I couldn't let Aaron Cook's performance yesterday go unheralded. He went the distance. In Colorado.
Holding the Padres (who hit .270/.340/.420 in June ... good
for an NL team) to five (5) hits and zero (0) runs. It was his first
complete game shutout of his career. But that's not the strange
thing. Cook did this in just 79 pitches.
Going back to 1988, only 4 other shutouts have had 79 or fewer pitches, and only Jon Lieber's 1-hitter in 2001 beat it (78 pitches).
[ed - No full-length "article" this week from me... figured the last one would take 2 weeks to digest, anyway (link).]
Cook has long been one of the most efficient pitchers in the majors. He can throw hard. His fastball was once rated one of the 10 best in the minors. He's thrown 67 pitches over 92 MPH this year (according to Pitch F/X, and that doesn't include those at exactly 92 MPH). Yet, he doesn't throw that hard very often, and his bread-and-butter is the sinker, making him one of the best pitchers in the majors at inducing ground balls (over 55% every year of his career).
In an old Abstract, Bill James noted how rare it was for pitchers to succeed long-term in the majors without striking out batters. Personally, I think this has been taken too much to extremes, at every level of the game, but - statistically - it's been exceedingly difficult to make a living as an MLB starting pitcher striking out less than 5 batters per 9 innings. Cook has 333 K's. In 843.2 IP. That barely breaks 3.5 K/9.
Wang's gotten more attention for his work with low K-rates, but Cook is starting to turn heads this year, with his 11-5 record for a team going nowhere. If you look at the ERA+ from baseball-reference.com, Cook's career total is 112, compared to Wang's 115. But Cook came up 2 years younger than Wang did. If you look at their age-25 and after ERA+ ratings, Cook has actually scored better than Wang. And that's without giving him any "extra credit" for dealing with a life-threatening blood clot.
Some of that is due to defensive help, which the Rockies value and the Yankees view as an afterthought to scoring bushels of runs. Nowhere could that have been more clear than in yesterday's game, where Cook's "pitch to contact" style led to two GDPs, and the obscenely low pitch total.
So, congratulations to Aaron Cook on his first career shutout. And on beating the odds, year after year. May he have many more great seasons!
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Wednesday, July 2
Mr. Cook Throws A Shutout!
by
Rob McQuown
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 06:14 PM EDT
Padres Nab Group of International Players
by
Joe Hamrahi
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 12:25 PM EDT
A little bit about the prospects direct from the Padres... Adamson, 16, is from Perth, Australia. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound infielder/outfielder helped the Western Australia Under 16 team to the National Championship in January. He paced all tournament batters with two home runs, 17 RBI, 12 runs scored, 26 total bases, a 1.040 slugging percentage and a .618 on-base percentage. Adamson hit at a .520 clip, third-best among tournament leaders. In 2007, he participated in Major League Baseball’s Australian Baseball Academy. “Corey is one of the best athletes to come out of Australia in recent history,” Smith said. “He is a five-tool player with plus speed.” The 16-year-old Aristy is a native of Bani, Dominican Republic. The 6-foot, 165-pound shortstop is ranked sixth on ESPN’s Best Latino Prospects of 2008 list. Said Smith: “We see Alvaro as the best pure shortstop in Latin America, both with his defensive ability along with his consistency at the plate.” Domoromo, 16, is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder from Portuguesa, Venezuela. He is ranked as the fifth-best Latino Prospect by ESPN. “Luis is one of the most complete position players available," said Smith. "He has a sound approach at the plate and the ability to hit the ball to all fields.” Portillo, 16, is ranked third on ESPN’s Best Latino Prospects of 2008 list. He is a 6-2, 192-pound right-hander from Maracaibo, Venezuela. “One of the most complete pitchers in Latin America with a fastball that has reached 93, Adis has great mechanics with a strong mound presence and command of three pitches,” Smith said. The 16-year-old Tavarez is a 6-2, 170-pound right-handed pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He is ranked as the 10th-best Latino Prospect by ESPN. "Elvin is a well-built right-hander with a fastball that reaches 90 and good rotation on his curve ball.” Smith said. Today marks the start of the period when 16-year-old international players who will turn 17 prior to the end of 2009 minor league season are eligible sign with Major League clubs.
First-Half Hardware
by
Bill Baer
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 12:17 PM EDT
I'm a bit late on this, but you'll have to forgive me. Being the clumsy mess that I am, I was writing this yesterday and accidentally clicked that big, fat, red X at the top-right corner of my browser window and lost all of my work with that split-second mistake. "Idiot" is fine, if you want to refer to me in the comments.
Click here to view my pre-season predictions. I'll refer to them as I list my first-half nominees. Most statistics do not account for Tuesday night's games. Most Valuable Player American League: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees Looking good so far, as A-Rod was my pre-season pick. Once again, his OPS rests in quadruple figures at 1.006 and he is fourth-best among qualified AL third basemen in RZR. Runners-up: Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton. National League: Lance Berkman, Houston Astros He's a Triple Crown threat: second in batting average (.364), third in home runs (22), and tied for first in RBI (68). Berkman's got the leather, too, as he is the best-fielding first baseman in the National League. I picked Chase Utley to win this award. Runners-up: Chase Utley, Chipper Jones. Cy Young American League: Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians Justin Duchscherer of the Oakland Athletics is a close contender, but there's such a disparity between his current ERA (1.91) and his ERA when you account for his defense (FIP: 3.19). Lee isn't getting too much help from his defense, as his 2.34 ERA is only four points lower than his 2.38 FIP. Additionally, he has the American League's third-lowest WHIP (1.04). Last night, he went eight innings and gave up only one earned run on six hits and a walk, nothing abnormal there. My pre-season pick was Roy Halladay, who isn't having a bad season, but he is pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, whose offense is anemic. Pitchers, unfortunately, are still graded on wins and losses, and Halladay won't get too many wins, as I noted earlier this season. Runners-up: Justin Duchscherer, Shaun Marcum. National League: Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds This is a close one, but Volquez gets the nod just ahead of Tim Lincecum. Lincecum has pitched just over ten more innings than Volquez, which counts for something, but Volquez has a better ERA and better K/9 and HR/9 rates. Neither play for contenders, so that isn't an issue (and shouldn't be one anyway). I predict that Lincecum ends up winning it at the end of the season anyway. My pre-season pick for this award was Aaron Harang. I got the team right, but Harang isn't having a great year, as his 100 ERA+ indicates. Runners-up: Tim Lincecum, Dan Haren Rookie of the Year American League: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays My pre-season pick to win the award hasn't disappointed. Since his first game on April 12, Longoria has been an important part of the Rays' first run at the division title in franchise history. He hasn't been shabby with the glove (though it could use improvement), but has been potent with the bat, as his .341 OBP and .523 SLG indicate. Runners-up: Jacoby Ellsbury. National League: Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs My pre-season pick was Cameron Maybin, but the Florida Marlins have decided that he's not quite ready for the Major Leagues. Better luck next year. The clear winner of this award in the NL is Geovany Soto, and he may be the first catcher to win it since Mike Piazza with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993. Soto's .371 OBP and .517 SLG are part of why the Cubs have the league's best offense and why the club has its best chance to win a World Series since... that incident. Runners-up: Joey Votto. Manager of the Year American League: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. Another correct pick for me (I pat myself on the back as I type this, while carefully avoiding accidentally clicking that X in the top-right corner). Honestly, I don't think managers have a huge impact on how successful their teams are, but since this award is handed out, Maddon gets credit for the Rays actually being good for the first time in eleven years. Runners-up: Bob Geren, Ron Gardenhire. National League: Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins. I had predicted that Clint Hurdle would lead the Colorado Rockies to their first division title in franchise history. How's that working out? Gonzalez gets the award for taking the league's worst-run franchise and putting them in definite contention for a division title despite having an extremely low payroll (relatively speaking, of course). Only the Pittsburgh Pirates (26.7) have a roster with a lower average age than the Marlins (26.8). Runners-up: Tony LaRussa, Lou Piniella Comeback Player of the Year American League: Jason Giambi, New York Yankees After missing about half of the 2007 season and putting up an abysmal .236/.356/.433 line, Giambi has rebounded, playing in most of his team's game and putting up a line of .263/.398/.548 and should start the All-Star Game at first base in New York. Maybe it's the thong. I had picked Kenny Rogers to win the award, and though he's come back, he hasn't been that effective. National League: Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs In a few days, Kerry Wood will have pitched more innings this season than he had in 2006 and '07 combined (44). Oh yeah, and he's kind of one of the top closers in the Majors. His 11.2 K/9, 2.43 ERA, and 0.861 WHIP are making other teams wish they'd taken a chance on him and his injury history. Home Run Leaders American League: Carlos Quentin, Josh Hamilton, and Grady Sizemore (19). The trio are on pace for 38, 37, and 37, respectively. The AL home run leader hasn't had fewer than 40 HR since 1989 (Fred McGriff, 36). I had picked A-Rod to finish with 51 dingers. His current total of 16 puts him on pace for 31. National League: Chase Utley, Dan Uggla (22). Who would have thought that, past the halfway point in the schedule, two second basemen would be tied for the Major League lead in home runs? Both are on pace for 43. The NL leader in home runs hasn't had 43 or fewer since 1995 (Dante Bichette, 40). I had picked Ryan Howard to finish with 54 dingers. His current total of 20 puts him on pace for 39. Most Overrated American League: Subjective. My choice, Erik Bedard, certainly has been overrated. After putting up a 146 ERA+, 1.088 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 last season, Bedard has regressed to a 103 ERA+, 1.303 WHIP, and 7.8 K/9 despite moving to baseball's most spacious ballpark in Seattle. National League: Subjective. I picked Aaron Rowand, especially since he hadn't done much to warrant the five-year, $60 million contract he got from the San Francisco Giants besides have two above-average seasons and bust his face in the center field fence at Citizens Bank Park. However, I was wrong about Rowand. Despite moving to a more spacious ballpark, Rowand has put up a 117 ERA+ and has been the best-fielding center fielder in the National League. Most Underrated American League: Subjective. I picked Brian Bannister, and while he had a good start -- a 2.48 ERA in his first five starts -- he has been below-average as a starter. He's averaging fewer than 5 strikeouts per nine innings, but the rest of his peripherals look all right: the walks and home runs are down. National League: Subjective. During the off-season, I ranted a lot about how badly people were underrating Brad Lidge. I'm proud to say that I was 100% right about that, at least thus far. Lidge has been one of the best closers in the Majors, notching all 19 of his save opportunities and giving up earned runs in just three of his 32 appearances (9%), which is why his ERA is so low at 0.84. His 11.8 K/9 is amazing and he's yet to allow a home run (take that, everyone who thought he was mentally wracked about that Albert Pujols home run). Breakout Player American League: Josh Hamilton. Like Lance Berkman, he's a Triple Crown threat: 10th in batting average (.312), tied for first in home runs (19), and first in RBI (80). Cliff Lee gets a nod here, but since I already nominated him for the Cy Young and gave the MVP to A-Rod, Josh Hamilton gets some hardware here. I had picked Jeremy Guthrie and I wasn't too far off, since he's having a decent season. National League: Edinson Volquez, Nate McLouth, Ryan Ludwick. This is a triple-nominee. Volquez should win it, but again, since he already has some hardware, I'm making him share it. McLouth and Ludwick should be starting in the outfield in the All-Star Game, but unfortunately, the fan voting is out of control and the less deserving Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Ken Griffey, Jr. will start. Andre Ethier was my pre-season pick here but he's only put up a 97 OPS+. Surprise Team American League: Tampa Bay Rays I win again. National League: Florida Marlins I had picked the Atlanta Braves, but they're three games under .500 while the Marlins are four games over .500 and only a half-game behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. Hardly anyone saw the Marlins contending after dumping Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis off in Detroit. Disappointing Team American League: Seattle Mariners They're in last place and they've already fired their general manager and manager. That's the textbook definition of disappointing. My pick, the Toronto Blue Jays, are also in last place, and they should probably follow suit and fire GM J.P. Ricciardi and manager John Gibbons. National League: Colorado Rockies Last year's National League representative in the World Series currently sits in last place, 19 games under .500 and 10 games behind the division leader. I picked the Milwaukee Brewers to disappoint, but they're in third place, 6 games over .500 and 5.5 games out of first place. If the season ended today... ...here's what the playoff match-ups would look like. Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Arizona Diamondbacks @ Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies I selected two AL teams correctly (Red Sox, Angels) and two NL teams correctly (Cubs, Phillies). Feel free to voice your opinion on my pre-season predictions, my current award selections, or list your own in the comments.
It's Official, A's Ink Inoa
by
Joe Hamrahi
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 12:08 PM EDT
The Oakland Athletics announced today the club has agreed to terms with 16-year-old Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa, generally regarded as the top eligible prospect in Latin America this year. Per the A's press release... Inoa, a 6-7, 205-pound right-hander from Puerto Plata, D.R., was actively pursued by several Major League organizations before making his commitment to the A's. Plans are he will play in the Dominican Summer League. "Michael has a chance to be a very special pitcher in the Major Leagues," said Athletics’ Vice President and General Manager Billy Beane. “Even at this early age, he is a very polished pitcher with three above-average pitches and a fluid delivery. We are very excited about this young man’s potential and look forward to watching his growth, both personally and professionally, in the years to come.” Beane and a group of Athletics executives including Managing Partner Lew Wolff visited the Dominican Republic last month to scout and evaluate Inoa. What they saw is a promising pitcher who features a fastball clocked consistently at 92 to 95 MPH—and projected to throw harder as his body fills out—and a quality curveball and change up. ESPNdeportes.com called him “the Crown Jewel of the pool of Latin American Players.” “Inoa is every scout’s dream. He has it all,” one National League scout was quoted as saying in an ESPNdeportes.com article. “He’s a once-in-a-decade type pitcher,” said one international scout in an issue of Baseball America.
News & Notes: Bonds' ball's odd journey to Hall, a pile of injury updates plus Phillies news
by
Brian Joseph
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 06:55 AM EDT
Every story about anything involving Barry Bonds seems to always have a twist. Such is the case with the way the 756th home run ball arrived at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Tuesday. Fashion designer and owner of the ball, Mark Ecko, was told never mind by the Hall early on Tuesday after Ecko agreed to loan -- not unconditionally donate -- the ball to baseball's Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame issued a statement that they would "not be able to accept the baseball" because "the owner's previous commitment to unconditionally donate the baseball has changed to a loan." Ecko was surprised by the Hall's stance and said he was unaware of the Hall's stance even after being in contact with the Hall of Fame that morning. After both sides weighed in, it looked like the ball -- branded with a dye-cut asterisk by Ecko -- would not be on public display at the Hall of Fame. Near the end of the day, a driver walked up the steps of the Hall and handed the ball and a letter from Ecko over to Hall of Fame staff. The letter stated the ball was being unconditionally donated to the Hall by Ecko. Once the museum documents the ball into its' collection, the infamous ball will be on display in Cooperstown. Ecko purchased the ball during an online auction for $752,467 and launched an Internet poll for fans to decide what he should do with it. The winning suggestion was to brand the baseball with an asterisk, a move that led Bonds to call Ecko an "idiot" and declare he would boycott the Hall if the ball were ever displayed there.
While the Byrnes-to-DL move was expected, Snyder's trip was a little unexpected. Snyder suffered a testicular fracture after he was struck by a foul ball off of the bat of Corey Hart against Milwaukee on Monday night. Byrnes strained his left hamstring in the same game. It is tough to predict how long both players will miss -- typically hamstrings can be tricky and there is not much to go on to forecast how much time a player needs to recover from a testicle injury. Reliever Connor Robertson made his Arizona debut on Tuesday night in relief of Randy Johnson. Robertson gave up one run on two hits in three innings of work in their 8-6 loss to the Diamondbacks. The 26-year-old Robertson previously played for the Oakland Athletics in 2007 where he gave up four runs in two innings of work. Hammock started the season with the Major League club but struggled -- he was 4-for-22 in 10 games -- and was sent down for seasoning. With Tuscon, Hammock hit .315 with four homers and 16 RBI in 28 games.
Percival argued with manager Joe Maddon after Maddon decided to remove him from the game with two outs in the ninth following the injury. Despite Maddon's attempt to prevent more serious injury to their closer who already missed 12 games with the same injury, Percival was shelved for the second time this season. Talbot will be used in long relief and will the entire bullpen will shift their current roles. Grant Balfour was used to close out their 3-1 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Quintero was on the ground for nearly four minutes following the unfortunate incident and was taken to a local hospital for testing. The loss of Quintero gives prospect Towles a shot to impress the Astros' brass. Towles made the squad out of Spring Training but hit just .145 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 42 games before being sent down to Round Rock where he seems to have found his stroke. At Round Rock, Towles hit .288 with five homers and 11 RBI in 18 games.
While there was good news on Nomar Garciaparra's rehab assignment and Hiroki Kuroda returns to the starting rotation today, the Dodgers received more bad news on the never-ending saga of Rafael Furcal's back injury. Furcal was forced to leave his rehab assignment and return to Los Angeles for further evaluation after discomfort followed his first Minor League game. Furcal -- out since May 6 -- has been one of the toughest holes for the Dodgers to fill. The team is 21-30 without the services of Furcal who provided a huge spark at the top of the lineup hitting .366 with five homers, 16 RBI and 34 runs scored in 32 games. The loss of Furcal was further complicated when his replacement at the top of the lineup, Juan Pierre, joined Furcal on the DL over the weekend.
Swindle is one of the few highlights coming out of Lehigh Valley this season. He is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 18 games for the 34-53 IronPigs who are 21 games out of the division lead in the International North. How long Swindle will stay at the Major League level will depend on manager Charlie Manuel's decision on who will take Myers' spot in the starting rotation on Wednesday. Should Manuel tap one of Swindle's teammates to fill the spot, Swindle's first Major League stint will be a short one. Manuel could decide to move reliever Chad Durbin who has pitched well in long relief into the starting rotation which would create a more permanent bullpen spot for Swindle. Durbin is 2-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 43 2/3 innings during 31 appearances this season. No matter who replaces Myers, it will mark the first time this season the Phillies use a pitcher outside of their original five-man rotation. The Phillies are the only team in the Majors to use just five starters this season.
Short Stops Around the Majors for July 1, 2008
by
Joe Hamrahi
on Wed 02 Jul 2008 02:51 AM EDT
- Shane Victorino was on base 3 times, hit a home run, and drove in 4, and Pat Burrell added 2 hits, a homer, and 2 RBI as the Phillies beat the Braves, 8-3. Tuesday's Scoreboard
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The San Diego Padres announced today that the club has signed infielder/outfielder Corey Adamson (Australia), shortstop Alvaro Aristy (Dominican Republic), outfielder Luis Domoromo (Venezuela), and right-handed pitchers Adis Portillo (Venezuela) and Elvin Tavarez (Dominican Republic). Director of International Scouting/Major League Scout Randy Smith made the announcement.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to keep from dropping below .500 and will have to do so without the services of Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder who both landed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Right-handed pitcher Connor Robertson and catcher Robby Hammock were recalled from Triple-A Tuscon to replace the injured Byrnes and Snyder.
Tampa Bay Rays closer Troy Percival went on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday -- one day after suffering an injury to his left hamstring backing up third base in their 5-4 win over the Red Sox. The Rays recalled starting pitcher Mitch Talbot from Triple-A Durham to take Percival's place.
Houston Astros catcher Humberto Quintero suffered a concussion during Tuesday night's game with the Dodgers when shortstop Luis Maza's bat hit Quintero on the top of his helmet. Immediately following the game, Quintero was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Catcher J.R. Towles was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to take Quintero's place.
The Diamondbacks are doing everything they can to give away the NL West but the Dodgers continue to be snake-bitten. Despite their 39-44 record, Los Angeles trails Arizona by just two and a half games. 
With a roster spot available due to the demotion of Brett Myers and the absence of reliever Clay Condrey who is with his wife in Texas while she has a baby, the Philadelphia Phillies recalled 24-year-old left-handed reliever R.J. Swindle from Triple-A Lehigh Valleyto fill the empty roster spot.