SB Nation - Odalis Perez

How Dodgers Became Dodgers: Where Pedro Astacio Becomes Blake DeWitt

Eric Stephen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Blake and DeWitt are two of seven players currently on the 40-man roster who have links to Dodgers past.

Major league 40-man rosters were set last Friday in preparation for the upcoming Rule 5 draft in two weeks. With the free agency period just starting, there are many open spots on rosters throughout baseball. The Dodgers, for instance, have 33 players on their 40-man roster. Over the next few weeks, free agents will be signed and some players will be non-tendered, so rosters will change, but for now let's look at the 33 Dodgers and how they became Dodgers.

Almost half of the Dodgers currently on the 40-man roster -- 16 of 33 -- were drafted by the team with their own draft pick:

Draft(ed) Dodgers
Player	Year	Round	Pick

James Loney	2002	1	19
Jonathan Broxton	2002	2	60
James McDonald	2002	11	331
Eric Stults	2002	15	451
Russell Martin	2002	17	511

Chad Billingsley	2003	1	24
Xavier Paul	2003	4	121
Matt Kemp	2003	6	181
Lucas May	2003	8	241
A.J. Ellis	2003	18	541

Scott Elbert	2004	1	17
Javy Guerra	2004	4	118
Cory Wade	2004	10	298

Brent Leach	2005	6	196
Trayvon Robinson	2005	10	316

Clayton Kershaw	2006	1	7

These are pretty straight forward original transactions, as are these other four amateur free agents:

Amateur Free Agents
Player	Date	Origin
Hong-Chih Kuo	6/19/99	Taiwan
Ramon Troncoso	6/20/02	Dominican Republic
Chin-Lung Hu	1/31/03	Taiwan
Kenley Jansen	11/17/04	Curacao

That makes 20 of 33 Dodgers who are with are with their original club. In addition to them, there are six more Dodgers that joined the club independent of other players. That is, their acquisitions aren't linked to anyone else:

Free Agents
Player	Date
Rafael Furcal	12/19/05
Juan Pierre	11/22/06
Travis Schlichting*	10/7/07
Hiroki Kuroda	12/16/07
Ronald Belisario*	1/13/09
Charlie Haeger*	1/17/09
*minor league free agents

This is where we get to the fun part of this exercise, as reminded by Rocknjosie in her excellent Fan Post last month. There are seven Dodgers left that were acquired as the result, directly or indirectly, of previous transactions. These are listed in chronological order based on the earliest transaction.

Andre Ethier
Date	Transaction
6/1/88	drafted Mike Piazza in the 62nd round (#1390 overall)
8/4/96	signed Luke Allen as an undrafted free agent
12/8/96	signed Todd Zeile as a free agent
5/14/98	traded Piazza and Zeile to Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Manuel Barrios
11/18/00	signed Franklin Gutierrez as an amateur free agent
1/15/02	traded Sheffield to Braves for Odalis Perez, Brian Jordan, and Andrew Brown
1/17/03	traded Allen to Colorado for Jason Romano
4/3/04	traded Romano to Tampa Bay for Antonio Perez
4/3/04	traded Gutierrez and Brown to Cleveland for Milton Bradley
12/13/05	traded Bradley and Perez to Oakland for Ethier
Total Related Players: 9

Blake DeWitt
Date	Transaction
11/21/87	signed Pedro Astacio as an amateur free agent
6/14/91	signed Ismael Valdez as an amateur free agent
8/28/94	signed Luke Prokopec as an amateur free agent
8/19/97	traded Astacio to Rockies for Eric Young
12/12/99	traded Young and Valdez to Cubs for Terry Adams, Brian Stephenson, and Chad Ricketts
12/31/01	traded Prokopec and Ricketts to Toronto for Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill
12/17/03	Quantrill signed as a free agent with the Yankees
6/7/04	drafted DeWitt with a compensation first round pick (#28 overall)
Total Related Players: 6

Ivan DeJesus
Date	Transaction
7/7/94	signed Adrian Beltre as an amateur free agent
12/17/04	Beltre signed as a free agent with Seattle
6/7/05	drafted DeJesus with a compensation second round pick (#51 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Jason Repko
Date	Transaction
1/16/96	signed Scott Radinsky as a free agent
11/23/98	Radinsky signed as a free agent with St. Louis
6/2/99	drafted Repko with a compensation supplemental pick (#37 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Manny Ramirez
Date	Transaction
12/12/98	signed Kevin Brown as a free agent
6/3/03	drafted Andy LaRoche in the 39th round (#1171 overall)
12/13/03	traded Brown to Yankees for Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden, and cash
2/23/06	Weaver signed as a free agent with the Angels
6/6/06	drafted Bryan Morris with a compensation first round pick (#26 overall)
7/31/08	traded LaRoche and Morris to Pittsburgh in a 3-team trade; received Manny and cash from Boston
Total Related Players: 4

Casey Blake
Date	Transaction
8/13/04	signed Carlos Santana as an amateur free agent
6/7/05	drafted Jon Meloan in fifth round (#166 overall)
7/26/08	traded Santana and Meloan to Cleveland for Blake, and cash
Total Related Players: 2

George Sherrill
Date	Transaction
6/7/05	drafted Josh Bell in the second round (#74 overall)
6/7/05	drafted Steven Johnson in the 13th round (#406 overall)
7/30/09	traded Bell and Johnson to Baltimore for Sherrill
Total Related Players: 2

Reviewing Dayton Moore at the Trade Deadline: 2006

royalsreview — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:46:19 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher J.P. Howell remembers being traded for Joey Gathright. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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As we approach this year's trade deadline, it's useful to look back at Dayton Moore's deadline track record. In the first of three posts, we look at Dayton's first trade deadline: 2006.

The Royals hired Dayton Moore during the 2006 season. Moore was hired on May 30th and officially took over on June 8th, shortly after the 2006 Draft. (Which remains another story.) Moore was extremely active during his first few months as the Royals GM. After a week as the head man, Moore had parted ways with three minor leaguers, including Kyle Snyder, and signed Todd Wellemeyer, Brandon Duckworth and Donovan Osbourne. None of these guys did very much for the Royals, but they are emblematic of Moore's first eighteen months on the job. If you ever thought about pitching, the Royals took a flyer on you.

On June 20, 2006, Moore made his first major move, sending J.P. Howell to Tampa for Joey Gathright and Fernando Cortez. Seen from the beginning as a signature move, Moore parted ways with the college pitcher with seemingly limited upside for the tantalizing speed and defense of Joey Gathright. Like many of Moore's subsequent moves, there was a certain bravado to it: I'm not just going for speed, I'm bringing in the fastest guy in baseball, despite no evidence he can hit, or actually play center well, deal with it.

The Gathright trade has been discussed quite a bit over the years, and there isn't much more to be said. Gathright had his moments in Kansas City, and in theory was not a bad guy to take a look at. Howell however, has been better than 90% of the relievers the Royals have employed since his departure, and has recently blossomed into one of the better relievers in the American League. Fernando Cortez spent parts of two seasons in the Royals' system, and randomly had 16 PAs with the 2007 Royals. In the long run, the Gathright trade was a signature move, just not the type of signature Moore wanted.

The Gathright trade was not technically a "deadline deal" but beyond its date, there's not much to separate it from the other moves Dayton made that year. Let's take a look at the other trades Dayton made that July:

July 19, 2006: Traded Ruben Gotay to the Mets for Jeff Keppinger. A weird challenge trade if there ever was one. Gotay has some vague semblance of potential in 2006, while Keppinger was seen as a guy with a decent infield bat, but not a solid defensive reputation. Keppinger hit .267/.323/.400 in 67 PAs for the 2006 Royals, playing mostly at third base. Keppy should have been a sign of Dayton's love for scrappy white guys who play the game the right way. Keppinger was traded in Jaunary to the Reds for Russ Haltiwanger, who left the system last season. Keppinger, of course, immediately had a career season with the Reds in 2007. Gotay, of course, did little in New York and is currently in the Arizona system. Yours truly thought the Keppinger trade was fairly pointless back in 2006, but he likely would have been a better option at short in 2007-8 than Tony Pena Jr. turned out to be.

July 24, 2006: Traded Mike MacDougal to the White Sox for Daniel Cortes and Tyler Lumsden: This was a big trade back in 2006. MacDougal was a longtime Royal by the standards of the day, was one of the heroes of 2003 and was something of a fan favorite. While generally unreliable in both the long and short term, had his uses as a reliever. MacDougal was quickly signed to a three-year deal with the White Sox, yet never really pitched well there. Dayton's haul of Dan Cortes and Tyler Lumsden was viewed from the onset as a great trade, and through 2008 Cortes was highly regarded as a pitching prospect. Considering that both Cortes and Lumsden are both gone now, having never contributed at the Major League level (Lumsden stayed in the KC system until last November, when he was claimed by the Astros) it remains mostly a good trade in only in an alternative universe. Of course, according to the party line, Cortes was used to acquire a great everyday shortstop with lots of upside. So another victory.

July 25, 2006: Elmer Dessens traded to Dodgers for Blake Johnson, Julio Pimentel and Odalis Perez. This was an interesting trade. The Royals shipped out Elmer Dessens, who was having an ok season for the Royals as a middle reliever (4.50 ERA, generic peripheral stats) and, in exchange for taking on a portion of the Odalis Perez contract, came out with two pitching prospects. Odalis made 38 starts for the Royals, and while he was the subject of many jokes on this site and elsewhere, he was not totally terrible (84 ERA+). Plus, he gave rise to the former-Brave theory, which has been one of the few things keeping me alive during this decade. Blake Johnson is currently pitching at AA, and Pimentel (currently injured I believe) was at AA in 2008. Considering that both are still around and somewhat well-regarded, the Dessens deal may be Dayton's best trade.

July 25, 2006: Tony Graffanino traded to Milwaukee for Jorge de la Rosa. By the time this trade hit, we were starting to think we'd figured out Dayton Moore. Arms with upside. Jorge was not a former Brave, but he felt like one. A guy with a great arm, who'd seemingly been around as a prospect for decades. Graffanino had had a weird run with the Royals: signed to a 2 year 2.2 million deal for 04-05, Graffy was traded to Boston in 2005. After the '05 season, he signed a $2 million dollar deal with Boston, but ended up being DFAed. In March of 2006, the Royals claimed him off waivers from Boston. Then, Moore traded him. JDLR spent two seasons with the Royals and was nearly identical to Odalis Perez, posting an ERA+ of 83 in 36 games. I don't remember ever feeling like he was going to be a contributor or that he was turning it around. JDLR eventually ended up in Colorado, where he's still pitching. Graffanino meanwhile, retains historical importance as one of the early examples of the team's Gritty Scrappy White Middle Infielder Fetish: McEwing, Graffanino, Grudzielanek, Keppinger, etc.. Of course, St. Willie Bloomquist has been the apogee of this bizarre fixation.

July 31. 2006: Matt Stairs sent to Texas for Joselo Diaz: Would you believe that Diaz was a minor league pitcher? Dude ended up being completely horrible in extremely limited action with the Royals in 2006, and was hardly better in Omaha. Diaz left the system as a free agent after the 2006 season, and is currently with the Dodgers. The Stairs trade was more or less a salary dump, only that Stairs wasn't that expensive, given that he was making $1.4 million. Stairs has bounced around, but is still contributing at the Major League level, while the Royals will head into 2010 not sure who to play at DH.

July 31, 2006: Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista sent to Colorado for Scott Dohman and Ryan Shealy: Another highly-praised trade at the time, the Affeldt-Shealy deal ended up working out much better for the Rockies than the Royals. Affeldt was a tantalizing but generally despised Royal by 2006, after three years of countless message board debates about how he should be used. And shockingly, he always had nagging injuries! He must have been a pansy. Shealy appeared for all the world to be a plug and play AAAA masher who could provide cheap offense at 1B/DH. Instead, after a passable 2006 debut with the Royals (102 OPS+) he was one of the worst players in the Major Leagues in 2007, and has been injury-plagued and unheard from since. Affeldt ended up giving the Rockies 86 innings of 105 ERA+ pitching over two seasons, and is currently with the Giants. Dohmann and Bautista did very little with their new teams, though Denny Bautista did make everyone confused for a few years, as he was one of like six guys out there named "Denny Bautista".

Overall Evaluation: In 2006, it looked pretty good. I count 12 players in, 8 players out. Dayton's five trades during deadline week were what every single Royals fan wanted. There was a general impression that Moore was clearing the roster of the detritus of the Baird regime and beginning the long rebuild of the franchise. Still, by 2008, only four of the new guys -- Gathright, Shealy, Pimentel, Johnson -- were still with the Royals, and Gathright and Shealy were almost certainly done as Major League contributors. Moore did dump some salary, but only the modest amounts which remained owed to Stairs, Graffy and Affeldt. We're talking about maybe 1.5 million here, not a large number. Other than the ill-fated Gathright, effectively, none of Moore's myriad moves produced a single Major League player for the Royals. Nothing.

Here's the damning thing: if you gathered up all the players involved in this flurry of 2006 and subjected them to a draft, here in 2009, the players the Royals sent packing in 2006 are still the best players. Of course, that's partially to be expected, given the example of a player like Matt Stairs. Nevertheless, none of the prospects Moore acquired has turned out to be a contributor in 2009, and only two, Johnson and Pimentel, have any real shot of doing so. In that fictional draft, right now you'd take Howell first, then, probably Affeldt, then Stairs. Someone might take MacDougal fourth, or maybe, maybe de la Rosa. (Actually, many GMs would probably take Cortes near the top of that list, but after the Betancourt, I can't give Dayton credit for him.)

Moore's deadline trades did not make the Royals better in 2006, or 2007, or 2008, or 2009. While he won the extremely minor Gotay-Keppinger trade and got nice value with the Dessens swap, none of Dayton's 2006 deadline deals really worked out for the Royals. He lost the Affeldt-Shealy trade and he lost the Howell-Gathright trade. The deals made involving MacDougal, Stairs, and Graffanino, ultimately did nothing for the franchise at all.

This deadline was really the beginning of Moore's reputation as a transactions hound, as someone who was actively scouring the low minor leagues for pitching talent, and as someone who would need to make approximately five million trades to fix the disaster that was the Royals.

Finally, one thing that stands out about these trades is how utterly inconsequential they all were. Most of the players involved, coming and going, left no real impact anywhere. That should remind us something about how most of these deadline deals end up. This is especially true when you're talking about the kind of C market players that the Royals shop, and shop for.

The Joselo Diazes come, the Joselo Diazes go. Only the Baseball Annies of the minor leagues remember much.

Nine Down, Nine To Go For Dodgers

Eric Stephen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:05:16 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

The O-Dog watches his home run sail over the center field fence in the third inning last night.

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Another game, another no-decision for Randy Wolf last night -- his tenth on the season in 15 starts -- but the Dodgers won the rubber game of their three-game series with Oakland, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium Thursday night. All three games against the A's were one-run contests.

The Dodger record for no-decisions in a season is held by Odalis Perez, who had 18 in 2004. Bert Blyleven holds the major league record with 20 no-decisions for the "We Are Family" 1979 Pirates.

Orlando Hudson provided the power for the Dodgers with his second inning shot. Casey Blake was two for four, extending his hitting streak to nine games. He is hitting .389/.410/.611 over those nine games, and is hitting .364/.400/.620 during the Manny Ramirez suspension.

Mark Loretta snapped an 0-for-13 pinch-hitting run with the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning.

Ramon Troncoso rebounded from his rare poor outing Tuesday to get the final two outs -- a double play by Ryan Sweeney on two pitches -- for his fourth save of the season. Jonthan Broxton was out for the second straight game with a sore right big toe.

The Dodgers have now played half of their 2009 interleague schedule, and have won five of nine games so far. They have only won five games against the American League in each of the last four seasons (20-43 in that time), and haven't had a winning interleague record since 2004, when they were 10-8. Trips to Anaheim and Chicago, followed by a home series against Seattle will end the Dodgers' regular season schedule against AL teams. Until October, that is.

WP - Brent Leach (2-0): 0.2 IP

LP - Brad Ziegler (1-3): 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk

Sv - Ramon Troncoso (4): 0.2 IP

Box Score

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:12:32 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Manny Parra, center, gathers with his teammates to discuss their blatant disrespect for the game and untucked shirts.

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Some things to read while waiting for lunch.

If all had gone according to plan, the Brewers would be enjoying an off day on the road today and getting ready to open a series with the Astros tomorrow. Instead, they're in St. Louis waiting for tonight's makeup game, and probably won't get to Houston until early tomorrow morning. Some notes on tonight's game:

Kyle Lohse, who pitched the first couple of innings of Friday's rainout, will start for the Cardinals.
He'll face Braden Looper, who has something to prove to a Cardinal organization that decided not to pursue him after the 2008 season.
Tonight's game will be televised in HD.

Rickie Weeks will not be with the team tonight. He left last night's game in the first inning with a sore left wrist and will travel to Phoenix to get it checked out by the specialist that performed the previous surgeries on his right wrist (Also noted in FanShot). Barring something unforeseen, Weeks is expected to rejoin the team tomorrow but doesn't know when he'll be ready to play.

Jason Kendall enters today's game with 1999 career hits. If he picks up a hit in the next couple of days, he may reach 2000 before Todd Helton.

Saturday's game was the Brewers' third 1-0 contest of the season, and they're now 2-1 in those games. Trevor Hoffman picked up the save in that game: UmpBump has a look at his early success and Adam McCalvy reports on a prank Hoffman pulled on Ken Macha over the weekend.

Of course, a fair amount of the credit for Saturday's shutout goes to Jeff Suppan, who pitched seven innings and allowed just eight baserunners. The Bucky Channel says Jeff Suppan is making them like him.

How much credit for the Brewers' early success belongs to Ken Macha? Jeff Fletcher of MLB FanHouse sees Macha's fingerprints in some of the changes in the team's philosophy, and also offers some insight into the role of third base coach Brad Fischer.

When will we get to see Mat Gamel? No one seems to know. FanGraphs was excited to see him come up, but he has just one plate appearance in three games as a Brewer, and none since Thursday. Ken Macha has said Gamel wasn't just brought up to ride the bench, but Saturday's game saw Craig Counsell pinch hitting instead in a key situation, and Todd Coffey was allowed to hit for himself in the late innings yesterday.

David Riske threw 30 pitches in the bullpen before Saturday's game and could be headed out for a minor league rehab assignment in the near future. With the strength of the current bullpen, that could be a very long rehab assignment.

Elsewhere in the minors:

Cody Scarpetta threw five hitless innings for Wisconsin yesterday, and sat down with The Official Site's Mason Kelley to talk about his philosophy.
Mike Burns, who wasn't expected to start the season in the rotation for Nashville in the first place, improved his record to 6-0 with a win yesterday.
Cutter Dykstra, #11 in our prospect rankings, was demoted from Wisconsin to Helena over the weekend, and will learn to play second base at that level (h/t Rattler Radio). Helena's season doesn't open until late June, so Dykstra will spend some time in extended spring training breaking in an infielder's glove.

Balking Traditionalism reports the Brewers are second in the NL in Wins Above Replacement, and Summer Loving moved them up to fifth in their power rankings.

Here's a nice note on the fan-friendliness of the Brewer organization: The Brewers charge a $2 "convenience fee" for the right to purchase tickets online, the lowest in all of baseball.

Nearly a week has passed, but blogs continue to pile on The Happy Youngster, as they should. The Biz of Baseball, Miller Park Drunk and True Blue Brew are just three of the dozens of sites that have taken note.

Around the league:

Marlins: Designated John Koronka for assignment.
Mets: Signed catcher Javier Valentin and reliever Tom Martin to minor league deals, and placed Carlos Delgado on the DL with a hip impingement.
Nationals: Designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment, placed catcher Jesus Flores on the DL with a bruised shoulder and DL'ed starter Scott Olsen with shoulder tendinitis.
Orioles: Placed Luke Scott on the DL with a sore left shoulder.
Padres: Claimed infielder Josh Wilson off the DL from the D-Backs and designated reliever Duaner Sanchez for assignment.
Pirates: Acquired starter Eric Hacker from the Yankees for AAA reliever Romulo Sanchez and placed Tyler Yates on the DL.
Phillies: Designated Miguel Cairo for assignment.
Rangers: Are expected to sign reliever Mike Hinckley, who opted for free agency after being DFA'd by the Nationals last week, to a minor league deal. They also placed closer Frank Francisco on the DL with biceps tendinitis.
Rays: Placed Pat Burrell on the DL with stiffness in his neck.
Rockies: Reliever Matt Daley has been placed on the DL after tripping on a bat home plate umpire Bill Welke attempted to kick out of the way.
Tigers: Reliever Juan Rincon has declined a minor league assignment and is now a free agent.

By now, you've probably heard about yesterday's Rays-Indians game, where pitcher Andy Sonnanstine ended up batting third due to a scorecard mistake. Marc Lancaster has a list of Sonnanstine's feats.

Remember months ago, when we wanted the Brewers to sign Odalis Perez? After he refused to report to Nationals camp on a minor league deal this spring, he remains unsigned, and Jorge Says No! wants to know why.

Will Odalis Perez find a job before Cecil Cooper loses his? Cooper is having his decisions second-guessed in Houston, and it doesn't sound like his team is behind him at all.

Ben Sheets hasn't started throwing yet and says he hasn't started thinking about who he'll pitch for once he's healthy, but he was in Arlington over the weekend, paying a visit to Rangers' pitching coach Mike Maddux.

When you're as small at Tim Lincecum, as young as Tim Lincecum, you throw as hard as Tim Lincecum and you rack up as many innings as Tim Lincecum, I guess you shouldn't be surprised when your velocity falls like Tim Lincecum's.

This year, maybe you'll actually get some sleep in October: Major League Baseball is changing World Series start times to get the games going earlier.

Oh, and it's probably pretty difficult to bring a harp on the road.

Drink up.

A Brief History Of Washington Nationals' Opening Day Starters.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:16:44 -0000

The Washington Nationals' Opening Day Starters...

In the first regular season MLB game ever played by the new Washington Nationals, on April 4th 2005, in the miniature ballpark, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, in the away grays and a navy blue curly-W cap, #61, Livan Hernandez was the original Opening Day starter in the brief history of the nation's capitals' favorite baseball team. Hernandez surrendered 8 hits and 7 runs in 4.2 IP in an 8-4 loss to the Phillies, but went on to collect the second highest season win total of his career in '05, finishing (15-10) with a 3.98 ERA in 246.1 IP...

The next year, the former Mr. National Himself, Livan Hernadez, started the '06 season on April 3rd, Opening Day in Flushing, Queens, NY's Shea Stadium against New York's Hated Mets, who put up 3 runs in 6.0 innings with Hernandez on the hill, while Tom Glavine held the Nationals to 1 run on 3 hits in the same 6.0 innings pitched, handing the ball to Aaron Heilman, who allowed a run on 5 hits in 2.0 innings, and then Billy Wagner, who closed out a 3-2 win with a scoreless ninth.

John Patterson took the ball on Opening Day in 2007. The Nationals' first Opening Day at home in RFK Stadium, on Monday April 2, 2007 against the Florida Marlins. Patterson couldn't get out of the fourth, giving up 7 hits and 6 runs on 3 doubles, a triple and a home run in just 3.2 IP. Florida starter, lefty Dontrelle Willis went 6.0 innings, surrendering just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 7 hits in a 9-2 Marlins' win.

2008's Opening Night starter, Odalis Perez, was on the mound opposite the Braves' Tim Hudson, for the first game ever played in Nationals Park, under the lights at night against Atlanta in a national broadcast on ESPN which saw Perez throw 5.0 innings in which he gave up only 1 run on 4 hits, handing the ball to Saul Rivera, Ray King, Luis Ayala and Jon Rauch, who blew the save and then earned the win when Ryan Zimmerman provided what many view as the high point of the '08 campaign, the walk-off home run the entire baseball world watched.

DC Manager Manny Acta announced that John Lannan would be the '09 Opening Day starter just the other day, and "Acting" General Manager Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson, as quoted in an article entitled, "Nats tap Lannan for Opening Day start", that he's impressed by Lannan's, "...command of all his pitches, his poise on the mound beyond his years and his competitiveness on the mound," with Mr. Ladson adding that Lannan, "...clearly is the Nationals' best pitcher."

Livan Hernandez was the obvious choice for the Opening Day starter as the Nationals' ace in their first two years of existence, earning the nod each time from then-Manager Frank Robinson. New Manager Manny Acta gave John Patterson the honor when he took over the reigns, and Patterson told MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Patterson gets ball in Opener", that he felt he was, "...finally going to get rewarded a little bit," for all the hard work he'd done to earn the opportunity, and he considered it, "A big honor."

"Opening Night" Odalis Perez was humbled by Manny Acta's decision to give him the ball, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, who wrote in an article entitled, "Perez gets nod for Nats' Opening Night", that Perez said he was, "...happy because I'm getting this opportunity that a lot of people wanted...":

"...I know if I came to this team, I was going to have a chance to be in the starting rotation. It never crossed my mind [I would be the Opening Day starter]."

On April 6th in Dolphin Stadium against the Marlins, John Lannan will become the fourth Opening Day starter in Nationals' history. Washington Post writer Chico Harlan, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nats vs Fish and other updates", reported that, "Lannan called the Opening Day deal 'a great honor.'" At 24, Lannan's the youngest Nationals' starter to get the nod...Livan was 30 and 31, Patterson, 29 in 2007, and Odalis Perez, 31 last year. But what's really important, in my opinion, is that John Lannan is the first Washington Nationals' draft pick to be given the chance to make the start on Opening Day, which is one of many signs that a franchise committed to building from within, is truly beginning to produce some results.

(ed. note - "And just wait til the whole world sees Zimmermann....")

Miniature Game Thread...Orioles at Nationals.

1:05 pm EST this afternoon for the Nationals and Orioles. Last time through the rotation Shairon Martis started after Olsen, but no official word as of 1:49 am EST if he's definite for today's game. Danys Baez for the O's according to their official site...I'll be listening along on the XM dial...")

Who's Watching Following The Nationals?

• ?'s For the DC Faithful...

For the Completists...Full (unedited) Game Report after the jump...(It's Spring, I tried, some guys didn't even have names on their jerseys...")

• With Shawn Hill gone, who do you have for the final two starting spots after Lannan, Scott Olsen and Daniel Cabrera? Collin Balester, Jordan Zimmermann, Martis or maybe Jason Bergmann? Pick your '09 Rotation...

• Joe Beimel's immediately being talked about as "thee" 8th inning guy? Is that what you had in mind when he signed? Saul Rivera, to Beimel to Joel Hanrahan?

• Are you going to miss Shawn Hill?

For the Completists...Full (ed. note - "Alright, 'Partial', or 'Unedited'...) Game Report after the Jump...

(ed. note - "I quit trying to keep track in the 7th...and just watched the game when I didn't recognize anyone...and no one had names on their jerseys anymore...")

Scott Olsen gets a groundball to third from Emilio Bonifacio and a line drive from catcher John Baker to Willie Harris in left for the first two outs of the evening. Jeremy Hermida takes one in the numbers and walks it off on the way to first. Hermida takes second, but can’t advance when Javier Valentin’s throw bounces into center. Cody Ross takes Olsen deep to the gap in right, but Austin Kearns tracks it down for the final out of the Florida first....Lastings Milledge shoots a routine grounder out to second. Willie Harris lines out to left. Ryan Zimmerman takes a few from Josh Johnson and earns a walk in front of Nick Johnson. Josh gets Nick swinging over a bender to end the first.

A leadoff walk to Dan Uggla to start the second. Gaby Sanchez skies one to left. Cameron Maybin steps in against Olsen. Uggla swipes second for the second SB off Valentin. Robert Andino tests Daniel Espinosa with a sharp grounder up the middle...Austin Kearns takes a low fastball inside that’s called strike three. Josh Willingham goes the other way with a grounder through second. The Hammer takes second on a wild pitch/passed ball, and moves to third on a groundout by Ronnie Belliard. Javier Valentin catches one on the fists but fights it off for an RBI bloop single to short right, Willingham scores. 1-0 DC. Daniel Espinosa has a fastball bounce off his hip. Lastings Milledge can’t lay off a bender, and a check-swing K ends the DC second.

Josh Johnson gets one over Milledge’s head in center and doubles to start the top of the third...and Emilio Bonifacio goes the other way down the right field line with a second double to score the pitcher, 1-1 ballgame. Bonifacio steals third. John Baker can’t lay off a slider and can’t get to it either as it breaks over the plate. Jeremy Hermida takes another one off the shoulder on a bender inside that doesn’t bend enough. Cody Ross backs Daniel Espinosa up onto the grass, makes the grab, and then fires home to cut down Emilio Bonifacio, who must have thought he was fast enough...Willie Harris K’s swinging over a nasty breaking ball. Zimmerman’s fly ball hangs up for a while but drops into Maybin’s glove in center.

Olsen’s back in the fourth to face Dan Uggla, who ? Gaby Sanchez who doubles to the gap in left center, Milledge bobbles, but holds him at second. Cameron Maybin grounds to Belliard at second. Robert Andino takes one that Olsen leaves over the plate and slices it into left for an RBI double, 2-1 Marlins. Olsen “walks” the pitcher, though he few more than a few strikes that were called balls. Emilio Bonifacio gets one all the way to the wall in left center for a two-RBI triple. 4-1 Marlins. Olsen imploding. John Baker swings at a low 2-0 pitch and pops it up to end the frame...Austin Kearns takes three swings but can’t connect on any of Johnson’s pitches. Josh Willingham takes a fastball outside for ball four in front of Ronnie Belliard. Belliard grounds into a force at second and turns his ankle at first. Jose Castillo comes on to run. Javier Valentin hammers a hanger for a single. Two on for Espinosa, who grounds to second, for a flip and force.

Jason Bergmann starts the fifth on the mound. Hermida pops out to Zimmerman foul of third. Bergmann gets a check swing K from Ross? replacement? Dan Uggla chops one to third that jumps up on Zimmerman, who lifts the glove to snag it and fires to first, in time! Scoreless frame for Bergmann...Lastings Milledge rips a line drive over short for a single. Willie Harris deeeeep to right...caught by Brett Carroll! Milledge can’t get back in time...doesn’t slide...doubled up...Zimmerman K’s swinging at heat from Johnson, who looks like he’s good for nine...

Bergmann gives up a leadoff single in the sixth to Gabby Sanchez. Maybin grounds to short, Espinosa tosses to Castillo, to first, double play. Robert Andino gets a short fly in under a diving Kearns in short right...last out, batter before Uggla replacement?...Nick Johnson against Sean West in the DC sixth. Johnson K’s swinging at a high fastball. Austin Kearns just got hit...Willingham hits a DP grounder, Uggla to Andino to Sanchez at first, double play.

Garrett Mock starts the seventh against Emilio Bonifacio, who triples to right by Austin Kearns. The backup catcher Hayes? doubles over Willie Harris’ head for an RBI double. 5-1 Marlins. Hermida unloads on a fastball for a line drive double to right. 6-1 Marlins. Mock walks Brett Carroll. Chris Coughlin grounds to Castillo at second, who tags Carroll, throws to first, double play...

Terrell Young on in the eighth and walks the first batter he faces. Walks the second batter he faces, but saws off Dallas Macpherson to get a DP grounder to Pete Orr at third, to Castillo at second, to Eldred at first, double play. Emilio Bonifacio beats out an infield grounder and another run crosses. 7-1...the Nationals rally in the ninth but come up short...the END.

Veteran Players still looking for a job

craig — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:37:58 -0000

According to Mike Berardino there is a veteran pitcher who might like a job with the Marlins.

Which brings me to Odalis Perez.

The ex-Brave, ex-Dodger, ex-National is a free agent again after reneging on a $750,000 minor league deal with the Nats. He's here at Fort Lauderdale Stadium today with the rest of the Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic team, and he's still looking for a job.

Have the Marlins called?

"I haven't heard," he said, "but I hope they do. I would love to play here."

Would he reach out to the Fish to let them know of his interest?

"If they want me, they know I have an agent (Scott Boras)," he said. "They can give my agent a call."

Okay, I see a major problem here, leaving aside the Marlins wanting to try and make a go of it with their young starters. The problem is: "If they want me, they know I have an agent (Scott Boras)..."

When you are a team on a budget the last agent you want to deal with is Scott Boras. Especially since he is all about how much money he can get in commission. Boras doesn't seem, in my opinion, to care that much about the players, but is looking for a payday.

And if you are a player, or his agent, looking for a big payday, the Marlins aren't the team for you. Also he has only had 3 years of an ERA+ above 100 in his 10-year career, I won't go into the details of what ERA+ means, but suffice it to say if a pitcher is below a 100 they are below average.

Now, to another Boras client.

Rosenthal says the Marlins and Mets remain interested in (Ivan) Rodriguez, but in either case he'd have to earn his playing time. Pudge wants to enter a situation where he'll get to play five days a week. The Marlins and Mets aren't ready to push aside John Baker or Brian Schneider to guarantee that.

Notta gonna to happen. There is, probably, no way the Marlins are going to let Pudge be the "full-time" catcher. He is not the future of the team and Baker needs and deserves the opportunity to get most of the playing time.

With Rodriguez being a Boras client, I doubt they will lessen demands anytime soon. Also there is the fact, that should he agree to a backup role, he probably won't come cheap. And cheap frugal is the way of the Fish.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:11:26 -0000

Some things to read while turning down the WWE Hall of Fame.

Adam McCalvy has updates on several Brewer injuries, including Braden Looper (could miss Opening Day), Eric Gagne (has developed shoulder soreness), Tony Gwynn (won't know until tomorrow), Bill Hall (could return next week), and David Riske (could return by the weekend).

Braden Looper, for whatever it's worth, seems to think he'll be able to heal faster. He's planning on playing catch tomorrow and hopes to be ready to face live batters by his next turn in the rotation.

It was unlikely at best in the first place, but Looper's injury likely removes any chance Jeff Suppan will be removed from the rotation. I94 Sports takes a look at what the Brewers should expect from Suppan in 2009.

If Looper remains unavailable, might the Brewers take another look at Odalis Perez? Perez, in camp with the Dominican Republic's WBC team, reportedly has drawn interest from nine or ten teams.

Speaking of the WBC, Mark DiFelice started and Vinny Rottino caught for the Italian team in their 9-6 loss to the Nationals yesterday. Rottino went 0-for-2, but DiFelice pitched two shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. The American team, meanwhile, is preparing for Thursday's appearance on Letterman.

It's time now for visual evidence of yesterday's game:

Yovani Gallardo pitched three scoreless innings and amused Mike Rivera with his singing.
Rickie Weeks and Chris Duffy share a moment after Duffy's home run, while Craig Counsell looks on awkwardly.
Ken Macha, proudly wearing his black belt, congratulates Casey McGehee on his home run.

For lots and lots more pictures from the 2009 Cactus League, be sure to check out Jamie in LA's gallery. Sounds like he had a great trip, even if he did take a picture of a man's butt crack.

If you haven't checked the schedule yet, let me save you the time: The Brewers are off today, taking an extra day to prepare for their high-stakes exhibition matchup with Team Australia on Thursday. If you were planning on using the off day to peruse the Brewers team store at Miller Park, you should know it's closed today. You can still shop online, though.

Got some money burning a hole in your pocket? Cappers Picks has the Brewers at +500 to win the NL Central, which is the same odds they're giving the Cardinals, and slightly better than they're giving the Reds (+600). The Cubs, at -160, are favored to win.

Looking for a cheap opportunity to visit Miller Park this season, with the added bonus of getting to see some future Brewers? Miller Park will host The Border Battle on April 24 between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Peoria Chiefs, the Cubs' Midwest League affiliate. Follow the link for more details and ticket info.

Around other camps:

Astros: The team had a pitching meltdown in the third inning of yesterday's game, walking seven straight batters at one point and giving up ten runs.
A's: Have agreed to terms on a deal with Nomar Garciaparra, pending a physical.
Mets: Johan Santana will likely miss Opening Day, but is being prepared to pitch the season's fifth game.
Rockies: Signed Mark Bellhorn to a minor league deal.

Baseball Musings has started their annual look at team offense. Yesterday Dave Pinto profiled the Cubs, who project to score 5.15 runs per game in 2009. They scored 5.31 runs per game in 2008.

Speaking of Pinto, he's also started his annual pledge drive. Baseball Musings provides several useful tools, including the lineup analysis tool we use a fair amount, so if you've got some cash lying around, consider passing it his way.

Do you like inexpensive baseball tickets? Are you prone to nosebleeds? If the answers to those questions were yes and no, respectively, you should check out Big League Stew's collection of cheap season ticket packages.

Yesterday I mentioned DRaysBay's note on the greatest rookie third basemen. It turns out there was a problem with the post. The Book Blog uses it as a great example of how peer review works on the web.

Oh, and Venezuela's WBC team may have been working out with Vince Vaughn.

Drink up.

Spring Training: Game 1 Game Thread: Washington Nationals vs Houston Astros.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:11:23 -0000

Baseball America's List of the Top 100 Prospects in Baseball...

There is one Washington Nationals' prospect on Baseball America.com's just-published list of the "Top 100 Prospects" in baseball, and his name is Jordan Zimmermann. (Two "nn's", got it?) The good news is that the 22-year-old, 6'2'', 200lb, right-handed starter is in the top half of that draw, coming in at #41, with the fact that his 2.90 '08 ERA was, "the lowest among Nationals farmhands" mentioned by the BA Staff, who collectively determined the rankings.

Baseball America.com's Aaron Fitt had Zimmermann listed as the top prospect in the DC system when he published his list of the, "Top 10 Prospects: Washington Nationals", back on January 6th of '09, so the fact that he's the highest-ranked Nationals' prospect here is not surprising...The fact that he's the only product of the DC system to make the list? Not that surprising either, considering the next player on Mr. Fitt's list, LHP Ross Detwiler, is thought by most to have taken a step back in the first half of last season, before recovering in the second half and helping the Class-A Potomac Nationals win the Carolina League crown.

"Several prospects who passed throught Potomac took major steps forward," Baseball America's Aaron Fitt writes, "...headlined by Jordan Zimmermann, who emerged as the clear-cut top prospect in the organization." Zimmermann posted a (3-1) record and a 1.65 ERA in 4 starts and 27.1 IP for the P-Nats before being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg, where he went (7-2) in 20 starts as a Senator with 103 K's and a 3.21 ERA, working with the Best Slider and Best Fastball in the Nationals' organization in Mr. Fitt's estimation.

ESPN.com's Keith Law** had Zimmermann 42nd overall when he published his article, "Ranking the top prospects", on January 2nd, and Mr. Law described Zimmermann as a "classic four-pitch pitcher" with a "90-94 mph four-seamer", change and curve, whose, "...best pitch remains his mid-80's slider," which Mr. Law, like Mr. Fitt, believes makes Zimmermann the best prospect in Washington's system, listing him atop his list of the Top 5 Prospects by organization. (ed. note - ** = ESPN INSIDER's only, sorry).

Described to Washington Post writer Chico Harlan by Nationals' Assistant GM Mike Rizzo, "...as someone who could be 'major-league ready as soon as this spring training," in a Nationals Journal post by Mr. Harlan entitled, "The Season Ticket Holder Luncheon (And A Dukes Update)", on January 23, 2009, the Nationals' fourth pick in the first two rounds of the '07 MLB Draft, taken 67th overall, Jordan Zimmermann is in camp with the Nationals competing for a spot in the '09 starting rotation. With the recent release of Odalis Perez, Zimmermann's MLB debut seems inevitable in the near-future...

And Now...

THE FIRST GAME THREAD of SPRING...

Washington Nationals at Houston Astros 1:05 pm EST, Kissimmee, Florida's Osceola County Stadium.

Selected with the 324th overall pick in the 11th Round of the '05 MLB Draft, lefty John "Cool Hand" Lannan takes the mound for the Washington Nationals today at Houston's Spring Training home, Osceola County Stadium, with the Astros starting left-handed free agent acquisition Mike Hampton in the first game of 2009 for each team.

Lannan, who is auditioning for the role of staff ace with DC this season, was (2-0) with a 2.18 ERA and 16 K's in 20.2 IP last Spring, but Lannan lost a battle with Matt Chico, who dazzled the DC coaching staff with a high leg kick and took the last spot in the '08 Nationals' rotation out of camp. Lannan traveled to Triple-A Columbus but never pitched there, as "The Injuries" began and he was quickly recalled. "Cool Hand" Lannan ended '08 with a (9-15) record, 117 K's and a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts and 182.0 IP.

After Lannan, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Lannan gets the nod", the Nationals will throw Garry Glover, Mike Hinckley, Shairon Martis, Garrett Mock and Steven Shell at the Astros tomorrow. Washington Post writer Chico Harlan has the roster that's traveling to Kissimmee in a post entitled, "Let The Games Begin", and those of you hoping to see Elijah Dukes, Ryan Zimmerman or Adam Dunn will be disappointed, (alternately, those of us who want to imagine that Dunn isn't a National, can pretend for a few more days...)

Who's Watching The Watchme...Sorry, that's next week...

WHO's WATCHING, LISTENING OR SOMEHOW FOLLOWING THE NATIONALS' FIRST GAME OF SPRING...???? See you in the Comments section a little before 1:05 pm EST...

Other News and Notes...

In case you missed it yesterday, I published a rumor that had made its way into the ears of more than a few members of the Natosphere, (as the Washington Post's Nationals Journal has taken to calling all the internet writers who cover DC's favorite baseball team on the interwebs), about the Nationals' interest in Toronto Blue Jays' Assistant GM Tony LaCava as a possible replacement for DC GM Jim Bowden, should Mr. Bowden be forced to step down as a result of his connection to the federal investigation of the skimming of signing bonuses given to Latin American players.

It's now 10hrs after I first published the rumor, which three separate source had confirmed having heard themselves, there's been no response to the rumors from anyone involved with the Nationals...The response from the Natosphere:

- Steven at Fire Jim Bowden, whose opinion on the current DC GM is unclear, weighed in on the rumors with a post entitled, "Meet Tony LaCava."

- Brian Oliver at the Nationals Farm Authority included Tony LaCava in a post that was up before the rumors even surfaced entitled, "GM Candidates"...and Mr. Oliver also had an interview recently with ESPN.com's Keith Law entitled, "Keith Law Talks Nationals", which everyone around the Natosphere considers a must-read.

WHO'S WATCHING THE NATIONALS?

For Random Updates Whenever I Hear Something...Check out the FEDERALBASEBALL.COM TWITTERFEED.

And for Spring Training News From Around the SB Nation, there's the SBN's Spring Training Hub...

Wondering How Astros' Fans Are Feeling About Their Chances in '09, check out...The SBN's Astros' Blog: The Crawfish Boxes.

The weather in Kissimmee, Florida? Right here

eMb.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:07:18 -0000

Some things to read while lining up in a scrimmage kick formation.

The Brewers had a short day in camp yesterday to get the players some rest before an intrasquad game today and the official Cactus League opener tomorrow. As noted in this FanShot, Braden Looper, Mark DiFelice, Sam Narron, Omar Aguilar, Chase Wright, Tim Dillard, Chris Narveson and R.J. Swindle are scheduled to pitch in the intrasquad game today, which is expected to go around five innings.

Now here's an intrasquad game I could get excited for: Sully Baseball compares the All-Time Home Grown and Acquired teams for the Brewers, and picks the Home Grown team, led by Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, to win the series.

Meanwhile, Jeff Suppan will start on Wednesday as part of a spring rotation that will go Suppan-Gallardo-Parra-Looper-Bush. This may or may not be the regular season alignment, and of course injuries could change it dramatically. If this is the rotation, though, Miller Park Drunk says the Brewers might as well forfeit Opening Day's Jeff Suppan-Tim Lincecum matchup.

Macha also let us in on his strategy regarding bullpen usage. He plans to remove pitchers while they're ahead, and let them try to battle their way back in from behind. There are worse philosophies, I suppose.

I would guess the tough part about being a spring training reporter is that you have to write everyday, even on days when nothing's going on. With that said, Adam McCalvy has a profile of Omar Aguilar, who he says has been impressive in camp. Aguilar worked out this offseason with Brian Fuentes, and reportedly told Fuentes not to come to Milwaukee, so Aguilar wouldn't have to steal his job.

Among more likely candidates for closer in 2009, Carlos Villanueva is one of FakeTeams' NL Sleepers for Saves.

Finally, speaking of closers: Trevor Hoffman took out a full page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune to thank Padres fans for their support.

Elsewhere in camp, Cory Provus arrived yesterday to begin a crash-course on the team before his first broadcast Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on WTMJ and Brewers.com.

While Provus will be ready to go Wednesday, Bill Hall, Mat Gamel and Tony Gwynn will not. Gamel and Gwynn are still hampered by shoulder impingements, and of course Hall is still rehabbing his partially torn calf.

Corey Hart is the latest Brewer profiled in the JS spring training preview. Hart blames fatigue for his dramatic September collapse. That's fine, and I hope that really did motivate Hart to come to camp in great shape this season. With that said, the words "patience" and "discipline" don't show up a single time in the profile, which leads me to believe Corey still may not get it.

Is J.J. Hardy one of baseball's most underrated players? You could make a case for it. Beyond the Box Score has a graph comparing Hardy's value to that of 2008 AL MVP candidate Carlos Quentin. (h/t FanShots)

Down on the farm, Right Field Bleachers has an interview with 2008 draft pick Blake Billings, who is hoping to pitch for Wisconsin this season at just 19 years old. (also noted in FanPost)

Elsewhere on the farm, here are some of the former Brewers noted in Baseball America's Minor League Transactions:

Tony Graffanino signed a minor league deal with the Indians.
Scott Podsednik and Glendon Rusch both re-signed with the Rockies.
Ben Hendrickson signed with the Twins.

Some notes from other camps:

Cardinals: Todd Wellemeyer will not miss any spring training time despite being clipped by a crab on his throwing hand.
Nationals: Released Odalis Perez, who had not reported to spring training.
Orioles: Felix Pie is having visa issues and is still not in camp. He may get to Miami today.
Pirates: Signed Ruben Gotay to a minor league deal.

Over the last few months we've had a lot of new visitors to the site, and if you're one of them, welcome. If you're wanting to get involved and wondering how to use some of the tools we have here at BCB, click over to South Side Sox for more info. I've also added that link to the reference box in the sidebar on your left.

Oh, and if you're here, odds are you like Wisconsin sports, so you may be interested in Bucky's 5th Quarter, SBNation's new Badgers blog. I've added them to my reading list.

Finally, if you see Tim Kurkijian on TV today, odds are he's not wearing pants.

Drink up.

An unfortunate Odalliance

DanUpBaby — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:45:08 -0000

First, some answers to the burning questions posed yesterday: the second Frank Thomas comp—in spite of some very creative answers involving The Other Frank Thomas, who probably doesn't like being called that (he'll have to take it up with The Other Harrison Ford)—was Troy Glaus, whom PECOTA likens to post-superstardom Frank Thomas. Sneaky.

The Tom Herr comparison is even sneakier—the answer is... Felipe Lopez.

The big news in baseball today, as per the theory of baseball news relativity, is the conclusion of the bizarre Odalis Perez story. It happened, as all bizarre preseason news will, following the Nationals' landmark agreement with bizarre content providers, in Washington, and it brought Perez more attention than he's received in five years.

To summarize: Odalis Perez, favored punching bag of our own Albert Pujols, had his first good year in four last season, but he had the misfortune of doing it for the Washington Nationals—who, having escaped Montreal, are doing their best to turn D.C. into hockey fans.

As a result, it surprised people when he appeared to accept a minor league deal that sent him back to the Nationals. Sure, he sucked in 2007 and 2006; sure, he played for the Nationals, who have a TV contract with the DuMont Network; sure, the market's awful. But it's a rare player who pitches thirty starts with an average ERA one year and doesn't get guaranteed money the next.

At some point Perez figured that out himself, apparently, so he's been holding out, NFL-style, for the past two weeks, fingers in his contractual ears. Finally he got up and released, which brings us to the part of the story where we, as Cardinals fans, kick the tires.

QUESTION ONE: IS HE BETTER THAN, WELL, ANYBODY

You get right to the point—I like that. Here are some numbers.

YEAR	AGE	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	ERA	FIP
2005	28	19	108.7	6.3	2.4	1.1	4.56	3.89
2006	29	20	126.3	5.8	2.2	1.3	6.20	4.51
2007	30	26	137.3	4.0	3.1	0.9	5.57	4.84
2008	31	30	159.7	6.5	3.0	1.2	4.34	4.61

Stopping at 2005 makes him seem even less interesting than he is—his big year was 20-dickety-2, where he joined Hideo Nomo, Andy Ashby, Kaz Ishii, and Omar Daal in a deadly tontine that led to none of them being effective starting on January 1, 2003.

Hm—a guy with mediocre stuff and occasionally impressive control coming off his first positive year in some time who positively exudes, somehow, the feeling that an infielder might be felled by a line drive at any moment. His FIPs have been pretty decent, overall, but he's been "hittable" in a way that DIPS can't explain for years now, and at some point that has to mean something. The question you have to ask about any Odalis Perez acquisition is whether the Pineiro you don't know is better than the Pineiro who is set to receive $7.5 million in 2009.

QUESTION TWO: HOW MUCH OF THIS IS ALBERT PUJOLS'S FAULT

Since 2005 Albert Pujols has driven in 2.5% of the runs scored against Odalis Perez; he represents 0.8% of the batters Perez has faced in the same time period. Odalis Perez always has the same dream: he finds himself at a press conference, about to receive guaranteed money from a winning team, when—just as he's ready to sign the contract—a line drive snaps his pen in half and all the ink spills out.

"Sorry, Odalis," says the GM. "That's all the ink there is in the world! You want an NRI?"

A familiar voice calls out, echoing into the sudden, cold darkness:

"Time to wake up, mang."