¿Quien Es Leslie Anderson?

Photo Credit
Japanese Baseball Cards

Every year I try to keep an eye on the Latino players that play abroad in the Asian baseball leagues. This year a former Tampa Bay Rays farmhand and former Cuban National Team player Leslie Anderson (Stephes) caught my eye.

During the opening game between the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants, Leslie Anderson hit back-to-back homeruns with Jose Lopez against Tigers reliever Naoto Tsuru. Annoucer Ed Cohen stated that Anderson was a member of the Cuban National Team that represented Cuba in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. In the 2006 World Baseball Classic tournament, Anderson went 0-5 with 1 strikeout. In the 2009 World Baseball Classic he performed better going 2-9 with 1 double and 3 strikeouts.

After defecting from Cuba to Mexico in 2009, Anderson would end up signing a four-year, $1.725 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010.

Though it seems that Anderson was productive in the minors for Tampa, especially at AAA Durham, he never seemed to be able to catch the break of a call-up. This is where I'm a little confused. Tampa Bay is an amazing organization when it comes to evaluating talent. So looking at Anderson's minor league numbers, it seems that he performed decently enough to at least get a September call-up. Especially at the first base position that has seemed to be a revolving door for the Rays in recent years. Here are Anderson's offensive statistics courtesy of BaseballCube.com:

Anderson shows improvement on a yearly basis especially in AAA when his batting average rises from .277 in 2011 to .309 in 2012. Though it drops from .309 to .292 in 2013, his plate discipline improves in the form of walks. In 2013 he waked 50 times while in 2011 and 2012 combined, he walked 57 times. He remained consistent in the form of strikeouts and was steady in terms of his offensive production especially in the form of doubles and homeruns. Looking at his defensive statistics, you can see that he played first and all three outfield positions and in three seasons playing the majority at time at first he had 10 errors from 2011-2013. That doesn't seem to be too much of a negative issue.

In searching online, I found an article by Cork Gaines entitled Tailgating With The Rays: Why Didn’t The Rays Call Up Leslie Anderson Or Henry Wrigley? from the Rays Index website dated August 31, 2012 that stated the following concerning Anderson:

Leslie Anderson is 3rd in hitting in the IL, and Henry Wrigley would be in the top 15 if he had enough at bats. Clearly the Rays need offense and both can DH or play 1B. So why weren’t they called up along with Reid Brignac and the others?

The simple answer is that they are not on the 40-man roster. But MLB transaction rules are like the tax code, so let me try to explain. For those not familiar: teams have a 25-man roster (the guys we see every night) and a 40-man roster (the 25-man roster plus 15 others that are usually minor leaguers). To be in the big leagues, you have to be on the 40-man roster. There can be up to 15 guys in the minors on the 40-man roster and these guys are kinda like backups. So if somebody on the Rays gets hurt, one of those would be called up to take his place. And in September, anybody on the 40-man can be called up.

Anybody in the minors can be added to the 40-man roster. BUT, if there is already 40 guys, somebody must be taken off. And to do that, that player must be placed on waivers. This is where it gets complicated for guys like Anderson and Wrigley who are not on the 40-man roster. Calling up guys like Brignac is easy. He is already on the 40-man roster, so in September, just promote him. But for Anderson or Wrigley, the Rays would have to risk losing a player to waivers. So it is more like making a trade. And the Rays hate losing pieces if they don’t have to. So at this point, it looks like the Rays have decided that there is nobody already on the 40-man roster that is worth losing for what might end up being 50 at bats from either Anderson or Wrigley. Is that the right decision? I don’t know. But that does appear to be the decision they have made…A NUMBERS GAME AND THEY LOST

I understand that placing a player on waivers, losing them and having the call-up not perform can be a tremendous blow to an organization with limited financial resources like the Rays. But that really sucks for a prospect to feel as if they are performing adequately and won't ever get the chance at the big leagues. But so is the life of a minor league baseball player. Regardless, the Rays granted Anderson his release after the 2013 season so that he could pursue career options abroad.

On December 28, 2013, the Yakyubaka.com website posted that: 

The Yomiuri Giants announced that they finalized a deal with Leslie Anderson (31).  He has been assigned the number forty-two.  He is scheduled to arrive in Japan in late-January...According to Nikkan Sports, the two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth an estimated total sixty million yen.   

Hopefully Anderson can find success in Japan that he couldn't seem to find here in the minors. I'll look back at him a few months from now.

Until Then Play Ball
Baseball Sisco

Florida Rookie Sweep

With the announcement of the first end of the year awards in Major League Baseball, Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins have won the American and National League Rookie of the Year awards respectively. This is the third Rookie of the Year award for the Rays in the last six years (Evan Longoria 2008 and Jeremy Hellickson 2011) This is the fourth Rookie of the Year award in the last eleven years for the Marlins (Dontrelle Willis 2003, Hanley Ramirez 2006, Chris Coghlan 2009). This isn't surprising coming from two franchises who do amazingly well when it comes to developing young talent often at the expense of said talent who (with the exception of Evan Longoria) are often traded away for draft picks and other younger talent when they reach the latter years of their rookie contracts.

According to the Baseball Writers Association of America, the voting for the Rookie of the Year is done in the following manner:

Two writers from each MLB city are recommended by the local chapter chairman and approved by the national secretary-treasurer to vote for each award. Writers from NL cities vote for NL awards, and writers from AL cities vote for AL awards, making 30 voters for each award. Most traveling beat writers will vote for at least one annual award each year. In some chapters, columnists or backup writers may also vote. Any active member of the BBWAA is eligible to vote for annual awards, regardless of his or her number of years in the organization. Some Honorary members may also vote

Myers (who came to the Rays in last offseason's trade between the Royals and the Rays for James Shields) won the award with 23 first place votes for a total of 131 total points ahead of Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias and fellow Rays teammate Chris Archer. Since his call up on June 18th, Myers hit .293/.354/.478 with 90 hits in 335 at-bats of which 23 were doubles and 13 homeruns. He drove in 53 runs, scored 50 runs while walking 33 times and striking out 91 times.

According to Adam Berry in his article Myers runs away with AL Rookie of the Year Award from MLB.com dated November 11, 2013:

Myers became the first player to lead AL rookies in RBIs in fewer than 90 games since Detroit's Hoot Evers did so in 1946. He also paced AL rookies in doubles (23), extra-base hits (36) and OPS (.831), recording an overall batting line of .293/.354/.478 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs.

In addition according to the Elias Sports Bureau:

Myers is only the fourth position player to win a Rookie of the Year Award after playing fewer than 100 games, joining Willie McCovey (52 games in 1959), Bob Horner (89 in 1978) and Ryan Howard (88 in 2005).

In the Little Havana neighborhood of the city of Miami, Tampa native Jose Fernandez won the award with 26 first place votes for a total of 142 points ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers rookie standout and fellow Cuban Yasiel Puig. In  28 starts, Fernandez went 12-6, with a 2.19 ERA in 172.2 innings pitched. Fernandez struck out 187 batters while only walking 58 and giving up 111 hits for a WHIP of 0.979 and an opposing hitters batting average of .182. His 2.19 ERA was second in the National League to the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw's 1.83 and his 9.75 K's per 9 innings the second best in the league behind A.J. Burnett of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Also according to the Elias Sports Bureau:

Fernandez Was Doc-Like: Jose Fernandez won the National League Rookie of the Year Award after a season in which he went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA for a team that lost 100 games. And did we mention that Fernandez didn't turn 21 years old until July 31? His ERA was the lowest in a season by a pitcher younger than 22 who threw at least 150 innings since Dwight Gooden had a 1.53 ERA for the Mets in 1985, his second season in the major leagues.

Fernandez joins Minnesota Twins outfielder Tony Oliva (AL 1964) and Oakland Athletics outfielder (AL 1986) as Cubans who have won a Rookie of the Year award.

The question that I would ask is if we will still see these two outstanding players in their respective Floridian uniforms once their rookie contracts end or will they be traded to other teams in the repeating circle of life that seems to be the way things are done with the Florida MLB franchises. Only time will tell.

Sisco Kid

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Wil Myers' career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Click Here to access Jose Fernandez's career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Click Here to access the breakdown of the American League Rookie of the Year vote from the BBWAA website
- Click Here to access the breakdown of the National League Rookie of the Year 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

Giving the Bad Guys Their Due

Ok, so I picked the Boston Red Sox to finish dead last in the American League East. Based after last season, how could I think that they would be in first place as of July 22, 2013. By golly I have to give them their proper credit. I credit the return of former pitching coach John Farrell to take the reins of the team after the debacle that was the one year managerial term of Bobby Valentine as being a big part of the return of the Red Sox. They want to play for him since they see him as being one of them. Valentine could never shed the outsider label and some of his decisions and comments didn't help his cause.

Farrell has stabilized the rotation to the point where even John Lackey is producing. Lackey came into camp in the best shape since his days with the Angels and isn't as reviled with Red Sox nation as he was in years past. Lester is pitching as expected and Buchholz was the best pitcher in the American League before his injuries. Mainstays Pedroia, Ellsbury and "Big Papi" David Ortiz continue to do what they do best. Where the Red Sox have been negatively affected by their last two relief pitching trades (basically Andrew Bailey for Josh Reddick and Joel Hanrahan for Mark Melancon) they have greatly benefited from three somewhat low key free agent signings. Watching the Red Sox vs. Yankees game last night at the bar, I realized that the signings of Shane Victorino, Johnny Gomes and Mike Napoli might be the reason the Red Sox make it back to the post-season this year since being swept by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009 in the first round.

In my opinion, Victorino was a much better fit in Fenway than Carl Crawford ever was. While he has speed, his offensive game isn't dependent on said speed to be effective. I always felt that Crawford needed a wide open park to play in to exploit the gaps in the outfield for doubles and triples. The Green Monster was an offensive killer for Crawford and as with Valentine, he just didn't fit it. Victorino is the kind of scrappy player that the Red Sox nation seems to embrace.

Gomes and Napoli have embraced that dirty and gritty bearded look that would have driven former New York Yankees Colonel Ruppert crazy. LOL. Gomes came over from Tampa Bay and Napoli from Texas and have had major hits for the Red Sox this season. The homer Gomes had off of Sabathia left smoke trails in the air as it hit the lights. Napoli simply crushed both pitches he drove into the seats to put the Yankees away in extra innings.

Where the Yankees offseason offensive signings have been somewhat productive (mainly with Lyle Overbay who the Red Sox let go before the end of Spring Training) being the best of the signings, the Red Sox have really done well with signing guys to fit the holes from last season. This four game series the Red Sox are hosting against the Tampa Bay Rays will be very important for both teams since after this series they only play three more times in Tampa in mid-September.

While we still have about 60 games to go, I still think the Rays will end up as the champs of the American League East, I don't see the Red Sox making my prediction come true. Rats!!!! LOL. There's always next season.

Sisco Kid

The Beasts of the American League

With Opening Night being a few hours away, I wanted to look at three teams that I think are the teams to beat in their respective divisions. Now obviously things like slumps, failed expectations and critical injuries have a way or derailing a team's championship dreams. But I think these three AL teams will be the pace setters of their respective divisions.

American League East

How can I go against the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East: Baseball's most competitive division. Since 2008, the Rays have made the postseason three times and lost in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. They've averaged 90 wins a year during that stretch with a franchise high of 97 in 2008.

Led by franchise players Evan Longoria and David Price, I believe the Rays are primed for a damned good run this season. Gone are outfielder BJ Upton and starter James "Big Game" Shields but Tampa received  one of the game's top prospects in Wil Meyers in that trade who was  impressive in Spring Training and will start the season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Upton's departure opens the door in center for Desmond Jennings to play in a full-time capacity. "Super" Sam Fuld will get a chance to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 and Matt Joyce will play rightfield.

The infield will be anchored by third baseman Evan Longoria and free agent signing James Loney will hold down the first base position. The middle infield will be populated by shortstop Yuniel Escobar who the Rays acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins and Ben Zobrist will play second base, as well as, every other position on the diamond at some point during the season. Jose Molina will be the man behind the plate for the Rays. Kelly Johnson will also see time at second base.

 Though the pitching staff seems to have lost a step with the trading of James Shields, by no means are they understaffed. Heading up the staff that lead the league with a .314 team ERA is the AL Cy Young Award winner David Price. Follwing Price will be Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and rounding out the rotation (for now) is Alex Cobb and Roberto Hernandez. The bullpen is solid with closer Fernando Rodney coming off an impressive display in the World Baseball Classic and Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta and Jeff Neiman filling in the 6th to 8th innings. 

If his pieces stay healthy, I see Joe Maddon's Rays making a full season run to the American League East Title

- 2013 Tampa Bay Rays Projected Lineup

American League Central

The Detroit Tigers are heads and shoulders above the rest of the division and possibly are the most well rounded team in the American League. The team that made the World Series last year will only get better with the addition of Torii Hunter and the return of C/DH Victor Martinez. I believe that Hunter will provide a valuable learning resource for the ever improving Austin Jackson. Designated Hitter Martinez gives Prince Fielder some much needed protection from the 5 hole in the lineup. And I don't need to mention the reigning AL MVP. Right? Ok, moving on.

The outfield looks like it will be made up of the aforementioned Hunter and Jackson along with Andy Dirks. The infield will be anchored on the corners by All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder at third and first respectively with Jhonny Peralta at short and Omar Infante at 2nd base. The ever consistent Alex Avila will be behind the plate for the Tigers.

If the lineup was solid, the rotation is even more so. The starting five of Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello makes for a deep rotation. Add Drew Smyly to that mix and it gets even more impressive. The bullpen might be the team's weak spot since there isn't one particular player to step up and grab the closer's role. The closing will be done by committee with Phil Coke or Octavio Dotel looking to me as being the player to settle into the role.

I think the Detroit Tigers will thoroughly thrash the American League Central division giving manager Jim Leyland another chance to make it to the World Series.

-  2013 Detroit Tigers Projected Lineup

American League West

One word describes the Angels offense: SCARY!!!!!!! As if a team with Albert Pujols, Mike Trumbo and AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout wasn't scary enough, Angels owner Arte Moreno goes out and plucks Josh Hamilton from division rival Texas Rangers. Add Howie Kendrick, Albert Callaspo, speedy centerfielder Peter Bourjous and franchise mainstay Erick Aybar and you have a solid lineup from top to bottom. The lineup was deemed solid enough that Kendry Morales was traded to division rival Seattle Mariners for workhorse pitcher Jason Vargas. Chris Ianneta will round up the lineup and man the rotation from behind the plate. 

Where the offense is scary, the pitching is slightly so. Not to say that a rotation headed by Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson is shoddy, but the trading away of Earvin Santana, the free agent loses of Dan Haren to Washington and Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Dodgers makes for three decent sized holes to fill. Luckily the Angels have the aforementioned Jason Vargas who put up solid numbers with the Mariners last season (12-11 4.21 ERA in 199 innings pitched with 127 K's and 52 walks for a WHIP of 1.28) and National League mainstays Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson round out the starting five. The Bullpen is a bit more dominating with fireballer Ernesto Fieri being backed up by Ryan Madson. Rounding out the bullpen are Scott Downs, Kevin Jepsen and Sean Burnett among others. 

I think this season is when the Angels set franchise records in runs scored and homeruns. If Pujols can start strong, this team will be difficult to beat.

- 2013 Los Angeles Angels Projected Lineup

Just a few points on the rest of the American League. In the East, I want to see how the Blue Jays play well together. As we saw with the Marlins last season, just because you put All-Star caliber players together, it doesn't guarantee that they will win games. I want to see if the Orioles are the real deal or if they were just a "flash in the pan" with their performance last season. The Yankees are injury riddled and to be honest, as much as I like to see them shift from power baseball to small ball I don't know if the pitching staff will be enough to keep them in games if runs aren't manufactured. The Red Sox are in the same boat (albeit for different reasons) as the Yankees: Both teams need to rebuild in markets where the word REBUILDING does not want to be heard.

In the American League Central the White Sox will be the team to stay somewhat close to the Tigers with the Royals, Indians and Twins all trailing the pack. The Royals will continue to improve with Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and staff ace James Shields and the newly stocked Indians of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourne need to get some pitching to accompany the new bats. The Twins specifically are looking at 2014 to be the year when they jump back into the fray.  

In the American League West, the Rangers power has been depleted with the losses of Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young. The looming free agency of Elvis Andrus might prove to be story of the year for Texas. As with the Orioles, I want to see if the A's are the real deal. The Mariners seem to be putting the pieces in place to continue to improve behind Felix Hernandez. The Astros? Well all I can say is welcome to the American League.

So there you have it folks. Next post will be the Beasts of the National League. Let me know what you think about these predictions.

Sisco Kid

Bittersweet Day In The Latino Baseball Community

I know it has seemed a bit of long time since my last post but today was a day in Baseball History that was both disappointing and invigorating...all within a number of hours. First the disappointment.

It was announced earlier that Dominican outfielder Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants had been suspended for 50 games for the failing of a PED drug test. Melky seemed to find his full stride after a decent season in Kansas City and underachiving seasons in Atlanta and New York. At the time of the announcement, Melky was leading the Majors in hits (159), second in Batting average (.346), was a pivotal player in the San Francisco Giants lineup and field and not even a month ago was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. Now he is just another name added to those who were caught with performance enhancing drugs in their urine.

What a way to piss away a potentially lucrative contract in a free agent year. What a way to piss away an opportunity to move into the next level of players. Regardless what his reasons were, he just pissed them away. Now for the rest of his career he will have the scrutiny that is levied on all those who have failed a PED test. Sure he'll sign another contract and may even have a long career, but he'll forever have the stigma above him of a cheater. If he has a good season, people will suspect something foul. If he struggles, then he will be seen as someone who can't succeed without the help of a foreign substance. It really is sad and disappointing. I really thought that Melky shed that "lazy" title that he seemed to have here in with the Yankees with his performance with the Giants.

I'm really tired of my fellow Latinos continually getting caught taking this junk. I understand the pressure that they have to succeed. The pressure to often be the main provider. The pressure to be the proverbial "way off the island" for their family. I get it. Trust me, I grew up seeing how my Dad was the pivotal one here in NYC providing for those "back home" and he wasn't a professional Baseball player. Its much worse for them. But there is a system in place that catches those that cheat. Just work doubly hard to get to where you need to. Its just frustrating to me as a fan of both the game and of my fellow Latino brothers. It gets harder and harder to back them up with they go and screw things up. I guess I'll quote Alfalfa and the rest of the little rascals when I say "Don't Drink the Milk...It's spoiled". Not only was it spoiled but also tainted. Just sad.

Enough of the disappointment. After a few hours of the Cabrera announcement, another Latino ballplayer was making news for a much better reason. Seattle Mariners starter, former American League Cy Young Award winner and Venezuelan Felix Hernandez was making history. In a dominant performance against the Tampa Bay Rays, Hernandez became the 23rd pitcher to throw a Perfect Game in the history of Major League Baseball. I was lucky enough to turn the game on in the 9th inning and Hernandez was just nasty in his breaking balls and velocity. He hit 95 on the gun in the 9th inning. In total Hernandez Hernandez struck out 12 batters. Of those 12, eight were in the last four innings. And he is only 24 years old. The scary thing is that he can only get better with time!!! To bad the Mariners don't have a quality team built around arguably the best pitcher in the game. For years now I've avoided calling him by the nickname that has become synonymous with Hernandez. Now I can indeed call him King Felix. Felicidades hermano y muchas gracias for taking the sting of the day away for us for just a little bit.

On a side note to the perfect game, what is the deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and no-hitters and perfect games. Since their inaugural season of 1998, the Rays have been no-hit five times, all of them from 2002 and on. Four have come since 2009 with three of them being perfect games (Mark Buerhle 2009, Dallas Braden 2010, Felix Hernandez 2012). Talk about snake-bit. Maybe they need to throw a perfect game to break the curse.

On another side note. I have to apologize for being a bit neglecting in my blogging duties. Sometimes real life, primarily work takes a front seat other things. Yes, even Baseball. I've been trying to improve my bartending skills and have been focusing on a new endevour called Sisco Vanilla Serves and Drinks. Feel free to check it out. Let me know what you think.

FH

Bittersweet Day in the Latino Baseball Community

I know it has seemed a bit of long time since my last post but today was a day in Baseball History that was both disappointing and invigorating...all within a number of hours. First the disappointment.

It was announced earlier that Dominican outfielder Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants had been suspended for 50 games for the failing of a PED drug test. Melky seemed to find his full stride after a decent season in Kansas City and underachiving seasons in Atlanta and New York. At the time of the announcement, Melky was leading the Majors in hits (159), second in Batting average (.346), was a pivotal player in the San Francisco Giants lineup and field and not even a month ago was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. Now he is just another name added to those who were caught with performance enhancing drugs in their urine.

What a way to piss away a potentially lucrative contract in a free agent year. What a way to piss away an opportunity to move into the next level of players. Regardless what his reasons were, he just pissed them away. Now for the rest of his career he will have the scrutiny that is levied on all those who have failed a PED test. Sure he'll sign another contract and may even have a long career, but he'll forever have the stigma above him of a cheater. If he has a good season, people will suspect something foul. If he struggles, then he will be seen as someone who can't succeed without the help of a foreign substance. It really is sad and disappointing. I really thought that Melky shed that "lazy" title that he seemed to have here in with the Yankees with his performance with the Giants.

I'm really tired of my fellow Latinos continually getting caught taking this junk. I understand the pressure that they have to succeed. The pressure to often be the main provider. The pressure to be the proverbial "way off the island" for their family. I get it. Trust me, I grew up seeing how my Dad was the pivotal one here in NYC providing for those "back home" and he wasn't a professional Baseball player. Its much worse for them. But there is a system in place that catches those that cheat. Just work doubly hard to get to where you need to. Its just frustrating to me as a fan of both the game and of my fellow Latino brothers. It gets harder and harder to back them up with they go and screw things up. I guess I'll quote Alfalfa and the rest of the little rascals when I say "Don't Drink the Milk...It's spoiled". Not only was it spoiled but also tainted. Just sad.

Enough of the disappointment. After a few hours of the Cabrera announcement, another Latino ballplayer was making news for a much better reason. Seattle Mariners starter, former American League Cy Young Award winner and Venezuelan Felix Hernandez was making history. In a dominant performance against the Tampa Bay Rays, Hernandez became the 23rd pitcher to throw a Perfect Game in the history of Major League Baseball. I was lucky enough to turn the game on in the 9th inning and Hernandez was just nasty in his breaking balls and velocity. He hit 95 on the gun in the 9th inning. In total Hernandez Hernandez struck out 12 batters. Of those 12, eight were in the last four innings. And he is only 24 years old. The scary thing is that he can only get better with time!!! To bad the Mariners don't have a quality team built around arguably the best pitcher in the game. For years now I've avoided calling him by the nickname that has become synonymous with Hernandez. Now I can indeed call him King Felix. Felicidades hermano y muchas gracias for taking the sting of the day away for us for just a little bit.

On a side note to the perfect game, what is the deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and no-hitters and perfect games. Since their inaugural season of 1998, the Rays have been no-hit five times, all of them from 2002 and on. Four have come since 2009 with three of them being perfect games (Mark Buerhle 2009, Dallas Braden 2010, Felix Hernandez 2012). Talk about snake-bit. Maybe they need to throw a perfect game to break the curse.

On another side note. I have to apologize for being a bit neglecting in my blogging duties. Sometimes real life, primarily work takes a front seat other things. Yes, even Baseball. I've been trying to improve my bartending skills and have been focusing on a new endevour called Sisco Vanilla Serves and Drinks. Feel free to check it out. Let me know what you think.

FH

AL Powerhouses Slugging It Out Early

I have to give credit where credit is due. Whomever thought that it was a good idea to have the top American League teams play each other to start the season should get a raise. He or she had tremendous foresight to have the Angels, Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees mostly play against each other to start the season. It has produced some exciting baseball in the early going.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (I really hate writing that) who are coming off their offseason free agent bonanza signings of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson has probably had the easier of the schedule having played the Yankees in the Bronx and now starting a series with the Rays in Tampa. They played games against the Royals, Twins, A's and Orioles leading to a disappointing record of 6-10. No need to fret Angel fans, I'm sure Manager Mike Scioscia will right that ship soon enough.

The Texas Rangers on the other hand have been clubbing their way to an AL best 13-4 record by playing Red Sox, Tigers, and currently the Yankees and Rays (in their next series) all in a row. They've also played the surprising Chicago White Sox, the Mariners and Twins. The Rangers currently look like they are poised to make a run at their third straight World Series appearance.

The Tampa Bay Rays If you can say they had an "easy" team so far it would probably be against the Twins. They opened against the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox, and the Blue Jays. They are currently facing the Angels and their next series is against the Rangers. 9-7 playing against the best teams in the AL and within their own division is not a bad place to be so far.

The most disappointing team so far and the one with the toughest schedule so far among the above mentioned teams has to be the Boston Red Sox. Coming off last season's collapse and the controversy surrounding Terry Francona's dismissal as manager, the team was looking to bounce back with a productive season. So far, the start of the season has been anything but productive with the team starting 5-10 sitting in the cellar of the tough AL East. Injuries to closer Andrew Bailey and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury have created major holes. Controversy is never far behind concerning comments made manager Bobby Valentine third baseman and fan favorite Kevin Youkilis. Games against the Tigers, Blue Jays, Rays, Tigers, Yankees and now the Twins have led to the calls of Bobby V's dismissal among many members of the Red Sox nation. If judging the amount of cheers Terry Francona received on his return to Fenway Park last Friday during the 100th Celebration of Fenway, there's no doubt on whom they would want managing the team.

The Detroit Tigers led by the 2011 AL Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander, perennial MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera and free-agent signing Prince Fielder for a trio that make for a difficult challenge for any team. Tied for first in the AL Central with a 10-6 record, the Tigers have faced the Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Royals, Rangers and now the Mariners and Yankees coming up this weekend. What makes the Tigers scary is that Verlander is already at mid-season form. Cabrera is Cabrera and Fielder will get going before you know it.

The New York Yankees have recovered from a opening series sweep against the Rays. The Yankees stand tied atop the AL East with a 10-6 record having faced the Rays, Orioles, Angels, Twins, Red Sox and now the Rangers and the Tigers looming on the horizon. The Bronx Bombers have done what their nickname indicates. They, along with the Rangers are atop the league in batting categories. With the bats humming along, and the starting pitching starting to come together, the Yankees will prove to be a difficult team to face as the season progresses.

To round out the field, the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have played very good ball so far keeping up with the big boys of the American League. If April is any indication, this season will be like one of the old heavyweight boxing matches of yore when punches were thrown to the last second. We might have an ending to this season to rival last season's. Time will tell.

FH

2011 ALDS NLDS Predictions

The first pitch of the 2011 MLB Playoff season will be thrown in roughly three hours when Texas Rangers left-hander takes the mound in Texas against the AL Wild Card winner Tampa Bay Rays. In anticipation of today's games, I've decided to make my predictions for the first round of the playoffs. Here goes.

#2 Texas Rangers vs. #4 Tampa Bay Rays
In a rematch from last year's first round match-up, the Rangers have home field advantage when the meet the Tampa Bay Rays. Holding a slight lead in the season series against the Rays (5-4) the Rangers just might be the most balanced team in the AL. But I have a problem going against the hot team. The Rays crawled back from a nine game deficit in the Wild Card race and did so by winning the playoff slot in dramatic fashion with a walk-off by franchise player Evan Longoria. I believe the Rays will ride the wave of euphoria to a first round defeat of the Rangers.

My Pick: Rays over Rangers in Five

#1 New York Yankees vs. #3 Detroit Tigers

In a season where the New York Yankees were picked to finish second and even third in the AL East, the Bombers continued to prove those naysayers wrong all season long rolling along to win the AL East and lead the AL with the best regular season record. They face a Detroit Tigers team who is led by Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander and MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera among others. The Tigers hold a slight lead in the season series (4-3) against the Yankees and the spotlight is shining specifically in the marque pitching duel of C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander. I think the Yankees have the offense that can make Verlander work. There really isn't an easy out in their lineup and I think that will be the deciding factor in who wins the series. I believe there is too much being made about the Yankees rotation issues. I mean, all the playoff teams have pitching issues with the exception of the Philadelphia Phillies.

My Pick: Yankees over Tigers in Four

#1 Philadephia Phillies vs. #4 St. Louis Cardinals

I'm going to go on a major ledge here but I think if anyone in the NL can beat the Phillies at this point in time it is the St. Louis Cardinals. Why? well, like the Rays they are super hot. Pujols, Carpenter and company should thank Mr. Tony Plush of the Milwaukee Brewers for lighting a fire under them. Since that series with the Brewers, the Cardinals are 16-6 and have been playing some of the best baseball in the league and the Phillies have the privilege of playing them in the first round. the season series is firmly in the favor of the Cardinals (6-3). And the Phillies? What can I say. They have an astounding offense, the best pitching in the league and a very capable manager. So I must be nuts with what I have to say next. Right? Even I have doubts in my prediction but what the heck. Never let it be said that I don't like climbing on the ledge for the fun of it.

My Pick: Cardinals over Phillies in Five

#2 Milwaukee Brewers vs. #4 Arizona Diamondbacks

The Brewers come into this series with high hopes after setting a franchise record in wins with 96 wins. This team is offensively stacked and is led by MVP candidates Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. On the pitching side, their rotation in solid. On the other side Arizona is led by Cy Young candidate and 21-game winner Ian Kennedy. They have shown that they can compete with the Brewers having an edge in the season series (4-3). I have to be honest, aside from Juston Upton, I really don't know much about the Arizona Diamondbacks offense. Maybe that's what Arizona has counted on all season while they won game after game on their way to the NL West title. That said, I have a hard time seeing the Brewers losing in the first round.

My Pick: Brewers over Diamondbacks in Four

So there it goes. Lets see if next week I'll have egg on my face or a big smile.

FH

Dismantling and Rebuilding of the Tampa Bay Rays

After winning two American League titles in the last 3 years and a trip to the 2008 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays have been dismantled but there is hope for the Tampa Bay faithful. Before I go into the current state of the Rays, let me recap the players that have left the Rays:

- Juaquin Benoit (RP) to the Detroit Tigers
- Carlos Peña (1B) to the Chicago Cubs
- Carl Crawford (LF) to the Boston Red Sox
- Jason Bartlett (SS) to the San Diego Padres
- Rafael Soriano (RP) to the New York Yankees

The Rays also made an 8-player trade with the Chicago Cubs during the beginning of January. Here are the details on that trade: the Rays sent starting pitcher Matt Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and another minor leaguer to the Cubs for prospects pitcher Chris Archer, outfielder Brandon Guyer, catcher Robinson Chirinos, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and outfielder Sam Fuld. For more information of the prospects received by Tampa Bay in the trade, read Steve Slowinski's article A Look at the Matt Garza Haul: Archer, Lee, Chirinos, Guyer and Fuld from Draysbay.com.

So what does this mean for the Rays. Here's the bad news first. The positions of 1B, LF, SS, 8th inning reliever and closer are seriously depleted. In dealing Garza, Rays traded their number two starter leaving a big hole after number one starter David Price. But no need to fret, there is hope of the horizon.

- Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez
It was made official today: The Rays have signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. As it was reported by Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times in his article Introduction of Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon 'an exciting day' for Tampa Bay Rays:

Ramirez, who will make $2 million, is expected to be the full-time designated hitter. Damon, who will earn a base salary of $5.25 million, will likely be the primary leftfielder and potential leadoff hitter; Manager Joe Maddon said he hasn't set settled on a batting order yet.

I know there are those fans of the Rays that have doubts about Ramirez. The footage of his antics in Boston are readily available and it seems as if he has not been the same since his 50-game suspension for the usage of performance enhancing drugs, but don't forget, Ramirez is considered to be one of the best right handed hitters in the history of the game. Will Ramirez be the dominating force he was when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers? Probably not, but I think Manny is still good enough to hit between .280 and .310 with 30-40 HRs and 100 RBI. I believe that Ramirez will help to fill the hitting void that was left with Carlos Peña's departure. Maybe the change of scenery and a return to the division where he put up career numbers will do him good.

In terms of Damon, we all know his deficiencies in terms of his arm strength but after seeing him play on the Yankees from 2006-2009, I can say that Damon is a solid player who will play everyday if you let him and his demeanor is perfectly suited for the Tampa Bay Rays. Will he play everyday? I don't believe so, but Damon will provide insurance and guidance for super prospect Desmond Jennings, who is slated to take the place of Carl Crawford. If Jennings' performance is not up to what is expected of him this season, Damon can be plugged into any position in the outfield and he is still a threat on the base paths providing opportunities for run scoring by sluggers Longoria and Ramirez. I think in terms of both Damon and Ramirez, the positives outweigh the potential negatives.

- Casey Kotchman
The Rays have also signed first baseman Casey Kotchman formerly of the Seattle Mariners. I believe that Kotchman will platoon at first with Dan Johnson who was resigned by the Rays during the winter meetings in December. In 414 at-bats, Kotchman hit .217 with 9 HRs and 51 RBI. Kotchman had 90 hits (20 2B/1 3B/9 HR) with 57 strikeouts and 35 walks. His OPS was .616 (.280 OBP/.336 SLG). Kotchman's strength lies in his fielding abilities and as Ramirez will do with his hitting, Kotchman will help fill the defensive void left behind by Peña's departure.

- Reid Brignac
I believe that super utility player Reid Brignac will become the everyday shortstop. Having played at the majority of his games at second and short, Brignac will be paired with second baseman Ben Zobrist to shore up the middle infield for the Rays.

- The Bullpen
I think this is the area where the Rays have helped themselves out the most. Granted, it'll be hard to replace Benoit and Soriano was arguably the best 8th inning and closer combo in baseball last season. But the bullpen was shored up somewhat with the signings of fireballer Kyle Farnsworth (3-2 with a 3.34 ERA, 55 hits, 61 strikeouts and 19 walks for a WHIP of 1.144 in 60 games with the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves) and Joel Peralta (1-0 with a 2.02 ERA, 30 hits 49 strikeouts and 9 walks for a WHIP of 0.796 in 39 games with the Washington Nationals last season).

Farnsworth and Peralta join a bullpen that already includes J.P. Howell, Jake McGee, Andy Sonnanstine, Cory Wade, R.J. Swindle and Mike Ekstrom. I'm not sure if Tampa's bullpen can match those of division rivals Boston and New York but even after losing Benoit and Soriano, I think the Rays bullpen can be consistent enough to help keep games close.

- The Prospects
Based on MLB.com's recent Top 50 prospect list, the Rays have the following players in the top 50:

- #2 Jeremy Hellickson
- #11 Desmond Jennings
- #27 Matt Moore
- #47 Chris Archer

As I mentioned earlier, Jennings is seen as the heir-apparent to Carl Crawford in the outfield. From what I've read, Jennings is deemed to be a five-tool player similar to Crawford with better patience at the plate. Matt Diaz of Roto-Hardball describes Jennings as so:

While Jennings has a long way to go to reach Crawford's big league status, Jennings has shown throughout his minor league career to be a more ideal lead-off hitter than Crawford. Jennings has a career BB% of 10.6% (1831 PA), compared to Crawford's minor league career (5.4% in 1855 PA). With Jennings ability to hit for a high average and the ability to be patient and take walks, he will have tons of opportunities for SB's.

Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson has seen some limited major league experience. In 10 appearances (of which 4 were starts), he went 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA. He gave up 32 hits with 33 strikeouts and 8 walks for a WHIP of 1.10 36.1 innings pitched. It is believed that Hellickson will move into the starting rotation joining David Price, James Shields, Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis.

It is also believed that there will be some limits placed on Hellickson similar to those placed on Yankees starter Phil Hughes this past season. Matt Diaz of Roto-Hardball describes it as so:

Look for the Rays to monitor Hellickson's 2011 workload a bit. He has never gone more than 152 innings in his minor league career, so expect somewhere from 150-170 innings out of Hellickson in 2011. Likely to pitch out of the 5th spot in the Rays rotation, Hellickson could win 10-13 games while posting solid ERA, WHIP, and K totals. He is one of the early favorites for AL Rookie of the Year.

Do I think the Rays can will 96 games like they did last season? No, I think it'll take some time for the new players and the prospects to gel around stalwarts Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and David Price. Will they be at the bottom of the American League East? No, I still believe that the Rays are better than the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. I think the Rays will provide some tough challenges for both the Red Sox and the Yankees and compared are better than most of the other teams in the American League. Maybe if the gelling takes place faster than expected and Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon have comeback seasons the Rays can contend for the Wild Card this season. Otherwise, 2012 would be a more realistic goal for a rise to the top for the Rays.

FH

Carl Crawford signs with the Boston Red Sox

Scratch one big name free agent off of the list. Ian Browne of MLB.com announced that the Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Carl Crawford 7-year $142 million dollar deal. This signing gives the Red Sox a multiple of advantages.

Most importantly Crawford gives the Red Sox a stellar outfielder who will solidify an outfield that was decimated by injuries during the 2010 season. Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew all spent time on the disabled list causing the Red Sox to dip into their minor league system and rely on various players to fill the gaps. The signing further depletes the Tampa Bay Rays who have already lost Carlos Peña, Juaquin Benoit and Dioner Navarro to free-agency, Jason Bartlett to a trade and Rafael Soriano remains unsigned. To most of the Red Sox nation, the most important part of the signing is that the hated New York Yankees will not get Crawford.

In 2010, Crawford batted .307 with 19HRs and 90 RBI. In 600 at-bats Crawford had 184 hits (30 2B/13 3B/19 HR) with 104 strikeouts, 47 walks and 47 stolen bases. His OPS was .851 (.356 OBP%/.495 SLG%). Defensively Crawford made 2 errors in the field with 7 assists for a fielding percentage of .994. Crawford was an All-Star this past season and earned his first Golden Glove and Silver Slugger award.

In nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Crawford has a .296 batting average with 104 HRs and 592 RBI. Crawford has 1,480 hits (215 2B/105 3B/104 HR) and 409 stolen bases. Defensively, Crawford has a career .991 fielding percentage. Crawford is a 4-time All-Star and has led the American League in triples and stolen bases four times each.

I believe the key to the Red Sox next season is staying healthy. The moves of signing Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez will definitely help but the team has to stay healthy in order to make the postseason. Here is the lineup from where I see it:

C Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Jason Varitek
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Dustin Pedroia
SS Marco Scutaro
3B Kevin Youkalis
LF Carl Crawford
CF Jacoby Ellsbury/Mike Cameron
RF J.D. Drew

Add the pitching rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mix and the Boston Red Sox move to the top of the list of teams to beat in the American League.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access Peter Abraham's article Sox sign up Crawford for $142m from Boston.com dated December 9, 2010
- Click Here to watch Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe talk about the Crawford signing
- Click Here to access Ian Browne's article Red Sox fire another salvo, add Crawford from MLB.com dated December 10, 2010
- Click Here to access Toni Massarotti's article Red Sox speak loudly, carry big sticks from Boston.com dated December 9, 2010
- Click Here to access Carl Crawford's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

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