Advice For The Mets

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Daniel Marino

Mets

The Mets Should Target Soriano

If the Mets were considering bringing Michael Bourn into the fold at $12 million per season, then perhaps they should target Alfonso Soriano.  The Cubs are in total rebuild mode, and they are more than willing to deal Soriano.  If the Mets are willing to pay about $7 million of his $18 million annual contract, the Cubs would be willing to deal him.  His defense is suspect, but his bat still has plenty of life left in it.  And the Mets certainly have a need for right-handed power.  The Mets would only be on the hook for two more seasons, and at $7 million per season, they could manage that contract, and he would provide more pop than Bourn would have supplied.  Mike Baxter could come in and play defense late in games.  It’s a move that makes baseball and financial sense for the Mets…as well as the Cubs.

Similarities Between These Mets and the 83’ Mets (more…)

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NL East Players To Watch

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Daniel Marino

Turner

Dan Marino is trekking through each division in the major leagues and giving you one player he thinks is the: Rookie to Watch, Breakthrough Player, The Party’s Over, Non-Roster Invitee Most Likely to Stick, and Just Not Seeing it.

He has already given us his AL East Players to Watch. Now, in part two of six, he brings you the National League East: (more…)

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How to Get the Most Out of the Red Sox Lineup

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Andrew Martin

With a little more than a fifth of the 2012 season having been played, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t agree with the assertion that the Red Sox stink. In particular, their pitching has been terrible, ranking near the bottom of the American League in team ERA and hits, home runs, and walks allowed. Accordingly, their offense is the primary weapon that they can utilize to win some games. Their lineup has been productive thus far- second in the league in hits and runs scored- they have been beset by injuries to key players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Kevin Youkilis. While those players are out there are still ways for Bobby Valentine to maximize the value of the players he currently has and put out a batting order to maximize where his regulars have hit the best in the past.

Valentine has a reputation for being more of an old school manager; relying on gut feelings and hot streaks to help direct his team. By looking at statistics he would find a batting lineup that he has not used yet, but history shows could optimize the bats of his current starters. While this historically ideal lineup would do nothing to cure the ills of the pitching staff, it would give the Red Sox even more ability to bludgeon their opponents in the slugfests that look certain to be persist this summer.

Historically Ideal Red Sox Line Up: (more…)

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Top Rookies Report Card

Posted on October 27, 2011 by William J. Tasker

Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Year Award is a lot like the Best New Artist award at the Grammys. A very good start to a career doesn’t guarantee that it will be a great career. It’s not even a predictor that the player will have a good career. And that makes sense because outliers can happen just as much in a player’s first year as it can in subsequent years. Young players can get hurt and scouting reports can pinpoint flaws in the young player’s game. If the young player does not adjust properly to these new strategies against him, a downturn to oblivion can occur. Fortunately, teams have somewhat of a cushion if faced with this blow because the system is set up so that young players can’t make very much money.

What this post aims to do is to give you a list of the top voted rookies from 2002 to 2004 to see how those who have had great rookie seasons have fared since. Perhaps we’ll catch up the list in a later post.

(more…)

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Wrigley Field Isn’t a Dump. The Team Might Be

Posted on June 28, 2011 by William J. Tasker

A recent stop to Wrigley Field by the crew of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN did much to again dispel the notion that the place is more a dump than it is a shrine of baseball. The stadium had come under recent scrutiny as something that needed to be replaced. Let’s hope that idea doesn’t happen soon as we’ve lost enough landmarks as it is. The emphasis on the stadium by the Sunday Night crew was merciful because it lessened the scrutiny that should be put on the team and not the stadium. Nothing is going right for the Cubs and we’ve heard talk about injuries to people like Marlon Byrd and Darwin Barney. But injuries occur for every team. The contention of this writer is that the stadium shouldn’t be torn down and rebuilt. The Cubs, though, perhaps are another story.

There are so many cheap shots this writer could take. The owner has a name that calls to mind a childhood disease. The field is named after childhood dentists’ worst nightmare. But we’ll try to take the high road here. The obvious fact is that this team needs to be torn down to begin again. Lou Piniella obviously lost the team last year. The Cubs had a brutal start. This writer railed from the outskirts that old Lou needed to go. He was the problem. And sure enough, the old guy did step down and Mike Quade took over and the team took off. But here it is a year later with that same Mike Quade and the Cubs are pretty much where they were a year ago with Sweet Lou. And Buster Olney of ESPN.com is hinting that Quade has lost some of the clubhouse.

None of those facts and innuendos add up to good news for the Cubs. If a certain segment of the team has been “lost” by Quade after Piniella “lost” the clubhouse last year, perhaps it’s time to get rid of the members in the clubhouse. Let them go poison some other teams for a change. Part of the Cubs’ story is about sunk costs. There are enormous contracts to Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano. What good are those three if you have a team that is kicking its legs like a turtle turned upside down? Sunk costs are sunk costs. You aren’t going to get rid of the costs no matter what, but you can get rid of the players.

Alfonso Soriano will make $18 million this year…and next year…and the year after that…and the year after that. He was worth around $7 million last year and will have to hustle in the second half to earn that this season. He is a sunk cost. It isn’t going to get better. Why not admit that and get rid of the guy. Plenty of teams could use a DH in the American League if the Cubs were paying the tab. Perhaps some of those teams would even give a marginal prospect or two. The Cubs aren’t going anywhere anyway. Get rid of him.

Aramis Ramirez is getting paid anywhere from $14.6 million to $16 million this year. He might be an eight or nine million dollar player this season. There is a club option for him next year. There is no way the club will pick that up. From many accounts, the guy doesn’t try very hard. There are too many whispers about him to not think there is something behind those whispers. Ramirez has a $1 million clause in his contract if he is traded. That complicates the Cubs’ prospects of making a deal this year. If there are no takers. Then release him. He’s a sunk cost anyway.

Carlos Zambrano is a sunk cost. He’s getting $18 million or thereabouts this year and will make the same next year. He’s really worth closer to $10 million. He’s only 30 years old and probably has the highest trade value of the three players we’ve talked about. It’s possible that a team would take a chance on him and give up some value to get him. That should be encouraged as much as possible. It’s time for his era to end in Chicago.

The pain involved with getting rid of three anchors of your team is finding people to take their place. But if you are fallen and can’t get up, that pain can’t be lessened by keeping players who make too much money and may be a drag to your team in the clubhouse and on the field. Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney are a step in the right direction and show what can happen by getting younger. The drawback is that those two players lack some skills needed to improve the Cubs (like getting on base by being patient at the plate). The bottom line is that the people they have can’t or won’t get the job done.

The Cubs need to concentrate on pitching and defense. Matt Garza has been a disappointment. But at least he was a step in the right way of thinking. He has a big time arm and that’s what the Cubs need to start stockpiling. They also need to fix their defense. The Cubs are dead last in the majors in fielding efficiency and fielding percentage. That’s a deadly double-whammy. Ridding yourself of Soriano and Ramirez will not hurt there either.

The one constant through all these long-term signings and through the way too many years of stuttering is the general manager. He’s been the constant in this picture since July 5, 2002. He certainly is a love him or hate him kind of guy. And it’s hard to argue with the Cubs winning three division titles under Hendry. But since 2008, the team has foundered without any break in the gloom except for their second half run last year. Perhaps there needs to be a change in direction. Perhaps it is time to say that Hendry has had his chance and it hasn’t worked out. That’s business and that’s life. These Cubs…these misfits with big wallets are his. If this writer was Mr. Ricketts, the mandate would be to get rid of the high priced and low productivity and get as much as you can for them. How well that assignment goes would be the win/loss variables for job security.

We hear a lot about the Cub fans. We hear about their loyalty and about the diehard nature of their yearly existence. They deserve at least some indication that the problems are understood and that a plan is in place to undo the mistakes of the past. Those fans know that the bottom line is that this club is bloated and beached like a whale and even if Quade was Captain Ahab, it’s going to be impossible to get that whale back off the beach.

-William J. Tasker, a/k/a The Flagrant Fan, a knowledgeable and passionate baseball fan that can be followed on twitter and found writing daily at his blog

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Hidden Gems: Darwin Barney

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Charlie Nehl

There has been a lot of talk of Sam Fuld around the internet, and this very site being that spark plug to give some energy to his team. I’ve followed Fuld since he was up and down as a Cubs, who was a “throw in” player in the Matt Garza deal. I’m very happy to see him getting success at the big league level.

There was a pretty significant development in the Chicago Cubs roster at the end of spring training that is paying off with large dividends for the inconsistent North Siders. It was widely expected that Blake DeWitt would win the 2nd base position outright, leaving Jeff Baker the LHP hitting specialist on the team and fill in at 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Darwin Barney was expected to backup at 2nd and SS; however, with a strong spring by Barney, and DeWitt having a weak spring, Barney won the starting job opening day.

Starlin Castro was the obviously more highly regarded shortstop in the Cubs organization, but Barney is no slouch either. He was a two time NCAA national champion for the Oregon State Beavers in 2006 and 2007. In 2007 he was named to the all tournament team. He was also a part of the 2006 Team USA gold medal team at the World University Games.

He was a late season call-up last season and did decently well. He’s not going to win games with his bat, only ten home runs in 1546 ABs in the Minor Leagues spanning over four seasons. What he will do for you is play the game extremely hard, run the base paths well and play the field above average. He’s settled in as a full time 2nd basemen when a large majority of his innings were at short in the minors. He’s looking more like a natural 2B on a daily basis.

While he is no Castro on the field in regards to the highlight reel plays he’ll make throughout this season, he will also not be like Castro and not make near as many as errors either. He’s a solid, consistent defender. His stats in the minors might not indicate that, but playing at 2nd, a position he’s better suited for, will show off how good of a defensive player he’s going to be.

Against the Rockies this weekend, he and Casey Coleman teamed up to make a great play where Barney made a diving stop and tossed to Coleman who was heading over to cover the bag. [mlb.com video]

As I mentioned earlier, he’s not going to carry a team with his bat, but he’s a good contact hitter, who almost walks as much as he strikes out. Prior to Tuesday’s game he’s walked 4 times and struck out only 3 times. Since the time that Castro and Barney have batted 1-2 in the lineup, they’ve been getting on base on a pretty consistent basis. Castro is battling well over .500 since being moved to lead off, and Barney is still batting .311 currently and has an OBP of .360. That’s giving the hitters behind the duo plenty of chances to drive them in.

There were two very specific instances where his hustle got him more than what the regular player would have. First, Saturday night’s game, late in the game, he hit a bloop into “no man’s land” in left-centerfield and was running hard out of the box. When Dexter Fowler couldn’t corral the ball as he came up to it, Barney scooted into 2nd after rounding first base hard. The following day, he scored on a potential double play ball after an errant throw clipped off the top of Todd Helton’s glove [mlb.com video].

I’m pretty sure there’s a little bit of Marlon Byrd’s hustle instilled in Barney. I was watching a video earlier in the spring where they were talking to Marlon Byrd about Brett Jackson, and how teaching him to play the game the right way. He wants Jackson to stay with the big league team after he is first called up. He said he expects Jackson to take over at CF, moving himself to RF. I see a lot of “Johnny Hustle” similarities in Barney. I think he’s established himself being a core part of the young Cubs movement heading into the coming seasons along with Castro, Tyler Colvin and Andrew Cashner.

I also remember seeing a video before spring training started, where a reporter was interviewing Barney about the MLB academy he went to in the off season to prepare himself as a MLB ball player both in the regards as a player and as person. He also was a member of “Camp Colvin” this winter. A rigorous, alternative offseason strength program ran by Colvin for players to get in shape for the season where Barney put 19 lbs onto his small frame. Barney is well on his way to becoming a fan favorite, much like former Cub, Ryan Theriot, but he’s a much better ball player.

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2011 NL Central Preview

Posted on March 26, 2011 by mikemcginnis

2011 NL Central Preview

1. Cincinnati Reds

The Good: The Reds have a solid combo of strong bats and strong starting pitching. Bronson Arroyo, Edison Volquez, Travis Wood, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake form a formidible rotation. While the offense is spearheaded by triple crown candidate/MVP Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce. Two things the Reds offense has is power with some speed.

The Bad: The back end of the bullpen is a cause for concern. Francisco Cordero has logged a lot of innings the past few years and looked like he was tired the 2nd half of last year. The Dusty Baker effect once again if you ask me. I am not buying all the hype surrounding Aroldis Chapman. Chapman can throw 115MPH for all I am concerned but, his control, mechanics and lack of developed secondary pitches raise some flags. Realize, the Reds are now expected to win and will be targeted by other teams, that changes the perspective for the young Reds a lot. Another crucial question: Can Scott Rolen stay healthy and productive for 2 straight years?

What to Look For: The continued development Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Aroldis Chapman, Edison Volquez, Travis Wood and Mike Leake will determine how far the Reds will progress this season. The Reds are following the right path in terms of a successful long term plan.

Projection: The Reds definitely seem to be trying to follow the Phillies blueprint: A solid starting rotation, good defense and plenty of power bats with some speed. The Reds weren’t a fluke last year and this year they should prove that.

92-70 (1st Place)

Milwaukee Brewers

The Good: The Brewers made massive upgrades to a pitching rotation that sorely needed it. 2009 1-2 starters Yovanni Gallardo and Randy Wolf get bumped down to 3 and 4 to make room for new ace Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. These were two very high impact moves by the Brew Crew and I am sure Marcum and Greinke will benefit from pitching in the NL and having strong offensive support. While being dominated by right handers, the Brewers can score runs. The offensive attack of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks is very impressive.

The Bad: The Brewers defense can be down right dreadful and that will cost them some games. John Axford, Zach Braddock, 41 year old Takashi Saito and Kameron Loe will have to shore up a bullpen that had plenty of leaks last season. Another critical question: Can Carlos Gomez be an everyday CF?

What to Look For: If the right deal comes along would the Brewers deal Prince Fielder and move Mat Gamel to 1B? That should be interesting to see. Also, the development of John Axford and Zach Braddock to the late inning roles is something the Brewers need to take shape if they want to be serious contenders.

Projection: If the Reds falter the Brewers are most likely taking the division. The Brewers are taking their shot this year realizing it most likely is their last with big slugging 1B Prince Fielder. Should be an exciting summer in Milwaukee.

89-73 (2nd place)

Chicago Cubs

The Good: The Cubs offense should be able to produce runs with the likes of Aramis Ramirez, Starlin Castro, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Pena, Marlon Byrd, Geovany Soto and Tyler Colvin. The Cubs front 3 starting pitchers of Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster give their fans plenty of reason to think they can contend and Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner are not bad options out of the 4 and 5 spots.

The Bad: The Cubs have been awful at situational hitting the past few years and adding more strikeouts with Carlos Pena will not help. Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez looked old and worn out last year which is not a good sign. Middle relief was a disaster for the Cubs last year and outside of Carlos Marmol the closer, there are too many question marks for the Cubs.

What to Look For: Will be interesting to see how Cubs skipper Mike Quade is able to keep the usually hotheaded Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza on track. This is a transition year for the Cubs. I strongly believe Carlos Pena is a 1 year rental before the Cubs land Albert Pujols, Justin Morneau or Prince Fielder to play 1B.

Prediction: The Cubs will shine and have their moments but, unless they get some critical big hits, cut down on the strikeouts and get decent middle relief help they are only a decent team not a good team.

84-78 (3rd Place)

St. Louis Cardinals

The Good: The offense should be OK considering it has Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Colby Rasmus at its core. Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia should help steady a questionable rotation.

The Bad: Plenty. Adam Wainwright and his Cy Young Award type numbers are gone for the year and more importantly, this could be Albert Pujols last year as a Cardinal. This is a major year of flux for the Cards who could also deal free agent to be Chris Carpenter at the trade deadline if they fall out of contention. Is RF Lance Berkman still an everyday player? What kind of production do the Cardinals get from the middle infield of Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker? Can the Cardinals recover from losing Adam Wainwright for an entire season?

What to Look For: If Carpenter, Tony LaRussa and Pujols leave within the next year the Cards could be in a full blown rebuilding phase. Dave Duncan is one of the best pitching coaches ever with all the pitching projects he has taken on and transformed. Duncan will have to use all of his skills this season to help the Crads overcome the loss of Adam Wainwright. Fireballer Carlos Martinez may arrive into the bullpen for the Cardinals this summer.

Projection: It already looks like this could be a rough year for the Cardinals will all the questions left unanswered. Where does this team go past 2011 is the most important question of them all.

79-83 (4th Place)

Houston Astros

The Good: The Astros GM Ed Wade did a heck of a job rebuilding the core of this team midseason in 2009 and finally has the Astros younger and cheaper then they have been in a while. 1B Brett Wallace, RF Hunter Pence and 3B Chris Johnson help give some much needed youth into the Astros everyday lineup. They may not jump out at you but, J.A. Happ, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris give Houston a decent starting rotation. Closer Brandon Lyon, Fernando Abad, Wilton Lopez,  and Mark Melancon are pretty decent options out of the bullpen too.

The Bad: The Astros are still a ways off in terms of getting younger better position players and are stuck with some stopgap solution players in their middle infield. Also, the Astros are saddled with the bloated Carlos Lee contract. Losing young catcher Jason Castro for the year to a knee injury is a blow not easily recovered from either.

What to Look For: The Astros can only pray that Carlos Lee has a big first half and can convince someone crazy or desperate enough to take him off the Astros hands even for half price.

Projection: When you have pitching you can win or in the Astros case, be representable. The Astros need to find position players but, are heading in the right direction with their relatively young pitching.

73-89 (5th Place)

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Good: Well, at least the Pirates have some good talent in the field eveyday and should score some runs with CF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Pedro Alvarez, 2B Neil Walker and LF Jose Tabata. James McDonald and Ross Ohlendorf give the Pirates a prayer that they can give up less than 5-10 runs at least 2 days out of the week. Evan Meek, Chris Resop and Joel Hanrahan provide some actual relief for a bullpen that’s pretty rotten.

The Bad: Are you kidding me?!?!? Well, the worst is the ownership who cares nothing about the franchise or the fan base because they maintain the lowest MLB payroll while turning one of the highest profits. Pathetic. As a Pirates player you are encouraged to play your best because the sooner you do the sooner you are traded from the team. Hard to believe the Pirates share the same city as one of the NFL’s all time elite/successful franchises and a very successful NHL franchise as well. The Pirates pitching staff was abysmal last year. When you have the worst team ERA and you are not in the AL or playing half the time in Cincinnatti, Houston or Philadelphia (3 great band boxes) you have major issues. Oh, yeah, and if that was not bad enough, the Pirates have plenty of problems catching and throwing the baseball consistently in the field too.

What to Look For: To see the Pirates roll out a borderline MLB team and not lose a 100 games. MLB should assume ownership of this franchise because the Pirates front office is a disgrace.

Projection: See the past 18 years. Somehow I think they will only lose 98 games this year. Yet, I cannot substantiate why.

64-98 (6th Place)

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