EVIL~! alkeiper

Don't be so sure. Walter Johnson had a higher career OPS+ than Neifi Perez.

Heading to the Red Barons games tonight and tomorrow. The Pirates' top pitching prospects are going, Sean Burnett tonight and Tom Gorzelanny tomorrow. Burnett's technically not a prospect, and the after-effects of his Tommy John surgery are evident in his 6.99 ERA.

Yes, because no one ever pretended that Marzano was anything more than a backup catcher. I'll also point out for everyone else that he never actually played for the Phils.

Schilling only threw 99 pitches. I doubt he's in danger of blowing out his arm, and why make a substitution you really don't need?

Riske's gotten regular work on his rehab stint at AAA Pawtucket. I saw him strike out the side on Saturday in fact.

Just 21 years old. Baseball America rated him as the eighth best prospect in the organization, noting his "ceiling is considerable and he could develop into a .275 hitter with 25-30 homers annually." His plate discipline might be an issue.

In the AA Eastern League, New Hampshire currently leads Connecticut 23-6 in the 7th inning.

You can start by showing him his most statistically similar player, Mo Vaughn. Almost no hitter peaks in his 30s, but Giambi could last until he's 40, given good health. Willie McCovey and Willie Stargell played into their 40s, although McCovey was awful his last three years. I can tell you Giambi's not getting any better than he is now.

It didn't really fit anywhere else. Besides, I'm entitled to a bitter attack once in awhile.

As you all might imagine, the sudden retirement of Alex Gonzalez filled this Phillies fan with tremendous sadness. Gonzalez may have only hit .111 during his brief tenure, but his two walks boosted his OBP all the way to .158! Whenever the Phils needed a groundout to third, Gonzalez led the charge. But now he is gone, leaving us to ponder his Hall of Fame worthiness. The Keltner List is a series of 15 questions, meant to sort our thinking regarding his qualifications. 1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball? No. 2. Was he the best player on his team? He was the best player on the World Champion 2003 Florida Marlins. Unfortunately he was employed by the Chicago Cubs at the time. 3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position? He may have been the best hitter in the batter's box at some point, but that is debateable. 4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? Just the aforementioned 2003 playoffs. Gonzalez's error on a potential double play ball lead to seven runs. 5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime? He wasn't good enough to play IN his prime. 6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame? Not even the Miami, Florida baseball Hall of Fame. 7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame? Yes. Mostly ushers. 8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards? Yes, provided you compare his hitting numbers to pitchers. And even Red Ruffing has him beat. 9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics? Yes. Whatever the numbers suggest, he was worse. 10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame? He's not even the best Alex Gonzalez who's eligible. 11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close? Zero. Shockingly, Gonzalez never received an MVP vote. 12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame? None. 13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant? Absolutely. There is no telling how many South Atlantic League championships Myrtle Beach could have won had the Blue Jays not promoted Gonzalez. 14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way? He was a big factor in introducing the "Free Chris Coste" campaign. 15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider? Yeah, it's not like he beat up fans or anything. He just sucked. Final Verdict: Close but no cigar.

My question is, is provided he passes Maris, will his HR mark be the one that becomes widely recognized due to the known use of steroids by Bonds, McGwire and Sosa? I know I'm dabbling in huge hypotheticals, but it's something I wonder about. So much of his success is due to the ability of the people that hit before him to get on base. I hope not, because it tends to set off the trend of people who will not shut up about how "my era was better," that tends to come into every discussion about the single season home run record. Plus, there is NO proof that Sammy Sosa took steroids behind circumstancial evidence. There's no Balco, Andro, congressional testimony, anything like that. I know some writers would proclaim it the real record, but I hardly listen to what they write anyway. Besides, who is to say that Pujols is clean. I'm tired of analysts who are shocked, SHOCKED, when a player tests positive. EDIT: Understand I am not accusing Pujols of steroid use. I'm just saying there is much more to steroid use that we do not know.

You guys have pretty well refuted the A-Rod argument. Let me just add that A-Rod had several big plays to carry the Yankees over the Twins in the 2004 ALDS. Four times he's hit over .300 in a postseason series, and twice he hit above .400. Last season Ortiz supporters cited that he hit 20 home runs that either tied the game or put his team in the lead. A-Rod hit 19 such home runs. The problem is that MLB hitters fail 66% of the time. The best hitters reduce the odds to 55-60%. Good hitters make outs too. That Alex Rodriguez makes some outs in clutch situations is an indication that hitting a baseball is really hard to do.

Here's the thing about Pujols. He still needs 53 home runs to set the single season home run record. He's never hit more than 46 in a season. That's after a 1/4 of the season is through. He's going to set a good mark I bet, but 73 is a lot tougher than people think.

Holy crap, the Yankees called up Colter Bean!

Let me quote a couple lines from the New Historical Abstract. <I>If a contest is ever held to determine the biggest horse's ass in baseball history, there are really only seven men, four of them players, who could hope to compete at that level. The four players are Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Dick Allen, and Hal Chase. I think I might choose Hornsby.</I> <I>Hornsby was an arrogant, self-righteous racist who was what might be called creatively rude. He invented ways to offend people, and seemed to take pride in his ability to do so.</I>

Also, Milb.com is conducting fan balloting for the first time ever for the AAA All-Star game. The vote runs from June 1-23, exclusively online.

The Scranton/WB Red Barons come back to town tomorrow. It should be Craig Hansen's turn to pitch for Pawtucket.

While it doesn't count in the MVP voting, Brett also had a HUGE three run homer in the 1980 ALCS that put the Royals in the World Series. Heck, that and the Gibson homer in '84 may be why Goose Gossage is not in the Hall.

Tough loss, but I don't think Cleveland's assured of losing. They've won before in Detroit and they can win again. I don't think "pressure" has anything to do with this either. It should be a great game Sunday either way.

What's unbelieveable is that Shane Victorino was a Rule V pick last season, and had to clear waivers before going to AAA. The LA Dodgers could've had him back for $50,000, and declined.

VICTORINO~! Yeah, I'm obligated. The man won't stop hitting!

With the game starting, just a friendly reminder about sticking on topic or close to it.

It's not about a vendetta. It's about making a mockery of baseball by transforming it from a game into a beanball war. Headhunting has no place in baseball. If a different pitcher has a similar at bat with a different hitter, they should face the same punishment.

Surprised I missed the comment about HRs. The Met was one of the greatest hitters' parks in its day, along with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

The old site of Metropolitan Stadium is where the Mall of America now stands. As for Russ Springer, if you can think that it wasn't intentional, then Bonds didn't take steroids either. It was blatant, and that's the main reason he's gone for four days.