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Is there such a thing as too much hustle?
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As baseball fans, we always praise and speak highly of the guy who always dives into the stands to catch a ball or slams into the wall while chasing down a fly ball. And let’s face it, that’s one of the most exciting things to watch during a baseball game.
Who didn’t enjoy watching Derek Jeter dive into the stands, coming out with a bloody face, or Aaron Rowand crashing into the center field wall at Citizen Bank Ballpark, even though he broke his nose. I’m not talking about taking pleasure in their injuries. I’m talking about the excitement a baseball fan feels when the player goes all-in while making a play in disregard of his own safety.
In the same way, we sometimes criticize players that don’t risk enough or “play it safe” when making the same play. Or we will label a player as a non-team player or an individual, but is that really true?
If we stop and put things in perspective, who is actually contributing to the team’s success more? The guy who slams into the wall or into the stands without thinking about his health or the guy who plays it smart and stays healthier for the entire season?
This might be hard to explain and to believe, but the guy who plays it smart helps his team in the long run (unless we’re talking about the last out in the seventh game of the World Series). It is worthless to have the best players in the game if they can’t stay healthy. When your everyday players get hurt you have to replace them with below-average players. And the longer they stay hurt, the worse off your team will probably be.
Let’s assume for one moment that a player like Prince Fielder, who is incredibly productive, offensively, dives into the stands to catch a ball and breaks his hand. He might have given his team a win with that catch, if he makes it obviously, but how many wins will he costs the team when he has to spend more than a month on the DL?
So, is it worth risking your health over one play in one game, instead of staying healthy in the long run? The answer is no. Unless, and I repeat, we’re talking about the last out of the seventh game of the World Series. Players should try to make smart choices when playing the game. This will make them healthier and they will be able to help their teams throughout an entire season.
Now, is it easy to do? Absolutely no. Playing it smart in that kind of scenario is really hard to do for most players. You always want to win, and you probably won’t mind if you get a little banged up in the process.
So the next time you see a guy diving into the stands or crashing into a wall congratulate him, and enjoy the moment, but don’t speak poorly of those who play it carefully, because they will end up helping the team more in the long run. Remember it’s a 162 games season, not a sudden death game.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Indians sign Jon Garland to a Minor League deal- pending physical
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According to Andrew Rickli, via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a Minor League deal with right handed pitcher Jon Garland. The deal is pending a physical Rosenthal adds.
Garland went 1-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 54 innings, nine starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. He had a 4.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9 in 2011. The right hander is a career 12.4 WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player), and last season he had his third lowest WARP since his rookie season in 2000 with 0.3.
Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors Scouting Report: Adonis Garcia
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After making his professional debut in Venezuela this past winter season, Adonis Garcia a Cuban defector is waiting to sign with an MLB organization to begin his journey down the road of becoming a Major Leaguer. For those of who haven’t had the opportunity to watch him play (which is probably most everyone), and haven’t heard a lot about him, I’m going to give you a quick and dirty scouting report.
Garcia, is a right handed outfielder with a strong, athletic, although not limber body. Defensively, he is not very fast and he usually takes poor routes to chase down fly balls. When he gets to the ball he elects to field the ball the hardest way possible. Every fly ball with him is like a Stephen King novel. His footwork is awful when fielding the ball as nothing is smooth with him. He doesn’t position himself correctly when fielding, so he losses a lot of time between catching the ball and getting rid of it and atop of that, his arm isn’t very strong either.
He’s not a fast guy, but he won’t be the slowest guy on the team. Offensively he has the tools to become an above average Major League hitter. He is a pure hitter who makes a lot of contact and has quick hands that allows him to drive the ball to the gaps. He has great bat speed, so it seems like the ball jumps off his bat when he hits. If you analyze his swing you could see how he uses his small muscles (wrists, forearms) to trigger his bigger muscles (biceps, hips). He also has raw power, so he can deliver the long ball every once in a while. If developed correctly, he could be a 15-20 HR’s hitter in the Majors. His downside offensively is his plate discipline. He rarely takes a walk, and he is not the kind of hitter who will wear down a pitcher.
His makeup doesn’t seem bad either. He’s always focused in the game, and he is a tough competitor. Even though his defense betrayed him several times this season, he was always on top of things. He also seemed like a hard worker, or at least that’s the impression he left here in Venezuela. You could say, to quote some of the old scouts, that he has “the good face.”
In conclusion, I don’t believe Garcia is going to be a superstar in the Major Leagues, but he could establish himself as an average player. He definitely has to work on his defense, but I believe that with hard work and dedication he will become a better fielder, although never a Gold Glove caliber fielder. By working on his plate discipline, Garcia might have the chance to be a quality bat in any lineup. If he’s able to take more pitches and employ a better pitch selection, he could be able to hit above average and also hit for power. If he can hit like he has done so far in his career, a switch to first base or a full-time DH would be more likely if he continues to struggle in the field.
Image by HablamosBeisbol.net
PRO Rumors Scouting Report – Miguel Rojas
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With Winter seasons coming to an end, and Spring Training just around the corner, I decided to take a look through a scout’s eyes at a few players that I saw in Venezuela. The first one I’m going to take a look at is shortstop Miguel Rojas from the Reds organization.
Rojas is a 22 year-old 5′9″, 175 lb limber shortstop with long arms and legs that played Double-A ball with the Reds in 2011. In Venezuela he plays with Tiburones de la Guaira, and this season he left such a great impression that I don’t have a doubt he’ll be playing in the Majors in the next few seasons.
Even though he’s not an offensive threat, and he still has a lot to learn about hitting, his defensive capabilities are among the best I’ve seen in a while, and definitely the best I saw in Venezuela this year.
He has soft and quick hands while on defense, and when he fields a groundball you get the impression that the ball disappeared in his hands. His footwork is also outstanding, he turns the double play with such speed and ease that you pretty much have to see it in slow motion to capture the moment. You can also see how he positions his feet in order to throw the ball even before the ball is in his glove.
He has great range to both sides, and has a strong and accurate arm. Not to mention that he gets rid of the ball in a blink of an eye. His make-up is also great, at such a young age, he accepted the role as team leader and performed well this season for Tiburones. His baseball instincts and defensive skills, are compared to the ones of a 10-year veteran. He did the little things as the team leader like approach the mound when the pitcher wasn’t looking good, to talk and calm him down.
I also heard in an interview that he usually watches the other team’s batting practice to notice hit patterns and then know how to position in the field every time a hitter comes to the plate. I was also amazed by his confidence on and off the field and how competitive he was.
His downside is definitely his offense, and one of the main reasons why he’s still in the Minors. Even though he can hit to all fields, and has quick hands, he’s a contact hitter and has shown little to no power at all. He tallied only four doubles and one triple in 104 at bats this season in Venezuela.
He also needs to develop more plate discipline and learn how to draw more walks. Rojas is a fast runner, although he doesn’t possess blinding speed. I believe he has to work on his running, as he repeatedly would get bad jumps and reads on the pitchers.
In my opinion, he could be, as soon as this year, a good September call-up for the Reds. He possesses the defensive tools to perform at a great level in the Majors, so they could use him as a late-inning defensive replacement. But until he learns how to be more productive on the offensive end, he will only a defensive replacement or utility player.
Rojas will continue to be blocked by current shortstop Zack Cozart who in a brief stint in the Majors, showed solid defense and accumulated 12 hits in 37 at bats (.324 avg).
Image by Tiburones.net.
Should Latin American amateur players go after a college scholarship or a signing bonus?
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Sometimes as baseball fans, we get caught up in the glitz and glamour of the Amateur Draft and just how much the top picks sign for. But what happens to the Latin American Players who sign for only a few thousand and never even make it to play ball in the States?
This topic could generate some debate, given the fact that most parents in Latin America prefer their kids to sign with a Major League team instead of getting a scholarship to play College ball in the States. But what’s the driving force behind parents and their decision?
Well, in Latin America, most players come from families with very little income, and when a team approaches them with a $200,000 or $500,000 bonus for their kids, all they want is to get their hands on that check, regardless of the long term problems this could lead to.
We all know that probably around 92% of the draftees in the June Amateur Draft get lost in the Minors and never establish themselves in the Majors. Well, in Latin America that number could be closer to 99%, which means that out of a hundred players signed only one will make it. Tough odds if you ask me.
The problem is when a Latin player gets signed, he immediately quits school and becomes a professional baseball player. If he doesn’t make it, and the statistics are not in their favor, he will probably end up without a career in baseball, which up until this point is all they have known. And to be honest, almost none of them continue their studies once their baseball careers are over. In my experience I’ve met more than one hundred ex-professional baseball players and only two of them went back to school and graduated.
What parents need to know about all this, is that they should insist on their kids getting a scholarship to play College ball in the States. Not only will they get a degree in something, they will also participate in three different June Amateur Drafts and if they get drafted and they decide to sign, their signing bonus will be much, much larger than they one they could have signed out of Latin America. Getting scholarships will also prevent players from lying about their age and identities just to get signed. Like what happened with Leo Nunez last year, Miguel Tejada a couple of years ago and recently formerly Fausto Carmona.
Lately, a rumor about an International draft has been circulating through the media. If that draft reinforces kids quitting school and signing with a Major League organization I would have to say that I don’t support it. Latin American amateur players should first try to get a scholarship to a U.S College and then go for a career in professional baseball if they get drafted. After all, if they’re good enough to get a signing bonus from a Major League organization in Latin America they will be good enough to find a scholarship at a U.S College.
Here is a list of the 2011 June Amateur Draft signing bonus for the top five picks (list provided by mymlbdraft.com):
– Gerrit Cole: $8,000,000 with the Pirates.
– Danny Hultzen: $8,500,000 for a five-year, Major League deal with the Mariners.
– Trevor Bauer: $4,450,000 for a four-year, Major League deal with the Diamondbacks.
– Dylan Bundy: $6,250,000 for a five-year, Major League deal with the Orioles.
– Bubba Starling: $7,500,000 with the Royals.
And here’s a list of the five largest bonuses of all time signed by Latin American players (list provided by Patrick Clark of Beyond the Box Score):
– Michael Ynoa (Dominican Republic): $4,250,000 with the Oakland Athletics.
– Miguel Sano (Dominican Republic): $3,150,000 with the Minnesota Twins.
– Gary Sanchez (Dominican Republic): $3,000,000 with the New York Yankees.A
– Rafael Rodriguez (Dominican Republic): $2,550,000 with the San Francisco Giants.A
– Yorman Rodriguez (Venezuela): $2,500,000 with the Cincinnati Reds.A
Even though Bauer was just drafted this June, he has already played at Double-A for the Diamondbacks, but from the top-five Latin American players only three have cracked Class-A. Sanchez (signed in 2009), Rafael Rodriguez(signed in 2008) and Yorman Rodriguez (signed in 2008). The rest of them have only played in the rookie league.
If Latin American players pushed to receive a guaranteed college education, it would not only help them receive more attention from scouts in the States, but would also help them take back a solid college education to their respective Countries in hopes of being able to make a difference in their communities.
PRO Rumors financial efficiency report- Detroit Tigers
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The next financial efficiency report will feature the AL Central Champions, Detroit Tigers. A team that quickly forgot about their losing ways in the beginning of the 21st century.
They have an outstanding offense, now even more improved with the addition of Prince Fielder, and the most dominant starting pitcher in the Majors in 2011, Justin Verlander.
In 2011, the Tigers won 96 games during the regular season. This means that they won 47 games above the 49 games won line. Their payroll for 2011 was $105,700,231 (ranked tenth in the Majors), breaking down their expenses to $2,006,451.72 for every win they got above 49.
Their top five paid players were:
– Miguel Cabrera ($20,000,000): A worthy MVP candidate in 2011, Cabrera hit .344/.448/.586 with 30 HR’s, 105 RBI’s, 111 runs and a 1.0333 OPS in a career high 161 games. The slugger earned $666,666.67 for every home run he hit, $190,476.19 for every run he batted in, $180,180.18 for every run he scored or $61,162.08 for every time he got on base.
– Carlos Guillen ($12,922,232): Guillen hit .232/.265/.368 with 3 HR’s, 13 RBI’s, 8 runs and a .633 OPS in only 28 games. He earned $4,307,410.67 for every home run hit, $994,017.85 for every run batted in, $1,615,279 for every run scored or $478,601.19 for every time he got on base.
– Justin Verlander ($12,850,000): The most dominant pitcher in the Majors in 2011 went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts in 251 innings pitched. Verlander earned $535,416.67 for every game he won, $51,400 for every hitter he struck out or $176,027.40 for every run the opposition scored against him.
– Victor Martinez ($12,000,000): The switch hitting catcher hit .330/.380/.470 with 12 HR’s, 103 RBI’s, 76 runs and a .850 OPS. Martinez earned $1,000,000 for every home run he hit, $116,504.85 for every run he batted in, $157,894.74 for every run he scored or $52,173.91 for every time he got on base.
– Magglio Ordonez ($10,000,000): Ordonez hit .255/.303/.331 with 5 HR’s, 32 RBI’s, 33 runs and a .634 OPS. He earned $2,000,000 for every home run he hit, $312,500 for every run he batted in, $303,030.30 for every run he scored or $97,457.94 for every time he got on base.
Out of their top five paid players, only three lived up their expectations, actually two of them were outstanding, and probably among the best three players in the league, in my opinion (Cabrera and Verlander). Guillen was limited by injuries to only 28 games, making him incredibly pricey for the productivity they got from him.
Ordonez saw his playing time limited with injuries too, although he end up playing in 92 games. His power seemed to have vanished, slugging only .331 for the season, basically he slugged like a short stop while playing as a right fielder or a designated hitter.
Martinez proved to be valuable as a hitter for the Tigers, who saw time behind the plate with Alex Avila and but majority of his time was as the designated hitter. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they won’t have Martinez in 2012 because he suffered a torn ACL and a knee micro-fracture, but they are hoping that Fielder fills the void left for him next season.
The Tigers were a competitive team, with bright stars such as Cabrera, Verlander and Martinez, combining them with young talent such as Austin Jackson, Rick Porcello, Avila, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister. Their collective OBP was .344 (third in the AL), their SLG was .434 (fourth in the AL) and their OPS was .773 (also fourth in the AL). They also scored a total of 787 runs, fourth in the AL. Breaking down their expenses, each run they scored cost them $134,307.79.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Edwin Jackson agrees to one-year deal with the Nationals
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Right handed pitcher Edwin Jackson has agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports reports. The deal is pending physical.
Heyman addsthat Jackson’s deal with the Nationals is believed to be in the $8-$12 million range. The 28-year old went 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 199.2 innings with the White Sox and Cardinals in 2011. He has a career 1.0 HR/9, 6.7 SO/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 203 games, 173 starts.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Should Billy Beane take a shot with Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez?
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Billy Beane, the A’s General Manager, has been praised for building competitive teams by taking advantage of “market inefficiencies.” This means that he signs inexpensive players, that almost no other organization wants or would consider, because they overlook important statistics like OBP (on-base percentage), and give way too much importance to stats that aren’t that important like RBI’s (runs batted in).
He’s been known to sign players like Scott Hatteberg and Jeremy Giambi among others for their ability to wear down pitchers and get on-base. For him, the ultimate offensive statistic is the OBP.
The A’s are not getting positive results, and other teams like the Red Sox have adopted a similar approach to building a team, making it harder for the A’s to get cheap, but productive players. So why doesn’t Beane gives Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez a shot to make the team?
You might think that I’ve gone crazy, and yes, I have gone crazy, but in situations like this one, you have to think outside the box. Maybe you guys are not familiar with these two young players, but I’m going to tell you why I think they could work up in Oakland. It would be a low risk investment that would cost the team only a Minor League deal.
First there’s Blanco. A 28-year old center fielder with an incredible talent for wearing down pitchers and a keen eye for drawing walks. In three Major League seasons his career OBP is .358, or .100 points above his career batting average. I believe this numbers can still go up. In 2010 he played 36 games with the Braves where he hit .310/.394/.362. He was then traded to the Royals and in 66 games hit .274/.348/.369. In 237 AB’s in 2010 between the two teams he walked 29 times and struck out 50. Nothing impressive, but I’m sure he can improve.
This winter in Venezuela, Blanco hit .337/.478/.520 with 4 HR’s, 14 2B and 5 3B in 196 AB’s. He also walked 47 times and struck out 46. Impressive numbers that earned him the MVP award in the Venezuelan Winter League this year. In the semi-finals, Blanco kept his torrid offensive output up hitting .347/.484/.714 with 5 HR’s, 1 2B and 1 3B in 49 AB’s. He also has walked 13 times and struck out 11. Now tell me why doesn’t Beane gives him a Minor League deal with a ST invitation to see if he can makes the team? After all the kid fits perfectly in the OBP-driven offensive/cheap player category.
Jimenez is another case study. He has incredible power and is a left handed hitter. The other day, he hit two 450+ ft home runs in the same game in Venezuela. And one of them was well beyond the 500 ft mark. The ball left the stadium, and was apparently the longest hit in the “Estadio Universitario” (Caracas, Venezuela) history. In 10 Minor League seasons Jimenez has a hitting line of .284/.367/.468 with 121 HR’s in 2,876 AB’s. This year in Venezuela, Jimenez hit .300/.417/.486 with 10 home runs in 220 AB’s. He also walked 44 times and struck out 47.
For Beane and the A’s, these two players are not going to be pricey. Just a couple of Minor League deals with invitations to Spring Training. I think they will prove their value to a team that is always looking for bargains.
Image by J. Chris Vaughan under the Creative Commons License.
Yankees hire Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout
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The New York Yankees have hired former Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry, as a special assignment scout under General Manager Brian Cashman reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
Cashman believes Hendry will be an “invaluabe resource” (via Levine). “He can scout amateur players; he scouts pro players for us,” he said. “He’s as connected in the game as you can possibly be. Everybody loves this man.”
According to a source close to Levine, the 56 year old Hendry agreed to a multiyear deal with the Yankees. And another source close to Levine said Hendry’s duties will include “looking at minor league players, major league players and spending time with the major league team.”
The Cubs fired Hendry in August 2011. During Hendry’s tenure as a General Manager, the Cubs were 749-748, one game above .500 and won three division titles(2003, ‘07, ‘08).
Image by Ed Yourdon under the Creative Commons License.
Yankees sign Manny Delcarmen to a Minor League deal
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According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees have signed right handed reliever Manny Delcarmen to a Minor League deal.
The 29 year old last pitched in the Majors in 2010 with the Rockies and Red Sox. That year he went 3-4 with a 4.99 ERA in 52.1 innings. He also posted a 1.4 HR/9, 5.5 BB/9 and 6.5 SO/9 that season.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
