AL West Players To Watch

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Daniel Marino

DeSheilds

Dan Marino continues his trek 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.

Now, in part five of six, he brings you the American League West:

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.

Houston Astros (more…)

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2012 – The Year of the Laboratory?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by William J. Tasker

There are a surprising number of experiments going on in Major League Baseball for this coming season. Players are trying out new positions, relief pitchers are trying to be starting pitchers. Heck, even the Yankees are trying to be cost conscious. Strange things are happening in a training camp near you. With all that is happening, you will need a scorecard to track all the goings on. We at MLB Dirt are happy to help. What follows are the experiments happening all over baseball plus this writer’s take on whether the lab results will be positive or negative. Here we go. Got your pencil handy?

(more…)

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The Biggest Deadline Winners Are…

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jonathan C. Mitchell

The trade deadline has come and gone and it may take years to figure out who the actual “losers” are from this deadline. But, we can give a pretty clear answer as to who the winners were, especially if we are grading them on 2011 contention, which is part of the grading scale. With that, here are my top two trade deadline winners.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians did not look like a team going to the playoffs before the deadline passed. With the deadline gone they added the best pitcher on the market in Ubaldo Jimenez and they not only get him for the 2011 stretch run but they get him for the three years after for only $17.95M. Sure, they gave up Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Joe Gardner, and Matt McBride, but none of them made my mid-season top 25 (although Pomeranz was on a lot of mid-season top 25 lists) and Pomeranz was 64th on my pre-season top 175 White was 100th.

Cleveland also got rid of Orlando Cabrera and actually got a serviceable prospect in Thomas Neal from the Giants. Cabrera was having his worst season ever with -0.7 fWAR, .275 OBP, and -7.2 UZR. Cabrera should’ve been cut but they got a potentially good 4th outfielder in Neal for a player that actually cost the team wins. This allows them to play Jason Kipnis who should be worth at least a win over the negative value Cabrera brought. Let’s not forget that Cleveland also got Kosuke Fukudome earlier in the deadline week for organizational pieces.

Atlanta Braves: By getting Michael Bourn from the Houston Astros, the Braves did two things that they desperately needed to do: add a center fielder and add a top of the order bat. Check and check. Bourn is a plus defender in center and his .363 OBP and steals at the top of the order are a far cry from what the Braves have been getting from that lineup spot. On top of being a good defender, good base stealer, and getting on base at a good clip, he is also on of the best base runners in the game (different than stealing bases) with a Bsr of +5.6.

There were talks of the Braves going after corner outfielders with better bats but that would have been a disservice to the team who already has two good corner outfielders and desperately needed a center fielder. Now we can, hopefully, stop hearing about Jason Heyward being demoted. They did give up bulk in prospects but nothing of significant value and held on to their top prospects. Not a bad move for Bourn who also has another year of control left.

***********************Other Winners***********************

The Philadelphia Phillies were also winners by adding Hunter Pence to an already stellar team. His plus right-handed bat fits perfectly in that lineup and he should help push the Phillies over the top. This move was clearly one to make them better for the postseason and for future seasons. They did give up high reward prospects but still held onto Domonic Brown.

The Texas Rangers filled a major need by adding Koji Uehara and Mike Adams to a bullpen that really had no one outside of Neftali Feliz. The Rangers did not get rid of anyone that was part of their plans for the next year or so and gained pitching combo that has a combined 111/17 K/BB in 95 innings with a 1.42 ERA.

On the flip of the Rangers deal, the San Diego Padres received two prospects that I like a lot in Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland. Both pitchers pound the zone and will love pitching in PETCO park soon. Erlin is only 20 and has a 123/12 K/BB in 121.1 innings and is already in AA. He is not overpowering but has great control and mixes his pitches really well. Wieland has seen increased velocity to go with his good control and has a 132/15 K/BB in 129.2 innings and is 21 and in AA. Both pitchers can be flyball prone so PETCO is the right place for them.

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not add any real impact players but the players they did add are better than what they currently were trotting out on the field. Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee both offer upgrades and the Pirates did not give up much for them unless the PTBNL turns out to be significant but I highly doubt it.

The Detroit Tigers added a very underrated starter in Doug Fister who is an immediate upgrade over their current 4th and 5th starters. They gave up some low-level talent and a good 4th outfielder in Casper Wells but that is a decent price for a guy with a 3.33 ERA and 3.24 FIP. Fister may miss the Seattle defense but he will love the Detroit offense.

The Seattle Mariners added a bunch of depth and sold off Fister and Erik Bedard, which is fine because Seattle has no problem developing pitching and has a wave of arms almost ready to contribute from with in. Adding Trayvon Robinson and Francisco Martinez to a farm system desperate for bats was huge for the Mariners and Robinson, who has great raw power and will be a great defender, could be their starting left fielder next year.

Lastly, I love what the Baltimore Orioles did at the deadline. They did give up a very good reliever in Uehara but they are not contending this year and next year is a building block year for thier real contention run starting in 2013. Aaron Baker is not much of a prospect but they cleared themselves of Derrek Lee. Tommy Hunter is a serviceable swing man or 5th starter and I absolutely love Chris Davis, always have. He has so much raw power and needs to play everyday in the majors to see if he belongs. He can pass as a third basemen but is better served at first. He was hitting .368/.405/.824 with 24 homeruns in 193 AAA at-bats before being called up just over a week ago. He’s done proving it in the minors and the Orioles could have themselves a legit 35 homer guy but I would like to see him show a little more plate discipline.

-Jonathan C. Mitchell can be found writing about the Tampa Bay Rays at DRaysBay and you can follow him on twitter at @FigureFilbert and follow MLBdirt at @MLBdirt

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2011 AL West Preview

Posted on March 27, 2011 by mikemcginnis

1. Texas Rangers

The Good: The Rangers are a young talented team that has emphasized pitching over offense and this group has not hit the ceiling yet. They may have one of the best offenses in the game with MVP Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz (a MVP caliber player), Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and having 3 guys to play all 8 positions and DH with David Murphy, Mike Napoli and Mr. Ranger Michael Young. Adding Adrian Beltre was a smart move because he helps improve a shoddy Rangers defense and will benefit greatly from hitting in Texas with this lineup. The Rangers have talent on the mound as well with CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Darren O’Day and Neftali Feliz.

The Bad: How does this team fare without Cliff Lee? Granted, Lee was average in the regular season with the Rangers but, he will be sorely missed. Asking to have CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis  replicate 2010, something they have never done before that, while also anchoring the rotation is the biggest key to the Rangers season. If this duo falters the Rangers are not winning this division. The bullpen has talent and plenty of nice numbers but, it needs to show more poise as they were occasionally hit up in big spots last season.

What to Look For: The balance of playing time and productivity of the Napoli-Murphy-Young trio will be interesting to watch. If RHP Tanner Scheppers and OF Engel Beltre continue to shine in the minors they could get a call up. Is Brandon Webb OK? Is he still the best sinker ball pitcher in the game? That is something to watch. Also, the learning curves of Tommy Hunter, Matt Harrison and most importantly, Derek Holland will be critical to the Rangers success.

Projection: While maybe a tick below last year’s bunch the Rangers are plenty good and could be even better. The pitching has to fall into place, like any team. It would be a wise choice not to bet against this bunch.

89-73 (1st Place)

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Good: The Angels can go toe to toe with anyone with starting pitching. Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Joel Pineiro are a pretty safe quartet to keep you in games. Although it had some problems last year the bullpen has promise too considering it added Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs to go along with Fernando Rodney and Kevin Jepsen.

The Bad: The Angels were embarrassed in free agency this past winter and had to take on the overly bloated Vernon Wells contract. The Halos have major question marks with C Jeff Mathis and 3B Maicer Izturis. Both guys are usually bench guys with little power and are being forced into everyday roles. While it is good that the Angels are giving kids 1B Mark Trumbo and CF Peter Burjos shots at the big leagues they also need these kids to produce right away which maybe too much to ask. The Halos can only hope and wonder when 1B Kendry Morales can come back and contribute after ankle surgery. Morales is the most vital cog to the Angels offense.

What to Watch For: The Angels need top prospect C Hank Conger to make the break through to the Show sooner rather than later. The same can be said for OF Mike Trout. The outfield trio of Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Bobby Abreu gets another year older with the same measure of offensive expectation to produce. Can they all still do it? Can Erick Aybar replicate his 2009 season or is the player we all saw last year? The bullpen while upgraded, has major issues.

Projection: Age, bullpen problems and consistent offense, not something you are used to hearing with a Mike Scioscia team. The Angels have plenty of questions but, they also have plenty of starting pitching and a good manager. If the Rangers falter don’t be too surprised to see the Angels somehow in the mix to take the AL West flag.

86-76 (2nd Place)

3. Oakland A’s

The Good: The A’s have one of the  best starting rotations in the AL when all healthy. Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden and Gio Gonzalez can confound and hold down offenses most nights. The great thing about the staff is there aren’t all the same type of pitcher each one is different and has a different wrinkle throwing offenses off.  Adding OF’s David DeJesus, Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui was a major boost to a punchless offense. The A’s also have a very good bullpen as well with Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes, Mike Wuertz, Brad Ziegler and closer Andrew Bailey.

The Bad: The A’s offense got off the hook in 2010 because the Mariners offense was so historically bad. This team needs home runs desperately because it was powerless in 2010. The A’s have to hope the additions of Matsui, Willingham and DeJesus pay off. Also, having OF prospects Chris Carter and Michael Taylor break through to the MLB Level full time would help too.

What to Look For: If the A’s stay healthy and pitch to their potential and possibly get Rich Harden healthy throwing strikes out of the bullpen then look out, this team could win the division their pitching is that good.

Projection: A down year for the AL West means the time is ripe for the A’s to strike. This is a good team that just needs more runs to be scored. Billy Beane did a solid job upgrading this team and while they are picked here at 3rd place I think if Texas loses this division it’s more likely because the A’s win it not the Angels.

85-77 (3rd Place)

The Good: A very limited selection here. The Mariners do have the reigning CY Young Award winner who is soon to be 25 in Felix Hernandez. The Marniers also have a future Hall of Famer in Ichiro Suzuki who is good for a .310 plus batting average, 30 plus steals, 200 hundred plus hits and a Gold Glove in rightfield. The Mariners boast a pretty good defensive team as well.

The Bad: The offense was so bad last year it was epically and historically atrocious. Scary thing is the only thing the Mariners did was add Jack Cust to the everyday lineup which means a lot more of unneeded strikeouts but, some much need walks and homeruns. The Mariners desperately need 2009 years from Franklin Gutierrez and Chone Figgins not the bad 2010 years they had. The bullpen had its problems last year as well. You can add David Aardsma as a guy needed to have a year like he did in 2009 not last year. Jason Vargas and Doug Fister were OK for this rotation in 2010. It would be nice to see Erik Bedard just get on the mound in 2011 doing his Carl Pavano Yankees impression for the Mariners. This staff doesn’t have a real compliment to Felix Hernandez which is a problem.

What to Look For: The Mariners desperately need 1B Justin Smoak and LF Michael Saunders to figure it out and impact the everyday lineup immediately if this team has any expectation to be decent. You better add prospects LHP Mauricio Robles, RHP Michael Pineda and 2B Dustin Ackley to that list as well. That’s a lot of things that have to happen for things to be good this year in Seattle.

Projection: The offense couldn’t be much worse than it was in 2010 could it? Or could it be?  This is an odd year and the book says the Mariners will be 85 plus win team if you follow their past 5 years. I don’t know how they will pull that off this year but, then again no else saw them being good in 2007 and 2009 either. I don’t forsee them being a .500 or better team this year. But, then again I have been wrong many times before.

65-97 (4th Place)

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AL Rookie of the Year Preview

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Michael Schwartze

Please welcome Harrison Crow as this week’s guest writer for MLBdirt.  Harrison writes for SoDo Mojo, a Seattle Mariners blog a part of the Fan Sided Blogging Network. You can also find more of his work on his personal blog Far From Port. Make sure you follow Harrison on Twitter as well. Here is his first guest article for the site previewing the AL Rookie of the Year.

Going into a fresh season there is always young and exciting new talent that is right on the verge of taking that next giant step. They’ve dominated the minors and now they seem poised to make waves across the league. While there are usually only a handful of guys every year that make any type of significant impact right away only one of those that will capture the honor as “rookie-of-the-year” (RoY) award.

Even if your team might not yet have a said “up and comer” that is major league ready it’s exciting to keep up with them and appreciate what they accomplish over the course of the season. Looking just at last year we had some extremely exciting moments where youngsters crashed the scene.

Most people have a wide perspective and they look all over the Major League Baseball. That’s for them but, for me I enjoy baseball played in the America League. That’s my focus and it’s the youngsters I look forward to seeing when my favorite team and the team of my youth, the Seattle Mariners, as bad as they are roll through town I look forward to seeing the young and budding stars. The American League produced youngsters Wade Davis, Carlos Santana, Neftali Feliz, Brian Matusz, Daniel Hudson and Austin Jackson all leaving their mark on 2010.

The question now becomes who will emerge from 2011? Let’s take a look at a few of the possible candidates:

Considered one of the top-3 prospects in all of baseball, Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. Armed with a fastball that lights up radars and a curve that will sink hearts. Hellickson, affectionately refereed to as “hell boy”, is the odds on favorite for the RoY but there are plenty of others that will contend and make him earn it. Including his own teammate. Leading us to the next name on the list.

Desmond Jennings, was one of the reasons that the Rays let Carl Crawford walk (oh the money was kind of a big thing too). Rated #3 overall in the Rays organization by Baseball America, Jennings profiles as a potential all-star in center. The have Rays high hope that Jennings will able to take over as the lead-off man and replace at least a portion of the hole left behind by Carl Crawford. Something that does work against the youngster is the fact that no pure speedster as won the ROY since Vince Coleman (1985).

Much like the Rays, the Seattle Mariners potentially boast two possible RoY candidates in right-hander Michael Pineda and Second basemen Dustin Ackley. The only real question is whether either will start the season with the club. Ackley, the former #2 overall pick in the 2009 draft (right behind Stephen Strasburg), will return to AAA Tacoma to get a little more seasoning prior to a mid-season call-up. But could very well show himself to be one of the leagues most elite hitters.

Pineda, however, appears to be the front runner as the 5th starter in the Mariners rotation. He rocks an elite fastball with both great movement and command along with an above average slider and a change-up that is an average pitch. He may quickly elevate himself to the #2 guy behind King Felix in that rotation. But that will depend on some big adjustments that

Keeping with the tradition of teams and two star prospects the Toronto Blue Jays are no different. They boast the gem of the Roy Halladay trade Kyle Drabek. Drabek, whose father Doug Drabek pitched for a total of 13 seasons, features a 12-6 curveball that drops off the table, a four seam fastball capable of hitting the 96 mph and adding a cutter last winter to help keep left handed hitters off balance. While he has some health concerns he has the talent to be a top of the rotation pitcher

The other Blue Jay sounded his coming last fall. When in his major league debut, J.P. Arencibia collected four hits, with two of them home runs, against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sure afterwards he went 1-30 but lets focus on the positives. Arencibia has huge power and if he can improve his talents behind the plate could be one of the premier sluggers in the game behind the plate. He has question marks swirling about his defensive make-up but if he can improve and stay behind the plate he has the potential to easily become one of the better ones in the league.

The Royals fall into the it-takes-two category. Sporting Mike “Moose” Moustakas and Eric “I-dont-know-if-he-has-a-nick-name” Hosmer. Not to mention they have two in waiting that could possible debut at the end of the year in John Lamb and Mike Montgomery. It’s very possible that the Kansas City Royals currently have the farm system of the decade. Moose and Hosmer most likely won’t start off the season with the major league team, but like Dustin Ackley, could find themselves working their way into consideration for the RoY after a mid-season call-up.

The next name on the list is a pretty familiar name Jesus Montero. One of the top tier, elite, up-and-coming hitters in all of baseball and a product of the New York Yankee farm system. Montero doesn’t just sport power, though he has gobs and gobs of it, he’s an extremely proficient hitter making him all the more dangerous. He continues to end up in possible trade talks but he’s still around and appears ready to start the season as Russell Martin‘s back-up. It’s very possible that Martin doesn’t ever return to the player he was and by the end of May Montero is the every day guy behind the plate. Some worry about is overall ability behind the dish. But, from the looks at spring training he could turn out to survive enough to have a few serviceable years back there.

Chris Carter had a very painful fall last year going 0-33 during a 70 at bat audition as a member of the Oakland Athletics. Rated #2 overall prospect in the organization by Baseball America, just behind Grant Green, Carter is a beast of an hitter with exceptional power. He will be carried by his bat as the converted first basemen, now left fielder, will be at very best average in the field. While he has difficulty recognizing break balls he works a count and takes an absurd amount of walks. If he can get his strike outs under control Carter could be a serious problem for AL West pitchers for years to come.

Dark Horse Hitter: Lonnie Chisenhall – Cleveland Indians

Ben Badler of Baseball America calls Chisenhall one of the best pure bats in all of the minor leagues and right now the Cleveland Indians are having problems filling third base and finiding a reason not to start him out of AAA. Between Jason Donald‘s injury and the alternative being Jack Hannahan there lies the potential for Chi to start the season with the big league club. Chisenhall looks like a potential all-star and while realistically he could use a bit more seasoning and will most likely start the season in AAA, he will be up with the big league squad in no time.

Dark Horse Pitcher: Zach Britton – Baltimore Orioles

Britton was recently labeled by Jim Callis over at Baseball America as one of the most polished pitchers out of all the elite up-and-comers (out of Kyle Gibson, Drabek, Pineda, Britton, Jake McGee, or Manny Banuelos). Which isn’t surprising really. Drafted as a 3rd rounder in 2007 Britton’s fastball sits in the mid 90s and has one of the best sinkers in baseball already and generates tons of ground outs. This combined with a second plus-pitch in his slider gives him a great 1-2 punch. But what makes him more successful than some of his other competitors is his ability to throw his change-up for a consistent strike and have confidence in it.

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Rookie of the Year and the World Series

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Michael Schwartze

The Rookie of the year award began in 1947, and for the first two seasons it was a Major League wide award. MLB did not award a player from each league until 1949. Last year the Rookie of the year from both the NL and AL played in the World Series. I decided to do a little research and make a list of all the Rookie of the years throughout baseball history that played in the World Series and their team’s result.

 League Wide Award

Year Player Team WS Result
1947 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1948 Alvin Dark Boston Braves Lost

 American League

Year Player Team WS Result
1951 Gil McDougald New York Yankees Won
1957 Tony Kubek New York Yankees Lost
1962 Tom Tresh New York Yankees Won
1975 Fred Lynn Boston Red Sox Lost
1981 Dave Righetti New York Yankees Lost
1988 Walt Weiss Oakland Athletics Lost
1991 Chuck Knoblauch Minnesota Twins Won
1996 Derek Jeter New York Yankees Won
2006 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers Lost
2007 Dustin Pedoia Boston Red Sox Won
2008 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays Lost
2010 Neftali Feliz Texas Rangers Lost

 National League

Year Player Team WS Result
1949 Don Newcombe Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1951 Willie Mays New York Giants Lost
1952 Joe Black Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1953 Jim Gilliam Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1965 Jim Lefebrve Los Angeles Dodgers Won
1976 Pat Zachry (Tie for 1st) Cincinnati Reds Won
1981 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers Won
1985 Vince Coleman St. Louis Cardinals Lost
2003 Dontrelle Willis Florida Marlins Won
2010 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants Won

 There have been 3 occasions on which the Rookie of the Year from each league faced off against each other in the World Series. We all remember the Buster Posey vs Neftali Feliz showdown in last year’s World Series, but we have to look back to 1981 for the next ROY matchup. Dave Righetti and the Yankees were defeated by Fernando Valenzuela and the Dodgers. The first ever showdown was in 1951. Some guy named Willie Mays and the then, New York Giants, were defeated by Gil McDougald and the Yankees.

 Which of this year’s top MLB prospects will splash onto the big league scene and earn the Rookie of the Year award? Will they help lead their team to a World Series? We will just have to wait and find out.

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