Spring Training 2008

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I just had my fantasy draft. Who makes my third starting outfield spot? Bill Hall, Justin Upton, or Kosuke Fukudome?

[Brett Favre 0]

If you need on base go with Fukudome, if you need power go with Hall, and if you can risk a spot and go with a guy who can have a really good year go with Upton.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

It's Yahoo, so all that counts for hitters is average, homers, RBI, steals, and runs.

[vivalaultra 0]

News out of Astros' Spring Training camp:

 

Hunter Pence is going to miss a week or so after jumping through a plate-glass window. Supposedly, he was sober when it happened, but it seems a little suspect. Still, at least missing a week due to jumping through a plate-glass window is better than missing a whole season after getting caught in a treadmill (see: Alou, Moises).

 

The Astros are probably going to sign Shawn Chacon, who will probably suck, but might suck less than Woody Williams.

 

Miguel Tejada showed up early to camp and foresees no legal problems.

 

The Astros won both of their arbitration hearings (Valverde and Loretta), so they have an extra $3 million or so to give to Shawn Chacon. I'd rather they give it to me to pay off outstanding debts.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Ramon Hernandez came back to camp having lost weight but its pretty clear he could get traded to bring up Wieters this year. I dont know how you're cooked if you have one year that was injury riddled.

 

Hernandez has played 120+ games just one year of the last four.

 

What's amusing is that I remember the same Orioles optimism last year. Compare those with posts around July-September. If I were an Orioles' fan, I wouldn't expect much this season except maybe some breakout performances from the kids. The Eric Bedard trade at least represents a step in the right direction, and Matt Wieters and Billy Rowell could make some strides this season.

 

And the Rays might be on the rise, but that balloon is going to be popped this upcoming offseason when they have to trade Kazmir. They wont be able to stay in contention for any length of time if they cant afford to resign their best players.

 

Kazmir is not free agent eligible until after 2010.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Howard and the Phillies go to arbitration today.

 

The AA Reading Phillies host the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in a charity exhibition on April 1. I picked up tickets for section 108, 4th row.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Ramon Hernandez came back to camp having lost weight but its pretty clear he could get traded to bring up Wieters this year. I dont know how you're cooked if you have one year that was injury riddled.

 

Hernandez has played 120+ games just one year of the last four.

 

What's amusing is that I remember the same Orioles optimism last year. Compare those with posts around July-September. If I were an Orioles' fan, I wouldn't expect much this season except maybe some breakout performances from the kids. The Eric Bedard trade at least represents a step in the right direction, and Matt Wieters and Billy Rowell could make some strides this season.

 

And the Rays might be on the rise, but that balloon is going to be popped this upcoming offseason when they have to trade Kazmir. They wont be able to stay in contention for any length of time if they cant afford to resign their best players.

 

Kazmir is not free agent eligible until after 2010.

First of all, the Os were 27-27 at the end of May last year and were in contention before injuries killed them. Tejada, Hernandez, Ray, Loewen (he was hurt earlier but anyway) just to name a few. Several Os suffered oblique injuries last year which led me to believe there was a problem with the training staff but I havent heard anything about a shakeup there. Combine cutting down the injuries with stabilizing the Rotation because they lose 3 of their 5 starters from the beginning of the season so they dont have to play revolving door with the rotation like they did last year which saw them sign just about any warm bodied starting pitcher (Victor Zambrano, Victor Santos) as well as bringing up whatever they could from the minors (Birkins - who is with TB now, Leicester and Liz).

 

Bedard wasnt a free agent until after 2009 and the Os traded him and got a boatload of talent in return cause they knew they couldnt afford to sign him, so why wouldnt the Rays trade a pitcher of almost equal talent in Kazmir in the same situation (2 years before FA)? I read it on a Rays fan blog that its what everyone expects to happen with Kazmir given the Bedard trade since theres no way the Rays ownership can afford to resign him given he would command over $10 mil a year and they want to keep the payroll around $50 mil .

 

And Chris Ray has been soft tossing during ST but even if he comes back after the AS break he wont get the closer job back this year unless theres serious injuries. Everything Ive read indicates they like Sherill as the closer because he throws strikes and gets outs.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

Bruce Levine reporting Orioles scouts are in Mesa. He also verifies what everyone knew already, that the Cubs only signed Cintron to use if/when Cedeno gets traded.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Bruce Levine reporting Orioles scouts are in Mesa. He also verifies what everyone knew already, that the Cubs only signed Cintron to use if/when Cedeno gets traded.

 

 

The Cubs need Brian Roberts and Baltimore doesn't. Just make the damn deal already.

[CanadianChris 0]

News out of Astros' Spring Training camp:

 

Hunter Pence is going to miss a week or so after jumping through a plate-glass window. Supposedly, he was sober when it happened, but it seems a little suspect. Still, at least missing a week due to jumping through a plate-glass window is better than missing a whole season after getting caught in a treadmill (see: Alou, Moises).

...the hell?

[HarleyQuinn 0]

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates have agreed to terms with Byung-Hyun Kim on a one-year contract.

 

- What a free fall this guy's had. Actually got turned into a starter in Colorado and had a 5.42 ERA for Florida last year. Supposedly, Pittsburgh is gonna use him out of the bullpen rather than as a starter.

 

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Bedard wasnt a free agent until after 2009 and the Os traded him and got a boatload of talent in return cause they knew they couldnt afford to sign him, so why wouldnt the Rays trade a pitcher of almost equal talent in Kazmir in the same situation (2 years before FA)? I read it on a Rays fan blog that its what everyone expects to happen with Kazmir given the Bedard trade since theres no way the Rays ownership can afford to resign him given he would command over $10 mil a year and they want to keep the payroll around $50 mil .

 

Because the Rays will likely be in a better condition to make a run in 2009 than the Orioles this season. It made sense for the O's to trade Bedard and boost a depleted farm system. The Rays don't have that problem.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

After reading the comment board at one of my favorite blogs earlier today, I realized that even five years after the fact hardly anyone "got" Moneyball. I don't know if it's that people didn't actually read the book or what, but I've never seen such any easy text be so misunderstood by the majority of people.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Bedard wasnt a free agent until after 2009 and the Os traded him and got a boatload of talent in return cause they knew they couldnt afford to sign him, so why wouldnt the Rays trade a pitcher of almost equal talent in Kazmir in the same situation (2 years before FA)? I read it on a Rays fan blog that its what everyone expects to happen with Kazmir given the Bedard trade since theres no way the Rays ownership can afford to resign him given he would command over $10 mil a year and they want to keep the payroll around $50 mil .

 

Because the Rays will likely be in a better condition to make a run in 2009 than the Orioles this season. It made sense for the O's to trade Bedard and boost a depleted farm system. The Rays don't have that problem.

 

Not to mention the fact that Bedard turned down an extension and made it clear that he wasn't going to re-sign when he became a free agent. Baltimore had a player that had a 0% chance of being around when they actually needed him. I don't see how that's comparable to the Rays and Kazmir at all seeing as how Kazmir will be their ace when they make a run at the playoffs in '09 and '10.

 

Also, Bedard's value was higher than what his actual performance suggested. He's never thrown 200 innings and 2007, on the surface, looks like it could be as easily be an outlier than as a predictor of future success. He was much more valuable in a trade than he was to the team going forward.

[devo 0]

Ryan Howard wins his arbitration case for $10 million, tying the previous record set by Alfonso Soriano.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3256452

 

Oliver Perez's arbitration case is going to be heard today. If he had any agent besides Scott Boras I'm convinced he would be signed to a long term deal by now.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Ryan Howard wins his arbitration case for $10 million, tying the previous record set by Alfonso Soriano.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3256452

 

Oliver Perez's arbitration case is going to be heard today. If he had any agent besides Scott Boras I'm convinced he would be signed to a long term deal by now.

I'm a bit surprised, since no other first time arbitration player even approached that amount.

 

I wouldn't be that anxious to extend Perez. His walk rate was worse than in 2004 when he had his other good season. He could easily come crashing back to earth.

[devo 0]

True, but it's a risk I'd be willing to take. Another season like 2007 and he'd easily command thirteen to fifteen million on the open market.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

True, but it's a risk I'd be willing to take. Another season like 2007 and he'd easily command thirteen to fifteen million on the open market.

A 120 ERA+ is probably closer to $8-12 Million. Of course Perez would likely fall on the higher end of the scale given his youth; he will be just 27 when he hits the market. The Mets may have a problem approaching with their pitching staff. Johan Santana is a rock, and John Maine probably will not hit free agency until 2011. Pedro Martinez and Perez however are free agents after the season, as is Orlando Hernandez. The Mets have Mike Pelfrey, but no immediate pitching whatsoever ready in the minor leagues. They are probably going to need to hit the market next offseason. With that in mind, signing Perez long term is probably a good idea.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I wouldn't be that anxious to extend Perez. His walk rate was worse than in 2004 when he had his other good season. He could easily come crashing back to earth.

 

Shea Stadium is the perfect ballpark for lefty strikeout pitchers with flyball tendencies.

 

I don't know how the new stadium will play, but for right now he's perfect as a back-end starter. John Maine too.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I wouldn't be that anxious to extend Perez. His walk rate was worse than in 2004 when he had his other good season. He could easily come crashing back to earth.

 

Shea Stadium is the perfect ballpark for lefty strikeout pitchers with flyball tendencies.

 

I don't know how the new stadium will play, but for right now he's perfect as a back-end starter. John Maine too.

The problem is that if Oliver Perez 2005-06 shows up, no ballpark makes that look good.

[devo 0]

Which is a very real concern. Still, if they're not able to lock up Perez (which looks likely, as everything I've read points to him testing the free agent market after this year), they'd still have three respectable starters (I'm holding out hope that Pelfrey can pass for a number five by then). Given the amount of pitching talent available in next year's off-season, it'll be expensive but not impossible to maintain a solid rotation.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The LA Dodgers have named Dr. Frank Jobe special advisor to the owner. I know there's some concern about Tommy Lasorda managing a split squad for a few days while the other half tours Japan, but this seems like an overreaction.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Im going to do everything in my power to get tickets to the Os/Yankees when they're up in NY May 20-22. Im going up to Northern NJ that same week for my GF's birthday and my birthday is the following week. Luckily she likes baseball although luckily again she doesnt have a favorite team. I was going to get tickets to the Memorial day game vs Yankees at Camden Yards but given its the last year for Yankee Stadium Im going to give it a shot to go to NY for a game. Yankees single game tickets go on sale next friday.

[Mik 0]

Looks like Miggy and Dontrelle were the last of the big fire sales, assuming that ownership follows what they have been saying for years.

 

Construction begins in November.

 

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=fla

[Guest Vitamin X]

That's an EXCELLENT deal. Stick it in Little Havana by bulldozing it the shitty Orange Bowl, and rename the team the MIAMI Marlins. Excellent, excellent, excellent. If I still lived there, I'd love to go to some games. Now what they need is a good plan for mass transit to get there, since it is an EXTREMELY crowded area and traffic would be hell.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Only 37,000 seats? I know it's all the rage to build these more intimiate stadiums in the smaller markets (Oakland and Tampa Bay are planning the same), but it's a dicey move when you don't know the landscape of the team or baseball over the economic life of the building. You're essentially building in a functional obsolescence from the get-go and cutting off your ability to draw big gates 5 or 10 years down the road.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Cincinnati signed Josh Fogg to a 1 year deal.

 

Well, I guess depth is depth although one would think that the Reds could use a minor league option instead of a guy with ERAs of 5.05, 5.49, and 4.94 in the past three seasons. The guy can't strike out hitters (5.7 K/9 last year) but he had a BB rate at 3.57 so that balances things I guess. Playing in the Great American Ballpark ought to help him cut down on his 13.92% home run rate last season too

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Cincinnati signed Josh Fogg to a 1 year deal.

 

Well, I guess depth is depth although one would think that the Reds could use a minor league option instead of a guy with ERAs of 5.05, 5.49, and 4.94 in the past three seasons. The guy can't strike out hitters (5.7 K/9 last year) but he had a BB rate at 3.57 so that balances things I guess. Playing in the Great American Ballpark ought to help him cut down on his 13.92% home run rate last season too

 

 

The Rockies offered him a $5 million deal earlier this offseason, but he turned them down to seek out multi-year offers. He ends up with $1 million. Looks like he screwed the pooch on that one.

 

Fogg is just a depth sigining until the Cueto/Bailey/Volquez log-jam sorts itself out.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Only 37,000 seats? I know it's all the rage to build these more intimiate stadiums in the smaller markets (Oakland and Tampa Bay are planning the same), but it's a dicey move when you don't know the landscape of the team or baseball over the economic life of the building. You're essentially building in a functional obsolescence from the get-go and cutting off your ability to draw big gates 5 or 10 years down the road.

 

If you really think about it, it's not such a bad idea at the moment considering they could probably always expand it and the attendance figures have been so crappy over the past few seasons (any non-championship seasons) that it would make it look a lot nicer when attendance figures are dwindling.

 

If you examine the teams South Florida actually comes out and supports, they're made up of mostly teams that are very much ingrained into the culture and identity of the area, such as the Hurricanes and Dolphins, whereas fans of the other teams are mostly relegated to bandwagon status. The cultural makeup of the city is very, very different from other towns; people have no sense of regional pride, having mostly immigrated there, and many who move there absolutely loathe the place for a variety of reasons. Hell, unless the Marlins turn their shit around quick, they'll probably still have some difficulty filling up 37,000 seats although again, having it in Little Havana is a great, great start... provided ticket prices can remain affordable to an extent.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Interesting word today from Jon Heyman. Apparently Manny Ramirez has dismissed his current agent and signed on with Scott Boras. On the surface, this appears to be bigger news than it actually is. Manny is in final year of his 7 year contract signed with Boston after the 2001 season. However, the Red Sox still have two team option years at $20 million a piece.

 

All the leverage is on the side of Boston. I'd put the chances of Boston picking up Manny's option years at less than 50%. Manny is obviously looking to maximize his value on next year's free agent market by going with one of the best agents out there.