- Geoff Young was in Lake Elsinore last night to see the High-A affiliate retire Jake Peavy's #22. For the occasion, everyone player wore that number.
- Keith Law does a great job scouting the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies in the ESPN Insider free preview.
Arizona also has a chance to be one of the better defensive clubs in the league when their top lineup is on the field. Orlando Hudson is among the best second basemen in baseball, with good range on ground balls and a great knack for catching pop flies. An Eric Byrnes-Chris Young-Justin Upton outfield includes three guys who could play center field every day. And Stephen Drew is athletic enough to become an above-average shortstop, although he's not there yet.
The Diamondbacks scored fewer runs in 2007 than any NL team other than San Francisco and Washington, both bad teams playing in pitcher's parks. The fuel for Arizona's offensive ineptitude was its inability to put men on base, as they finished dead last in the league with a .321 OBP. That's likely to improve somewhat as their young hitters gain experience and see their batting averages rise, but they're still dependent on a number of hitters who've shown no propensity to work the count or take a walk, including the hacker Mark Reynolds, Byrnes and Young.
Young posted great walk rates in the minors, but he has to get his bat started early and doesn't have much of a chance to adjust to off-speed pitches at the big-league level. So despite its strength in several areas of run prevention and the 90 games they'll play in hitter's parks, Arizona will be hard-pressed to score much more than 800 runs this year. Their impatience certainly favors Colorado's Saturday starter, Jeff Francis. The 27-year-old left-hander has a fringy fastball but plus command and can take advantage of hitters with poor plate discipline.
- Cameron Martin was reading the Bill James Gold Mine 2008 and found this:
And finally, item 12, which concludes the essay about Atypical Seasons: "Two of the greatest home run under-producers of all time were teammates: Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti in 1984. Puckett hit no home runs (-16), Gaetti hit only 5 (-19). Suggesting the possibility that the Twins' two World Championships may have been aided by their team being among the first to discover…well, I'd better not go there. Nor will I point out that Gaetti was bald and had acne and Puckett died young."
Maybe I've been on Mars, but I've never heard Puckett's name mentioned in the conversation about performance-enhancing drugs.
He's become an easy target after his death, especially in light of the unflattering revelations about his personal life, e.g., he was arrested for groping a woman in the ladies' room of a Minneapolis restaurant, but was acquited at trial. Puckett might have had his cheerful veneer pulled back after his playing days were over, but saying a guy died early because he was using PEDs? I mean, this isn't Ken Caminiti, who was an admitted steroid user. It's Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer. Who else does James think is in Cooperstown via the aid of performance-enhancing drugs? (Bolivian marching powder doesn't count, so Molitor gets a pass.)
It's one thing to have personal opinions which never see the light of day, but publishing these things about Gaetti and Puckett — without concrete evidence, i.e., more than the citation of statistical anomalies — is irresponsible, especially since Puckett can't rise to his own defense (unless he's hanging out with Ted Williams; in that case, he might be able to rise in about 50 years).
- The guys at Saber-Scouting offer a scouting report of Rick Porcello:
Mechanics - Sound mechanics. High 3/4 arm angle, clean and easy arm with average deception. Good torque in the motion and has an excellent decelerating finish with his arm on the follow through. Balance is good and doesn't fall off at the end of his motion, in a good fielding position. Great leg drive. Late in the game (last clip in video) he lost his command and everything was up because he wasn't tucking his chest and stayed high a few clicks too long. He battled and was at his pitch count and left after that inning. Motion is similar to John Smoltz.
Summary - You can see why teams loved him in the draft—he has all the elements you look for in a young pitcher. Tonight he showed a great projectable body, sound mechanics, great command for his age, great feel for a plus fastball, ability to spin a plus breaking ball, a knockout changeup, potential plus command, and the intelligence to know when and how to use these tools. Not sure what else you could want, really. I am confident he could pitch in the big leagues right now as a back-end starter, but allowing him to improve in the minors for a bit is the more savvy move. There's been tons of hype tossed on this guy by about any writer that can spell his name, but it doesn't look like it's gone to his head and he's everything that was advertised.
- "A tour of Yankee stadium, highlighting the features that many do not see":
- It seems the Church and baseball don't mix well according to some (tip of the hat to Peter at Baseball Reflections):
Times sportswriter Murray Chass is crusading against voluntary Baseball Chapel services in major league locker rooms on Sunday mornings. He's equally upset with "faith nights" that typically feature a Christian music concert following a game, with players testifying to their belief in Jesus.
At least eight major league teams and at least three dozen minor league ones have such nights annually. Chass snorts, "Just what baseball needs—peanuts, popcorn and proselytizing." His solution: Since the U.S. Constitution "provides for separation of church and state," baseball executives should institute "separation of church and baseball."
- J.C. Bradbury breaks down the deal that sent the Braves' Triple-A affiliate to Gwinnett from Richmond. He has been all over that case from the start and I strongly suggest you read his archives for more info.
Rent: The Braves will pay annual rent of $250,000, plus a fee of $1 per ticket sold. The Braves guarantee Gwinnett at least $400,000 annually in ticket fees. The rent, but not the ticket fee, will be adjusted after each five-year period based on the Consumer Price Index.
• Revenue: Aside from the naming rights deal [The contract calls for the Braves to receive $350,000 from a GCVB-negotiated naming-rights deal and for Gwinnett to receive the rest.] and a 50-50 split of parking proceeds with the county, the Braves retain all revenue from games and other team events in the stadium. That includes ticket and suite sales, advertising signage and concessions.
• Maintenance: The Braves are responsible for routine maintenance, such as cleaning, mowing and replacing light bulbs. The GCVB is responsible for capital maintenance and repairs — big-ticket items that range from structural components to repainting, from seats to scoreboard.
To pay for capital maintenance and repairs, the GCVB is to keep a capital maintenance fund, which by Dec. 31, 2013, must contain a minimum of $500,000. The contract says that amount is not a limit on Gwinnett's responsibility and that if capital needs arise before Dec. 31, 2013, GCVB also must pay for those.
• Escape clause: The agreement runs for 30 years, through the 2038 season, but the Braves have an out after 15 years if the stadium deteriorates significantly. The Braves can walk away in 2023 or later if, after engaging in nonbinding commercial mediation, the team and the GCVB are unable to agree on capital repairs that are "material to the operation of the stadium."
- In her weekly column "Movin' On Up", Lisa Winston presents prospects who have reach their major leagues goal. This is what was written about RHP Johnny Cueto, 21, who threw 7 innings and allowed only a home run and walked a batter, while striking out 10:
Cueto finished with seven innings of one-hit ball, striking out 10 without walking a batter. It was the most strikeouts by a pitcher in his Cincinnati debut since records of that sort started being kept in 1900 and the first time in more than a decade that a pitcher had thrown five perfect innings in his Major League debut.
Cueto has been mentored closely along the way by former Reds ace Mario Soto, considered by many to be the most recent star pitcher developed by Cincinnati. His apt pupil seems to be following in his footsteps.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Cueto draws comparisons to former Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez, partly due to an unassuming physical presence that makes his stuff all the more surprising.
The 21-year-old features a mid-90s fastball, impressive changeup and slider, coupled with outstanding command as evidenced by his debut line score.
Arizona also has a chance to be one of the better defensive clubs in the league when their top lineup is on the field. Orlando Hudson is among the best second basemen in baseball, with good range on ground balls and a great knack for catching pop flies. An Eric Byrnes-Chris Young-Justin Upton outfield includes three guys who could play center field every day. And Stephen Drew is athletic enough to become an above-average shortstop, although he's not there yet.
The Diamondbacks scored fewer runs in 2007 than any NL team other than San Francisco and Washington, both bad teams playing in pitcher's parks. The fuel for Arizona's offensive ineptitude was its inability to put men on base, as they finished dead last in the league with a .321 OBP. That's likely to improve somewhat as their young hitters gain experience and see their batting averages rise, but they're still dependent on a number of hitters who've shown no propensity to work the count or take a walk, including the hacker Mark Reynolds, Byrnes and Young.
Young posted great walk rates in the minors, but he has to get his bat started early and doesn't have much of a chance to adjust to off-speed pitches at the big-league level. So despite its strength in several areas of run prevention and the 90 games they'll play in hitter's parks, Arizona will be hard-pressed to score much more than 800 runs this year. Their impatience certainly favors Colorado's Saturday starter, Jeff Francis. The 27-year-old left-hander has a fringy fastball but plus command and can take advantage of hitters with poor plate discipline.
- Cameron Martin was reading the Bill James Gold Mine 2008 and found this:
And finally, item 12, which concludes the essay about Atypical Seasons: "Two of the greatest home run under-producers of all time were teammates: Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti in 1984. Puckett hit no home runs (-16), Gaetti hit only 5 (-19). Suggesting the possibility that the Twins' two World Championships may have been aided by their team being among the first to discover…well, I'd better not go there. Nor will I point out that Gaetti was bald and had acne and Puckett died young."
Maybe I've been on Mars, but I've never heard Puckett's name mentioned in the conversation about performance-enhancing drugs.
He's become an easy target after his death, especially in light of the unflattering revelations about his personal life, e.g., he was arrested for groping a woman in the ladies' room of a Minneapolis restaurant, but was acquited at trial. Puckett might have had his cheerful veneer pulled back after his playing days were over, but saying a guy died early because he was using PEDs? I mean, this isn't Ken Caminiti, who was an admitted steroid user. It's Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer. Who else does James think is in Cooperstown via the aid of performance-enhancing drugs? (Bolivian marching powder doesn't count, so Molitor gets a pass.)
It's one thing to have personal opinions which never see the light of day, but publishing these things about Gaetti and Puckett — without concrete evidence, i.e., more than the citation of statistical anomalies — is irresponsible, especially since Puckett can't rise to his own defense (unless he's hanging out with Ted Williams; in that case, he might be able to rise in about 50 years).
- The guys at Saber-Scouting offer a scouting report of Rick Porcello:
Mechanics - Sound mechanics. High 3/4 arm angle, clean and easy arm with average deception. Good torque in the motion and has an excellent decelerating finish with his arm on the follow through. Balance is good and doesn't fall off at the end of his motion, in a good fielding position. Great leg drive. Late in the game (last clip in video) he lost his command and everything was up because he wasn't tucking his chest and stayed high a few clicks too long. He battled and was at his pitch count and left after that inning. Motion is similar to John Smoltz.
Summary - You can see why teams loved him in the draft—he has all the elements you look for in a young pitcher. Tonight he showed a great projectable body, sound mechanics, great command for his age, great feel for a plus fastball, ability to spin a plus breaking ball, a knockout changeup, potential plus command, and the intelligence to know when and how to use these tools. Not sure what else you could want, really. I am confident he could pitch in the big leagues right now as a back-end starter, but allowing him to improve in the minors for a bit is the more savvy move. There's been tons of hype tossed on this guy by about any writer that can spell his name, but it doesn't look like it's gone to his head and he's everything that was advertised.
- "A tour of Yankee stadium, highlighting the features that many do not see":
- It seems the Church and baseball don't mix well according to some (tip of the hat to Peter at Baseball Reflections):
Times sportswriter Murray Chass is crusading against voluntary Baseball Chapel services in major league locker rooms on Sunday mornings. He's equally upset with "faith nights" that typically feature a Christian music concert following a game, with players testifying to their belief in Jesus.
At least eight major league teams and at least three dozen minor league ones have such nights annually. Chass snorts, "Just what baseball needs—peanuts, popcorn and proselytizing." His solution: Since the U.S. Constitution "provides for separation of church and state," baseball executives should institute "separation of church and baseball."
- J.C. Bradbury breaks down the deal that sent the Braves' Triple-A affiliate to Gwinnett from Richmond. He has been all over that case from the start and I strongly suggest you read his archives for more info.
Rent: The Braves will pay annual rent of $250,000, plus a fee of $1 per ticket sold. The Braves guarantee Gwinnett at least $400,000 annually in ticket fees. The rent, but not the ticket fee, will be adjusted after each five-year period based on the Consumer Price Index.
• Revenue: Aside from the naming rights deal [The contract calls for the Braves to receive $350,000 from a GCVB-negotiated naming-rights deal and for Gwinnett to receive the rest.] and a 50-50 split of parking proceeds with the county, the Braves retain all revenue from games and other team events in the stadium. That includes ticket and suite sales, advertising signage and concessions.
• Maintenance: The Braves are responsible for routine maintenance, such as cleaning, mowing and replacing light bulbs. The GCVB is responsible for capital maintenance and repairs — big-ticket items that range from structural components to repainting, from seats to scoreboard.
To pay for capital maintenance and repairs, the GCVB is to keep a capital maintenance fund, which by Dec. 31, 2013, must contain a minimum of $500,000. The contract says that amount is not a limit on Gwinnett's responsibility and that if capital needs arise before Dec. 31, 2013, GCVB also must pay for those.
• Escape clause: The agreement runs for 30 years, through the 2038 season, but the Braves have an out after 15 years if the stadium deteriorates significantly. The Braves can walk away in 2023 or later if, after engaging in nonbinding commercial mediation, the team and the GCVB are unable to agree on capital repairs that are "material to the operation of the stadium."
- In her weekly column "Movin' On Up", Lisa Winston presents prospects who have reach their major leagues goal. This is what was written about RHP Johnny Cueto, 21, who threw 7 innings and allowed only a home run and walked a batter, while striking out 10:
Cueto finished with seven innings of one-hit ball, striking out 10 without walking a batter. It was the most strikeouts by a pitcher in his Cincinnati debut since records of that sort started being kept in 1900 and the first time in more than a decade that a pitcher had thrown five perfect innings in his Major League debut.
Cueto has been mentored closely along the way by former Reds ace Mario Soto, considered by many to be the most recent star pitcher developed by Cincinnati. His apt pupil seems to be following in his footsteps.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Cueto draws comparisons to former Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez, partly due to an unassuming physical presence that makes his stuff all the more surprising.
The 21-year-old features a mid-90s fastball, impressive changeup and slider, coupled with outstanding command as evidenced by his debut line score.