Just a Note on Troy Tulowitzki's Comments

Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies made some waves this week with some comments that he made during batting practice. This is what he was quoted as saying in the article Troy Tulowitzki says "something needs to change" with Rockies before 2015 by Nick Groke from the Denver Post dated August 8, 2012:

"I think that's why I came out numerous times and said I want to win," Tulowitzki said. "It doesn't mean I want out of here. It means I'm sick and tired of losing.
"Something needs to change. Hopefully that comes fairly quickly. You can't force it. But at the same time, we're all frustrated with this year — especially me."

While I see his point, here is what I think. How about Tulo look at not only himself but his teammate Carlos Gonzalez for where the problem lies. How about both of those players put together a COMPLETE season of playing with each other before he complains that he's tired of losing. Both of these players, if healthy (and that's a BIG if) can dominate the entire league.

There might not be a better 3-4 combination in the league but its hard to tell because both of them spend so much time on the disabled list. Its hard for the team because both of those players are so injury prone that even if the team plays good ball, its hard to maintain that because their presence in the lineup is missed.

Not counting his rookie season of 2006, since 2007 Tulowitzki has only had three seasons where he's played in more than 140 games AND had more than 600 at-bats. That came in 2007, 2009, 2011. In the other four seasons, Tulowitzki has played in 101 games in 2008, 122 games in 2010, 47 games in 2012 and 91 games this season.

Add to this that Carlos Gonzalez while playing in Colorado with Tulowitzki hasn't had a season with more than 150 games. He's played in 89 games in 2009, 145 games in 2010, 127 games in 2011, 135 games in 2012, 110 games in 2013 and 70 games this season.

At least Gonzalez is a bit more consistent in games played season to season. It seems that Tulowitzki has longer, less injured seasons on odd numbered years. Go figure.

Can the Rockies management continue to improve the team? Absolutely. But when you have a sizable investment in your two best players and year in and year out they are missed due to injury, shouldn't some of the blame lie on them as well for the losing?

Let me know what you think. Agree? Disagree? Don't care, LOL?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Troy Tulowitzki's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Carlos Gonzalez's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

What Ever Happened to Charles Johnson?

With all the discussion of the lack of African-American ballplayers in the MLB, a particular African-American player came to mind. I remember this person being a very dynamic catcher in the National League. Even though I thought he was a very good catcher will always be known for the trades that involved him and other players. The player that I'm thinking about is Charles Johnson.

I first remember seeing Charles Johnson while he was playing for the Florida Marlins. I always thought his style was reminiscent of Tony Peña who is currently a bench coach for the New York Yankees. Johnson was originally drafted in the first round of the 1989 draft and was picked by the Montréal Expos with the 10th pick. He declined to sign with Montreal choosing instead to attend the University of Miami. He once again was drafted in the first round this time in the 1992 draft with the 28th pick in the draft by the Florida Marlins. He decided to sign within a couple months after being drafted.

Johnson's potential was so promising that he spent a very short time in the minor leagues. Johnson spent the 1993 season playing for the Kane County Cougars of the Single A Midwest League. He was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double A Eastern League for the 1994 season where he continued to impress. The impression made by Johnson even got him a call-up to the parent Marlins team where he played in 4 games before the players strike halted and eventually ended the 1994 season. Johnson would play in 2 games for Portland in 1995 before getting the permanent call-up to the majors. Johnson would by-pass Triple A entirely. To show you the impact made by Johnson in the minors, here is a description of Johnson from the article Charles Johnson to Return to Portland on April 18th from the Portland Sea Dogs website:

Johnson was a member of the Sea Dogs' inaugural team in 1994.  He opened the season as the Florida Marlins top prospect and he did not waste any time in making an impact in Portland.  In the Sea Dogs' inaugural game, Johnson belted two home runs including a game winner in the 14th inning as the Sea Dogs defeated the Reading Phillies 2-1.  The catcher hit .264 with 28 home runs and 80 RBI for the Sea Dogs in 1994 and was named to the Eastern League All-Star squad.  His 28 home runs led the league and were the most by an Eastern League catcher since Tony Peña hit 34 in 1979.

In making the jump to the Marlins, Johnson would be the first Marlins minor leaguer to reach the majors. In his rookie season of 1995, Johnson would end up 7th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting by hitting .251 with 11 homeruns and 39 RBI. He also made only 6 errors in the field and threw out 43% (38 of 89 runners) of would be basestealers earning the 1st of 4 straight N.L. Gold Glove awards for the catcher position. Johnson's performance would steadily improve during his seasons with the Marlins. Here is when things get a bit hectic for Johnson.

As part of the salary purge of the 1997 World Series Champions Johnson would be traded on May 14, 1998 with Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Gary Sheffield to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile (Piazza himself would be traded by the Marlins on May 22, 1998 to the New York Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and minor leaguer Geoff Goetz). Johnson would finish out the 1998 season with the Dodgers and once again get traded.

On December 1, 1998 Johnson would be part of two trades. In the first transaction, Johnson was traded by the Dodgers with Roger Cedeno to the New York Mets for Todd Hundley and minor leaguer Arnold Gooch. Then he would be traded to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Armando Benitez. You would think that being traded to the American League would afford Johnson the opportunity to grow some roots with the Orioles. Not so. After spending the 1999 season with the Orioles where Johnson hit .251 with 16 homers and 54 RBI while throwing out 38% of would be base stealers, he would be traded once again.

On July 29, 2000 Johnson would be traded with Harold Baines to the Chicago White Sox for Brook Fordyce and minor leaguers Jason Lakman, Juan Figueroa, Miguel Felix. Finally after being traded four times in three seasons, Johnson would be granted free agency and re-signed with the Florida Marlins. Johnson's homecoming would be temporary.

In two seasons with the Marlins, Johnson would average 12 homeruns with 56 RBI while hitting .245 and throwing out 42% of base stealers in 2001 and 40% of base stealers in 2002 with his second All-Star appearance in 2001. After the 2002 season Johnson would once again be backing his bags. On November 16, 2002 Johnson would be traded by the Marlins along with Vic Darensbourg, Pablo Ozuna and Preston Wilson to the Colorado Rockies for Mike Hampton, Juan Pierre and cash (Hampton would be traded to the Atlanta Braves on November 18, 2002 for Tim Spooneybarger and minor leaguer Ryan Baker).

Johnson would spend two seasons in Colorado where he would find his career stalled by the Rockies pledging to play rookie J.D. Closser as their everyday catcher. After deliberations with a failed proposed trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Johnson would be traded for the last time in his career. Right before Spring Training camp broke on March 30, 2005 Johnson was traded by the Rockies along with Chris Narveson to the Boston Red Sox for Byung-Hyun Kim and cash. That same day Johnson was released by the Red Sox and would sign with the Devil Rays on April 4th. Johnson would only appear in 15 games for the Devil Rays before he was released on June 13, 2005 effectively ending his professional career.

In total of 12 season, Johnson had the following statistics:

Player		G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI		BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Charles Johnson		1188	3836	465	940	211	4	167	570		475	997	6	10	.330	.433	.245	.762

Johnson was a two-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove winner and won a World Series Championship with the 1997 Florida Marlins. 

Sisco Kid.

For Further Reading

- Click Here to Access Charles Johnson's Career Statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Jamie Moyer Is A Role Model

I just finished reading Tyler Kepner's article At 49, Jamie Moyer Is Slower, but Not Stopping from today's New York Times. Before I go into what I think of Jamie Moyer, I wanted to highlight some facts that Kepner highlights:

- At 49 years 5 months and 3 days Moyer would stand to become the oldest pitcher to win a game
- He is currently older than 8 managers and 18 general managers
- Started playing professionally before 15 players on the Rockies 40-man roster were born
- Played in 49 different ballparks of which 14 no longer exist
- Played in the last game in Wrigley Field before the lights were installed (1988)
- Second in career wins after the age of 40 with 103 (Phil Niekro had 121)
- Career leader in Home runs allowed with 511

What do I think of Jamie Moyer? I think the man is a role-model. He was told in college that he had a very slow fastball. It wouldn't even register over 90mph. Most ballplayers would have been discouraged to even continue, but not Moyer. He continued to work on his trade, giving his all to perfect his skills which was recognized by major league scouts. His dedication led to his being drafted by the Chicago Cubs. He would struggle at the major league level eventually being released by the Cubs in 1991 and being offered a chance to work as a coach with the team. Most players would have jumped at that chance, but not Moyer.

He decided to start from scratch with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens for the entire 1992 season and then playing with the Baltimore Orioles from 1993-1995 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. It was with the Mariners that Moyer made himself known, not as a power pitcher, but as a pitcher who could succeed by hitting his spots with finesse and savvy. Working within his strengths not his perceived weaknesses. That was in 1996. Here we are now in 2013. 2013!!!! And Moyer is still out there, trying to earn a spot in the rotation of the Colorado Rockies.

Here's to determination and outright love for the game. Moyer doesn't do it for the money or the adoration. He's not a primadonna who plays for the glory, preening like a peacock in front of the cameras. The man feels like he can still succeed at the level that he is used to playing at and will try to do so until he can't. Moyer has a dream and he is hoping to continue to live that dream by playing in the Major Leagues. I believe that if he reached the point in his career where he couldn't complete not due to age but due to skill, that he would thank the game for what it has given him and walk away into the sunset without any regrets.

If a child is out there looking for a role model to whom they can say, I want to be like someone, that someone should be Jamie Moyer. Continued success to you, you now have a lifelong fan in me rooting for you.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Jamie Moyer's career statistics from BaseballReference.com
- Click Here to access the homepage of the Moyer Foundation, established by Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen Moyer

Reds, Rockies and Brewers Invest in Their Futures

With 27 days to go the Baseball juices are flowing within me at a strong pace. Sorry football fans, but I wish I can fast forward to February 14, 2011 (and no it is not for the corporate "holiday" Valentine's Day) which is the voluntary Spring Training reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players. Hurry up and get here already, LOL. Ok, enough of that. Let's get to business.

In recent weeks the Cincinnati Reds, the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers have done right by both their teams and their fans by locking up some of their young talent and trading for important pieces to help them compete in 2011. Let's look at the Reds first.

- Cincinnati Reds
The 2010 National League Central Champions have been busy this offseason in signing integral pieces of their team to multi-year deals. Reported earlier today on MLB.com the Reds and the 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto have agreed to a 3-year $38 Million dollar deal. This signing ensures that Votto will be reading Cincinnati Red through the 2013 season. Add the 6-year $51 million dollar contract extension to outfielder Jay Bruce, the 3-year $35 million dollar contract extension to starter Bronson Arroyo with the core group of Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Edison Volquez and Aroldis Chapman make the Reds a team to contend against in a NL Central division that has become a tougher place to play in with the recent improvement of the Milwaukee Brewers. I'll get to the improved Brew Crew in a few.

- Colorado Rockies
One of the most exciting teams in the National League made plans to stay that way for a few more years. Last week the Rockies announced that they have signed outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to a 7-year $80 million dollar contract extension which keeps him in Colorado through the 2017 season. Add the signings of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a 7-year $134 million extension through 2020, pitcher Jorge de la Rosa to a 3-year $32.5 million dollar contract to the core group of rotation ace Ubaldo Jimenez (signed through 2012 with club options for 2013 and 2014), Todd Helton, Eric Young Jr., Ryan Spilbourghs and Huston Street and we see a team that is poised to contend with the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

My only reservation with the Rockies' moves is that they have invested heavily in Gonzalez who only has two years of experience at the Major League level and in Tulowitzki who has only played in over 150 games twice in his five years in the league. Don't let me rain on their parade, the potential for the Rockies in unlimited with their young studs, hopefully the investment in these players pays off in a big return.

- Milwaukee Brewers
I believe that the Brewers are hoping to go for broke with the moves they made this offseason. Out of the three teams I've profiled here, the Brewers have the most cloudiest of futures. There is no guarantee that superstar players Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder will play together after this season. Management made moves, especially on the pitching front, to make sure that the team is in the best position to compete with the division champion Cincinnati Reds.

The biggest move was the trade for former Kansas City Royals ace Zach Grienke. The Brewers also traded for Toronto Blue Jays starter Shawn Marcum adding him and Grienke to a rotation that already included Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf. The Brewers have Braun signed until the 2015 season, outfielder Corey Hart until 2013, third baseman Casey McGehee and second baseman Richie Weeks are both signed for a more years before arbitration kicks in ensuring that the Brewers will have a good core nucleus together for a number of years even if Prince Fielder is traded or decides to leave Milwaukee after this season.

It is good to see some of the teams that people would refer to as being "small market" teams making the effort to invest in their future. Baseball needs more owners who are willing to take the chance and lock up their players ensuring the their teams remain competitive and their fanbases remain interested in their team. Now if the owners of Pittsburgh and Kansas City can take notes as see how it can be done from the small market perspective.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here to read Mark Sheldon's article Reds reward MVP Votto with three-year deal from MLB.com dated January 16, 2011
- Click Here to read Thomas Harding's article CarGo hold: Rox ink Gonzalez to $80M deal from MLB.com dated January 11, 2011
- Click Here to read Adam McCalvy's article Greinke trade caps Milwaukee makeover from MLB.com dated December 19, 2010

Winter Meetings Day Two

Well, the sun has risen over Orlando, Florida signaling the beginning of Day Two of the MLB Winter Meetings. Already moves have been made, so here goes:

- Ty Wigginton signs with the Colorado Rockies
Tracy Ringsolby of Inside the Colorado Rockies webpage has reported on his Twitter page that Ty Wigginton, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, has signed a 2-year $7.5 million contract which includes a $500.000 buyout on an option for the 2013 season. As to how Wigginton will fit into the Rockies plans, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post describes Wigginton as so:

Wigginton is a safer bet after batting .248 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs last season for Baltimore. He started 98 games at first base, 40 at second and 22 at third. The 33-year-old made the all-star team last season but hit .244 in the second half after getting tired and exposed in a weak lineup. Colorado tracked Wigginton over the final three months of last season, believing he improved significantly at first base.

The Rockies have been busy as of late having acquired infielder Jose Lopez from the Seattle Mariners late last week, signing Troy Tulowitzki to that mammoth extension (signed through 2020 season for $157.75 million in guaranteed money). They are also rumored to be looking at Jorge Cantu and Jeff Francouer as possible free-agent signings so look for Colorado to make a few more moves before the meetings end later this week.

- Click Here to access Ty Wigginton's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Inside the Colorado Rockies website for more news on the Rockies

- Vicente Padilla re-signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Buster Olney of ESPN reported on his Twitter feed that the Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed Vicente Padilla to a 1-year $2 million dollar contract. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com adds the following to the Padilla signing:

Padilla, who missed time with arm and neck injuries, would essentially become the sixth starter and long reliever, capable of spot starting, pitching multiple innings of relief and even providing insurance for the late innings should closer Jonathan Broxton struggle as he did in the second half this year

In an injury plagued 2010, the opening day pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers compiled a 6-5 record with a 4.07 ERA in 16 starts. Padilla struck out 84 batters while walking 24 and giving up 79 hits in 95 innings pitched for a WHIP of 1.084. Padilla is a crafty veteran that can start, pitch long relief and close a game. He's the equivalent of a utility player that can play multiple positions.

- Click Here for Vicente Padilla's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Aside from the Managers tribute and the Derek Jeter press conference, the second day of the Winter Meetings seem to have slowed down. I'll post again after the Jeter presser.

FH