Category: baseball
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Boston Red Sox
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the fifth installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s topic: the Boston Red Sox.
In the middle of January, MLB Network Radio asked Pablo Sandoval if the Red Sox would win the AL East in 2015. His answer, “we will.”
While Sandoval, who signed a five-year $95 million contract with the Red Sox, is confident, can the team really go from worst to first this season?
Although Boston was unable to resign Lester, General Manager Ben Cherington made some big moves this off season and made it clear the Red Sox are looking to compete.
In addition to adding Sandoval, the Red Sox added Hanley Ramirez to a line-up that already features David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.
Boston also fixed up the pitching staff, adding Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Justin Masterson. None of those names are going to have experts listing the Red Sox among the game’s top rotations, but it’s not a bad staff either.
The Red Sox scored 634 runs last season – which tied for 11th in the American League. Needless to say the club is hoping to improve on those numbers and if Sandoval and Ramirez hit like they’re capable of, then the Boston line-up should be more potent.
Going from worst to first in one season is not an easy task, but Boston has done it before and there are several players on that team that know how to win – something that is very important when looking for a major turnaround.
Recap of previous entries:
Manfred’s open mindedness can only mean good things
Rob Manfred has been the commissioner of baseball for less than a month so it’s unfair and unrealistic to dish out early grades or talk about the job he’s done. Manfred only began his tenure on January on 26, but there have already been plenty of headlines.
Will new rules be enforced to speed up the pace of games?
Will defensive shifts be eliminated?
Will the strike zone change?
Will Pete Rose’s lifetime ban be lifted?
The answers to these questions and many more will ultimately end up playing a part in how Manfred is viewed, but his open-mindedness and willingness to discuss all these various issues is significant (in no way, shape or form am I saying Bud Selig was close-minded or anything of the sort).
While some fans may be open to the changes and others are vehemently opposed, the fact that Manfred is exploring all options and is open to change is a good sign.
Baseball purists are in love with the way the game is currently played and that’s fine – baseball is a great sport. However, it’s also a bit naïve to believe the game is perfect.
I disagree with some of the proposed changes and agree with others, but I 100 percent agree with having the conversations.
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: First Year Managers
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the fourth installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s topic: first year managers.
Six Major League Baseball teams will begin the 2015 with a new manager at the helm. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers will enter Spring Training with a variety of expectations and hopes that the new manger can lead the team to heights the previous regime was unable to reach.
Since teams change managers for a variety of reasons and teams have varying levels of expectations, it’s unfair to grade every manager on the same scale, but it is interesting to look at how all the current managers fared in their first seasons at the helm.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Chip Hale
Hale is entering his first season as a professional manager.
Atlanta Braves: Fredi Gonzalez
Gonzalez has managed eight seasons and went 89-73 in his first season with the Braves. In his first ever season as a manager he led the Marlins to a 71-91 record.
Baltimore Orioles: Buck Showalter
Showalter led the Orioles to a 69-93 finish in his first full season as manager. Showalter has been a big league manager for 16 seasons. In his first season, he went 76-86 with the Yankees.
Boston Red Sox: John Farrell
Farrell is the dream scenario for managers taking over a new team as he led the Red Sox to a World Series title and a 97-65 record in his first season in Boston. Farrell began his career with the
Blue Jays and went 81-81.
Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon
Maddon is entering his first season in Chicago. In his first season with Tampa Bay, where he managed for 11 years, he went 61-101.
Chicago White Sox: Robin Ventura
Ventura has led the White Sox for three seasons and posted a 85-77 record in his first season.
Cincinnati Reds: Bryan Price
Price went 76-86 in his first season as a managers.
Cleveland Indians: Terry Francona
Francona led the Indians to a 92-70 record in his first year with Cleveland, but struggled in his first season as a manager as his Phillies went 68-94.
Colorado Rockies: Walt Weiss
Weiss won 74 games and lost 88 during his first season in charge of the Rockies.
Detroit Tigers: Brad Ausmus
The Tigers may have disappointed in the playoffs, but Ausmus’ first season as manager went well as the Tigers finished 90-72.
Houston Astros: A.J. Hinch
Hinch is entering his first year as manager of the Astros. In his first stint as a manager he finished 58-75 with the Diamondbacks.
Kansas City Royals: Ned Yost
Yost received his fair share of criticism in the playoffs, but he’s come a long way. In Yosts’ first
year he led the Brewers to a 68-94 record. In his first year with the Royals, Kansas City went 55-72.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Mike Scioscia
Scioscia took over the Angels job 15 years ago and went 82-80 in his first year.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Don Mattingly
Mattingly went 82-79 in his first campaign with the Dodgers.
Miami Marlins: Mike Redmond
The Marlins look to be on the upswing, but in Redmond’s first season they went 62-100.
Milwaukee Brewers: Ron Roenicke:
Roenicke has managed the Brewers for four seasons. In his first season, the club went 96-66.
Minnesota Twins: Paul Molitor
Molitor is entering his first season as a Major League manager.
New York Mets: Terry Collins
Collins began his career 10 years ago with the Astros and went 66-49. In his first season with the Mets he went 77-85.
New York Yankees: Joe Girardi
Girardi made a name for himself after a 78-84 season in Miami. Once he took over in New York, Girardi went 89-73.
Oakland Athletics: Bob Melvin
Melvin found success right away as he won 93 games in his first year with the Mariners. In his first full season in Oakland, he went 94-68.
Philadelphia Phillies: Ryne Sandberg
Sandberg just finished his first full season at the helm in Philadelphia, where the Phillies went 73-89.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Clint Hurdle
Hurdle began his managerial career with a 67-73 season in Colorado. In his first full season in Pittsburgh, Hurdle’s bunch finished with a 72-90 mark.
San Diego Padres: Bud Black
Black has spent the past eight seasons in Colorado, which began with a 89-74 campaign.
San Francisco Giants: Bruce Bochy
Coming off a third World Series Championship in five seasons, it’s hard to argue with Bochy’s
success as a manager. Bochy went 71-91 in his first year with the Giants and 70-74 in his first season in San Diego.
Seattle Mariners: Lloyd McClendon
McClendon cut his teeth in Pittsburgh and went just 62-100 in his first full season as manager. McClendon had better success in Seattle, going 87-75 in his first full year.
St. Louis Cardinals: Mike Matheny
Matheny went 88-74 in his first season in St. Louis
Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash
Cash is entering his first season as a manager. He is also the first former Rays player to manage the club.
Texas Rangers: Jeff Banister
Banister is set to begin his first season as a manager.
Toronto Blue Jays: John Gibbons
Gibbons, who has spent seven years leading the Blue Jays, went 80-82 during his first season in Toronto.
Washington Nationals: Matt Williams
Williams just concluded his first season as a manager and although the Nationals had an early exit in October, they cruised to an NL East title.Williams led the Nationals to a 96-66 season and won the National League Manager of the Year.
Recap of previous entries:
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: MILB Pitch Clocks
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the third installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s focus dips into the Minor Leagues and the pitch clocks that will be featured in AA and Triple-A games.
Pace of play and pitch clocks have been discussed a lot over the past few months and although there won’t be any “20 second clocks” in the big leagues this year, this is still a storyline worth monitoring.
As baseball continues to look for ways to speed up the game and increase the fan experience, pitch clocks will be utilized in both AA and Triple-A games this season. This is a significant step because it shows that after experimenting with pitch clocks in the Arizona Fall League, baseball liked what it saw enough to continue with the new rules.
“It’s something that we’d certainly like to see more testing done with,” Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations, said at the Winter Meetings. “I was never a proponent of introducing the clock in baseball, but I went out [to the AFL], and I was pretty impressed. [The clock] was there, but it really wasn’t intrusive in any way.”
Pitch clocks were enforced at 16 AFL games and the average time of those games was two hours and 42 minutes – 10 minutes quicker than the average AFL game time in 2013.
The use of the pitch clock had a noticeable impact on the pace of the game and if the experiment in the minors goes well, changes may be coming to the majors over the next few seasons.
Pitch clocks have generated a lot of controversy among baseball purists who don’t want to change the way the game has always been played.
However games are getting longer and it would likely be in baseball’s best interest to tackle the pace of play issue sooner – while it is just a minor annoyance – rather than later – when it truly becomes a problem.
Having watched multiple Arizona Fall League games in which the pitch clock was enforced, I came away impressed. The game was noticeably faster and although it felt rushed at time (the system does need fine tuning) it was also an enjoyable experience to watch baseball played at such a crisp pace.
The AFL was a cool experience, but the Minor Leagues will provide baseball with a much larger sample size to evaluate and I’m more than anxious to see how it all plays out.
Recap of previous entries:
San Francisco Giants
Chicago Cubs
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Madison Bumgarner And The SF Giants
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the second installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s focus is on the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants and their ace Madison Bumgarner.
Look at a team that has won three World Series in the past five seasons and you wouldn’t expect to find a lot of holes. Any team on that sort of run would seem like a near guarantee to at least reach the playoffs.
However, that’s not the way the Giants have operated over the past five seasons.
Yes, the Giants have three rings and the word ‘dynasty’ can be associated with them, but they’ve been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde case. After winning the World Series in 2010, San Francisco won 86 games in 2011. Then after another championship in 2012, the Giants won just 76 games in 2013.
So, what will happen in 2015?
Certainly the Giants would like to stay away from that recent trend (although if it guarantees another ring in 2016, then who cares about 2015) but in order to do so they’ll need to replace Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse.
Nori Aoki and Casey McGehee are solid signings, but the player I’m most interested in watching in 2015 is Madison Bumgarner.
The left-hander has been solid for the Giants with four straight seasons of 30 or more starts and an ERA below 3.40, but this season will be different.
After Bumgarner lit up the national stage and posted a 1.03 ERA in 52 2/3 postseason innings in 2014, Bumgarner has become much more of a household name than he was previously.
While his play under the bright October lights would indicate Bumgarner is the type of player that won’t be fazed by his newfound fame, it could be interesting to see what type of encore he puts on.
Recap of previous entries:
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Chicago Cubs
Baseball is finally here. To some it may feel like the season just ended, but to those that live and breathe baseball, it may feel like it’s been gone for an eternity. Either way, there are 10 days left until the first official team workouts here in Arizona and to help pass the time I will be releasing a daily blog post about 10 things I’m excited to watch in 2015.
These posts are in no particular order, so if I list your team or favorite player 10th, fifth or first, there’s no reason to read too much into it. I’m anxious for the upcoming baseball season and these are 10 reasons why:
Things I’m watching in 2015:
Cubs
It’s hard not to be excited and/or curious about the Cubs in 2015. After a tremendous off season there will certainly be a lot of eyes not only on Opening Night, but throughout the entire season.
While the Cubs made plenty of moves over the past few months, the biggest were the additions of Joe Maddon and Jon Lester.
It’s hard to argue with Maddon’s resume. Maddon had a winning record in six of his last seven seasons with the Rays and his team won 90 or more games in five of those seasons. Meanwhile, the Cubs have won 90 or more games just once (2008) since the year 2000.
While hiring Maddon would have constituted a solid off-season, the Cubs weren’t done as they then added Jon Lester via a six year deal worth $155 million.
Lester is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.46 ERA, but will have to adjust to the National League – although it’s hard to imagine that being any sort of drastic adjustment for someone who has been as successful as Lester.
The Cubs also upgraded their rotation when the brought back Jason Hamel. Although Hamel struggled with the A’s, he was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a Cub last season.
Lester and Maddon were clearly the Cubs two biggest moves of the off season, but they aren’t the only reason, I’ll be watching the Cubs this season. Dexter Fowler was a solid addition to the Cubs outfield and the progress of Javier Baez will be interesting to monitor as well.
Jake Arrieta is also coming off of his best ever season as he posted a career high in wins (10) and a career low in ERA (2.53)
Kris Bryant has generated a ton of hype and whenever the Cubs top prospect makes his Major League debut, it will undoubtedly be a major story surrounding the team.
The Cubs are littered with players to watch this season and although it may take them a while to learn to win and completely change the culture in Chicago, the Cubs are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch next season.
Pitch clocks? So far…..I’m a fan
Maybe I’m in the minority, maybe I don’t have enough respect or appreciation for “the way baseball has always been played,” but so far I’m a fan of the new Pace of Play Initiatives.
For those unaware, Major League Baseball’s Pace of Game Committee is testing several time-saving measures in the Arizona Fall League this season.
Most notably, is the 20-second pitch clock and the two minute and five second clock between innings.
Three games have been played with the pitch clock in effect and the average time of those games has been two hours and 38 minutes. In fact, that time is even a bit high since one of the three games went 11 innings.
Now, the system is not perfect, the Fall League is not directly comparable to a Major League game and tweaks need to be made, but there is certainly potential and I’m a fan.
Through three games there have only been three pitch clock violations which shows me the players are capable of speeding up the game when prompted.
There have also been multiple occasions when a batter has stood in the box with 40 seconds left on the “innings-break clock” another sign that players can move faster.
I’ve also talked to multiple position players about the pitch-clocks and while they admit it is a bit strange to get used to, they also have said that they like it and can feel the game moving faster.
However, there are also some changes that may need to be made. There are some times where the pitcher, especially if he shakes off a sign or doesn’t get a sign from the catcher right away, looks rushed.
There will also be some changes in the running game as the pitcher can basically no longer simply step off the rubber. Within the allotted 20 seconds the pitcher either has to throw to the plate or throw over to the base. He can’t just step off and look at the runner – unless he hops back on the rubber real quick and throws a pitch.
I expect tweaks perhaps toward the end of the Fall League or maybe in next year’s AFL, but I would not be surprised to see pitch clocks in the MLB in the future.
And assuming they resemble what they’ve looked like thus far in the AFL, I’ll be a fan.
*The Fall League has 14 more pitch clock games scheduled so if things change or if there are any unusual occurrences as a result of the pitch-clock I will certainly write another post and let you all know.
Trade Deadline Revisited
As soon as the July 31 Trade Deadline was completed, the A’s and Tigers appeared to be the big winners.
The Athletics had acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel a bit before the Trade Deadline and then acquired Jon Lester in a blockbuster move while the Tigers landed David Price.
As it turned out, those teams went a combined 0-4 in the postseason and the real prize of the Deadline may have been a 31-year old pitcher from Mobile, Alabama.
The San Francisco Giants acquired Jake Peavy, for a couple of pitching prospects, a few days before the Trade Deadline. Peavy went 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the National League champions to finish the regular season and is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in two postseason starts.
Now it remains to be seen whether or not the Giants will resign Peavy next season, but after winning the National League pennant and reaching a third World Series in the past five years, it’s hard to argue the move wasn’t a success for the Giants.
In addition to the Peavy trade, plenty of other teams were active at the Trade Deadline. Here’s a quick rundown on how everyone performed with their new teams:
A’s acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel: In 16 starts with the Athletics, Samardzija went 8-8 with a 3.14 ERA. Hammel went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 12 starts.
Cubs acquire Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily: Russell, the No. 5 prospect according to MLBpipeline.com, was the prize of this trade for the Cubs and he hit .294 in 50 games with the Cubs AA affiliate.
The Athletics acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes: Lester went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts, but was also on the mound when the A’s collapse began in the AL Wild Card game. Gomes played in 34 games for the A’s and hit .234 Cespedes hit .269 with five homers and 33 RBI for Boston.
Then, the A’s traded Tommy Milone to the Twins in exchange for Sam Fuld:
Milone appeared in six games, five starts, for the Twins while Fuld played in 53 games and hit .210 for Oakland.
The Cardinals acquired John Lackey from the Red Sox for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig: Lackey went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts for the Cardinals while Kelly went 4-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 10 starts for Boston and Craig hit .128 in 29 games.
The Brewers traded a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony Banda) to the Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra: Parra hit .268 in 46 games for Milwaukee.
The Padres continued selling and traded Chris Denorfia to the Mariners for Abraham Almonte and minor league pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen: Denorfia hit .195 in 32 games with the Mariners.
A day after trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals, the Indians traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals for Zach Walters: Masterson was a disappointment with the Cardinals as he went 3-3 in nine games, six starts, with a 7.04 ERA. Cabrera hit .229 in 49 games with the Nationals and Walters hit .130 in 70 games for the Indians.
The Red Sox traded Andrew Miller to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez: Miller appeared in 23 games for the Orioles and posted a 1.35 ERA.
Boston was very active at the deadline and concluded its day after trading Stephen Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson: Drew hit .150 in 46 games with the Yankees.
In addition to Drew, the Yankees acquired Martin Prado. In order to get Prado, the Yankees sent Peter O’Brien and either cash or a player to be named later to the Diamondbacks: Prado hit .316 in 37 games as a Yankee.
The Braves acquired Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash from the Cubs in exchange for minor league catcher Victor Caratini: Bonifacio appeared in 41 games for the Braves and hit .212, while Russell posted a 2.22 ERA in 22 appearances with Atlanta.
The Marlins sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Astros in return for Jarred Cosart and Kike Hernandez: Marisnick hit .272 in 51 games with his new team and Cosart went 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts with his new club.
The Tigers acquired David Price, the Mariners picked up Austin Jackson and the Rays received Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin: Price went 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers while Austin Jackson hit .229 in 54 games with the Mariners. He also stole 11 bases. In Tampa Bay, Smyly went 3-1 in seven starts and posted a 1.70 ERA and Franklin hit .206 in 11 games.
Obviously these stats do not tell the whole story of who won or lost a trade or whether it was even for both teams as contract situations, cash, prospects and plenty of other factors are up for consideration, but in the break between the championship series and the World Series, it is interesting to look back and see how all those Deadline deals stacked up.
MLB Looking To Speed Up The Game In AFL
Pace of game has been a major topic across baseball for quite some time, but throughout the 2014 season, the issue really seemed to gain some steam.
Baseball is certainly aware that games are getting longer and to combat that a Pace of Game Committee was officially announced on September 22nd.
Baseball games – especially when watching on television – sometimes can drag on, but if someone doesn’t like a three hour and 15 minute game for it’s length, I’m not sure how appealing a two hour and fifty minute game will be. Unless baseball find a way to drastically reduce the time of game, it just seems like one of those things where you either like it or you don’t.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to fault baseball for trying.
In the upcoming Arizona Fall League several new pace of game initiatives will be game tested in an effort to speed up the game and potentially make changes to the Major Leagues in the future.
“The Pace of Game Committee is eager to test various ideas – ranging from the incremental to the dramatic – in order to learn more, and we are fortunate to have a setting in which we can do exactly that,” Commissioner Bud Selig said in a press release. “We will work with the appropriate parties – including players, umpires, our partners, our fans and many other contributors to our game – to form effective pace of game recommendations that will fit the Major League level.”
So what are these new initiatives and what can fans expect to see in the Arizona Fall League?
- Batter’s Box Rule: With the exception of foul balls, wild pitches or a time out the batter must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout his at-bat.
- No-Pitch Intentional Walks: If the manager wants to walk a player, he simply signals to the umpire and the batter is awarded first base. Personally, I love this rule and think it should have been in effect sooner. It won’t save a ton of time (how many intentional walks in an average game? 1?) but it does help.
- 2:05 Inning Break Clock: The break between innings will be just over two minutes. If the batter takes too long the umpire can call a strike, if the pitcher takes too long the umpire can call a ball.
- 2:30 Pitching Change Break: Teams get two and a half minutes to make a pitching change. If the first pitch isn’t thrown within 2:30, the umpire will call a ball.
- Three “Time Outs”: Each team is only allowed three in-game conferences. Pitching change and injury-related items do not count toward this total. Where this rule will really come into effect is pitching coach visits to the mound and a third base coach talking to the batter. With just three of those allowed per game, it looks like there will be a new type of strategy that managers will have to consider.
- The 20-Second Rule: This is seemingly the most drastic change that fans will observe in the Arizona Fall League.
- Directly from MLB’s press release: “In the In the AFL games at Salt River, a clock will be displayed in both dugouts, behind home plate, and in the outfield. The clock will be operated by an independent operator, who is not a member of the umpire crew. A pitcher shall be allowed 20 seconds to throw each pitch. The batter must be in the box prepared for the pitch during the entire 20-second period. If the batter steps out of the box during the 20-second period, the pitcher may deliver the pitch and the umpire may call a strike, unless the batter was first granted time by the umpire.”
- The 20-second clock will start when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and will stop when the pitcher begins his motion – not when he releases the ball.
Needless to say, not all of these rules will be flawlessly implemented into the Fall League. There will certainly be bumps in the road as everyone gets used to the changes and adjusts aspects of their routines, but it will still be fun to see the impact these changes have on the game.
Stanton’s The Focus, But Fiers Is Recovering Too
When someone is hurt, the sports world instantly shifts its focus to the injured player.
People always want to know the extent of the injury, the timetable for recovery and the impact the injury may have on the rest of the players’ career.
More often than not, we forget about the other players involved in the accident.
There is nothing wrong with expressing concern toward an injured player and hoping for a speedy recovery – in fact it’s what sports fans should do, but the injured player is not always the only one worthy of thoughts and prayers.
When Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the face with a Mike Fiers pitch in the fifth inning of Thursday night’s game, the baseball world was stunned.
Everyone was focused on Stanton, but what about Fiers?
Granted the Brewers right-hander didn’t take a fastball to the face and is physically ok, but when something like that happens you have to wonder about the player’s emotions.
There is no way Fiers was intentionally throwing at Stanton and Fiers was visibly shaken after the incident.
After the game he took to Twitter to express his remorse.
“I am deeply sorry about what happened tonight,” Fiers tweeted at Stanton. “I can’t imagine what you and your family are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. I feel horrible and hope for a speedy recovery.”
In his post-game meeting with reporters Fiers was shaken and holding back tears.
After Stanton was carted off the field and the game resumed he missed his intended location – down and away – and instead threw a fastball up and in that hit Reed Johnson in the hand.
Understandably the Marlins were upset. First their star player was hit in the face, then the next man up nearly suffered the same fate.
Again, I am confident none of this was intentional and that the second high and tight fastball was the result of Fiers mental state.
After throwing a pitch off a players face and watching him leave the field in an ambulance it has the be immensely difficult to get back on the mound, focus on baseball and throw strikes.
I’d imagine that not only was Fiers not 100 percent focused on the next pitch, but that a situation like that may weigh heavily in the back of his mind the next few times he takes the mound.
While most of the attention has been centered on Stanton’s recovery – on Friday morning he tweeted “the amount of support I have received from you guys has been tremendous and heartfelt. I’m much better today and deeply appreciate your prayers!” – the baseball community should also take some time to think about Fiers.
Physical injuries are the only ones that land players on the Disabled List, but mental ones can have lasting impacts as well.
Boor on Baseball 