SB Nation - Javier Lopez

Minor League Update -- 11/09/09

Ben Buchanan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:06 -0000

Remember Javier Lopez? Turns out he's a free agent.

The Over The Monster top prospects list should start being compiled fairly soon. We'll be using reader voting again, with a slightly different format which should make it so that "write ins" aren't necessary.

Arizona Fall League

Luis Exposito: 3-8, 2B -- .286/.324/.429

-Expo's numbers just keep on improving since the bad start.

Jose Iglesias: 2-8, HR, K -- .222/.286/.378

-Again some pop out of Iglesias. His bat is clearly a work in progress, and he needs to work on plate patience BIG TIME (4 out of 5 at bats last game were 1-pitch at bats. The other was a strikeout. Though he did record RBIs on 3 of 5, so it's worth considering that it might have been somewhat situational.)

Ryan Kalish: 4-9, 2B, 2 BB, K -- .292/.368/.333

-After putting on a surprising power performance during the regular season, it's all but disappeared for Kalish in the fall. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. It could be fatigue, it could be what he's working on, but he's shown he can smack 20+ out. His emergence as a patient hitter who's gonna get on base a lot is much more important.

Casey Kelly: 0-4, BB, K

-Whoo!

Randor Bierd: 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K – 5.60 ERA, 12:9 K:BB, 1.19 WHIP

-A poor fall can't be a good sign for Bierd's flickering career.

Richie Lentz: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 0.77 ERA, 13:2 K:BB, .77 WHIP

-Lentz is putting on quite the show after getting pounded in Portland this year. A dramatic improvement in control (33 BB in 36 IP to 2 in 12) can't hurt.

Chris Province: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 3.12 ERA, 8:4 K:BB, 1.04 WHIP

Dustin Richardson: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 5.19 ERA, 13:7 K:BB, 1.85 WHIP

-Includes 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K in the Rising Stars game. That inning will not be included in season numbers.

Columbian Winter League

Reynaldo Rodriguez: .261/.352/.391 in 46 ABs

Dominican Winter League

Mark Wagner: 1-8, K – .296/.390/.500

-Can't dominate every week.

Jose Capellan: 7.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 K – 3.71 ERA, 4:10 K:BB, 1.53 WHIP

-The ERA isn't horrible. But the peripherals...Oh the peripherals.

Sydney Winter League

The brothers Moanaroa and Mitch Dening have been hanging out in Aussie.

Mitch Dening: .500/.600/1.500 in 4 ABs

Boss Moanaroa: .357/.500/.429 in 14 ABs

-Still want to see the power.

Moko Moanaroa: .250/.357/.250

Venezuelan Winter League

Yeiper Castillo: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 1.80 ERA, 4:4 K:BB, 1.40 WHIP

Felix Doubront: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 2.84 ERA, 2:0 K:BB, .95 WHIP

Leandro Marin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 3.38 ERA, 4:0 K:BB, 1.13 WHIP

List of Red Sox Minor League Free Agents

Edit: I have been correctly called out by poster Chebornek for not crediting SoxProspects.com for having gotten my information for this list from them. It was an oversight, and certainly in no way malicious. SoxProspects.com is a fantastic site and I encourage any and all of Over the Monster's readers to visit it--they're honestly a better resource than I am.

Technically, some of these names aren't minor leaguers, but it's worth noting them separate from the obvious big name guys.

Zach Borowiak

Robert Coello

Nick Green

Derrick Loop

Dave McKae

Iggy Suarez

Good luck to all the free agents in finding somewhere to play—whether back with Boston or elsewhere.

(Javier Lopez is a pretty surprising name, if you ask me.)

Jeff Salazar, Bryan Bullington Become Free Agents

Charlie — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:16:22 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

8 months ago: Pittsburgh Pirates' Jeff Salazar, right, steals second before the tag of Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Adam Rosales in the bottom of the ninth inning of the spring training baseball game in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 30, 2009. Salazar went on to score the game winning run on a hit bit Jason Jaramillo in the Pirates 3-2 win. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Since we're at the point in the year where there's nothing to care about except little things, here's some news: a bunch of guys just became minor league free agents. The only Pirate on the list is Jeff Salazar, who went 1-for-23 for the Bucs this year. Salazar probably needed to hit better this season to have much of a shot at a real major-league career, which is too bad; he has an .826 career minor league OPS (albeit in some pretty hospitable hitting environments, like Tucson and Colorado Springs), and it's a shame he never got more of a shot. Most guys who stick as fourth outfielders begin their careers as starters, like Brandon Moss this year; guys like Salazar who have the skillset but are never lucky enough to be confused for starters usually don't make it.

Also on the list of minor league free agents are former Pirate #1-overall picks Kris Benson and Bryan Bullington. Bullington actually pitched very well for the Jays' Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas, but he didn't make an appearance there after June. The list also includes Chris Duffy, Chris Shelton, and Craig Stansberry.

Other vaguely interesting names on the list: Phil Humber (third overall pick by the Mets in 2004, acquired by Twins in the Johan Santana trade, stalled in the high minors), IF Wilson Betemit (former top Braves prospect, still not that old, bad season in the White Sox organization but versatile and potentially still useful), RP Javier Lopez (again, a terrible season, but he's one year removed from being one of the majors' more effective relievers), RP Greg Aquino (consistently good minor league numbers; certainly a better option than the Denny Bautistas of the world), RP Vinnie Chulk (ditto), RP Jon Switzer (same), RP Joe Nelson (actually a totally decent MLB pitcher for the Rays last year, and a terrific one for the Marlins in 2008), and lefty SP Travis Blackley (former top Mariners prospect finally seems to be pitching with better control in his late 20s and still hasn't been used exclusively as a reliever, where he might find his niche).

Nothing big here, but I'd be mildly psyched to see the Bucs sign Blackley, in particular.

Thanks to WTM.

WAR Lords of the Diamond: Greatest. Rockies. Ever.

Jabberwocky — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:30:19 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Todd Helton features prominently in any conversation about the greatest Rockies ever.

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Previous Sessions in the WAR Lords Series:

C I 1B I 2B I 3B I SS I LF I CF I RF I RP I SP

Now that I've discussed the greatest Rockies ever by position according to WAR, I'll summarize my data and reveal my All-Time Rockies squad. In all, 224 Rockies have been weighed, measured, and (mostly) been found wanting in this quest, yet some have clearly risen above the rest.

Of course, due to the fact that the Rockies' history is only 17 years old, there isn't exactly a deep pool of players to choose from in this study. Therefore, I will be ranking all players who produced a career WAR of over 3 wins at a position for the Rockies or was a significant player for the team.

Here was my methodology:

1. I only used stats accumulated when they played for the Rockies.

2. The categories used were: career with Rockies, best three consecutive years with Rockies (establishes average production), and best single year with the Rockies (establishes peak production).

3. If the players spent less than three years with the Rockies, their career total was used in the other metrics as well. If the player was at different positions for different years, the player would be considered for the position in which he had the most starts (or greatest impact, at my discretion) for the Rockies.

4. The players were ranked in each category. Those ranks were added and averaged out--the lowest average rank was the most valuable Rockie.

5. The data used was only for seasons that were completed (e.g. not 2009).

Remember, I'm using Sean Smith's historical WAR database (not Fangraphs) to compile these numbers (with a big assist to the fantastic Baseball Reference; here is the glossary of the terms Smith uses and an explanation of WAR's calculation for position players and pitchers. Note: the calculation that Smith uses is different than the one used in my article, so the numbers at Fangraphs will be slightly different than the ones I present in these articles.

After the jump I'll outline the greatest (and worst) Rockies squad as found using my methodology, as well as the best single year performances.

The All-Time Greats

Remember, this ranking takes into account best career WAR, best consecutive 3-year WAR period, and best single WAR year to accurately capture a player's greatness and to mitigate somewhat the fact that WAR is a counting stat and is heavily influenced by longevity. Slash stats are (Career WAR / 3 Year WAR / 1 Year WAR).

Starting Lineup

C: Jeff Reed (1996-1999) (4.3 / 4.6 / 1.8)
1B: Todd Helton (1997-2008) (53.9 / 21.7 / 8.8)
2B: Eric Young (1993-1997) (9.5 / 7.3 / 3.8)
3B: Garrett Atkins (2003-2008) (11.1 / 10.8 / 6.4)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki (2006-2008) (6.2 / 6.2 / 5.6)
LF: Matt Holliday (2004-2008) (16.9 / 15.9 / 7.3)
CF: Juan Pierre (2000-2002) (3.0 / 3.0 / 2.4)
RF: Larry Walker (1995-2004) (44.1 / 18.3 / 9.0)

Bench

Vinny Castilla (1993-1999, 2004, 2006) (15.1 / 10.1 / 4.5)
Ellis Burks (1994-1998) (10.8 / 10 / 7.6)
Andres Galarraga (1993-1997) (11.3 / 6.3 / 3.6)
Jamey Carroll (2006-2007) (5.1 / 5.1 / 4.3)
Chris Iannetta (2006-2008) (3.2 / 3.2 / 2.7)

Batting Order

1. Eric Young
2. Troy Tulowitzki
3. Larry Walker
4. Todd Helton
5. Matt Holliday
6. Garrett Atkins
7. Juan Pierre
8. Jeff Reed

Starting Rotation:

SP1: Pedro Astacio (1997-2001) (9.9 / 9.3 / 5.3)
SP2: Aaron Cook (2002-2008) (10.3 / 7.3 / 3.4)
SP3: Jason Jennings (2001-2006) (9.1 / 6.6 / 4.2)
SP4: Kevin Ritz (1994-1998) (6.6 / 6.5 / 3.9)
SP5: Armando Reynoso (1993-1996) (7.6 / 5.0 / 3.1)

Bullpen (in order of importance):

Steve Reed (1993-1997, 2003-2004) (9.2 / 5.6 / 3.1)
Brian Fuentes (2002-2008) (8.8 / 5.2 / 2.7)
Curtis Leskanic (1993-1999) (5.2 / 3.2 / 3.1)
Bruce Ruffin (1993-1997) (5.7 / 4.6 / 1.9)
Jerry Dipoto (1997-2000) (4.7 / 4.4 / 2.1)
Jose Jimenez (2000-2003) (4.2 / 4.2 / 2.3)
Darren Holmes (1993-1997) ( (3.8 / 3.6 / 2.3)

Analysis

The construction of this team historically tells us that in the last few years the Rockies have played several of the best position players in team history (three of them are on this squad). After 2009 is completed Chris Iannetta will supplant Jeff Reed at starting catcher while several other players shoot up the leader boards.

From a pitching standpoint, the bullpen is heavily comprised of guys that were in the 1997 bullpen (five of them!). After this year not much will change as far as relievers go, but Ubaldo Jimenez's stellar 2009 will place him in the rotation as the second-ranked starting pitcher. It should be noted that Ellis Burks would probably supplant Juan Pierre in center field.

The team that is best by my metrics is by and large the best team by Career and 3 Year WAR totals too, but there are definitely some interesting outlier seasons by others that shake up the best single year roster.

The Greatest Single Season Performances

Collected below is an unholy amalgamation of the best individual seasons by position in Rockies history. If these players had all produced at this level in the same year, they would have produced 67.2 batting WAR (20.4 off the bench), 19.2 relief WAR, and 22.1 starting pitching WAR for a total of 88.1 WAR. This team should statistically win 136.7 games out of 162 (a replacement level team would win 48.6, or 30% of its games).

Starting Lineup

C: Chris Iannetta (2008) 2.7
1B: Todd Helton (2000) 8.8
2B: Jamey Carroll (2006) 4.3
3B: Garrett Atkins (2006) 6.4
SS: Troy Tulowitzki (2007) 5.6
LF: Ellis Burks (1996) 7.6
CF: Juan Pierre (2001) 2.4
RF: Larry Walker (1997) 9.0

Bench

Matt Holliday (2007) 7.3
Vinny Castilla (1998) 4.5
Kazuo Matsui (2007) 4.1
Eric Young (1996) 2.7
Jeff Reed (1998) 1.8

Batting Order

1. Jamey Carroll
2. Ellis Burks
3. Larry Walker
4. Todd Helton
5. Garrett Atkins
6. Troy Tulowitzki
7. Chris Iannetta
8. Juan Pierre

Starting Rotation:

SP1: Pedro Astacio (1999) 5.3
SP2: Joe Kennedy (2004) 4.7
SP3: Jason Jennings (2006) 4.2
SP4: Marvin Freeman (1994) 4.0
SP5: Kevin Ritz (1995) 3.9

Bullpen (in order of importance):

Gabe White (2000) 3.3
Steve Reed (1997) 3.1
Curtis Leskanic (1995) 3.1
Brian Fuentes (2005) 2.7
Manuel Corpas (2007) 2.4
Jose Jimenez (2000) 2.3
Darren Holmes (1995) 2.3

Analysis

Obviously I'd play Holliday in left field and shift Burks to center, improving the lineup (and overall WAR) immensely, but those were the best players by WAR at their position in one season. From this year's team, Carlos Gonzalez is close to surpassing Juan Pierre, while Ubaldo Jimenez will jump atop the starting rotation, where he will perhaps be joined by Jason Marquis (depending on how his last start turns out). I'll talk more about this next week.

Rockies fans have been privileged enough to witness in the last couple of years some of the greatest seasons ever--Smith's WAR calculations are park-adjusted, so when Coors Field changed due to the humidor's implementation so did the formula for calculating WAR. As a result, early pitchers get a large boost (and hitters a large detraction) relative to today's players because of the pitcher's hell that was early Coors Field/Mile High.

And finally...

Single Season Goats

This would be the worst single-season lineup the Rockies could put on the field (worst players starting). The sad thing is that many of them did play a large role for the Rockies. The damage: -15.9 hitting WAR (-11.2 from the starting lineup), -7.5 relief WAR, and -8.5 SP WAR for a total of -31.9 wins above replacement. This team should statistically win 16.7 games out of 162.

Starting Lineup

C: Kirt Manwaring (1997) -2.1
1B: John Vander Wal (1997) -0.7
2B: Luis A. Gonzalez (2006) -1.0
3B: Vinny Castilla (1993) -0.5 [soon to be supplanted by Garrett Atkins, 2009 (-0.9)]
SS: Neifi Perez (1998) -1.2 (and yes, he played all 162 games)
LF: Dante Bichette (1999) -2.8
CF: Choo Freeman (2004) -1.2
RF: Brad Hawpe (2008) -1.7

Bench

Cory Sullivan (2006) -1.1
Steve Finley (2007) -1.1
Jason Bates (1996) -0.9
Jeff Baker (2007) -0.7
Gary Bennett (2002) -0.9

Batting Order

1. Neifi Perez
2. Choo Freeman
3. Vinny Castilla
4. Dante Bichette
5. Brad Hawpe
6. John Vander Wal
7. Kirt Manwaring
8. Luis A. Gonzalez

Starting Rotation:

SP1: Dennis Stark (2004) -1.9
SP2: Joe Kennedy (2005) -1.9
SP3: Brian Rekar (1996) -1.6
SP4: Andy Ashby (1993) -1.6
SP5: Mike Hampton (2002) -1.5

Bullpen (in order of suckitude):

Shawn Chacon (2004) -1.7
Todd Jones (2003) -1.4
Mike Dejean (1999) -1
Darren Holmes (1994) -0.9
Jose Acevedo (2005) -0.9
Jeremy Affeldt (2006) -0.8
Javier Lopez (2004) -0.8

Analysis

This team is horrible, but some of the names on the list were just having a statistical anomaly of a bad season or were getting their first look at major league hitting/pitching. In fact, several went on to have nice careers. Several of them did not, and for good reason.

Next week, I'll look at how the 2009 Rockies performed individually and as a team from a value standpoint.

The Free Agency Free 2013 Boston Red Sox -- Bullpen

Ben Buchanan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:14:45 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Daniel Bard: The likely centerpiece to any future Sox Bullpen (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Starting Pitching

Today, we move on to the bullpen.

The only obvious name for the team is likely Daniel Bard. He's young, under team control for a long while, and oh yeah, he's really good. Papelbon will probably have left for "greener" lands, while Saito is gone due to age. Hideki Okajima seems to have found a nice fit with the Red Sox so far, and if he continues to perform I don't see why the Sox would let him go. He's not exactly a power pitcher, so it's questionable whether 4 years would hurt him that much, but for now I think I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen will both come up for free agency at the same time. I would tend to think they sign only one of them, but the pen is often the hardest part of a team to predict on a year-to-year basis. For now, let's say they tire of Delcarmen's consistent inconsistencies, or try to get closer-value for him in the NL, and keep Ramirez.

From there, the Sox farm system is not exactly well stocked in relief arms, but there are some names of note. Alex Wilson, while currently on the path to being a starter, has a lot of signs of being a bullpen arm down the line. With limited secondary pitches except for a slider which, depending on the scout, is either a plus pitch or one which won't get MLB level players out, Wilson's repertoire is not exactly the kind to throw three times through the lineup. Also, Wilson's fastball, once clocked in the upper 90s, is now sitting middle-low post Tommy John Surgery. A relief role could help him reclaim his zip.

Dustin Richardson is a somewhat older lefty (25 in AA) trying to reinvent himself as a reliever, and the early returns have been very good, as his ERA has shrunk from an ugly 6.33 to an impressive 2.31. There are some serious caveats, though. While his K:BB ratio isn't too bad at exactly 2 due to very nice strikeout numbers, at some point enough has to be enough with walks, and at nearly 5.7 per 9 innings, he's likely reached that point. Also, for a pitcher with a 2:1 flyout to groundout ratio, his number of home runs surrendered is suspiciously low. For what it's worth, his peripherals are far superior against lefties, so if nothing else he can likely make it as a LOOGY.

The Sox' ninth round draft pick this year, Kendal Volz, is also a player to watch. Though his numbers during college have been unimpressive, during his 2008 time closing with Team USA he showed he had incredible stuff. If the organization can get him back to his old form (and the $550,000 signing bonus would suggest that they at least think they can), he could be an integral part of the pen for years to come.

Other than that, the names are limited. There's always Javier Lopez trying to get back up from AAA, and countless struggling starters who could see the pen as their best chance to make it big (see: Kris Johnson). And, of course, since not all of the young starters in the system will have a place in the rotation, there will likely be a Justin Masterson type pitching long relief and getting spot starts. I would theorize that the most likely guy to be there in 2013 would be a Stephen Fife, but that's more of a shot in the dark than anything else.

Relief pitchers are by nature difficult commodities to judge. Any given season is a small sample size, they are particularly prone to overuse and massive fluctuations from year-to-year. They're shuttled around in trades as add-on pieces and afterthoughts despite the fact that a good pen can make or break a team. Looking at the Sox' farm system, it seems like the position may have been somewhat overlooked in past years, as the Sox have focused almost entirely on starters pitching-wise. None-the-less, the situation a few years down the line does not look exactly desperate.

2013 Free-Agency Free Red Sox Bullpen:

RHP: Daniel Bard (Closer)

RHP: Alex Wilson (Set up)

RHP: Ramon Ramirez

RHP: Kendal Volz

RHP: Stephen Fife (Long relief)

LHP: Hideki Okajima

LHP: Dustin Richardson

First Half Minors Recap Part 1: Pawtucket and Portland

Ben Buchanan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:22 -0000

Portland Sea Dog and top prospect Lars Anderson's slow start has headlined an up-and-down Sea Dogs lineup. Via i225.photobucket.com

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The end of June marks the halfway point in the season for the upper levels of the minor leagues, and the starting point of short-season ball. For the A-level teams (Salem and Greenville), it also represents a fresh start, as the records are reset and the team with the best record to that point is granted a post-season berth. As significant a milestone as this is, it makes sense to use it as a time to look back at the season thus far, and for teams like the Lowell Spinners and GCL Red Sox, the season to come.

At the top of the Red Sox farm system, the Pawtucket Red Sox has been all about the pitching. Filled primarily with insurance guys who would play in case of injuries in the main club, the lineup is solid but largely uninteresting. Early backups Chris Carter and Jeff Bailey provided mostly frustration for Sox fans, and Aaron Bates is a relatively recent addition. The rotation and bullpen, on the other hand, have stolen the show.

Though their torrid starts have slowed some, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden have done everything and more to prove they are ready for the big leagues—particularly Buchholz, whose complete game 1-hitter has highlighted a dominant season. Clay sports a 1.93 ERA, a .172 batting average against, and a 69:22 K:BB ratio which is actually marred by his last 3 games, over which he's given up 10 bases on balls. Bowden, though at first putting up better numbers than even Buchholz, has been brought back to Earth by a 4 inning, 6-run effort to start June off, and a 1 inning disaster giving up six earned runs again. Still, a 3.26 ERA is nothing to sneeze at.

The bullpen has been an unsung treasure for Pawtucket. While the big name in Daniel Bard has left to find his place in the crowded Boston bullpen, he leaves behind a ridiculous 29 strikeouts in 16 innings—one of them immaculate—and a 1.13 ERA.

Picking up the slack are a pair of journeymen castoffs from the Baltimore Orioles in Fernando Cabrera and Rocky Cherry. Cherry's 24:17 K:BB ratio in 33 innings and his WHIP of 1.29 suggest his 1.35 ERA is somewhat lucky, but Cabrera has been nothing but impressive. After struggling with control last year, Cabrera has only walked 11 in 32 innings while striking out 33. His 19 hits bring his WHIP up to a paltry .94.

Other notables in the pen are Hunter Jones, who had an unimpressive stint with Boston during Daisuke's first DL trip, and Javier Lopez who seemed to fall off a cliff after an impressive 2008 campaign and has had trouble even in AAA.

Unfortunately for Pawtucket, the experienced lineup and impressive pitching hasn't quite got them in the postseason yet, sitting 4.5 games back of the perennial powerhouse Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, and a game back in the wild card race.

If Pawtucket is the system's pitching powerhouse, than Portland is where you'll find the offense. Josh Reddick, Lars Anderson, and Ryan Kalish are all top-10 prospects in the system with Anderson leading the way, and catcher Mark Wagner has been having a spectacular year offensively and defensively. But where everything seems to be going right for Wagner, the other 3 have all faced growing pains.

Lars Anderson was mired in a well-documented slump resulting in a particularly bad May (.194/.318/.376), and while he seems to've come out of it somewhat in June, his numbers have dipped again somewhat and he's not really outperforming his April numbers by that much. Josh Reddick got off to a fantastic start, clobbering 6 home runs in April en route to a line of .288/.358/.644, but missed all of may with an injury and hasn't found his groove yet. He's yet to hit another home run, and is only hitting .239/.255/.304 on the month. Ryan Kalish is also seeing depressed numbers after a fantastic start. Never really a big-power guy, Kalish put on a show in 32 games in Salem,hitting 5 home runs in 32 games and accruing a .504 slugging percentage. Kalish experienced the typical post-promotion slump, and managed an OPS of only .445 while striking out in around 30% of his plate appearances with Portland in May. Kalish has showed significant signs of improvement, however, posting a .738 OPS in June with a .355 OBP, striking out only 5 times so far.

Wagner has also hit something of a road bump in June, which could be considered regression to the mean for him. A .321/.371/.434 line is by no means disappointing for the month, though, and Wagner still appears to be on the fast track to AAA. The former pitcher is also still throwing out about 70% of base stealers.

Other notables in Portland's lineup include Jorge Jimenez, who has returned to Earth somewhat after a stellar April, Bubba Bell who was recently promoted to Pawtucket, and Argenis Diaz who is in the middle of a very disappointing season and not showing any signs of coming out of it.

The pitching staff in Portland is limited to essentially 2 names: Junichi Tazawa and Felix Doubront. Though both are currently on the DL, these appear to be phantom injuries basically intended to rest the pair for a week or so. Tazawa is currently sporting a 2.92 ERA after getting off to a slow start against the more advanced MiLB competition, and seems to be less walk-happy than a certain countryman of his, keeping his BB/9 below 3 while striking out a tad unde 9 per. Tazawa's ceiling is still questionable, but as of right now there's no reason not to think he can pitch in the majors some day.

Doubront has managed to survive and eke out a 3.19 ERA despite 50 hits and 23 walks in 53 innings. A high strikeout total has contributed to that likely as much as a 1.26 GO:AO ratio, as has a relatively low home run count of 4. Whether he can keep it up or not is definitely in question.

The lack of consistency in the lineup, as well as mediocre contributions from most of the rotation and bullpen has led the Sea Dogs to a 32-36 record, 6.5 games back of the division-leading Connecticut defenders. It seems they're unlikely to improve on it, too, with one of their best batters, Aaron Bates, having been promoted and with Mark Wagner not far behind. Even Tazawa might not be too far from a Pawtucket trip depending on the fates of Buchholz and Bowden. Then again, the big names in the lineup will hopefully not be held down for long, and a resurgent offense could be enough.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Ryan Braun had an up-and-down weekend.

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Some things to read while getting the truth.

The Brewers took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend, but the main topic of conversation coming off the series is the second straight homestand where a pitcher has thrown near Ryan Braun's head. Ken Macha wants MLB to look into it. Baseball Musings likes the way Braun responded to it. Adam McCalvy noticed the difference between Braun's reactions to the Dempster pitch and the Jeff Karstens pitch from two weeks ago. The Brewers are tied for the major league lead with 17 HBP, and Braun, Prince Fielder and Jason Kendall have taken 14 of them.

Baseball Musings thinks the Brewers should have scored more runs yesterday. They went just 6-for-33 at the plate, but five of the six hits went for extra bases and the Brewers had six walks. Timing just didn't work out.

Some would argue that continuing to send Jason Kendall to the plate also doesn't help. Balking Traditionalism is working on a formula to determine when it makes sense to pinch hit for Kendall. We'll also have more on the topic later today.

The issue will probably come up more often once Mike Rivera is back. Rivera is in Omaha today to start a three-game rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds, and if all goes well he's expected back in the lineup on Thursday when Dave Bush returns to the mound. The whole rehab assigment concept seems a little strange in this case: Certainly, Rivera is used to going 15 days between games, but it's been years since he's played in four straight, which is what he'll be doing on Thursday.

Speaking of Dave Bush: he picked up a no-decision on Friday, meaning he's still just 1-0 despite having pitched 40 innings this season, easily the most innings pitched by someone with just one decision.

Elsewhere in statistical anomalies: Saturday night's game featured a combined 40 strikeouts and walks, the sixth most since 1970.

Bill Hall is hitting .292/.364/.483 through 99 plate appearances, and while his numbers are significantly higher against lefties, he's not looking completely outmatched either, drawing ten walks to keep his line at .222/.329/.349. Ken Macha, though, is expected to start Craig Counsell at third when the Brewers open their series with the Marlins tomorrow. Take a moment to consider these numbers:

Counsell since Opening Day 2007: .233/.349/.322
Bill Hall against righties in 2009: .222/.329/.349

Hall has posted a .678 OPS against righties in 2009, so Macha is replacing him with Craig Counsell's .671 OPS? I'm confused.

The Marlins series will also mark the return of our old friend Wes Helms. Wes doesn't understand why he gets booed in Milwaukee:

"I don't know what they're going to do. They might throw rocks at me," said Helms, who is puzzled by the recent chilly receptions he has received. He played well in his three seasons as a Brewer (2003-05).

"I can understand Philly booing me because I struggled there, but Milwaukee? I had good years there," he said. "I never said anything in the paper. I never did anything, so I don't know. Part of the game, I guess."

Wait...what? Helms' best season as a Brewer was in 2003, when he was barely above average as a hitter.

One minor note today: Cole Gillespie continues to struggle in AAA after getting a late start due to injury, and At The Old Ball Game says he's not ready for AAA. Gillespie is the #10 prospect in our community rankings.

I expected people to notice the recent Brewer hot streak, but this might be a little much: Foul Balls has moved the Brewers up to second in the NL and third overall in their power rankings.

Here's one ranking that is deserved, though: Home Run Derby gave the Racing Sausages a #1 seed in their bracket to determine baseball's best mascot.

Around the league:

A's: Designated Ben Copeland, their 2009 Rule 5 pick, for assignment and acquired Adam Kennedy from the Rays for Joe Dillon (h/t FanShot).
Cubs: Placed Aramis Ramirez on the DL with a dislocated shoulder, DL'ed Chad Fox with elbow inflammation, and acquired Ryan Freel from the Orioles for Joey Gathright. (h/t FanShots)
Diamondbacks: Placed Yusmeiro Petit on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Mariners: Carlos Silva has been placed on the DL with stiffness and inflammation in his shoulder.
Nationals: Released Gary Glover.
Pirates: Signed catcher Adam Melhuse to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Designated reliever Javier Lopez for assignment.
Royals: Placed Joakim Soria on the DL with shoulder soreness.
Yankees: Designated relievers Steven Jackson and Eric Hacker for assignment.

Chad Fox's most recent elbow injury will likely end his major league career. Fox, a former Brewer, has already had multiple Tommy John surgeries and has three screws in his elbow. He sounds like he's glad he gave it one last shot.

The Cub Reporter has done the math and expects Aramis Ramirez to miss around 50 games. The Cubs, however, only play the Cardinals and Brewers in five of those games.

Major League Baseball briefly slammed on the brakes on a cool promotion yesterday, stopping players from wearing black and pink cleats which would later be auctioned off to raise money for a cancer-related charity. MLB had not approved the charity, so they ordered players across baseball, including Prince Fielder, not to wear the cleats. A resolution was later reached to allow players to wear them, but I didn't see if Fielder had his on.

Do you like living in the country and want to own a piece of baseball history? Cy Young's birthplace is for sale, and Let's Go Tribe contacted the realtor to ask some questions about it.

Ryan Braun still has a long way to go to reach this record: Carlos Delgado was plunked by Ian Snell yesterday and now has been hit by pitchers from 36 states, a major league record.

Want to work in baseball? The Book Blog has links to three internships with the Yankees.

Oh, and if you're an opposing closer in Denver, you may witness an episode of Mascots Gone Wild.

Drink up.

Some Open Letters to some Red Sox.

Allen Chace — Sun, 03 May 2009 09:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

"..." (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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Even after last night's satisfying win, I find myself wanting to communicate certain things to certain members of the Red Sox organization.

Dear Jacoby Ellsbury,

Hey buddy. Love the stolen bases, and your theft of home against the Yankees will be one that is repeated in our minds all season. You've done an excellent job holding down CF for us, and you seem like a great kid.

That being said, I'm going to need you to take some walks. Not just for my sake. There are a lot of Sox fans wishing only for "patience for Jacoby Ellsbury" for birthday or anniversary gifts this year.

And it's for your sake too. I don't want you to have to change your last name to Pierre.

This is fun. Ready for another?

Dear Javier Lopez,

Hey man, just me again. Just wondering if you've forgotten that the idea of a reliever is to get outs, and not to give out as many walks as possible.

I've defended you in the past, because I always thought you'd be good for a groundball in a pinch, or as someone to soak up innings when we didn't want to use our good relievers. But at this point, Hunter Jones and Daniel Bard are pretty much breathing down your neck. It can't feel good.

I don't know if you knew this, but the Sox are off for the next couple of days, and after that we'll actually be playing in Pawtucket. Ask Lou Merloni, he'll tell you how to get there.

P.S. How was that stint in the outfield the other day? Great, right? Tell the Sox you want to go all Ankiel on the league and ask for your unconditional release. You know you have my support.

One more? Sure.

Dear Brad Penny,

Hey. Y'know, we kind of need to see something great out of you tomorrow, unless you want your "What I did on my summer vacation" paper to be REALLY long.

Last, for sure.

Dear Tito,

Hey T-dog. I just had a procedural question for you. Is it absolutely illegal to have your 5-hitter bat 1st and 3rd in the lineup as well? I'm sure there are some great ghost runners that we could sign from my old neighborhood, and you'd still have a L-R balance in the lineup. Hey, at least think about it.

Game 21: Indians 9, Red Sox 8

Ryan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:29:46 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Ben Francisco gets around on a high fastball, and ties the game at seven. In the third inning.

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It was fitting that this bizarre game ended on a pitcher dropping a simple flip at first base. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Mark DeRosa at second, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a grounder wide of first, and Kevin Youkilis made a very good diving play in getting to the ball. All that remained was to toss the ball to the pitcher covering the bag, and the game would go to extra innings. But Javier Lopez couldn't watch the ball and find the bag at the same time, and the ball bounced off his mitt. DeRosa, who with two outs had kept running, crossed home plate, and the Indians celebrated their first walk-off win of the season thanks to an error.

The weather had changed dramatically since yesterday. Gone was the summer-like weather, replaced by seasonably cool temperatures with a mist hanging over the ballpark. The wind had also shifted, and was blowing in. Seems like a perfect recipe for another pitcher's duel? The only pitching duel tonight was the battle to get out of the third inning. Starters Brad Penny and Anthony Reyes were in constant trouble from the beginning of their outings, giving up runs in each of their three innings of work. Reyes only lasted two innings, and Vinnie Chulk had to pitch very well to keep Anthony's runs allowed at seven. Penny walked out to the mound in the bottom of the third up 7-3, but he couldn't even hold that lead, though his defense helped set up the inning. Mike Lowell threw wildly to second with one out, and instead of turning a double play and ending the inning, a run scored, leaving runners at first and second and still one out. Ben Francisco made Penny and the Red Sox pay, catching up to a high fastball and hitting the foul pole for a three-run game-tying homer.

The bullpens then took over, and both were very effective, allowing just one run apiece until the bottom of the ninth. Tony Sipp again was outstanding, striking out three in 1.1 innings. The Red Sox took the lead once more in the seventh, but a Mark DeRosa homer in the bottom of the inning tied the game again. Kerry Wood, brought on in the exact situation as last night, pitched his way out of a major jam, and this time kept Boston off the scoreboard, setting up the bottom of the ninth.

The Red Sox loss ended an eleven-game winning streak, and to tell the truth, they did more to lose this game than the Indians did to win it. Four of the Indians' nine runs were unearned, including the winning run. But a win as ugly as this counts the same in the standings as the Indians' 22-4 massacre of New York last week.

Next Up: Lester vs. Carmona, 7:05 PM.

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Mark DeRosa	.515	Anthony Reyes	-.528
Asdrubal Cabrera	.419	Grady Sizemore	-.246
Ben Francisco	.355	Joe Smith	-.158

Game Story: Red Sox Not Good This Season.

Allen Chace — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:32:20 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

One of many pitchers for us that didn't suck last night. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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What're you gonna do? After what qualifies as an offensive explosion for us, Daisuke gave it right back and more in a horrible, horrible, first inning. There seems to be some miscommunication about injury status between Daisuke and the organization; personally I'm ready for him to be put on the shelf with WBC-itis for a couple of weeks. He can spend that time in the Bahamas for all I care. Rest, for crying out loud.

And you can't really blame the offense for this one, at least until extras started. 5 runs in 9 innings in an away game should be enough. Youkilis and Bay continue to be our most dangerous hitters, though Drew, DP, and Lowell all chipped in tonight. Who thought we'd be at this point and '[Empty] would be the least of our worries offensively: at least we expected him to suck. Papi, Ellsbury, and really, Lowell, DP and Drew too, we're ready for you guys to get it going. DP can get a bit of a reprieve in terms of bashing; I'm thinking everyone has probably seen by now that he and his family have been getting some death threats lately...

Is there a positive? The non-Lopez pen did everything you could ask and more. Masterson, MDC, Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okajima and Paps all came in and did excellent work. According to Extra Bases/Adam Kilgore, Ramon even offered to come out and pitch another inning after his 1 1/3 was done. It's hard to put a lot of blame on Lopez either; he was pitching his third day in a row and the balls put in play against him were hit pretty weakly in the infield. The walks are troublesome, and ultimately what resulted in his undoing, but he attempted to rally and did get a K and a bad bouncer out of Buck that ended up the difference in this game.

The Sox close it out later today against the A's behind Tim Wakefield. First pitch from Brett Anderson/Another F'n LHer @ 3:35 EST.

Washington Nationals In The WBC Spotlight...

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:59:21 -0000

In The Spotlight? Under the Microscope?

Adam Dunn...

Bottom of 2nd...1-0 Puerto Rico...

The United States vs Puerto Rico in a WBC Elimination game. David Wright stands at first after a leadoff single. Washington Nationals' outfielder (IF?) Adam Dunn hacks at a fastball from PR starter Jonathan Sanchez, strike one. A fastball inside evens the count at 1-1. Dunn watches an offspeed pitch float wide, 2-1. Dunn two-hops a fastball wide of first, foul ball, 2-2. Slider! Dunn K's as Sanchez's locks up the U.S. slugger...

(ed. note - "Continue reading after the jump...Check back later this afternoon for tonight's game thread, and at 7:05 pm EST it's the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins live from Space Coast...Who's Watching The Nationals Tonight?")

Adam Dunn...

Bottom of 3rd...Dunn up with a man on again, takes two, and then takes a fastball that finds the outside corner, 2-1 count. A slider from Sanchez backs Dunn off the plate, and falls back in, 2-2. Dunn rips a 2-2 slider, straight back, count holds at 2-2. Sanchez drills Dunn in the spine with a fastbal. Dunn winces. Dunn heads to first as the PR Manager comes to the mound with the quick hook...

"Wild" Joel Hanrahan...

Top of 4th...3-1 U.S. lead...

DC closer and U.S. middle reliever Joel Hanrahan replaces starter Ted Lilly after Lilly had allowed a two-run HR to Carlos Delgado, tying the game at 3-3 with one out in the fourth. Hanrahan gets Alex Rios on three pitches, but walks the next batter, catcher Geovany Soto to put a man on with 2 outs in a tie game. Puerto Rico's 3rd baseman Andy Gonzalez hacks at a 1-0 fastball away to even the count. Slider inside, 2-1 count. Gonzalez pops up a 2-2 fastball. Brian Roberts catches the third out.

Adam Dunn...

Bottom of 6th...4-3 Puerto Rico.

Adam Dunn vs Javier Lopez, a side-slinging-lefty. Lopez gets ahead as Dunn fouls off a first pitch fastball. Slider away, 1-1. A side-arm-slider makes Dunn look awkward. 1-2 count. A slider away from Lopez evens the count at 2-2. Dunn K's looking at a 2-2 slider...

Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera...

Bottom of 7th...4-3 Puerto Rico.

Saul “Sa-ool” Rivera comes on with men on first and third and two outs in the US 7th. Rivera starts The Sox' Kevin Youkilis with a fastball for a strike before dropping a bender a few feet out in front of the plate, under Youk’s bat. Rivera tries the old fake to third, fake to first, but doesn’t throw to first, go figure...Youk fouls off a fastball outside. Rivera leaves a fastball a little up in the zone, but Youk just hammers down on it and grounds out to third. Saul Rivera’s perfect WBC continues...

Bottom of 8th...4-3 Puerto Rico...

The Puerto Rican team brings Saul Rivera back out for the 8th (Really?)...Rivera starts David Wright off with a slider outside. Rivera drops one off the plate for a ball, and then comes back over the plate with a tight bender outside that sneaks under Wright's bat. Wright fouls two more off, one over first, and one into the catcher's chest...another 2-2 fastball gets fouled off. Rivera tries to come inside and hangs a slider out over the plate that Wright rips to left for a single...

Nationals vs Nationals...

...Ball inside to Adam Dunn. Saul Rivera gets a big swing from Dunn with a sinking fastball. Rivera finds the zone with a low slider, but it’s called a ball on big tall Dunn. Rivera gets a sharp grounder to first, Delgado fields, throws to second, gets back to the bag, but gets pulled off by the throw, allowing a hustling Dunn to reach safely...

...Rivera vs Mark DeRosa, Granderson on to run for Dunn, Rivera checks him twice at a 1-1 count, then backs DeRosa off the plate witha bender inside. 2-1, fastball high gets popped out of play. Ball three high, full count. Granderson’s running as DeRosa grounds out to first...Rivera's replaced by JC Romero...

US Wins 6-5 on 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth.