Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
Tim Lincecum isn’t done on mound this year yet. As the cover star for Major League 2K9 video game, he went through a motion capturing session for the game technicians.
For the “mo-capping”, Lincecum wore a spandex suit (for which he will get the end of no heck from his teammates, I’m sure) with reflective markers placed all over his body. The markers would reflect light from 56 cameras from around the stage while he pitched from the makeshift mound.
I don’t know about you but I like my baseball caps after they have that worn out feel to them.
Russ Branyan has been signed by the Mariners to a one-year deal.
Branyan has always been the kind of hitter who makes the most of his hits. Secondary average, I believe Bill James calls it.
Two years ago, he hit .228 yet almost reached the .500 mark in slugging (.498). This past year, he had a .250 average but slugged .583 with a .342 OBP. Mr All-or-Nothing can pretty much be counted to three things: whiff, walk, or hit a home run.
That is assuming he is in the lineup. In the 11 seasons he’s been in the majors, he’s never batted more than 378 times.
The Mariners say they plan to use Branyan as a firstbaseman, thirdbaseman and, of course, DH.
Jay Bell had an auspicious if not ironic start in the majors. Like Harold Baines, he was drafted in the first round. The Minnesota Twins turned around and traded him the next year in 1985 to Cleveland for Bert Blyleven (who turns out to be a fellow HOF ’09 candidate). Bell’s very first at-bat was against Blyleven and he hit it for a home run. To add more drama to the scenario, that home run was the 47th given up by Blyleven that year which broke the MLB record of 46 allowed by Robin Roberts.
Bell Facts
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Bell didn’t get much playing time with the Indians though and it wasn’t till he got traded to Pittsburgh that he got some serious at-bats in. With the exception of ’94-’95, Bell played 150 games from 1990-1999. He was a solid fielder not so much because of his range but of his knowledge of the hitters.
With the stick, Bell was mostly a singles and doubles hitter though he toyed with the four-base hit later in his career. As the Pirates are wont to do, they dumped a player once he came into his own. When Bell was traded to the Royals, he had a decent offensive year with 21 homers and 92 rbis. That made him a valuable free agent and the Arizona Diamondbacks took advantage of his availability.
With Arizona, he had his best offensive year of his career in 1999. Batting .289, he rapped 38 dingers to go along with his 112 rbis. Two years later, he helped Arizona in their bid to win the World Series.
Pros: A “solid” (sorry, that’s the best I can say) hitter for a middle infielder, he did accumulate 1123 career runs, a decent OBP (.343) again for a middle infielder.
Cons: where do I start? the stats don’t bear out. a .265 batting average, he’s a middle infielder without the speed and not much power.
| Hall of Fame | |
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Hall of Very Good |
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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.
This article by Diane Grassi elaborates in good detail on the signing of the two Indian pitchers by the Pirates.
Apparently, they’re under the physical training of former MLB pitcher Tom House who now specializes in working to develop young pitchers.
“(Baines) was on his way to the Hall of Fame. He just stopped by Comiskey Park for 20 years or so.”
GM Paul Richards on the White Sox pick of Harold Baines in the first round of the 1977 draft.
First up in our lineup of HOF09 is Harold Baines. Now, as a Cub fan, I normally have no use for White Sox players but I have to admit a fondness for Baines. So, apparently do the Sox who took on Harold for three separate stints.
Baines Facts
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Let’s get this out of the way. Baines won’t be known for his glove. Though he was a solid outfielder during his first part of his career, an injury and subsequent knee surgery in 1986 pretty much made him useless in the field and relegated him to DH duties thereafter. So much so, that the This Week in Baseball’s skit where those in on the joke were “trying to find Baines’ glove” is still remembered.
Yet, some talk about how pure Baines’ swing was. From the start, he showed he was for real, hitting double figures in homers at the age of 21. Two years later, he broke out for the Sox with 25 home runs and 105 rbis. Baines continued his consistent style of hitting always putting up 20+ homers and 90+ rbis.
After his 1986 knee surgery and resulting move to the DH role, his hitting numbers didn’t suffer… until 1988 when he banged out only 13 with a subpar .277 average. The next year came the famous trade to Texas which brought young Sammy Sosa to Chicago.
The 90s didn’t have the luster that the 80s did but Baines always found a way to find playing time as a DH. I remember being amazed that year in and year out Baines would be in the lineup, busted knees and all. He traveled from Texas to Oakland to Baltimore (his homestate). Finally, after a half season stint with Cleveland, he came back to Chicago again where he finished the last two years of his career.
Pros: There’s probably no one with better character. Clutch hitter, his career numbers look decent (1299 runs, 1628 rbis, more rbis than Mantle, (that comment should p–s somebody off).
Cons: Not a dominating hitter not even in his era (only three 100-rbi seasons, no MVPs, not even close in voting), defense, we’ve already talked about that.
As much as I like Baines personally, I don’t see him making the Hall. If the White Sox have their own Hall, he should be the first one inducted. He’s Mr White Sox in my book. But for Cooperstown, there are those with better credentials. He makes the Hall of Very Good.
| 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.
This winter, The Baseball Zealot will be doing profiles of the Hall of Fame candidates for 2009. In addition, we’ll give our opinion on their inclusion in the Hall. This post will serve as the entry point for the HOF ’09 series.
Here is the link to all the profiles written to date.
The results will be announced on January 12th, 2009. With any luck, we’ll get them all in before then.
I was in Cooperstown the last time a left fielder was inducted to the Hall of Fame. The fact that I was there on my honeymoon shows how often that happens since that was 20 years ago.
Next year may another chance to welcome a left fielder to the hallowed halls. Four #7s have their opportunity and two (and some may say three) have a good shot. The four left fielders are Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, Tim Raines and Ron Gant.
It’s Rickey Henderson’s first shot on the ballot and alternatively it will be Jim Rice’s last.
The full 2009 ballot:
• Harold Baines
• Jay Bell
• Bert Blyleven
• David Cone
• Andre Dawson
• Ron Gant
• Mark Grace
• Rickey Henderson
• Tommy John
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Jesse Orosco
• Dave Parker
• Dan Plesac
• Tim Raines
• Jim Rice
• Lee Smith
• Alan Trammell
• Greg Vaughn
• Mo Vaughn
• Matt Williams
All things considered, it’s a strong, especially deep, class.
Oh, the last left fielder inducted twenty years ago? Carl Yastrzemski in the summer of 1989. He was inducted along with Johnny Bench and Red Schoendienst. I remember distinctly how red the crowd was. I also remember the Cincinnati Reds booing A. Bart Giamatti and yelling “Free Pete Rose”.
This documentary about the Philadelphia Phillies Hot Dog Launcher was put together with people with a obvious sense of humor.
Personnel from Hatfield Quality Meats who helped create the Hot Dog Launcher are featured in the video along with the Phillie Phanatic.
The launcher is an air cannon which shoots hot dogs to fans between innings… usually in one piece.
Dang, that cannon is huge. Though the way the Phanatic was acting in the video, I would have taken it and aimed it for his…
never mind.
(via Neatorama)
Apparently, Ozzie Guillen didn’t see eye-to-eye with Nick Swisher during the Swish’s stay in Chicago. According the Chicago Tribune, they didn’t gel.
Was Swisher a bad influence in the clubhouse late in the year?
You’ve got to ask the players about that. To be honest with you, I was not happy with the way he was reacting at the end of the season. He wasn’t helping me either.
Guillen just got the Chicago Easter Seals Award for his work in helping autism research so I’m going to refrain from saying anything snarky about him (at least in this post). The White Sox donated $1 million to the cause. Good on them.