Rumors for Cleveland Indians
Guy throws 13 perfect innings in MLB 2K12, doesn’t win the $1 million prize
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As some of you know, the guys from 2K Sports have this contest where you can receive $1 million for throwing the first perfect game in the MLB 2K game. This year, T.J. Brida was in the 14th inning of a perfect game when he gave up the first hit of the game to Pirates’ Jose Tabata according to Owen Good of Kotaku.com.
As Good points out, “the minimum requirement to advance is retiring 27 consecutive batters. Brida, using Roy Halladay of his beloved Phillies, sat down 40. But he didn’t get the last one.”
“Trust me, I was pretty pissed,” Brida told Good. Brida failed to score during 13 innings and that’s why he didn’t win the contest. On the website, there’s a nine minute video that begins in the bottom of the ninth and ends when Brida “punches the power button, and the screen goes dark.”
Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors 2012 Predictions
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The sweetest time of the year has come upon us with the start of Major League Baseball. We hope that you all take time to visit your favorite ballpark in the coming days (we know we will).
In the spirit of predicting the future, here are PRO Rumors’ 2012 predictions:
| Writer | National League West |
| Allan | Rockies |
| Ryan | Diamondbacks |
| Juan | Giants |
| Writer | National League Central |
| Allan | Cardinals |
| Ryan | Brewers |
| Juan | Reds |
| Writer | National League East |
| Allan | Marlins |
| Ryan | Phillies |
| Juan | Phillies |
| Writer | NL Wild Card |
| Allan | Dodgers, Reds |
| Ryan | Giants, Marlins |
| Juan | Rockies, Braves |
| Writer | American League West |
| Allan | Athletics |
| Ryan | Angels |
| Juan | Angels |
| Writer | American League Central |
| Allan | White Sox |
| Ryan | Tigers |
| Juan | Tigers |
| Writer | American League East |
| Allan | Red Sox |
| Ryan | Yankees |
| Juan | Yankees |
| Writer | AL Wild Card |
| Allan | Rays, Yankees |
| Ryan | Red Sox, Rangers |
| Juan | Rays, Rangers |
| Writer | MVP (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Buster Posey, Alex Rodriguez |
| Ryan | Joey Votto, Albert Pujols |
| Juan | Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera |
| Writer | Cy Young (NL, AL) |
| Allan | CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay |
| Ryan | Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander |
| Juan | Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez |
| Writer | RoY (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish |
| Ryan | Devin Mesoraco, Yu Darvish |
| Juan | Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes |
Do you agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Image by Sean Winters under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors Customer Survey
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Hi all,
With baseball season coming up, we’d like to poll our readers regarding our current features and see if you have suggestions regarding future features. We have a really short survey and we’re hoping that you can take less than 5 minutes to help us out. Thanks!
Allan
Right hander Jon Hunton is looking for new representation
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Jon Hunton who was the closer of the year in Venezuela,reached out to PRO Rumors earlier this week and explained that he is looking for new representation. Hunton, 29, had a strong 2011 season both in the summer and the winter leagues respectively.
As part of the Grand Prairie AirHogs (The American Association of Independent Professional Basebal) Hunton was named “Reliever of the Year” in 2011 (link here). Hunton went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, 25 saves, 47 SO, 0.4 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 51.0 innings.
During the winter, Hunton was named “Closer for the Year” again (link here), but this time in Venezuela as part of the Caribes de Anzoategui. He was 2-4 with 3.16 ERA, 18 saves, 0.3 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.0 SO/9 in 31.1 games. Then he was selected as a replacement for Tiburones de la Guaira in the Final and was Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series .
While Hunton was in Venezuela he left a great impression among the other teams, players and the media. He was one of the first foreign players to report and stayed until the last game of the Caribbean Series, his commitment with the Caribes organization and the rest of the league was undeniable.
I had the opportunity to watch Hunton pitch in Venezuela at least a dozen times this winter. The first thing you notice about him is his height, Hunton is 6′9” with a fluid delivery. He’s not a flame thrower, but he will keep hitters off balance with his slider, which has nice movement. Also, his 3/4 delivery makes all of his pitches move. I believe he is a great athlete in good physical condition (he used to play basketball in College), he is also a strong competitor and he definitely showed that in Venezuela.
Most of you don’t have an idea of how hard it is to pitch in winter ball. Fans are harsh with their players and they will let you know when you’re not doing your job right. You have to face strong competitors, not only young Minor Leaguers, but also Major Leaguers as well. There’s also a lot of competitiveness here but Hunton cruised throughout the season without a sweat. This league has chewed up and spit out countless top MLB prospects, but Hunton wasn’t one of them.
Hunton was drafted five times during the June Amateur Draft, the last one in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the eleventh round. During his eight years as a professional player Hunton is a career 34-27 with 3.18 ERA, 0.5 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 8.9 SO/9 in 453.1 innings. In 2010, he was 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 5.7 SO/9 in 63.0 innings for the A’s Triple-A team.
last offseason we had a Q & A with Hunton. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t.
Having the right representation can sometimes be the key to getting that tryout or invite to Spring Training that can open the door to a big league career. If you wish to contact Hunton you can write or follow him on Twitter (@Big_Jon_Hunton).
Image by Edixon Gamez of LiderEnDeportes.com.
Orioles sign Josh Barfield to a Minor League deal
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The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a Minor League deal with second baseman Josh Barfield according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Barfield last played in the Majors in 2009 with the Indians when he hit .400/.400/.450 in 20 AB’s.
He is a career .264/.295/.375 with 16 HR’s in 1012 AB’s throughout four Major League seasons.
Last season, the infielder played for the Phillies’ Triple-A team and hit .257/.284/.365 with 6 HR’s in 452 AB’s.
Image by ewen and donabel under the Creative Commons License.
Alex White arrested for driving under the influence
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Colorado Rockies pitcher Alex White was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Scottsdale, Arizona last night, White revealed via his twitter account.
“I embarrassed myself, my family and the Rockies organization. I am so thankful no one was injured or harmed by my actions. Most importantly I would like to apologize to the fans of the Rockies. My conduct was inappropriate and not who I am. I will learn from this difficult lesson and be a better man because of it.”
White is the first player so far this season that has been arrested for DUI.
White was the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Indians. He was traded to the Rockies at the trade deadline that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians.
Last season, Miguel Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Coco Crisp, Adam Kennedy, Derek Lowe and Shin-Soo Choo all were arrested for DUI.
Image taken by Ken Lund and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Injury Updates: Zumaya, Sizemore and Perez
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With Spring Training just getting started, some clubs have already suffered some significant injuries to key players. Lets go around the League and check in on a few of those players.
–Twins reliever Joel Zumaya suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament on Saturday, Chris Girandola of MLB.com reports. The injury will only cost the Twins $400k as Zumaya who missed all of 2011 due to injuries signed an incentive laden deal. Zumaya will miss the entire 2012 season and could put his career in jeopardy.
–Grady Sizemore who was recovering from knee surgery, could miss the start of the season thanks to a lower back injury that flared up, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com notes.
–Indians’ closer Chris Perez will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks with a strained left oblique, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. The Indians though remain hopeful that Perez can be ready by Opening Day.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Jon Garland becomes free agent again
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Jon Garland was set to take a physical on Monday, in preparation of joining the Indians on a minor league deal. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer is reporting that the physical did not happen thus making Garland a free agent.
GM Chris Antonetti told Jim Bowden of ESPN that Garland is still currently rehabbing and is not ready to compete for a spot in the rotation.
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 taken by SD Dirk and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Indians trade Kelvin De La Cruz to Rangers
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The Cleveland Indians have traded left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz to the Texas Rangers, Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer reports. He was previously designated for assignment by the team to make room for Casey Kotchman. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com adds that the Rangers will send cash considerations for De La Cruz.
Image by Chris Brown under the Creative Commons License.
Amnesty Clause in MLB-AL Central
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Next, we visit the AL Central and take a gander at the possible amnesty clause candidates.
In case you missed our amnesty candidates for the AL West make sure you check them out.
AL CENTRAL
Twins- This player is only a candidate because he has been unable to recover from the aftermath of the concussions he sustained. My selection for the Twins is Justin Morneau who has two-years left on his six-year $80mm deal that started in 2008. Morneau who will make $14mm in the next two seasons has played in only 150 games over the last two seasons. When healthy, Morneau was an MVP and capable of putting up 34 home runs and 190 hits. Last season, Morneau hit .227 in 69 games while spending time on the DL for an assortment of injuries which included concussion symptoms.
Royals-This was another tough selection as the Royals don’t have many expensive contracts or multi-year deals that would fall into the amnesty category. But since we have to select one, Jeff Francoeur and his brand new two-year $13.5mm wins the amnesty award (Francoeur signed his new deal during the season). Though the breakdown of his contract is still not known, it would evenly breakdown to him earning $6.75mm which may be a little to rich for the Royals and there game plan.
Tigers- Unfortunately for Victor Martinez coming back from a torn ACL with $25mm left over two-years will get you on my amnesty list every time. Martinez was a stud last year hitting .330 with 103 RBIs but coming back from such a severe injury like he is, you just don’t know how someone will rebound. Plus, the money freed up will allow them to sign somebody to help fill the offensive void (like they did with Prince Fielder) and help fill other holes on the roster.
Indians- Travis Hafner who signed a four-year $57mm deal in July ‘07 cashed in after three seasons of hitting at least .305. Since then, his best numbers came last season when he hit .280 but played in only 94 games. Hafner is set to earn $13mm as the clubs primary DH this season. Hafner also has a $13mm club option for 2013 that probably won’t be exercised.
White Sox- Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, you are the weakest link. Goodbye. Ok, wrong game show but both are strong candidates to send away. But I would have to select Adam Dunn. Dunn is owed $34mm over the next three seasons, Rios $36.5mm over the same period so the money is close to even. But the thing that separates the two is that Rios is serviceable on defense while Dunn played only 39 games on defense. Rios has tasted success in the AL while Dunn is still searching for success in the AL.
Next we will look at the Amnesty candidates in the AL East.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
