SB Nation - Robinson Cano

Dodgers-Yankees interleague history

Eric Stephen — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:14:30 -0000

Tuesday night marks the first Dodgers-Yankees regular season game ever in New York, but it's not the first time the two teams have faced off in interleague play. The Dodgers and Yankees played a pair of series at Dodger Stadium, in 2004 and 2010, splitting six games. Here is a brief look back at those games.

June 18, 2004 - Dodgers 6, Yankees 3

After Javier Vasquez uncorked a pair of wild pitches in the sixth inning, Juan Encarnacion made him pay with an RBI double to break a 3-3 tie, then Alex Cora reached on an infield single, allowing another run to score. Jeff Weaver pitched six for the win, and Eric Gagne recorded his 17th save.

June 19, 2004 - Yankees 6, Dodgers 2

New York scored four first-inning runs against Hideo Nomo, and not even a Nomo home run could bring the Dodgers back.

June 20, 2004 - Dodgers 5, Yankees 4

The closest game of the series ended with a flourish, with Eric Gagne facing the middle of the Yankees' batting order. Entering the ninth with a 5-3 lead, Gagne allowed a leadoff home run to Jason Giambi. But after Gary Sheffield grounded out and Jorge Posada popped out, Gagne got Hideki Matsui looking to end the game and preserve the victory.

June 25, 2010 - Yankees 2, Dodgers 1

Vicente Padilla was pretty good, allowing two runs in seven innings, but CC Sabathia was awesome, allowing just a run in eight innings in a close game at Chavez Ravine, manager Joe Torre's first game against his old team.

June 26, 2010 - Dodgers 9, Yankees 4

Three batters into the game, Hiroki Kuroda and the Dodgers were down 3-0, but the Dodgers fought back and James Loney drove in four runs. Despite a five-run lead and not a save situation, closer Jonathan Broxton was brought in to get the final four outs, his third game in four games.

June 27, 2010 - Yankees 8, Dodgers 6 (10)

The Broxton Game. This is familiar as Clayton Kershaw pitched seven strong innings but did not get a win. Kershaw walked none in a start for the first time in his career (he has done it 16 times since then), and the Dodgers held a 6-2 lead entering the ninth. Torre brought in Broxton for his fourth outing in five nights then refused to pull him when it was clear Broxton had nothing. Four runs and 48 pitches later, the game was tied and Broxton's career was never the same. Robinson Cano hit a two-run shot off George Sherrill in the 10th inning to complete the gut-wrenching loss.

Game info

Time: 4:05 p.m.

TV: KCAL, MLB Network

MLB Gameday

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 6/18/13

Jason Cohen — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:09 -0000

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

Around the Internet

Turncoats - CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: The countdown of the top 10 players who have played for the Yankees or the Dodgers and then went to the other team.
Keep the Good Ship Yankee Afloat - It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: For the Yankees to continue to win they are going to need Robinson Cano to get hot, better situational hitting, Andy Pettitte to stay healthy, and David Robertson and Mariano Rivera to be shutdown.
Stock Watch - CBS Sports | Jon Heyman: The Yankees are in the Bear Market of Heyman's Stock Watch article now that they have the worst offense in baseball.
Where It All Began - LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Angels saluted Mariano Rivera by giving out baseball cards mentioning how his first appearance and first save were against the Angels.
Where the Offense Went - It's About the Money | MJ Radolf: The Yankees aren't scoring runs because they aren't getting on base; they have a team .303 OBP with only Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, and Travis Hafner having above average numbers.
Disabled List - ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Brian Cashman doesn't think they rushed Mark Teixeira back, but they will wait and see what time off does for him; he considers Kevin Youkilis a lost cause until down the road; he was unhappy with what Kevin Long had to say about Teixeira.

Quick Hits

David Robertson is sporting a pretty big bruise after getting hit by a comebacker against the Angels.
The Yankees signed 14th round draft pick Conner Kendrick for $100,000.
The Yankees will be watching their 33rd round draft pick Shane McCarley pitch this weekend and could then offer him a contract.
Dustin Fowler, Drew Bridges, Shane McCarley, and Hever Bueno are all Yankees draftees who could tap into the pool money.
Is Mariano Rivera's recent increase in BABIP something to be concerned about?

Questions of the Day

Who should be the Yankees' starting first baseman?
Will the Yankees be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
What is your favorite store?
What is your biggest pet peeve?

Coming Up Today

Baby Bomber Recap 6/17/13: Michael O'Neill picks up two hits in Staten Island season opener @ 9 am
Yankees/Dodgers series preview @ 11 am
2013 MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees First baseman trade targets @ 1 pm
Is Robinson Cano the best second baseman of this era? @ 3 pm
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:05 pm (Game Thread at 6:30 pm)

Yankees Weekly Report Card: 6/9/13 - 6/15/13

Jason Cohen — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:06 -0000

The Yankees went 1-5 this week.

Hitters:

David Adams - D-
.167/.167/.167, 3 K, 2 RBI
Notes: Adams should probably be sent down to the minors at this point, but the Yankees don't have another option. With Kevin Youkilis out again he's going to need to be somewhat productive, even if he's just hitting against lefties.

Reid Brignac - F
.000/.083/.000, 3 K
Notes: It looks like Brignac will never get another hit again, so the least he could do is stop every ball that's hit near him and just don't ground into any double plays.

Robinson Cano - A+
.304/.467/.565, K, HR, 2 RBI
Notes: Cano has quietly gone back to hitting the ball, but has also collected six walks this week. As much as Cano's game is defined by free swinging, getting on base should be the ultimate goal and he's done that.

Brett Gardner - A+
.370/.433/.519, 6 K, 2 RBI, SB
Notes: Brett Gardner is probably the Yankees' best hitter right now. His new free-swinging approach could be paying off for him, though it would be nice if he could cut down on the strikeouts and start walking more.

Travis Hafner - F
.000/.136/.000, 7 K
Notes: Hafner has been a non-factor on this team for a month now and it doesn't look like it will get any better. his seven strikeouts tied him for the team lead, so his production is not looking very promising

Thomas Neal - Incomplete
.200/.333/.200, 3 K
Notes: He looked good in his first start, but completely overmatched in his second, so we'll see how useful he is going forward. He has the opportunity, but he needs to prove he can be consistent.

Jayson Nix - C-
.208/.208/.208, 4 K, 2 RBI, 3 SB
Notes: After seemingly doing everything right, Nix has turned out to be a below replacement level player again. He might be the best base stealer on the team, but he doesn't hit enough to warrant so many plate appearances at the front of the lineup.

Lyle Overbay - F
.000/.000/.000, 4 K
Notes: Despite being kept as Mark Teixeira insurance, Overbay has not contributed much, even as an outfielder. He was getting close to being cut, but nowTex is gone and he has another chance to prove he belongs.

Austin Romine - F
.000/.000/.000, K
Notes: Romine doesn't really belong in the majors right now, but the Yankees don't have any other option. He just needs to be a warm body until Francisco Cervelli comes back.

Chris Stewart - A
.333/.333/.333, 5 K, RBI, SB
Notes: It's sad when Chris Stewart is one of the best hitter in your lineup, but that's where we are. The Yankees have no choice but to play him because Romine isn't going to hit anything and yet he's actually been ok.

Ichiro Suzuki - A
.304/.333/.348, 3 K, 3 SB
Notes: Ichiro has come to life recently and has managed to be somewhat valuable at the bat and in the field. He should have stolen four bases (three in one game), but the umpires took one away from him.

Mark Teixeira - F
.091/.250/.091, 7 K, 4 RBI
Notes: Teixeira did pretty much nothing this week and now he's gone again and might not be coming back. If only he could have kept his home run barrage up a little longer.

Vernon Wells - F
.100/.143/.100, 4 K, RBI
Notes: Vernon Wells is pretty much a corpse at this point; he doesn't do anything at the plate and he can't field his position, so I don't understand the point of playing him.

Kevin Youkilis - F
.077/.250/.077, 4 K
Notes: Youkilis provided almost no value before he hit the disabled list for a second time. He could be back, but who knows if he'll be healthy at all this season.

Pitchers:

Joba Chamberlain - F
8.10 ERA, 2.10 WHIP, 5 K
Notes: Chamberlain had a terrible week, giving up six hits, three runs, and a walk in two games. He hasn't had a perfect inning since he's returned from the DL, but it would be nice if he could be effective in order to build up his trade value.

Preston Claiborne - C
3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3 K
Notes: He has been so good for so long that it comes as a surprise when he shows weakness. He walked his first batter and gave up only his second run of the season, but e still can't be doing that.

Chris Bootcheck - Incomplete
9.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP, K
Notes: Bootcheck replaced Warren on the roster and pitched one incredibly forgettable mop up inning. It was his first appearance in the majors since 2009, so you can't really expect much from him.

Phil Hughes - F
6.23 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 3 K
Notes: Unfortunately, Hughes was bad again after walking five batters before the fifth inning. He only gave up three runs, but it was clear he wasn't doing much to help the team this time around. All that you can do is hope that he doesn't the opposite for his next start.

Shawn Kelley - D-
3.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 2 K
Notes: Kelley has only struck out four batters in the month of June, so last month's strikeout barrage has ended. The problem is that if he's not striking people out he's walking people (5!!!).

Hiroki Kuroda - B+
2.25 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 3 K
Notes: Kuroda kept the Athletics scoreless for eight innings, but couldn't get the win because it took an additional 10 innings for them to lose. He needs to stop letting one inning be his undoing because otherwise he'd be unhittable.

Boone Logan - A
0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 K
Notes: Logan appeared in two games without incident, but in one game he gave up his only two base runners of the week and then needed to be lifted. He has such a short amount of time to make an impact on the game that he needs to get his job done or else he becomes useless.

Andy Pettitte - D
5.14 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 4 K
Notes: Pettitte gave up 11 hits in a very shaky start, but did manage to pitch seven innings. It's nice that he can give such distance, but the Yankees should really manage his innings better, and if he just doesn't have it he probably shouldn't stay in the game for too long.

David Phelps - C
3.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8 K
Notes: Phelps had an interesting week; he matched Felix Hernandez in one start and gave up nine hits in the other. He kept the Yankees in the game, kind of, but with this offense he can't have games where he struggles like that.

David Robertson - A
0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5 K
Notes: D-Rob raked in the strike outs this week and actually managed to not walk a single batter. He seems to have it figured out right now, but nothing is certain for a high risk reliever like he can be.

Mariano Rivera - C
0.00 ERA, 6.00 WHIP, SV
Notes: It's hard to blame Rivera for losing an 18-inning marathon, but it was still his job to get the outs. He did get a save this week, so there was some bad and some good.

CC Sabathia - F
9.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 3 K
Notes: CC had another slip-up on the mound and ended up giving up six runs on eight hits in six innings. He needs to be better than that, especially after showing moments of supreme domination recently.

Adam Warren - A+
0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 K
Notes: Warren was so good for the Yankees this week, pitching six innings out of the 18 inning game against the Athletics, that he actually pitched himself off the roster and got sent down for a fresh arm. He should be back soon.

What might a Manny Machado contract extension with the Orioles look like?

Eat More Esskay — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:30:05 -0000

Seemingly everything that Manny Machado does is accompanied by an amazed exclamation, "And he's still not even 21 years old!" Whether it's his poise being discussed, his spraying doubles at a potential record pace, his defense, his speed on the basepaths, he draws well-deserved praise. More than merely just holding his own at the major league level, Machado has performed at a level putting him up among the best players in all of baseball.

Orioles fans know better than most that a hot start by a young player does not mean they will continually perform at that level. A very recent example is Nick Markakis. The hope is always there, and having watched a lot of Orioles teams, I am willing to say there is something different and special about Machado. The talent that drove him to be called up to MLB at age 20 and contribute in a big way in a quest for the playoffs is talent that should, barring some disaster scenario, allow him to be a star or superstar player for years to come.

With most baseball players, the intersection between the typical aging curve with the six or seven years of team control before free agency means that a player is, at best, going to reach the free agent market at the tail end of his 20s, passing out of his prime and into what is, for most players, the decline phase. He could still be productive, but he will probably not be the player he was.

The exciting young class that includes Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Machado makes up a group of players that could completely turn contracts on their head. These 20- and 21-year olds will hit free agency still in their primes, and if they continue performing at anywhere near the level they have to open their careers, they could draw eye-popping contract figures on the open market.

If Machado plays through the years of team control without an extension, he would hit the free agent market, and play half of the first season of any contract, at the age of 26. Very few players are good enough to be able to do this. Even advanced college players tend to get a couple of years of seasoning in the minor leagues. Whether a player is out of high school or college, if he debuts at age 23, he'll probably hit free agency at age 29 or 30, meaning that the team gets that player's prime years at controlled cost.

The free agent market every offseason is full of players whom their teams decided were not worth bringing back at near what they could command on the open market, probably because their best years are behind them. This is the chance the St. Louis Cardinals took in letting Albert Pujols walk, and so far they have been proven right. The New York Yankees are probably dedicating significant brainpower towards making this calculation about Robinson Cano. Guys like that will play out most, if not all, of their free agent contracts on the wrong side of 30.

The best players still have many productive years into their 30s. Recent baseball history is also littered with players whom teams talked themselves into who were not able to age so gracefully. The Angels could be facing this problem with both Pujols and Josh Hamilton.

Machado does not have to worry about all of that because he will play three full seasons in his 20s on his next contract. A ten-year contract given to a 25-year old looks a lot better than a ten-year contract given to a 32-year old. The best illustration of this is Alex Rodriguez, whose ten-year, $252 million deal signed with Texas prior to the 2001 season was almost unbelievable in its scope. And yet, Rodriguez was so good that, for what should have been the life of that deal, he earned the money.

A world where that kind of money awaits Machado when he hits free agency is not hard to imagine. The skills he already has are those of a player you want on your team for a long time, and if others develop, like home run power and an increase in walk rate, then he will have a place among the best in baseball for many, many years.

What would it take to ensure that all of what should be his best years are played for the Orioles?

Once, it seemed unlikely that Machado would ever extend with the Orioles, as he was represented by Scott Boras when he was drafted. Machado has since switched his representation to Dan Lozano, the same agent as, among others, Pujols and Joey Votto. Pujols signed a contract extension with St. Louis in 2004, his first arbitration-eligible season, that bought out five years of free agency. Votto signed a contract extension just prior to the 2012 season that went for ten years on top of his arbitration-eligible seasons.

Two active players have followed a path that could be a blueprint for what to do with Machado, if he and the team both decided to lock in his salaries this early in his career. They are Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki, each of whom signed multi-year extensions with club options covering free agent years not long into their careers.

Longoria signed a six-year, $17.5 million guaranteed deal after he had played six games. This included three club options that could increase the value to nine years, $44.5 million. The contract was viewed as extremely team-friendly.

Tulowitzki played in 25 games in 2006 and signed a six-year, $31 million guaranteed deal after his first full season in 2007. This was the largest contract ever given to a pre-arbitration player at the time. This deal included one option year, making it potentially seven years, $44 million.

In each case, the initial contract was extended a second time into a contract that will keep the player with that team for years to come and set them up comfortably for life and generations. Tulowitzki's contract is the best comparison for Machado because Machado's service time after this season will be similar to Tulowitzki's when he signed his first contract.

Tulowitzki's contract had these increasing annual salaries: $750,000, $1 million, $3.5 million, $5.5 million, $8.25 million, $10 million, with a $15 million option year. He was given this contract after winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2007, when he batted .291/.359/.479 with 33 doubles and 24 home runs. He also had 99 RBI, which you and I don't care about but arbitration panels do, and therefore so do agents and general managers.

Machado, through Sunday's game, is batting .327/.358/.495. He has 32 doubles already, keeping his overall power numbers near Tulowitzki's from 2007 despite a much less frequent rate of hitting home runs. He walks less, meaning his OBP is more batting average-driven, but also strikes out less. Machado has 37 RBI. Both your eyes and defensive metrics tell you he excels in the field: he will deserve a Gold Glove, but may not win one. He would be the easy AL Rookie of the Year this year if only he hadn't used up his rookie eligibility helping to boost the Orioles into the playoffs last season.

That Machado deserves a contract similar to Tulowitzki and Longoria should not be a question. Those contracts were negotiated by the same agent, who is not Lozano. He may have a philosophy to wait for the talent to distinguish itself in pre-arbitration years, meaning more money will come in a contract locking in salary through what would have been arbitration years: Votto signed for three years, $38 million, earning more guaranteed money in those years than the other players did in six years.

Even so, the Orioles should try to make a contract extension happen soon. If Machado is worth the money Tulowitzki made after 2007, then he's worth more now. Inflation and the symbolic value of making more money than some other guy are important considerations. If Tulowitzki got $31 million guaranteed, let's say Machado should get $36 million guaranteed and fill in the rest.

A hypothetical offer to Machado might look like this:

2014: $850,000
2015: $1.25 million
2016: $4 million
2017: $6.25 million
2018: $9.25 million
2019: $11.25 million
2020: $16 million (club option with $3 million buyout)

That is six years with $35.85 million in guaranteed money, which could become seven years and $48.85 million in all. Machado has one year of free agency bought out, which will almost certainly become two years unless something terrible happens. He would still be just 28 at the end of such a contract, and if he continued to realize his star potential, he could pursue a second, much larger contract if he chose. Eight years and $200 million or more does not sound out of the question with the current salary landscape.

Machado gets security against injuries - though he seems durable so far, playing every inning since his call-up - and slumps. He will get paid whatever happens to him. The Orioles get cost certainty and are not out a large amount of money even if Machado does not continue at this star level.

They hopefully also get a reputation for doing right by Machado, so if, three or four years down the road in our hypothetical world, Machado is still performing at a high level and showing no signs of stopping, both sides might be amenable to adding more years on the back end. A contract extension at a slight discount, perhaps with a no-trade clause, could then be worth more to Machado than the uncertainty of free agency.

All of that is talk for far into the future, but if the Orioles would like to think about retaining the services of Machado beyond his years of team control, the time to start planning is now. The blueprint is there to follow and they can and should start laying the foundations to ensure that Manny Machado has the chance to be the next great Oriole for most or all of a long career.

Monday Morning Media Mashup: Southeastern Edition

Minor Leaguer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:05:01 -0000

Hey look! The Monday Morning Media Mashup is back after a two-week hiatus! Since the last edition of MMMM, the Blue Jays have gone 10-7, but have only gained one game in the wild card and the division races. The team is on a nice five-game winning streak after sweeping the Texas Rangers down in Arlington and will hope to stretch that to six games tonight against the Colorado Rockies.

Stepping away from baseball a little, I'd like to plug Jason Isbell's newest release Southeastern, which has been my favourite new album so far in 2013. As a long-time Isbell fan I am certainly biased, but the album has received near-universal acclaim. It has received the coveted Minor Leaguer and Rob Neyer double approval:

I'll stop bugging you guys soon, but @JasonIsbell is a big Braves fan AND his new record is fantastic http://t.co/OkEUqmsZg9
— robneyer (@robneyer) June 13, 2013

You can listen to the full album on CBC"s website until Wednesday. Go do that and then buy it (just forget he's a Barves fan).

The folks at Jays Days Beer Club are holding a Bike Parade tonight at 6 pm starting at TallBoys Craft Beer House and ending at the Rogers Centre for the Rockies game. They plan to raffle out a pair of tickets to the game for participants! The next Jays Days Beer Club night will be on Thursday, June 27 when the Jays take on the Red Sox, but if you can't wait that long for beer, be sure to grab tickets ($52) to the Session Toronto Craft Beer Festival, which will feature Left Field Brewery and Dirk Hayhurst's Garfoose Breakfast Stout.

Blue Jays Related

After helping Blue Jays, Evans joins them - bluejays.com
In a quiet move that has flown under the radar, the Blue Jays have placed Jamie Evans--the trainer who is responsible for the "Steve Delabar" heavy-ball training program--on their payroll. That means that other professional clubs will no longer be allowed to approach Evans to have their pitchers go through the successful program. The Blue Jays who have gone through it include Delabar, Casey Janssen, Brett Cecil, and Dustin McGowan. Exclusive buyouts of training programs is clearly the new market inefficiency.

Veteran DeRosa talks all things Jays - TSN.ca
Mark DeRosa sat down with Scott MacArthur and had some nice things to say about manager John Gibbons: "He's a man's man, he treats us like men, he expects us to show up and perform and be accountable and be an adult. For me he's been absolutely everything I thought he'd be from the guys I talked to coming in."

Taking Stock - Blue Jays Way
Matt Brown takes a look at the good and the bad so far in the 2013 season.

Blue Jays June Success Sparked By Pitching - Jays Journal
The Blue Jays are on a roll, and have been carried by some solid pitching, Kyle Franzoni writes.

On outside looking in, Bautista needs ASG help - bluejays.com
Go vote for Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Adam Lind while you #WriteInKawasaki. The ballot is right here.

Back in Blue Network
Jays fans, don't forget to check BackInBlue.ca every week for their wonderful video podcast.

Down on the Farm

Bisons fall to PawSox, 5-3 - Bisons.com
The Bisons are struggling right now. After holding on to first place in the North division of the International League for much of April and May, they now sit at 35-33 (.515) and in third place, 5.0 games behind the Pawtucket Red Sox. Two games of that deficit came this past series, when the Herd dropped three of four against the PawSox. Anthony Gose continues to struggle at the plate, going in the game. He is hitting .167/.205/.194 since he was sent back to Buffalo. The one win they did have came on Saturday when waiver claimee Thad Weber no-hit the PawSox through seven innings of work before handing it over to the bullpen. The Bisons are back home for a seven-game stretch, so if you're in the area, and you don't want to go to Sessions Toronto, try to schedule a weekend trip down to see them face the Durham Bulls! It's Star Wars Night on Saturday!

Jays’ Reyes likely to rehab with Bisons - The Buffalo News

Another reason to head down to Buffalo? Jose Reyes is likely to rehab there after a few games down in Dunedin, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.

Jimenez leads Cats in 22-run outburst - MiLB.com
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats ran over the Erie SeaWolves 22-1 one day after being beaten by them 16-2. Let's talk about that 16-2 drubbing first. Prospect Sean Nolin left after three batters faced because Erie's Daniel Fields lined a pitch right back at Nolin's left elbow. Poor Matt Wright then went into the game in relief and proceeded to throw 3.1 innings, giving up 12 runs on 13 hits. Good thing the Fisher Cats' bats lightened the mood Sunday with a huge offensive effort. Catching prospect A.J. Jimenez had five hits, drove in three, and scored five, and Adam Loewen went 4-for-6 with two homers and five runs batted in. Marcus Stroman threw six innings of three-hit, one-run ball. I had a brief chat with Nolin on Sunday and he said he was feeling fine, just a bit sore and that he should be OK in a few days.

Marcus Stroman: Missing Lots of Bats - Jays Prospects
Bluebird Banter's Jared Macdonald wrote a brief update on prospect Marcus Stroman.

Hanson homers, named All-Star MVP - MiLB.com
The Dunedin Blue Jays were off this weekend because they were hosting the Florida State League All-Star game. The South Division beat the North (where Dunedin resides) 8-1. Dunedin's 3B Andy Burns went 0-for-2, RHP Scott Copeland threw a perfect inning, LHP Tony Davis allowed two hits but struck out two in his inning of work, RHP Blake McFarland got one out in the ninth before a runner reached on an error. RHP Jesse Hernandez was selected onto the team but did not appear. Several former Blue Jays prospects appeared for the South team: Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, and Noah Syndergaard all gave up a hit in an inning of work, with Syndergaard getting the "W".

Wil Browning Racking Up The Strikeouts - Jays Prospects
Brian Crawford profiles Lansing Lugnuts reliever Wil Browning, who has recorded 49 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched.

Around Baseball

Robby Cano’s RISPy Business - High Heat Stats
John Autin wrote about a very interesting stat line: Robinson Cano's career slash line with runners in scoring position, which sits at .273/.333/.450 despite a career line of .307/.351/.504. Among batters with a .290 career batting average and at least 1000 PA with RISP since 1961, Cano's BA and OBP rank dead last (out of 127), and his SLG is second last to Hal Morris. And when the search was extended to all high-leverage situations, each of Cano's triple slash components turned up last.

Wil Myers promoted by the Tampa Bay Rays - DRaysBay
Just in case you missed the news on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays are promoting future hall-of-famer Wil Myers (what's with spelling "Will" with one "L"? Did the Myers and Browning families lose the second "L" to the Colllege World Series?).

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers go Down Under - Sports on Earth
Good news to our Australian (and New Zealander) readers: the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks are playing regular season games Down Under in 2014. Eric Nusbaum also explores the internationalization of the Diamondbacks organization.

Indians Prank Clint Frazier with Red Wigs - MLBFanCave.com
Cute. The Indians wore red wigs when redhead and recent first-round draft pick Clint Frazer visited the team.

Not Baseball

Miss Utah USA Gives Worst Pageant Answer Since Miss South Carolina - Deadspin [Video]
Maybe Sportsnet can hire her for the "Ask the Experts" segment?

Poll

How long will the current Blue Jays win streak last?

Yankees 6, Angels 5: A win, then almost a loss, then a win

Matt Ferenchick — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:50:49 -0000

The Yankees' offense finally woke up, scoring six runs on nine hits, five of which came off of Angels' ace Jered Weaver. But the offense wasn't the only thing to have a good day, as CC Sabathia had a fantastic outing of his own. All of this very nearly didn't matter, after the Angels nearly mounted a comeback in the ninth, but Mo finally managed to get the last out to give the Yankees a 6-5 win.

CC went eight innings, allowing five hits and three walks, with two runs credited to him. He struck out six and gave the Yankees' struggling offense just what they needed, a dominant outing. And fortunately, the offense did paid him back with runs.

Despite facing Weaver, the Yankees' offense got off to a good start in the top of the first inning. Brett Gardner led off the game with a double. Ichiro Suzuki came up next, and he drew a walk. Robinson Cano came up next, and during his at bat, Weaver threw away a pick-off attempt to second base, which allowed Gardner and Ichiro to both move up a base. With two on and no out, it was time for another round of "How will the Yankees not score this time". The answer was, Cano strikes out, Travis Hafner draws a walk, and Vernon Wells grounds into a double play.

The Angels squandered chances of their own in the bottom half of the first, however. Peter Bourjos led off against Sabathia with a single, and when Mike Trout drew a walk, the Angels were in the same spot the Yankees just were. Albert Pujols came up next and grounded into a double play, but advanced Bourjos to third. Mike Trumbo couldn't do anything either, as he grounded out to end the inning.

In the third inning, the Yankees looked like they would mess up another golden chance. Chris Stewart led off the inning by drawing a walk. He advanced to third when Gardner singled. During Ichiro's at bat, Gardner stole second to again put runners on second and third with no outs. After Ichiro struck out and Cano popped out, another scoreless inning looked on the cards. But Hafner showed signs of life when he smacked a three run home run. And shockingly, the Yankees weren't done there. Wells kept the inning going by getting fly ball to drop to left field. Lyle Overbay was up next and he hit a fly ball to deep center field. It looked like Bourjos would make the catch to end the inning, but he couldn't quite come up with the ball and Wells scored, making it 4-0. And they still weren't done. With Overbay on second, Nix hit a single (advancing to second on the throw), which scored another run. The inning finally ended when Nix got picked off at second, but the Yankees had already scored five whole runs in an inning.

While that was happening, CC was cruising. After the blip in the first inning, Sabathia retired the next nine Angels' hitters. But he did get himself into some trouble in the fifth inning. Howie Kendrick led off with a single, just the Angels' second hit of the day. After that Chris Iannetta drew a walk, putting two on with no out. Erick Aybar was up next, and he grounded a ball to third. Nix stepped on the bag and threw over to second to complete a double play. (It has to be said that the wrong call was made and Iannetta was safe at second,.) CC then got Alberto Callaspo to ground one back to him for the final out of the inning.

There was a brief moment of worry in the sixth inning, when CC was hit by a Mike Trout line drive. But CC was okay and waived Girardi and the trainer back to the dugout, before they could get to the mound to examine him.

The Yankees added to their score in the eighth inning. Cano led off with a double, and advanced to third on a ground out by Hafner. Wells then hit a fly ball to the warning track. Bourjos made the catch, but it was deep enough to allow Cano to tag up and score. That made it 6-0 Yankees. It didn't seem like it at the time, but that ended up being a pretty big insurance run.

Throughout all that, CC continued cruising. He came back out for the ninth inning, but was pulled after allowing a double to Trout and walking Pujols. David Roberton was brought in as Mike Trumbo came to the plate. On the second pitch of the at bat, Trumbo lined one off of Robertson. That scored Trout, ending the shut out. The trainer came out to look at Robertson, but after a few test pitches, he remained in the game. Robertson struck out Howie Kendrick, but after walking JB Shuck, Girardi decided not to mess around anymore and brought in Mariano Rivera.

Mo came in with the bases loaded and got Erick Aybar to bounce one to Overbay at first. Overbay opted to get the sure out at first and allowed Pujols to score. But Callaspo was up next and he blooped one into left, which scored another two runs, cutting the Yankee lead down to just two runs. Brad Hawpe came up next, and he too blooped one. Wells kept it in front of him, keeping Callaspo at third, but this brought the top of the order back around. Bourjos also blooped one to left, this one scoring a run, cutting the lead to just one run.

This brought Mike Trout to the plate to face off against Mo. Rivera issued a five pitch walk to Trout, putting the tying run at third, and brought Pujols to the plate. Mo finally managed to end the game by striking out Pujols and everyone was able to exhale. The Yankees came away with a 6-5 win in a crazy, crazy game.

The Yankees will now return home from the west coast to (weirdly) play another Los Angeles team. The Dodgers will come to Yankee Stadium for a two game set, starting Tuesday. Phil Hughes will get the start and first pitch is at 7:05 eastern.

Box score. Graph Thingy.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

Father's Day & how baseball made us friends

Was Mark Teixeira ever even healthy?

Only one Yankee in All-Star Game starting lineup

Baby Bombers: JR Murphy picks up three hits in RailRiders' shutout win

2013 All-Star Game: Only one Yankee in All-Star starting lineup

Jason Cohen — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:00:06 -0000

All-Star voting will continue until July 4, but as of June 15 there is only one Yankee making it into the starting lineup. Obviously, that one player is Robinson Cano, who, with 2,409,512 votes, commands a tremendous lead over Dustin Pedroia's 1,635,674. Cano has hit .281/.353/.517 in a two WAR season, but Pedroia has been better, hitting .320/.403/.439 and accumulating 2.7 WAR. Still, I would hate to see Cano sit on the bench for the likes of Pedroia.

Somehow Derek Jeter is still in the top five at shortstop with 669,698 votes, even though he hasn't played in a game this season. Does that say more about Jeter or less about the other 10 shortstops who didn't make it into the top five?

Ichiro Suzuki is in the top 15 for outfielders with 620,734 votes and is very unlikely to get in. The outfielder has hit .263/.301/.333, which is pretty underwhelming for a regular player and rather uninspiring for an All-Star. He has only managed to accumulate 0.1 WAR so far this season, so it's obvious he's no All-Star.

Someone who won't be getting voted in by the fans is Brett Gardner. He has hit .283/.351/.445 this season and his 2.3 WAR is not only the best on the team, but is actually the fifth highest out of all American League outfielders. Hopefully Jim Leyland chooses him to make it as a reserve because he's certainly earned an All-Star nod for his production on the field. Of course, most of his value stems from his incredible defense (117 wRC+), so that could leave him on the outside looking in.

As for starting pitchers, Hiroki Kuroda, CC Sabathia, and Andy Pettitte all sit in the 9th-14th best range in the American League, according to WAR. Each could be up for an appearance off the bench, though it's highly unlikely they all make it. As for relievers, Mariano Rivera is a give in and is currently ranked fourth in the AL in WAR. David Robertson and Preston Claiborne are currently in the top 10, but middle relievers tend to have trouble getting in unless they're having an unbelievable season.

If the Yankees get three All-Stars this season, considering everything that has happened, that's not too bad.

Calendar Year Leaderboards

Ben Horrow — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:00:14 -0000

This past Thursday, on a day in which only 18 of the 30 MLB teams suited up, the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees attempted to soften the blow for fans upset over the lack of baseball to watch by playing 18 innings. This wasn't a doubleheader, but instead just a marathon-like game that had as many extra innings as regulation innings. Both teams utilized a reliever as a second starter, with the Yankees Adam Warren throwing 6 scoreless innings and the A's Jesse Chavez hurling 5 and 2/3 shutout frames.

Ironically, on the same day as the A's played 9 innings of free baseball, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs published an article titled "The Hidden Juggernaut in Oakland." In the piece, Cameron begins by mentioning a tool he likes to use when analyzing players performances.

"One of my favorite toys here on FanGraphs is the Past Calendar Year split. I like the rolling 365 day line, as it gives us a good view of what a player (or team) has done in the equivalent of the most recent full season they have played."

Cameron goes on to discuss how the Athletics continue to locate market inefficiencies, find methods of utilizing that information to their advantage, and have seen their resulting strategies pan out on the field. He ends the piece with some kind words for the A's.

"There's no "past calendar year" championship to celebrate, but that doesn't mean we can't recognize it anyway. 168 games playing .643 baseball with a shoestring payroll full of guys other teams didn't see much value in. Kudos to the A's front office. They know what they're doing."

So, according to Cameron, who has a major say in deciding what information goes up on Fangraphs as well as how it is presented, when it comes to analysis, looking at the past calendar year can provide some insight not seen when utilizing other time frames. This becomes more evident in the beginning of a season, a time in which much or the analysis performed comes with sample size and randomness disclaimers attached.

In a separate article written on Frangraphs' fantasy adjunct RotoGraphs, Mike Petriello discusses one specific player from the A's calendar year success. Coco Crisp, the man with one of the best names and slickest batting helmets in baseball, it turns out, has been the 16^th most valuable player in the last year, just ahead of White Sox outfielder Alex Rios and just behind Red Sox 2^nd baseman Dustin Pedroia. The list looks like this:

Name	G	PA	H	HR	R	SB	wRC+	WAR
Mike Trout	164	757	206	36	141	47	162	10.5
Miguel Cabrera	164	724	217	49	126	3	186	8.9
Buster Posey	154	638	189	25	83	1	170	8.2
Robinson Cano	166	722	198	38	99	5	149	7.3
Andrew McCutchen	163	704	198	27	117	23	150	7.2
Carlos Gomez	159	605	161	28	101	44	132	7
Ryan Braun	153	669	188	35	100	23	155	6.8
Adrian Beltre	162	687	205	40	103	0	148	6.7
David Wright	159	679	171	22	84	20	129	6.5
Chase Headley	152	664	156	30	86	12	135	6.3
Yadier Molina	144	590	175	18	65	10	141	6.3
Joe Mauer	151	674	190	13	87	5	147	6.1
Alex Gordon	165	734	210	15	100	9	131	6
Ben Zobrist	163	700	170	16	94	12	136	5.8
Dustin Pedroia	153	672	184	14	93	26	126	5.8
Coco Crisp	131	585	152	18	100	43	140	5.5
Alex Rios	160	666	189	30	100	26	129	5.3
Ian Desmond	135	539	152	24	67	19	139	5.3
Jason Heyward	140	595	138	24	88	12	114	5.1

The list contains mostly names baseball fans would expect to see, except that Crisp's inclusion should raise some eyebrows. Both Petriello and Cameron's articles discuss Crisp and his value, so I won't elaborate further.

Instead, this idea of utilizing the past calendar year's statistics to analyze player contributions, and especially looking for names on those lists that seem surprising got me thinking. Since Petriello basically took the hitters side of this, I decided to analyze starting pitcher performances in the last calendar year. To begin, let's get a sense of the top 20 pitchers in the last 365 days.

Name	IP	K%	BB%	HR/9	HR/FB	ERA	FIP	xFIP	WAR
Felix Hernandez	242	25.30%	4.80%	0.41	6.30%	2.60	2.31	2.76	7.8
Adam Wainwright	224	23.20%	4.20%	0.36	5.30%	2.85	2.34	2.91	6.9
Max Scherzer	207.2	30.70%	6.50%	0.74	8.00%	2.82	2.56	2.97	6.8
Justin Verlander	231.2	25.70%	6.80%	0.70	8.70%	2.91	2.87	3.16	6.8
Yu Darvish	214	31.50%	8.60%	0.71	10.40%	3.41	2.76	2.82	6.7
Cliff Lee	242.2	22.80%	3.30%	0.85	8.70%	2.89	2.89	3.22	6.2
Clayton Kershaw	239.2	25.90%	7.40%	0.49	6.50%	2.22	2.68	3.17	6.1
Doug Fister	212.1	20.60%	4.60%	0.55	8.20%	3.43	3.01	3.30	5.6
Anibal Sanchez	194.1	23.50%	5.70%	0.74	9.00%	3.57	2.94	3.19	5.4
James Shields	243.1	23.80%	5.60%	0.85	10.60%	3.03	3.23	3.28	5.1
Hiroki Kuroda	225.2	19.00%	5.00%	0.80	9.40%	3.07	3.44	3.64	5
Chris Sale	202.2	24.90%	6.40%	0.98	12.90%	3.15	3.39	3.18	4.7
Jordan Zimmermann	213	18.40%	5.00%	0.59	6.60%	2.54	3.18	3.76	4.6
Homer Bailey	218.2	21.90%	5.80%	0.78	9.20%	3.38	3.22	3.46	4.6
Clay Buchholz	193.1	20.10%	7.80%	0.61	7.60%	2.98	3.36	3.77	4.5
Mat Latos	224.1	21.70%	6.70%	0.80	9.50%	2.93	3.37	3.56	4.3
CC Sabathia	202.2	22.40%	4.30%	1.15	13.40%	3.55	3.53	3.23	4.1
Kris Medlen	194	21.60%	5.30%	0.65	8.00%	1.95	3.01	3.36	4
Cole Hamels	213.1	23.40%	6.70%	1.01	11.70%	3.50	3.51	3.43	3.8

Observations:

The first obvious observation from this list of top performing pitchers form the last 365 days is that most fans and pundits alike would expect to see these pitcher listed above. These are big name, ace-like pitchers with fantastic pedigrees, and on whom their teams rely and often pay large sums of money to pitch well nearly every time said pitchers take the mound.

The second observation I made caught my eye quickly, and maybe yours as well. How did Homer Bailey get on this list? When considering top MLB pitchers Bailey doesn't come to mind, neither when narrowing the field to only National League pitchers, and even when shortening the parameters to just the Cincinnati Reds, Bailey barely surfaces as a significant cog. The Reds staff sports two more likely thought of aces in Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos (who comes in at 17^th on the above list), but after those two, most fans would consider Aroldis Chapman over Homer Bailey. Still, the numbers don't lie, and for the last year, Homey Bailey has been quite valuable.

The majority of Bailey's recent success derives from his awesome start to 2013. That isn't to say that he didn't pitch well in 2012, but he has thus far accumulated almost as many wins in 2013 in two and half months of starts as he did in the final three and half months of 2012. The only repertoire changes Bailey has made in 2013 have been a greater propensity for throwing his 2-seam fastball and his curveball. Throwing his sinker more may be the cause of Bailey's career high 49.8% groundball rate, combined with a switch from using his slider to his curveball more often may be the reason behind Bailey's career high in K% (24.6%) as well.

Bailey's WHIP is only marginally lower in 2013 from 2012 and other years past, but by getting hitters to hit balls on the ground rather than in the air, he has lowered his HR/FB%, leading to fewer runs allowed, and more success. The Reds have solid infield defenders, all of who currently have positive DRS and UZR/150 numbers in 2013. Pitcher, especially those without elite stuff, must use every advantage given to them, and Bailey seems to be doing just that

The third observation to gleam from this list is Max Scherzer's spot. Scherzer is a dynamic pitcher who especially excels as a strikeout artist, but in the last 365 days he has been just as valuable as teammate Justin Verlander. Scherzer has been filthy this season, and he had a career year in 2012. Unlike Bailey, I expect some regression from Scherzer as he has an abnormally low BABIP of .243 in 2013, after posting the 2^nd highest BABIP amongst qualified starting pitchers in 2012. Still, even with some regression, Scherzer a spot on the top 20 pitchers list, even if that placement comes down a few spots.

Never be afraid to analyze the data provided in different manners. Sometimes the results will lead no where, or will tell you only information already known, but other times it leads to observations of interest and conclusions of worth.

Angels Win Second Against Yanks, Third Consecutive 6-2

JustJDawg — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:06:57 -0000

Tommy Hanson went to the hill for the Halos and earned his fourth win of the season. Hanson let up two runs and five hits over 6 1/3 innings. After Hanson's quality performance, Scott Downs came in with one out and a man on third. The result? No runs scored! Downs did his job and struck out Reid Brignac while Michael Kohn came in and struck out Chris Stewart!

Howie Kendrick led the way for the Angels hitting, getting a hit in all three of his at bats. But more importantly, Albert Pujols brought the Angels two RBIs and so did Erick Aybar. Mike Trout was walked three times and Josh Hamilton did get an RBI but that was his only hit in five at bats. But hey, we won!

Ernesto Frieri

Side notes:

Joe Blanton had a sourpuss look on his face while Trout and Aybar were dancing in the dugout!
Ken Rosenthal said Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers are working on a seven year deal in the range of $170M - $200M. Now THAT is Arte Moreno kind of money! Good to see their learning from Arte up the Freeway.

AL All-Star voting: Nick Markakis among 4 Orioles who might start

James Brady — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:38:41 -0000

The latest vote totals for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game have been released, and on the American League side, there's plenty of note. The Baltimore Orioles in particular are impressing. They lead in three of the AL categories and rank second in two others. Right fielder Nick Markakis moved up to third in the AL outfield voting in the latest release from MLB.

He's got plenty of others to fend off for the position. Markakis has received 1,463,392 votes as of the latest release, and Torrii Hunter of the Detroit Tigers is right behind him with 1,425,571. The next couple players who are close are Jose Bautista (1,379,251 votes), Nelson Cruz (1,310,079 votes) and teammate Nate McLouth (1,300,158 votes).

Teammate Adam Jones has received 2,740,505 votes and Mike Trout comes in second at 2,710,115. If Jones and Markakis make it, it would be the first time in franchise history and the 17th time in MLB history that teammates in the A.L. outfield received fan-elected starts together.

Another Orioles player, Chris Davis, holds the second-highest vote total in the AL, with 2,999,094 votes and should have the first baseman spot in hand. Only Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers has received more votes, with 3,277,890 votes. The fourth Orioles player likely in line for a starting spot is shortstop J.J. Hardy, who leads Elvis Andrus with 1,871,010 votes to 1,358,412.

Below are the updated AL vote totals as of Saturday night:

	Player	Team	Votes
C	Joe Mauer	Twins	2,127,175
	Matt Wieters	Orioles	1,615,625
	A.J. Pierzynski	Rangers	885,137

1B	Chris Davis	Orioles	2,999,094
	Prince Fielder	Tigers	1,980,129
	Mike Napoli	Red Sox	744,344

2B	Robinson Cano	Yankees	2,409,512
	Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	1,635,674
	Ian Kinsler	Rangers	1,123,654

3B	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	3,277,890
	Manny Machado	Orioles	1,626,209
	Adrian Beltre	Rangers	1,105,706

SS	J.J. Hardy	Orioles	1,871,010
	Elvis Andrus	Rangers	1,358,412
	Jhonny Peralta	Tigers	1,322,791

OF	Adam Jones	Orioles	2,740,505
	Mike Trout	Angels	2,710,115
	Nick Markakis	Orioles	1,463,392
	Torii Hunter	Tigers	1,425,571
	Jose Bautista	Blue Jays	1,379,251

DH	David Ortiz	Red Sox	2,488,451
	Lance Berkman	Rangers	1,239,521
	Edwin Encarnacion	Blue Jays	769,322

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