Monday, January 30, 2012

Around the Leagues

-  The New York Knicks, despite all of the roster changes over the past year, are worse off now then they were before.  There is no point guard, and even if Baron Davis comes back healthy I don't know if he is the answer.  There is no defense, even with Tyson Chandler in the middle alleviating the one area that has plagued the Knicks since Patrick Ewing left, a big man who can play defense.  Carmelo Anthony has not been the answer to compliment Amar'e Stoudemire.  STAT has looked miserable since Melo arrived in New York and now rumors are out there, whether or not they are true, that Philadelphia is interested in trading for Stoudemire.  This season has not gone as many Knicks fans hoped it would.  They went to bed at night with dreams of an improved team ready to go deep in the playoffs.  However, it looks like this team might not even make the playoffs.  Coach Mike D'Antoni has to go.  If for nothing else than to find someone who can coach defense, develop an offensive system that can distribute the ball to open scoring options, and pull this team out of a funk.  D'Antoni is not that guy.  He never wanted Melo.  He wanted the younger kids like Danilo Gallinari, and a point guard that was thriving in his system like Raymond Felton.  He now has Carmelo Anthony who would have been better off staying in Denver.  Melo doesn't fit in the philosophy.  D'Antoni's system is based on movement through the point guard, not the small forward.  Look at Steve Nash in Phoenix.  The guy won two MVP's under D'Antoni.  Look at what Raymond Felton was doing before he was traded from New York.  Now, the Knicks don't have Felton.  They don't have Chauncey Billups, who was released for financial reasons.  The Knicks don't have a point guard.  Sure, Baron Davis is rumored to be a Knick but he has been injured since before they signed him and his road to recovery hasn't been as quick as some have hoped.  Even if he does make it back there is no guarantee he will fit into D'Antoni's system.  A quick look at the Knick point guard position will show you exactly what is wrong with this team.  They don't have anyone able to create plays off the dribble.  Toney Douglas is averaging 2.7 assists per game.  Mike Bibby has looked old and confused at times.  This is not a team.  There doesn't seem to be a system in place that can work with these players.  Exhibit A:  The Knicks' performance against the Miami Heat.  They launched 43 three-pointers.  43!  They made 18 which is actually a nice percentage of 41.9% but the fact that they threw up that many three's in a game they lost only by 10 points is confusing.  Hell, the Knicks were only down by four at half-time.  Does that seem like a team that needed to toss up that many three's?  Bill Walker led the team off the bench with 21 points in that game shooting 70% on his three pointers.  He went 7-10 from three-point range.  Toney Douglas went 4-8 from beyond the arc.  It just doesn't make any sense.  This team has talent.  Loads of talent.  Landry Fields is the kind of scrappy guy fans love.  Tyson Chandler is a force in the middle, something the Knicks have lacked for years.  Amar'e Stoudemire is a threat inside on offense.  Melo is Melo and, when healthy, should be better than he has been this season which has still been good.  Bill Walker is a perfect guy to come off the bench at any guard position.  Iman Shumpert looks like he could be a very good player for a very long time.  What's missing?  A point guard.  There is none.  Toney douglas is NOT a starting point guard on any team in the NBA but the Knicks.  Baron Davis should be the starting point guard but who knows when he comes back and what he has to offer.  The Knicks should have signed Shane Battier this offseason.  At least he would have offered defense and leadership on the floor.  There is none right now.  Not even on the bench in the suit.  Is it too late to ask Jeff Van Gundy to come back?  Time for the Knicks to bit the bullet, either they get players D'Antoni wants (not likely since they ignored him when they traded for Melo) or they fire their coach.  Whatever they do they need to do it quickly.

-  Great job by the NHL this past weekend with their skills competition.  Adding in a little flare to attract some younger fans was a good thing.  It has worked for the NBA with its Slam Dunk contest so bringing it in to the skills competition could only help a sport that has struggled to attract fans.

-  The New York Rangers were on full display at the NHL All-Star game.  Marian Gaborik won the MVP and Dan Girardi became the first ever Rangers defenseman to score a goal in the All-Star game.  Also, allowing the players to choose their team is a great idea.  It can be fun for fans to see Marian Gaborik skating against Henrik Lundqvist and other stars against teammates.  It is different and fresh which is exactly what the NHL needs to be.

-  The New York Yankees are reportedly interested in Bill Hall according to Ken Rosenthal on Twitter.  Hall hit .211 last year with 2 home runs.  He also plays multiple positions, ranging from 2nd, 3rd, and the outfield but he doesn't play any of them especially well.  His best season came in 2006 when he his 35 homers, drove in 85, and hit .270.  He is not that player anymore.  He did hit 18 homers for Boston in 2010 but I am not a huge fan of this move.  If this is Eric Chavez's replacement the Yankees are making the wrong move.  Even with his DL time, Chavez is a huge improvement in the field over Hall at third, and is an all-around better hitter.  Hall is a shell of the player he was years ago.  Yes, there is some pop in the bat but he doesn't offer anything else.  He doesn't hit for contact, doesn't walk a lot, strikes out a bunch, and doesn't play defense well.  I'll take Chavez over Hall any day of the week, even if I know Chavez will miss a month with injury.  With the 40-man roster full (Kevin Whelan was DFA'd to make room for Hiroki Kuroda last week) another move would have to be made if this a Major League deal.  If this is a minor league deal then the move makes sense as no roster spot would have to be vacated unless Hall went with Yankees to New York at end of Spring Training.  If this is a minor league deal then hard to argue with bringing in a veteran presence to push younger guys.

-  The NFL Pro Bowl is beginning to be even more irrelevant than it ever was.  Seriously, it's not even football anymore.  All it is is an offensive skills competition.  There is no reason for the game to be played when it is.  Who wants to see an all-star team that is missing the best players from the two teams in the Super Bowl anyway?  Besides, it isn't like people can actually go to the Pro Bowl.  It takes place in Hawaii. What the NFL should do is rotate where the game is played, kind of like what MLB, NBA, and NHL do and allow each NFL city to be rewarded with fanfests and other fun, interactive things with the games best.  It feels so isolated being in Hawaii.  Yes, it's nice for the players who get time in Hawaii with their families but only 48,423 were in attendance.  The capacity for the game is 50,000.  They need to move this game in order to breathe new life into it.  It can't even sell out a college stadium?  Bad news NFL.  Revamp or die.  You are the most popular sport in America right now, there is no reason the Pro Bowl shouldn't be sold out, or at least be near capacity at a PRO football stadium.  Reward the fans of all of the cities who support their football teams, especially the ones that can't get the Super Bowl.  Should the fans of the Patriots, Packers, Giants, Jets (I know MetLife will host one Super Bowl in 2014 but it may only be once), Oakland, San Francisco, etc, etc.  Fans around the country who brave the elements to root for their favorite team should be given the chance to see the best the NFL has to offer and all of the fanfare that goes along with it.  Imagine the Pro Bowl in Lambau.  Cold, yes.  Coll?  You bet.  They did play one game in Florida at Sun Life Stadium in 2009 and drew 70,000+ fans but it has been a Hawaii thing for the most part since 1979.  If the NFL is worried about the cold then play the game in the middle of the season when the weather is more tolerable.  I know the owners and players are worried about injuries but when was the last time you heard of anyone getting injured in the Pro Bowl?  They barely tackle in the game for crying out loud.  Not to mention there are special rules for the game to prevent injuries such as no blitzing, no rushing punts, field goals, or PAT's, intentional grounding is legal, and a bunch of others that protect players.  Even if it stayed an end-of season- thing, then at least bring it around to all of the different venues of the NFL.  Reward the fans, introduce some football history, and celebrate the game.  Don't hide it in Hawaii and keep it as a reward for players only.  Sure, a trip to Hawaii sounds great but if it weren't for the fans in Green Bay, New York, Chicago, Foxboro, etc, there would be no football.

-  The Mets are reportedly interested in OF Rick Ankiel.  Ankiel, you may remember was the flame throwing pitcher who came up with the Cardinals, had a stellar second-half and was pegged as an ace of the future.  Then, he couldn't find the strike zone, lost arm strength, and converted into a fairly successful outfielder.  Ankiel makes sense for the Mets because he isn't expensive, plays both corners and can fill-in in center field, and isn't terrible at the plate.  He won't be a star but he is serviceable.  Serviceable is about all the Mets can afford these days anyway.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Kingly sum for the Prince and Why I Hate This Move for Tigers

Detroit has a new first baseman, who looks a lot like an old first baseman from the early 1990's.  Prince Fielder, son of Cecil Fielder, has signed with the Tigers for 9 years and $214 million.  That's about a $23.4 million annual salary.  First, many people were taken by surprise at Fielder's joining the Tigers.  Especially with Miguel Cabrera at first base, few people expected the Tigers to even be in play despite losing Victor Martinez to a season-ending ACL injury before the Spring Training even began.  Hell, I expected Fielder to end up with the Nationals, a team that could have had a shot at the playoffs had they added Prince.

Now, Detroit will put Prince at first and move Miguel Cabrera to third.  Their DH slot, which was supposed to be taken by Victor Martinez will probably go to Delmon Young, Brennan Boesch, Ryan Rayburn, or Don Kelly, or a combo of those guys.  Their lineup will feature two of the most feared hitters in the game today in Prince and Miguel, with a solid surrounding cast.  Delmon Young is pretty good and Rayburn and Boesch look like they may be decent regulars.  They even have some good young pitchers with, obviously Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer.

However, and this is a big deal to me, why would the Tigers offer nine years to a position player who is close to 300 lbs?  He will be 28 in May and is listed as 285 lbs.  He has, probably 4 prime years left before a decline starts to happen.  With his body, that decline could happen sooner, especially if he doesn't start to DH more in later years.  It's not like he is a gold-glove first baseman either.  Sure, he can make a play.  Is he Mark Teixeira or Adrian Gonzalez, or Albert Pujols?  Hell no.  Was Miggy even a good defensive first baseman?  Nope.  He was so blah in the field at third he was moved to first.  According to fangraphs.com, the last time Miggy played third was in 2007 and he ranked 16th out of 21 qualified third basemen on defense.  Now you have two below average fielders at the corners and the defense up the middle is not the best in baseball either.  Ramon Santiago is a good enough defensive second baseman but his range will be tested by the limited range of his first base partner.  Jhonny Peralta has a decent bat but I'm not a huge fan of his in the field.  Getting back to Prince's weight and body-type, let's not forget that his father, Cecil, was out of baseball after his age-34 season.  Cecil also listed his playing weight at 230 lbs.  That is 53 lbs lighter than his son is currently listed at for those keeping score at home.

What if Miguel Cabrera can't play third?  What then?  Do he and Prince share first and DH duties?  Then what do you do with Victor Martinez?  trade him?  There isn't a team in baseball that would take on V-Mart and his money since he can't catch anymore and was faking it at first base to begin with.  We can't forget V-Mart signed a 4-year, $50 million contract before last season.  there will still be two years remaining on that deal when he comes back in 2013.  Ace Justin Verlander signed a 5-year, $80 million deal that will run out in three years.  I can't fathom what the Tigers are thinking here.

What makes all of this worse is the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will levy huge fines, up to 50% of total payroll for being over the luxury tax limit two years in a row.  That limit is $189 million right now.  In three years the Tigers are going to be looking into dumping salaries, probably starting with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.  Cabrera signed an 8-year $153.3 million deal prior to the 2008 season.  He will be a free agent after the 2015 season.  Maybe the Tigers plan is to let Cabrera and Martinez walk and to re-sign Verlander and have a team of Verlander and Prince and a bunch of young kids or veteran cast-offs.  I just can't picture how signing Prince Fielder does anything positive for the Tigers in the long-term.  In the short-term they might be able to outslug a few teams and their lineup will be scary in a short playoff series for the next couple of years but their corner defense is now atrocious and it will only get worse next season when they need to find at bats for Miggy, Prince, and Martinez who all play the same position.  I sincerely doubt Cabrera will be at third beyond this year.

Wow, Detroit, wow.  Short-sighted.  I don't see the long-term benefit for the ballclub.  Not at all.  Oh, and don't expect the Yankees to jump in and rescue you.  Maybe the Dodgers would take Miguel Cabrera to play first after new ownership settles in since James Loney isn't a long-term solution there and the Tigers will more than likely have to eat a large portion of anyone's salary who they want to trade.  Why wouldn't a team demand that?  They have the Tigers by the toe.

What a Ride...A confession of sorts

First, for those of you who don't know me, I am a New York Giants fan.  This season has been one of the most amazing I can remember, probably more so than the 2007 season.  I went from being down about the season after all of the injuries and free agent losses, to getting on board the Jerry Reese wagon and buying into the fact that this team was good.  Then, the Giants hit a bump and I got off the playoff wagon, as I am apt to do when I see my team losing, it is more frustration than anything else.  I am one of the idiots that called for Tom Coughlin's firing.  yes, I admit it.  I went on Facebook and Twitter and called for Coughlin's firing.  I forgot the team was dealing with injuries and playing some of the best teams in football at the same time.  I became upset and downtrodden when the Saints absolutely crushed the Giants.  To be honest, the Giants did look lost.  Stupid penalties were occurring, misreads, broken coverages, the list goes on.  It looked like the team was in chaos.

I couldn't have been further from the truth.  Look, Tom Coughlin is no evil genius like that former Giants defensive coordinator who liked to video his opponents practices in New England is made out to be.  No, Tom Coughlin is one of the better coaches the Giants have ever had and he does it by, of all things, staying level.  Sure, we make fun of Coughlin for his screaming rants at refs and his emotions he lets out during games.  Most of that is media-driven.  After all, what coach doesn't?  Through the injuries and the losing streak where it looked like the Giants would never win another game again I bought into the distress.  It was hard not to.

Football is the only sport I can't be even-keeled in.  I can deal with a 10 game losing streak of the Yankees.  I can deal with the Rangers going on a losing streak.  Yes, they all suck.  However, losing a football game is like a 10 game losing streak in and of itself.  I look forward to the game all week and when I see my team perform poorly it makes me mad.  I would love to get paid to get angry on a field and hit some folks (okay, so I might get killed but that's not the point).  There are few football fans out there who don't live and die each Sunday with their team.

Back in August, I defended Eli Manning for his "Yes, I am elite" comments because I knew he had the talent.  Back in November and early December, I still backed Eli but I was down on Coughlin and Perry Fewell.  I saw nothing but the loss.  Nothing else.  I couldn't.  I wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to the Giants.  Most Giants fans do.  I shouldn't have thought that the Giants were out of it at any point but I did, most people did.  Newspapers were speculating about who the next coach of the Giants was going to be.  Hot seat couldn't be mentioned on pre-game shows without Tom's name being brought up.

After the Saints loss I was beginning to think about next year.  A year which would feature a Giants secondary with their best cornerback back in the lineup in Terrell Thomas.  A year where Prince Amukamara would have a full camp.  Where the rookie linebackers like Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich, and Joaquin Williams would have a year of experience and a full camp under their belt.  Next year was looking pretty good.  Little did I know that next year doesn't enter the minds of the Giants, or any football team for that matter.  It just doesn't.  If there is a way there has to be a will to go with it.

Let me be clear, I never stopped rooting for the Giants.  Not when they have gone 4-12, 7-9, 6-10, or any other record they have sported in the twenty-six years I have been a fan.  I just wallowed in the muck that comes with getting blown out and losing ugly.  The Redskins game in December threw me over the edge. Nothing the Giants did was right and I really began to question if the Giants had any heart.  They did.  It was on display the next two weeks and then again against the Falcons, the Packers, and the 49ers.  This team won't quit.  And, I apologize for ever thinking they had.  Oh, and I still think the Giants will be a better team next season, even if they do win the Super Bowl this season.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Top 10 Yankee Prospects Revised


The Yankees traded their top prospect, Jesus Montero, late last week for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.  That has reordered the top prospect list for the Yankees so I figured I would publish a new, updated one.  I’m no expert but here goes anyway:

1.  Manny Banuelos, LHP – His stats from last year, 6-7, 3.75ERA, 129.2IP, 71BB, 125K, .266BAA, are not exactly great.  His walks were way up.  He began the year with a nice showing in Spring Training and ended the year at AAA Scranton.  He projects as a top of the rotation starter and nothing has changed.  He should be ready for the big leagues next year.  This year he will fine-tune his repertoire in Scranton.  It is possible the Yankees promote him, either a spot start due to injury to their rotation or later in the year as a September call-up.  He will be 21 in March so there is no need to rush him.

2.  Dellin Betances, RHP – Like Banuelos, Betances’ walks were up big time last year.  His stats from AA and AAA last year, 4-9, 3.70ERA, 126.1IP, 70BB, 142K, .217BAA, are pretty solid, except for the walks.  If he learns to control the zone he could be an amazing pitcher.  His batting average against is superb, as is his strikeout rate.  It’s the walks that have been a problem with Betances.  He got his taste of the Major Leagues last year and struggled a little.  It is hard to expect a lot from a kid who is just going to be 24 years old in March.  Like Banuelos, the Yankees don’t feel like they need to rush him.  He will spend the year at AAA and should make another cameo.  

3.  Gary Sanchez, C – I believe the attitude problems that he exhibited last year are behind him.  He is very young and expects to be great.  When he struggled last year he became frustrated and reacted poorly.  The Yankees handled him correctly and he came back mashing.  He could very easily vault to the number one slot on this list by next year if he has a good year. He managed to hit .256, 17 homers, 26 doubles, and drive in 52 runs.  His defense isn’t that great and is a work in progress, kind of like Montero.  However, the Yankees feel confident now that he will take to catching and at least be serviceable.  I also said the same about Montero.  I wouldn’t be shocked if he made it to Single A Tampa this season.  He’ll probably start at Low-A Charleston but could easily move up.  He is still just 19 years-old.

4.  Mason Williams, OF – Williams reminds me a little of Austin Jackson, without all the strikeouts.  He seemed to put it all together last year, hitting .349, 11 doubles, 6 triples, three homers, and stole 28 bases while driving in 31.  If he has another very good year I will find it hard not to move him up.  I can see Williams becoming the Yankees center fielder in three years.  Maybe less.  This year he should start in Tampa.  I don’t know if the Yankees will move him up to AA unless he goes bonkers in Tampa.  There is no need to rush him.  None at all.  He will be 21 in August.

5.  Dante Bichette, Jr., 3B – A lot of MLB Draftniks scratched their head when the Yankees chose Bichette so high (their first pick in the draft, 2nd round).  Well, Bichette went nuts last year, hitting .335 with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, and drove in 48.  Not bad at all for his first taste of pro ball.  What surprised me were his 3 triples.  After the Yankees drafted him I heard the only great thing about Bichette was his power.  Well, apparently the kid can hit all around.  He will only improve on those power numbers as he develops.  Remember, this kid went from high school to pro ball and put up those numbers.  Honestly, I don’t know enough about his defense yet.  He will be 20 in September.  I can see him starting the year at Staten Island and moving up to Single A Tampa.

6.  Austin Romine, C – I have him this high because he is very close to becoming a Major Leaguer and made his debut last season with the Yankees, collecting 3 hits in 19 at-bats.  He struggled in the Majors but you have to expect some growing pains.  Besides, he has never been touted to be an offensive threat.  He will, however, be a very good Major League catcher and could hit occasionally.  What I like about Romine is he is better than Francisco Cervelli right now, both offensively and defensively.  Romine will finally get a full year at AAA with Montero now gone.  Last year he hit .279 with 13 doubles and 6 homers and drove in 48.  The defense is there.  The offense might come soon, or it might not.  Still, at worst, the Yankees have a back-up catcher in Romine that won’t embarrass you.  At best he is their starting catcher in a couple of years.

7.  Jose Campos, RHP – Campos, as most of you know, was acquired as part of the Montero trade.  His numbers in Low-A ball are pretty sick, 5-5, 2.32ERA, 81.1IP, 13BB, 85K, .214BAA.  I wrote a little about him in the trade blog post so I won’t go crazy here.  He needs some work but has an electric fastball.  I can see him starting the year in Staten Island or Tampa.  He will be just 20 in July so there is plenty of time for him to develop his other pitches.  Every time I read something on him the more I think he will end up in the bullpen.  I can see him as a closer candidate down the line.

8.  Adam Warren, RHP – Warren might be ready for the Majors right now.  He doesn’t possess overpowering stuff but pitches to contact and has seen some success from that formula.  He pitched to a 6-8, 3.60ERA, 152.1IP, 53BB, 111K, .249BAA line.  I was surprised the Yankees didn’t give him a taste of the Majors last season which leads me to believe the Yankees don’t think he can be any more than a fifth starter.  I can see him going on to have similar Major League success to Jake Westbrook.

9.  Ravel Santana, OF – I wanted to put Santana ahead of Warren but Santana is a ways away from making the Majors.  He is a toolsy kind of outfielder and I’m not a huge fan of toolsy guys in the lower minors.  He posted a stat line of .296, 11(2B), 3(3B), 9HR, 29RBI, 10SB and struck out 40 times in 185 plate appearances while walking only 17 times.  That’s 40 strikeouts in 41 games.  I’m interested to see how he develops outside of the Dominican Summer League.  The above stats are from his first stateside action in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.  I can see Santana getting to Charleston this year but I don’t think he will get to Staten Island or Tampa…not yet.

10.  Slade Heathcott, OF – The only thing Slade has known in his life is adversity.  From off the field to on the field he has battled problems.  He was an alcoholic and the Yankees had to step in and get him help.  He was deemed to have attitude problems but he is maturing now.  Now, his biggest problem is injury.  His right shoulder has had two surgeries now and has sapped a lot of his arm strength.  He seemed to finally be putting it together when he went down with the shoulder injury last year.  He posted a batting line of .279, 11(2B), 4(3B), 5HR, 17RBI which were all improvements over the previous season.  He had 5 homers across 2 levels in 53 games when the year prior he only had 2 homers in 76 games.  His batting average climbed and he was hitting for more power all around.  However, there are a few red flags about Slade that caused me to place him at number 10.  First, he strikes out a lot.  Second, his injury history is beginning to get serious.  Third, he has speed but has not shown an adeptness for stealing bags, getting caught 7 times last year while only stealing 6.  I used to be a huge fan of Slade’s, and I guess I still am, if only because I root for him to overcome adversity.  At this point, I am beginning to wonder if he will make the Major Leagues.  He needs to stay healthy.  He might start in Tampa where he appeared in 1 game before the injury occurred, or he could go back to Charleston to get his confidence up.  It will be interesting to see how the Yankees develop him.  He will be 21 this season.

10A. J.R. Murphy, C – Another one of the Yankee catchers who can hit.  The Yankees have played him in the outfield at the corners and at first and third base.  However, they say they are committing him to catcher more this year after he made improvements defensively.  He is finally starting to hit, posting .287, 29(2B), 7HR, 46RBI.  Those doubles should turn into more homers as he fills out his frame.  He is still young, he won’t turn 21 until May, so there is plenty of time for him to develop.  I can see him becoming a solid catcher or corner outfielder/infielder in the Majors.  I gave him the 10A spot because I am not so sure about Heathcott these days.  He has to prove he can stay healthy.  Murphy could catapult to the top five with a strong showing this year in Tampa.  I can see him moving up to Trenton if he does well.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Mets Top Five Prospects


I’ve done the Yankees Top prospect list, a list which now needs to be revised with the subtraction of Jesus Montero and the addition of Jose Campos, but I figured I would do a top prospect list for the New York Mets.  For years the Mets farm system has suffered.  Sure, there is David Wright and Jose Reyes and Mike Pelfrey.  However, for every one of those players there is a Fernando Martinez, an Alex Ochoa, and an Alex Escobar.  The same can be said for a lot of teams minor league systems.  Anyway, here is a look at the Mets Top Five Prospects:

1.  Matt Harvey, RHP – Harvey is the closest thing to being a big arm ready for the big leagues.  He made it as far as AA last season, where he should start again this year.  He didn’t have a great year at AA Binghamton.  He walked 23 batters in 59.2 innings at AA compared to walking only 24 in 76 innings at A Port St. Lucie.  He will be 23 in March and should make it to AAA at some point this year.  After watching the Mets rush other prospects to the Majors and stunt their development it is essential that the Mets promote Harvey at his own pace, not the pace the Mets want, like what happened with Fernando Martinez.  Arms are a finicky sort of thing and the Mets would do well to let Harvey develop and not rush him.  He has a very good fastball and a pretty decent slider.  His change-up is still a work in progress.  If he can’t get his change-up to develop or has trouble bringing a third pitch with him to the Majors then the Mets have the makings of a darn good closer.  I project him to be a top of the rotation guy, somewhere around a #2 starter.

2.  Zack Wheeler, RHP – Wheeler was the prize of the Carlos Beltran trade with San Francisco.  He will be 22 in May and features a 93-96 MPH fastball, a very good curveball that sits in the 70’s, and a change-up that needs a lot of work.  His control has been a big issue as he advances.  He walked just under 5 men per nine innings last season (4.7) for his career.  The stuff is there.  He, like Harvey, needs time to develop a third pitch.  He has yet to pitch above A ball but should see time in AA this year if he doesn’t start out there to begin with.  I project him as a #2 type starter.  Not quite ace material, unless his change-up develops and his curveball finds the plate with more consistency.  Personally, I think he needs to learn how to pitch a bit more instead of throw.  If he doesn’t develop a third pitch he will be like Harvey, a closer type pitcher.

3.  Brandon Nimmo, OF – He was the Mets first-round draft pick last season.  He is fresh out of high school and the Mets had to really do their scouting to find him since he didn’t play high school baseball and instead played in American Legion games.  Nimmo is an interesting case because there was a complete lack of a hard-core scouting report on him.  He has the tools though and I think he might be able to finally break the Mets failures with toolsy outfielders like Alex Ochoa, Alex Escobar, and Fernando Martinez.  He will need a lot of time in the minor leagues but that is not a bad thing.  I have him rated so high because I truly believe the Mets have their starting right fielder, or even center fielder of the future in Nimmo.  We will just have to wait and see what this Wyoming kid can do.  I can’t go off of his stats from his first taste of rookie ball last season but he did display some power.  He will need to learn patience at the plate, having struck out 14 times in 44 plate appearances.  If the Mets rush him they should fire the entire team…everyone associated with the Mets would need to be let go.  This kid needs time to develop and you might not see him in Queens for five years.  Sometimes good things are worth waiting for.

4.  Jenrry Mejia, RHP – Mejia was high on most Mets top prospect lists heading into last season.  The Mets should have been jailed for the way they handled him, having him bounce between starting and relieving.  He went down for Tommy John surgery last year and will have a long road to recovery.  The Mets need to stop dicking this kid around and either make him a starter or a reliever and stick to that plan. I would prefer to see him as a starter since good bullpen help is easier to find.  If he flames out as a starter THEN and only then do you make him a reliever and see what he has to offer.  The fact that he was in the Big Leagues at 20 years old in 2010 is more of testament to the Mets not having good enough prospects at the high levels and their impatience when it comes to developing prospects.  I know he pitched well at AAA but there was no reason to take one of your top prospects as a starter and then make him relieve just because you felt he could succeed there.  In 2010, he went from Rookie A ball all the ay to the Majors.  That makes no sense.  No wonder the kid blew his arm out.  He started at every level in the minors and then became a reliever in the Majors.  Once the Mets figure out where he belongs then they need to let him develop.  There was no need to rush this kid to the Majors and yet they did it anyway.  He could be an ace if he develops fully.  Or, he could be a closer.  The Mets starting pitching has been atrocious lately and having a young trio of Mejia, Harvey, and Wheeler anchoring the rotation in 2014 is a good thing. 

5.  Cesar Puello, OF – Stop me if you’ve heard the one about the toolsy Mets outfield prospect.  Puello is another one of these guys.  Does he have the tools?  Yeah, they are there.  He can steal bases, having stolen 45 in 55 attempts at A Savannah in 2010.  He can hit for some power, he hit 10 homers at Port St. Lucie last season in 441 at-bats.  He has been able to hit for average as well, posting a .305 mark in 2008, a .296 mark in 2009, and a .292 mark in 2010.  However, once he got to higher A ball his average plummeted to .259 last season and his strikeouts went through the roof, whiffing 103 times in 441 at-bats.  A lot of scouts like him.  Scouts love tools.  Can he be good?  Certainly, he won't even be 21 until April.  Do the Mets have a track record developing tools guys?  Nope.  If the Mets don’t rush him like Fernando Martinez he might learn to adjust.  Learning to adjust is the one tool no scout marks down on his pad and if he can’t do that then none of the other tools really matter.  

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Welcome to the Bronx Michael Pineda

Jesus Montero, the Yankees number one prospect is now a Mariner.  Michael Pineda is now a Yankee.  Brian Cashman pulled off one of the gutsiest trades of his tenure as Yankee GM by trading Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.  Pineda is the type of pitcher the Yankees have been looking for, a power pitcher with ace-like stuff to slide in behind C.C. Sabathia in the rotation.  Pineda made the All-Star team last season but his numbers took a slide last season, pitching to a 4.74 ERA in his last 17 starts.  Against AL East opponents last season, Pineda posted a 4.73 ERA in 9 starrts.  He did poorly against the Yankees and Red Sox but was pretty good against the Rays.  He gave up almost a homer per nine innings (.95 hr/9) but can miss a lot of bats, striking out almost 25% of the batters he faced.  He is, however, a fly ball pitcher, obtaining only a ground ball rate just under 37%.  Pineda's a fastball pitcher but also features a pretty good slider and drops an occasional change up.  He has the makings of an ace.  He will only be 23 next season and managed to throw a career high 171 innings last season.

Jose Campos is a young fire-baller.  He can dial it up to 97 MPH and regularly sits around 93-94 MPH.  He's 19 years old so he has plenty of time to develop his other pitches which he needs to do.  He struck out 85 in 81.1 innings and has shown excellent command with his fastball.  It's his other pitches that betray him from time to time and he sometimes struggles to find the plate with his other pitches, a change up and a slider/curve.  Campos was the Mariners 5th best prospect and should move into the top ten in the Yankees system.

Montero is going to be missed.  He was touted as a once-in-a-generation bat and frequently compared to Miguel Cabrera and Mike Piazza.  Now, if you've read my previous posts you would have read about former Yankee prospects that drew hefty comparisons only to fall short.  Ruben Rivera, Drew Henson, Nick Johnson, J.T. Snow, Hensley Meulens, the list goes on and on.  Montero might turn out to be an amazing hitter, which I think he will, but he had no position with the Yankees.  The Yankees didn't view him long term as a catcher and slated him in as the DH.  The Yankees don't need a 23 year old DH.  They need the DH slot to rest Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and all of the other aging Yankees that will need a spell every now and then from the field.  The Yankees have Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez, who many scouts think will be better all around than Montero, and J.R. Murphy in their top fifteen prospect lists and all are catchers so losing Montero might hurt a little but it shouldn't hurt long-term.  I'll be honest, it hurts to lose Montero.  I keep remembering a young prospect the Yankees had that was traded for 3 pitching prospects back in 1998.  That prospects name was Mike Lowell.  He was traded for Ed Yarnall, considered the best lefty pitching prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, Todd Noel, and Mark Johnson.  None of those three pitchers made an impact for the Yankees or any other MLB team.  However, it is hard to pass on a live young arm like Pineda, even if you are giving up a Montero.

Also going to Seattle is Hector Noesi.  Noesi should slide into the Mariners rotation.  Noesi was being considered for the 5th spot in the Yankee rotation and there were some in the Yankee organization that believed Noesi could develop into a 3rd or 4th starter.  Those are easier to find than aces and #2's which is what Pineda and Campos project to.  It is impossible to project what a ballplayer will be when his career is over.  Brien Taylor was supposed to make New York see what might have been had Dwight Gooden never done drugs.  Ruben Rivera was supposed to make Yankee fans reminisce about Mickey Mantle, or even forget about Mantle altogether.  Mariano Rivera was only signed to get Ruben, his cousin, to sign a contract with them.  The Yankees never thought Rivera would amount to anything more than organizational filler.  My point is, highly touted prospects flame out while guys we never expected to succeed often become franchise cornerstones.  Look how many teams passed over Robinson Cano at one time.  The Rangers chose Joaquin Arias instead of Cano in the A-Rod trade.  The Diamondbacks passed on Cano for Randy Johnson.  You just never know.

It's going to take some time for the Yankees to get used to not having Montero to look forward to.  He was hyped up beyond all reason.  However, it is easier to find offense than it is good pitching.  Pineda is a good pitcher.  Pineda also gives the Yankees 5 years of team-controlled pitching which means, if he develops into what he can be, the Yankees won't have to go out and spend big on a free agent pitcher down the road.  It also gives the Yankees payroll flexibility which is important above all else as the Yankees seek to get under the $189 million luxury tax limit in 2014.

After getting Pineda, Cashman swooped in and signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal for $10 million pending a physical.  Cashman has liked Kuroda and inquired about him at the deadline last year but Kuroda didn't want to waive his no-trade clause.  Now, Kuroda looks like he was willing to become a Yankee.  Getting Kuroda for $10 million on a one year deal is a solid move by Cashman.  The luxury tax will up the cost to the Yankees to about $13 million, or around the asking price for Kuroda originally at the onset of free agency.  Not bad at all for the Yankees.

Moving forward, the Yankees went from searching for pitching to having a surplus of it.  Pineda slides into the rotation behind Sabathia, Kuroda, and Nova.  Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Adam Warren, and David Phelps will compete for the last two spots in the rotation.  It is very possible that the Yankees make another trade, either before, during, or after Spring Training.  If Phil Hughes reverts to the guy who made the All-Star team then then Yankees are going to have a very formidable, very young rotation.  If not, he might be pushed to the bullpen or end up as part of a trade to fill a hole.

What is most amazing about this big trade is that the Yankees held onto Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, their two best pitching prospects.  Banuelos and Betances might team with Pineda, Sabathia, and Hughes or Nova to form one of baseball's best rotations down the road.  The fact is, the Yankees have a lot of very good young pitching, the hardest commodity to acquire in the game.  Even if this trade doesn't work out because Pineda doesn't live up to expectations this is a trade you have to make every time.  Kudos to Cashman for having the guts to make this trade and even more kudos for getting Kuroda at a decent price.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Emerging from the Darkness: The 1990's New York Yankees


Ahh, the 1990’s.  You remember them, right?  Most of you do, I’m sure and for those that don’t you missed one of the strangest decades in Yankee baseball history.  The 1990’s started out with a Yankee team in transition.  Don Mattingly, the Yankee first baseman and Captain was beginning to feel the effects of a bad back.  Billy Martin had come and gone, come and gone as Yankee manager.  However, Billy died before the Boss could bring him back one more time.  The Yankees would start the season managed by Bucky Dent and end with Stump Merrill on the bench.  Dave Winfield would be traded to the Angels for Mike Witt.  Andy Hawkins, the resident Yankee ace would pitch a no-hitter but lose the game, 4-0 to the White Sox thanks to 4 errors by the young Yankee team.  There was a lot of hope in some young Yankees that were making their way through the farm system.  Guys like Gerald Williams, Bernie Williams, Deion Sanders, Dave Eiland, Mike Blowers, Hensley Meulens, Roberto Kelly, Kevin Maas, and Jim Leyritz were all going to come in and save the future of the Yankees. 
It didn’t happen.  Sure, Bernie Williams will forever go down as a great Yankee but many scouts thought Gerald was the better Williams.  Hensley Meulens was supposed to be the next great Yankee third baseman.  He even had a cool nickname, Bam-Bam because he knocked the cover off of the ball at every Minor League level.  Mike Blowers was another highly touted third base prospect that many teams coveted.  Roberto Kelly was going to be the next great Yankee center fielder.  He would even make an All-Star team with the Yankees in 1992 but would be traded before the 1993 season for Paul O’Neill.  Kelly would actually be part of a trade that saw him go from the Reds to the Braves and Deion Sanders, who the Yankees released at the end of the season, go from the Braves to the Reds.  Dave Eiland never managed to put it all together and settled for a middling career before trying his hand in coaching.  Leyritz went on to become a World Series hero but his ego was always bigger than his actual talent.
Yes, these were the 1990 New York Yankees.  Right fielder Jesse Barfield led the team in homers with 25.  Kevin Maas finished second with 21.  Barfield also led the team in RBI with 78.  Roberto Kelly finished second with 61.  Can you imagine a Yankee team today with the top RBI guys having those numbers?  Tim Leary would lead the league…in losses with 19 while only winning 9 games.  His ERA was 4.11 which was not awful but not great.  Lee Guetterman, a relief pitcher, led the team with 11 wins.  It was an awful time to be a Yankee fan.  The team finished with a 67-95 record.
However, lost in the shuffle that was the 1990 Yankees was the future foundation that was laid.  What am I talking about?  Well, sometimes being awful has its benefits.  The 1990 Draft netted the Yankees some pretty important players for their future.  Both Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte were drafted by the Yankees in the June Amateur Draft.  Pettitte didn’t sign that year but would sign the next year after getting drafted.  Apparently, the Yankees liked the kid.  Also drafted that year was Shane Spencer and Ricky Ledee.  Neither of them were great Yankees but both helped win titles and then were either discarded or traded for other players that also helped the Yankees win. 
In 1991, the Yankees finished with a 71-91 record, an improvement from 1990.  Hawkins would be released after pitching in only four games and sporting an ERA of 9.95 (and you thought A.J. Burnett was bad?).  Scott Sanderson was the new Yankee ace and he would make the All-Star team that year and end up winning 16 games after being purchased from the Oakland Athletics.  Tim Leary, after signing back with the Yankees as a free agent went 4-10 with a 6.49 ERA.  Jeff Johnson would make 23 starts and go 6-11 with a 5.95 ERA (again, you think A.J. is bad?).  Wade Taylor, another youngster, would make 22 starts and go 7-12 with a 6.27 ERA.  Things were not looking good in Yankeeland, especially on the mound.  Sure, there were some bright spots.  Steve Farr filled in nicely for a recently departed Dave Righetti.  Steve Howe emerged as a semi-valuable bullpen arm after coming back from drug addiction.  Pascual Perez seemed to be a decent pitcher but he could never stay healthy, or apparently sober.  Mike Witt was supposed to help stabilize the rotation but instead blew his arm out after only a couple of starts.  Things were so bad Alvaro Espinoza managed to outpitch several Yankee pitchers, getting both batters he faced out in a blowout game.  Yes, Yankeeland was not a good place to be.  Yankee Stadium was a funeral parlor compared to what it would become in a couple of seasons. 
Offensively, three Yankees topped 20 homers: Roberto Kelly (20), Kevin Maas (23), and Matt Nokes (24).  Steve Sax led the team with a .308 AVG and Mel Hall led the team in RBI with 80, edging out Matt Nokes who was second with 77.  Don Mattingly, still not the same player he was in the 1980’s finished 4th on the team in RBI with 68, one behind Roberto Kelly.  Mattingly would also finish second in batting average, hitting at a .288 clip.  Mel Hall would be the only other Yankee aside from Sax and Mattingly who hit above .270.  Overall, the team hit .256 and scored 674 runs.  Yikes.
The future, however, was brightened when the Yankees took high school phenom, Brien Taylor with the number one overall pick in the June Draft.  Taylor was regarded as the best high school pitcher ever and his minor league numbers offered a glimpse of what the future ace would be capable of.  Alas, it was never meant to be.  In 1993, Taylor, rated the number one prospect in all of baseball separated his shoulder and tore his labrum in a fight that his brother was involved in.  That was the end of his baseball career, though he tried to come back before officially retiring in 2000.  According to Wikipedia, Taylor now works as a bricklayer and still lives with his parents making $909 a month as of 2006.  Regardless, the selection of Taylor with the first overall pick had many Yankee fans thinking about Dwight Gooden in his prime with the Mets.  Oh, what could have been!
In 1992, the outlook for the Yankees began to look up.  Danny Tartabull signed before the season, giving the Yankees a legitimate bat in the middle of the order.  Steve Sax was traded to the White Sox for 3 young pitchers, Domingo Jean, Bob Wickman, and Melido Perez.  Don Mattingly might revert to his old self at any moment.  Melido Perez emerged as the Yankee ace, supplanting Scott Sanderson who struggled with a 12-11 record and 4.93 ERA.  Perez went 13-16 with a 2.87 ERA.  He might have won 20 games if the Yankees could hit.  But, the Yankees still couldn’t hit.  They did score 733 runs, up from the previous season thanks to Mattingly (86 RBI), Tartabull (85 RBI and a team leading 25 homers) and Mel Hall (81).  Charlie Hayes became a fan favorite at third, hitting 18 homers and driving in 66.  Still, the Yankees had no pitching depth and finished a paltry 76-86.  Mike Stanley was the backup catcher and was beginning to show the Yankees what he was capable of and would soon supplant Matt Nokes as the starter. 
Oh yes, the future was bright.  Bernie Williams was starting to hit, hitting .280 in 1992.  The Yankees had the #6 selection in the Draft and selected a high school shortstop from Kalamazoo, MI named Derek Jeter.  Jeter and Brien Taylor would give the Yankees a young core that would take them into the next century.  Yessir, the future was surely bright.  J.T. Snow was one of the best prospects in baseball and would surely spell Don Mattingly at first base to ease his back pain before taking the position over full-time.  Bam Bam was still young enough to turn it around and he hit 1 homer and had two other hits in 6 plate appearances that year without even striking out.  He was only 25 and there was still time for him to become the player the Yankees thought he could be.  Oh boy, the future was looking good.  Bam Bam could be the third baseman, Snow at first, Taylor as the ace with Melido, who was still only 26 in 1992, backing him up as the #2.  Bernie in center field, Jeter at short, Pat Kelly at second, and Tartabull in right field, and Roberto Kelly in left, man the Yankees were going to be unstoppable.
Then, plans changed in 1993 for the Yankees and the future that looked so bright now had a different shine.  Roberto Kelly was traded to the Reds for an underachieving guy named Paul O’Neill.  Charlie Hayes was taken by the Rockies in the expansion draft.  J.T. Snow, Jerry Neilsen, and Russ Springer were traded to the Angels for Jim Abbott, a one-handed pitcher who had a lot of talent.  Jimmy Key and Wade Boggs were signed as free agents after the Yankees missed out on Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds.  Hey, the Yankees still had a bright future.  Spike Owen was signed to man the shortstop position until Jeter was ready.    
The 1993 season was when the worm began to turn for the New York Yankees.  Key pieces to the puzzle were in place.  Wade Boggs was resurrecting his career after the Red Sox thought he was done and went on to hit .302.  Mike Stanley exploded for 26 homers.  Danny Tartabull led the team with 31 homers and became the first player in the 1990’s to drive in over 100 runs with 102, although he only hit .250 with 156 strikeouts.  Paul O’Neill hit 20 home runs and drove in 75 runs while batting .311.  Left fielder Dion James hit .332.  Don Mattingly hit 17 home runs and got his batting average up to .291 and looked like his back problems might finally start to be a thing of the past.  Bernie Williams, still just 24 years old hit 12 home runs.  Jimmy Key won 18 games and sported a 3.00 ERA.  Jim Abbott pitched a no-hitter on 9/4/93 against the Indians.  The Yankees were in contention for a playoff spot and brought in veteran Frank Tanana to bolster their rotation after Melido Perez struggled.  The bullpen regressed, however, with Steve Howe, Steve Farr, and Rich Monteleone, the main bullpen guys all sporting ERA’s north of 4.20.  Lee Smith joined Tanana as a late season acquisition and recorded 3 saves in 8 games and never allowed a run. Even with a shaky bullpen the Yankees went 88-74, their first winning season in the 1990’s.  Manager Buck Showalter had the Yankees playing up to their potential.
The 1994 season opened with a mix of optimism and a little bit of dread.  Brien Taylor’s future was in jeopardy.  Derek Jeter committed 56 errors at Single A Greensboro leaving some to wonder if he had the moxie to handle shortstop in the Majors.  His bat was fine but his glove was making people wonder.  Still, the Yankees won 88 games the year before and there was no reason to doubt the Yankees wouldn’t improve on that record.  Terry Mulholland, fresh off of a World Series appearance and decent season with the Phillies was acquired in a trade.  Jimmy Key was an ace.  Xavier Hernandez, 28 years old at the time and fresh off of a year where he struck out 101 batters in 96.2 innings with the Astros was brought in via trade to replace the departed Steve Farr at closer.  Veteran Jeff Reardon was there to step in if Hernandez needed help.  Scott Kamieniecki looked poised to take the next step as a starter.
The season started well for the Yankees.  Paul O’Neill was amazing, hitting .359 with 21 homers and 83 RBI.  Mike Stanley hit .300 with 17 homers and 57 RBI.  Wade Boggs hit .342.  Mattingly hit .304.  Tartabull clubbed 19 homers.  Jimmy Key won 17 games, on pace to win 24 games.  The Yankees were in first place in the American League and poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 1981.  Then, baseball went on strike on August 12, 1994 and didn’t return until April 2, 1995.  No playoffs for the Yankees.
A few adjustments needed to be made going into the 1995 season.  The Yankees acquired former Cy Young winner, Jack McDowell from the White Sox for Lyle Mouton and Keith Heberling.  The Yankees also signed former All-Star Tony Fernandez to play shortstop, an improvement over Mike Gallego and Spike Owen of previous years.  Danny Tartabull was not living up to the expectations that came with his contract and would find himself traded at the trade deadline for Ruben Sierra.  David Cone would be acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for Marty Janzen and two other fringe prospects on July 28th after Jimmy Key hurt his shoulder.  The Yankees now had 3 aces in Key (when he returned), McDowell, and Cone.  And, the Yankees took a flyer on Darryl Strawberry who was attempting a comeback from drug and alcohol abuse.  In the minors one of baseball’s best prospects waited in the wings.  His name was Ruben Rivera and he was already being compared to Mickey Mantle at age 21.  Yankees fans were anxious for the 1995 season to begin.
The Yankees weren’t as good as expectations made them out to be.  Yankee fans wanted World Series.  Instead, they finished 7 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.  But, being that this was the first year of a new playoff format, the Yankees went to the playoffs for the first time since 1981 as the Wild Card.  Oh yes, the Bronx was bumping again.  Suddenly it was cool to be a Yankee fan again.  The Yankees were a playoff team and there was still Ruben Rivera and Derek Jeter in the minors.  Jeter even made his big league debut in 1995.  There were a couple of other prospects that made their debut that year, Andy Pettitte, who won 12 games as a rookie, Mariano Rivera, cousin to Ruben, made his debut as a starter at age 25, and some guy named Jorge Posada, who appeared in 1 game but never got an at-bat.  New York was on the verge of hysteria as the playoffs began.
The Yankees jumped out to a quick 2 games to none lead over the Mariners who featured Ken Griffey, Jr., Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, and Jay Buhner.  It looked like the Yankees would be on their way to a showdown with the Cleveland Indians for the American League Pennant.  Then, the world collapsed.  The Mariners battled back and eventually beat the Yankees in the deciding 5th game.  As painful as that is, the New York Yankees would never be the same after that.  We all know what happened in 1996 and subsequent years. 

Buck Showalter would be out of a job and replaced by Joe Torre, leaving many Yankee fans upset and the media calling Torre “Clueless Joe.”  Ruben Rivera would be traded for Hideki Irabu and become an all-time bust.  Irabu himself would wear the bust label after coming over from Japan touted as the Japanese Nolan Ryan.  Jeter would start at shortstop after Tony Fernandez went down with an injury and Mariano Duncan was signed to play second base.  Tim Raines, one of the best players in the 1980’s, was acquired from the White Sox.  Kenny Rogers, coming off of a 17 win season, was signed as a free agent.  Dwight Gooden, coming back from substance abuse, was the #5 starter.  The Yankees were poised to do some damage.  Even when Cone went down with an aneurism, the Yankees were still able to weather the storm.  They bolstered their bullpen by acquiring Graeme Llyod.  Cecil Fielder was brought in for prospect Matt Drews and disgruntled Ruben Sierra.  Mariano Rivera was the perfect set-up man to new closer John Wetteland.  Derek Jeter would win the Rookie of the Year award.  Pettitte won 21 games.  Gooden pitched a no-hitter against the Mariners on May 11th.  Oh, and the Yankees went on to win the World Series.  They did it again in 1998, 1999, and 2000 while winning the AL Pennant in 2001 and 2003 as well.  Not bad for a team that was the worst in baseball to start the decade.

I hope you enjoyed the journey from the darkness into the light that was the Yankees dynasty in the late 1990’s.

Best Trades the Yankees Never Made


Here is a look at some of the best trades the Yankees never made.  This was done off the top of my head so if I am missing something please feel free to chime in with a comment.  Here we go, in no particular order:

Joe DiMaggio for Ted Williams – This was pretty close to happening.  In fact, there was a verbal agreement between Yankees GM Larry MacPhail and Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey in 1947.  Both men were drinking and bouncing ideas off of each other.  MacPhail saw Williams and his left handed bat using the short right field post at Yankee Stadium to demolish opposing pitching.  Yawkey saw DiMaggio and his right-handed bat abusing the Green Monster in left field.  When the two men sobered up the next day, Yawkey came to MacPhail and said he just couldn’t trade Williams.  He was worried about the backlash from the Boston fanbase for trading another superstar to the Yankees, even if he was receiving Joe DiMaggio in return.  In hindsight, it is hard to imagine the Yankees without DiMaggio or the Red Sox without Williams.  I think both would have put up better numbers than they did but they were both legends in their cities and this was a deal better off not done.

Frank Thomas for Mariano Rivera and others – Once upon a time Mariano Rivera was a fringe starting pitcher.  That was in 1995, when Rivera filled in as a starter for a bit.  The Yankees coveted Thomas and his awesome bat but were unwilling to deal Rivera.  It turns out the Yankees were right not to do so.  Can you imagine how different the 1990’s would have been had Rivera not been a part?  Can you imagine what Frank Thomas could have done as a Yankee?  Well, we got to see Thomas in a Yankee uniform to whet that appetite in one of the opening scenes in the Tom Selleck movie Mr. Baseball where Thomas is the young rookie that supplants an aging Selleck who reminds me a little of Don Mattingly.  The Yankees ended up trading Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock to the Mariners for Tino Martinez, Jim Mecir, and Jeff Nelson.  That trade worked out for the Yankees big-time.

Andy Pettitte for Reggie Taylor, Adam Eaton, and Anthony Schumaker – This was pretty close to happening in 1999.  George Steinbrenner was getting fed up with Pettitte’s slow start and wanted Pettitte traded to send a message to the team.  GM Brian Cashman resisted the urge to deal one of the greatest lefties the Yankees have ever had.  Believe it or not, Reggie Taylor was once a pretty highly regarded prospect but he never got beyond that.  Adam Eaton was another pretty decent prospect but again, he never got beyond that.  Schumaker only made 8 big league appearances.  Phew.  Can you imagine if the Yankees made this deal?  Wow.  The Yankees supposedly would have flipped two of those guys to the Devil Rays (as they were then called) for reliever Roberto Hernandez.  Dodged a huge bullet on this one.
Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and others for Johan Santana – The Twins were dangling their lefty ace.  The Yankees needed pitching.  Talks went back and forth and the Twins asked for Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy among others.  The Yankees said no.  That was five years ago.  Santana was traded to the Mets for Phil Humber, Carlos Gomez, and Kevin Mulvey.  Humber is now with the White Sox.  Gomez is with the Brewers.  Mulvey is still toiling away in the minors…I think.  The Yankees told the Twins they could have either Hughes or Kennedy.  The Twins wanted both and ended up getting nothing in return for their ace.  The Mets invested big dollars in Santana and got a little return for their money as Santana was an ace before hurting his shoulder.  Now, he is kind of like Carl Pavano for the Mets but if and when he does come back at least he will be better than Pavano.  Ian Kennedy was traded for Curtis Granderson so that worked out, even if Kennedy did win 20 games this past season.

Robinson Cano for anyone – There was a time when Robinson Cano seemed to be mentioned an awful lot in trade rumors.  Here are some of the guys he was in trade talks for:  Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Alex Rodriguez (Texas chose Joaquin Arias instead of Cano in the Soriano for A-Rod trade), Troy Glaus, Russ Ortiz, and Randy Johnson among others.  The Yankees eventually landed Garcia to a deal last year.  They managed to get A-Rod because Texas chose the younger Arias.  Russ Ortiz was signed as a minor league free agent a couple of years ago but was terrible.  Randy Johnson became a Yankee but Arizona didn’t want Cano.  It would be hard to imagine what the Yankees would be like right now if Cano had been traded away. 

Every winter and every year n June and July we hear different rumors swirl around the Yankees.  It is hard to tell which trades were close to happening and which were just rumors.  We know about the DiMaggio-Williams swap and that the Yankees came close to trading Cano and Mo and Pettitte.  We also know they were close to letting Bernie Williams walk as a free agent and would have instead signed Albert Belle in 1998.  Belle was an offensive force.  However, he happened to have a degenerative hip problem that cost him his career while Bernie is only an All-Time Yankee great.  We all also know how close the Yankees came to signing Greg Maddux, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Vladimir Guerrero in recent years.  Maddux chose Atlanta in 1993 and the Yankees beat him in two World Series in 1996 and 1999.  Bonds went on to the Giants and setting records as well as getting involved in steroids.  Bonilla was good for the Mets for a couple of years but didn’t live up to the contract he signed.  Vlad’s back scared Yankee brass away.  He went on to be a dynamic player and is still playing, albeit at a much lesser level.  Instead of Vlad the Yankees signed Gary Sheffield.  Yankee fans can’t be too upset given what Sheff did as a Yank. 
I just wanted to visit the things that almost altered Yankee history, and ultimately baseball history.  There is no telling what would have happened had any of these moves taken place.  Would a World Series even have been a possibility without Mo?  Would the Yankees have become the most dominant team in sports if they had signed Maddux, Bonds, and Bonilla instead of Danny Tartabull, Jimmy Key, and Wade Boggs?  There is no way to know but it sure is fun to remember.  Sometimes, keeping the prospect is better than trading him.  We might soon be able to add the Jesus Montero for Cliff Lee trade to this list in a couple of years.  Who knows?

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Can I Get a Do-Over? The 2001 NBA Draft

There are good drafts, filled with talent and poised to bring in the next batch of NBA superstars.  Then, there are bad drafts, with talent so thin you have to scratch your head and wonder how these guys ended up taken where they were.  Let's take a look at the 2001 NBA Draft:

The first overall selection belonged to the Washington Wizards.  The Michael Jordan-led Wizards.  Who did they deem to be the best prospect in the entire draft?  Kwame Brown.  In Brown's defense, he is at least still in the league.  Brown was taken right out of high school during a time where every NBA team was looking for the next Kobe Bryant (aren't they still?).  Brown went on to average 4.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG in his rookie year.  Hardly numbers worthy of a #1 overall pick.  he has gone on to play for 6 different teams and has never come close to realizing his potential, or at least the potential everyone thought he had.  Perhaps he didn't have any to begin with.

The second pick of the draft was another high school prodigy, Tyson Chandler, who was taken by the Clippers and traded to the Bulls.  Chandler has been a very good player, helping the Mavericks win the championship last year.  Worthy of the #2 overall pick?  Nope.  Very nice player to have on your team?  Yep.

Pau Gasol was taken with the third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks who would trade him to the Grizzlies who now reside in Memphis but were still in Vancouver at the time.  Whew.  Finally, a pick worthy of a top three selection.  Gasol has been a very good big man in this league and has helped the Lakers win a Championship.  By the way, the Lakers traded Kwame Brown, who they acquired from the Wizards, for Gasol.  Yeah, I know, confusing.

Moving along to Eddy Curry, the 4th pick in the draft, selected by the Bulls.  Wow, the Bulls with basically two top four picks.  What was supposed to be the ushering in of a new era in Chicago turned out to be nothing more than a continuation of the old era.  Curry did have a couple of decent seasons, one with the Knicks.  However, he either developed a heart condition or just became lazy and vanished from the Knick radar.  He is, amazingly, still playing, sort of.  He recently signed a contract with the Miami Heat who are struggling to find anyone to fit under their cap to play even two minutes of basketball.  However, Curry has yet to play a single minute for the Heat.  Another thing Curry is noted for?  Allegedly soliciting gay sex from his limo driver.

OK, the fifth pick in the draft has to be much better, right?  Enter Jason Richardson, taken by the Golden State Warriors who are the only team in professional sports who don't list a city or state in their name.  Perhaps because no state really wants to associate with them, not since Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin left anyway.  Well, Richardson was good enough to make the All-Rookie team which is either saying he is talented or that everyone else from this class was lacking.  Nah, Richardson is a good player.  He just doesn't play for Golden Showe....errr, Golden State anymore.  The "Warriors" traded him for the rights to Brendan Wright.  So wrong.  He's on Orlando now and still a threat to score.

Shane Battier was taken with the sixth overall pick.  I grew up loving the way Battier played the game, still do.  The guy won't put up huge numbers but he is someone you want on your team.  He plays this thing that used to be played in the NBA called defense.  Yeah, hard to come by and most of the other players think he has some communicable disease but it's just defense.  Not worthy of a sixth pick in a draft but I would love to have the guy on my team.  He'll make a great coach one day.

Now we get to the 7th pick, Eddie Griffin.  Wait, doesn't this guy make bad B movies?  Oh, different Eddie Griffin?  OK.  Griffin was selected # 7 overall by the Nets who traded him to Houston.  Can you believe the Nets got Jason Collins, Richard Jefferson, and Brandon Armstrong in return for him?  Wow.  Griffin would become an alcoholic, get released from the Rockets, go to rehab, sign with the Wolves, got drunk again, got into car accident with parked car, got released, got drunk and then got hit by a train and died.  Sad.

OK, hopefully the 8th overall pick will bring about some better news.  With the 8th pick the Cavs selected DeSagana Diop.  Yet another high schooler, Diop is yet another huge high school prospect that failed to live up to expectations.  I swear, because of this draft the NBA banned high school kids from entering the draft. Diop averages less than 2 points per game and has averaged 2.1 PPG for his career.  Hey, the good news is he still plays for the Bobcats and that he his career high for points in a game is 10, a plateau he has reached 4 times in his career!  Awesome!  Wow.

Rodney White is out #9 overall selection.  Oh wow, Rodney White.  Yeah, the hits just keep on coming.  The Pistons were dumb enough, or maybe they were drunk enough to select White with the #9 overall pick. White never did much in the NBA but apparently he is branching out into new fields of endeavor.  He was recently arrested and charged with felony manufacture of marijuana and 4 other things.  Good job, Rodney.

The number 10 pick is at least someone who is still playing and someone who is still good.  That man is Joe Johnson who was chosen by the Celtics.  Midway through his rookie season he was traded with Randy Brown, Milt Palacio, and a first rounder to the Suns for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk.  Wow, Boston.  Guess the Celtics wanted to see if they could top the Jeff Bagwell to Astros for Larry Andersen or Babe Ruth being sold to the Yankees.  It's ok though, Johnson has only made 5 All-Star teams since leaving Boston.

Boston also had the 11th pick and chose Kedrick Brown.  Did you know that Kedrick Brown is still playing?  He is....in Turkey.  He averaged a little over 3 PPG during his stay in the States.  Way to go Kedrick!

OK, moving on to the twelfth pick now.  Phew, my head is about to explode.  It can't get any worse than this, can it?  Enter Vladimir Radmanovic who was taken by the Seattle Supersonics, who no longer exist.  Awesome.  The Radman is still playing, but for the Hawks.  He isn't a terrible player.  He isn't a very good player.  At least he is a player.

Who is lucky #13?  Richard Jefferson, come on down!  Jefferson was taken by the Rockets in this position who then traded him to the Nets for Eddie Griffin.  I assume that the Rockets really wanted the actor and not the guy they actually got.  Anyway, Jefferson went on to help lead the Nets out of obscurity with Jason Kidd and Co. and into the NBA Finals.  Jefferson has had a nice career and now is a capable backup, no longer being the slashing threat he once was.  At least he was good enough to make some money playing in this league.

At #14, the Golden State Warriors (seriously, can't they just say the Oakland Warriors or something?) selected Troy Murphy.  Troy is of no relation to Brittany Murphy the late actress.  He is still playing basketball in the United States with the Lakers.  He was born in Morristown, NJ and grew up in Sparta Township near where I currently reside.  for a local hero you would think there would have been more fanfare when he came to the Nets last season.  Murphy was traded from the "Warriors" to the Pacers.  From the Pacers he was traded to the Nets.  Then the Nets traded him back to the Warriors who bought him out allowing the boy with the Irish name to sign with the Celtics.  Now he is a Laker.  Cool.

Pick #15 brings us to the Orlando Magic's selection of Stephen Hunter.  Mr. Hunter, I think, is playing in Italy somewhere.  He is 7' tall so I'm sure he is averagin at least 4 PPG in Italy.

Pick #16 belonged to the Charlotte Hornets (who are now in New Orleans).  They chose, Kirk Haston.  Yeah, I don't know who he is either.  He averaged 1.2 PPG and played in 27 more NBA games than I did. Good for you, Kirk!

Pick #17 belonged to the Toronto Raptors, the only team to be named after a movie villain from Jurassic Park.  They chose Michael Bradley.  Bradley went on to have a much more successful career than Kirk Haston.  Yep.  Bradley played in 173 NBA games for 5 teams while averaging 2.8 PPG.  He's now a coach at The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati.  I'm not sure if that's a grammar school or high school.  Either way, he is probably the only one in the gym that can dunk anyway which makes him the closest thing to an All-Star he'll ever be.

Pick #18 was another one belonging to the Rockets.  They chose Jason Collins before trading him to the Nets.  Apparently, the Rockets felt bad for the Nets and wanted to give them all of their draft picks for a DVD compilation of Eddie Griffin's standup routines or something.  Collins wasn't exactly a world beater.  Oh, I was just informed he is still in the NBA!  Wow.  Collins is a backup center for the Atlanta Hawks.  Good for you Jason!

The 19th pick in the draft was used by the Portland Jai...Trail Blazers to select Zach Randolph.  Hey, finally a guy we've all heard of.  Wow.  A guy who is better than the previous five picks combined!  Usually, you aren't supposed to find better talent at #19 than you do at #1 but, hey, sometimes the world gets tossed around a little bit.  Randolph is still a very good player.

The Cleveland Cavaliers used the #20 pick to select Brendan Heywood.  Heywood never suited up for the Cavs because he was traded to the Magic.  He never suited up for the Magic because he was traded to the Wizards for Laron Profit and a first rounder.  Either Heywood was the most unwanted man or the most wanted.  Hard to tell which.  Heywood is still doing some pretty good work out there in Dallas.

The 21st pick belonged to the Boston Celtics...again.  Again, the Celtics screwed the pooch with their pick. They chose Joseph Forte who apparently went to school at North Carolina.  According to Wikipedia, his most memorable NBA moment in the NBA came when he wore a Scooby-Doo t-shirt on the bench during a playoff game.  He averaged 1.2 PPG for his "career" in the NBA.  He has also been arrested in MAryland for drug AND gun charges.  He was also later charged with assault for punching a man during a pick-up game giving him a better Crimes Committed Per Game Average than his PPG stats.  Great work Forte.

With the 22nd pick, the Magic took Jeryl Sasser.  Sasser played 2 years in the NBA and actually managed to put up a better PPG career average than the aforementioned Forte.  Yep, Sasser averaged 2.5 PPG.  He would later go on to play basketball in Kuwait...who knew they had pro basketball over there?

The 23rd pick was used by the Rockets to select another guy for New Jersey, Brandon Armstrong.  Armstrong went on to have a slightly better career than Forte and a slightly, though less productive one than Jeryl Sasser.

The 24th pick brings us to the Utah Jazz's selection of Raul Lopez.  Lopez, otherwise known as the "Spanish Fly" was featured on the Spanish version of the 2004 version of NBA Live.  Cool, I guess.  that's a much better accomplishment than well over half of the guys drafted before him.  Senor Lopez no esta aqui.  That means he isn't here anymore, I think.  Lopez only played 2 years in the NBA but he had better numbers than Forte, Sasser, and Armstrong.  The Spanish Fly flew back to Spain to play in the pro leagues over there where he was good enough to make the National Team and win a silver medal in the Olympics.

Pick #25 belonged to the Sacramento Kings and they chose Gerald Wallace.  Wallace is a pretty good player.  He barely played for Sacramento, mostly because Sacramento barely remembers they have a team. Anyway, the Bobcats chose him in their expansion draft three years later.He averaged 11.1 PPG his first year with the Bobcats which is better than almost 70% of the players previously mentioned.  Wallace also plays that thing called defense.  He would go on to average over 19 PPG with the Bobcats in in 2007-08 which is better than 80% of the previously mentioned players on this list.  Wallace is still playing and averaging over 15 PPg for the Jai...Trail Blazers.

The 26th pick was Samuel Dalembert by the Philadephia 76ers.  Dalembert was born in Haiti, moved to Canada, and then was drafted to Philly.  He isn't a terrible player.  He's a big man who can rebound and block a shot which gives him skills that 90% of the NBA no longer want or possess.  He is now on the Sacramento Kings.

Pick #27 belonged to the Vancouver Grizzlies.  No, the Grizzlies weren't good enough to earn the 27th pick they had to trade for it.  They chose Jamaal Tinsley.  Tinsley apparently passed gas when he was being welcomed to the Grizz because he was immediately dealt to Atlanta.  The smell must have lingered because he was then immediately dealt to Indiana.  Tinsley is a pretty good backup point guard these days.  He went from the Pacers back to the Grizzlies once the Grizzlies wised up and moved to Memphis.  He now plays for the Jazz.

And now, here we are, the last pick of the first round, pick #28.  The San Antonio Spurs sat here wondering what talent could possibly be left.  After all Kwame was gone.  Forte was gone.  Sasser was gone.  Whom to take?  Dilemma, dilemma.  The Spurs put some names into a hat and emerged with Tony Parker.  Yeah, the same Tony Parker that has helped them win like 100 Championships and stuff.  Yeah, the French guy who slept with Eva Longoria and then married her.  I think they are divorced now or something, eh, the French can get annoying after a few years of being around them and I'm sure Tony Parker (seriously, how is he French with a name like that?) grated on Miss Longoria after a while.  Parker might be the best steal in the draft.

Other notables, ok, ok, notable from this draft was second round pick Gilbert Arenas by the Golden State Warriors.  Seriously, they have to make some of the WORST personnel decisions in sports.  First was to draft Arenas, then to trade him.  Arenas went on to play and star for the Washington team formerly known as the Bullets, aka the Wizards where he would become embroiled in one of the strangest gun cases I've ever heard.  Anyway, the team with the #1 overall pick actually ended up with a player worthy (at least among this bunch) of the #1 pick.  Weird.  Arenas is now in Orlando where he likes to scare little kids at Disney World in his spare time.