SB Nation User Blog: sdp

Tommy Hanson is destroying the AFL

sdp — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:58:35 -0000

Tommy Hanson faced the highly-regarded Phil Hughes (NYY) yesterday in the AFL Rising Stars game. Hanson pitched three no-hit innings, striking out seven men. Joel Sherman of the NY Post writes:

A scout in attendance claimed Hughes is not even in the same league as Hanson, saying about the 22-year-old righty [Hanson]: “He is at least a number two starter. He has plus stuff and plus command. He throws his fastball 90-94 (mph), but smartly adds in two-seamers at 89-90. He has a plus slider and a plus curveball. He mixes his pitches well. He has poise. He has smarts. He puts the ball where he wants. To me the Braves have no choice, he should be in their rotation next year.”

Hanson's AFL line: 2-0, 11.2 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 21 SO (See: dominance)

Forget Jake Peavy.

Hanson could fizzle at the major-league level, but all signs are pointing to us having one hell of a pitcher in our posession.

Casey Kotchman

sdp — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:14:42 -0000

Casey Kotchman

Tommy John recommended for Hudson

sdp — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:44:55 -0000

The news comes from Dave O'Brien of the AJC:

Two doctors who have examined Braves pitcher Tim Hudson have advised him to have ligament-transplant elbow surgery, a procedure that would force the veteran to miss the rest of this season and probably more than half of the 2009 season, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

A dye-injection MRI done Monday showed a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, an injury that typically requires "Tommy John" ligament-transplant surgery and a 12-month recovery period.

Really, what is there to say? This will make three Tommy John's (Mike Gonzalez, Peter Moylan, and now Hudson) in two seasons for the Braves, and all three have been performed on players who are key components to a contending club. Speechless...

Angelic?

sdp — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:28:36 -0000

Angelic?

Mark Teixeira leaving the Braves' parking lot after being traded. Best of luck, Tex.

sdp — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:32:07 -0000

Mark Teixeira leaving the Braves' parking lot after being traded. Best of luck, Tex.

Teixeira reflections

sdp — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:34:00 -0000

I just wanted to create a post to reflect on what a pleasure it's been to watch Mark Teixeira in a Braves uniform. We could very well be seeing the last days of his tenure as an Atlanta Brave and I thought a reflection post was appropriate.

What's your favorite memory of the Teixeira days in Atlanta? Vote in the poll or add your own below.

Seventy-five words. Seventy-five words. Seventy-five words.

Poll

What's your favorite memory of the Teixeira days in Atlanta?

Tex's three-run shot and curtain call in his Braves debut

33 votes

Tex's three-homer game versus the Mariners in June

7 votes

Tex's series against the Reds in August '07 where he hit three monster homers and drove in nine runs

3 votes

Tex's appearance in the dugout on July 31st

20 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Sorry, Kosuke, you're not a rookie

sdp — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:42:01 -0000

If there's one thing I dislike about Japanese baseball players coming to the States, it's the automatic "rookie" tag each one carries with him. I'm not the first to raise the issue and won't be the last.

Consider each of the following players and his Japanese League career statistics:

Hideo Nomo: 139 G, 78-46 (.629), 1051.1 IP, 80 CG, 3.15 ERA
Ichiro Suzuki: 951 G, 3619 AB, 1278 H, 118 HR, 529 RBI, .353 AVG
Hideki Matsui: 1268 G, 4572 AB, 1390 H, 332 HR, 889 RBI, .304 AVG
Kosuke Fukudome: 1074 G, 3852 AB, 1175 H, 192 HR, 647 RBI, .305 AVG

(Stats from JapaneseBaseball.com)

As evidenced from the numbers above, each one of these players had extensive experience in the Japanese leagues before coming to the Majors. The level of competition and the quality of play in the Japanese leagues is very high, as evidenced by the seamless transition many Japanese players have made in his transition to the major leagues.

This transition is nowhere near the equivalent of the transition from AAA to the Majors or the same from AA. Yet, these athletes with remarkable numbers overseas are allowed to come to the States as "rookies."

I don't think so.

Who are the rookies?

Brent Lillibridge is a rookie.

So is Jair Jurrjens.

Geovany Soto? He's a rookie.

Ryan Braun was a rookie.

Albert Pujols had approximately a single season of professional baseball under his belt before making it to the big leagues and winning the 2001 Rookie of the Year Award. He was a rookie.

Rafael Furcal had only 10 at-bats at the AA level before winning the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award. He was a rookie.

Hideo Nomo, with all that experience and success in the Japanese leagues, won the 1995 Rookie of the Year Award, edging Chipper Jones, who had missed the entire 1994 season with a knee injury after a brief minor league career.

In 1995, a player with over 1000 innings pitched and 78 wins won the Rookie of the Year. In 2001, a player with over 3600 AB and a .350+ AVG in his career won the award, beating none other than a sensational rookie pitcher by the name of Carsten Charles Sabathia.

Take a look at those numbers again.

Nomo was not a rookie in 1995. Ichiro was not a rookie in 2001. Though he didn't win the award, Matsui was not a rookie in 2003...

And Kosuke Fukudome, in all his glorified Cubiness, is not a rookie in 2008.

The prestige and honor of this award is in danger if the rules for classification as a rookie doesn't change to eliminate future transplants from being considered as rookies.

MRI reveals inflamed rotator cuff for Escobar

sdp — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:42:57 -0000

Per the AJC:

An MRI on Yunel Escobar's left shoulder has showed an inflamed rotator cuff, and the young shortstop is considered day-to-day, according to Braves spokesman Brad Hainje.

....

The Braves are hopeful that the three games Escobar missed in San Diego plus four games off during the All-Star break will have him recovered and back in the lineup before long. The Braves open the second half with a three-game series at home against the Nationals on Friday.

Seems to be nothing too serious. The series off in San Diego and the rest of the All-Star break should do him good.

Home Run Derby predictions

sdp — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:38:35 -0000

Winners win....nothing.

Contestants

- Lance Berkman, Astros (switch)
- Ryan Braun, Brewers (righty)
- Josh Hamilton, Rangers (lefty)
- Evan Longoria, Rays (righty)
- Justin Morneau, Twins (lefty)
- Grady Sizemore, Indians (lefty)
- Dan Uggla, Marlins (righty)
- Chase Utley, Phillies (lefty)

Yankee Stadium

via www.baseball-almanac.com

Lefties will have the advantage in this park. Righties have a short porch in left field, too, but the left-center field fence is deeper than the right-center field fence.

I wish Morneau wasn't in the derby this year. Surely someone else could have been able to participate. He was pathetic last year in San Fransisco. I would have liked to have seen B-Mac in there.

Chris Resop sold to Hanshin Tigers

sdp — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:27:59 -0000

Resop excited about opportunity in Japan:

The Tigers, it seems, had been waiting to ask since the Braves designated him for assignment on May 26.

Resop said the team, based about 250 miles southwest of Tokyo near Osaka, had been scouting him since he cleared waivers and reported to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Richmond, Va.

He’d done little to disappoint since, having gone 2-0 while posting a 1.50 ERA and throwing seven scoreless innings in two starts since being thrown into the rotation.

Word reached Resop of the Tigers’ interest, and his agent told the Braves he’d be open to the move. The clubs finalized the sale on Monday, a procedural move that means when Resop fulfills his contract — which could run anywhere from the rest of 2008 to two more years, he said — he can return to the United States as a free agent, open to sign with the team of his choice.

Source: Naples Daily News