ANAHEIM ANGELS Purchased the contract of INF Dave Silvestri from Edmonton; optioned LHP Mike Holtz to Edmonton; transferred 2B Justin Baughman from the 15- to the 60-day DL. [5/8] You have to hand it to the Angels: they’ve begun to notice that something’s amiss in the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, it’s going to take more than…
TELL US ABOUT IT, SKIP “Basically the whole series, we got outmanaged, outplayed, outhustled, outpitched and everything else. You can’t play dumb baseball.” — Jim Leyland, Rockies manager, on being swept by the Phillies “Every time we swing, nothing good happens.” — Tom Kelly, Twins manager “It’s hard to win six or seven in a…
The Kansas City Royals are in a state of flux. The dependence on veteran mediocrity is being abolished, and the team’s commitment to youth has provided an opportunity for potential stars like The Brothers Carlos to play every day. And just as the situation on the field has changed, so has the front office, where…
Just a few weeks into the 1999 season, most roto teams have begun to separate themselves into the apparent contenders and rebuilders. However, with nearly 75% of the season left to play, it’s early enough to recast your fate and take advantage of some small sample-size fluctuations around the majors. Here are five players off…
Edmonds Down, Soon Will Be Out What happened to the bizarre gag order that the Angels’ front office imposed about discussing player injuries? It looks like they temporarily rescinded it after the announcement that Jim Edmonds’ right shoulder would require surgery and that he wouldn’t be back in the lineup for at least four months….
Contrasts in Contingencies If there’s one watchword about pitching, it’s Joaquin Andujar’s favorite: "youneverknow." The vagaries of who gets hurt and why, and who winds up being ineffective and why, are issues that every major league general manager has to anticipate. Teams have to be prepared to lose a starting pitcher, so today’s question is,…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Released RHP Heathcliff Slocumb outright; recalled RHP Gabe Molina from Rochester. [4/30] Recalled 1B Calvin Pickering from Rochester; optioned INF Jesse Garcia to Rochester. [5/3] Random flail of the weekend: things are going badly, somebody has to die, and you don’t casually kill family. Slocumb has swung between mediocre and bad throughout his…
BONDS OUT 10 WEEKS “It’s probably one of the largest challenges I’ve faced since I’ve been manager here.” — Dusty Baker, Giants manager “We’re missing a big part of our offense. I know he doesn’t want to be there and he’ll be back as soon as he possibly can. Now we have to go do…
HITTERS Glen Barker PS Age 28 Year Team Lge AB H DB TP HR BB R RBI SB CS Out BA OBA SA EQA EQR Defense 1996 Fayettvl SAL 138 31 0 0 1 10 9 7 6 3 110 .225 .277 .246 .182 8 36-OF 113 1996 Jacksnvl Sou 121 15 0 1 0…
Et Tu, Bobby? Although a fair amount of ink has been spilled on the Braves’ supposed bullpen woes this season, there wasn’t much evidence that Bobby Cox had started worrying about it. But Tuesday night’s display of Leylanditis Chronicus should have all Braves’ fans concerned. With 20-year-old rookie Odalis Perez already over 100 pitches, Cox…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Optioned CF Dante Powell to Tucson; recalled INF Hanley Frias from Tucson. [4/26] With Tony Womack healthy and "sizzling", the Diamondbacks’ outfield was already crowded. It isn’t as if Powell was going to do much more than play as a defensive substitute. Meanwhile, Frias gives the team a viable middle infield backup in…
The Johnson Effect? There has been a lot of talk about Raul Mondesi’s hot start this season, especially the fact that he’s finally taking bad pitches. After walking only 30 times in 148 games in 1998, he’s already accepted 15 free passes in the season’s first 19 games. And he’s not the only story so…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated 1B Mo Vaughn from the DL; optioned 1B Chris Pritchett to Edmonton. [4/22] The only serious problem with this move is that Vaughn is restricted to DHing, which leaves the Angels stuck with Erstad at first base instead of center field, and Garret Anderson in center instead of in left. The Big…
MillerWatch The Orioles continue to shock people who think the correlation between payroll and performance is absolute. This old, slow, defensively stagnant team has the worst record in baseball, and that’s not too far from its actual level of ability. Ray Miller is not going to make the next road trip with this Oriole team,…
This is the first of two articles where we’ll comment on players who appeared on Opening Day rosters, but for one reason or another were omitted from the book. The remainder will appear in an article early next week. HITTERS Gary Bennett C Bats R Age 27 Year Team Lge AB H DB TP HR…
ATLANTA BRAVES Traded RHP Mark Wohlers to the Reds for RHP John Hudek; optioned RHP Mike Cather to Richmond. [4/16] Activated LHP Mike Remlinger from the DL; optioned LHP Derrin Ebert to Richmond. [4/18] I’m no big fan of Hudek’s, but since Wohlers may never be the same, this isn’t a bad way to make…