SB Nation - Travis Snider

So Far We Are: Meet Your New Blue Jays, Brett Wallace

hugo — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:58:00 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

5 months ago: Team USA third baseman Brett Wallace snags a ball that bounced into the air hit by World Team's Jesus Montero during the first inning of the All-Star Futures baseball game at Busch Stadium on Sunday, July 12, 2009, in St. Louis. Wallace threw to second to force out Barbaro Canizares, but Montero was safe at first. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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This is the second part in a 3-part series that will take a bit of a closer look at the three players obtained by the Blue Jays in the Roy Halladay trades. In part I, we took a look at righty pitching sensation Kyle Drabek.

As you will remember, Brett Wallace (I keep wanting to call him David Wallace after the Dunder Mifflin CFO) wasn't actually traded for Roy Halladay. Rather, the Blue Jays received outfield prospect Michael Taylor in that trade, but had already reached a deal with the Oakland Athletics to flip Taylor for Wallace. What made that trade possible was that neither Taylor nor Wallace, who came over from St. Louis in the Matt Holliday trade, had been drafted by their respective teams and so neither GM had a real vested interest in their player - it's rare to see a GM trade one of his draftee top prospects for another untested propsect before either has ever seen the majors.

Unlike Taylor, who was a 5th round pick, Wallace came with a draft pedigree - he was drafted in the 1st round by the Cardinals in the 2008 amateur player draft out of Arizona State University. That wasn't the first time he was drafted, either - the Jays themselves took Wallace in the 42nd round of the 2005 draft, but the Sonoma, California native chose to become a Sun Devil instead. He met fellow Californian and new organizational teammate Aaron Hill at the all-star break last season when Hill started for the AL and Wallace played in the Futures Game.

In college, Wallace quickly established himself as one of the NCAA's best hitters - he won two triple crowns and was the Pac-10's player of the year twice. Like most college draftees, Wallace was assigned to short-season A ball, but played his way out of A entirely when he was moved to AA for the end of the season. Wallace started 2009 in double A and then went up to AAA, where he especially turned it on after his trade to Oakland's system, hitting .302/.365/.505 in just over 200 plate appearances. Folks that thought Taylor's numbers in the minors to be more impressive than Wallace's just weren't considering that Wallace was younger, played at a higher level, and put up those numbers in his first full season of professional ball (as opposed to Taylor's second full season), which is extremely impressive. Make no mistake, this kid can hit.

His defense, on the other hand, is another thing. While Wallace is a third-base prospect, and has earned praise for his good hands and arm, there has been significant doubt that Wallace can stay at the hot corner. It has been said he is a "good athlete stuck in a bad body" and most baseball people just don't think he has the range or quickness to stick at third. The Jays have already announced that they plan to use him at first base, even though no one is blocking him at third base in the minors and the Jays have Brian Dopirak, who played much of 2009 at AAA, and David Cooper, who played at AA, at first base (though Cooper's star has faded, it's too early to give up on him).

At the plate, Wallace, a left-handed hitter, is described as a "pure" hitter with a solid approach at the plate, reluctant to expand the strike zone on the pitcher's terms. As scouts have noted, Wallace has a very strong lower body he uses to generate power and is very good at staying on his back leg to generate power and lay off bad pitches. Hitters get in trouble when they get onto their front side too early, as we saw all too often with Alex Rios last season. With Wallace's lower body strength and ability to stay on his back side, I think substantial power will come, and his approach bodes well for him to consistently reach base as well. Although Wallace didn't display that patience in AAA last season, it is understandable as he was taking his first taste of AAA in his first full big league season. I'd expect walk rates over 10% this season in AAA.

As a hitter, Wallace has been described as almost ready for the big leagues. It will take some time for him to learn first base, I'm guessing, so that will keep him in the minors for a bit, but with Lyle Overbay perhaps on his way out, Wallace could be in the big leagues in 2009. He says he wasts to make it as hard as possible for the Jays to send him to AAA. It's hard not to be excited about the offensive upside someone like Wallace brings - particularly when combined with fellow young lefty mashers Travis Snider and Adam Lind. We can be patient with Wallace, but I'm not sure we will have to be patient for very long.

Please share your hopes for Wallace and your thoughts on the Taylor-for-Wallace trade in the comments.

Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition is In: Who Moves Up, Who Moves Down on our Prospect List, Part 3, 21-30

Tom Dakers — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:33:47 -0000

On our look through our prospect list from last year, in preparation to re-do the list for this year. This time we look at the last ten of 30. Next we'll look at guys that joined the organization this past year and guys that took a step forward to see who could be added to the list.

21. Kyle Ginley. Ginley had an injury filled season; he only got into 5 game at Dunedin. In those games he pitched in relief which might be the spot for him. He's a big guy with a really good fastball. He was 22 this year, the loss of a year doesn't mean he won't make it to the majors, but it doesn't help.

22. Jonathan Talley. Jonathan didn't have a good year at Lansing, .228/.320/.315. He's a big guy, a big target at catcher. The good thing about this year is that he learned to take a walk, but hoped for power didn't come yet. Next year he'll need a step forward.

23. Yohermyn Chavez. A tools guy outfielder that put it all together this year. 20 years old he hit .283/.346/.474 with 21 homers at Lansing. When you out homer Travis Snider at a level (Snider had 16 at Lansing) you've got something. He's a little ways from being ready for the Blue Jays but with work he could be in the middle of the batting order in a few years.

24. Zach Dials: Zach started the year at Dunedin, got 10 saves with a 2.21 ERA and was moved to New Hampshire where he had a 3.14 ERA. He'll be 24 next year so he has to keep progressing. His strikeout to walk ratio was 14 to 1 at Dunedin but not good at New Hamshire 18 K's and 20 walks. He could be a good right hander in the pen in Toronto in a couple of years.

25. Joel Collins. No longer in the organization.

26. Kenneth Wilson. Ken was drafted in 2008, started in Lansing but moved back down to Rookie League. Good defensive CFer, but the bat hasn't come around yet, .212/.306/.305 at the two levels. Great speed, 37 steals and can take a walk. The bat has to come around but the tools are there. He's young enough to come around.

27. Moises Sierra. Moises is another that took a big step forward this year. He started the year at Dunedin and was moved up to New Hampshire at the end of the year. He hit .292/.360/.399. He has some speed and the hope is that power will come. He is just 20 so there is time for the power to come, but he's looking good at the moment.

28. Robert Sobelewski. His second year in the organization, he brought up his walk rate a bunch this year but wasn't terrific (.249/.311/.355). A third baseman with a good arm, big enough that the power could come and he would need it to but he's looking pretty good still. 22 now, so things have to happen in the next couple of years but there is no reason to think it won't.

29. Andrew Liebel. A pretty good year for Andrew, started in Dunedin and had a 3.63 ERA there in 27 starts, not a great record 5-13 but good strikeout to walk rate 118 K's and 42 walks. Moved up to New Hampshire for a couple of starts at the end of the season. Will be 24 next year so he's got to keep moving up, but he's looking good.

30. Jonathan Del Campo. Not a good year for Jon, played mostly at Lansing and didn't hit at all.212/.238/.280. Played mostly 2B. He hit well the last couple of years but will fall off the list this year. Just 21 so there is time to turn it around again but it isn't too likely.

Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition is In: Who Moves Up, Who Moves Down on our Prospect List

Tom Dakers — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:48:37 -0000

As a start towards re-doing our prospect list I thought we'd take a look at the guys on our current list and see which ones improved their status with the team and which ones likely dropped back or right off the prospect list. Then we can start looking at who should be on the new list.

I'll list the players in the spots they are at on our current list, which was put together about this time last year.

1.Travis Snider. Snider got 241 major league at bats, in which he hit .241/.331/.430, not great but not bad considering he was just 21, the 6^th youngest player in the AL. He also had 175 at bats at Triple-A Las Vegas hitting a terrific .337/.431/.663 there. Clearly he wasn't one of Cito's favourites, which puts him in a class with Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado, who have roughly 800 major league home runs between them, so not exactly bad company. If you consider Travis a prospect still, he didn't do much to hurt his status as our number one prospect, but I figure we will graduate him off the prospects list and consider him a major leaguer now. It is always possibly that Cito will decide he's not ready for the majors, this spring, and give his at bats to someone like Kevin Millar. Then, he'd be a prospect and a darn good one still, considering he'd just be 22 years old. But, please Cito, play him every day next year.

2. Brett Cecil. Cecil got 17 major league starts last season, going 7-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Not great, not terrible. He was just 22 years old, so still pretty young for a lefty starter. He pitched another 49 innings in Vegas going 1-5 there with a 5.69 ERA. He was moved to the majors before we likely would have liked him to be, with all the injuries we had to the starting staff. If you consider him a prospect still, he's still a good one, just 23 next year. He'd likely be moved down a few spots on our list, but we'll likely ‘graduate' him off the prospect list.

3. J.P. Arencibia. J.P. did not have the season we hoped he'd have. Promoted to Triple-A, he hit just .236/.284/.444 with 21 homers. I guess calling him a Rod Barajas type would be fair, nice power, low average, wouldn't take a walk if his life depended on it. He'll likely move down some on our list, but he's still a decent prospect. He'll be 24 next year so he can't afford another season like this one, but several good players need two years at Triple-A to find their way.

4. David Cooper. In just his second year of pro ball he was moved up to Double-A New Hampshire. It didn't go well, .258/.340/.389. I would think they will start him at Double-A again and hope he moves up quick. He is just 22 and just 2 years removed from college ball, so there is time to right the ship, but I'd expect he'll be dropped several spots down on our next list. Can't write off a guy at his age though.

5. Justin Jackson. Justin moved up to high-A Dunedin to start this year. It didn't go well, he hit .213/.321/.239 and he missed some time with a ‘frayed labrum'. He's still young, just 20 this past year and has good speed (17 steals), can take a walk (39 in 249 at bats) and his defence looks good. He has got the tools, just has to make it all work. We got to see him a few times in spring training and he didn't look out of place. All that said, he likely to move down a few spots on our list. I'm not sure that I don't think Tyler Pastornicky is a better prospect in the long run.

6. Kevin Ahrens. Continuing our list of prospects that disappointed this year, Kevin was moved up to high-A Dunedin for this season and forgot to bring his bat, hitting just .215/.282/.302. Again just 20 and knows how to take a walk but we really would have liked better from him. He'll likely drop several spots on the prospect list. Don't totally write him off at 20 but he's going to have to pick it up next year.

7. Scott Campbell. A personal favourite, he played in Dunedin, New Hamshire and Las Vegas this year and really didn't take a step forward, .272/.368/.356. He started slow then got injured when it looked like he was turning things around. Pretty much a lost year for him. The Jays tried him at 3B some this year, which I don't understand at all, he doesn't have the power for a corner infield spot. I'd give him a mulligan because of the injuries but he was 24 last season, so it is tough to see him as a prospect unless he does something terrific in spring training. Alex Anthopoulos obviously doesn't think too much of him since he's picked up a couple of middle infield types in the past few weeks off waivers: Mike McCoy and Jarrett Hoffpauir. Much as I like Campbell, I can't see him being on the next prospects list.

8. Brad Mills. Brad made a couple of starts for us back in June when virtually every other starting pitcher in our system was hurt. They didn't go well. He made 14 starts in Triple-A Vegas going just 2-8 but with a decent (for the Pacific Coast League) ERA of 4.06. He had a good strikeout to walk rate 35 walks to 72 strikeouts. He had a good spring training with us, he was in the running for a opening day rotation spot, right up until the end. He gives up more fly balls (and therefore homers) than you would like to see. And he will be 25 next season, not old for a lefty starter but time is running out. I think he'll move a few spots down on our prospect list but with luck and work could make the rotation.

9. Ricky Romero. He's graduated off the prospect list. I think I argued that he shouldn't be so high on our list last year. Shows what I know. He is 25 next year and I'd like to have the paychecks he has in his future.

10. John Tolisano. Like fellow 20 year olds Jackson and Ahrens, John played at Dunedin last year and did not do well, hitting .232/.305/.379. Like the other two, he knows how to take a walk and is young enough to overcome it. He did show some power (12 homers) and wasn't doing too bad before just a horrible August that hurt his numbers. That said, he's got good power for a 2B and is young enough to bounce back from this year, but he'll be moved back on our prospect list.

We'll look at the guys that were 11-20 on our list in the next couple of days and 21-30 soon after that. Then we'll take a look at ones that could jump on our next list.

A boatload of postseason awards

KLSnow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:41:50 -0000

Because I've been away for a few days I've fallen behind on a couple of things, including the unveiling of the SBN and IBWAA postseason awards. My apologies. Let's start with the SBN Awards:

If you read any of the other SBN baseball sites, you may have seen some of these, but if you don't, they're new to you. Two BCB writers contributed to each of the NL awards: I had one vote, and TheJay had the other. I'll publish my ballot below the results, and leave it up to TheJay to decide if he wants to post his.

SBN NL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Jim Tracy	Colorado Rockies	24	1	2	125
2	Tony LaRussa	St. Louis Cardinals	3	7	10	46
3	Fredi Gonzalez	Florida Marlins	2	6	5	33
4	Joe Torre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	9	2	29
5	Charlie Manuel	Philadelphia Phillies	-	3	5	14
6	Bruce Bochy	San Francisco Giants	1	1	1	9
7	Bobby Cox	Atlanta Braves	-	1	4	7
8	Bud Black	San Diego Padres	-	1	1	4
9	John Russell	Pittsburgh Pirates	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Jim Tracy
2. Fredi Gonzalez
3. Joe Torre

I have no other comment on this award, except this side note: Nine of sixteen NL Managers received at least one vote, meaning more NL managers were acknowledged than not, and yet Ken Macha didn't appear on a single ballot.

SBN NL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Tommy Hanson
2. J.A. Happ
3. Casey McGehee

It was a tough year to be an NL Rookie - McGehee's performance might have rated higher in other years, but this season he was overshadowed by a bunch of high-impact players.

SBN NL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadephia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

My ballot:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Adam Wainwright
4. Chris Carpenter
5. Dan Haren

The SBN ballot only asked for three pitchers, but I also voted in the IBWAA awards, which required five. The IBWAA completed their slate of awards today, naming their MVP and Cy Young Award winners for both leagues. Here are their results:

IBWAA NL Manager of the Year:

1. Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies
2. Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 (tie). Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants
3 (tie). Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins

IBWAA NL Rookie of the Year:

1. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
2. Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins
3. J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies

IBWAA NL Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Troy Tulowitzski, Colorado Rockies
3. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Executive of the Year:

1. Dan O'Dowd, Colorado Rockies
2. John Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Cy Young:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
4. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
5. Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves

IBWAA NL Most Valuable Player:

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
4. (tie) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
4. (tie) Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
6. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
10. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The SBN MVP award balloting will be unveiled tomorrow. Follow the jump for the AL awards for both SBN and the IBWAA.

IBWAA Cy Young and MVP Awards have yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, in the AL:

SBN AL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Mike Scioscia	Los Angeles Angels	9	8	3	72
2	Ron Gardenhire	Minnesota Twins	9	5	1	61
3	Don Wakamatsu	Seattle Mariners	6	3	8	47
4	Joe Girardi	New York Yankees	2	4	2	24
5	Ron Washington	Texas Rangers	1	4	4	21
6	Terry Francona	Boston Red Sox	1	1	3	11
7	Jim Leyland	Detroit Tigers	-	2	4	10
8	Joe Maddon	Tampa Bay Rays	-	1	1	4
9	Ozzie Guillen	Chicago White Sox	-	-	1	1
10	Trey Hillman	Kansas City Royals	-	-	1	1

SBN AL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

SBN AL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	C.C. Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

IBWAA AL Manager of the Year:
1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
2. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Joe Girardi (New York Yankees)

IBWAA AL Rookie of the Year:
1. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
2. Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
3. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays

IBWAA AL Comeback Player of the Year:
1. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
2. Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners
3. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

IBWAA AL Executive of the Year:
1. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees
2. Tony Reagins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers

IBWAA AL Cy Young:
1. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
4. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
5. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

IBWAA AL Most Valuable Player:
1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
2. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
3. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
4. Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
5. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
6. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
7. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
9. (tie) Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
9. (tie) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

SB Nation Awards: 2009 American League Rookie of the Year

Jesse — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:16:21 -0000

Next round of the year's awards!

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

I feel pretty good about these results too because, if I remember correctly, I voted pretty closely here too. I want to say I went Andrus-Bailey-Porcello. Beckham's year was underwhelming, Wieters was disappointing considering the hype and, as the tally shows, there were really only two choices for top pick.

My only question: RICK PORCELLO IS JUST 20 YEARS OLD!

Okay, so it's not a question...

Poll

Of the top five, who would get your vote for AL Rookie of the Year?

Elvis Andrus, SS, 20 yrs, 541 PA, 17 2B, 6 HR, 33/39 SB, .267/.329/.373

57 votes

Andrew Bailey, CL, 25 yrs, 83.1 IP, 91 K, 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

58 votes

Jeff Niemann, SP, 26 yrs, 30 GS, 180.2 IP, 125 K, 3.94 ERA, 1.35 ERA

9 votes

Rick Porcello, SP, 20 yrs, 31 GS, 170.2 IP, 89 K, 3.96 ERA, 1.34 WHIP

69 votes

Brett Anderson, SP, 21 yrs, 30 GS, 175.1 IP, 150 K, 4.06 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

17 votes

210 votes | Poll has closed

2009 SBNation Awards: Rookie Of The Year

Al — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:40 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Randy Wells had a fine rookie year and finished sixth in SBN rookie balloting.

View full size photo »

Count me as one of those surprised at the SBN Rookie of the Year balloting. Neither J.A. Happ nor Chris Coghlan, the two players named at the top of the BCB ballots, won. Tommy Hanson is a deserving recipient, no doubt, but I was sure that Happ was going to win. The third-place vote I gave Randy Wells is, admittely, a homer pick.

The AL balloting, for which BCB had no vote, was very close, with only two points separating the top two. If I did have a vote for the AL ROY, it would have gone to Gordon Beckham.

BCB ballots:

Al: 1) J.A. Happ 2) Tommy Hanson 3) Randy Wells      
Mike: 1) Chris Coghlan 2) J.A. Happ 3) Tommy Hanson

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

Chris Carpenter, Aaron Hill named comeback players of year

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:35:28 -0000

More photos » AP

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Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter and Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill were awarded the NL and AL comeback player of the year awards, respectively, according to FOXSports.com.

After appearing in five games between 2007-2009, Carpenter returned to the mound in 2006 form, going 17-4 in 28 starts. Having Carpenter back in the rotation gave the Cards a huge advantage in the NL Central, especially with Adam Wainwright putting up career numbers.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Chris Carpenter	17-4	28	28	3	1	0	0	192.2	156	49	48	7	38	144	2.24	1.01

Hill showed tremendous potential coming into the 2008 season, but a Grade II concussion ended his season early. He came back strong in 2009 to hit a career high 36 home runs while putting up career highs in slugging and OPS.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Aaron Hill	158	682	103	195	37	0	36	108	42	98	6	2	.286	.330	.499

While the Blue Jays were a disappointment this season, having Hill, Adam Lind, and young prospects Travis Snider and J.P. Arenciba in the fold could make the Jays very dangerous down the road. Imagine if they trade Halladay for a mix of young pitchers and bats, too.

Hill and Carpenter are both deserving of this award. Can you think of anyone who also deserves some recognition for the 2009 season?

Goodbye, Goodnight: Orioles 5, Jays 4

hugo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:04:00 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero delivers against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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The Jays' season came sputtering to a close this afternoon with a series sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. Today's game was an extra-inning affair the Jays lost in the bottom of the 11th.

On the Mound: Ricky Romero pitched pretty well for the Jays, though he gave up 4 runs. Three walks in 7 innings hurt him, but he struck out 8 and only gave up 5 hits (one of which was a 2-run home run by Nick Markakis). The long ball has been a thorn in Romero's side all season and will surely be something he works on next year.

At the Plate: Edwin Encarnacion hit another home run, which was encouraging. Edwin had a very good close to the season, batting .261/.343/.500 from September 1st on. If his wrist issues are behind him, he could have a good season at the plate next year. Jose Bautista and John McDonald also hit solo shots, and Travis Snider added an RBI double. Randy Ruiz had 2 doubles, a single, and a walk for a nice afternoon at the office. Vernon Wells had one of those days, going 0-5 and leaving a lot of men on base before Joe Inglett took his spot in the lineup to give him a bit of an early end to the season.

From the Pen: Jesse Carlson and Shawn Camp combined to hold the line for three innings, giving the Jays the chance to tie it at four on J-Mac's home run in the 7th, but Brandon League had some serious problems in the 11th, giving up a leadoff single and then throwing two away in a row and allowing the run to score. His focus just wasn't there - understandable, I suppose, given the circumstances - he has had a ridiculously hard-luck season and likely just wanted it to be over. I'm going to go ahead and pencil him in for a big season next year.

The Jays finish the season at 75-87, pretty poor considering how hot they started. Their pythagorean record, however, was over .500 (83-79), showing that the Jays have been the victim of poor run distribution. Normally, I might say bad luck, but this is the third straight season that the Jays have underperformed their pythagorean record and particularly struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, so that really won't fly.

80-75, Game Notes

Jeff — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:04:01 -0000

More photos » by Fred Thornhill - AP

God we really are white

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I love baseball in the morning on weekends. Really, I just love mornings on the weekends, but baseball gives me a reason to wake up for them. Getting up early on a Saturday or a Sunday is unpleasant at first, but once I'm out of bed and functioning like a normal person, I get to sit down with a mug of tea and enjoy a relaxing day that's way longer than they usually are. Everything seems less formal and proceeds at a more agreeable pace. The baseball's less annoying. I don't feel the slightest bit of stress. I get to see a side of my backyard that I rarely get to see on the weekend (This is the seldom-observed 9am Saturday lawn. This is the more familiar 1pm Saturday lawn. The 1pm lawn really sucks). And then when the game's over, I still have some of the afternoon and all of the night to make plans. There aren't enough of these days in a year.

Sometime in the early innings Dave Sims asked Mike Blowers about playing these late-season games that don't have playoff implications. Blowers said something to the effect of, every game meant something, because he was playing for his job. I think that's a really important point for all of us to remember. As fans, these games are pretty meaningless to us, but it's not fair to throw that word around all willy-nilly because the games really do still mean a lot to every one of the players and coaches. The coaches want to finish strong. The veterans want to set an example and finish on a good note. And the younger guys or role players are forever fighting for their future employment. This is the biggest reason why I usually don't buy in when someone accuses a bad team of "giving up" - if there were players who truly gave up, they'd shortly be out of a job.

To you and me, these games are meaningless. To the team, they're a chance to finish above .500. To Bill Hall, they're a chance to get a shot as a regular in 2010. To Ichiro, they're a chance to continue making history. To Felix, they're a chance to win a Cy Young. Every player has a reason to keep giving it his all. These games are anything but meaningless to them.

Today made two times in two days that one of the Mariner announcers mentioned that the Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967. If you're not a hockey fan or, more specifically, an Ottawa fan, you probably didn't enjoy those remarks as much as I did. God bless the Daves.

Welcome to Seattle, Ian Snell. Thanks for finally showing up. Snell looked nothing like the guy we hoped we were getting in previous Mariner starts. Through ten games, he had more walks than strikeouts and a ghastly 57.9% strike rate. The best thing anyone could say about him was that he clearly still had some good stuff and might benefit from an offseason away from the field.

Today, though - today, we caught a 6.2-inning glimpse of what Snell could look like if the team gets him fixed. Against a lineup with four lefties in it, Snell attacked, throwing strikes with nearly three-quarters of his fastballs and setting himself up for a lot of breaking ball strikeout opportunities. He got to a two-strike count against 14 of 27 guys and was able to throw a lot of good breaking balls down in the zone. It wasn't a matter of getting ahead early - Snell threw just 12 first-pitch strikes - but instead of coming apart Snell was often able to battle back strong and keep himself in control. This was a definite step forward. I wasn't keeping an eye on his foot very often (some people say it was better, but I can neither confirm nor deny), but whatever he did, he should do more of. This was about as good as I ever imagined Ian Snell could look.

13 swinging strikes, by the way, with six on the slurve and seven on the fastball. Speaking of that slurve, today it ranged from 75 to 87 miles per hour. I'm sure there are different pitches in there, but they're impossible to separate; Snell basically just has a ~12mph range on his breaking ball. So for anyone tempted to call him a two-pitch pitcher, that's not necessarily wrong, but it's not exactly right.

Fitting how Snell earned a win in five previous mediocre efforts as a Mariner and then got a big fat no-decision out of his best.

I don't know what Travis Snider or the Blue Jays were doing, but in the top of the third, Snider had Ichiro played perfectly on a sinking drive to left. I thought that was a certain single.

It's kind of interesting that this team has Snell, Bill Hall, and Adrian Beltre on it - three guys with loads of talent that previously posted ~one absolute monster season. It's sort of a lesson in probability: if you take two guys, and they have similar track records, but one of them has more raw talent, the latter will have a higher chance of putting up crazy numbers. Snell, Hall, and Beltre have all struck gold before, but that didn't so much establish a new true talent level as it did simply confirm that they possessed the ability to go nuts. I don't think I'm explaining this very well. Forget it.

Anyway, on Hall, who's been a source of frustration since coming over, it's worth pointing out that while he doesn't make a lot of contact, his plate discipline numbers now are almost identical to what they were in 2006 when he was a 5-win player. He hits the ball only a little bit less often than he used to. He just doesn't hit the ball as well. I don't know what to make of that, but figuring out why that is is going to be one of the team's biggest projects.

In the bottom of the eighth, Wak let Mark Lowe face Lyle Overbay, who's a lefty, before pulling him so that Garrett Olson could face Travis Snider, who's a lefty. That was weird.

In three consecutive innings, the Mariners loaded the bases with one out, and out of those three innings they managed to squeeze a total of one run. Lowe got the blown save and Shawn Kelley got the loss, but this whole thing could have been so easily avoided.

Jays Sweep Orioles

Tom Dakers — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:50:59 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

3 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion, left, and Rod Barajas celebrate after Encarnacion scored on a hit by Lyle Overbay during the second inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

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Orioles 3 Blue Jays 7

A very fun game and fun series. Nice to see we can win some. One of those series that whatever happened you knew that people would rag on the Jays. If they lost people would have said 'told you so, they are a last place team'. Now that they swept the series, the same folks will say 'they can only win when it doesn't matter anymore'. I always wonder what these folks want, them to stop trying or what?

Scott Richmond pitched ok, not great, not terrible. 5 innings, 5 hits, 4 walks and 2 homers. One of the homers was a massive shot by Matt Wieters. I haven't seen one hit that deep in Rogers Center in a long time. Our bullpen was terrific again. We got a shutout inning each from Casey Janssen, Josh Roenicke, Brandon League and Jason Frasor. Janssen looked good getting four ground balls to the infield, one turned into a Encarnacion error. A bounced throw to first that Lyle Overbay should have picked. League and Roenicke looked great striking out 2 each.

Offensively, we got 7 runs off 9 hits. Travis Snider hit an opposite field homer and drove in another run with a single. He's starting to swing the bat better. The only ones in the lineup not to get a hit were Vernon Wells and Rod Barajas, but they each had a walk. Rod is 0 for his last 19 now. Jose Bautista tripled and doubled.

The other thing we found out today from Rance Mulliniks is that Rod Barajas was a good player because he missed third base. Rod was heading home from second on Snider's single and apparently missed 3rd and went back to touch it. Rance spent a couple of minutes trying to explain why that made him a good player. I thought the replay showed he touched third and just went back because he was slow.

Jay of the Day is Bautista (.175 WPA). Honorable mention to a bunch of guys Encarnacion, Snider, MacDonald and Hill. No Suckage Jay, Rod Barajas came closest (-.084).

We start our last home series of the year against the Mariners tomorrow. Felix Hernandez (16-5, 2.45) goes against Ricky Romero (12-9, 4.28). The game thread was fun tonight, join in tomorrow if you can.