Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
it’s true… Adrian Beltre reacts badly whenever anyone, even teammates, rubs his head. Someone has even posted a collection of videos of him getting his noggin rubbed up and his rather upset reaction to it.
Now he’s with the Rangers but it doesn’t look like his new teammates are too sensitive to his concerns.
Take Elvis Andrus, for example:
Oh yeah … a bunch of times. He better get used to it. He might kick my tail, but I’m going to do it.
What is it, March? He’ll be in for a long year
Back in the middle of September I was assigned the task of predicting who would win the rookie of the year awards. Now two months later the winners were announced, Oakland A’s reliever Andrew Bailey in the American League and Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan. I had predicted Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler in the NL and Rangers SS Elvis Andrus in the AL.
In 2008 the A’s converted Bailey from a starter to a reliever in AA Ball in 2008. Andrew immediately experienced success in the bullpen, carrying that success over into the 2008 Arizona Fall League, and on into the 2009 regular big league season. He finished the season with 26 of 30 saves, a 6-3 record, a 1.84 ERA, with 91 strikeouts & 49 hits allowed in 83′ innings, and was Oakland’s lone All Star representative.
Chris Coghlan also enjoyed a conversion that enabled him to star in the big leagues, the former infielder was moved to leftfield. He brought his bat out to the outfield with him, batting .321 with a .390 OBP, with 31 doubles, 6 triples, & 9 home runs, as the Marlins leadoff hitter.
Elvis Andrus, my choice for AL Rookie of the Year, the Rangers 21 year old shortstop out of Venezuela, finished 2nd in the balloting behind Bailey. Elvis batted .267, with 33 stolen bases, 72 runs scored, & 128 base hits, with a very impressive range factor in the field of 4.86. Right on the heels of Andrus was Detroit’s 20 year old righthanded starting pitcher Rick Porcello (14-9 & 3.96 ERA). The 6’9″ Tampa Bay’s righthander, Jeff Niemann (13-6 & 3.94) was next, he was 17-0 with a 1.70 ERA as a Junior in 2003 with Rice. Then came The Sporting News choice for Rookie of the Year, the White Sox very own, thirdbaseman Gordon Beckham (.270, 28 doubles, 14 homers, 63 RBIs). Rounding out this crop of AL rookies was another pitcher from Oakland, southpaw Brett Anderson (11-11, 4.06 ERA, & 150 strikeouts in 175′ IP).
Closely behind Coghlan, over in the Senior Circuit, was The Sporting News choice for NL Rookie of the Year out of the University of Northwestern in Evanston, IL, Philadelphia’s lefthander J.A. Happ (12-4 & 2.93). A distant 3rd was Atlanta’s phenom righthanded starting pitcher Tommy Hanson (11-4, 2.89, & 116 K’s in 127″ IP). The Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen wasn’t far in back of Hanson, batting .286, 26 doubles, 9 triples, 12 homers, 74 runs scored, to go along with 22 steals, while playing a very good centerfield for the Buccos. Next up the Brewers thirdbaseman Casey McGehee received some love, .301, 20 doubles, 16 homers, & 66 RBIs. Interestingly six other rookies received very little support in their quest for league’s top rookie honors. They were Randy Wells of the Cubs (12-10 & 3.05), Pittsburgh slugger Garrett Jones (21 HRs & .293), Padres SS Everth Cabrera (25 SBs & 59 runs), my choice Dexter Fowler Colorado outfielder (73 runs, 27 SBs, 29 2Bs, & 10 3Bs), Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra (.290, 21 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 60 RBIs), and last, but not least, Cardinals centerfielder Colby Rasmus (22 2Bs & 16 HRs).
Each day this week, The Baseball Zealot will be featuring special guest bloggers who will be giving their predictions on the 2009 MLB end-of year-awards and postseason matchups. Today, we’ll start with the Rookie of the Year Award.
Today’s guest post isn’t really written by a guest. You already know Tedd Mallasch as Teddy Ballgame who is my co-blogger on The Baseball Zealot. Tedd’s been with TBZ pretty much from the start and aside from his usually great analysis, he also does fantastic on-the-spot coverage of spring training and Arizona Fall League action. If you like his stuff, he does have his own blog called Whatteddsedd.com which isn’t always sports-related but has his usual flair nonetheless.
Here are my choices for the 2009 All Rookie Team. My choices for Rookie of the Year are in the NL Dexter Fowler and in the AL Elvis Andrus. Both are everyday players, who have made significant contributions to their teams, as they vie for the postseason. Stats as of September 2, 2009.
This switch hitting 6’4" 225 pound catcher out of the University of Georgia Tech has lived up to the hype when the Orioles drafted him with the 5th pick in the 2007 player draft. In the minors Matt played only 169 games, about one full season, combining to hit 31 doubles 4 triples, & 32 homers, scoring 114 times, while driving in 121, with 102 walks & 106 strikeouts, getting 198 base hits in 578 at bats for a .343 batting average. Wieters has held his own since arriving in Baltimore, where he’s batting .263, with 10 doubles, 1 homer, and 5 homers in 68 games.
Out of Tinley Park, IL, this lefthanded batting slugging firstbaseman took the long road to the majors after being the 444th player chosen in the 1999 player draft by the Atlanta Braves. This 28 year old seems to have found a job at firstbase with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has launched 17 home runs to go along with 14 doubles, batting .295, with nine steals in ten attempts, all of this, in only 54 games.
In only 90 big league games with the White Sox, the scrapper out of the University of Michigan (where he batted .364 & .386) has showed some skills, stealing 18 bases, with 17 doubles, 4 triples, & 2 home runs, in 315 big league at bats.
Elvis has entered the big leagues (sorry, I couldn’t resist). He is just a baby, turning 21 the 26th of August. This kid has got range, a 5.05 range factor. He’s batting .268, with 12 doubles, 7 triples, & 5 homers, with 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts, playing regularly at SS in Texas.
Last year he hit more home runs, 28, than any other NCAA Div. I baseball player, while playing SS for the Georgia Bulldogs. The White Sox used their firstround draft choice to pick him 8th over all. It’s turned out to be a great selection, as he has looked solid at 3B, while ripping 23 doubles & 9 long balls, in 80 games, batting .272.
In 2006 the Florida Marlins used their #1 pick to get this kid out of the University of Mississippi. The lefthanded hitter grew up in Tarpon Springs, FL, right where I vacation, playing for East Lake High. He’s got the highest batting average among rookies, batting .301, with an OBP of .377, while hitting leadoff for the Fish. Chris has six steals in seven tries, 19 2Bs, 4 3Bs, & 9 HRs.
The 6’5" switch hitting 23 year old can fly as he’s shown by stealing 26 bases, caught 9 times. Fowler’s taken over the regular centerfield job for Colorado. Dexter’s hitting .270, 27 doubles, 9 triples, 4 home runs, after batting .335 last season in AA, once he fills out, look out.
This 22 year old right handed hitter was ready for the bigs, it just took the Buccos a little while to realize it. Since taking over CF in Pittsburgh, this guy has batted .284, 20 2Bs, 6 3Bs, 10 HRs, 15 SBs, in only 79 games.
LHP J.A. HAPP – I first saw Happ in spring training, his changeup was unreal. I knew he was the real deal, he started the season in the pen, but has really taken off since moving to the rotation for the Phils. This year the lefthander out of Northwestern has a 10-4 record with a 2.77 ERA, has struckout exactly twice as many batters as he’s walked 104 to 52, allowing only 125 hits in just under 150 innings pitched.
This 6’6" righthander out of Oklahoma came into his own in the Arizona Fall League. I had the privilege of seeing him pitch out west first hand, he was lights out, Hanson struckout 49 in 28 2/3 innings, 5-0 record, with a 0.63 ERA. Since coming up to the Braves, he’s carried on nicely, 9-3 with a 3.15 ERA, 73 K’s in 85 2/3 innings of work.
Last year this New Jersey righthander with the live arm was used as a relief pitcher for the first time in the A’s organization, he took to it, like a duck takes to water. This year’s taken over as Oakland’s closer, allowing only 44 hits in 72 innings, with over a strikeout per inning, a 1.88 ERA, with 21 saves.
– Tedd
Thanks to Tedd for his time in putting this together. Stay tuned all week for more 2009 prediction posts.
Neither closer has had all that much success this year, neither Matt Capps, nor Brad Lidge. Capps spit out a one run 9th inning lead, allowing back to back doubles, and then with two outs Shane Victorino lined a ball right at Andrew McCutchen, McCutchen froze, and the ball took off over his head, and gave the Phillies a one run lead. Now it was time for Brad Lidge to protect a one run lead. Hits by Luis Cruz & Brandon Moss, with a wild pitch in between, tied the game when Jayson Werth over ran the ball, and pinch runner Brian Bixler scored. That brought up the kid, Andrew McCutchen. Andrew talked with Lastings Milledge during the game, talking about what he’d do if he hit a walkoff home run, and told him he’d be like a basketball player taking the dunk to the hoop when he reached home plate. He thought he might get the bunt sign, but when he didn’t, he focused on the job at hand and looked for a ball to hit hard. And BANG it happened!
Which got me to thinking of managers putting their players into positions where they can achieve success. I remember a couple of nights ago where Jim Tracy didn’t panic, he told Adam Eaton to take three pitches with the bases loaded (he walked), trailing in the game, wanting Ryan Spilborghs to bat with the bases loaded, and BANG it happened!
Then there was the opposite, which happened in last night’s Texas/Yankee game. With nobody out in the bottom of the 9th New York trailed the Rangers 10-9 with runners on 1st & 2nd, facing Frank Francisco. Now we all know Swisher cannot bunt, I presume Girardi knows this as well, but he had him try, popout. And then BANG it happened! Linedrive up the middle by Melky Cabrera, caught by Elvis Andrus for a game ending DP.
I’m reminded of what Stacey King always says regarding Da Bulls, KYP, Know Your Personnel! Don’t have players do what they can’t!