Rick Monday Saves The American Flag April 25, 1976

On This Day in Baseball History April 25, 1976: In front of a crowd of 25,167 fans watching the Chicago Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, Cubs center-fielder Rick Monday stops two men from burning the American Flag on the field in between innings. Nothing that I can write can replace what Rick Monday said in the article Monday's act heroic after 30 years by Ben Platt from MLB.com dated April 25, 2006:

"In between the top and bottom of the fourth inning, I was just getting loose in the outfield, throwing the ball back and forth. Jose Cardenal was in left field and I was in center. I don't know if I heard the crowd first or saw the guys first, but two people ran on the field. After a number of years of playing, when someone comes on the field, you don't know what's going to happen. Is it because they had too much to drink? Is it because they're trying to win a bet? Is it because they don't like you or do they have a message that they're trying to present?

"When these two guys ran on the field, something wasn't right. And it wasn't right from the standpoint that one of them had something cradled under his arm. It turned out to be an American flag. They came from the left-field corner, went past Cardenal to shallow left-center field.

"That's when I saw the flag. They unfurled it as if it was a picnic blanket. They knelt beside it, not to pay homage but to harm it as one of the guys was pulling out of his pocket somewhere a big can of lighter fluid. He began to douse it.

"What they were doing was wrong then, in 1976. In my mind, it's wrong now, in 2006. It's the way I was raised. My thoughts were reinforced with my six years in the Marine Corp Reserves. It was also reinforced by a lot of friends who lost their lives protecting the rights and freedoms that flag represented.

"So I started to run after them. To this day, I couldn't tell you what was running through my mind except I was mad, I was angry and it was wrong for a lot of reasons.
"Then the wind blew the first match out. There was hardly ever any wind at Dodger Stadium. The second match was lit, just as I got there. I did think that if I could bowl them over, they can't do what they're trying to do.

"I saw them go and put the match down to the flag. It's soaked in lighter fluid at this time. Well, they can't light it if they don't have it. So I just scooped it up.
"My first thought was, 'Is this on fire?' Well, fortunately, it was not. I continue to run. One of the men threw the can of lighter fluid at me. We found out he was not a prospect. He did not have a good arm. Thank goodness.

"Tommy Lasorda was in his last year as third-base coach before he took over for Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston. Tommy ran past me and called these guys every name in the longshoreman's encyclopedia."

"A lot of people don't know this, but he beat me to the flag," recalls Lasorda. "I saw Rick start running over from center field to left. I didn't know what it was, but as soon as I saw him start, I took off and I ran out there, and of course, by that time, Rick had picked up the flag and continued running. When I got there, I see these two guys and I told them, 'Why don't one of you guys take a swing at me?' because there were 50-something thousand people in the ballpark and I only wanted them to swing at me, so I could defend myself and do a job on them."

Monday continued, "Doug Rau, a left-handed pitcher for the Dodgers at the time, came out of the dugout and I handed the flag to him. The two guys were led off the field through the Dodger bullpen.

"After the guys left, there was a buzz in the stands, people being aghast with what had taken place. Without being prompted, and I don't know where it started, but people began to sing 'God Bless America.' When I reflect back upon it now, I still get goose bumps."

Watch Rick Monday give his version of what happens in the following video Greatest Baseball Play -- Rick Monday, April 25, 1976:

The thought of the burning of the American flag on the field of play at the National Pastime just doesn't seem right. Thank you Rick Monday for doing the right thing.
Until Then Keep Playing Ball, Baseball Sisco #baseballsisco #baseballsiscokidstyle
For Further Reading: - Here is the boxscore for the April 25, 1976 game between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers

Pedro Guerrero's Health Scare

It was reported a few days ago that former slugger Pedro Guerrero of the Dominican Republic had been hospitalized with cranial bleeding at el Centro de Diagnóstico y Medicina Avanzada (Cedimat) in the city of Santo Domingo, DR. Guerrero, who played 15 major league seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals during the 1980's through the mid 1990's was one of the pre-eminent sluggers to come out of the Dominican Republic.

At a time when many Dominican players came from the "no-hit good glove" school of middle infielders, sluggers like Guerrero and George Bell paved the way for later Dominican Sluggers such as Vladimir Guerrero, Raul Mondesi, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, Sammy Sosa and Albert Pujols.

In his 15 year career, Guerrero was a model of consistency both at the plate and in the field. Guerrero hit for .300 or more seven times finishing with a career .300 average. Guerrero was a five time All-Star, a Silver Slugger in 1982 and four top five MVP voting results, finishing in the top three in 1982, 1985 and 1989. In his earlier years, Guerrero played at practically every position that Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda plugged him into except shortstop and pitcher. In his time with the Cardinals, Guerrero was primarily a first baseman while playing a number of games in the outfield.

His crowning moment came on October 28 1981 during Game Six of the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees. Guerrero unloaded against the Yankees by going 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a triple and a bases loaded single for a total of five RBIs. Guerrero batted .333 (7-for-21) with two homers and seven RBIs earning co-World Series Most Valuable Player honors with teammates Ron Cey and Steve Yeager.

Guerrero was always a family favorite growing up. El "Orgullo Dominicano" was always exemplified with his effort on the field not only in MLB but also in the Dominican League.

The Dominican newspaper El Listin Diario states that Guerrero "has recovered more than 80 percent mobility in his left arm". Hopefully Guerrero can make a full recovery from his injuries.

For Further Reading:

• Pedro Guerrero se recupera de ataque al cerebro by Freddy Tapia from El Listin Diario dated February 17, 2015
• Pedro Guerrero's Career Statistics from Baseball Reference
• Biography of Pedro Guerrero by Frank Morris from the SABR Baseball Biography Project

Dodgers Play Last Home Game as Brooklyn Dodgers September 24, 1957

On this day in Baseball History September 24, 1957: In front of 6,702 fans, the Brooklyn Dodgers blank the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 behind Danny McDevitt's second shutout of the season. This would be the last Dodgers home game played as the Brooklyn Dodgers. Here is the box score for the September 24, 1957 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Brooklyn Dodgers from the September 25, 1957 edition of the New York Times.

Though the move to Los Angeles would be made official by Walter O'Malley notifying the National League on October 8, 1957, many fans held out hope that the rumored move would not happen. Unfortunately for the Brooklyn faithful it was not to be so. The Dodgers would open their season against the San Francisco Giants at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on April 18, 1958.

Photo Courtesy of Baseball in Early Los Angeles

The demolition of Ebbets Field would begin on February 23, 1960, to be replaced with a housing development.

This photo depicts where Ebbets Field would be in relation to the
Jackie Robinson Apartment complex in Crown Heights. (Photo Courtesy: nymag.com)

The irony of the entire move is that area that O'Malley wanted to build his new stadium is the location of the Barclays Center which opened in 2012. Robert Moses vehemently opposed the move to that location. He would half-heartedly offer O'Malley the spot in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park which would eventually become home to the New York Mets in 1964: Shea Stadium. O'Malley left for the greener and sunnier pastures of Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Dodgers fans were left S.O.L.

The rest is Baseball History...

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

Fernando Valenzuela Becomes the First Mexican-Born Pitcher to Win 20-Games September 22, 1986

On this day in Baseball History September 22, 1986: Native of Etchohuaquila, Mexico by the name of Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea nicknamed "El Toro" became the first Mexican-born pitcher to win 20-games. Pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome, Fernando threw the 19th of his league leading 20 complete games for his 20th victory. Valenzuela was en-route to a 21-11 record and his only career 20-win season. Valenzuela would come in second in the National League Cy Young vote behind Mike Scott of the Houston Astros.

The 1986 season would be special for Mexican-born pitchers with Teddy Higuera of the Milwaukee Brewers joining Valenzuela in the Mexican-born 20-game winner club. Higuera would win his 20th game on October 1, 1986 against the Detroit Tigers. As with Valenzuela, Higuera would finish second in the American League Cy Young vote. His 20-11 1986 campaign would be his only 20-win season in his career.

Will we ever see another 20-win pitcher from Mexico? There are currently a couple of pitchers who can do so. Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals has won 13 games twice (2010 and 2011). Injuries have seemed to have slowed him down. Jaime de la Rosa of the Colorado Rockies has won 16 games twice (2009 and 2013) and currently has 14 wins this season. Marco Estrada of the Milwaukee Brewers is also another pitcher that has the potential if he can become a fixture in the Brewers rotation. Miguel Gonzalez of the Baltimore Orioles is also another potential pitcher for the Mexican- born 20-win game. My prediction is Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gallardo has put up 13, 14, 17, and 16-win seasons with the Brewers. I believe that if anyone of the Mexican pitchers that I mention that are currently playing in MLB can reach 20-wins, its Gallardo. What do you think. Agree? Disagree? Anyone else that I failed to mention? We'll have to wait and see if any of these pitchers step up next season.

Hasta la próxima, no dejamos de jugar el Beisbol,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

- Click here to access Fernando Valenzuela's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click here to access Teddy Higuera's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Hank Aaron Passes The Babe April 8, 1974

"I have never gone out on a ballfield and given less than my personal best. When I hit it tonight, all I thought about was that I wanted to touch all the bases." - Hank Aaron

Amid the stress of trying to pass eternal fan favorite Babe Ruth on the All-Time Home Run List, Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron was finally able to connect for his 715th home run in front of the Hometown crowd at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, 40 years ago today. Under the cover of a light misty rain and facing a 1-0 count in the fourth inning against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Al Downing, Aaron was able to hit a 400-foot homer over the left-center field fence to step alone onto the main pedestal for the record that many had claimed would never be broken.

For video footage with interviews with Hank Aaron and Al Downing, watch the following video:


Aaron faced many obstacles on his road to 715. His path was littered by hate mail, threats to his family and life and the resistance by many people who refused to believe that a man of color could or should eclipse the Babe's hallowed record. But as the fastball that Downing offered to Aaron sailed over the fence, we saw a change in the game that started with World War II veteran and fellow Negro Leaguer Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson and continued with Arron rounding the bases with two white fans running side-by-side with him, not to harm him but to pat him on the back. To congratulate him on his achievement. To bask with Aaron not in a black or white thing but as fans, as people, as decent human beings.

Writing that just gave me goosebumps. The game of Baseball has not always been perfect when it came to race relations but Aaron reaching 715 was indeed a new step not only for Baseball but for many in this country who were still living with hatred and racism on a daily basis. But enough with the waxing poetically and being overly sentimental. :)

With Aaron's fourth inning homer, the game would be tied 3-3 and would eventually be won by the Braves 7-4. Here is the box score from the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. The Atlanta Braves, April 8, 1974:

Aaron would play for two more seasons, making the move to the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers. He would retire with 755 homers. Happy Anniversary Hammering Hank!!!!!

Until Then Play Ball

Scherzer and Kershaw Take The Pitching Top Honor

In an ballot that didn't surprise too many Baseball people and fans, Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed the 2013 American and National League Cy Young Awards, respectively. Scherzer won the award in a landslide with 28 out of 30 first place votes for a total of 203 points. Kershaw's second Cy Young Award came in the form of an outstanding 29 out of 30 first place votes for 207 points.

The talk of Scherzer benefiting from tremendous run support thereby damaging his Cy Young chances proved to be for naught. Scherzer, who was predicted to win the award by the recently retired Tim McCarver amid laughs, finished the season with a 21-3 record with a 2.90 ERA and a league leading WHIP of 0.970. In 32 games started Scherzer struck out league second best 240 batters (Yu Darvish 277) with only walking 56 and giving up 152 hits in 214.1 innings pitched. Opposing hitters hit .198. In doing so, Scherzer became the sixth pitcher since 1900 to finish the season the season with 20+ wins and 3 losses or less joining Cliff Lee (2008 Indians 22-3), Roger Clemens (2001 Yankees 20-3), David Cone (1988 Mets 20-3), Ron Guidry (1978 Yankees 25-3) and Preacher Roe (1951 Dodgers 22-3). Scherzer is also the fourth member of the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Cy Young Award along with teammate Justin Verlander (2011), Denny McClain (1968, 1969) and Willie Hernandez (1984).

The AL Cy Young vote is also interesting since the other runner ups were Yu Darvish and Hisashi Iwakuma. Both pitchers started their careers in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (Darvish) and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Rakuten Golden Eagles (Iwakuma). NPB alum Koji Uehara also received second and third place votes for his dominating performance for the Red Sox in their run for the World Series. Their performance will only help to put to rest the misconception that the Japanese league pitchers can't perform at the perceived higher level of the Major Leagues and their different sized ball. It should be interesting to see how the performances of Darvish, Iwakuma and Uehara affect the posting and bidding for pitchers like Masahiro Tanaka of the Rakutan Golden Eagles this offseason.

In the National League, Kershaw made history in becoming the second Los Angeles Dodger pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards joining Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966). Kershaw now has two Cy Young Awards in only his sixth season at the Major League level. Kershaw did so in dominating fashion by ranking first in ERA (1.83), WAR (7.9), WHIP (0.915) and strikeouts (232) and finishing second in innings pitched (236). Kershaw finished with a 16-9 record with a 1.83 ERA and a WHIP 0.915. He struckout 232 batters while walking only 52 and giving up 164 hits in 236 innings pitched. Kershaw has lead the National League in ERA and WHIP for the third straight season.

In winning his second Cy Young award, Kershaw joins Roy Halladay (2003, 2010), Tim Lincecum (2008, 2009) and Johan Santana (2004, 2006) as the only active pitchers with multiple Cy Young awards. Adam Wainright came in second in the Cy Young voting with young superstars Jose Fernandez and Matt Harvey coming in third and fifth respectively.

Kershaw is among the eight(1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Eric Gagne in (2003)
Dodger pitchers to have won the Cy Young awards. Along with the aforementioned three time winner Sandy Koufax you have Don Newcombe

The only award left is the American and National League Most Valuable League awards. Where I've felt that the end-year voting has not been surprising, I believe that the National League MVP award will be the surprising one. I think that either Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamonbacks or Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates will win the award over Yadier Molina. We'll see after 6pm my prediction comes true or if Yadier Molina is the 2013 National League MVP. In the American League, I believe Miguel Cabrera will become the first repeat American League MVP since Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox won the award in 1993 and 1994.

Sisco Kid.

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access Max Scherzer's career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Click Here to access Clayton Kershaw's career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Click Here to access the breakdown of the American League Cy Young vote from the BBWAA website
- Click Here to access the breakdown of the National League Cy Young vote from the BBWAA website

And The Baseball "Meek" Do Not Inherit The Earth

Where the underdogs came into the postseason hope and aspiration by the end of the DIvision Series round all hope has been erased. Tampa Bay, Oakland and Pittsburgh have been defeated by Baseball powerhouses Boston, Detroit and St. Louis to set up a Championship Series full of old school Baseball towns.

I was really looking forward to a Pittsburgh vs Oakland or Tampa Bay World Series. There was something innocent in that kind of match up. Three young, small market teams who play for franchises that either haven't been in a World Series in a generation (or two) or a team that has only been to one World Series in their brief history. I could afford to want that as a Baseball fan since my team didn't make the postseason. Alas, it was not to be.

In the American League the Boston Red Sox will host the Detroit Tigers starting Saturday while in the National League the St. Louis Cardinals will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

All four came into the postseason with a World Series or bust mentality. Now it's up to two of them to get to the Fall Classic. May the best teams win.

Sisco Kid

Who Is The Only 300 Game Winner To Play With Sandy Koufax

I just finished reading Jane Leavy's Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy (P.S) and I have to say that Koufax is an amazing person aside from being one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. I have a bunch of posts that I want to write based on situations that Ms. Leavy writes in her book and I want to start of with a bit of a surprising question. Who is the only 300 game winner to play with Sandy Koufax?

Though I know the answer from having read the book, I decided to look at the teams that Koufax played with in his short but illustrious career. Koufax played from 1955-1966 for both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Looking at some of the amazing pitchers he played with: Don Drysdale, Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, Johnny Podres, Roger Craig, Ralph Branca, Sal Maglie and Claude Osteen, I had a hard time finding another pitcher that would become an eventual 300-game winner. I confirmed what the book had said when I searched the roster for the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers team and saw the name of a 21-year old rookie by the name of Don Sutton.

Sutton compiled a 324-256 career record in 23 seasons with the Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A's and California Angels. In the only season that he played along side Koufax, Sutton went 12-12 with a 2.99 ERA in 37 games (35 starts). He struck out 209 batters while walking 52 and giving up 192 hits in 225.2 innings pitched for a WHIP of 1.081.

In what context did I find that Sutton was the only 300-game winner that played with Koufax? Allow me to let Ms. Leavy tell you as she did in her book:

In 1998, when the Dodgers retired Sutton’s uniform number, an invitation to the festivities never reached Koufax. O’Malley assumed Koufax knew he was invited based on an earlier conversation and did not want a form letter to be sent to him. So Koufax paid his own way, showing up at the stadium unexpected. There was no mention of him in the pre-written script. After the ceremony, Sutton told Koufax how much it meant that he had come. “How could I not?” Koufax replied. “You’re the only three-hundred-game winner I ever played with.” Leavy, Jane (2009-10-13). Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy (P.S.) . HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 

There you have it. Don Sutton is the only eventual 300-game winner to play with fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. I'll have more on Koufax in the days to come.

Sisco Kid

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Sandy Koufax's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Don Sutton'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

California Dreamin' 2011 Part II

It seems that the fortunes of the two teams that play within the aura of the city of Angels have diminished. Where both the Angels and the Dodgers have been aggressive in the free-agent market in years past, this offseason marked one of muted activity for both teams. Stealing the headlines in Los Angeles was the impending divorce of the McCourts: Frank and Jamie, as well as the retiring of Joe Torre as manager of the Dodgers. In Anaheim, the headlines noted the inability of the Angels to sign or trade for one big name player for the second straight year. Both managers, 1st year skipper Don Mattingly of the Dodgers and veteran manager Mike Scioscia have their hands full with their respective teams. (For my views on the remaining California teams read the first part of my post California Dreamin' 2011 Part I)

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

After missing out of the Roy Halladay. Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee sweepstakes the last two seasons, the Angels are looking weaker, older and slower compared to division rivals the Oakland A's and Texas Rangers. The Angels' season was defined by the injury to first base slugger Kendry Morales due to landing wrong in a home plate celebration thereby breaking his leg. The team's offense was abysmal ranking 25th in batting average compared leading the league with a .285 batting average in 2009. The offense looks to be somewhat improved with the addition of outfielder Vernon Wells who came over to the Angels from the blue jays for Outfielder Juan Rivera and catcher Mike Napoli (who was then traded to the Texas Rangers). Where the trade made little fiscal sense for the Angels (the Angels are responsible for $81 million of the remaining $86-million dollars if Wells decides not to opt out after this season) on the field it improves the team. The outfield takes on a much more improved look with Rookie Peter Bourjos in center and veterans Torii Hunter and Wells in the corner. Bobby Abreu will now DH on a full-time basis replacing Hideki Matsui who signed in the offseason with the Oakland A's.

The main key for the Angels is the return of first baseman Kendry Morales. Morales anchors the infield of Howie Kendrick at second, Erick Aybar at shortstop and Alberto Callaspo at third. Catcher Jeff Mathis will play behind the plate until prospect Hank Conger is ready.

The strength of the Angels lies with their starting rotation. Jared Weaver, Ervin Santana. Dan Haren and Joel Piñeiro make up one of the best front four in the American League and can only get better if dissapointing left-hander Scott Kazmir can actually deliver on the hype of his potential.

Though the bullpen is weakened by the loss of Brian Fuentes to the rival Oakland A's and the departure of long time Angels reliever Scot Shields, the Angels made strides by signing Masanori Takahashi (formerly of the New York Mets) and Scott Downs (formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays). It seems like the team will open with hard throwing Fernando Rodney as the closer but if he fails to deliver, look for Scott Downs to step in.

Mike Trout is seen as the can't miss prospect for the Angels this year.

I believe the Angels can be a threat in the AL West if all of their pieces remain healthy and productive. As I said earlier, I believe the key will be how Kendry Morales recovers from his leg injury. The Angels have stated that they will start him slow this spring and see how he progresses.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

As much as I love Don Mattingly, I find it hard to believe that the Sporting News predicts that he'll win the National League Manager of the year award. This is a team that really hasn't improved much in the last two years since the splash made with the arrival of Mannywood to Dodger Stadium. The franchise is known more for the marital discord of it's co-owners and the retiring of legendary manager Joe Torre. Now I'm not saying Mattingly can't win manager of the year. But let him win a few games an stumble in a few others before we crown him NL manager of the year. The man has his hands full.

Offensively the team has issues. The biggest issues is whether or not franchise player Andre Ethier will bounce back from an injury plagued 2010. Ethier has admitted to coming back too soon from his pinky injury and it hurt the team rather than helped it. Fellow outfielder Matt Kemp is one of the brightest players in the game and needs to continue to improve his game to benefit the Dodgers. The signing of Tony Gwynn Jr., also helps Kemp since I believe Gwynn has better range in center possibly allowing Kemp to move to one of the corners. Jay Gibbons provides stability in the outfield off of the bench.

The biggest offensive move was the signing of free agent Juan "Bluribe" Uribe from the rival World Champion San Francisco Giants to a 3-year $21 million dollar deal. Uribe is slated to play second base but with an infield of older veterans like Casey Blake and injury prone Rafael Furcal, his versatility at playing multiple positions will be invaluable to the Dodgers. James Loney is somewhat of a disappointment since the power numbers that were expected of him have yet to develop though with 88 RBI he can drive his fair share of runs. 

Behind the plate, veteran Rod Barajas takes over full-time duties with Dionner Navarro returning to the Dodgers from Tampa.

The strength of the team lies in it's rotation. Joining Clayton Kershaw (who was picked by Sporting News to be the 2011 NL Cy Young Award Winner), Chad Billingsley and Hideki Kuroda (1-year $12 million dollar deal) will be mid season acquisition Ted Lilly (3-year $33 million dollar deal) and Jon Garland (1-year $5 million plus incentives). Vicente Padilla also returns as a possible sixth starter and/or long relief man though his status is in jeopardy due to a possible injury.

The bullpen is somewhat of a question mark for the team. I believe the key to the team's success lies with closer Jonathan Broxton, who needs to find his dominant form after struggling and losing his closing job to setup man Hong-Chi Kuo. Kuo provided a suitable replacement for Broxton but the team would benefit more by having a tandem of Kuo and Broxton at the top of their respective games. 

The big free agent relief signing for the Dodgers came in the form of Matt Guerrier (3-year $36 million dollars) who had four straight season with Minnesota of 70 or more appearances. He'll solidify a middle relief corps that consists of Carlos Monasterios, Ronnie Belsario (if he can ever straighten out his immigration/visa issues), Ronny Troncoso and rookie Kelly Jansen. 

I think the Dodgers have a chance to success in a very competitive division. Though I think they lack the proven pitching of the Giants and the offensive pop of the Rockies, if they stay healthy, the Dodgers might be able to make Mattingly's first season as manager a success. If not, they might not improve from the 80 wins they put up last year.

FH

Winter Meetings Day Three Part Three

Feel asleep soon after coming home from my Rockefeller excursion so here goes:

- Koji Uehara re-signs with the Baltimore Orioles
Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun report that the Orioles have come to terms with relief pitcher Koji Uehara on a 1-year deal with a vesting option for the 2012 season which is pending a physical, includes several escalation clauses that will kick in depending on how many games Uehara finishes. Originally a starter for the Orioles during 2010, Uehara came off the disabled list and eventually became the team's closer for the final month and a half, converting 13 of 15 save opportunities. In total Uehara compiled a 1-2 records with a 2.84 ERA in 43 games. He struck out 55 batters while walking only 5 and giving up 37 hits for a WHIP of 0.955.

According to Zrebiec and Connolly Uehara set a franchise record by not walking a batter in 32 consecutive appearances spanning 34 innings. He ended the season with a streak of 44 strikeouts since his last walk allowed. So keeping this quality pitcher in the Orioles bullpen for the 2010 season will be a plus for manager Buck Showalter.

- Click Here to access Koji Uehara's career statistics (including Japan) from BaseballCube.com

- San Diego Padres trade for shortstop Jason Bartlett
The Friarhood.com reports that the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays made a trade during the Winter Meetings. The Rays sent shortstop Jason Bartlett to the Padres in exchange for pitchers Adam Russell and lefty Cesar Ramos.

In Bartlett the Padres get a good shortstop who hit .254 with 4 HRs and 47 RBI. In 468 at-bats Bartlett had 119 hits (27 2B/3 3B/4 HR) while striking out 83 times and walking 45 walks with 11 stolen bases. Defensively, Bartlett made 11 errors in 1104 innings at shortstop for a fielding percentage of .977.

Tampa gets in Russell a reliever that went 0-0 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 appearances while Ramos went 0-1 with an 11.88 in 14 appearances.

While Bartlett fills a hole in the Padres' infield, I'm not sure if Russell and Ramos will fill the gaping hole in Tampa's bullpen created with the loss of Juaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano. I think the Padres got the better end of this deal.

- Click Here for Jason Bartlett's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for Adam Russell's career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here for Cesar Ramos' career statistics from BaseballCube.com

- The Milwaukee Brewers sign catcher Wil Nieves
Tom Haudricourt on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announced on his twitter feed that the Milwaukee Brewers had signed catcher Wil Nieves to a contract. The terms were not disclosed as of yet.

In 2010 Nieves, formerly of the Washington Nationals, batted .203 with 3Hrs and 16 RBI. In 158 at-bats he had 32 hits (8 2B/0 3B/3 HR) with 29 strikeouts and 8 walks. On the defensive end, Nieves threw out 24% of base stealers (10 of 31).

Haudricourt says that the Nieves signing was done for the following reason:

it puts another guy in the mix to battle for the backup job behind young starter Jonathan Lucroy. The Brewers still have last year's backup, George Kottaras, on their roster and not too long ago signed former backup Mike Rivera to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. The Brewers also added minor-leaguer Martin Maldonado to their 40-man roster over the winter.

It was also pointed out to me that Lucroy probably will catch at least 120 games, so the backup isn't going to play a tremendous amount. And I was also told that the report on Nieves is that pitchers like throwing to him, which is an important component.

We'll see if Nieves catches on after Spring Training or ends up wearing a different uniform during 2010.

- Click Here to access Wil Nieves' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Dioner Navarro signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a contract pending the result of a physical. Navarro previously played with the Dodgers in 2005-2006 before being traded to Tampa Bay where he was through 2010.

In 2010 Navarro batted .194 with 1HR and 7 RBI. In a limited 124 at-bats Navarro had 24 hits (5 2B/0 3B/1 HR) with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks. Defensively Navarro threw out 39% of base stealers (12 of 19). His playing time was greatly diminished in favor of John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach getting time behind the plate.

Gurnick says that Navarro will compete with A.J. Ellis as backup to starting catcher Rod Barajas who recently signed a $3.25 million dollar contract. For the Dodgers this means that former catcher Russell Martin probably moves on for the 2010 after coming off of a fractured hip.

- Click Here to access Dioner Navarro's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

It seems with the last few days that the Tampa Bay Rays are back at the starting block in terms of putting their team together. Since the end of Game 5 of the ALDS, the Rays have lost Peña, Benoit and Navarro to free-agent signings, Bartlett in a trade and Soriano is still unsigned (and as I will report with my next post, the big name of Tampa's free agent's has reportedly signed elsewhere).

FH

Winter Meetings Day Two Part Two

So continuing with the trend of highlighting the signings during the Winter meetings, here goes:

- Scott Olsen signs with the Pittsburgh Pirates
William DePaoli reports on the InsidePittsburghSports.com website that the Pirates and pitcher Scott Olsen have agreed to the framework of a 1-year $1 million dollar deal with incentives that seem to not have been agreed to by both sides.

Scott Olsen, formerly of the Washington Nationals, has had an injuries limit his pitching the last two seasons. In 2010, Olsen compiled a 4-8 record with a 5.56 ERA in 17 games, 15 of which were starts. He struck out 53 while walking 27 and allowing 93 hits in 81 innings pitched for a WHIP of 1.481.

Maybe Olsen can stay healthy and join a rotation that seems to be full now with the acquisition of Kevin Correia yesterday by the Pirates and Maholm, McDonald and Ohlendorf. If so, the Pirates might have one of the better young rotations in baseball.

- Click Here to access Scott Olsen's career statistics at Baseball Reference.com

- Tony Gwynn Jr. signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles reports that the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Tony Gwynn Jr., to a 1-year deal after being non-tendered by the San Diego Padres last week.

After a productive 2009 season for Gwynn, 2010 was a bit of a let down. Gwynn batted .204 with 3 HRs and 20 RBI. He had 59 hits (9 2B/3 3B/3 HR) in 289 at-bats while striking out 50 ties and walking 41 times and stealing 17 bases out of 21 attempts.

I believe that Gwynn will play a similar role with the Dodgers as he did with the Padres. He is versatile by playing all three outfield positions as well as having the speed to be a pinch runner.

- Click Here to see Tony Gwynn Jr's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- New York Mets Sign Two Players
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that according to sources the New York Mets have agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with catcher Ronny Paulino and a two-year, $2.5 million contract with reliever D.J. Carrasco. Both deals are pending physicals.

Ronny Paulino, formerly of the Florida Marlins, was suspended for 50 games in late August after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. His suspension ran for 42 games last season and will be in effect for the first 8 games of the 2011 season. Up to the time of the suspension, Paulino was batting .259 with 4 HRs and 37 RBI. In 316 at-bats, Paulino had 82 hits (18 2B/0 3B/4 HR), striking out 51 times and drawing 25 bases on balls.

D.J. Carrasco, played with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2010 season compiling a 3-2 record with a 3.68 ERA in 63 games. In 78.1 innings pitched, Carrasco struck out 63, walking 34 and giving up 68 hits for a WHIP of 1.302.

It is believed that Paulino will platoon at catcher with Josh Thole while Carrasco will try to bring some stability to a Mets bullpen that lost Hisanori Takahashi and Pedro Feliciano to free agency. For a small price the Mets have plugged two critical holes within their team.

- Click Here for Ronny Paulino's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for D.J. Carrasco's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Well, day two of the Winter Meetings was a bit anti-climactic since there wasn't any news concerning the main free agents Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford. There's always tomorrow.

FH

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

"El Toro" Fernando Valenzuela

I just finished watching the latest ESPN 30 for 30 Fernando Nation directed by Cruz Angeles and have to say that I was thoroughly impressed. I've had some experience with the situation at Chavez Ravine (the current location of Dodger Stadium) during the 1940s and 1950s due to my graduate studies in Urban History. So I was knowledgable on part of the social issues that were in place by the time that Fernando Valenzuela debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. Watching the documentary put it in full color and HD the effect that Valenzuela had not only on Baseball in 1981 but more importantly the positive effect that one man can have on the Latino population the city of Los Angeles. Given the fact that Valenzuela came from a very rural part of Mexico and thrown head-first into the bright lights of Los Angeles with nary a private moment outside of the ballpark I would say that Valenzuela succeeded. Succeed he did.

The era of Fernandomania was a time of pitching dominance that hadn't been seen in Los Angeles since the glory years of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. In the strike shortened season of 1981, Valenzuela started the season at 8-0 with five shutouts, seven complete games of which the first five were in a row and the one game not completed, Valenzuela pitched the first nine innings of a ten inning game. His ERA over that stretch was 0.50 with 73 strikeouts with only 17 walks in 72 innings pitched. Add this to Valenzuela's 17 2/3 shutout innings of relief over the course of ten games during the stretch run in 1980 to the tune of a 2-0 record with a save. The Dodgers rode the 13-7 Valenzuela straight to a World Series title with a four game to two victory over the New York Yankees. Valenzuela's performance of a league leading 192.1 innings pitched (also a league leading) 180 strikeouts and 61 walks and 8 shoutouts (a Rookie record) earning him both the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. Valenzuela has the distinction of being the first pitcher to win both awards during the same year.

The next seven seasons (1982-1987) saw Valenzuela average 16 wins (with 12 losses) with an ERA of 3.19 and a workhorse load of an average 266 innings pitched. The highest was 285 innings in 1982 and the lowest amount in that stretch was 257 in 1983. Valenzuela's name was etched next to Hall of Famer (and fellow screwballer) Carl Hubbell when during the 1986 All-Star game Valenzuela struck out five consecutive American League batters including three future Hall of Famers: Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson and George Brett, tying a record set Hubbell in the 1934 All-Star game (Hubble struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin).

His efficiency diminished during his final three seasons in Los Angeles (1988-1990) by compiling a 28-34 record with a 4.05 ERA with 295 strikeouts and 251 walks. The final bright spot of his Dodgers' career came on June 29, 1990, when Valenzuela threw a 6-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals (on the same day that the Oakland Athletics' Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays). After his release by the Dodgers during the Spring Training of 1991, Valenzuela spent the better part of six seasons with five different teams before he retired in 1997.

In total, Valenzuela finished with a 173-153 record and a career ERA of 3.54 with 113 complete games in 453 total games. Watching the footage of the fans packing the stadiums both at home and on the road for Valenzuela's starts reminded me of the energy and crowds that Stephen Strausberg starts drew early this season. I don't believe that Valenzuela will ever be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. But he will always be deemed a hero and an inspiration to Mexican and all Latinos who follow the game of Baseball.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access the Fernando Valenzuela statistics page from BaseballReference.com
- Click Here to read Jorge Martin's article dated Aug 18, 2006 titled 25 Years After Fernandomania from MLB.com

California Dreamin'...or is it

It seems to me that California baseball is truly in a funk. Where it looked like in years past that teams like the Angels and the Dodgers made important moves in the offseason, they now seem to have let the Jones' pass them by rather than keeping up with them. Let's take each team individually.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
I know I spoke about the Angels in yesterday's post and I apologize for rehashing but I'm still amazed that the Angels let both Lackey and Halliday slip away. We may have seen Lackey's exit from Anaheim quite clearly on screen when Sciosica took Lackey out kicking and screaming during Game 5 of the ALCS. It just seemed that the Angels did nothing to retain the services of its ace similar to the manner that they did nothing to retain the services of their previous closer, Francisco Rodriguez. I can see letting injury prone Lackey go if the Angels figured prominently to acquire Roy Halliday from the Blue Jays. But after all the rumors and speculation the Angels were left holding an empty sack while their division rivals, the Seattle Mariners improve significantly with the aquisition of Cliff Lee, the signing of Chone Figgins and the ability to sign Jason Bay.

Los Angeles Dodgers
There is certainly an air of forboding covering Chavez Ravine. The martial issues of the McCourt family have left the Dodgers in limbo. Losing Randy Wolf to the Brewers (3-years 29.75 million) without a peep in negotiations or arbitration means that they get nothing back from the Brewers, It also means that there is a big hole in the rotation that contains Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsly and Hideki Kuroda. The rumors have mentioned Yankees castoff Chien Ming Wang as a potential addition to the rotation. But will the Dodgers get the two-time 19 game winner or the two-time season ending injury pitcher. The Dodgers also traded OF Juan Pierre to the Chicago White Sox for two prospects to be named later. The Dodgers will also pay 8 million of the 18.5 that is owed to Pierre. Maybe the prospects will become major leaguers but it seems to be that the team is just idling making small moves to just stay on the radar..

The San Francisco Giants
My friend Justin says (in much more colorful language) that the Giants are sitting around doing nothing and I agree with him. Aside from the bright spots of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Pablo Sandoval the Giants are very mediocre. The team can pitch but is hard pressed to score runs. Whatever supporting punch they had with Sandoval is all gone with the free agent departures of Juan Uribe and Ryan Garko. What I thought would have been a good fit is no longer available. I believed that 3B Pedro Feliz (who signed with the Houston Astros for 1-year 4.5 Million) would have provided an economical bat to play along side Sandoval who could move to 1B. If the Giants wanted to keep Sandoval at 3B, they could go after free agent 1B Nick Johnson who (if healthy) can provide not a power bat in the lineup but a steady and reliable hitter. At the very least, the Giants should make a run for 3B Adrian Beltre before the Red Sox snap him up. But it seems that the Giants are content with just sitting by and see what players happens to fall in their lap..

San Diego Padres
After a 70-92 last place finish in the N.L. West and a season that saw ace Jake Peavy traded to the Chicago White Sox there's really not much more to say about the Padres. Most of the news surrounding the Friars concerns the potential trades of 1B Adrian Gonzalez and 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff. Though all the news coming out of San Diego is negative. The Padres did resign their best starter, Kevin Correia to a 1-year deal worth 3.6 million. Correia led the team with 12 wins and 190 innings pitched. It seems that the Padres will continue to utilize their farm and keep the team young and energetic. But will the youthful exuberance be enough to retain the look of the team that finished the season 37-25 or will they go through the bumps and growing pains that a young team tends to go through.