Baseball Notes for May 20, 2013

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Andrew Martin

RyanNolanMorganna

I had such a good time going over baseball history links last week that I decided to do it again! Here’s hoping this can become a regular feature, as the cool nuggets just continue to pile up. I’ll try to continue bringing a blend of topics to keep it fresh and interesting. As usual, thanks for reading!

***Baseball has had a lot of mascots over the years, ranging from obnoxious to downright entertaining. But none were more buxom or lascivious than Morganna, the Kissing Bandit. (more…)

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MLBDirt.com’s Baseball Notes for April 29, 2013

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Andrew Martin

Anibal

The length of a baseball team’s disabled list can have such a strong impact on the outcome of their season. Injuries not only deprive teams of talented players, but alter the chemistry that was so carefully constructed during the offseason and spring training.

The ability of backup players, minor league prospects and the length of time needed for the injured to come back healthy can all determine whether or not a season will be derailed. Just a month into the 2013 season, a number of major league teams have felt the pinch of losing players to the DL. The scrambling has already begun for some to overcome a fractured roster. (more…)

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NL West Players To Watch

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Daniel Marino

Rutledge

Dan Marino’s long journey trekking through each division in the major leagues is over. Now, in part six of six, he brings you the National League West’s Players to Watch:

Part 1: AL East Players to Watch.

Part 2: NL East Players to Watch.

Part 3: AL Central Players to Watch.

Part 4: NL Central Players to Watch.

Part 5: AL West Players to Watch.

Arizona Diamondbacks (more…)

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Hall of Fame Voters Make A Point at Piazza’s Expense

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Daniel Marino

Piazza

What kind of baseball world do we live in today? Aaron Sele, Steve Finley, and Julio Franco all received Hall of Fame votes. Franco actually received 6 votes. Six “sports” writers gave Franco a Hall of Fame vote. But the true disservice of this year’s HOF vote was seeing Mike Piazza not receiving the 75% of votes needed to gain entry into the Hall of Fame (Craig Biggio also has a case).

Numbers don’t lie.  If we compare Piazza’s stats against Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Gary Carter‘s, Piazza should have been a slam dunk for the HOF. Piazza has the least amount of at-bats, yet led the other three players in homeruns. He trailed only Johnny Bench in RBI, but he had 700 fewer at-bats than Bench. (more…)

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Baseball Notes for January 7, 2013

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Andrew Martin

Berkman

It’s now less than two months until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. We’ve finally gotten to the point of the offseason where teams are starting to scramble to fill the final holes on their rosters. Because the majority of the big-name free agents have already signed, the depths of the available player pool are starting to be plumbed. This makes the weeks leading up to spring training some of the most interesting to watch for diehard baseball fans.

***The Texas Rangers added another bat to their lineup by agreeing to a one-year contract with free-agent first baseman Lance Berkman. The switch-hitter will be 37 before the start of the season and played in only 32 games last year with the St. Louis Cardinals because of injuries. (more…)

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Baseball Notes for December 31, 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Andrew Martin

Hanley

The holiday season slowed down the hectic MLB offseason, which had operated on full blast for more than a month. Although many free agents have signed with new teams, there is still a lot going on around baseball as 2012 comes to an end.

***It may be the week after Christmas, but it’s never too late to share stories of baseball and good will. Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wrote about a young fan’s actions and experience of a lifetime while attending a Los Angeles Dodgers’ game earlier this year.

11-year-old Jack Baur (no, not the guy from 24) was sitting in the stands during an August game when he was struck by a bat that slipped from the grasp of Los Angeles third baseman Hanley Ramirez and ricocheted off another child. Fortunately, both youngsters were okay. Security immediately retrieved the bat to return to Ramirez, but new team owner Magic Johnson saw everything transpire and brought autographed balls to the two boys and made sure they weren’t hurt. It turned out that wasn’t the end of the situation. (more…)

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Baseball Notes for December 10, 2012

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Andrew Martin

ZGreinke

If you happen to follow many baseball writers on Twitter, chances are your timeline was blowing up this past week. With MLB’s winter meetings taking place in Nashville, Tennessee, there was a lot of activity, as more free agents were taken off the market. Heck, there was even some trading going on. It was all part of the dance as we get closer and closer to the start of spring training.

***Perhaps the most shocking move to come out of the winter meetings was the Red Sox giving a three-year, $39 million deal to outfielder Shane Victorino. The Red Sox have publicly declared their new distaste in  giving out large contracts of lengths exceeding more than three or four years. Apparently they are content with grossly overpaying players on shorter-term deals. (more…)

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Victorino Deal Could Be a Loss for the Red Sox

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Jonathan C. Mitchell

Victorino

The Boston Red Sox decided to give a three-year deal worth $39M to free agent Shane Victorino to become their starting right fielder but Victorino comes with a lot of red flags that may end up making this deal a loss for the Sox. (more…)

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Baseball Notes for November 12, 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Andrew Martin

*** To say I loved the Red Sox signing catcher David Ross to a two year, $6.2 million free agent would be an understatement. He brings the kind of leadership, experience and defensive presence the Sox have lacked behind the plate for years. Although he won’t be a full-time starter he could play a significant role in changing the culture of managing the pitching staff and calling games.

*** The free-spending ways of the Los Angeles Dodgers seems to know no bounds. It was confirmed last week that they successfully bid $25.7 million for the chance to negotiate a contract with Korean left-handed pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin. (more…)

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My Manager of the Year Award Ballot

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Jonathan C. Mitchell

As a proud member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance I get the privilege of voting on all of the regular season awards in addition to the Hall of Fame and other great awards. The Manager of the Year Award, or The Connie Mack Award as the BBA calls it, is a tough one to quantify but fellow member and great writer Bryan O’Connor came up with a method that I will no-doubt be using heavily when I vote on this award.

Basically what Bryan did was take a look at the final standings and his preseason prediction standings and the manager that exceeded his own win-loss expectation is who he voted for. I find this method brilliant and it will now be a part of my method in deciding the Connie Mack Award every year. But it will not be my sole method. (more…)

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