Top Ten Teams: 1. Yanquis. I thought they’d be good. They’ve been significantly better than I expected. 2. Braves. Always a great team, they’re getting good seasons from their Colorado imports. Whowouldathunk? 3. Padres. Everything’s coming together for this team. Except Joey Hamilton. 4. Astros. Again very solid, and getting some unexpected pitching help. 5….
Basically for little more than grins, we polled ourselves to see who we thought ranked where in various categories: the top ten teams in MLB, the three most disappointing teams, MVPs, Cy Young Awards, Rookies of the Year, and Managers of the Year. You’ll find links to each of our ballots below, but here are…
Top Ten Teams 1. Yankees: First in majors in runs per game, first in AL in fewest runs allowed. 2. Braves: I still don’t believe in Galarraga, though. 3. Astros: Moises Alou? 4. Rangers: Proof that pitching isn’t 75% of the game. 5. Indians: Don’t blame them for the crappiness of the rest of the…
Top Ten Teams 1. NY Yankees: Incredibly deep team which can afford to lose almost anybody because their talent base. They will run away with the division. 2. Atlanta Braves – Same old story. What will we tell our grandchildren about this starting staff? 3. San Diego Padres – Last year the pitching staff pitched…
Top 10 Teams 1. New York Yankees — By far the best record in baseball, and they’re doing it with worse-than-expected starting pitching. If Cone and Pettitte get going, the sky’s the limit. 2. Atlanta Braves — They’re getting a lot more offense than expected from the ex-Rockies, but better production from Jones (Andruw) and…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Purchased the contract of LHP Radhames Dykhoff from Bowie (AA); sent RHP Bobby Munoz outright to Rochester. [6/5] Activated RHP Mike Mussina from the DL; placed RHP Terry Mathews on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 6/2 (shoulder stiffness); placed OF Jeffrey Hammonds on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 6/3 (back spasms); purchased the…
THE DRAFT "We got the guy we wanted and that doesn’t happen often enough." — Brad Sloan, Padres scouting director "The thing you’ve got to remember is [J.D. Drew] has a very high ceiling. This guy, I think, is arguably the best player in this draft and may have been the best player in the…
Rany takes the easy ones; we want to cover a couple of interesting guys you may not have heard as much about: Adam Riggs, a longtime second baseman in the Dodger chain with a little pop, and Octavio Dotel, one of many pitching prospects around the minors who could be great, or could be injured…
After 60 games last season, the San Francisco Giants were 34-26 and in the midst of a surprising season that saw the team win the NL West despite allowing more runs than they scored. Many of us attributed their success to nothing more than luck, and we assumed the team would collapse towards the center…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Jack McDowell on the 15-day DL (elbow); recalled LHP Jarrod Washburn from Vancouver. [6/1] Recalled CF Orlando Palmeiro from Vancouver; optioned INF Frank Bolick to Vancouver. [6/4] Losing Black Jack (again) isn’t the problem, and adding Washburn to the rotation isn’t a bad turn for the Angels either. The bad break…
This time around in Prospect Focus, we turn to the two main prospects – we use that word gingerly in the case of one of them – that the Marlins received for Mike Piazza. Geoff Goetz, the third player in the deal, is 19 and has thrown barely 50 innings of professional baseball; he needs…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Placed C Jorge Fabregas on the 15-day DL (sprained ankle); recalled RF Karim Garcia from Tucson. [5/31] With Kelly Stinnett and Damian Miller around, the D-backs have two better catchers than Fabregas, healthy or not, so they’re not in bad shape. In turn, they’re taking the roster spot and making a silk purse…
BLIBB "I know it was a little unorthodox, but I just felt it was the best chance for us to win a baseball game." — Buck Showalter, Diamondbacks manager "I wanted to get [Barry Bonds] out to end the game, but saner heads prevailed. In the end, it was the right move. It was interesting….
As most of you know, the Phillies and infamous Scott Boras client J.D. Drew failed to reach an agreement before the deadline last Monday, and as a result, the Phillies have forfeited their rights to sign him, and Drew now goes back into the draft. Not surprisingly, Drew has been almost universally pilloried, being painted…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed LHP Allen Watson on the 15-day DL (strained elbow); recalled 3B/1B Frank Bolick from Vancouver. [5/24] Thanks to a few handy off-days this week, the Angels aren’t really going to be hurt much in the short term by placing the combustible Watson (7.69 ERA) on the DL. Jack McDowell will continue to…
THE TRADE, PART 2 "Mike Piazza is the kind of player, like Willie Mays, like Mickey Mantle, the kind of player that will take to this town. He’s a New York kind of guy." — Fred Wilpon, Mets owner "[Mike Piazza] will instantly give credibility to the lineup and he will instantly give credibility to…