SB Nation - Paul Lo Duca

Juan Pierre & The .400 Club

Eric Stephen — Sat, 30 May 2009 05:02:15 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Juan Pierre is in rarefied air with his amazing May performance.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have had many players hit .400 in a single month. There have been 67 separate .400 months, in fact, with a minimum of 20 plate appearances.

There have been a number of LA Dodgers who have joined the .400 club multiple times, including:

Pedro Guerrero: 4 times
Don Drysdale: 3 times
Mike Piazza: 3 times
Steve Garvey: twice
Dave Hansen: twice
Eric Karros: twice
Paul LoDuca: twice
Olmedo Saenz: twice
Terry Whitefield: twice

Juan Pierre, who went eight for 20 in April to join the .400 club, is close to becoming the first LA Dodger to hit .400 in consecutive months. He currently has 40 hits in 101 at-bats, good for a .39604 average for the month. With two games left in the month, depending on at-bats, Pierre will need the following number of hits to rejoin the .400 club:

Hits/AB	May AVG
1 for 1	.4020
2 for 2	.4078
2 for 3	.4038
2 for 4	.4000
3 for 5	.4057
3 for 6	.4019
4 for 7	.4074
4 for 8	.4037
4 for 9	.4000
5 for 10	.4054

If we increase the minimum to 50 plate appearances, there have been 27 different .400 months in Los Angeles Dodger history, with Pierre trying to become #28.

Incidentally, Juan Castro is 13 for 34 in May. He's at .38235, but if he goes one for one this weekend he will join the .400 club as well.

Read after the jump for the complete list of .400 months in LA Dodger history.

.400 months in LA Dodger history (minimum 20 PA)

Player	Month	AB	Hits	Avg
Eric Karros	Apr 1995	19	11	.579
Mike Piazza	May 1995	34	18	.529
Raul Mondesi	Apr 1995	19	10	.526
Mike Kinkade	Sep 2002	14	7	.500
Terry Whitfield	Aug 1984	23	11	.478
Mark Loretta	Apr 2009	19	9	.474
Andre Ethier	Sep 2008	78	36	.462
Pedro Guerrero	Jul 1985	63	29	.460
Willie Davis	Aug 1969	109	50	.459
Antonio Perez	May 2005	35	16	.457
Ramon Martinez	May 2006	31	14	.452
Olmedo Saenz	Aug 2004	20	9	.450
Tom Haller	Aug 1971	38	17	.447
Jeff Kent	Jul 2007	76	34	.447
Sandy Koufax	Jul 1965	18	8	.444
Steve Yeager	Apr 1974	18	8	.444
Bob Lillis	Sep 1958	61	27	.443
Brett Butler	Jul 1992	95	42	.442
Sandy Alomar	Apr 2006	25	11	.440
James Loney	Jun 2007	50	22	.440
Bill Buckner	Jul 1972	57	25	.439
Nomar Garciaparra	Sep 2008	23	10	.435
McKay Christensen	Jul 2001	30	13	.433
Dave Hansen	Sep 1995	30	13	.433
Lee Lacy	Apr 1975	37	16	.432
Jim Gilliam	Jun 1959	109	47	.431
Mike Piazza	Jun 1997	109	47	.431
Steve Garvey	Sep 1978	107	46	.430
Don Drysdale	May 1965	21	9	.429
Ted Sizemore	Aug 1970	98	42	.429
Ron Cey	Apr 1977	73	31	.425
Don Drysdale	Aug 1958	19	8	.421
Eric Karros	Apr 1998	19	8	.421
Don Drysdale	Sep 1965	24	10	.417
Pedro Guerrero	Sep 1980	24	10	.417
Wally Moon	Apr 1961	60	25	.417
Tim Wallach	Aug 1994	36	15	.417
Paul LoDuca	Apr 2004	77	32	.416
Manny Ramirez	Aug 2008	106	44	.415
Pedro Guerrero	Jul 1987	82	34	.415
Pedro Guerrero	Sep 1987	99	41	.414
Rick Monday	Aug 1982	29	12	.414
Delino DeShields	Aug 1995	51	21	.412
Steve Garvey	Jun 1973	34	14	.412
Jerry Reuss	Sep 1983	17	7	.412
Olmedo Saenz	May 2004	17	7	.412
Duke Snider	Sep 1958	34	14	.412
Eddie Murray	Sep 1990	112	46	.411
Wes Parker	Jul 1970	95	39	.411
Norm Larker	Jul 1958	78	32	.410
Billy Ashley	Jul 1997	22	9	.409
Dave Hansen	Jul 2002	22	9	.409
Hundley, Todd	Jul 2000	27	11	.407
Mike Piazza	Sep 1997	96	39	.406
Mike Sharperson	May 1992	37	15	.405
Jose Hernandez	May 2004	42	17	.405
Willie Crawford	May 1973	94	38	.404
Mike Scioscia	Apr 1988	52	21	.404
Mickey Hatcher	Jun 1989	25	10	.400
Frank Howard	Jul 1961	30	12	.400
Tom Hutton	Jul 1969	20	8	.400
Stan Javier	Jun 1990	65	26	.400
Paul LoDuca	Aug 1999	30	12	.400
Mike Piazza	Aug 1995	115	46	.400
Juan Pierre	Apr 2009	20	8	.400
Joe Pignatano	Sep 1959	20	8	.400
Terry Whitfield	Jul 1985	20	8	.400

For ease of research, March games were couned in April, and October games were counted in September. Thanks to the amazing Baseball-Reference.com for providing the vehicle to do this research.

Washington Nationals' Opening Day 2009: Washington at Florida.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:00:59 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Browse more photos »

(ed. note - "Turn on MASN2. Log on to MLB.tv. Find the right channel on MLB Extra Innings, or on XM or turn the dial to Charlie and Dave!! Whatever you have to do, be there at 4:10 pm EST when the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins start their respective 2009 seasons with DC lefty John Lannan on the mound against Marlins' righty Ricky Nolasco. It all starts in Miami, Florida, in Dolphin Stadium, as the Nationals look to rebound from last year's disastrous 102-loss campaign...the Age of Dunn is upon us...")

Opening Days...

It all started on April 4th, 2005, the official Nationals' debut as a team, with Washington losing the first game in franchise history 8-4 to the Phillies on the road in Citizens Bank, where a Kenny Lofton 3-run blast was the difference. In 2006, it was April 3rd, as the Nationals started the season in Shea, dropping a 3-2 decision to New York in a game that should have been tied in the eighth if then-Mets' catcher Paul Lo Duca, (who clearly dropped the ball on a play at the plate involving Alfonso Soriano), hadn't deceived the umpire into believing that he'd held the ball all along. 2007 saw Washington begin the season at home for the first time against the Florida Marlins, but they lost for the third time, 9-2, dropping to 0-3 on Opening Day, when now-retired starter John Patterson got hit hard for 6 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 IP...and who can forget how 2008 began?

March 31, 2008. Opening Night in Nationals Park. 2-2 ballgame in the ninth after the Atlanta Braves tie it when a pitch from the Tallest Pitcher in MLB History Jon Rauch gets by then-Nationals' catcher Paul Lo Duca and allows a run in from third. Two down in the Nationals' ninth and Ryan Zimmerma-- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Walk-off!! Might be the greatest moment in the franchise's history, that or the walk-off against the Yankees, when Zim took Mariano Rivera deep...

Nationals now 1-3 on Opening Day.

YOUR 2009 WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

The DC Rotation:

John Lannan - LHP
Scott Olsen - LHP
Daniel Cabrera - RHP
Shairon Martis - RHP
Jordan Zimmermann*(starting in minor league camp back soon)

The DC BULLPEN:

Joel Hanrahan - CL
Joe Beimel - SU
Mike Hinckley - LHP
Wil Ledezma - LHP
Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera - RHP
Steven Shell - RHP
Julian Tavarez - RHI(Right Handed Intimidation)

DC Backstops:

Jesus Flores
Wil Nieves
Josh Bard

The DC IF:

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B
Cristian Guzman - SS
Ronnie Belliard - 2B
Nick Johnson - 1B
Willie Harris
Alberto Gonzalez
(INJ) Anderson Hernandez

The DC OF:

Adam Dunn - LF
Lastings Milledge - CF
Austin Kearns - RF
Josh Willingham - Angry Bench Player
Elijah Dukes - Angry Bench Player

How About A Few More Opinions On What's In Store For the DC Faithful?

New York Times' writer Tyler Kepner had a 2009 National League Preview in the Sunday New York Times' Sports section yesterday entitled, "Phillies' New Addition Is Balm for the Bruises", in which Mr. Kepner dismisses any idea of the Nationals competing in 2009 by writing that they're one of three NL teams to lose more than 95 games who don't, "...figure to be much better," so the story of 2009 for the Nationals, in Mr. Kepner's opinion:

"The Nationals will pick first in the June draft, and if they choose pitcher Stephen Strasburg who throws 102 miles per hour, they can expect a protracted summer negotiation with the agent Scott Boras."

With a win for the San Diego State Aztecs on Friday in PETCO Park, Strasburg improved, (as reported by sdsuaztec4, who provided video and photography in the most recent edition of, "The Strasburg Files Episode 5: Petco Park!"), to (6-0) in 7 starts and 48.1 IP in which he's posted a 1.49 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 17.5 K/9 and a 9.4 K/BB.

SIGN STRASBURG!!

One More Season Preview?

In the most recent newsstand edition of USA TODAY Sports Weekly, USA Today sports writer Gerry Fraley has a 2009 season Preview of the Washington Nationals in which Mr. Fraley predicts the Nationals will be 5th of 5 in the NL East, and 16th of 16 in the National League. (Who's the #1 Prospect for 2010?) In Mr. Fraley's best case scenario for the '09 Nationals, Adam Dunn does what he's done and helps Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes "meet expectations", while giving the DC starters the benefit of more run support. In Mr. Fraley's worst case scenario, Dunn's production sags in DC, Nick Johnson gets hurt, the young starters fail, and in Mr. Fraley's words, "Without a true closer," (ed. note - "Ouch, Sorry, Joel!"), "...the bullpen converts 50% of its save chances for the second consecutive season."

BUT THE TIME FOR PREDICTIONS IS OVER...

Your Opening Day Lineup...

MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports in a post on his blog entitled, "Acta announces starting lineup for Opening Day", that when the Washington Nationals come up to bat in the top of the first today at 4:10 pm EST in Florida, the Marlins' starter Ricky Nolasco will be facing: (ed. note - "Nicknames provided by Federal Baseball.com.")

Leadoff Lasto - Lastings Milledge - CF
The Guzzzzzzz- Cristian Guzman - SS
THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! - Ryan Zimmerman - 3B
Adam Dunn - LF
Nick Nick Johnson Johnson - 1B
AK, Mr. Kentucky, or Bluegrass - Austin Kearns - RF
Ronnie B. - Ronnie Belliard - 2B
WWJD - Jesus Flores - C
John "Cool Hand" Lannan - SP

(ed. note - "I've waited all winter, and now it's here, Opening Day 2009, the Washington Nationals at the Florida Marlins. 4:10 pm EST in Florida. Lannan vs Nolasco. Adam Dunn's regular season debut in a curly-W. Game 1 of 162...")

Who's Watching The Nationals? Game Thread w/ The Nationals vs Nolasco, and Lannan vs the Marlins scheduled for just after 1:00 pm EST...That's where Federal Baseball.com and The DC Faithful will be gathered...IT'S OPENING DAY 2009!!! WHO'S WATCHING THE NATIONALS?

Who's on Catcher?

larry — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:45:08 -0000

It’s Sunday and, for White Sox fans, that conjures up images of the "Sunday Lineup", in which Ozzie empties his bench and shuffles his lineup. A usual cornerstone of such lineups is AJ Pierzynski getting a deserved day off and the backup catcher getting the start.

Finding a suitable backup for AJ has long been a bit of a mess. Most recently, Kenny Williams signed Toby Hall to a two-year deal prior to the 2007 season. The idea was good – Hall is a righty and, while not a defensive maven, his offense against lefties should have been an ideal complement to AJ. Unfortunately, late in 2007 Spring Training, Hall suffered a labrum tear and separation in his throwing shoulder and the theory never translated into reality.

This year, there’s no clear front-runner for the role of backup catcher. Kenny has resisted the temptation to bring in a veteran such as Paul Lo Duca and instead appears to be satisfied to let a mix of retreads and youngsters fight it out.

And Ozzie has echoed this sentiment:

So, it looks as if the reserve role will be played by Chris Stewart, Donny Lucy or Corky Miller. Cole Armstrong is a left-handed hitter, so he probably won't back up Pierzynski, while Guillen admitted that top catching prospect Tyler Flowers would become the team's starter if something happened to Pierzynski.

While it’s nice to know that somebody must be reading Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA when determining that Flowers should be the starter if AJ goes down, it’s hard to see a catcher being handed a starting major league job who can’t really catch that well and who hasn’t done anything above high A ball. Be that as it may, that assertion still doesn’t solve who will be the backup. So let’s go through the six (less than inspiring) in camp candidates after the jump, starting with the man already on the 40 man roster and then moving on to the non-roster invitees.

Cole Armstrong: This 25 year old was acquired prior to the 2006 season via the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He profiles as a backup in the majors – so problem solved, right? Not quite. As Merkin notes above, while like all catchers Armstrong throws righthanded, he bats lefty and thus is ostensibly less than suitable as a backup to the lefthanded AJ. However, as Sox Machine pointed out to me in a recent conversation, AJ has actually hit better against lefties than righties the past two seasons, so (assuming that's trend) having the two of them on the same team isn't so ridiculous. He’s a good defender and he’s got a bit of pop but he doesn’t hit for average and doesn’t get on base. His PECOTA projection for 2009 is .193/.238/.299.

Tyler Flowers: This 23 year old was acquired in the offseason via the Javier Vazquez trade. Both Kenny and Ozzie say he’ll be the starter if AJ gets hurt – so, again, problem solved, right? Well, not quite. While he’s a catcher, he’s really not that good at it. A large part of that shortcoming is that he played sparingly at the position in 2006 and 2007 due to injury. His bat, however, is legit - great power and excellent plate discipline. While this righty's PECOTA projection of .247/.340/.410 actually is superior to AJ’s, he’s never played above A ball and needs serious work at catcher. Having him play infrequently as a backup would stunt his defensive growth.

Chris Stewart: Some fans may remember this guy as he was drafted by the White Sox and made his major league debut for them in 2006 before being traded to Texas. He had a couple cups of coffee for the Rangers and Yankees the past two seasons but the 27 year old righty is now back as a non-roster invitee. He’s a plus defender with an excellent arm. However, he can’t hit worth a lick. His PECOTA projection is .219/.279/.313. A leading candidate.

Donny Lucy: Some fans may also remember Donny as he had a cup of coffee with the team in September 2007. His age 25 season, however, ended early in Charlotte due to a severe knee injury. This 2004 second round pick does have a good glove and arm and he actually ran quite well, too, before his injury. But his bat is simply not that good (no 2009 PECOTA projection available). He was outrighted off the 40 man roster after the 2008 season – and no team bothered to pick him up. That should tell you something. Is discussed as being in the mix but is a huge question mark coming off injury.

Corky Miller: What to say about this guy. First, his name is Corky. I mean, seriously? Second, he’s 33 and his career line is .176/.264/.290 in sporadic play over the last 8 seasons. He’s a good defensive catcher (sense a pattern?) but that line is pretty ugly – and we don’t need PECOTA to tell us what to expect. Still, a leading candidate.

Francisco Hernandez: Signed by the Sox out of the Dominican in 2002, this switch hitter is a solid defender with a good arm but his offensive skills have never been more than just adequate. Having never played above A ball, he's not a serious candidate and, at 23, it’s now or never for him to produce in the minors. And, unfortunately for him, Flowers now is likely to be taking playing time from him at Birmingham further making that never more probable.

My take is that this tallest midget contest is wide open – and I wouldn’t rule out other candidates appearing as rosters are trimmed – but Chris Stewart, due to his defensive prowess and familiarity with some of the pitchers and organization, is the current leader. Since the candidates are largely similar, it's likely that both spring training performance and rapport with the pitchers and coaching staff will be weighed heavily.

The Washington Nationals And The MLB Hot Stove: I Wonder How Many Remaining Free Agents Are On The List?

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:04:01 -0000

Olsen and Nationa...A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod

But First, Federalbaseball.com presents: A-Rant...

Last winter it was the Mitchell Report, which was released on December 13, 2007, three days after free agent catcher Paul Lo Duca signed with Washington. So he wasn't known as former Marlins', Mets', or Dodgers' catcher Paul Lo Duca, but Nationals' catcher Paul Lo Duca when his name appeared on the Mitchell Report's list of players who had, at one time or another, used performance enhancing drugs. Lo Duca chose to admit that he had, saying it was a mistake, he was sorry, he'd never do it again, he was really sorry, and it was basically forgiven/forgotten, and we, as fans, if I may speak for you for a moment, were given a whole list of different reasons to dislike the diminutive veteran C/LF/1B. (ed. note - "...who was eventually cast aside to make room for DC's favorite backstop, Jesus Flores.")

This year it's A-Rod. A-Rod and 103 others apparently, all 104 of them having submitted supposedly anonymous samples to a company that ended up being raided in the Balco investigation, with said samples found not destroyed, as was the agreement, but conveniently catalogued and preserved, or at least that's what they keep repeating on the tv, or the radio, and in print, online and in the papers. (Yes, I read newspapers. Happy? (mumbles)...grumpy old MSM?)

SI.com's Selena Roberts and David Epstein's article entitled, "Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003", which broke the story, is going to end up being the catalyst for yet another "Mitchell Report" when the inevitable investigation into all this drama comes to an end. Who is going to be the first player to take legal action when their name comes out on the bound-to-be-leaked list? Aren't you glad we can all hear about this instead of the start of Spring Training? (ed. note - "Pitchers and catchers report on 2/14/09.")

(ed. note - "Are you, like me, wondering how many of the 'I-can't-believe-they-haven't -signed-yet' free agents are going to appear on the new list of 103 so-far-unidentified players who submitted what were jokingly referred to as "anonymous" samples, though as David Segui, an admitted PED user told Ed Randall on Talkin' Baseball this past Saturday, (paraphrasing here), he had signed his name next to a number that identified his sample so any idea of anonymity was laughable...")

What are we all going to learn from this? Nothing. We'll learn that everyone knew that these players were on steroids, just like writers, fans, owners and fellow players knew about the last group of publicly shamed major leaguers. Records are now fairly meaningless, unless those of admitted users are wiped from the books. Standards have been set that might not be "naturally" attainable. One greedy generation has wiped away years of history. Alright, what else is going on...

Washington Nationals Sign Scott Olsen Before They Lose Another Arbitration Case.

Saturday, Shawn Hill came out on the winning end of his arbitration showdown with the Washington Nationals. Sunday it was left-handed starter Scott Olsen and the Washington Nationals avoiding arbitration by agreeing on what Olsen describes as a "very fair number" in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Olsen signs for $2.8 Million, Avoids arbitration". Olsen had asked for $3.5 million, instead, this year he'll only earn $2,395,000 more than the $405,000 he got last year from the Florida Marlins...$200,000 more than Daniel Cabrera, who signed for $2.6 million...

Only Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham left to go on the Arbitration front...Will they get to the arbitration table?

Tigres del Licey Fail To Defend Carribean Series Title...

The Tigres del Licey ended their participation in the Caribbean Series Saturday night with a 4-2 win over the the Mexican entry in the Series, the Venados de Mazatlan. Anderson Hernandez and Ronnie Belliard were held hitless, with Hernandez's 0 for 4 dropping his AVG to .050 in the CS, and Belliard's 0 for 4 leaving him with a .227 AVG after six games played. Ricardo Nanita? Nanita started in right and was 1 for 4 with a run scored and a walk and a .308 AVG in the same six games. The Venezuelan League's Tigres de Aragua finish 5-1 to claim the '09 Caribbean Series. The next time you see Anderson Hernandez or Ronnie Belliard, it'll be Spring Training and they'll be battling it out for second base...

(ed. note - "Please let there be some big news tomorrow that overshadows this nonsense, or I won't be able to listen to talk radio all day...")

And Then There Were Three...The Washington Nationals Stay In The Race For Mark Teixeira...(It's Alright To Admit You Want To Be A National, Tex!!!)

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:17:21 -0000

If published reports at ESPN and MLB.com are to be believed, and these things are truly hard to judge with all the misinformation and obfuscation out there...

The Baltimore Orioles have fallen back behind the pack in the race to impress free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira with numbers and years, as both MLB.com's Lyle Spencer, in an article entitled, "Red Sox seen in lead in Teixeira derby", and ESPN.com writer Buster Olney in an article entitled, "Sources: Teixeira to Orioles unlikely" report that only a desire on the part of Teixeira to provide some sort of home town discount could keep Camden Yards a possible destination for the 28-year-old switch hitting Maryland-native, who is then left with a choice between the warm sun and winning ways of Anaheim's Angels, Boston's big fanbase and recent winning tradition and miraculously, the largest contract available...which is apparently being offered up by your own Washington Nationals...

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer speculates that the Orioles' unwillingness to move up from their original seven-year, $150 million dollar offer is behind their dropping in the rumored rankings of teams still in pursuit, and who can blame Baltimore when Teixeira alone won't lift them up above either three or four of their AL East rivals (depending upon how you view the current Orioles' roster and system)...The Angels are in it, for 8-years and mystery money, but everyone keeps mentioning Teixeira's east coast leanings...The Red Sox, having been burned by Manny Ramirez on the last 10-year deal they gave out, are seemingly not going to go to the 10-year/$200 million dollar heights I thought would have immediately drawn Teixeira to Boston...And the Yankees are on the outside threatening to do to the Red Sox, Angels and Nationals what they did to the Braves in moving in on A.J. Burnett before Atlanta could pull together a deal...So, Washington's Nationals, and their reported 8-year and $160 million offer...are still under consideration...

But wait...Baltimore Sun writer Dan Connolly, who I've been checking in on since reading his article earlier this week, writes today, in an article entitled, "MacPhail: 'We have flexibility' on Teixeira offer", (in which Mr. Connolly's quoting the Orioles' GM Andy MacPhail), that the O's original offer isn't a "take-it-or-leave-it" type of offer, and in Mr. MacPhail's own words, as reported by Mr. Connolly:

"If they came back to us and told us what it would take and we thought that it made sense for us, then yes [the original offer could be altered]..."

MLB.com's Mike Bauman in a "Baseball Perspectives" column entitled, "Red Sox could counter with Teixeira", offers the same advice that ESPN.com's Buster Olney was proffering yesterday, as Mr. Bauman writes that acquiring Teixeira might be a "public relations windfall" for the Nationals (or Orioles), but in Mr. Bauman's opinion:

"...it could be argued that both of those clubs are currently far enough off the pace that they should spread the money around and build up a sufficient base of talent, rather than investing it all in one player..."

What I'm really worried about is the negative press that could pour down upon the Nationals should they come up short in their efforts to acquire Teixeira, or if they should, say...come within $700,000 to $1 million dollars in their final offer and then balk...(ed. note - "That's an Aaron Crow reference, for any non-Nationals' fans who might be following along.")...or even worse, if Washington should not only fail to ink Tex, but also neglect to make any other real improvements on a roster that lost 102 games last season...One hundred and two...unless trading for "The Hammer" Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen was DC's big move of the winter?...What if Adam Dunn doesn't want to come to Washington? What if the Mets ditch Castillo and bring Orlando Hudson in to play second in Citi Field? What if the Nationals get done waiting for Teixeira to decide what he wants to do and end up with only the '09- equivalent of Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada left to choose from on the free agent market?

Last Night...In The Winter Leagues...

Jesus Flores was 0 for 1, striking out in a pinch hitting appearance for the Navegantes del Magallanes in a 3-1 win over Caribes de Anzoategui in Venezuelan Winter League action, and the Nationals' and Navegantes' backstop is now hitting hitting just .228 with 5 doubles, 1 HR and 10 RBI's in 26 games...Ronnie B!!! Ronnie Belliard was 2 for 4 Tuesday night as the Dominican Winter League's Tigres del Licey took an 8-2 win over Aguilas Cibaenas, with Belliard starting at third, scoring twice, walking and sporting a .365 AVG after the win...(Anderson Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a walk and a K, but he's still batting .365 for the Tigres, which just so happens to be the best AVG in the Dominican Winter League as of last night...he also leads the league in doubles with 19 in 46 games, and in triples with 6 so far...) (ed. note - Free Agent Fact: "Daniel Cabrera pitched 2.1 innings for Licey, allowing 6 hits, 1 run and 2 walks with 2 K's.") (Update...Hernandez was 2 for 4 Wednesday, Belliard - 1 for 4 in a loss...)...and finally, in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, DC prospect Garrett Guzman started in left for the Criollos de Caguas Tuesday night and he went 1 for 2 with a double, his 7th, an RBI and a run scored in a 10-3 Caguas' win over the Cangrejeros de Santucre. Guzman's now hitting .289 over 28 games in which he's collected the 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR's and 16 RBI's. Guzman's teammate, Justin Maxwell, was 0 for 1 in a pinch hit appearance, and is now hittting .213.

What say you, Teixeira?

Washington Nationals: Weekend News In Review...Rule 5, The MLB.com Top 50, and A Clue in The Federalbaseball.com Mystery.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:33:17 -0000

RULE 5 Draft's Coming...

Did you know that former DC reliever Luis Ayala was a Rule 5 Draft pick? The Expos plucked him out of Arizona's system after the 2002 season. Ayala and DC catcher Jesus Flores are on the "Honorable Mention" list in MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo's recent article entitled, "Rule 5 Draft uncovers future stars", where Mr. Mayo compiles a list of the Top 10 Rule 5 picks since 1990. Jesus Flores was swiped from the NY Mets' system after the '06 season and he's stayed in DC after playing 79 games in '07 and beating out veterans Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada for the starting spot in '08. Flores is currently competing in the Venezuelan Winter League with the Navegantes del Magallanes, where he's hitting .227 with 4 doubles, 1 HR and 7 RBI's in 21 games and 66 AB's. Which Mets', D-Backs', or Reds' or Indians' prospect will the Nationals' pluck out of obscurity this season?

Did You Know?

I was going over the list of MLB's Top 50 Prospects that was published in its completed form this past Friday, and after noting that no Nationals' prospects had made the list, I began to wonder if they were actually the only franchise without a representative, so I laboriously listed the 30 MLB teams on an erasable board and clicked through the list...since they don't have a MASTER LIST WITH TEAM NAMES!!.. and checked off each team as I went down...until I was finally left with a list of four teams, The Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros and your Washington Nationals, who did not have a prospect in their system that was ranked as one of the Top 50 in baseball by MLB.com...

...Of course, after I spent twenty minutes crossing teams off my board, I clicked on the link on MiLB.com that says, "Top 50 Breakdown" which took me Jonathan Mayo's article entitled, "Top 50 Prospects: behind the numbers", which has a neat list of all the teams and the number of prospects each organization has on the Top 50 list...Well, at least I came up with the correct list of four troubled franchises on my own...

...Oh, and the other day, in the first post I wrote about MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects list, I jokingly noted, after mentioning that they had counted down 29 players without mentioning a Nationals' prospects' name, that there wasn't any reason to worry, because, "I'm sure one of DC's guys was #51..." Well, actually, Mr. Mayo includes the list of #'s 51-60, and it turns out that the Nationals don't have a prospect in the Top 60 in baseball according to MLB.com...and the White Sox and Twins do...so only DC's Nationals and the Astros are absent completely from the Top 60 list...

We'll see where you put Strasburg on that list next year, Mr. Mayo.

UPDATE on the FEDERALBASEBALL.com Mystery...

Wikipedia is not wrong? How could they not be wrong? I found this today, at Pressbox.mlb.com, it's a pdf of RFK Stadium Facts...which includes a list of "RFK Stadium - Senators' Lasts", which has Dave Nelson listed as having scored the last Senators' run in RFK Stadium? How is this possible? Here is the box score again, courtesy of baseball-reference.com...9/30/71 Yankees at Senators....which clearly has Senators' second baseman Tom Ragland scoring on a sacrifice fly in the eighth before the game is called in the ninth...and not only that, in a "NOTE" below the list of Senators' lasts, it states, by way of qualifying, "All 'lasts' occured during the 9/30/71 game unless otherwise noted," and it's not otherwise noted on Dave Nelson's last run...What happened to Tom Ragland's run?

(ed. note - "I sent a question to baseball-reference.com, maybe they'll know the answer...")

The Winter Meetings start Monday...

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:31:08 -0000

Some things to read while watching out for giant inflatable bears.

If you're wondering where today's Winter League Update went, there isn't one. Everyone was off yesterday. The Update will be back tomorrow.

There are 74 more days until pitchers and catchers report, but only four more to vote in the BCB Reader Survey. Please take a moment to do so, if you haven't already.

As noted below, the Brewers offered arbitration to CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse yesterday, but declined to offer it to Eric Gagne. If Sabathia or Sheets sign with another team, the Brewers get one of thier draft picks (either in the bottom half of the first round or the top of the second), and a pick between the first and second rounds. If Shouse signs with another team, the Brewers just get a pick between the first and second rounds. Gagne is free to sign with anyone, no compensation required.

Also, as noted in the FanShots, the Brewers signed former Braves 1B Scott Thorman to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. Barring some sort of emergency, he likely won't appear above AAA in 2009.

Are you craving more CC Sabathia links? Rob Neyer wonders if Sabathia's weight and the New York media's tendencies to make fun of overweight athletes might make the Yankees a bad fit for the 290 lb lefty. Meanwhile, Peter Gammons is suggesting the Angels may court him by taking him to Del Taco.

Now, a moment to focus on Jason Kendall's defense. Beyond the Box Score says he saved 4.86 runs this season by blocking pitches, the third most in all of baseball. Kendall's actual block percentage is lower than a handful of other catchers, but Kendall saved more runs based on increased opportunity.

Via Rattler Radio, I noticed that MILB.com has started their Top 50 prospects list, and Jeremy Jeffress is #44. There's a joke here about being high on Jeffress, but I'll pass. Prospects 31-40 are due out today.

This year's Hall of Fame voters will see the smallest ballot ever, with only 23 players eligible for induction. Among ten first time candidates are former Brewers Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac and Greg Vaughn.

Lots of arbitration news, and some other stuff on the hot stove today:

Angels: Offered arbitration to Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera, Darren Oliver and Jon Garland, but not Garret Anderson.
Astros: Signed Mike Hampton to a one year deal.
Blue Jays: Offered arbitration to A.J. Burnett but not Gregg Zaun.
Braves: Declined to offer arbitration to John Smoltz.
Cardinals: Declined to offer arbitration to Russ Springer, Braden Looper and Jason Isringhausen.
Cubs: Declined to offer arbitration to Kerry Wood.
D-Backs: Offered arbitration to Orlando Hudson, Juan Cruz and Brandon Lyon, but not to Adam Dunn or Randy Johnson.
Dodgers: Offered arbitration to Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake but declined to offer it to Joe Beimel, Greg Maddux, Brad Penny and Jeff Kent.
Giants: Declined to offer arbitration to Rich Aurilia.
Marlins: Declined to offer arbitration to Luis Gonzalez, Paul Lo Duca and Arthur Rhodes. They may also be looking to trade Matt Treanor.
Mets: Offered arbitration to Oliver Perez but not Luis Ayala or Moises Alou. They also signed C Rene Rivera.
Padres: Declined to offer arbitration to Trevor Hoffman.
Phillies: Declined to offer arbitration to Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer. They also expressed interest in Mark Loretta.
Rangers: Offered arbitration to Milton Bradley.
Reds: Offered arbitration to David Weathers and extended an offer to Arthur Rhodes.
Rockies: Offered arbitration to Brian Fuentes.
Royals: Offered arbitration to Mark Grudzielanek.
Tigers: Declined to offer arbitration to Edgar Renteria.
Twins: Offered arbitration to Dennys Reyes.
White Sox: Offered arbitration to Orlando Cabrera, but not to Ken Griffey, Toby Hall or Juan Uribe.
Yankees: Declined to offer arbitration to all eight of their free agents, including Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi and Chad Moeller.

If you want to check my work or see all this information nicely color coded, Amazin' Avenue has you covered.

Also, the Hanshin Tigers have reportedly agreed to a deal with Kevin Mench.

On a sad note, Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers has passed away. He was 75.

Fire Brand of the American League recently interviewed Peter Gammons, and of course they asked him what he thinks of blogs. His response is moderately incoherent and rambles off onto a tangent, but I think it's possible he likes blogs...maybe?

Oh, and it took Kirbir and I, working together, an hour and a half to beat this game yesterday. Can you do better? I never would have gotten out of the bathroom without her.

Drink up.

Team-By-Team Arbitration Decisions

Eric Simon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:55:20 -0000

[Updated @ 11:18am: Astros, Reds, Phillies]: News of arbitration [non-]offers are trickling in, so whenever I hear something new I'll add it here. If you discover any on your own don't hesitate to include them in the comments, but be sure to provide a source. I'll update this list accordingly. I am only going to include Type A and Type B free agents, since the arbitration status of unranked players is inconsequential.

Players who were offered arbitration are listed in bold green (Type A) or green (Type B).
Players not offered arbitration are listed in bold red (Type A) or red (Type B).

Angels

Garret Anderson (MLB.com)
Jon Garland (MLB.com)
Darren Oliver (MLB.com)
Francisco Rodriguez (MLB.com)
Mark Teixeira (MLB.com)

Athletics

Alan Embree (MLB.com)
Frank Thomas (MLB.com)

Astros

Doug Brocail (MLB.com)
Mark Loretta (MLB.com)
Randy Wolf (MLB.com)

Blue Jays

A.J. Burnett (MLB.com)
Gregg Zaun (MLB.com)

Braves

John Smoltz (MLB.com)

Brewers

Eric Gagne (MLB.com)
C.C. Sabathia (MLB.com)
Ben Sheets (MLB.com)
Brian Shouse (MLB.com)

Cardinals

Jason Isringhausen (MLB.com)
Braden Looper (MLB.com)
Russ Springer (MLB.com)

Cubs

Bobby Howry (MLB.com)
Kerry Wood (MLB.com)

Diamondbacks

Juan Cruz (MLB.com)
Adam Dunn (MLB.com)
Orlando Hudson (MLB.com)
Randy Johnson (MLB.com)
Brandon Lyon (MLB.com)

Dodgers

Joe Beimel (MLB.com)
Casey Blake (MLB.com)
Jeff Kent (MLB.com)
Derek Lowe (MLB.com)
Greg Maddux (MLB.com)
Brad Penny (MLB.com)
Manny Ramirez (MLB.com)

Mariners

Raul Ibanez (MLB.com)

Marlins

Luis Gonzalez (MLB.com)
Paul Lo Duca (MLB.com)
Arthur Rhodes (MLB.com)

Mets

Moises Alou (MLB.com)
Luis Ayala (MLB.com)
Oliver Perez (MLB.com)

Padres

Trevor Hoffman (MLB.com)

Phillies

Pat Burrell (MLB.com)
Jamie Moyer (MLB.com)
Rudy Seanez (MLB.com)

Rangers

Milton Bradley (MLB.com)

Reds

David Weathers (MLB.com)

Red Sox

Paul Byrd (MLB.com)
Jason Varitek (MLB.com)

Rockies

Brian Fuentes (MLB.com)

Royals

Mark Grudzielanek (MLB.com)

Tigers

Edgar Renteria (MLB.com)

Twins

Dennys Reyes (MLB.com)

White Sox

Orlando Cabrera

Yankees

Bobby Abreu (MLB.com)
Mike Mussina (MLB.com)
Andy Pettitte (MLB.com)
Ivan Rodriguez (MLB.com)

Astros and the Free Agent Catching Market

DyingQuail — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:11:39 -0000

Yesterday was the first day to file for free agency and so yesterday is the first day we've been able to get a concrete idea of how the free agent market will look. The other day when I polled you to see what you thought was imperative for the Astros to do this season, at least one of you mentioned that you wanted to find a FA catcher to fill in for the dream team of JR Towles and Humberto Quintero. In all honesty, when I posted the poll, I didn't even consider the idea because I believed the FA catching market to be weak, old, and over-priced.

The list of those who filed for free agents yesterday from MLBTradeRumors (the link has full list of FA by position) pretty much confirms that there's just not anything better/worthwhile out there:

Brad Ausmus (40)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Brad Ausmus	81	216	15	47	8	0	3	24	25	41	0	2	.218	.303	.296

Paul Bako (37)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Paul Bako	99	299	30	65	11	2	6	35	34	90	0	2	.217	.299	.328

Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Rod Barajas	104	349	44	87	23	0	11	49	17	61	0	0	.249	.294	.410

Josh Bard (31)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Josh Bard	57	178	11	36	9	0	1	16	18	25	0	0	.202	.279	.270

Michael Barrett (32)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Michael Barrett	30	94	9	19	3	0	2	9	9	16	0	0	.202	.274	.298

Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Henry Blanco	58	120	15	35	3	0	3	12	6	22	0	0	.292	.325	.392

Johnny Estrada (33)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Johnny Estrada	23	53	0	9	0	0	0	4	1	4	0	0	.170	.200	.170

Toby Hall (33)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Toby Hall	41	127	7	33	3	0	2	7	6	19	0	0	.260	.304	.331

Jason LaRue (35)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Jason LaRue	61	164	17	35	8	1	4	21	15	20	0	0	.213	.297	.348

Paul Lo Duca (37) - Type B

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Paul Lo Duca	21	34	3	10	2	0	0	3	6	2	0	0	.294	.400	.353

Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.1MM buyout - Type B

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Miguel Olivo	84	306	29	78	22	0	12	41	7	82	7	0	.255	.278	.444

Ivan Rodriguez (37) - Type A

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Ivan Rodriguez	33	96	11	21	4	0	2	3	4	15	4	0	.219	.257	.323

David Ross (32)

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - David Ross	8	8	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	.125	.125	.125

Javier Valentin (33)

Jason Varitek (37) - Type A

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Jason Varitek	131	423	37	93	20	0	13	43	52	122	0	1	.220	.313	.359

Gregg Zaun (38) - Type B

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Gregg Zaun	86	245	29	58	12	0	6	30	38	38	2	1	.237	.340	.359

Is there any untapped potential in this list that I'm not seeing?

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:18:01 -0000

Here are some things to read while waiting for Monday's Mug.

So you may have heard that Ken Macha is the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Reaction from around the web:

In-Between Hops has some stats showing Macha's tendencies. The Cliff's Notes version: don't expect a lot of base stealing, pinch hitting or sac bunts. I'm ok with most of that. My question, though, is whether those stats are a function of Macha's management style or the environment in which he worked in Oakland.
Two-Fisted Slopper also uses the numbers to develop an expectation of what's to come.
The JS Blog has audio from the press conference.
If you like knowing what was said at press conferences but don't actually like to listen to things, Al also chronicled it for you.
Ken Rosenthal notes some problems Macha had with his veteran players in Oakland. The Brewers downplay it in this link.
View From Bernie's Chalet likes the contrast between Macha and Ned Yost.
The Brew Town Beat likes the move as well, but raises some questions about Macha's relationships and his aversion to small ball.

So now, the next question: what about Mike Maddux? Baseball Musings is reporting that Mike Maddux and Rick Peterson are both considering the jobs in Milwaukee and Texas, and the only question is who ends up where.

We're probably going to hear a bunch of stories like this for a while: "So, now that the Mariners have a GM that used to work for the Brewers, does that mean they'll trade for (Brewer)?" Today's name in the blank is J.J. Hardy. I'm not sure the Mariners could offer anything in return that would be interesting enough for me to be happy about the trade.

Of course, there is still a hole at third base. Beyond the Box Score says Russell Branyan was the 20th best third baseman in 2008, generating 11 runs with his bat and saving 2 in the field. Bill Hall doesn't crack the top 25.

Eric Seidman of FanGraphs has been compiling a list of his favorite highlights from this season. His #1 highlight is CC Sabathia. I think an awful lot of us agree.

Sabathia was not one of the five Brewers who filed for free agency yesterday, on the first day of fifteen when it's allowed. I've always felt like filing that early creates the feeling that you can't wait to run out the door. If you haven't read it yet, the five Brewers who did file yesterday were Eric Gagne, Gabe Kapler, Mike Lamb, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse. Here are some other players that filed for free agency yesterday:

Angels: Mark Teixiera, Garret Anderson, Jon Garland
Braves: Will Ohman, Greg Norton, Julian Tavarez
Cardinals: Braden Looper, Cesar Izturis, Felipe Lopez, Jason LaRue, Ron Villone, Russ Springer
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez, Joe Beimel, Casey Blake, Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux
Marlins: Paul Lo Duca
Mets: Oliver Perez, Damion Easley, Matt Wise
Nationals: Chad Cordero, Ryan Wagner, Pete Orr
Padres: Trevor Hoffman
Reds: Jeremy Affeldt, Mike Lincoln
Twins: Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes

UPDATE: Cubs Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Chad Fox and Bob Howry filed too.

Also, the White Sox declined Ken Griffey's option and the Tigers declined theirs on Edgar Renteria, so they're free agents too.

One trade has already been made: the Royals acquired 1B Mike Jacobs from the Marlins for RP Leo Nunez. Jacobs has above average power but a sub-.300 OBP.

Finally, how many players that can't handle the glove are in the Brewers' farm system? TheJay noted today that Brendan Katin posted a .926 fielding percentage in AAA this season, in the outfield. How is that possible?

Drink up.