ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed LHP Kent Mercker and RHP Eric Weaver to minor-league contracts with spring-training NRIs. [1/26] Signed IF Carlos Garcia to a minor-league contract with a spring-training NRI. [1/31] Signed SS Benji Gil to a minor-league contract with a spring-training NRI. [2/1] Signed DH Todd Greene to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. [2/4] Given…
Following the lead of the most recent AL East Notebook, let’s take a closer look at some prospects in winter ball from the Junior Circuit’s Western Division, focusing mainly on those who added impressive performances to their resumes. Anaheim Angels The Angels had the fewest winter ball participants of any team in the division. The…
YET MORE ROCKER “I wouldn’t sit in the same room with him. I wouldn’t sit with someone who’s a racist. He says he’s not a racist, but he makes racist comments.” — Derek Jeter, Yankees infielder “Obviously, this is a big problem for our team. He’s put the whole team in a situation where not…
Colorado Rockies Jody Gerut had a great first half last season, but no way will he grace the confines of Coors this year unless he really comes on and even then it will be only as a September callup. Also, what is your "EqA" supposed to measure? The EqA’s for some Rockies players make no…
You’re probably just as tired as I am of a winter full of old saws. Right now, two in particular strike me as silly, particularly in tandem: "these days, rosters are already sewn up, and spring training is just there to get people ready," and "everyone has to have an established closer to win." That…
The final segment of our review of the Top 40 Prospects from Baseball Prospectus 1999: 8. Jeremy Giambi, LF, Kansas City (BBA: #64, Sickels: #17) What we said last year: "If [Eric] Chavez doesn’t have a smooth transition to the major leagues, Giambi may be the next best bet to win AL Rookie of the…
On Monday, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker until May 1 as punishment for his statements against ethnic minorities, immigrants and homosexuals. Jeff Bower: This is patently absurd. It certainly seems that the repercussions from fans and players are more than adequate punishment for the "crime" and act as an adequate…
Winter ball seasons have come to a close, and there are a number of players in the AL East who have played well enough to improve their chances of tripling their per diem in 2000. It’s possible that the winter-league story with the highest profile is that of Morgan Burkhart. Burkhart is a 28-year-old with…
Part 4 of our ongoing review of the Top 40 Prospects from Baseball Prospectus 1999: 16. Chad Hermansen, OF, Pittsburgh (BBA: #37, Sickels: #46) What we said last year: "A year ago he was one of the top five prospects in the game, and he recovered from a terrible start to hit 28 homers, and…
It’s almost embarrassing, actually, the way Gerry Hunsicker, the general manager of the Houston Astros, has made mincemeat of his competition. This winter, he’s traded two players coming off career years and on the brink of being very expensive for three younger talents with significant upside. The trades cleared payroll space to grant contract extensions…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed OF Orlando Palmeiro to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. [1/18] Signed IF Archi Cianfrocco and RHP Brett Hinchliffe to minor-league contracts with spring-training NRIs. [1/19] Signed RHPs Tom Candiotti and Steve Mintz to minor-league contracts with spring-training NRIs. [1/24] Bringing in both Hinchliffe and Candiotti underscores how desperate the Angels’ starting pitching…
Part 3 of our ongoing review of the Top 40 Prospects from Baseball Prospectus 1999: 24. Peter Bergeron, CF, Montreal (BBA: #40, Sickels: #33) What we said last year: "…Bergeron is not the only prospect heisted from the Dodgers, but he may be the best of them…he has a terrific on-base percentage, his range in…
Note: I originally wrote that Kurt Manwaring was still a Rockies property. Thanks to reader Ed Skibbe for pointing out that the team actually bought out his contract, rather than resigning him, so he’s not their problem anymore. -DP Colorado in Transition When Colorado hired Dan O’Dowd as their new general manager, some organizational change…
MORE ROCKER “You hit one home run in the big leagues, it doesn’t make you a home-run hitter. To make one comment like this doesn’t make you a racist.” — John Rocker, Braves pitcher “He has no relationships with the black guys or the Latin guys on the team. He’s lying to try and cover…
On Thursday, baseball’s owners signed a resolution that gave Commissioner Bud Selig significant power to make unilateral decisions to restore competitive balance. While Selig did not immediately go Robin Hood on the likes of George Steinbrenner, this decision has many ramifications for the game, both on and off the field. Joe Sheehan: It’s an ownership…
We’re in a big-offense era, and what position is historically a big offensive position? First base. It wouldn’t be easy to select three American League teams at random and find weak or wide-open situations at the cool corner. But in a random convergence, the AL Central has three such teams all by itself. Most of…