably excessive, but I can’t see that he’s cast off too many players that…
A WEEK OF TRADES "I will leave here with nothing but the best memories on and off the field. I was booed so much less than I probably deserve to be booed here, which I don’t think too many people leaving Philly can say." — Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks pitcher, on leaving Philadelphia "If I could…
(Keith Law’s The Imbalance Sheet, a look at the business of baseball, will run every Thursday beginning August 3.) Don’t Believe Everything That Agents Tell You to Read Jeff Moorad, agent to such baseball stars as Raul Mondesi and Manny Ramirez, has a reputation as one of the industry’s shrewdest operators. Indeed, his ability to…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated LHP Scott Schoeneweis from the DL; optioned IF Justin Baughman to Edmonton. [7/26] As expected, Scott Schoeneweis rejoins the rotation in time to keep the dilemma of which veteran starter to ditch at the airport on a low simmer instead of a high boil. Both Kent Bottenfield and Ken Hill continue to…
Yesterday’s article on pitcher stress inspired a lot of great responses, more than I can possibly cover here. The main thrust of many of them, though, is a point I want to emphasize: we actually don’t know what kind of stress an individual pitcher feels in an individual situation. What we were measuring was innings…
Much of the discussion about the Curt Schilling trade has focused on what it will do for Arizona’s chances down the stretch and into October. However the trade also has very interesting implications for the Phillies. It’s a trade with considerable risks, but the potential payoff is extremely high. Travis Lee is generally regarded as…
Lowering the Bar As far as Tony Perez’s Hall of Fame credentials go, here’s another way to look at it: Was anybody outside of Cincinnati a Tony Perez fan while he was active? You know, little kids emulating his stance around the schoolyard? Cherishing his baseball cards? I don’t think so. The same goes for…
Watching the clips of yet another great Pedro Martinez performance in yet another close game got me thinking about the relative stress levels of pitchers. It certainly seems that Martinez has pitched in an inordinate number of close games this season, which means that most of his innings have been fairly high-stress, at least in…
Theories on how altitude makes Coors Field such a great hitters’ park abound, as do theories as to why Rockies’ hitters seem to do so poorly on the road. The theory we like is that their hitters simply suck, but not everyone sees it that way. Colorado third baseman Jeff Cirillo had this to say…
Some things you know, and some you don’t know: Since joining the rotation at the end of May, the Devil Rays’ Albie Lopez has been one of the best starters in the American League. After last night’s performance against the Tigers, Lopez has gone at least five innings in all of his 11 starts. His…
Previous Transaction Analysis ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed LHP Jarrod Washburn on the 15-day DL (strained bicep); recalled IF Justin Baughman from Edmonton. [7/23] If the Angels had to name their MVP today, would Jarrod Washburn get any votes? Sure, Troy Glaus ought to win handily, and Darin Erstad would probably be the actual winner; among pitchers,…
In a dramatic turnaround, the Cincinnati Reds signed All-Star shortstop Barry Larkin to a three-year extension on Sunday, just days after completing a trade–which Larkin vetoed–that would have sent him to the New York Mets. As mentioned Friday, signing Larkin is not the kind of move we would typically endorse, given Larkin’s advanced age, 36,…