First off, I’d like to thank Rabbi Pesach Wolicki for a great idea, which is to include info on batter handedness like so: 2B-R is a right-handed-hitting second baseman. As always, I’m grateful for yet another sensible suggestion from our readers. ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Al Levine on 15-day DL, retroactive to 7/31 (elbow inflammation);…
When Jim Bowden announced the Barry Larkin signing, he managed to darken the mood slightly by admonishing the fans that they were getting exactly what they wanted…and that they’d have to pay for it. He told fans that ticket prices would be going up, perhaps as early as this season, because of the deal. In…
As I mentioned the other day, 16 teams made moves before the trade deadline to improve their chances in 2000. Of course, that means 14 others didn’t, 14 teams that haven’t had much success this season. Still, amidst the wreckage of a 65-97 campaign can often be found the pieces of next year’s playoff contender….
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…