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With the season right around the corner, and a lot of small market squads are making last minute roster adjustments, I thought it would be appropriate to start a new weekly post. For those that are unaware of my recent project, I am sort of championing the smaller market squads so that they get a bit more attention among the main stream fans of MLB. I have some help from some folks likeTheBeeze, FanOfReds, and TSBN's own JawsRecliner.
The goal of this series is to just aggregate the news and notes from the small market squads into one quick place each week.
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- The Colorado Rockies have named Jamie Moyer as their number two starter. Moyer, 49, sat out all of 2011 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will be the oldest active player in the majors and with his first win, will set the record for oldest starting pitcher to gain a victory.
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- The Kansas City Royals and left fielder Alex Gordon reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension. The 2nd pick of the 2005 draft took a few years for things to click, but things really came together for him in 2011, with a .303 batting average, 23 home runs, 87 RBI, and a gold glove. The deal is worth $37.5 million and includes a player option for 2016. This is the third contract extension handed out by the Royals this season, joining Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez, and is a sign that the Royals are serious about making this group into a contender.
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- The Pittsburgh Pirates will be without starter Charlie Morton to start the season. Morton, who was placed on the disabled list on Friday, posted a 10-10 record in 2011 with a 3.83 ERA and 110 strike-outs.
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- Another young player receiving an extension was San Diego’s Cory Luebke, who got a three-year deal from the Padres worth $12 million. Luebke, while only posting a 6-10 record in 2011, accompanied that with a 3.29 ERA and 154 strike-outs over 139.2 innings pitched. He’ll enter 2012 as the number two starter behind TimStauffer.
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- Earlier in the week, the Cleveland Indians were rumored to be acquiring outfielder Bobby Abreu from the Los Angeles Angels, but that deal has apparently fallen through. The deal would have sent outfielder Trevor Crowe to the Angels in return, but there has been no movement in recent days. With the injury to Grady Sizemore (words often repeated), the Indians are looking for a possible upgrade from Shelley Duncan in left field. Abreu, while his power has slipped in recent years, is still an on base machine and his patience at the plate would do well to rub off on the young Indians line-up.
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- Speaking of ageless wonders, the Blue Jays have given a roster spot to OmarVizquel, the 44-year-old veteran shortstop. Toronto, where he’s expected to be a back-up at short, second, and third, will be Vizquel’s sixth major league team. He’ll make the roster after having a tremendous spring, hitting .452 over 31 at-bats.
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This week the Indians sent down 1B/LF Matt LaPorta...During this Spring, LaPorta was hitting below .200...Yep, the key piece the Indians received when they traded C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers, wasn't even hitting his own weight...
For two and a half seasons LaPorta has been one of the more inconsistent bats in the Indians lineup...In his 909 at bats in that time, he's only launched 30 Home Runs...With a .238 batting average...Not the pop the Indians front office was selling us when they made the deal...
Supposedly, LaPorta was the Brewers top prospect...The other guy the Indians got, Michael Brantley is looking to be keeper...Brantley was an after thought, but has become the Indians everyday Center fielder with the constant injuries to Grady Sizemore...I wasn't a fan of the deal...2 unproven guys with nothing but potential, for the reigning Cy Young Award winner...Just wasn't enough, and that has been made more clear with LaPorta's inability to live up to the hype...
The Indians gave him every opportunity to be their 1st Baseman...But just as his bat is inconsistent, his glove was also...He never looked comfortable at 1st...
This year, after signing 1B Casey Kotchman, the Indians made it pretty clear the left field job was his to lose...But LaPorta didn't rise to the challenge, unlike some of his competition, like Shelley Duncan, Russ Canzler, and Ryan Spilborghs...
Unless LaPorta can get things turned around physically, and mentally, while down in Columbus, his chances at big-league success may be done for...
In other roster news...The Tribe announced Jack Hannahan will be their starting Third Baseman...23 year old 3B Lonnie Chisenhall was sent down to Columbus...Chisenhall got a good look last year, and his defense has improved, but he's not hitting enough to make the big club yet...Getting Everyday at-bats will do more good for him, then staying up and getting limited at-bats in a platoon system, like he did late last year.
Later, The Beeze.
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At 38-years-old, Ichiro Suzuki is not getting any younger. He’s at an age when many ballplayers start hearing the whispers of retirement circulating, but then again, not many ballplayers keep themselves in the kind of shape Ichiro does either.
Still, the questions needs to be asked: how much longer can he keep going?
Ultimately, the decision may be out of his hands? Ichiro comes into the 2012 season, his 12th with the Mariners, in the final year of his contract with Seattle. With a $17 million price tag in hand and the Mariners seemingly in a phase of rebuilding from within, the 10-time All-Star may ultimately find himself on the outside looking in. The Mariners could certainly use the salary relief to pursue other needs and Ichiro may have a difficult time taking a severe pay cut to stay with a team that may not see the fruits of their labors until well after he is gone.
So what becomes of Ichiro if he and the Mariners part ways after 2012?
This is a man of immense pride, so there is no doubt that Ichiro is fully aware of the fact that he needs just 572 more hits to reach 3000 career in MLB. Coupled with his 1242 in Japan, we’re talking about a player that had he played his entire career here, would likely be challenging Pete Rose’s record for career hits. Think about that for a minute; Ichiro has collected 2428 career hits, or 220 hits per year, for 11 seasons. Still, it is hard to imagine him trying to cross that threshold while suiting up for another team after meaning so much to the city of Seattle over the years.
So is it really unfeasible to think that Ichiro could retire at the end of 2012? His 2011 numbers showed the first real signs of decline, marking the first season that he missed hitting either .300 for the season or accumulating 200 hits. His WAR (Wins Above Replacement) took a nose-dive from an average of 5.49 to -0.4. His move out of the lead-off spot will do no wonders for him in 2012, but it was a necessary move for the Mariners, especially after watching his On Base Percentage dip to .310.
If Suzuki were to walk away after the 2012 season, it is difficult not to consider him a Hall of Fame candidate. He has been the sole, consistently successful hitter to come from the Japanese leagues to Major League Baseball, birthing a whole new era for the game and its fans. Here are just a few of the notable career accomplishments:
- 10-Time All-Star
- 10-Time Gold Glove Winner
- 2-Time Batting Champion
- One of only two players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (Fred Lynn).
- Single Season Hit Record (262)
- 16th in Career Fielding Percentage amongst outfielders
So does he go in the Hall of Fame? You bet he does.
Does he get to 3000 hits in order to cement that status? That depends on what he and the Mariners can work out.
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Jose Bautista has spent what seems like a lifetime proving people wrong. He bounced around with five different teams (PIT, BAL, TB, KC, and NYM) before landing a role with the Toronto Blue Jays. Then after some small adjustments in his swing midway through the 2009 campaign, Bautista took the baseball world by storm by knocking out 54 home runs and 124 RBI in 2010. Doubts began to circle in regards to legitimacy of those numbers so Bautista followed that up with his first season with a .300 average (.302) and notched another 43 home runs and 103 RBI.
Now the question is, “Can he do it again?”
Granted, it would be easy to point out that his 2011 “power” numbers were down from 2010. As shown in the stats below (HT Baseball-Reference.com), that was indeed the case with his home runs, doubles, and RBI.
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Year
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Age
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Tm
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Lg
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G
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PA
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AB
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R
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H
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2B
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3B
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HR
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RBI
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BB
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SO
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BA
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OBP
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SLG
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OPS
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OPS+
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IBB
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2009
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28
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TOR
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AL
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113
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404
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336
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54
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79
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13
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3
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13
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40
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56
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85
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.235
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.349
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.408
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.757
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99
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1
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2010
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29
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TOR
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AL
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161
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683
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569
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109
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148
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35
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3
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54
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124
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100
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116
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.260
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.378
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.617
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.995
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164
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2
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2011
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30
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TOR
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AL
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149
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655
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513
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105
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155
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24
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2
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43
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103
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132
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111
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.302
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.447
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.608
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1.056
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181
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24
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However if you look closer, Bautista actually became a much more complete hitter in 2011. His slugging percentage dipped only slightly, as he continued to put balls in play albeit for less bases. Bautista also became a victim of the line-up around him, as he took 132 base-on-balls, up 32 from 2010, and was walked intentionally 24 times, compared to twice in 2010. Unlike 2010, when teams were waiting for his to finally move into Chris Shelton territory, the increased walks showed that opposing teams approached Bautista with more caution in 2011.
So now that Jose Bautista has proven that he's a legitimate power threat, and fantasy baseball hero, what can fans and fantasy owners expect of him in 2012?
Well, Bautista does play in one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in all of baseball. In 2011, Rogers Centre consistently ranked in the top of all ballparks in all offensive categories:
Runs Scored: 4th
Home Runs: 6th
Hits: 4th
Doubles: 1st
Triples: 3rd
Needless to say, accounting for Rogers Centre and the other hitter friendly parks in the AL East making up most of his game locales, Bautista should continue to be a fantasy force in 2012. I still believe that the home run total is going to be lower in 2012, simply because teams are going to opt to pitch to Adam Lind or test Brett Lawrie instead of allowing Bautista to beat them. That said, I see Jose Bautista to continue to develop as an overall hitter in 2012, and I project him as follows:
BA: .310
Hits: 170
2B: 33
HR: 36
RBI: 110
Needless to say, if Bautista runs a stat line like that, he'll easily justify his inclusion in the top 10 of any fantasy draft. And if he puts those numbers up again, he'll continue to prove the doubter wrong.
Myself included.
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Coming into Spring Training, The Cleveland Indians thought Michael Brantley would be their starting Left Fielder...Then, Grady Sizemore went down with another injury...This time, he needed back surgery...He's down for awhile...$5 million down the drain!
So Brantley and his speed has been moved to Center Field...So who's in Left?
Well it's been an open competition...Shelley Duncan, is my front-runner...Duncan is leading the team this spring with 5 home runs, and 14 RBI's...Duncan has also worked at 1st base...He looked good there last year, but the Tribe signed Casey Kotchman...Great, another weak hitting, good glove 1st baseman...If Duncan was there every day, his glove would be fine...He was also killing the ball last September when he got some legit playing time...
Also competing in LF is former 3B Russ Canzler...With Lonnie Chisenhall and Jack Hannahan at 3rd, there's no chance for Canzler there...But the some are hoping his bat can find it's way in the lineup via LF...Canzler has also worked at 1B...
Then there is Trevor Crowe, who has been hyped by the Indians PR machine for years, but has never panned out...Speedy Ezequiel Carrera and non-roster invitee Felix Pie have seen work in Left and center...But now Carrera and Thomas Neal, who had a limited shot, are out of the running...
Aaron Cunningham and Ryan Spilborghs have seen time in RF and LF...One of these guys will be most likely be the 4th OF with versatility...
Then of course, there is Matt LaPorta...LaPorta was the key piece in the C.C. Sabathia trade with Milwaukee...But so far he hasn't impressed...Instead, Brantley looks to be the highlight of that deal...LaPorta came in as a Left Fielder...Then the Indians put him at first...The kid doesn't look comfortable there and is still learning the position...And his bat has been inconsistent, and lacks the power that was promised...
With the way Duncan has swung the bat this Spring, and at the end of last season, I expect him to get the gig in Left...Brantley will be in Center, and Shin-Soo Choo will be in Right...Besides having Cunningham or Spilborghs as the 4th OF, Spilborghs seems to be ahead between those two...I expect Canzler to also make the team seeing time the same way they'll use Duncan, in LF, at 1B and DH...
Later, The Beeze.
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