Author: Teddy Ballgame

Rafael: Live & Die in LA

furcal Deja vu all over again, as Rafael Furcal once again is the center of controversy regarding signing with a team as a free agent. This time it’s Furcal choosing the Dodgers over the Braves, last time he snubbed the Cubs when he signed with LA in 2005.

Here’s what Braves president John Schuerholz had to say about Furcal signing with the Dodgers. “Having been in this business for 40-some years, I’ve never seen anybody treated like that. The Atlanta Braves will no longer do business with that company — ever. I told agent Arn Tellem that we can’t trust them to be honest and forthright. I told him that in all my years, I’ve never seen any agency act in such a despicable manner”. It seems as though the Furcal team had a verbal agreement with Atlanta, then went with LA.

I remember a similar thing happened with the Cubs in 2005. Aramis Ramirez, Neifi Perez, & Greg Maddux had all talked with Rafael, telling him to sign with Chicago, his name was already penciled in as the leadoff hitter, but then he signed with the Dodgers.

THAT’S RIGHT ED!

edfarmer1 I jumped so high with delight when I heard Steve Stone would be coming over to TV to join Hawk Harrelson, replacing Darrin “Yes Man” Jackson. But soon my joy was overcome by grief when I learned DJ was moving over to radio, joining Ed Farmer. I’m sure Farmer thought, what did I do to deserve this? Ed is kind of a jokester, I wonder if he’ll play around with Darrin, just to make him look stupid, not that Darrin isn’t fully capable of doing that on his own.

Last year I turned the volume off White Sox telecasts, powered up my radio, and enjoyed Farmer & Stone (even though the sound didn’t always matchup, still it was better than listening to those two knuckleheads). It was uncanny how often Ed & Steve would say something might happen, and then it would happen just as they’d predicted. I’ve got the MLB Direct-TV package, and the Sox TV guys were, by far, the worst in the business, from whining about the umpires to being complete homers, to talking about their playing careers (was there that much to talk about, did I mention Carl Yastrzemski?).

Maybe I’ll have to brush up on my Spanish and listen to Hector Molina do the games. Heck, even if I don’t understand what he’s saying, it still might be better.

HOF ’09: Matt Williams

matt_williams_autograph

When Matt Williams was coming up through the San Francisco Giants system there were comparisons to Mike Schmidt & Cal Ripken. Matty started out as a shortstop, a big man like Cal, but Williams would move over to the hot corner almost immediately upon his arrival in the majors. Like Schmidt, it took Matt a little while to find his way above the Mendoza-line (.200 batting average), hitting .188, .205, & .202 in limited play in his first three seasons.

In 1990 at the age of 24, Williams claimed the Giants thirdbase job. Making the All Star team, Matt did it with the bat, hitting .277, with 33 homers, and 122 RBIs (a career high of 138 strikeouts), and with the glove, shifting over from SS, 3B presented him with no problems in the field. He also earned his first Silver Slugger Award. He would be named an All Star four more years (1994-96, 99), be a four time Gold Glove winner (1991-94, 97) and earn the Silver Slugger three more times (1993-94, 97).

1994 was his best year with the Giants, but it was also the year of the strike, in only 115 games, Williams hit 43 (career best) home runs (on a pace to break Roger Maris’ single season mark, calculated over a full year), driving in 96. Then the next year he broke a bone in his right foot, causing him to play in only 76 games, he batted .336 with 23 long balls & 65 RBIs.

Matt Williams had arguably his best overall season with the Diamondbacks in 1999, a .303 batting average, 35 HRs, and 142 RBIs, leading Arizona to a first place finish. Over his 17 year career, Matt hit 378 home runs, drove in 1,218, while hitting .268.

I loved this guy like a brother. A foul ball off his bat at Wrigley Field went straight up the elevator shaft and came down to the left of homeplate, two feet away from my left foot. He played most of his APBA days for my Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, where he hit 62 homers, with 168 RBIs, using his strike card, incredibly his IAL stats are very similar to his real life totals (387 HRs, 1,137 RBIs, .258). BTW, he’s not in the IAL HOF.

Interestingly Vinny Castilla’s career is most similar to Matt Williams according to the Baseball Reference, others mentioned include Ron Cey & Robin Ventura. Would I be way off base if I were to mention comparing Ron Santo’s numbers to Matt Williams? That said, What is this guy doing on the ballot?

  Hall of Fame
 

Hall of Very Good

Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.  

Bronx Bombers Land #3 Starter: A.J. Burnett

aj-burnett A.J. Burnett, the 31 year old, 6’5″ righthander out of North Little Rock, Arkansas, picked the perfect time to have his career year, right before becoming a free agent. The Yankees bit, signing Burnett to a five year, $82.5 million dollar deal. A.J., the man with the nasty fastball & the filthy stuff, has had trouble staying healthy, but looked solid in 2008, posting career highs in starts, innings pitched, and wins (34 221′ 18). Before last year the most wins he ever had in a season was 12. Over his ten year big league career, despite his overpowering stuff, his record is only eleven games above .500

If he stays healthy, and that’s a big if (10 trips to the disabled list in 10 years), Burnett should experience success slotted into the #3 position, behind C.C. Sabathia & Chien-Ming Wang. A.J.’s fastball will look like it’s going 200 MPH after hitters bat off Wang’s sinker the day before. This signing still is pending following a physical.

RULE V: DRAFT DAY MAKES ME HAPPY

One of my favorite days of the baseball year is the Rule V Draft Day. Call me weird, alot of people do, but there are gems out there, and I can’t help but wonder what diamonds in the rough will become household names of tomorrow. Some of yesterday’s Rule V selections have gone on the become superstars of today, guys like Joakim Soria, Johan Santana, Dan Uggla, and bad boy Josh Hamilton. Interestingly enough Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs out of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, now the Cubs are looking for a lefthanded hitting outfielder, funny how that works, wonder if they’d like to have Josh back, rather than picking him, and trading him off? Wonder if he might’ve gotten the Rays over the hump, if he’d been protected, but the Rays were in the process of getting rid of bad boys, like Delmon Young & Elijah Dukes.

This year’s first round selection was a righthander out of the Cincinnati Reds organization named Terrell Young, selected by the Washington Nats. On June 12th he allowed five runs without retiring a batter, after the All Star game, he posted a 1.86 ERA, with 20 strikeouts in 29 innings. Advice to DC don’t pitch him on 6/12, seriously though, he has a live arm, but needs to stick with big league club if Nationals are to keep him.

With the 16th pick in this year’s draft the Milwaukee Brewers selected the big Cuban Eddie Morlan out of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. I’ve seen this guy pitch, he can really bring it. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t stick with the Brewers, and help them win some games out of their pen.

The San Diego Padres might’ve stolen one away from the NY Yankees, Ivan Nova is a 21 year old 6’4″ 210 pound righthander that may still be growing into his body, right now he’s not a big strikeout pitcher, but that may come, he has good control for a youngster, San Diego might be able to hide him away on their rebuilding big league roster.

It’s always a crap shoot in the Rule V, what better place to do it, than Las Vegas, BABY!!!

C.C. Cashes in, Set to Become Bronx Bomber

The New York Yankees, not to be outdone by the Mets KROD signing, are all set to sign C.C. Sabathia to a lucrative deal, which would be the biggest total package ever paid to a pitcher. The seven year, $161 million dollar deal, breaks down to $23 million per annum, which would still leave the Mets Johan Santana with the highest yearly pay. A BIG deal for a BIG man, Sabathia, a lefty, stands 6’7″ and weighs in excess of 250 pounds. He’ll need all of his girth if he’s going to carry the weight of bringing a title to the Yankees on his shoulders, if you don’t win it all, you’re a loser, according to the Yankees. It’s not at all about, how you play the game.

Where does the potential signing of Ace Sabathia leave the Yankees? Well first off, with the retirement of Mike Mussina, they start off 20 wins shy of their last year win total of 89. They also don’t have Andy Pettitte, a 14 game winner in 2008, locked up. But here is what Pettitte’s former skipper Joe Torre had to say, “He was always married to the Yankees, the excitement playing for the Yankees. I called him only because his agent called Ned [Colletti, the Dodgers’ GM]. I certainly would’ve kicked myself [if I hadn’t called]. He never said no to anything, but just from talking to him, I know the Yankees are his first choice. I wasn’t about to talk him out of it, knowing Andy like I do.” So it looks like Sabathia in the number one slot, followed by Chien-Ming Wang, then comes Andy Pettitte, leaving two spots in the rotation. There has been speculation the Yankees are trying to sign oft-injured righthander Ben Sheets to a two year, $30 million dollar deal, and they’re said to be in the hunt for Derek Lowe and/or A.J. Burnett. The other options are youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, but New York is a tough place to grow up.

Here’s what Yankee fan TomB, a friend of DonS thinks of the Sabathia signing. The Yanks are also close to signing Derek Lowe and are aggressively going after Ben Sheets. You might think Lowe isn’t much of a signing, but another sinker ball pitcher in Yankee Stadium (along with Chien-Ming Wang) could be just what the doctor ordered. The signing of Sabathia will move Wang down to #2, which is where he probably belongs. So you don’t think a rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Sheets/Burnett, and Lowe, with Mariano as the closer (and Chamberlain either as setup or starter) will be effective? Yanks won 89 games last year (20 by Mussina and with Wang on the DL) with crappy pitching. The signing of Sabathia and one other could bump that win total up over 100.

Here is what DonS’ brother KeithS had to say. I do think that Lowe is a great sinker ball pitcher and would be a good fit in Yankee Stadium. My gut tells me he will not sign with the Yankees, but I must say, I have been wrong before. Ben Sheets middle name is DL, so to count on him for an entire year, would be a mistake. Is Wang healthy? Burnett has the hill in his rear view mirror. Playing in NY is not like playing in LA or Milwaukee or Toronto, either. Also Giambi & Abreu missing from the middle of the lineup changes the lineup tremendously.

What do I think? Well, DUH, it’s a no brainer! Any time you can add a pitcher of C.C.’s tremendous talents, without losing anything, it’s a good thing. And you have to remember, the Yankees aren’t like any other franchise, if they need more money, no problem. Sabathia has a lifetime winning percentage of .616, playing almost exclusively for the Cleveland Indians, but then he really turned it on, when in a playoff hunt with Milwaukee last year, he almost single handedly pitched the Brewers into the post season. This guy seems to thrive on pressure! All that said, the Yanks need to do more, they’re wrong if they’re counting on Nick Swisher to replace either Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi in the lineup, and then there’s the matter of a catcher.

KROD: TAKE THE MONEY & RUN

The New York Mets, desperate for a closer, signed the best in the business, making KROD the highest paid relief pitcher in the game. The ink isn’t dry on the paper, but the deal is a reported three year, $37 million dollar deal, with a vesting option (dunno what that means) for a fourth year. I can still remember when starting pitchers were expected to & paid to complete games, it was an insult to the starting pitcher to pull him, not any more, not in this day of specialization. Francisco Rodriguez, won’t turn 27 until next month, he set a record last year with 62 saves with the Halos.

In 2008 the NY Mets converted only 43 saves out of 72 save opportunities. They were relying on Billy Wagner, who needed a ligament replaced in his pitching elbow last August. Even without a closer, NY finished the season with 89 wins, three games behind the Phillies in the East, and only one game behind the Brewers for the Wild Card. Aaron Heilman, Luis Ayala, and others in the Mets pen didn’t cut it, making getting a closer a top priority. There were some choices out there, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, and alltime saves leader Trevor Hoffman, but in the end NY went with the best.

It will be interesting to see how KROD makes out in the Big Apple, it’s a long way from the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels. There’s going to be alot of pressure on Rodriguez to perform, he’s got an electric fastball & a slider that breaks out of sight. Francisco needs to get ahead of hitters in order to get them to bite on his breaking ball, usually in the dirt, control is not his strong suit. Besides that, the Angels had a pretty deep bullpen (Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields, & Darren Oliver), getting to the closer, we’ll have to see how the Mets setup men will bridge that gap. Last year’s signing of Ace Johan Santana was supposed to put the Metropolitans over the top, let’s see if KROD can do it.

WHITE SOX INK VanBenschoten

It was announced the Chicago White Sox have signed righthander John VanBenschoten, and invited him to spring training. I know alot of you are like, John VanWHO? But I have to admit I’ve been following this guy ever since the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him out of Kent State with the 8th pick in the 2001 amateur entry draft. See he was born April 14th, my birthday, although many years after me. I’ve always been interested in following guys born on my birthday, Pete Rose, Greg Maddux, David Justice, Steve Avery, Kyle Farnsworth, Gregg Zaun, Jesse Levis, and many others, only guy born on my exact birth date was lefthander Bobby Sprowl.

Well now the White Sox have VanBenschoten, now what? John was a very successful two way star for Kent State, it was highly debatable as to whether he was a pitcher or a hitter, after all he batted .440 with 31 long balls, leading all Division I, as a junior. But his electric mound stuff won out, and the Buccos made him a fulltime pitcher. On the hill, he struckout 63 batters in 48 innings, posting a 2.81 ERA. Although back then he worked almost as much out of the bullpen as he did as a starter.

His best success as a pro occurred in 2002 at Hickory in the SAL, Class A ball. John started 27 games, pitching 148 innings, striking out 145, amassing an 11-4 record, with a nifty 2.80 ERA. More success was in the cards as he was moved up to high Class A ball, where he started off 6-0 with a 2,22 ERA, before moving up to Class AA ball midseason. In Altoona he was only 7-6 with an earned run average of 3.69.

Van Benschoten has had reconstructive surgeries on both his shoulders, costing him nearly two full seasons of action before his return in 2007. He, started the 2007 season at Indianapolis (10-7, 2.56 ERA), would go back to Indianapolis, and would be recalled later during the season only to finish the season with no wins and seven losses for Pittsburgh. Again he would start the 2008 season with the Indianapolis Indians and remain on the inactive roster for the Pirates. After posting a 4-0 record and a 1.88 ERA with the Indians, he was called up by the Pirates on April 27 to be on the active roster. He currently holds the all-time major league record for highest career ERA with at least 75 innings pitched.

Van Benschoten, a 28-year-old starter, went a combined 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA in 26 appearances, including 19 starts, with the Pirates in 2004, ’07 and ’08. Call me a dreamer, but I still believe in this kid. I just called the Chicago White Sox congratulating them on signing him and suggesting they either make him a hitter or use him out of the bullpen. I believe shoulder injuries have taken their tole on this talented, oft-injured pitcher.

HOF ’09: Dave Parker

Seven time All Star, 1978 National League MVP, all the talent in the world, heir apparent to Roberto Clemente’s hallowed rightfield in Pittsburgh, what happened? Drugs happened for one thing, he was doing cocaine, injuries also slowed him down, but he also had an attitude that he didn’t have to work, due to his tremendous talent, but it all caught up with him. When I took over the Chicago Champions in the 2nd year of the Illowa APBA League, Davey P was on my team, he was the heart of a very good lineup, but the team needed pitching, so he was traded to the Thunderchickens along with Joe Rudi in exchange for John Candelaria & Don Baylor. It was a deal that helped both ballclubs.

In real life, Parker looked to be on the fast track to the Hall of Fame. In his first full season with the Pirates, he posted a .308 average, drove in 101, hitting 25 long balls, with 35 doubles & 10 triples. Dave also possessed the best throwing arm in the game (26 assists in 1977), maybe since Clemente. In ’77 he had a career best batting average of .338, which led the league, he also had more hits 215 than anybody in the league, and in ’78 he again was tops in batting average with a .334 mark. His .585 slugging average was also the best, he won a Gold Glove in 1977, 78, & 79, and he had 117 RBIs in his 1978 MVP season. He had a couple of more very good years with the Buccos in 1979 & 80, hitting .310 & .295 respectively. This big guy hit the ball so hard, that he actually tore the cover off a baseball he ripped into rightfield in 1979. The Pirates rewarded him, making him baseball’s first million dollar ballplayer.

Knee injuries limited him to only 67 & 73 games in 1981-82, he bounced back playing a full season with Pittsburgh in 1983, but he wasn’t quite the same. The injuries, weight gain, and cocaine had taken their tole on him. Still the Cincinnati Reds wanted him, signing him as a free agent. In 1985 at the age of 34, Parker had one of the best years of his career with the Reds, reaching his personal bests in homers 34 & RBIs 125, and a solid .312 batting average, finishing the season two hits shy of 200, He placed second in the MVP voting to Willie McGee. Then in 86 he had another monster year with Cincinnati, 31 HRs & 116 RBIs. His batting average dipped to .253 in 1987, although he did have 97 runs batted in, with 26 goners. He enjoyed some success in the American League, mostly as a designated hitter, driving in 97 with the A’s at the age of 38, and knocking in 92 with Milwaukee in 1990 at the age of 39.

With all of his accomplishments, there was only one person who could keep this man out of the Hall of Fame, and that man was Dave Parker, himself. Despite his drug abuses, his injuries, and his lack of dedication, he produced numbers that are comparable to others who’ve made it into the Hall. Parker notched a lifetime .290 batting average, 339 homers, 1,493 RBIs, and 1,272 runs scored, during his 19 year career. IMHO, Dave is only good enough for the Hall of the Very Good.

On a side note, since his retirement, Parker’s had both knees replaced. He owns several Popeyes Chicken Restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

  Hall of Fame

Hall of Very Good
  Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.

HOF ’09: Ron Gant

The Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, I drafted Ron Gant after his rookie year as a secondbaseman(?) for the Atlanta Braves. He played secondbase with a bat in his hands. He was quite a talent, Gant could do it all, especially hit for power & run, but he was no infielder, no matter how hard the Braves tried to make him one.

After his disastrous start at 2B, Atlanta moved Gant across the diamond to give him a crack at the hot corner, he fared no better there, and soon he became an outfielder, a pretty good one at that, even playing two seasons in centerfield, before settling on LF. But with Ron, it was all about the bat, not the glove. He posted some respectable offensive numbers over his 16 year career, despite being involved in a career threatening motorcycle accident, which robbed him of alot of his speed, but he rehabbed hard, and fully rebounded from the accident. Gant scored & drove in over 1,000 runs, belted 321 home runs, while pilfering 243 bases. The downside for Ronnie were his K’s, he struckout 1,411 times and batted only .256 for his career.

All in all, a nice career, but Hall of Fame? Why’s this guy even on the ballot?

  Hall of Fame
 

Hall of Very Good

Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.