SB Nation - Russ Springer

Ongoing Debate: The "Hidden" Value Of Veterans?

Nico — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:22:09 -0000

What better way to start off the weekend than to discuss a topic where two sides inevitably can't agree, won't change their minds no matter what is said, but will become heated to the point of speaking sharply with a tone that artfully blends agitation and petulance? Tomorrow's post: "Pro Choice Or Pro Life: Come On, You Know You Want To Change Your Opinion."

The debate begins when a team signs a Russ Springer (one example of "a Russ Springer" would be Russ Springer) or trades for a Kevin Millwood, and includes their "veteranness" as part of the perceived value they will bring to the team. The Millwood trade, and Baltimore's comments about the importance of bringing a "veteran presence" to the pitching staff, sparked the 912th debate on AN as to whether the "mental side" of the game has any actual impact on performance on a statistical or real level. Or is it just the usual psychobabble musings of a group too lazy or too into "vegan chi in yoga sauce" to realize that your ability to locate a fastball is more important than your ability to find a good pre-game warmup routine?

My thesis today (and it's my thesis that it is, and it's mine, and it's smaller in the beginning, then much much bigger in the middle, then smaller again at the far end, and it's mine) is that the value guys like Springer and Millwood (and Justice and Gant and Karros and Giambi) bring to a team is not all that "intangible" -- it comes in the form of teaching far more than it comes in the form of "presence and osmosis."

We know that pitching coaches, infield/outfield coaches, bullpen coaches, and roving instructors, all exist in order to teach, instruct, and mentor players. But baseball involves a lot of "peer teaching" too, and sometimes the teachers who are best equipped to help a young player understand how to grip a cutter, or handle an inning that is getting out of hand, or use batting practice well when they're in a slump, or read the movement of a pitch in order to get a quick first step on defense, is an active player who has "been there" and is even still "there" -- but who has, as part of their toolbag, the best teacher of all: Experience.

Some of the help Millwood offers the Orioles may be abstract and of arguable reality: "I watch the way he carries himself after a bad outing and I learn so much." But much of the help veteran players offer is concrete, in the form of conversations in the dugout or bullpen, or on the field during batting practice, about hitting, fielding, pitching, about late movement on pitches or a trick for blocking the plate, about how to get your hands to be quicker through the strike zone or how to use your lower body to add and subtract on your fastball.

These sound like the kinds of conversations and impromptu tutorials coaches should be having, but a lot of coaching comes from veteran peers. It's the nature of major league baseball and smart GMs know it. Billy Beane has brought veterans in to provide "more than just their physical skills" nearly every year for 10 years, and he does it for a reason. And it's not even that abstract or intangible -- it's just the nature of how a lot of teaching is passed on in major league baseball.

And just about everywhere else, too. I've learned some over the years by being taught, and I've learned a ton over the years by watching, and listening, while around colleagues whom I admired and respected. Why should baseball be any different?

Tampa Bay Rays Offer Type-B Free Agents Brian Shouse & Gregg Zaun Salary Arbitration; Designate Jeff Bennett for Assignment

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:52:40 -0000

Per Topkin's Twitter.

No big loss with Jeff Bennett if he's plucked off waivers. Could've been useful, turned out not to be. Such is a scene in the life of a right-handed middle reliever.

The bigger news is the Rays could stand to gain a pair of second round picks if Gregg Zaun and Brian Shouse decline salary arbitration and sign elsewhere. This also gives Zaun the chance to return if he accepts or if the two sides reach an agreement. He doesn't hit for a high average, home runs, or produce runs (in the sense of RBI, he gets on base which is about a zillion times more important in real person world) so arbitration may not be kind to his type. Shouse appears to be he more risky of the two, but we'll see.

Apparently no decision has been reached on Russ Springer, he too could bring the team an additional second round pick.

The deadline to tender players under team control is December 14th. The events of today sure don't look good for Dioner Navarro and Shawn Riggans.

Moments in Diamondbacks History: Randy Johnson K's 20

Jim McLennan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:15 -0000

"This was a game to put in a time capsule and let people of the future watch it."
-- Randy Johnson

Cincinatti	Arizona
1. Donnie Sadler, LF	1. Steve Finley, CF
2. Juan Castro, 1B	2. Jay Bell, 2B
3. Barry Larkin, SS	3. Luis Gonzalez, LF
4. Alex Ochoa, RF	4. Reggie Sanders, RF
5. Aaron Boone, 3B	5. Mark Grace, 1B
6. Ruben Rivera, CF	6. Damian Miller, C
7. Pokey Reese, 2B	7. Tony Womack, SS
8. Kelly Stinnett, C	8. Craig Counsell, 3B
9. Chris Reitsma, P.	9. Randy Johnson, P
Full boxscore

The MLB Network showed Randy Johnson's 20-strikeout game at the start of the month, part of a series of high-K outings. It provided a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era of Diamondbacks baseball

Look at the bottom of that Diamondbacks line-up. Ouch. We forget that, outside of Luis Gonzalez, the 2001 Diamondbacks were not great hitters. Among the regulars (250+ PA), the only ones with an OPS+ better than 92 were Gonzo (174), Sanders (117) and Grace (113) - this was a team driven by pitching, with an total ERA+ of 120. To put that into context, it's like every inning for Arizona that year was pitched by Jake Peavy, who has the same career ERA+. Of course and in particular, driven by Curt Schilling and Randy, who went 43-12. That number of wins by two team-mates hadn't been surpassed in the NL since Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry went 46-14 for the Giants in 1966 [and the AZ pair would beat that the following year, going 47-12!]

While ageless wonder Counsell is the only AZ position player still actively playing, there's a couple of semi-familiar names appearing for the Reds too. Donnie Sadler was the leadoff hitter for Cincinnati - the commentators were very enthusiastic about him, saying he was a highly touted Red Sox prospect at one point, also praising his wheels and arm [we'd see startling proof ot the former in this game]. He flamed out, however, his final AB being for Arizona in 2007. Reds' catcher, Kelly Stinnett was also a regular with the Diamondbacks from 1998-2000, and then returned to Arizona in 2005 as a back-up to Chris Snyder.

They mentioned that Castro was making his first start at first-base, outside of spring training, since 8th grade - even now, in his fifteen-year career, he has made just four there. Clearly, the aim was then, as now, to stack your line-up with as many right-handers as possible when facing Johnson, and hope the defense holds up. It didn't help much, with two strikeouts for the Reds in the first - though both came on fastballs, not the devastating slider Johnson was to unleash as the game went on. There was some early speculation by the commentators that Johnson was experiencing back pains earlier on.

The opposing starter for the Reds was Chris Reitsma. He was last seen in the majors in 2007, but played in the 2008 Olympics for Canada. This was his first year in the majors - and it's worth noting he allowed one run in eight innings of work, keeping his team in the game. Admittedly, he did fan eighteen less batters than Johnson, which I'm thinking has got to be a record for K disparity between starters ever. But hang on: a rookie starter giving the Diamondbacks' hitter fits, after barely a month in the major-leagues? Our ace getting basically no run support? Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

Two more strikeouts for Randy in the second inning, sandwiched around a brutal sawing-off of Boone's bat. A call from the play-by-play guy [curiously, they seemed to rotate a couple of guys in and out of that role, including Rod Allen] to "Stevie Gilbert" - presumably the stats guy - to find out how many K's Rivera had in his career against Johnson. Is this the same Steve Gilbert now covering the Diamondbacks for MLB.com? When Johnson fanned Stinnett in the third, that tied him with Bob Gibson for (then) 11th on the all-time list. The K of Reitsma which immediately followed, broke the tie.

Said Thom Brennaman at the start of the fourth, "I'm not sure we've seen three more dominant innings." Well,, the fourth probably extended the streak, with Johnson striking out the side. Barry Larkin, the third victim, had a spectacularly bad swing on 2-1, letting the bat and it ending up somewhere behind the umpire. The bat also helicoptered away from him on strike three. I also didn't realize how long the AFLAC trivia question has endured: the one for this game was, "How many NL MVP awards were won in the 1970's by the Reds?" The answer is six.

Gonzo wasted a chance in the bottom of the fourth: he tried to stretch a leadoff single down the left-field line into a double, but got gunned down by the Sadlerzooka . Meanwhile Johnson had fanned six in a row, tying his own franchise record, until Aaron Boone singled with one out in the fifth, ending a streak of 13 consecutive batters retired by Johnson. Boone then stole second, and was running to third on the pitch - a mistake by Johnson on an 0-2 count to Rivera. The RBI single which resulted frustrated the Big Unit, who clearly muttered to himself the rest of the inning, though no more harm was done.

The Diamondbacks did tie it up in the sixth and Johnson was involved, singling to lead things off. Though he was erased on a Finley fielder's choice, the upgraded speed on the basepaths might have been for the best, as our CF then went to third on a Bell single. Gonzo popped up with one out, swinging on a 3-0 pitch, but Sanders drove the run in with another hit. Enlivened by this, Johnson then struck our the next seven batters faced, setting the franchise record which he'd tied earlier: it took him 33 pitches, 25 of which were strikes.

In the middle of the streak the commentators started to wonder "What's going to happen with the Circle K-meter?" as it was only designed to handle sixteen K's. Impromptu banners proved the immediate solution - though between then and the end of 2002, it would overflow on four more occasions - three Big Unit starts, and one by Schilling. We haven't come close to challenging the K-meter since - the high-water mark for the Diamondbacks' pitchers at Chase over the past five seasons is only fourteen strikeouts.

In the eighth inning, the crowd seemed to realize what they were watching, with a 'Ran-dy, Ran-dy' chant going in the stands. However, It was only starting the ninth that Brennaman mentioned the record. After RJ struck out JCastro to end the inning, his 20th K, Johnson thrust his fist towards the sky, and yelled as he left the mound, a rare display of emotion. Of the strikeouts, eighteen were swinging, almost every one on pitches out of the zone. Zero walks. Yet he still ended with a no-decision: his Game Score of 97 remains the highest without the starter getting a W, since Nolan Ryan pitched ten shutout innings, and fanned 15 in August 1990, his Rangers eventually winning in 13.

Offensively, the Diamondbacks didn't do much. In the bottom of the eighth, Arizona had a chance, with Bell's two-out ground-rule double into the pool area. Gonzo was intentionally walked, and a wild pitch moved both runners up. There was some discussion of whether to pinch-hit for Sanders, likely with David Dellucci, but Reggie was left and flew out to center. One also wonders whether Johnson could have gone out there: he'd thrown 124 pitches, but in the seven starts that season, Johnson had averaged 120 pitches per start - his very next outing, he threw 145, perhaps making a point of some kind.

The issue was magnified because we had also played extra-innings the night before - the decision to lift Randy looked flaky, as Byung-Hyun Kim and Bret Prinz combined to walk the bases loaded in the tenth, before Prinz ended things. In the 11th, it looked like even more like the game was over. Two more walks and an error by pitcher Russ Springer on a bunt loaded the bases - for the second consecutive inning, without a Reds hit. A K gave us some hope, but Cincinnati scored two runs on a sacrifice fly, with Sadler tagging up and scoring all the way from second on a ball hit to the wall in deep left-center.

Fortunately, Reds closer Danny Graves, coming off 1.2 innings the night before, couldn't get it done - back-to-back singles by Bell + Gonzalez led things off, and a failed Sanders bunt later, Mark Grace doubled both men home. Two walks - one intentional - loaded the bases, and Graves then faced the last man available off the Diamondbacks' bench. Matt Williams. He worked the count full, hen ripped one down the left-field line, foul by inches. However, the next pitch from Graves was down and away, a bases-loaded walkoff walk, something which has only happened for us five other times in franchise history [most recently on September 9th this year, when current 3B Mark Reynolds walked his way to victory against the Dodgers].

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Johnson, +55.9%
Honorable mentions: Grace, +33.7%; Williams, +33.6%;
Bell, +24.0%; Prinz, +12.0%, Swindell, +10.7%
God-emperor of suck: Russ Springer, -33.2%
Dishonorable mentions: Finley,-18.9%; Colbrunn, -13.7%;
Sanders, -13.3%; Miller, -11.0%

Post-game quotes:

"They told us to lay off his slider and hit his fastball, but, man, you couldn't tell the difference until it was on top of you, and then it was too late, He was throwing 97 mph fastballs and 88 mph sliders and all you could do was say, 'Oh, God.'" -- Reds outfielder Alex Ochoa
"I feel blessed to have seen this twice. When a guy is pitching like that, you put your glove on top of your head because you are not going to need it." -- Mark Grace, who was also playing first-base in the game where Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters.
"It was ridiculous. You know, he throws that batting-practice fastball 92 or 93, and there were a lot of times tonight I thought he was throwing his fastball that speed, and it was 98. It was so easy, with no effort, on any of his pitches, sliders, everything." -- Steve Finley
"I was asked if I wanted to go out there and saw no point in going out there for the 10th inning, I surely could have went out there and done it, but what was the point in going out there and throwing 10 innings? I really didn't see it." -- Randy Johnson

I really enjoyed watching the game, and it was fun to see the likes of Kim, Bell [who went 3-for-5 and saw 31 pitches!] and Grace [supremely clutch in the 11th]. However, it was Johnson's night and a great reminder of exactly how dominating the Big Unit was at his peak - he had more strikeouts (372) that seasonthan Reitsma had in his entire eight-year career. I certainly hope to see more Diamondbacks' coverage on the MLB Network - I can think of several other contests which would certainly deserve repeating on the channel.

Carl Crawford, Brian Shouse, Gregg Zaun, and Russ Springer Each Receive Type-B Status

R.J. Anderson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:33:38 -0000

Per Ed Price.

Crawford won't reach free agency, Zaun and Shouse have options which may be declined, and Springer is a true free agent. The questions now are whether any of them will be offered arbitration in order to gain a supplemental round compensation pick. Given his age (and potential salary) it seems rather unlikely Shouse gets offered. The same can probably be said for Springer. We'll see though.

Some more thoughts:

LaTroy Hawkins is a Type-A free agent. He will cost some team a first round pick if they decide (for whatever reason) they need him. Adrian Beltre is a Type-B and won't cost a pick. You know, I really cannot wait until someone like Boston focuses on adding Beltre for less than his market value and then doesn't have to give up a pick to get him. Please Phillies, win him for us.
Chan Ho Park, Kiko Calero, and Brandon Lyon are Type-B free agents.
Billy Wagner, Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, Octavio Dotel, Rafael Soriano, Kevin Gregg, and John Grabow are Type-As.
Jason Kendall, Jason Varitek, and Rod Barajas hold the same compensation type as Carl Crawford. No, really.

The 2009 'Pitties: Game of the Year

Jim McLennan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:35 -0000

by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Gerardo Parra tried to dodge a pounding after a walk-off hit in the 10th inning against the Dodgers on August 15th.

View full size photo »

Not quite as close a poll for the second of the 2009 'Pitties. The B-bullpen of Jon Rauch, Esmerling Vasquez, Clay Zavada and Leo Rosales swept majestically to a collective victory, for their nine innings of no-hit ball in the marathon against the Padres. The same game is also nominated in this week's category.

One of the good things about baseball having a 162-game schedule is that, even in a disappointing year like the Diamondbacks experienced in 2009, there will still be contests which we remember with great fondness [contrast any 'Game of the Year' poll for the Detroit Lions last season, which I imagine made kinda wretched reading...] Arizona still won 70 games, and included among them were blowouts, squeakers, comebacks, slugfests, pitching duels and marathons.

After the jump, you'll find our selection of the five best games of the 2009 season described in detail - the link goes to the recap of the contest in question.

May 16th: Max finally tastes victory, vs. ATL

Only twice since 2002 has the team scored a dozen or more and shutout the opposition - oddly, both times were against the Braves. Here, a 12-0 victory was important, not just for the offensive outburst, but because it gave Max Scherzer his first career win, in his fourteenth start. However, it was only late on that it became a sure thing: when he was lifted for a PH in the seventh, after six innings of four-hit ball, it was only 3-0 to Arizona. However, the offense then piled onto the Atlanta bullpen, tagging them fror nine earned runs over the final seven outs, capped by Chris Snyder's grand-slam in the ninth. This was the largest winning margin for the Diamondbacks since 2006.
May 23rd: biggest comeback of the year, vs. OAK

Arizona had more than their fair share of opposition recoveries inflicted on them in 2009 (44 blown leads in all, ahead only of Washington in the NL), but this was our biggest comeback of the year. We trailed the A's 5-1 going into the eighth, having been stifled by, of all people, former D-back Edgar Gonzalez. However, another ex-Arizonan, veteran Russ Springer, was tagged for three runs without retiring a batter, and we tied things up on a two-run Chad Tracy double. We scored three times in the 11th, but Chad Qualls made it interesting, allowing two runs to score and putting the tying run on third with one out. A ground-ball double-play allowed him and Arizona to escape, 8-7.
June 7th: the game without end, vs SDP

I think the fangraph is all we need here, as we blew a 6-0 lead, allowing five runs in the ninth, then traded zeroes with San Diego until the 18th, where Mark Reynolds' three-run shot off a utility infielder won it for the Diamondbacks, five hours and 45 minutes after the first pitch. Madness? This is Petco!
August 15th: the late, late show, vs. LAD

Jonathan Broxton came into the ninth with 25 saves in 29 opportunities, and having allowed just two home runs in his previous 97 innings, going all the way back to June 2008. With a 3-1 lead - Hiroki Kuroda having out-duelled Doug Davis - things looked bleak for the home outfit, especially after Gerardo Parra's K reduced our WP to 5%. However, Mark Reynolds then deposited the first delivery he saw into the bleachers, and three pitches later, Miguel Montero followed suit, tying the game up. Parra then redeemed himself, driving in the winning run with one down in the bottom of the tenth, sealing the Diamondbacks' first series victory over the Dodgers for more than a year.
August 29th: Garland and Upton and Reynolds, oh my! vs. HOU

Seven shutout innings from Jon Garland - not just his best start in a Diamondbacks' jersey, but also his last before getting traded to LA. Mark Reynolds became the first Arizona batter since 2001 to hit forty home-runs in a season. And Justin Upton hit his 21st blast, four days after no longer being 21 himself. On Luis Gonzalez Appreciation Day and in front of the fourth-biggest home crowd of the year to that point, the D-backs rolled to a 9-0 win over the Astros. This was SnakePitFest 2: Clay Zavada pitched a scoreless eighth in front of the mustached ranks of the Zavada Brigade and team president Derrick Hall stopped by to say hello. Yeah, not too bad a day, all told...

Poll

What was the Game of the Year for the Diamondbacks in 2009?

May 16th: Max finally tastes victory, vs. ATL

5 votes

May 23rd: biggest comeback of the year, vs. OAK

13 votes

June 7th: the game without end, vs SDP

25 votes

August 15th: the late, late show, vs. LAD

14 votes

August 29th: Garland and Upton and Reynolds, oh my! vs. HOU

10 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Are These the Guys We Wanted?

Jesse — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:01:00 -0000

Every year we have a little wish-list of guys we hope the organization targets. Here are a select few who garnered interest from Twinkie Town or from the Twins organization. In no particular order...

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Juan Cruz	3-4	46	0	0	0	2	4	50.1	46	34	32	6	29	38	5.72	1.49

He's always been a bit of a loose cannon, but at least he was striking out people with such regularity and consistency that he could get himself out of as much trouble as he got himself into. This year the strikeout rate was nearly cut in half, his LOB& dropped from 83.6% in 2007 to a miserable 62.1% this season. He was around the strike zone more often, hitters stopped swinging at anything he threw outside of the strike zone and contact was way up. It was a bad season for Cruz, and suffice it to say I'm glad the Twins didn't gamble here.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Joe Crede	90	333	42	75	16	1	15	48	29	56	0	0	.225	.289	.414

I think we pretty much got what we expected out of Joe. He was a good defender when he was on the field (15.9 UZR/150), and was a power bat you had to show some respect if you were a pitcher who survived the first half of the Minnesota batting order. Too bad he wasn't around for the post-season, we could have used him.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Orlando Hudson	149	551	74	156	35	6	9	62	62	99	8	1	.283	.357	.417

Hot start, and that led to a pretty decent season for the 32-year old second baseman. The Dodgers phased him out toward the end of the season. His defense was better than last year, but was still just south of average if we go by his -2.9 UZR/150. His $3.38 million base salary wasn't bad, but if he signed for that to play with the Dodgers then I'm sure the Twins would have had to pony up a bit more. His incentives made it possible for the year to be worth a full $10 million, all based around plate appearances: $150K for reaching both the 150 and 175 plate appearance mark; $200 K for every 25 plate appearances from 200 - 300; $250 K for every 25 from 325 - 575; $10,000 for EVERY SINGLE plate appearance from 576 - 632. How many PA's did he have this year? 631.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Russ Springer	0-1	48	0	0	0	0	1	41.2	52	20	19	5	14	47	4.10	1.58

Great walk and strikeout rates, but he was an extreme fly-ball pitcher again this year and allowed a bunch of homers as a result--19 is enough for a guy who pitches 200 innings, much less 41.2. His breaking balls and off-speed pitches were almost non-existant, making almost exclusively a two-pitch pitcher with his fastball and cutter. Lots of good peripherals for Springer though, and so even though he'll be 41 in November he should still get some interest in the coming months.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jarrod Washburn Mariners Tigers	8-6 1-3	20 8	20 8	1 0	1 0	0 0	0 0	133.0 43.0	109 51	42 35	39 35	11 12	33 16	79 21	2.64 7.33	1.07 1.56

W-L

SHO

ERA

WHIP

2009 - Jarrod Washburn

Mariners

Tigers

8-6

1-3

133.0

43.0

109

2.64

7.33

1.07

1.56

There were a lot, and I mean a LOT of rumors tying Washburn to the Twins last winter. As good as he was with the Mariners this season, seeing how horrendous he was in his short stint with the Tigers just confirms exactly how much Minnesota didn't need him around. He may have lucked the Twins into an extra win or two early in the season, but he would have given them right back at the end of the year when it counted: barely five inning a start, almost as many runs as he'd had in three times the innings, a disgusting number of homers...no, thank you.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Ty Wigginton	122	410	44	112	19	0	11	41	23	57	1	2	.273	.314	.400

The walks dipped slightly after a career year in 2008, but it was the power that literally just disappeared. He couldn't hit fastballs, which is never good, but he wasn't really having success no matter which pitch type he'd swing at. Wigginton's overall contact percentage was constant, and he was even swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone, but he was making more contact on the ones he did swing at. Which, probably, meant easier outs. It looks like Wigginton's pitch selection just disappeared this year, along with his power, and along with a little bit of bad luck (or maybe just not as much luck as he had last year) his numbers took a major dip. He's a guy I really wanted the Twins to go after.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Nomar Garciaparra	65	160	17	45	8	0	3	16	8	28	2	0	.281	.314	.388

This could be the end for Nomar. I did entertain the idea of picking him up for a bench option, as a guy who could start as a DH versus southpaws while playing a couple innings at third here and there. Another one of my crackpot ideas, clearly.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Casey Blake	139	485	84	136	25	6	18	79	63	116	3	4	.280	.363	.468

Knowing what we know now, seeing how decent of a year Blake had, would you sign him to the deal the Dodgers did? I said no when it happened, and in spite of his good year I wouldn't change my answer. Three years plus an option in 2012, that at a minimum will pay out $17.5 million dollars including '12's buyout...and in reality it's still probably safe to say that Minnesota would have had to beat that offer somehow land Blake in a Twins uniform.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Mike Lincoln	1-1	19	0	0	0	0	0	23.0	29	21	21	7	19	9	8.22	2.09

His name came up just before the Winter Meetings kicked up. Not good, ladies and gents, not good.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Garrett Atkins	126	354	37	80	12	1	9	48	41	58	0	0	.226	.308	.342

Definitely dodged a bullet here.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Adrian Beltre	111	449	54	119	27	0	8	44	19	74	13	2	.265	.304	.379

No doubt this was a bad, bad year for Adrian, but considering his prowess with the glove (14.7 UZR/150) I can still see the Twins showing some interest. He'll be 31 next season, so a breakout season is likely out of the cards but I do believe he could quite easily be a moderately productive offensive third baseman. But considering how much the Twins would have had to give up to get him last winter, it's a good thing they didn't work it out.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Miguel Tejada	158	635	83	199	46	1	14	86	19	48	5	2	.313	.340	.455

I'm not sure Tejada would have had this good of a season in the American League, but no doubt 46 doubles is a fantastic number and slightly off-sets his steady but definitely suppressed power numbers over the last few years. Still, the reason the Twins didn't continue to pursue him during the Winter Meetings was because of what the Astros, allegedly, were asking for in return. And I know that last winter, given the option between Tejada and Crede for third base, I'd have gone with Crede.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Orlando Cabrera Athletics Twins	101 59	414 242	41 42	116 70	23 13	0 3	4 5	41 36	25 11	39 32	11 2	4 0	.280 .289	.318 .313	.365 .430

RBI

AVG

OBP

SLG

2009 - Orlando Cabrera

Athletics

Twins

101

414

242

116

.280

.289

.318

.313

.365

.430

O-Cab finished strong with the Twins. Having him all season would have been better than who we had on board, and we found out the kind of fire, energy and leadership he can bring to a team. He's someone guys like Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla can look up to as a leader. My hesitation in wanting him back in 2010 has to deal with A) how much money he wants and B) how much worse his range can get. But yes, this is a guy that, in hindsight, would have been a good addition. At the same time I know that had the Twins brought him in last winter, I'd be wondering why they didn't try for someone better. Just goes to show you how perspective can change your mind.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Jack Wilson Pirates Mariners	75 31	266 107	26 11	71 24	18 5	1 0	4 1	31 8	15 6	31 17	2 1	1 0	.267 .224	.304 .263	.387 .299

RBI

AVG

OBP

SLG

2009 - Jack Wilson

Pirates

Mariners

266

107

.267

.224

.304

.263

.387

.299

Very good defense at shortstop (15.3 UZR/150), but miserable offense. He's the kind of guy that, with a better offense around him or more depth off the bench, I'd be happy to have as a starter. I didn't want him last season, but knowing what I know now I think I probably could have dealt with what he brings to the table. Middle infield talent was clearly an issue this season.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Mark DeRosa Indians Cardinals	71 68	278 237	47 31	75 54	13 10	0 1	13 10	50 28	29 18	63 58	1 2	1 1	.270 .228	.342 .291	.457 .405

RBI

AVG

OBP

SLG

2009 - Mark DeRosa

Indians

Cardinals

278

237

.270

.228

.342

.291

.457

.405

Would DeRose continued to have a good season had he spent an entire season in the American League? Who knows, but considering Cleveland got him for a song I'm still shocked the Twins didn't move on him. Maybe they just didn't like him for one reason or another, but I was a fan. No doubt he'd have spent his whole season in Minnesota had be been healthy.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Kevin Kouzmanoff	141	529	50	135	31	1	18	88	27	106	1	0	.255	.302	.420

Quite a bit of chatter about Kouz around the Winter Meetings, and I know some people were fans. I wasn't. His defense wasn't bad at third this year, but offensively he's a guy like Crede--pop but no real on-base skills.

Is there anyone that I've missed? Just a little nostalgic look at last year's off-season, making me wonder what does this one have in store? I'm thinking...well, I'm thinking something to do with one of the best-hitting catchers of all time.

I'll catch you all later.

Thursday TCB Trivia Question: Flashback to the 1999 NLDS, Braves vs. Astros

HighLeveragePerformer — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:17:45 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Chipper's still alive and kicking with the Braves, but he wasn't the hero in Game 3 of the '99 NLDS

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Answers:

Carl Everett, Tony Eusebio and Ricky Gutierrez

Braves' SS: Walt Weiss

Y'all are too good. Bottom line.

After last week's "easy" trivia question, hopefully this one is a little tougher for ya's. Here it is:

In 1999, the Astros played the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Unfortunately, the Braves would win the series 3-1 and would go on to represent the NL in the World Series.

In Game 3 of the series, the teams were tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 10th inning. Russ Springer (yes, he really did play on every ML team) was on the mound for the Bravos, and Jeff Bagwell led off for our Astros. The inning began like this:

Bags walked (runner on first, no outs)
Ken Caminiti singled (runners on first and second, no outs)
Stan Javier would single on an attempted sacrifice to first base (bases loaded, no outs)

Before the next Astro could bat, Bobby Cox would stride to the mound, take the ball from Springer and hand it to John Rocker. Although he was known as a kooky, closed-minded, racist-type, Rocker was a damn good relief pitcher for Atlanta. On this night, with some help from his defense, Rocker would live up to that billing in shutting down the Astro rally. Not a run would cross the plate, and subsequently the Braves won the game and the series.

My question for you all, is this:

Can you name the three Astros who would go down in order to finish out the inning?

Too random? I'll give you a hint, all three players were "up the middle" defenders.

Bonus question: The play of the series was made by the Braves' shortstop with one out in the tenth. This player ranged far to his left, fielded a sharp ground ball and threw home to force out Caminiti at home. Name that Braves shortstop.

Sweep Emotion! Tigers 5, Rays 3

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon asks first base umpire Eric Cooper after the game if he can still make another pitching change. Okay, not really. But Maddon might want to call a Mulligan on that eighth inning, in which Brandon Inge hit a grand slam for the Tigers.

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Does anyone else have Journey running through their head right now?

Don't stop believin'... Hold on to that feelin'...

I know I'm not the only one. C'mon. Don't be shy.

For the second consecutive Sunday, the Detroit Tigers brought out the big stick for some late-game heroics. Last week in Detroit, it was Placido Polanco's three-run homer in the eighth that stole a victory from the Tampa Bay Rays. Today, Brandon Inge got to wear the cape.

Inge was looking like an unlikely hero heading into the ninth inning, given that he was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. He was getting fitted for the ol' golden sombrero. But with the bases loaded, Russ Springer had to give Inge something to hit after trying to get him to chase two pitches high and out of the strike zone. Springer then hung a slider out over the plate, Inge didn't miss it, crushing it to left for a grand slam.

Just like that, it can change. Especially when facing that Rays bullpen.

The Tigers were down 3-1 in that fateful ninth inning. But as with the other games in this series, they hung around until Joe Maddon brought in the wrong reliever to give up the big hit. This time, it was Springer. He can commiserate with Randy Choate, J.P. Howell, and Grant Balfour. Detroit has been equal opportunity destroyers in their seven games versus Tampa.

One week into September, the Tigers now have the look of a team coming together. We wondered how this team would respond to the pressure of the pennant race, with the Twins and White Sox seemingly ready to pounce on a late-season downfall. Obviously, there's still plenty of baseball left to be played. But winning the first six games of September, including a sweep of the defending AL champs in their ballpark, certainly sets the tone.

So does a seven-game first-place lead on Labor Day.

Roar:

Okay, we've talked plenty about the offensive heroics, but what about the pitching? Edwin Jackson came into today's game struggling a bit. But against his former team for the first time (one night after receiving his AL championship ring from the Rays), Jackson looked more like the pitcher who's helped lead this playoff drive. Throwing eight innings - his longest outing in his last seven starts - he held the Rays to three runs and six hits.

And how about Brandon Lyon? The guy who was presumably signed in the offseason to be the Tigers' closer notched his second straight save, filling in for Fernando Rodney. Once again, Tigers fans were treated to a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Comment of the Day:

Oh, there are just so many options to choose from. But let's go with the first one to express this sentiment.

inge

gets a whimper for tonight. but hey, the 8th is coming up and their bullpen is coming in…
by mrsunshine

Oh, we tease because we love. Besides, it's not like he was the only one.

Hey, I'm the guy who stopped watching the game early for "family time." Bah. Family. Why don't I just stick with that which brings me joy? But I did have a feeling (and thanks to ahtrap for pointing that out).

By the way, if you want to see some great burying of the lede, check out the recap at DRaysBay. Again, we tease with love.

Wade Davis shines in debut

Eli Greenspan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:08:12 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

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In his major league debut, Rays starter Wade Davis pitched seven strong innings of one run ball while striking out nine.

"He really did a wonderful job," Maddon said. "Honestly I didn't know he'd be able to do that. But he did, and he did it in fine fashion. He was really good."

With some definite holes in the rotation for next season, this is the perfect opportunity for the 25 year-old (tomorrow) to put his name into consideration for the spot. Davis was well deserving of the call up after going 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 140 strike outs in 158.2 innings pitched.

Davis was denied the win, however, after relievers Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, and Russ Springer failed to close out the game. The Florida-native seemed calm and ready, and defintely caught the attention of coaches and executives in Rays organization.

"I felt relaxed," Davis said. "I threw strikes -- that was my biggest goal, just get ahead. I gave my team the chance to win the game."

Russ Springer's Added Value

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00:14 -0000

One benefit to the Russ Springer deal that slipped my mind until now. Even if the Rays don't make the playoffs and Springer decides he doesn't like this Bay Area too much, if the Rays offer him arbitration and he declines, then they would net a sandwich pick for their efforts. Well, no team is going to give up a draft pick for Russ Springer, which is why the good news is that they won't have to. Remember how the Rays signed Brian Shouse last off-season, and the Brewers gained a compensatory pick that didn't affect the Rays in the least bit? That's the situation we'd be looking at with Springer. Yes, he's old, yes he's only a reliever, but the Type-B** distinction wouldn't affect his attractiveness to potential suitors.

Now, just to figure out whether he'd actually accept arbitration or not.

*The Brewers pick was number 47. That's right, the Brewers picked 47^th overall for losing Brian Shouse, a LOOGY, meanwhile the Nationals second round pick was number 50. Makes total sense, right?

**The ranking is courtesy of Eddie Bajek's projections.