On the heels of zhawks fine writeup for the all decade team celebrating Ripken, Jr's adventures thru the first 10 years, I present to you my "next 10" team. Simply put, its a team of players, all 26 or young, all in AA or higher, with at least a couple of years of minor league development to guide me in predicting their future, that I think will lead represent Ripken, Jr as the "best of the best" over its 2nd decade. What its not is a selection of the 25 guys most likely to hit in the 3 hole, or start game 1 of the WS. While those high standards are certainly well placed, my goal is to prevent a more diverse team that will have guys hitting in positions that make sense w/n the batting order, reward some for outstanding defense at key defensive positions, and basically attempt to cover all bases. Certainly there will be more top sluggers than you can shake a stick out, but hopefully there's a handful of guys that you'd be happy hitting in the 8 hole while providing gold glove defense, or acting as a long A bridge when the starter gets pulled early.
So w/o further ado lets start with the pitchers, more specifically the starting rotation. Despite my diatribe above, there are no specialist here. I may miss a name or two thru this process, I may favor one guy over your guy, but no doubt, anyone should be proud to send any of these 5 to the mound in a key game.
TrevorDouglass This list will spend a of time visiting Las Vegas, and as you'll soon discover, saintonan has discovered more ripe talent than Spearmint Rhino. Trevor was the 3rd overall pick back in season 4 and despite a freak injury in season 9, has already accumulated 51 wins. Douglass is the rare bread of right handers that are even more dominate verse lefties. Sporting a Adam Wainwrightesque 12-6 curveball, along with a solid fastball and slider, Douglass has buckled his share of knees. On top of everything, as if his stuff wasn't good enough, his stamina/durability combo of 94/28 may well be the strongest of any legitimate starter in this world.
MaglioBennett $23 mil is all it took to bring this ace off the islands and into the Saint Louis fold. Bennett has one of the most devistating fastballs in all of Ripken, complianted by an additional 4 averate to above average pitches that makes him tough to hit. Sit on his fastball and he'll dazzle you w/ breaking stuff. Look for something with some bend, and the fastball blows by you before you can blink. Despite being just 23, Magglio has already spend 2+ full seasons in the bigs, accumulating 33 wins. As the team builds up around him, expect to see Magglio as a fixture in the All star game.
JulianChavez Back to Las Vegas for our #3. An absolute steal in season 8 for just $14.2 mil, Julian makes up for a lack of stamina with solid control, great splits, great sink and 3 top shelf pitches to go along with a solid enough Circle Change as a 4th option. Julian made his debut a few games into season 10 last year, and managed to pick up 11 wins in his rookie campaign.
CorbanWalters One of the key pieces in the huge Lamb-Dale trade to Salem, Corban has produced rewards in spades for Florida/Austin. The first pick in the season 4 draft, has amassed 68 wins with a 2.8 k/bb ratio and a career 1.28 WHIP. Great control, splits, veolocity, and sink on 4 solid pitches plus a show me curveball lead to Corban's first all star selection last year.
KarlSanders While Karl possesses just average ML splits, he more than makes up for it in control, zip, and pitch selection. A season 9 all star, Karl has already won 15 games and 19 games in seperate seasons. A 1.20 whip and mid 3.00 era are signs that this 24 year old is going to be headlining games for years to come.
Next, we'll look at long relievers. All of these guys have the stuff to be #1s or #2 on the ML level, however each lacks the stamina to routinely go deep into games. Surely some teams will temp fate trying to shorten innings and squeeze as much rest b/w games, but either way, each would be able to push 150+ innings out of the pen, or out of the starting rotation.
LouGrieve there is little doubt that Lou has some of the best stuff in Ripken. Unfortunetly, he'll struggle to get past 5 innings during any start. However, his first go at it in Burlington is going as well as expected, 6 up, 1 down over 52 innings in 9 starts. Prior to this season, he was the heart of Fresno's championship bullpen, dominating thru 2 WS runs, including last season's championship. Lou is likely this generation's Pablo Bonilla, if someone is willing to push him to 180+ innings a year out of the pen, a cy young nomination is w/n reach.
VirgilVazquez Our first venture into minors brings us another Lou Grieve type. Its yet to be determined if Virgil has the stamina to ever start in the show, but 60 minor league games have seen him sport a tidy 0.98 whip and a 5.0+ k/bb ratio. The key piece in the Keith Bagwell deal this offseason, Virgil profiles to a ++ slider, two + pitches, and an average change up. Topping out near 100 mph, Virgil has the command to paint both corners and should prove an assist as Pablo Bonilla's career begins to wind down.
TrenidadFernandez Did I mention that Las Vegas is loaded? Another guy with dominat stuff, but questionable stamina. Trenidad has dominated 3 levels of minor league baseball, dominating AAA hitters as I write. A near 1.00 whip and 3.0+ k/bb ratio profiles this lefties future dominace in the majors. A dominating fastball, to go along with a ++ change and average breaking stuff should eat up oppossing hitters once he reaches the show.
Short Relievers: These are the guys who shouldn't ever top 100 innings any season, but should be dominate in key situations late in the game. The world appears to be a little shy of young top end, late game situation, but these four are worthy of making any team.
AlexFlores durability and health are a key factor in Pittsburgh's top setup man's future. Possessing near perfect control of both sides of the plate with a fastball topping out in the upper 90s, Flores has been a stellar pickup for Pittsburgh this offseason. The 26 year old is coming into his own, sporting a 0.80 WHIP and Sub 2.00 era in 25 appearances so far. Flores compliments his killer 4 seamer w/ 3 additional average to above average pitches. As long as he stays healthy, get ready to turn the lights out when he takes the mound.
OmarFranco lets stay in Pittsburgh and add dominate righty Franco. A true one inning specialists, Franco can often go back to back nights, featuring precision control on a ++ fastball and changeup combo. Franco was able to convert 42/48 saves back in season 9 before moving from the 9th to a setup role in season 10. The transition has taken well to Franco as he's allowed only 4 hits and no runs this season.
EduardoGalarraga is still sporting his WS bling from last season's run in Fresno. Over the last two postseasons, Galarrag has allowed only 1 run and 2 hits over 8 apperances. Unfortunetly, Eddie, ain't exactly an "everyday" man, and will strain to reach 50 innings most seasons. With a WHIP slightly above 1.10 the last two years, Eddie makes each appearance count pounding the bottom of the strike zone with a league tops sinker, devestating slider, and above average change up.
ButchOmalley If Franco had to move out of the closer role, then the guy who took over must be pretty good, right? Well let me present Pittsburgh 3rd musketeer of the pen, Buth O'Malley, a season 10 all star rep and a perfect 20/20 in save opportunities this season. The 4th year pro is still polishing up his skill set, but features a 12-6 curve and a fastball coming in just behind Aroldis Chapman in velocity.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Knockin' down the door to 500
500 long balls has long been THE standard for hall of famer sluggers. You knock 500 of them offerings over the outfield fences, and you get your plaque hung in Cooperstown. 500 long balls in HBD doesn't hold quite the same prestige, but its not too far behind. In a world as young as Ripken, JR, 500 homers is definently a spectacular feat. Even during the steriod era prior to season 6 or 7, that's still 50 homers a season over 10 years, just to get there. That my friends is nothing to sneeze at. Rather uncermoniously, AchillesCohen bashed thru that door just last season. the 30 year old OF was just approaching his prime as Ripken, Jr was created, and he's used the last 10 years to ensure he'll be sitting pretty atop the all time homer list when it comes time to induct him into our Hall. In fact, even more impressive, Cohen spent season 1 in the minors, meaning that his 500th homer came in his 9th ML season. Despite his struggles to make solid contact each at bat, he's always been a key rbi guy, having hit 39 or more homers each season, save his first where he "struggled to hit 34 in 143 ML games.
While Cohen sits alone on the 500 homer platue, he's about to get some company. Similar to Achilles, BillWeaver sat out much of spent much of season 1 in the minors, gettng a late season call up. Weaver arrived in the showing hitting the ball all over the park, and has yet to stop. Sporting a .311/.401/.617 career line, Weaver has been one of, if not the finest hitter this world has seen. Weaver entered the season in 2nd place on the career homer list at 468, and seems intent to chase down Cohen for the all time lead. Despite the young season, Weaver has already knocked out 18 long balls as he aims to bring home his 3rd MVP award. With 486 homers total, look for Weaver to hit #500 sometime before the all star break.
Syracuse 1b AndyClayton hopes to join Weaver & Cohen on the 500 homer list this season, and appears to be in range of that glorious target. The 8 time all star entered season 11 with 456 long balls, just 44 shy of the 500 mark. Considering that he's topped 42 homers every season but 1 since his full season debut, 44 certainly appears to be range. Despite a solid shot, the fences have contained more of Clayton's hits this season than in season past, limiting to just 5 long balls on the short season. However, noticing that he continues to rope line drives, expect Clayton to pick up the pace and threaten the 500 mark as the season winds down and Syracuse gears up for another penant chase.
While Cohen sits alone on the 500 homer platue, he's about to get some company. Similar to Achilles, BillWeaver sat out much of spent much of season 1 in the minors, gettng a late season call up. Weaver arrived in the showing hitting the ball all over the park, and has yet to stop. Sporting a .311/.401/.617 career line, Weaver has been one of, if not the finest hitter this world has seen. Weaver entered the season in 2nd place on the career homer list at 468, and seems intent to chase down Cohen for the all time lead. Despite the young season, Weaver has already knocked out 18 long balls as he aims to bring home his 3rd MVP award. With 486 homers total, look for Weaver to hit #500 sometime before the all star break.
Syracuse 1b AndyClayton hopes to join Weaver & Cohen on the 500 homer list this season, and appears to be in range of that glorious target. The 8 time all star entered season 11 with 456 long balls, just 44 shy of the 500 mark. Considering that he's topped 42 homers every season but 1 since his full season debut, 44 certainly appears to be range. Despite a solid shot, the fences have contained more of Clayton's hits this season than in season past, limiting to just 5 long balls on the short season. However, noticing that he continues to rope line drives, expect Clayton to pick up the pace and threaten the 500 mark as the season winds down and Syracuse gears up for another penant chase.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The quest for 200 wins, who you got?
For the first time (and certainly not the last) the 200 career wins mark should be eclipsed, not once, but twice (and perhaps even a third time if things break right for Pat Politte). Oscar Baumann and Jesus Fernandez can tie them selves together by reaching this magical HBD mark (keep in mind its significantly tougher to win 300 games in HBD than it is in real life). Considerring that both were in their prime (Baumann was 24, Jesus would have been 27) when the world started, its quite possible that both could have been going for win #250 if this world had been created a few years earlier.
OscarBaumann has been a fixture at the mid-summer classic, having been selected each of his first 9 seasons before finally hanging up the "gone fishin" sign last season. Traded to the early Mexico City/Jacksonville dynasties, then later to the Montreal/Syracuse dynasty, Oscar picked up 4 Cy Young awards, a perfect game, and finally a world series ring with Syracuse in season 8. Blessed with pinpoint control, and blazing fastball and 3 solid secondary pitches, Oscar's most overlooked feature was his ability to bounce back quickly. Though his all out approach often left him drained by the 7th inning, Oscar was able to bounce back on short rest. Despite on 15 complete games, he managed to make 39 - 40 starts 6 times.
JesusFernandez while 3 years older, has also been a main stay at the mid summer classic having made 6 trips over the course of his career. Jesus & Oscar shared dugouts for 3 seasons during the Mexico City/Jacksonville dynasty, before Jesus was shipped back to his orginal franchise once they established roots in Salem. Jesus has thrown 1 no hitter, picked up the Cy Young in season 8, and has two World Series rings to show for his time in Salem. Having grown up without the ability to dazzle radar guns, Jesus learned the miracle of location, location, location, inducing opponents into weak grounders and pop ups on a league best sinker, a plus slider, and 3 solid secondary pitches. Having learned the secrets of P90X before it went commercial, Jesus often went deep into games, having completed 85 of his 347 starts (24%)
Regular season stats:
Baumann: 195-76, .207 OAV, 1.03 WHIP, 2.57 era, 3.66 k/bb ratio.
Fernandez: 190-95, .245 OAV, 1.20 WHIP, 3.32 era, 2.61 k/bb ratio.
Postseason stats:
Baumann: 21 G (20 starts) 7-6, 0 CG, .253 OAV, 1.27 WHIP, 3.95 era
Fernandez: 25 G (24 starts) 8-10, 3 CG, .242 OAV, 1.20 WHIP, 2.79 era
As each man approaches 200 wins, its clear that their best days are behind. Jesus' lone complete game and first ever trip to the DL is an indication that he's not quite the bullpen saver that he used to be. Meanwhile, Baumann's stamina has fallen hard enough that many are begining to question if he needs to make the transition to reliever this year. However, no matter the inning, both remain feared arms each time they take the bump, and leave us wondering how much longer till their enshrinement in Cooperstown. A poll was going to be added to see which pitcher this world would prefer over the course of their careers, however no matter how you slice the numbers, Baumann proves the clear cut answer. Fernandez may be as great in the 8th as he is in the 2nd, but only Baumann's wife is disspointed with his stamina limitations.
Coming next: Andy Clayton & Bill Weaver's quest to join Achilles Cohen on the 500 homer list.
OscarBaumann has been a fixture at the mid-summer classic, having been selected each of his first 9 seasons before finally hanging up the "gone fishin" sign last season. Traded to the early Mexico City/Jacksonville dynasties, then later to the Montreal/Syracuse dynasty, Oscar picked up 4 Cy Young awards, a perfect game, and finally a world series ring with Syracuse in season 8. Blessed with pinpoint control, and blazing fastball and 3 solid secondary pitches, Oscar's most overlooked feature was his ability to bounce back quickly. Though his all out approach often left him drained by the 7th inning, Oscar was able to bounce back on short rest. Despite on 15 complete games, he managed to make 39 - 40 starts 6 times.
JesusFernandez while 3 years older, has also been a main stay at the mid summer classic having made 6 trips over the course of his career. Jesus & Oscar shared dugouts for 3 seasons during the Mexico City/Jacksonville dynasty, before Jesus was shipped back to his orginal franchise once they established roots in Salem. Jesus has thrown 1 no hitter, picked up the Cy Young in season 8, and has two World Series rings to show for his time in Salem. Having grown up without the ability to dazzle radar guns, Jesus learned the miracle of location, location, location, inducing opponents into weak grounders and pop ups on a league best sinker, a plus slider, and 3 solid secondary pitches. Having learned the secrets of P90X before it went commercial, Jesus often went deep into games, having completed 85 of his 347 starts (24%)
Regular season stats:
Baumann: 195-76, .207 OAV, 1.03 WHIP, 2.57 era, 3.66 k/bb ratio.
Fernandez: 190-95, .245 OAV, 1.20 WHIP, 3.32 era, 2.61 k/bb ratio.
Postseason stats:
Baumann: 21 G (20 starts) 7-6, 0 CG, .253 OAV, 1.27 WHIP, 3.95 era
Fernandez: 25 G (24 starts) 8-10, 3 CG, .242 OAV, 1.20 WHIP, 2.79 era
As each man approaches 200 wins, its clear that their best days are behind. Jesus' lone complete game and first ever trip to the DL is an indication that he's not quite the bullpen saver that he used to be. Meanwhile, Baumann's stamina has fallen hard enough that many are begining to question if he needs to make the transition to reliever this year. However, no matter the inning, both remain feared arms each time they take the bump, and leave us wondering how much longer till their enshrinement in Cooperstown. A poll was going to be added to see which pitcher this world would prefer over the course of their careers, however no matter how you slice the numbers, Baumann proves the clear cut answer. Fernandez may be as great in the 8th as he is in the 2nd, but only Baumann's wife is disspointed with his stamina limitations.
Coming next: Andy Clayton & Bill Weaver's quest to join Achilles Cohen on the 500 homer list.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Free Agency Recap
For the third season in a row we've seen a max contract offered and accepted in the Free Agency Market. First it was the trio of future Hall of Fame pitchers. Oscar Baumann, Pat Politte and Chad Lamb. Last season it was super star 2nd basemen and another future Hall of Fame player in Ed Donovan. This year...
It was 26 year old Jerry Hayes, fresh off of a 10-7 season with a 3.82 ERA, easily his best season, but worth $110 million over 5 years? Opinions have differed throughout the year, GM KPMcClave of the Rochester Polaroids noted that "with pitching being a premium, it isn't surprising that a quality young pitcher would get an attractive comment." While the Las Vegas Slots GM, saintonan commented that "having the 186th best pitcher in the league get a max deal seemed very odd. Understanding that this was a weak year for FA Starters, but is it really law that someone will get a max deal every season?"
After listening to the criticism Hayes shot back before his first start for the Burlington Part-Timers in spring training,"I really don't care what they have to say about me. I'm here to pitch. I've already got the season opener penned in, I can't wait to beat Oscar."
When asked specifically about the comments coming from Las Vegas all Hayes had to say was,"They're lucky they don't have to see me during the regular season, but I can't wait to end their post season early."
Hayes agent, Rex Brantley, had only a few words to reporters after the press conference,"we took the best offer we got, period."
While Hayes was clearly the top story of the winter, there were quite a few other active teams.
Wichita Black Lightning GM zhawks made it known early that he had money to spend and make the best use of it that they could.
"We were really locked in on Hayes and Greg Walker, but we couldn't land either," zhawks stated at the preseason press conference,"late in the Free Agency period we took a long look at where we were and decided to make a late offer to Corey (Witt), which was immediately accepted and held on to bring in (Jimmie) Lugo who will be playing center field for us this year."
Additionally the Lightning signed gold glove shortstop Diego Johnson who will be play third for the team, vastly improving their overall defense.
"We really wanted to increase our pitching, it has hurt us in the past," commented bench coach Heinie Hines,"when that fell through we decided we could indirectly increase our pitching by improving our defense and I feel we really improved our defense with our signings."
Elsewhere in the AL the Syracuse Tyrants were quite but effective in free agency, adding lefty starter Walker, who is arguably the best pitcher in FA.
When asked about the signing Syracuse GM intern_hc said,"we've lost some good pitching the last few years, we wanted to reload without spending a fortune. We accomplished that."
Walker is a career 4.27 ERA while being 93-89.
Vic Sosa was the top position player on the market and commanded exactly what was expected.
Rochester Polaroids GM KPMcClave was not afraid to spend the money saying "We considered using our entire budget to grab both Lugo and Sosa but decided to improve our pitching and land one of them. We went with Sosa due to age."
Another team that was active, but didn't land any big namers was the Austin Stunners, they signed LF Jason Levine, for what many agreed was an excessive contract, GM flytekk shot back "We weren't spending the money anywhere else and were set on improving our offense."
Little Rock Jaeger Bombs GM timo1964 reacquired two former players he had as former GM in Little Rock before the team moved to Charlotte in Damaso Peron and Bruce Gibbons. Both players add a new dimension to the Little Rock squad and should have the Jager Bombers in the post season soon.
While the Salem Witch Doctors were more active on the trade market than the Free Agent market they did make a few acquisitions. They signed a few relief pitchers in Floyd Reichert and Scott Rolls. Neither is expected to be a lights out relief man but both should bolster the bullpen of another strong Salem team. GM taz21 agreed saying, "we were not looking to spend on a big contract just improve our pitching. We didn't over extend ourselves but made a few good signings that should help us throughout the year."
While Hayes was clearly the story of the winter there was a lot of movement on the free agent market, Wichita once again spent big bucks hoping to finally bring home a title, while other teams made cost efficient moves that fit their budgets.
It was 26 year old Jerry Hayes, fresh off of a 10-7 season with a 3.82 ERA, easily his best season, but worth $110 million over 5 years? Opinions have differed throughout the year, GM KPMcClave of the Rochester Polaroids noted that "with pitching being a premium, it isn't surprising that a quality young pitcher would get an attractive comment." While the Las Vegas Slots GM, saintonan commented that "having the 186th best pitcher in the league get a max deal seemed very odd. Understanding that this was a weak year for FA Starters, but is it really law that someone will get a max deal every season?"
After listening to the criticism Hayes shot back before his first start for the Burlington Part-Timers in spring training,"I really don't care what they have to say about me. I'm here to pitch. I've already got the season opener penned in, I can't wait to beat Oscar."
When asked specifically about the comments coming from Las Vegas all Hayes had to say was,"They're lucky they don't have to see me during the regular season, but I can't wait to end their post season early."
Hayes agent, Rex Brantley, had only a few words to reporters after the press conference,"we took the best offer we got, period."
While Hayes was clearly the top story of the winter, there were quite a few other active teams.
Wichita Black Lightning GM zhawks made it known early that he had money to spend and make the best use of it that they could.
"We were really locked in on Hayes and Greg Walker, but we couldn't land either," zhawks stated at the preseason press conference,"late in the Free Agency period we took a long look at where we were and decided to make a late offer to Corey (Witt), which was immediately accepted and held on to bring in (Jimmie) Lugo who will be playing center field for us this year."
Additionally the Lightning signed gold glove shortstop Diego Johnson who will be play third for the team, vastly improving their overall defense.
"We really wanted to increase our pitching, it has hurt us in the past," commented bench coach Heinie Hines,"when that fell through we decided we could indirectly increase our pitching by improving our defense and I feel we really improved our defense with our signings."
Elsewhere in the AL the Syracuse Tyrants were quite but effective in free agency, adding lefty starter Walker, who is arguably the best pitcher in FA.
When asked about the signing Syracuse GM intern_hc said,"we've lost some good pitching the last few years, we wanted to reload without spending a fortune. We accomplished that."
Walker is a career 4.27 ERA while being 93-89.
Vic Sosa was the top position player on the market and commanded exactly what was expected.
Rochester Polaroids GM KPMcClave was not afraid to spend the money saying "We considered using our entire budget to grab both Lugo and Sosa but decided to improve our pitching and land one of them. We went with Sosa due to age."
Another team that was active, but didn't land any big namers was the Austin Stunners, they signed LF Jason Levine, for what many agreed was an excessive contract, GM flytekk shot back "We weren't spending the money anywhere else and were set on improving our offense."
Little Rock Jaeger Bombs GM timo1964 reacquired two former players he had as former GM in Little Rock before the team moved to Charlotte in Damaso Peron and Bruce Gibbons. Both players add a new dimension to the Little Rock squad and should have the Jager Bombers in the post season soon.
While the Salem Witch Doctors were more active on the trade market than the Free Agent market they did make a few acquisitions. They signed a few relief pitchers in Floyd Reichert and Scott Rolls. Neither is expected to be a lights out relief man but both should bolster the bullpen of another strong Salem team. GM taz21 agreed saying, "we were not looking to spend on a big contract just improve our pitching. We didn't over extend ourselves but made a few good signings that should help us throughout the year."
While Hayes was clearly the story of the winter there was a lot of movement on the free agent market, Wichita once again spent big bucks hoping to finally bring home a title, while other teams made cost efficient moves that fit their budgets.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Geriatric Times?
There's little doubt that OscarBaumann & JesusFernandez are two of the top pitchers this world has seen, if not the two best aces for the first 10 seasons of Ripken, Jr. Like sands thru an hour glass, time is starting to pass these two by, however each is due a hefty salary over the next 4 - 5 seasons before either can think of heading off to their golden years.
At his peak, Baumann was blessed with pinpoint control, wicked heat, nasty splits, but only 1 ++ pitch and 3 average to above average pitches. This was certainly enough to headline any rotation, but perhaps the key to his success was his ability to constantly work on short rest, allowing more starts per season than your average ace. While offseason elbow surgery following season 7 robbed Oscar of a good chunk of his zip on his fastball and a little bit of stuff off each pitch, he still commanded top dollar in the free agent bonaza on season 9 where Witchita signed Oscar up for a 5 year, $130 mil deal, including a $10 mil bonus. Oscar's 94 make-up rating would indicate a guy that should retain his skill set as he ages well better than most, however Wichita has hired Dr Kevorkian's brother as their team trainer, taking their buget from 15 in season 8, down to 11 in season 9 (Oscar's first w/ the team) and now standing at 10 this season. Just this past offseason, Oscar saw further corrosion of his fastball, a small loss in some of his pitches, and most importantly, another decent drop in his stamina that threatens to turn him into a 6 inning pitcher before too long. With the further decrease in training, similar drops could be expect this offseason, but make no mistake, when Oscar's on the mound he's still amongst the leagues best. Oscar is still only 33, so he shouldn't hit a sharp drop off outside of another serious injury, but unless the training buget gets back to a more acceptable level, he may be forced into long relief by the last year of his deal.
Meanwhile, the 36 year old Jesus Fernandez was set on a more reasonable contract the 3 years prior, but rather than agree to his initial demands, Jesus decided to get greedy and claim his initial demands were no longer good enough and headed to free agency. More money for Jesus, bad for Salem's buget. Salem decided to take the plunge, fight off at least one other suited and signed Jesus up to a 5 year, back ended deal that will see him garnering $18.3 mil during his age age 39 & age 40 seasons. Even at his peak, Jesus never relied much on heat, ranking towards the bottom of the world in velocity, however he more than made up for it with pin point control, a nasty sinker a + slider, and 3 more average to above average splits. It seems that velocity and stamina are the first 2 skills to seriously erode as one ages, however Jesus's doesn't have much room to fall with his fastball, and his stamina remains near 90 in his age 36 season, though it dropped from 94 last offseason due in part to Salem's lowering of the training buget in season 10 (down to 10) Careful of the impact of such a low training buget w/ an aging team, team owner quickly put more resources in training, and expec to raise it even further, eventually up to 20 before Jesus' contract is up.
so the question becomes, in the last couple of years of their respective deals, how overpaid will these two aces be? Please vote in the poll to let us know.
At his peak, Baumann was blessed with pinpoint control, wicked heat, nasty splits, but only 1 ++ pitch and 3 average to above average pitches. This was certainly enough to headline any rotation, but perhaps the key to his success was his ability to constantly work on short rest, allowing more starts per season than your average ace. While offseason elbow surgery following season 7 robbed Oscar of a good chunk of his zip on his fastball and a little bit of stuff off each pitch, he still commanded top dollar in the free agent bonaza on season 9 where Witchita signed Oscar up for a 5 year, $130 mil deal, including a $10 mil bonus. Oscar's 94 make-up rating would indicate a guy that should retain his skill set as he ages well better than most, however Wichita has hired Dr Kevorkian's brother as their team trainer, taking their buget from 15 in season 8, down to 11 in season 9 (Oscar's first w/ the team) and now standing at 10 this season. Just this past offseason, Oscar saw further corrosion of his fastball, a small loss in some of his pitches, and most importantly, another decent drop in his stamina that threatens to turn him into a 6 inning pitcher before too long. With the further decrease in training, similar drops could be expect this offseason, but make no mistake, when Oscar's on the mound he's still amongst the leagues best. Oscar is still only 33, so he shouldn't hit a sharp drop off outside of another serious injury, but unless the training buget gets back to a more acceptable level, he may be forced into long relief by the last year of his deal.
Meanwhile, the 36 year old Jesus Fernandez was set on a more reasonable contract the 3 years prior, but rather than agree to his initial demands, Jesus decided to get greedy and claim his initial demands were no longer good enough and headed to free agency. More money for Jesus, bad for Salem's buget. Salem decided to take the plunge, fight off at least one other suited and signed Jesus up to a 5 year, back ended deal that will see him garnering $18.3 mil during his age age 39 & age 40 seasons. Even at his peak, Jesus never relied much on heat, ranking towards the bottom of the world in velocity, however he more than made up for it with pin point control, a nasty sinker a + slider, and 3 more average to above average splits. It seems that velocity and stamina are the first 2 skills to seriously erode as one ages, however Jesus's doesn't have much room to fall with his fastball, and his stamina remains near 90 in his age 36 season, though it dropped from 94 last offseason due in part to Salem's lowering of the training buget in season 10 (down to 10) Careful of the impact of such a low training buget w/ an aging team, team owner quickly put more resources in training, and expec to raise it even further, eventually up to 20 before Jesus' contract is up.
so the question becomes, in the last couple of years of their respective deals, how overpaid will these two aces be? Please vote in the poll to let us know.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Heros & Goats, round 3, Season 9
Salem over Wichita (4-1)
Hero: Patrick Watson. After begining the series slow (1-8 w/ 1 rbi in games 1 & 2), Watson exploded and lead the charge as Salem's offense finally showed some life. While pitching and defense carried the day in the prior series and first 2 games of this set, a couple of hitting duels broke out in games 3 & 5 and Watson was right in the mix. In addition to a P.O.D. in game #3, Watson's last 3 games in this series had him slurping 7 hits in 11 at bats, 3 walks, 5 runs and 3 rbi to help Salem close out Wichita and capture their third AL penant in the last 5 seasons.
Goat: Oscar Baumann. Oscar's $110 mil contract this offseason reflects his strangle hold on world Ripken Jr the last 8 seasons. 4 Cy Young awards, and 8 all star selections reflect just how dominate he's been the first 8 seasons of this worlds existance. however, perhaps his failure to make the all-star game was the first sign that his star is starting to slip, however a late season surge towards another Cy Young nomination earsed those fears until the playoffs begun. Oscar made it thru the 1st series with 2 short stints, but little damage. He showed signs of wear in the 2nd round, but pitched a solid 7 innings in the game 4 clincher vs Trenton. However, the postseason wear took an even further tole when he allowed 5 earned runs in a mear 5 innings in a game 5 lose, followed up by a shorter than you'd like 6 innings out of the Wichita Ace in the deciding game 5. While he only gave up 3 runs thru those 6 innings, qualifing for a quality start, his short stint turned things over to the soft underbelly of the Wichita bullpen where promptly allowed 4 runs to the Salem offense and saw their season come to an abrupt halt. Rumors have Baumann training at the Roger Clemons school for the aging vet with the cream and the clear this offseason. If similar results are produced, expect a few more Cy Young awards out of Oscar.
Fresno over Austin (4-2)
Hero: Tim Kinney. In a classic back and forth series, Kinney provided enough highlight material to fill a complete 30 minute SI team video next offseason. There was the back to back homers with Fultz in a game 1 victory to push Fresno's lead out to 5, There was another 3rd inning solo shot in game 3 to push the first run across the board as Fresno re-gained the series edge. Finally a solo shot to score the first run in the 6th to open things up in the pivotal game 5, as well as a 3 run shot to turn out the lights in the 9th inning. All that was left was for Fresno to seal off game 6 and move to the W-S where Kinney gets another shot to prove his postseason wares. In his first postseason trip in 7 previous major league season, this 32 year old is getting a chance to show his talents on the big stage, perhaps another all star trip will come along with it next year.
Goat: Chris Lyons. Austin's all star right fielder had his best season of his prestigous career. 150 rbi, 37 homers, 205 hits and 139 runs pushed him into elite territory. However, he managed just 3 hits and 3 rbi in the series vs Austin. In a series played as tightly as this series, Lyon's lack of offensive production really hindered their chances of making the big show. Look for Austin to return even stronger next year with the combination of great vets and emerging youth.
Hero: Patrick Watson. After begining the series slow (1-8 w/ 1 rbi in games 1 & 2), Watson exploded and lead the charge as Salem's offense finally showed some life. While pitching and defense carried the day in the prior series and first 2 games of this set, a couple of hitting duels broke out in games 3 & 5 and Watson was right in the mix. In addition to a P.O.D. in game #3, Watson's last 3 games in this series had him slurping 7 hits in 11 at bats, 3 walks, 5 runs and 3 rbi to help Salem close out Wichita and capture their third AL penant in the last 5 seasons.
Goat: Oscar Baumann. Oscar's $110 mil contract this offseason reflects his strangle hold on world Ripken Jr the last 8 seasons. 4 Cy Young awards, and 8 all star selections reflect just how dominate he's been the first 8 seasons of this worlds existance. however, perhaps his failure to make the all-star game was the first sign that his star is starting to slip, however a late season surge towards another Cy Young nomination earsed those fears until the playoffs begun. Oscar made it thru the 1st series with 2 short stints, but little damage. He showed signs of wear in the 2nd round, but pitched a solid 7 innings in the game 4 clincher vs Trenton. However, the postseason wear took an even further tole when he allowed 5 earned runs in a mear 5 innings in a game 5 lose, followed up by a shorter than you'd like 6 innings out of the Wichita Ace in the deciding game 5. While he only gave up 3 runs thru those 6 innings, qualifing for a quality start, his short stint turned things over to the soft underbelly of the Wichita bullpen where promptly allowed 4 runs to the Salem offense and saw their season come to an abrupt halt. Rumors have Baumann training at the Roger Clemons school for the aging vet with the cream and the clear this offseason. If similar results are produced, expect a few more Cy Young awards out of Oscar.
Fresno over Austin (4-2)
Hero: Tim Kinney. In a classic back and forth series, Kinney provided enough highlight material to fill a complete 30 minute SI team video next offseason. There was the back to back homers with Fultz in a game 1 victory to push Fresno's lead out to 5, There was another 3rd inning solo shot in game 3 to push the first run across the board as Fresno re-gained the series edge. Finally a solo shot to score the first run in the 6th to open things up in the pivotal game 5, as well as a 3 run shot to turn out the lights in the 9th inning. All that was left was for Fresno to seal off game 6 and move to the W-S where Kinney gets another shot to prove his postseason wares. In his first postseason trip in 7 previous major league season, this 32 year old is getting a chance to show his talents on the big stage, perhaps another all star trip will come along with it next year.
Goat: Chris Lyons. Austin's all star right fielder had his best season of his prestigous career. 150 rbi, 37 homers, 205 hits and 139 runs pushed him into elite territory. However, he managed just 3 hits and 3 rbi in the series vs Austin. In a series played as tightly as this series, Lyon's lack of offensive production really hindered their chances of making the big show. Look for Austin to return even stronger next year with the combination of great vets and emerging youth.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Heros & Goats, round 2, season 9
Salem over Tampa (3-1)
Hero: Alex Gomez. After sitting out the 1st game loss while coach Taz21 was trying to "play the matchups" and left his leadoff hitter on the bench in favor of a righty to face Tampa's slew of left handed starters, the Salem message boards light up with enough flames to keep downtown Salem a glow till the next morning. Hearing the critics, coach wised up and got Gomez back into left field and back into the lineup where he responded by hitting .455 over the next 3 nights, not to mention his standard gold glove defense in left.
Goat: Achilles Cohen. Tampa's MVP canidate had a series he'd like to forget. Just 2 hits in 16 at bats. Post season struggles are nothing new to this budding star, as heel injuries each of the last 2 postseason have held him well short of regular season accolades. From a .280+ batting average and over 100 regular season home runs, to just 8 hits (in 43 at bats) and single homer the last 2 postseasons.
Wichita over Trenton (3-1)
Hero: Bruce Gibbons. Bruce scored 7 runs, piked up 6 hits (6/15-.400), drove in 5, walked 4 times and stole 3 bases to pace Wichita's offense in an easier than expect 3-1 series win over Trenton
Goat: Kris Jackson. Another middle of the order DH struggling to pace his team's offense when it matters most. This season's 2-15 showing w/ only 1 rbi follows last year's equally brutal 2-11 showing with no rbi. Jackson will enter next year looking for a new contract for season 11 and hopes to move past the last 2 postseason failures and put up something more along the lines of season 7 where he knocked out 6 long balls to go w/ 20 rbi in 14 games.
Fresno over Honolulu (3-1)
Hero: Ricky Brock. Ricky don't lose that number, didn't hit many, but he certainly made his hits count. Trailing 1 game to none, and down 4-5 in the 8th inning of game 2, Ricky hit a 2 run jack to flip the game and tie the series. 2 nights later in game #3, again trailing by a run (1-0) in the 9th, Ricky found himself at the plate w/ the bases juiced and slashed a line drive to left field to knock in 2 runs, take the lead and send Fresno to a 2 games to 1 lead.
Goat: Honolulu pitching after the 5th inning. They had a lead in all 3 games at some point after the 5th, only to see each lead flipped in a single inning (including allowing 5 runs in a 4-0 game in the 6th inning of game 4) to seal their fate. Dick Hoover is left to continue dreaming of a World Series ring.
Austin over Dover (3-1)
Hero: Stewart Wells. Austin's silver slugging CF paced their offense by hitting .414 over their arch nemisis, including 4 rbi and 5 runs.
Goat: Tony Brown. After Dover fell behind 1 game to none, they took a 6-4 lead to the 9th of game 2. 2 walks and an error later and the bases are full of Stunners. 1 pitch later, Pineda deposits a ball over the LF fence. Game over, series over. Dover would come back to win in game 3, but by that point their pitching was so worn out that they allowed 13 runs in the deciding game 4 in an otherwise heartless performance.
Hero: Alex Gomez. After sitting out the 1st game loss while coach Taz21 was trying to "play the matchups" and left his leadoff hitter on the bench in favor of a righty to face Tampa's slew of left handed starters, the Salem message boards light up with enough flames to keep downtown Salem a glow till the next morning. Hearing the critics, coach wised up and got Gomez back into left field and back into the lineup where he responded by hitting .455 over the next 3 nights, not to mention his standard gold glove defense in left.
Goat: Achilles Cohen. Tampa's MVP canidate had a series he'd like to forget. Just 2 hits in 16 at bats. Post season struggles are nothing new to this budding star, as heel injuries each of the last 2 postseason have held him well short of regular season accolades. From a .280+ batting average and over 100 regular season home runs, to just 8 hits (in 43 at bats) and single homer the last 2 postseasons.
Wichita over Trenton (3-1)
Hero: Bruce Gibbons. Bruce scored 7 runs, piked up 6 hits (6/15-.400), drove in 5, walked 4 times and stole 3 bases to pace Wichita's offense in an easier than expect 3-1 series win over Trenton
Goat: Kris Jackson. Another middle of the order DH struggling to pace his team's offense when it matters most. This season's 2-15 showing w/ only 1 rbi follows last year's equally brutal 2-11 showing with no rbi. Jackson will enter next year looking for a new contract for season 11 and hopes to move past the last 2 postseason failures and put up something more along the lines of season 7 where he knocked out 6 long balls to go w/ 20 rbi in 14 games.
Fresno over Honolulu (3-1)
Hero: Ricky Brock. Ricky don't lose that number, didn't hit many, but he certainly made his hits count. Trailing 1 game to none, and down 4-5 in the 8th inning of game 2, Ricky hit a 2 run jack to flip the game and tie the series. 2 nights later in game #3, again trailing by a run (1-0) in the 9th, Ricky found himself at the plate w/ the bases juiced and slashed a line drive to left field to knock in 2 runs, take the lead and send Fresno to a 2 games to 1 lead.
Goat: Honolulu pitching after the 5th inning. They had a lead in all 3 games at some point after the 5th, only to see each lead flipped in a single inning (including allowing 5 runs in a 4-0 game in the 6th inning of game 4) to seal their fate. Dick Hoover is left to continue dreaming of a World Series ring.
Austin over Dover (3-1)
Hero: Stewart Wells. Austin's silver slugging CF paced their offense by hitting .414 over their arch nemisis, including 4 rbi and 5 runs.
Goat: Tony Brown. After Dover fell behind 1 game to none, they took a 6-4 lead to the 9th of game 2. 2 walks and an error later and the bases are full of Stunners. 1 pitch later, Pineda deposits a ball over the LF fence. Game over, series over. Dover would come back to win in game 3, but by that point their pitching was so worn out that they allowed 13 runs in the deciding game 4 in an otherwise heartless performance.
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